Penniless Hero (2)
Urgh... itchy. What the hell? Why's it so itchy?
I cracked my eyes open at the tickling sensation on my chest and spotted fingers poking right there. Glancing sideways, I saw some crazy bald musclehead standing there shirtless in this chilly weather, jabbing at my tits like it was no big deal.
"What the fuck are you?"
"Whoa?! Y-you're awake."
"Whoa you're awake my ass—what the hell are you doing?"
The bald musclehead yanked his finger away from my chest, looking all sheepish.
This bastard... he must've been groping me while I was asleep...
"Money."
"What?"
"Cough up some cash, and I'll let it slide."
Might as well squeeze him for hush money while I'm at it. Daring to mess around sexually with a sleeping woman's body? No fucking way was I letting that go.
"And who the hell gave you permission to talk casual to me?"
"Y-you're talking casual too!"
"You expect me to be polite to the creep who just groped me?"
Should've clocked it from the shirtless getup in this weather. What a total airhead. Oh, right—no hair either.
"Listen up, baldy. Wanna get reported for sexual assault? Or you gonna pay up?"
"B-baldy?! This is a skinhead!"
Skinhead? Isn't that just what bald guys call themselves to sound cool?
"Skinhead, bullshit—pay up or I'm calling the cops."
I summoned Hai-jjang to report him right then, but the guy suddenly grabbed my wrist.
"Hey! Let go!"
"D-do you know who I am?! I'm with the Myeongdong Prince Crew!"
"Prince Crew? Do gangs still roll like that these days?"
Prince Crew—that's the outfit run by Lee Jung-woo, the one I was gonna track down. This punk must be one of her goons.
"Y-you bitch! I-I could k-kidnap you and n-no one would ever kn-know!"
"What're you even stammering about? Big lug like you can't even talk straight? You really a gangster?"
I twisted his hand right back on him.
"A-ack!"
"Guess you don't know who I am. See, I've..."
I paused. Right—disowned and booted out. Time to tweak the line.
"...been training judo for ten years, asshole!"
Using his own momentum against him, I flipped the bastard over my shoulder and slammed him into the ground.
"Guhk!"
"Stay down."
While he was dazed from the impact, I mounted him and locked in a figure-four headlock to keep him pinned.
"Don't think just 'cause I'm a girl you can fuck with me. I used to be a hero, bitch."
"I-I surrender! Uncle!"
"You think this is some pro match? This is the street, dumbass!"
The bald musclehead tapped out, but this wasn't a ring, and I had zero intention of letting him go.
Beep-boop! Beep-boop!
A siren wailed from somewhere. The bald musclehead yelled at the sound.
"P-police! Over here! Someone's getting killed!"
Meta Seoul Songpa Police Station
Here I was at the station with the pervert bald musclehead, getting questioned.
"What on earth were you two doing in the park first thing in the morning?"
The cop across from us asked, and the musclehead jumped in excitedly.
"I-I was just j-jogging in the m-morning, and th-this crazy bitch s-suddenly flipped me and p-pinned me down!"
"Pardon?"
"He says he was just jogging and I suddenly flipped him and pinned him."
Why the hell am I translating for this guy?
"Is that true?"
"True my ass. I was crashing on a park bench 'cause I had nowhere else, and when I woke up, this creep was poking my chest."
The cop turned back to the musclehead.
"Is what this lady says true?"
"W-well..."
"I've got black box footage if you need it."
"Wh-when did you even r-record..."
"Just testing you—look at him squirm."
The cop typed something, then said,
"Gonna run an ID scan real quick."
A light beamed from the cop's left eye, sweeping over us.
"See? Total repeat offender."
This guy's a real scumbag.
"And the lady... Huh? No data?"
The cop scanned again, then tilted his head at me.
"You an illegal immigrant or faceless?"
"Huh?"
"No ID info's coming up. Usually means illegal stay or erased records... but you don't look like an immigrant."
"I'm pure Korean."
Tanned skin, blonde hair, blue eyes or whatever—I'm Korean through and through. No clue why I look like this, but still.
"Looks like you're faceless then. That's a headache."
Faceless? Me? No way...
'They seized my assets and company, and now they've wiped my ID too?'
Un-fucking-believable. Assets and company, fine—but erasing my entire identity? What the hell?
"That big a deal?"
"Gotta file a report, but faceless makes it tricky. Can't re-register erased data; gotta make a whole new identity. You got cash for that?"
"Cash?"
Cash... nope. Penniless hero, flat broke.
"Can't without it?"
"New ID from scratch costs about 500 coins."
Coins go 1:10,000 won. So 500 coins... five million won? Fuck!
"And even then, takes a week to process."
"I'm broke as hell—any other way?"
"Not really. Can't broadcast or work as faceless, so no income... Wait, one option."
"Yeah?"
The cop leaned in, whispering just for me.
"I know a broker who runs a bar. Pays 50 coins a day—ten days covers the fee."
I couldn't believe my ears. A cop pimping a broker? And suggesting I sling drinks? Corrupt as fuck.
"What do you say? Not as sketchy as you think."
How does he know what I'm thinking? Smells 100% shady.
But no options.
'From hero to whore now?'
Thought I'd hit rock bottom—turns out there's deeper.
I pretended to mull it over, then said,
"Where do I go?"
Meeting Lee Jung-woo could wait.
Meta Seoul Gangnam 'Night Bunny'
'This the place? Name screams shady hostess bar.'
I stood at the entrance with its black bunny logo and "Night Bunny" sign—looked like a club.
"Said someone'd come out if I wait."
After a bit, a suited, squinting glasses guy emerged and approached.
"You the one Ji-hoon sent?"
Squinty eyes screamed suspicious. Figures from a sketchy joint.
"Yeah. You the broker?"
"Daniel Han. Follow me."
I trailed the guy calling himself Daniel Han inside. Total club vibe—flashing lights, dancing crowd, DJ shaking his head onstage.
"Faceless, right? Everyone here uses aliases anyway... Ellie it is."
Alias: Ellie. Sounds half-assed.
"No idea what the job is?"
"Didn't hear."
"Simple. Entertain guests in private rooms. Easy, yeah?"
Simple... sounds straightforward, but who knows.
"Changing room's here. Last locker on the left has your uniform—change and come out, I'll show you your room."
I entered, went to the last locker as directed, and opened it.
"Th-this is the uniform?"
I stared in shock.
"Gotta wear it, huh?"
Hesitated, then stripped and slipped it on. Checked myself in the mirror.
"Knew from the 'Night Bunny' name it'd be bad, but this tops it..."
Thought it'd be standard bunny suit. Nope—reverse bunny suit!
"Seriously gotta work in this?"
No choice. Can't live faceless forever.
Deep breath, then out I went.
"All changed? This way to your room."
The broker led me deep into the club to a private room. Super secluded.
"My job's done. You're on your own, Ellie. Don't sweat it—dead simple. Later."
He bailed. I swallowed hard and entered.
"Oh! VIPs, the bunny girl's here!"
What the fuck is this...? Fuck...