Living Together – 4

Starlight descended upon the yard, accompanied by the chirping of insects.

Kang In-ho slowly walked across the yard, illuminated by the soft light.

Though called a yard, it was small enough that its perimeter could be circled in fewer than thirty steps. Yet, he paced around the tiny yard in the same direction, like a pony in a riding arena.

He kept rubbing his face, the lingering effect of the punch he’d received for disparaging her artwork.

After the brief moment of violence, Kim Sung-ah had gone up to her room, claiming she needed to prepare for tomorrow.

Alone in the desolate living room, he, who had yet to be assigned a proper room, went outside to soothe his restless heart, which was why he was now circling the yard.

“Self-hypnosis, huh.”

Kim Sung-ah had said that transformation incantation was a kind of self-hypnosis.

He stopped walking and sat down on the ground.

The cold temperature of the earth began to spread through his body from his buttocks.

-Chirp, chirp

The sound of insects continued.

“……..”

Kang In-ho sat cross-legged, breathing evenly as he observed his inner self.

Slowly and meticulously, he examined his inner being.

As he traced his blood vessels, searching every corner of his body, he felt a very faint, pulsating ‘something.’

“Hmm….”

Like a student facing a difficult problem, he exhaled deeply.

He had confirmed the presence of something, but it was not easily drawn out.

He tried to draw out the power in the way he had learned from Namgung Soyou, but it remained unmoved.

He used every method he knew to touch it, but he did not achieve any significant results.

Thirty minutes later, he got up with a puzzled expression, dusted off his dirt-covered buttocks, and went back inside.

“What are you doing in the middle of the night….”

Kim Sung-ah, who had been watching him out of concern, saw him and lay down on her bed.

“I guess… I have to go to school….”

She muttered, feeling sleep approaching.

The next day, it wasn’t her phone alarm that woke her up.

A savory smell wafted up from the first floor, shaking her dazed mind.

With messy hair and half-closed eyes, she got up and went downstairs in her pajamas.

“You’re up early. I made breakfast.”

The source of the savory smell was toast.

The surface of the square slices of bread was toasted to a light, dark brown, and butter was spread on top.

Kang In-ho was adding sliced ham and lettuce, his movements looking quite practiced.

Kim Sung-ah took the toast, which was drizzled with ketchup and mayonnaise, and took a bite, moving her reluctant jaw.

The salty and sweet taste spread in her mouth like wildfire.

“Oh….”

Her eyelids, which had been struggling to stay open, gained strength.

It was a taste that made her eyes pop open.

“It’s good.”

It was a short compliment, but Kang In-ho gave her a thumbs up in response to the generous praise.

“I can cook a little.”

He had experience living on his own, and the experience of cooking while wandering the Central Plains was still fresh in his mind.

“What time do you have to leave for school?”

He asked, handing her a glass of milk as she sat down at the table to eat her toast.

“I have to leave in an hour.”

She glanced at the clock in the living room and answered.

“Plenty of time then.”

“Yeah… I guess.”

Her chewing slowed down a little.

“???”

Kang In-ho noticed it, but didn’t say anything.

He cleaned up the mess from cooking and started washing the dishes.

Kim Sung-ah left the house an hour later, as she had said.

“I should clean the house.”

He thought to himself, left alone in the house after she left.

Kim Sung-ah arrived at school in the middle of morning self-study.

Her arrival drew some attention and became a topic of conversation for those who enjoyed gossip.

Kim Sung-ah quietly sat down at her desk and started working on her workbook, while her classmates glanced at her.

Kim Sung-ah, with her red hair tied back, mechanically worked on her workbook, unconcerned by the attention around her.

Kim Sung-ah was reminded of a wild beast trapped in a zoo cage.

Curiosity, that was what the gazes directed at her contained.

After working on her workbook for a few minutes, a girl, whom she remembered as the class president, approached her after the morning self-study period ended.

“Um….”

“……..”

Kim Sung-ah’s violet eyes turned to the class president.

The class president, caught in those mysterious eyes, hesitated before continuing.

“The, uh, the teacher asked you to come to her office.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

She closed her workbook and got up from her seat.

Gazes followed her as she left the classroom.

Curiosity, admiration.

It was as if they were looking at a celebrity.

When she entered the faculty room, her homeroom teacher got up from her seat to greet her.

Her face was full of smiles, as if something good had happened.

Or perhaps it was a fake smile to show her. Kim Sung-ah thought to herself.

“It’s been a while.”

“Yes. I’m sorry.”

As Kim Sung-ah spoke softly, the homeroom teacher tied her brown hair back and said it was okay.

Had she not had time to get ready because she was in a hurry? Kim Sung-ah wondered.

“No, I’m just glad you came. Would you like to sit down for a moment?”

The teacher pointed to a small chair, and Kim Sung-ah sat down gently.

“Here, drink this.”

It was a banana milk that seemed to have just been taken out of the refrigerator.

“Thank you.”

She accepted it, but didn’t drink it right away.

“…Sung-ah, if things continue as they are, you won’t have enough attendance days and you’ll have to repeat a grade again.”

The homeroom teacher, after hesitating for a while, carefully brought up the topic.

“Is it confirmed?”

“It’s dangerous. There are a few days left, but… well, I don’t know if I can call it ‘leeway’… anyway.”

“I see.”

Kim Sung-ah scratched the banana milk carton with her fingernails.

“You haven’t received your desired school yet, either.”

“……..”

“Seeing you come to school and study, I don’t think you lack the will to study. It’s just that you have circumstances that prevent you from coming to school, right? Huh?”

The homeroom teacher asked, as if seeking agreement.

Kim Sung-ah didn’t bother to make a gesture of agreement.

“I’m worried about you, Sung-ah… If it’s okay with you, could you bring an adult to school?”

With that silence, the homeroom teacher put her hand on her knee and said.

“An adult?”

“Your aunt is your guardian now, right?”

The homeroom teacher recalled the one phone call she had at the beginning of the semester.

“Ah, but my aunt can’t come right now.”

“Is that so? But it’s an important matter… I’d like to talk to your guardian.”

“Can’t we do it over the phone?”

“The conversation is likely to be long. A phone call is a bit….”

“……..”

Kim Sung-ah bit her lip, unable to find a suitable answer.

“Um….”

After a few minutes of hesitation, the bell rang, signaling the start of the first period.

The teachers in the faculty room got up and started leaving to teach their classes.

Her homeroom teacher was no exception.

“I’m going to be late for class. Let’s go.”

“Teacher.”

Kim Sung-ah called out to the teacher who was walking ahead.

“Yes?”

“Um… instead of my aunt… would my cousin be okay? He’s quite old.”

“Cousin?”

It was a word she had blurted out without thinking, but Kim Sung-ah thought it was a pretty innovative idea.