1st in Class Hides Regression - Chapter 43

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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 of the Whole School Hides Her Return
Chapter 43
One day before.
Song Yeoreom’s mood lately had hit rock bottom.
She’d always shown up at school regularly, arriving after lunch hour, terrified of being held back — but these days she wouldn’t even go near the school.
She was sick of everything.
The teachers who criticized her every time they saw her, the kids who’d stopped fearing her, and Kang Dahye too.
“Why’s that loser acting like something these days?”
“Song Yeoreom got totally crushed by that nerd?”
“No, that’s not it!”
But it was exactly that.
The way Kang Dahye, whom she’d dismissed so completely, had talked back and contradicted her — it sickened her. And the fact that she’d gotten pulled into it made it worse.
Right there in front of everyone.
“But anyway, even Jaekyeom took her side.”
“Jaekyeom? Seo Jaekyeom?”
“Yeah.”
“Why isn’t he replying to my KakaoTalk lately? He won’t even answer my calls.”
A girl with her hair bleached pink threw the comment out, while another girl standing before the mirror shot back a jab.
“Since when are you his girlfriend?”
“I dated Seo Jaekyeom back in eighth grade.”
“Oh, so only you dated him?”
“I lasted longer than you did.”
“Sure, and your ex-boyfriend’s chasing after Kang Dahye now.”
“Who’s Kang Dahye?”
“Is she pretty?”
She’d game all night, wake up around 1 p.m., and hang around with people like herself.
Girls who didn’t go to school, and older guys who’d graduated a year or two back.
Yeoreom had always been exactly the type Kang Dahye had pointed out.
The kind who messed around but was genuinely afraid of actually ruining her life — but over these past few days, running around with similar kids, her standards had dulled.
She could see people around her who’d already gone down that road she used to fear, and it turned out that taking it didn’t end your life — they were living fine.
Guys who’d dropped out of high school and worked part-time at fast-food joints or bars nearby, riding around on bikes —
They spent money freely, smoked and drank without worry, went to clubs. Sometimes they’d take her for drives in rental cars. From an eighteen-year-old’s perspective, they were living coolly.
Watching them, it started to seem pretty appealing, and she began thinking maybe she could live like that too.
One of them, who’d taken a trip to Thailand on sports lottery winnings not long ago, swaggered and asked her.
“Want me to go teach her a lesson?”
That was when it happened.
“Song Yeoreom.”
Someone approached the Empty Lot where Yeoreom’s group used as their base, hesitantly.
It was Bang Eunji. She was holding the pants Yeoreom had asked her to bring.
The older guys burst into laughter when they saw Bang Eunji’s frightened face.
“Oh man, this is hilarious!”
“What!”
Some of them even threw down the snack bags they were holding and doubled over on the ground.
“Pfft!”
“Huh….”
Seo Jaekyeom’s exes started snickering and laughing as they looked Bang Eunji up and down.
Bang Eunji, already withdrawn at the sight of these unfamiliar people laughing at her, shrank further into herself.
“Why, why are you laughing…?”
She looked at Yeoreom, but Yeoreom was also holding her stomach and laughing.
Only then did Seo Jaekyeom’s first ex wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes and slapped Yeoreom on the back.
“Oh, I’m dying from laughing. Hey, Song Yeoreom. What’s going on? I heard your friend was pretty.”
“Yeoreom, I was really looking forward to it! You said your friend was pretty!”
“Why~ Our Eunji’s pretty, isn’t she?”
Yeoreom’s tone was almost a laugh itself — ‘pretty, kekekekeke hahahaha’ — and the group burst into hysterical laughter again.
“Are you serious?”
“That’s hilarious, for real.”
…….
Only then did Bang Eunji’s expression harden as she grasped what was actually happening.
Whether Bang Eunji reacted or not, Yeoreom snatched the pants from Eunji’s hands, said she’d try them on, and disappeared behind a car parked in the Empty Lot.
The older guys and girls who’d lined up Eunji began to chatter and jeer.
“So what about this Kang Dahye girl?”
“She’s pretty cute.”
“If you guys are bullshitting, you’re getting smacked.”
“For real. I swear.”
“Yeah. She’s cute. Just dresses terribly.”
“Oh. I like those kinds of girls. Pretty but innocent.”
“Hey, Yeoreom!”
The sports lottery guy from earlier shouted at Yeoreom as she came back in fresh clothes.
“For real, will you rough her up for me?”
“Rough her up, huh? Or is this just an excuse to see her pretty face?”
“Caught.”
“But how are we even going to get her?”
“Just grab her on the way home from school.”
“Wait for her at the school gate? Sounds like we’d get reported.”
“What’s your IQ? Look, we’re alumni too. We just put on uniforms and go.”
“That’s got some thrill to it.”
“I didn’t say anything~~~”
“Song Yeoreom, what’ll you do? Want to at least slash her face or something?”
There were times like this.
When you rode the wave of the group.
Getting louder with each other’s laughter, the stakes climbing higher, everyone’s mood bouncing and soaring. Everyone wanted to show off inside the pack.
Everyone here was like that.
“Just say it.”
Yeoreom spat and laughed at her older friend’s posturing.
“His hand.”
“His hand?”
“If his hand gets messed up and he’s all shaky, he won’t even be able to mark the OMR Card, right?”
* * *
And today.
Seo Jaekyeom of Class 2-2, sitting across from the troublesome Kang Dahye, thought to himself:
‘Does she really not like me anymore?’
But how is that even possible?
How can
love
just change?
“Jaekyeom, what are you doing?”
“Huh?”
“Why are you spacing out? Tired?”
“Oh, yeah. No, I’m not.”
“Let’s hurry and finish. I don’t have much time.”
“Right. Yeah, we should.”
He snapped to attention and smiled.
If this were the original Kang Dahye, she wouldn’t have been able to look him straight in the eye right now.
Her face would’ve been beet red, her gaze darting away, her voice pitched higher than usual as she stammered out some nonsense in embarrassment.
But now.
She was just yawning with that serene, detached expression on her face.
Staring at that spiritless face, his eyes met hers. Kang Dahye’s expression was so blank and natural that if it were an act, it’d be Oscar-worthy.
“You’ve got an eyelash on your face.”
“…Take it off.”
“Huh?”
Why me? he said with his eyes, pushing his face close to Kang Dahye’s.
“Hurry.”
While he was at it, he grabbed her hand and pressed it against his cheek.
Kang Dahye looked awkwardly between her hand and Jaekyeom’s face, then said:
“…Jaekyeom. You.”
“Yeah?”
“……Never mind.”
Bang!
Just then the classroom door opened and the transfer student appeared.
Always with that sullen expression, especially around Jaekyeom—even more scrunched and sour than usual.
The transfer student watched Seo Jaekyeom’s upper body leaning heavily toward Kang Dahye, then her hand against his cheek, his gaze moving between them expressionless.
“What are you two doing?”
“Something the teacher asked us to do.”
Kang Dahye replied without missing a beat and withdrew her hand from Jaekyeom. She turned her whole body to face the transfer student, asking casually.
“Why are you still here?”
“Take this with you.”
The transfer student entered the classroom and pulled a lace parasol from inside a desk. Kang Dahye spoke to him once more.
“Did you see the Drama Club group chat? About going to see a movie.”
“I saw it.”
“Then why didn’t you respond? You’re going, aren’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. Now get out of here.”
“Ha.”
Jaekyeom had no time to spare and needed to leave quickly, yet Dahye found plenty of words for the transfer student. He, in turn, barely acknowledged anyone else in the classroom but answered her readily enough.
The transfer student paused at the door and asked her.
“Want help?”
“No, just go.”
Dahye waved him off.
“Have you eaten?”
“I need to eat now.”
“You’ll die young if you don’t eat on time.”
The transfer student’s concern was subtle but unmistakable.
“The Direct Pointing to the Heart of Buddha Sutra.”
“Hah.”
…They seemed very close.
“I know that right now you’re giving me that contemptuous look, but when you get home tonight before bed you’ll remember the Direct Pointing to the Heart of Buddha Sutra and laugh.”
“No, I won’t. I don’t think about you at all once I’m home.”
Dahye’s expression was bright as she joked with the transfer student.
She chattered away with her mouth while her hands kept working steadily through the tasks the homeroom teacher had assigned. The transfer student watched the side of her face without blinking.
‘I’m going to burn a hole through her face.’
Seo Jaekyeom felt oddly irritated, and his mind drifted back to something that had happened at the Academy a few days ago.
‘Seo Jaekyeom!’
‘Yeah, Han Jisu.’
Han Jisu had called to Jaekyeom as he was heading home after class.
Jaekyeom had glanced at Jisu, offered a greeting, and turned to leave, but she reached out and stopped him deliberately.
‘Seo Jaekyeom, do you know what?’
‘What?’
‘Dahye doesn’t like you anymore.’
‘…….’
‘Seo Jaekyeom?’
‘Yeah, I know. But what does that have to do with me? That’s her heart, isn’t it?’
‘Is that so? Well, that’s good then. I just thought you seemed to care about Dahye a lot these days.’
‘…Not really.’
‘No?’
‘Yeah. Same as always. Actually…….’
The memory of Jaekyeom’s words cutting off abruptly then.
He had thought at that moment.
‘Come to think of it.’
How many days had it been since he’d thought of Han Jisu?
How many days since he’d passed by her at school or the Academy without giving it a second thought?
Dahye doesn’t like him anymore. That’s fine.
But what about me?
Do I still like Han Jisu?

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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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