episode_0083

083

Monday morning.

“Hmm?”

Jin So-yeon, walking down the street, glanced at a dim alley in the distance for a moment.

It was because she saw the back of a vaguely familiar red-haired boy.

Standing in the alley in a casual academy uniform like a ruffian, the man seemed quite powerful.

“Daehan?”

“Oh, what? So it’s you, Jin So-yeon.”

With his red hair complementing him like blood, Kang Daehan casually rolled up his sleeves and pretended to know what was going on.

Jin So-yeon blinked her eyes and raised a question mark above her head.

What on earth was Kang Daehan doing in the alley?

“What are you doing there?”

“Hush, ugh, ugh.”

“Ugh, ugh.”

Jin So-yeon’s words were abruptly cut off.

It was because several rough-looking guys were lying on the ground, gasping for breath behind Kang Daehan’s red hair.

They seemed like local thugs.

“Was this your doing?”

“And if it was?”

Kang Daehan shrugged his shoulders as if there was nothing to be done about it with a nonchalant expression.

It could be a big problem to use violence recklessly after receiving a temporary hero license.

Not only could the hero license be revoked, but there could also be disciplinary action or even expulsion from the academy.

Jin So-yeon’s eyebrows slightly furrowed.

“What if you use violence recklessly?”

“Stop making a fuss.”

Kang Daehan waved his hand dismissively, showing a hint of annoyance at having to explain himself.

Therefore, Jin So-yeon looked back and forth between Kang Daehan and the fallen thugs, pondering.

What on earth had happened?

It was hard to imagine that those thugs had picked a fight with Kang Daehan.

He was wearing a Union uniform and was a hero trainee close to being a superhuman, so it was unlikely that they would provoke him.

Or rather, as a hero trainee, he might have been the one to provoke them.

He was well aware that assaulting a civilian recklessly could constitute a special assault offense.

Of course, Kang Daehan was a black belt in martial arts, so even if the police were called, he could probably handle it well.

“Daehan, you…”

That’s when it happened.

“Meow…”

“A cat?”

A white cat that seemed to have been abandoned approached Kang Daehan and rubbed its cheek against his leg.

It seemed to be lacking strength, as if it hadn’t eaten for a long time.

Furthermore, the cat had bruises on its head and body, and one of its legs seemed to be injured.

Judging by the blood on the scattered rocks nearby, it seemed that those thugs had been tormenting the cat by throwing stones at it.

“Hey, you guys, get lost now.”

“Heheek!”

As Kang Daehan glared fiercely and stepped on the fallen thugs, they clenched their lips tightly and soon ran away.

It seemed that the thugs weren’t too badly injured. It seemed like Kang Daehan had just subdued them.

“Meow, meow.”

“Tsk.”

Kang Daehan glanced at the cat repeatedly rubbing its cheek against his leg and clicked his tongue.

He seemed to be slightly troubled about what to do with this poor, injured cat that had been abandoned by its owner.

Jin So-yeon quietly watched his actions.

Despite Kang Daehan appearing to be nothing but a troublemaker on the surface, he seemed to subtly like animals.

“Was it because of the cat that we fought?”

“It’s not about that. And just in case, Jin Soyeon, don’t say useless things at the academy.”

Was it subtly embarrassing?

Kang Daehan warned with a sharp gaze, but Jin Soyeon, with a nonchalant expression, gently stroked the cat’s head.

“Do you like cats?”

“What’s there to like?”

“There’s something like cat food sticking out of your pocket?”

“Oh, shoot.”

Kang Daehan pressed his temple with his finger, showing a slight sign of annoyance.

It seemed like he had been secretly providing snacks to the abandoned cat.

It seemed that the cat had injured its leg and was having a hard time finding food on its own.

It seemed like it couldn’t even escape from the bullies in the first place.

“Let me see the wound… I should take it to the animal hospital.”

Jin Soyeon muttered to herself as she examined the cat’s wound.

The medical expenses could be quite high, but Jin Soyeon didn’t really care about such things. It was just a matter of spending some of the money she had saved. For her, this kind of expenditure was not a waste.

“Daehan, you also have quite a few wounds.”

“Huh. Because of those punks?”

Kang Daehan frowned uncomfortably, but Jin Soyeon shook her head from side to side with a calm voice.

“No, you said you haven’t been doing well at the academy lately and have been focusing on training. Are those wounds from training?”

There were occasional bruises and faint bruises on Kang Daehan’s face, indicating that he was receiving strict training.

Well, the Kang family was not an ordinary household.

As the successor of the legendary Kang Cheolwoon in South Korea, Kang Daehan had no choice but to receive strict training compared to others.

She vaguely remembered hearing that Kang Daehan’s position had been unstable since the Union Academy attack video of the girl with white hair had been released.

Because of that, Kang Daehan must have been hard on himself.

“You should treat the wounds properly. They could get infected if not.”

“What does it matter to you if they get infected or not?”

“Anyway, watch your tone… Well, what you said isn’t wrong.”

If it were an ordinary girl, she might have felt hurt or offended by Kang Daehan’s blunt words, but Jin Soyeon just smiled and brushed it off as if nothing had happened.

Seeing her like that reminded me of the past.

When Lee Jinhyuk first approached, Jin Soyeon had rejected him with sharp thorns.

“Take this.”

Eventually, Jin Soyeon took out a small scalpel and ointment from her bag.

As she had always been helping others since she was young and had often been injured, she always carried an emergency treatment kit with her.

“I have to take the cat to the hospital, so use the scalpel and ointment yourself. Oh, should I give you the ointment back at the academy later?”

“Don’t bother. Mind your own business.”

Kang Daehan expressed his refusal, but Jin Soyeon approached him without hesitation and firmly placed the scalpel and ointment in his hand.

What’s with this guy?

Kang Daehan slightly wrinkled his temple and looked at her, but there was no sign of discomfort or fear in the face of the girl.

He was quite a nonchalant guy, just like Kang Daehan.

“Do you think the penguin drawing on the scalpel is cute? Then I’ll go first. See you at the academy.”

“Hey, hey! I don’t need this…?”

In an instant, the cute character on the scalpel caught Kang Daehan’s eye.

This ridiculous penguin character, Ban Chang-go, brings back memories from the past.

It was during the time when I was just entering elementary school and had to stay at my relative’s house for a few weeks due to family circumstances.

Back then, I was wandering alone in Saesak Park when I got into a fight with some elementary school kids nearby. A girl suddenly intervened and helped me out.

I remember her as quite pretty and outgoing, and the Ban Chang-go she gave me was remarkably similar to the one in the silly penguin drawing.

No, it looked exactly the same.

It’s not common to see a girl using a Ban Chang-go like the one in the silly penguin drawing.

“…Looking at her now, she does seem to resemble that little girl from back then.”

It was a long time ago, so I could vaguely remember her face, but not exactly.

And since it was when we were very young, our faces had changed a lot since then.

So, Kang Dae-han was unsure.

“Hey, Jin So-yeon.”

“Yeah? What’s up?”

Before I knew it, Jin So-yeon had already prepared to rush to the hospital, cradling a cat in her arms.

“Do you happen to remember giving a Ban Chang-go with a penguin drawing to a boy you fought with in the park around the time you entered elementary school?”

“Hmm…”

Come to think of it, Jin So-yeon had a vague memory of a black-haired boy she saw fighting with other kids in the park when she first entered elementary school. Could it be that boy was Kang Dae-han?

This is quite surprising.

“Was it the black-haired boy who was getting beaten up by the kids?”

“Hey, hey! Who got beaten up? I was the one beating them up.”

“Haha. I didn’t see it that way when I watched.”

When Kang Dae-han slightly offended, Jin So-yeon chuckled softly.

“Anyway, was that boy you back then? Wow, what a coincidence.”

Since he was a boy she had never seen before, she thought he had recently moved in. So, he didn’t get along well with the kids, which reminded her of Jin So-yeon from kindergarten, so she tried to be friendly after school.

Just like how Lee Jin-hyuk helped her, Jin So-yeon also wanted to help others.

Although she asked for his name at the time, the boy muttered something strange like, “What do you need to know my name for?” with a slightly dissatisfied face, so they parted ways without knowing each other’s names.

Jin So-yeon also got a little annoyed and didn’t tell her name until the boy told her his name first.

Judging by his somewhat stubborn personality, it seemed likely that he was Kang Dae-han.

“Was it the red hair dye back then?”

“Actually, I dyed my hair black back then.”

“Oh, I see.”

Jin So-yeon nodded slightly, looking a bit surprised.

Meeting again through Union Academy after spending a few weeks together as kids, she found it fascinating.

“Meow~.”

“Oh, sorry, Meow, I’ll take you to the hospital quickly, sis.”

Remembering the cat’s condition, Jin So-yeon quickly apologized and ran to the hospital with the cat in her arms.

“Hey, Jin So-yeon!”

“Let’s do it next time unless it’s urgent!”

Concerned about the cat’s condition, Jin So-yeon, with a apologetic face, left the alley with the cat.

Kang Dae-han watched Jin So-yeon disappearing into the distance, feeling a bit puzzled.

So, Jin So-yeon did meet that girl from the past.

He was also amazed once again. Honestly, he had no idea things would turn out this way.

“It’s a bit embarrassing to admit, but thanks to that guy, I was able to muster up some courage back then.”

When she was young, Jin Soyeon had a hard time because of her father, mother, and annoying brothers, but she found comfort in Jin Soyeon’s constant companionship and wandering around.

So, the memory of the young girl lingered subtly in her mind.

It wasn’t really a first love, just a slight concern?

That’s probably about it.

Maybe.

“Come to think of it, does she get along well with Lee Siwoon?”

Kang Daehan gently squeezed the handle of his penguin mug and thought about Jin Soyeon for a moment.

***

“Ah, really.”

As Jin Soyeon rushed to the animal hospital, she suddenly thought of Lee Jinhyuk and bit her lip.

“How should I react when I see Jinhyuk?”

A few days ago, she drunkenly confessed her feelings and got rejected, so Jin Soyeon couldn’t help but worry about how to face her childhood friend at the academy.

Just greet him as usual, right?

Don’t act awkwardly and just behave normally, there shouldn’t be any problem.

“I might be a little late because of the animal hospital.”

Is she being too obvious?

Is he going to misunderstand and think she’s late because of what happened last weekend? She shouldn’t make it awkward.

“Should I call, should I…?”

But then again, making excuses over the phone for being late is a bit much.

Ugh! Seriously! Why am I worrying about this, Jin Soyeon, you fool!

…Unlike Kang Daehan, who was lost in nostalgic thoughts of an old friend, Jin Soyeon didn’t pay much attention.

From her perspective, he was just a friend she used to know.

Besides, she had been keeping her distance from guys lately, and Jin Soyeon, who had just opened her eyes to love, wasn’t the type to be interested in other guys.