1st in Class Hides Regression - Chapter 2

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Top Student Hides Her Regression
Episode 2
“No, I like you too. As a friend.”
…….
“But us dating… you know it doesn’t make sense, right? Even you can see that.”
“Ah.”
Hearing those words, it all comes back to me.
How could I have forgotten this?
And I know for certain that next he’ll say…
“Haven’t you been watching all this time? All those girls I’ve dated. Didn’t you feel anything seeing them with me? Why would you confess to me out of nowhere? Between them and you… no. I’m not going to say that part.”
Yes. This is the line I was waiting for.
The one that crushed my pride and dragged me into a pit of despair.
I studied the boy standing in front of me.
Tall, with soft hair, the kind of smooth, fine features that would probably earn him some ridiculous nickname like “One of the Three Treasures of XX University” once he got there. And on top of it all, an expression that said he was seething but holding it in.
“…Seo Jae-gyeom.”
“Yeah.”
The boy nodded at my call.
That’s right. Seo Jae-gyeom.
The most popular guy at our school before idol trainee Jeong Eun-seong transferred in.
Even after Jeong Eun-seong arrived, he’d held his own and split the girls’ affections between them.
My first love.
‘My mom used to work as a housekeeper at Seo Jae-gyeom’s place.’
Whenever I went there on errands, Seo Jae-gyeom was always there, radiant and impossible to ignore.
A handsome boy the same age as me, living in a house so much larger and cleaner than ours.
The best neighborhood in the area, the biggest house, where he lived alone with his mother.
Rumors swirled endlessly that he was the illegitimate son of some major corporation’s executive.
And I was one of the few people who knew those rumors were true.
‘Oh, Kang Da-hye. Hey.’
‘Kang Da-hye. You’re here again.’
Even though I knew his secret—which should have made him uncomfortable around me—Seo Jae-gyeom never let it show.
He’d greet me at school if we passed, offer to give me a ride if I was running late. He’d never actually followed through, but the gesture alone was enough.
‘Seo Jae-gyeom, are you dating Kang Da-hye?’
‘Don’t talk nonsense.’
It was the perfect setup for me to misunderstand.
But reality isn’t a drama, and I’m not the protagonist.
It was nothing but a mistake.
“So it really is Seo Jae-gyeom…”
I studied his face with curiosity—the first time I’d seen it since third year.
Like so many other friends, contact with Seo Jae-gyeom had dried up right after graduation.
The communication I’d been maintaining one-sidedly anyway was completely severed when I, ashamed of botching the College Entrance Exam, hid away from everyone.
Seo Jae-gyeom never once tried to reach out to me.
“Seo Jae-gyeom. When did I confess to you?”
“I don’t know. I don’t remember that far back.”
His casual, dismissive answer to my question.
Just this alone makes it clear that Seo Jae-gyeom doesn’t have feelings for me.
It’s March now.
Early March.
The school year just started—it hasn’t even been a week.
Q. Don’t people usually confess on Valentine’s Day, at the year-end festival, or during graduation trips—special occasions like that?
If you were rejected, why would you confess to a boy in your class right at the beginning of a new semester? And I heard you’re even in the same class as Seo Jae-gyeom now.
A. No.
I confessed at the end of the school year too.
I confessed last December, but his answer only came back now.
‘Wait, you? For me?’
‘Jae-gyeom! Come on! If you’re late there won’t be any seats!’
‘Oh. But I have to go now. I’ll call you later?’
Then there was no word from him the entire winter break.
Seo Jae-gyeom skipped the closing ceremony because he was going abroad.
I spent all of March clutching my smartphone, torn between reaching out to him or not, while refreshing my feed dozens of times a day to see photos of Seo Jae-gyeom surfing at Manly Beach.
There’s a famous saying—silence is also an answer.
Just in case. Holding onto a sliver of hope.
For what it’s worth, my birthday was in February, and Seo Jae-gyeom didn’t contact me that day either.
Then when we ended up in the same class after the semester started, only then did he seem to remember, letting out a soft “Oh.”
Today was the first time he’d given me an answer.
Before the Regression, I lived through this and wept bitterly from the wound.
But now?
“Da-hye, you’re smart enough. You understand without me spelling it out, right? I’m just going to pretend I didn’t hear everything you said that day. And you…….”
“Yeah, okay.”
I raised my hand to cut him off.
“I get what you’re saying. We’re pretending it never happened? I’m fine with that.”
Eleven years ago, it might have been a poignant, unrequited love that made me cry every night, but now at twenty-nine, it’s just laughable.
‘Kang Da-hye, you’ve always had a sixth sense for handsome men.’
Still, that doesn’t excuse it. How could I have even thought to confess?
Were there no other attractive men around besides him? Then I should’ve just not liked anyone at all.
If I’d stepped back even a little, I would’ve seen it clearly.
Who Seo Jae-gyeom’s heart belonged to.
‘Forget it. We won’t see each other after graduation anyway.’
There were far more important things in my life than Seo Jae-gyeom.
I brushed the dust that had settled on my uniform and looked up at him.
At my steady gaze, Seo Jae-gyeom’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Kang Da-hye?”
“Sorry for overstepping. I won’t do it again.”
“Uh….”
“I’m heading back inside first.”
“Yeah… okay.”
“Mm.”
…….
…….
…….
“Oh, wait. Seo Jae-gyeom.”
“Hmm?”
“If ‘You’ve dated all these girls and you’re going to confess to me?’ isn’t harsh, then what exactly qualifies as harsh in your book?”
Without waiting for an answer, I turned and headed back into the classroom alone.
I couldn’t remember which class I was in, so I wandered for a bit before recognizing faces and finally found the right room.
“My locker… oh, here it is.”
It had a padlock on it, but I couldn’t remember the combination.
I’d just break it off.
Crack!
“Whoa.”
“Crazy.”
The class gasped as they watched me tear the padlock free with a broom.
“Da-hye, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Actually, I’m great.”
I pulled out all the textbooks crammed in my locker. Cradling an armful, I turned around.
My eyes met a girl’s, and I asked her.
“Hey.”
“Um, yeah?”
“Do you know where my seat was?”
I didn’t sleep last night, so I can’t remember. I added this explanation, and she pointed somewhere without any real suspicion.
Row three, Section Two.
“Thanks.”
I sat down and stacked the textbooks on my desk.
After a deep breath, I began flipping through them one by one.
—Korean.
Well, Korean’s fine. I haven’t forgotten the language, so it’s just about doing more practice problems. Pass.
—English.
I’m a perfect scorer on the TOEIC, so I should be okay. Pass.
—Korean History.
I know the general flow, but I don’t remember the details. Hold off for now.
—Mathematics.
Huh? What was this symbol again? How do I solve this?
—Other students don’t have to, but if I’m applying to Korea University, I absolutely must take Second Foreign Language: French.
The only French I remember is Joan of Arc, Napoleon, and “Ça va bien”??????
Wait, but math… until now, more people called this subject the “Mathematics Section,” and I can’t remember a single thing about it……?
“I’m finished…….”
Done for.
That was a conclusion I could reach without even deliberating.
I was done for.
“God, this is insane. I don’t remember anything.”
I can’t even remember the quadratic formula.
How much time is left until the College Entrance Exam?
A year and seven months? Eight?
But it’s not just about doing well on the exam. My school GPA matters too.
I have to relearn everything I’ve forgotten while also keeping up with the new material……?
Tears streamed down.
“Oh no, Da-hye! Why are you crying!”
“Huh? Kang Da-hye is crying?”
“Kang Da-hye is crying.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
“Da-hye, are you okay?”
“…What’s wrong?”
“Jae-gyeom, Da-hye’s crying!”
“…She’s crying?”
That was when Seo Jae-gyeom walked into the classroom, heard someone say “Kang Da-hye is crying,” and looked at me.
Seeing me with tears streaming down my face, Seo Jae-gyeom’s brow furrowed slightly… and he sighed.
As if he’d known it was coming.
I must be getting on his nerves by now.
‘I’m not crying because of you, okay?’ I wanted to say, but honestly, anything I told him would just sound like an excuse anyway…….
I’m so embarrassed.
“I’m going to the restroom for a minute.”
I grabbed my smartphone and hurried out of the classroom.
I leaned my back against the corridor wall and took a deep breath.
“I’m fine.”
There’s still time.
I went back in time against all odds, got a second chance that others can only dream of—was I really going to waste it whining?
“No whining. These tears are tears of joy, got it.”
I wiped away the tears with the back of my hand and reached for my smartphone with the other.
Maybe it’s because it’s from eleven years ago, but it’s definitely heavier, thicker, and slower.
Let me see.
What apps did I use eleven years ago?
“I used this music app even back then. …What’s this, an unrequited love playlist?”
[Kang Da-hye’s Unrequited Love Playlist]
– If only we could be friends
– If only I were… the person you love… if only I were……
– Always one step behind… there I was…☆
– I want to tell you… that I love you… but I’m so pathetic I can’t say a word…
– I’d be happy even by chance… if I could run into you… if I could just look at you one more time like this……
– A friend’s confession…☆★☆
– You really… make me feel comfortable…
– A love only I know about ㅠ
– What do I do~~~ I’m still so clumsy eee~~
Note: Is it really that hard to grab a meal with me once…… I’m going crazy, stars…… I want him. Jae.
“Aaaahhhhh!”
What is this!
I hurled the phone I’d been holding away from me.
The smartphone skid across the floor, its screen still lit up, and came to a stop at someone’s feet.
“Uh….”
Someone slowly bent down and picked up my glowing moment of absolute mortification.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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