Devil Returns to School Days - Chapter 129: The Nuclear Bomb Dropped on Seoul (4)

**An office in Gangnam.**

There were people gathered here who didn’t fit in with the typical legal professionals that frequented this area, known for its high demand for law-related office space due to its proximity to the court.

About ten people were present, all dressed sharply in suits. Their faces were pale, and none of them dared to look up.

“Do you understand the significance of this incident?” Park Hyung-jun demanded.

“…We’re sorry,” someone muttered.

“Sorry? Did I ask for an apology?”

Slap!

A hand swung through the air, landing hard on someone’s cheek. The man who had been struck quickly turned his head back to its original position, showing no sign of pain. He knew better than to groan or show weakness—he had seen this man lose his temper too many times to risk it. He gritted his teeth and endured the pain.

The name of the burly man was Park Hyung-jun. Aside from those managing Cheonsang, he was effectively the most powerful figure within the Golden Circle. He glared at his subordinates with a fierce gaze.

“The Golden Circle failed a request. Not only is this the first time in the history of the Golden Circle, but no one here even noticed that something had gone wrong. Someone must have verified the request, someone received the report on the results, and someone else handled the follow-up. So why did no one notice anything? It’s because you all took it easy, believing that bastard Jeong Chan-soo’s word.”

His anger was boiling over. The Golden Circle had a reporting procedure in place. Even if Jeong Chan-soo had lied in his report, if the follow-up had been handled properly, there was no way the truth would have remained hidden.

In other words…

“Isn’t that right?” he snarled.

Suddenly, he grabbed a man’s hair and yanked him forward. As the man’s head was flung down with the blow, several teeth came flying out. But that wasn’t enough to calm Park Hyung-jun’s rage. Whether the man raised his arms to block or not, Park Hyung-jun continued his merciless beating. The man, who had been beaten for quite some time, began to realize that if this continued, he might truly end up in serious trouble, so he grabbed Park Hyung-jun’s pants and begged.

“P-Please, I was wrong. It was my mistake to trust Jeong Chan-soo’s word. I thought it was just some local request, so I… Ahh!”

Whack! Smack, smack! Smack!

He didn’t listen to excuses. Eventually, the man slumped to the floor. Park Hyung-jun wiped the blood from his hands and then sat down on a chair they had set up as a prop.

“Our lives are all on the line with this incident. If the Golden Line members find out, they’ll learn not only that the Golden Circle has failed for the first time, but also the uncomfortable truth that there’s a traitor among us who leaked information. And what would happen then? The Golden Circle would go downhill. Our perfect history would be ruined, and we’d all be held accountable, falling alongside the Golden Circle. Therefore, we must clean up this mess. If we don’t erase the stain named Kim Hyun-seong or fail to find the runaway Choi Tae-joon and Jeong Chan-soo, it means we’re all dead.”

Everyone gulped. Park Hyung-jun shouted at them.

“Goddamn it, then go round up all the brokers in Seoul right now. Hurry!”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

* * *

**A large conference room.**

Only the most influential brokers in Seoul had been selected, but even so, nearly thirty brokers attended the meeting. This was a testament to the scale of the Golden Circle. If this included brokers from all over Seoul and the provinces, it was hard to even guess how many brokers existed.

Park Hyung-jun’s right-hand man, Choi Song-chul, spoke. “We will now begin the briefing on the ‘target’ Kim Hyun-seong.”

He turned on the screen. It displayed a recent image of Kim Hyun-seong.

“As you all know, Kim Hyun-seong overturned the original request, and subsequently deceived us by colluding with Broker Jeong Chan-soo and mercenary Choi Tae-joon to make it appear as though the task was successfully completed. This suggests that he has a certain understanding of the Golden Circle’s system, and his transfer to Gangnam proves he has a ‘clear purpose.’ The key point, then, is the power that Kim Hyun-seong possesses, which we need to handle moving forward. Based on his previous actions, where he managed to unify all the schools in Daesan, we estimate his combat abilities to be at least A+ to S-grade, even accounting for the fact that Daesan isn’t as competitive as here.”

As he explained, the screen changed. A map of Daesan appeared, with X marks over the schools Kim Hyun-seong had taken over. Over ten schools. The brokers’ expressions grew serious. Not only had he thwarted the request, but his bold moves were also unprecedented.

“In reality, the reason Kim Hyun-seong could run wild like this isn’t solely due to his own strength. He had the active support of Oh Dae-hwan, the principal of Cheonil High School, and Kim Young-chul, his homeroom teacher. Their favorable actions towards Kim Hyun-seong were due to his backing by Go Chang-beom, the likely next chairman of Myungjin Construction. Moreover, when his transfer to Daesung Future High School was being arranged, the parents’ committee tried to block it but failed due to the interference of Lee Mi-so, wife of Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kang Dong-cheol. Lee Mi-so runs the Sky Moms Cafe and is suspected to have some connection with Kim Hyun-seong. That concludes the briefing. Are there any questions?”

“Is there a deep connection with Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kang Dong-cheol?”

“We have not determined that yet, but we do not believe he would intervene on behalf of Kim Hyun-seong.”

“Is there any political involvement?”

“So far, we have not identified any.”

They exchanged questions. It had been a while since the Golden Circle had called a meeting and gotten this worked up over a single target. In the early days, this sort of thing was common, but in all of Park Hyung-jun’s time as a broker, it had only happened twice.

An extraordinary guy indeed. S-grade. A sharp mind that knew how to use his connections. Where had such a guy come from?

But now, having heard all the information, Park Hyung-jun was certain of one thing.

“An ignorant frog that doesn’t know the limits of its own well.”

That was the perfect description for Kim Hyun-seong.

* * *

Looking at the facts objectively, Kim Hyun-seong currently had three strengths: his own combat power, Myungjin Construction, and Lee Mi-so, the wife of the Deputy Chief Prosecutor. It was laughable.

First, no matter how strong his combat skills were, there was no way he could take on all the strong fighters the Golden Circle had under its command. If one S-grade wasn’t enough, they’d send two. Personal combat ability, in truth, was an insignificant advantage.

As for Myungjin Construction, while it might be a major company leading the Daesan cartel, things were different here in Seoul. Among the clients of the Golden Circle, there were quite a few who ran companies even larger than Myungjin Construction. And that wasn’t all.

Conglomerates, politicians, the legal community, media outlets, and so on—there were so many powerful figures involved in the Golden Circle that they couldn’t even be counted on one’s fingers. So, could they really stand a chance against the Golden Circle with just Myungjin Construction? How much those backing Kim Hyun-seong would be willing to risk for him was unknown, but even if they were ready to burn everything to the ground, they wouldn’t be able to inflict any damage. They were a ridiculously weak opponent.

They had dealt with more significant targets than this before, but the reason the Golden Circle was reacting so sensitively this time was because of one fact: Kim Hyun-seong had become a symbol of failure. He had openly shown his intent to bring down the Golden Circle, so the Golden Circle couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.

Park Hyung-jun asked, “How many useful students are there currently at Daesung Future High School?”

“Since that school is under special management, there are two S-grade students. One of them is Choi Myung-hoon, who is S+ grade.”

“That should be enough to handle things internally. What about the teachers?”

“Principal Ahn Ik-soo caused issues while handling the transfer, so we plan to have him removed from his position by involving investigative agencies. The vacant position will be filled by someone who follows our instructions, and most of the teachers at Daesung Future High School are already under our control. Even if Myungjin Construction tries to bribe their way like they did in Daesan, they won’t be able to sway a single person. What we offer is not just money but also

a guarantee of their safety.”

“Right. The teachers who know about the Golden Circle would never dare to betray us.”

He confirmed the contents of the report.

The Daesan Cartel—it was said to have caused the Golden Circle some trouble. But now, it was the opposite. This was the Gangnam Cartel, a world so thoroughly rotten that it could manipulate all of South Korea, far worse than Daesan.

He smirked. He felt relieved. This opponent wasn’t someone who could endanger his life. It seemed the problem would be resolved more easily than he thought.

Park Hyung-jun shouted, “I’ll handle this personally. Whenever support is needed, request it immediately. Put everything else on hold and focus solely on this task. The higher-ups have given us one month after the school term begins, but we have just one week. All issues must be resolved within a week.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Understood!”

Their voices boomed. Park Hyung-jun’s gaze turned cold.

* * *

Time moved quickly. It felt like just yesterday that he had arrived in Seoul, but for Kim Hyun-seong, it was already the day of the new school term.

Inside the officetel, cold air lingered. Kim Hyun-seong had come to Seoul alone, without his family, and without turning on the heater, the high-rise officetel was cold, unable to be warmed by the presence of just one person. Breathing in the cold air, Kim Hyun-seong left the officetel. He passed the impeccably clean floors, took the elevator down, and moved forward as the concierge greeted him.

Tall buildings surrounded him everywhere. The bustling people moving since early morning and the roads filled with cars were a stark contrast to the provinces like Daesan. Furthermore…

Vroom!

Foreign cars, a rare sight in Daesan, could be seen frequently here. It was a different world. He felt the difference of being in a new environment all over again.

He hadn’t walked far, and already, the school gate was in view. Located so close to the station and built to a pristine standard, Daesung Future High School’s building proved that the school was at the center of power. The students studying here would lead South Korea’s future. To have graduated from this school meant being wealthy enough to live in Gangnam, and they would continue to support and advance each other, maintaining relationships fitting of their stature. While not as influential as the Golden Circle, these academic connections were still significant.

He arrived at the school. Already dressed in the Daesung Future High School uniform, he entered the teachers’ office, where one of the teachers stepped forward.

“Are you Kim Hyun-seong?”

One look. One conversation was enough. A slight frown and a sweeping gaze—it was hostile. Unlike in Daesan, here, the teachers clearly showed their hostility towards Kim Hyun-seong with just their eyes.

“…We’ll handle the necessary procedures later. Follow me; I’ll show you to your class.”

“Yes.”

He moved forward, past the first floor, then the second, then the third. They reached the fourth floor. Past Class 1, then Class 2, until they stopped abruptly.

**[Class 3, 3rd Year]**

Creak. The teacher entered first. The murmuring from inside went silent as if doused with cold water when Kim Hyun-seong followed in.

“Alright, everyone, there’s someone I want to introduce to you. You all know, right? The student who ranked first in the ‘national mock exams’ before. This is him. Hyun-seong, why don’t you introduce yourself?”

The teacher stepped aside. All eyes were on him.

What was funny was that even though it was his first time meeting these people, there were hardly any friendly looks. Some were curious. Some were wary. Some were outright hostile. Most looked more wary than anything. Perhaps it was because of his top rank in the national mock exams or due to the Golden Circle’s request.

Kim Hyun-seong spoke. “My name is Kim Hyun-seong.”

He didn’t bother to add any pleasantries. After all, their relationship was bound to be ruined. From the moment he returned to the past up until now, the plan he had been preparing…

“Finally, it begins.”

It was the moment his plan began to unfold.