1st in Class Hides Regression - Chapter 86

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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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Ranked 1st in School, Hiding the Regression
86
(Part D)
“…!”
A soundless cry of anguish.
“Does it hurt?”
“It does.”
Even the wind through the leaves torments me now.
Had everyone staked their lives on Sports Day? The School Infirmary was packed with injured students. In the end, I just grabbed some antiseptic and ointment before heading to the Drama Club Room.
“Sit down.”
Jung Eun-seong made me sit at an empty desk, then dropped to one knee in front of me. He dabbed at my wound with gauze, then applied antiseptic.
Ow. Every time my hands trembled, his brow tightened. He spread the antiseptic across my knee and chided me.
“Why were you rolling up your pants?”
“They were fluttering too much.”
I was trying to reduce wind resistance.
“Are your pants too big?”
“Yeah.”
I nodded, and he carefully wrapped his hand around my ankle.
“Your ankle’s so thin.”
“Your hands are just big.”
Fortunately, our team won the first-year relay race too, which closed the score gap considerably. My scraped knee was worth something, I suppose.
As I laughed at my own quip, Jung Eun-seong shot me a glare.
“You think that’s funny?”
“Yeah. Kids get a little banged up when they grow, that’s normal, right?”
“You’re not a kid.”
“What are you talking about? I’m totally a kid.”
“Stop saying things like that.”
Jung Eun-seong shook his head and applied ointment to my knee, then placed a fresh gauze pad over it.
Sunlight poured through the Drama Club Room’s window—the curtain had been pulled back—illuminating Jung Eun-seong’s hair and cheek as he bowed his head before me. Soft downy fuzz still visible on his ear, fluffy at the crown of his head, but his hands were disproportionately large.
‘His hair’s so thick. You can’t even see the part.’
If I stuck my finger in, it would probably sink into his hair.
How does he even wear a hat? The hair would probably just spring it right off.
I was imagining a baseball cap popping off Jung Eun-seong’s head when I answered his question a beat too late.
“Your friend’s mother knows the director of our company headquarters.”
“My friend?”
“Han Ji-young.”
“Oh. Han. Ji. Su.”
“Whatever.”
“Ji-su’s mother is pretty well-connected.”
“What’s her job?”
“City councilor.”
“A city councilor, and she’s always coming to school? Doesn’t she have work?”
“Well, I’m not sure…”
National assembly members skip meetings all the time and just lounge around anyway, so maybe that’s how city councilors are too.
“I heard she’s scouting for a run at the National Assembly elections next time around.”
“But she has no name recognition—how would she win?”
“I don’t know… Proportional Representation?”
“Isn’t that the thing where people don’t have to vote directly?”
“Excuse me, you don’t know what Proportional Representation is?”
It was on the Midterm Exam. My eyes went wide.
Found it.
The reason our class couldn’t top the political science ranking, which made our Homeroom Teacher despair.
Jung Eun-seong, realizing the blunder, quickly averted his gaze.
“We promised we’d work hard at this.”
“Rig. ht. We. did.”
“You have been studying outside of class, right…?”
“Oh. Sure. ly. Of. course.”
“Then tell me what Gerrymandering is.”
“Ger. ry. What?”
“We learned it last week.”
“I didn’t review what we covered last week yet.”
“Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau. What’s the difference?”
“What?”
“Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau.”
“That’s on the test too?”
“Hey! We learned this in first period! March!”
It was on the Midterm Exam! Question one!
I huffed and stamped my foot. Jung Eun-seong, sitting right in front of me, bowed his head and started snickering.
“Great, caught red-handed not studying.”
“Could you not laugh at my feet?”
It was ridiculous.
“Honestly.”
“Don’t glare at me like that.”
Jung Eun-seong grabbed my foot, grinning that silly grin of his, swaying it gently back and forth. As if I’d let his cutesy act dissolve my anger into a laugh.
“Jung Eun-seong. What is high school study?”
“Common sense.”
“If you don’t know this?”
“People will call you ignorant when you go out into the world.”
“Right.”
I don’t want to hear later that you got scammed by your manager or someone close to you because you didn’t know what every ordinary person knows.
“Get your head on straight. When you’re in college and eating cake to celebrate a senior’s acceptance into the Bank of Korea.”
“That sounds delicious.”
“Yeah, really delicious, but when someone asks ‘Is that Gerrymandering?’ because your classmate cut it weird trying to hog all the strawberries for themselves—do you really want to be the only one who can’t laugh and just stands there looking blank?!”
“I won’t get into college….”
“Right.”
That’s true. His company’s already pressuring him to quit high school.
“It’s fine. I’ll go to a cyber university later to put off military service.”
Jung Eun-seong pressed down the edge of the Band-Aid he’d applied, even blowing on it one last time before getting to his feet.
The moment he stood, my line of sight shot up.
After gathering the gauze and Band-Aid scraps into the trash, Jung Eun-seong asked.
“Do you only nag me like this?”
“No. I do it to everyone I see.”
“Why?”
“It’s nice when everyone becomes knowledgeable.”
So study. I added that while pulling my pants back down.
“I’ll quiz you when you least expect it.”
“Got it. I’ll always be ready.”
“But why are you bringing up the Student President and Ji-su’s mother?”
“No big deal. I ran into them at the School Cafeteria last time and it came up in conversation.”
“Hmm….”
Did Ji-su mention it? That there’s a Trainee in the same club.
I hadn’t heard anything particular from Ji-su about that.
“If the Student President has connections, does the company treat him better? Stop talking nonsense about him quitting school?”
“That’s not really how it works.”
“Ugh.”
I gave up. I brushed the dust off my pants and stretched.
“Mmm. My whole body aches.”
“You’ll just collapse when you get home. How will you study today?”
“Oh. I already finished this morning.”
I woke up at five in the morning. I spread all five fingers to show him, and Jung Eun-seong interlaced his fingers with mine. Holding that hand, I pulled myself up.
“You studied this morning on Sports Day?”
“While everyone else plays, I have to study to keep up.”
“But you’re ranked first in school, so who are you keeping up with….”
“I’m ranked first in school, not first in the world.”
“Not even first in the country—the world?”
“Other countries have third-year students too, don’t they?”
You have to dream big.
“When you dream big, even the pieces are big when it shatters,” I said, quoting something I’d picked up somewhere, and checked my cellphone, which had been vibrating since a while ago. It was Seo Jae-gyeom.
When I came here, he said he’d follow along, so I’d left him a note saying “If you’re not here, who’ll command our class?”

Since I’m not checking Kakao Talk anymore, she’s switched to texting.
-Heading to the Infirmary?
-Did you get there?
-Is the teacher there? What’d she say?
-Without you the kids are being so loud ㅠㅠ
-ㅠㅠ
-ㅠ…
I texted back that I was on my way and stuffed the cellphone into my pocket.
“Let’s go.”
As far as I knew, right after the Student Teacher’s talent show and the Dance Club’s special performance would come the three-legged race between the Homeroom Teacher and the Class President.
I’d be heading straight back to the Gymnasium.
“You think you can run?”
“Of course.”
I can obviously run!
I wasn’t about to miss a chance to buy a Problem Book with the school’s money.
I tapped the toe of my sneaker against the floor and declared with grim determination.
“I’m slower than you, but among the girls I’m the second fastest after Su-a. If nothing goes wrong, we’ll take first.”
“Da-hye, what do I do…?”
“Teacher….”
“I think I ate too much…….”
My stomach hurts…. The Homeroom Teacher’s voice trembled. Her face had gone pale.
Teachers usually don’t mention such bodily functions to students—she must have been truly desperate.
I looked at the Homeroom Teacher, clearly in no condition to run, and asked carefully.
“Did you eat something, ma’am…?”
“I had this condensed milk coffee from that place at the School Gate with Eun-seong’s face on it…….”
“Oh….”
It was so hot they couldn’t even hold Sports Day on the Schoolyard—they had to move it to the Gymnasium… and she’d drunk coffee that had been sitting outside for hours with condensed milk and cream…?
Wasn’t that basically spoiled milk coffee…?
‘Did leaving coffee there mean they wanted us to fail?!’
[Score Board]
Yeon : 355
Go : 290
I stared blankly at the Score Board—somehow Seo Jae-gyeom had gained another five points, perhaps from showing off his abs again.
I just needed to make up sixty-five points.
Seo Jae-gyeom scratched his brow and spoke.
“As for our Assistant Homeroom Teacher….”
“…….”
“…….”
I glanced over at the shaded area where the Assistant Homeroom Teacher—someone I frankly didn’t want to discuss—was sweating profusely and licking the ice cream Lee Mongyong had given her.
She’s barely in her late twenties, but with all that bloat from drinking, she couldn’t even make it up the four flights of stairs…….
I looked once at the Homeroom Teacher, who seemed like she might bolt for the Restroom any second, then once at the Assistant Homeroom Teacher.
“I suppose we should forfeit, shouldn’t we…?”
“But then I’d feel terrible…….”
“It’s all right, ma’am. Your dignity is more important. Let the kids from another class win.”
Even if the Homeroom Teachers from Classes 4, 6, 8, and 10 looked like they hadn’t run on their own two legs in over a decade!
“Yaaaaaaay!”
I watched the Score Board as Team Yeon gained five more points and clicked my tongue regretfully.
Farewell, Gift Certificate—you’re no longer mine.
That was when it happened.
“What about me?”
The Student Teacher, who’d been grinning beside us, stepped forward.

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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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