April 9, 2006

  Gamamusa was being questioned at the police station. Ko A-young sat beside him, both labeled as suspects. Next to them, ten delinquents from Song Jae-seob’s gang were summoned as witnesses. “…So, you’re saying the person who knocked you out at the bar… was him?” The officer showed the delinquents CCTV footage. It captured Gamamusa turning a corner toward the bar. Song Jae-seob nodded. “That’s him! We didn’t see his face, but he sprayed some white powder and knocked us out! And at that time, it was just us and him at the bar!”

  Gamamusa turned his head, scratching it as he looked at Song Jae-seob’s crew. “You guys are weird. How do you pass out at a bar so far from school? Sounds more like you got drunk and blacked out.” The delinquents glared at him. The homeroom teacher shook her head. “…No, officer. I don’t think it’s right to suspect a student, but Gamamusa definitely had a grudge against these ten. It’s possible he followed them to the bar and knocked them out after they skipped school.” Song Jae-seob’s crew grew smug. But the officer looked incredulous. “…Teacher, are you saying this kid released sleeping gas through the school’s vents and then went to a bar to do the same to these boys? Does that make sense?”

  The teacher and Song Jae-seob’s crew were speechless, unable to counter. “…Musa, how did you do it? Be honest. If you confess, I can forgive you,” the teacher pleaded, growing anxious. Gamamusa feigned ignorance. “…No idea what you’re talking about. I wasn’t anywhere near the vents.” His blatant lie infuriated the teacher, who stood. “…Hey! What did you do to my brain?! Every time I swear or lie, my head throbs!” Gamamusa smirked. “…Pfft. What, did I plant a wiretap in your brain? That’s ridiculous. If it’s so weird, get an X-ray.”

  The officer restrained the teacher, grabbing her arm. “Ma’am, please calm down. This mass hysteria case is a first for us, so we’re not sure how to handle it…” The teacher stared blankly, then shook off the officer’s hand. Smack! She slumped back into her chair. Song Jae-seob, furious, pointed at Gamamusa. “Hey! You knocked out the whole school and messed with our brains just to protect that thief girl? Are you insane? You think you’ll get away with this?” Ko A-young flinched slightly. Gamamusa sat calmly, feigning confusion. The officer stood. “…Everyone, sit down. Keep making a scene, and I’ll arrest you for obstructing official duties.”

  Song Jae-seob glared at Gamamusa but slowly sat. The officer showed the teacher and delinquents a laptop, playing a video. It was surveillance footage from 2005, showing three boys beating a girl in an alley. Song Jae-seob gasped. “…What? Where’d this come from…” He looked at his crew. “…Who leaked this?” The delinquents looked clueless. Gamamusa smirked and leaned toward them. “…Weird, right? The police back then were bribed by your dad to delete that footage.” Song Jae-seob’s smirk vanished. Gamamusa mocked him. “Oh, and I remember you shared that video in your group chat, laughing about it. I hacked that chat, by the way. Ring any bells?”

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  Song Jae-seob was horrified. “…That was you? You hacked our group chat?” Gamamusa shrugged. “Back when you were in ninth grade. Song Jae-seob, you hit on a girl, and she rejected you, right? So you dragged her to an alley and beat her. The police caught you, but one day, that video vanished. Why? Because your dad, the police chief back then, pressured them to delete it. But you idiots shared it anyway. Why? Because you had nothing to fear. Then, when a hacker breached your chat, you deleted it, scared it’d leak to the media.”

  Song Jae-seob, pale, glanced at the back of the station. Victims of the Dongguk High School gas incident sat there, glaring at him. Ko A-young suddenly burst into tears. “Sob… ugh…” Gamamusa comforted her. Song Jae-seob lowered his head. “…It was just a prank. And… she’s a thief, so isn’t it okay to rough her up a bit?” Some Dongguk High students murmured, divided. Gamamusa sneered. “…Oh, right, and you said this to A-young too.” He held up Ko A-young’s phone, already permitted to use it. He played a recorded call. “…Hey, you crazy bitch, bring the money now! Fuck, steal it from your mom if you have to!” Ko A-young buried her face in her knees, covering her ears. Gamamusa raised the phone, playing it on speaker again, and turned to the Dongguk students.

  “You’re no different. I know some of you saw A-young getting beaten since middle school. Am I right?” The students who’d been glaring at Song Jae-seob averted their eyes. “You knew, didn’t you? That Song Jae-seob got off because of his police chief dad. Word spread around school, but after that, no one spoke up when A-young was openly beaten.” The students began to sweat, fanning themselves with their hands. Gamamusa turned to the officer. “…Sir, you confiscated their phones for investigation and pulled their KakaoTalk chats for forensics, right? Read them.” The officer, startled by Gamamusa’s bold request, complied, reading excerpts from the group chat.

  “…Honestly, doesn’t A-young deserve it? She got beaten by Jae-seob’s crew, and yesterday, she stole my money and played dumb.” The girl who wrote it flinched. The officer read another. “Exactly. Crazy bitch. She flirted with Jae-seob first, and he fell for it. Jae-seob’s a victim too.” The students’ faces hardened. None had refrained from badmouthing Ko A-young. Gamamusa spoke. “…You all stood by while A-young was beaten. Then, when Song Jae-seob extorted hundreds of thousands of won from her, she started stealing from her parents. Eventually, she stole from you too. Who’s really at fault? Song Jae-seob? Or Ko A-young?”

  The students began avoiding his gaze. “…You all know beating and extorting someone is worse than stealing. But you didn’t stop Song Jae-seob. Why? Because A-young was an easier target. That’s why the teacher ignored his bullying too.” Gamamusa pointed at the teacher, who shrank back. “…You’re not victims. You’re fucking parasites who trample the weak and feed on garbage. Got it?!” The students were speechless. Gamamusa approached them, then turned to Jung Min-ju, sitting dazed on a bench. When she looked up, he sneered with disgust. “…And the worst of you all is you. The one who befriended A-young and betrayed her the most… you, you fucking bitch.”

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