Free Web NovelChairman Cheon was deep in thought, gazing out the window of his study when a knock interrupted his silence.
“Chairman, it’s Myeonghun.”
Ha Myeonghun entered, bowing politely. He stood by the door, waiting for the chairman to speak.
Chairman Cheon eventually took a seat and shifted his gaze away from the window.
Ha Myeonghun opened his mouth.
“About the matter with the young {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} master’s friend...”
Chairman Cheon remained silent until Ha Myeonghun finished his report, then asked a question.
“He used the card we got from Yoon Changho back then?”
“Yes. It appears he used it for personal reasons.”
“Hmph...”
Chairman Cheon drummed his fingers on the desk for a long while.
“All he did with that card was take over one little company and get the people involved arrested?”
He muttered with a hint of displeasure.
Ha Myeonghun shook his head.
“It’s not completely over yet. Let’s observe a little longer.”
“That brat Muhyuk, acting all cold-blooded... He’s still green. He should’ve taken everything. Even his life.”
Clicking his tongue, Chairman Cheon expressed his dissatisfaction. Ha Myeonghun cautiously spoke in Muhyuk’s defense.
“The ones who carried it out said they’ve locked him up in the salt flats. It’s one we manage. There’s no way he’ll escape alive.”
“Good, that’s how it should be. He needs to feel something worse than death. If he thinks taking the company and doing the same thing to his son counts as revenge, he’s sorely mistaken.”
“Times have changed, Chairman. Things are different from your era.”
At that, a deep crease formed between Chairman Cheon’s brows.
“They have changed. But there are some things that never change. An enemy, once made, can become an enemy again at any time. You have to instill fear. Muhyuk still doesn’t get that.”
But shortly after—
News came that Jo Hyungu had committed suicide in prison.
From Chairman Cheon’s study came a satisfied chuckle. freēwēbnovel.com
“Yes. Now that’s my grandson.”
Ha Myeonghun bowed silently in front of him.
* * *
Inside the detention center, Jo Hyungu was treated worse than an animal. He was beaten frequently by guards, even assaulted and tormented by his fellow inmates.
But no one helped him.
And then, even the media stopped mentioning his name.
“Chief Ma, it’s time. Finish him off quietly—make it look like suicide. And take everything from his family. Every last grain of rice.”
Chief Ma carried out my orders faithfully.
He bribed a guard and used someone inside to hang Jo Hyungu in the bathroom.
As I handled this, I came to many realizations.
In the end, you had to steel your heart.
I couldn’t die meaninglessly like I did in my previous life.
Hyunseong had his cast removed, filed a leave of absence from school, and returned to Busan.
“That idiot says he’s taking time to think. Just let him be. He’ll come to his senses and come back eventually.”
Myungsoo’s voice still rang in my ears. He probably meant it for my sake, but it didn’t move me.
There was a bitterness I couldn’t shake.
I buried myself in studying for the bar exam and tried not to think about it.
Time passed quickly, and the bar exam was just around the corner.
After class, as I was leaving the lecture hall, someone tapped my shoulder.
“Hey!”
It was Myungsoo.
I responded with a neutral expression.
“You been studying for the bar? What about the others?”
“Oh, everyone’s overflowing with confidence. They’ve all been worried about you—skipping classes and all. Have you been studying?”
Seeing Myungsoo’s confident grin made me finally smile too.
“Of course. I’m always prepared.”
The first round of the bar exam covers the three major laws—constitutional, criminal, and civil—plus an elective subject.
Unlike the second round, which is essay-based, the first is multiple choice. If you’ve been studying at the level required to get into Korea National University, most people pass it before graduation.
“God, you cocky bastard. Anyway, it’s been a while since we all got together. We’re having dinner. You coming?”
I nodded.
As we walked out of campus, Chief Ma was already waiting.
Usually, I kept Chief Ma away to maintain a normal school life, but since handling this recent affair, I kept him close.
Myungsoo and I got into the car, and Chief Ma drove us to the restaurant.
Before long, we arrived at the family restaurant we agreed on.
Inside, everyone was already waiting.
“Yo~ Kim Muhyuk! Been a while!”
Oh Hyunwoo greeted me first, followed by Yoon Jaeha and Han Minkyung, all warmly welcoming me.
Smiling, I sat down.
“Sorry I missed so many gatherings, even though I was the one who suggested them. I’ve got more time now, so I’ll join in more.”
After placing orders, we naturally shifted to discussing the bar exam.
“Everyone confident about passing the first round? I know I am. Let’s all pass both the first and second rounds and go to the training institute together.”
Watching confident Oh Hyunwoo, I felt reassured again—choosing him as our group leader had been the right call.
“Muhyuk, don’t you be grinning like that. You’re the biggest question mark here. You’ve barely shown up to class lately. Studying at all? Even the class top spot went to Minkyung recently.”
At my words, Minkyung smiled awkwardly.
I shrugged.
“Well, I haven’t been attending much, so it’s only fair. Still, I’m good for the first round.”
Everyone groaned at how annoying that sounded.
Especially Myungsoo.
“I told you, didn’t I? The most pointless worry in the world is worrying about Kim Muhyuk. We just have to do our part. This guy wasn’t even planning to take the second round. Let’s not waste our energy.”
If you pass the first round, you’re given two chances to take the second—this year and the next.
The second round is the real bar exam.
Held over three days, it’s all essay. Unlike the multiple-choice first round, you can’t just memorize statutes.
Most people fail the second round.
There’s also a third round, but that’s just a formal interview. Unless you start praising North Korea or communism, you pass.
“If we all pass the third round, have you thought about what paths you want to take?”
Everyone paused, forks mid-air, and looked at me.
“Hmm... we’ll see after we get our training scores, but I’m thinking of becoming a prosecutor.”
Looks like Oh Hyunwoo planned to follow the same path he did in my previous life.
Back then, despite having the grades to be a judge, he surprised everyone by becoming a prosecutor.
All eyes, which had been on me, turned to him.
Especially Yoon Jaeha, who coughed in surprise.
“Really? Doesn’t your family want you to be a judge?”
Maybe because of his grandfather, the former Chief Justice, Yoon Jaeha had assumed Hyunwoo would go that route.
Hyunwoo frowned and shook his head.
“It’s my life. I’ll decide. Family’s one thing, I’m another.”
“Damn, must be nice—to have that kind of backbone. I don’t even get to choose. I’m going straight into my dad’s law firm.”
Yoon Jaeha, too, seemed on track for the same choice as before.
“I’m going to be a prosecutor! No matter what!”
“Yeah, yeah. Everyone in the department knows. Please shut up. My ears hurt.”
Everyone ignored Myungsoo’s loud declaration.
Only Minkyung was left. When we all looked her way, she shrugged.
“I haven’t really thought about it yet. Depends on my scores. If I can be a judge, great. If I can be a prosecutor, also fine. Being a lawyer’s not bad either. But first, I just want to pass.”
In the original timeline, she eventually became a lawyer, then entered politics through the opposition party. But the current Minkyung was sure to score among the top ranks.
‘Having her become a judge wouldn’t be bad for me.’
I drank some water and observed quietly.
“Oh~ Look at Han Minkyung’s confidence. She’s practically Muhyuk-level! The female Kim Muhyuk!”
Everyone burst into laughter at Myungsoo’s line. I laughed too.
To Minkyung, who looked slightly flustered, I said gently,
“If your grades are good enough, I think you’d make a great judge. You’d be great at anything, really.”
“Thanks.”
She beamed at me.
“What’s with this weird atmosphere?”
Ignoring Myungsoo’s teasing, we all stood up.
“Let’s meet again on exam day.”
And so the day of the bar exam arrived.
We all met outside the test site and entered together.
When we came out around 5 PM, after the sun had set, everyone had a smile on their face.
“Ah! I don’t even care anymore~ I did what I could!”
Everyone nodded at Myungsoo’s words.
“This calls for drinks, right?”
At Oh Hyunwoo’s suggestion, everyone looked to me.
I nodded in agreement.
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
We stopped by a bar near campus, laughed, talked, and shared drinks before parting ways.
On the way home, I stared out the car window, watching the night scenery blur by.
I had pushed aside a lot of thoughts to focus on the exam, but now it was time to get my head straight.
As we neared the house, I let out a deep sigh and spoke.
“Chief Ma.”
“Yes, Boss.”
“I’m going to do it right this time.”
“Understood.”
When I came in, drunk for the first time, Grandfather didn’t say a word.
I greeted him and went upstairs to my room.
The next morning, after breakfast, I entered his study to speak.
“I’m planning to stop attending school.”
I didn’t avoid his expressionless stare.
“If I try to do everything, I won’t do anything right. I want to focus. Whether I withdraw or take a leave, I’ll be stepping away.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. I’ll go to Busan for a bit and then return to go all in.”
“Go all in, huh...”
He tapped the table with his fingers and stared at me silently.
In the vast study, we just looked at each other in silence.
“Alright. But you don’t need to quit school. I’ll handle it so you can graduate. Just show your face occasionally. Since you said you’ll go all in, now I’ll start watching to see if you’re fit to be my successor, not just my grandson.”
“Understood. I’ll spend some time in Busan with Grandma and return.”
He nodded, and I bowed and left the study.
That evening, Chief Ma and I headed for Busan.
* * *
“So that boy Muhyuk says he’s going all in now.”
Chairman Cheon spoke while looking out the window.
Outside, the car carrying Kim Muhyuk had just left the estate.
“Is that so?”
“Once he comes back from Busan, start passing off your tasks to him one by one. If he says he’s serious, let’s see if he really is.”
“Understood.”
Chairman Cheon turned away from the window and walked to his chair.
“What’s Sooman up to?”
“Nothing unusual. Just doing his usual work.”
“And Jiwon? Jisoo?”
“Master Jiwon... remains the same. Miss Jisoo is apparently joining Ilseong after graduation this year.”
“Click. That so-called eldest son still hasn’t wised up? What the hell is Sooman doing?”
Ha Myeonghun bowed his head silently.
Clicking his tongue with a sour expression, Chairman Cheon continued.
“Call Jiwon and Jisoo to the house sometime. What about Jiyoung? She doesn’t even visit her grandpa these days.”
“I’ll reach out.”
“No, forget it. Let’s talk about Jiyoung later. Meet with Jiwon and Jisoo first.” freeweɓnøvel.com
“Understood.”
Ha Myeonghun bowed and left. Alone in the study, Chairman Cheon sat in thought, eyes closed.
* * *
“Grandma!”
“Muhyuk, you’re here?”
Home in Busan was always warm.
Seeing Grandma unchanged made me smile.
We ate dinner and spent the day talking.
I told her I planned to take Grandfather’s business seriously, but she just quietly patted my back.
I didn’t contact Hyunseong, choosing instead to clear my thoughts alone—taking walks with Grandma and eating delicious food.
What broke my rest was a call from Park Dongsu.
— Bro! You down in Busan?
“Yes. But unless it’s urgent, can we talk later? My head’s kind of a mess right now.”
— Hmm... It’s about your parents. Someone reached out claiming to know something.
Sometimes, clues to unresolved matters come from the most unexpected places.
That was the case with my parents.
“Who? Where are they now?!”
< I'm Going to Do It Right This Time. > End.
