1st in Class Hides Regression - Chapter 42

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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 42
What was it?
Was something wrong?
No. That wasn’t how someone in pain carried themselves.
Was she in a bad mood?
No. Jisoo wasn’t the type to let her mood show to other people.
Then was she angry at me?
Maybe?
But I haven’t done anything wrong to Jisoo. We haven’t had much contact lately anyway.
We haven’t eaten together, haven’t met after school, barely talk anymore…….
“…….”
Maybe the lack of contact itself was what upset her?
‘I’ll have to ask her to know for sure.’
Lost in thought, I stepped into the Faculty Office.
“Dahye!”
“Hello! Could you tell our homeroom teacher that we collected the survey forms and left them here?”
“Sure, sure. How’ve you been lately, Dahye? Everything good?”
“Absolutely. I couldn’t be more satisfied.”
“Bang Eunji!”
Han Moon’s voice cut through our conversation, thick with irritation.
I turned to see Bang Eunji standing in front of him, wearing her usual loud hoodie and a messy headband as always.
When Bang Eunji noticed me, she scowled.
“Hey, what are you staring at?”
“Don’t give me attitude just because you sat there doing nothing! You of all people, caught fooling around during class!”
Han Moon grabbed a book from his desk and waved it right under Bang Eunji’s nose.
“Instead of copying this garbage, study something useful for once. Do you even know how to write one through ten in Chinese characters?”
I was already amazed that Bang Eunji could read at all.
Curious about what book it could be, I leaned in to look.
—Why Do Men Fall for F.O.X. Women? The 3 Irresistible Traits Men Can Never Resist!♡♥♡ Bonus: Frequency MP3 Files That Attract Destiny 😀
“…….”
“With Song Yeoreum staying home, I thought you’d finally calmed down…… If you’re going to spend time copying something, at least do Mujin Yanghaeng like an actual human being, not this trash!”
Han Moon muttered about why Song Yeoreum had stopped coming to school, then opened the book and read loudly.
“The Fox’s Confidence—Imprinting Yourself on Him in Three Seconds…… Eunji, are you human or a fox?”
I could see a teacher sitting across from us biting back a laugh, lowering her head behind the partition.
Bang Eunji’s face flushed crimson with shame as she kicked her feet in protest, but Han Moon paid no mind.
“Embarrassed yet? You should be. Tell you what, I’ll ask Lee Mongyong later to lend me a copy of Mujin Yanghaeng for you. Take it and read it. That’s a real book. Right, Dahye?”
Why did he have to drag me into this?
I glanced at Bang Eunji, who looked like she might cry any second, and answered.
“Did you copy Mujin Yanghaeng yourself, sir?”
“You bet! When I was in university, copying Mujin Yanghaeng was an actual assignment. I got drunk and forgot about it, so I ended up lying on the floor of the subway train on the way to school, copying it there.”
“You were certainly desperate in your copying.”
“What?”
“And that purple sweater you’re wearing—did you choose it quite independently?”
Han Moon laughed at the barrage of terrible wordplay.
“Where on earth did you learn those dad jokes?”
“Oh, you say that now, but I know you’ll be laughing to yourself when you’re heading home later.”
“Heh. Heheheh.”
“I have more if you’d like to hear them?”
“Never mind, enough.”
Han Moon waved me off, seemingly having forgotten what we were even talking about. He chuckled a few times in disbelief, then looked at Bang Eunji still standing in front of him.
“You go on now. Take this book with you.”
Without a word, Bang Eunji snatched the book and hurried out of the Faculty Office. As she passed by me, her shoulder nearly brushed mine, so I shifted my body to give her space.
“Kang Dahye, if I hear one more of those awful jokes from you—”
“Hehe.”
I left the Faculty Office with Han Moon waving his hand at me.
So, what was I thinking about again?
Oh. Jisoo.
Why was she angry with me?
‘I shouldn’t jump to conclusions. I should just ask her.’
So in the next break, I went to find Jisoo. She was talking with a boy from our class, but when I called her, she came out into the hallway.
……
……
“Why did you call me?”
“Well.”
It had been so long since we had a conversation like this that it felt awkward. I asked her carefully, gauging her mood.
“Did I do something wrong to you?”
I tried my best to ask the way a puppy caught in the rain might, but it didn’t seem to work well. Jisoo, who’d been avoiding my eyes, answered back in a sulky tone.
“Aren’t you angry at me, Dahye?”
“Me?”
That’s not it at all! Why would she think that?
“Lately you’re the one always texting me first. You call me first. You’re always the one coming to our classroom first. And when you do, you just play with the kids from our class—Woo Doyeon and Gyeong Sein and them.”
“Ah.”
“You don’t even talk to me during math and English.”
“Oh.”
“So I thought you were angry with me.”
“No!”
I shook my hands emphatically to say it wasn’t true.
This was one hundred percent my mistake.
‘An eighteen-year-old friendship isn’t like a twenty-nine-year-old one—seeing each other once every few months and calling that frequent.’
We saw each other every day, contacted each other every day, spent whole school days together, and then contacted each other again as soon as we got home. That was the kind of relationship we had.
A new class assignment each semester was almost a life-altering problem at this age.
‘Even before the regression, I worried so much when Jisoo and I got separated in second year. I was afraid I wouldn’t have any friends in the same class.’
So when I suddenly changed overnight, Jisoo had every reason to misunderstand.
Jisoo, pouting, continued speaking.
“Is it because of Seo Jaekyeom?”
“No!”
Why is she bringing him up?
“I’m telling you, I don’t like him anymore!”
“…Or maybe it’s because I told you not to get close to Woo Doyeon?”
“That’s not it either.”
I’d even forgotten the fact that Jisoo had said something like that.
How was I supposed to explain this? This was awkward.
“I’ve just… been in a hurry lately…….”
“In a hurry?”
“Yeah… I mean, I don’t have any friends besides you, you know. I don’t know anyone in our class. So I was worried I’d be left alone without any friends in the classroom.”
“…Oh, that’s what it was?”
“Yeah. I was anxious about becoming a loner, so I wasn’t paying attention to you. I’m sorry.”
“That makes sense. You’re definitely the type to worry about something like that.”
“Right. I’ve always hung around with you, but you have lots of friends even without me—I only have you.”
In fact, I think I actually had those kinds of worries back in second year. Third year of middle school, first year of high school—for four years straight I’d been with Jisoo, and then we were separated for the first time. What was I going to do?
So when I saw Jisoo getting close with the other kids in the class, I was jealous.
Somehow the situation had flipped around now, though.
“I’m not angry with you. Don’t abandon me.”
I begged her as pitifully as possible, letting my eyes droop at the corners. Looking at Jisoo’s expression, it seemed like she’d already forgiven me.
“…I really thought you were angry with me, you know.”
“No, that’s not it. Absolutely not. I’m the one who’s sorry.”
…Yeah.”
“Should we go get instant tteokbokki? Just the two of us?”
“Sure.”
“Today?”
“I have hagwon today.”
“Then tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
I made a promise with Jisoo, who was already smiling brightly, to add chewy noodles and flying fish roe fried rice too.
But.
“Dahye, I’m really sorry.”
As always in life, things don’t go according to plan…….
“The teacher suddenly scheduled an urgent meeting.”
“Ah… but is this supposed to end by today?”
“Well… couldn’t Dahye just help me out this once?”
That wouldn’t work.
I looked at Jisoo standing beside me.
“I have plans today too…”
“It’s fine. Let’s help and then go. We’ll finish faster if we do it together, right?”
Jisoo said it smoothly enough.
“Ah.”
The homeroom teacher’s expression turned troubled.
“This contains our students’ personal information.”
“I see…”
So I’d have to stay and do it alone?
“I’ll stay.”
It was Seo Jaekyeom who spoke up.
He waved his waiting friends ahead, then came to stand beside me. When I looked up, our eyes met.
“Aren’t you going to academy?”
“Jisoo’s not going today, so I’m not either.”
“Right.”
“I’ll handle it, so you go first.”
“Then I feel awful asking…”
“The two of you can do it together. I’ll be in the Library, so hurry and finish up.”
Jisoo, who’d been watching me and Seo Jaekyeom turn to each other, came to a decision.
“By the way, congrats on becoming Vice Class President?”
Jisoo smiled at Seo Jaekyeom, then pulled out her Problem Set from her bag, saying she might as well work on homework while she waited. I handed her my School Uniform Cardigan.
“Wear this. You get cold easily.”
“Thanks.”
“I’ll be there in thirty minutes.”
“No rush. Take your time.”
Jisoo, an angel in human form, trotted off toward the Library.
“I’m really sorry…”
I didn’t know there’d be a meeting today… I came back to the Classroom with assignments from my hollow-eyed homeroom teacher.
I looked at Seo Jaekyeom with grim determination.
“Let’s finish this in thirty minutes.”
“Let’s do it.”
Looking back on it now, I shouldn’t have sent Jisoo to the Library then.

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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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