The Heroine Stole My Regression

44 – The Place of Exchange (2)

Ju Seo-jun was taken aback.

He had known Yoon Chae-ha longer than anyone else.

And perhaps, aside from her parents, he could confidently say he knew her better than anyone.

A laid-back personality. An attitude that always seemed languid.

A disposition that never rushed anything, always letting things flow by lightly.

That was precisely why she remained at 5th place in the Callous rankings.

He knew it.

That if Yoon Chae-ha truly put her mind to it, he wouldn’t be able to maintain his 1st place position.

That’s why he assumed this decision was just a whim.

Even when she declared, “I’m going to Gaon,” Seo-joon had taken it as a fleeting impulse, not a serious plan.

Just a simple whim that would change by morning.

But, he had to admit, this time felt different.

-SLAM!

“Ugh, seriously.”

Yoon Chae-ha stormed out of the professor’s lab, slamming the door behind her.

Her face contorted, unlike her usual leisurely demeanor, and judging by the rise and fall of voices during the consultation, it didn’t seem like a very good negotiation.

Even after closing the door, she sighed deeply for a long while.

“Damn it…”

She roughly swept her hair back.

The hem of her school uniform fluttered over her shoulder.

Amidst the scattering strands of blonde, orange eyes, seemingly ablaze, were briefly revealed.

And then, she stormed off.

The progress of her actions, it’s too fast.

Once her mind is set, she becomes unstoppable in her actions.

The problem is, she almost never sets her mind.

— Over the past fifteen years, she had only set her mind once.

He didn’t even remember when that first time was anymore.

But it was clear this was the second.

“Seo-joon, student…”

Just then, the lab door cracked open behind him, and the teaching assistant called him.

The assistant, too, seemed worn down by the professor, dark circles deeply etched under his eyes.

Today’s exchange program consultation was scheduled for Seo-joon as well as Yoon Chae-ha.

“Come in when you’re ready…”

“Yes.”

The assistant trailed off, holding the door open for him.

He entered the lab.

As the door closed, the interior of the lab came into view at once.

Magic tomes filling the walls, various magical devices and flasks placed on bookshelves, crystal devices engraved with mechanically moving magic circles.

His advising professor was, as always, frowning while scribbling something.

However, the moment Ju Seo-jun walked in, the professor’s face lit up, radiant.

-Scrrritch

The professor pulled out a chair, saying warmly, “Sit here, Seo-jun student.”

Ju Seo-jun took the offered seat.

And then, the professor began his persuasion in earnest.

Compared to Yoon Chae-ha, who never listened anyway, the professor seemed to think the model student Ju Seo-jun would be more amenable to reason, and spoke in a considerably gentler tone.

“…So, what I’m asking is for Seo-jun student to have a word with Chae-ha student…”

In the end, the gist was simple.

You two can’t leave. Stop Yoon Chae-ha.

No, more accurately–even if you can’t stop Yoon Chae-ha from going, at least you should stay.

“The higher-ups are in an uproar, you know? If two top-ranked players leave…”

The professor waved his hand, saying,

“Scholarships, graduate school, even a connection with the Mage Tower – and still, why…”

His words continued relentlessly, not allowing even a moment to interject.

In that instant, Ju Seo-jun felt like he understood

why Yoon Chae-ha had grown so weary.

“Professor.”

Finally, he cut the professor off.

“Oh, yes?”

The professor still gazed at him with hopeful eyes.

As if to shatter that expectation into a million pieces,

He said succinctly, “It would be best to look for another student for graduate school.”

Ju Seo-jun, too, spoke to the professor with a smile.

“Huh?”

“I’m going to Gaon. Me too.”

The professor hastily tried to say something more,

But Ju Seo-jun had no intention of prolonging the conversation.

“Then, I’ll be going now.”

He offered a light bow and exited the laboratory.

Whether the sun had set, a touch of chill now grazed his face.

She was already long gone, nowhere to be seen.

It was always the same.

Ever forging ahead, receding, never looking back.

That was just her way.

Joo Seo-jun paused there for a moment. And considered things briefly.

It wasn’t a romantic feeling.

Something drier than that. A kind of longing, perhaps.

In any case.

Joo Seo-jun resolved to follow, as far as he was able.

*

Several more days trickled by since his decision to take leave.

The university had almost entirely recovered its previous state.

Some buildings even felt improved, somehow.

And so, classes recommenced today.

Gaon University had decided to forgo re-administering the suspended midterm exams, instead assessing the incomplete grades by combining them with the final exam.

The written portion had been completed, so they would only integrate the practical portion into the final evaluation, notifying students separately.

This decision drew a collective sigh of relief from the students.

Any delay in grades was a good thing, after all.

Students, seeing each other’s faces after so long, naturally gathered in small groups, eager to chat.

As if trying to shake off the heavy atmosphere, laughter bloomed here and there.

And before long.

“It’s been a while.”

The lecture hall door opened, and Instructor Do Han-sung entered.

Though his tone was always somewhat lacking in vigor, it was more subdued than usual.

The murmuring students quickly quieted.

And all eyes fell upon.

The empty desk.

Upon it rested a single white flower, seemingly left behind by someone.

In the end, Seong Si-woo was reported to have fallen in battle against a fiend.

In reality, he was corrupted, turned into a fiend himself, and then killed, but announcing it that way presented…complications.

The official announcement was the result of many considerations for him.

Instructor Do Han-seong quietly sighed.

But he didn’t add anything more.

*

Today’s lesson held no particular significance. A postponement notice for the midterm and a gathering, perhaps.

Overall, it was a time to meet the professors in charge after a long while.

“As you may already know, the midterm has been postponed. We will announce only the written exam results soon.”

As the instructor finished speaking, small sighs of relief and groans of disappointment mingled from all corners of the classroom.

My rank was frozen as a result. Until the final exams were over, I would have to live without a rank.

-Is that her?

-Medusa?

However, the gazes directed at me were vastly different from before.

The video clip of me beheading Medusa had already surpassed 20 million views.

It seemed to be spreading everywhere.

Thanks to that, most of the students crowded outside the classroom were there to see me.

I quietly rose from my seat.

After class, I quickly exited the classroom.

But as soon as I stepped into the hallway, someone blocked my path.

“Jeong Hae-in, right?”

While casual attire was the norm at Gaon Academy, there were some who still wore uniforms, like the student before me.

A jade-green collar.

The color symbolizing the second year.

Dark hair and deep eyes.

I had a rough idea of who she was.

And even before she could open her mouth, the surrounding murmurs grew louder. Ignoring those gazes, she extended a hand directly to me.

“How about joining Frontier?”

Frontier was a quite venerable club even within Gaon. It was where many exceptional active heroes had been produced, and only selected or prominent students from each grade were invited.

In reality, you could consider it an optimized space for networking.

It was an event triggered in the original work when a certain level of notoriety was reached.

‘Thank you.’

With this, I could tangibly grasp just how much attention I was receiving.

And she, as if the option of refusal wasn’t even a possibility, presented a card etched with black and gold.

Probably some kind of name card.

She must have come all the way here, even though the 2nd years’ classes were quite a distance.

Her attitude exuded confidence.

A manner that assumed everything was a given.

But I answered.

“I won’t.”

“Right, let’s head to the club room….”

She broke off mid-sentence, her face momentarily contorting.

“…Excuse me, what did you just say?”

“I said I won’t.”

The surroundings went instantly silent. Everyone was taken aback by the reaction.

A place anyone would kill to join.

There were even countless students striving just to get an invitation.

But I, I declined.

And continued without much emotion.

“I’ve already decided where I’m going.”

I had already chosen the club I would join. But because of his death, there was no longer any reason to go.

So since I didn’t even need the club points that factored into my grades, I wasn’t planning on joining at all…

But I just learned something from this event.

With this level of attention, it was almost a certainty.

‘Yoon Chae-ha is coming.’

I will join the same club as her, the one who is about to come here.

“So… listen, friend. What I’m proposing here is….”

The senior in front of me, still seemingly unable to comprehend, continued to explain.

Something’s a little off, she shouldn’t be this persistent.

Usually, the Frontier would turn and leave without a second glance if they were rejected.

Just then, someone, from beside me, refused the offered card.

I turned to see who it was.

Sion.

She bowed slightly to the senior, and spoke.

“I’m sorry, Senior. We’ve already made plans together.”

Sion pushed him away with a bright smile.

The senior bit his lip, looking disappointed, but didn’t say anything more.

Seeing this, Sion immediately grabbed my wrist and walked away.

Once we were some distance down the hallway, she finally spoke.

“Ugh… Honestly, why is that senior so clingy?”

“Trying to hold on when someone clearly doesn’t want to, honestly.”

I stared at her.

Then, I said playfully,

“Who said we were doing anything together?”

She flinched, startled.

“Ahem, we *are* going to join a club together, right? The last one was… a bit unfortunate, but I looked into a few others.”

The place we arrived at was Gaon’s main hall.

There, a massive monitor displayed the exchange event in real-time.

On the left, Kalos, on the right, Gaon.

The colors that symbolized each academy glittered, as students’ names moved across the screen with flamboyant effects.

-Ooh!

Students erupted in cheers. Sion, who had been chattering, also turned her attention to the screen.

It was the moment Dave, who had been ranked 10th in Gaon, transferred to Kalos.

He was a student who specialized in magic. He must have decided that Gaon wasn’t the right fit for him after all, and chose Kalos.

His name glowed as it drifted towards Kalos.

I waited.

Somehow, I had a good feeling.

Sion also watched the scene carefully, then edged closer to me.

“…Nothing much there, huh? The exchange event. Nothing really worth paying attention to….”

She asked cautiously. But I didn’t answer.

That moment.

“Huh?”

“Is that for real?”

[1st Place: Joo Seo-jun]

[5th Place: Yoon Chae-ha]

Two names, tinged with a blue light, slowly drifted towards the center.

And, Sion, who was watching it all unfold, inhaled sharply.

She blinked a few times, then rechecked the monitor.

Her lips parted slightly, then pressed closed again.

And slowly—

So very slowly, she turned her head towards me.

I happened to be looking at her too.

Our gazes met, silently.

I opened my mouth, casually.

“Looks like I won’t be able to do club activities with you, unfortunately.”

I shifted my gaze back to the monitor.

The names, bathed in that blue light, settled into place at the center, leaving afterimages behind.

I quietly smiled, gazing at the screen.