NOVEL NEXT Chapter 461: Scalper (2)
I asked, "You're being threatened? What do you mean?"
"Well, it's like this..."
Lee Doo-Oh, Ticket King's macro programmer, explained in a small voice how he got involved in this mess.
It all started a year ago when Lee Doo-Oh was in a car accident. His parents were killed on the spot after colliding with a large truck and his sixteen-year-old sister ended up in a coma.
At twenty-three-years-old, Lee Doo-Oh had been desperate for money to cover her medical bills. He reached out to every contact he had and searched for a way to earn a large sum of money in a short time. That's when Ticket King contacted him.
Struggling to save his sister, Lee Doo-Oh reluctantly accepted Ticket King's offer. Over the past year, his sister finally regained consciousness as he earned money. And thanks to a witness who came forward later, Lee Doo-Oh was able to secure insurance money.
After that, Lee Doo-Oh wanted to stop tarnishing his hands with illegal activities and refused any further work from Ticket King. However, a thug sent by Ticket King showed up a week ago and threatened him. They warned that if he stopped working, his sister would be the next target.
That explained the bruises all over Lee Doo-Oh's body.
I turned to Lee Ho-Jae, who had been quietly listening. Lee Ho-Jae had also lost his parents in a car accident and grew up in an orphanage. Because of this reason, he seemed to relate deeply to Lee Doo-Oh's story.
"Hyung-nim, it sounds like this guy did this to save his sister. Can't we give him a chance? We could teach him a hard lesson and help him turn over a new leaf."I understood where Lee Ho-Jae was coming from. But I couldn't simply take Lee Doo-Oh at his word, not when this was connected to crimes that had left so many victims in their wake.
But if his story was true, there might be room for leniency after he compensated the victims.
I looked at Lee Doo-Oh and said, "I understand your situation, but I can't trust you just yet."
Lee Doo-Oh nodded, seemingly expecting that response. Since he appeared cooperative, I laid out a condition. "If you give us information about Ticket King, I'll make sure both you and your sister are kept safe."
At that moment, Lee Ho-Jae puffed out his chest and thumped it with confidence as if he were personally guaranteeing the promise. "Don't worry. No petty thug would dare challenge Yoon-Ho hyung-nim."
'What? Why are you using my name like that, Ho-Jae?'
I shot Lee Ho-Jae a side glance. "Hey, Ho-Jae?"
Lee Ho-Jae replied innocently, "Yes, Hyung-nim?"
"...Never mind."
There was no point arguing with him.
Lee Doo-Oh hesitated before asking, "Is that true? C-Can you really protect my sister?"
He wasn't concerned about his own safety, but just his sister's.
"Yes, we can. If you tell us the truth, Hoop Entertainment and Reverse Entertainment will ensure both you and your sister are safe. So tell us everything."
Lee Doo-Oh let out a deep sigh. "Okay, hyung-nim."
Just then, his sister's voice called out from inside the house again.
-Oppa! Aren't the delivery guys gone yet? I told you I need help with my wheelchair!
It seemed there was a more immediate problem to handle than Ticket King.
I leaned closer to Lee Doo-Oh and whispered, "Let's sort out your sister's issue first. Tell her the delivery guys left and that your friends are here."
"Friends?"
"Yeah. Friends from Underwatch. You play Underwatch, right?"
Underwatch was the hottest FPS game at the moment.
"Of course."
I hurriedly took off the delivery vest and placed it on the empty box. Lee Ho-Jae followed suit, quickly removing his vest as well.
With our delivery disguises gone, we followed Lee Doo-Oh into the living room.
Lee Doo-Oh said, "Seo-Yeon, the delivery guys are gone. Some friends came over and we were just chatting."
-Friends? Really? You have friends?
"Uh… yeah…"
-Then hurry up and bring them over!
Hearing Lee Seo-Yeon's cheerful voice, we headed further inside.
***
The house was old with wooden walls throughout, but one section had been renovated with new interiors.
All the doors in the house were sliding doors and each was fitted with a red button beside it, likely to make it easier for Lee Doo-Oh's sister in a wheelchair to move around freely.
-Oppa! Over here!
At his sister's call, Lee Doo-Oh hurried to a small room.
Click.
He pressed the red button and the sliding door opened slowly.
Whirrr.
Wondering if he might need help, I followed behind Lee Doo-Oh.
Inside the room was a middle-school-aged girl sitting in a wheelchair. Lee Seo-Yeon's hair was tied into two braids and she wore a bright smile despite her physical condition.
While Lee Doo-Oh inspected the wheelchair's wheel, Lee Seo-Yeon looked at Lee Ho-Jae and I with curiosity and asked, "Are these your friends, Oppa?"
"Uh… uh… yeah…"
When Lee Doo-Oh answered awkwardly, Lee Seo-Yeon clasped her hands together and bowed her head politely. "Hello! Thank you for being friends with my brother."
It seemed like Lee Seo-Yeon had never met any of her brother's friends before, as she tilted her head curiously, clearly fascinated.
At that moment, Lee Ho-Jae responded in his usual boisterous manner. "Yeah! We're super close with Doo-Oh. You can just call me Ho-Jae Oppa. If there's anything you want to eat, just let me know and I'll order it for you!"
Lee Seo-Yeon clapped her hands excitedly and exclaimed, "Wow! Really?"
"Of course!"
While Lee Ho-Jae basked in his moment, I turned to Lee Doo-Oh and asked, "How's the wheel?"
"I can fix it temporarily, but it'll need to be replaced."
At that, Lee Seo-Yeon quickly interjected, "No, it's fine! I'll just talk to the social worker when she comes by later. Why waste money on a new one?"
"But Seo-Yeon, the ones from the social worker are always used."
"So what? These days, used ones are practically as good as new."
Lee Seo-Yeon seemed determined to save money and refused the idea of buying a replacement.
As she spoke, Lee Doo-Oh finished his temporary fix and stood up. "It's done. Try moving it."
Lee Seo-Yeon rolled the wheelchair back and forth. Once it moved smoothly, she turned to us with a bright smile. "I'll get you some drinks. Hang on a second!"
She asked us to wait in the living room and followed us out of the room in her wheelchair.
Lee Seo-Yeon went to the kitchen, got some drinks, and returned, grinning as she asked, "I need to eat anyway. Do you guys want some ramen?"
Lee Ho-Jae suggested they just order Chinese food instead since he didn't want to burden Lee Seo-Yeon, but Lee Doo-Oh nodded to his sister. "Seo-Yeon, please make five."
"Got it! I'll make my special Lee Seo-Yeon-style ramen today!"
Humming a little tune, Lee Seo-Yeon headed toward the kitchen.
At that, Lee Ho-Jae jumped up and followed her. "Hyung-nim, I'll go help her. You two talk."
As Lee Ho-Jae stepped aside to give us privacy, Lee Doo-Oh started the conversation. "Cooking is Seo-Yeon's only hobby."
I answered, "She seems to have a bright personality."
"Well, she tries not to show any weakness in front of me."
"I see. Now, tell me about Ticket King."
"Okay."
Lee Doo-Oh shared what he knew about Ticket King.
***
He started by explaining that he had never met Ticket King in person.
I asked, "Have you ever spoken to him over the phone?"
"No, not even once. We've only communicated through email."
From the first contact until now, all instructions had been exchanged exclusively through email.
"But isn't a macro program a one-time thing? You make it and that's it."
"The company regularly catches fraudulent reservations, so I have to adjust the code bit by bit. Sure, they can still use what I've made in the past, but I can't predict what changes will come."
'No wonder they were so hard to catch before my regression.'
"Can you gather all the evidence you have on Ticket King and hand it over?"
"Yes."
Now, I have secured evidence of Ticket King's operations. But I still had no clear idea of how to track him down.
At that moment, Lee Doo-Oh cautiously added, "Hyung-nim, there's someone who knows Ticket King personally."
Hope sparked in what seemed like a dead-end pursuit.
"Who?"
"A guy named Moon-Sang. He's Ticket King's right-hand man... and the thug who beat me up. He's in charge of sales."
Lee Doo-Oh then described the structure of Ticket King's organization. First, there was a "Collection Team" that gathered Ticket Park IDs. Once the team collected thousands of IDs, they handed them over to Lee Doo-Oh, who used his macros to buy tickets.
A week later, Ticket Park would ship the tickets to ghost addresses across the country.
Lee Doo-Oh continued, "Then the Retrieval Team collects the shipped tickets and delivers them to designated locations."
"So this is a full-scale operation. And then Moon-Sang takes the tickets and sells them?"
"Yeah. He's the second-in-command of the organization."
According to Lee Doo-Oh, Moon-Sang used his gang to sell tickets via secondhand marketplaces and social media under Ticket King's direction. This gave me a clearer picture of how Ticket King's operation functioned.
"Where can I find this guy? Does he have an office?"
"I don't know about an office, but you can find him tonight at the King Kong Arcade in Myeongdong."
"You mean today?"
"Yeah. He's going to be there to collect the tickets from last week's ANDA concert tickets sale."
ANDA was a girl group under SJ Entertainment with a strong fanbase, and had been in the industry for seven years. They used to be number one before Petite More debuted. But they could still fill ten thousand seats for their year-end concerts.
"What time?"
"8 p.m. So there's about three hours left."
At that moment, I asked a critical question. "Doo-Oh, does your organization have any ties to the police or prosecution?"
"I'm not sure about the prosecution, but there are connections to the police. I don't know who, though."
As I suspected, the police were in cahoots with Ticket King. That ruled out relying on them for help. The fastest way forward was to confront Moon-Sang directly and force him to reveal Ticket King's location. After that, I could turn them over to Seo Jae-Ill.
"Doo-Oh, could you disguise me as a member of the Retrieval Team?"
"Why? Are you planning to go there yourself?"
"Yeah."
"But the guys showing up will all be thugs."
"Don't worry about that."
Lee Doo-Oh sighed and reluctantly nodded. "As long as you have some ANDA tickets, it's possible."
"Leave that to me."
I called Pyo Yeon-Ji from Ticket Park right away. I told her I had secured the macro programmer and might be able to catch the sales head as well.
When I asked for fake tickets, Pyo Yeon-Ji agreed to issue ANDA's concert tickets, seats A1 to A4 and B7 to B22.
-But don't use them at the site, okay?"
"Of course not. I'll only use the tickets to make contact with the organization."
-Understood. Then come to our office later and I'll give them to you. Oh, by the way, when will you report this to the prosecution?
"I'll gather more evidence before contacting them. In the meantime, please focus on compiling Ticket King's scalped ticket purchase data."
-Got it. Stay safe.
After ending the call, I had Lee Doo-Oh explain how to infiltrate the Retrieval Team at the King Kong Arcade in Myeongdong. According to him, the procedure was straightforward. First, mention the name "ANDA" when asked, and then show the concert ticket.
"Got it. That's simple enough."
Just then, Lee Seo-Yeon called out. "Oppas! Ramen's ready!"
I paused my conversation with Lee Doo-Oh and turned my attention to the steaming bowls of ramen.
"Thanks for the meal!"
Since I needed to eat before heading out, I grabbed my chopsticks and dug in.
Slurp!
Though I hadn't expected much from a plain ramen topped only with scallions, the taste exceeded my expectations.
I asked, "Seo-Yeon, what did you put in the broth?"
"I added dried pollack and anchovy stock!"
"Wow, this is amazing!"
The broth was incredible, but the noodles were also perfectly chewy and springy.
"And these noodles, they're just perfect. How did you make them like this?"
"I rinsed them in ice water before serving. Not bad, right?"
"Seo-Yeon, you're impressive."
Even Lee Ho-Jae was amazed as he shook his head in admiration.
Lee Seo-Yeon shrugged and smiled. "Actually, I dream of becoming a culinary researcher!"
Despite being in a wheelchair, Lee Seo-Yeon's eyes sparkled as she shared her aspirations.
Having enjoyed such delicious ramen, I felt I owed her something in return: to dismantle Ticket King's organization and ensure the safety of Lee Doo-Oh and his sister.
***
I left Lee Seo-Yeon and Lee Doo-Oh under Lee Ho-Jae's protection and headed for the King Kong Arcade in Myeongdong.
At the alley in front of the arcade, Lee Soo-Chan was waiting for me as planned. "Hyung-nim, should I go in with you?"
"No. You're too well-known in these circles. It's better if I go in alone."
The arcade's windows were tinted black to obscure the view inside. More than ten people had entered over the past thirty minutes, which only heightened Lee Soo-Chan's concerns.
To keep him informed, I activated the call feature on my smartwatch so his phone could be connected in listening mode.
"I'll signal if something feels off. Come in immediately when you hear me."
"Understood."
"Also, brief Prosecutor Seo Jae-Ill on the situation when he arrives."
Seo Jae-Ill was in Busan, but he left as soon as he got my urgent call and was almost near Seoul. However, I couldn't afford to wait for him with the clock already past 8 p.m..
After taking a deep breath, I pulled my hoodie down low over my face and got out of the car. I turned into the alley and approached the arcade entrance.
Two burly men stood guard just as Lee Doo-Oh explained, and one of them asked, "How much?"
The answer to a sudden question was clear.
I answered, "ANDA."
The other guard sneered. "You idiot. Get lost."
This time, I silently handed them the ANDA concert ticket.
They inspected it for a moment before handing it back. "Why are you so late?"
"Got a flat tire on the way."
"Damn it. Be more careful next time. Anyway, Moon-Sang hyung-nim is waiting inside. Go on."
The guards opened the heavily tinted door.
Clank!
Inside, about thirty gaming machines lined each side of the adult arcade. But the people who had entered earlier were nowhere to be seen.
'There has to be a hidden exit leading elsewhere.'
It seemed like I was in the right place.
"Hey! What are you looking around for? Over here!"
A deep voice called out. When I turned around, I saw a burly man in his mid-thirties sitting alone in front of a gaming machine with legs crossed.
'That must be Moon-Sang.'
But the moment he saw my face, he wore a shocked expression and shouted, "Jung Yoon-Ho?"
He knew who I was.
Ristretto's Thoughts
I mean, he did make the real-time search ranking as the hot talent agent