The Regressed Chaebol Grandson Finds It Hard to Forgive - Chapter 50

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 50: Kneel! (2)

“Teacher Lee!”
“Yes! Director.”

Monday morning in the Teacher’s Lounge at Cheonghwa High School.
Director of Academic Affairs Wang Jin-deok had summoned mathematics teacher Lee Jang-yong.

“Wrap it up before lunch. I’ll back you from behind.”

Wang Jin-deok couldn’t go against the will of parent association chair Ju Mi-ju.
He needed to settle the matter quickly and collect the pocket money he’d been promised.

Dealing with a single Saebaeja—a social underclass—barely qualified as work.

To someone who’d dealt with the scions of prestigious families, a student without backing was nothing.

It didn’t matter if the test results truly reflected actual ability.

Once pressure came down from above, a Saebaeja had no way to withstand it.

This had happened before.
Of course, the occasional exceptional talent did appear among Saebaeja students.

There had been one who’d topped the entire school.
But even that student had ultimately failed to graduate.

Unable to withstand the pressure from celebrated families and teachers backed by influence.

At Cheonghwa Empire, a Saebaeja remained a Saebaeja even if they topped the whole school.

No side dish, however delicious, could replace the main course.

Even one who fought hard to endure eventually collapsed when voices screamed for their destruction.

Wang Jin-deok’s choice was one that had repeated throughout his past.

A decision made without hesitation or qualm.

Now he felt something close to pleasure.

‘How dare they… Do they not know what Cheonghwa is?’

The Saebaeja was meant to play supporting roles and props, just as originally planned, for the school’s honor.

The protagonist of this world was already decided.

“Hehehehe.”

Wang Jin-deok let out a sinister laugh, anticipating his wallet growing heavy.

* * *

“Why hasn’t it gone up?”
“Has this ever happened?”
“Never. And it’s Monday…”

In Year 2, Class 3 Classroom.
The classroom atmosphere seemed unsettled today.

Monday morning, the first school day after exams had ended.

This was the day all students’ grades were posted on the Central Hallway Bulletin Board.
It was a Cheonghwa tradition.

At any other public school, there would be an uproar about student privacy and human rights, but Cheonghwa was different.

Cheonghwa, an independent private high school, thoroughly ignored the Ministry of Education’s recommendations.
The ministry only issued formal suggestions and could do nothing substantive.

Parents and students alike accepted this school administration as natural.

South Korea’s upper class regarded such competition as a necessary condition for survival.

But something unprecedented had happened today.

The grade sheet, which should have been posted Monday morning as always, was nowhere to be seen.

“Is something wrong?”
“Wrong?”
“Maybe… someone cheated…”
“Oh my!”
“Really?”

A story began forming among the students who found such speculation fitting.

‘What’s going on?’

Looking at the empty bulletin board, Lee Hyo-ju felt concerned as well.

She had never lost first place in her class.

But schoolwide, she always hovered around third or fourth.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t break through the concrete wall separating her from the top.

Despite bleeding effort, an unbridgeable gap remained.

She had been expecting something from this exam.

Her mother had hired a skilled private tutor for her.
A top-tier tutor, expensive as they come, did help with improvement.

Aside from mathematics—the seemingly insurmountable subject at Cheonghwa—she’d handled everything smoothly.

But the grade announcement had been delayed.

Footsteps echoed.

Then someone entered through the front door of the classroom.

A male student whose style and presence had changed completely.

The expressions of the Year 2, Class 3 students shifted, their gazes focusing in a single direction.

The gaze of those born into Gold Spoon families, for whom elite life had become second nature.

Their eyes reacted sensitively to even the smallest change.

Ha Tae-woong, who not long ago had reeked of the underclass.

The figure who’d entered through the front door was Ha Tae-woong, completely transformed.

The wristwatch visible at first glance was a luxury brand.
It was the sort of item even high school students from affluent families found burdensome to wear.

Indoor Shoes!
A brand product from this season’s special sale.

Those Indoor Shoes that Hyundo Department Store had supplied exclusively to VIPs.

His school uniform looked different too.
His hairstyle had been neatly trimmed like a proper Cheonghwa student.

His previously frail and hunched frame now appeared solidly built.

His tall stature and handsome face stood out all the more, and he’d become objectively attractive.

A charisma and commanding presence that would make popular idols jealous.

“What…?”
“…”

The reaction came first from the girls in the class.

The girls couldn’t help but be sensitive to Ha Tae-woong’s transformation.

Though they’d dismissed him for being Saebaeja, his handsome looks and height had always caught their attention.

Unlike his previous timid demeanor, he now presented a visual impressive enough to pass for upper class.

More than that, he radiated an aura of a completely different caliber.

He carried an intensity rivaling Lee Hyo-ju, the absolute authority in the class.

A slight smirk.

Ha Tae-woong lifted his eyes and smiled at the classmates whose gazes had met his.

His unwavering gaze met theirs directly.

“…”

The students whose eyes had locked with his startled and looked away instead.

The aftermath of the O Kwang-jun violence incident had also played a role.

“Cute though… Heh.”

Ha Tae-woong let out a low chuckle at the students avoiding his gaze, offering a single remark.

Then his eyes met Lee Hyo-ju’s.

“Good morning, Hyo-ju~”

He raised one hand and waved it lightly, offering a hand salute to Lee Hyo-ju.

“Are you… insane?”
“To Hyo-ju??”

The other students reacted with shock.
Lee Hyo-ju was from a conglomerate family that people usually didn’t dare approach.

A class that a mere Saebaeja should never presume to know.

“Oh… Hi.”

Lee Hyo-ju accepted Ha Tae-woong’s greeting.

“What!”
“Ah!!”
“What, what on earth!!”

A gasp of shock erupted from the class.

Lee Hyo-ju, the queen of the school, had responded to a Saebaeja’s greeting.

“But… why is the atmosphere like this?”

Ha Tae-woong took his seat and asked Lee Hyo-ju.

“The grade sheet hasn’t been posted.”
“Ah! The grades.”

Ha Tae-woong nodded as he arranged his chair.

But his response ended right there.

He pulled out his smartphone with the expression of someone uninterested in grades.

Unlike the other students, he didn’t seem particularly concerned.

‘He’s not expecting good grades?’

Lee Hyo-ju found herself envying Ha Tae-woong’s calm demeanor.

Ha Tae-woong had said that tests reflected typical performance.

His expression barely changed—perhaps the exam had gone poorly.

“Yes, I’m Ha Tae-woong. What’s the matter?”

“…!!”
“Wow…”

At the sight, every student’s jaw dropped.

“Ch, cheating?”
“Ha Tae-woong??”

In mere days, he’d turned into a complete troublemaker.

How would cheating even be possible at Cheonghwa?

A psychopath who derived pleasure only from tormenting students in their formative years through mathematics.

He could not accept that fact.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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