Devil Returns to School Days - Chapter 164: Fracture (1)

Just three days.

All that had happened was returning to school after the weekend, but the atmosphere was drastically different from how it was during Friday’s homeroom.

The whole place felt unsettled.

The incident with Kim Hyunsung had been shocking, and students attending Daesung Future High School couldn’t avoid being bombarded with questions over the weekend. “Do you know Kim Hyunsung? What exactly happened with that incident?” And most of all, with dozens of students expelled without going through any disciplinary committee process, the class had noticeably thinned out.

In truth, the exams should have been postponed.

There was no absolute need to push through with the schedule. Yet, the interim homeroom teacher announced something unexpected.

“Everyone must be overwhelmed by this incident, but that’s precisely why you need to stay focused and concentrate on the exams. The world will not accommodate you. Life will throw many crises your way, and if you expect consideration every time, you will never achieve the success you desire. Everyone is in the same boat, so I hope you stay focused and achieve the results you want.”

The school had decided to proceed with the exams.

There was a backstory to this decision.

It wasn’t due to interference from the Golden Circle.

The moment the incident occurred over the weekend, the parents flooded the school with calls.

“You’re not postponing the exams, are you?”

“The exams must go on as scheduled. Our child has been preparing meticulously for this exam, and if the schedule is suddenly changed, their balance could be thrown off. Regardless of the incident at school, the exam schedule shouldn’t be altered.”

“Everyone’s in the same situation, right? We don’t need to sacrifice everyone just to accommodate one person.”

Kim Hyunsung.

He was already a thorn in their side.

If he took first place in the school, everyone else’s rank would drop by one. There was no reason to show sympathy for him during a time when everyone’s performance would naturally be affected. The obsession of parents with grades had ultimately led to the unreasonable decision to proceed with the exams.

This was the elite world of Gangnam.

Here, it was a dog-eat-dog world.

In this place, where students were not seen as students but as competitors, the misfortune of a rival was considered an opportunity for personal gain.

The homeroom teacher concluded.

“Now, prepare for your exams.”

And so, the first semester’s midterms began.

—

The bell rang.

The signal that the exam was over prompted various reactions from the students.

“Ah, I blew it.”

“Let’s check the answers quickly.”

“I think I did well this time.”

To these students, exams were everything.

They gathered in small groups to compare answers, and soon cheers of joy and groans of despair echoed throughout the room. It was the usual scene that played out whenever an exam ended. For students who treated each test like life or death, checking each answer brought either elation or crushing disappointment, as if their entire lives hinged on that single question.

After the self-checks were done, the students began to glance in one particular direction.

With their own scores determined, the next thing that mattered in a competitive exam was their rivals’ scores.

Especially Kim Hyunsung.

Everyone silently checked on him.

Kim Hyunsung, with his face covered in bandages, did not look to be in a condition to perform well on the exam. Inwardly, they all fervently hoped his physical state would affect his performance. They prayed that he would make a few mistakes, just enough to create an opportunity for someone else to overtake him.

But their hopes were in vain.

Looking down at his test paper with a calm expression, Kim Hyunsung came to one conclusion.

“Perfect score.”

Not a single mistake.

This wasn’t something from the future he had already known.

When he was at Cheonil High School, he remembered every single exam question, leaving no room for error. But now, as a third-year high school student, he had to rely purely on his ability. Even so, there was no difficulty. In his previous life, he had already achieved top ranks nationwide at this time, and in his new life, he had devoted himself tirelessly to his studies.

Not even for a moment did he let his guard down.

By recalling past memories and absorbing new knowledge, Kim Hyunsung had poured everything into preparing for this moment.

“What will happen once my score is revealed?”

Chaos would break out.

Everyone’s worst fears would come true.

There was a difference between fearing that something bad might happen and actually facing that reality.

Even though he had eliminated puppets like Choi Myung-hoon, other students under the Golden Circle’s influence still remained. For them, the current situation was highly uncomfortable. Kim Hyunsung was still standing strong, and the Golden Circle’s most valued metric—exam scores—had been shattered by his perfect performance. Adding in the failure of the weekend’s operation, the very existence of the Golden Circle would now be called into question.

How amusing.

The Golden Circle had built its power by exploiting the uncertain futures of minors, but this gave them a fatal weakness.

Ultimately, someone always paid the price.

And now that they hadn’t received what they paid for, the fissures Kim Hyunsung wanted were bound to form.

—

As expected.

Hong Seung-beom, a third-year student at Daesung Future High School, showed signs of irritation the moment he got home.

*Bang!*

“What the hell is this?!”

“Why, what happened? Did you mess up the exam?”

As soon as he entered, he threw his bag to the floor.

His mother rushed over, but Hong Seung-beom’s voice was sharp with annoyance.

“The exam went okay, but Kim Hyunsung—he got a perfect score! It’s already bad enough that my rank keeps dropping because of him, but now, with so many students expelled, it’s even worse. If their absence gets reflected in the rankings, even if I did better than last time, it’ll all be for nothing!”

The mass expulsion had created an unforeseen complication.

Grades were calculated based on ranking, and unfortunately, the expelled students—like Choi Myung-hoon—were not low performers. Their sudden absence meant the lower-performing students who propped up the ranks were gone. Even if he had performed the same as before, achieving a higher rank was now more crucial than ever.

Hong Seung-beom shouted in frustration.

“This is a disaster! At such an important time, everything’s ruined! There’s no way I can get into Korea University through the early admissions now. Mom, didn’t you say the Golden Circle would take care of everything? They promised they’d ensure my grades stayed stable if we trusted them. What the hell is this?!”

His father, Hong Soon-ho, was a member of the Golden Line.

Ever since middle school, Hong Seung-beom had been under the Golden Circle’s management. When Kim Hyunsung exposed the organization’s identity, he had kept quiet to avoid unnecessary trouble. As a student in the prestigious Daesung Future High School, located in the heart of Gangnam, there was no reason to draw unwanted attention.

However, during the Myung Su-chan incident, panic had spread.

They had feared the exposure of other clients like Hong Seung-beom, but the Golden Circle had calmed them, promising to take care of Kim Hyunsung. Yet, the weekend’s events had ended with only those connected to the Golden Circle punished, while Kim Hyunsung emerged unscathed—and with a perfect score.

It was the worst-case scenario.

No matter what Kim Hyunsung did.

No matter how much chaos he caused.

The only thing that mattered was grades.

The Golden Circle’s entire relationship with its clients hinged on securing those grades. And now, that relationship had completely crumbled.

—

“Everything’s ruined! It’s over!”

Hong Seung-beom screamed in frustration, and his mother’s eyes glimmered with hostility as she observed her son’s distress.

His situation.

She could no longer stand by and do nothing.

“Don’t worry, son. You trust me, right? I’ll fix this in no time.”

—

A few days later.

At a high-end restaurant.

In a place where discretion was guaranteed, several adults gathered in one room.

“What does everyone think about this situation?”

The first to speak was Hong Soon-ho.

As a professor at a university hospital and Hong Seung-beom’s father, he made no effort to conceal his simmering anger.

“When we first joined the Golden Circle, we were promised complete confidentiality and a foundation for our children to get into prestigious universities without fierce competition. But now, none of that has been fulfilled. Not only did Kim Hyunsung score perfectly on the exam, but he also exposed the identities of some of our clients in the past. Now, we’re in danger.”

“That’s right.”

“As you just said, I don’t see any reason to stick with the Golden Circle any longer.”

The atmosphere was thick with resentment.

Repeated failures.

Ruined grades.

There was no room for excuses.

Sensing that the room was swaying in his favor, Hong Soon-ho decided to take the lead among the members of the Golden Line.

“To be honest, I’m extremely concerned. Even after the recent incident, Kim Hyunsung is still standing, and if he digs deeper into the Golden Circle, our identities could be exposed at any moment. When the school was in chaos, we trusted the Golden Circle to take care of it, but at this point, we need to secure our safety, whether by demanding a clear solution or cutting ties with them altogether.”

This meeting wasn’t just to vent frustrations.

There was an underlying purpose.

Not only had Hong Soon-ho gathered members of the Golden Line, but he had also invited someone particularly important. In fact, everyone present had joined the Golden Circle through this individual. Without him, none of them would have become members.

Hong Soon-ho turned toward the person seated across from him.

“Director Im Cheol-hyung, please advocate for us. If we stay idle any longer, we’re all doomed.”

“Hmm.”

Everyone’s attention shifted to the man at the center of the group—Im Cheol-hyung.

As the CEO of Mirae Investment Securities and one of the most active members of Golden Line, Im Cheol-hyung was the very person who had recruited everyone in attendance into the Golden Circle.

For Im Cheol-hyung, this was an awkward situation.

Within the Golden Circle, there were clear hierarchies—Golden Line members were at the top, while ordinary members were beneath them. But these ordinary members were still high-profile clients who had entrusted large sums of money to Mirae Investment Securities. He couldn’t ignore their complaints.

Moreover, it wasn’t as if he himself was satisfied with how recent events had unfolded.

Finally, he made up his mind.

“Alright. I’ll step in and take care of this.”

“As expected of you, Director.”

“We knew we could count on you.”

With those words, Im Cheol-hyung reluctantly accepted the role of mediator.

—

The weekend incident had stirred up quite a bit of discussion within Cheonsang as well.

Despite the Golden Circle’s attempt to act decisively, they had not only failed but had also come dangerously close to being exposed. To mitigate the fallout, they had decided to sacrifice a broker as a scapegoat. While Yoon Hyun-min assured everyone that there was no need for concern, from another perspective, the situation painted an increasingly unstable picture.

Perhaps that was why Im Cheol-hyung chose to act differently this time.

He concluded that a simple phone call wouldn’t suffice to convey his and the Golden Line members’ frustrations.

The next morning.

He went directly to the headquarters of Taeyang Group.

He had come to see Yoon Hyun-min.

Given that the CEO of Mirae Investment Securities was meeting with the heir of Taeyang Group, it appeared to be a natural interaction in the eyes of outsiders.

“It’s been a while.”

Entering the office, Im Cheol-hyung got straight to the point as he sat down on the sofa. There was no need for small talk.

“The reason I’m here is simple. I want a clear explanation regarding the recent incidents. The Golden Circle has failed to deliver. The group that prided itself on always succeeding has now stumbled multiple times, and with Kim Hyunsung scoring a perfect mark on top of everything, it’s as if the Golden Circle’s purpose no longer holds meaning. As you know, if trust is broken in a relationship built solely on trust…”

“Director.”

Yoon Hyun-min abruptly cut him off.

As Im Cheol-hyung entered the room and sat down, Yoon Hyun-min gave him a cold, piercing look.

After grasping the essence of what Im Cheol-hyung was saying, Yoon Hyun-min stepped away from the window and approached the head seat of the table.

*Thud.*

He sat down.

Just then, the secretary entered the room.

“Shall I bring some tea…”

“Leave.”

“Yes, sir.”

The atmosphere froze in an instant.

As Im Cheol-hyung’s discomfort became apparent, Yoon Hyun-min crossed his legs and raised one eyebrow.

“Have you forgotten the rules of the Golden Circle?”

“I understand, but…”

“If you understand, then you’ve made a mistake today. The Golden Circle—especially Golden Line members—never meet publicly without a valid reason. That’s a rule we’ve upheld for over a decade.”

This meeting could not be treated as an exception.

Yoon Hyun-min’s gaze turned fierce.

“Director, you’ve just broken that rule.”