Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Student President Suggestion
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The USB was labeled ‘Korea University Student Body President Defamation Case’.
Jeong Jung-heon’s request was a bit amusing in one sense, but his intentions were crystal clear.
What he wanted to see.
It was Kang Hyun’s standout performance during the police investigation of the Korea University case.
He cleared his throat repeatedly, as if embarrassed, and kept talking to Prosecutor Jeong Ji-eun.
“Jeong, you should watch this too—it’s pretty stimulating stuff. A prosecutor only gets better by learning from the best, after all.”
“Save the nagging for someone else, Chief.”
“Ahem. When the hell is Han Tae-woong getting back to me about setting up that dinner?”
“I’ll go give him a piece of my mind… I’ll sort out the schedule and let you know.”
“Yeah, go ahead.”
“Yes, sir. Have a peaceful afternoon, Chief!”
Clunk.
Once the door shut behind her, he stared blankly at it with a hollow laugh, then glanced at the USB on his desk and broke into a pleased grin.
“Took down the opposition without them uttering a word? Let’s see this…”
It looked like Kang Hyun was about to become the hot topic at the Prosecutor’s Office all over again.
As the Korea University Student Body President case ballooned in scale, it drew even more public attention.
“That’s a search and seizure…”
“First time seeing one, senior?”
“Where’d you see it?”
“At the Prosecutor’s Office.”
“Ugh, you really milked those few months for all they’re worth.”
Police swarmed the Korea University Student Council offices.
A hefty team turned the place upside down starting early in the morning, while Kang Hyun and Dan Churok watched with smug satisfaction as Yang Bo-hyeon and his crew stood around helplessly, wringing their hands.
The cops could wield their authority so boldly for the search thanks to Kang Hyun’s swift cooperation with the investigation.
Once he dismantled what had seemed like a drawn-out defamation case in a flash, the police tacked it onto the false accusation charges.
That wrapped this mess up in just a few weeks.
In the end, Yang Bo-hyeon became an uncooperative suspect—officially a person of interest.
With a group led by someone who already had a criminal record now facing embezzlement charges as a corporate entity, the police had no trouble securing a search warrant.
From there, even without Kang Hyun or Dan Churok saying a word, the police moved at lightning speed.
It was like they’d sprouted wings—the investigation flew forward.
“Now your name’s cleared, senior.”
“Kang Hyun, this isn’t just cleared for your big sis. Haven’t I been treating you to meals left and right?”
She was in such high spirits these days that she bought him dinner two or three times a week.
Thanks to this, not only Dan Churok but the entire law school student council ended up surpassing the main student body’s reputation.
And since the two had stuck together so much during the case, rumors started swirling that Kang Hyun was on Dan Churok’s student council team—which, having seen it firsthand, wasn’t a bad rumor at all.
In the midst of all the praise.
No one—not even those who’d looked down on him out of petty pride—could badmouth him to his face anymore, or dismiss or belittle him.
As the law school student council grew stronger, Kang Hyun gained their protection too.
In short, the whole thing worked out perfectly for both him and Dan Churok—a win-win.
“What do you want to eat, little bro?”
“You pick whatever you’re craving, senior.”
“What’s with you today? Fine, gukbap it is.”
“Gukbap?”
“What, you hate it? Don’t you want something hot and steamy?”
“In this summer heat?”
“Autumn’s almost here, dummy. And the gukbap place has killer AC.”
A small gukbap joint tucked away in a quiet corner of the university district.
“Let’s have a shot of soju. Auntie!”
She coolly ordered a bottle, and Kang Hyun scratched his head before accepting a glass.
Glug glug.
“I’m covering it all today. Drink up!”
Sip.
Glug glug.
“You’re not about to pitch student council stuff again, are you, senior?”
“How’d you know?”
“Saw you order the booze.”
Sip.
“Fine. I won’t. I won’t.”
“Huh?”
“I said no. I admit it—you’re too good for this place.”
“Thanks.”
Sip.
It had been ages since their last drinks, and this victory soju marking the case’s near-end tasted bitter but also sweet and exhilarating in its own way.
After a few glasses back and forth, Dan Churok suddenly gazed at him with a motherly smile.
“What?”
She kept smiling silently, staring at him, before dropping a bombshell.
“The student body president spot opened up with their resignations.”
“No way…”
“Our council’s looking elsewhere, so you run for student body president.”
“Me? That’s ridiculous…”
“What’s ridiculous about it?”
“No thanks.”
“You going to lawschool means you don’t need undergrad connections?”
“Why frame it like that? We had a deal.”
“Our deal was I wouldn’t push you into our council. It’s the perfect timing for the fall by-election. So run for student body president.”
Glug glug.
She topped off his glass generously as she spoke.
“No law student’s ever run for Korea University Student Body President—it’d be historic. First-ever, pretty tempting, right? And running in the fall gives you plenty of time to prep for conference season.”
“...”
“Why say no?”
“Dunno. I’m drunk.”
Glug glug.
“Cheers.”
“Senior… aren’t you drinking too much?”
In just an hour, the two polished off four bottles between them.
The buzz hit hard, and the quiet gukbap spot grew noisier.
“…You have any idea how tough it was for me?”
“…I had it rough too, cleaning up after you.”
“You done talking?”
“No…, sorry.”
“...”
“...Senior?”
“...Fine, drink this and you’re in?”
“...In for what?”
“Student body president.”
“...”
Drunk Kang Hyun stared at his glass, then slowly raised it.
“Cheers!”
“Huh, cheers?”
And amid fading memories, Kang Hyun started blacking out.
“Gah!”
Kang Hyun bolted upright in bed.
Tuesday. 5 a.m.
He’d instinctively woken early, remembering it was his tennis day with Yoon Haneul.
Somehow he’d made it home safe—he was snug in his room.
“Damn, that was insane. Totally insane.”
He slapped his cheeks and headed to the living room, where a tidy table held bean sprout soup and a note.
“…Bean sprout soup.”
He bowed slightly in gratitude to his mother, then froze at the note.
-Heat it up. Your girlfriend’s got a great personality. Something had gone very wrong. Panic-stricken, he patted himself down frantically.
“What, what the hell?”
Then memories stitched back together like spliced film. Running through the warm summer night blasting a tune, then being piggybacked home by Dan Churok because he couldn’t walk.
“Ha…… Insane. Totally insane.”
Kang Hyun clutched his forehead, desperately trying to block out the resurfacing memories. Alcohol was definitely the root of all evil, a toxic poison. ‘Gotta go for now.’ He shook off the haze, got ready, changed into workout clothes, downed the soup to settle his stomach. Then he grabbed his phone.
“No way…”
Muttering to himself, he checked the call log just in case. Clatter. He dropped the phone on the table. He’d talked to Yoon Haneul for one hour and forty-five minutes. ‘Insane!’ He bolted out faster than anyone, sprinting at top speed to their meetup spot. Then he called her.
“H-Hello?” -You okay? “Yeah! Totally fine. Where are you?” -Almost there. “Be right there!”
He flew to the tennis court like the wind. Yoon Haneul waited calmly in her tennis skirt, looking like nothing was wrong. He sighed in relief, catching his breath. But something felt off.
“Let’s start.”
“Huh? W-Wait a sec.”
“No time. You’re late.”
“S-Sorry. But just a minute late…”
Thwack! Her ball rocketed out, cleanly smashing the court’s end line.
“Wait, hold on.”
“Fifteen.”
“Wait!”
The second ball screamed toward him again. Clearing the net, it slammed into his torso like it had a personal grudge.
“Guh.”
“Thirty.”
“S-Sorry.”
“For what?”
The next came in a precise serve, and Kang Hyun’s sluggish reflexes failed the receive.
“Huff, huff. I drank last night.”
Only then did he read her expression. The abyss-like darkness beneath her blank face—anger and fury.
“Drinking’s fine.”
“Huh?”
The next ball shot like an arrow. He barely returned it, but her volley spiked it hard into the ground, bouncing skyward.
“But drinking with a girl? That’s a problem.”
As she spoke, her cheeks seemed to flush slightly.
“A… a girl?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh, that was my senior. Senior.”
Kang Hyun flailed his arms in panic, making excuses. Truth be told, she’d never said anything like this to him before. They didn’t chat much during workouts anyway. But drinking with a girl bothered her?
“I’ll tell you next time I’m drinking. Sorry.”
“Got it.”
Her curt reply let him calm his racing heart, if only a little. Deep down, he couldn’t shake feeling guilty toward Yoon Haneul for some reason. Lately, under the guise of helping the school council, he’d barely hung out with her, and sticking by Dan Churok nonstop weighed on him. ‘Last time I tried introducing Dan Churok senior, she pretended not to know and breezed past… was that it?’ Kang Hyun’s mind grew tangled. ‘Is Yoon Haneul actually jealous?’ He floundered through tennis, barely keeping up, until guilt made his mouth move on instinct.
“Sorry. For worrying you.”
“Huh?”
“We haven’t hung out lately. Wanna grab something tasty after?”
“...”
She showed no reaction through several more rallies. He sneaked glances, wondering if she hadn’t heard or was upset. But after a short while, she finally answered.
“Let’s… go eat.”
“Huh?”
“I said let’s go.”
“Awesome! I’ll treat you to something really good.”
“Mhm.”
Only then did her serves stop. Tap, tap. Roll roll. His return caught the court’s edge, stopping the ball. She approached, face drenched in sweat. Her cheeks looked a bit red, somehow. He stared blankly as she turned to wipe her sweat, still confused if her jealousy was real. But her mood seemed lifted—that much was certain. He resolved to make her smile all day.