IRLPLBIO Chapter 7 Part 2

“It’s not that I’m accepting it, it’s that I’m taking it! I almost threw up just now.”

Joo Hae-jun was now clinging to Park Kwang-cheol.

Park Kwang-cheol laughed as if amused, but a look of discomfort briefly crossed his face. It was a relief that they had found a spot in the lounge, as Jae-gu probably wouldn’t have adjusted to the quiet study room, but that didn’t mean they could keep chattering.

Jae-gu instinctively knew. After his hyungs had gone to the trouble of securing a study spot for them, Park Kwang-cheol would be dumbfounded if they just kept chattering. He shouldn’t be causing trouble for his good dongsaeng, let alone helping him.

“Joo Hae-jun. I’ll buy you chocolate milk if you shut up.”

“…Three.”

“Don’t be greedy for something you can’t even finish.”

“Only three? Were you trying to shut my mouth with just one?”

“…Alright. Then two.”

“You stingy bastard, Jae-gu.”

“Fine, then one.”

“No, no, two! I’ll take two!”

After several attempts at negotiation, a dramatic compromise was reached. Park Kwang-cheol, who had been watching Jae-gu and Joo Hae-jun bickering with amusement, spoke.

“The snack bar is in the basement. Hyung, I’ll have banana milk.”

“…Thaanks.”

Jae-gu, sulking, grumbled curtly.

Park Kwang-cheol, who had been laughing softly, discreetly handed his wallet under the table. He seemed to be worried that Jae-gu might not have money.

However, Jae-gu was not such a terrible hyung as to steal even a child’s wallet. Pretending not to see Park Kwang-cheol’s wallet, he got up and headed to the basement snack bar.

Even with the exhaust fan running continuously, the air in the snack bar was humid. Still, it felt much closer than upstairs. This was because, throughout his past and future lives, Jae-gu had been more accustomed to eating and enjoying himself than studying.

But not anymore.

Jae-gu, nodding to himself, picked up the ordered drinks. He had absentmindedly grabbed the largest size but, after seeing the price tag, switched to the smaller size.

Jae-gu’s wallet was very light. This was because he had stopped extorting money.

He hadn’t known it when he was young, but after following Han Seong-cheol to Seoul, Jae-gu had never been short of money. It was embarrassing to be in a situation where he barely had enough money to buy chocolate milk and banana milk.

Still, his choice was the right one. Jae-gu was certain once again.

A life spent extorting money from others was never proper. The current minor inconvenience was bearable if he considered it a stepping stone to living a decent life.

Moreover, Park Kwang-cheol now had a mischievous streak. He wondered where that came from.

Park Kwang-cheol, who used to speak only in boring, rigid tones, seemed to have known how to gently tease him when he was younger.

Park Kwang-cheol quickly focused on his studies. While most middle school students chattered incessantly and couldn’t sit still for long, Park Kwang-cheol seemed different.

This must be what they call a promising bud.

As a proper analogy came to mind, Jae-gu immediately swelled with pride. He felt as if his mind had already improved. It seemed that the scattered words he had picked up in his previous life were now organizing themselves within his sharp young mind.

Was it alright to suddenly stand out like this? His school teachers, his aunt, and even Park Kwang-cheol would be surprised!

Jae-gu, who had been idly floating on clouds, stared blankly for a moment at the textbook Joo Hae-jun pushed towards him.

“…Huh?”

“I gave you something easy because I was afraid you’d fall asleep if I gave you math or English right away. Read that first. Just read straight through it.”

“……”

“The test covers from here to here. I got a text about it earlier. Unlike you, I’m actually pretty good at school.”

Joo Hae-jun boasted. But whether he did or not, Joo Hae-jun’s voice was already inaudible to Jae-gu.

Jae-gu buried his head in the science textbook spread before him, his eyes wide, as if he were being sucked into it. The content, including the illustrations, explained parts he had never known.

[Third Sexual Characteristics: Manifestation

Unlike secondary sexual characteristics, which manifest physical traits of male and female in all people, this change only occurs in those with a secondary gender.

Individuals are divided into Alphas, who possess masculine characteristics based on fertility, and Omegas, who possess feminine characteristics; non-secondary gender individuals are referred to as Betas, following their biological sex.

If biological sex and the manifested secondary gender differ, the anatomical structure of the reproductive organs may change.]