The Top Student Hides Her Regression
Chapter 37
Our villa’s landlady.
Talkative, industrious, full of energy, and relentlessly nosy about other people's business.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say ninety-nine point nine percent of the rumors in this neighborhood came straight from her mouth.
The moment my eyes met her small, glittering gaze, goosebumps broke out across my skin.
We were in trouble.
“Did your boyfriend walk you home? Holding hands so tight in the middle of the night~?”
“Ah, um. Ma'am. It’s not like that.”
“Aiya, don't worry. No need to make excuses to me. Right, Dahye is at that age where boys turn your head.”
No, I'm not. I'm at the age where I should be studying.
“Since we ran into each other, introduce him to me. Hey there, Dahye's boyfriend, what’s your name?”
“He's not my boyfriend—”
That was when Jung Eun-sung spoke up.
“I'm her girlfriend.”
“Huh?”
“I'm a girl.”
“……”
“……”
In the chilling silence that followed, only Jung Eun-sung remained completely composed.
“A boy? Which part of me looks like such an incomplete, smelly creature?”
“…Hey, stop it.”
I jabbed my elbow into his side, but he didn't care.
“Why should I stop trying to reveal the truth?”
Because it isn't the truth…….
“Unable to call a woman a woman……”
“……”
“Still, I am a woman.”
“……”
I pressed a hand to my forehead.
The landlady seemed just as dumbfounded as I was. Even with her mouth agape in pure disbelief, Jung Eun-sung brazenly insisted on it.
“It's true.”
“Aiya, fine. Dahye, hurry on inside.”
Having completely lost the will to probe further, the landlady waved her hand and walked away. Toward the back of her head as she headed for the flowerbed behind the villa, Jung Eun-sung called out:
“Goodbye, unnie.”
“I said stop it…….”
“Why, Kang Da-hye? Are you embarrassed of your girlfriend?”
“Oh, seriously.”
To be honest, wasn't I feeling all solemn and determined just a moment ago?
I’m going to become a great adult!
All that clenched-fist, grit-your-teeth resolve fizzled away.
In its place came an exasperated laugh.
Fighting down the corners of my mouth that kept creeping up in disbelief, I pushed at Jung Eun-sung’s back.
“Just go already. At this rate, your taxi fare is going to top fifty thousand won.”
I shoved with all my might using both hands, but he didn't budge an inch. Looking down at me, Jung Eun-sung spoke in an arrogant tone.
“Kang Da-hye.”
“What.”
“Don't get the wrong idea. You're the person I hate second-most in our class.”
“Oh, please.”
At this point, isn't that line practically an incantation for him?
“If you're going to hate me, make it first place. I like being number one in everything.”
“Just get inside already. Before that lady comes back to talk to you again.”
“I'm right in front of my front door, you know.”
“Right. It’ll take you three seconds. Hurry up and go in.”
“…Fine.”
Having no choice, I turned around first.
Jung Eun-sung stood right there, as if he truly intended to watch until I opened the door and stepped inside.
‘It's not like the landlady is a monster.’
Stealing a side glance at him looking like a fashion spread even while standing in a grimy alley, a thought crossed my mind, and I asked,
“By the way, you haven't been teasing me about Jae lately, have you?”
It felt like it had been days since he brought it up.
At my question, Jung Eun-sung rolled his eyes.
“Ah. That.”
“Yeah.”
“It's not fun anymore.”
* * *
“Whoa, insane! What kind of cop acts like that?”
“They just dismissed her because she’s a kid, right?”
“One hundred percent!”
“A friend of mine had that happen once, too. She went to the police station because she got scammed trying to buy a transferred concert ticket, right?”
“Heemin?”
“Yeah, yeah. But the police told her to come back with her parents. So she begged and pleaded, saying she’d be in huge trouble if her parents found out she spent over a hundred thousand won on a concert, asking if there was any other way……”
“And then?”
“They turned her away, saying why tell the police something you can't even tell your own parents? Telling her to take this as a lesson and just focus on studying from now on, instead of chasing after celebrities.”
“Crazy… Why would they say it like that?”
“Right?! Bringing a parent along? Fine, sure, whatever. But why talk to someone like that?”
“Seriously so annoying!”
Sein's eyes flared. Beside her, Doyeon quietly chimed in.
“If anything like that happens next time, tell me. I'll ask my mom if she can help.”
“Why? Is your mom a police officer, Doyeon?”
Doyeon's mother is a legal professional.
Leaning back against my chair, I said,
“Yesterday, I really wanted to grow up fast.”
My mind was already an adult's, but because my body was a kid's, nothing worked out, which was endlessly frustrating.
If Peter Pan appeared in front of my eyes right now and made some pitch like, ‘Dahye, let’s go to Neverland together and live as a girl forever,’ you know what I’d do?
I’d smack his back with a workbook and kick him out.
Being an adult—able to vote, get a driver’s license, watch R-rated movies, sign real estate contracts, and apply for working holidays! Adults are the best!
“Still, it feels so refreshing. Sein's aunt is amazing.”
“Oh right, Gaeun. My aunt said she'd talk to your parents so you can switch academies.”
“Really? Won't I get scolded?”
“No. My aunt said your grades have improved a lot so it'd be better for you to take the Advanced Class, and that she’d connect you to another academy run by her friend.”
Leaning in, Sein whispered,
“Seo Jae-gyeom goes to that academy.”
“Holy crap, I’m going right now.”
“This is all thanks to Dahye.” Saying that, Gaeun fed a plump, sausage-stuffed hot dog right into my mouth.
Today’s school lunch menu featured ☆Dak-galbi with Broth★, so we had finished lunch and were now digging into the tteokbokki and hot dogs we'd talked about yesterday.
Even eating like this, the moment we turn around, we're hungry again.
“That day, the day Seo Jae-gyeom chased that guy off. I wondered why Dahye told me to send a Kotalk message right after we parted ways, but it actually got used as evidence.”
“Ah, that.”
I swallowed the hot dog and picked up the conversation.
“I heard that just explaining specifically to a friend what happened to you that day can serve as evidence.”
“How did you know that?”
“After getting brushed off at the police station last time, I was too annoyed to study. So I did some research.”
Good thing I did. Who knew it would come in so handy?
“You did great too, Gaeun. I really never would have thought of a whistle.”
“I did some research too. At first I was going to buy pepper spray, but they said it doesn't help in an emergency.”
“The look on that pervert's face back then……”
“He'll get divorced, right?”
“I hope he gets cleaned out in alimony and ends up completely broke.”
“Even at the end, he was going on about how he only looked because we were pretty or whatever……”
“No, pretty or not, we hate being stared at! If someone stared dead at his face, wouldn't he feel gross and uncomfortable? We feel the exact same way!”
Worked up, Sein slammed her hand on the table.
“Is it really that hard to understand that we can feel the exact same emotions he does?!”
“Gyeong Sein! Bursting with energy, are we?!”
The PE Teacher, who was buying sausage bread from the snack bar, spotted Sein and bellowed at her.
“How about we run a spirited lap around the field together?! Move it!”
“…Run.”
“Agreed.”
“One, two… Ack, look at Kang Da-hye taking off first!”
“Sorry, guys!”
Every woman for herself!
Panting for breath, I dashed up to the fourth floor where our classroom was in a single breath. Riding that momentum, I slid the classroom door open—only to run straight into Seo Jae-gyeom, who was heading out holding a basketball.
“Ah, sorry. Go ahead.”
I stepped aside to clear the way for him.
With less than fifteen minutes of lunch left, he still had the energy to go play basketball. It was also a wonder how he could run around like that every day without ever smelling bad.
Yet, for once, Seo Jae-gyeom didn't head out right away and struck up a conversation with me instead.
“Did you eat a hot dog?”
“Gasp, can you smell it?”
“No. You have ketchup on your face.”
“Ah.”
Embarrassed, I rubbed my cheek. Meanwhile, Seo Jae-gyeom just stood blankly in front of me.
“Aren't you going? The guys are probably waiting for you.”
“If I don't go, they'll just play without me.”
“You're the one holding the ball, so how can they play without you……”
Don't keep them waiting, hurry up and go. I prompted him with that intention, but Seo Jae-gyeom remained utterly motionless.
Staring intently at me, Seo Jae-gyeom pouted his lips.
“Don't you have anything to tell me today either?”
“Something to tell you?”
“Like, did anything happen?”
“Ah.”
Things definitely happened. I even went all the way to the police station, after all.
That was already the second time visiting a police station since regressing!
But since I wasn't the direct party involved,
I won't say anything.
“Nothing happened.”