#09
That morning, the atmosphere in Class 10-2 felt different. As Seo-jun stood at the front of the classroom to begin Sociology, his eyes fell on a single empty desk in the back row near the door.
Seo-jun opened the daily attendance book. “Kang Ji-ho?”
There was no answer. A student in the front row raised his hand awkwardly. “Ji-ho hasn’t been in for four days, sir. They said he was sick, but there’s no note from his parents.”
Seo-jun stared at the empty desk. He focused his gaze to call up the system interface.
[Teacher's Eye Level 2 Activated.] [Name: Kang Ji-ho (16 years old)] [Status: Class 10-2 Student / At Risk of Dropping Out] [Mental Condition: Severe Trauma / Fear / Isolation] [Trust in Teacher: 0%] [Initial Indicator Analysis:]
Repeated physical and financial pressure detected in the school environment.
Withdrawing due to covert intimidation.
Note: Specific perpetrator and motive require field investigation.
The system no longer seemed to be feeding him the perpetrator’s name or the details of what had happened outright. Still, the clues about physical and financial pressure were enough to set off alarm bells in Seo-jun’s mind. Ji-ho wasn’t merely a lazy student. Something was slowly destroying him from the shadows.
After his classes ended, Seo-jun started moving. He didn’t report anything or accuse anyone right away. He walked around the school grounds, checking corners rarely reached by the security cameras: behind the gym, the hallway near the old storage room, and the student locker area.
In the Grade 10 locker area, Seo-jun found Kang Ji-ho’s locker. The door wasn’t merely locked—it had also been wrapped in a thick plastic chain and defaced with permanent-marker insults. It was blatant bullying that someone had deliberately allowed to continue.
Seo-jun then headed to the counseling office to check the official records. Mr. Yoon, a senior school counselor, was relaxing there with a cup of coffee.
“Mr. Yoon,” Seo-jun greeted him pleasantly. “I wanted to ask about Kang Ji-ho from Class 10-2. He’s been absent for four days. Are there any counseling records or communication with his parents?”
Mr. Yoon snorted softly and waved a hand. “Ah, that kid. It’s the same old story, Mr. Han. Ji-ho’s been trouble from the moment he enrolled. Low grades, defiant, lazy. His mother says he just locks himself in his room. A kid like that will probably drop out soon enough.”
“You didn’t try to find out why he’s locking himself away?” Seo-jun asked calmly. “There could be a problem at school.”
Mr. Yoon’s expression suddenly stiffened. He looked at Seo-jun defensively. “Mr. Han, you’re a new teacher, and all you do is teach Sociology. Don’t go looking for trouble where there isn’t any. Kids these days are so dramatic. Ji-ho’s case has already been handled by Counseling and Student Affairs. You don’t need to involve yourself.”
Seo-jun watched Mr. Yoon’s every move. The senior teacher’s avoidance of eye contact and the sudden rise in his voice indicated one thing: Mr. Yoon knew something, but had chosen to keep his mouth firmly shut.
That afternoon, Seo-jun made use of his first network. He met Lee Min-jae and Yoon Chae-won in the library before dismissal.
“Min-jae, Chae-won,” Seo-jun said quietly. “Do you know who usually controls the area behind the gym and often extorts money from the Grade 10 students?”
Min-jae stopped sharpening his pencil. He looked at Seo-jun, then let out a long sigh. “In that area... there’s only one group bold enough to do it, sir. Han Seung-woo’s gang from Class 11-1.”
“Han Seung-woo?”
Chae-won nodded slowly and added in a quiet voice, “He’s the son of Han Jin-hyuk, the school foundation’s main donor. Every teacher knows Seung-woo often demands money from the Grade 10 students, but no one dares reprimand him. Mr. Yoon is even often seen chatting amiably with Seung-woo’s parents whenever there’s a school event.”
The puzzle pieces began connecting in Seo-jun’s mind.
The system had provided the initial bullying indicator, the locker investigation had confirmed physical intimidation, and Min-jae and Chae-won’s analysis pointed straight to the mastermind: the child of the foundation’s main donor, protected by the school counselor.
To verify it for himself, Seo-jun walked toward the area outside the school after the dismissal bell rang. In a quiet alley not far from the lower convenience store, he heard bursts of laughter.
Seo-jun stood behind the wall of a building, watching three students in Haneul High School uniforms. In their midst, a tall, heavily built teenager named Han Seung-woo twirled a cheap leather wallet around his finger.
“That bastard is really too scared to come to school,” Seung-woo said with a burst of laughter. “And all I asked for was five hundred thousand won a week in spending money. What a coward.”
“What if he reports you to Counseling, Seung-woo?” one of his friends asked.
Seung-woo laughed contemptuously. “Report me to Mr. Yoon? My father paid for the renovation of the counseling building! Mr. Yoon himself told me to ‘deal with’ kids who don’t know their place, like Ji-ho. If Ji-ho dares report me, I’ll spread the recording of him kneeling yesterday to the entire grade group chat!”
Their laughter erupted again in the quiet alley.
Behind the wall, Seo-jun clenched his hands inside his suit pockets. His eyes narrowed sharply. This wasn’t merely an ordinary bullying case; it was a self-reinforcing system of rot. Kang Ji-ho’s case was directly tied to the teachers’ moral corruption and the influence of the foundation’s money.
Seo-jun didn’t confront them then and there. He knew that acting without authentic evidence would only let Mr. Yoon and the foundation sweep the case away within hours.
Seo-jun reached into his pocket for his phone and watched its blue screen blink softly.
[New Quest Notification!] [Quest Arc 1 Series - Part 4: KANG JI-HO INVESTIGATION ROUTE] [Stage 1: Gather physical evidence of the bullying and the intimidation recording belonging to Han Seung-woo.] [Stage 2: Expose the false protection provided by Mr. Yoon and the Counseling Department.] [Time Remaining: Unlimited (Ji-ho’s Condition Is Worsening).]
Seo-jun typed a message on his phone and sent it to the small group chat with Min-jae and Chae-won.
Han Seo-jun: You two, help me tonight. We need to find out where Kang Ji-ho lives and make sure he doesn’t make the wrong decision.
Seo-jun took a deep breath as he walked away from the alley. The war against the foundation wouldn’t be over in a day or two, and Kang Ji-ho’s case had just become a new knot whose threads he needed to unravel.