#11
The weapons of added-value payments and bribes might silence most people at Haneul High School, but for Kim Soo-jin, the only thing that truly locked her mouth shut was her child's safety.
That morning, the three-day deadline issued by the foundation officially expired. The teachers' lounge was thick with unspoken tension. Mr. Kang sat in his usual chair with a broad smile, repeatedly glancing toward the wall clock and Ms. Kim's still-neat desk.
From his desk, Seo-jun watched Ms. Kim enter with a face as white as paper. The woman's steps were heavy, as if every one dragged an unbearable weight behind it. In her hand was a thick brown envelope tightly sealed around her letter of resignation.
Seo-jun focused his gaze and called up the system.
[Teacher's Eye Level 2 Feature Activated.] [Name: Kim Soo-jin (32 years old)] [Mental Condition: Utter Despair / Emotionally Shattered] [Trust in Host: 40%] [Recent Pressure Analysis:]
Received an anonymous threatening message last night containing a photo of her five-year-old daughter, Eun-ji, at kindergarten.
Threatened with being reported for grade manipulation and falsifying receipts if she did not sign her resignation letter today.
Facing a moral dilemma between maintaining her integrity and protecting her family.
Seo-jun's eyes narrowed sharply. His hand clenched inside his suit pocket until his knuckles turned white. The threats had gone beyond the school. They were targeting a small child.
Before Seo-jun could stand, Mr. Kang had already walked over to Ms. Kim's desk. He leaned both hands against its edge and bent forward, wearing a friendly smile that looked utterly repulsive up close.
"Good morning, Ms. Kim," Mr. Kang greeted her in a lowered voice, just loud enough for those nearby to hear. "Wednesday is here. Is the document we discussed yesterday ready to be submitted to the principal's office?"
Ms. Kim trembled violently. Her swollen eyes stared at the brown envelope on her desk. The hand holding her pen had gone white from the pressure.
"Mr. Kang..." Ms. Kim's voice was hoarse, almost a whisper. "Did you... did you really have to involve my daughter? I'll leave. I'll sign this letter and never speak again. But please... don't touch Eun-ji."
Mr. Kang chuckled softly, a forced, cold laugh. "Ms. Kim, Ms. Kim... Who touched your child? We're an educational institution, not criminals. But of course, if a teacher's reputation is tarnished by a case involving grade manipulation and embezzlement, what a shame it would be for such a young child to bear that disgrace, right? Think about her future."
The threat was disguised as concern, a dirty trick designed to crush a mother's defenses.
Ms. Kim lowered her head deeply. Tears dripped down, soaking the resignation letter before her. She raised her pen and aimed it at the signature line. She was exhausted. She had no power, no money, and above all, no courage to risk the safety of her only daughter.
Just as the tip of the pen was about to touch the paper, a firm hand stopped Ms. Kim by the wrist.
Ms. Kim flinched and looked up. Mr. Kang jerked as well, his eyes blazing with anger when he saw who had intervened.
Han Seo-jun stood beside their desk.
"Mr. Han! What the hell are you doing?!" Mr. Kang snapped in a low, furious voice. "Let go of her! Don't interfere in the affairs of senior staff!"
Seo-jun wasn't squeezing Ms. Kim's hand; he was simply holding it gently so the pen wouldn't touch the paper. He didn't look at Mr. Kang at all. Instead, he stared straight into Ms. Kim's frightened eyes.
"Don't sign it, Ms. Kim," Seo-jun said, his voice calm yet vibrating with the strength of an unshakable resolve.
"Mr. Han, please..." Ms. Kim began to sob softly. "You don't know anything... They have a photo of Eun-ji. I can't... I can't risk my daughter!"
"I know about the photo, Ms. Kim," Seo-jun interrupted quietly. "And I also know that the people who sent it are the very same people who are scared to death that the documents you're keeping might fall into the public's hands."
Mr. Kang stepped forward and tried to shove Seo-jun's shoulder. "Han Seo-jun! You've gone too far! Today, I'll make sure your contract is terminated and have security drag you out of this school!"
Seo-jun slowly turned his head. His gaze at Mr. Kang was so cold and sharp that the senior teacher's steps stopped abruptly on reflex.
"Go ahead and have them drag me out if you can, Mr. Kang," Seo-jun said flatly. "But before security arrives, are you sure you want me to play the audio recording of your conversation with the Foundation Secretary from last Monday's meeting in front of every teacher in this room?"
Mr. Kang's face suddenly went pale. "Y-You... What are you talking about?!"
Seo-jun ignored Mr. Kang, who was beginning to panic, and returned his full attention to Ms. Kim. He slowly released her wrist, then took the pen from her hand and placed it back on the desk.
"Ms. Kim," Seo-jun said, his voice flowing gently through the noise and fear filling her head. "For the five years you've taught here, you've seen how this school sacrifices students for money. You've seen how they cut the children's extracurricular budgets, and you chose to stay silent because you wanted to protect your family. I don't blame you for that."
Ms. Kim wiped at her continuously flowing tears, her shoulders rising and falling as she held back sobs.
"But if you give up today," Seo-jun continued, "they won't stop. This fear will keep chasing you and Eun-ji wherever you go. Corrupt people never keep their promises to protect a secret; they only nurture their victims' fear until those victims are no longer useful."
"Then what am I supposed to do, Mr. Han...?" Ms. Kim whispered in resignation. "I'm all alone... I'm just a mother..."
Seo-jun reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a small object. It wasn't a USB drive, but a small photograph layered over a stack of papers. The photo showed two officers from a child protection agency and an independent lawyer he had just contacted that morning—the lawyer was being paid through the initial connection provided by the documents that had saved Min-jae.
"Eun-ji is safe," Seo-jun said firmly, holding out his phone. It displayed a short video of Ms. Kim's daughter playing safely under the supervision of a trusted private protection team. "Before you left for school first thing this morning, I asked an outside party to make sure no strangers approached Eun-ji's kindergarten today."
Ms. Kim stared at the phone screen in disbelief, her eyes wide. Her breath caught when she saw her daughter smiling safely on the screen.
[System Notification!] [Kim Soo-jin's Trust Indicator Surges: 40% -> 90%!] [Mental Condition: Recovering from Despair / Courage Emerging]
Seo-jun pulled his phone back and looked at Ms. Kim with a warm, sincere smile—the smile of a colleague ready to stand on the front line beside her.
"Ms. Kim," Seo-jun said softly, his voice echoing between them. "I'm not asking you to become a hero who sacrifices everything. I'm not asking you to fight alone on the front lines."
Seo-jun took one centimeter-step forward, standing with his back to Mr. Kang, who remained frozen in place, paralyzed by fear.
"I only want to make sure that when you choose to fight," Seo-jun continued, his eyes shining with conviction, "you won't be standing alone in this darkness."
Ms. Kim looked at Han Seo-jun. The fear that had imprisoned her soul for years suddenly melted away, replaced by the embers of courage that had long since gone out. She slowly wiped the tears from her cheeks, took a deep breath, and reached for the resignation letter on her desk.
With slow but certain movements, Ms. Kim tore the resignation letter in half, then tore it again into tiny pieces right in front of Mr. Kang's incredulous, bulging eyes.
"Mr. Kang," Ms. Kim said, her voice now clear, without the slightest tremor of fear. "I will not resign. And we will settle this fund allocation document in front of the education department."
Mr. Kang took a step back, his chest heaving with unbearable anger and panic.
In Seo-jun's field of vision, a blue interface window flashed brightly with golden light.
[Quest Arc 1 Sequence - Part 3: THE THREE-DAY GAME] [Status: Complete!] [Result: Kim Soo-jin Refuses to Give Up & Joins the Protection Network!] [Calculating Reward...] [+200 Teacher Points Acquired.] [New Passive Ability Unlocked: Teacher's Courage (Increases the moral resistance of nearby allies by 50%).]
Seo-jun smiled faintly. The foundation's first fortress for silencing teachers had just cracked from within.