Chairman Cheon, who had been lost in thought while looking out the window in his study, turned his head at the knock on the door.
"Chairman, it's Myeonghoon."
Director Ha bowed and entered. He stood near the door, waiting for Chairman Cheon to speak.
Chairman Cheon, who had been looking out the window, sat down in his chair after a moment.
Director Ha spoke, seeing the look in his eyes.
"About the matter with Young Master's friend..."
Chairman Cheon, who had been listening silently, asked a question as soon as Director Ha finished speaking.
"Did Yoon Changho use the card he received back then?"
"Yes, it seems he used it for personal matters."
"Hmm..."
Chairman Cheon's fingertips drummed on the desk for a long time.
"Is that all he managed to do with that card? Just bring in one small company and catch the related people?"
He muttered, looking somewhat dissatisfied.
Director Ha shook his head.
"It's not completely over yet. Please wait a little longer."
"Muhyuk is just pretending to be tough. He's still immature. He should have taken everything, even his life."
Director Ha, who sympathized with Muhyuk, said:
"The people who carried out the act have been sent to the salt fields. It's a place they can never escape from, as it's under our management."
"Yes, that's how it should be. We need to give them a pain worse than death. Taking away his company and making his son the same way doesn't mean the revenge is over. If he thinks it's over, he's mistaken."
"The times have changed, haven't they? A lot has changed from your time, Chairman."
Director Ha's words made Chairman Cheon frown.
"The times have changed, but some things remain the same. Once an enemy, always an enemy. We need to instill a sense of fear. Muhyuk still doesn't understand this."
However, not long after.
News came that Jo Hyungu had committed suicide in prison.
A satisfied laugh echoed from Chairman Cheon's study.
"Yes. That's how it should be. That's my grandson."
Director Ha stood silently, bowing his head.
* * *
Jo Hyungu was treated worse than an animal in prison. He was frequently beaten by the guards and even assaulted and bullied by other inmates.
But no one helped him.
And when his name disappeared from the media, it was then.
"Manager Ma, please finish it. Handle it quietly as a suicide and take everything his family owns, down to the last grain of rice."
Manager Ma followed my instructions faithfully.
He bribed the guards and used someone inside to hang him in the bathroom.
While handling this matter, I had many thoughts.
In the end, I had to be ruthless.
I couldn't die pointlessly like last time.
Hyungsun, after having his cast removed and taking a leave of absence from school, went to Busan.
"That ignorant kid, he says he needs to sort out his thoughts. Just leave him be. He'll come to his senses and return on his own."
I could hear Myeongsoo's words echoing in my ears. He must have said it out of concern for me, but it didn't resonate with me at all.
I couldn't help but feel bitter.
I had been trying not to think about that matter while preparing for the bar exam.
Time passed quickly, and the bar exam was approaching.
After class, as I was walking out of the lecture hall, someone tapped my shoulder.
"Mu!"
It was Myeongsoo.
I asked with a nonchalant expression.
"Have you prepared well for the bar exam? What about the others?"
"Yeah, they're all brimming with confidence. They're all worried about you. You haven't been coming to school much. Have you studied?"
Seeing Myeongsoo's confident demeanor, a smile finally appeared on my face.
"I'm always prepared."
The first stage of the exam covers the basic three laws—Constitution, Criminal Law, and Civil Law—and a chosen subject. Unlike the second stage, which is an essay exam, the first stage is multiple-choice. Assuming one has studied diligently, most students from a law school like ours pass the first stage by the time they graduate.
"Ah, you unlucky guy. Speaking of which, we're all getting together for dinner. You should come too."
I nodded in agreement.
As we walked out of the school, Manager Ma was waiting for us.
I usually came to school without Manager Ma to lead a normal school life, but after handling this matter, I had been moving around with him.
We got into the car, and Manager Ma started the engine.
We soon arrived at the family restaurant where we were meeting.
When we went inside, everyone was already waiting.
"Hey, Kim Muhyuk! It's been a while, hasn't it?"
Oh Hyunwoo, Yoon Jae-ha, and Han Minkyung greeted me warmly.
I smiled and took my seat.
"Sorry, I haven't been able to attend many of the gatherings I organized. Now that I have some free time, I'll try to attend as many as possible."
We ordered food and started discussing the bar exam.
"Everyone confident about passing the first stage? I am. Let's all pass the first and second stages on the first try and go to the training institute together."
Seeing Oh Hyunwoo's confident demeanor, I thought I had made the right choice in selecting him as the president.
"Muhyuk, now isn't the time to smile. You're the biggest problem here. Have you studied? I heard the top student in the department was taken over by Minkyung recently?"
At my words, Minkyung gave a slightly awkward smile.
I shrugged.
"Well, I haven't been able to attend classes much, so that's fair. But I'm confident about the first stage."
Everyone teased me, saying I was unlucky.
Myeongsoo's voice was the loudest.
"Didn't I tell you? Worrying about Muhyuk is the most useless worry in the world. As long as we do well, it's fine. This guy even said he only wanted to take the first stage and didn't plan to take the second stage. Ignore him."
If you pass the first stage, you get two chances to take the second stage: this year and next year.
The second stage is the true bar exam.
The four-day second stage is an essay exam. Unlike the multiple-choice first stage, it's not a test you can pass just by memorizing the law.
Most people fail at the second stage.
There's also a third stage, but it's an interview, so unless you praise North Korea or the Communist Party, you usually pass.
"Have you all thought about what you'll do if you pass the third stage?"
Everyone stopped eating and looked at me.
"I'm not sure. I'll have to see my performance at the training institute, but I'm thinking of becoming a prosecutor."
Oh Hyunwoo seemed to be planning the same career path as last time.
Despite having sufficient performance at the training institute, he surprised everyone by choosing to become a prosecutor instead of a judge.
At Oh Hyunwoo's words, everyone's eyes turned to him.
Yoon Jae-ha, looking surprised, coughed.
"Really? Your family doesn't want you to be a judge?"
Because of his grandfather, who was a Chief Justice, Yoon Jae-ha had assumed Oh Hyunwoo would choose to be a judge.
Oh Hyunwoo frowned and shook his head.
"It's my life, so I should choose. It's separate from my family's wishes."
"Wow, I envy that kind of resolve. I don't even have the freedom to choose. I have to go straight into a law firm."
Yoon Jae-ha made the same choice as before.
"I'm going to be a prosecutor! Definitely a prosecutor!"
"Sure. Everyone in the law department knows you want to be a prosecutor. Stop talking about it. It's annoying."
Everyone naturally ignored Myeongsoo's words.
The only one left was Han Minkyung. When everyone turned to her, she shrugged.
"I haven't thought about it much. I'll decide based on my performance. If I can be a judge, that's fine. If I can be a prosecutor, that's also good. Being a lawyer isn't bad either. First, I need to pass the exam."
Originally, Han Minkyung would become a lawyer and then enter politics after being recruited by the opposition party. But with her current performance, she would likely be at the top of the training institute.
'Becoming a judge wouldn't be bad for me either.'
I sipped my water and observed the situation.
"Oh, look at Minkyung's confidence. She's almost at Muhyuk's level. She's a female Kim Muhyuk!"
Everyone burst into laughter at Myeongsoo's words. I laughed along.
Han Minkyung, blushing, said:
"Thanks."
She smiled brightly at me.
"What's with this strange atmosphere?"
Ignoring Myeongsoo's teasing, everyone got up from their seats.
"See you on the day of the bar exam."
Time passed, and the day of the bar exam arrived.
We met in front of the exam venue and went in together.
When we came out of the exam venue at 5 PM, everyone's faces were smiling.
"Ah, I don't know what will happen now~ I did my best, so it's fine."
Everyone nodded at Myeongsoo's words.
"We should all have a drink to celebrate this day."