Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: The Creditors Return
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Vacation was flying by at a rapid pace, and Kang Hyun's first day back at school was drawing ever closer.
His time at the Prosecutor's Office had been smooth sailing.
From day one, he had been thrown right into the work without any issues, and now, after nearly two months, he had firmly established himself as an indispensable part of the department.
"Bring over the records for the Funds Act violation case, Brother 1503, in a cart!"
"I've already done it."
"Oh! Thanks!"
"Kang Hyun, this is the case they asked to drop off at the Criminal Division 1 prosecutor's office for a bit, right?"
"Yes, they contacted us saying they need it as reference to draft a warrant for a related case."
The attitude of the Prosecutor's Office staff toward Kang Hyun was nothing short of remarkable.
In the rigid environment of the Prosecutor's Office, where contract workers or temps from outside were often looked down upon, student workers were typically just parked at a desk to play on their phones.
But Kang Hyun was different.
Even though he had come through the "prosecutorial talent selection" process, it wouldn't have been easy for them to open up to him.
On top of that, his humble demeanor and diligent work ethic were more than enough to win them over.
Above all, Kang Hyun seemed to know everything about the job, no matter where he had learned it.
He was intimately familiar with the operational cycle of prosecutorial work and handled legal terminology with the fluency of someone who had been there for years.
He even knew all the insider jargon, so at some point, he had become the unofficial mascot of the place.
One day, a staff member expressed regret to him.
"What are we gonna do when you leave, Kang Hyun? One week left?"
"Yes, I have to go back to school."
"Come back after you graduate, as a law student next time."
"Haha, sure thing!"
Within a few weeks, his name was on the Central District Prosecutor's Office assignment chart, complete with designated duties. They were treating this temporary worker, who would soon be leaving, with full respect.
On top of that, thanks to Prosecutor Kim Jeong-min's consideration, Kang Hyun could immerse himself in studying from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. while working.
Occasionally, the prosecutor would toss him some simple records to review, but Kang Hyun never took them lightly.
"I think we should go with no indictment on this case, as per the police opinion."
"Why?"
"The evidence chain is insufficient, and the witness statements lack credibility. Plus, the suspect denies it, so I don't think we even need to summon them for questioning—just process the no indictment."
"Right. Of course. But you have to be careful with no indictments. You don't want the victim feeling wronged. That's why you meet with the parties involved. Seven times out of ten, they say the same thing, but you still see them at least once before closing it. That's taking responsibility."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Keep it in mind? Nah! Anyway, why'd you get this one wrong?"
"...It's not wrong—I just marked it because there was one word I didn't know."
"Hand it over."
One of the perks of studying here was that the prosecutors all had impressive academic backgrounds.
Who would've thought—everyone he bumped into turned out to be a teacher or lecturer.
After slogging through boring, convoluted case files, the sight of a fresh workbook was a novelty, and they'd eagerly dive into Kang Hyun's College Scholastic Ability Test problems.
There had even been a time when prosecutors gathered around his desk for a problem-solving contest.
As evening fell, Kang Hyun quietly packed up and stood from his seat, not wanting to disturb the focused prosecutors.
"You've all worked hard. I'll head out first."
"Alright, go straight home."
"Prosecutor, another late night?"
"Listen to this guy. 'Another'—hits the nail on the head."
Kang Hyun gave a playful bow and stepped out of the Prosecutor's Office.
As he passed through the door, he thought to himself.
[I'd enjoy working here.]
For the first time on his way home from work, Kang Hyun felt confident that the goal and dream he had set for himself were the right choice.
It was the last Friday before the new semester. School was just days away.
Yoon Haneul already had her fork in hand, while Kang Hyun held the menu.
"Rose tteokbokki."
"Rice balls too?"
"Yeah."
"Then I'll treat today. I got my part-time pay! Auntie, one rose tteokbokki and rice balls here."
Kang Hyun quickly scanned the menu, raised his hand to order, and the server swiftly took the order and left.
Yoon Haneul was her usual self.
With an expression full of excitement that others might not notice, she waited for the food, while Kang Hyun slowly shared bits of what had been going on.
"...So the tennis coach said he wasn't feeling well."
"That's why you finished early last time."
"Yep."
Their gossip-filled conversation paused for a moment.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, Yoon Haneul rummaged through her bag as if remembering something.
"...What?"
"Take this."
"Huh?"
What she pulled out was a gift-wrapped box.
"We're going to be third-years soon, so we have to study like crazy. So, a gift!"
Kang Hyun accepted the wrapped present in a daze and sat there blankly until the food arrived.
As the steaming tteokbokki appeared before him, he scratched his head and said.
"Thanks so much. I didn't prepare anything..."
Yoon Haneul nodded nonchalantly at his thanks, but her eyes were fixed solely on the tteokbokki rice cakes and fish cakes.
Kang Hyun felt grateful and happy watching her eat with such relish in front of him, her endearing clumsiness on full display.
She precariously balanced tteokbokki and fish cake on her spoon, stuffed her mouth full, chewed away, stared straight at Kang Hyun, and said.
"Kang Hyun."
"Yeah?"
"You can ask me anything you're curious about from now on, right? Even if we're in different classes."
With class assignments for the new semester, they probably wouldn't be together.
"Of course. Even if we're in different classes, I'll swing by in the mornings."
She nodded vigorously with a joyful munch munch, letting out an "Mhm!"
Both Kang Hyun and Yoon Haneul knew it.
For the next year after school started, they'd be holed up studying nonstop. And they both wanted to show each other great results.
She would sprint to the finish with the best environment and support, while Kang Hyun would at least handle library shifts—or take a break from those entirely—to focus solely on studying.
After parting with her, Kang Hyun stopped by a stationery store to browse.
He was thinking of getting her a gift for the new semester. It bothered him that he'd only received one.
[An eraser?]
He picked up a cutely packaged character eraser.
He remembered how much she used erasers while solving problems. The hamster-shaped one reminded him of her munching away during her eating shows, making him chuckle.
"I'll take this one."
With it packaged, he hummed a little tune as he entered his hillside neighborhood on the way home.
...?
There was a group heading toward his house.
It was the debt collectors he had first met.
...
Kang Hyun halted in his tracks.
They had come looking for him and his mother, probably to check on the situation.
It made sense—after he had driven them off and boldly declared he would succeed, the creditors surprisingly hadn't shown up again. Now was about the time curiosity would get the better of them.
After this much time, they must have come wanting to hear an update.
Unconsciously, Kang Hyun started to turn away like old times. Just as his mother had always told him.
But he stopped.
His steps returned to their original path. And he strode confidently toward them.
"Hello."
His clear greeting caught them off guard, making them flinch.
The tallest one, who recognized him instantly, greeted back.
"Long time no see."
"Yes. What brings you here?"
At Kang Hyun's wary tone, he cleared his throat with a 'Hm,' nodded, and gestured.
"Mind if we step inside and talk?"
The man glanced around, mindful of passersby.
"Sure, come on in."
Kang Hyun nodded confidently and led the way.
"Mother's not home."
"That's fine. We want to talk to you."
Clunk.
He opened the door and set out seats. One of them, a shorter, skinny man, helped and said.
"No need to bring anything out."
As they sat, Kang Hyun went into his room and came back with a white envelope, as if prepared.
It was the money he had saved from studying and his stipends as a student worker at the Prosecutor's Office and the library.
Exactly one million won.
"This is all I have right now."
They stared at the envelope with the one million won on the table, their faces ambiguous as they pondered.
It was as if they weren't here for the money but truly had something to say.
Then, the man with the long beard broke the silence first.
"We're not here for the money."
"Then what brings you?"
"That day, back then..."
They hesitated just a moment but continued.
"You were right, actually. In a situation like this, with your family already struggling, what good would squeezing out money that isn't there do...?"
The burly man picked up from the bearded one.
"We heard you got an award and came first in your whole school on exams. We didn't dig around or anything..."
"It's fine. You had to check. So, what is it you came for today?"
A subtle tension rippled through the group, leading to a brief silence.
Then, the oldest-looking one spoke with effort.
"I'm sorry."
...
"We didn't want to harm you and your mother. We came to apologize for that day..."
"I was sorry too. I shouldn't have pushed so hard... We've thought a lot and came here."
Kang Hyun said nothing, just looked around at them.
Five hundred million won.
A pittance to some rich folks.
But to them—and to Kang Hyun and his mother—it was an amount they might never hold in a lifetime.
The wealth gap widens.
Dragons don't rise from gutters.
But Kang Hyun had to make it happen. For his mother, and for himself.
"Understood. I accept your apology. And as for the money I mentioned before, I'll pay it back somehow, so please wait. I won't give up. So believe in me and give me time."
Satisfied with his resolve, they nodded.
"Alright, we'll do that. Your guts even cooled our anger back then."
"Yeah. Keep at it. We'll come by a bit later."
The same people who had once harassed his family, smashed things, and yelled were now quietly agreeing to wait.
Something welled up in Kang Hyun's chest, but he barely held it back.
Was it a sense of growth? Overcoming a hurdle?
Or perhaps gratitude.
Some indescribable gratitude.
Once they had all left, Kang Hyun massaged his stiff legs and stood.
...Gotta make some food...
With no one around after they left, he muttered to himself as he headed to the kitchen.
To forget the redness around his eyes and the swelling emotion in his chest, even a little.
[I can do this. Let's study hard and soar once.]
He resolved not to tell his mother about this and gazed at the envelope he had prepared, sitting alone on the table.