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122
“Son of a——!”
On the rooftop of the Taeyul Corporation building.
Section Chief Lee Hojoong, watching the stream while smoking a cigarette, muttered curses.
Because Black Dragon had ultimately secured the heirloom and made it safely out of the fortress.
“This bastard knew everything…….”
Lee Hojoong recalled the moment he had met his end.
Black Dragon, poking at him through messages.
The fact that he had even offered another hidden skill as a condition had made his eyes spin and driven him to move.
Without ever knowing it was Black Dragon manipulating him.
“You’re really dead to me, you piece of garbage.”
Despite giving numerous chances, the guy had never honored the proposal.
In that case, the price was his to pay as well.
Shhk—
Lee Hojoong took out the medical certificate from his bag and looked it over.
He would have to go to the police station in person — but once Black Dragon’s name came up, it would spread to the press in an instant.
He had heard that reporters had a foot planted at every police station.
“You don’t know how terrifying public opinion can be? Even celebrities tremble before it.”
Having muttered and finished his preparations, Lee Hojoong moved to head straight down the stairs.
But then.
Buzz—
His smartphone suddenly vibrated.
“What is it?”
Lee Hojoong flipped open the case cover.
“…Jongno Police Station?”
The caller name displayed above the number.
Not fake — it was genuinely a registered official number.
Feeling vaguely unsettled, Lee Hojoong cleared his throat and accepted the call.
“Hello?”
(Hello. This is Detective Seonwoo Jin from the Criminal Investigation Division at Jongno Police Station. Am I speaking with Lee Hojoong?)
“Yes, I am Lee Hojoong — what is this regarding?”
(We’re reaching out because there are a few things to confirm in connection with a case involving assault, threats, and blackmail. Is now a good time to talk?)
“…Threats?”
The moment he heard that word, the obvious picture forming in his mind.
Black Dragon — that guy had made a preemptive move before being reported himself.
But in a situation with no evidence, there was no way to beat him.
“I think our detective has been taken in by a lie. If anything, I’m the one who was assaulted.”
(The other party has already submitted strong evidence, including text messages and recorded call files. Even so, do you deny all involvement?)
“I’m not denying involvement — I’m the victim here! Do you understand? Those little kids are the ones making things up!”
Lee Hojoong poured out fabricated accounts of being wronged as though venting deep emotions.
But the detective cut him off abruptly and interjected.
(Please refrain from using abusive language about the other party. In any case, I note your position of denying all involvement and claiming victimhood. We’ll proceed with a formal interview at the station then.)
“It’s not a claim — I am the victim! I’ll come to the police station right now with the medical certificate——”
“Hey! Lee Hojoong!”
Just then, a shout came from outside the receiver.
The CEO coming up from below the stairs.
His face was flushed bright red.
“CEO?”
“What the hell are you doing? What kind of nonsense have you been getting up to!”
“What? What’s this——”
“Go downstairs and see for yourself!”
The CEO came back down the stairs along with the sudden confrontation.
“I’ll be in touch later.”
A flustered Lee Hojoong ended the call with the police and followed after him.
A vague sense of dread was making his legs heavy.
“Please don’t touch the documents. Staff, please step back and wait.”
“Don’t remove those files!”
Voices of people reaching him from inside the office.
Lee Hojoong entered — and froze on the spot.
“…What?”
Several people in suits were loading documents into boxes bearing a prosecutor’s insignia.
The location they were working was his own desk.
“Are you Section Chief Lee Hojoong of the RP dedicated department?”
Just then, a man with glasses approached and asked.
Lee Hojoong belatedly nodded, and the man showed the ID hanging around his neck.
“I am Prosecutor Choi Yunseok of the Western District Prosecutor’s Office. Based on a tip received regarding Lee Hojoong’s embezzlement and tax evasion, an internal investigation was conducted, and in addition to those offenses, a connection leading to illegal funds has also been confirmed. A formal investigation is underway, and we will proceed with a search and seizure of Lee Hojoong’s work records, accounting documents, and other necessary evidence. Please review the warrant first.”
“What?”
Eyes wide, Lee Hojoong hurriedly looked over the warrant.
But not a single line from top to bottom was easy to understand.
“Embezzlement — what does that mean? What exactly did I do! And I have never touched anything involving illegal funds!”
“Jeongbaek Trade. The company established by your brother-in-law Kim Jaehyuk. Quite a considerable volume of transactions passed between you.”
“And, and what of it? There’s no law against conducting business with a relative’s company, is there?”
“False expense claims, false outsourced labor payments, kickbacks through various gift cards, manipulation of purchase amounts, forgery of official documents using fabricated executive signatures……. Does any of this ring a bell?”
“……!”
Lee Hojoong’s eyes went wide at the charges listed one after another.
Work his law-school-graduated brother-in-law had meticulously constructed.
He had been absolutely certain it would never be discovered — but the unexpected had happened.
“As a result of investigating based on the tip, Jeongbaek Trade was also found to be operating several illegal gambling sites and generating profit from them. There are also two sites registered under Lee Hojoong’s name.”
“Th, this is entrapment! Who made the tip!”
“We cannot disclose that for security reasons. Further investigation of personal financial records and the like will be needed in the future, so we ask for your cooperation. For now, we will prioritize securing internal company materials.”
“No, just a moment——!”
The prosecutor returned to work with the investigators, continuing to gather materials.
Lee Hojoong, hand extended and frozen.
At that moment, the CEO came over with a reddened face.
“Hey, you used my signature without permission too?”
“CEO, no — hyungnim. It’s not like that——”
“Don’t talk nonsense. I’ll get my own legal counsel and respond accordingly, so don’t think about wriggling out of this.”
“Hyungnim… wait! Hyungnim!”
“Get off me!”
The CEO shook off Lee Hojoong’s hand and left.
Left alone, he staggered toward the emergency staircase outside the office.
Leaning his back against the wall, Lee Hojoong called his brother-in-law with trembling hands.
(I can’t take your call right now…….)
Calls not answered despite multiple attempts.
He sank to the floor and dragged a hand across his face.
“It’s definitely that bastard.”
Something surfaced in Lee Hojoong’s mind amid the onslaught of thoughts.
Black Dragon and the Roper who was always by his side.
The tipster was undoubtedly those two.
Kim Jaeha, who had handled all his work on his behalf, must have been quietly gathering evidence the whole time.
“You won’t be the only one going down.”
Eyes spinning, he pulled the medical certificate out of his bag.
He photographed it with his phone camera and logged into the RP community.
“Trash. You’ll get yours too.”
Logged into his account, he began moving his sluggish fingers to write a post.
Whether it was fabricated or not — irrelevant.
Nothing but the single intent to drag Black Dragon down.
⟨I am filing a report against streamer Black Dragon for assault.⟩
I am Lee Hojoong, section chief currently employed at Taeyul Corporation.
I am writing this post to report assault and verbal abuse by RP streamer Black Dragon.
The attached medical certificate serves as evidence……
After several revisions, Lee Hojoong pressed the complete button.
With Black Dragon’s name embedded in it, a reaction would come right away.
Ding—
Sitting blankly for a while, an alert sound reached him.
+3 was displayed on the comments attached to the post.
“Right, bite and tear away.”
Muttering his curses, Lee Hojoong entered his own post.
But.
-Is this guy insane? Lol.
Reactions he had never anticipated at all were written there.
“What…….”
Flustered, Lee Hojoong looked at the subsequent comments.
-Didn’t you see the news just now?
-Sir, you’re a step too late.
-Would’ve been in trouble without the body cam. Lol.
-Black Dragon, I’m rooting for you.
-Even trash like this sticks around;
-Jaeha-hyung, what kind of company were you at……
“Huh?”
Sharp criticism directed at him.
Meanwhile, support for Black Dragon and Kim Jaeha was continuing with fervor.
Unable to understand the situation, Lee Hojoong quickly scanned the trending posts.
There, a single post quoting a news article was visible.
He urgently pressed the title and read the contents.
⟨Exclusive) Streamer Black Dragon subjected to threats and extortion……⟩
According to the tip, recently streamer Black Dragon received threats and extortion from an employee A at a certain company.
DD Studio, Black Dragon’s agency, revealed that legal measures had been prepared to protect its affiliated streamer.
DD Studio provided various threatening messages, recorded call files, and video footage to the police, and the contents were found to contain acts of assault and verbal abuse perpetrated by A against a subordinate, sending shockwaves.
According to exclusively obtained body cam footage……
An article uploaded just before Lee Hojoong had written his expose post.
The content that followed didn’t matter.
The problem was the video footage provided by Black Dragon’s company.
A flustered Lee Hojoong urgently played the attached body cam footage.
『Does your wife and kids do this at work too? Don’t act shamefully. Hey? If you’re incompetent, at least do what you’re told.』
“……!”
A familiar voice came from the footage.
The face was blurred, but it was unmistakably his own voice.
『What the hell do you think you’re doing?』
『Wow, this person has absolutely no upbringing. Who says things like that to an adult…… ugh!』
Black Dragon’s group, who appeared, were also captured with their names displayed.
The sight of his arm being grabbed and the screams that followed.
It could look like assault — but the before-and-after context was clear.
Because it appeared to be Black Dragon stopping him as he was hitting Kim Jaeha.
『Son of a——, you little——!』
The Lee Hojoong in the video muttered obscenities and charged at Roper.
As that fist swung, Black Dragon yanked Roper out of the way.
『Ugh!』
A punch thrown at empty air, and the loss of balance that followed.
The sight of collapsing face-first was enough to make even the man himself squeeze his eyes shut.
『It’s been garbage all this time, and let’s never see each other again.』
With Kim Jaeha’s final words, the video ended.
Lee Hojoong’s gaze naturally moved to the comments below.
-A textbook case of a garbage superior.
-Look at that mouth on him.
-Got tangled up with a madman;
-He’s trying to call tripping over himself assault?
└Probably claimed 4 weeks of medical leave from someone grabbing his arm.
└Meanwhile he’s the one who hit Jaeha-hyung;
-Black Dragon you’re great.
-Jaeha-hyung T_T
-Why is the perpetrator’s face blurred?
└Apparently criminals get protected first.
-The body cam saved the day.
└For real, DD Studio is on it.
└Roper re-evaluation.
“Son of a——”
Having read through the comments, Lee Hojoong let out a hollow curse.
A plan to use public opinion to send Black Dragon into ruin.
It was now pointing a knife back at himself.
Thud—
Dropping his phone, Lee Hojoong stared blankly up at the emergency staircase ceiling.
It was all over.
Only that thought filled his mind.
The time that passed with him left there alone went on for a long while.
