That morning, the teachers' lounge felt colder than usual. Not because the air conditioning had been set too low, but because rumors were spreading rapidly among the stacks of documents and work desks.
Kim Soo-jin, a guidance counselor and the administrator overseeing extracurricular funds, sat at her desk with her fingers tightly interlaced. The woman in her early thirties was deathly pale. In the corner of her desk, a thick brown envelope bearing the school's internal stamp lay untouched.
Seo-jun watched the woman's reaction from his desk. Without drawing the attention of the other teachers, who had begun whispering among themselves, Seo-jun focused his gaze on Soo-jin.
[Teacher's Eye Level 2 Feature Activated.] [Name: Kim Soo-jin (32 years old)] [Status: Guidance Counselor / Extracurricular Administration Staff] [Mental Condition: Extreme Despair / Panic / Under Pressure] [Trust in Host: 10%] [Hidden Problem Analysis:]
Given a three-day ultimatum by Mr. Kang and the Finance Department to sign a resignation letter.
Accused of mismanaging student activity funds after refusing to sign fabricated financial reports.
Keeping copies of the original transaction records proving that Mr. Kang's faction embezzled extracurricular funds.
Seo-jun slowly held his breath. In his memories from his previous life, Ms. Kim had indeed suddenly stopped teaching in the middle of the semester. At the time, the rumors spread by Mr. Kang claimed that Ms. Kim had resigned because of personal problems. No one had questioned it. But now, Seo-jun could see the truth behind the woman's disappearance: Kim Soo-jin was the first victim to be destroyed, six months before his own execution was set up.
The teachers' lounge door opened with a soft jerk. Mr. Kang stepped inside with his chest puffed out, a thermal coffee mug in hand. He walked past Ms. Kim's desk and tapped its wooden surface twice with one finger.
"Ms. Kim," Mr. Kang said in a voice that sounded friendly to outsiders but carried a cold warning to anyone who understood. "Please finish the self-evaluation documents we discussed yesterday afternoon before Wednesday, all right? The foundation doesn't like delays when it comes to staff restructuring."
Ms. Kim did not look up. Her hand trembled slightly as she reached for the thick mug on her desk. "Yes, Mr. Kang..."
Mr. Kang smiled in satisfaction, then walked to his own desk without so much as glancing at Seo-jun.
Seo-jun waited until the first break bell rang and the teachers' lounge began to empty. When most of the teachers had left for the cafeteria or their classrooms, Seo-jun stood and brewed two cups of hot tea at the water dispenser. He walked over to Ms. Kim's desk and set one of the cups in front of her.
Ms. Kim startled and quickly looked up, her eyes swollen. "Ah... Mr. Han. Thank you, but I don't feel like drinking anything right now."
"Chamomile tea is good for calming tense nerves, Ms. Kim," Seo-jun said in a low, calm voice before sitting in the empty chair beside her desk.
Ms. Kim shifted the brown envelope on her desk, trying to conceal the words Voluntary Resignation Statement, which stood out from beneath the slip of paper tucked over it.
"What do you need, Mr. Han?" Ms. Kim asked defensively, her eyes anxiously darting toward the teachers' lounge door. "If this is about the guidance files for the Grade 11 students, I handed them to Mr. Choi this morning."
"I'm not here about the guidance files, Ms. Kim," Seo-jun cut in slowly. His eyes remained fixed on the brown envelope. "Three days is a very short time to pack up five years' worth of belongings from an office you've occupied all this time."
Ms. Kim's body froze. The color seemed to drain from her face. "What... what do you mean, Mr. Han?"
"Mr. Kang gave you until Wednesday to sign that letter, didn't he?" Seo-jun continued without raising his voice. "They threatened to take these fabricated fund-management accusations to court and ruin your reputation if you refused to resign voluntarily."
"H-How could you... Who told you?!" Ms. Kim's voice caught as she breathed rapidly in panic. She looked wildly around, afraid another teacher might hear. "Mr. Han, please don't spread rumors! I don't know what you're talking about!"
"I'm not spreading rumors, Ms. Kim. I'm stating facts," Seo-jun replied calmly. "You've been made a scapegoat. The cuts to the art, sports, and science extracurricular budgets over the past two years weren't for the school's efficiency. The money was diverted to cover discrepancies in the foundation's financial reports. And when you realized what was happening and refused to sign the approval stamp last month, they decided to throw you away."
Tears welled in the corners of Ms. Kim's eyes. Her defenses collapsed. She clenched her hands over her thighs, trembling violently.
"If you already knew..." Ms. Kim whispered in a broken voice, "then why are you telling me? You're only a contract teacher, Mr. Han! You can't change anything! They have lawyers, money, and the principal on their side. If I fight back, they won't just destroy my career, they'll also..."
Ms. Kim broke off, roughly wiping her wet face.
"But you haven't simply given up, have you?" Seo-jun guessed gently. "You've kept copies of the original documents."
Ms. Kim looked up sharply. Her face no longer showed only fear, but also deep suspicion. "Who are you really, Mr. Han? Did Mr. Kang send you to bait me? Are you working for the foundation?"
The system in Seo-jun's eyes blinked softly. [Subject's Trust Level: Temporarily Decreasing (10% -> 5%)] [Attitude: Wary / Rejecting Assistance]
Seo-jun was not surprised. In her desperate position, with everyone at the school either acting apathetic or serving as the foundation's accomplices, it was only natural for Ms. Kim to suspect kindness that had appeared out of nowhere.
"I'm not working for Mr. Kang, and I hate what the foundation is doing to this school," Seo-jun said, the honesty clear in his eyes. "I know you've hidden those copies somewhere the school's computer inspections can't reach. Somewhere Mr. Kang would never think to look."
Ms. Kim pressed her lips tightly together, refusing to speak.
"I'm not asking you to hand over the documents right now," Seo-jun continued as he rose from his chair. He straightened his jacket, then looked at Ms. Kim with a determined gaze. "But remember one thing, Ms. Kim. If you sign that resignation letter and walk out of this school with your head bowed, they won't stop. They'll look for their next victim. Today it's you. Tomorrow it could be another teacher, or even our students."
Ms. Kim lowered her head deeply, tears falling onto the brown envelope on her desk.
Seo-jun picked up his untouched cup of tea and turned to leave the desk. But before he had gone far, he stopped and looked back.
"Those three days aren't just a countdown to your dismissal, Ms. Kim," Seo-jun said in a firm voice that echoed through the quiet corner of the room. "They're the time we have to turn the tables on them."
Ms. Kim slowly looked up, staring at the back of the young teacher she had always considered passive and inconspicuous.
"If they want to fire you for learning the truth, Ms. Kim," Seo-jun continued, locking his gaze onto the woman's eyes, "then let me make them regret trying."
Seo-jun walked away, leaving the teachers' lounge and Ms. Kim frozen at her desk.
From Seo-jun's perspective, the blue system screen floated with a notification blinking softly.
[New Quest Activated!] [Quest Arc 1 Series - Part 3: THREE-DAY GAME] [Objective 1: Obtain the evidence documents on the embezzlement of extracurricular funds hidden by Kim Soo-jin.] [Objective 2: Protect Kim Soo-jin from Mr. Kang's dismissal trap.] [Time Remaining: 68 Hours 14 Minutes.]
Seo-jun wore a faint smile as he walked down the corridor. His first step toward exposing the foundation of Mr. Kang's lies had just begun.