Chapter 161
Chapter 161
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 161
Chapter Title: Regrets from the School Trip
If someone gave Jae-kyeom the chance to turn back time, he would go to March of this year.
If he couldn't go back that far?
Then, to the first day of the school trip.
The school trip where he blurted out a confession he hadn't planned at all.
That first evening.
"Kang Da, not going?"
"Uh... wait a sec."
When Kang Da-hye, who had been heading down to dinner with him, suddenly fell back.
He would have dragged her down with him somehow.
Because that's when his already unstable heart began to shake uncontrollably.
"Come out now. Let's go down together."
"No. You go first."
"Where's she going? To the transfer student?"
It was when he arrived at the cafeteria with a sour mood, scanning for a seat.
"Over there."
Some girl spoke up. Behind her, two or three friends who looked excited were watching intently.
Typical.
"No thanks."
Jae-kyeom cut her off before she could even say anything.
The girl, who clearly hadn't expected that reaction, widened her eyes and asked.
"Why? Got a girlfriend?"
Not exactly.
But there was a girl he wished would be his girlfriend.
No, not just a girlfriend... he wanted to be her husband entirely.
But he couldn't exactly grab a stranger and explain all that.
When Jae-kyeom didn't answer, she nodded to herself.
"Yeah, it'd be weirder if you didn't."
"......"
"What if we break up and I ask for your number..."
She's out of her mind.
Jae-kyeom turned away without a word and walked over to where his friends were already seated.
"Jae-kyeom, get a number?"
"Nope."
He'd rejected her before she could even make her pitch, so no number.
He'd cut off any chance of useless rumors reaching Kang Da-hye's ears. Propping his chin on his hand in front of his tray, Jae-kyeom felt sour.
Where's Kang Da-hye?
She's not really going to check on the transfer student, is she?
No way...
Right?!
Yeah.
"Oh, Eun-seong!"
"Kang Da!"
"You two coming down together?"
"Yeah. Jeong Eun-seong said he was hungry too."
His mood, already plummeting, hit rock bottom when he saw Kang Da-hye coming down with the transfer student.
Poking at the pineapple sweet-and-sour pork that came as a side, Jae-kyeom thought.
Back in middle school, when I turned down Baek Eun-ju, Yang Da-jeong, and Kim Hae-in but ended up dating them anyway and walked the halls holding hands—did Kang Da-hye feel like this then?
Thinking back, Kang Da-hye had gotten fidgety right around when rumors started that things were going well with those girls.
Other than that, nothing much came to mind.
If he'd known it'd come to this, he should've paid more attention to how she looked back then...
They'd gone through that time together, so why couldn't he remember?
Throughout dinner, Jae-kyeom strained to listen to the conversation between Kang Da-hye and the transfer student. He barely ate half his meal.
Despite eating nothing, he returned to his room, brushed his teeth vigorously, and headed to the girls' room.
Trying not to dwell on the defeat and jealousy he felt every time he saw the transfer student.
He slipped into the spot next to Kang Da-hye amid the chaos. A quick glance showed the transfer student sitting diagonally across from her, far away.
'He must've guarded that seat on purpose.'
With so many empty seats right next to her, why choose way over there? In a room this full, that was basically sitting as far as possible.
Only after sitting did the transfer student seem to realize, making an "oh crap" face—but too late.
Their eyes met, and Jae-kyeom haughtily lifted his chin.
Fool.
Sit there and watch us whisper!
A quick look around showed he wasn't the only one with ulterior motives here. Him and the transfer student went without saying, but Lee Seo-jun too, and...
Hard to believe, but even Kang Da-hye had her own agenda.
Jae-kyeom, quick on the uptake, had figured it out just from the hours of gaming together earlier.
'Yu Jin-ha likes Jeong Na-jun.'
And the girls had all decided to push Yu Jin-ha at him tonight.
"Jeong Na-jun, when was the last time you had a girlfriend? What kind of girl was she? The cute type? You usually like cute girls? No? Then what's your type? But why'd you date a cute one? Your ideal type different from who you actually date? When do you show it if you like someone?"
Look at Kang Da-hye.
Not a single question coming her way, but she's pushing hard.
Her skill at hounding Jeong Na-jun relentlessly was top-tier.
Meanwhile, questions aimed at Kang Da-hye herself were.
"Kang Da-hye, do you...! L-like anyone?"
"Yeah."
"Who?!"
"Gyeong Se-in."
"...Huh?"
"You asked about liking the opposite sex? No?"
"Well...!"
"Heh. One question per turn. Chance over."
Dodging like a pro.
"Then Kang Da-hye! Seo Jae-kyeom or Jeong Eun-seong?!"
Jeong Na-jun, battered by Kang Da-hye's question barrage, landed a counter.
"The taller one of the two."
"Hey! Stand up and answer again!"
"What? It's my turn now. Okay, my question to Jeong Na-jun!"
"Again?!"
"Yep. Again. Jeong Na-jun, are you the confessing type, or the one who gets confessed to?"
She slipped out of that one too.
Jae-kyeom's heart just sank harder for no reason.
A sidelong glance showed the transfer student wearing a similar expression.
Resolving to secretly measure heights with the transfer student tomorrow in line, Jae-kyeom seized the moment to KakaoTalk Kang Da-hye.
(Wanted to stay next to you, but seats swapped during towel toss. Who even invented that game? Die.)
Let's go get ice cream.
He'd looked it up last night before bed: top line for seducing the opposite sex at a college MT.
A line to sneak off alone together successfully.
But the one Kang Da-hye snuck off with was the transfer student.
Openly, without hiding it.
Jae-kyeom's mood, which had seemed to rise a bit during truth or dare, now plunged straight through the floor.
So low that he answered Kim Ga-eun's question to him with excessive honesty.
"Seo Jae-kyeom, got a crush? On a. G. I. R. L."
"Yeah. I do."
"...Who?"
"The one you're thinking of."
"......"
"......"
In a truth game where no one was telling the truth, this brutally honest answer suddenly dropped, silencing the room.
Kim Ga-eun, who had asked and was now shocked speechless, swallowed hard and asked.
"...How'd you fall for her?"
"How could I not?"
Jae-kyeom, who had been gazing down sadly, finally looked up.
Kim Ga-eun, Gyeong Se-in, Ye-su-a... and the empty spot where two people had snuck out.
Staring at that seat, he said.
"How could I not."
Kang Da-hye. You.
"...So, now everyone knows."
That I like you.
"Sorry. Wasn't on purpose."
Even this close, he couldn't do anything. Resting his chin on their overlapping hands, Jae-kyeom said.
"Used to think admitting that hurt my pride. But now? Doesn't faze me."
Guess I've really thrown my pride away.
"I'll like you even more from now on."
"......"
"But y'know."
You said you've liked me for 6 years.
What if I still like you after 60 years? What then?
"The real problem is, even if that happens, I don't feel like I'd be hard done by."
Standing up, Jae-kyeom looked down at Kang Da-hye.
The hand that reached to brush her hair ended up just fixing her blanket.
"Y'know."
Liking you taught me defeat, jealousy, impatience.
And what it's like to have feelings too hot to contain, bursting out in tears.
"So this time..."
Teach me patience.
With a sigh, Jae-kyeom turned off the health room lights entirely.
Before closing the door and leaving, he whispered.
"I'll grind through the bone powder pills, so you keep your word too."
About liking taller guys.
Even if he was the only one telling the truth in that truth game where no one else was...
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After Kang Da-hye rode on that annoying guy's back down to the health room.
"So, Han Ji-su and Kang Da's first fight was over Bang Eun-ji?"
"Probably? Timing fits."
"Wow, but Kang Da's amazing. If it were me, I'd spread it everywhere and trash-talk."
"Right? How's her mouth so shut."
Yeah. She's pretty impressive. Eun-seong nodded.
Praising Kang Da-hye. Eun-seong's favorite conversation topic.
If only they talked about this all the time.
"Han Ji-su taking first place meant Kang Da's grades dropped, and her friends came out to the hall screaming—that was so childish and mean."
"Everyone was saying that. Super immature."
"If Kang Da hadn't been first too, I'd have died of rage that day."
"Han Ji-su getting trashed like this is pretty much a first, right?"
"She deserves it. Her personality... how'd she hide it all this time."
"Crazy. She managed her image so well, and it crumbled in an instant."
"Wasn't great image management. Just no cracks till now."
Kim Ga-eun, arms crossed, said.
"She didn't do well. Her surroundings covered for her."
Eun-seong silently trumpeted at the sharp remark.
Unaware that sharpness would soon turn his way.