Chapter 11

– Model Student Seo Tae-hyuk???

Yes! I will become a model student!

Tae-hyuk lifted his head with an expression of enlightenment.
The most effective way to change the future was to change the present.
Then what was the easiest thing to do right now?
The answer was easy:
Become a model student.
‘Yes. Raise my grades and go to university. Isn’t that a different result than getting a job right after graduating high school?’
He would never enter Sungjin Group as a guard.
Tae-hyuk was burning with the will to study. All of a sudden, sparks burst around him.
Ppak!


Stop talking! Come on! Do you think this is your house? Sleeping in class and then suddenly talking nonsense! Do you have a complaint against me?

His homeroom teacher, Jung Nam-ho, was standing in Tae-hyuk with the attendance sheet.
The man seemed ready for a barrage of strikes at any time.
Tae-hyuk rubbed his head where the attendance sheet had hit.
‘Freaking painful.’
It was fortunate that Robbery didn’t work when he was hit with something.
‘Uwah… When did class start?’
It seemed like some time had passed while he had been concentrating on his plan for the future.

Why don’t you just take a break from school? You have already been absent five days this month. I wanted to see my student very much.

He had been busy catching a killer and buying gifts for his sister.
He couldn’t say this to his teacher.
It was true that he had neglected his studies.
‘Um. I can’t do this. I will set up some countermeasures after I get out of this lesson.’
Tae-hyuk groaned and said,

Ohh… I’m sorry. I think I have a cold. Can I go to the infirmary?


What did you say? A cold? You look totally fine! Are you faking right now?

He was correct.
Jung Nam-ho was famous for not letting students leave school early.
However, Tae-hyuk had a skill.
‘If I use Voice Modulation…’
Tae-hyuk was reminded of an actor he had never met. He then manipulated the Demon Revealing Mirror.
 
[Voice Modulation has been used.]
-You can directly imitate the voice of Kim Bum-soo.
 
The national actor Kim Bum-soo!
He was a super famous actor who had become well-known after his role as a father with a terminal illness in a drama.
His dying performance had been almost at the level of a god.
At that moment, it was reproduced by Tae-hyuk.

Cough! T-teacher-nim… Really. I feel like I’m dying.

It was a voice that seemed like he was about to cough up blood at any moment.
Voice Modulation didn’t just end with changing the voice.
It copied a person’s distinct accent or way of speaking. Any special skills related to the voice was also possible.
This was a fraudulent skill with endless utilization possibilities.
Voice Modulation was clearly on a different level in comparison to Robbery.

Eh? Are you really sick? Where did you go that you would catch a cold? What a fool.

The entire class laughed at the words that came from Teacher Jung Nam-ho’s mouth.
There was only one man who didn’t laugh.

Teacher-nim, ignore the fool who gave up on life and continue with the lesson.


Ah, yes, Sung-kwang! Let’s start the class!

Jung Nam-ho’s attitude changed by 180 degrees.
Park Sung-kwang was well-educated, and his father was a politician.
He was a model student who was different from the troublemaker Tae-hyuk, who had always skipped school.
In addition, his cold appearance and celebrity looks meant he was always popular with women.
The sounds of 
k
yaa!!

 could be heard when he passed by.
Jung Nam-ho quickly found the class president.

Class president! Take Seo Tae-hyuk to the infirmary.


Yes, I understand,

A frail voice answered.
An Eun-young, the class president, rose from her seat and approached Tae-hyuk.
She hesitated to reach out a hand to Tae-hyuk, who was a troublemaker.

T-tae-hyuk… T-the infirmary, l-let’s go.

She started stuttering due to her nerves.
‘I’m sorry. I’m just feigning an illness.’
Tae-hyuk started to leave the classroom with An Eun-young’s support. However, Park Sung-kwang’s eyes made him uncomfortable.
It almost contained a killing intent.
‘Um? Did I steal his money or something?’
Tae-hyuk had no contact with Park Sung-kwang.
Park Sung-kwang was the son of a politician and a model student. As such, he always had friends gathering around him.
He was the so-called influential figure.
In contrast, Seo Tae-hyuk had often skipped school due to his part time work.
In the end, he was treated as a troublemaker.
Even though they were in the same class, Tae-hyuk had never spoken with him before.
‘Did I see correctly? He’s looking at me right?’
Tae-hyuk walked slowly to the back of the class with An Eun-young’s help.
Park Sung-kwang was looking at them with an almost predatory expression.
Tae-hyuk wasn’t mistaken.
‘…I’ve seen that gaze before.’
It was in the prison. Park Sung-kwang seemed like the guards when they looked at the inmates.
The distance between the two people was decreasing.
In the end, Tae-hyuk passed right by Park Sung-kwang.
At that moment, Tae-hyuk laughed and called out to Sung-kwang,

Park Sung-kwang.


……

Sung-kwang looked into Tae-hyuk’s eyes without saying anything, but a vicious contempt was seen in his eyes.
It was like he was irritated that Tae-hyuk was even breathing the same air as him.
Then Tae-hyuk said,

Your fly is open.

Park Sung-kwang’s expression distorted.
He realized that the zipper of his pants was open.
Tae-hyuk shrugged and walked out of the room with An Eun-young.
       

Um, I think I’m okay now. I can go alone.

Tae-hyuk said as he left the classroom and turned off the Voice Modulation skill.
He instantly turned from a dying patient to a normal high school student.

B-but… Teacher-nim…

An Eun-young was a timid, petite girl.
So, it was inconvenient for him to move since he had to lean down to get support.
An Eun-young was a brilliant student who had never failed to get 1st place ever since she had entered the school.
She had a rivalry with Park Sung-kwang who was always 2nd place in the school.
Furthermore, her credibility with the teachers was high due to her sincere nature.
Thus, she had been in charge of the class since the 1st grade in high school.
‘In the end, didn’t she get into S University with a full scholarship?’
The nation’s top university.
For Tae-hyuk, it was just a distant story.

Then let’s walk to the infirmary together. Will that be okay?


Eung…

Tae-hyuk looked at An Eun-young’s back as he walked towards the infirmary.
At that moment, he came up with a good idea.
‘That reminds me, doesn’t she stay after school to teach other students?’
Her explanations were easy to understand, so her study group was very popular.
If Tae-hyuk wanted to go to university with his sister, he needed to raise his grades.
‘Yes, I should ask her to teach me.’
Then he would become a model student.
He thought about how he could ask it naturally.
As he was thinking about it, he felt a vibration in his pocket.
Brr!

‘Hiik!’
It was an unexpected situation, so he barely prevented himself from screaming.
It was the Demon Revealing Mirror.
‘What is it again?!’
 
[Seo Tae-hyuk]
-Title: God of Crime
-Rating: Commoner (Lacking conditions for upgrade)
-Skills Possessed: Robbery (Lv 1)
Voice Modulation (Lv 1)
???
 
Tae-hyuk’s eyes widened.
It was an alarm announcing the emergence of a new skill.
There was only one thing it meant.
A crime was happening in the area.
At first, it was the pickpocket. The second was voice phishing.
Then…
Tae-hyuk thought of all the people he met today.
‘It isn’t Noona or Tae-min. Then… Teacher Jung Nam-ho or Park Sung-kwang. Also, An Eun-young.’
One of these people were associated with a crime.
Tae-hyuk swallowed his saliva. Unlike before, there were three candidates.
It would be easy to figure out if he knew what the crime was.
He looked at the Demon Revealing Mirror that only displayed ‘???’ with resentful eyes.
His thoughts was complicated. He just wanted to become a model student.
‘Still, it is better to have more skills. First, I should determine who the perpetrator is.’
However, An Eun-young’s condition was strange.

Uh, eung…

She moaned as she started swaying and then began to fell.
If she hit then cement floor, she was likely to become seriously injured.
In the end, Seo Tae-hyuk didn’t hesitate to grab An Eun-young.
Heavy!

He could feel something big that didn’t fit her slender body.
‘She did look tired, but to think she would suddenly fall down…’
An Eun-young had dark circles around her eyes. He wondered if she had been staying up late in preparation for the exam next week.
It seemed possible for An Eun-young who was always studying.
[Robbery has been used.]
-You have succeeded in stealing the opponent’s belongings!
‘Crazy!’
The probability of success for Robbery was 10%.
However, this time, it succeeded in just one go.

T-tae-hyuk… S-sorry. I’m a bit tired these days…

An Eun-young shook her head to get rid of the dizziness and stepped away from Tae-hyuk.

It seems like you are the one who should go to the infirmary and rest. I’ll help you there.


I- I need to study…


You should take a break. You don’t want me to carry you there, do you?


……

An Eun-young nodded slowly.
After diverting her attention, Tae-hyuk placed a hand in his pocket.

……

He could feel a soft cloth.
Fortunately, it was the top part.
‘I think I’m going to go crazy. Fuck. Why does it keep stealing things like this?’
It was a situation where he couldn’t say anything, even if he was caught red-handed stealing.
‘If I get one more point, then I’ll be able to prevent this!’
The bigger issue was how to return it to the original owner.
Keeping it was a problem.
However, returning it was also a problem.
Tae-hyuk was distressed.
It felt like he reached a crossroad marked with Raccoon City and Silent Hill.
At this moment, his head was moving faster than Einstein’s.
‘Ah, I don’t know!’
Tae-hyuk felt like vomiting as he spoke to An Eun-young.

Eun-young, you seem tired, so do you want to see a magic trick?


H-huh?

Tae-hyuk placed his hands together like he was clapping.
When he opened his hands, white underwear appeared.

Look! This is my alchemy!

An Eun-young turned red the moment she realized what it was.
Peok!

She snatched the underwear and kicked Tae-hyuk’s leg with her shoe.
Then she literally ran away.

I gave it back though. Ow…

In this situation when he needed her help, it seemed like their relationship had deteriorated.
Tae-hyuk sighed slowly,

…I’m screwed.

[TL Note: 
I’ve made a glossary of common Korean honorifics and terms that will pop up in my novels, so that I don’t have to repeat the explanations. There is a link on the TOC for all my novels and I will add it here as well. if you’re confused by any of them e.g. Noona. ]