#5
The night grew later. The digital wall clock in the teachers' lounge showed 9:30 p.m. The only illumination in the room came from a single desk lamp and the glow of Han Seo-jun's laptop screen.
Seo-jun flipped through page after page of the medical documents belonging to Yoon Chae-won's father, which Mr. Kang had given him. The papers listed the monthly intensive-care expenses paid directly by the Haneul Educational Foundation to Haneul Severance Hospital. However, when Seo-jun compared the information with the neatly organized financial files he had obtained from the system reward, the lie was glaring.
The foundation claimed to spend 15 million won a month on VIP facilities and specialized treatment, but the hospital's original receipts hidden inside the system's secret folder showed an amount less than a third of that. The rest of the money had been diverted to cover the foundation's embezzled operating-fund shortfall caused by Cha Dong-hyun.
They weren't just exploiting Chae-won, Seo-jun thought, his jaw clenched tight. They were demanding a fake "debt of gratitude" worth tens of millions of won from this shattered family.
Seo-jun guided the cursor and downloaded all the digital files onto an encrypted USB drive—the same USB drive he had carried to the rooftop in his previous life. This time, the evidence inside was far more complete and neatly organized.
Suddenly, the hesitant sound of soft footsteps came from outside the teachers' lounge.
Seo-jun froze, his fingers ready to pull out the USB drive. He activated Teacher's Eye Level 2. Behind the slightly frosted glass door, a faint golden line appeared, swaying gently. Yoon Chae-won.
Seo-jun let out a relieved breath, then switched off his desk lamp so it wouldn't stand out from outside before walking over to the door and opening it slowly.
Chae-won stood there. She was still wearing her school uniform, a backpack drooping from one shoulder. Her eyes were puffy, and her lips trembled with confusion.
"Mr. Han..." Chae-won's voice was so quiet it was almost drowned out by the night wind rumbling outside the building.
"Come in, Chae-won. It's cold out there," Seo-jun said gently, making room for her to step inside.
Chae-won hesitantly entered the dark teachers' lounge. Seo-jun offered her a reassuring smile, led her to the guest sofa, and handed her a bottle of warm water he had taken from the dispenser.
Chae-won held the bottle in both hands, seeking its warmth. "The message on the assignment sheet this afternoon... did Mr. Han really know about it?"
Seo-jun sat in the chair across from her and looked straight at Chae-won without hesitation.
"I know everything, Chae-won," Seo-jun said quietly. "I know about your situation at home, about your father in VIP Room 402, and about how Foundation Chairman Cha has been using those hospital expenses to pressure you."
The tears Chae-won had been holding back finally fell, soaking her school uniform. Her shoulders shook violently.
"I... I didn't have a choice, sir," Chae-won whispered between sobs. "Whenever I tried to ask about the itemized expenses, Foundation Chairman Cha's secretary would always come to the hospital. He said... if I didn't obey, or if I told anyone else about this, my father's treatment facilities would be shut off that very night. My father... my father can't survive without those machines, sir..."
Seo-jun listened without interrupting. In his previous life, he had seen Chae-won only as the villain's tool who framed him. But now, hearing the desperate cries of a seventeen-year-old girl, guilt and anger burned in Seo-jun's chest. This child had no one to protect her, and the greedy adult world had exploited her without a shred of humanity.
"Chae-won, listen to me carefully," Seo-jun said calmly, cutting through the girl's panic. "You don't owe Cha Dong-hyun anything."
Chae-won looked up, her eyes wet.
Seo-jun slid his laptop toward her and turned it around, showing her the charts and evidence of the foundation's fund skimming.
"The money being used to pay for your father's hospital care is government grant money that belongs to you as a full-scholarship recipient," Seo-jun explained, pointing at the figures on the screen. "Cha Dong-hyun took three times the amount he was supposed to, forged documents in your name, and used the rest for his own benefit. He isn't a philanthropist who saved your family. He's a thief holding your father hostage."
Chae-won stared at the screen, stunned. "S-so... all this time..."
"All this time, he was manipulating you so you'd feel like you owed him your life," Seo-jun cut in firmly. "And someday, when he needs someone to sacrifice to cover up his crimes, he'll use that fear to force you to do something that will destroy your life and someone else's."
Chae-won hugged her bag tightly, her body trembling as she imagined that dark future. "Then... what should I do, sir? I'm scared. If Foundation Chairman Cha finds out I talked to you..."
Seo-jun rose from his seat, walked closer, and knelt beside Chae-won's sofa so their eyes were level.
"Trust me," Seo-jun said firmly. "I won't let him touch you or your family. Tomorrow morning, I'll transfer your father's medical records to an independent attorney who works with a witness-protection organization. We'll secure the legal channels first, before Cha Dong-hyun realizes there's been a leak."
A blue system screen suddenly appeared above Chae-won's head, flickering rapidly from red to a clear gold.
[Intimidation Indicator Decreased: 88% -> 25%] [Subject's Trust Increased: 5% -> 70%]
"Mr. Han..." Chae-won wiped away her tears and looked at her teacher, her eyes now filled with a glimmer of hope.
"Can you really help my father?"
"I promise," Seo-jun replied. "But starting tomorrow, you need to act normal in front of Foundation Chairman Cha and Mr. Kang. Don't let them know you found anything out. Let them think you're still under their control until it's time for us to strike back."
Chae-won nodded firmly. "I understand, sir."
[Quest Notification!] [Main Quest - Part 2: SEVER THE TRAP'S THREADS] [Status: Complete!] [Calculating Reward...] [+200 Teacher Points Obtained.] [System Store Feature Officially Unlocked!] [New Feature Unlocked: Truth Extraction (Can be used once to force a target to tell the truth under pressure).]
Seo-jun smiled faintly as he watched the notification. The weapon in his hands was becoming more complete.
After making sure Chae-won got home safely in the taxi he had called for her, Seo-jun returned to his desk. He opened the newly activated System Store feature. Various abilities and special items that could be purchased with Teacher Points were listed there.
[High-Level Rhetoric Card - 150 Points] [Undetectable Micro Audio Recorder - 100 Points] [Close-Range Signal Hacker - 250 Points]
Without hesitation, Seo-jun exchanged 100 of his points for the Undetectable Micro Audio Recorder. A small black chip dropped gently into his palm.
"Tomorrow is the contract-teacher evaluation and semester-budget meeting," Seo-jun muttered, staring at the tiny chip with a sharp glint in his eyes. "Cha Dong-hyun and Mr. Kang will definitely be there to pressure the teachers."
Seo-jun closed his laptop, straightened his jacket, and stepped out of the teachers' lounge, which was now completely dark.
"Let's see how long they can hold out once their stage starts to collapse."