Suffering for Knowledge – 1

“Is the injury from yesterday still bothering you?”

Kang In-ho asked, noticing Kim Sung-ah’s awkward gait as she descended the stairs.

“…It’s nothing like that.”

Slowly, at a snail’s pace, she came down the stairs and carefully sat at the table.

Then, she sniffed the air, scanning the kitchen.

“What’s wrong?”

Kang In-ho asked, amused by her dog-like sniffing. Kim Sung-ah shook her head.

“Nothing. I just thought you looked good in the kitchen, Ahjussi.”

“What, planning to use me as a housemaid forever?”

“Yes. I’m going to use you as a housemaid forever.”

“Did you sleep well? Anything uncomfortable?”

“…I tossed and turned a bit, so I’m going to sleep some more after breakfast.”

“If you sleep right after eating, you’ll get esophagitis.”

He handed her a plate with a ham and cheese toast, offering his sincere advice.

“That darn esophagitis…”

She muttered happily, accepting the plate.

Just as she took a bite of the toast, Kang In-ho picked up his own plate and sat across from her.

He ran his fork across the golden-brown surface of the toast, creating a crisp sound.

“Perfect.”

Feeling proud of himself, he cut a piece of toast and put it in his mouth.

“It’s so delicious.”

She said, wiping her mouth with a tissue.

“I missed Ahjussi’s cooking.”

“Just the cooking?”

He chuckled, taking another bite of his toast. Kim Sung-ah smiled sweetly at him.

“I missed everything about Ahjussi.”

“Hey, you’ll choke. What’s with this from the morning…”

Kang In-ho, finding the words too heavy to take lightly, became annoyed and avoided her gaze.

Despite the indirect rejection, Kim Sung-ah showed no sign of disappointment and spoke again.

“Ahjussi, I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“Um… Ahjussi, your ex-girlfriend.”

She began, cautiously glancing at him.

“You…”

His face instantly hardened, and Kim Sung-ah waved her hands.

“No, it’s not like that! I was just curious about something… I’m sorry if I upset you. It’s just, I’m really curious.”

“Sigh… What do you want to ask?”

He pressed his temples, trying to soothe the sudden headache.

“Was your ex-girlfriend a teacher?”

“A teacher? Are you talking about her job?”

“Job… I guess you could say that. Anyway.”

“She was just an ordinary office worker.”

He tilted his head back, trying to remember.

“Not a school or academy teacher?”

“I don’t know why you keep asking, but no.”

“Ah… Then what is it?”

Her chewing slowed down. She frowned, deep in thought.

“But why are you suddenly curious about that?”

Kang In-ho looked at her with a cold gaze, and she straightened up, startled.

As his gaze remained fixed on her, she lowered her eyes to the lower right and mumbled.

“I… I heard you talking in your sleep.”

“Talking in my sleep?”

“Yes, I went out to the bathroom early in the morning, and I heard you talking in your sleep.”

“Talking in my sleep loud enough to be heard outside the door? That’s strange.”

He widened his eyes and asked back. Kim Sung-ah squeezed her eyes shut and raised her voice.

“So, are you saying I’m lying?”

“No, that’s not what I meant… Why are you so quick to react? It’s like…”

[It’s like seeing myself when I was young.]

He swallowed his words.

“Like what?”

“Never mind. Anyway, what did I say in my sleep that made you ask about my ex-girlfriend?”

“You said, ‘Master’.”

“Master…”

Kang In-ho’s eyes darkened. He leaned back in his chair.

“……..”

He paused for a moment, his lips pursed in thought.

“Oh, geez.”

Then he chuckled.

“What’s so funny?”

“No, I was just thinking, how much must I miss her for her to appear in my dreams.”

Kim Sung-ah bit her lower lip at his self-deprecating laugh.

“…You must have been close.”

“Close… Well, yeah. We were close. We spent a lot of time together.”

“I see.”

Her hand on the table clenched into a fist.

“Why ‘Master’?”

“Because she taught me a lot of things? I can fight this well thanks to Master.”

“So, she was like a gym instructor?”

“Uh… well, similar.”

“It’s either yes or no, what’s with the ‘similar’?”

“You wouldn’t understand even if I told you.”

“……..”

Kim Sung-ah took another bite of the toast.

With her cheeks puffed out, she chewed the food nervously and asked him before she had even swallowed.

“Is she pretty?”

“Yes.”

As soon as the direct answer came, she jumped up and headed for the refrigerator.

“What do you need?”

“Milk!”

She replied in a sharp voice, taking a carton of milk from the refrigerator and bringing it straight to her mouth.

“Hey, don’t drink straight from the carton.”

He stopped her, but Kim Sung-ah was relentless.

Glug, glug, the milk went down her throat, and a few stray drops left her lips and flowed down her neck.

“Ugh, just finish it all.”

As he gave off an aura of being unable to stop her, Kim Sung-ah stomped back to her seat.

“Ahjussi, you’re being too much.”

“What?”

“You know I like you, Ahjussi.”

“So?”

“Then, at least you shouldn’t talk about other women in front of me!”

“What nonsense are you talking about? You asked me.”

“No! Not that. Like saying she’s pretty. Huh? Like, like this. Reminiscing wistfully, huh? You, you shouldn’t do that! No sense of decency!”

“Decency or whatever. Wipe the milk off your mouth. Here, a tissue.”

“Ah, thank you. …Ugh! Is milk important now?”

“It is. Wipe your mouth first. It looks ugly.”

“…Is it very ugly?”

“Not very, just a little.”

Kim Sung-ah wiped her mouth carefully with the tissue. He continued to speak to her.

“Just because you like someone doesn’t mean you get any right to force your feelings on them.”

“……..”

“If you like someone and want to win their heart, you’d better put in the effort and show some respect.”

“To win Ahjussi over, you mean?”

“No, I’m talking about general dating.”

“Hmph!”

The battle of words ended, and the two focused on their meal again.

The heat of the conversation that had flared up in an instant gradually began to cool down.

“Ah, I ate well.”

He finished his toast before Kim Sung-ah and got up from his seat, carrying his plate.

As he put the plate in the sink and turned to the refrigerator, Kim Sung-ah, not tiring, asked him again.

“How many times have you dated, Ahjussi?”

“Once.”

“That’s fewer than I thought.”

“Then how many times have you dated?”

“…I haven’t yet?”

“Lame.”

“Ugh! I’m only twenty, and Ahjussi is over thirty. Who knows, I might have more in the future!”

“Seong-ah. There are people who never date until they’re thirty.”

Kang In-ho said in a calm voice. His eyes seemed to contain a hint of sadness.

“There’s no such person who can’t date until they’re thirty. Anyway, forget about this story. Then, how many times have you been on the verge of dating?”

“On the verge?”

“Don’t you know ‘on the verge’?”

“No, I know it. ‘On the verge’…”

He reached out and counted on his fingers.

Watching his fingers fold one by one, Kim Sung-ah gritted her teeth fiercely.

“Ah, but.”

He looked at Kim Sung-ah as he counted.

“Is being locked up for PT considered ‘on the verge’?”

Kim Sung-ah frowned at him, who was asking a question she couldn’t understand at all.

What nonsense is this Ahjussi talking about?