Chapter 112
Chapter 112
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: The Top Student Hides Her Regression
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"Just got beaten 'cause I suck at studying."
Do they really beat a kid this badly just for bad grades? Doesn't seem like it.
Bang Eun-ji's been bad at studying for more than a day or two...
"I suck at studying and I'm always causing trouble... so that's why I got hit."
But it seemed hard to get anything more out of Bang Eun-ji, who clamped her mouth shut with a depressed look on her face.
Jeong Eun-seong, who had squatted down next to the two of us, spoke up.
"Did your mom do well in school?"
"Nah. She probably sucked."
"Is your grandma still alive?"
"Yeah."
"Then tell your grandma to beat up your mom."
"Hey..."
I nudged Jeong Eun-seong's arm with my elbow.
Look at Bang Eun-ji's face—it practically had "I don't know how to respond to that" written all over it...
I comforted Bang Eun-ji, who was sniffling and sucking on her Ppico stick.
"Your mom doesn't get it. Everyone has different talents. If the whole world was only good at studying, it'd be doomed."
"I don't have anything I'm good at."
"You dress so well! And you're great at making clothes too."
A truly blessed case where hobby and aptitude align perfectly. I gave her a thumbs up.
"I told you before. When you grow up, open a shopping mall. You might even end up more successful than me."
"Anyone can open a shopping mall."
"That's why you should—because not just anyone can."
You could rake in cash like it's nothing.
"You might even end up hiring me and calling me 'President'?"
If that happens, take good care of me.
Drastically cut work hours, boost the salary. Company dinners at lunchtime.
"Want this as an advance bribe? Jjupba stick?"
Bang Eun-ji burst out laughing again at my words as I held up the Jjupba stick still clutched in Jeong Eun-seong's hand.
"What if it flops?"
"Success always comes with risk. If you don't try, you won't fail—but you won't succeed either."
"Got it. I'll check it out the second I turn twenty."
"Good."
I spoke to Bang Eun-ji as she wiped her nose with the tissue I'd shoved at her earlier.
"Still, you know you gotta study hard in high school, right? 'Cause what we're learning in school right now is..."
"Not knowledge, but common sense."
Jeong Eun-seong jumped in. I gave a light knuckle tap to the knee of Jeong Eun-seong, who had struck a proper student's pose, then lectured Bang Eun-ji on the importance of studying.
"If you don't study now? Later, you see a title like Spring in Seoul and won't instantly know what it's about. People will think, 'Ah, she must not have learned modern history in school.'"
When looking at the world, everyone else sees it like a teacher's guide with full explanations—but you'd be stuck with just the student's workbook.
"Even if the president sold Dokdo to the neighbor country, you might not grasp how serious that is!"
"What kinda example is that?"
I smacked Jeong Eun-seong's laughing knee a bit harder this time. It was something I'd actually heard before regressing, so zip it.
'It's an uninhabited island anyway, so why not just give it away to improve relations?' Some Do Ha-jun wannabe said that.
"Gotta study, study. Otherwise, you won't even know you're bleeding when someone rips the flesh off your bones."
Think about it. Do Ha-jun commits a crime, but we're not pissed.
"It happens, why's everyone freaking out? It's not like the school's collapsing." If that's our attitude, could Do Ha-jun even get expelled? With no one angry?
"No way, no way."
"Exactly. He'd treat all the girls like BJs, get zero punishment, and saunter right through graduation."
To even get mad, you first gotta understand what's going on.
"What do I gotta do to understand?"
"Study!"
Jeong Eun-seong, who doesn't study himself but sure cheers enthusiastically.
"Everything circles back to studying..."
Bang Eun-ji muttered, her face going pale.
"Look at that—your tears dried right up."
"See? Studying stops the tears. Cure for everything."
Studying improves your eyes! Your ears! Cures diseases!
I was tempted to spread out right there and launch into a full speech, but Bang Eun-ji's eyes had already gone dead-fish mode, so I backed off for now.
I'll remember and nail it next time. For real.
"Okay, okay. I'll study. I'll study and stop crying. Please, just stop..."
"That's the spirit."
Now~ wipe away the tears~~♪ I sang a line from a song that popped into my head. Jeong Eun-seong and Bang Eun-ji's faces turned weird.
"...You don't know this song?"
"Nope."
"That was singing? Thought you were summoning a demon."
"Ah..."
I scratched my head sheepishly.
To me, it's a familiar tune from a 2020 TV broadcast, but apparently not for them.
Let's see. When this song came out...
You guys weren't even born!
"Wow. So that was a song."
"......"
"Kang Da-hye, now I get what you meant. Everyone really does have different talents. Your singing... damn..."
Bang Eun-ji shook her head once and crumpled her finished Ppico stick. Beside her, Jeong Eun-seong shook out his own Ppico. I watched his Adam's apple bob as he tilted his head back for the last drop.
"But hey."
"Yeah."
"Yeah."
"Don't we look like total delinquents sitting here like this?"
Three high schoolers huddled in an alley, scowling...
"This squatting pose especially screams street punk."
Right on cue, two middle schoolers chattering excitedly as they walked by locked eyes with us, flinched, and turned tail.
No, don't go, kids! I'm a total nerd! The guy next to me's an ex-delinquent, but plus-minus, he's zero!
"We gotta bail from here quick."
I handed my finished Ppico stick to Jeong Eun-seong and asked Bang Eun-ji.
"I was gonna grab tteokbokki with Jeong Eun-seong—wanna come?"
For the record, this was Jeong Eun-seong's idea.
While I was hugging Bang Eun-ji, he gestured wildly: Feed her tteokbokki.
"Last time, you barely ate anything 'cause of the apology to your mom."
Jeong Eun-seong stood up, grabbing the bag of trash for all three of us, as I spoke confidently about her trying it this time.
The second Jeong Eun-seong stepped away, Bang Eun-ji whispered.
"Hey. I straight-up can't look at his face."
"Jeong Eun-seong?"
"Yeah. First time seeing him this close-up. Damn... isn't he insanely hot? Kang Da-hye, how do you even face him every day?"
"I don't live with Jeong Eun-seong..."
"Those eyes. Why does he stare like that? And that voice. I'm gonna have a heart attack..."
"Why're you still sitting? Let's go."
Jeong Eun-seong strode back after dumping the trash, grabbed my squatting hand, and yanked me up like he was drawing a sword. Then he reached out to pull up Bang Eun-ji.
His long, slender hand loomed in front of her. Panicking, Bang Eun-ji flailed and toppled backward.
Thud.
"Bang Eun-ji!"
"You okay?"
"Y-yeah! Yeah! I'm fine!"
I'm fine! Bang Eun-ji bellowed, loud and clear.
"Grab on. I'll help you up."
"N-no! Uh! Aaaack!"
"......"
We girls all know, right?
How a hot guy paying attention suddenly makes everything glitch out...
I sighed and told Jeong Eun-seong.
"Jeong Eun-seong. Back off a bit. Or turn around."
"Got it."
I'll be over there, so get up. Jeong Eun-seong nodded and put safe distance between him and Bang Eun-ji.
Finally snapping out of it, Bang Eun-ji stood, and the three of us headed to Mom's shop.
I walked in the middle because Bang Eun-ji was adamantly refusing to stand next to Jeong Eun-seong (Hey, I could die!).
"Bang Eun-ji, if you build a kingdom, I'll hook you up with a butler. I know a cat."
"For real? Who?"
"Called Romantic Cat. New friend from today. Street kid, so manners guaranteed."
"Perfect butler material."
We scarfed tteokbokki while talking nonsense. Said hi to Mom too.
There was a brief incident where Jeong Eun-seong—who'd never seen Mom's face—bluntly called her "noona," but it was embarrassing, so we'll skip...
We parted ways with Bang Eun-ji at the market entrance road.
Before turning away, Bang Eun-ji hesitated and said.
"Thanks for today. Both of you."
"No prob. Repay us with diligent studying."
"That's tough... I'll make super cute theater costumes instead."
Jeong Eun-seong reacted faster than me to that. He grinned, tilted his head, and said.
"How cute? Cute enough to make Kang Da-hye fall for me?"
I shot back, dumbfounded.
"I don't fall for what's draped on the outside."
"True. My real stuff's what counts."
"And I haven't seen that."
"Why not? I'm doing abs workouts because of you."
"Huh?"
Abs workouts... because of me?
Jeong Eun-seong gaped at my baffled expression, eyes widening like nothing could hurt worse, and said.
"You don't remember?"
"Uh... remember what...?"
"Disappointing. Kang Da-hye."
"???"
Amnesia is calling...