1st in Class Hides Regression - Chapter 31

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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 31
“Can I see it too?”
“When I take Kim Ga Eun home, I’ll take you too.”
“Me?”
Why me? As I asked, Seo Jae Gyeom sighed.
“Think about it. If Kim Ga Eun is in danger, aren’t you?”
“But by that logic, wouldn’t all the girls out at ten at night be in danger?”
Wouldn’t it be faster to keep men indoors at that hour instead of driving every girl home?
Thinking that, I looked up at Seo Jae Gyeom.
“You must have been really grateful that day when I sent you home first.”
No matter how late it got, asking “Can you give me a ride?” and then never actually giving one — that wasn’t Seo Jae Gyeom’s character.
“I’m fine. You don’t have two bodies, so how could you drive us both at once?”
“Like today — I’ll come by Kim Ga Eun’s place with you and then go to your house.”
“I don’t have time. I need to get home and study.”
I even waved my hand to dismiss him. Seo Jae Gyeom stared at me intently, then asked.
“When do you want that coffee I promised?”
“Coffee?”
“I said I’d buy you one.”
Did he?
“Never mind. Count the Banana Milk I bought you today as payment. You helped me a lot anyway.”
“You helped me a lot too.”
“Then let’s call it even with the Banana Milk from earlier.”
“Coffee and milk are the same? They cost different amounts.”
“How expensive of a coffee do you think I’d buy?”
“…One with chocolate and caramel and whipped cream on top?”
“…You really are eighteen, aren’t you?”
“Aren’t you?”
“No, I’m eighteen too. I just love the fact that I’m eighteen.”
Just thinking about my age makes me laugh even in my sleep.
Grinning, I boarded the bus heading toward my neighborhood.
Seo Jae Gyeom followed me onto the bus and watched me tap my transit card, craning his neck. He eyed his own card with suspicion, then tapped it against the machine. It worked.
‘First time taking a bus. Must be because he’s rich.’
Seo Jae Gyeom squeezed into the seat beside me on the two-seater bench, folding his long legs awkwardly.
“But why did you suddenly start a part-time job?”
“Oh. I don’t have enough spending money.”
“Just ask your mom for it.”
“Hmm.”
Turns out there are families where asking your parents for money is surprisingly difficult.
“Actually, there’s something I want to buy. So I’m saving up.”
“What do you want to buy?”
“A Hannam Zaire apartment. Around 2.7 billion won.”
“…You’re trying to buy that by saving money?”
“Yeah. Let’s see — I saved a thousand won today by skipping snacks, so I just need to save another 2.699 billion won and I’m done.”
“How long do you think it’ll take you to save that?”
“You’re dismissing a thousand won?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Try digging in the dirt. See if you find a thousand won.”
The bus braked suddenly, cutting off my nonsense.
Sitting next to Seo Jae Gyeom’s sturdy frame, whenever the bus jolted my arm would brush his. He must have sprayed cologne to look older — there was a nice scent coming from him.
As I was quietly sniffing, Seo Jae Gyeom spoke to me again.
“Nothing weird happened while I was gone from school?”
“Weird?”
“Yeah.”
Bang Eun Ji had spilled milk in my locker and Song Yeo Reum had locked me in at school, but…
“Nothing happened.”
“I see…”
His voice trailed off oddly. His expression had turned sulky as he asked.
“Are you close with the transfer student?”
“Jung Eun Sung?”
“Yeah.”
“Mm.”
She said she was the second person she disliked in our class. Can you even call that being close?
At that, Seo Jae Gyeom’s frown deepened.
“You’re pretty close then.”
“Am I?”
“The person she dislikes most is me, isn’t it? She doesn’t seem to like me much.”
…….
Yeah, probably…….
“Ah, I have to get off here. Wake up.”
“Already?”
“Not already. If you’re not waiting by the back door before he opens the front one, the driver gets mad.”
“Huh….”
Welcome to the K Bus, Seo Jae Gyeom!
* * *
“Who are you messaging?”
“Ga Eun.”
“You just said goodbye to her. Why message her now?”
“Something came up. …Ah, this is far enough for me. Thanks for the ride.”
“Why? Are we here?”
“Not quite, but if you go any further, you’ll have trouble catching a cab.”
I didn’t want to see the expression on his face when he saw our tenement — crumbling as it was, and ours in the basement no less.
Seo Jae Gyeom, who’d never once felt ashamed of his own home, looked confused, but he stepped back without argument.
I hesitated before lightly grasping his wrist.
“Thanks for helping me today.”
“I didn’t help you.”
“You did help me.”
You helped me today, and you helped Ga Eun, and you helped Gyeong Se In and Su A and Do Yeon and…… basically every girl whose name I can remember.
“Someday, how about we both try to build a world where we can solve things like this without your help?”
I squeezed the wrist I’d grasped and smiled.
Seo Jae Gyeom didn’t smile back. Looking down at me, he suddenly asked:
“Do you really not like me anymore?”
“Huh…?”
Out of nowhere?
“No, wait. That’s not what I meant.”
He seemed more startled than I was — like he hadn’t meant to say that either.
I waited, watching as he stood frozen with his hand over his mouth. After a few seconds, he let the words tumble out:
“When I’m with you, I think.”
“Think?”
“About things I never noticed before and never wanted to know about.”
…….
“So when you’re nearby, I feel…….”
“You feel?”
“Like I’m too immature.”
“You are immature.”
“Don’t be like that. We’re the same age.”
As he said it, his eyes narrowed slightly, as if the light were hurting him.
Even though he was the one standing under the streetlamp.
“Go on. I’ll watch until you get inside.”
His other hand came to rest on top of mine as I gripped his wrist—large, slightly rough at the edges. He squeezed my hand once, then let it go.
There was a moment where I should have said something, but nothing came.
I just blinked in farewell and ran for home.
I couldn’t bring myself to look back.
What if he was still there, watching me go?
* * *
“You guys! What happened yesterday!”
“Why aren’t you answering our KakaoTalk messages!”
“Did you kill the guy? Stab him with a knife?”
“Gyeong Se In…… if they’d done that, they wouldn’t be here right now.”
The bottom line is: the next day, Ga Eun publicly apologized to Do Yeon.
She apologized for the misunderstanding, for speaking carelessly without really knowing her, for wanting to be friends.
Once Ga Eun, with her strong personality, took that step first, even the kids who still didn’t like Do Yeon couldn’t afford to show it openly.
This is why atmosphere matters.
What I learned afterward was surprising: Do Yeon and Ga Eun actually got along well.
Girls with firm opinions and no false kindness.
As the two grew close quickly, the class mood improved too.
And there was one more unexpected thing.
Seo Jae Gyeom.
Seo Jae Gyeom really did come to pick up Ga Eun in front of Ibaji Academy every single day—until his mother, furious that he kept skipping academy, showed up at school personally to drag him there.
‘I’ve never seen Seo Jae Gyeom that embarrassed before.’
Though his kindness didn’t last more than a few days, it was enough to become the talk among us.
A few days later. Free time disguised as P.E. The Wisteria Bench.
“Seo Jae Gyeom likes you, doesn’t he?!”
Gyeong Se In, her cheeks flushed, smacked Ga Eun’s shoulder repeatedly. It was right after Seo Jae Gyeom, heading off to play basketball, had bummed a piece of Jelly from her.
Ga Eun twisted her back this way and that to dodge, then replied.
“I don’t think so. It’s just manners, I think.”
“Seo Jae Gyeom has manners like that?”
“Why not? In our class, he’s the only one who doesn’t go for the girls first when we play dodgeball.”
…….
At that, all our eyes drifted toward Do Ha Jun in the corner.
Every time they played dodgeball, Do Ha Jun would deliberately throw the ball at the girls’ faces or chests, muttering about “clearing out the small fry first.”
Last week—or was it the week before—Do Yeon finally snapped and hit him with a Strong Spike, knocking him for a loop.
“Why not? We’ve never played dodgeball with Jung Eun Sung.”
At that, our eyes all shifted to Jung Eun Sung.
Jung Eun Sung, who’d been applying Sunstick on his arm over there, raised his eyebrows when our eyes met. My phone rang.
Jung Eun Sung
2
14:11
I don’t even need to guess. This means “you’re the second person I dislike in our class.”
I guess the company gave back his phone.
14:11
Go do P.E. or something
Jung Eun Sung
You do it
14:11
Jung Eun Sung
Stop staring at Jae
14:12
14:12
I wasn’t staring
Jung Eun Sung
I heard everything she was saying just now
14:12
It’s Gyeong Se In
14:12
Learn your classmates’ names
Jung Eun Sung
I only need to know you
14:12
“?!”
Jung Eun Sung
You’re the Class President
14:13
“Oh….”
Crazy. Why does he say things that make people misunderstand? I almost dropped my phone.
Guess my startled reaction showed on my face. Jung Eun Sung was snickering over there. God, how embarrassing.
“Anyway, Seo Jae Gyeom definitely doesn’t like me.”
Ga Eun said.
I quickly shoved my phone in my pocket and focused on the conversation.
“Why do you think that?”
At Su A’s question, Kim Ga Eun held up her phone to show her.
“Look.”

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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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