February 5, 2030

  Jung Min-ju opened her eyes. Looking around, she found herself on a hospital bed, utterly confused. She was certain she’d been on a rooftop watching a police truck, and now she was here. Seeing her awake, Suzumura Hideki grabbed her hand. “…Stay down. The operation’s already over.” Jung Min-ju looked at him, incredulous. “…Over? It’s just beginning.” She tried to get up but clutched her ribs and collapsed. Suzumura, startled, helped her up.

  “…What are you doing? Are you really going to take that guy down yourself? No way. Don’t you know how dangerous he is?” At Suzumura’s words, Jung Min-ju lowered her head. Clenching her fists, she looked at him. “…That bitch is still in Japan. I’m sure of it.” Suzumura frowned. “…Who are you talking about? You mean… that woman?” Jung Min-ju nodded. “That bitch… the one in the police truck… delivering the samples…” She paused, her face twisting in disgust. “That crazy… thief…”

  …

  “…So, you’re saying you turned a blind eye to all of this?” The officer stared at the homeroom teacher. In the interrogation room, the teacher and Song Jae-seob sat with heads bowed, glancing nervously. The teacher looked up. “…It’s my fault. I failed to guide Jae-seob properly. Please punish only me.” The officer eyed her. “…You were compromised by Song Jae-seob’s father, weren’t you? There’s a report that an investigation into billions of won in tax evasion from buying multiple properties suddenly stopped.” The teacher flinched. The officer continued. “…You’ve made a lot of mistakes. How can you teach students properly while living like this? One extorts money, another steals… honestly, their amounts are small compared to your tax evasion.”

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  The teacher bowed her head again. The officer turned to Song Jae-seob. “…You, your dad quit as police chief earlier this year. What made you keep bullying at school? You’re headed to juvenile detention, so get ready. A decade there might teach you something.” Song Jae-seob scratched his head. “…Tch, whatever. I’ll do some time and get out. Plus, I’ll dodge the draft.” The officer shook his head, muttering, “Tch, what a world…” Just then, the interrogation room door opened. The officer glanced back. “…What are you doing, Yeol-gi?” Lee Yeol-gi, in a school uniform and a cone hat, held a cake. “Byeong-su! Happy 26th birthday… oh, interrogation’s not done?” Officer Lee Byeong-su gave him a pitying look. Yeol-gi lowered his eyes.

  “…Sorry, I’ll come back later.” Yeol-gi closed the door. His phone rang, and he answered. “…Yes, Aunt. Byeong-su isn’t coming. Yeah, I know, he works 365 days a year.” Walking down the hall, Yeol-gi ran into Gamamusa and Ko A-young. “…Hey, you’re the kids expelled from school, right?” Gamamusa looked up. “…Yeah, Dongguk High kicked me and A-young out. The principal himself did it, saying I used poison gas or something…” He smirked. “…I just left the interrogation room. The police already cleared us. They concluded the school was harassing us.”

  While talking to Yeol-gi, Gamamusa noticed Jung Min-ju approaching with a blank stare. “…Hold on, I’ve got something important to say.” He walked toward her. Jung Min-ju, head down, bumped into him. “Ouch!” She looked up. “You… you…” Her gaze shifted to Ko A-young. “…You crazy… thief…”

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