Chapter 32

Chapter 32 – Ill-Fated Relationship from a Past Life #3

Lessons were over . Tae-hyuk stayed in the classroom with An Eun-young .

“Give me some recommendations for cram schools . ”

An Eun-young was confused by Tae-hyuk’s question .

“Cram schools?”

“Noona got a job straight after high school, and this time she wants to sit the university entrance exam again . ”

There was less than a month until this year’s university entrance exam, so it was impossible to start preparing for it now .

“When are you going to take the exam?”

“Next year . ”

“What university is she aiming for? What is its current rating? Liberal arts? Science?”

An Eun-young’s specialty came out as she started firing off specific questions . Tae-hyuk scratched his head and replied to the questions that he knew the answer to .

“I don’t care as long as it isn’t expensive . She hasn’t studied for several years, so I want her to learn from the basics .

“Yes…”

An Eun-young looked at various cram schools with her phone and checked them thoroughly . In the end, she showed him the homepage of the best place .

“Then this one should be the best . The teachers are okay and the pass rate is also the highest . ”

“I see . ”

Tae-hyuk checked how much the school expenses were .

700,000 won a month . Including food expenses and transportation costs, it would be one million a month . There was one year left, so Ha-ran’s tuition fee would be 12 million won . However, this wasn’t the end .

“The costs of the textbooks and special lectures… It all costs almost two million . ”

It was more than 25 million won combined for both of them .

An Eun-young spoke while Tae-hyuk was looking at the school expenses page .

“I-I looked for the cheapest place possible . The boarding cram schools are three million won a month . ”

Tae-hyuk sighed .

This was a world of money .

‘I wish I had a surplus of funds… Are there any more bounties?’

Unfortunately, there were no more big jackpots until next year .

Tae-hyuk muttered as if he were making a promise .

“I will cling to all of them . ”

An Eun-young made a fighting posture .

“Tae-hyuk, you can do it!”

“Yes . The three of us should pass next year . ”

“Uh, yes… T-three…”

An Eun-young looked strangely disappointed .

“In addition, there are the interviews and essays… It isn’t just the exam?”

“T-That…”

An Eun-young lecture on university admissions began and Tae-hyuk wrote everything down in his notebook . This would be useful to Tae-min, who would sit his university entrance exam in a few years .

Brr!

All of a sudden, there was a vibration from his pocket .

‘Did my stats rise or something?’

Tae-hyuk pulled out the Demon Revealing Mirror, showing nothing on the screen .

An Eun-young giggled from where she was watching .

“You mistook your phone with the mirror . ”

“Ah, phone…”

He forgot, because most of his notifications came from the Demon Revealing Mirror . Tae-hyuk pulled out the phone from deep within his pocket and checked the contents of the notification . It was a text message from someone .

-Tae-hyuk I

The message cut off there . He checked and saw that it came from Seo Ha-ran’s phone .

“Eun-young, I’m sorry but I have to leave early . I have an urgent matter so I’ll be going first .

“H-huh?”

Tae-hyuk grabbed the jacket hanging on his chair and ran out . The contents of the message had been omitted, but he could tell .

‘Something big has happened!’

The situation was so urgent that she couldn’t even send a message properly .

Tae-hyuk called a taxi in order to get home even one minute faster .

‘Noona, please be safe…’

Tae-hyuk worried as he rode in the taxi .

‘Why isn’t Kang-suk hyung picking up his phone?!’

He must be in a meeting where he needed to turn it off . It had been a while since Tae-hyuk saw Kang-suk’s face .

Tae-hyuk made a strong fist . He couldn’t expect any help from Kang-suk, so he had to get through this with his own strength .

This was the second time that something unforeseen had happened . Knowing the future wasn’t enough, as taking different actions produced different results .

After the Rosario incident, Tae-hyuk had searched for related books in the library . He learnt of the phenomenon called the ‘Time Leap’ . The Time Leap said that he didn’t return to the past with his memories . Instead, an infinite number of parallel words existed, and he obtained the memories of one of those worlds .

Of course, it was just a hypothesis, albeit a convincing one . The book was thick enough to be used as a pillow, but he came to one conclusion . The future wasn’t fixed, it was constantly changing . Someday, Tae-hyuk’s future knowledge would lose its power . Before that, he needed to learn as many crime skills as possible, since it was his second weapon .

‘Pull yourself together Tae-hyuk . You are walking a tightrope right now . ’

Tae-hyuk arrived at the road near his house and handed the driver a 10,000 won bill . There was no time to get the change .

‘Please make it in time!’

Tae-hyuk jumped out and ran home .

Fortunately, his sister was at home; however, she wasn’t alone .

“Seo Ha-ran ~ You didn’t pay back our money, and yet you moved to such a good place?”

“……”

A large number of men were surrounding Ha-ran . They were neatly dressed in suits, but the atmosphere was terrifying .

“If you borrowed money from us, then you should pay it back! Isn’t that right? Kids . ”

“That’s right, Hyung-nim!”

The man called ‘Hyung-nim’ seemed to be in his mid-30s . Every time he laughed, a gold tooth quickly flashed as it reflected the bright sunlight .

The leader of the group extended a hand as he noticed Tae-hyuk entering .

“Aigoo . Who is this? Seo Tae-min?”

“It is Tae-hyuk, Hyung-nim . ”

“Uh, yes . Tae-hyuk! Come come . The head of the house has come, so let’s talk business . ”

Tae-hyuk suppressed his anger and spoke .

“What are you doing in someone else’s house? I’ll call the police . ”

They knew his name .

Creditors?

Based on Tae-hyuk’s memories, they never came to his house .

“Aigoo! Sir! We aren’t bad people . It’s just us . We work with unions and are following all of the laws . Do you want to see our business card?”

The man pulled a business card from his wallet .

“… SY Capital . You are Han Sang-won . ”

“That’s right . We have come to receive the debt, all according to legitimate procedures . ”

Tae-hyuk stared at Ha-ran, who was shaking with a pale face, from amongst the men . She was biting her lips so hard that blood started to emerge .

This was a legitimate procedure? More than 10 men surrounding a woman was legitimate? Tae-hyuk looked at the baseball bats and iron pipes placed neatly in the corner as threats . The group didn’t carry them, but they were willing to use it at any time .

Tae-hyuk said towards Ha-ran .

“Noona, don’t worry . I won’t let even one of them touch you . ”

“Aigoo ~ Sir! You have a strange misconception . We just came to reclaim the debt! Is there any need to touch her if we receive the money?”

“… What type of debt are you here to take?”

“There is a guarantor debt in Seo Ha-ran’s name… with the interest, it is approximately 300 million . ”

“There was a clear exemption . ”

Their parents had passed away in an accident, leaving behind a huge debt . They were able to solve it by giving up the inheritance . The problem was that the debt was in Ha-ran’s name . She couldn’t do it, so the last resort was applying for personal bankruptcy . It was a debt that their family had barely escaped from .

Why had it shown up again?

Han Sang-won extended an envelope .

“This…”

“Read it . This is an order of payment from the courts . ”

Tae-hyuk examined the documents . Han Sang-won’s words were real . Han Sang-won smiled at him .

“Even if there was an exemption, if a claim is made, then the debt will become valid again . ”

At that moment, Tae-hyuk realized what Han Sang-won was doing .

It was a type of illegal collection act that indiscriminately purchased dead debts at a cheap price and used lawsuits to activate them again . If the person couldn’t pay, then they would have to register for bankruptcy . Of course, there were no prohibitions or penalties, as it was a legitimate business . If someone was hit by this, then they would become a slave, paying off the debt for life due to the huge interest .

Han Sang-won waved Ha-ran’s bankbook .

“At any rate, I had forgotten about it . Then not long ago, you bought this house, so I hurried to file a lawsuit to get an order of payment . ”

The house…?

Tae-hyuk instantly realized why this had happened .

‘They found out about the house and came sniffing around…’

Creditors could view the property details of those who owed them money . In the end, money brought the hyenas around .

Tae-hyuk bit his lip and glanced at Ha-ran . Her face looked like she would burst into tears at any moment . However, her desire to protect the money at all costs was seen in her eyes .

“At any rate, tell me your password and nobody will get hurt . Yes? How long has it been? I couldn’t even eat lunch . The account name is Cho Kang-suk? I didn’t expect you to keep this money in a bank account under someone else’s name . Do you want to be kicked out of the house in this cold winter? First of all, I’ll just take this money . I am a very merciful person . Haha!”

‘Cho Kang-suk?’

Ha-ran had deposited money into a bankbook in Kang-suk’s name . It was her own idea . If they found the cash, then they would have just taken it . However it was harder with a bankbook that had a password .

Wooduk!

Tae-hyuk grinded his teeth together .

These guys hadn’t just come . They had been here for at least half a day . Han Sang-won had the bankbook and seal in his hands, which were clearly taken from Ha-ran . However, she didn’t tell them the password until the end .

They didn’t touch Ha-ran directly . However, Ha-ran’s expression made it obvious that they had threatened her . How had she felt when she was surrounded by 10 men?

Ha-ran had bravely fought alone . In order to protect the precious money necessary for the family’s dreams…

Tae-hyuk wanted to kill these people right now . But first, he had to secure Ha-ran’s safety .

“… The password is Public Employment . ”

“Hahaha! As expected from a friend! Hey kids, let’s go . Pack up your tools . ”

The henchmen chuckled and started to pick up the equipment they brought .

“Sir! We have just received 50 million won! Although, don’t you know that there is still 250 million won left? See you next time . Hahahaha!”

Han Sang-won and his henchmen were gone in an instant .

Ha-ran’s shoulders shook .

“T-Tae-hyuk… S-sorry . . Noona is a fool… Huaaang!”

In the end, Ha-ran burst into tears . They were the desperate tears that she had tried to keep from falling .

Tae-hyuk bit his lip .

“… I will make them pay for every tear that fell from Noona’s eyes . ”

Tae-hyuk gazed coldly at Han Sang-won’s business card .

‘SY Capital…!’

Seo Ha-ran had fought against them to the end .

Now it was Tae-hyuk’s turn to fight .

“Noona . Don’t worry . I’ll get it back tenfold . ”

Tae-hyuk stood up .

He would put everything he had into destroying them .