Chapter 172
Gukjeongwon pulled four cans of Bacchus-D out of the fridge and set them on the table. He glanced around slyly, then grabbed a pack of wet wipes from the corner and started scrubbing the table furiously. Black grime smeared everywhere. Jo Bongjun's face twisted in disgust.
"......You could've given us a heads-up so we could at least clean up. What a mess."
He scratched his head awkwardly, chuckling with embarrassment.
"This guy's name is actually Gukjeongwon?"
Choi Jonghyeon, who had been scrutinizing Gukjeongwon's every move, finally spoke up.
"It's not his real name. Everyone just calls me that, so I've stuck with it. Haha."
"There must be a reason for the nickname. Does he dig up info like the NIS? Is this some kind of detective agency?"
Choi Jonghyeon scanned the rundown karaoke bar interior. His eyes screamed skepticism—this place, abandoned for about three years, couldn't possibly be a PI office.
"Nah, the lawyer knows a real detective agency if you need one. Not that. I'm just a computer specialist...... Like the lawyer said earlier, you seem to need an expert in comment botting. Right?"
Jo Bongjun nodded once at Gukjeongwon's question.
"So he got the NIS nickname 'cause he's a computer whiz. But do you also do comment jobs?"
Jo Bongjun still wasn't fully convinced.
Gukjeongwon immediately shot me a look, as if begging me to introduce him properly.
"The reason his nickname is Gukjeongwon isn't because he's good with computers."
"Then what?"
"He really is from the NIS."
Both men gaped at Gukjeongwon in disbelief.
"This guy's actually ex-NIS?"
"Hey, no offense, mustache bro. What about me makes you say that?"
Gukjeongwon bellowed at Jo Bongjun.
Jo Bongjun toned it down a notch, letting out a hollow laugh.
"I just pictured NIS agents in suits, y'know? But if you made it into the NIS, why'd you leave? Must've been a cushy gig."
He pivoted the topic quickly.
Gukjeongwon pressed his forehead like a tragic movie hero and let out a long sigh.
"Ha, that's a long story. Few years back, I crammed my ass off in Noryangjin for three years straight and aced the NIS exam. I was over the moon—flying high. Me, an NIS agent? So cool, right? I dreamed of being a spy, defending the nation...... That's how it all started."
He stared off into space as he began his tale.
"Right after joining, I trained hard—martial arts, shooting, cryptography, computers. Aaah, I was field-ready in no time! And soon enough, opportunity knocked."
"......And?"
Choi Jonghyeon and Jo Bongjun were hooked now, leaning in, ears perked.
Gukjeongwon's tone built toward a climax—urgent, hushed. Tension thickened. Choi Jonghyeon swallowed dryly.
"Finally, the team leader slipped us an address. 'Starting tomorrow, you'll meet your new colleagues here and dive into real work.' We were thrilled, heading out with pounding hearts. It was an officetel. Since we were all computer specialists, we figured maybe cyber warfare against North Korea! Bracing ourselves, we stepped inside and—"
"And—!"
"They had us writing comments, fuck!"
Gukjeongwon hurled an empty Bacchus-D can at the trash, howling in anguish.
"I didn't join the NIS to post goddamn comments!"
The two men, swept up in his fury, exploded in outrage.
"Fuck, that's bullshit!"
"Yeah, totally fucked!"
"I was pissed beyond belief. After three months of nothing but comments, I confronted the team leader. 'How long do I have to do this crap?' He says, 'It's all for the country and the people......' Fuck that—how's spamming kid-level comments 'for the country'? Wasting talent like mine on that shit? I quit on the spot! Threw my resignation like a hero and started this computer gig life."
"Tough break, man."
"You really went through it. No wonder you're dried up like a discarded anchovy."
"......I've always been skinny?"
The mood chilled for a second, but Choi Jonghyeon nodded, convinced why I'd called Gukjeongwon a comment expert. He even praised my judgment, saying I'd picked well.
"Anyway, comments are a sore spot, but I'm not NIS anymore. Gotta eat, so what comments do you need?"
"Hmm, so you handle this solo? Ex-NIS should be worth ten guys, but......"
Jo Bongjun, back to business, eyed him suspiciously.
Gukjeongwon shook his head.
"Nah, got a team. Security's guaranteed. About a dozen of us, laptops glued to our hands all day. But more hands mean higher rates—fair warning."
As he spoke, Gukjeongwon stared me down intently. Choi Jonghyeon and Jo Bongjun did too. Like the money man—me—had to greenlight it before they could start.
"If the work's solid, money's no issue."
"Jackpot! You know I always deliver. Heh."
"Let Jo Bongjun handle this part. Journalists like us aren't deep into that world. He'll brief the strategy too."
"Perfect. You need time to plan anyway, so list the sites we need to hit. Gotta analyze their vibes to blend in naturally. No pushback."
Gukjeongwon explained smoothly. Jo Bongjun crossed his arms and nodded.
"Send me the info list first, I'll fire it off from home tonight. Got a card?"
Two weeks later, an article hit a medical journal.
The byline belonged to the medical specialist journalist whose profile Choi Jonghyeon had shared earlier—a med school grad with a specialist license. Burned out on hospital life, he'd pivoted to journalism in his interest area and built solid cred there.
The piece matched what we'd shared: research showing Antrozol Alpha's key ingredients, apilatilen and lopetamin, triple heart disease risk when combined. It slammed the FDA for approving it and Myungwha for even developing it.
Of course, the journalist was just exposing the inconvenient truth—no ties to our little plot.
Choi Jonghyeon had picked him as the ideal first leaker, tipping only the public ingredients and German study.
Soon after, other medical outlets ran similar stories.
The fastest reactors? Stock forums, naturally. Half credit to the comment bots' speed.
Anyone who knows knows Myungwha Pharma is fucked lololol
Emergency brakes before Antrozol Alpha even hits production lmao
If you're buying bio stocks, shut up and go Anseung Bio lololol
Linking it so no "heard it from some no-name" bullshit
Famous medical journo wrote it, for real
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Ignore this Anseung Bio pumper
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Search my full post history—got a bio stock roundup lol
I said buy Anseung for the bio dreamers, but plenty elsewhere if you look
These idiots call good info pumping lololol
That's why your stocks turn to paper every time, gtfo
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This seems legit. Our dept head who watches stocks all day saw the article and dumped Myungwha lol
Kids, 20 mins to close—sell now lolol
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Anyone boarding Myungwha now is like buying Geumsan stock lolol
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They're suppressing 'cause Myungwha might moon, pfft
Anseung Bio shill? Focus on R&D lolol
Hold Myungwha? Dump now? Stock sites buzzed with Myungwha mania. Even on boards churning dozens of threads daily, half a page was Myungwha spam.
Long time no log-in, site's hot with Myungwha lol.
First off, I dumped all my Myungwha shares.
I know some say it's anti-viral shilling articles to suppress, but I checked the facts—looks legit.
Showed a medical buddy; he said the field's already rumbling.
Word is whales are quietly exiting Myungwha.
Anyway, key point regardless: for retail like you ants, isn't preserving principal #1?
Once info like this drops, downside's inevitable.
Antrozol Alpha might launch fine and pump shares, sure.
But always plan for the flip side.
World's full of investable firms.
Don't cling to Myungwha and lose cash—sell smart now.
Say what I want, diehards won't listen, but I'll kill anyone whining after losses lolol.
Checked again post: Myungwha already down 10k lolol
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Oh, big bro Apollon!
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Apollon bro, got 1M won Myungwha left—should I dump that too?
Figured it's ok to lose, holding for moonshot dreams ㅠㅠ
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Dumbass, if Apollon says sell, sell lololol
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Apollon dumps Myungwha, all the pumpers vanish lolol
Jo Bongjun piled on too. Apollon's influence exceeded my expectations. Comment bots fanned the flames, sure enough.
With close approaching, Myungwha closed at 70% of the prior day.