Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Special Management Education Activity
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"Yo, Kang Hyun. What's up?"
A group of students approached, greeting him in high-pitched tones. In an instant, their faces filled with hostility as they surrounded Kang Hyun.
It was the Student Guidance Group.
"..."
As Kang Hyun turned his head, Park Dong-hee seemed to snap out of it and hurriedly backed away toward them.
"Kang Hyun, I hear you're on a roll these days?"
"Yeah, but what's this? Hiding in the corner on a date? With our top student, no less?"
The guy in front glared at Kang Hyun and her with sharp eyes, then spoke cuttingly.
"Park Dong-hee, what are you doing? Planning to stick around?"
"N-No, I gotta go..."
The guys snickered mockingly among themselves, muttering curses too low to hear, then dragged Park Dong-hee away with them.
In their place, a burly guy shoved his face right up to Kang Hyun's forehead.
'Eom Seok-ho.'
He was the leader of the school's New Legend Faction, rumored to have ties to local gangsters. They were small-time, but they had some pull internally. They'd caused plenty of trouble around school, but Kang Hyun, being ordinary, had never really crossed paths with them.
"Hey, do you know who I am?"
"Eom Seok-ho, right?"
"Oho! What an honor! The famous Kang Hyun knows my name?"
He patted Kang Hyun's shoulder a couple times while whispering, then suddenly raised his hand to slap his cheek.
"So? You here to pay respects?"
But before he could, Kang Hyun tilted his head up with a smirk.
"What the fuck, you crazy bastard!"
The guy's eyes followed involuntarily, and his hand dropped as curses flew. The CCTV camera was flashing down the hallway.
"Keh, ptoo! What a clown."
"Is that so?"
Kang Hyun smirked and shrugged his shoulders.
Indeed. Kang Hyun had anticipated this and chosen a spot with a quiet but active camera.
"You fucking punk, we'll see later."
In the end, Eom Seok-ho halted and took a few slow steps back.
"You're already being hunted, asshole. Eat up while you can before you croak!"
"You too."
As Kang Hyun fired back casually, the guy stepped closer again and whispered.
"Watch your back, bitch."
But Kang Hyun just smiled coolly.
"Will you, though?"
Flustered by Kang Hyun's relaxed expression, the guy twisted his face in all sorts of grimaces and stormed off.
"Hoo..."
Kang Hyun steadied his pounding heart and let out a small breath.
"Already exposed, huh..."
If the Student Guidance Group had targeted him, he was no longer just a bystander. It meant he couldn't avoid getting dragged in, no matter how hard he tried.
'Tch... What a shame.'
Today's goal had been to pry info out of Park Dong-hee, but it fell through at the last second.
Plus, now that this had played out once, Park Hyuk-su and his crew would surely block her from testifying somehow.
This operation was a bust.
But.
"A club run by Park Hyuk-su..."
He hadn't missed that hint entirely.
Kang Hyun quickened his steps.
Class ended, and the classroom grew chaotic with students heading out for dinner and those staying for self-study.
Kang Hyun sat lost in thought when Min-su nudged him.
"Not heading home?"
"Yeah, go on ahead. I've got stuff to do."
"Man, you're in full study mode now. Alright, grind hard. We're out!"
The kids poured out, and the room fell quiet.
Kang Hyun shot to his feet.
'Time to move.'
There was something to check based on Park Dong-hee's slip-up.
The school ran plenty of student support activities per the rules: after-school clubs, essay classes, etc. The one Kang Hyun suspected was the "autonomous clubs."
The idea was good—free club creation and activities to give students vision and direction. But there were tons of under-the-radar clubs run word-of-mouth, and oversight was laughably lax.
'What if Park Hyuk-su was using them to leak exam questions?'
It'd be perfect cover: looks legit from outside, free activity on campus, no interference, easy to gather and manage targets.
'And if the school turned a blind eye, even smoother.'
Top priority: hunt down the club list to confirm.
As far as he knew, he'd never heard of Park Hyuk-su running a club, and officially, no group listed him as advisor.
'Staff room first.'
His steps unconsciously passed the club bulletin board and headed for the staff room.
Knock knock.
"Anyone in?"
No response.
The door slid open.
Dinner time, maybe? The staff room was empty. He'd hoped to casually ask someone about clubs, but too late.
'Come back tomorrow?'
Frowning, Kang Hyun slipped inside cautiously, scanned Park Hyuk-su's desk, and grimaced.
'This'll drag on time.'
He had suspicions but no hard proof—barely better than square one.
If he could just shoot Jeong Eun-seong a message asking for any docs on Park Hyuk-su's shady club activities, it'd be simple.
But then,
Just as he turned to leave—
"...!?"
Something on Park Hyuk-su's desk caught his eye, stopping him cold.
'That...'
It could've been nothing, easy to overlook.
But in a flash, a core investigative principle gripped his mind.
-Evidence is small and trivial. Don't miss the scene's context—observe meticulously to seize it. "Band club catalog?"
Park Hyuk-su rarely taught properly, but he was a math teacher. Math had zero overlap with arts or PE, and no school club ever assigned a math teacher to band. Plus, no one had ever heard Park Hyuk-su liked music, and he'd never shown up to a single band performance. 'Why's this here...' And if it was just one sheet, Kang Hyun might not have batted an eye. But the catalog on Park Hyuk-su's desk was a meticulously compiled collection: performance schedules, practice periods, recruitment posters—all periodically printed by the band club. As if he needed to track their every move. 'Can't blame it on the band club having delinquents...' Suspicion deepened. Korea High School's band club had top students and Student Guidance Group thugs alike. Cool image of balancing studies and hobbies, but something felt off up close. Seriously, with strict oversight and packed study schedules, who had time? It felt like grasping the end of a tangled thread. 'Gotta check it out.' Band club was in the annex hall. Kang Hyun hurried out of the staff room, down the stairs, through the hall. He passed clusters of students heading back inside. Past the main building toward the annex, it was eerily quiet unlike the front. Dusk had fallen, surroundings dim; campus lights would blaze soon. Clunk, thud!
"Anyone there?"
Band club practice room. If his hunch was right, prime spot for gathering kids and leaking questions.
"..."
Kang Hyun crept in and scanned. But after poking around desks, shelves—nothing special. 'Wrong guess?' A bit deflated, he headed out but paused, thinking to check the performance hall last. The stage and hall were empty; his footsteps echoed boom boom through the annex. 'They did shows here sometimes.' Rare, but he remembered student assemblies with performances. 'Nothing here.' The vast hall had zilch noteworthy. 'What'd I miss...' Frustrated, his mind blanked. Wandering to the stage podium, he eyed the MC lectern.
"...?"
There: a thin booklet, white A4 sheets bound together. Tucked in a corner like forgotten junk. Kang Hyun tilted his head at the title.
"Autonomous Club Participants' Special Management Education Activity?"
No choice given to regular students—banned "special management."
Neutral words, but a hot potato in education audits, endless citations. Eyes and hands full of doubt, Kang Hyun stood alone on stage and carefully opened it. Like unlocking a treasure chest of secrets. Time crawled shockingly slow.
"Ah!"
Finally, Kang Hyun realized he stood at the heart of this web of suspicions and covert ops.
"You crazy bastards... This is straight-up..."
Answers. Not just leaked tests—full answer keys. Astonishingly, even ones from over a year and a half ago; this went back a while. Proudly scanned, bound into books, then shown to parents who'd ditched morals for grades?
"Send your kid!"
Or sweet-talked weak students desperate for success, any means necessary, molding them. Insane. Even referencing or altering past performatives/writtens was forbidden. Intentional leaks for bribes or ulterior motives? Prison time. Handing out answer keys? Beyond school discipline—this was criminal. But then— Flash! Hall lights blazed on, spotlighting the stage. Kang Hyun stood bathed in light like the star.
"..."
Blinded, he couldn't make out the man entering. Step, step. Someone approached. And not just one or two.
"Kang Hyun."
They say thieves return to the scene, feet itching. The voice confirmed it: his guess on the ringleader nailed it. Not a single miss. Entering the hall: Park Hyuk-su himself. Sly grin mixed with fury, face flickering between. He eyed Kang Hyun. Unsure how much Kang Hyun knew or dug up, but he'd tailed him—that much was clear. Thus, Park Hyuk-su wasn't alone. Eom Seok-ho and the Student Guidance Group flanked him.
"I warned you through Seok-ho... Stay put."
"..."
"Didn't I say you'd regret it? I don't bluff."
Kang Hyun silently met Park Hyuk-su's gaze. Seeing his face, the man cracked his most gleeful sneer yet, topping all prior mockery.