Chapter : 28
The pressure from the old man was getting worse by the day.
He had threatened that if I didn’t get into university, he would erase me from the family registry and kick me out of the house.
Even though he had an enormous amount of money, and it wasn’t like he could take it with him when he died, he was desperate to “get a hold” of his one and only son.
Yeong-seop pulled several 50,000-won bills from his wallet.
“These are for your assignments so far, and consider it an upfront payment. If your midterm grades come out well, I’ll give you more…”
At that moment, the rooftop door opened, and Tae-shin appeared.
Tae-shin’s eyes skimmed the files and money before locking onto Yeong-seop’s face.
“Hello, hyung. What brings you here…?”
Yeong-seop greeted him cheerfully and casually slipped his wallet back into the inside pocket of his jacket.
“Oh, you came to take a break. Then we’ll—”
“No need. If you’re done talking, can I have a word with you?”
What?
Did he just hear what I said a moment ago?
How much did he hear?
“Jeong-hwan, you should head off. Think carefully about what I said.”
Then Tae-shin said:
“Let’s pretend you didn’t hear what that guy said just now. You know that if you get caught, you won’t escape punishment either.”
He heard everything.
Yeong-seop clenched his teeth and swallowed his curse.
“Do you understand what I mean?”
“Yes.”
Jeong-hwan nodded and hurriedly left.
Watching the boy leave through the rooftop door, Yeong-seop asked, feeling a bit disappointed:
“Hyung, you don’t smoke, do you?”
“Cigarettes make your body sluggish and reduce agility.”
Of course, a body like that wouldn’t come without training.
From a young age, one thing he had learned was that when dealing with formidable opponents like his father or Hwang In-woo, it’s not about confronting them head-on—you have to pretend to yield while finding ways to use the situation to your advantage.
Rushing in recklessly only makes you look ridiculous.
“What did you want to talk about?”
Tae-shin looked Yeong-seop squarely in the eye and recited:
“Bu, Bae Cheol-hwan, Mo, Lim Kyung-mi, from a long-established family, owns half the land of Seom Island. Twelve fishing vessels, six buildings in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do.”
Six buildings?
It was the first time Yeong-seop had heard this, but judging from the accuracy of the other information he recited, it was probably true.
“In middle school, he was involved in school violence three times, which his father settled with hush money. He first met Hwang In-woo, who was forcibly transferred in 9th grade, and became close with him, eventually becoming his right-hand man.”
“Haha, you know a lot about me. Oh, I’m flustered.”
What on earth…
How did he find out all this?
Wiping the sweat from his forehead as if calming himself, Yeong-seop asked:
“Are you… a detective or something?”
Kim Hee-rok’s theory that he might be an undercover cop suddenly seemed even more plausible.
If he wasn’t a police officer, how could he have gotten such information?
“You don’t need to know who I am. Let’s get to the point. Three recent assault incidents among the third-years—was that you guys?”
“I… don’t understand what you mean…”
“You had students fight and bet money on it, right? Soon the semifinals and finals are coming up.”
Yeong-seop shrugged and played innocent.
“Fights? I heard they just hit each other and fought among themselves.”
Tae-shin stepped closer and lowered his voice.
“You lie pretty well. I thought you were smarter than Hwang In-woo or Kim Hee-rok, but was I wrong?”
“…”
“If what you did gets exposed, getting into college is out of the question. You okay with that?”
“I don’t really understand what you’re saying, but if I had to answer, my father would spend any amount of money to make sure I get into university. After all, I’m his only child, whether he erases me from the registry or not.”
“I see.”
Tae-shin straightened Yeong-seop’s crooked tie and said:
“You still don’t seem to understand. There are plenty of people in the world smarter, richer, and stronger than you.”
“…”
“You shouldn’t assume that what you see in this small, narrow well is the whole world.”
Tae-shin tugged on one side of Yeong-seop’s tie. His neck tightened, and it became hard to breathe.
It wasn’t tight enough to actually suffocate him, yet strangely, he couldn’t move at all.
Was it the sheer strength of the man?
Or the unsettling presence he radiated?
Or maybe it was those ice-cold eyes.
For a detective, they were unusually detached and emotionless.
Those eyes held neither cheap justice nor warmth.
What was that gaze, so different from his actions and words?
“Also, how about doing your assignments yourself? And if you have money, donate some to people in need.”
Tae-shin then loosened the tie neatly and took a step back.
“Think carefully about what I said and come find me.”
After Tae-shin disappeared, Yeong-seop loosened his neatly tied tie and exhaled the breath he had been holding.
To empty the recycling bin, Yoo-shin arrived at the incinerator and stopped when he caught a familiar name among the whispering voices in the corner.
It was a group of girls.
“Did you know that Jang Se-jin is illegitimate?”
“Jang Se-jin is illegitimate? No way.”
“I overheard my mom and the lady next door talking. They said Se-jin’s mom was famous as a beauty when she was young. But she seduced a very rich married man and had Se-jin. The man paid a huge sum to keep it secret, but Se-jin’s mom was scammed by a con artist and lost all the money. Now she works at a bar.”
“She’s an alcoholic, right?”
“Working at a bar, it’s not surprising, is it?”
After setting down the bin, Yoo-shin walked closer to overhear more.
“Wow, so she acted all high and mighty about studying well, but turns out she’s illegitimate? Like mother, like daughter, right? Since Hwang In-woo treats her as cute, she doesn’t know her place…”
The excited voices suddenly went quiet.
A long shadow fell over them. The two crouching girls slowly looked up from Yoo-shin’s shoes to his face.
He didn’t even know which class they were from—faces he didn’t remember.
As the two girls slowly stood, they had to crane their necks to look at him.
“Y-Yoo-shin. What are you doing here?”
Flustered, they spoke awkwardly.
“We just came to throw away the trash…”
“Let’s pretend we didn’t hear anything here…”
They looked clearly embarrassed.
“Can you take responsibility for what you just said?”
“What?”
“Could you say that in front of Jang Se-jin?”
“Hah. Why would we tell her that…”
“If you can’t say it to her face, you shouldn’t say it behind her back either. And spreading it to others is even worse. Do you understand what I mean?”
“Who… do you think you are…!”
One girl snapped, but the other stopped her.
“If I hear that again, I’ll assume you two spread it.”
Yoo-shin leaned forward to meet their eyes and warned quietly:
“Spreading rumors about friends you don’t even really know is beneath you. Right?”
“Y-Yeah. We’ll keep our mouths shut, don’t worry. So please, pretend you didn’t see us too.”
Back in the classroom, Yoo-shin inspected the cleaning, while Se-jin wrote her name on the sports day participant list.
She had reportedly been class president every year since elementary school, and it showed.
Se-jin completed her tasks one by one in the fastest and most efficient way possible.
Watching her was astonishing.
No one argued with her.
If she said do it, they did. If she said don’t, they didn’t.
Even the troublesome Hwang In-woo.
Still, Yoo-shin wondered if the story he overheard at the incinerator was true.
True or false, if the rumor spread, Se-jin would suffer a serious blow.
“Yoo-shin, can you run? How fast are you in the 100m?”
Se-jin suddenly asked as she approached.
