* * *
After filling their stomachs, Hyemin, who had finally found her voice, looked at Jihak and asked.
“What?”
“Finals are over now, and vacation is coming up. What are you going to do during the break?”
“Well… I’m thinking of exercising a bit.”
“Exercise?”
Hyemin scanned Jihak’s body up and down.
“You should, indeed.”
She nodded, acknowledging that Jihak needed exercise.
‘But was Jihak’s body always like this? It seems better than when he got injured before.’
However, even while thinking this, she noticed the veins bulging on Jihak’s hands, tilting her head in puzzlement.
The old Jihak didn’t look this fit. He used to be skinnier and weaker, but recently he seemed much healthier.
“What about you, Dojae?”
“I’m preparing for a competition…”
“A competition? What kind?”
Jihak and Hyemin’s eyes widened in surprise at this new information.
“HDCON.”
“H… what?”
“Hacking Defense Contest. It’s a hacking defense competition.”
It was unexpected.
They thought he was just good at studying, but he turned out to be quite talented with computers.
“Wow… I never would have guessed.”
“Really, it’s surprising.”
“I’m mentioning it for the first time.”
Since Dojae was usually quiet, only Jihak and Hyemin now knew about this.
‘Hacking? Well, it is the age where everything is done online. Smartphones, computers… Now that I think about it, I can’t avoid needing skills in that area either.’
Listening to Dojae’s story, Jihak realized a problem of his own.
While he could handle interpersonal issues with his abilities, he was helpless when it came to computers and online information.
You can use hypnosis or torture to extract information from people, but there was no way to uncover hidden information on computers or online.
‘I can’t always run to computer experts. Asking Dojae to do it… might lead to unforeseen consequences. I need to solve it as much as possible on my own.’
While investigating his father’s case, other issues would undoubtedly arise.
They had fabricated evidence making his father appear guilty in an instant, and the media had framed him as the criminal.
Moreover, the suspect in custody died during the investigation.
What was thought to be his father’s suicide wasn’t actually a suicide.
That meant someone had murdered his father, and if people capable of such acts in custody were involved, Dojae could also be in danger.
‘I need to learn. I have to learn it myself.’
Suddenly, a simple solution came to him.
He could learn hacking from Dojae.
After all, there wasn’t much difference between hacking and defending against it, so Dojae could teach him adequately.
“Dojae.”
“Hm?”
“Teach me that too.”
“What…? Are you planning to enter HDCON?”
“No, I’m just curious about hacking.”
Dojae, listening to Jihak, seemed to contemplate for a moment.
This was a different matter from teaching regular studies.
“Hey. My dad’s a cop, you know? Hacking is a crime.”
“Come on, it’s not like I’m hacking the National Intelligence Service or the Police Department. I’m just a bit interested.”
Since Hyemin knew hacking was illegal, she seemed a bit worried about their conversation.
“If you teach me hacking, I’ll teach you to work out.”
“Work… out?”
“Yeah. How long will you keep getting looked down upon by others? Honestly, without me, wouldn’t you revert to how you were?”
“……”
It was true.
Dojae had helped Jihak with his studies, enabling him to raise his grades significantly.
Maintaining that was up to Jihak now, so he wouldn’t need Dojae’s help as much as before.
Naturally, they would spend less time together.
And if someone messed with Dojae when he was alone?
Jihak might not be there to help.
‘He seems to be wavering.’
Jihak, slightly pricking Dojae’s pride, waited, hoping Dojae would move as he intended.
“Alright, I’ll teach you. But not until after the competition.”
“Of course. I’m not in a hurry. You can teach me after the competition. But we’ll start working out tomorrow.”
“Got it.”
Watching this, Hyemin seemed worried and spoke to Dojae.
“If you don’t want to, just say no. Don’t always do whatever Jihak says.”
Despite Hyemin’s concern, Dojae shook his head.
This time, he was acting out of his own will.
“No, I want to stop being looked down on too.”
Seeing the determination in Dojae’s eyes, Hyemin sighed as if giving up.
“Phew… fine. Do whatever you want.”
With that, Jihak and Dojae would spend their vacation together, and Hyemin felt a bit jealous.
“Shall we get up if we’re done eating?”
Since there was no food left on the table, they started to stand.
Noticing Hyemin glancing at him as if she had something to say, Jihak spoke up.
“What is it? What do you want to say?”
“Oh? Uh, well…”
Hyemin seemed hesitant, thinking it wasn’t easy to say.
“It’s okay. You’ve helped me too, so just say it.”
Knowing she wasn’t hostile, Jihak encouraged her to speak freely.
After a moment of deliberation, Hyemin cautiously asked.
“Don’t take this the wrong way. What happened to Jihyun, Hyunmin, and Doogi ?”
As their names came out, Dojae flinched and looked at Jihak.
Dojae was curious too.
How had Jihyun, who used to mess with Jihak, ended up being so quiet?
Feeling their gazes on him, Jihak answered Hyemin’s question.
“Well, I gave them a good scare.”
“No way. Did you hit them!?”
Hyemin was startled by the story and exclaimed.
“Keep it down. People are watching.”
“Sorry… But did you really hit him?”
“Well… it’s not exactly like that.”
She couldn’t precisely say no.
She did twist his arm and used her power to inflict pain, after all.
“I reported it. That’s how I got the money.”
“Reported?”
“I had a video of him hitting me. It was all caught on CCTV.”
“No way. So then…”
On Jihak’s first day back at school.
He had gone to the storage room to get a desk and chair.
Jihyun, Hyunmin, and Doogi volunteered to help, but they didn’t return for a long time.
Later, Jihak came back alone, with his uniform a mess and small scratches on his face.
The injuries weren’t severe, but anyone could tell something had happened.
The responsible Hyemin couldn’t get that image out of her mind.
“It was nothing. Luckily, the video served as evidence, so when I said I’d report it, there was a huge fuss. Jihyun and the others’ parents came, and we settled it well.”
Jihak’s casual attitude made Dojae and Hyemin even angrier.
“What? You just took the money and let them off?”
“Sure. It’s enough that I got the money.”
“Ugh… Those guys need a proper lesson… Otherwise, they’ll think money solves everything.”
“They won’t do it again.”
Jihak knew.
They wouldn’t bully anyone ever again.
“If they bother you again, tell me. My dad’s a cop. I can get him to help.”
“A cop?”
Jihak’s gaze changed slightly as he looked at Hyemin.
“Why… Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Nothing. Your dad’s a cop?”
“Yeah. He even investigated your father’s case…”
Hyemin, excited, spoke without thinking and was shocked by her own words, quickly covering her mouth with her hand.
“Sorry…”
After a moment of awkward silence, Hyemin apologized in a tiny voice.
“Don’t worry about it. Honestly, everyone here knows about my father’s case, right?”
Jihak replied nonchalantly to Hyemin’s apology.
As he said, the case was known nationwide.
For Jihak, it was easier to face it head-on rather than avoid it.
And at the same time…
A thought crossed Jihak’s mind.
‘Hyemin’s father is a cop. And he investigated my father’s case?’
It was an unexpected revelation.
It gave Jihak a reason to get closer to Hyemin.
“Thanks for caring. Jihyun and the others won’t cause any more trouble. They had to pay a hefty settlement. Oh, and don’t tell anyone about this. It’s a secret.”
Sharing a secret could make someone feel closer.
“Got it. I’ll keep it a secret.”
“Me too.”
Their expressions showed their determination to keep the secret.
“If we’re done eating, let’s go. The exams are over, so we should go home and rest.”
The kids, tired from studying, felt sleepy after eating.
They parted ways from the snack bar and headed home. As Jihak walked home, he saw his mother returning from somewhere and ran to her.
“Mom.”
“Oh? Son. Just got back?”
“Yeah. What about you? Where did you go?”
“Well…”
Jihak was a bit worried since today wasn’t a workday, and he thought his mother would be resting at home.
“I was thinking of reopening the café.”
“Really?”
It was welcome news.
His mother loved running the café and considered it her calling.
But after his father’s incident, people had vandalized the café and thrown stones at the windows.
Even without Jihak’s hospital bills, continuing the café would’ve been tough.
“I was scouting locations for the café.”
“Found any good spots?”
“I looked around today, but they’re quite expensive. Plus, there’s a separate fee to pay.”
* * *
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