Chapter 8 - Episode 7: The Inspection & The Ledger

October 27-29, 2005

Day 11-13 of Ascension

---

October 27 (Thursday)

09:00 AM, High School Diagnostic

Ji-hyun's brother, Min-kyu, was a sullen sixteen-year-old with circles under his eyes. They met in a study room at the public library.

"I hate math," Min-kyu announced without preamble.

"Most people hate what they don't understand," Je-hoon said, placing a diagnostic test on the table. "Forty-five minutes. Show your work."

While Min-kyu grumbled through algebra problems, Je-hoon scanned his posture, breathing patterns, eye movements. ZEO analyzed:

· 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙩𝙮𝙡𝙚: 𝙆𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙘 (𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨-𝙤𝙣)

· 𝘼𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙣: 7 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙨

· 𝘼𝙣𝙭𝙞𝙚𝙩𝙮 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙧: 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙨

· 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙜𝙖𝙥𝙨: 𝙁𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 (𝙢𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙡𝙚 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡), 𝙁𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 (𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡)

When time was up, Je-hoon graded: 42%.

"See? Hopeless," Min-kyu said, but there was vulnerability beneath the bravado.

"Not hopeless. Misaligned instruction." Je-hoon pointed to a problem. "You understand the concept of variables. But you panic at fractions because you never truly mastered them."

"So?"

"So we rebuild from the foundation. Two hours weekly. Guaranteed 20-point improvement on next exam or refund."

Min-kyu blinked. "Refund?"

"Performance-based pricing. My confidence in my methods."

The teenager considered. "Fine. But if I don't improve, you give back double."

"Agreed."

𝙏𝙪𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙙𝙚𝙡 𝙚𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙙: 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚-𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜.

---

14:00 PM, The Electronics Shop

The apartment manager's nephew ran "Han's Electronics Repair" from a cramped storefront. Mr. Han was in his twenties, fingers stained with solder flux.

"You're the kid who fixes vending machines?" he asked, not looking up from a disassembled radio.

"Yes."

"Show me."

Je-hoon took the radio. Diagnosed: faulty capacitor, burnt resistor. He replaced both from the shop's bins in under three minutes.

Mr. Han watched, impressed. "Okay. Saturdays, 10 AM to 4 PM. ₩8,000. Lunch included. You handle small repairs, I handle complex."

"Agreed. But I want to learn the complex ones too."

"Ambitious. Fine. Teach you what I know."

Another mentor acquired. Another skill tree unlocking.

---

18:30 PM, The Ledger Revisited

Back at the orphanage, Je-hoon was summoned to Director Kim's office again. This time, the director looked exhausted.

"The inspection is Monday," he said, rubbing his temples. "They'll examine everything. Financial records. Donor logs."

Je-hoon waited.

"Mr. Park's office... when you cleaned it... did you find anything unusual?"

Careful. "Unusual how?"

"Notes. Personal records. Anything not... official."

Je-hoon considered honesty versus protection. "There was a small notebook. Personal ledger."

Director Kim's face paled. "Where is it?"

"In the desk drawer. Left it as found."

Relief washed over the director's face. Then suspicion. "You didn't show anyone?"

"No, sir."

"Good. The notebook... contains Mr. Park's private calculations. Not official. Might be misunderstood."

"Understood."

"The inspection team may ask you questions. About conditions. About food. About... anything. Your answers should be..."

"Positive and truthful," Je-hoon completed. "I understand."

Director nodded, dismissed him.

Outside, Je-hoon calculated. The director was terrified of that ledger being found. Which meant the irregularities were more serious than small embezzlement.

He needed to see that ledger again.

---

21:00 PM, Nocturnal Investigation

At 1:17 AM, when the orphanage was deepest in sleep, Je-hoon slipped from bed. ZEO guided him through the dark corridors, avoiding creaky floorboards, timing patrols.

The administrative wing was locked, but the lock was basic. He used a straightened paperclip (from his repair kit) and tension wrench. Eight seconds.

Mr. Park's old office. Dark, dusty again despite his cleaning.

He went straight to the desk. The notebook was gone. Director had removed it.

But Je-hoon had photographic memory via ZEO. He recalled every page. Replayed mentally:

𝘼𝙪𝙜 3: 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 ₩300,000 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙎. 𝙈𝙤𝙤𝙣. 𝙉𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙥𝙩.

𝘼𝙪𝙜 10: 𝙋𝙖𝙞𝙙 ₩150,000 𝙛𝙤𝙧 "𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙨." 𝙉𝙤 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚.

𝙎𝙚𝙥 5: 𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙙 #3: ₩2,500,000.

𝙎𝙚𝙥 12: 𝙈𝙚𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙎.𝙈. 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙙.

S.M. likely "S. Moon." The discrepancies were larger than he'd initially thought. ₩2.5 million discrepancy in one donor fund.

And "resolved." How?

He searched the desk more thoroughly. Found nothing. But as he turned to leave, his foot scuffed a loose floorboard.

He knelt. The board shifted slightly. Beneath: a hidden compartment.

Inside: another notebook. Thinner. More recent.

He opened. Last entry: September 28, 2005.

𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙣𝙩. 𝙎.𝙈. 𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚. 𝘾𝙖𝙣'𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙙𝙪𝙚. 𝙏𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙆𝙞𝙢? 𝙍𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮. 𝘽𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤...

The entry ended mid-sentence.

Mr. Park had been under pressure. Blackmail? Extortion? And he'd died days later. Officially heart attack. But timing was suspicious.

Je-hoon photographed each page with his mind, returned the notebook, replaced the floorboard.

He returned to bed unseen.

Data acquired. Risk elevated.

---

October 28 (Friday)

The Preparation

The orphanage transformed into a hive of frantic activity. Children scrubbed floors, polished windows, arranged donated toys to look plentiful.

Je-hoon was assigned to the library—his natural habitat. He arranged books by subject, created a "reading corner" display, placed his physics and medical texts prominently.

Mrs. Han approached, whispering. "Director's on edge. Yelled at Cook Lee about the coffee budget."

"The coffee service is cost-effective," Je-hoon said. "Higher quality at same price as instant."

"Try telling him that."

At lunch, Director Kim made another announcement: "Tomorrow, rehearsal. How to greet inspectors. How to answer questions. Participation mandatory."

The mood grew tense. Even the younger children sensed something was wrong.

---

15:00 PM, The Medical Expansion

Seung-woo, the boy with the knee injury, approached Je-hoon in the yard. "The doctor said it was a miracle. Ligament damage minimal. Healing way faster than expected."

"Good," Je-hoon said.

"My mom wants to thank you. She runs a small pharmacy. Says if you ever need... anything."

Pharmacy access. Medical supplies. Another connection.

"Tell her I appreciate it."

"She also said... if you know first aid, maybe you could help at the community center. They run free clinics on Sundays. Volunteer, but they give lunch and sometimes small stipend."

𝙈𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙣𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠: 𝙀𝙭𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙋𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙨.

"I'll consider it," Je-hoon said.

---

19:00 PM, The Vending Route Expansion

Je-hoon visited his two repaired machines. Collected shares:

· Factory machine: ₩1,200 (his 30% share)

· Apartment machine: ₩900 (25% share)

Total: ₩2,100 weekly. Modest but consistent.

The factory watchman had news: "Owner called. Surprised machine's working. Said if it stays working, he'll send a guy to service his other machines in the area. I gave him your name."

"My name?"

"Just 'the clever kid from Blue Bird.' He'll contact the orphanage."

Risk: exposure. Reward: potentially more machines.

Calculated risk acceptable.

---

October 29 (Saturday)

The Rehearsal & The Revelation

Director Kim lined up all children in the dining hall. "When inspectors ask how you are, you say: 'Very well, thank you. Blue Bird is a good home.'"

He went down the line, drilling each child.

Je-hoon watched, ZEO analyzing the director's deteriorating state:

· 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡: 8.7/10

· 𝘽𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚: 𝙀𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 (145/95)

· 𝘿𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣-𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮: 𝘿𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙨

During a break, Mrs. Han pulled Je-hoon aside. "There's a man asking for you at the gate."

Je-hoon went. A man in his forties, wearing a leather jacket, stood smoking.

"You the kid fixing vending machines?"

"Yes."

"I own seven in this district. Heard you're good. Want a job? Ten percent of net profits per machine you maintain."

"Fifteen percent. And I want to learn the business—ordering, restocking, accounting."

The man—Mr. Moon—smiled. "Ambitious. Fine. Fifteen. Start Monday."

He handed Je-hoon a business card: Moon's Vending Services.

Moon. S. Moon.

Coincidence? Unlikely.

"Thank you, Mr. Moon," Je-hoon said, watching his reaction.

The man's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Just do good work."

After he left, Je-hoon connected the dots: S. Moon from the ledger. Vending machine business. Paying off Mr. Park? For what? Overlooking something? Funneling orphanage funds?

The inspection wasn't just about welfare standards. It was about financial corruption. And Mr. Moon knew it.

---

14:00 PM, Electronics Shop - First Day

Mr. Han's shop was busy. Je-hoon handled simple repairs: headphones, calculators, remote controls. ZEO's instant mastery combined with manual dexterity made him surprisingly effective.

"You've done this before," Mr. Han observed.

"I read schematics quickly."

"Huh. Well, this one's tricky." He handed Je-hoon a damaged portable CD player. "Disc spins but no sound."

Je-hoon diagnosed: laser assembly misaligned, audio chip loose solder. Fixed in twelve minutes.

"Kid, you're worth double what I'm paying. Tell you what—you bring in your own repair jobs, keep 70%. I provide tools, parts at cost."

𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙪𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙙𝙚𝙡: 𝙀𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙.

Je-hoon accepted. Another income stream diversified.

---

19:30 PM, Strategic Decision Point

Back at the orphanage, Je-hoon reviewed his position:

1. Inspection Monday - High risk to orphanage stability

2. S. Moon connection - Potential criminal element

3. Growing business network - Multiple revenue streams

4. Medical capability - Untapped potential

5. Soo-jae's return - 20 days away

The ledger suggested Mr. Park had been coerced into financial irregularities. Mr. Moon was likely the coercer. Director Kim knew and was terrified.

Options:

A) Expose everything - Orphanage likely shuttered, children dispersed, his position destroyed.

B) Stay silent - Risk of being implicated later if discovered.

C) Leverage information - Use knowledge to secure position, protect orphanage, neutralize Moon.

C was optimal but dangerous.

He needed more data.

---

22:00 PM, The Second Nocturnal Investigation

He returned to Mr. Park's office. This time, he searched not for paper, but for digital traces. The old computer.

He booted it. Password protected. But Mr. Park had likely used something simple.

He tried: BlueBird2005 (orphanage name + year). Denied.

Tried: Park1950 (birth year likely). Denied.

Tried: Accountant1 (common). Denied.

Then he noticed a sticky note stuck under the keyboard: "PW: grace1982"

Grace. Mr. Park's deceased wife? Daughter?

He typed: grace1982

The computer unlocked.

Files were organized: budgets, donor lists, supplier invoices. He searched for "Moon."

Three files:

1. Moon Vending Contract.pdf - Orphanage purchasing vending machines at inflated prices (₩1.2 million each, market value ₩800,000)

2. Maintenance Agreement.moon - Monthly "maintenance fees" of ₩150,000 per machine (excessive)

3. Donation Receipts_Moon.xls - Moon listed as donating ₩500,000 monthly (circular funding?)

The scheme was clear: Moon sold overpriced machines to orphanage, charged high maintenance, "donated" back portion, creating paper trail of charity while siphoning funds.

Mr. Park had discovered it. Been coerced into silence. Possibly killed?

Je-hoon copied files to a floppy disk he'd brought (purchased from electronics shop for ₩500). Ejected. Shut down.

Evidence acquired.

---

Day 13 Summary

𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡:

· 𝘾𝙖𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙡: ₩9,750 (𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙨)

· 𝙒𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙤𝙢𝙚: ₩35,000 (𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙)

· 𝘿𝙚𝙗𝙩: ₩17,000 (28 𝙙𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜)

𝙀𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚:

· 𝙇𝙚𝙙𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙨 (𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙙)

· 𝘿𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙨 (𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙚𝙙)

· 𝙈𝙧. 𝙈𝙤𝙤𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 (𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙢𝙚𝙙)

𝙍𝙞𝙨𝙠 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚:

· 𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: 2 𝙙𝙖𝙮𝙨

· 𝙈𝙧. 𝙈𝙤𝙤𝙣: 𝘼𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙞𝙢

· 𝘿𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙧 𝙆𝙞𝙢: 𝘿𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚

· 𝙊𝙧𝙥𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮: 𝙑𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙡𝙤𝙬

𝙊𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨:

· 𝙇𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣

· 𝙀𝙭𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙈𝙤𝙤𝙣'𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨

· 𝙐𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙨

Je-hoon lay in bed, the floppy disk hidden beneath his mattress. Outside, rain fell harder.

He had evidence that could destroy the orphanage. Or save it.

The inspection would decide much.

But he would not be passive.

He would calculate. Plan. Execute.

The chessboard was becoming clear. He just needed to decide which pieces to sacrifice, and which to protect.

---

𝘿𝙖𝙮 11-13: 𝙀𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙘𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙙

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙪𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙣𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙙

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙢𝙨

𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚. 𝙉𝙤𝙬 𝙖 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙧. 𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙥𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚.

---

End Episode 7