“Let’s expel him. The very idea of letting that gang-punk brat walk inside our school gates does not match the dignity of this school.”
“Administrative Director…… but we still haven’t received the investigation results. What if we expel him now and the court later rules he’s innocent? What are you planning to do then?”
“Come on, it’s not as if my words are just my personal words. My father is the chairman of this school foundation. As the owner of this private school, don’t I have the right to assert authority here? And from what I heard, the prosecutor said he’s arresting that kid today. By now he’s probably already been taken to the detention center.”
“…….”
Including the principal, the vice principal, the Administrative Director, and the head teachers were all present.
The school’s senior staff had gathered to discuss the recent Jangju High School student-violence incident.
Inside the chairman’s office, which normally stayed empty, the Administrative Director sat stiffly in an armchair and loosened his posture as he spoke.
When his elderly father, the chairman, passed away, he would become the true owner of this school.
Although the teachers’ salaries were paid by the government, the authority to appoint them belonged to him.
It was the absolute power that only private schools possessed.
“That won’t do. We must first determine the exact facts. Until the court delivers its ruling regarding student Jang Tae-san, the school’s disciplinary action must be put on hold.”
At that moment, the vice principal spoke up.
He was a man who tried to maintain the favor of the chairman’s family.
“Then what about our school’s reputation being dragged through the mud because of that bastard! Kids can get into fights sometimes, but reporting it to the police! Do you know how many angry phone calls I’ve been getting? Even the Jangju High School alumni association is complaining, asking why we aren’t cutting that gang-punk brat loose already. It’s chaos, utter chaos!”
Administrative Director Yang Seung-gon’s voice trembled and rang sharply.
The local community was in an uproar.
Never in their imagination had they thought something like this could happen at a prestigious high school.
Every year, around ten students were admitted to Korea University — it was the pride of the entire region.
And yet now, a large-scale violence case had occurred inside such a school — the fact alone was a major issue.
“Director Yang. Please wait until we see the outcome. If we process this hastily and it turns out the vice principal handled it properly, the school will be praised not only in reputation but also possibly even by the Ministry of Education. We’ve already been contacted that the Ministry is paying special attention to this case.”
“Principal, why are you being so indecisive? The situation is on fire right now!”
The Administrative Director raised his voice toward the principal.
This was a situation that absolutely would not have happened if the boy involved were not the chairman’s son.
“…….”
All the teachers remained silent.
Unlike Yang Seung-gon, who had close ties with Hong Jang-hyuk, the teachers were at least aware of the violence to some extent.
However, since no severe consequences had occurred yet, they had not stepped forward aggressively.
Back when they themselves were students, such incidents were usually hushed up.
“I! I’ve made my decision. Expel him starting today! Transferring is not an option! These are not requests — these are the words of the chairman, my father!”
Yang Seung-gon spewed out harsh words.
Knock, knock.
Just then, a hurried knocking sound echoed from outside.
“What is it!”
Yang Seung-gon shouted nervously toward the door.
“D-director, something big has happened!”
The door opened, and an administrative office employee entered, pale and trembling as if clinging to life.
“What do you mean, something big? Did something happen to my father by any chance……?”
“No, sir. It’s an uproar on the internet. Reporters are flooding the school with phone calls!”
“An uproar on the internet? What, did a war break out?”
In a fluster, the employee hurried to use the computer in the chairman’s office.
And moments later, through the computer speakers, shocking audio poured out.
– There’s plenty of reasons~. I hate that those broke losers go to the same school as me~ I hate that broke losers smell like cheap kimchi stew in the mornings~ I hate dealing with idiots who can’t study~ I hate rolling around with worthless losers~ I just hate seeing ugly losers altogether~.
The teachers’ expressions hardened with suspicion.
The voice belonged to a boy who sounded young, but it was dripping with malice and cruelty.
But still, it didn’t seem like something that would become a huge problem.
– But we’re still friends, right? Doing a little violence and taking their money isn’t wrong. Your father, Attorney Hong Jang-hyuk, is doing well, and even though he’s a city council member, he won’t just sit still if he hears about this. At least for your father’s sake, don’t act like this!
– My father? Puhahaha. You worry too much over nothing. Relax, you bastard. My father always said this. Useless losers need to be crushed thoroughly so they’ll never dare raise their heads. He said he doesn’t punish slaves that refuse to behave.
“……!”
The room fell into stunned silence.
As soon as the name Hong Jang-hyuk appeared, everyone — including the Administrative Director — fell into shock.
Now things truly began to click together.
– So that’s why you beat up your seniors and classmates so brutally without fear? Because of your father’s backing?
– Of course~. My father’s friend is the chairman’s son of our school, who is also the Administrative Director. If you toss him a bit of dog food, he’ll take care of everything.
And at the moment the word “Administrative Director” came out, everyone’s faces turned pale.
The teachers’ gazes all turned toward Yang Seung-gon.
The voice continuously playing contained the core truth behind the incident.
The teachers’ expressions twisted into cold sharpness.
“Th-this, this is……”
In contrast, Yang Seung-gon’s face turned ghostly white.
The bright complexion he always had, the one that always oozed arrogance like pig grease, vanished in an instant.
Nose, nose, come play because I’m young~ ♫
Just then, Yang Seung-gon’s phone suddenly rang loudly.
He picked up the call without thinking — and his hands immediately began shaking.
“Ah, Father. What brings you here at this hour?”
– NENOoooooOooOom!
The chairman’s shrieking voice, overflowing with fury, blasted through the speaker.
– I thought you were involved in an accident. You disgraceful brat! You ruined my prestigious school’s reputation! Just you wait, you bastard! I’m going straight to the school right now!
The call ended with a hard thud.
The chairman’s rage — boiling to the breaking point — echoed in the ears of every teacher present.
“Well then, we will conclude today’s meeting here.”
The principal, looking down at the now-frozen Administrative Director with cold eyes, declared the meeting adjourned.
Another storm was sweeping over the school.
And this time, it seemed the Administrative Director would not escape unscathed.
* * *
– Breaking news. They say the father of that Jangju High gangster kid has just resigned from the city council.
– Hehehe. That bastard’s whole status collapsed. His son’s name is Hong Seong-hyun.
– People said he was a total piece of trash~
– Kids like that should be sent straight to juvenile detention.
– Straight to prison~ hehe.
– The father of that gang-punk brat is a city council member and an attorney……? Raising a brat like that and daring to enter politics? He should get punched in the nose and die, the bastard!
Dadadadadadadada—
A university student, Yoon Geun-hyeok, who had suffered from school violence in his own past, slammed the keyboard as if breaking it, trembling with rage.
– Everyone, let’s make sure this doesn’t get buried. File petitions to the Blue House! Spread it in the news!
– Of course~. My uncle is a journalist, and apparently the local police and prosecutors are all stirred up.
– What do you mean by that?
– That city council bastard used his local influence to cover things up and silence the victim.
– Hul…… really?
– Wow! This country has completely lost its mind!
Yoon Geun-hyeok paused his furious typing.
A memory from the past resurfaced.
The father of the delinquent who tormented him back then had been a police officer.
Because of that, he barely managed to graduate without further trouble.
“The bastard punks…… just die already, all of you!”
To the ones doing it, it might seem like a prank —
but the one suffering carries the trauma for life.
Yoon Geun-hyeok redirected his burning anger back to the keyboard.
– What happened to the victim?
– The video only caught his back, so…….
– They say he’s been hospitalized. Diagnosed with a brain concussion. Considering how much he was beaten, no wonder.
– Crazy……
The internet was more heated than ever.
The social impact of the Jangju High School violence incident was enormous.
As the scandal reached political circles and put the administration in crisis, the government released an official statement, announcing a thorough investigation.
* * *
“Tae-san~ how are you feeling today?”
“Thanks to the prettiest nurse in this hospital, I’m doing much better.”
“Hoho. Tae-san, aren’t you too smooth? How can you say things that make a woman flutter like that?”
“Well, even if I try to hide the truth, it’s something that shines through. If you were just three or four years younger, I would’ve confessed already.”
“Really? Puhihi. Even if it’s a lie, hearing it feels great~.”
Women were truly simple.
There wasn’t a single woman in the world who disliked being told she was pretty.
The nurse in charge of my room in the private ward, the nurse noona, curled up with embarrassment at just a few of my words.
This year, she was in her mid-twenties, and she was quite attractive.
Honestly, she was the type you’d expect to be selected purely by face for the special ward.
Her personality was good too.
Even while wearing the pure-white nurse uniform, her body line was no joke.
About 170 centimeters tall, with a model-tier figure.
Even the doctors would secretly glance at the nurse noona whenever they passed by.
I didn’t hate it either.
When she petted my head affectionately, treating me like I was still young(?), I simply liked it.
After all, I was old enough to understand everything.
“I ordered pizza. Have some snacks.”
“Really, Tae-san, even your manners are great~.”
“I also have plenty of money.”
“That’s exactly it. I seriously want to cling to you forever.”
Whoa. That wasn’t it.
Even if my mental age was in the thirties, my physical age was still plainly eighteen.
“But aren’t you bored staying in the hospital? What do you do every day?”
“There’s a lot to do. I study, I work small part-time tasks here and there, I’m busy.”
“That’s right. Make a lot of money. Once you experience life, you’ll see—money is everything.”
“Yes, thank you for the good advice.”
“Good work.”
“Noona, I love you.”
“Pfft, just that?”
“Yes. Just that~.”
The nurse noona giggled at my joke and left the room.
She had no idea that today alone I’d moved several billions of won in the stock market and earned over two billion won in profit.
If she knew, she wouldn’t have walked out so casually.
“Good! Good.”
It couldn’t get better than this.
I looked out the window.
The special ward was located on the highest floor, giving a clear view of the city.
A concussion was truly a convenient diagnosis.
After the prosecutor had visited and all hell broke loose, my private hospital room became off-limits to anyone except me and the doctors. Even my family couldn’t enter without permission.
It was the perfect environment.
I opened accounts in every securities company.
With several different accounts, I prepared in case my rate of return started drawing attention.
Every account traded different stocks.
Anyone looking at my numbers would think I was crazy.
My capital now totaled around twenty billion won.
The advantages of stocks shined without restraint.
Stocks had no income tax.
Except for a tiny transaction fee, there wasn’t even a concept of capital gains tax.
Had I earned this much in a company job, a ridiculous amount of taxes would’ve been taken.
It had already been one month since I’d been admitted to the hospital, and my gains overflowed.
The case was mostly concluded.
Everything was handled exactly the way I wanted.
“Goodbye, Hong Seong-hyun. I was too busy to even greet you.”
While the prosecutor was being buried under chaos, Attorney Jo Yun-tae asked me how far I wanted to push things.
I answered without hesitation.
I wanted him crushed completely when the time came.
I handed over the phone evidence.
Attorney Jo understood immediately.
Not long after, the evidence went public, and the internet exploded.
Everything was resolved with extreme satisfaction.
Hong Seong-hyun was arrested in the hospital room.
The police guarded the door.
His father, Hong Jang-hyuk, resigned from the city council due to the scandal.
Naturally, Hong Seong-hyun was expelled.
The police gathered testimony from all the victimized students.
The ones who followed him received disciplinary actions such as severe probation, forced school transfers, and expulsion.
The Administrative Director — the chairman’s son — was also kicked out of the school.
Rumors spread that the enraged chairman had smashed the Administrative Director’s desk during the fight.
Prosecutor Kang Gyeong-jun, who had glared at me with murderous intent, was disciplined.
Even Detective Park Dong-seok from Violent Crimes was fired.
And news came that the deputy chief at the district office had been stripped of his position.
Attorney Jo Yun-tae copied all the saved files from my laptop and handled everything exactly as I intended.
He knew that if the materials were exposed to the world, the prosecution would be disgraced,
and so did I.
I simply stored everything.
Just in case — as insurance.
“The world wouldn’t change much anyway.”
Manipulated press, religious factions, political parasites —
all of them would soon tear down the sitting president through political sabotage.
After that came two of the worst administrations in Korean history.
But there was nothing I could do about that.
Even if I made a lot of money through stocks, to the religious right I was nothing more than a lowly bastard they would sneer at.
So this incident was handled as quietly as possible.
Through Attorney Jo, I made sure my personal information as the victim would not be revealed.
They simply stated I was “a victimized student.”
“Leaving the hospital tomorrow works perfectly.”
The busywork was cleaned up.
Hong Seong-hyeon was transferred to another hospital.
School violence and illegal confinement — with the accusations piling up, the school finally found peace.
Hong Jang-hyeok also lost his footing.
No one would stick their hand out to help someone whose future had already been blown apart.
Money was a spell that made people bow.
If I didn’t have money, I would have lived a pathetic, miserable life and died like trash.
“What a beautiful world~.”
Outside the window, the sunlight was pouring in.
A truly beautiful world had created—
A picture like a fantasy.
Just like the goblin-like situation I was in now.