The Top Student Hides Her Regression
Chapter 23
‘So, did the man molest you?’
‘Did he try to drag you away?’
‘Ah, nothing like that happened?’
‘There was no physical contact?’
‘Ah, at the convenience store… So you know each other, then?’
You can tell just from hearing the dialogue, right?
What happened to Kim Gaeun and me after we barged through the police station doors in the middle of the night.
What the officers’ faces looked like the moment they saw two girls in school uniforms walk in.
Right from their tone of voice, it was obvious they weren’t taking us seriously.
The moment Gaeun set foot in the precinct, she had already shrunk into herself.
To be honest, so had I…
‘It’s not like I’d ever set foot in a police station in my entire life!’
I lived an honest life!
Having picked up on how intimidated we were with uncanny precision, the police didn’t listen to a word we said; instead, they tried to brush us off and chase us out by intimidating us further.
‘Why would anyone report something like this?’
It was written all over their faces.
Remember how I thought about that when Song Yeo-reum trashed our restaurant?
That even if we called the police, they wouldn’t take it seriously.
Turned out it was true.
They looked down on us so much just because we were two students. Like this: ↓
‘Oh dear, you must have been very startled, kid.’
‘I’m not startled, I’m angry! And I’m not throwing a fit over nothing—I’m angry because that man threatened my friend! This isn’t my problem, it’s his problem!’
‘It’s late; have you called your parents? Won’t they be worried if you go home this late?’
‘Hurry on home now. Running around late at night is why you run into guys like that.’
‘Right. Honestly, you girls aren’t completely blameless either. Why are you wandering outside at this hour anyway?’
‘Excuse me…?!’
Whether it’s 10 p.m. or 3 or 4 in the morning, shouldn’t walking outside without anything happening to you be the normal standard?
With the police refusing to even file an official report, this was all I could say:
‘Please make a record of our report.’
‘Yeah, yeah.’
‘Our academy classes end at 22:00. Please patrol around Ibaji Academy at that time.’
‘Sure, sure.’
‘He’s in his early 170s in height, mid-fifties, balding, and has a split thumbnail on his right hand.’
‘Are those kids still not gone?’
‘They’re leaving right now!’
‘Go on home, hurry. Your parents will worry.’
“I was so freaking pissed…”
To think it wasn’t a crime because he only talked to a passing student without laying hands on her or attempting an abduction.
So what, are we supposed to report it only after something happens?
They kept telling us to go home because our parents would worry.
I mean, why do you think our parents are worried in the first place?!
Our parents wouldn’t have to worry if you arrested creeps like that!
“Anyway, that’s what happened.”
“……”
“……”
“Haah. I’m going to the snack bar.”
Scratching her head vigorously, Su-a shot to her feet.
“I need to chug something right now.”
Without waiting for a reply, she stormed out of the classroom in a huff. Swept along with her momentum, we headed to the snack bar too.
While I was Kotalking Doyeon to ask if she wanted anything, the topic changed.
“Did you hear? Bang Eunji’s mom came to school that day and grabbed Eunji by the hair.”
“No way, really?”
“Yeah. In the teachers’ room.”
“She didn’t bat an eye when the homeroom teacher said Eunji was bullying kids, but the second she heard she had to pay compensation, boom.”
“Wow.”
“Bang Eunji gets hit on the head by Song Yeo-reum, and grabbed by the hair by her own mom. Why does she live like that?”
“Song Yeo-reum hit Eunji?”
“You didn’t know? She does it all the time. When Song Yeo-reum’s in a bad mood, friend or not doesn’t matter.”
“Is that even a frie—oh, it’s Jeong Eun-seong.”
“Jeong Eun-seong, hi!”
Sein waved her hand high in greeting.
Jeong Eun-seong, who had just bought a carton of plain white milk at the snack bar, turned around.
Seeing his face reminded me.
He never replied to the Drama Club group chat!
“Ah, I have something to say to him.”
“To Jeong Eun-seong?”
“Yeah.”
“Go talk to him now!”
“I should. Jeong Eun-seong!”
I called his name as I approached. At that, Jeong Eun-seong glanced at me, and…
He bolted out of the snack bar.
?????
“Hey!”
Where are you going!
Without thinking, I took off running after him.
Jeong Eun-seong saw me chasing him and seemed about to stop—only to duck straight into the boys’ restroom.
“Are you crazy?!”
Are you really doing this?!
Seeing me unable to bring myself to step into the restroom, Jeong Eun-seong leaned his shoulder leisurely against the open doorway.
“What are you doing?!”
“Distancing myself from you.”
“Why?!”
“Because you’re my second least-favorite person in our class.”
“……”
“Why did you chase me?”
“Because I have something to say!”
“Don’t wanna hear it.”
“Why not now?!”
“To piss you off.”
“……”
It was working. I was genuinely pissed off.
Looking down at me as I fumed in frustration, Jeong Eun-seong popped open his milk carton. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he gulped it down smoothly. I could see the shapely corner of his mouth, half-hidden behind the carton, curling upward. He was smirking. How infuriating!
“Do you really want to drink that in a restroom?”
“Yep. Pretty tasty, actually.”
“Ugh, just come out first. Come out and talk.”
“Don’t wanna.”
Those eyes curved into smiling crescents like ^^… seriously pissed me off…
Glaring at the grinning Jeong Eun-seong, I asked:
“Did you look at the materials Jisu sent?”
(shakes head)
“Why haven’t you looked at it? Jisu said she sent it to you in a DM too.”
“I don’t open messages from unknown numbers.”
He wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand as he said that. Is he a toddler? Getting milk all over his face.
“You don’t have Jisu’s number?”
“Nope.”
“Why? Jisu gave it to you last time.”
“Just because she gave it to me means I have to save it?”
“Of course you should save it… Jisu is the Drama Club president. Do it right now.”
“Fine.”
Contrary to his words, Jeong Eun-seong didn’t even pretend to reach for the phone in his pocket.
After obnoxiously flattening the milk carton, he tossed it into the trash can.
Just wait till you come out of there.
Gritting my teeth, I added:
“Jisu printed a copy and left it in the club room too, so if it’s too hard to read on your phone, read that. Mark any thoughts you have. We’re having a meeting during club hours this week.”
“Got it.”
“Okay, then come out already. Let’s head back to class.”
To pull him out and stop this nonsense, I grabbed Jeong Eun-seong’s wrist.
Yet Jeong Eun-seong dug his heels in.
What are you doing? When I looked up at him, the corners of his lips curved up again into a playful smirk.
“Ah, why won’t you come ou—”
“Da-hye?”
The homeroom teacher, humming cheerfully along the hallway, spotted me standing in front of the boys’ restroom and approached.
Tilting his head, the homeroom teacher’s gaze shifted from my hand to Jeong Eun-seong’s wrist gripped tightly in it, and then to Jeong Eun-seong, who was smiling while bracing himself against me.
Jeong Eun-seong chimed in immediately:
“Teacher, Kang Da-hye is bullying me.”
“You two, agaiiiin…!”
“Uuuugh…”
I hate Jeong Eun-seong the most in our class…
No, the one I hate most is Do Hajun…
Tied for first with Do Hajun…
So what do I do about Gaeun?
She can’t tell her parents, who are her guardians, nor can she seek help from a society obligated to protect minors.
Then what are we supposed to do?!
“No, seriously, does this make any sense? An adult man approaches a minor and makes her feel unsafe, but there’s no way to stop it.”
I used to think my real age of twenty-nine was plenty mature, but apparently not. Seeing how I couldn’t come up with a clever solution for this situation.
Twenty-nine?
An absolute baby.
You probably need to be about ninety-two to finally feel like you understand the world.
Lost in thought, I fluttered through the pages of the book in my hand.
After school, I was alone in the Drama Club room.
I was reading the book to rewrite the book report that got soaked when Bang Eunji poured milk into my locker.
Fortunately, the literature teacher took my circumstances into consideration and extended the deadline, but since I had written that report over a decade ago, I still had to reread the book anyway.
“It worked out fine, honestly. Getting to read the same book twice—this is totally Lucky Da-hye, isn’t it? 🍀”
The book was already checked out at both the school and neighborhood libraries, but when I checked, the Drama Club had a copy. My goal for today was to read it quickly in the club room and finish writing the book report before heading home.
“And today happens to be my day off from my part-time job.”
Tossing my bag aside, I sat on the club room sofa. I buried my nose in the book, and when I finally lifted my head, nearly an hour and a half had already passed.
“Ah, I’m hungry.”
The snack bar isn’t closed yet, is it? I should buy something. While I’m at it, I’ll stop by the classroom to grab my phone too.
Having lived with my phone in my hand 24/7, trying to cut back on smartphone usage for the sake of studying hadn’t been going as planned, so these days, whenever I come to school, I lock my phone away in my locker (I bought a new padlock!).
“Go to the classroom first to pack my things, and then the snack bar…”
I murmured as I took hold of the club room doorknob.
Click.
“Huh?”
The door wouldn’t open.
From beneath my bewildered gaze—that is, from the hallway outside the door—Song Yeo-reum suddenly popped up.
“Aah! What the hell?!”
I thought she was a ghost.
Seeing me blink from inside, Song Yeo-reum parted her lips in a wide, vicious grin.
Dangling the padlock that locked the club room door along with its matching key right in front of my eyes, Song Yeo-reum scampered away down the hallway.
With the key in hand.
“…Uh, what?”
…Am I locked in here right now?
Just like that, so absurdly?
In an instant?
Without even my phone?
The administrative officer already came by earlier, didn’t he? He told me to make sure to lock up myself!
“…What the hell is this?”
I muttered to myself, utterly dazed.
Right then, something shot up from the pile of costumes in the corner of the club room.
“Eeeek!”
Is it a ghost?!
