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CHAPTER 01
“Remember this.”
A middle-aged man in a suit declared solemnly.
“Law is not a complete order in itself. It is not ultimate justice. On its own, it’s nothing but dusty piles of words. But bringing those words back to life—turning them into a power that protects real people of flesh and blood—that is the duty entrusted to you, who are being educated as legal professionals. Do not forget it.”
The weight of those words pressed the entire hall into silence.
But only for a moment.
Someone began clapping. Then applause burst out like a dam breaking. The man returned the ovation with a light bow.
Overcome with emotion, I was about to join in the applause—
[Thank you for loving the webtoon “In the Law School.”]
The line of text appeared on the screen of an old office computer.
“…Oh, you watch this too, senior?”
That voice jolted me awake.
“When did you get here?”
“Just now.”
I glanced at the clock. Five o’clock. Not five in the evening—five in the morning.
The once-dark office was now slowly filling with sunlight. Whether it was a time for going to work or getting off work, either way, it wasn’t normal.
“I thought you weren’t interested in stuff like this.”
“Stuff like what?”
“Comics, dramas, movies, novels… basically, any kind of culture or hobbies.”
“You’re always just working…”
There was a shadow in the junior’s eyes as he muttered that. Not that I had any right to judge—if anything, I was worse. Even if I left now, I’d be back by 9 a.m., the time everyone else started their day.
“…It was a dream, you know.”
“What was? Law school?”
“No. Being a lawyer. I studied for the bar exam.”
That was back in college, when I was still young and full of ambition.
The rumors that the bar exam would soon be abolished were already everywhere. But I was confident in my studies. I believed I’d pass before then.
And I did—at least, at first. I passed the first round on my very first attempt. The next year, I even passed the second round. That infamous second round, where countless geniuses failed year after year.
All that remained was the interview. A mere formality that didn’t really affect the outcome.
But I never became a lawyer.
On the day of my interview, my younger brother collapsed.
Our parents had passed away long ago, and it was just the two of us. I was the only one who could take him to the hospital and handle the paperwork.
By the time I finished, it was already too late for the interview.
It was fine, I told myself. There would be another exam next year. My brother only came first. Besides, second-round passers had a grace system—if you failed or missed the interview, you only had to retake the interview the next year.
But that was just the beginning.
My brother’s illness turned out to be a rare disease I had never even heard of. No hospital in Korea could treat it. No drugs available. Only overseas treatment—but the cost was astronomical.
Our already tight finances collapsed overnight. Medical bills became crushing debt. I had no choice but to turn to shady lenders. And the new creditors weren’t exactly patient.
Bill collectors came knocking daily. In the end, I was pushed into working—burning myself out night and day to earn money.
All I had to do was hold out until the next interview. Once I became a lawyer, I could repay this measly debt, I told myself again and again.
But the next year, I couldn’t make it to the interview either.
This time, it was a car accident. I took a taxi to avoid being late. The driver fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into a truck.
When I woke up in the hospital, the doctor said it was a miracle I’d survived at all.
Just like that, my grace period was gone.
Of course, I didn’t give up. I kept trying for the exam in the years after.
But the bar exam isn’t something you can pass while working all day with a broken body. Even the best-prepared candidates studied until their backsides rotted into their chairs.
In the end, I never passed again.
“I missed my chance.”
Years passed. And now here I was—still working myself to the bone. Because the debt was still towering over me.
“…I see. What about your brother?”
“He died. Two years ago.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I brought it up.”
My brother was gone, but the debt remained. Until it was gone, this was the only way I could live.
Even when the bar exam was abolished, it was replaced entirely by law schools.
Even when I heard that, despite its reputation as a “money school,” poor students could actually get full tuition waivers and even living stipends.
None of that mattered to me.
“Scholarships don’t pay off debts.”
“So that’s why…”
“Yeah. That’s why I read comics like this.”
“In the Law School” was a good webtoon. It let me peek at the path I couldn’t take, following students immersed in legal study.
Whenever old doctrines or precedents I’d studied back then appeared in the story, my heart would race.
Sure, the comic added lots of contrived drama, useless romance, and even shocking thriller twists where characters were murdered.
But even so, it was the best webtoon I’d ever read. Granted, it was the only one I’d ever read.
“Well then, I’m heading home.”
As I staggered toward the door, my junior’s voice stopped me.
“Senior.”
“Yeah?”
“…If. Just if.”
He spoke with unusual seriousness.
“If all that debt disappeared… and you were given the chance to pursue whatever you wanted—would you still want to be a lawyer?”
I turned to look at him.
What a pointless question. My debt wasn’t going away. No opportunity was coming my way.
But for some reason, I froze. Maybe it was the strange gleam in his eyes.
“…I don’t know.”
That was all I could manage before I hurried out of the office.
And yet, I couldn’t shake the feeling of his gaze stabbing into my back, even as I walked away.
***
“…Huh? What’s happening…”
On the way back to my lodging.
My eyelids grew unbearably heavy. My body was drained of strength. My knees buckled.
“Hey! Are you okay!?”
A stranger’s voice sounded far away. My vision blurred.
At last, I realized this was the price of years of overwork.
—Senior, do you still want to be a lawyer?
My junior’s question echoed in my fading consciousness.
…The truth is—
Yes.
—I wanted to be a prosecutor.
—A prosecutor?
The world isn’t fair. Countless unreasonable things happen. But before the law, everyone should be equal. If reality isn’t like that, then someone has to make it that way. I wanted to be that person.
—…
When I thought that—no, only when I thought that—
My heart still raced.
—Is that so?
Well, maybe it’s impossible in this life.
But I really did live earnestly, didn’t I? I worked hard. I devoted myself to my family.
So, if there really is such a thing as a next life—if I’m given another chance—
Then next time, I’d like to live like those students in the webtoon. Free to study all I want.
Chasing the dream I couldn’t reach.
That thought crossed my mind in the very last moment—
—That’s nice. Then why don’t you try it?
Try… what?
I didn’t even have time to wonder before my consciousness went completely dark.
