Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: The Storm Breaks
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“Like CCTV so much, huh? Eom Seok-ho told me. But look at that—every camera in here is turned off. What a coincidence, right?”
As he spoke, the group he'd brought with him laughed in agreement and hurled insults at Kang Hyun.
“Uahaha!”
“Retard!”
“Get ready to get beat.”
“...”
To anyone watching, it would have been a life-or-death moment. But Kang Hyun calmly breathed in and out.
First, he quietly tossed the evidence he'd been holding into the corner of the lectern. There was no way they'd be this relaxed if they knew it was sitting right there.
Fortunately, those below the stage didn't notice Kang Hyun's action.
A few of them rushed to close the hall's entrances, while Eom Seok-ho and several others started moving to grab Kang Hyun.
It seemed they really intended to do something to him.
If they just planned to beat him senseless here, that would be fortunate—but since they'd started with silencing him in mind, they might kidnap him, dump him in the mountains, or stage an accident to cripple one of his legs.
That was the level of their notoriety. 'Stay calm.' Kang Hyun steadied his mind. There was no visible escape. All he had was his three-inch tongue. He had to somehow turn this situation around. At that moment, Park Hyuk-su's cold voice rang out. “No matter how much you dig around on suspicion, there's nothing here. Get ready to get beaten so bad you'll be laid up for a semester.” The moment Park Hyuk-su finished speaking, Kang Hyun's eyes flashed. He'd finished thinking. Kang Hyun spoke in a low voice. “Teacher. I have no idea what you're talking about.” “What? This punk trying to weasel out...” Undaunted by Park Hyuk-su's bellowing, Kang Hyun said clearly. “I don't know what you're suddenly talking about, Teacher. I just came here today because I want to join the band club.” It looked like a crisis to anyone watching. But in a way, this situation was an opportunity. They'd bared their hidden claws and were threatening Kang Hyun—and it seemed they'd successfully silenced students and other teachers this way before, with good results. But Kang Hyun simplified the situation completely. 'Park Hyuk-su will be cautious about causing a scene too.' Kang Hyun lowered his hand and calmly connected a phone call, quietly placing it under the lectern. The call wasn't to the school, home, or police. But he didn't hesitate for a second. 'Jeong Eun-seong the reporter will grasp the situation right away.' On Kang Hyun's phone screen, the name 'Jeong Eun-seong Reporter' lit up as the call connected. “Teacher Park Hyuk-su, I don't like you much either. But I want to join your 'band club' too.” Kang Hyun uttered the words 'band club' in a meaningful tone. “What?” Surprisingly, Eom Seok-ho and the others froze, at a loss for what to do. And they just silently looked at Park Hyuk-su. Seizing that moment, Kang Hyun changed his expression. As if this was something he'd desperately wanted and hoped for until now—and now it was right in front of him. “I mean I want to receive your teachings, Teacher.” This was Kang Hyun's calculation. The reason he'd tailed Park Hyuk-su. The way he'd tried to get information from Park Dong-hee, at the center of the rumors, to uncover Park Hyuk-su's secrets; his purpose in investigating the band club. All of it could be interpreted as Kang Hyun himself sympathizing with or participating in the grade manipulation to receive special favors. Plus, with his recent drastic grade improvements, it would only add credibility. In other words, from this moment, Kang Hyun aimed to make them think he wanted to side with Park Hyuk-su. “You want to join the Special Management Education Activity...?” Park Hyuk-su's angry expression shifted to relief and interest in an instant. He wasn't an idiot. Rumors were spreading with unusual momentum now, reporters were swarming to uncover the crime. And knowing there was someone digging into his secrets based on his own wits would only heighten the pressure. But if that thorn in his side wasn't trying to expose or report the secret, but rather wanted special favors for himself? If handled right, it would silence him and remove one headache. Besides, could anyone make rational judgments in a situation like this? No matter what, this was right in the middle of the school. He'd come charging in with Eom Seok-ho's gang out of anger to stomp on Kang Hyun, but caution was still best. Having thought it through, Park Hyuk-su cleared his throat with a 'hem, hem' and adjusted his voice. “Ah, yeah... I must have misunderstood. With all the bad rumors flying around lately, I got a bit aggressive.” Park Hyuk-su gestured with his head, pulling Eom Seok-ho's gang back. “How did you find out about the 'Special Management Education Activity'?” Kang Hyun answered. “Thanks to a hint from Park Dong-hee, I came here with a trembling heart. I'll do anything, so please forget about the past and let me join.” Kang Hyun bowed deeply. Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed his phone sparkling under the lectern, as if listening intently. “Haha! So that's how it is.” Park Hyuk-su, satisfied with the unexpected response, shrugged his shoulders and started talking nonstop like a dam bursting. “Kang Hyun. You know I really hate your guts, right? But you've been thinking like that? Haha, well, sure—our group, enjoyed only by those in the know, must look tempting. Of course, you've been studying hard and your grades have shot up, but there's a limit, isn't there.” “Yes, Teacher, you're right. That's why I came here. I realized I couldn't do it alone.” “I thought you were a dumb punk, but you're pretty smart. Well, taking you in would benefit all of us.” “I'll do anything!” Kang Hyun could clearly see Park Hyuk-su racking his brains at his words. “Then, can you handle it for the next exam?” “Pardon? Handle what...” “Leaking the answer sheets, obviously. Dong-hee did great this time, but our rotation got messed up.” This meant Park Dong-hee had actively participated in leaking exam papers. A fleeting pity crossed his mind, but Kang Hyun hid his expression and nodded vigorously. “If you tell me how, I'll do it.” Park Hyuk-su, now much more relaxed, slowly paced as he spoke. “We run it properly. First, you need to know the camera sightlines, the opposing teachers' schedules—all of it.” Kang Hyun nodded, clenching his fist to hide the sweat dripping from his hand. This incident wasn't Park Hyuk-su acting alone; it meant many people were systematically involved in grade manipulation and corruption. A 'major crime' that could turn the school upside down. The situation was deadly serious. If exposed, the teachers would all face audits, shuttling between the education office and police station for a while. The students would be divided into those involved in the corruption and those not through a massive investigation, and exams would be retaken on a tight schedule. But he had no regrets. Kang Hyun lifted his head, looked straight at them below the stage, and said. “In return, give me proper compensation.” “Okay, of course.” The moment Kang Hyun finished speaking, Park Hyuk-su's reply echoed, and the phone screen connected to Jeong Eun-seong went dark. Tomorrow at the latest—or within the week—the media would swarm the school uncontrollably, prosecutors would eye Korea High School, and high-ranking officials would issue statements. Oblivious to this, Park Hyuk-su looked at Kang Hyun with a wicked grin. As if he'd interpreted Kang Hyun's words as asking for a big reward for the grade manipulation contribution. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ No time to rejoice in the blessing of his newfound power amid his busy yet ordinary routine—Kang Hyun rubbed his eyes.
“I'm off to school.”
As always, he greeted the empty house and stepped out in his shabby uniform.
Bus, then subway transfer to school.
“...”
Kang Hyun sank into deep thought amid his complicated feelings.
Days had passed, but surprisingly, no reply from Jeong Eun-seong. It felt awkward to contact first, so he waited silently. 'Jeong Eun-seong must have it complicated too.' When long-standing precedents without rules harden into 'convention,' it's called custom. Park Hyuk-su and the others' shield was this very 'convention.' Could they overcome the terror of this convention? Could they scrape out the uncovered corruption and await a fair world afterward? But would everyone agree? Everyone watching the Korea High School incident, including Jeong Eun-seong, must be thinking the same. In this game of chicken, someone had to step up first to garner agreement. Even with the evidence and recording Kang Hyun provided, it wouldn't be easy. The school's eerie quiet and normalcy even days later proved it. “Whew...” Kang Hyun couldn't hide his sigh. He'd exposed himself and dipped his toe in—if Jeong Eun-seong didn't move, it would be a problem. Of course, there was the option of gathering more evidence and taking legal action himself, but as a high school student, that was impossibly overreaching. It would mean getting caught between the education office, school, countless civic groups, and national agencies in a frenzy of days. Stepping off the subway, he gazed at Korea High School standing tall on the distant hill. It was nearly seven, but the surroundings were still dim. Like the darkness where no one would step up first to spill the secrets. He trudged along. Grades would come out soon, and with the semester's end approaching, he needed to push his studies harder. His mother's face, bright with joy and swelling with anticipation, flashed by. The abilities he'd somehow gained. The countless law books and knowledge in his head swirled aimlessly in the void. Was this the creeping moment of his first frustration? His steps grew endlessly heavier. “...?” Then, atop that hill. Strange lights filled the school. And crowds of people gathered. At this early hour, with no students or teachers yet. As he drew closer, vitality slowly returned to Kang Hyun's face. His steps quickened. This was no time to dawdle. “Huff, huff...” In front of the noisy school courtyard, at the main gate. It was packed with people. Reporters and media crews. Click, click! Flash, pow! Click! “Stop!” “Please step aside just a bit! You're blocking the students! Please!” “...This is in front of Korea High School, currently embroiled in allegations of a grade manipulation scandal...” “Our teachers have absolutely not committed any crimes! We're the victims of intimidation and fabricated evidence! We're being branded as a corrupt group!” The vice principal, dazed, explaining to reporters. Staff wrestling with journalists in the early dawn. A few early students watching from afar as their reward. Three days since Kang Hyun handed over the materials. Finally, the silent school erupted into chaos like magic.