“Kang Hyun, come and get your final exam report card.”
Kang Bongdu’s square jaw twitched. His eyes were filled with complex emotions as he looked at the report card.
Not only had Kang Hyun achieved the top rank in his grade, but he had also scored a perfect 100 in every subject.
Just during the midterms, Kang Hyun had been at the bottom of the class. As a teacher, he shouldn’t doubt his student, but it was hard not to be suspicious of such outstanding grades.
“Kang Hyun has taken first place in the whole school in the final exams. Everyone, applause.”
Kang Bongdu swallowed his doubts and spoke.
At the mention of being first in the school, the students’ eyes widened. Some even asked again if Kang Hyun really was first in the school.
When Kang Bongdu nodded in affirmation, the class erupted in noise. Students craned their necks to get a look at Kang Hyun’s report card. However, Kang Hyun’s expression showed no change.
‘When will I grow taller?’
His oversized school uniform was cumbersome. Being shorter than his peers, he looked like he was wearing his father’s clothes.
I know that my height will grow only slightly until I graduate middle school. It wasn’t until I entered high school that I had a growth spurt. And why are these kids so noisy?
‘Tsk.’
He clicked his tongue internally. The kids were busy craning their necks to see the first-place report card.
Some students genuinely congratulated him, while others looked at him with envy, jealousy, and disbelief.
Kang Hyun didn’t care about their looks. He was just happy that his parents would be pleased with his report card.
It was around the start of lunch break.
“Kang Hyun, the teacher wants you in the staff room right now!”
An unknown female student entered the classroom and called out to Kang Hyun. The word “staff room” caused another stir in the classroom. Some kids even shot skeptical glances as if saying, ‘I knew it.’
These brats must have learned to be suspicious from a young age.
Thud.
As he entered the staff room, an unexpected scene unfolded.
Kang Bongdu and a middle-aged woman were facing each other, and her loud voice echoed through the room. Her attire was exceedingly lavish, and her shrill voice was enough to make one cover their ears.
For a moment, Kang Bongdu widened his eyes as he saw Kang Hyun enter the staff room.
“Kang Hyun. Why are you here?”
You called me, why are you acting like this?
“You called for me, teacher.”
It was then.
“Mom, I brought him!”
The female student who had called Kang Hyun into the staff room shouted. It was only then that the fierce-looking woman turned her head sharply and glared at Kang Hyun.
“Are you Kang Hyun?”
Oh my, her heavy makeup and predatory glare matched. When Kang Hyun nodded briefly, the woman began to shout furiously.
“How could a kid who was at the bottom of the class suddenly become the top student in the whole school overnight? Hey! If you have a mouth, speak up. Just by looking, I can tell your family isn’t well-off, so it’s not like you had private tutoring. How did you cheat?”
“Ms. Hyejin’s mother, that’s too much!”
“Teacher. You know my eldest graduated last year and went to an international high school, right? Since then, I’ve been the president of the PTA, and I’ve contributed so much to Daeseong Middle School. We even collected fees for environmental beautification and made it possible for our kids to go on overseas school trips. And yet, you can’t catch a cheating student? My child was originally the top student!”
This woman…?
She claims ridiculous things as if they were true.
All the teachers in the staff room stood up. Kang Bongdu’s face showed evident discomfort. Even he couldn’t believe that a student who was at the bottom just a few months ago had suddenly become the top student. Everyone was at a loss for words at that moment.
“Can you be sure about that?”
All eyes focused on Kang Hyun.
“Article 156 of the Criminal Code: A crime established by reporting false facts to a public office or public official with the intention of causing another person to be subject to criminal or disciplinary action. Here, false facts mean that the reported facts are definitively or possibly recognized as contrary to objective facts.”
Of course, in such a case, the crime of false accusation under criminal law wouldn’t be established. Moreover, in civil litigation, false accusation wouldn’t be established. But Kang Hyun didn’t intend to stop.
“Especially using your position as the president of the PTA to solicit funds for environmental beautification and arrange school trips, and the opaque operation procedures of the PTA. I don’t think all of this was done purely as a volunteer activity without any compensation. Since the late 1980s, when the issue of bribery caused public resentment, the Supreme Court has made many rulings that such acts fall under bribery as defined in Article 129 of the Criminal Code. If you wish, I can recite those rulings here.”
Kang Hyun stared directly at the woman, whose eyes widened.
“I’ll ask again, can you be sure that I cheated?”
His voice pierced through their ears.
Kang Bongdu swallowed his surprise. He had thought Hyun was just a child who knew nothing. But his deep voice and confident eyes were not ordinary. Especially his composure was hard to believe for a 14-year-old.
“What, what did you just say…!”
The woman shouted, clutching the back of her neck.
“Ms. Hyejin’s mother, Kang Hyun is right. It’s not right to accuse him of cheating without any evidence. If you continue, I can’t stay silent as his homeroom teacher.”
Kang Bongdu spoke firmly, stepping in front of Kang Hyun. Finally, the corpulent principal appeared, and the situation began to calm down.
The woman still glared but did not go further. On the contrary, she even smiled slyly after hearing something from the principal.
Nonsense.
It didn’t matter. No matter what they said, the fact that I was the top student wouldn’t change.
It was only later that I understood the meaning of that smile.
“Kang Hyun, I’m sorry.”
Kang Bongdu looked at Kang Hyun with a troubled expression.
Kang Hyun didn’t think badly of Kang Bongdu. Even he would have hesitated. No matter how much he trusted his students, it was rare for someone at the bottom to become the top student in just a few months, and Kang Bongdu had even stood up for him. He had done his duty as a homeroom teacher.
“The principal said he would personally invigilate the next semester’s exams. If your grades drop, the PTA won’t stay silent. They might even question your first-semester grades, which could lead to forced transfer.”
The PTA must have a strong influence to even manage the official in charge of transfers.
“It’s okay.”
His voice was calm. Kang Bongdu looked at Kang Hyun with curious eyes.
He looked as mature as when he had felt in the staff room. Just a few months ago, he was a mischievous kid.
But seeing Hyun’s eyes, he could naturally understand. This child hadn’t cheated. Instead, he felt infinitely foolish for having doubted him.
“Kang Hyun, how did you become so good at studying?”
It was a pure curiosity.
What should I say?
That I saved a drunk man from the subway tracks,
and when I woke up, I had returned to the past?
Kang Hyun just smiled silently.
Sizzle.
The pork belly on the grill was cooking nicely. The spicy kimchi made by his mother’s hands, along with sesame leaves and lettuce bought from the market, added flavor.
His father drank a sharp soju and burst into hearty laughter.
“Hehehe. My son is amazing. Amazing!”
His father had always been stern in the past. This was the first time he had seen him laugh so heartily.
Kang Hyun held back tears. His mother’s face, grilling the meat, was also filled with a smile that wouldn’t go away.
“Why is our son so smart? He takes after me. Right, hehe.”
“You. I studied better in my school days.”
“Hehe. Yes, my wife and son are the best!”
His father grabbed his face and rubbed it. The alcohol smell tickled his nose, and the prickly beard irritated his skin. But listening to his father’s hearty laughter, he didn’t mind.
Under the starry night, simple happiness continued without end.
“Hyun, what are you going to do during summer vacation?”
It was Kim Daewoo, with chubby cheeks. This friend always reminded him of Winnie the Pooh.
What should I do during summer vacation? I’ll probably help with the laundry shop. Riding a bike under the scorching sun to deliver laundry was no easy task.
“Are you going to study again?”
Study.
They were middle school-level problems. There was no need to go all out yet. He was confident he could take first place in the school without dedicating his summer vacation to studying.
The school teachers had long since stopped doubting him. They asked him questions every class, but he didn’t miss a single one.
“Join the club activities with me. The teacher said he’d show us a violin recital this summer vacation.”
If the teacher goes to such lengths to maintain club activities during summer vacation, it’s commendable.
But helping out at the laundry shop during the hot summer was already a lot. He couldn’t afford to spend time listening to classical music.
“Sorry, but I can’t.”
At Kang Hyun’s firm words,
Kim Daewoo showed a regretful expression. He probably didn’t have close friends in the club.
Thud.
It was when he moved after the closing ceremony.
Kang Hyun headed to the first floor to leave the school, while Kim Daewoo had to part ways to go to his club activities.
He saw Kim Daewoo’s slumped shoulders as he walked away. He didn’t expect to be rejected so firmly.
Kang Hyun chuckled and started to walk.
Thump thump thump.
His heart began to beat violently.
And then
Freude, schöner Götterfunken! Götterfunken!
Joy, beautiful spark of the gods! Beautiful spark of the gods!
It echoed in his ears.
