“Even if you were accepting bribes, Mr. Park, you should have at least considered the financial situations of the parents! What on earth were you thinking?”

“I deeply apologize...”

“How many parents did you receive money from?”

“I have no excuse, no matter what I say.”

“No, I’m asking, how many parents?”

“...Twenty.”

The principal gasped in shock. That was tantamount to saying he had taken bribes from every parent.

Even in the shifting dynamics of the education sector post-reforms, no teacher had ever been bold enough to take bribes from every single parent.

“Mr. Park, did you become a teacher just to improve your financial standing?”

“I’m sorry. I desperately needed a lump sum of money, so I got carried away...”

“Was it for a parent or relative with a terminal illness?”

“No...”

“Then what was it? Let’s hear it.”

Park Sung-jun hesitated.

The principal snapped at him.

“I said, let’s hear it!”

“Well... a relative of mine who works in the Administration Bureau mentioned that the gates in District 3 are soon to be demolished and redeveloped...”

Redevelopment, both then and now, was a lucrative opportunity. In short, Park had been speculating, and it had led to this mess.

‘How could someone so dim-witted be a teacher!’

The principal tried his best to suppress his anger.

“Do you have any suspects in mind?”

“Among the parents?”

“Yes, the parents! Do you think I’m talking about an internal whistleblower?”

“There is one.”

“Who?”

“Ki Sun-hye’s father. The moment I accepted a bribe from him, this all blew up.”

“Are you certain?”

“99% sure. The distorted voice in the released audio recording? That was from my conversation with Sun-hye’s father.”

“How much did you take from him?”

“Ahem.”

“Just say it. At this point, what’s the use of hiding it?”

“...Two million won.”

“Two million? That’s all?”

“...Yes.”

“Hah! This is absurd.”

Scoffing, the principal grabbed his coat.

“You know where that damn house is, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s go.”

“What are you planning to do?”

“Are we supposed to just leave the reporters outside as they are? We need to control this situation somehow!”

“Oh, yes!”

The two men avoided the reporters and made their way to Ki Seok-tae’s house. Fortunately, Ki Seok-tae was home.

Although startled by their sudden visit, he recalled Lee Moon-ik’s warning:

‘The perpetrators might come knocking.’

The principal, looking stern, jumped straight to the point.

“Have you heard of the Anti-Graft Act, sir?”

“And who might you be?”

“I’m the principal of Sun-hye’s school.”

“Oh, the principal. I see.”

“Yes, well, have you heard of the Anti-Graft Act?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Let me simplify it for you. Like it or not, sir, you’ve violated the Anti-Graft Act.”

“What do you mean?”

“Parents and homeroom teachers have a direct professional relationship. Even treating a teacher to a meal is a violation of this law.”

“...”

“But according to Mr. Park, you handed him two million won.”

“And wasn’t there an implicit threat behind that demand? What parent wouldn’t comply when their child’s future is at stake?”

“And where’s the evidence that it was a threat?”

The principal smirked confidently. There was no concrete evidence to prove coercion.

Corporal punishment?

Since the reforms, reasonable physical discipline for control purposes was legally permissible. They could simply claim it was for control.

Seeing Ki Seok-tae’s distressed expression, the principal softened his tone slightly.

“Let’s end this here. If this goes further, neither Mr. Park nor you will gain anything. And Sun-hye won’t either.”

“What do you mean it won’t benefit Sun-hye?”

“The education world is smaller than you think. Everyone’s connected in some way. Even if you transfer her, one phone call is all it takes. Do you really think her school life will be comfortable after that?”

Seeing Ki Seok-tae’s silence, the principal smirked, confident that his strategy was working.

“I’ll return all the money you gave. I’ll even ensure Sun-hye’s grades are handled favorably. All I ask is that you provide a clarification to the reporters.”

“A clarification?”

“Yes, a clarification.”

“What sort of clarification are you expecting?”

Click.

‘The education world is smaller than you think. Everyone’s connected in some way...’

The principal and Park Sung-jun were visibly shaken.

Ki Seok-tae spoke.

“Would this count as blackmail?”

“Uh, sir...”

Ki Seok-tae picked up the phone on the table and switched it to speaker.

“You were right, journalist.”

-“Sounds like it. Are the two gentlemen listening as well?”

“...”

-“I take it they’re listening. As you might have guessed, the pen I gave you has a recording function. Hearing this, they might be thinking, ‘What if we just take that away?’”

“...”

-“Personally, I’d advise against it. This conversation is also being recorded on my phone. By the way, sir.”

“Yes, journalist?”

-“Do you still have the business card I gave you?”

Ki Seok-tae searched his pocket.

[Cho & Goo Law Firm - Cho Il-gon]

-“Contact them. I’ve already briefed them, and they’ll provide you with thorough guidance.”

“Thank you, journalist.”

-“I’ll be in touch when the follow-up articles are ready.”

The principal and Park Sung-jun were left dumbfounded.

And the next day, a follow-up article that stirred public outrage was published:

[School Officials Threaten Parent of Victim]

Naturally, public sentiment exploded.

"Oh my! This is so delicious."

"Right?"

"Are you saying this really costs only 25,000 won?"

"Hard to believe, isn't it? I couldn’t believe it at first either."

"At this quality, I’d gladly pay 250,000 won. But 25,000 won? Is the owner running a charity?"

"Maybe so."

The restaurant was quieter than usual, likely because of the bad weather or it being a Monday.

Even with fewer customers, Seo-jun felt a sense of accomplishment listening to their chatter.

"Excuse me, could we get an additional order of the gochujang pork belly?"

"Of course."

"And do you happen to serve tteokbokki?"

"Tteokbokki?"

Yeon-jun, who was taking their order, glanced towards the kitchen, looking a bit troubled.

"I'm sorry, but we don’t have that on the menu."

"That’s too bad. If your gochujang pork belly is this good, I bet the tteokbokki would be amazing, too."

"Haha. I’ll consider adding it to the menu."

"Oh! And two bottles of beer, please."

"Sure thing!"

Feeling upbeat after taking their order, Yeon-jun went to the kitchen to relay it.

Of course, Seo-jun had already heard it and was preparing the food.

'Tteokbokki, huh...'

He remembered eating it often back in the day.

As a child, it was the spicy street tteokbokki from school stalls.

As an adult, it was the soupy version served at pubs.

'Not a bad idea.'

Deciding to try making it someday, he plated the pork belly and sent it out.

The two female customers left, having contributed a satisfying 140,000 won in sales.

As the restaurant grew quiet again, Park Yeon approached him holding a newspaper.

"Demon God, what does this say? I can’t make heads or tails of it."

Since yesterday, Park Yeon had started learning Hangul.

he found it unacceptable that someone who was once considered an elite in his world was illiterate here.

Seo-jun took the newspaper he handed him.

[School Accused of Intimidating Victim’s Parent] [Ministry of Education Announces Nationwide Audit] [Public Outrage Over Teacher’s Firing: “Is This Enough?”]

'He took the leap.'

If you endure fear for just a moment, you can turn it into courage. Ki Seok-Tae had transformed his fear into bravery.

"What are you staring at? That’s not the part I wanted to read."

"Oh, which part then?"

"This here. I don’t know how to read it because I never learned."

"This is Chinese characters."

"Chinese characters?"

"Characters from another country. This one reads as 'Cheong' (靑)."

"So, I should read it as 'Cheong Criticized in Statement, Choi Kyungil Goes Into Hiding'?"

"That’s right."

"Complicated stuff. But what’s 'Cheong' and why did it make Choi Kyungil disappear?"

"Cheongwadae(Also known as Blue House). It’s where the president works."

"A palace, then. And Choi Kyungil?"

"A person’s name. Not sure who, though."

"Hangul is tough to learn."

"That’s why I offered to help."

Seo-jun’s abilities would easily allow him to transfer his knowledge to Park Yeon through magical means.

But he stubbornly insisted on learning it himself, reasoning:

"I was once a hero! I can’t rely on the Demon God’s help for something like this!"

"And freeloading?"

"That’s... That’s not freeloading from you, is it? It’s from your brother! Besides, I’m contributing now!"

Seo-jun chuckled and nodded. At this, the flustered Park Yeon glanced around nervously.

"So... Can I have a cola?"

he was allowed one cola a day.

Thinking about how unhelpful that really was, Seo-jun shrugged.

"Of course."

"Hehehe."

Ding!

The bell on the door rang as someone familiar entered, pulling a handcart. It was Ki Seok-Tae.

"Should I put these in the storage room?"

"Yes."

After organizing the liquor in the storage, Ki Seok-Tae emerged. Seo-jun handed him a cold glass of water.

Wiping sweat from his brow with his gloves, Ki Seok-Tae bowed as he accepted it.

"Thank you. I was really thirsty."

"You look much brighter these days."

"Haha. Do I?"

"Yes."

"That’s thanks to you, sir."

"Me?"

"I heard from Reporter Lee. You were the one who tipped him off about the bribe incident, weren’t you?"

"Oh... So you know. I’m sorry."

"Sorry? You didn’t reveal my identity to him, did you? Thank you. Because of you, I found the courage to act."

Seo-jun smiled warmly and gestured to a seat.

"If you haven’t eaten yet, stay for a meal."

"Haha, that’s a tempting offer! But I’m afraid I can’t today. I’ve got a lot of deliveries to catch up on."

"Well, another time then."

"Thanks for the water!"

Still smiling, Ki Seok-Tae left the restaurant.

Yes, a smile suited him. A man with a pure heart, working diligently for his family—it suited him well.

As Seo-jun watched his retreating figure with satisfaction, his eyes suddenly turned black.

If you disagree with this decision, you may request a review within 15 days of receiving this notice.

Park Sung-jun reread the disciplinary notice.

Dismissal.

"Dammit... After everything I’ve done!"

He had devoted 16 years of his life to the education system and the country.

Sixteen years—long enough for the landscape to change three times.

And yet, he was fired over a minor bribe?

"Like I’m the only one who took bribes!"

He roared and drank directly from a bottle of soju.

Bribes had been an entrenched practice in education for the past decade.

Sure, there were a few idiots who didn’t take bribes, but they were just idiots for refusing.

"There are people who’ve pocketed two grand without breaking a sweat!"

The principal, who had conveniently distanced himself from the scandal, had received 20 million won from the student council president’s parents—or so he’d heard.

That was the estimate. Among the staff, rumors suggested it was even more.

Yet here he was, the only one dismissed.

It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t just. It was infuriating.

"That bastard!"

Park Sung-jun glared at Ki Seok-Tae, who was pulling a handcart into the restaurant.

It was all his fault. If not for that damn pauper, he’d still be teaching.

That miserable wretch!

That scumbag who deserved to be torn apart!