Penniless Hero (1)
“Hai-jjang, open the car door and start the engine.”
Master does not have such authority.
“What the hell? What's going on?”
After being disowned and kicked out of the house, I'd come back to the car to head home, but the response I got was that I had no authority.
“Hai-jjang, what do you mean I don't have authority?”
The master's registered information on this vehicle has been deleted, removing all authority.
“What? I never requested deletion!”
You registered the vehicle, master, but the title is under H Group, so the title trustee can delete it at will.
In short, did the chairman really mean it when he said he'd confiscate everything? No... why the hell is the processing this fast?
“No choice, then. Guess I'll have to take a taxi.”
I had no option but to head out to the main road and hail a cab.
Prepayment required before starting the ride.
“Hai-jjang, launch H Pay.”
When I asked Hai-jjang to open the payment app, I got a shocking reply.
Master's remaining coins are 0, so launching it would be pointless. Proceed anyway?
“What? No, wait—why are my coins at zero?!”
Five minutes ago, H Financial Holdings requested H Labs (developers of H Pay) to reclaim all of master's remaining coins.
“......Fuck?”
How long had it even been since I got kicked out, and they were already reclaiming my assets this fast? It was impressive as hell, but it just pissed me off.
“Got it, got it. I'll just get out then.”
I got out of the taxi and decided to walk instead.
“This fucking sucks. Seriously...”
Hannam-dong to Yongsan—where I used to live in Gangnam—wasn't far by car, but walking it took forever.
Verification complete. Unregistered resident.
“Seriously, kicking me out without even letting me grab my stuff from home? Don't you think that's too much? Right, Hai-jjang?”
I cannot provide opinions or impressions, master.
Who the hell am I even asking... fuck....
“What now? No money for a hotel or motel... gotta sleep on the street?”
But roughing it like a bum went against my pride. Even when I was dirt poor before, I always had a roof over my head at least.
“Ah!”
Suddenly, a brilliant idea hit me.
“Hai-jjang, can you tell me the location info for people in my contacts?”
It varies by person, but if the one you're looking for has agreed to share location with contacts, yes.
“Then tell me where Ra Mi-yeon lives.”
Please wait a moment...
Verification complete. Contact: Ra Mi-yeon. Location sharing enabled for select acquaintances.
Master is on the list, so I can share. Launch in navigator mode?
“Please do.”
Understood.
I felt the nanomachines in my head activate, and a navigation overlay to Ra Mi-yeon's place projected onto my optic nerve as visual data.
“She'll put me up for one night at least. Who do you think got her that successful?”
Any decent person would honor that debt. I followed the guide straight to Ra Mi-yeon's place.
“Not as nice as my penthouse, but damn, she lives well.”
Well... it wasn't my penthouse anymore anyway.
Ra Mi-yeon's place was an officetel—high-end and brand new, with top-tier facilities.
How may I assist you?
I asked the lobby AI to call up to 1403.
Door unlocking.
The door opened shortly after the call. I stepped in, hopped on the waiting elevator—which shut and shot up to the destination floor right away.
14th floor.
New building—elevator was fast too. I got off, headed to 1403, and went to ring the bell.
But the door opened first, revealing Ra Mi-yeon with an annoyed scowl.
“What?”
“It's me. Hwang Bo-jun.”
“I know that already. Why are you here?”
What? How'd she know already?
“Where'd you hear I turned into a woman?”
“Representative... oh, wait, not anymore. You weren't in the group chat, were you, Hwang Bo-jun?”
What? I wasn't in the group chat? Was I the boss who got ostracized?
“It's all over the company already. That you got TS surgery and became a woman, that H Group disowned and kicked you out, and that you got fired as CEO too.”
“It's been less than three hours since I got kicked out!”
How was their processing this efficient? Now I was starting to feel not just fear, but outright awe toward H Group.
“So, what do you want?”
“Can I crash here just one night?”
“Hah? No.”
“Come on, just one day!”
“Why should I? We're not even acquaintances anymore.”
“Is our bond really that fragile?!”
“Bond? Bonds break easily by nature. Would someone like you want to keep ties with a nobody who has nothing?”
Whoa... damn... I was speechless.
I never realized I was this selfish. Did she think her success was all her own doing? That she'd have made it big broadcasting solo?
With her personality, Ra Mi-yeon never would've blown up without my MCN. She'd still be scraping by on the fringes. And she says bonds break easily?
“You... don't you think you owe the company for this place, for your popularity?”
Ra Mi-yeon shrugged and smirked.
“Of course. Thanks to the company. But that doesn't mean it was thanks to you, Hwang Bo-jun.”
“I built that company!”
“Let's be real. You didn't do jack shit. Every time you were in the CEO office, you were always off 'on a business trip' or whatever, dumping everything on Lee Moo-hyuk. Do you really think the company's success, or your broadcasters' success, was because of you?”
Hearing that, I truly had nothing to say.
She was right. What had Hwang Bo-jun actually done? Founded the company? Anyone with money could do that. In the end, she was just an ATM, while her influencers and broadcasters built it up.
The one who failed basic human decency wasn't Ra Mi-yeon—it was me.
“Well, for old times' sake, I could put you up for a day... where are you going?”
“I'm good now. I was wrong. See ya.”
“Uh... suit yourself.”
I took the elevator down to the first floor and trudged toward Han River Park, thinking I'd just walk it off.
“Moo-hyuk, did you hear the news?”
“Yeah, just now. Got kicked out faster than expected.”
“Stripped of everything and left penniless—nothing left to do now.”
“Not over yet. The road ahead for Hwang Bo-jun is a bed of nails.”
“Sometimes you seem awfully ruthless, Moo-hyuk.”
Moo-hyuk gave Amy a faint, cold sneer.
“It's not me being ruthless—the situation just makes me look that way.”
“Planning to keep M&A-ing H Group subsidiaries and other companies?”
“Have to. My power's still weak, so to get revenge on that... person, I need a solid foundation.”
“Don't push too hard. I'll help with everything I've got.”
“Thanks, Amy.”
Moo-hyuk's revenge was far from finished.
“Haa... why do I feel guilty when it wasn't even my fault...”
I sat on a park bench, sighing deeply.
Honestly, the original Hwang Bo-jun rolled the snowball, and I'm the one getting crushed by it. Do I deserve this?
“What now?”
By now, H Group had probably wiped and reclaimed everything about me. Which meant all of Hwang Bo-jun's connections were likely severed too.
No way friends or acquaintances would lend money to someone like this.
“No, even if I asked, who would lend to someone with no way to pay back?”
I wasn't even a chaebol heir anymore—what was there to even see in me? Even loan sharks would shake their heads.
“Loan shark?”
A sharp tingle hit my brain.
“Right, that person!”
Lee Jung-woo—the loan shark broadcaster dubbed Myeongdong's Prince. Top 10 on Q.T (Quokka-Television), one of Meta Seoul's big three underworld platforms. She'd hounded the protagonist relentlessly in the story but ended up redeemed and fallen for him.
Maybe Lee Jung-woo would lend me money? Probably? She'd have to, right?
“Gotta head to Myeongdong at first light. Sigh... ended up roughing it after all...”
With my plan set for tomorrow, I leaned back against the bench, closed my eyes, and drifted off to sleep.