I Became a Law School Genius

Chapter 27

『 Translator – Divinity 』

“You’re a catfish that only rampages in a small pond.”

Long ago, Yoo Ye-seul’s father told her that.

The creatures living in a small pond are insignificant.

Insects like dragonflies and caddisflies, or snails and freshwater crabs, occupy the bottom of the food chain.

Small fish, frogs, and salamanders that feed on them are all there is.

In such a pond, a catfish is an overwhelmingly powerful presence.

The moment it appears, everyone panics and flees, bowing their heads to the king of the pond.

But what would happen if a bull shark suddenly fell from the sky?

The catfish’s small kingdom would collapse in an instant.

Conversely, what if the catfish was taken out and released into the vast ocean?

It would have no choice but to avoid fish much larger than itself.

That’s why her father told her that.

So that she would know she was a catfish, and not foolishly challenge whales or sharks she didn’t recognize.

‘Hmph, ridiculous.’

Of course, Yoo Ye-seul just scoffed.

As the daughter of a major law firm’s representative, there had never been anything she couldn’t achieve.

Especially, Yoo Ye-seul was skilled at handling and manipulating people.

Sometimes she would offer financial favors, and sometimes she would mislead people with cunning rhetoric and actions.

That’s how she became accustomed to the power struggles and dirty politics that she would have to face as the daughter of a law firm representative.

Because of that, she developed a habit of overthinking everything, but there was no harm in looking before leaping.

Yoo Ye-seul had always successfully built her own kingdom.

Until she encountered the delinquent named Park Yoo-seung after entering law school.

At first, she thought he was insignificant.

When she heard that the infamous delinquent from her undergraduate days had suddenly achieved high grades, she assumed he had used his family’s influence to cheat.

So she deliberately approached him and tried to expose that weakness.

If he took the bait, she planned to use it as leverage and bring Park Yoo-seung under her influence.

‘But then,’

—If you’re talking about “secrets”… Are you referring to the kind of “secret” you used when you won the grand prize in the Ministry of Justice’s law essay contest in high school, Ms. Yoo Ye-seul?

Instead, her own weakness was exposed by the opponent.

She had taken care of it long ago, so it should have been a secret that no one knew, but her mind went blank.

Yoo Ye-seul retreated as if running away and started investigating Park Yoo-seung.

And she noticed.

‘Something’s strange.’

It was true that this man had been a delinquent throughout his college years.

But as soon as he entered law school, he achieved overwhelming grades as if his soul had been swapped.

And he had demonstrated his abilities in real-time, in a way that couldn’t be seen as fabricated.

Yoo Ye-seul had no choice but to admit it. Park Yoo-seung’s skills were real.

‘But…’

That couldn’t be possible.

Innate talent? Even with talent, it takes time for it to be refined and shine.

One of the two had to be false.

Either the outstanding Park Yoo-seung in law school, or the delinquent Park Yoo-seung from college.

If the image he was showing in law school was real…

A chilling thought crossed Yoo Ye-seul’s mind.

‘What if his delinquent persona was the lie?’

If he had been pretending to be an unambitious fool all along, it would explain everything.

It was strange that Park Yoo-seung even knew about her old secret in the first place.

If he had truly lived as a delinquent, there’s no way he would have read the essay she submitted to the law essay contest in middle school.

‘But, why?’

Why had Park Yoo-seung been pretending to be an idiot all this time?

And why was he starting to reveal his true self now?

Yoo Ye-seul suddenly thought of the succession structure of Yooseong Group, to which Park Yoo-seung belonged.

Park Yoo-seung’s older brother, Park Tae-yang, whom she had met a few times at parties.

He appeared to be a nice businessman at first glance, but behind the scenes, he was a dangerous person who would do anything to achieve his goals.

His older sister, Park Min-ha, wasn’t as sinister, but she had a fiery personality and wouldn’t be satisfied until she destroyed everything that bothered her.

They would have been extremely threatening enemies to the young Park Yoo-seung.

What if Park Yoo-seung had been pretending to be incompetent to avoid their vigilance, hiding his true nature?

What if he had been secretly accumulating knowledge and power, drawing a grand plan?

‘Come to think of it,’

She had heard from her sources in Yooseong Group that Chairman Park was finally about to choose a successor, but that atmosphere had completely disappeared recently.

According to Yoo Ye-seul’s investigation, it was around the time Park Yoo-seung visited his family.

‘As soon as he started moving, he shook the chairman of Yooseong Group…?’

Yoo Ye-seul gulped.

The source of Yoo Ye-seul’s confidence was her background.

The daughter of the representative of ‘Taejong’, one of the top three law firms in Korea.

But law firms were essentially labor-intensive industries that revolved around human capital.

Even a ‘large’ law firm with hundreds of lawyers didn’t have that large of an absolute revenue scale.

At best, it would be similar to a mid-sized company.

It was incomparable to Yooseong Group, a giant in the business world.

Among Taejong’s main consulting clients were many of Yooseong’s core affiliates.

In other words, the scale they were playing on was fundamentally different.

An image flashed through Yoo Ye-seul’s mind.

A giant snake coiled within a deep cave.

No, it wasn’t a snake.

‘…A hidden dragon!’

A giant dragon hiding its breath, waiting for the moment to soar and devour everything.

Just how deep were the will, the tenacity, and the cunning honed while deceiving the world’s eyes that it held?

Yoo Ye-seul was suddenly struck with fear, realizing that she had provoked an unimaginable being.

Indeed, as her father said, she was just a catfish.

The problem was that what she had provoked wasn’t a shark or a whale, but the reverse scale of a dragon that had been crouching, waiting to rise.

‘What do I do, what do I do, what do I do…!’

She had retrieved all the copies of the magazine with her father’s paper that had been distributed to the public.

But she hadn’t been able to secure the copies taken by academics who had fallen out with her father or lost contact.

What if Park Yoo-seung contacted them? It would be the end for Yoo Ye-seul.

Her admission would be revoked in an instant, and if she couldn’t become a legal professional, she wouldn’t be able to succeed her father.

‘…No, no. Calm down.’

Yoo Ye-seul quickly pulled herself together.

‘Yes, it’s not too late yet.’

Park Yoo-seung hadn’t made any move after warning her that day.

Why hadn’t he tried to strangle her, even though he had investigated her past and grasped her weakness?

Perhaps, he was giving her a chance. That’s the conclusion Yoo Ye-seul reached.

He was testing her to see if she could understand his true nature, if she had the insight and judgment.

If she went to him now and begged for forgiveness, offering herself as a useful tool, she might be able to avoid the worst outcome.

Now that her weakness had been exposed, it was impossible to rebel against him.

If you can’t beat them, join them.

She could only hope that there was a place for her in the grand design he was drawing.

It was then that Han Seol, who always accompanied Park Yoo-seung, posted a notice to recruit study group members.

Park Yoo-seung would definitely be there.

For Yoo Ye-seul, this was no different from her last chance.

And so, Yoo Ye-seul, with trembling hands, held her smartphone and wrote the application message.

***

“I’ll do anything you ask! I’m quite competent, you know. Please don’t reject me…”

Yoo Ye-seul seemed as if she would kowtow if I didn’t stop her right away.

Even when I asked her what she was talking about, she kept saying the same thing.

“You’re telling me not to reveal your true intentions! I understand, I’ll keep my mouth shut!”

“What are you talking about, you crazy woman?”

It seemed like Yoo Ye-seul had greatly misunderstood something.

I didn’t know what kind of misunderstanding could lead her to wave a white flag like this, but as someone who was prepared to confront her if necessary, this development was quite baffling.

‘…But it’s not a bad thing.’

Yoo Ye-seul was actually quite competent.

It wouldn’t be bad to be able to use her, whether for the tasks I had in mind for this study group or for various things that would happen in Hankuk University Law School in the future.

More than anything, she was a villain who opposed Shin Seo-joon and constantly tried to hinder him in the original story.

If I could control Yoo Ye-seul, Shin Seo-joon would be able to solve problems more quickly.

In the end, I spoke to Yoo Ye-seul, who was practically prostrating herself on the floor.

“Please, get up. Yes.”

“…Are you accepting me?”

“Yes, so please get up. And don’t lower yourself like that in front of others.”

“Thank you! Thank you!”

“I understand, so please leave now.”

“Yes!”

Yoo Ye-seul jumped up like someone who had come back from the dead and bowed her head repeatedly.

Then, as I gave the order to leave, she left the study room with a spring in her step.

“I-I’m alive!”

I thought I heard her say that.

“…Well, that’s something.”

Anyway, should I consider the Yoo Ye-seul matter settled for now?

The only one left was Kim Seung-pil, the most important person in this interview.

‘Focus.’

Kim Seung-pil was different from the other law school classmates who were like children.

He wasn’t someone I could easily judge.

If I could make him an ally, he would be a great help… but to prevent the original story from being excessively distorted, I had to figure out his current intentions first.

I called Kim Seung-pil on my smartphone and summoned him to the room.

“Ah, is it my turn?”

Kim Seung-pil entered, opening the door, and sat across from me.

“You want to join our Constitutional Law study group?”

“Of course.”

Kim Seung-pil replied with a smile that exuded a professional air.

Indeed, since he had been working for several years, he was quite a bit older than us.

“May I ask why?”

I didn’t actually expect an answer.

This was because Kim Seung-pil wasn’t someone who would readily reveal his inner thoughts.

That’s why,

“Actually,”

When Kim Seung-pil said that right away, I was quite surprised.

“I’ve become interested in Mr. Park Yoo-seung.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Oh no, no. Don’t misunderstand. I don’t mean it that way.”

Kim Seung-pil waved his hands and continued,

“Mr. Park Yoo-seung, do you happen to know what I used to do?”

“You were a reporter. You single-handedly covered a huge scandal that shook the nation.”

“As expected, you know.”

“You’re quite famous.”

Kim Seung-pil laughed, saying it was an honor.

“People praise me, saying I’m a true reporter who upholds justice, a hero who uncovered a massive collective crime that was almost buried… but that’s different from reality. I’m just a person who follows his own interests.”

“Interests, you say?”

“That’s right. I didn’t quit being a reporter because I had some grand idea. I just found it interesting to deal with legal issues while covering that case.”

“And now,” Kim Seung-pil said, pointing at me.

“Mr. Park Yoo-seung, your actions have sparked my interest.”

“…”

“Wouldn’t anyone be curious? About what path a chaebol heir who suddenly sheds his ‘delinquent’ mask will take.”

‘Wait, this guy too?’

I felt a bit dizzy for a moment.

So, to summarize, this guy was the same as Yoo Ye-seul.

I was just diligently studying after being suddenly possessed, but people were clinging to me with their own misunderstandings.

‘What path am I supposed to take?’

I just wanted to quietly hone my legal skills and fulfill my unfulfilled dream.

All the other things I was doing were just to make it easier or to remove obstacles in advance.

But it seemed that others didn’t see it that way.

Kim Seung-pil nodded as if he understood everything, and then made an offer.

“Three times.”

Kim Seung-pil held up three fingers.

“I’ll let you use the media three times, in any way you want, whenever you want. Even though I’m still a rookie, I’ve gained some influence here and there after landing such a big case.”

“…What’s the price?”

“Let me observe your moves, Mr. Park Yoo-seung. For now, well, let’s start with including me in this study group. To be honest, I’m struggling with Constitutional Law.”

Even I have to pass the bar exam, you know. Kim Seung-pil joked.

“Ah, and also,”

“And also?”

“Let me write an article about you, Mr. Park Yoo-seung, when I want to, later on.”

‘Is this the main point?’

“I have a good nose for these things. I have a feeling that you, Mr. Park Yoo-seung… will provide me with another once-in-a-lifetime scoop.”

In the end, although he said he quit, Kim Seung-pil was still a journalist at heart.

I could almost see the desire for an interesting story burning in his eyes.

‘What should I do?’

Simply put, it was a three-to-one deal.

I could use Kim Seung-pil three times, and in return, I just had to provide him with material for an article once.

Being able to borrow the power of the media whenever needed would be a great advantage.

‘Yes, for example, even that issue…’

But the important thing was that I was currently ‘Park Yoo-seung’.

Fortunately, this delinquent hadn’t committed any serious crimes, but due to his terrible behavior, there were many things that could cause trouble if they were brought to light.

It was even possible that it could seriously hinder my path to becoming a prosecutor.

I had to make sure to address this part.

“I have a condition,”

I said to Kim Seung-pil.

“You will never write an article that harms me in any way. If you write an article, it must be reviewed by me and only include content that I approve.”

“That’s easy enough. Alright.”

“…Are you really okay with that?”

“I never intended to harm you, Mr. Park Yoo-seung.”

Well then. The deal was struck.

Kim Seung-pil extended his hand, and I hesitated for a moment before shaking it.

“Then, I look forward to working with you.”

After he left, I muttered to myself,

“…What in the world just happened?”

I was just trying to find members for exam preparation.

And now, I suddenly had two human resources that I could use in various ways.

“I’ll have to inform those Han Seol interviewed that they’ve been rejected.”

It wasn’t wrong since we had agreed to follow my decision for the selection of study group members, but I felt a bit sorry.

They were rejected regardless of their interview performance.

I should make it up to them later. Maybe with study materials or something.

Anyway, it wasn’t a bad outcome. Rather, it was very good.

The two of them were actually very suitable for the original purpose of the study group.

“Alright, now that I’ve chosen the study group members, it’s time to prepare.”

The strategy to overcome the notorious ‘ConLaw’ exam.

All the ingredients were in place.

Now was the time to put it into action.

I briefly explained the situation to Han Seol and then returned home to start the necessary preparations.

The workload was more than I expected, so I practically stayed up all night.

And the next afternoon,

“Now, now. Let’s all greet each other.”

I gathered the six completed study group members in the study room.

Han Seol, Lee Ha-ru, Yoo Tae-woon, Yoo Ye-seul, Kim Seung-pil, and me.

“I’m Kim Seung-pil. Nice to meet you all.”

“I-I’m Yoo Ye-seul…”

After the new members formally introduced themselves, I turned on the projector, and everyone’s heads turned to the video projected on the wall.

“This is what we’re going to do from now on.”