Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: 3. The Chaotic Disciplinary Committee (4)
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A series of events.
Kim Sun-ja's insides boiled with rage.
The disciplinary committee, which she had expected to proceed smoothly, had turned into a complete mess starting with Kim Young-cheol.
‘Those rotten bastards. Taking all that money and then betraying me.’
She could understand Kim Young-cheol.
She hadn’t trusted him from the start since he seemed shady, but Oh Dae-hwan, the principal of Cheonil High School, was a different story. Oh Dae-hwan was well-known among the parents. Ever since he took office, the children of sponsoring parents received his meticulous care and graduated without a single issue, building a solid track record.
When he first met Kim Sun-ja.
Oh Dae-hwan had brought up that track record.
It proved a firm transactional relationship, so Kim Sun-ja had unhesitatingly handed over a massive sponsorship to Cheonil without a second thought.
But.
He had betrayed her.
Even if she could overlook Kim Young-cheol, Oh Dae-hwan—who should have stuck by Jeong Min-ho to the end—had sided with Kim Hyun-seong, knowing full well it shattered all those precedents. Rage surged to the top of her head. She knew the eldest son of Myeongjin Construction was a big deal, but she couldn’t just let her son’s issue end like this.
Kim Sun-ja spoke.
“I absolutely won’t tolerate holding my son accountable! You sons of bitches. Just wait a minute. I’m going to call my husband.”
She stood up from her seat.
Whether the meeting halted or not, she walked to the window and pulled out her phone.
The atmosphere turned ice-cold.
In the silence where everyone watched her every move, the phone’s ringtone echoed clearly through the classroom.
Click.
[What is it?]
“Honey! Listen to me. I told you about the disciplinary committee for Min-ho’s issue, right?”
[Yeah.]
“But these people are pinning it all on our Min-ho right now. Kim Young-cheol the teacher and Principal Oh Dae-hwan both! Do something about it. They’re ignoring our past relationship entirely just because the guy who beat Min-ho has Myeongjin Construction’s eldest son as his guardian—these ungrateful bastards. Where are you? How many minutes to get here?”
She raised her voice so everyone could hear.
Her husband.
Jeong Man-cheol, raised as a golden boy from birth, had a massive ego and would stop at nothing to resolve a situation like this. Kim Sun-ja trusted Jeong Man-cheol. She believed he’d storm in furious and sort out Jeong Min-ho’s problem entirely. But strangely, an odd silence lingered on the other end of the line.
[…So Go Chang-beom is the perpetrator’s guardian?]
“What? You know him? Perfect. Hurry up and come deal with these damn……”
[Hey, you crazy bitch! Want to see our family ruined? How dare you act like that against Myeongjin Construction’s eldest son! You lunatic. Get home right now. Forget the disciplinary committee—Min-ho’s getting punished no matter what, so come back immediately!]
In that instant.
Kim Sun-ja’s eyes went wide.
Stunned by the unexpected reaction, she froze in place.
Curses poured from the phone.
The sound carried clearly to everyone else, and they gained certainty from Jeong Man-cheol’s response.
This disciplinary committee.
It was effectively reaching its conclusion right then.
* * *
Kim Sun-ja returned to her seat.
She had been brimming with confidence at first, but now she responded blankly no matter what anyone said.
Oh Dae-hwan spoke.
“Now, let’s conclude this. In this incident, Kim Hyun-seong student assaulted his classmates, which warrants severe punishment. However, prior to this, there was school violence perpetrated by the four students known as Park Min-cheol’s gang. I ask all of you: Is it the students who have been committing school violence who are wrong, or the student who raised his fists against that violence? As principal of Cheonil High School, I acknowledge my failure to prevent this situation in advance. I will ensure the root of this incident is eradicated completely.”
He looked around.
The teachers, led by Kim Young-cheol.
The parents.
No one objected.
Even with the obvious outcome laid out in the preamble, they supported Oh Dae-hwan’s decision.
Finally, when his eyes met Go Chang-beom’s, Go Chang-beom nodded in his slouched posture as if to say, “Get on with it.”
A silent deal.
In exchange for losing Kim Sun-ja, Oh Dae-hwan would gain Myeongjin Construction.
“Kim Hyun-seong student will be assigned 100 hours of volunteer service. Though it was a response to violence, with four students ending up in the ER, he must bear that responsibility. Furthermore, Jeong Min-ho, Park Min-cheol, Kang Chang-seok, and Jo Yong-taek—these four students are hereby expelled for their heinous school violence in tormenting their classmates.”
Expulsion.
The moment the word left his mouth, Jeong Min-ho’s face filled with shock.
* * *
The disciplinary committee ended.
As Jeong Min-ho stepped outside, he felt like the sky was collapsing.
‘…Me, expelled?’
Expulsion.
He couldn’t believe it.
Just before the committee started, Kim Sun-ja and even Principal Oh Dae-hwan had reassured him everything would be fine. But then Go Chang-beom showed up, and it all went to hell. Everyone started watching Go Chang-beom’s mood, leading to the worst outcome: expulsion for Park Min-cheol’s gang.
Tears welled up.
He was only 17.
For someone who dreamed of graduating high school and campus life, expulsion was an unbearable reality.
That was when.
“Jeong Min-ho.”
“You fucking bastard.”
It was Kim Hyun-seong.
Jeong Min-ho lunged in fury, but suddenly found himself grabbed by Kim Sun-ja.
“Mom?”
Kim Sun-ja’s expression was devastated.
Just moments ago.
After getting an earful of abuse from Jeong Man-cheol, she had received a text from her husband.
[Do NOT piss off Myeongjin Construction’s eldest son. If you get on their bad side in Daesan, between tax audits and whatever else, they’ll tear into us from all sides until we can’t protect our assets. You should’ve gauged who you were dealing with before stirring this up. Wrap it up as fast as possible and bring Min-ho home. Got it?]
A harsh reality.
Wealth didn’t solve everything.
Myeongjin Construction had roots in Daesan that gave them not just money but power, and people like Jeong Man-cheol knew exactly what crossing them meant. A fortune with several buildings? If Myeongjin Construction went after him openly, that wealth would be stripped to the bones.
Tax audits.
Building code violation reports.
Rental interference, and more.
The options were endless.
Faced with reality, Kim Sun-ja could no longer go to extremes for Jeong Min-ho.
Kim Hyun-seong smirked.
Seeing Kim Sun-ja unable to lift her head, he looked at Jeong Min-ho and said,
“Kneel and beg.”
“What?”
“I said kneel and beg.”
“Why the hell should I? The committee already decided on expulsion—what more do you want me to kneel for?!”
“Ask your mom about that. Whether you should kneel or not.”
Jeong Min-ho looked at Kim Sun-ja.
Kim Sun-ja averted her gaze.
Unable to tell him to kneel, she couldn’t meet his eyes.
His eyes trembled.
Amid Jeong Min-ho’s shock-stained ears, Kim Hyun-seong’s voice rang out.
“Fun things are gonna happen at your house from now on. So do your best to soothe me. Who knows? I might let it end with expulsion.”
Kim Hyun-seong’s words.
Jeong Min-ho couldn’t comprehend them.
But Kim Sun-ja could.
“Min-ho. Kneel and beg.”
“Mom, why are you……!”
“Do it!”
Kim Sun-ja screamed.
Tears filled Jeong Min-ho’s eyes.
He couldn’t accept reality.
He, who had ruled Cheonil High as a predator, who had lived without want as a golden boy—he had never imagined suffering such humiliation. Jeong Min-ho wanted nothing more than to run away right there. But under Kim Sun-ja’s desperate gaze, he knelt with a look of despair.
Thud.
“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”
He bowed his head.
He sniffled.
Too ashamed, too furious.
He couldn’t hold back the tears.
Kim Hyun-seong crouched down toward Jeong Min-ho and whispered in his ear so Kim Sun-ja couldn’t hear.
“Sorry’s nice, but it’s not enough to calm me down. So look forward to it. Your future’s gonna be full of misfortune.”
In that moment.
Jeong Min-ho snapped his head up.
About to lash out in rage, he saw Kim Hyun-seong’s face and his heart sank.
Kim Hyun-seong.
He was glaring down at Jeong Min-ho with the face of a demon.
* * *
Go Chang-beom got into his car.
It was the sports car he usually drove.
As he buckled up to leave the school, he suddenly recalled what Kim Hyun-seong had said after the committee.
“Jeong Min-ho, Park Min-cheol, Jo Yong-taek, Kang Chang-seok. Crush these four lives. Don’t just make it so they can’t attend school comfortably or land decent jobs as adults. Make their parents—who raised them like that—face utter despair, using any means necessary to ruin their entire lives.”
It was malicious.
Faced with such a vicious request that could even lead to death, Go Chang-beom saw Kim Hyun-seong in a new light.
He’s clever, he thought.
Smart, quick-witted people usually avoid making enemies, but Kim Hyun-seong was trying to crush his foes like a devil. Come to think of it, Kim Hyun-seong had said he’d cause all sorts of incidents using Go Chang-beom as his guardian. Maybe there were special circumstances Go Chang-beom couldn’t grasp, but he didn’t dwell on it—ordinary people wouldn’t take such issues lightly.
“What happens to scum like that isn’t my business. As long as I profit, that’s it.”
He too.
Was a thug.
If trampling lives could get him to Myeongjin Construction’s chairman seat, he’d do anything without hesitation. That was the core of Go Chang-beom.
Vroom!
Rreeeev!
Go Chang-beom floored the accelerator.
In his elated mood, Gangnam for some fun seemed like the plan for tonight.
* * *
After the disciplinary committee.
Kim Hyun-seong returned home.
Told to come back to school starting tomorrow, he lay alone in the empty house, replaying recent events.
Kim Young-cheol and Oh Dae-hwan.
They had grabbed him and said,
“…Hyun-seong. You know how hard I’ve worked for you, right? So keep our secret safe.”
“Kim Hyun-seong student. If you’d told me earlier about having someone like Myeongjin Construction’s eldest son as your guardian, I never would’ve pushed this committee. I know this sounds petty right now. But don’t think too badly of me. My petty side will help a lot with your school life at Cheonil High going forward. So put in a good word about me to Go Chang-beom. It’d be even better if you could set up a meeting between us.”
Different from his previous life.
The two who had driven him to death.
Now they smiled desperately at him, wagging their tails like they’d hand over their livers and gallbladders.
Disgusting.
But he accepted it.
For his future plans, he had to become the same kind as them.
That was when.
Ding.
A text arrived.
It rang several more times before he checked his phone, and the screen showed a familiar name.
-Hyun-seong. It’s Park Min-cheol. Can you spare a moment? Please, just meet me once. Please.
Desperate words.
Park Min-cheol too had accepted the new reality.