Chapter 4

1st Place Detective Choi! Chapter 004: Becoming a Chaebol

It's hard to deny that Mom was right.

But if I win first place with over 30 billion won in a month, all the worries and troubles caused by money will disappear.

"Don't worry. I have a plan. By the way, you guys go home first. I have something to talk about with Mom."

"Ah, I got it."

After my younger sisters left the coffee shop, I told Mom about what Eugene is going through.

I also had to tell her that Hyojin, my aunt's daughter, is one of them.

It's important to know the facts to sort out the relationship with my aunt's family.

"Is... that really true?"

"Yes. I investigated it myself because it seemed suspicious."

"How can that be...?"

Mom shed tears for a long time after learning about Eugene's school life.

Other customers glanced at us, but I didn't have the energy to care about their gazes.

I waited until Mom's emotions settled and then said,

"They are kids who have given up on being human. I will scold them, so Mom, please take care of Eugene."

"Okay. I'll do that."

"Eugene hasn't done anything wrong, so don't pressure her."

One of the things victim families shouldn't do is exactly that.

Like, 'If you had just behaved properly, why would this have happened?' That kind of thing.

"I understand. But can we really send Soojin and Eugene to college?"

"Yes. I will make sure of it. Eugene can study at home and attend cram school to recover slowly. Since Eugene is doing well, I think she can apply to the college she wants."

"Okay. Thank you, son!"

"Don't thank me. It's my duty. I don't know why I was so focused on work all this time."

"But what are you going to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Having a large sum of money is good, but..."

"I know what you're worried about. It's a bit hard to explain now, but I'll tell you everything later."

After a moment of affectionate and loving glances, she finished the remaining green tea and stood up.

"Let's go home quickly. I can't wait to see Eugene."

"Okay."

When Mom got home and saw Eugene, she hugged her tightly without a word. Eugene also cried, probably guessing the reason. Soojin, who didn't understand the context, nudged me and asked with her eyes, 'Brother! What's going on?'

'Later.'

* * *

"I'm so pissed off."

"Is it because of that bitch?"

"Shut up, fuck!"

Eugene's classmate, Hyojin, was angry because Eugene had left school early and disappeared yesterday.

The class atmosphere was the worst because of Hyojin's bad mood.

Some students even reported their misdeeds to the homeroom teacher, but they were scolded instead, probably because of their parents.

So everyone tried to avoid drawing attention from the troublemakers, making school life almost a living hell.

"Should we go to her house?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"If we go to her house and get caught by my aunt, it won't be good."

"Does your aunt know that the bitch is being bullied?"

"If I tell her, she'll kill me, so she won't know."

"What a bitch."

"Shut up. You started it, didn't you?"

For them, bullying kids was just a game.

Since their parents would cover for them no matter what they did, they felt no fear or guilt.

"Even though I started it, I didn't know she was my cousin."

"Whatever. I'm pissed off. Let's go out."

"You know we can't skip school. If the old man finds out, he'll cut off our allowance."

Song Ji-eun also had a weakness.

Her father told the homeroom teacher to contact him if she skipped school.

He said he would solve any problems but insisted that she must go to college.

To go to college, she had to attend school regularly, which was an unwritten rule.

"Then what are we going to do?"

"I don't know! I'll go to the nurse's office and sleep."

She would pretend to be sick and sleep in the nurse's office.

It was a trick that Song Ji-eun and Hyojin used occasionally because even the homeroom teacher would overlook it to some extent, all because the students were the source of income.

They even advised not to leave visible marks on the face when bullying.

* * *

I was on edge until the day of the lottery draw, buying the second-prize winning numbers.

Honestly, I had to overcome immense patience and anxiety.

Even though I knew the results written in the notebook that came to me were correct, as the draw day approached, I wondered if it would really happen.

But contrary to my worries, the numbers really did win second prize.

Since I bought two sets of second-prize numbers for a total of 10,000 won, I received 90 million won after taxes.

I got an extra day from the team leader and went to a nearby agricultural cooperative on Monday to claim the prize.

I sent 50 million won to Mom's account and got 20 million won in 50,000 won bills.

Then I went to a task center located in a corner of the Bupyeong market.

I knew about this place because before my second life, it was the best place in Incheon for background checks.

I found out about it a long time after I went to Bupyeong Police Station, but since I'm living my second life, I wanted to use it properly.

Creak!

The old window frame made a loud noise as it opened.

It looked shabby, but the monthly sales here were surprisingly high.

"How did you come here?"

Instead of 'Welcome,' it was the unique greeting of No Jin-gu, which sounded oddly warm.

Heh heh!

"To give you a job."

He smiled.

'This person was like this even back then.'

I got the money in crisp new bills from the bank, and No Jin-gu smiled, probably smelling the money.

"Please sit down."

"Is this No Jin-gu?"

"Ah? Do you know me?"

"I heard you do a good job."

After six years as a police officer, I had some experience, but my colleagues were in similar situations, so I thought of No Jin-gu.

"Who told you?"

"Is that important?"

"Ahem, hahaha! It's been a while since we had such an interesting customer."

"Anyway, in a place like this, money is trust."

"Wow, you really know. I didn't expect to hear this in Incheon."

"I want to ask you to do some background checks..."

"That's my specialty."

"Four couples, a total of eight people. How much would that cost?"

"Four couples? That sounds like a problem with kids..."

Surprisingly, he hit the nail on the head.

Since I was prepared, I maintained my composure and didn't show surprise at No Jin-gu's words.

Thump!

"The personal information is in here."

"200,000 won per person, and I'll contact you if additional investigation is needed."

"It's 10 million won. We'll settle the rest based on the situation."

Thud!

I casually put down 10 million won.

"Neat."

"How long will it take?"

"Usually about a week, but since there are many people, it will take about two weeks."

"Then I'll come back with the remaining payment in two weeks."

"Sure."

I wanted to investigate the parents of the bullies who had tormented Eugene because I had already experienced it in my first life.

There were four of them: Hyojin, Song Ji-eun, Kim Mi-na, and Byeon Woo-hee. These kids were known as delinquents.

There were also some followers, but in the first grade, these four were the main troublemakers.

The problem was that the teachers, who should have been fair, were biased towards the bullies, often protecting them.

The bullies' parents were wealthy or on the school board, which made Eugene's presence less noticeable and worsened the situation.

In my first life, I had even gone to the bullies' parents to demand that they save Eugene, but it always led to disciplinary action and caused many problems in my police career.

After leaving the task center, I headed to Inho Girls' High School, where Eugene goes.

To finalize the withdrawal process I applied for last week.

Homeroom teacher Yu Jong-seok.

Come to think of it, this guy also can't be left alone.

He's the kind of person who, despite being the most fair, shamelessly flatters the rich and influential.

He even openly took the side of the bullies' parents at a meeting to solve Eugene's suicide attempt.

"Since I'm also a parent, I can't say much, but may I ask why you're withdrawing?"

He asked me seriously, but I was puzzled.

'What is this?'

It's not like a status window popped up like in a game, but the thought that Yu Jong-seck had been fined 1 million won for a prostitution charge appeared in my mind.

"Mr. Choi?"

"Ah! Yes."

I was momentarily dazed, but when the homeroom teacher called me, the thought appeared and then disappeared.

'I'm going crazy.'

This sudden phenomenon left me speechless.

Since I'm living my second life, I'm trying to understand it, but if I weren't, I would have gone to a psychiatric hospital.

'Did I get some kind of ability like in a movie?'

I've come back to life after dying, so why not?

I wasn't that surprised.

'I need to test it.'

If I'm curious, I should just test it.

Especially with someone like Yu Jong-seck, he's the perfect subject for testing.

"Excuse me, what did you say a moment ago?"

"I asked why you're withdrawing."

"But before that, can I ask you one thing? It's been bothering me."

"What is it?"

"Have you ever been fined for a prostitution charge?"

Straight to the point.

It kept popping up in my mind, and I couldn't help but ask.

"Me?"

"Just curious."

Seeing his face turn red, it seemed to be true.

'What is this? That expression means it's true.'

Since this is the first time since I came back to life, I'm not sure what it is.

'Let's calm down first.'

I tried to calm down, thinking it might just be a coincidence that I saw someone's secret.

"Who... who said that?"

As a police officer, I can tell when someone is lying.

Whether they're angry because they didn't do it or because they don't want it to be known, this guy is definitely the latter.

"You have, haven't you?"

"N-no, I haven't."

He stammered and denied it.

'What a joke. A high school teacher and prostitution?'

"I see you don't know. I'm a police officer."

"..."

He was speechless at the mention of the police.

"Since you've already paid the fine, I'm not going to do anything, but I'm not sure if the school or other parents know."

This is his weakness.

The school might cover for him, but if the parents find out, it will be like a bomb exploding.

"There's no such thing!"

"Everything will show up if I check the system at the station. Are you still going to deny it?"

"Wait, I came here to process Eugene's withdrawal. Why are you doing this?"

"Sure. I don't want to explain everything to someone like you. I'll make you suffer as much as Eugene has."

"You know Eugene has been bullied by other kids."

"Bullied? That's just kids playing. What can I do about it? It's Eugene's personality that's the problem. Why are you bringing up innocent kids?"

As expected, he's a person who can't be reasoned with.

I can't send Eugene to a school where a teacher like this remains.

I need to consider whether Soojin should also withdraw.