What Was Given Up – 2

The shopping trip, which should have cheered Kim Sung-ah up after a long time, left her with a strange discomfort, like a fish bone stuck in her throat.

Even buying clothes she loved or finding shoes that fit perfectly didn’t lift her spirits much.

The inexplicable discomfort persisted all the way to the food court, where even the sight of Japanese food, which was hard to eat at home, didn’t stimulate her appetite.

“What’s wrong with you since earlier?”

Had she been too quiet? Her partner asked, placing his tray across from her.

“No, just…”

Had there ever been a time when it was so hard to read her mind? Kim Sung-ah replied, still questioning the feeling she herself couldn’t understand.

“We came out for a change of pace, you should try to enjoy it.”

“I know. Why am I like this?”

Kim Sung-ah poked at her katsudon with her chopsticks. With each chopstick movement, she let out a sigh.

Kang In-ho wondered if he should say something about her obviously troubled behavior, but then he closed his mouth.

Because there was nothing more foolish than bothering someone who didn’t want to talk…

It was a thought born from past experience.

For that reason, in contrast to the noisy surroundings, their meal progressed quietly.

Kim Sung-ah picked at her rice, while Kang In-ho scooped up spoonfuls and put them in his mouth.

“By the way, when are you meeting the homeroom teacher?”

Because Kim Sung-ah spoke while he was chewing, he couldn’t answer immediately.

Kim Sung-ah glanced at him until he swallowed his food.

“She said she wanted to meet as soon as possible. So, I’m meeting her tomorrow.”

He swallowed, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

“Tomorrow’s Saturday, though?”

“…Huh?”

“Why? Is there something wrong with that?”

“No.”

Kim Sung-ah turned her gaze back to the food in front of her.

Her dampened mood showed no sign of returning.

“I’ve already made lunch. If you’re not going to eat it right away, leave it out and heat it up later.”

The next day, he said to Kim Sung-ah as he put on his shoes in the entryway.

Kim Sung-ah sat on a kitchen chair, half-listening to him.

“…Then, I’m off?”

She still seems to be in a bad mood. Kang In-ho thought to himself and said.

No answer came back.

The front door closed, and soon after, the sound of the gate opening and closing was heard.

Kim Sung-ah got up from the chair and looked at the pot on the gas stove.

Kimchi stew with large chunks of pork was emitting a spicy aroma.

It was the kind of smell that would normally make her mouth water, but for some reason, she didn’t feel like eating.

Still, he made this food for her to eat. It was only polite to take at least one bite.

Kim Sung-ah brought the pot to the table and scooped rice from the rice cooker.

White rice and delicious pork kimchi stew.

She took a spoonful of the hot broth and placed it on the rice, as if making footprints in the snow.

Red footprints were imprinted on the white snowfield.

And then she put another spoonful of pork on the rice.

Slightly soaked rice and pork entered her mouth. Immediately, the texture of the meat and the savory taste of the seasoning hit her tongue.

She chewed diligently and soon swallowed them.

“…It’s tasty.”

But it wasn’t tasty.

It really wasn’t tasty eating alone.

Still, he had made the food with care for her to eat.

She took another spoonful and put it in her mouth.

It was tasty, but it wasn’t tasty.

Kang In-ho, who had gotten a little lost, arrived at the meeting place a bit late.

The meeting place was a Japanese restaurant that was neither too expensive nor too cheap.

‘More Japanese food…’

It wasn’t that he was tired of the food, so there was nothing particularly wrong with it.

The two, who met in front of the restaurant, sat down at the table guided by the employee.

“Did you wait long? I got a little lost.”

Kang In-ho apologized, pouring water into an empty cup and handing it over.

“No, it’s okay.”

Seong-a’s homeroom teacher smiled brightly, accepting his apology.

“I’m going to eat this, what would Inho-ssi… like to eat?”

As if the title wasn’t sticking to her tongue, Seong-a’s homeroom teacher, Im Soo-ah, finished speaking and smiled shyly.

“Ah, I’ll have this.”

He chose something that would fill him up adequately.

While the food was being prepared, they began to talk about Seong-a.

“I wish Seong-a would come to school diligently…”

Im Soo-ah looked troubled.

“Forcibly dragging her isn’t in line with my principles. She has to want to go herself.”

“But…”

“Of course, I will try to persuade her.”

“Yes, then I’ll trust Inho-ssi.”

When did she start trusting me, having just met me? He suddenly thought, but he didn’t show it.

“Did you hear anything separately from the person who was the homeroom teacher last time?”

“She didn’t come to school often back then either, but she said it wasn’t enough to fail. But…”

“But?”

“At some point, she suddenly stopped coming to school altogether and failed.”

“Is it a similar pattern now?”

“It’s a more severe situation.”

“I see. I’ll talk to her well. It seems like she’s hiding something.”

He nodded.

“Yes, I’d be grateful if you would. She’s been alone for a long time, so I’m sure she’s kept a lot bottled up inside.”

The ordered food was placed in front of them. Kang In-ho handed the chopsticks to Im Soo-ah.

“Ah, thank you. …Anyway, I’m just the homeroom teacher, so I’m a stranger… In times like these, it’s best for family to step in.”

“Family…”

He muttered, putting a piece of tonkatsu in his mouth.

“She lost her parents in an accident at a young age… She must have some scars.”

“Pardon?”

“Ah, ah! My aunt told me about it. I didn’t pry it out of Seong-a.”

When Kang In-ho asked back at the unexpected words, Im Soo-ah waved her hands and explained.

“Ah… Yes, yes…”

He smiled to reassure her, but his heart sank.

Without any preparation, a huge secret was thrown at him.

“……..”

As he was calming his surprised heart, goosebumps suddenly began to rise.

“…Is it fun? She’s smiling.”

A red-haired woman, dressed in shabby clothes, muttered as she looked around the restaurant.

In her right hand was a cell phone, and on the screen of the cell phone, a map application was turned on, with a circle blinking over the Japanese restaurant.

The shape was similar to a location tracker from some movie.