1st in class hides regression

Kyung Shin, a sophomore in the second class of Gogo High School, doesn’t wear light-colored bottoms.

 

It’s because of her uncontrollable periods.

 

Once she wore white pants but her period leaked out, so she tied her friend’s jacket around her waist and rushed home.

 

A time when she forced herself to ignore an ominous feeling in class (not many teachers let you go to the bathroom in class!), only to wake up to a disaster when it was over.

 

Getting yelled at by her mom for getting blood on her bed, even though she had the biggest overnight bag she could find at the grocery store.

 

Shin had all of these experiences.

 

It was one of those homicidal days.

 

About 10 months ago.

 

She had just started high school when she packed her bags for a traveling class and went to another class downstairs.

 “…….” 

This feeling.

 

The feeling that if she ignored it, she would have a disastrous day in class.

 

Checking the clock on the classroom wall, Shin whispered to her friend.

 “Sua, do you have any sanitary napkins?” 

She’d already spent six minutes of recess getting her stuff together and moving around the classroom. Even if she ran to the restroom to grab a sanitary pad right now, time was running out.

 

Hearing Shin’s voice, her friend shook her head in confusion.

 “I’m in class. Did you get your period?” “Uh…” “Oh no. …Hey, do you have a sanitary napkin?” “Ugh. I don’t.” “Do you?” “Me neither.” 

Everyone shook their heads, including her friend who had moved to the classroom with her and her original classmates. Another minute passed.

 “Can we just go to the cafeteria now and get some?” “Do they sell them in the cafeteria?” “I don’t know.” “Dude, get out of here. Go outside and think about it.” “Hey.” 

That’s when a voice interrupted.

 

As if out of nowhere, a girl reading a book in the next cubicle looked up at Shin.

 

She had a white face and clear eyes. She wore a school uniform cardigan that was much larger than her body and had several textbooks stacked on her desk. Her long, thin neck stood out through the cardigan.

 

The girl said,

 “Here.” “Oh?” 

Funny thing is, Shin’s first thought wasn’t,

“Who is she?”

or

“Does she have sanitary pads?”

but

“She looks like a real girl.”

 

Her eyes are really sparkly. Like she’s wearing contacts.

 

But otherwise, her face was unassuming, with loose hair and no tinted makeup.

 

She could see the name on her nametag beneath her dark eyes and slender chin.

 

Kang Dahye.

 

Rummaging through her bag, Dahye handed her two sanitary napkins through the sleeves of a large cardigan that covered the backs of her hands.

 “Here.” “Uh, uh… thanks.” “If you don’t have enough, go to the clinic later and get some.” “They give sanitary napkins at the clinic?” “Yes.” 

Nodding, Kang Dahye lowered her gaze back to her book.

 

Her loose black hair cascaded down the sides of her fluffy ears.

 “Thank you…!” 

Shin said. Kang Dahye simply looked up at Shin once more and smiled.

 

But Shin’s homicidal day didn’t end there.

 

Halfway through class, she realized that she had applied her sanitary napkin incorrectly.

 

Either it was too far back, or it was folded.

 

-I think I’ve leaked my period.

 

-I feel like I need to run to the bathroom as soon as I’m done.

 

-I’ll take care of this chair and my luggage.

 

She’s taking notes with a friend sitting next to her.

 “Kyung Shin, come up and answer this.” “What? Me?” 

She can’t get up right now.

 

Shin screamed her frustration all over her body, but the indifferent teacher only urged her on.

 “Sir… can’t I do it next time?” “What are you talking about, come on out.” “Uh… Teacher, I really can’t…” “Come on!” “Answer is 13.” 

Once again, it was Kang Dahye who saved Shin.

 

Kang Dahye’s cracking voice echoed through the classroom. The teacher laughed in disbelief.

 “Kang Dahye, I didn’t ask you that.” “Yes, but I already solved the problem in the meantime.” “Oh, you’re so confident. Why don’t you come out and solve this one too?” “Nope.” 

Kang Dahye replied casually and stood up.

 

As she walked forward, her hand tapped Shin’s desk. Shin looked at her, but she didn’t look at her.

 

After that, there was no contact.

 

Shin’s class was on the third floor and Dahye was on the second floor, and after the midterms, Shin’s leveled study group changed.

 

They bumped into each other a few times in the lunchroom, but Dahye didn’t seem to remember Shin.

 

Whenever Shin saw her, she hesitated, wondering if she could say hello or if she owed her a sanitary napkin.

 

And then this year.

 “Awesome. You’re in the same class as Seo Jae-gyeom.” “Oh, I’m jealous. He must have saved the country in his previous life. We have Jae-gyeom in our class.” “You must have sold the country.” “Go back. Go back to your class, where there’s spring.” 

Through the noisy group of friends, Shin saw Dahye sitting alone in the back.

 

She was flipping through her literature textbook, previewing the works in the book. Every once in a while, she looked up and stole a glance at Seo Jae-gyeom.

 

She rolled her eyes and thought to herself.

 

‘I want to be friends with her. Can I do that?’

  

* * *

  “I don’t want to study; do you want my books?” 

Jung Eun-sung’s bombshell made me freeze.

 

‘How can you be so cool?’

  

I don’t want to study, so I’ll throw away my textbooks~♪.

I don’t want to take the test, so I’ll kidnap the teacher~♪.

I don’t want to go to work, but I’m thinking of blowing up the company~♪.

Kidnapping the teacher is kind of tempting~♪.

  

No, that’s not what’s important right now.

 “If you give me your book, what do you get?” “I don’t need a book, I’m not going to look at it anyway.” “That’s cool…” 

I jabbed an admiring Shin in the side with my elbow. Sobering her up.

 “So what are you going to do in class?” “Sleep.” “You don’t study?” “No.” “Why?” “I don’t want to.” “You have to study even if you don’t want to. What we learn in school is not knowledge, but common sense. You’ll be called ignorant if you don’t know this later in life.” 

Even though I was giving him advice from experience, Jung Eun-sung’s expression was blank.

 

I quickly handed over the textbook to him and tried to convince him to go home.

 “Why do you hate studying?” “Because it’s boring.” “Imagine it’s fun.” “If it’s not fun, how can you think it is?” “Me or studying? You have to like one or the other.” “I don’t have a choice, I’ll study.” “…….” 

I feel strangely offended…

 

Nodding with a very arrogant look on his face, Jung Eun-sung once again stole the floor with the mop he was holding.

 “Wipe your feet here.” 

He instructs me to wipe off the strawberry milk on my sneakers, then grabs a wad of tissues scattered around.

 

Without another word, he storms out of the classroom.

 

Silence falls.

 “…Dahye, are you sure you’re not really friends with Jung Eun-sung?” “…Yeah.” 

I don’t know what’s wrong with him.

 

I shook my head.

 

To make a long story short, the homeroom teacher gave me my textbook back.

 “Oh no, you must have taken a lot of notes.” “Oh, it was so long ago anyway. I don’t remember any of it, so it’s okay, I’ll just buy a new one.” 

I told her the truth, and she pats me on the cheek with a wistful look.

 “I’ll go home and look around, and if there are any left, I’ll give them to you.” “Really? Oh. I didn’t have any money.” 

After being coddled by a teacher younger than me, I shuffled the kids off to our store.

 “So what’s going to happen to the room?” “It’s a bust.” “So good.” “Mother, hello!” “Oh, but I’ve been getting too much oil on my face lately. It’s like my face is absorbing all the oil in the world.” “Are you a kitchen towel?” “Wow. This tteokbokki is so good.” 

You know what? Spicy tteokbokki is delicious if you cut it with pizza bread scissors and microwave it.

 “But why hasn’t Seo Jae-gyeom come to school lately?” “Where did he go with his family?” “I think they’re having a good time.” “Hey, didn’t you see his Chasebook? He was on a yacht or something.” “That yacht is theirs?!” “Do you think the teacher would like my kids’ album?” “Do you think the teacher knows my kids?” “What if she doesn’t? She doesn’t even know Bast and Infiniti.” “She’ll pretend she doesn’t, that’s for sure.” 

Adults like idols more.

 

Be careful with that 19 fanfic you’re reading with your sister’s social security number, the author could be your homeroom teacher.

 “Do-yeon, do you like spicy food?” “I can’t eat spicy food.” “Oh.” “So, Dahye, are you taking classes with Do-yeon?” “I’m a parasite.” “You don’t go to a cram school?” “No. Oh, wait. I’ll get you a Coke.” 

I stood up from my seat, seeing Do-yeon and Sua red-faced from eating the spicy food. As I was getting a coke from the refrigerator outside, Shin approached me.

 “Hey, Dahye.” “Huh?” “You said earlier that you don’t have enough pocket money.” “Oh, uh.” 

She must have heard me say I didn’t have enough money.

 

Shin looked around and leaned her face into my ear.

 

After hearing Jung Eun-sung’s ridiculous remark earlier, I became nervous.

 

‘I wonder what she’s going to say.’

 

I’m afraid of teenagers’ unconventional ways of thinking.

 

Are you asking me to rob a bank with you?

  

We don’t have enough pocket money, so let’s rob a bank~♪.