People Can't Be Fixed (2)

Hand's freshmen aren't limited to Koreans only.

Since the city was established by 'The World', a global hunter management organization, anyone with talent—regardless of nationality or race—can be admitted.

Although Korea is given priority, there are many foreign residents at Hand.

Those who have lived here for a long time have adapted as if they were citizens of this country.

Especially considering Hand students are known for being a bit eccentric.Thanks to this, running a restaurant here gives a unique sense of fulfillment.Of course, there are the occasional unruly customers.

"For our friendship!"

"Cheers!"

A high-end steakhouse in Hand's western district.

Here, with a staff that's half Korean and half foreign, two teenagers—one boy, one girl—shout their toast loudly.

While lively gatherings are typical, their raucous voices dwarfed everyone else's conversations in the restaurant.

The guests at the next table, as well as the server, were startled.

"Excuse me, could you please keep it down a bit?"

"Oh, yes, yes! We'll keep quiet now."

Finally, prompted by a politely phrased request from the staff, Michael Kang offered a half-hearted excuse.

Gesturing as if to dismiss the staff, he signaled them to leave with a frown.

As soon as the staff left, Michael Kang pulled a face like he'd bitten into something sour and sighed heavily.

"Ha... Who does he think he is to boss us around? He's just a part-timer anyway."

"Let it go. If he couldn't even do that much, he wouldn't earn a penny. He's probably cursing us out in his head right now."

"Thinking about it that way makes me want to punch him."

For someone who said he'd be quiet, Michael Kang's words grew sharper.

But Emily Ruin, who sat with him, didn't try to stop him.

"True. Would it kill them to sell us just one bottle of booze?"

"Damn, what's with this hick grape juice? Totally kills my appetite."

Michael Kang flicked his glass, freshly used for the toast, with clear dissatisfaction.

When they first took their seats here, they'd boldly ordered wine.

Naturally, the staff immediately noticed they were underage and refused.

Instead, they suggested canned grape juice.

At that time, the staff had responded in a half-angry tone.

Of course they had. After all, these two were minors.

If the restaurant had served them, they could've faced penalties for selling alcohol to minors.

"Screw it! I'm not drinking this. The more I think about it, the less I want it."

But these basic rules... they just ignored.

"It's basically this kind of mindset: 'How dare you little brats ask for alcohol. Just drink grape juice like the children you are.' That's what they meant, right? What B. S."

Michael Kang considered being denied alcohol as treating them like kids.

The way he played himself as the victim was nothing short of childish paranoia.

"We picked this spot specifically because it's a blind spot from the security cameras, and it was all for nothing."

"Let's just eat already. The meat's going to get cold."

Their irritation was taken out on their food as Michael and Emily bit and tore into their steak.

At first, they'd eaten normally, cutting steak with knives and savoring each bite.

Maybe the restaurant's reputation was well-deserved—the meat practically melted on their tongues.

Even the grape juice, which they'd complained about, tasted good once they drank it.

They had also ordered pane pasta, chicken salad, and even cake for dessert.

Adding today's steak to the meal, the price soared well over 100,000 won.

"Wow... Eating really does relieve stress."

"Me too. Michael, thanks so much!"

"No need for thanks. Let's hurry up and finish."

They showed their fangs to others, but to each other, they acted warmly.

They were childhood friends, brought together by their parents' business connections.

Both families had similar wealth, so there was no reason for them not to get along.

As a result, they were endlessly close with each other, but kept distant from everyone else.

They didn't want to interact with anyone beneath them. Whether those people got hurt or not, they didn't care.

"Alright, let's have another toast!"

"Cheers!"

Once again, the clinking sound of glasses echoed.

"So, what's the first thing you'll do when you get back to school?"

"What do you think? Gotta deal with the one who got me sent to the center."

"And what are you planning to do? If you get in another fight, you'll really get expelled this time."

"I have my ways."

Emily voiced her concern, but Michael grinned.

"No matter if I get sent to the center, my school ranking doesn't go away, does it?"

Problems between students are resolved by the students themselves.

Thanks to this law-of-the-jungle rule, Michael, who was ranked first, acted like a dictator.

As long as he returned, he could regain his absolute authority.

"Even if I can't beat them up, there are plenty of ways to enjoy myself."

There's no need to resort to violence to bully others.

He could annoy people with constant harassment, or borrow things and never return them.

He could even slip a dead bird into someone's locker, making them look like a weirdo.

He could make someone act out and then claim innocence, using whatever dirt he dug up to extort favors or money.

"How about it, not bad, right?"

"Our Michael is incredible, as always. I wish I could learn from you."

"Then maybe I'll become your master from now on?"

"Please take care of me! Master!"

"Ahem!"

"Hahaha! You two are just like characters out of a wuxia novel!"

Joking and laughing, Michael and Emily bantered as if they were ordinary teens.

If someone only saw their giggling, they'd look like normal youth—but their laughter was born from thoughts of trampling on others' dignity.

"Anyway, as soon as I'm back, that Seong Chohyang kid is first on my list."

"That little fairy-looking one we saw at the entrance to the arcade, right? Hahaha! That kid's in for it!"

For them, tormenting others was nothing but a harmless prank, though whether such ideas came from untamed powers or simple cruelty was debatable.

"Haha~ That was a good meal. But do you think you'll get caught for paying with that wallet? Wasn't it stolen?"

"Don't worry. I'm paying with cash, not a card, so there won't be any trace. There's over 200,000 won in 10,000-won bills in it."

"Nice! Then can we order more?"

"Do you still have room to eat?"

"No..."

Emily shook her hands, saying she couldn't eat any more.

Looking at the mountain of empty dishes in front of them, it was hard to believe how much they'd consumed.

The bill would easily come to at least 180,000 won.

"I guess we should settle up, then?"

"Yeah. I'm so full. Michael, you're treating today, right?"

"Of course! I made sure to get this money ahead of time for today."

He did get the money ahead of time—but not by honest means.

He'd pickpocketed it, but acted as if he'd earned it himself, beaming with satisfaction.

"We'll pay now!"

Michael, holding the bill, approached the counter and started digging through his pocket.

Suddenly, a strange look came over his face.

"Huh?"

"What's wrong?"

"Where could it be...?"

No matter how many times he checked his pockets, the wallet was gone.

The wallet that should've been holding 200,000 won in cash had vanished.

It wasn't just that. Even the wallet he'd taken from Seong Chohyang in front of the arcade was nowhere to be found.

"Where did it go?!"

"M-Michael?"

"Is there a problem, sir?"

With the staff asking at the register, Michael turned pale.

The wallet with their all-important 200,000 won was simply missing.

"Will you be paying?"

"Yes! Of course!"

He still had some hope left.

The wallet he took at the arcade wasn't just Seong Chohyang's.

He pulled another wallet, taken from a freshman, out of his pocket.But...

"What the hell...!"

It was empty.

No cash, no cards, not even an ID.

There was just a blank card, on which this was written:[Nope, it's a fake~]

The moment he read that, Michael felt a surge of rage.

Whatever trick the freshman had used, it was clear he'd switched it out on purpose.

The missing wallets were undoubtedly his doing.

"That little punk...!"

"Michael, please don't tell me you don't have money?"

"Looks like I lost it."

"What?"

Emily also paled, and the staff, overhearing, narrowed his eyes.

"You don't have money?"

"U-uh..."

After an earlier incident, Michael's father had confiscated all the spending money he'd saved up.

He currently had 0 won to his name.

"What do we do, Michael?! Can't you just ask your dad..."

"No! If I do, he'll freak out that I dined and dashed again!"

"You ate without money, sir?"

With the staff's tone turning harsh, Michael started trembling with shame.

If this got out, he wouldn't just be expelled.

"Hey, you two."

"Yes?"

"What school are you from?"

The staff's demeanor changed completely.

Not only because they'd tried to dine and dash, but because of their rude behavior during the meal.

"I should've known from when you tried to order wine."

"...!"

"So, what are you going to do now?"

A strong surge of magic power radiated from the staff's body.

A former hunter, perhaps—Michael and Emily could do nothing against that power.

"We... Please, don't tell our parents or our school. We can work to pay it back, okay?"

"Do you think you can?"

"We have to! We promise we will!"

In the end, Michael and Emily had to beg for work, swallowing their pride.

Moments ago, they'd cursed out the same staff who refused them wine—and now, they'd ended up as the same part-timers.

Inside, Michael fumed.

'That freshman bastard!'

Someday, he'd make him pay.

****

After having fun at the arcade, we made our way to a Japanese restaurant.

Once we finished eating, this weekend outing would come to an end.

But for a finale, everyone looked less than happy.

The reason, of course, was running into Michael Kang at the arcade's entrance.

"Cheer up, everyone. Who could've predicted we'd run into that guy?"

"Yeah, but... I'm worried about what comes next. He'll be returning to school now."

No one felt happy knowing that the madman who used to torment everyone was coming back.

Not knowing how dangerous he was, Kwon Sang-ah asked,

"How bad was it, really?"

"I told you before. Taking kids' stuff is nothing—if you complain, he'll just start screaming his head off."

"That's not all. If he finds a newbie who looks easy to pick on, he'll immediately latch onto them. My friend almost got caught, too."

I couldn't help but laugh bitterly at how bad his past was.

To think someone like that had been confidently holding the top place—there truly had been no hope.

"Even so, people like him always have one trait. When things don't go their way, the first thing they do is swing their fists. That's why he got sent to the center."

Student matters are dealt with among students.

But that doesn't mean the school never intervenes.

With surveillance cameras everywhere, hiding violence was impossible.

"Plus, even after being sent to the center, he didn't change. Tried to pickpocket us as soon as we saw him."

"If it wasn't for you, Seongjin, we couldn't have bought lunch today. Thank you so much."

"Don't mention it."

Michael hadn't just targeted Seong Chohyang's wallet—he'd tried to steal mine, too.

So, I'd swiped all his wallets instead, preempting him.

He'd probably be standing there, staring at the fake wallet I created, completely confused.

"By the way, this Michael-sunbae... he's even more impressive than I thought."

"What's that?"

"That wallet I 'borrowed' from Michael—its real owner is someone else."

It contained about 200,000 won in cash. The real owner was a man in his thirties.

Since there was a police substation right next to the restaurant, we'd turn it in after we finished eating.

"What's that?"

"This? Just a photo."

Kwon Sang-ah's eyes were drawn to a family photo tucked into the wallet.

"It looks similar to mine."

"Now that you mention it, it does."

Kwon Sang-ah also carried a family photo in her wallet.

To her, a wallet containing that photo would be invaluable.

It must be the same for its original owner.

Because of these immature kids, an innocent person was being wronged.

"I hope it gets back to its owner."

Kwon Sang-ah spoke with pity in her voice, but held onto hope in her heart.

When Seong Chohyang shouted for a toast, we all raised our glasses together.

Though our cups held nothing but soda, the atmosphere was sweet.

But for me...

'I want a beer.'

Something felt missing, leaving a sense of emptiness.

But I had to bear it.

Life sucks.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=I can't wait to see Michael getting beat up..Author-nim knows how to right hateable characters...【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

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