Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
― six.
"inha!" the said girl's head shot up in surprise. she was so busy dreading the so called guardians that were being called over, that she hadn't realised how much time had passed since her conversation.
"mr jeon?" she was confused as to why her literature teacher had arrived instead of her parents. however, a wave of relief washed over her as the teacher walked over, seemingly concerned over the girl's wellbeing. mr jeon was one of the younger teacher's, he definitely made class a lot more fun and was loved by many of the students. inha wasn't particularly close to her teachers, but she was the top student, naturally making her more favourable than some other students.
"i heard what happened, are you okay?" he questioned, but it only deepened her confusion.
"you heard?" she questioned in confusion. "how?"
"ah, you must be inha's guardian." the doctor came in, cutting their conversation short as mr jeon discussed with the doctor what was going to happen. inha sighed, leaning into the pillows as she decided to just forget about it. she stared up at the ceiling, wondering how mr jeon had heard about her situation, they were struggling to get in contact with her parents, so maybe they contacted the school?
inha sighed, no matter how she looked at it, her situation continued to get worse. her train of thought was wrecked when her teacher re-entered the room, catching her attention. "the doctor said you're free to go after you're drip is finished." he explained. inha simply nodded in response, her gaze lowering to her lap as mr jeon took a seat on the chair next to her bed. "you know, inha," mr jeon began. "you can turn to us for help, if your parents aren't there for you."
inha balled her covers into her fists, growing angry at mr jeon's words. as if she had never tried? the last time she tried to get help, it turned on her. that was her last straw, after that she lost hope not only in the teachers, but also herself.
"if there's problems at home―"
"there's nothing going on." inha cut off her teacher, relaxing her hands as she lifted her gaze to meet his. "can i go home now?" it was almost robotic, there was no emotion behind her eyes. mr jeon could only stare in defeat, unable to read the girl's expressions.
"sure," he quietly agreed. "let me go fill out the discharge papers." inha nodded, watching as he exited the room. inha breathed out a deep breath, assuring herself that this was the right thing. holding a hand to her heart, she could feel the organ racing against her chest.
"you only have yourself, yeong inha."
-
"i'm just worried about her." mr jeon sighed. inha's father smiled, setting down his cup of tea. after dropping inha off at home, he had luckily bumped into her father.
"what is it that worries you?" mr yeong questioned, playing innocence. from what mr jeon had heard, inha's father plays a big role in the school's funding, so it was easy for him to get away with things. being a public figure too, he was quick to sweep things under the rug when people started speaking, and mr jeon expected no less if he was sussed out.
"i just feel that inha struggles to get on with class due to her classmates," he lied, staring at him expectantly. "has she mentioned anything at home, i know you guys have a strong relationship." mr yeong hurriedly nodded in agreement.
"to be honest, inha did mention some people were giving her trouble," he hopped on board easily, piquing mr jeon's interest as he wondered why he would lie. "but she's in high school, it's bound to happen, right mr jeon?" the teacher flinched at the sound of his name coming out of mr yeong's mouth. he didn't know why he felt so threatened, as he's actions were transparent.
"right." mr jeon nervously chuckled, nodding his head.
"as long as her grades don't drop, there's nothing to worry about, right?" mr jeon hesitated, wondering if it was right for him to step over the boundaries. mr jeon sucked in a deep breath through his teeth, tilting his head in confusion.
"really?" he questioned, watching as mr yeong lifted his cup back to his lips. "shouldn't a father be more concerned when his daughter ends up in hospital?" the two made eye contact, neither one of them backing down first, until mr jeon smiled. "ah, what am i saying?" he laughed it off, simmering the tension in the room. mr yeong cleared his throat, placing his cup back down.
"there's no need to worry about inha." he assured. "i'll deal with it myself."
mr jeon's smile dropped, visibly gulping as mr yeong smiled. "you should get going, it's already quite late."
"y-yes." mr jeon stuttered. he didn't know how, but it felt like the temperature in the room suddenly dropped. he was unable to move as he stared at mr yeong, almost like he was stuck in a trance as his body was frozen to the sofa he was sat on. "right." snapping out of his daze, he stood up, mr yeong following suite.
the two made their way to the entrance, mr jeon putting on his shoes. both men's attention was caught by the girl stood in the middle of the stairs, staring at mr jeon. the teacher seemed surprised, quickly turning away, bidding his goodbye to the man.
inha watched helplessly, she wasn't surprised, but she couldn't help the sense of disappointment in the pit of her stomach.
