The Top Student Hides Her Regression
Chapter 43
The day before.
Song Yeo-reum of Class 6 was having the worst few days of her life.
Even though she had always shown up to school well past lunchtime, she used to attend regularly just to avoid being held back a grade. Lately, however, she hadn't gone anywhere near the school.
She hated looking at all of it.
The teachers who nagged her every time they saw her, the kids who had quietly stopped fearing her, and—most of all—Kang Da-hye.
"Why is that loser acting out so much lately?"
"Didn't Song Yeo-reum get totally wrecked by a nobody?"
"Ah, it wasn't like that!"
Except it was.
The fact that Kang Da-hye, someone she used to completely ignore, dared to talk back and defy her was utterly infuriating. What made it worse was that Yeo-reum had let herself get dragged into it.
Right in front of everyone.
"Anyway, didn't Jae-gyeom take her side too?"
"Jae-gyeom? Seo Jae-gyeom?"
"Yeah."
"Why hasn't he been answering my Kotalk messages lately? He won't pick up my calls either."
At the words of the girl with bleached pink hair, another girl looking into a compact mirror scoffed.
"What, are you Seo Jae-gyeom's girlfriend or something?"
"I dated Seo Jae-gyeom back in eighth grade, okay?"
"Ugh, like you're the only one."
"I lasted longer than you did!"
"Yeah, sure~ Your ex is chasing after Kang Da-hye now anyway."
"Who even is Kang Da-hye?"
"Is she pretty?"
Yeo-reum would play games all night, wake up around one in the afternoon, and hang out with people just like her.
Girls who didn't go to school, and older guys who had graduated a year or two ago.
Originally, Yeo-reum was exactly the kind of person Kang Da-hye had pointed out.
The type who acted like a delinquent but was secretly terrified of genuinely ruining her life. But after running around with these kids for a few days, Yeo-reum's standards had dulled.
Right beside her were people who had already walked down the path she used to fear. Seeing them, it was clear that taking that road didn't end your life—they were doing just fine.
Oppas who had dropped out of high school, worked part-time at nearby fast-food joints or bars, and rode motorcycles around—
They blew through money, drank and smoked freely, and went clubbing. Sometimes they'd take her for drives in rented cars. In the eyes of eighteen-year-old Yeo-reum, they were living such a cool life.
Watching them, it looked pretty decent, and the thought crept in that maybe she could live like that too.
Among them, an oppa who had recently gone on a trip to Thailand with his sports lottery winnings swaggered over and asked, "Want oppa to go teach her a real lesson?"
Just then.
"Song Yeo-reum."
Someone approached hesitantly toward the vacant lot that Yeo-reum's crowd used as their hideout.
It was Bang Eunji, holding the pants Yeo-reum had told her to bring.
Seeing Eunji looking thoroughly intimidated, the guys burst out laughing.
"Ah, holy shit!"
"Agh!"
One of them even hurled the bag of snacks he was holding and rolled on the ground.
"Pfft!"
"No way…."
Seo Jae-gyeom's ex-girlfriends scanned Bang Eunji and started snickering too.
Faced with total strangers cracking up at the sight of her, the already timid Bang Eunji shrank back even further.
"Why… why are you laughing…?"
She looked at Yeo-reum, but Yeo-reum was clutching her stomach, laughing just as hard.
Only then did Ex-Girlfriend #1 wipe the tears from the corner of her eyes and smack Yeo-reum on the back.
"Ah, my stomach hurts from laughing so much. Hey, Song Yeo-reum, what happened? I thought you said your friend was drop-dead gorgeous."
"Yeo-reum, I actually got my hopes up! You said a pretty friend was coming!"
"What are you talking about~ Isn't our Eunji pretty?"
Yeo-reum's tone was practically dripping with hysterical laughter. At those words, the crowd erupted once more.
"Are you fucking serious?"
"That is so damn funny, seriously."
"……."
Only then did Bang Eunji realize what was happening, and her face hardened.
Regardless of how Eunji looked, Yeo-reum snatched the pants from her hands and ducked behind a car parked in the lot to try them on.
Leaving Eunji standing awkwardly in place, the guys and girls started chattering again.
"Hey, so what about that Kang Da-hye girl?"
"She's actually kind of pretty."
"If you're bullshitting again, I'm slapping you."
"It's true. Swear on my life."
"Yeah, she's pretty. It's just that she doesn't know how to dress."
"Oh. I like girls like that. Pretty and innocent."
"Hey, Yeo-reum!"
The sports lottery guy shouted toward Yeo-reum, who was just returning after changing.
"You really want oppa to stomp her for you?"
"Are you really gonna stomp her? Or do you just want to check out her face because she's pretty?"
"Busted."
"How are we even supposed to grab her, anyway?"
"Just snatch her when she's heading home after school."
"Wait outside the school gates? Someone's gonna call the cops."
"Where are your brains? Hey, we graduated from there too. We just gotta wear uniforms."
"Ooh, thrilling."
"I didn't say a thing~~~"
"Song Yeo-reum, what do you want done? Cut up her face or something?"
There are moments like that.
When people get caught up in the momentum.
As they snickered amongst themselves, the ideas grew increasingly extreme, their moods soaring high. Everyone wanted to show off and act tough within the pack.
Every single kid here was doing just that.
"Just say the word."
At the guy's bluff, Yeo-reum spat on the ground and smirked.
"Her hands."
"Hands?"
"If her hands are ruined and trembling, she won't even be able to fill in an OMR bubble sheet, right?"
* * *
And today.
Sitting across from the problem child herself, Kang Da-hye, Seo Jae-gyeom of Class 2 of 2nd Grade found himself thinking,
Does she really not like me anymore?
No, but how could that even happen?
How
could love
change?!
"Seo Jae-gyeom, what are you doing?"
"Huh?"
"Why are you spacing out? Are you tired?"
"Ah, yeah. No."
"Let's hurry up and finish. I don't have time."
"Ah. Right. We should."
Snapping back to his senses, he flashed a grin.
If this were the old Kang Da-hye, she wouldn't even have been able to look him straight in the eye right now.
Her face would have turned bright red as she avoided his gaze, rambling some weird nonsense in a voice much louder than usual from excitement.
Yet now.
She was just sitting there yawning, wearing the expression of someone completely detached from worldly concerns.
As he stared at her soulless face, their eyes met. With an indifferent expression that would make her an acting prodigy if it were fake, Kang Da-hye spoke.
"You have an eyelash on your face."
"…Take it off for me."
"Huh."
He leaned in right in front of Kang Da-hye's face, which practically screamed, Why should I?
"Hurry."
Taking advantage of the moment, he grabbed Kang Da-hye's hand and pressed it against his cheek.
With an unenthusiastic expression, Kang Da-hye looked back and forth between her hand and Jae-gyeom's face before speaking.
"…Seo Jae-gyeom. You."
"Yeah?"
"……Never mind."
Slam!
Just then, the classroom door swung open, and the transfer student appeared.
Always sullen-faced, and with an expression that crinkled into a deep scowl especially around Jae-gyeom, the transfer student walked in.
Glancing between Jae-gyeom leaning halfway across the desk toward Kang Da-hye and Kang Da-hye's hand resting on Jae-gyeom's cheek, the transfer student asked flatly,
"What are you two doing?"
"Chores the teacher gave us."
Replying nonchalantly, Kang Da-hye pulled her hand away from Jae-gyeom. She even turned her whole body to face the transfer student and asked,
"Why haven't you left yet?"
"Left this behind."
Stepping into the classroom, the transfer student pulled a lace parasol from inside a desk. Kang Da-hye spoke to him once more.
"Did you see the Theater Club group chat? About going to watch a movie."
"I saw it."
"Then why didn't you answer? You're going, right?"
"Yeah."
"Okay. Then get lost already."
"Ha."
She had told Jae-gyeom that she had no time and needed to leave quickly, yet she was chatting up the transfer student without hesitation. The transfer student, who never spoke a single word to anyone else, readily replied to Kang Da-hye as well.
About to leave the classroom, the transfer student asked Kang Da-hye,
"Need help?"
"I'm good. Go on."
Kang Da-hye waved him off, and—
"Did you eat before doing this?"
"Gonna eat after."
"If you don't eat on time, you'll die an early death."
The transfer student showed subtle concern.
"Jikji Simche Yojeol."
"Ha…."
…The two of them looked remarkably close.
"You're giving me that look of disgust right now, but I know you'll think of Jikji Simche Yojeol before going to sleep tonight and laugh."
"I won't? I won't be thinking about you at all once I go home."
Bantering with the transfer student, Kang Da-hye's expression was full of life.
Even while chatting away, her hands moved steadily, working through the tasks the Homeroom Teacher had assigned. And the transfer student watched the side of Kang Da-hye's face without blinking.
He's staring a hole right through her face.
Feeling an odd irritation rise within him, Jae-gyeom recalled what had happened at the cram school a few days ago.
'Seo Jae-gyeom!'
'Oh, Han Ji-soo.'
Han Ji-soo had called out to Jae-gyeom as he was heading home after class.
Jae-gyeom had given her a brief glance and a casual goodbye before trying to leave, but Ji-soo had deliberately stopped him again.
'Seo Jae-gyeom, did you know?'
'Know what.'
'Dahye says she doesn't like you anymore~'
'…….'
'Seo Jae-gyeom?'
'Yeah. I know. But what's that got to do with me? That's her business.'
'Re~ally? Good if you think so. I just thought you've been paying a lot of attention to Kang Da lately.'
'…Not really.'
'Is thaaat so?'
'Yeah. Same as always for me too. In fact……'
He remembered how his words had abruptly trailed off before he could finish.
Back then, Jae-gyeom had thought,
Come to think of it.
How many days had it been since he last thought about Han Ji-soo?
Passing by her at school or cram school without a second thought—how many days had that been going on?
Kang Da-hye supposedly didn't like him anymore. That was a good thing.
But what about him?
Did he still like Han Ji-soo?