Chapter 84
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: I Won't Tolerate Injustice
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I won't tolerate injustice.
Young-su pocketed the cash and strutted back into the PC bang with his head held high.
The moment he pushed open the door and dropped into his seat, Chang-hee shot him a sidelong glance and sneered.
"Hey, back quicker than I thought. Did Mommy and Daddy spot you some allowance?"
Young-su gave Chang-hee a cold look and snapped back.
"Yeah, I got money now, so shut up and play your game."
His tone dripped with irritation, making it clear he was in no mood.
Chang-hee clammed up, not daring to push further.
With Young-su flashing cash, there was no room left to nitpick.
Originally, the friends had planned for about five hours each at the PC bang.
By lunchtime, they'd been glued to their games long enough that hunger started kicking in.
Young-su had 100,000 won burning a hole in his pocket.
For an 18-year-old high schooler, that was no small change.
Feeling flush, Young-su leisurely scanned the menu.
"Man, I'm starving. Gotta get something."
These days, PC bangs were practically restaurants— you could order right from your seat.
Without hesitation, Young-su picked the priciest item: bulgogi beef rice bowl.
The other friends eyed him enviously.
Even Chang-hee snuck glances, swallowing hard.
Then Young-su casually asked,
"You guys not eating?"
The friends looked awkward as they replied,
"Nah... we only brought enough for gaming."
Young-su thought for a second, then said generously,
"Want me to cover you?"
Their faces lit up instantly.
"For real? We can mooch off you?"
Young-su nodded easily.
"Sure, but next time you get allowance, you owe me one."
Everyone except Chang-hee grinned and chimed in,
"Deal! Next allowance, our treat for you!"
At that moment, Young-su deliberately avoided looking at Chang-hee even once.
He ordered for all the others, skipping Chang-hee entirely.
Chang-hee stared blankly, finally blurting out in frustration, but Young-su cut him off firmly.
"Didn't you just say I shouldn't spend any more? So handle your own food."
Chang-hee flushed with shock and anger, but his own words from earlier tied his tongue.
He just bit his lip and fumed silently.
After hours of gaming, time was up, and the friends left the PC bang looking satisfied.
Outside, Young-su stretched and said,
"Ahh, that was fun. Catch you next time."
The others smiled brightly and split off.
Only Chang-hee trailed behind alone, face sour as he headed home.
Two days later, Jin-seong got a call from the police.
Good news: the thief was caught. They wanted him down at the station.
He changed clothes and headed straight over.
At the station, in a dim corner, sat a kid with his head hung low, looking utterly defeated.
Jin-seong stared in disbelief.
"That's the bike thief?"
The officer nodded awkwardly.
"Yes. Problem is, someone already bought the bike, and they won't return it, so recovery's tricky."
Jin-seong was at a loss for words.
Then the station doors burst open. In stormed a couple—the kid's parents.
The mother exploded at the cops the second she saw them.
"How dare you drag my kid—who's supposed to be in school—here like this? What were you thinking? Trying to humiliate him?"
Jin-seong couldn't believe it.
"Excuse me, humiliation aside, isn't your son the one who stole my bike?"
The mother whirled on him, even more furious.
"That stupid bike—what's it worth? You went to his school and shamed him in front of everyone? What kind of stunt is this?"
Jin-seong drew a line.
"Simple fix then: buy me a new one. If it's no big deal to you, just compensate me clean."
The father jumped in, irritated and loud.
"Enough already! We'll cover the damn bike. Let our kid go!"
Jin-seong nodded to the officer.
"Sounds good to me. If the parents are paying up, I'm fine."
He pulled out his phone and shoved the screen at them.
"Here's the purchase receipt and photos. Take a good look."
Their faces froze solid the instant they saw it.
The bluster drained away, leaving them pale as ghosts.
The number on the receipt was unmistakable.
14,000,000 won
Silence blanketed the station.
The parents stammered, speechless.
Jin-seong smirked lightly at their shock.
Truth be told, Young-su's parents were just ordinary folks.
Nothing special—raising their kid day by day like anyone else.
But as the saying goes, "Speak kindly to receive kindness in return." If they'd started with a sincere apology to Jin-seong, things might not have blown up.
Instead, without hearing the full story, they'd yelled at the victim right off the bat.
That was the mistake.
Jin-seong was human too.
He was already pissed about the stolen bike, and then the parents turned their rage on him.
When they offered to replace it, he inwardly cheered but played it cool on the surface.
Watching their jaws drop was satisfying in its own way.
Meanwhile, the parents nearly fainted at the price.
A bike worth used-car money? Their minds reeled.
After Jin-seong left and they picked up Young-su, they tore into him at home.
"Why steal? Why take someone else's bike?!"
Young-su sniffled, head down.
"I'm sorry... I had no idea it was that expensive."
His parents were floored.
"Couldn't scrape together 10,000 won for PC bang, so you stole a 14-million-won bike? Are you insane?"
As a last resort, they told him to contact the buyer from Carrot Market.
But the buyer had already resold it.
They clutched their phones, staring blankly in despair.
Legally, the buyer had done nothing wrong.
Just snagged a legit deal at a steal.
That evening, Young-su's parents finally owned up to his guilt and talked it out gravely.
The father sighed deeply.
"We should've apologized to the victim first and talked it through. We pushed too hard. Oh well, we'll pay up."
The mother hung her head, voice weak.
"Ugh... this boils my blood. If we'd just given him 10,000 won back then, none of this."
Too late for regrets.
Their perfect kid's first screw-up was a colossal disaster. All they could do was laugh bitterly.
The father told his wife again,
"Next time, just give him cash. Sounds like his pride got bruised. Why let the kid get humiliated over pocket change outside?"
She sighed heavily.
"Got it... we'll do that."
In the end, the only winner was the Carrot Market buyer who'd scored the bike cheap.
Jin-seong lost his bike and wasted time and energy chasing it.
Young-su's parents lost a fortune they never saw coming.
But right then, that buyer was grilling thick slabs of premium beef, idly picking his ear in bliss.
"Who's badmouthing me? Mmm, this beef melts in your mouth~"
He savored the gift fate dropped in his lap.
People with endless money and time usually dive into booze, women, gambling, drugs—the thrill-seeking stuff.
Back in his master agent days, Jin-seong had joked to his underlings,
"A guy who only does one of booze, women, or gambling is a loser. But the one who does all three? That's a real man."
Of course, it was half in jest—but there was truth to it.
Only those drowning in cash could pull that off.
No money, no thrills.
Yet Jin-seong himself, flush with cash and free time, had zero interest in that scene.
He'd drunk enough booze for ten lifetimes.
Gambling? Overdone during his master agent stint.
Women? Between girlfriends and paid ones, he'd gone through thousands—no exaggeration.
So those temptations barely registered anymore.
Aside from the occasional fling, nothing sparked excitement.
If he'd held back in his youth, skimping on fun, he might've gone wild now with late-blooming urges.
But he'd lived flashier than anyone, indulged to burnout.
No lingering cravings left.
Now he preferred quiet days.
Having sampled most pleasures, he savored the ordinary calm.
Today's hassle irked Jin-seong plenty.
But from his view, it was a fresh, intriguing twist.
He'd never been bike-jacked before—made for an entertaining episode.
He wouldn't bully others unprovoked.
But injustice coming his way? No tolerance.
This was capitalist society—money was power.
Jin-seong knew it best and wielded his weapon sharp.
He wouldn't let anyone off easy for screwing him over.
This case was no different.