Chapter 66
The office fell silent at the mention of an exam paper leak. Kang Minjae’s eyes widened as he pored over the chart, scrutinizing the points I’d highlighted, while Taesik stopped his leg from jiggling nervously.
No matter how I chewed it over, nothing else explained the phenomenon except a leak. And if we assumed someone at Jangmyeong High was leaking papers to Kim Hakseong, every puzzle piece snapped into place. The exclusive tutoring of Jangmyeong students. The absurd jumps in rankings from math tutoring alone. The annual top scorer emerging from under him—and that scorer always acing every subject perfectly. Too many coincidences to chalk up to Kim Hakseong’s raw skill.
“……Your theory makes sense, sir. Even top students rarely ace everything here—local exams are often tougher than the CSAT, so one or two mistakes still lands you first. Pulling off perfect scores across the board? Not easy.”
Kang Minjae set the file down. “And Lee Hyeokmin never missing first with that insane workload? It clicks if Kim Hakseong’s leaking papers.”
“Exactly. But……what do we do about it?”
The education superintendent’s son monopolizing first place via leaks? That was explosive scandal material. Proven, Lee Hyeokmin would be expelled on the spot, and his father would lose his post for enabling it. In Korea’s hottest education hotbed, it wouldn’t end quietly. Connections between the superintendent and principal would surface, along with every perk Jangmyeong High had granted Lee Hyeokmin. And that would shatter his little kingdom.
Just as the kids spilled Eom Seokdae’s corruption when a new teacher stole his authority, the school wouldn’t back Lee Hyeokmin anymore. Expelled in disgrace? The students would lose their fear and testify to every bullying incident.
“We blow it wide open.” I looked at Kang Minjae. “This thing.”
“How?”
I shrugged. “That’s what we figure out now.”
“Catching them in the act, right?”
A plan was forming in my head. Secure proof of the leak first, then let the exam proceed as scheduled. Catch the leaker without tipping them off. Busting them mid-handover left too much unknown if they clammed up about the destination. The leak would dominate headlines, letting Lee Hyeokmin slither free.
But gather evidence quietly, let the exam happen, then explode the story? Different story. With media and police watching, a second leak would be tough—especially after one perp’s arrest. No teacher would risk it easily.
Lee Hyeokmin would take the exam without leaked answers, his scores would tank, and we’d release records showing years of leaks via Kim Hakseong. Pin him and his crew as his tutees? No escape.
“Ha, but nabbing them in the act……this circumstantial evidence is solid enough to toss to the press, no?”
Kang Minjae had mulled it over. Hand this to Yun Se-yeon for a story, and it’d ripen on its own. But we didn’t have time for bureaucracy. Public agencies crawl—reports up the chain, repeat until decisions drip down. Fine for pure justice, but we needed to shield victim Park Jincheol and punish bully Lee Hyeokmin.
The leak was just a running start to expose the school violence.
“Too slow. Jincheol’s out in two months—we need Lee Hyeokmin nailed down by then for safe return to school.”
Plus, who knew what meddling might shrink the case? Superintendent wasn’t almighty, but a well-networked dad? Unpredictable.
“How do we catch them in the act…… Kim Hakseong won’t stroll into school himself. He gets papers or answers from some teacher…… Tail Kim Hakseong to nab the meet?”
I shook my head. If they used cutouts or other methods, no dice.
“How the hell do we even time it? No clue when they’ll move.”
“ID the perp and tail them. Easiest.”
“And how do we ID? Dozens of teachers at Jangmyeong.”
Kang Minjae rubbed his temple. Taesik, who’d been quiet, chimed in. “Dumb question, but can every teacher access all subjects’ papers?”
Kang Minjae whipped out his phone, punching buttons furiously, then held it to his ear. “Got a high school teacher buddy. Asking him.”
“Ask about the question-setting timeline too.”
“Got it.”
He stepped onto the balcony. Back moments later: “Subject teachers only see their own. Full access? Just the academic affairs head, vice principal, principal. Cabinet password’s theirs alone until exam eve.”
I nodded. Suspects narrowed: principal, vice principal, academic affairs head.
“Can’t pinpoint yet. Situation fits any.”
“Principal’s most suspect—buddies with Lee Hyeokmin’s dad.”
“Sure, but wrong guess wastes the shot.”
“Yeah. And tailing all three? Tough.”
Kang Minjae eyed Taesik, who tallied on his fingers. “Sanggil’s on Lee Hyeokmin, Daechul’s on Kim Hakseong. Got four more, but they’re tied up elsewhere. Timing’s blind, can’t follow into school. One target? Doable……”
Kang Minjae sighed. “Schools complicate everything……”
“What’d your buddy say on question-setting?”
“Done two weeks before exam day.”
I sank into the sofa. Two-week window to leak—and we had two weeks left.
“Suspects down to three. Pick one and tail. Chart shows tutees’ scores spiking from 2003—no priors?”
“Dunno pre-2003 tutoring, but the jumps start then. Broker said industry whispers on Kim Hakseong prompted the data dig.”
“Leaks since 2003, then.”
I scanned Jangmyeong faculty ages. “Principal retires next year—pension paradise. Vice principal’s got runway for principal. Academic affairs head’s old—three years to retirement.”
Motive pointed strongest to the desperate. Principal by Lee Hyeokmin ties. But career-wise? Academic affairs head, stalled short of vice principal, retirement looming. Grab what you can before exit? Plausible. Vice principal? Hidden pressures possible.
All suspect if you squinted.
“Six years of leaks? Caught, they’re fired, pension gone. Why risk it?”
Kang Minjae crossed his arms, pondering. “Blackmailed?”
“One leak, then done.”
“……True.”
“Desperate for cash?” I muttered.
He tilted his head. “Maybe……but teachers get loans easy. No need for years of this.”
“If it’s beyond loans? Banks cap even teachers.”
Quarterly exams, three grades: twelve papers yearly. Ten million each? Hundred-twenty million a year. Risk firing for that payday, then coast on pension post-retirement.
Forced to choose one?
“If they needed big money, yeah.”
Desperate folks hit banks first, then friends, then third-tier lenders. Those? Nightmares—illegal rates ballooning interest. Teacher salary can’t fight it; no side hustles allowed. In this education frenzy? One game: sell exams. Pawn your job and retirement for cash.
2003 first leak succeeds. Crisis averted. 2004? Easy money. No slip-ups, perfect. On through 2008.
“That risky? They’d exhausted every legit borrow by then.”
“Yeah.”
“Loan sharks too, probably.”
“Hahaha!” Taesik burst out laughing, pacing like a musical star, arms wide. He stopped before us. “Loan sharks? My specialty.”
“Can you check? Principal, vice, academic head—who’s borrowed from them?”
“Faces, names, ages, jobs? Piece of cake. I’ll nail it quick. Heh.”