Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Apprehending the Library Thieves
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‘Wonder what we’ll score today~’
Kim Hyuk-su was a student at Hanram High School.
Lately, he’d picked up a fun new hobby. He and his friends would lie in wait at the library reading room, and when the owner of a spot left their stuff behind and stepped away briefly, they’d swipe the unattended items.
This library they’d staked out was far from both school and home, making it a safe bet.
It was easy to work without drawing the eyes of those so-called “delinquents,” and the library had plenty of blind spots without cameras, perfect for keeping watch.
Even better, when stuff went missing, the staff just brushed it off—they wouldn’t dream of calling the police or even checking bags.
“Sweet gig again today.”
“Tch, just a few used books. Pens are cheap junk too.”
“Think of it as our daily haul.”
“Haul? More effort selling it on ‘Dangun Market.’”
They’d gotten organized now. Two friends always kept watch while he stuffed the loot into his bag, then they’d fence it at secondhand shops or junk dealers.
It was surprisingly lucrative, and just recently, they’d scored a laptop and made it his own.
But like Kang Hyun said, did starting with needles lead to stealing cows?
“This isn’t cutting it.”
Getting too good at petty theft had given Kim Hyuk-su bigger dreams. Dreams of a real score, and even a plan to make it happen.
“When you find a spot packed with clueless idiots like this, why settle? Sticking small-time crap under someone’s nose?”
Now he was eyeing pricier valuables.
Tablets, phones, rings.
Didn’t matter. Keep at the small stuff like this for about two weeks until the staff calmed down, then clean the place out and liquidate.
“Those idiots can’t catch us anyway. We’ve done it a bunch already and they’ve never called the cops once. We could scale this up. What do you think?”
As he muttered, his two friends—who always agreed—stayed weirdly silent.
“What’s up? Why the dead air… Huh? Who’s that guy?”
Two big guys stood in front of them.
One tall with a handsome face, the other with a fierce scowl, a sports head, and dark skin.
The mean-looking one even held a baseball bat in one hand, tapping it threateningly against his shoulder. Both looked seriously pissed at them.
As Kim Hyuk-su flinched, the fierce one drawled lazily.
“Hey, Kang Hyun. Kim Hyuk-su’s here.”
“Good thing he hasn’t gone home yet.”
The handsome one grinned at the fierce guy’s words.
“Wh-what’re you saying?”
“Hey, Kim Hyuk-su! Let’s check your bag. Give back my certification book you took.”
“Wh-what…?”
“We know everything, so no point denying it. Open the bag? Or open it after a bat to the face?”
Kang Hyun signaled Han Hyun-ho with his eyes from beside him, where he was pretending to swing the baseball bat in anger.
It started from the idea that they’d have nowhere to stash stolen goods but school, and bam—they’d nailed the whole crew on the first try. Everything clicked perfectly.
“Kim Hyuk-su, An Jong-han, Im Seok-jin. Wonder how we know your names?”
As Han Hyun-ho menaced and stepped closer, they faltered back.
“No running now. Hand over the bags.”
They were three, Kang Hyun’s side two.
Numbers didn’t matter. The vibe was crushed—they kept retreating under the pressure. Looked like rookies after all.
But Kim Hyuk-su’s crew wasn’t going quietly. They started blustering nonsense.
“Got proof? Why should we show our bags?”
“What school you from? We’re ‘Hanram Thunder Gang,’ you punks!”
Han Hyun-ho burst out laughing at how cute they were.
“Hahaha, putting on a show. Hey! That scary to show your bags? You punks never even seen the inside of a cell?”
Kang Hyun looked down on their pathetic chatter and delivered the ultimatum he’d prepared.
“You three! Admit it here, write a repayment pledge, and we won’t call the cops. Just by the list dates, that’s 18 thefts. Even without priors, Juvenile Law means straight No. 9 disposition.”
Kim Hyuk-su’s crew froze solid.
But Kang Hyun wasn’t done.
“Or come at us.”
With “come at us,” Han Hyun-ho tossed them the bat he’d prepped.
Clang!
“…?”
“Hey, small fry! Grab that and charge. Bet we still win.”
Stunned for a beat, the three finally got they were being baited and started cursing up a storm.
“These beggar bastards lost it? Fuck, you wanna die that bad?”
“Hey! Let’s smash ’em.”
Naturally, Kim Hyuk-su grabbed the bat and charged like they were mobsters.
Meanwhile, Kang Hyun and Han Hyun-ho exchanged knowing glances, took defensive stances, and backed up.
This was all Kang Hyun’s plan to provoke them.
Oblivious, Kim Hyuk-su lost it and swung wildly. Han Hyun-ho dodged by a hair and yelled.
“Mobsters killing people!”
Then the other two circled Kang Hyun, fists up. He defended and shouted back.
“Not content with theft? Now trying to assault people too?”
The two flew into a rage, lunging to grab him.
Kang Hyun dodged nimbly while needling them, keeping an eye on bat-wielding Kim Hyuk-su. Luckily, Han Hyun-ho had him handled.
Han Hyun-ho deftly evaded. His size alone suggested he could snatch the bat from these scrawny high school punks, but he blocked with raised arms and retreated.
Almost like he was letting a few connect lightly.
‘Not bad.’
Kang Hyun handled the tussle well too. Decent athleticism, past scraps with friends, liked boxing—quick on his feet.
‘Just a bit more…’
Even these skinny cowards charging posed no threat.
But he never swung once, just retreated.
Unnoticed, they were luring them from the narrow school back alley toward the main road.
And then—
Beep beep! Beep beep!
“Wh-what’s that?”
“What’s the noise!”
The sudden commotion confused them.
“What else? Cops.”
Kang Hyun and Han Hyun-ho, who’d planned it all, just grinned at each other.
They casually dusted off and stepped aside as sirens wailed and patrol cars pulled up to the main road by school.
Spotlights soon swept over Kang Hyun and Kim Hyuk-su’s crew.
Kang Hyun had called them.
“You know if they actually hit, you’re done for?”
Grinning relaxed for a sec, Kang Hyun bellowed loud enough for the cops.
“Help! They’re assaulting us!”
Han Hyun-ho, loving it, yelled without losing his smirk.
“Save us! They’re beating us with a bat!”
To arriving cops, it looked like chaos: amped-up thugs mercilessly beating Kang Hyun and Han Hyun-ho.
Perfect match for the report—especially with one wielding a bat?
“Dispatch, one unit here. Hanram High front gate, looks like mob assault. Send backup.”
“You’re special assault perps! Stop now, hands back!”
“Drop the weapon, hands up!”
Stunned by the rushing cops, Kim Hyuk-su’s crew froze, hands up.
Darkness hid details, so cops swarmed, roughly subduing them.
Riled by the force, the punks started thrashing.
“Ah, fuck, we didn’t do shit!”
“Those bastards didn’t even get hit, they started it!”
“I’m not with them!”
Kim Hyuk-su, An Jong-han, Im Seok-jin tried salvaging in their own ways, but too late. Kim Hyuk-su was already cuffed.
Cops approached Kang Hyun and Han Hyun-ho, who’d backed off dusting dirt.
“Kids, you okay? Hurt?”
“Uh… yeah. This one and that one hit us.”
“Think I took thirty bat swings to the leg. Ow, my leg!”
Han Hyun-ho suddenly plopped down beside him, moaning dramatically.
‘Let’s see how they play this.’
That was phase one.
Now just negotiation for reform left.
“Kim Hyuk-su. Couldn’t you dial it back? Why mouth off to cops and crash in holding? Tsk tsk.”
Kang Hyun sat beside disheveled, hunched Kim Hyuk-su in the station holding cell.
“Get lost.”
“For real? Hmm, but… if I go, you’re getting a special assault record? Came to help, and you want me gone?”
“Wh-what…?”
Seeing terror flood Kim Hyuk-su’s eyes, Kang Hyun smiled cutely.
“I’ll explain the situation, so listen up.”
The guy eyed him distrustfully, but Kang Hyun pressed on.
“First off, you got nabbed on-site as special assault perps. Sure, behave for the cops here and maybe a warning, but investigation rolls on.”
“What? Why?”
“Don’t get it? No settlement from us, you’re prosecuted for special assault—prosecutor’s office, trial, community service, juvenile probation, red mark on record. Too late for regrets then. Got it?”
“F-f-fuck.”
“Hey now, still no manners? I’m out.”
“S-sorry!”
Kim Hyuk-su’s tough act crumbled. As Kang Hyun stood, he scrambled over with a pathetic look.
“My bad. I’ll return your stuff, so settle?”
“Huh? That all? You didn’t just take ours.”
Kang Hyun unfurled the stolen goods list he’d prepped from the library. The guy’s eyes shook wildly.
Mindless deeds turning into major crimes, closing in.
“Value-wise, maybe three or four hundred. Replacing? More. Gotta return or compensate, right?”
“N-no money now. Sorry, please…”
“Dunno if cops buy ‘sorry.’ I’m giving you a shot. Straight report? Like I said, 18 thefts.”
“Th-theft?”
“Yeah. Theft! You thought nothing of it, but that’s theft. Anyway, compensation’s a must.”
Kim Hyuk-su finally seemed to grasp his screw-up.
“Anyway, beyond that, proper apologies to all victims. I’ll tell you exactly how.”
“M-money…”
“Tell your folks, get a job.”
At Kang Hyun’s firm tone, Kim Hyuk-su grimaced, tears flowing like a kid’s.
“Sniff, sob, sorry. Didn’t mean for this…”
“What, a baby? Never thought it through? Anyway, call tomorrow when you’re out.”
Kang Hyun turned and left after that.