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Chapter 19: Acquisition and Exploitation (1)
“Taewoong… W-What is this?”
“What?”
“…This bank account…”
It was Friday.
As soon as classes ended and I stepped out of the classroom, Jiwoong was waiting for me.
His face had turned pale.
He immediately held out his smartphone in front of me.
“Five hundred million won was deposited into the account?”
“…Y-You transferred it?”
“Me? Hahaha. I’m a child from a single-parent family. Where would I get that kind of money?”
“Then… who is Jo Heejeong?”
“O Seora’s mom.”
“O Seora??”
Jiwoong’s face was filled with complete confusion.
When regular classes ended, I found that 500 million won had also been deposited into my own account.
I had secured Jiwoong’s grandmother’s bank account around the end of lunch break because I figured something might happen.
“That’s your grandmother’s account, right?”
“Yeah. She’s old, so I keep it for her. This phone is also registered under her name.”
Attorney Kim Jeongryul really handled things incredibly fast.
I had asked him to process the payment quickly, and it was already confirmed as soon as classes ended.
I had also asked him to include the tax issue in the settlement agreement so everything would be resolved.
“You endured it for a whole year. Think of it as compensation.”
“What do you mean…?”
“O Seora will stay quiet from now on. So after midterms, let’s go look for a place in Sillim-dong.”
“Sillim-dong?”
“You’re going to get into Seoguk University.”
I said it as though it were already decided.
“Me?”
“Trust me. Living near campus is the best.”
“O-Okay.”
“You have mobile banking, right?”
“Yeah. I have my digital certificate installed.”
“What about your transfer limit?”
“I removed the limit… I can transfer up to one billion won.”
“I’ll send you an account number. Lend me that money for just one week.”
“Huh??”
Jiwoong was startled when I asked to borrow it for only a week.
Naturally.
Another 500 million won had just been deposited into my account as well.
Even so, asking to borrow his money would naturally seem strange.
“Don’t trust me?”
Park Jiwoong stared at me silently.
If he refused here, then this would be the end of the good fortune waiting for him.
Five hundred million won wasn’t a small amount.
But it was nowhere near enough capital for someone who wanted to become a great prosecutor.
An incorruptible prosecutor?
To hell with that.
You need money if you want to resist every temptation!
This was the perfect opportunity to secure that capital.
His situation wasn’t the same as mine, but this was a chance to multiply our money several times over.
“O-Okay. I don’t need this much money anyway.”
Jiwoong responded with trust.
The generosity he showed so readily was remarkable.
No wonder he had eventually become the gangster boss representing the MZ generation.
“Leave yourself five million won and transfer the rest. Buy some beef for your grandmother. Korean beef.”
“R-Really?”
Jiwoong’s eyes sparkled the moment I mentioned Korean beef.
Looking at him now, this guy was really something.
I was telling him to leave only five million out of five hundred million, yet he looked genuinely happy.
“You just keep trusting your big brother. I’ll make sure you walk a smooth road from now on.”
“Mm! I trust you!”
Just one day.
That was all it took to become friends with Jiwoong.
In any case, both Jiwoong and I were already second-year students, so early admission was impossible.
Instead, we already knew every question on the College Scholastic Ability Test.
“But I still don’t understand. Why would O Seora’s mom send me so much money? I thought she’d sue me.”
Jiwoong had been worried too.
He had mentally prepared himself for that possibility.
It was understandable.
He had dumped food all over O Seora’s head.
“If anyone deserves a lawsuit, it’s us serving it to them. Stop worrying and study.”
“Taewoong…”
“From now on, you’ll live in a different world. A different life.”
I patted Jiwoong’s shoulder.
Just before I regressed, one of the most brutal criminal organizations in Korea—
The MZ gangster syndicate that had terrified the nation—
Had been led by none other than Park Jiwoong.
But now…
He had become as gentle as a lamb.
“Yeah… I’ll study and become a prosecutor.”
Jiwoong’s eyes shone brightly.
His energy had completely changed.
“A prosecutor? You? A thug like you?”
Just then, a venomous voice interrupted from behind.
It was O Seora.
She had changed into her gym clothes instead of her school uniform.
She looked as though laser beams might shoot out of her eyes.
Judging by the situation, she still hadn’t met her mother yet.
“My mom came to the school! Just wait! Both of you are going to jail!”
O Seora ground her teeth confidently.
Hatred overflowed from every word.
It looked like reforming her was impossible after all.
She was the type of person who remained beyond saving until the day she died.
Click. Click.
“O Seora…”
Along with the sharp sound of high heels came a familiar voice calling her name.
It was her mother, Jo Heejeong.
A chilling coldness spread from her as she approached.
“Mom!!”
O Seora called out happily with a bright smile.
Then—
“Mom, it’s them. Those single-parent-family bastards—”
SLAP!!
“Aaah!”
In an instant, O Seora’s face whipped violently to one side.
The scream that accompanied the powerful blow echoed throughout the hallway.
Just like an uncultured middle-aged woman.
“W-What’s going on?”
“Isn’t that O Seora’s mom??”
Students who had just finished class crowded into the hallway, murmuring in disbelief at what they were witnessing.
“Come with me!!”
After spotting me, O Seora’s mother didn’t even make eye contact.
Instead, she slapped O Seora across the face.
Then she grabbed O Seora’s arm and turned away.
“…M-Mom…”
Completely stunned, O Seora was dragged away.
She was so shocked that she even forgot to cry.
Her fair cheek had already begun turning red and swelling.
A refreshing moment had exploded in the hallway of Cheonghwa High School’s second-year classrooms.
It was such a masterpiece of a scene that I wanted to preserve it forever.
“What are you doing? Your mom told you to follow her.”
I casually walked past the almost-dragged O Seora and added,
“This is why family education is important. If you’re rotten at home, of course you’ll be rotten outside too. Tsk.”
I even offered my heartfelt sympathy.
But O Seora couldn’t say a single word as she was dragged away.
“AAAAAH! AAAAAAAH!”
Moments later, a bloodcurdling scream echoed from the end of the hallway.
What’s with him?
Lee Hyoju had just finished packing her bag when she stopped walking.
From the crowded hallway, she had witnessed everything.
Everyone in their grade knew O Seora had a terrible personality.
Rumor had it that her father was both a newly rich real estate tycoon and a gangster.
It wasn’t just a one-time rumor either.
Parents had repeatedly warned their children not to get involved with O Seora if they could help it.
And yet Ha Taewoong had caused trouble.
He had directly clashed with the one person everyone avoided.
O Gwangjun’s family and O Seora’s family weren’t even in the same league.
One had a father who was an ordinary chief prosecutor.
The other had a father who was a famous real estate billionaire in Gangnam.
“Waaah… Sniff…”
O Seora cried like a child as she ran out of the school.
The students watching were completely dumbfounded.
That single-parent kid, Ha Taewoong, had completely lost his mind today!
“Didn’t Ha Taewoong slap O Seora in the cafeteria?”
“Yeah. Then why is O Seora’s mom acting like that?”
“I don’t get it…”
Students who had heard the rumors whispered among themselves.
Normally, O Seora’s mother should have been slapping Ha Taewoong.
Instead, she had slapped her own daughter.
In front of everyone in the hallway.
“Something happened…”
Lee Hyoju couldn’t make sense of the situation either.
Cheonghwa High School wasn’t an ordinary school.
It was another playground for children of the upper class.
Completely different from what ordinary people imagined a normal high school to be.
Behind every student stood parents who controlled wealth and power.
Through the parents’ association, they played political games and wielded influence just as they did in society.
And in a place like that…
Ha Taewoong—the boy everyone knew came from a single-parent family—had somehow gained the upper hand.
The Ha Taewoong everyone knew had gone on a rampage all day.
He had turned the entire school upside down.
During class, he had even been summoned by the PE teacher.
Among the students, that teacher was known as the parents’ association’s hunting dog.
Judging by the atmosphere, suspension had seemed like the minimum punishment.
Yet Ha Taewoong had returned safely to the classroom.
“Ha Taewoong… Just who are you?”
Lee Hyoju blankly watched his confident figure disappear into the distance.
He was tall and a little thin.
Yet his back looked incredibly dependable.
For some reason, she found herself thinking he looked like a giant.
“…”
School life, which had always seemed unbearably dull…
An indescribable smile quietly spread across Lee Hyoju’s lips.
“Perfect!”
School had just ended, and students were pouring out of the campus.
The school grounds were beautiful with spring arriving.
The thick old trees, as old as the school itself, made the scenery even more picturesque.
Ginkgo trees.
Cherry blossom trees.
Various ornamental trees.
It was hard to believe such a nature-friendly place existed in the middle of Seoul.
Crunch. Crunch.
For the first time, I leisurely walked across the campus.
In the past, the moment classes ended, I had always fled the school as quickly as possible.
A kid from a single-parent family wasn’t allowed to enjoy the blessings of such a beautiful environment.
Instead, I had always felt intimidated by this atmosphere.
But today…
I walked proudly, enjoying the beauty of nature that I had never been able to appreciate before.
Jiwoong had already gone home.
“No one’s going to mess with me anymore.”
Today was a historic day that had caused a huge upheaval.
The ones who relied on powerful backing and looked down on me were beaten with my fists.
The ones who despised me for being from a single-parent family because of their wealth and influence…
I had simply borrowed Grandpa’s name.
“I’m never putting up with it again. If anyone blocks my way… I’ll crush them all!”
Like a panorama, memories of my past life flashed through my mind—
All those years of enduring humiliation at the hands of the privileged.
I didn’t want to live like that anymore.
“I’ll own everything!”
Everything I wanted…
I’d make it mine.
I refused to live the kind of life where payday meant celebrating with nothing more than fried chicken and a single can of beer.
Thwack!
Just then, I heard the crisp sound of a golf ball being struck.
“Golf… Nice.”
It reminded me of my first days at the company.
I had been given a hard time because I couldn’t play golf.
Executives.
Department managers.
Section chiefs.
Even assistant managers knew how to play.
Every weekend they gathered at golf courses, and even on weekdays they bonded at indoor golf simulators after work.
Meanwhile, I didn’t even own a cheap set of golf clubs.
I had become the butt of their jokes.
“A golf driving range at a school? Seriously?”
At Cheonghwa High School, golf was a mandatory PE class.
After school, the golf driving range was used by teachers and parents.
It only had twenty practice bays, but in Gangnam it was one of the few outdoor driving ranges.
Of course, there was also an indoor golf simulator underground.
It had been established by the Cheonghwa Group as part of its talent development program.
I headed toward the driving range.
With exams starting next week, there weren’t any students around.
Instead—
Thwack!
A tall, slender woman swung her club, producing a crisp impact.
The powerful swing caused the skirt of her golf outfit to flutter lightly.
Beautiful.
“Pro Ahn Hyunju…”
She had once been expected to become one of Korea’s leading LPGA Tour players.
A scandal had destroyed her career.
Afterward, she had come to Cheonghwa High School as a golf instructor.
This was that very year.
Thwaaack!
Her swing looked effortless, but it was filled with fury.
The aura radiating from her body was a deep crimson.
It looked like the color of the anger buried deep inside her.
“Teacher!”
I called out to her.
“…?”
Ahn Hyunju turned toward me while setting up her swing.
Her eyes widened in surprise.
“…!!”
Seeing her again…
She was still an unbelievably beautiful golfer.
In the golf world, where skill mattered above all else, her beauty was also among the very best.
She stood well over 170 centimeters tall.
Her athletic body was firm, toned, and graceful.
A small face.
A sharp nose.
Large, beautiful eyes.
Her ponytail reached about shoulder length.
Simply standing there made her look like a work of art.
A bead of sweat rolled down from her forehead, tracing her cheek before falling beneath her chin.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Ha Taewoong from Class 2.”
I answered confidently as I walked toward her.
“What is it?”
Unlike the female students, her voice carried a mature charm.
Just hearing it felt refreshing.
“I’ve been a huge fan of yours.”
I meant it.
A few years from now, she would overcome her slump and conquer the LPGA.
She would make a successful comeback, earning recognition for both her skill and her timeless beauty, eventually becoming a top celebrity.
I politely extended both hands for a handshake.
“O-Okay.”
Slightly flustered, Ahn Hyunju removed her glove and shook my hand.
A bare-handed handshake with her.
The softness of her hand…
Would you like to Acquire Golf Talent, or Exploit it?
Huh?
Acquire? Exploit??
