Chapter 1
Chapter 1
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: With the God of Law
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[Around 9 PM on the 20th, Kim (unnamed) from Nokrim-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, hanged himself with an electrical wire out of despair from repeatedly failing the Judicial Examination. Police...]
"Ha, come on. Why go and die like that? He's got so much life ahead of him."
"Don't talk like some old geezer."
Kang Hyun scratched his head while scrolling through NewTube and stumbling upon the news.
A second-year at Korea High School, who used textbooks as pillows and reference books as blankets, he couldn't relate at all to someone killing themselves over failing an exam.
"See you tomorrow."
"Kang Hyun, why aren't you going that way?"
"Taking the shortcut."
"Alright, see you tomorrow."
Kang Hyun parted ways with his friend, humming a tune as he ducked into a narrow alley to get home a bit faster.
Passing through the rundown alley lined with seedy boarding houses, he recalled the news from earlier.
'Man, what a tough world.'
At eighteen, did he have no worries? Sure, there was the College Scholastic Ability Test and all that, but all he wanted was to live happily in a nice house, eating good food. Reality had other plans.
"Mom looks exhausted too."
He thought of his mother, who shed tears in hiding whenever those suited men came calling periodically.
'What a shitty situation.'
Kang Hyun let out a deep sigh as he looked up at the shabby, densely packed high-rises of the boarding house district.
"...?"
As if mirroring his thoughts, a man sat on the railing atop the building above him, smoking a cigarette.
Something felt off.
"What... is that?"
Sitting on the edge of the railing like that seemed pretty dangerous.
Uh, uh, uh?
"Uh!"
The man flew into the air.
His head, floating as if walking on air, aligned perfectly with the tiny moon in the sky.
"Ah! Shit...!"
Then, his body twisted midair at bullet speed, plummeting straight toward Kang Hyun like a rocket or missile.
It was a split-second moment where dodging wasn't even an option.
"Dam...!"
Boom! Crash!
On an ordinary day,
the frontal lobes of a presumed perennial Judicial Examination prep student and Kang Hyun's frontal lobe collided violently.
1.
[Around 10 PM on the 21st, Lee (unnamed) from near the university district boarding houses in Seoul jumped from an 8-story building out of despair from repeatedly failing the Judicial Examination, landing on a passerby. Fortunately, both are reported to be uninjured...]
"Gasp!"
"Whoa, that startled me. Hey, kid, you with us?"
The somewhat older nurse nearby quickly calmed Kang Hyun as he bolted upright.
"...Yeah. I think I'm okay."
"That's a relief. Anywhere hurt?"
"...Doesn't seem like it."
"Your mom was here since last night and just left a bit ago. You lost your phone, right? Want me to call her?"
"Ah... yeah, please. Thanks. She's probably at work since it's her shift. Appreciate it."
His mother, working a contract cleaning job, had pulled an all-nighter here before heading to work. What a filial son he was.
She stood, did a few checks, then continued.
"You really dodged a bullet, kid. Hairline fracture in your skull, but that's lucky considering. Who imagines a guy falling from the sky?"
Hearing that brought back a flash of memory from before he blacked out.
"How much time has passed?"
"It's morning the next day. 7:30 AM."
"What about that guy?"
"Who?"
"The one who fell."
"Oh... Still unconscious, they say. He needs to wake up..."
"Yeah. If he stays in a coma, no legal responsibility, so no basis for damages. If he dies, we'd have to go after his heirs—complicated process..."
Her eyes widened at Kang Hyun's sudden outburst, and she blinked.
"Pardon?"
"Isn't that right? Under Civil Code Article 750, the tortfeasor must have capacity for responsibility to be subject to criminal prosecution, and only with criminal punishment does general tort liability establish, allowing a civil suit."
The nurse stared at Kang Hyun preaching legal theory, her face a mix of disbelief.
Only then did Kang Hyun realize something was wrong.
"...That's what I saw on NewTube. Still half-asleep, spouting nonsense..."
He scratched the back of his head with an awkward grin, avoiding her gaze.
"Why is this happening? What's going on!?"
Kang Hyun, head wrapped tightly in bandages, hurried home.
Just yesterday, he could barely tell white paper from black ink.
Yet moments ago, he'd earnestly explained liability for damages to the nurse.
No, the issue wasn't that—he'd rattled off legal knowledge he'd never studied, like a madman.
'The guy committed a tort by crashing into me, negligent injury, so unlawful act. With capacity, he cracked my skull, so damages apply! If he just wakes up... Ah, no!'
Something was definitely wrong.
"No! That's not the point! Why me!?"
Even now, he panicked at himself thinking Article 750, not 760, was the right application.
Then he froze.
Screech!
"Hey! Watch where you're going? Bike coming—how you gonna walk like that?"
"What? Don't you know Road Traffic Act Article 27 Paragraph 1? Tram drivers must stop temporarily to not hinder or endanger pedestrians crossing at crosswalks, etc.?"
The cyclist recoiled in shock at Kang Hyun's machine-gun barrage.
"...S-sorry."
"Ah, I mean... On narrow roads without cars, slow speed is enough... Not that... Sorry!"
Kang Hyun bolted away.
'Am I crazy? Hit my head and lost it?'
Slam.
Splash. Splutter.
Bursting into the bathroom at home, he splashed cold water on his face and stared in the mirror.
"...Can head injuries do this? Need rest. Yeah, rest."
Drained, he flopped onto his bed.
Then...
Constitution, Criminal Code, Civil Code, Commercial Code, Criminal Procedure Code, Civil Procedure Code, Road Traffic Act, Medical Service Act, National Spatial Information Basic Act, Intelligent Informatization Basic Act, Green Transformation Act...
Unknown information flooded his mind.
"Agh! Stop!"
No other explanation but he'd lost his mind.
Why was this happening to him!?
"First... They said over two weeks of outpatient treatment, so get the diagnosis and injury assessment for damages early... No!"
Frustrated, he smacked his bandaged head and lay down.
"...Just rest till Mom gets home."
Kang Hyun steadied his breathing, calming his mind. He tried his best to empty his thoughts.
His breathing evened out, and soon he drifted off.
His mind in chaos, and his body exhausted from the shocking impact of a burly man crashing from the sky, both needed recovery.
Time flew by in a blink.
"Mmm."
Feeling refreshed, Kang Hyun stirred, stretching.
Evening already, no sounds—Mom not home yet.
"Whew."
The rest had pushed back the swirling thoughts somewhat.
"When's she coming?"
He'd briefly spoken to her from the hospital; her voice mixed relief and worry.
"Actually, no idea when."
For a moment, he wondered if he'd been too indifferent to her.
A single mom with just one son. How must she have felt, unable to even take off work when he was hurt...
He'd tried ignoring their poverty, but it stung now.
Then.
Ding-dong. Ding-dong.
"Who is it?"
Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding!
"What the..."
Someone was mashing the doorbell, making his head throb again.
Irritated, he gripped his numb leg and limped to the door, pondering who it could be.
'Min-su worried and came by?'
Unlikely. School wasn't out yet.
Even if he skipped early out of worry, he'd call the house or Mom, not pound the bell.
Bang bang! Bang!
-Open the door!
"...!"
After the racket and an angry voice outside, Kang Hyun realized who it was.
'Debt collectors? Better stay quiet.'
Bang bang! Bang!
-Hey! We know you're in there!
-Come out!
The situation outside sounded bad.
Even after the family went bust, Kang Hyun had never faced creditors. Mom shielded him fiercely, keeping them away from the house if danger loomed.
When she suddenly told him to go to a PC bang or crash at a friend's, that was the signal.
'I was so oblivious.'
He knew but pretended not to.
Or maybe he didn't want to know.
Bang bang!
-Open up!
Bang bang—the sharp yells outside weren't from one or two people. They'd curse demanding money, then sob and beg.
Thinking back, they were victims too.
Bang bang bang!
-Open! Give me my money!
As time passed, the furious growls and groans grew louder.
Kang Hyun, silently listening at the door, slumped bitterly to the floor.
'Why do we live like this?'
Bang bang!
-Please, give me the money!
Their cries began tearing at his chest.
His naive mom, trying to do good, went from office worker to stock scammer overnight.
Chased to this rundown hillside slum, but they showed no pity for Kang Hyun and his mother.
'Will it always be like this?'
He realized how sheltered he'd been, like a flower in a greenhouse.
Mom bore the world's storms alone; he'd just hidden behind her.
As self-reproach and anxiety over the future engulfed him,
Crash!
-There she is!
-Grab that woman!
The commotion outside died down, their anger turning to someone.
Kang Hyun's mother.
"Mom..."
The sounds faded away, and fear made him stumble back a few steps. He stood frozen at the door for a while.
Then, a spark.
He snapped to.
"I can't live like this!"
Kang Hyun gritted his teeth.
He was lacking, clueless, but he had to do something. Couldn't just let it drift.
Had to try.
Slam!
He flung the door open and charged out.
"Mom! Mom!"
"What? Her brat's here too?"
Kang Hyun desperately blocked them.
"Uncles! Get your hands off! You..."
But he couldn't continue.
What stopped him was his mother, tear-streaked, on her knees begging.
"Run and it's over?"
But perhaps only Kang Hyun pitied her. A burly man raised a massive hand toward her.
She was about to get hit.
In that instant, Kang Hyun's eyes sharpened.
"You! Criminal Code Article 261, special assault—using group intimidation or carrying dangerous objects: up to 5 years imprisonment or 10 million won fine! You're showing group force, on the verge of assault. Drop that hand now?"
"What the hell's this kid saying?"
"Kid, don't wanna see ugly stuff? Go back inside quiet!"
A man stepped in front of Kang Hyun.
"You! Criminal Code Article 284, same group intimidation for Article 283 Paragraph 1 threat: up to 3 years or 500k fine! Watch your mouth!"
"What? This little shit..."
"You swore again! I'm recording, calling cops—keep going! Threat's semi-consent non-punishable, you know? If you're arrested, beg me. Got it?"
No phone for recording, no plan to call police. So why this courage?
"Ha, kid. You know what your mom's done, pulling this?"
The sneering group loomed over his kneeling mother, hair disheveled, looking up at him.
"...Kang Hyun, go inside."
"No!"
Kang Hyun stepped forward.
"Did Mom blow your money or steal it—does that justify this? We got scammed too! Won't pay? Then settle it legally, properly!"
"Legally? What law!"
Leaving Mom behind, they closed in on Kang Hyun.
Five of them.
"Ka... Kang Hyun!"
But Kang Hyun's eyes blazed fiercer, refusing to back down.