I Became a Law School Genius

Chapter 44

『 Translator – Divinity 』

“Of course, I have to participate.”

There was no question about it.

“As expected! Then I’ll put your name on the team list?”

“But I won’t be on your team.”

“…W-why?”

Han Seol looked back with a somewhat hurt expression.

“A-are you saying you don’t need me now that you’re good at studying?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

There was no one I could find who would be a more reliable teammate than Han Seol.

The rules of this mock trial competition were very similar to the second evaluation in the pre-law program.

We would be given various records and materials related to a specific case and have to construct legal arguments and debate within a short time.

An absolute lack of time.

Even though searching was allowed, those who had memorized many precedents and legal principles would naturally have an advantage.

I wasn’t exactly lacking in that aspect, but compared to Han Seol, who could practically devour entire precedent collections, there was a difference in the amount of information we had.

“Then why?”

“It’s simple,”

I answered.

“You’re going to participate in the civil division. I’m going to do criminal.”

The Mock Trial Competition was divided into civil and criminal divisions.

Naturally, the preliminary rounds for each law school were also divided, and two teams were selected, one for each division.

In the original story, Han Seol participated in the civil division.

Actually, not just her, but most of the top students tended to apply for the civil division.

To participate in the competition, you needed to know not only substantive law but also procedural law, and since they would be learning Civil Procedure in the next semester, participating in the competition was an efficient way to do some pre-studying.

Criminal Procedure was a subject they would only get a taste of in their second year, so there was no need to study it now… that was the common understanding and the tip passed down from seniors.

‘But, not for me.’

Pre-studying? I had already done that to death since ten years ago.

I was planning to study all of the procedural law again by the end of the first semester and summer vacation anyway.

Then, there was no reason for me to be tied to the civil division.

The subject I was more confident in and liked better.

It was Criminal Law, so I chose Criminal Law.

Therefore, unfortunately, I couldn’t participate in the same team as Han Seol, who would be in the civil division.

“I also regret losing a strong teammate like you. But since things have turned out this way, there’s no…”

“I’m going to participate in the criminal division too.”

“…Huh?”

What was she talking about?

“Why?”

“It’s true that the civil division is beneficial for pre-studying next semester’s material, but it’s not like I can’t pre-study Civil Procedure just because I choose the criminal division.”

Han Seol pointed at me.

“And, I need you, Park Yoo-seung, to win.”

“What?”

“As you know, I’m weak at application. I’m confident in writing down what I know, but I have trouble analyzing and dissecting unfamiliar situations to find the answer.”

Han Seol had been overcoming that with her tremendous input capacity.

If she was weak against the unfamiliar, she could just make everything she might encounter in the exam familiar.

But for completely new situations like the second evaluation in the pre-law program or this mock trial competition, that approach had its limits.

“Of course, I’ll try my best like I did in the pre-law program… but still, this is your specialty.”

She wasn’t trying to freeload.

Since we each excelled in different areas, she was suggesting we join forces.

Looking at Han Seol’s awkward smile, I fell into thought.

‘This is different from the original story.’

Han Seol was destined to participate in the civil division.

And she would clash with Shin Seo-joon, who also chose the civil division, lose badly, and hand over the position of Hankuk University Law School representative to Shin Seo-joon’s team.

It was the trigger that started to complicate the narrative built up since the beginning of the semester, with their relationship fluctuating between rivals, colleagues, and something more.

But in this world, since I existed from the beginning, there was almost no point of contact between Han Seol and Shin Seo-joon.

—If that guy asks you to do a study group or something, put up a wall.

—Why?

—It’s safer that way.

—What are you talking about…

There were parts I deliberately erased.

If she got involved with Shin Seo-joon, she would be swept into the spectacular latter half of the original story and be used as a pawn.

I didn’t want to lose a reliable ally like that.

Han Seol also wasn’t particularly fond of Shin Seo-joon, so although she was puzzled, she followed my advice.

Because of that, the story had already changed significantly for her compared to the original, but I didn’t expect even the mock trial competition to unfold differently.

‘Is this… bad?’

In the original story, Han Seol was just one of the pawns Shin Seo-joon conveniently used.

Her presence, or absence, had minimal impact on the main story.

There are cases where a character is portrayed as gaining an incredible ally or a precious item in the early part of the story, stimulating the readers’ dopamine, but then fades into insignificance in the latter half, becoming like air.

Han Seol was one such case.

Then, would there be any problem if Han Seol changed the field she participated in or even won the Mock Trial Competition?

After briefly weighing the pros and cons, I concluded that there wouldn’t be.

“If that’s what you want.”

I nodded.

“I look forward to working with you, team leader.”

“Yeah, me too.”

With a satisfied smile, Han Seol started filling out the application form.

Watching her, I soon realized one thing.

“Wait, isn’t this a 3-person team?”

“It is.”

“Who are we going to choose for the remaining member?”

First of all, Lee Ha-ru was out.

If I brought her along, she would probably play games until the day before the finals and then fall asleep at the venue.

She could barely manage the things she had to do; it was too early to expect her to fulfill her role in a competition like this.

‘She wouldn’t even agree to it in the first place.’

I had already asked Yoo Tae-woon, but after experiencing the midterms, he declined, saying he needed to focus more on his studies.

Yoo Ye-seul and Kim Seung-pil also said they had other commitments.

It wasn’t easy to find a new member at this point.

The name Park Yoo-seung was still being avoided by my classmates.

There was a chance to improve my image with the ConLaw thesis incident, but because I had rejected everyone who approached me while resolving the Seo Hui-jin incident, I felt even more isolated than before.

“I have a secret weapon,”

However, Han Seol declared confidently.

“You’ll be surprised when you see who it is.”

“Just who could it be…”

***

The news that the Mock Trial Competition preliminary round announcement was up spread quickly.

Most of the top students seemed to be considering participating.

It was the same for Shin Seo-joon and his group.

“Let’s participate together, Jeong Min-sik-ssi.”

Shin Seo-joon patted Jeong Min-sik’s shoulder in a friendly manner.

Jeong Min-sik, who had consistently maintained his third-place ranking since the pre-law program, was a valuable asset.

But Jeong Min-sik brushed off Shin Seo-joon’s hand and curtly replied,

“No.”

“Why not?”

Shin Seo-joon asked, surprised.

It was an unexpected turn of events for him.

He knew that Jeong Min-sik harbored a strange sense of jealousy towards him, but he thought that Jeong Min-sik, with his strong ambition, would undoubtedly join his team to win.

However, Jeong Min-sik had his own thoughts.

‘I can’t stay in this guy’s shadow forever!’

He acknowledged that Shin Seo-joon was outstanding. And he didn’t dislike him personally.

Shin Seo-joon’s flaw was that he was too perfect and lacked human warmth, but still, he treated Jeong Min-sik quite well.

Receiving the trust of an outstanding individual and seeing others envy him for it satisfied Jeong Min-sik’s self-esteem to some extent.

But Shin Seo-joon’s existence was also the cause of the scratches on his pride.

—But both of you are seriously amazing. First and third place at the entrance ceremony, first and third place in the first evaluation, and first and third place in the overall ranking. It never changes.

—Look at Jeong Min-sik. He’s still looking at multiple-choice O/X questions on his phone. There’s a reason for everything.

—Seo-joon is still first even though he plays tennis, goes to parties, and does everything.

—He’s… just on a different level.

Jeong Min-sik recalled the conversation he had overheard during the Legal Clinic.

‘Damn it, I know that!’

Shin Seo-joon, who always maintained his first-place position with ease and aloofness.

On the other hand, Jeong Min-sik, who devoted all his waking hours to studying and desperately struggled, was just a mere mortal who barely managed to secure third place.

Not even second.

Right above him was that monster of memorization, Han Seol.

Even though they both studied like crazy, he was simply inferior as a study machine.

This couldn’t be. It shouldn’t be this way.

I’m the one who works harder than anyone else. I should be the best.

Otherwise, it’s all meaningless…

Whenever he took his eyes off his books, such gloomy thoughts would plague Jeong Min-sik’s mind.

Therefore, this Mock Trial Competition was an opportunity for him.

It was practically impossible to beat Shin Seo-joon in terms of grades.

But with a competition, things might be different.

Participating in the same team as Shin Seo-joon was a bad move.

Even if they achieved good results, there was a high chance that his contributions would be overshadowed by Shin Seo-joon’s, and he would be lucky if he wasn’t labeled as just a passenger on Shin Seo-joon’s bus.

That was why Jeong Min-sik wanted to participate in a separate team.

Achieving that, beating Shin Seo-joon and winning the championship, would be the best scenario, but he knew that it would be difficult in reality.

Then, he had to at least show that he could stand shoulder to shoulder with him.

“I’m going to participate in the criminal division.”

That was Jeong Min-sik’s conclusion.

“You win the civil division preliminaries and become the civil division representative. I’ll win the criminal division and become the criminal division representative. Let’s meet at the top.”

He was confident.

The criminal division was likely to be wide open.

Most of the diligent and high-achieving students would flock to the civil division, where they could pre-study for next semester.

Even Shin Seo-joon, who had already mastered the entirety of Criminal Law, was participating in the civil division.

Most of the students who applied for the criminal division were in the middle to lower ranks.

They were trying to use it as a stepping stone to somehow overturn their lackluster grades and get appointed to public office.

There was no way he would lose to those losers.

Jeong Min-sik knew all too well that countless people were beneath him, even though he was always looking up at the unreachable ceiling, his neck stiff from doing so.

But Shin Seo-joon poured cold water on his confidence.

“It won’t be easy.”

“What? Are you saying I’ll lose to those idiots who choose the criminal division?”

“Please refrain from calling your classmates idiots. They’re all smart and capable people.”

“More than that,” Shin Seo-joon shook his head.

“That person will probably participate in the criminal division this time.”

“That person? Who are you talking about?”

“You know. That Park Yoo-seung-ssi.”

“…!”

‘Right. Definitely.’

Shin Seo-joon swallowed a groan.

Park Yoo-seung had caught his attention from the beginning of the semester.

That sense of finding hidden clues between the lines of the question and weaving an answer based on a solid understanding of basic legal principles.

While others might not have noticed, Shin Seo-joon recognized his true talent at a glance.

That’s why he approached him, but after hearing a disappointing answer, he excluded him from his recruitment targets.

Park Yoo-seung’s sense of justice was something Shin Seo-joon detested, and there didn’t seem to be any openings to exploit.

But now, after some time had passed, even that was becoming doubtful.

‘It’s strange.’

His performance in the Legal Clinic was understandable.

Since Jang Yong-hwan’s advisory group required participation in activities, he must have wanted to use his talent to earn points.

But Park Yoo-seung had made a strange move in the recent theft incident.

While distributing the summary of Professor Han Il-gu’s thesis, he could have used it to improve his standing.

But instead, he rejected those who approached him for the material, further isolating himself.

Then why did he show off the material in the first place?

Was it just to show off? That wasn’t likely.

Rather, considering that it was Park Yoo-seung who pointed out the flaw in Seo Hui-jin’s presentation…

‘Was it a deliberate act to lure out Seo Hui-jin, the culprit?’

Promoting that he had valuable materials to attract the culprit, and planting false information within the materials to create undeniable evidence.

What if that was his strategy?

But what did Park Yoo-seung gain by solving that incident? It didn’t suit his attitude of ‘being good at law is justice’, showing no interest in right or wrong.

He was difficult to understand.

And having someone difficult to understand nearby wasn’t a good sign.

Shin Seo-joon had a purpose for entering Hankuk University Law School.

Something different from simply working hard and becoming a legal professional, something quite personal.

Therefore, having someone he couldn’t control or utilize loitering around wasn’t welcome.

‘Should I find out more?’

Perhaps by making Jeong Min-sik clash with Park Yoo-seung, he could find more clues about him.

After finishing his calculations, Shin Seo-joon put on a worried voice.

“Jeong Min-sik-ssi is excellent, but Park Yoo-seung-ssi is not an easy opponent. You know he’s the type to shine on a stage like this.”

“Are you saying I’ll lose to that guy?”

As expected, Jeong Min-sik flew into a rage.

“Don’t be ridiculous. You might, but I’m not so incompetent that I’ll lose to a loser who wasted his life.”

“Of course, I’m rooting for you, Jeong Min-sik-ssi.”

“Don’t root for me, believe in me!”

Jeong Min-sik, fuming, opened the door and left.

‘This should be enough.’

Jeong Min-sik had a strong complex about not getting results despite his efforts.

You might wonder how the third-ranked student at Hankuk University Law School could be considered ‘not getting results’, but there were such people in the world.

Park Yoo-seung was a being who directly challenged Jeong Min-sik’s complex.

The guy who was known as a hopeless slacker had now reached right under Jeong Min-sik’s nose.

The mere thought of being overtaken would make Jeong Min-sik fight with his life on the line.

A life-or-death struggle.

In a fight where they gave their all, something would surely be revealed.