IRLPLBIO Chapter 4 Part 2

“Really? Don’t you want one? Is there a model you prefer?”

“Enough, I’m going out for a bit.”

“…Alright.”

Han Seong-cheol’s brows furrowed slightly. It was a sign he was displeased.

The old Jae-gu would have reacted immediately. Because he was a loyal dog.

But now, he openly turned his back and left. He already knew that hanging around with someone who would pester him about something trivial like a phone, and then frown when he didn’t like the answer, would only lead to trouble.

There weren’t many places Jae-gu could ditch class and escape to. Surprisingly, there weren’t many hiding spots in the school.

Special classrooms and places like the gym were all locked. This was because in an all-boys school, there were too many guys who would just gather and cause trouble whenever they found an empty space.

In the end, Jae-gu squatted in the backyard. It was quiet with no one around, perfect for organizing his thoughts.

“Oh, Jae-gu! You were here!”

However, his time to think alone lasted less than five minutes. A friend, who somehow knew where he was, quickly followed and spoke to him.

“Ha! I knew you’d be here if I came this way!”

“…Aren’t you listening in class?”

“I don’t even know what they’re saying. They keep using English and blabbering…”

“You still have to study. Later, no matter what you try to do, things only work out if you have some knowledge.”

“Oh, come on. Yang Jae-gu, speaking in the Seoul dialect and even talking like an old Kkon-dae.”

He was dumbfounded. He, who had gotten along well with his subordinates until he was over forty, never imagined he’d hear a word like ‘Kkon-dae’ now that he was younger.

Then, a thought suddenly struck him.

A boss over forty who still hangs out with his subordinates—isn’t that exactly a Kkon-dae?

While Jae-gu was speechless due to this belated realization, his friend insolently draped an arm over Jae-gu’s shoulder.

“Both you and I are in a position where counting from the back is faster, buddy. Get your head straight, Mr. Yang Jae-gu.”

“…I’m better off than you.”

“Huh? Are you serious?”

“This bastard, I’ve been letting it slide, but now…”

“No, no, I’m not trying to mess with you. Did you hit your head or something? Let me see!”

His utterly unhelpful friend was messing around again. He even rummaged through Jae-gu’s hair, trying to see if there was a wound.

Jae-gu immediately put him in a headlock, retaliating. Then, he kindly spoke to the guy who was choking and tapping his forearm, making gasping noises.

“Let’s make a bet.”

“Hey! Let go and talk!”

“A bet on our grades.”

The guy who had been tapping Jae-gu’s forearm finally stopped talking. He cleaned out his ear as if he’d heard something unbelievable and asked again, “What did you say?”

“After this exam, whoever gets better grades gets their wish granted.”

Jae-gu was confident. Even if he hadn’t been good at studying in high school, he now had the experience accumulated over twenty more years of life and the knowledge he had gained from studying what was needed at the time. He was certainly better than some idiot who was already skipping classes.

He temporarily ignored the fact that he was also ditching class. After quickly rationalizing that he couldn’t help it because Han Seong-cheol kept bothering him, his mind felt light.

But his friend’s expression was strange.

“You want to grant my wish that badly? I didn’t know our Jae-gu felt that way, sorry~”

“Are you crazy?”

“It’s true, you’ve never gotten better grades than me. At best, you’re a little better than the jocks, and I at least make it to average, so a bet on grades is… cough, cough! H-handicap! I surrender!”

As he tightened his grip around the guy’s neck, Jae-gu thought.

Was I really that much of a mess back then?

Indeed, it felt strange from the moment he came to school, only to skip classes and not even have a textbook.

But now, he had to live properly. He had fallen for Han Seong-cheol’s persuasion, promising him a position if he succeeded, precisely because he knew nothing but how to throw punches. If he had put some ink in his head earlier, he wouldn’t have followed Han Seong-cheol. Even now, he avoided Han Seong-cheol because he was older and had more life experience, didn’t he?

Jae-gu, who had been filling himself with unnecessary confidence, asked the friend who was hanging out with him.

“By the way, what was your name again?”