Ch. 20 — 20
After a dynamic lunchtime, it was time for 5th period Science.
Throughout the class, Go Chang-ho kept checking on Cheol-jun, who was sitting in the front row.
Once this class ended, he would go to the counseling room and hear the proper story, but Chang-ho already knew that Cheol-jun didn’t hit Ga-young on purpose.
Si-woo and A-rin had consistently stated clearly that it wasn’t Cheol-jun’s fault, whereas Ga-young’s friends were somewhat vague or their stories didn’t match, and it was blatantly obvious they were looking at each other trying to get their stories straight while talking.
However, it was true that Ga-young had bumped into Cheol-jun and gotten hurt.
Even if he felt wronged, just giving a proper apology and a formal reflection letter was the easiest way to end it without escalating the situation.
Therefore, he planned to persuade Cheol-jun to do so after class, before they met Teacher Lee Hyun-ja.
However, observing Cheol-jun’s expression during class made him continuously worry.
He had a face that couldn’t focus on the lesson, narrowing his brow, scrunching his nose, jutting his lip out in a pout—an expression of deep dissatisfaction.
How exactly is that smart child accepting this situation?
Just looking at his face, he feels incredibly wronged…
He was worried what to do if this incident caused him to develop a resentment toward school for no reason.
Chang-ho let out an inward sigh and continued the lesson.
“Alright, earlier I explained the movement of heated air, right? By utilizing that property, we were able to create hot air balloons. Let’s see. What comes to mind when you hear ‘hot air balloon’?”
He pulled a balloon out of his pocket.
And blew it up big.
“When I’m holding the opening like this, nothing happens. But what if I let go?”
When Chang-ho let go of the balloon, the air rushed out and it flew off in the opposite direction with a whoosh.
“Oh? Why did the balloon fly away?”
A kid who had finished advanced learning chuckled and muttered, “Action and reaction.”
“That’s right! Action and reaction. You’ll learn this later in middle school, but it’s Newton’s Third Law. The two are always equal in magnitude. Due to that principle, as the air rushes out, the balloon flies…”
Chang-ho often linked things not in the textbook one by one during class like this.
Hoping it would subconsciously remain in the kids’ memories.
“Heated air rises, and when it cools, it descends. But it expands due to the applied heat, and the force of it expelling outward can also move objects…”
Chang-ho, noticing Cheol-jun suddenly start writing something in his textbook a moment ago, tilted his head.
Then, slowly walking over to Cheol-jun’s side, he sneaked a peek at what he was writing so intently.
One of Chang-ho’s eyebrows twitched.
‘Action and reaction?’
‘Set definitions? The intersection is empty?’
‘Variables?’
‘Action and reaction and set definitions…?’
An attempt to forcefully weave math into physics to derive something.
“Um, it can move objects… So, the object moves, but…”
After checking Cheol-jun’s notes, Chang-ho unwittingly started stuttering.
‘What on earth is he writing in a 5th-grade science textbook?’
Chang-ho swallowed hard.
*
*
*
Cheol-jun tried to mathematically understand the current unacceptable situation.
‘C was overlapping with set B, and the moment I moved toward C, an intersection with B was created. Within that, B applied force to me, and that force returned to B, right? I never exerted force, you know? But because I created that intersection, am I being seen as the one who provided the cause?’
He had learned Newton’s Third Law while previously solving question marks related to cars.
It was related to the technology where suspension reduces the reaction when tires go over bumps, but anyway, action and reaction were always 1-to-1.
It was a law stating the direction is opposite, but the magnitude is unconditionally the same…
‘I just used words. But Ga-young was the one who tried to shove me, and I just lowered my head to apologize, and Ga-young came and bumped into it. The action was 1, but it returned as 2, and that was applied back to Ga-young herself. Is that my fault? Isn’t it Ga-young’s fault for corresponding 1 to 2?’
Something had happened that couldn’t be explained at all by either the laws of physics or math.
‘Action and reaction occurred within the intersection, but the side that exerted the force was Ga-young, and the one who got hurt was Ga-young. But since I’m the one who created the intersection, have I become the perpetrator?’
The more he thought about it, the more he couldn’t logically organize it.
He really didn’t like that.
He knew this wasn’t a problem that could be answered through calculation, but to Cheol-jun, the feeling of being treated unfairly was too unfamiliar, and therefore confusing.
He just wanted to understand this situation by substituting anything he could.
He could apologize for bluntly commenting on Ga-young’s appearance at first.
Honestly, the intent to make her feel bad was obvious.
However, he couldn’t apologize for her coming and smashing her face into his head.
That was absolutely not his fault.
‘Shouldn’t I be the one receiving an apology, actually?’
Because Ga-young hit his head with her face.
He just couldn’t understand it.
So when the homeroom teacher of that class told him to apologize for hitting her earlier, he didn’t.
Because of that, the situation escalated.
Even though the nosebleed stopped by the time she got to the nurse’s office, Ga-young went to the hospital, and earlier the homeroom teacher even called his uncle.
Cheol-jun also accurately recognized that he was currently in a disadvantageous position.
And, he knew the fastest way to resolve this situation.
A letter of reflection and a sincere apology.
Cheol-jun jutted his lip out.
He just didn’t want to do that.
Because that would mean he actually did hit her.
First of all, he knew too little.
He had heard the term ‘school violence committee’ for the first time earlier today, and he knew almost nothing about South Korean law.
So it kept bothering him that he couldn’t answer properly.
‘I’ll have to study law, too.’
Most of all, he didn’t like the authoritarian tone of that class’s homeroom teacher.
It was his first time encountering an adult who gave commands rather than persuading with completely illogical words.
Cheol-jun knew that adults weren’t perfect people either.
However, that teacher was being somewhat unreasonable simply because Ga-young was the one who got hurt.
So, a sense of rebellion sparked in him.
He desperately wanted to prove that he wasn’t wrong.
If he apologized for something he didn’t do wrong just to easily move past this situation, he felt he would have to live the rest of his life considering that path as the right answer.
He really didn’t like that thought.
Cheol-jun narrowed his brow throughout the entire 5th period, and finally, jutting his lip out, he finished organizing his complex thoughts.
He didn’t know for sure if this was the right way, but he had firmly made up his mind on how to handle it.
Cheol-jun recalled a phrase the kids often used.
‘Time to shift gears!’
It was right before the bell signaling the end of class rang.
*
*
*
“I don’t think you realize how serious the current situation is. How could you make a girl’s nose bleed…”
Ga-young’s homeroom teacher repeating the same words she said earlier.
Cheol-jun appreciated the wood grain pattern on the counseling room desk and let the useless talk go in one ear and out the other.
“For now, let’s just write a reflection letter, apologize to Ga-young tomorrow, and wrap this up. Then Ga-young’s parents won’t say anything more either. I just don’t know why you’re being so stubborn. Even if it was an accident, she got hurt because of you. Do you know what bodily injury by negligence means? Even legally…”
Just then, Teacher Go Chang-ho intervened.
“Teacher Lee. You said you were going to talk to him nicely. That’s a threat right now.”
“Hah… Teacher Go. I’m saying this to end things on a good note.”
“Is it appropriate to talk about bodily injury by negligence and whatnot to a 5th grader? That’s a conversation adults should be having among themselves.”
“Well, he doesn’t seem to understand the situation he’s in at all. He’s not even answering properly.”
“Still, please choose your words carefully.”
Lee Hyun-ja, furrowing her brow, spoke up again.
“Anyway, Cheol-jun? If you keep being stubborn and a school violence committee is convened…”
One of Cheol-jun’s eyebrows, who had been staring blankly at the desk, twitched.
He had kept listening, and as expected, it was exactly what he thought.
Bodily injury by negligence. School violence committee.
No logic, just authority and threats.
Cheol-jun raised his head.
And, with an innocent face, he spoke up.
“Teacher!”
“Yes?”
“Can a school violence committee only be convened by the victim?”
“…Uh? That’s right?”
“If Ga-young hit my head with her face, then couldn’t I be the victim?”
“What?”
“There were a total of five witnesses, three of whom identified me as the perpetrator, and two said that wasn’t the case. Is the testimony of witnesses originally decided by majority rule?”
“Well…”
Cheol-jun stared intently at Teacher Lee Hyun-ja.
At first, her eyes went wide.
Then, her brow narrowed.
Her lips parted, but no words came out.
Her ears turned red, and her lips trembled slightly.
Then, she stared blankly at Teacher Go Chang-ho.
But it wasn’t a situation where Teacher Go Chang-ho could offer much help either.
His homeroom teacher was also just blinking his widened eyes.
Regardless, he kept his manners.
Because he was asking out of pure curiosity.
“Teacher, what happens if the witnesses’ testimonies change later? In that case, what kind of responsibility falls on the adult who forced an apology without properly understanding the situation?”
“Y-You, right now…”
Cheol-jun blinked his round eyes nonchalantly.
“Uh, are you angry? I was just curious…”
“Hey!”
“Yes?”
Go Chang-ho barely held back a burst of laughter and shook his head.
—If that teacher answers everything I ask, I’ll write a reflection letter and apologize.
That’s what Cheol-jun had said before coming to the counseling room.
So, he wondered what he was going to ask, and as expected…
Actually, Teacher Lee Hyun-ja had quite a bit of experience.
So, she was good at handling children.
She had easily resolved situations by just selecting words that would scare a child and pressuring them, so a situation like this must be a first for her.
Go Chang-ho looked at Teacher Lee Hyun-ja, whose face had turned bright red.
He felt he should step in at this point.
“Teacher Lee. I think we’ll have to convene a school violence committee.”
“…What?”
“Since Cheol-jun is speaking to this extent…”
“……”
“It means we should establish the facts clearly. Didn’t you say Ga-young’s words are unconditionally correct, Teacher? I believe Cheol-jun. I think we need to listen carefully to the kids’ stories again tomorrow and make a proper judgment.”
Teacher Lee Hyun-ja’s eyes wavered.
Truthfully, she couldn’t be absolutely certain.
Because kids usually made up stories advantageous to themselves.
However, this bold child sitting in front of her had a face full of certainty.
Thinking about it quietly, the attitude of Ga-young’s friends earlier did bother her a bit.
If it actually went to a school violence committee, would the kids who took Ga-young’s side today be able to speak properly?
She couldn’t be certain of this either.
What if they were stories they made up amongst themselves to take her side?
It was right for her to step back at this point.
She was angry, but talking any further would only make her look ridiculous.
Since it had come to this, Ga-young’s parents would just take care of it themselves anyway.
She had done all she could.
“Hoo… Alright. So, you’re saying you can’t apologize?”
“Yes. Because no matter how much I think about it, I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Hah…”
Why is this little kid so good at talking?
Teacher Lee Hyun-ja shook her head once and continued.
“Alright. I understand. However, the matter will escalate.”
She stared fixedly at Cheol-jun.
“Thanks to you, your guardian is going to be exhausted. Once it gets to this point, it becomes a fight between adults.”
One of Go Chang-ho’s eyebrows twitched.
She didn’t use the word ‘parents,’ but used the word ‘guardian.’
She must have investigated what kind of child Cheol-jun was in the meantime.
She knows he’s an orphan.
He unconsciously ground his teeth.
Honestly, if that Teacher Lee Hyun-ja just relayed the message well to Ga-young’s parents, saying there was a misunderstanding, the matter wouldn’t escalate further. To think she’d act this stubborn just because she didn’t want to hear a complaint.
Unable to hold it in, Go Chang-ho was about to speak, when…
“That’s fine.”
“…What?”
“My uncle has plenty of free time.”
Cheol-jun smiled brightly.
His dad had told him.
That he was someone he didn’t have to walk on eggshells around, and could use to his heart’s content.
The legal parts he could just contact Uncle Seok-hyun about later, and for the lawyer’s fees, he could just use the notarized money.
Cheol-jun had thought things through to this extent.
—If you just let unreasonable situations slide, it becomes a habit. When you need to fight back, fight back. And once you start, make sure you see it through to the end.
Recalling Dad Jae-kang’s request, Cheol-jun had firmly made up his mind this time.
Because it was the first dispute he was swept up in since arriving in South Korea.
He felt a level of grim determination he had never felt before.
Just then, someone knocked on the counseling room door.
The door opened.
It was the Class 1 homeroom teacher.
“Um, Teacher Lee.”
“Yes?”
“I got a call from a place called Kang Seok-hyun Law Office asking for cooperation regarding the incident today…”
Cheol-jun blinked his round eyes.
‘Huh?’
I haven’t even requested anything yet?
*
*
*
“It seems the lawsuit regarding Daehyun Group’s patent will be wrapped up like this. The related high-ranking Chinese officials are also feeling burdened by the dispute escalating in the US, so it seems Huamein will step back if they lose this lawsuit as well. Daehyun Group thinks this is enough…”
“Good work. It wrapped up more cleanly than I thought it would.”
“Not at all. Your strategy of putting pressure on the Chinese side worked perfectly, so it ended easily, CEO.”
“No. We can consider this Attorney Yoon’s skill. You did well.”
“Thank you.”
Kang Seok-hyun closed the file folder, twitched an eyebrow, and stared intently at his associate attorney Yoon Dae-sung.
“How did the matter we talked about earlier go?”
Attorney Yoon Dae-sung shrugged.
“I requested cooperation from the school and expressed our intention to aggressively respond to the parents’ side as well.”
“That was fast.”
“When I was a partner at Chang & Chang, I did a fair bit of cleaning up after the children of high-ranking officials.”
“You said the opposing parents are lawyers?”
“They were just people handling petty divorce consultations and rehabilitation cases.”
“So what did they say?”
“Well, when I first stated the case overview without revealing my identity, they threw a fit, demanding we come apologize immediately. However, when I gave the name of our office and told them to speak with our side from now on, their attitude completely changed. Saying let’s just pretend the apology never happened and move past it on good terms…”
Kang Seok-hyun chuckled.
“On good terms? She fell on her own and hit our kid’s head with her face. Who should be the one apologizing here? If they can’t properly recognize this matter, tell them again that we’ll go all the way to a lawsuit.”
Attorney Yoon Dae-sung tilted his head.
“Are you planning to go that far? We could just let it go at this point…”
Kang Seok-hyun narrowed his brow slightly.
“Attorney Yoon.”
“Yes.”
“What if your son was put in such an unfair position?”
Attorney Yoon Dae-sung wiped the smile from his face and spoke.
“I would use every means I can to crush them.”
Kang Seok-hyun smirked.
“Right?”
“Yes.”
Even among lawyers, there were tiers.
When it came to disputes involving Chinese companies, even the top three law firms in South Korea sought advice here.
If the opposing parents were lawyers too, they would have definitely heard the three syllables of the name Kang Seok-hyun, so there could be no greater pressure than this.
“Go and contact them again.”
“Yes, sir!”
Kang Seok-hyun smiled with satisfaction.
Next time I meet Cheol-jun, I’ll have to flex a bit.
*
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*
Incheon Airport was bustling with reporters.
Because it was the day K-Max, who broke the record for the highest total audience for a single K-POP idol European tour, was returning home.
Before passing through the arrivals gate, the K-Max members came to a halt.
And turned their bodies toward Director Choi Yeon-mi, who was walking over with the click-clack of her heels.
Choi Yeon-mi stopped and swept her gaze over the members.
The members all bowed their heads simultaneously.
“Thank you for your hard work!”
Choi Yeon-mi chuckled and spoke.
“Yeah. You all worked hard. Don’t get too excited and let loose. Ruining your life with one mistake happens in an instant.”
“Yes!”
“Alright, see you at the company later. Come out 5 minutes after I leave.”
“Yes!”
Choi Yeon-mi walked toward the gate first.
Because she really hated being photographed as an extra in the reporters’ cameras.
The arrivals gate opened, and when Choi Yeon-mi smiled brightly and waved, camera flashes went off wildly from all directions.
Once called the Nation’s Fairy, who even after transitioning to an actress was treated as a state guest in China, making her the center of Hallyu stars, and now the largest shareholder of Playground Music who personally raised K-Max, the group rewriting K-POP history—Choi Yeon-mi walked out gracefully with the click-clack of her heels.
Fully relishing the barrage of flashes.
Advanced chapter (21-29) on Patreon, click here.