Chapter 5.1
After researching all night, Tae Hyuk got to know to a certain point on the usage of the mirror.
It’s basically close to a smartphone with a touchscreen.
It’s possible to change settings or get the information we wants by touching the screen.
Tae Hyuk clicked on the [Crime skill] category and opened a list.
Actually, only [The Robbery] was available to use.
And the 3 relation points.
He remembers seeing something alike in games.
It’s enhancing the skills by using the earned points.
When he pressed on the category, few lists came.
Stealing the other party’s possession from a little distance without having to bump in, being able to choose the item we wants, etc. All seemed to look useful.
But the points needed were different to one another.
The one that consumes the most of the points was the one stealing several objects at once with 10 points. The other skills were diversely ranged from 1 to 5 points.
Tae Hyuk decided to use the relation points as a try.
‘I have to enhance this first.’
The Robbery is to steal the other party’s possession who got bumped into. If things go wrong, you can be mistaken for a pickpocket.
Fortunately there was an ability to avoid that.
‘Activation Time Regulating!’
After choosing the category he wanted and pressed on the enhance button, the screen blinked and a message came.
‘⋯⋯It’s like I’m seeing a B-class mobile game. I hope there’s no fail.’
[You don’t have enough relation points.]
‘Uwak! What is this? It requires 5 points for the Activation Time Regulating!’
To avoid having the crime skill activate at any time, he needed 2 more points.
But the problem is that he didn’t know how to earn those points.
Then somebody talked to Tae Hyuk who was clutching his head and was distressed.
“Hey, Tae Hyuk. It’s hyung.” (*hyung = older brother)
Jo Kang Suk in a Aloha T-shirt and jeans opened the cafe’s door and entered while waving his hand.
And he was also wearing a red sunglasses.
Tae Hyuk felt like to get out of the cafe and act like he didn’t know him.
But he decided to bear it. The sense of dressing was just terrible but didn’t he came to help him?
Let’s welcome him gladly.
“Hello Kang Suk-hyung.”
Kang Suk sat on the chair and talked.
“I paid some attention in dressing so how is it? Huhu. Thanks to you, I got some holidays. I’m thinking about going to the club tonight as well.”
He wants to go the nightclub like that⋯⋯?
Tae Hyuk was getting a headache.
“You look really cool. I thought you were a model.”
“Haha! Boy, I think you’ll do well in life in society.”
He was tall and had large shoulders so it was more or less going well.
But his appearance was the type that would attire more men than women.
“Ma’am! A cup of coffee here! A strong one!”
“⋯⋯here, you have to go to the counter and order yourself.”
“I-Is that so? Well, it’s my first time coming to this kind of place.”
Kang Suk ordered a cup of ice coffee while scratching the back of his head.
After a little moment, the clerk came with the ice coffee with ice cubes floating in it.
Kang Suk drank it in a breath and talked.
“I really don’t see the differences between iced coffee and ice coffee.
Seems the tea room’s coffee is more suited to his palate.
“Anyway, thank you for offering your help for today.”
Tae Hyuk bowed his head.
There’s money in this matter.
If Tae Hyuk who’s a highschool student says he would receive the bounty money, it would gather parasites.
But with Kang Suk who’s a detective, they can block those kind of people efficiently.
Tae Hyuk really felt grateful for Kang Suk’s collaboration.
“Well, it’s also good for me since I can take time off.”
“Then shall we go right now?”
“Hey. Keep sit down. There’s an order in everything.”
Kang Suk started to explain.
“I think you already know more or less but I’ll explain you in details. First, even if the bounty money is 50 million Won, you basically can’t get the whole.”
Tae Hyuk nodded his head. It’s funny but although they give money, the government takes back a certain amount under the pretext of taxes.
“First, they take the 15 percent for withholding tax and another additional 22 percent for windfall profit tax. At the end, what you’ll receive is about the 63 percent of the original.”
Tae Hyuk also knew they coppe the 15 percent.
But a windfall profit tax…
That’s a tax on profits you’ve gained without working.
The money he gained working so hardly!
Tae Hyuk felt unfair.
But what can he do? it’s the law.
“Then I’ll only get 31,500,000 Won.”
“Yeah. But isn’t it a little big for a highschool student? It’s more than my annual salary.”
“What a poor pay.”
“Boy, that’s not something to say. Anyway, what will you do with that money? Don’t spend it in weird things and save it. Want me to help you for installment savings?”
Tae Hyuk decided to tell him the truth.
“Mm. Actually, my parents past away in an accident and left some debt. People say we can disclaim inheritance but since they even debted using my noona’s name… Finally, I’m living with my sister in a semi-basement rent room. But as the air isn’t good, noona’s health is getting worse so I thought about moving out if I get the bounty money.”
“⋯⋯Mm. Boy, you’re a true man!”
Kang Suk’s voice trembled. He thought Tae Hyuk, as he was a high schooler, would be buying everything he wanted to buy or use for a trip abroad if he received a big sum of money. However, Tae Hyuk was surprisingly much more mature.
Kang Suk tapped on Tae Hyuk’s back.
He was a good high schooler!
‘N-no!’
Tae Hyuk screamed in his mind.
The crime skill activated in his own self once again.
[You used The Robbery.]
– You failed to steal the target’s possession……
Fortunately it failed.
If he was to steal Kang Suk’s wallet by accident, it’d mess everything done so far.
‘Luckily it fai⋯⋯.Uwah!’
Kang Suk tapping on his back wasn’t done with only once.
Pang pang pang!
Every time, The Robbery activated.
‘Fail⋯, Ah, fail again⋯⋯!’
The success rate was lower than he thought.
But even if the probability was low, as long as it’s not 0, it eventually will work once.
[You used The Robbery.]
– You succeed in stealing the target’s possession!
‘Oh shit. That I would steal a detective’s object!’
It’s guaranteed 2 years imprisonment for robbery.
“Uh. Sorry. Does it hurt?”
Kang Suk stopped tapping his back when he saw Tae Hyuk’s expression getting bad.
So fortunately, the robbery ended with only succeeding once.
‘Man, what the fuck. I gotta make up this somehow.’
The Robbery activating on his own whenever he bumps to another person.
There’s times it can become useful but there’ll be more embarrassing situations like this.
‘Mm. But what did I steal?’
Anything but the wallet! If it was, he’s done for!
He fumbled his pocket while managing his expression at the most. Very fortunately, what he stole wasn’t the wallet.
But it was something even worse.
‘WTF. It’s the handcuffs!’
Not a toy, nor a SM goods. The real original one.
It’s made of a very solid metal alloy so it’s something there’d be a big problem if it were to be put on.
‘A way to give him back without making him notice⋯⋯.’
Unfortunately, the only crime skill he can use know was The Robbery.
And even if he uses it, it can only steal the other party’s possession. The opposite was impossible.
If it was an experienced pickpocket, it would be possible but Tae Hyuk was not one.
‘To think about it, there was no ability such as handing his own possession to the other party.’
For sure, that wasn’t an act that falls under the category of robbery.
‘No can’t do. Let’s do this in a standard way!’
“Ah. Hyungnim. You dropped this.” (*Hyungnim = older brother but more respectful or polite. Like the japanese “onii-sama” or “aniki”)
Tae Hyuk intentionally dropped the handcuffs on the floor and pretended he was picking it up.
A drop of sweat flowed through his cheek due to the nervousness and fell down.
‘Shit. There’s no way this kind of lie would work if not a fool!’
But there was no other way.
“Tae Hyuk, you little⋯⋯.”
‘It doesn’t work as I thought!’
“Really thank you! Man, when did it fell? I spent 200,000 Won to get one new one among hot goods when I lost it the last time again. What a relief.”
It worked!
And it was a hot goods.
“⋯⋯yeah, what a relief.”
Kang Suk was not a hyung in the neighborhood, but a foolish hyung in the neighborhood .
“Anyway a rent house would be hard with 30,000,000 Won. These days, the house prices are getting crazy so. Do you live with only your sister?”
“No, we’ve got a little brother as well.”
“Three people, huh. Then you would need at least 2 rooms. And the house would be around here?”
“Yes. The factory where my sister works is here. It’s fine if it’s within walking range.”
Kang Suk was thinking all his might as if it was his own problem.
Tae Hyuk knew he had good heart but to think he didn’t think it would be this much.
‘As I expected, I did good entrusting this to Kang Suk hyung.’
Kang Suk was uttering strange moans while searching on the real estate phone app.
“An acceptable rent house would be possible if we had at least 30 million Won more. Shit. Even there’s no taxes on bounties put by companies⋯⋯. In fact, shouldn’t the government give more when we catch this kind of important criminal?”
Wait. Bounties put by companies?
‘Thinking about, there clearly was a bounty put on Yoo Cheol Ho by a certain large company.’
But he didn’t remember exactly which did.
‘Which was it⋯⋯Ah. The Sungjin Group!’
Tae Hyuk told it carefully to Kang Suk.
Kang Suk was happy as his own matter.
“Yeah. Let’s run twice today!”
“First, let’s go take the reward put by the government. Do we get it at the Central Bank?”
“You think it’s like a lotto or what. Anyway, you took what I told you to, right?”
Tae Hyuk nodded.
He took the bankbook made under his name and a copy of his identity card.
“It’ll be sent to your account about tomorrow when you’ll give this to the responsible. Originally, you should have received at the Central Bank like you said but then the problems would happen.”
“Sure. Since it’s where we get the lottery winnings, there’s a lot of dung flies.”
“Haha, yeah. Dung flies.”
Investor saying he’s got a sure business item. Businessman telling to donate, saying he’ll use it to somewhere good. And mobsters acting brutal and rude language gathered. All kind of people are there.
Kang Suk said while taking the documents Tae Hyuk gave,
“I’ll give these to the responsible in your stead.”
“Really thank you, Kang Suk hyung.”
“It’s nothing. By the way, I had an interview as the detective who caught Yoo Cheol Ho. I’ll be on the news later this evening.”
“Oh. You’ll totally become a celebrity.”
However, Tae Hyuk was worried in which kind of costume Kang Suk wore during the interview. Will he perhaps show on the TV worn like that?
Tae Hyuk had bad presentiment.
“One case closed.”
It ended earlier than he thought.
Tae Hyuk said with a satisfied expression.
“Then let’s directly go to the Sungjin Group.”
“Mm. Can we do that?”
“Of course we can. I’m the one who gave the key information to catch Yoo Cheol Ho and you are the one who caught him. If it’s not us, then who will go?”
“R-right.”
“Then let’s go to their head office now. I know the location well.”
“You say like you’ve already worked there.”
Tae Hyuk grinned instead of answering.
If I have worked there?
That’s where I was falsely accused.