Chapter 12

Chapter 12 - Model Student Seo Tae-hyuk??? #2

"First of all, I will start with Teacher Jung Nam-ho."

No matter how thick-headed Tae-hyuk was, he couldn't start a fight with An Eun-young.

Tae-hyuk jumped over the wall and went shopping in the city. Binoculars, mini voice recorder... He bought a few simple props as well. Tae-hyuk was preparing to spy.

The funds came from the money he had received from the voice phishers a few days ago.

It would've been nice if he had a hidden camera or wiretapping device. However, it was difficult to obtain such things right now.

'Class should be ending right now.'

He needed to go to the school office and place the tape recorder on Teacher Jung Nam-ho's seat. Then he would recover it and listen to it after school.

By doing this, he would be able to get a clue as to if his teacher was involved in a crime.

'So, how can I get into the office?'

Actually, the real problem wasn't entering but making an exit.

"Tae-hyuk, what are you doing not going to school? Huh? You won't be able to graduate like this. The number of days you've attended is too low. This teacher is going crazy because of you. Also, you should study harder. The average of the class..."

The student adviser was very pleased when Tae-hyuk visited the office. 

'What is this? It feels like confessing a crime at a police station...'

Tae-hyuk was able to safely place the tape recorder in Teacher Jung Nam-ho's seat. 

However, he'd had to listen to the same words from the student adviser for two hours, over and over again. So, it was slightly saddening to hear it again. 

Tae-hyuk listened to the lecture while watching Teacher Jung Nam-ho who was sitting a little bit away from him.

'He is having a phone conversation with someone. It smells fishy.'

"I will call your sister if there is one more unauthorized absence. Do you understand?"

'Yes, bad breath!'

It seemed like the student adviser hadn't brushed his teeth after eating cheonggukjang.

In the end, Tae-hyuk was only freed when school ended.

"You can go now. I hope that you will have a new start from tomorrow."

'I would like that as well, Teacher-nim.'

Tae-hyuk bowed his head and left the office.

Of course, he didn't forget to take that tape recorder that he had planted.

'Success!'

Tae-hyuk smiled widely as he listened to the recorded conversation. 

It contained very conclusive evidence.

*     *     *

-Yes, then I'll meet you at six in the evening. Ah, that thing... Yes. Thank you!

"Hu..."

Tae-hyuk pulled out the earphones connected to the tape recorder and sighed.

The information was devastating.

It seemed like he was going to meet a student's parents after school at a restaurant in order to receive something. 

There was only one crime that came to mind.

'Even taking bribes is a crime.'

He had found the criminal easier than he had thought would. 

Now, he had to get the new skill and use it to deal the criminal a big blow.

'Still, I hadn't thought that Teacher Jung Nam-ho...'

Tae-hyuk had never imagined it.

His tone was harsh, but he seemed like a teacher who cared for his students more than anyone else.

Indeed, it was truly impossible to know a person's mind.

'I need to check to make sure.'

There might be a misunderstanding.

Tae-hyuk headed to the restaurant that was mentioned on the recording.

It was a luxurious traditional Korean restaurant.

Fortunately, the room next to Jung Nam-ho and the parents was empty.

Tae-hyuk sat there and ordered.

The price was more than 30,000 won per person.

All of a sudden, he remembered his sister who was eating at home alone.

"Please give me one vegetable bibimbap. In addition to that, can I have this two course meal wrapped to go? Oh, it isn't allowed? Here's a tip."

After putting down a 10,000 won bill, all types of packed food were prepared.

Tae-hyuk mixed his bibimbap and listened to the conversation next door.

"Thank you, Teacher-nim. Then please do it for my son."

"I understand."

"This isn't that much but..."

'...For sure!'

Teacher Jung Nam-ho had received a bribe from the parents.

He lost his appetite.

It was like he was seeing the dark side of the world.

'Then did I learn a skill? What is the skill?

'Hopefully it wouldn't be something like bribery or extortion.'

They might be useful, but he didn't want to learn such things.

'Well, if I learn it, I should use it one day. Now, Demon Revealing Mirror, show me the skill!'

Tae-hyuk pulled out the Demon Revealing Mirror and looked for a new message.

There was nothing.

"What? Why is this? Is there something else?"

There was still a '???' where the new skill should be.

It didn't change even after Jung Nam-ho and the parents had left.  

'Perhaps, it isn't Teacher Jung Nam-ho?'

He definitely received money, but it wasn't a crime. Tae-hyuk had to interpret it that way.

Tae-hyuk decided to follow Jung Nam-ho to his next destination.

'Yes, let's go to the end.'

Tae-hyuk ran through the streets after the sun had set.

*     *     *

Jung Nam-ho bought two and fruits from a market in a poor area, then he headed somewhere.

Tae-hyuk knew that some people still used briquettes, but this was the first time he had actually seen it.

It was a strange feeling.

Even though he had lived in a semi-basement room until recently, he had never resorted to briquettes.

Jung Nam-ho stopped in front of an old house that seemed at least 50 years old.

"Aigoo, Teacher-nim. Why are you here?"

A grandmother came out and greeted Jung Nam-ho.

"Jong-min's grandmother, you don't need to come out. Won't you be more comfortable in the house?"

"Jong-min went to work. I'm sorry, I am sick..."

"It's nothing. When Jong-min comes home, tell him that I've stopped by. And this..."

Jung Nam-ho put down the briquettes and fruits at the door, then he pulled out an envelope and gave it to the grandmother.

It was what the parents had given him.

"What is this...?"

"Take it, and tell Jong-min to come to school tomorrow. That kid, he doesn't study regularly. I will take responsibility for sending him to university. Please believe me."

"T-teacher-nim. Thank you."

The grandmother bowed to Jung Nam-ho.

Tae-hyuk was watching them from behind a wall.

'This is truly...'

Jung Nam-ho was the man that Tae-hyuk knew. Jung Nam-ho's mouth was rough, but he thought about his students more than anyone else.

That's why Tae-hyuk liked him. 

He could smile even when he got hit.

Kim Jong-min was a student in the top 5 of the class. That reminded Tae-hyuk, he hadn't come to school for the past few days.

Jung Nam-ho found out the reason and helped him without anyone knowing.

Obviously, it was a crime to receive a bribe. However, the Demon Revealing Mirror hadn't reacted.

It was a complicated feeling.

Tae-hyuk moved to a spot where he couldn't be seen by Jung Nam-ho.

The criminal wasn't Jung Nam-ho.

If so, that meant the criminal was among the remaining two candidates.

He was sure of it. 

*     *     *

The next day, Tae-hyuk started to monitor what An Eun-young and Park Sung-kwang did all day.

An Eun-young looked like a frog facing a ghost every time she saw Tae-hyuk, which made him feel bitter.

'This is my own fault...'

The magic was a bit too much.

The first thing he figured out was that An Eun-young studied all day.

It seemed like she was possessed by a ghost of studying.

She went to school at seven in the morning and prepared for everything they would learn that day. Even at recess, the English words never left her hands. 

Then after school, she would stay until late to study.

If other students came to ask about something they didn't know, she would teach them kindly.

There was no sign of even the slightest annoyance.

'Really great.'

Tae-hyuk was full of admiration.

If there was a chance, he wanted to apologize and ask for help studying.

However, he needed to find the criminal first.

'And Park Sung-kwang...'

He was the exact opposite of An Eun-young.

Park Sung-kwang only played all day. 

He came to school just in time to avoid being late. 

During class, he would chat with someone on his handphone without studying.

Still, his grades were very good, so the teachers pretended not to see it.

At the end of school, a driver in a deluxe foreign car would come to pick him up. He would take it to places like clubs and bars.

It was difficult to enter such places with a uniform, so he would change to plain clothes. 

However, everything on his body screamed luxury.

'Is the son of a politician that wealthy?'

Clearly, they shouldn't earn that much.

Tae-hyuk laughed bitterly.

Even though they were in the same class, Park Sung-kwang's world was completely different from the one that Tae-hyuk and Jong-min lived in.

Tae-hyuk confirmed that Park Sung-kwang played with a woman until his face turned red. It was dawn when he got home.

'Does he study at home?'

It was strange that he was able to keep the position of 2nd place in the whole school despite all of this.

Tae-hyuk pulled out the Demon Revealing Mirror.

Underage drinking was a crime, but there was still nothing in the Demon Revealing Mirror.

'Well, it isn't like I wanted to learn a drinking skill.'

He still couldn't find a clue regarding the crime.

However, he noticed something suspicious three days before the big test.