Rehabilitation-4

Shin Jeonga, dressed in light clothing, approaches Yoon Sia and me.

I take a step forward, meeting her halfway.

“Why are you here?”

At my unintentional words, Shin Jeonga’s brow furrows deeply.

“Why? Can’t I come here?”

Sharp words, like a carbonated drink, burst from her lips.

Shin Jeonga’s gaze lingers on Yoon Sia over my shoulder.

Even someone without a clue could tell that Shin Jeonga isn’t looking at Yoon Sia with friendly eyes.

“Who is she? That woman?”

“Hey, ‘that woman’…”

“Oh, I’m Inho’s tutor. Are you Inho’s friend?”

Just as I take another step to stop Shin Jeonga, whose words are escalating, Yoon Sia steps forward from behind me.

“……”

At Yoon Sia’s introduction, Shin Jeonga falls silent and scans her up and down.

“Really?”

Then, she looks at me for confirmation. I nod in response.

“I see.”

Having grasped the situation, Shin Jeonga looks at me and Yoon Sia with a slightly softened expression.

“So, why are you two here?”

Still curious, she peppers us with questions.

“We were just going the same way…”

As I try to brush it off, Yoon Sia cuts me off, stepping closer behind me.

“Inho was walking me home because it’s dark. And he said he was going to the convenience store too.”

“Ah… is that so?”

As soon as those calm words are spoken, Shin Jeonga’s face slightly contorts.

“Anyway, thanks for walking me home. And do your homework.”

Yoon Sia stands next to me and looks at me.

As if a teacher looking at a commendable student, she gives me a pleased smile.

Well, I appreciate her trusting me…

“……”

Looking at Shin Jeonga’s increasingly raised eyebrows, it seems like I’ve chosen the wrong time.

“Then, I’ll be going.”

Yoon Sia says her goodbyes and heads towards the bus stop.

Her low-heeled shoes click-clack as she crosses the night street.

Shin Jeonga and I watch her go, listening to the sound, and then look at each other.

“What’s that?”

I point to the plastic bag in her hand.

“It’s nothing much.”

Shin Jeonga hides the plastic bag behind her back.

Something heavy sways from side to side.

Well, it’s nothing for me to worry about.

“Is that so? Then, whatever.”

I should go buy a hot bar. Ramen stir-fry with a hot bar for a late-night snack sounds perfect.

“Hey, Kang In-ho.”

As I’m about to enter the convenience store, Shin Jeonga stops me.

She hesitates, as if she has a lot to say.

When I bring my face closer as if asking if she has something to say, she pulls her face back this time.

What is it, making me confused.

“Why? Do you have something to say?”

It seems like this conversation won’t end with non-verbal cues, so I ask aloud.

“Can I… go to your house today?”

She asks, with a hint of expectation.

I immediately shake my head.

“No, you can’t.”

“Really can’t?”

Shin Jeonga, who had stepped back, comes closer again.

This time, I step back, creating distance between us.

-Meow

The cats that have settled around the convenience store meow at us.

An eerie wind sweeps past us, and Shin Jeonga and I face each other on a street lit only by the store’s sign and streetlights.

She takes another step closer.

And asks.

“Really can’t?”

She asks with disappointment.

“Yeah, really can’t.”

I say firmly, crossing my arms.

“Why?”

She’s persistent and doesn’t back down.

“I don’t really like having people over at my house.”

I completely block any room for her to wiggle in.

“……”

Can she not see any opening? Shin Jeonga puffs out her cheeks slightly and turns around.

The plastic bag in her hand swings back and forth like a weight on a string.

Another chilly wind blows.

I fasten my jacket as my body slowly cools down, and slowly move back towards the convenience store.

“Okay, then. Contact me if you change your mind.”

Shin Jeonga, who I thought would be more persistent, smiles brightly and says goodbye to me.

“Huh? Oh… okay.”

I’m a bit taken aback by the unexpected reaction.

“Bye.”

Shin Jeonga throws the words at my back as I enter the convenience store.

-Meow

The surrounding cats add their voices to this awkward conversation.

“Oh…”

Yoon Sia, who had been delayed by talking, missed the bus right in front of her.

Late at night, she sits on the bus stop bench looking at her phone, waiting for the next bus, when she feels someone’s presence and turns her head.

It was the friend of Inho she had just met.

The girl with the plastic bag follows her into the bus stop and sits one seat apart.

“We meet again? You’re… Inho’s friend?”

“I’m Shin Jeonga.”

“Shin Jeonga. What a pretty name.”

Yoon Sia praises her without pretense, and Shin Jeonga scoffs.

Yoon Sia is annoyed by the impudent attitude of the young child, but she doesn’t show it.

“What number do you take, unnie?”

Amid the uncomfortable silence, it was Shin Jeonga who broke it, surprisingly.

Yoon Sia looks at her face again to see if she was really asking her, and Shin Jeonga looks into Yoon Sia’s eyes and asks again.

“What number bus do you take?”

“Me? Ah… I take the 320.”

“That’s the same as me.”

With those words, Shin Jeonga takes out her phone.

Whether she’s watching YouTube or texting a friend, she doesn’t say anything else until the bus arrives.

‘She’s a strange one.’

Yoon Sia compares her appearance in front of the convenience store with her current appearance.

It’s awkward to start a conversation first, so Yoon Sia stares blankly at the toe of her shoe, waiting for the bus to come.

Fortunately, the bus arrives quickly, and Yoon Sia boards the bus before Shin Jeonga.

Yoon Sia gets on the empty bus and sits in a seat near the entrance.

“?”

And Shin Jeonga sits across the aisle, using the aisle as a boundary.

The bus doors close, and it starts running down the street with a loud engine noise.

Their bodies sway from side to side because of the road with many corners.

Entrusting her body to the bus swaying up, down, left, and right, Yoon Sia thinks about tomorrow.

‘What did I have to do tomorrow?’

Living her daily life in a daze, she doesn’t waste this short moment of returning home.

She takes out her notebook and starts organizing her schedule for tomorrow.

This is done, this needs to be done, I have to go here by this time, this needs to be handled like this…

Yoon Sia writes this and that with a cheap Monami ballpoint pen, planning for tomorrow.

And Shin Jeonga stares at Yoon Sia.

“Are you close to Inho?”

Shin Jeonga asks abruptly.

“I’ve been talking to him a lot lately, but I wouldn’t say we’re close.”

At the sudden question, Yoon Sia thinks about the meaning of the question for a moment before turning her gaze back to her notebook and replying.

“Right? It’s not like he wanted the tutoring in the first place.”

Shin Jeonga puts strength into her words.

“But he does his homework and has a good attitude in class. He said he’s feeling interested in studying?”

She says, recalling Inho’s recent change in attitude.

“Interested?”

Shin Jeonga asks again, as if she can’t believe it.

“Yeah, interested. Anyway, it’s good for me. I felt bad getting paid without teaching, but if he studies hard now…”

“He’s only doing that out of curiosity, so don’t bother worrying about it.”

Shin Jeonga cuts off Yoon Sia’s words, stating definitively.

At the student’s words mixed with worry, annoyance, and distrust, Yoon Sia takes her eyes off the notebook and looks to the side.

A face scrunched up as if she’s very angry.

Shin Jeonga’s stiff, distorted face greets Yoon Sia.

‘Ah, she’s upset because she’s afraid of losing her friend.’

Yoon Sia was finally able to understand the situation.

She had momentarily forgotten that Inho wasn’t a good student.

A student with bad behavior would have similar people around him.

This child must be a troublemaker too.

When her thoughts reached that point, Yoon Sia felt like meddling.

“That’s right. He might only be interested for a short time out of curiosity.”

“Right. So…”

Shin Jeonga quickly picks up on Yoon Sia’s easy agreement.

But this time, Yoon Sia cuts her off.

“If I work hard, can’t I make that curiosity last longer?”

“…What?”

“For example… if he studies hard and gets good grades, I could give him some kind of reward.”

Yoon Sia trails off, thinking about what kind of reward she should offer a rich kid to be effective.

“Reward? What kind of reward?”

Yoon Sia’s attitude irritates Shin Jeonga.

Shin Jeonga forgets to use honorifics and exudes coldness.

“Well… I haven’t really thought about it… something that students that age would like?”

Yoon Sia shrugs her shoulders as she speaks, and Shin Jeonga’s mouth makes a grinding sound.

“I see…”

Shin Jeonga forces a smile while trying to raise the corners of her mouth, and Yoon Sia presses the stop button.

-Beep

As the bus stop gets closer, Yoon Sia stands up.

“You’re… Jeonga, right? I’m getting off here. You get home safe too.”

As the bus slows down, Yoon Sia swipes her card and says goodbye to Shin Jeonga.

“Unnie.”

Just as she’s about to get off the bus, Shin Jeonga calls her.

“Yeah?”

“You get home safe too, unnie.”

Shin Jeonga smiles and says goodbye.

“There are a lot of muggings these days, you know.”