Translator: Nox

The Top Student Hides Her Regression

Chapter 29

White Day at age eighteen.

How had I spent this day before my regression?

Back then, I was utterly pathetic.

Even after getting rejected with words that crushed my pride, I couldn’t give up. I hovered around Seo Jae-gyeom, pretending not to care when it was obvious to everyone, until I somehow got a chance to help him with his cram school homework.

‘I don’t really need to do it.’

‘How can you not do your homework? Just let me do it for you.’

A pushover who went so far as to volunteer to do someone else’s homework…

That was me.

To Seo Jae-gyeom, doing homework or not made no difference. He hadn’t needed my help in the first place, nor had he ever intended to ask for it, so naturally, he wasn’t all that grateful.

You’re going to do it? Sure, whatever. Suit yourself. It was just about that much.

I’d acted cool all on my own, pretending to be deadly serious about homework and snatching it from his hands as if I stepped in only because he was driving me crazy.

It would’ve been better to just openly admit I still liked him. I hadn’t realized how much more desperate and pathetic this made me look…

Yet my dark history didn’t end there.

‘Thanks.’

At Jae-gyeom’s careless, halfhearted mutter, the past me had lifted her chin, acting haughty and uninterested…

‘If you’re thankful, give me candy on White Day.’

—is what I’d said.

Aaaargh! Aaaargh! Aaaargh!

It’s so embarrassing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ah, seriously, I’m so glad I regressed and wiped out anyone’s memory of that humiliating past.

If anyone ever spread a rumor about it, I’d chase them to the ends of the earth to shut them up.

Anyway.

And so, on the day of White Day, March 14th.

I had arrived at school brimming with anticipation.

Because I knew from Jae-gyeom’s Cybook that he was finally coming back today after skipping school for the past few days.

To think he was returning on White Day of all days, the very day he’d promised to give me candy!

I’d even deluded myself into thinking he was pushing himself to come to school today just to keep his promise to me.

Apparently, running wild with wishful thinking like that is a classic symptom of unrequited love. Past me really did it all.

Like the total sucker I was, I had even prepared a return gift for Jae-gyeom.

Unlike now, I didn’t work a part-time job back then and was always short on allowance, so I don’t even know where I got the money for it.

Waiting for Jae-gyeom to appear like the Fox from The Little Prince, I couldn’t focus on morning self-study at all. I kept going to my locker, heading out to the hallway to look down at the school gate, going to the restroom to check the mirror…

And the very first words Jae-gyeom said when he walked up to me, having barely made it through the school gate two minutes before it closed, were:

‘Dahye-yah, have you seen Jisu anywhere?’

Delivered in that tone he often used after rejecting me—dropping my surname and calling me by my given name, forcing a veneer of friendliness.

That was it.

Jae-gyeom had completely forgotten the candy promise he had tossed out like charity.

To make matters worse, the “Key English Grammar Summary for the CSAT” that I’d lent Jae-gyeom ended up coming out of Jisu’s bag.

No one had asked me for it, but I’d gotten all excited on my own and thrust it into Jae-gyeom’s hands, telling him to use it as a reference—even typing it up on a computer, printing it out at the library, and binding it neatly just in case he couldn’t read my messy handwriting.

‘That’s…’

‘Ah.’

Seeing Jisu diligently copying it without even knowing it belonged to me, Jae-gyeom had said casually,

‘Han Ji-soo said she needed it too.’

Truly making me feel miserable.

Only then did Jisu realize the printout was mine and become flustered.

Having made such a thing only to give it to Jae-gyeom first instead of sharing it with my friend, I was mortified.

Jisu and I ended up apologizing to each other.

In the end, Jae-gyeom never remembered the candy promise, and the return gift I had prepared remained entirely in my possession.

I went home that day and bawled my eyes out.

Because I felt so utterly pathetic.

And now, the White Day after regression.

This time, too, Seo Jae-gyeom returned right on March 14th.

The only difference was—

“…”

“What is it?”

“…”

“Don’t you like it?”

I stared blankly down at the chocolate box that had landed in my hands.

The Seo Jae-gyeom who had given me nothing but heartbreak before regression had given me chocolates this time.

Why?

I didn’t think I’d had much to do with him since regressing. If anything, we had interacted even less than before.

‘He did say out of his own mouth that he’d give me some… but I never thought he’d actually keep his word.’

I’d assumed it was just empty words this time as well.

The square, drawer-style chocolate box felt quite heavy. Heavy enough that I would’ve believed it held jewelry instead of chocolates.

“Kang Da-hye?”

“…Thanks. Looks delicious, I love it.”

Only then did I snap out of it and thank him.

Jae-gyeom, who had been waiting for my reaction with an uncharacteristically nervous expression, finally let out a soft chuckle.

He must have been really grateful that I let him go first that day.

Grateful enough to do something so out of character.

If he acts like this, I might get my hopes up and start chasing after him again. Isn’t he worried about that?

As I stared fixedly at the chocolates, Jae-gyeom cleared his throat.

“I figured you’d like it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. You like this stuff, don’t you? Truffle pavé chocolate and Crunch Salted Caramel.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. You said it was delicious last time.”

Ah. It wasn’t that he wasn’t worried.

He simply didn’t care. Regardless of how I reacted to receiving this.

‘There I go again, being overly self-conscious.’

I smiled and said,

“That was Jisu’s favorite.”

“…What?”

“Truffle pavé and crunch caramel? That’s what Jisu likes.”

I only got a single bite from her beside her. At my breezy addition, Jae-gyeom looked flustered.

“Ah…”

“Hm?”

“Right. Ah.”

Seeing Jae-gyeom become so visibly flustered caught me off guard, too.

“Sorry. Ah. Uh…”

“No, it’s okay. You don’t have to apologize. Can’t I have what Jisu likes?”

If Jisu likes it, it must be delicious. I added, pulling the chocolate box against my chest.

“Thanks so much. I’ll eat one whenever my blood sugar drops.”

“…I thought it was your taste.”

“It happens.”

Of course he could mix it up. I nodded in agreement.

You’ve never paid much attention to me anyway.

What I like, what I hate, what movie genres I enjoy, which author’s new book I always grab without hesitation at the library, what songs I usually listen to—you don’t know a single thing.

It’s only natural you don’t know.

Because you don’t like me.

Why act surprised now?

“It’s amazing you even remembered to buy me something. Who knows, maybe I’ll try it and start loving it from today on. Thank you, really.”

Even though I meant it sincerely, Jae-gyeom’s expression didn’t ease.

Students passing by in the hallway glanced over at Jae-gyeom, who looked unusually flustered.

Scratching at his hair—which looked styled especially nicely today—Jae-gyeom spoke up.

“I’ll buy you something else. Something you like.”

“I’m really fin—”

“I’m not fine. What do you like?”

“…”

At that moment, a bright idea flashed in my mind.

“Seo Jae-gyeom. In that case, could you help me with something?”

---

Jae-gyeom readily agreed to my request, and we set up plans on the spot.

“See you then, then.”

“Yeah.”

Jae-gyeom headed back to class, and I turned around to go to the teachers’ office. After taking a few steps, I gasped.

Leaning against the hallway wall, Jung Eun-sung was glaring at me.

“Happy now?”

Striding toward me, Eun-sung read the label on the chocolate box in my hands.

“Crunch Salted Caramel? The kind that showers crumbs with a single bite? He gave you this piece of trash?”

“It happens to be my favorite, thank you very much.”

“Since when, exactly?”

“Since the moment you called it trash.”

“Ha!”

Letting out a scoffing laugh, Eun-sung said,

“Kang Da-hye. You’re the person I hate second-most in our class.”

“Unbelievable.”

He’s been saying that since earlier. Am I supposed to ask him who’s number one or something?

Before I could even ask, though, Eun-sung brushed past me. I snorted at his retreating back.

“Ha!”

Why did he pop out of nowhere just to pick a fight?

“Ridiculous.”

It was so absurd it made me boil.

I huffed all the way to the teachers’ office, huffed as I listened to the teachers teasing me (Ooh~ Dahye? You got chocolates? Who gave them to you?), and huffed all the way back to the classroom.

When I returned, someone had left chocolates on my desk.

A mint-colored box the size of a cake box.

“What’s this!”

Mint chocolate?! I hate mint chocolate!

I looked around the classroom, but whoever gave it was nowhere to be seen. When I asked Doyeon, she pursed her lips and said she didn’t know.

Whatever, someone must have given it! I don’t even care!

I have zero curiosity about chocolates from someone who didn’t even have the guts to hand them over in person!

Because I’m pissed right now!

“Jung Eun-suuuung!”

He’s seriously so weird!