The Ponzi Scheme

I went to the coffee shop in the student welfare center with Jeong Yurim.

Since it was during the school break, the coffee shop was relatively quiet.

"I first met Haejun when I was applying for Changcheonjae," she said.

"The civil service exam prep class?"

"Yes. They only accept students preparing for the higher civil service exam or the CPA exam. Your GPA has to be high, and it's basically a study hall you can't get into without a recommendation letter from a supervising professor."

"The competition must be fierce."

A study hall where you had to compete again just to get in, even inside a university filled with the top 1% of CSAT scorers.

It really wasn't my kind of place.

"It's very popular because they offer a lot of support and benefits, and the atmosphere is great for focusing on your studies. Out of the freshmen, only Haejun and I applied. Back then, we didn't even know we weren't qualified."

"How did you get in if you weren't qualified?"

"The representative of the prep class let us in under his own discretion. He said we smelled like fellow dirt spoons. I remember Haejun relied on him a lot."

"Is that senior still at Changcheonjae?"

"No. I heard he left the summer before last to run a private equity fund."

"So even if you enter the prep class, the career paths vary quite a bit?"

"Of course. Whether it's the civil service exam or the CPA, it's not easy. It takes a long time and costs a lot of money. Surprisingly, a lot of people change their career paths."

Was the freedom to change career paths only because they attended Hankuk University?

"Do you happen to remember that senior's name?"

"Of course. Won Changseop. When he was in the prep class, we called him Kkabi Hyeong."

"Kkabi?"

"Because he always failed by a hair. Hold on. I should have his business card somewhere..."

Jeong Yurim rummaged through her bag and handed me a smudged business card.

"Here it is."

"When did you receive this?" I asked.

"February 28th of last year. He treated the prep class juniors to a meat restaurant. I got it then."

"You remember the exact date?"

"It was right after the first round of the CPA exam ended."

Since she was a Hankuk University student, I couldn't doubt her memory.

I read the text on the business card Jeong Yurim handed me.

"Your Quantum Partner. I've never heard of this company."

"I don't know much about it because I'm not interested in investing or stocks. I just got a free meal and left halfway through back then."

"Is there anyone who was at that gathering that you're still in touch with?"

"If you ask Myeongho Oppa, he'll know."

"Myeongho?"

"Choi Myeongho. He and Haejun are seniors and juniors from the same hometown. He should be studying at the library right now. Should I call him?"

"Yes, please."

I slipped the business card into my inner pocket and watched Jeong Yurim closely as she made the call.

I hadn't confirmed if they had broken up, but he was still her ex-boyfriend.

Yet, the shocked expression on her face had vanished in a flash.

"Senior, it's me. Yurim."

What was the relationship between those two?

Seniors and juniors? Or lovers?

One thing was certain: the person who mattered to Jeong Yurim right now was not the deceased Shin Haejun, but Choi Myeongho.

After finishing the call, Jeong Yurim spoke to me as if reporting.

"He says he's coming now. It'll take about ten minutes."

"Thank you. I don't know if this is an intrusive question, but did you and Shin Haejun date?"

"Yes. We dated briefly during our freshman year. We broke up last summer, though."

"Was that also the last time you saw him?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry, but may I ask why you broke up? You don't have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable."

"There's nothing to be uncomfortable about. It's all in the past. At some point, he started to feel like a stranger. He used to be so diligent, but then he started lying more and became arrogant. That's why we broke up."

Jeong Yurim answered nonchalantly.

At that moment, my senses, which had been warming up since the afternoon, began to stretch and awaken.

"Could Shin Haejun's change have been because of Won Changseop?"

Jeong Yurim blinked her smart-looking eyes, slowly retracing her memories.

Only after a fairly long silence did she nod and speak.

"Now that I think about it, that might be true. Once he became a sophomore, his attendance at the prep class became sparse, and he often talked about going to Kkabi Hyeong's office."

A senior who accepted them into the prep class even though they weren't qualified.

A respected senior who showed them a successful life doing what he wanted, stepping outside the conventional career path.

He might have become a mental mentor, influencing Shin Haejun's way of thinking.

A water deer that leaves the forest has a higher chance of dying.

To Shin Haejun, wasn't Won Changseop like a car speeding down the highway with its high beams blindingly bright?

"But Detective," she said.

"Yes?"

"When and where did they say Haejun died?"

"..."

When and where?

In a situation where you don't know 'who' or 'why', don't people usually ask 'how' first?

Just as I was about to tell her that it was difficult to say because the investigation was still ongoing, Choi Myeongho, who was supposedly at the library, arrived.

At the same time, a call came from Seo Jihye, who had remained at the Seoul Forensic Science Institute.

"Excuse me for a moment, I have an urgent call to take."

I walked over to a corner of the cafe, watching Jeong Yurim and Choi Myeongho greet each other as I pressed the answer button.

"Inspector. Did the results come out?"

"..."

I was left speechless.

What could a college student who did nothing but study have done so wrong to deserve being buried alive?

I was stunned, but I couldn't stay that way.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Choi Myeongho, who had run all the way from the library, had been staring at me for a while now.

I ended the call after telling her to relay the autopsy results to Inspector Oh Myeongjae at the Taean Police Station as well.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm Detective Min Suho."

"Yes. Hello."

Choi Myeongho, who showed up wearing horn-rimmed glasses, didn't look like he was the same age as Jeong Yurim.

"Excuse me, but are you a returning student?"

"Yes. It's been a year since I returned to school. I completed my mandatory military service as an army sergeant, and I'm currently a junior majoring in Computer Science."

Choi Myeongho answered with razor-sharp precision before I could even ask.

Then, he immediately voiced his complaint to me.

"Detective. Can we let Yurim leave first?"

"Well, yes. It's fine for her to go, but may I ask why?"

"Yurim is preparing for the second round of the CPA exam. The exam date is just around the corner, so she doesn't have the luxury of wasting time on things like this."

Choi Myeongho spoke like Jeong Yurim's guardian.

"Ah, I see. That's impressive. Already in your sophomore year. You may leave. You don't have anything else to tell me, do you?"

"No. I've told you everything I know."

"Understood. Thank you for your time."

I stood up and sent Jeong Yurim off first.

As she walked out, I noticed her gait was slightly duck-footed.

At least that made her look human.

Only after she left the cafe did Choi Myeongho open his mouth.

"Haejun is dead?"

"Yes."

"What was the cause of death?"

This question wasn't natural either.

I repeated what I had said to Jeong Yurim.

"It's still under investigation, so I can't disclose that yet."

"Even if you don't tell me, I have a hunch. I can guess who killed him, too."

"Who do you think it is?"

Choi Myeongho spoke with a face full of conviction.

"It must be Kkabi Hyeong."

"Won Changseop, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the representative of Your Quantum Partner?"

"Yes. Haejun was looking up the location of a pension near Anji Beach to go meet him."

"Was Mr. Shin Haejun close to him?"

"He ran errands for Kkabi Hyeong a lot."

"Do you know him as well, Mr. Choi Myeongho?"

"I've met him about twice."

"But you don't meet him now?"

"No."

"Is there a particular reason you don't see him anymore?"

"That guy is a con artist. A malicious swindler who preys on his juniors."

"Could you tell me more about that?"

"It's a long story..."

I pulled out my notebook, ready to write down Choi Myeongho's memories.

Just then, a cafe employee approached our table.

"Excuse me, we're closing soon. I'm ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sorry."

"Ah, yes. Understood."

Since the campus cafe closed early, we moved to a pub in front of the school.

Since I couldn't drink while on duty, I ordered a generous amount of food.

Choi Myeongho began by explaining how he first connected with Shin Haejun.

"Actually, my hometown is Cheongju as well."

Choi Myeongho's father was a meat distributor who supplied restaurants.

He also supplied the gukbap restaurant run by Shin Haejun's mother.

Shin Haejun, the pride of the gukbap restaurant owner, and Choi Myeongho, the distributor's precious son.

The two geniuses born in Cheongju had known each other since childhood through their parents' connection.

"When I returned to school, I found out Haejun was attending the same university as me. I was glad. He was a junior from my hometown, and a younger brother I'd known since we were kids."

Although they didn't have many chances to meet because of their different majors, they kept in touch through phone calls and text messages.

"Was it around May of last year? Haejun asked me for a favor. He asked if he could crash at my studio apartment for about a year."

"And?"

"There was no reason not to, but it was strange. Why would a kid who was living freely in a brand-new studio apartment want to live with me? So I asked him if something was going on. That was the first time I heard Won Changseop's name."

Choi Myeongho remembered that day vividly.

It was two days later when Choi Myeongho met Won Changseop.

"How was he when you met him?"

I was curious about Choi Myeongho's first impression of Won Changseop.

"He was ordinary. Like a neighborhood hyung you see anywhere. When I told him I was a junior from the same school, he treated me like a close friend right away."

"Did he mention anything about where he was investing?"

"He didn't say a single word about that at first."

"Then what?"

"He mostly talked about career paths. He asked if graduating from law school to become a judge or prosecutor, studying business to become an accountant, or graduating from engineering to get a job at a semiconductor or robotics company really felt like the right answer."

"..."

"He said the fact that we hadn't questioned it was proof of how well-tamed we were."

"Tamed?"

"Yes. Because someone has to do those jobs for society to function. That's why those occupations exist. He said they look like successful lives, but in reality, it's just a path to becoming a slave."

This flow ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠felt strangely familiar.

Belittling the fierce daily lives of ordinary people as the struggles of a worthless, meaningless lower class.

And then presenting an escape route.

"He said there is no answer on the path everyone else takes. You can only see it when you step back and look at it through the eyes of an observer."

"What do you see?"

"The path that only the top 0.01% are taking."

Destruction, and then hope.

"Won Changseop said he saw it. He said it was too much of a waste to look at it alone, so he was looking for friends to join him."

Hold his hand, and you can escape the bleak reality.

Now was the time to set fire to the writhing desire.

"He also said that the friends who joined early would take home far greater benefits than the participants who came late."

"Benefits?"

This was the classic introduction to a Ponzi scheme.