Chapter 16

16. The Birth of a Monster

Mr. Park Dongchul was staring intently at a student's midterm exam paper.

"U Jinhyuk... What the hell is this guy?"

100 points.

This was U Jinhyuk's English score on this midterm exam.

"......"

No matter how intently he stared, the result wouldn't change. It was undoubtedly 100 points, with no room for argument, even in the subjective questions.

The difficulty of this midterm English exam was the highest. There were only two students in the entire school who scored full marks, and one of them was U Jinhyuk.

Why had this U Jinhyuk been hanging around him these past few days?

Until last semester, he was a student with no presence. It was hard to understand how he managed to do this.

His acting skills were as hard to understand as his appearance. And now, his grades.

Mr. Park Dongchul looked up U Jinhyuk's grades from last semester, which he couldn't remember. The average was in the 30s.

A student who scored in the 30s got 100 points on this exam. It was an impossible score, even if he studied 24 hours a day during the break. This perfect score in English.

Mr. Park Dongchul came to one conclusion.

"There must be some cheating going on."

Just as Mr. Park Dongchul was frowning deeply, a voice spoke up.

"Mr. Park. Did you call me?"

He continued to frown as he looked at the speaker. It was U Jinhyuk. Mr. Park Dongchul asked bluntly.

"You. What's with this score?"

"What do you mean?"

"Midterm exam. How did you do this? Whose paper did you copy?"

It was an absurd claim.

In U Jinhyuk's class, he was the only one who scored full marks. It was impossible to copy someone else's paper to get this score.

However, Mr. Park Dongchul couldn't accept this score at face value.

The cheater might have done better.

Copying most of the answers and guessing a few, and by luck, the owner of the copied paper got the wrong answers right. Or...

"Or did you cheat in some other way?"

"......"

After a moment of silence, U Jinhyuk spoke calmly.

"Did you copy, Mr. Park? I heard the questions for this midterm exam were the same as those from Yeongdo High."

"What, you brat? Who said such nonsense!"

"You just asked me the same question. Just now."

Mr. Park Dongchul's face turned red and blue.

"No, you brat! Are you kidding? How can you expect me to believe that a student who scored in the 30s all last semester suddenly got 100 points? Of course, it must be cheating..."

"Do you have any evidence?"

"What?"

"The burden of proof lies with the accuser. Without evidence, what you're saying is just nonsense."

Mr. Park Dongchul stood up abruptly.

"Ha! Look at this brat's attitude! Where did you learn such insolence? To a teacher!"

Just as his hand was about to rise, a voice called out.

"Mr. Park Dongchul!"

Mr. Jeong Soojin, U Jinhyuk's homeroom teacher, stood there with wide eyes.

"What are you doing?"

Mr. Park Dongchul's eyebrows twitched.

"What am I doing? No, rather, how do you teach your students, Mr. Jeong? They talk back to teachers so insolently."

Mr. Jeong Soojin looked at Mr. Park Dongchul coldly, then turned to U Jinhyuk.

"What happened?"

"I got 100 points on the English exam."

"But."

"Mr. Park Dongchul asked if I copied someone else's paper."

Mr. Park Dongchul's expression slightly changed.

"Ahem. No, what I mean is, a student who scored in the 30s all last semester suddenly got 100 points. Isn't that suspicious? There are only two students in the entire school who got full marks on this midterm. Two."

"So what?"

"What do you mean, so what?"

"Does getting a sudden full mark mean cheating?"

"No, it's not that..."

Mr. Jeong Soojin spoke politely but firmly.

"I think instead of asking if he cheated, it's enough to ask how he suddenly improved his grades."

"No, this exam is not easy enough for a student who scored in the 30s to get a full mark with normal effort..."

Mr. Jeong Soojin interrupted Mr. Park Dongchul.

"Alright, Mr. Park. From now on, if you have any issues with my students, please talk to me first. It's very unpleasant for a homeroom teacher to have students called out and suspected like this."

"Ha, this is really..."

"And. There's one more thing you should know. Jinhyuk not only got a full mark in English but in all subjects."

"What?"

Mr. Park Dongchul, doubting his ears, repeated.

"All subjects full marks?"

"Yes."

Until last semester, the top student in the school, who consistently ranked first in midterms, finals, and all mock exams, was in Mr. Park Dongchul's class.

It was also a source of pride for Mr. Park Dongchul.

However, that student got one question wrong in English this time. In other words...

'What the hell is going on...'

Without even looking at the other subjects, it meant the top student's position was lost.

"Could he have cheated to get full marks in all subjects?"

Mr. Park Dongchul couldn't find any more words to say. Mr. Jeong Soojin spoke to Jinhyuk.

"Jinhyuk. Follow me."

Mr. Park Dongchul, who had been staring blankly at the two as they disappeared from his sight, blinked.

'Full marks in all subjects?'

It's absurd. Is that even possible? What the hell is going on... Mr. Park Dongchul's frustration redirected to another target.

'Anyway, these young teachers these days... staring at their seniors with wide eyes. The world has really gotten better. Better.'

Mr. Park Dongchul bit his lip as he watched the two disappear.

***

"What happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"No, full marks in all subjects! What the hell is going on? Did you perform some magic, Jinhyuk!"

Mr. Jeong Soojin, who had been holding back her excitement, let it all out.

Jinhyuk had to think about how to answer.

He couldn't say, "I'm a different person."

And he couldn't find the right words.

"I just... worked hard."

"Wow, it's not something that happens just by working hard."

"Jinhyuk, by any chance..."

Suddenly, Mr. Jeong Soojin's meaningful gaze fell on Jinhyuk.

"By any chance, you... No, that can't actually happen..."

Mr. Jeong Soojin, who seemed to give up speaking, suddenly grabbed Jinhyuk's hand.

"Jinhyuk! If you suddenly lose your ability, don't be too disappointed. The important thing is that you worked hard."

"Ability...?"

Mr. Jeong Soojin's expression became even more serious.

"Well, no matter how I think about it, you seem to have gained some special ability after the accident. Like suddenly getting a genius brain. But if it suddenly disappears..."

U Jinhyuk stared at Mr. Jeong Soojin.

"No, I've seen that in dramas."

Ah, dramas. What a reasonable basis for reasoning.

But in a way, it was even more dramatic than a drama. What was happening to Jinhyuk now.

"Anyway, I'm very happy because of you, Jinhyuk. Whether you gained some ability or not, you achieved a score that can't be obtained without studying. Haha. Is this what it means to be a teacher? I expect good things from you in the future."

Jinhyuk, with his usual calm expression, replied to Mr. Jeong Soojin, who was smiling brightly.

"Yes, thank you."

"Oh, by the way!"

Mr. Jeong Soojin, who was about to turn around, stopped.

"You were cast in the festival play, right? Min-young said your acting was amazing?"

"Ah, I just worked hard."

"Haha. When you say 'just worked hard,' it scares me. How amazing must it be? I'm looking forward to your acting!"

Mr. Jeong Soojin seemed to know little about Jinhyuk's role. If she knew what the role of Damyang Busa was, no one would expect it.

Or maybe she really knew. This play would exceed expectations.

Jinhyuk smiled.

***

1st Place: U Jinhyuk (Class 3) Average: 100

2nd Place: Kim Yeseul (Class 1) Average: 98.7

3rd Place: Kim Min-young (Class 3) Average: 97.9

:

:

"Ah!"

"What the hell is this!"

"Average 100 points?!"

Students gathered below the bulletin board at the back of Class 3-1 looked at U Jinhyuk in shock.

Jinhyuk, seemingly unaware of their gazes, continued reading his book, ignoring the noisy atmosphere.

Do Min-woo, woken up by the children's screams, sat up groggily.

He looked in the direction of the noise, then realized all the children were staring at U Jinhyuk.

"Hey."

"......"

"Jinhyuk."

U Jinhyuk, who was reading a book, slightly lifted his head to look at Do Min-woo in front of him.

"What's that?"

"What?"

"Why are all the kids staring at you?"

"I don't know."

Do Min-woo got up from his seat and walked towards the bulletin board where the children were gathered.

"Why? What for? What's going on?"

As Min-woo approached the bulletin board, he followed a child's finger to the posted notice.

"Ah!"

Do Min-woo, startled as if he had seen a ghost, quickly pushed through the children and pressed his nose to the bulletin board.

"What, what is this? First in the entire school?! Is this some kind of mistake?"

No, it wasn't. U Jinhyuk's name was clearly followed by "Class 3." There was only one U Jinhyuk in Class 3. And behind that,

Average: 100 points.

"Wow! Hey, man! U Jinhyuk, what's going on! Average 100 points!! First in the entire school!"

Do Min-woo ran to U Jinhyuk, grabbed him by the neck, and messed up his hair.

"Ha! What the hell! Did you go crazy after the accident? Did you become a genius? No, this isn't a genius, this is a complete monster! Ha!"

In the civilian world, the ones targeting Jinhyuk's head weren't just enemies like Jang Seok-hwan. Even trusted friends.

Jinhyuk was pondering the new civilian order on how to handle friends messing with his head when he was not dealing with enemies.

"Hey! You guys! What are you doing! Your friend is first in the entire school! Are you just going to stand there and watch?"

The male students, who had hesitated for a moment, rushed towards Jinhyuk. They were the same warriors who had become one on the soccer field.

"Wow!"

"U Jinhyuk!"

Everyone started messing up Jinhyuk's hair and patting his back.

Allowing Jang Seok-hwan to touch his head was a humiliation he hadn't experienced in over a decade.

Let alone this one-sided "gang-up."

Jinhyuk was very flustered.

But at this moment, Jinhyuk was truly flustered for another reason.

It was because of the laughter that escaped despite the beating.

***

"Hmm—."

Father Woo Bong-soo's shoulders were heavy as he headed home.

It had been a long time since he had left work on time. This was due to the increase in unnecessary tasks after the founder's son-in-law took over as the new president.

These unnecessary tasks included the president's personal work.

The company run by the founder was a great place. The employees respected the founder, and the son-in-law seemed to be a decent person under him.

However, after the founder stepped down, moved to the countryside, and withdrew from the company, the new president's tyranny began.

'Is there even a brain in U Manager's head? Well, if he had a brain, would he be a lifelong manager with only a high school diploma? If he had no brains, at least he should have some sense... Tsk.'

While the unjust tasks were one thing, the president's abusive language, which demeaned him as a person, was hard for even the experienced Woo Bong-soo to endure.

However, with the economy still not recovering after the subprime mortgage crisis and considering his age, changing jobs was not an easy option.

"Two packs of pork belly, please."

Still, he had a family. His wife, who had always been a source of comfort and support despite the hardships since their marriage.

His only son, who had grown up to be responsible and brought him lunch every weekend.

Until recently, he had been so worried about his son... always quiet, depressed, and seemingly lacking any motivation in life.

But now, he could clearly see the vitality returning to his son. Of course, he was still a quiet kid.

Just seeing his son trying to live with enthusiasm was enough to make him proud.

Woo Bong-soo, thinking of his wife and son, tightly gripped the black plastic bag containing the pork belly.

"Dear, I'm home."

As he entered the front door, he saw his wife and son sitting at the dining table in the small living room.

Woo Bong-soo immediately noticed that his wife's expression was different from usual.

What is it? Did she find out about the work situation?

Woo Bong-soo had not mentioned the unfair treatment by the president over the past year to his wife.

Partly because he was a man of few words, but also because he didn't want to burden his wife, who had already suffered enough.

But could it remain a secret forever? She might have heard from someone at the company.

But Woo Bong-soo pretended not to know.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Dear..."

His wife, with a slightly dazed expression, handed him a piece of paper.

"What's this?"

"It's a report card. Jinhyuk's report card."

"Report card?"

Why was his wife handing him his son's report card with such a strange expression?

Woo Bong-soo, puzzled, took the report card.