Chapter 62
Chapter 62
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: The Back-Alley Deal
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Who the hell tells a tutor to just show up without prep, then springs a timed test on them?
It wasn't like this was some open competitive exam for a rich kid's private instructor.
Kang Hyun barely kept his jaw from dropping at the utterly absurd behavior and managed to speak.
"You're really saying your mom made you do this?"
"Yes. She said we have to assign a grade. She mentioned there've been a lot of dropouts lately."
Im Cheol-su suddenly flinched and lowered his head a bit.
...
This was ridiculous.
It seemed like the one who needed a lecture on labor laws wasn't Im Cheol-su—it was his mother.
"Does your mom always pull this kind of stunt whenever a tutor comes over?"
Another flinch.
It looked like the word "mom" made him uneasy. It was enough to make Kang Hyun wonder if something was going on at home.
Kang Hyun stopped talking and let out a sigh.
But right then.
Knock knock. Whoosh.
"Have some of this before you start."
The housekeeper came in late, and Im Cheol-su switched up his attitude, declaring confidently.
"I'll take this teacher. He passed the test."
"Really? I'll let madam know."
She glanced at the blank test paper but soon put on an awkward smile and scurried out.
Kang Hyun sighed faintly, thinking the real problem here wasn't math—it was something else.
"No need for class today. I'll talk to your mom myself. I don't think I'm here to teach you while putting up with this kind of unfair treatment."
Kang Hyun's mind was already checked out from the rudeness of this household.
But maybe that was just his assumption, because Im Cheol-su suddenly confessed outright.
"I like you, teacher."
"What?"
"I like you, teacher. I've never met anyone like you before."
Kang Hyun let out a deep sigh as he looked at the immature kid.
'Yeah... back then, I wasn't much more mature myself.'
Kang Hyun trailed off, lost in thought for a moment.
Truth be told, he felt a bit sorry for his student, Im Cheol-su. Had he grown up thinking this kind of behavior was normal because of his parents?
A nice house, a great environment.
But was he really happy?
Their eyes met.
When Kang Hyun didn't say anything, the kid spoke up again.
"Please be my teacher."
...
Kang Hyun's mouth twitched to refuse, but before he knew it, his eyes were scanning the test paper Im Cheol-su had filled out, gauging his skill level.
After some serious deliberation, Kang Hyun made up his mind.
"Fine. See you in two days, then. I'll contact your mom separately."
"No. Don't tell my mom—now go!"
Unlike earlier, when he'd begged with those earnest eyes to become his teacher, Im Cheol-su bolted out of the room without looking back.
Kang Hyun sat there at Im Cheol-su's desk, dumbfounded for a while.
This seemed to be a room used only for studying—neat bookshelves lined with books filled the space.
Glancing around them, Kang Hyun chuckled.
"Yeah, there's no such thing as easy money in this world."
He couldn't help thinking that clearing his head while working part-time at Han Hyun-ho's barbecue joint might've been better after all.
For a while, Kang Hyun was able to focus on his lessons with Im Cheol-su.
It happened to coincide with exam period, but his major classes had more cancellations during that time anyway. The extra breaks were a nice bonus.
Exams were a breeze for him—he could whip out essay-style answers on any law topic the second he picked up his pen. No need to even mention it.
His consistent studying in his spare time was paying off big.
Especially for exams requiring rote memorization and application of statutes—those were right in his wheelhouse.
In fact, exams weren't just easy for him; they were fun, like pondering the best way to cook a dish to make it tastier.
In the exam hall, he'd finish leisurely, look up, and survey the dead-silent room filled only with the scratch of pens. That little thrill was pretty satisfying.
Seeing Woo Si-hyung hunched over, shoulders tense, scribbling furiously, or Yoon Chan-rim staring off into space like he was meditating—it always made him chuckle.
"...This is insane. Criminal Procedure is hell, right?"
"Yeah, it was kinda tough."
"See? I'm not crazy. Whew... makes me feel better knowing even you found it hard."
"Hyung, what about Scalia's jurisprudence?"
"That'll be the tiebreaker in the last essay question. What'd you write?"
By now, Kang Hyun was basically the gold standard for exam difficulty. Since he never got anything wrong, Woo Si-hyung and Yoon Chan-rim treated him like a human calculator.
"Hyun, you're heading out already? No lunch?"
"Yeah, gotta study math."
"Jeez, keep this up and you'll be a mathematician."
"...Sorry, hyung. I had no idea the tutoring gig was like this...."
"It's fine."
Whenever the three of them got together, after exams, the next hot topic was always Kang Hyun's tutoring job.
Turned out, Im Cheol-su's family was infamous even among part-time tutors in wealthy neighborhoods.
One of the richest houses around, they were known for burning through teachers, being rude and exhausting.
'Still, I decided to teach him, so I'll give it my all.'
It was only for a month, but Kang Hyun prepared sincerely.
He didn't want to be looked down on by rich folks, and Im Cheol-su tugged at his heartstrings a bit.
He reminded Kang Hyun of his own high school days, that crossroads of change.
Plus, if you looked closely, Im Cheol-su seemed kinda pitiful.
In class, he'd clutch his phone, looking anxious—like he was getting bullied via messages.
When Kang Hyun asked if he had friend troubles, the kid boldly claimed he didn't need friends, which was heartbreaking.
On top of that, Im Cheol-su showed occasional signs of OCD or attention issues, so Kang Hyun would pause lessons to accommodate him.
Kang Hyun had a few things he wanted to ask once they got closer, but he held back to avoid meddling and stirring up trouble.
And oddly, after two visits, the infamous Mrs. Im never showed up again. Figuring he'd meet her eventually, he just kept the lessons going smoothly.
"See ya. Tomorrow."
"Yeah, hyung. Get home safe."
"Tomorrow's mock trial practice—don't forget!"
"Of course. Good luck."
This marked the third lesson.
He left school with his friends, steps light and energetic, but his heart grew heavy entering that unfamiliar rich neighborhood.
His first tutoring gig.
He wanted more than anything to help Im Cheol-su grow into a proper high schooler, but it wasn't going as well as he'd hoped.
Vroom. Whirr.
Crossing a busy intersection full of cars brought him deeper into the wealthy enclave, where things quieted down again—no people in sight.
Even the usual dog walkers were absent today, probably because the sky was growing dim.
As he turned into the alley, Kang Hyun instinctively felt eyes on him—or something drawing his gaze.
"Huh?"
It was too far to see clearly, but a familiar silhouette hurried past. No doubt about it.
Normally, he might not have cared who it was—just shrugged it off as none of his business. Tutoring time was almost here anyway.
But today, like he was compelled, Kang Hyun followed to the alley corner to check it out.
'Huh...? Why's he there?'
It was Im Cheol-su.
He'd recognized him from afar despite the confusion because the kid had his hood up, hat pulled low, face completely hidden. He was glancing around nervously, like he was waiting for someone.
But something felt off.
Kang Hyun ducked behind the alley corner, watching Im Cheol-su closely.
From the vibe, this wasn't a casual friend meetup or a walk.
'But what's that?'
He was holding something.
A small paper bag—impossible to guess the contents from here.
But Kang Hyun had a hunch.
Like...
'Money?'
Yep.
He clutched a money-stuffed envelope, fidgeting as he waited anxiously for someone.
It reeked of suspicion.
At the very least, Kang Hyun could tell this wasn't some innocent used-goods sale.
People breaking moral or legal lines always gave it away.
Whether perp or victim.
Step step.
Soon, someone approached Im Cheol-su from the opposite alley.
A man in black, face obscured by glasses and a hat.
Kang Hyun held his breath, watching their meetup.
Luckily, it was dim, with light rain falling and a strong wind blowing—they probably couldn't spot him.
No greetings. They just faced each other.
They knew each other.
Kang Hyun swallowed hard.
Im Cheol-su handed over the bag with trembling hands. The man glanced around sternly, nodded curtly at the kid, and vanished quickly.
From what Kang Hyun could glimpse, he didn't know what hold the man had over Im Cheol-su, but the kid was clearly paying him off.
Something shady had been going on repeatedly.
Kang Hyun stared at the ground, pondering seriously for a few seconds.
Should he step in or not?
Pretend he saw nothing, head to the house, and wait—that'd cause no issues.
Assume Im Cheol-su was just handling personal business and had Kang Hyun focus on teaching well, then leave.
It might seem cold, but it was just a one-month gig. No need to get deeply involved.
Plus, butting in now might not even be the right call—could come off as nosy.
But Kang Hyun's internal debate quickly tipped one way.
'If he's doing wrong, set him straight. If he's the victim, help. That's obvious.'
As Im Cheol-su cautiously approached Kang Hyun's direction, Kang Hyun stepped out abruptly.
"Hey."
"Aaah! What the—!"
"Cheol-su. It's me, your tutor."
Only then did Im Cheol-su recognize him, calming his chest.
"Ah, what the heck? You scared me!"
"Hey, shouldn't you say 'hello' first?"
Im Cheol-su, clearly guilty, couldn't meet Kang Hyun's eyes and just stood there silently for a long time.
Even those few moments looked painful and agonizing for him.
"You got something going on?"
...
He seemed torn about whether to spill.
'Why's he hesitating?'
He had something to say—his mouth moved like it—but Kang Hyun held back from prodding, deciding this was a time for the kid to think it through and speak on his own.