Ti flew by quickly.
The results for the first round of the bar exam had been announced. Every one of us—five mbers in total, including myself—made the list.
On the day of the announcent, we all gathered for the first ti in a while.
Not a single smile was missing from anyone’s face.
“Feels damn good to all pass the first round together. Everyone, raise your glasses. Let’s toast.”
When Oh Hyunwoo raised his glass with a grin, everyone else followed suit.
“To passing the first round! And to our friendship!”
“Cheers!”
The clinking of glasses echoed cheerfully.
We continued the gathering, filled with joy from our shared success.
Oh Hyunwoo ca over to and poured so liquor into my glass.
“You said you’re not taking the exam anymore, right? You not feeling any regrets?”
I answered while dropping a few ice cubes into the glass.
“Well... there’s no point in clinging to regrets. It’d just be a waste of ti. Looks like you guys are finally buckling down for the real prep now.”
Hyunwoo nodded and glanced at the other three chatting among themselves.
“Today might be our last gathering until the second round. The law school doesn’t penalize grades for those who pass the first round, even if they skip class.”
At Korea National University, passing the bar while still enrolled ant no grade penalties for missing lectures.
“Yeah, the second round is a whole different beast. It’s gonna be tough to prep. I figured it’s better not to half-ass it at all.”
“Fair enough.”
Hyunwoo nodded again, then suddenly seed to rember sothing.
“Oh! My grandfather said he wants to et you soti. Try to make ti.”
“The Chief Justice?”
“Yeah. When he heard your na, he said he’d like to et you. Who the hell are you, anyway? Even my grandpa knows your na.”
“...Did he say what he wanted with ?”
“How would I know? You think I can read my grandpa’s mind?”
Just then, Yoon Jaeha turned toward and cut in.
“Oh! My dad said he wants to et you too.”
The head of one of Korea’s top law firms wanted to et ?
Guess my na’s been getting around.
‘It’s not like I could stop rumors... but this isn’t exactly good news.’
I nodded slightly, hiding my complicated thoughts.
“Even if I don’t have ti, I’ll make it. I’ll contact them both soon.”
“Okay~”
Hyunwoo looked genuinely amused.
“My grandpa’s never shown any interest in my friends. But even your family too, Jaeha? Weird. Kim Muhyuk, what the hell are you?”
I deflected with a light laugh and changed the topic.
“You still thinking about becoming a prosecutor? You sure about that?”
Hyunwoo lifted his glass with a faint, bitter smile.
We clinked glasses.
“My grandpa wants to beco a judge. But becoming a judge would just an walking the sa path he did...”
He downed his drink in one go.
“I want to beco a prosecutor and rise to the top. I don’t want people saying I got there riding my grandpa’s coattails. My brothers all chose the bench, but no matter how I think about it, that’s not what I want. I’ll try to convince him. And if I can’t—well, I’ll just go for it anyway. Haha.”
There was a trace of pain behind his self-deprecating laugh.
I gave him a firm pat on the shoulder.
“You’ll do great no matter what position you’re in.”
“Thanks.”
Just then, Myungsoo cut in from the side.
“What are you two whisperin’ about over there, huh? Quit hoggin’ all the talk. Here, take this. You too, Hyunwoo! And you, Muhyuk~!”
His tongue was already slightly slurred—he’d clearly had a few.
“Ah! This bastard again. Is he always like this when he drinks? He turns into even more of a ss.”
Hyunwoo shook his head in disbelief, but judging by everyone’s laughter, no one actually disliked Myungsoo’s antics.
He clung to , whining.
“Muhyuk~ My buddy, Muhyuk~!”
“Ha...”
I pushed Myungsoo’s grinning face away.
Seeing how clingy he was getting sparked a mory.
“Wanna hear a funny story?”
Everyone turned to with intrigued faces.
“When Myungsoo and I turned twenty, we went to a nightclub for the first ti. He got drunk, and I guess he liked the girl who ca over for a booth booking, because...”
“Hey! Don’t! I said don’t!”
Myungsoo flailed, trying to cover my mouth too late.
Jaeha and Hyunwoo held him back, urging to continue the story.
By the ti I finished, everyone was staring at Myungsoo like he’d lost his mind.
He glared at like he wanted dead.
“You bastard. You monster.”
Everyone burst into laughter at his grumbling.
“Myungsoo’s a real man, huh? A man!”
Even just being able to relax and laugh like this with friends made happy.
You can’t live every day full of tension.
As I sipped my drink with a smile, Han Minkyung tapped my arm.
“Let’s go get so air. I’ve got a headache.”
I followed her outside the bar.
Ma Gwajang tried to approach , but I gestured for him to stay back and walked over to her.
“Congratulations.”
She turned from looking out at the street to face .
Her cheeks were a little flushed, probably from the alcohol.
“Thanks to you. I’ll definitely repay you once I succeed.”
“Repay what? Don’t worry about it. Everything else okay?”
“Yeah, it’s fine.”
“You’ll pass the second round too, no doubt. Don’t overthink it and just focus.”
“Thanks... really...”
Her eyes began to glisten slightly.
I turned my head, pretending not to see it.
“Let’s go back in. They’ll be waiting. I bet Myungsoo’s already making noise.”
Just as I turned to head inside, she grabbed my arm.
“...We’re friends, right?”
“Hm?”
I turned back, confused.
“Not just friends... What do you think about as a woman?”
Her face was even redder than before.
I answered as calmly as I could.
“You’re plenty attractive, whether as a friend or a woman. But right now, I don’t have the ti or space to be in a relationship... I haven’t even thought about it.”
It wasn’t the ti for romance.
Besides, if I got into a relationship with Minkyung now, all the help I’d given her could seem like I’d just been trying to buy affection—and that would ruin everything.
She seed to understand, nodding slightly and wiping her eyes.
“I must be a little drunk. Forget what I said.”
She turned and went back inside ahead of . I lingered outside for a bit, pretending to get so air.
“What was that, huh? What were you two doing out there?”
Sure enough, Myungsoo jumped on the opportunity to tease .
I shook my head and sat down next to Yoon Jaeha.
“You said your dad wanted to et ?”
Jaeha, who’d been talking to Hyunwoo, turned to .
“Yeah. He said he’s t all my other friends but not you. It makes sense since they’re all headed into the legal field—he wants to keep tabs. But you? He still wants to et you even though ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) I said you weren’t interested in the legal world.”
That was one of the reasons I’d wanted to gather everyone tonight.
The families of Oh Hyunwoo and Yoon Jaeha held a powerful cartel within Korea’s legal system.
Even Grandpa had tried to approach them many tis, but money alone couldn’t buy them over.
“Then tell your dad I’ll et Hyunwoo’s grandfather first, and then I’ll get in touch.”
“Okay! Hey, what are you doing? This might be our last get-together before the second round and you’re not drinking?”
Jaeha refilled everyone’s glasses.
“One more round! Let’s all pass the second round too! We can do it!”
Everyone raised their glasses.
The night went on, and so did the drinks.
The next morning—
As usual, I stepped into Grandpa’s study.
“So. How’s the collection going?”
“Yes, I’m retrieving everything as it hits maturity.”
Grandpa leaned in with interest.
“They’re not the type to hand it over willingly.”
“True, most companies that borrow from loan sharks are already broke. But the collateral you secured is worth more than the loans themselves, so I gave them a choice—hand over the money or the collateral. Most chose to cough up the cash. For the ones still holding out, I just collected the collateral.”
Apparently pleased, Grandpa gave a small smile.
I smiled back and brought sothing up.
“Do you know Chief Justice Oh Jungseok?”
“Oh Jungseok? Of course. That crusty old man?”
“Yes, he’s my friend’s grandfather. Apparently, he wants to et . I’m planning to go soon. I think he already knows I’m your grandson.”
“He probably does.”
Grandpa glanced at for a mont, then continued.
“Everyone knows about what happened to Sooman when I exiled him overseas. But what do you plan to talk about with that guy?”
Though he had retired from the bench, Oh Jungseok was still the apex of the legal cartel.
He wasn’t going to be helpful right away, but earning his favor now would pay off later.
“Just trying to make a good impression.”
“He’s not an easy man. He used to run the judiciary. Doesn’t trust people easily.”
“I know. But I’m still going to give it a shot. Since he asked to et first, he must be at least a little curious.”
Grandpa nodded.
“Don’t try to impress him with money. He lacks for nothing.”
“Yes, sir.”
We fell silent for a mont. Grandpa studied quietly.
“Is there anything else you want to say?”
I shook my head.
“No. I’ll take my leave now.”
Leaving Grandpa’s faintly lonely expression behind, I headed up to my room.
I sat on the bed and made an international call.
— Hello.
Han Kyungyeong’s voice ca through the line.
“It’s , hyung.”
— Oh, Muhyuk. Long ti no see.
“How are things there?”
— It’s going well. Got the staff together. Ah, those people you told about? They still haven’t shown up on Wall Street.
“No rush. You getting close to the finance people? Don’t skimp. Spend freely.”
— Yeah, I’ve been hitting parties, getting to know faces. Oh, and you know the money we paid Andreessen recently? So guy nad Jas Clark has been hovering around him.”
Jas Clark.
Founder of Silicon Graphics.
In the original tiline, he’d end up co-founding a company with Andreessen. But this ti, I’d already made my move.
The future was changing smoothly.
“Keep a close eye. Visit often. And make sure he’s not blowing money uselessly.”
— Got it, boss!
Kyungyeong answered playfully.
Now it was ti to get to the real reason for the call.
“Hyung, what I’m about to say is important. Is anyone around?”
— No, I’m alone. What’s up?
“What do you think would happen if the xican governnt devalues the peso against the U.S. dollar?”
— ...What? Are you insane? Why would the xican governnt do sothing like that?
“But what if they do?”
There was silence on the line.
Then, Kyungyeong’s voice rose, thoughts clearly aligned.
— If that really happens, confidence in the peso will plumt, foreign investors will flee, and the economy will spiral into a depression.
He got it right away.
I was glad I’d brought him into this.
Just knowing D-Day doesn’t make you a good investor.
“December 20 and 22. There will be two devaluations. Now imagine using $300 million in leverage to bet on that. Think any firm would take that trade?”
I heard him suck in his breath.
— Hold up. Are you saying we should gamble $300 million as margin?
“Exactly. That’s why I told you to network with major financial firms. Think anyone will take it?”
— Hah... How far ahead are you thinking? This is crazy! It’s madness!
Kyungyeong shouted, overwheld.
I chuckled.
“December 20 and 22. Peso devaluation. Pull everything you can. If we lose, let’s jump into the Han River together.”
— One thing’s for sure. Win or lose, you’re out of your damn mind. What’s the tiline?
“As soon as possible. Wrap up contracts before August. After the August general elections, people will start catching on. By then, it’ll be too late.”
— Got it. I’ll negotiate the terms and contact you before signing.
“No, you sign them. You’re the expert, not . If I was doing this myself, why would I have sent you over there?”
— ...
“I trust you. You just trust .”
I hung up without waiting for a reply.
Now it was Han Kyungyeong’s ti to prove himself.
It didn’t matter if I had information—if he couldn’t execute, he didn’t deserve that seat.
One week later—
I headed to et Chief Justice Oh Jungseok.
The apartnt I arrived at was modest—surprisingly humble for a man still revered by judges across the country.
“Good afternoon. I’m Kim Muhyuk.”
His sharp gaze scanned .
“Nice to et you. I’m Oh Jungseok.”
< This Is Crazy! It’s Madness! > End.
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