The top floor of Haneul High School's administration building was filled with a tense, suffocating awkwardness that morning. The annual budget evaluation and contract teacher performance review were being held in the main conference room. A long mahogany table was surrounded by more than a dozen senior teachers, the principal, and several representatives of the foundation board of commissioners.
At the head of the table sat Cha Dong-hyun. The man wore the warm, genial smile of a wise leader, though his cold eyes scrutinized every corner of the room. To his right, Mr. Kang sat with his chest puffed out, clutching a stack of evaluation documents.
Han Seo-jun sat in the back row, in one of the seats reserved for part-time and contract teachers who had no voting rights in the decision-making process.
"As we all know," Mr. Kang began, breaking the silence with an artificially raised voice, "budget efficiency is the key to keeping Haneul High School a top-tier institution. Therefore, the foundation has decided to cut several operational allocations for counseling and extracurricular activities."
Several younger teachers whispered uneasily among themselves, but not one dared raise a hand.
"In addition," Mr. Kang continued, casting Seo-jun a contemptuous glance, "regarding the contract teachers' employment reviews, we've found several discrepancies in their teaching priorities. Some teachers have been far too busy meddling in Student Affairs and overstepping the limits of their authority. Naturally, that will be marked against them when their contracts are considered for renewal next semester."
The jab was clearly aimed at Seo-jun. Mr. Choi nodded along from the corner of the table.
Cha Dong-hyun cleared his throat softly, and the entire room fell completely silent.
"We're not here to punish anyone, Mr. Kang," Cha Dong-hyun said in a deep, soothing voice, pretending to be a fair mediator. "But order still comes first. The foundation has invested tens of billions of won in our facilities and student scholarships. So it's only reasonable for us to demand complete professionalism from all teaching staff."
Seo-jun stared at Cha Dong-hyun. Beneath his neatly folded suit sleeve, his fingers swiftly activated the item he had purchased from the System Store the previous night.
Undetectable Micro Audio Recorder: Active.
With an invisible movement, the millimeter-sized microchip adhered perfectly beneath the edge of the mahogany table, exactly two meters in front of where Mr. Kang and Cha Dong-hyun were standing.
"May I speak, Chairman Cha?" Seo-jun's voice cut through the quiet meeting.
Every head suddenly turned toward the back row. Mr. Kang's eyes went wide, shocked by the audacity of the part-time teacher who usually did nothing but keep his head down.
"Yes, Mr. Han?" Cha Dong-hyun responded, drawing up a faint smile that concealed his irritation. "Is there something you'd like to say?"
Seo-jun rose from his seat and calmly straightened his suit. "Regarding the cuts to extracurricular funding and scholarships. Does the breakdown of those cuts already include an audit of the government grant for this year's high-achieving student protection program?"
The room suddenly seemed to freeze over.
Mr. Kang blinked rapidly. "M-Mr. Han! What kind of question is that?! The foundation's financial reports are handled by a team of professional accountants. A contract teacher has no business questioning them!"
"I'm only asking because this concerns our students' rights, Mr. Kang," Seo-jun replied casually, his voice remaining clear and controlled. "Several scholarship recipients, such as Yoon Chae-won from Class 11-3, are facing serious obstacles to receiving their educational rights because of accumulated hospital bills being claimed against the foundation's aid funds. If the budget is cut again, wouldn't it damage the school's reputation if an outside party were to investigate?"
Cha Dong-hyun's expression changed in an instant. His genial smile vanished for several seconds, replaced by a dense, murderous aura. The system's red pressure lines around Dong-hyun's body suddenly flared violently.
[Threat Detected: Cha Dong-hyun senses danger to his position.] [Target Alert Level: Rising sharply to 95%!]
"Han Seo-jun," Cha Dong-hyun called him by his full name in a very soft yet forceful tone.
"Your job is to teach Sociology. Matters concerning the foundation's operations and social assistance programs are my personal responsibility. Don't overstep the boundaries that could destroy your own career."
The veiled threat was delivered in front of more than a dozen teachers. But instead of being intimidated, Seo-jun merely smiled faintly.
"Of course, Chairman Cha," Seo-jun replied with a polite bow. "I'm only making sure this school operates according to the principles of truth we teach our students every day."
Seo-jun sat back down. Beneath his calm demeanor, a blue interface window flickered in his vision.
[Special Ability Usage: Truth Extraction available!] [Activation Requirement: The target must be in an emotionally unstable or pressured state.]
Not yet, Seo-jun thought. Let suspicion and fear gnaw at their minds first.
The meeting ended. The teachers filed out of the room with tense expressions. Mr. Kang immediately hurried after Cha Dong-hyun into the Foundation Chairman's private office at the end of the VIP corridor.
Seo-jun stood by the corridor window, pretending to check his phone as he activated the audio interception function on the microchip he had installed earlier.
Through the concealed wireless earpiece in his ear, the conversation from inside Cha Dong-hyun's private office came through with perfect clarity.
"...How the hell did that damn part-time teacher find out about Yoon Chae-won and the grant money?!" Mr. Kang's voice sounded panicked and breathless. "Chairman Cha, could there have been a leak from the hospital's medical team?"
The sharp crash of a glass striking the desk rang out.
"Can't you shut up, Kang?!" Cha Dong-hyun snapped coldly. "Whoever told Han Seo-jun, that kid must not get his hands on any physical evidence. Check the entire computer access history in the teachers' lounge tonight. If he tries to gather Chae-won's files, find a way to get rid of him before this semester ends!"
"Y-Yes, Chairman Cha! And what about that little slave... Yoon Chae-won?"
"Pressure her mother at the hospital tomorrow morning. Make that girl understand that if even one word leaves her mouth, her father will be moved to a general ward without life-support equipment!"
Seo-jun slowly removed his earpiece. His jaw tightened.
You dug your own graves, Seo-jun hissed inwardly.
He looked at his phone screen. A notification from Lee Min-jae had just arrived.
Lee Min-jae: Mr. Han, I've finished the first draft of the architectural sketch for the freelance project you gave me. When can I turn it in?
Seo-jun quickly typed a reply.
Han Seo-jun: Good. Bring the draft to the library this afternoon after school. And Min-jae, bring Yoon Chae-won with you. There's something we need to settle together.
Seo-jun turned off his phone screen. The threads of fate that had once destroyed him were now beginning to twist back together under his control. This time, he was no longer prey waiting to be sacrificed. He was the hunter setting a trap.