Chapter 38

So, Ga Joon-sik smoothly went through his repeat year life.

<Resurrected Students Also Need Love> is a visual novel that borrows a stat system.

Charm, studying, speech, exercise. You had to play by appropriately raising these four.

Ga Joon-sik mainly raised his studying stat.

What kind of charm does a repeat student need? It was enough to raise that after getting into university.

…Actually, it would be too late to care about charm after getting into university, but what could he do? If he didn’t study now, it wasn’t just late, it was over.

Ga Joon-sik spent his days appropriately balancing studying and exercise.

Time passed.

Spring. The season when cherry blossoms bloom and countless couples are born.

Repeat students were no exception.

In fact, repeat academies were worse than other places.

Not much different from high school students, but adults were crammed into one class.

It was more unusual not to date.

“Is my face not good enough?”

But Ga Joon-sik was an exception.

Strangely, he had no luck with women.

Han Yoorim said to the sulking Ga Joon-sik.

“In my opinion, it’s not your face but your personality.”

“What’s wrong with my personality?”

“Aren’t you too old for your age?”

“I’m living quite young for my age.”

Ga Joon-sik sighed. The only person he had become close to in four months was this kid.

Then.

Knock knock.

Someone tapped on his desk.

When he looked up, he met eyes with a girl with red hair.

“Are you Ga Joon-sik?”

“Yes.”

“Do you have any interest in a study group? There’s one spot left, and I recommended you. You got a perfect score on the 3rd mock exam, right?”

“Study group—.”

Ga Joon-sik’s gaze slightly shifted to the side.

Han Yoorim, who had been swinging her legs just a moment ago, became quiet.

This won’t do.

“Sorry. I prefer studying alone.”

“Really? That’s a shame.”

The girl left coolly. Han Yoorim’s legs started moving again.

She’s just a kid.

By the way.

“U-um, do you want to watch a m-movie this weekend?”

“Sorry. I have a prior engagement.”

Why don’t I have any luck with women?

It’s amazing.

*

The weekend came.

Ga Joon-sik took Han Yoorim to the aquarium.

“That’s a neon tetra. You’d know it as a jewel fish.”

“I don’t know.”

“That’s a clownfish. You must have seen the famous Pixar animation.”

“I haven’t?”

It was the first time hearing about jewel fish, but surely she had seen <Finding Nemo>.

But Ga Joon-sik pretended not to know, teasing her.

Of course, it wasn’t much use.

“That’s a lie. You must have seen it at least twice, no. Three times?”

“How do you know that?”

“Basic cold reading. It’s one of my specialties.”

I can’t do anything in front of this kid. She’s too quick-witted, it’s scary how much she knows.

Ding dong. An announcement echoed from the speakers.

[The penguin show will start soon. Please do not rush—.]

“So?”

“You know? Penguins are actually mean and cruel. They even—.”

“Not going to watch?”

“I’ll watch.”

Ga Joon-sik took Han Yoorim to watch the penguin show.

Watching Han Yoorim’s eyes sparkle as she watched the penguins, Ga Joon-sik muttered to himself.

Why did she throw a tantrum about not going when she likes it so much?

Ga Joon-sik recalled what happened a few days ago.

*

“Why is a kid like you preparing for the college entrance exam?”

“You’re asking that after three months? Joon-sik, you’re really something.”

“Is it some kind of gifted education?”

“A talent like me deserves the appropriate education.”

“Talent, my foot. Your average grade on the 3rd mock exam is 4. 4.”

“Joon-sik, you’re lower than me but all talk.”

But if it’s early education, shouldn’t she be in a gifted academy instead of taking the high school equivalency exam and then the college entrance exam?

It was a bit questionable, but he let it go. It wasn’t important right now.

“Do you have any friends?”

He asked because it bothered him that the kid was always studying alone.

“Yes.”

“Yes? Who? I’ve never seen you hanging out with anyone else.”

“…..”

Han Yoorim’s feet, which had been fidgeting under the chair, stopped. Her shoulders also dropped slightly.

Ah… Did I ask too insensitively?

Maybe she was bothered by not having friends.

“Sorry. But I don’t have friends either. Same here.”

“I said I have one… In front of me….”

“So I’m your friend.”

Ga Joon-sik made a face like he had made a mistake.

He didn’t expect the kid to think of him as a friend.

Ga Joon-sik quickly raised his hand.

“Auntie! Five more eggs here!”

“Do I look like an easy girl who gets over things with just boiled eggs?”

“Fried food too!”

“If you offer fried food too, it’s a different story.”

The additional food came out quickly. That’s the advantage of a snack bar.

Han Yoorim put the freshly boiled egg in her mouth and chewed.

Ga Joon-sik shook his head and leaned back in his chair.

Somehow, he managed to smooth things over.

[We’ve come to the world’s largest aquarium—.]

An entertainment show about tourist spots played on the TV.

It’s an entertainment show, but I didn’t get too interested.

These days, everyone watches MTube. Who even watches TV?

But it seems Han Yoorim and Ga Joon-sik had different thoughts.

Holding an egg, she was so absorbed in watching TV that she seemed completely zoned out.

Ga Joon-sik picked up his chopsticks and asked, “You like aquariums, huh?”

“Do you think I’m a child? I don’t like that kind of stuff.”

“What does an aquarium have to do with being a child? If you go, you go. And it looks like you actually like it.”

Ga Joon-sik replied indifferently and popped some fried food into his mouth.

Then Han Yoorim said flatly, “I don’t know much about it.”

“You don’t?”

“People who say they like a place they’ve never been to are frauds.”

“You’ve never been?”

“I’m a busy person. Just investing time in my studies is already—.”

“Want to go this time?”

At Ga Joon-sik’s suggestion, Han Yoorim fell silent.

Ga Joon-sik kept talking to Han Yoorim, who was just poking at the poor fried food with her chopsticks.

“If you only study, your head will explode. You need to cool off sometimes.”

“…Still.”

“It’s about the mood. I’ll pay. It’s not like it costs much.”

“That’s not the issue. I just don’t want to go.”

“Why? No time on the weekend?”

“……”

After a long moment of hesitation, Han Yoorim finally made a determined expression.

“No. I have plenty.”

“Why are you making that dumb face?”

“I’m thinking about how to scold this kid.”

“Ha.”

Han Yoorim immediately moved away from Ga Joon-sik. Wrapping her arms around herself, she seemed to sense a threat.

Ga Joon-sik ruffled Han Yoorim’s hair and got up. The penguin show was over, so it was time to eat.

When they entered a nearby family restaurant he had looked up earlier, Han Yoorim looked around blankly. It seemed like her first time in such a place.

Suddenly feeling mischievous, Ga Joon-sik ordered a regular menu item and a prank one from the waitress.

Since he pointed at the menu, Han Yoorim had no idea what she was about to eat.

Soon, the waitress brought the food.

A hamburger steak, and…

A kids’ lunch set A.

The fried rice with a little flag stuck in it was just perfect.

“Joon-sik.”

Han Yoorim is smart. She probably realized it was a prank right away. Expecting her to throw a fit, Ga Joon-sik decided to stop the joke here.

“Sorry. Here, I’ll eat that, and you can have the hamburger—.”

“Thank you.”

Han Yoorim started eating the fried rice with a spoon.

Carefully avoiding the flag, she looked quite happy.

“……”

Ga Joon-sik also ate the hamburger steak. It was tasty.

It was.

“Today was really fun.”

As she spoke, Han Yoorim pulled out a kids’ wallet from her pocket.

50,000 won. Exactly the amount they spent today.

“It’s fine.”

“Take it. Friends can’t keep mooching off each other, right?”

“Next time, you can treat me. That’s what friends do.”

He refused the kid’s money.

It wasn’t just a year or two difference—it was a whole 8 years.

Taking her money would make him less of a human and more of a beast.

“Where do you live? I’ll take you home.”

“Do I look like someone who can’t find their way home?”

“Just behave and tell me.”

Ignoring Han Yoorim’s resistance, Ga Joon-sik took her home.

After finishing all the plans, Ga Joon-sik returned to his studio.

He was exhausted.

As soon as he lay down on the bed, fatigue washed over him.

His eyes closed, and everything went dark.

Ring ring.

Late at night. Closer to dawn.

Ga Joon-sik woke up to the sound of his phone.

Groggily answering, a deep male voice came from the other end.

[Did you take our kid and do something weird?]

“Uh, sorry, but what’s this about?”

[I asked if you lured our busy kid into wasting time. Are you deaf?!]

The other person was furious. Normally, one would panic here. The situation and context were unclear.

But Ga Joon-sik wasn’t normal.

He calmly replied, as if he had expected this.

“I’m sorry. I should have informed you earlier. I didn’t think much of it since it was just a quick outing.”

[You better straighten up. If this happens again, you’re going to the police station. Got it?]

“I’m sorry.”

Beep.

The call ended.

Ga Joon-sik calmly put down his phone.

As expected.

Han Yoorim’s family situation wasn’t exactly normal.