Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: I Reported It
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The news grew noisier with each passing day.
At the press conference held in the school auditorium, the foundation chairman—whom Kang Hyun was seeing in person for the first time since attending the school—continued his speech with a grim expression.
"All the staff at Korea High School sincerely apologize for causing worry to parents and students. We promise to devote our full efforts to normalizing school operations as soon as possible..."
He tried to spin the situation with positive words, but that wasn't going to fly with the reporters.
"This 'answer sheet leak incident' appears to have been carried out systematically!"
"...That was simply the result of one teacher's mistake. Do you have clear evidence?"
Click, click!
Every time the chairman turned his head or changed his tone, a barrage of camera shutters went off, putting immense pressure on him from the press corps.
Following the tip-off submission by the National Academic Citizens' Alliance, a joint investigation by the education office's special audit team and the prosecutor's special unit was launched immediately. Teachers suspected of involvement in the corruption began getting hauled in left and right.
This dragged on for days, to the point where classes were turned into full self-study periods one day. Naturally, ordinary students bore the brunt of the fallout.
Park Hyuk-su was, of course, relieved of his duties and placed on suspension, with experts predicting his arrest was only a matter of time.
The academic schedule ground to a halt, and there were no explanations forthcoming until countermeasures were announced.
Even in this chaos, the students' reaction of "It's about time" without falling into total shock was, in a way, the more surprising part.
Students gossiped endlessly about the astonishing scandal whenever they had a chance.
"Those rotten bastards all deserve punishment."
"Honestly, I couldn't stand them either. Who didn't know about the grade tampering?"
"Yeah, whoever did it was spot on. They deserve an award."
Early morning, during Kang Hyun's commute to school.
As he passed a group of early-arriving students chatting, Kang Hyun smiled contentedly at what he overheard.
Even after the school flipped upside down, mornings with Yoon Haneul remained routine. Without the slightest sign of change, she studied with him as before, sharing sandwiches or cookies she'd brought, starting the day as usual.
Slide.
"You're early today."
Yoon Haneul, who had beaten him to school for once, was already seated and studying. She looked utterly unfazed by the noise outside.
"With all the reporters, I figured I should come even earlier. But hey, I have a question about this problem."
"Yeah? Hold on."
At her urging, Kang Hyun dropped his bag without even taking it off and stood beside her desk, peering down at her book.
It was a tough question on criminal procedure, but Kang Hyun explained it without the slightest hesitation.
"Ultimately, option 3 is the trap. So..."
As he spoke earnestly with arms crossed, a fresh, invigorating scent wafting from Yoon Haneul's desk tickled his nose, making him falter unconsciously.
"Ahem!"
Caught off guard, Kang Hyun blurted out a question to her.
"...But, Yoon Haneul."
She, deep in the problem, looked up at him with her big, round eyes sparkling as he suddenly stopped talking.
Pretty was secondary; her sudden gaze like that left Kang Hyun tongue-tied, stammering before barely managing to continue.
"Uh... you know, my grades shot up all of a sudden. Doesn't that seem weird?"
"Yeah. Not weird at all."
He'd expected her to ask what he meant first, but her immediate, matter-of-fact "Not weird" caught him off guard, leaving him speechless.
"..."
As Kang Hyun stared blankly at her while gathering his words, Yoon Haneul gazed right back at him and said,
"You didn't hang out with Park Hyuk-su or the Student Guidance Group kids. That's why I trust you. So, if it's not illegal procedurally, it's 3, right?"
Snapping back to reality as she casually lowered her head and tapped the problem with her pen, Kang Hyun grinned.
"...Yeah, exactly. That's case 3."
Not just surface-level friends, but people connected heart-to-heart, able to trust each other. The thought that such a bond might not be so hard to achieve flashed through his mind.
By afternoon, an unprecedented announcement echoed through the school: a special moral education assembly for the entire student body.
-...Please gather by class on the athletic field by 2 p.m. Once again...
"What the hell? It's not even homeroom, and we're dying from studying—now moral education?"
"Trying to explain the school mess?"
"Explain my ass! This is annoying as hell."
Buried in the grumbling crowd shuffling out to the field, Kang Hyun stretched and stood from his seat.
With some classes missing teachers, staff bustled to line up students. Rare sights like third-year seniors and first-years who seemed so young gathered, chattering away, caught Kang Hyun's eye.
Then, the vice principal stepped up to the microphone on the tall podium.
Kang Hyun could roughly predict what was coming, but the man's face burned with unusual fury.
"Quiet! The vice principal is speaking."
"Attention! At ease."
The vice principal cleared his throat into the mic, and teachers across the vast field hushed the students, slowly silencing the noise.
At last, the vice principal began.
"What I intend to teach you today from this spot is cooperation and unity. Does anyone know our school's motto?"
As students glanced around at each other, the vice principal shook his head exaggeratedly, as if looking at a bunch of idiots.
"Diligence, cooperation, unity. Everyone knows about the unfortunate incident at our school recently. Especially now, we must cooperate and unite to protect our school."
Min-su, standing next to him, let out a big yawn.
Kang Hyun listened silently to the vice principal, but a chill ran down his spine.
"But I've heard rumors of a traitor in our school! Secretly tipping off reporters, presenting baseless facts as truth!"
Kang Hyun was floored.
What was this teacher trying to say? Blaming the whistleblower despite the school's systemic cheating, illegality, evasion of rules, and total corruption?
"I won't name him, but I hope he reflects on this. Whatever the incident, the school is a unified community—a family. Who reports their family for crimes?!"
The fired-up vice principal shook the mic hand roughly as he spoke.
"Let's see if that whistleblower dares step forward!"
He bellowed triumphantly, scanning the surroundings. Teachers followed suit with twisted faces, and students mirrored them.
"Look at that! Too ashamed of his actions to come out! He can't! If it were righteous, he'd step up naturally! But he won't!"
Murmurs swelled.
"Anyway! This will all be sorted properly, so students, focus on your studies..."
At that moment, a teacher rushed up to the podium and whispered to the vice principal, the words carrying over the mic.
"Vice principal."
"What!"
"Kang Hyun student... he's coming up."
Murmur murmur.
The murmurs exploded into a full uproar.
Because Kang Hyun was pushing through the crowd, hand raised high, making his way forward.
"..."
He strode boldly across the field to stand before the vice principal.
"K-K-Kang Hyun student! What is this?"
"It's me, Vice Principal."
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"I reported it."
For a moment, the vice principal stared blankly, unable to grasp the situation.
Then reality hit, and he gasped, breath halting as if frozen, then ragged and irregular, his whole body trembling as he spoke.
"Y-You... How dare you! A-Ap-apologize! You've ruined our school!"
"Understood. I'll apologize. Hand me the mic."
At Kang Hyun's clear, deliberate tone, an irresistible force seemed to compel the vice principal, who shakily passed the mic with trembling hands.
Tap, tap, tap.
Kang Hyun tapped the mic a few times.
"Ah, ah. Can you hear me?"
Yes! Min-su shouted loudly, turning the field into a sea of laughter.
"I'm Kang Hyun from Class 1-2. I made the report on this incident."
In an instant, stunned silence fell like a bucket of cold water.
"First, I apologize to all my classmates uninvolved in school affairs."
Kang Hyun bowed a full 90 degrees respectfully. Straightening up, he continued.
"The education office audit revealed sloppy academic management at our school, and over 10 percent of the total staff face suspicions of involvement in grade tampering."
He spotted the vice principal backing away. He looked down at the murmuring students showing various reactions.
But Kang Hyun pressed on.
"With the school committing anti-educational illegal acts and the media and public boiling with rage, it's heartbreaking that we're stuck inside this school fence, forced to listen to talk of 'unity' and 'cooperation' like this."
No one tried to stop Kang Hyun as he emphasized each word.
Students, teachers, and other staff listened intently, united in focus on him.
"I believe many here already knew and even tried to stop it. Yet our slave-like tolerance under the school's framework may have enabled what never should have happened here."
Just then, someone shouted, "That's right!"
At the voice, Kang Hyun smiled faintly and ended with the words he most wanted to say.
"Don't hide it—change what needs changing. I earnestly hope the school normalizes soon, with no harm to us students."
For a moment, silence blanketed the vast athletic field. Then, one by one, applause broke out.
Clap, clap clap.
The sparse claps grew louder and louder.
"Brave!"
"Well done, Kang Hyun!"
"You're the best!"
Cheers joined the applause, swelling bigger. Some teachers tried to quiet them, but others nodded at Kang Hyun and clapped along.
The ovation and cheers continued until the vice principal, face flushed red, slunk down from the podium and fled.
Kang Hyun stood calmly above it all, looking down at the people cheering for him and the school in their own ways.
"Wow!"
"So cool!"
What was the one shared thought among everyone gathered here, in this moment?
A school free of corruption and irregularities—normal, sensible.
That was everyone's wish.
'I did the right thing again.'
As the thought reached that point, Kang Hyun's expression softened slightly. A swell of emotion welled up from deep inside.
Kang Hyun sometimes harbored faint doubts about his self-judged, self-initiated actions.
As a high schooler, fear of envious glares, vague frustration that his actions couldn't protect everyone.
But looking down at them now, certainty bloomed in him.
'Whatever I can do, I need to keep striving to change things, even a little more.'
His eyes nearly reddening, he broke into a smile instead.
And he waved to each and every person below the podium.