Spending money is fun.
Though technically, it’s not really my money.
Well, in my past life, I didn’t have money to spend, so it’s not like I was holding back.
I enjoyed swapping out computer parts, buying gaming consoles, or getting a camera I’d barely use, or traveling to nearby countries.
Of course, those were rare events that only happened every few years, but spending money on my hobbies and enjoyment was truly fun.
“But, uh, um…”
After the disciplinary committee ended, a female student carefully approached me as I walked out of the classroom.
With a face still wondering, ‘Is this really okay?’, she was tightly holding a thick paper envelope in her hand.
It was an envelope filled with bundles of yellow bills.
“So, what are we supposed to do now?”
She was asking how they should act now that they had received money.
“Well.”
I slightly lifted my gaze and blankly thought for a moment.
I didn’t know how to answer someone asking how not to ignore a person.
To be fair, even though people didn’t outright ignore each other in school, if we didn’t know each other, we wouldn’t even bother greeting.
Even if Ye Sara had lived a normal life without being ignored, people who weren’t close to her wouldn’t have gone out of their way to greet her.
Especially when considering Ye Sara’s wealth, it wasn’t likely that she would have much reason to get close to outside students anyway.
I just shrugged my shoulders and said,
“If we pass by each other, just give a small greeting.”
“…Huh?”
“You don’t need to smile warmly or force a friendly expression. Just, if you’re walking down the hall, in the cafeteria, or even outside the school, and happen to see me, wave your hand or something.”
Honestly, I wouldn’t expect more than that.
There’s no need for Ye Sara to have followers trailing after her for money in what should be a normal, happy school life.
As long as people don’t ignore her, that alone makes it a normal situation.
…It took so much effort to achieve something as simple as that.
“Well, of course, if I speak to you, at least respond… but I’m not asking for much more than that.”
I tilted my head and asked,
“Are you short on money?”
“What? No! That’s not it at all! I’m really fine, okay!?”
Well, I didn’t think they’d be lacking either.
Believe it or not, I’ve worked at small businesses earning less than 2 million won after deductions.
As a student, I did part-time jobs at minimum wage, and I even served in the military, where the salary was far below the minimum.
From the perspective of chaebols, dealing with hundreds or thousands of bills might seem like nothing, but for ordinary people, even one 10,000-won note can significantly improve their daily life.
If there’s a sick person at home, that money could be absolutely crucial.
A thousand notes don’t even weigh one kilogram.
But the weight of that one kilogram is more than just its physical mass.
“Really?”
I shrugged again and turned away.
“W-wait…!”
As I took a few steps, I heard someone call me urgently from behind.
When I turned around, it was a different girl calling out to me.
Earlier, about seven students came to the classroom as shields.
I wonder if they didn’t pick just one person to avoid making it look like collective bullying.
Among them, one girl who hadn’t said a word during the committee meeting was trembling.
She had an extremely plain appearance—honestly, her hair color wasn’t unique for a character in a visual novel, and her hairstyle wasn’t particularly pretty, just black, chopped short with round glasses.
She definitely wouldn’t have been a main character.
Frankly, she had an even less memorable impression than Shin So-ri, who didn’t even exist in the CGs.
But that made her come across as oddly diligent.
She ran over to me and immediately offered me the paper envelope.
“…Huh.”
I let out a sound without realizing it.
It seemed like her personality matched her appearance—diligent.
I could easily guess what she meant by that action, but I deliberately didn’t take the money, crossing my arms and tilting my head slightly.
“What’s the meaning of this?”
Ye Sara may be pretty, but based on appearances, she has a sharp demeanor.
Even though she made a strange noise when poked, no one would know until they actually tried poking her.
If it were another class, they wouldn’t have even had the chance to see her like that.
When I squinted my eyes and stared at her, she let out a small “Eek” sound.
But she didn’t withdraw the envelope she was holding out.
“I-I can’t accept money like this…!”
“What do you mean by ‘money like this’?”
“Well, it’s just…”
I let out a dramatic sigh and said,
“Do you think this is a bribe?”
“….”
It seemed she couldn’t bring herself to say that outright to the person who gave her the money, so she just looked down quietly.
“Let me ask you something. What does it take for something to count as a ‘bribe’?”
“Well….”
That’s right.
How exactly does a bribe work?
In a very broad sense, any money given to get someone to look favorably on you could be considered a bribe.
Parents from wealthy families treating students to meals so their kids could befriend others could also be seen as a form of bribery.
“Well, if you had given me money, it could be considered a bribe. After all, I’m the victim, and you’re one of the perpetrators. You might give money to have your name removed from the incident or something like that. But here, I’m the one giving you money. So, how could I have bribed you?”
A bullying victim handing over tens of millions of won to the perpetrators.
It would seem strange to anyone.
Without knowing the full context, it’d make headlines in the news.
The issue isn’t just the large sum of money.
It’s the fact that ‘the richest teenager in the world’ handed over money.
‘Eugene Group’s heiress couldn’t stand the bullying anymore and paid off the perpetrators with tens of millions!’
That’s not what you’d call a ‘bribe’.
It seemed the transfer student finally understood my words, as her face turned pale.
“Well, you don’t need to worry. I’m not going to report anything like that.”
“But, still…”
“If you’re worried this money is dirty, you don’t need to. It’s ‘my money’. I discreetly took it out using various methods because it’d be a hassle if the funds got tracked, but it’s completely clean. Isn’t that right?”
I looked up at Team Leader Han Garam, who had approached nearby, and she smiled contentedly.
“That’s correct! It’s money from your account and vault, and we’ve already calculated and set aside the gift tax, so there’s nothing to worry about. The government doesn’t care about the reason for giving money as long as taxes are paid and the money isn’t illegal.”
Of course, there are times when even illegal money is overlooked… but that’s a separate case for now.
I pressed down on the envelope in front of me and pushed it back toward her.
“And if you give the money back to me, what would happen to the others standing behind you? Wouldn’t that look even stranger?”
The remaining six girls behind her were watching anxiously.
For whatever reason, it seemed they each had their own reasons for wanting to keep the money.
Maybe they wanted to use it for themselves rather than for their families, but… it doesn’t really matter.
It’s their money now.
“So, just take it.”
“….”
Seeing no more reason to refuse after what I said, she finally nodded silently.
I turned away again and started walking.
Behind me, So-hee, Ha-neul, Soo-ah, Son A-reum, and Team Leader Han Garam followed.
“Did you see the teachers’ faces?”
So-hee excitedly asked me.
After So-hee slammed her foot into the desk, the teachers didn’t say a word.
Well, my outburst alone was enough to paralyze the class, and if So-hee, who entered the school with tens of billions, caused a scene, someone would definitely get hurt.
“No one will dare ignore you at this school anymore.”
Ha-neul said, sounding satisfied.
Sure enough, the other students in the hallway were staring at us.
There was a hint of fear in their eyes.
They didn’t know exactly what had happened in the committee meeting, but seeing us leave with bright expressions, they must have realized that something big had happened.
At the very least, it would be hard for anyone to ignore me from now on.
“Isn’t that great?”
Soo-ah smiled softly, and I returned her smile.
Well, for now, they won’t ignore me out of fear… but there’s still time.
By the time Ye Sara returns, that fear will have faded to some extent.
After all, she needs to live a ‘normal’ life.
“But… is it really okay to solve things with money like this…?”
Despite being the one who set everything up, Son A-reum asked worriedly.
It wasn’t an unreasonable concern.
Relationships built on money will break the moment the money stops flowing.
That’s why I only spent enough to ensure they wouldn’t ignore her.
Just enough to create the conditions for a minimum relationship.
With that in place, the rest can be built and maintained in other ways, without relying on money.
“….”
Dragging the half-empty suitcase, Team Leader Han Garam followed me in silence for a while, with a serious look on her face.
Then, as if she were about to spout another one of her absurd statements from before, she said,
“Excuse me, if it’s not too much trouble…”
“I’ll give you a success fee.”
Not the 50 billion won, of course.
“Just make sure you figure out a way to pay less tax.”
“Thank you so much, ma’am! Please continue to use our services! I beg you!”
Team Leader Han Garam was overjoyed, practically jumping for joy.
…Can money really make people that happy?
Well, I do like it too.
…I just hope Ye Sara doesn’t wake up and tell me to pay it all back.