Episode 70

The first person to raise their hand was a female student whose face I didn't recognize.

"This isn't a question directly related to the lecture, but would it be alright to ask?"

"Of course, it's perfectly fine."

After hearing Jung Seok-gyu's reply, the female student asked again.

"I have a question regarding the selection of scholarship recipients for the Shinyoung Foundation. Are there any specific criteria for selection? Like grades...?"

"That's an important question, haha."

Jung Seok-gyu smiled in a way that was meant to be friendly.

Knowing how much of a devilish nature was hidden behind that mask, it was infuriating to me.

"Grades... of course they're important. Aren't they the most direct indicator of your abilities, and the hard work you've put in to achieve them?"

However, Jung Seok-gyu shook his head, saying that he didn't think that was all there was to it.

"If you've been admitted to law school, then you're all exceptionally talented. Especially if you're here, at 'Korea University Law School.' So, rather than being bound by grades, I want to see the vision and story that a person possesses."

Vision. Story.

"That's a nice thing to say... but it's not a very concrete answer."

"I guess not."

I replied to Han Seol.

"He's just giving a roundabout way of saying that he's also going to be looking at backgrounds."

"Ew."

Of course, personal achievements were important. There would also be people who would be selected as scholarship recipients of the Shinyoung Foundation purely based on their abilities.

However, since it was a private organization, the scholarship application documents for the Shinyoung Foundation were structured in a way that allowed for all kinds of personal information to be written without any filtering.

For example, the applicant's parents' occupation, place of residence, and family relationships.

In reality, success in society, or opportunities for success, were often given based on such factors.

As someone had said, the best spec was being born with a silver spoon in your mouth.

Considering the real purpose of this 'scholarship' selection, it wasn't that difficult to guess what Jung Seok-gyu would be looking at to gather his future allies.

'That's what happened in the original story, too.'

In short, this was the first step in the reach of the evil hand that Jung Seok-gyu was extending to Korea University Law School.

Not only was his intention impure, but it also led to results that were not good in reality.

At Korea University Law School, there were already frequent occurrences of students who had secured their career paths early on looking down on other students or forming factions among themselves.

An invisible power struggle was taking place between those who had been confirmed to join major law firms and those who hadn't, and there were numerous cases of backstabbing and scheming over opportunities for public office selection.

And to that, a new element, the scholarship recipients of the Shinyoung Foundation, was added.

The scholarship recipients were suddenly getting easily accepted into law firm internships and being recommended for external activities, and they became arrogant, thinking that everything was going smoothly.

There were even some who bragged, believing that they were a privileged class holding a guaranteed ticket to success.

Naturally, a sense of alienation and the seeds of conflict began to spread in the student society, and all sorts of incidents began to erupt in that tense atmosphere.

'It's not good for academic pursuits.'

If possible, I wanted to do something about it, but it was also true that I couldn't see any good solutions at the moment.

I was just sitting there, intending to gather information and think about countermeasures.

"One more person. I'll only take one last question..."

The aide, who looked like he was about to collapse at any moment, asked, but this time, no one readily raised their hand.

In fact, the content of the special lecture wasn't something that Jung Seok-gyu himself had sincerely prepared, and it wasn't a topic that the students would find particularly interesting either.

In the end, if there was anything they were curious about, it would be the issue of the Shinyoung Foundation, but it had been confirmed through the previous exchange that it would be difficult to expect a clear-cut answer, so it seemed that no one else would come forward.

Just as the aide's face was about to brighten a little,

"I'm Shin Seo-joon, a first-year student at Korea University Law School."

Unlike the previous student, Shin Seo-joon raised his hand, even stating his name.

He received the opportunity to speak along with the microphone, and he stood there silently for a moment.

His gaze was fixed on Assembly Member Jung Seok-gyu without wavering even slightly.

The corners of his mouth, which were always smiling with an unfathomable smile, were also stiff and unyielding.

As if he was puzzled, Jung Seok-gyu opened his mouth, attempting to urge him to speak, but just as he was about to, Shin Seo-joon spat out, as if stabbing him.

"......Do you remember?"

"Remember what,"

"Two years ago."

His voice was low, as if he was suppressing something.

"The case of Detective Shin Seo-ah, about that."

At that moment, the air in the lecture hall froze.

* * *

That was the end of the special lecture.

Assembly Member Jung Seok-gyu brushed it off, saying that he didn't know what he was talking about, and left the venue, and Deputy Director Choi Sung-cheol, who had appeared out of nowhere, chased the students out, telling them to go back quickly.

Only Shin Seo-joon remained in the empty lecture hall, standing there blankly.

I also left the First Law Building, mixed in with the crowd of students who were hurrying out.

I was planning to either head to the study room in the Second Law Building or go to the student cafeteria for a meal, but someone's hand was reaching out to stop me.

"You are..."

"I'm Yang Seong-tae, the chief aide to Assembly Member Jung, and you must be Mr. Park Yoo-seung, is that correct?"

It was Jung Seok-gyu's aide, who had looked like he was devoid of blood.

Yang Seong-tae, who had identified himself, asked me if I could spare some time, as the Assembly Member wanted to see me.

"......He wants to see me? Now?"

"Yes."

'Hmm.'

To be honest, I wasn't very keen on it.

My very existence was a variable.

In the original main story, Park Yoo-seung wasn't even mentioned around this point.

Just by sitting here and doing nothing, I didn't know what kind of butterfly effect I might be causing, so there was no good that could come from getting entangled with the final boss, who was a key figure in the scenario.

But it was also true that there wasn't really a way to avoid it.

Yu Seong Group, especially the owner Park Geon, and Jung Seok-gyu were quite strongly connected.

There was no way that he would have missed the news that the family's good-for-nothing had suddenly turned over a new leaf.

Seeing that he had called for me like this, it seemed that he was plotting something... and if I didn't properly figure out what it was, it would actually be harder to respond to.

In the end, it meant that I had to go.

"Alright, where should I go?"

"Ah, I'll guide you this way."

Contrary to his listless demeanor, Aide Yang Seong-tae was the type who did his job efficiently.

Within that short amount of time, he had secured a Japanese-style restaurant with a private room, where no information could leak out, and he had called a blacked-out vehicle to transport me.

"Oh. You've worked hard."

As soon as I knocked on the door of the designated room, Jung Seok-gyu was sitting there.

He gestured with his hand to dismiss Aide Yang Seong-tae, and I was suddenly left alone with the National Assembly Member.

"Have a seat."

Once I sat down, Jung Seok-gyu looked around the room.

"It's not bad, considering it was arranged in a hurry. But is it a bit lacking for the youngest master of Yu Seong?"

"......That's not true."

The soul inside this shell had lived a life where he was unfamiliar with a meal that was better than instant ramen.

Although I had gotten somewhat used to a more comfortable life, I had never forgotten the memories of poverty that were etched into the bottom of my mind.

Moreover, this restaurant was decorated with luxurious Japanese-style items, such as flower arrangements and ukiyo-e prints, that evoked a sense of a Japanese ryotei.

Just by glancing at the menu, the numbers written on it had an unusual number of zeros.

There was no way that I could complain about the food.

"You said you had something to discuss."

"Haha, this kid. Why are you in such a hurry? Let's have a meal first."

"Since I know that you're a busy person."

I had no intention of forming a friendly relationship with the final boss.

Jung Seok-gyu's eyes flashed with interest at my indirect refusal.

"Hoho, I see."

He nodded.

"You've definitely gotten your act together. You're completely different from how you were last year."

Jung Seok-gyu threw a probing gaze at me.

"Was there a specific event that made you resolve to change?"

He wasn't a fool. He had ears that were open.

He would have been paying attention to the Park family, who were his biggest sponsors, and he would have completed a certain level of investigation into my transformation.

How did I appear to Jung Seok-gyu's eyes now?

A prodigal son who had thrown his life away until his mid-twenties, but had belatedly started to desperately pursue the study of law.

What was this seasoned politician seeing in me, and what kind of picture was he drawing?

"There wasn't anything in particular."

I carefully chose my words.

"I just belatedly found my dream."

"A dream, that's good."

Jung Seok-gyu poured sake into his own glass. He asked me if I would like a glass, but I naturally refused, as I had to go back and study for dinner.

"Kuh."

Jung Seok-gyu let out a breath after downing a glass in one go.

"Yoo-seung. What is your dream?"

"I'm going to become a prosecutor."

"......Is that all?"

"Yes."

That was all I was going to tell you. That was the meaning I put into it.

Eyes met across the table.

A subtle tension flowed, and just as silence was about to settle, there was a knock on the door.

The food had arrived.

"Help yourself."

A dazzling feast of Japanese cuisine was spread out on the table.

Was this what they called Kaiseki cuisine?

I didn't refuse this time. There was no fault in delicious food.

"Yoo-seung."

As I was stuffing a lily bulb tofu into my mouth, Jung Seok-gyu spoke.

"I have a very high opinion of your potential."

The tofu itself had no flavor, but its smooth texture naturally called for the next bite.

I picked up some monkfish liver and a vegetable salad and devoured them at once.

'……It's delicious?'

Indeed, expensive food was worth its price.

"Even the students who have spent their lives studying usually can't achieve as much as you have. Your talent itself is different from the root. Perhaps you might become as great of a legal professional as your maternal grandfather."

"Thank you for your kind words."

"However, it seems like that talent isn't just limited to law."

Jung Seok-gyu's eyes flashed.

"The decision on the successor. It seems that it's been postponed?"

"!"

Just how much did this man know about the internal affairs of my family?

"Originally, Park Geon, that friend of mine, was planning to confirm a successor by the middle of last month. He probably would have chosen Tae-yang. He's more suitable as a leader than the somewhat emotional Min-ha."

However, as time passed, there were no signs that a successor had been chosen.

On the contrary, the movements within the company that had been preparing for this had come to a halt.

From this, Jung Seok-gyu inferred that a certain 'variable' had occurred, leading Park Geon to decide not to finalize the succession structure.

"And that is... by all appearances, it's none other than Yoo-seung, your sudden rise."

"......"

"Just how did you manage to win over Park Geon, that stubborn friend of mine?"

Win him over? That was ridiculous. I was simply struggling to secure my right to continue attending law school.

It was Park Geon who had arbitrarily made some kind of assessment and judgment.

"What do you want to say?"

"The succession competition. Do you have any intention of entering it in earnest?"

Jung Seok-gyu's answer to my question was unconventional.

"If you're okay with it, I'm thinking of fully supporting you. What do you think?"