'What the Fuck!'
Taeyul Corp rooftop. Lighting a cigarette while watching the stream, Department Head Lee Hojung spat out a curse.
In the end, Black Dragon had snatched the legacy and escaped the castle unscathed.
"That bastard knew everything..."
Lee Hojung recalled the moment he'd met his death. Black Dragon picking fights via messages, egging him on. And dangling the promise of hidden skill info—it had made his eyes roll back, sending his body charging in blindly. Without even realizing it was all a ploy.
"You're fucking dead, you dogshit prick."
Despite all the chances he'd given, the guy hadn't followed through. So the consequences were on him.
Swoosh—
Lee Hojung pulled the medical certificate from his bag and examined it. He'd have to go to the police station himself, but if Black Dragon's name got dropped, it'd spread through the media like wildfire. Reporters had eyes everywhere, even at the station.
"You have no idea how scary public opinion can be. Even celebrities shit themselves over it."
Muttering to himself as he finished prepping, Lee Hojung headed for the stairs. But then—
Bzzz—
His smartphone vibrated suddenly.
"What the hell?"
He flipped open the case. "...Jongno Police Station?"
The caller ID was legit, a registered official number. Feeling a twinge of unease, Lee Hojung cleared his throat and accepted the call.
"Hello?"
(Hello. This is Sergeant Seon Woojin from Jongno Police Station's Criminal Affairs Division. Is this Lee Hojung?)
"Yeah, that's me. What's this about?"
(We're contacting you regarding an assault, intimidation, and extortion case to confirm a few details. Are you available to talk?)
"...Intimidation?"
The word conjured an obvious scenario. Black Dragon had beaten him to the punch with a lawsuit before he could file. But without evidence, there was no way the bastard could win.
"Sounds like your detective got duped. I'm the one who got assaulted."
(The victim has already submitted compelling evidence: text messages, call recordings, etc. Are you still denying all involvement, sir?)
"It's not denial—I'm the victim! Get it? A bunch of snot-nosed punks spinning lies!"
Lee Hojung vented his rage, spewing fabricated victimhood. But the detective cut him off sharply.
(Please refrain from insulting the victim. We understand you're denying everything and claiming victim status yourself. We'll proceed with an in-person investigation at the station.)
"It's not a claim—I'm the goddamn victim! I'll head over right now with my medical certificate..."
"Hey! Lee Hojung!"
A shout erupted from outside the receiver. The boss, climbing up from the stairs below, face flushed beet red.
"Boss?"
"What the fuck are you doing? What kind of shit did you pull?!"
"Huh? What do you..."
"Go downstairs and see for yourself!"
With that sudden grilling, the boss stormed back down. Rattled, Lee Hojung ended the call with the police and followed.
A heavy dread weighed down his legs.
"Don't touch the documents. Employees, step back and wait."
"Don't move that file cabinet!"
Voices from inside the office. Lee Hojung stepped in—and froze solid.
"...What?"
A few suits were packing files into boxes stamped with the prosecutor's seal. Right on his desk.
"Are you Department Head Lee Hojung of the RP division?"
A bespectacled man approached. Lee Hojung nodded belatedly, and the man flashed his ID badge.
"Prosecutor Choi Yunseok from the Western District Prosecutor's Office. Following a tip on embezzlement and tax evasion by Lee Hojung, our preliminary investigation confirmed not only those crimes but links to illicit funds. We're seizing relevant evidence: work logs, accounting records, etc. Check the warrant first."
"What?"
Eyes bulging, Lee Hojung scanned the warrant frantically. But it was all legalese gibberish.
"Embezzlement? What the hell are you talking about! I didn't do shit! And I've never touched any illegal funds!"
"Jeongbaek Trading. The company set up by your brother-in-law, Kim Jaehyeok, right? Quite a lot of transactions there."
"Wh-what does that matter? There's no law against dealing with family!"
"Falsified expense claims, fake outsourcing labor payments, rebate schemes via gift certificates, invoice tampering, forged employee signatures on private documents... Ring any bells?"
"...!"
His eyes widened at the laundry list of charges. The airtight schemes cooked up by his law-school brother-in-law. He'd been so sure they'd never get caught—until now.
"Our probe based on the tip revealed Jeongbaek Trading also runs multiple illegal gambling sites for profit. Two under your name."
"Th-this is a setup! Who's the tipster?!"
"Can't disclose for security reasons. We'll need your personal financials too, so cooperate. For now, securing company docs takes priority."
"Wait, hold on...!"
The prosecutor resumed packing with the investigators. Lee Hojung stood rigid, hand outstretched. Then the boss stormed up, face crimson.
"You forged my signature too, you bastard?"
"Boss—no, bro. It's not like that..."
"Cut the bullshit. I'm lawyering up too, so don't think you can weasel out."
"Bro... wait! Bro!"
"Get off!"
The boss shook him off and left. Alone now, Lee Hojung staggered to the emergency stairwell outside. Leaning against the wall, he dialed his brother-in-law with trembling hands.
(Can't take your call right now...)
No answer after several tries. He slumped to the floor, wiping his face.
"It's definitely that fucker."
Amid the whirlwind of thoughts, something clicked. Black Dragon and that Roper sidekick. The tip had to come from them. Kim Jaeha, who'd handled his dirty work, must've squirreled away all the evidence.
"He won't die alone."
Eyes bloodshot, he yanked out the medical certificate. Snapping a photo with his phone, he logged into the RPG community.
"You trash fucks. Taste this."
Account logged in, he hammered out a post with shaky fingers. Truth or lies didn't matter—just drag Black Dragon through the mud.
Exposing Streamer Black Dragon's Assault.
I'm Department Head Lee Hojung at Taeyul Corp. Posting to report Black Dragon's assault and verbal abuse. Attached medical certificate as evidence...
After tweaks, he hit post. With Black Dragon's name front and center, reactions would flood in fast.
Ding—
Moments later, an alert. His post had +3 comments.
"Yeah, rip him apart."
Lee Hojung spewed curses as he opened it. But—
-This guy's fucking insane? lol
He blinked at the unexpected response.
"What the...?"
Panicking, he scrolled the comments.
-Didn't you see the news?
-Too late, mister.
-Lucky no bodycam or you'd be screwed. lol
-Black Dragon, we got your back.
-Now trash like this is crawling out;
-Poor Jaeha-ham, what kinda company hell was that...
"Huh?"
Sharp backlash against him. Meanwhile, cheers for Black Dragon and Kim Jaeha poured in hot.
Clueless, Lee Hojung checked the hot posts. One quoting a news article caught his eye. He tapped it desperately.
Exclusive: Streamer Black Dragon Targeted by Extortion and Threats...
Per sources, Black Dragon recently faced extortion from employee A at a certain company. His agency, DD Studio, prepared legal action to protect their streamer. They've handed police texts, recordings, and videos—shockingly showing A routinely assaulting and berating subordinates. Exclusive bodycam footage reveals...
Posted just before his exposé. The details didn't matter. The bodycam from Black Dragon's company was the killer.
Frantic, Lee Hojung played the attached video.
『Does your wife and kid know you pull this shit at work? Act like you got some shame. Huh? If you're useless, just do what you're told.』
"...!"
A familiar voice boomed. Face mosaicked, but unmistakably his.
『What the hell are you?』
『Whoa, this guy's got no home training. Talking to an adult like... Agh!』
Black Dragon's crew appeared, names tagged. Grabbing his arm, followed by a yelp. It looked like assault at a glance, but context was crystal: Black Dragon blocking him from hitting Kim Jaeha.
『Fuck, you bastards...!』
On-video Lee Hojung cursed and lunged at Roper. As the fist swung, Black Dragon yanked Roper aside.
『Urk!』
Missed punch, lost balance. He toppled like a sack, eyes squeezed shut even in memory.
『You've been a dick the whole time. Let's never meet again.』
Kim Jaeha's parting words ended the clip.
Lee Hojung's eyes drifted to the comments below.
-Prime example of trash boss.
-Look at that smug face.
-Bit by a psycho;
-Trying to spin his own trip as assault?
└Grabbing arm = 4 weeks injury? lol
└After he was the one beating Jaeha-ham;
-Black Dragon Hwaiting
-Jaeha-ham T_T
-Why mosaic the perp?
└Gotta protect criminals first, apparently.
-Bodycam saves the day.
└Fr DD Studio knows their shit.
└Roper reevaluation whoa
"Fuck..."
Reading through, Lee Hojung muttered weakly. His plan to bury Black Dragon in public shit had turned the blade on himself.
Thud.
Phone dropped, he stared blankly at the emergency exit ceiling.
It was all over.
That thought filled his mind. Alone in the stairwell, the silence stretched on.