Who Stole a Professor's Savings for Her Mother?

TL;DR

A professor discovers that nearly all of the 200 million won she saved over ten years for her stepmother’s home has disappeared through repeated smartphone banking transfers. The evidence points toward Dong-hyun, her stepmother’s son, who had accessed her phone, password, and identification, but her priorities shift when her stepmother suddenly collapses and is hospitalized.

Transcript

"Sir/Madam, I am sorry, but there is only 20,000 won in this account right now." The moment I heard those words, the seal I was holding in my hand dropped to the floor. It was money I had saved for 10 years, enduring the hardships of eating and wearing what I wanted. It was money I intended to buy a house for my stepmother, who raised me l... Read More

Key Insights

• Lee Su-jin is an associate professor whose education and career were made possible by her stepmother’s sacrifices, including market work that funded her university studies and time abroad despite the absence of any biological relationship between them.
• The missing 200 million won represented ten years of personal sacrifice, because Su-jin had repeatedly denied herself desired food and clothing while saving enough to buy her stepmother a clean, sunny home.
• The account contained only 20,000 won when Su-jin arrived to pay an apartment deposit, instantly ending her immediate plan to move her stepmother out of a dilapidated single room.
• The theft was conducted through numerous smartphone banking transfers over several months, with money removed in smaller increments instead of one large withdrawal that might have prompted contact from the bank.
• The withdrawal dates matched Su-jin’s academic conference trips and late-night teaching schedule, suggesting that the person responsible knew precisely when she would be away and unable to notice the activity.
• The transfer alerts had been redirected to another number that Su-jin rarely used, which prevented her from receiving normal notifications and showed that someone had deliberately altered her account settings.
• Dong-hyun had gained access to Su-jin’s phone, password, and identification during Chuseok by claiming that he would install an app to reduce her phone bill and needed to verify her identity.
• The bank’s accident report number and transaction details became important initial evidence, while Dong-hyun’s switched-off phone and disappearance strengthened Su-jin’s fear that the theft and his attempt to hide had been planned.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why did Lee Su-jin save 200 million won?

Lee Su-jin saved 200 million won over ten years to buy a comfortable home for her stepmother, Jeong Mi-sook. Her stepmother had raised her like a biological daughter, paid for her university education and study abroad through difficult market work, and continued supporting her after Su-jin’s father died. Su-jin wanted to repay that lifelong care by replacing her mother’s dilapidated single room with a clean, sunny apartment.

Q: How did Lee Su-jin discover that her savings were gone?

Su-jin went to the bank with her passbook and seal because she needed to pay the deposit on an apartment she had selected for her stepmother. A bank employee told her that the account contained only 20,000 won. After asking for a transaction history, she learned that her savings had been removed gradually through smartphone banking transfers over several months.

Q: How was the money withdrawn without attracting immediate attention?

The money was transferred little by little through a smartphone banking app over a period of months. According to Su-jin’s interpretation of the transaction history, the withdrawals were kept within the daily limit so the bank would not contact her about one unusually large transfer. The repeated activity also occurred when she was away at academic conferences or teaching late classes.

Q: Why did Su-jin suspect that someone close to her stole the money?

Su-jin noticed that every withdrawal date matched a day when she was away from home for a business trip, an academic conference, or late-night teaching. That pattern suggested the person knew her schedule closely. She also discovered that transfer notifications had been redirected to a number she rarely used, indicating deliberate access to her phone and banking settings.

Q: Why did Su-jin begin to suspect Dong-hyun?

Su-jin remembered that Dong-hyun had previously asked to handle her smartphone during Chuseok, claiming he could install an app that would reduce her phone bill. He also requested a photograph of her identification for verification, and she gave him her password without suspicion. After the missing money was discovered, his phone was turned off and he could not be reached.

Q: What evidence did the bank provide after the theft was discovered?

The bank employee advised Su-jin to report the matter to the police and file an accident report with the bank. Because she urgently needed to travel to the hospital, she asked the employee to send the accident report number and transaction details by text message. The narrative identifies that message as the first piece of evidence that would later help catch Dong-hyun.

Q: Why was Jeong Mi-sook so important to Lee Su-jin?

Jeong Mi-sook became Su-jin’s stepmother when Su-jin was ten and treated her as a daughter despite their lack of a biological relationship. After Su-jin’s father died, she raised both children alone while working at the market. She prepared warm lunches, made late-night snacks during Su-jin’s studies, funded her education, and consistently showed her maternal care.

Q: What happened after Su-jin learned that the money was missing?

Soon after discovering the emptied account, Su-jin received a call from a hospital in her hometown saying that her stepmother had collapsed at her restaurant and had been taken to the emergency room. Su-jin postponed dealing directly with the missing money, traveled home by train, and found her mother weak, wearing an oxygen mask, but still asking whether Su-jin had eaten.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Lee Su-jin credits her academic career to her stepmother, Jeong Mi-sook, who raised her without regard for their lack of a biological connection. After becoming an associate professor, Su-jin saved 200 million won over ten years, intending to move her mother from a dilapidated single room into a clean, sunny apartment.

• At the bank, Su-jin learns that only 20,000 won remains in her account. Transaction records show repeated smartphone banking withdrawals made during her business trips and late classes. Transfer notifications had been redirected to another number, indicating that someone familiar with her schedule and personal devices had carefully planned the theft.

• Suspicion falls on Dong-hyun because he previously handled Su-jin’s smartphone, obtained her password, and photographed her identification while claiming to install a money-saving app. Before Su-jin can confront him, he turns off his phone. She then receives an urgent call reporting that her stepmother has collapsed and entered the emergency room.