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 .