Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: First Day Recognition
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Kim Jeong-min the prosecutor seemed to be looking for Kang Hyun. As he glanced around and walked further inside, the man standing with him in the corner shot Kang Hyun a glance with a 'no way' expression.
"By any chance... are you starting your first day today? The youngest work-study student ever?"
"Uh, yes..."
Before Kang Hyun could awkwardly finish his response, Kim Jeong-min spotted him and approached. The man bowed his head in greeting.
"Oh, Team Leader Lee Cheol-min. Kang Hyun, what are you doing here?"
The man next to Kang Hyun, whose name was Lee Cheol-min, looked flustered as he alternated glances between Kang Hyun and Kim Jeong-min.
Kang Hyun immediately realized Lee Cheol-min was in an awkward spot and responded to Kim Jeong-min.
"I was assigned to this seat, but you seemed really busy this morning, so I helped out with some work."
As soon as Kang Hyun gave a simple explanation, Lee Cheol-min stared at him intently as if piecing it together, then burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, no way—you were doing this job here?"
"Yes?"
When Kim Jeong-min looked at Lee Cheol-min with a laugh, he realized his ominous hunch had been correct. Unable to hide his embarrassment, he said to Kang Hyun,
"I'm sorry, kid! I thought you were an investigator who'd just finished training and been assigned to the office. For half the morning, you handled the work so seamlessly... I had no idea..."
He apologized to Kang Hyun with a genuinely troubled expression.
Kang Hyun wasn't really upset about it—in fact, he found it amusing that his energetic work had gone unnoticed—so he comforted Lee Cheol-min instead.
"It wasn't anything difficult, and you really seemed swamped, so I just helped out for a bit. Before I knew it, time had flown by while I was waiting to ask where your office was."
Lee Cheol-min's face brightened at Kang Hyun's nonchalant reply, and he repeated his apologies and thanks several more times.
Watching quietly, Kim Jeong-min seemed pleased by this interesting break in his otherwise busy and dull morning. Still smiling, he said to Kang Hyun,
"Haha. You think I'd throw work at a high school kid right away? Looks like there was a mix-up with the seating. I'll sort it out, so don't run off. As you can see, Section 1 is slammed in the mornings. My apologies."
"No, no. I actually had a lot of fun."
Kim Jeong-min peered at Kang Hyun, trying to read his expression.
But seeing Kang Hyun's genuinely satisfied look made him hold back a chuckle.
"Then take a quick look around the floor, hit the bathroom, and relax. It's lunchtime. Let's head out."
Kang Hyun bowed and left. Lee Cheol-min turned to Kim Jeong-min as if explaining himself.
"Prosecutor! I really had no idea he was a high school work-study student! I'm truly sorry."
"It's fine. My fault for not keeping tabs. But... did he do a good job?"
At Kim Jeong-min's question, Lee Cheol-min hesitated, searching for the right words, then gestured emphatically.
"Honestly, I thought he was someone fresh from another department. He didn't show a single sign of being new! You know how rookies or people without much experience fumble around? But with his help, we cleared the morning backlog smoothly..."
"Not a single sign...?"
It seemed that was one of the highest compliments you could give the newbie in this line of work. Kim Jeong-min looked proudly at Kang Hyun's retreating figure.
"Is this okay? I skipped the cafeteria to treat you to something good, but... you sure it's fine to eat this?"
"Yes. It's delicious."
Kim Jeong-min looked at the tteokbokki and fish cakes in front of him and said,
"You really are just a kid sometimes. I'll treat you to beef next time, so keep up the good work."
"Thank you."
Then he turned to the other person sitting next to Kang Hyun. It was none other than Kim Eun-hye, the staff member Kang Hyun had met first thing.
"Sorry about this, Staff Officer Kim. I invited you out for a meal after so long and didn't even ask if tteokbokki was okay."
"Hehe, Prosecutor, I love tteokbokki!"
"Oh, you've already met Staff Officer Kim Eun-hye, right? From now on, ask her anything you're curious about. Like how to shred documents, for example."
Kim Eun-hye picked up on Kim Jeong-min's playful remark to Kang Hyun and replied.
"Pleasure to work with you! We said hi earlier, right? I'm a five-year veteran office worker here."
"Yes. Looking forward to it."
She appeared to be in her mid-to-late twenties, speaking in a soft, gentle voice unlike before.
Anyway, Kim Jeong-min had called her because she'd handled the paperwork for Kang Hyun's hiring.
The casual suggestion to ask her questions going forward implied he'd be seeing a lot of her around the prosecutor's office.
"I'm really sorry I couldn't look after you properly this morning. I messed up on something today and was tied up handling it, so I didn't even notice you were working."
"I understand. You looked extremely busy."
"But... it was kind of reassuring? I realized late that you were pitching in, and you were doing so well I just let you keep at it. Have you worked somewhere like this before?"
"No."
"Then do your parents do this kind of work?"
"No. I just had a lot of interest in it."
Kim Eun-hye nodded at Kang Hyun's vague brush-off. Kim Jeong-min, who had been quietly listening while poking at his tteokbokki, spoke up.
"That's what makes it a mystery to me too. He seems sharp enough to have been a judge, prosecutor, or lawyer somewhere, but he says he's got nothing like that."
"So that's why you strongly recommended him for the youth support scholarship category?"
When Kang Hyun looked curious, he cleared his throat a few times and said,
"Ahem, anyway. It's all set now, so weekdays you'll work Monday through Thursday, and take Fridays off. Weekends are for studying, right?"
"Yes, thank you."
"Don't thank me—it's just the rules. Mornings, help out with the staff officer. Afternoons, sit next to my office and study the problems I give you."
Kang Hyun, listening quietly, flinched at the word 'study' and said,
"Study?"
"Yeah. You're still a student. When things aren't busy, study on the side so you can get into Korea University's law school as my junior."
That had been his intention from the start, it seemed.
"I'm going to raise you up."
"Pardon...?"
Kang Hyun looked at him with a meaningful expression.
"Right now, I'm a fresh junior prosecutor just out of the newbie stage, and you're a high schooler. But listen... I'm an ambitious guy."
"Ambitious?"
"Yeah. You've got talent. That's why I want to nurture you from the seedling stage. They say you recognize a promising tree from its first leaves."
Kim Jeong-min spoke in a joking tone, but his expression was serious.
"Of course, from what I've seen, with your skills and hard study, you could make prosecutor or lawyer on your own. But there's a difference between taking the absolute best path and fumbling your way up. I'm saying I'll polish this hidden gem I found—so you better appreciate me. Got it?"
Kim Eun-hye chimed in with a laugh.
"Don't forget about me later and pull me into the Supreme Prosecutors' Office too! Kang Hyun, looking forward to working with you again."
It felt a bit overwhelming and burdensome, but seeing Kim Jeong-min so highly value him and promise to develop him made something swell in Kang Hyun's chest. He nodded carefully.
After lunch.
The next task gave a preview of the routine to come.
"Is this seat okay?"
"Yeah. Wait there—I'll give you something."
The spot Kang Hyun moved to was the room next to the Trial Section 1 office.
It was better than the war zone of the morning—prosecutors had partitioned desks, with a few office workers attached.
"Sit here. For today, work on a mock exam from recent College Scholastic Ability Test past papers."
"But... I'm a work-study student..."
"I'll call you if there's work. Don't worry—just study."
As Kang Hyun hesitated, a young female prosecutor passing by Kim Jeong-min tossed in a comment.
"Oh, is this the high schooler on the special track? Hope I see you around later."
Kang Hyun bowed reflexively and glanced at Kim Jeong-min.
"You're pretty famous, huh?"
"Yeah. I'm just a part-timer, but everyone seems to know."
"Haha, you don't get it yet, but you're not your average person here. This is the first time in prosecutorial history."
"Pardon?"
Kim Jeong-min calmly explained to the surprised Kang Hyun.
"The prosecution has this unbreakable pyramid vibe—like an ironclad shield. Breaking through the glass ceiling of 'pedigree and money' is no joke."
"Yes. I know."
Kang Hyun was well aware.
That's why he'd decided on the Judicial Examination over law school.
Law school cost a fortune, was faction-heavy, and Judicial Exam grads looked down on them. It seemed easier but had plenty of hurdles.
The Judicial Exam was on its way out, and law school grads would dominate eventually—but passing the exam was a different caliber.
As Kang Hyun pondered, Kim Jeong-min said,
"What you're doing now? It's not some basic livelihood work-study or internship. The prosecution knows all about your accomplishments, including that award. That's why they created and implemented a new system for you. 'Prosecutorial Talent Track'—you're the first. Be proud!"
Kang Hyun nodded at his kind explanation.
"Yes, I'll do my best."
Once Kim Jeong-min left for his desk, Kang Hyun felt a profound sense of new beginnings.
He could really feel how many people now had high expectations for him—how things were different from before.
Not many had his experiences, and fewer had rocketed onto the straight path like he had.
Even elite heirs built their specs, connections, and experience systematically over time—what Kang Hyun got was handed directly in this short span.
Like peeking ahead, he'd sit here daily, watching prosecutors and staff work, helping out, glimpsing the inner workings.
And once he entered Korea University Law? His service record, awards, connections—his law school prep specs would overflow.
So what was left?
'Just study hard!'
With that clear thought, he quietly sat, opened the workbook, and got to it.
From that day on, Kang Hyun's routine simplified further.
Monday through Thursday: mornings at the prosecutor's office helping Trial Section, afternoons studying, then home. Weekends: library work and study.
Golden Friday off: tennis with Yoon Haneul.
They took lessons together, got coaching to build skills, and sometimes ate and talked studies.
That day, after gaining his ability.
It was the repeating routine of Kang Hyun's astonishing achievements, grown rapidly in a short time.