Chapter 9

Chapter 9

[Translation By Divinity]

“The Prosecutor’s Office?”

Kang Hyun was surprised by the offer.

Prosecutor Kim Jung-min grinned and handed Kang Hyun his business card, saying, “Grades are important for getting into law school, but experience is also crucial. Each agency selects student workers every quarter. Well, if you’re interested, I could recommend you.”

He seemed convinced that Kang Hyun was interested in this field after witnessing his performance today.

‘Law school?’

Kang Hyun gulped.

Prosecutor Kim Jung-min’s prediction was accurate. He wanted to become a prosecutor or a lawyer and climb even higher.

However, he had planned to take the bar exam.

Seeing his hesitation, Prosecutor Kim Jung-min crossed his arms and laughed heartily.

“Don’t take it too seriously. I saw you in the courtroom, and you seemed interested and thoughtful about this field, so I just mentioned it.”

Kang Hyun had never considered going to law school, but the fact that the prosecutor brought it up meant he acknowledged Kang Hyun’s potential.

“Ah, and if you work as a student worker at the Prosecutor’s Office, you can also join the mock trial club. It’s a collaboration between Korea University Law School, the Prosecutor’s Office, and various university and high school students. Of course, getting a recommendation letter from the director is up to you.”

Kang Hyun slowly nodded. All the conditions were attractive.

‘Going to law school? Me?’

For him, who was aiming to take the bar exam as soon as possible, law school, or the ‘Graduate School of Law,’ felt like an insurmountable wall.

Currently, those who passed the bar exam dominated the legal world, but it was inevitable that law school graduates would become the mainstream in the future. Kang Hyun was aware that their influence was already spreading to large law firms and institutions under the Ministry of Justice.

However, Kang Hyun had no money. He also lacked the necessary qualifications to get into law school. That was the problem.

“I haven’t thought about law school before, but I’ll consider it. Thank you.”

“Good. But if you keep pondering, you’ll miss the train. Contact me. Well then, I’ll be on my way.”

Kang Hyun bowed politely and slowly looked at the business card.

“The Prosecutor’s Office, huh.”

After experiencing such a thrilling event, it didn’t seem like a bad reward to receive for the first time.

* * *

“Kang Hyun! Let’s eat.”

It was a rare day off for his mother, and she had come home early. Kang Hyun’s eyes widened at the table laden with food.

“Mom? What’s all this?”

“My son, you’re working so hard studying, so I wanted to take care of you on my day off!”

He hadn’t said anything to his mother, but somehow she knew he had been studying diligently lately and prepared a meal for him.

White rice, soybean paste stew filled with tofu, warm pancakes, bulgogi simmered in broth, soft and savory seasoned vegetables…

Someone might think it was an ordinary meal, but Kang Hyun knew how much effort his mother had put into preparing it to make him happy.

“Thank you for the food.”

“Sure, eat a lot!”

It had been so long since they had a meal facing each other like this. Kang Hyun gazed at his mother’s wrinkled forehead and gaunt cheeks.

Her expressionless face was filled with hardship and fatigue, and Kang Hyun wanted to change that.

“Mom, I got my report card.”

“Really? Let me see…”

His mother’s eyes widened as she took the report card.

“Oh my, what’s this!”

Then, her tired face disappeared, replaced with one full of joy and delight as she exclaimed,

“My son, when did you study so much!”

She started swaying her shoulders in the middle of the meal. It was the cheerful mother he had seen in his early childhood, the true image of his mother that he remembered.

‘I could have made her smile and shown filial piety with such a small thing, what have I been doing all this time?’

He wanted to see that smile more often. He had told Prosecutor Kim Jung-min that he would consider it, but it seemed like his decision was already made. Kang Hyun spoke, half proud and half regretful.

“Mom, and I might work as a student worker at the Prosecutor’s Office during the vacation.”

“The Prosecutor’s Office?”

His mother asked with wide eyes.

“The, the Prosecutor’s Office that appears on TV?”

“Yes.”

This time, his mother’s jaw dropped. It seemed she had misunderstood all the talk at school, thinking he had been working hard on various things.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

“My son is studying so hard, I’ll work even harder.”

“No, Mom. I’ll do even better and lead our family, so please just endure until then.”

Hearing his words, his mother held back her tears with eyes full of affection and gratitude.

“Okay… let’s do our best. Thank you, son.”

“Me too. Thank you so much for always enduring.”

The two sat silently, looking at each other. A small but shining hope flickered on the humble dining table.

* * *

A hectic week passed, and the weekend arrived.

“I’m leaving.”

Kang Hyun habitually said goodbye to the empty house and left.

Before the accident, he would laze around at home or hang out with friends on weekends. But Kang Hyun was changing, and today, he headed to the library in casual clothes, carrying his school bag.

“Let’s study, I need to study.”

He muttered to himself and looked back at his house.

His worn-out clothes and bag didn’t matter. The crumbling house was fine too.

As long as he could relieve his mother of the burden of debt. As long as his family could live a normal life.

‘I have to do better. Let’s try to improve my mid-term exam scores at least.’

With his goal set on entering Korea University as the top student, it was nearly impossible with his current cumulative GPA. But that didn’t mean he would neglect the upcoming mid-term exams.

He considered every exam, whether it was a mock exam or a mid-term, as an important test and an opportunity to gauge his abilities.

‘Besides, I can’t refuse when Yoon Ha-neul asks for another bet.’

After the subway incident, she would occasionally come up to him while he was studying, give him hints on problems, or bring him bread.

Kang Hyun didn’t understand why she was so interested in him, but since his grades had improved dramatically, and she kept saying he was her motivation, he just accepted it.

He continued to arrive at school early, and naturally, having breakfast with her became part of his routine.

During class, he was too focused on studying, and she was surrounded by other people, so their days passed by ordinarily.

Anyway, as he walked while lost in thought, he saw a bus approaching his stop in the distance.

“At least it’s close by.”

He had wondered if he could even get there from the slum, and although he had never been interested in the library before, he was glad to find out it was only a 20-minute ride away.

Kang Hyun muttered to himself as he came down from the slum, got on the bus, and headed to the library.

It wasn’t a big library, but it was close, relatively clean, and had assigned seats, making it a comfortable place to study.

As he entered the library, a tired-looking staff member greeted him.

“Hello, my name is Kang Hyun. I reserved a seat.”

“Ah, student Kang Hyun? This is your first time here, right?”

“Yes.”

The male librarian, wearing large glasses, looked up at Kang Hyun.

“I’ll give you this designated seat card, so you can just scan it and enter from now on, even if you don’t come to the desk.”

“Thank you. But… excuse me, sir, I’m sorry to ask this on our first meeting.”

Kang Hyun asked cautiously.

“Is it possible to get a designated seat in the inner area?”

He had noticed an empty, quiet window seat in the innermost part of the library. Naturally, as someone who studied, he preferred a quiet spot, so Kang Hyun carefully inquired about getting a good seat.

“Ah, student Kang Hyun, those seats in the back are currently unavailable.”

“Excuse me?”

Kang Hyun made a puzzled expression at the unexpected answer, and the librarian replied with an awkward look.

“Well, there have been complaints recently about things going missing in the library. Especially in the blind spots.”

“In the library?”

“Yes. Most recently, someone even lost their laptop. People leave their belongings on the desk and leave their seats, and this keeps happening… I feel bad saying this to a student, but it’s a difficult situation.”

Kang Hyun couldn’t understand.

Thieves in the library, a sanctuary for students studying hard to achieve their dreams?

And because of those thieves, he couldn’t study in a quiet place?

Kang Hyun’s eyes burned with determination.

“Sir, just give me a seat in the back. I don’t mind if it’s in a blind spot where the cameras can’t reach.”

“What? What did you say?”

“I want to focus on my studies in the back. I understand what you said, and I’ll be careful, so please just give me a seat there.”

The librarian, thinking he might have misheard, looked up at Kang Hyun again, scrutinizing him.

Some people would make such requests, either thinking he was deliberately not giving them a good seat or simply being lazy.

He looked at Kang Hyun and answered seriously.

“Alright. I can give you a seat there if you want, but I’m telling you again, we can’t take responsibility if your belongings get stolen. You’ll be solely responsible. Do you still want it?”

“Yes. I understand. I won’t complain or say anything. I’ll take responsibility.”

Kang Hyun finally got a designated seat in the corner. Studying while also catching the culprit would be killing two birds with one stone, wouldn’t it?

Kang Hyun moved to his assigned seat.

He took out his books, opened them, and let out a deep sigh.

‘Why didn’t I study like this before, when it was so easy?’

He felt a pang of regret, thinking about all the time he had wasted.

Kang Hyun moved his pen quickly, as if trying to make up for lost time.

Whether it was the CSAT, the Law School Admission Test (LEET), or the bar exam, there were no exams that specified a study period or a set syllabus.

But mid-term and final exams in high school were different.

When the exam period came around, they would be told the scope of the textbook and reference books, and some teachers would even subtly hint at the types of questions on the exam.

He regretted that if he had realized this earlier and diligently built up his grades, he would have had more options and could have been a greater help to his mother on his path towards his desired goal.

‘No, it’s not too late!’

But he didn’t forget to be grateful for the opportunity to start now and do his best.

‘This is fun.’

What was even more amazing was that the joy and sense of accomplishment he felt with each new discovery grew stronger and stronger.

This served as motivation for Kang Hyun, allowing him to stay focused for long periods.