Devil Returns to School Days - Chapter 191: The Price of a Life Lived (1)

Although the mastermind behind the chaos had been identified, the aftermath of the Golden Gate incident had yet to settle completely.

[Breaking news. Prosecutors revealed earlier today that Park Dongseop, widely known as a “righteous lawyer,” was a member of the Golden Circle. Ten years ago, Park first established ties with the group as a client and has since continued to handle legal matters for them. People are expressing shock and dismay over the actions of someone who had long been regarded as a champion of justice…]

Public opinion craved a scapegoat.

While the involvement of Lee Kyungchul as a key figure was known, people eagerly awaited the revelation of others implicated in the scandal.

The prosecution, aware of such expectations, continued to meet them, and with each passing day, new names surfaced.

[A Gangnam chaebol…]

[A member of the opposition party’s National Assembly…]

[A prominent local figure…]

It was utter pandemonium.

Each day, as new names were unearthed like a seemingly endless string of sweet potatoes, the public shifted their outrage—from Park Dongseop yesterday to the Gangnam chaebol today, then the opposition politician the next, and the local powerbroker after that.

Amidst the chaos, the government issued an official statement.

[The atrocities committed by National Assembly member Lee Kyungchul are a matter the government must address. We promise to thoroughly investigate this matter to ensure such events never recur and to punish every individual, no matter how minor their role in the Golden Gate scandal.]

With the culprit being a key figure in the ruling party, the government had no choice but to cut ties swiftly. Disowning Lee Kyungchul entirely and treating his crimes as an isolated case was their only path to survival. Thus, a new era of grand disclosures began. The government actively accepted public demands while investigative authorities combed through the remnants of the Golden Gate affair. Stories that had previously existed as mere rumors now emerged into the light. Although most of these accounts pertained to ordinary school violence, even one connection to the Golden Circle was enough to sway public sentiment.

In recent days, South Korea had plunged into a state of confusion.

—

A secretive location.

Prominent figures—individuals whose names would ring a bell among the nation’s elite—gathered in one place.

Jeon Sangcheol, a man appearing to be in his mid-sixties and reputed to own dozens of buildings in Gangnam as a real estate tycoon, spoke.

“What do you all think of this situation? The public is in an uproar. They’re digging through every link to the Golden Circle. If our existence is uncovered, there will be no turning back.”

Everyone present was a member of the Golden Line.

Facing investigations due to Im Cheol-hyung’s revelations, they were unable to hide their discomfort.

National Assembly member Hong Dong-young responded.

“The only saving grace is that there is still only circumstantial evidence. Those who entered the Golden Circle through Im Cheol-hyung are undoubtedly in trouble, but none of us here had direct interactions with him. For now, let’s observe the situation. Fortunately, Assemblyman Lee Kyungchul has shouldered the blame, so the fire won’t engulf the entire Golden Circle.”

“What if they come knocking at our door? At that point, there won’t be a way out.”

“The Golden Gate scandal has already exploded. At this stage, the best we can hope for is damage control, not escape.”

By design, Golden Line members were not supposed to know one another.

Im Cheol-hyung, an exception due to his intermediary role, had connected individuals in unusual ways. Until recently, the people gathered here had only speculated about one another’s involvement. The current meeting was only arranged in response to the Golden Gate incident. Doubting Yoon Hyeon-min’s reliability, they sought confirmation of one another’s identities to discuss the situation. Thanks to the Golden Circle’s strict structure, these members had thus far avoided the firestorm.

A corporate executive from a major conglomerate, Park Junghak, broke the silence.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the damage is done. While we feel uneasy about Yoon Hyeon-min selling out Lee Kyungchul, there’s no alternative. We’re in the same boat. If Yoon goes under, we all do. For now, we have no choice but to trust him. Fortunately, the situation is stabilizing. Im Cheol-hyung, that wretched bastard, has been exposing secrets, but his disclosures have been superficial. The truly critical figures remain unscathed.”

It was a small mercy.

The Golden Circle had carefully insulated its core members.

Although the public perceived these events as a wave of righteous whistleblowing, in truth, the powers that be had deliberately sacrificed dispensable individuals to appease the masses—people hungry for justice but, in reality, eager to see the mighty fall.

Some were sacrificed.

Yoon Hyeon-min worked diligently to contain the fallout.

“Internal discord will only hasten our downfall. For now, let’s believe in each other. Accountability can be addressed once this ordeal is over.”

That day, the secret meeting concluded.

Those with much to lose had no intention of going down without a fight.

—

Around the same time.

At a high school in Seoul.

Song Jae-ryong, a third-year student, felt stifled by the oppressive atmosphere in the classroom.

‘Damn it, how much longer do I have to put up with this?’

Song Jae-ryong’s true identity?

He was a member of the Golden Circle.

He carried out assignments and had even earned an S-rank for his work. Although he was supposed to participate in the infamous “Gangnam Office-tel” incident, an injury during that period had spared him from the resulting chaos. However, things took a turn for the worse afterward. In the wake of the Golden Gate scandal, a wave of disclosures swept the country as high school students began posting instances of school violence online, demanding investigations.

Song Jae-ryong was no exception.

An anonymous post had brought his actions to light, making it impossible for him to flaunt his power at school as he once did.

‘I don’t know who did it, but just wait. Once this blows over, I’ll find you and kill you.’

He swallowed his fury.

Even the Golden Circle had sent him a message.

Stay low and avoid trouble at all costs.

If caught in the current wave, not even an S-rank member could expect protection.

News that friends of Song Jae-ryong were being summoned for investigation by prosecutors left him deeply shaken. It was all over the news—if even the so-called powerful figures of South Korea couldn’t escape the inferno, a mere high schooler like himself had no choice but to tread carefully and avoid suspicion.

Time dragged on.

The uncharacteristic calm in the classroom felt stifling. Normally, he would have broken the peace by smacking the back of an annoying classmate’s head, but now he simply kept his focus on his phone.

Then, it happened.

“…What?”

He stumbled upon a strange post.

On a popular online community site with hundreds of thousands of members, a new post was already racking up explosive views shortly after being uploaded.

[My name is Im Cheol-hyung, CEO of Mirae Investment Securities.]

The title alone was chilling.

He quickly opened the post.

[If this post is live, it means that I am currently under investigation by prosecutors. Although I regret my past wrongdoings and wish to set things right by making these revelations, I know this alone will not bring down the massive organization known as the Golden Circle. They are deeply intertwined with South Korea itself, a ticking time bomb impossible to dismantle entirely. Even as I write this post, scheduled to be released later, I cannot claim to have found a perfect solution. If the Golden Circle survives, my reckless revelation will only plunge me into utter ruin.]

A creeping sense of unease took hold of him.

Something was very wrong.

[The Golden Circle represents pure evil. To expose them and obliterate their existence, the public’s sustained attention and effort are essential. Do not blindly trust the media. Yoon Hyeon-min of Taeyang Group is undoubtedly the real mastermind behind the Golden Circle. If someone else steps forward to take the blame in his place, they are merely a sacrificial pawn intended to appease public outcry. Through this post, I will disclose documents that only an insider could possess. I hope my sacrifice will serve to uncover the truth.]

“This lunatic…”

Im Cheol-hyung had set himself ablaze.

By stepping into an inevitable game of chicken, he understood that the only outcome left for him was Yoon Hyeon-min’s destruction.

Song Jae-ryong opened the attached files.

His emotions oscillated between unease and curiosity about what these “insider documents” could be.

[Student Kang Kyung-ho, enrolled at XX High School. November 2, 20XX. Received a request to bully fellow student Yoon Byung-hee to cause a drop in his grades. According to the report, Kang Kyung-ho assaulted Yoon Byung-hee daily, leading to the latter dropping out of school within less than a month. Kang Kyung-ho was compensated 30 million won for his actions.]

[Han Moo-young, enrolled at XX High School. February 27, 20XX…]

[A former student of XX High School, now graduated…]

This was a genuine exposé.

The documents contained tangible evidence that only an insider could possess.

But among them was a name that hit too close to home.

[Song Jae-ryong, currently enrolled at XX High School. 20XX…]

“That son of a—!”

He leapt from his seat.

Seeing his own name publicly exposed spelled unavoidable disaster.

—

Im Cheol-hyung had detonated a time bomb in South Korea.

His revelations about the Golden Circle, coupled with the release of insider documents, sent shockwaves through the nation.

Bang!

“Are you out of your mind?!”

Inside an interrogation room.

A prosecutor grabbed Im Cheol-hyung by the collar.

Even amidst the blatant violence in the heart of the prosecution’s office, Im Cheol-hyung felt the chilling fear of the Golden Circle’s reach.

“What’s the matter? Did I strike a nerve?”

“You must have a death wish. Of all people, you know better than anyone how deeply the Golden Circle’s roots run. This document dump changes nothing. No matter how many tails you sever, as long as the head in the sky remains intact, the Golden Circle will endure.”

The prosecutor released him with a shove.

He wasn’t wrong.

Although Im Cheol-hyung had made public some insider documents, it wasn’t enough to bring down the Golden Circle entirely.

Even someone like Im Cheol-hyung lacked ironclad proof.

Evidence against Yoon Hyeon-min remained circumstantial, and Im didn’t know the identities of all the Golden Line members, limiting his testimony. Moreover, his revelations had already been weakened by Lee Kyung-chul’s suicide and the narrative that the Golden Circle had framed him.

The situation wasn’t as favorable as it might have seemed.

And yet, Im Cheol-hyung remained composed.

In truth, the insider documents he had disclosed weren’t solely his doing—they had been prepared by Kim Hyunsung through Jung Chan-soo.

Im Cheol-hyung smirked.

“Whether you or I survive, neither of us has a way out. From the moment I mentioned Yoon Hyeon-min’s name during the press conference, my path back was gone. But you know what?”

He couldn’t stop his lips from curling into a sneer.

Im Cheol-hyung had already drenched himself in filth.

Even if his plan succeeded perfectly, he would sustain grave injuries, but he was confident he had chosen the lesser of two evils. A brief exchange with Kim Hyunsung had left an indelible impression, cementing his resolve.

Leaning forward, Im Cheol-hyung spoke.

“I bet everything I have on Kim Hyunsung. And I still believe that was the right decision.”

He grinned.

“Look at yourself. You still have no clue what’s happening behind the scenes, do you?”

The press conference.

The insider document release.

Those were merely the opening moves.

The final stroke belonged to Kim Hyunsung, not Im Cheol-hyung.