Devil Returns to School Days - Chapter 171: Head-on Breakthrough (3)

The series of events felt eerily familiar to Go Chang-beom.

It was like when he first arrived at military boot camp: the soldiers had been all smiles in front of the parents, but as soon as they turned the corner, they started barking orders. The prosecutor was no different. The moment Go Chang-beom stepped into the building, the prosecutor dropped any pretense of politeness and coldly spat out,

“Follow me, you bastard.”

He was led directly to the interrogation room.

Bang.

The door slammed shut.

Facing Go Chang-beom across the table, the prosecutor didn’t bother hiding his true intentions.

“I just can’t understand it. If you had just swallowed your pride and compromised a little, there would’ve been a way for you to survive. Why make things so complicated? Go Chang-beom, do you understand what I’m saying? I’ll give you one last chance. If you bow your head right here and agree to cooperate with the Golden Circle’s agenda, we’ll suspend all the charges against you. Once everything blows over, we’ll clear your name.”

The Golden Circle was like a virus.

Its influence seeped into every institution—the police, the prosecution, even the National Tax Service.

“As the heir to Myungjin Construction, you should make a rational decision, considering the people who depend on your company.”

“Let’s proceed with the investigation.”

“So you’re going to accept the charges?”

“That’s for me to deal with, don’t you think?”

The prosecutor’s proposal was met with indifference.

If Go Chang-beom had intended to accept such a deal, he would have gone to the Golden Circle long before the situation escalated to this point. He had already discussed the risks with the company’s board. While his actions might hurt Myungjin Construction in the short term, Go Chang-beom had no intention of going down without a fight.

The prosecutor smirked.

Click.

The recorder started.

From this point on, the prosecutor would play the role of a neutral officer of the law, rather than a pawn of the Golden Circle.

“Mr. Go Chang-beom, you are currently being charged with 15 counts of assault and 3 counts of sexual assault. As the heir to Myungjin Construction, do you think you can continue living so recklessly? We’ve secured testimonies and evidence from the victims. All that remains is for you to admit to the charges and accept your punishment. You seemed so confident in front of the media. Shall we proceed with your confession?”

“Apologies, but that might be difficult.”

It was the lawyer.

Until now, he had quietly sat beside Go Chang-beom, but now he slid a document across the table.

“Many of the charges filed this time are for incidents that have already been investigated by the police. We have evidence to prove that my client has no reason to face punishment again for these cases. The assault incidents were mutual altercations, and the sexual encounters were consensual. All the relevant details are outlined here.”

“Hey, Mr. Prosecutor.”

It was Go Chang-beom’s turn to speak.

While he had acted like he would accept all the blame in front of the cameras, he had no intention of being a fool.

Regardless of his regrets.

“I’ll take responsibility where it’s due. But there’s no reason to take more than what’s fair, right?”

Go Chang-beom’s core nature hadn’t changed.

—

Meanwhile.

At Cheonil High School, the principal, Oh Dae-hwan, was enjoying a peaceful moment.

He was trimming his prized orchid, mumbling to himself.

“I knew that punk Go Chang-beom would screw up eventually.”

For the past few days, Myungjin Construction had been a hot topic.

With the loan crisis and Go Chang-beom’s scandals making headlines, the company’s stock had plummeted. It wasn’t good news for Oh Dae-hwan, as Myungjin Construction was Cheonil’s most reliable sponsor, and the new gymnasium wasn’t finished yet. Still, part of him couldn’t help but relish the chaos.

“That brat was getting too cocky.”

Unlike in the past, when Cheonil relied heavily on Myungjin, the school now had other support.

“Since Kim Hyunsung made a name for himself, people look at Cheonil differently. With the backing we’re getting in Daesan now, losing Myungjin isn’t a major setback. The city is funding the gym’s construction, and Myungjin will honor its remaining sponsorship commitments. In the end…”

Snip.

He trimmed an undesirable branch and smiled in satisfaction.

“Cheonil has already secured its place among the elite.”

He felt content.

As the principal of Cheonil, he was greeted with respect everywhere he went.

With Cheonil’s reputation as the top school in the nation, even his former classmates acknowledged his success.

His chest swelled with pride.

He felt an indescribable euphoria, knowing that he had fought tooth and nail to elevate Cheonil to its current standing. People had once scoffed at provincial schools like Cheonil, believing only Seoul-based institutions mattered. But now, the prestigious reputation he had built was the crowning achievement of his life.

“Of course, we can’t just let go of Myungjin. If Go Chang-beom falters, someone else will take his place.”

It was Myungjin they needed, not Go Chang-beom.

He considered arranging a meeting with Myungjin’s executives, using his local connections. With the goodwill Myungjin had gained through its association with Cheonil, it was unlikely they would sever ties.

He had every reason to be confident.

If Cheonil had been vulnerable, they would have clung to Go Chang-beom.

But now that they were secure, Oh Dae-hwan’s true nature emerged.

Just then, as he admired his neatly trimmed orchid, the door to his office suddenly burst open.

Bang!

“P-Principal! Something terrible has happened!”

—

It was a chaotic scene.

Officials from the Seoul Inspection Department had arrived, their expressions grim, as they confronted Kim Young-chul, a teacher.

“Mr. Kim Young-chul. Quite the impressive record you have. Not only did you take bribes from parents in exchange for favors, but you also had an affair with a fellow teacher.”

“W-What?”

“Save your excuses. One of the parents took photos of you entering a motel with Ms. Lee Min-young, your colleague. Don’t think you can argue privacy now. The motel’s CCTV shows you checked in at night and left early in the morning. Quite impressive behavior for a teacher.”

“…”

Kim Young-chul was at a loss for words.

This was all happening in public, right in the middle of the teacher’s office.

The moment his affair was mentioned, Ms. Lee Min-young couldn’t even lift her head.

Even the Inspection Department shouldn’t have gone this far.

Though Kim Young-chul wanted to protest about his privacy, he bit his tongue at the inspector’s next words.

“The biggest issue is Kim Hyunsung. You enabled his bullying by turning a blind eye—and worse, by actively participating. Victims like Park Min-cheol have testified about how despicably you acted. They say that when Shin Young-min’s arm was broken in the middle of the school, you threatened him not to report it. And you were a regular at karaoke bars, too. We’ll be freezing your accounts by tomorrow and launching a full investigation. The mounting evidence points to a clear pattern of illegal behavior.”

“What… What’s going to happen to me?”

“What do you think? You’ll be fired, for starters, and you’re going to prison.”

“Ah…!”

Kim Young-chul’s eyes dimmed.

His world crumbled around him.

He had never considered himself a clean person. But faced with this sudden catastrophe, his mind felt paralyzed, unable to process what was happening.

It was then that Oh Dae-hwan entered the teachers’ office and saw the devastated look on Kim Young-chul’s face.

Without hesitation, Oh Dae-hwan turned back around, unable to hide the unease growing inside him.

‘If they’re coming after Kim Young-chul so openly, I’m bound to get caught up in this too.’

The fire was now at his feet.

He had to act before things escalated further.

Gnawing at his fingernails, he frantically dialed a number.

Click.

“Brother, what the hell is going on?”

The person on the other end of the line was Cho Dong-jin, the Superintendent of Education.

Oh Dae-hwan and Cho were close, addressing each other as brothers. Last time, Cho had helped him out of a sticky situation.

But this time was different.

Cho Dong-jin’s voice was filled with regret.

[…Dae-hwan, there’s nothing I can do. Orders came from way up the chain. They want everyone involved in Cheonil’s situation to be punished harshly. You know as well as I do—this whole mess with Myungjin Construction? That’s all part of pressure from above. If I step in, I’ll end up like Myungjin too.]

“If this keeps going, I’m done for, brother!”

[There’s nothing I can do. I’m sorry.]

Click.

The call abruptly ended.

Desperately, Oh Dae-hwan redialed, but all he heard was the mechanical voice saying the number was unavailable. His mind blanked.

“…Shit.”

This was the greatest crisis of his life.

—

Kim Young-chul emerged from his interrogation, disheveled and frantic.

The moment he saw Oh Dae-hwan, he rushed over with a desperate look on his face.

“Sir! Please, you have to do something about those bastards! We’re finished if this keeps up!”

“I know! I know!”

Oh Dae-hwan snapped, his voice filled with frustration.

His head throbbed.

How was he supposed to solve this mess?

Even the superintendent had thrown in the towel, claiming the pressure was too much to handle. What could a mere principal like him possibly do? He felt a surge of irritation as he looked at the whining, almost tearful Kim Young-chul. He wanted nothing more than to smack some sense into him.

Then, Kim Young-chul spoke again.

“What about contacting Kim Hyunsung? It looks like they’re doing all this just to get to him. If anyone has a solution, it’s him—he always has a plan!”

“Kim Hyunsung? That’s right… Kim Hyunsung.”

Myungjin Construction.

Cheonil High School.

Kim Hyunsung was the link between the two.

If the Golden Circle was targeting them with malicious intent, surely Kim Hyunsung held the key to resolving this.

Without wasting any time, Oh Dae-hwan dialed Hyunsung’s number.

Though it was still class time, Hyunsung answered the call.

Click.

[What’s the matter?]

Oh Dae-hwan put the call on speaker.

He and Kim Young-chul took turns explaining, their voices urgent.

“Hyunsung, we’re in big trouble. Some people from the Inspection Department showed up and started digging into everything, saying we covered for you. They’re pressuring us hard—there’s no way out. Can’t you do something? If this continues, we’re finished.”

“You know this isn’t just about us getting punished. They’re saying we covered for you. If they find proof, you’ll be dragged down with us. We’ve denied any involvement so far, but if we get desperate, who knows what we might say.”

It was a thinly veiled threat.

This was your problem, too.

If they went down, they’d take him with them.

Their eyes reddened with desperation, they clutched the phone, certain that Hyunsung had no choice but to help.

For Oh Dae-hwan and Kim Young-chul, they were Hyunsung’s weak points.

They had done all sorts of dirty work for him, and if he abandoned them now, they wouldn’t hesitate to expose everything to the Golden Circle. With lawsuits already piling up against him, Kim Hyunsung would have no choice but to save them to protect himself.

They were sure he couldn’t afford to let them fall.

But then.

[Thank you for your service until now.]

“…What?”

[The Golden Circle is attacking both me and my allies. There’s no room for negotiation—they won’t stop until I’m completely destroyed. So, Mr. Oh Dae-hwan and Mr. Kim Young-chul, you can serve as the perfect offerings to satisfy our enemies.]

They had always known, deep down, that this day would come.

[Become the results that will satisfy the enemy.]