The Top Student Hides Her Regression
Chapter 17
Correct.
(4) Drama Club.
‘I get good grades, but my student record lacks items showcasing leadership or cooperation.’
…Was just an excuse.
In the past, I had only joined because posters of plays Seo Jae-gyeom watched constantly showed up on his Chasebook feed, which sparked my interest in theater.
After all, you naturally grow fond of the things your crush likes.
And since Jisu happened to be joining the Drama Club too, I eagerly tagged along.
‘Though Seo Jae-gyeom himself is in archery or basketball, or something like that.’
After regressing, I briefly contemplated switching to a different club, but we were already eating lunch separately; ditching her for club activities as well would surely hurt Jisu’s feelings, so I decided to stay.
However, this Drama Club had one fatal flaw.
Namely.
“Jeong Eun-seong?”
The fact that Jeong Eun-seong was also in the Drama Club…….
Opening the clubroom door, Jisu’s eyes went wide upon spotting Jeong Eun-seong already sitting inside.
Jeong Eun-seong merely lifted his eyes to look at her before looking away without a greeting.
“Eun-seong decided to join the Drama Club starting today as well.”
The Drama Club’s teacher in charge said, appearing from behind my reluctant self.
Seeing the tall teacher with a clean-cut look draped in a crisp white shirt, Jisu offered a hesitant bow.
“Hello, Teacher….”
“Yeah, hello.”
Teacher Lee Mong-ryong, who taught Korean history.
Early thirties. A graduate of Doksuri University. His wife was an accountant two years his senior from the same alma mater.
He had a gentle personality, but was rather strict when it came to students’ attitudes.
If I remembered correctly, Jisu had been scolded by him once during our first year.
Having rarely received criticism from teachers, Jisu seemed to find him a bit intimidating ever since, but I actually quite liked him. He was fair, had clear standards, and never discriminated against kids based on grades.
Coincidentally, he was one of the two teachers involved in that nasty rumor with Doyeon.
Turning toward me, Teacher Lee Mong-ryong checked.
“Dahye, you’re in the same class as Eun-seong, right?”
“Yes.”
“Are you two close?”
“We’re sworn enemies.”
“Now why is that?”
Setting his books down on the podium, the teacher laughed.
Behind us, the first-year girls—who had applied to the Drama Club for their own respective reasons only to hit the jackpot with Jeong Eun-seong—stared with flushed, sparkling eyes.
Even more so after the teacher counted the first-years, slid the clubroom door shut, and declared, “Drama Club recruitment is officially closed. We’re not taking anyone else.”
“Hi.”
While I was chatting with the teacher, Jisu took a seat first and struck up a friendly conversation with Jeong Eun-seong.
“I’m Han Ji-su. Class 1. You’re Jeong Eun-seong, right?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re super popular in our class~”
“…….”
“Why’d you come here instead of the Band Club? Do you like theater?”
‘Seriously. Why are you here?’
I had wondered about that before my regression too.
Since he was an aspiring singer who already belonged to an agency, I assumed he’d join any random club just to sleep during club periods or leave early.
Yet suddenly, theater.
I even remembered that Jeong Eun-seong had been quite dedicated to Drama Club activities.
He even took on a leading role.
“With Jeong Eun-seong here, selling out all our tickets this year won’t be an issue at all.”
Excited, Jisu chattered away.
Listening to Jisu, the club president, give her phone number to Jeong Eun-seong, I shrugged off the cardigan I had worn in. Right then, Jeong Eun-seong, resting his chin on his hand, shifted his gaze toward me.
“…What?”
“Why are you here?”
“…Because I’m interested in theater?”
“Hmm.”
What. Why. What is it.
When I scowled to convey that exact sentiment, Jeong Eun-seong smirked.
This felt ominous…….
“Han Ji-su.”
“Huh? What’s up, Jeong Eun-seong?”
“We’re deciding on the end-of-term play today, right?”
“I guess so…?”
“Let’s do a musical.”
“A musical?”
“Why a musical all of a sudden…?”
I asked in bewilderment. Turning to look at me, Jeong Eun-seong grinned.
“Didn’t you say you can’t sing?”
“…….”
Ah, so simply to screw with me?
This bastard?
The Drama Club staged a single production for the end-of-year festival.
Practicing one play over a whole year left plenty of breathing room, but we still needed to decide on the script in early March.
“Directing and acting will be handled by the eleven second-years, while other minor preparations like props and costumes will be taken care of by the twelve first-years. Watch and learn well from how the upperclassmen lead this year, and you can take charge next year.”
After offering a brief explanation, Teacher Lee Mong-ryong stepped back, signaling that he wouldn’t interfere.
Jisu summed things up.
“As you all know, all proceeds from ticket sales will be donated. The more we sell, the bigger our donation, right? Let’s pick something easy, fun, and well-known rather than complicated. Something that won’t matter if people walk in late and watch from the middle.”
“Ah, then…”
“Earlier, I thought…”
Various suggestions came pouring in.
The problem was.
“How about <Romeo and Juliet>?”
“Did you not hear Han Ji-su? She said we have to do something everyone knows.”
“Who on earth doesn’t know <Romeo and Juliet>?”
“I don’t, for one?”
“Okay…”
“I think it sounds fine, though? First off, the plot is straightforward.”
“What’s straightforward about it? Starting with the names, they’re f*cking foreign.”
“…It’s not like it’s Katerina Ivanovna Verkhovtseva or anything. If just three syllables like Juliet are too hard for you, then you’re just igno—”
A villain who picked a fight over every single thing.
Choosing a play wasn’t supposed to take this long.
Our objective was a sold-out show.
With popular figures like Han Ji-su and Jeong Eun-seong on our side, we could just put the two of them front and center as the leads to sell tickets.
Everyone was coming just to look at their faces anyway, so what did the plot matter? As long as it wasn’t horribly atrocious, it would work.
Whether we did <Romeo and Juliet> or <The Tale of the Hare and the Tortoise>, it made no difference.
And yet.
“Look, I’m telling you, even the name Juliet doesn’t sound natural on a Korean tongue!”
Do Hajun. The popularity poll guy. Gogogo High School’s very own Mark Zuckerberg.
This guy, who had joined the Drama Club in our first year purely to hit on Jisu, was tormenting us by opposing every single suggestion.
At first, the others tried their best to find a compromise, but as Do Hajun continued to oppose things just for the sake of opposing, their expressions twisted with annoyance.
Holding back a sigh, I asked Do Hajun.
“Then what do you want to do?”
“#$(#$)~Something Something Little Sister~#$(#$)”
“???”
“???”
“You don’t know this? It’s a super famous anime.”
“What even is that…?”
I pressed a hand to my forehead.
‘Do Hajun hasn’t changed one bit, before or after regression.’
“Hey… that obscure Japanese anime is way less famous than <Romeo and Juliet>!”
“Culturally speaking, it’s much more familiar to us, though.”
“Familiar to you, maybe! I grew up watching American dramas!”
Unable to take it any longer, a second-year shouted furiously.
“You know <Sherlock>?! 221B Baker Street, squeak!”
<Sherlock> is a British drama.
“The only Japanese name familiar to me is Ito Hirobumi!”
Same here, honestly.
‘What did we put on before my regression again?’
I seemed to recall that we ultimately gave in to Do Hajun’s stubbornness, staged that bizarre play, and completely humiliated ourselves.
Knowing full well it would become a shameful stain in my past, I couldn’t let that happen.
I had to think of anything fast. Whatever it was, it would be better than Do Hajun’s pick. Anything. Anything famous!
Racking my brain, my eyes landed on the teacher sitting at the podium watching us (Name: Lee Mong-ryong).
“Hey, let’s just do The Tale of Chunhyang, then. There’s no Korean who doesn’t know The Tale of Chunhyang.”
“That’s anachronistic.”
“…….”
Jeong Eun-seong, who had remained quiet, clenched his fists tightly.
Whether he did or not, Do Hajun argued persistently in a thin voice.
“Isn’t that ultimately just a story where a rich, handsome guy rescues a gisaeng? A Joseon-era Cinderella story.”
“…….”
“Let’s do #$($~Blah Blah Little Sister~#$( instead. Nobody doesn’t know this these days. The 8th movie installment just came out recently, too.”
“…….”
“There’s a woman who gets beaten up in the middle, right? If we do bruise makeup on her face and rip her shirt, it’ll be super realistic.”
“…….”
“The Tale of Chunhyang is seriously a no-go. How long are we going to keep repeating the trope of a man saving a woman?”
“Do Hajun….”
Jisu snapped.
I placed a hand on Jisu’s arm as she stepped forward with gritted teeth. I spoke up.
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“Right? See, I knew…”
“There aren’t actually that many men in reality as handsome and rich as Lee Mongryong anyway. The Tale of Lady Park, Princess Pyeonggang… stories where a woman saves something are actually more aligned with our national sentiment. So let’s gender-bend it.”
Looking at Jeong Eun-seong across from me, I said.
“Jeong Eun-seong, you play Seong Chunhyang. Make full use of that pretty face of yours.”
“…….”
“And what was that? Bruise makeup on the face and ripping a shirt? Let’s do it. Why waste a perfectly good shirt by ripping it? Let’s just strip it off entirely. Lock him in prison like that and slap a wooden cangue on him—that’ll look real enough.”
I leaned toward Jeong Eun-seong, whose jaw had dropped blankly.
Lowering my voice, I whispered.
“Hurry up and agree. Or would you rather do that little sister whatever?”
Do you want to create a dark past that will haunt you forever even after your debut?
“Hurry.”
I urged him.
Gritting his teeth, Jeong Eun-seong muttered my name through clenched jaws.
“…Kng Dh-hy.”
“What.”
“Y’re th scnd mst hted prsn n r clss.”
Whatever you say.
“Teacher, Jeong Eun-seong says he’s on board too.”
“Is that so?”
Teacher Lee Mong-ryong’s face brightened with delight.
It seemed the teacher didn’t want to do that little sister thing either.
“Then Jisu is playing Lee Mongryong?”
“Oh. Nice.”
“That’ll definitely sell tickets.”
“That’s fresh.”
“Anything’s better than that little sister thing, right?”
“Totally.”
With everyone satisfied except Do Hajun, I gave Jeong Eun-seong, whose ears had turned bright red, a wink.
Take one for the team.
Put on a cute show for us.
* * *
In the end, Jeong Eun-seong took the role of Seong Chunhyang, Han Ji-su took Lee Mongryong, and I was assigned directing.
It wasn’t because I feared Jeong Eun-seong making me sing that I chose directing over acting.
I simply wanted to direct.
Really.
“I actually wanted to do something like <The Birth of a Salesman>.”
“The Tale of Chunhyang isn’t bad either. Let’s take this chance to appreciate our cultural heritage.”
“Do Hajun seems insane…. He gives off such a creepy vibe.”
“He needs to get beat up by the folks from Namwon.”
Badmouthing Do Hajun with Jisu, I returned to the fourth floor where our classroom was located for closing homeroom.
However.
“Huh?”
A crowd of kids was gathered around our class’s back door.
“What is it? What’s going on?”
Leaving Jisu behind since she couldn't enter our room (NO ENTERING OTHER CLASSES!!!!!), I walked into the classroom alone.
The kids huddled in front of the lockers turned to look at me all at once.
“Dahye-ya…….”
“…Is that…”
Don’t tell me that’s my locker?
