The Ghost Goes Loud

You can only be ignored until your success screams louder than their pride."

Three Weeks Later

Jaeho had been invisible for most of his life.

But power doesn't stay hidden forever.

His side hustles were stacking up:

Underground PC cafes running his loyalty system

Flipped laptops sold under an alias

Commissioned coding for shady middlemen

His custom sneaker bot now renting slots to sneakerheads across the country

He had racked up 3.2 million won.

Enough to breathe.Enough to feed his mother something better than rice and salt.Enough to test the waters of legitimacy.

But Jaeho didn't just want money.

He wanted a name.

A ghost could earn.But a name? A name could command.

The Innovation Fair Announcement

Monday morning. 7:42 AM.

An announcement echoed through the intercom at Donghae International High:

"All students interested in the upcoming National High School Innovation Fair, please report to the auditorium for an orientation. Scholarships and sponsorships available for selected winners."

Every student perked up.

Especially the ones who already had portfolios, parent funding, and connections.

Minho smirked. He was already prepping his VR pitch.

Yerin glanced sideways. Her new AI tutoring app was sleek.

Jaeho didn't flinch.

He just closed his notebook and walked to the auditorium.

Backstage: Ghost Among Stars

The fair would be held in Seoul in two weeks.

Three students from Donghae High would be selected to represent the school.

Teachers were whispering names already: Minho. Yerin. Soojin.

Nobody mentioned Jaeho.

He liked it that way.

He sat in the back. Hoodie up. Head down.

But he was watching. Listening. Absorbing every technical spec, every requirement.

And he had a plan.

Project X: "SITTLiNE"

He didn't sleep that night.

Jaeho began building the first version of an app he'd once scribbled into a broken math notebook:

"SITTLiNE – The Real-Time Status & Traffic Optimizer for Freelancers, Hustlers, and Commuters"

It was a combination of real-time GPS data, personalized alerts, AI-predictive routing, and cost-saving hacks.

But what made it different?

It was built for the 99%.

Low-data mode. Easy UI. Targeted at the people who couldn't afford Uber Premium or fancy navigation.

Jaeho worked 16 hours straight.

He didn't just build it.

He refined it, pitched it in his head a thousand times, and made it bulletproof.

Then he gave it a brand.

"SITTLiNE: Because Time Is The New Currency."

The Internal School Pitch

Each student had 10 minutes.

Minho wore a designer suit. Polished his words. Showed off flashy VR graphics.

Yerin was elegant. Calm. Her AI bot answered live questions.

Then… Jaeho stepped on stage.

No slides.

No team.

Just him, in a gray hoodie and worn sneakers.

He connected his phone to the projector.

"Let me ask you something," he said, voice steady. "How many of you have waited 40 minutes for a bus, missed an interview, or walked 2 kilometers because the taxi apps said 'high demand'?"

Some laughed. Some looked guilty.

"My mother waits 90 minutes each week just to get to a pharmacy we can afford. She doesn't know how to use KakaoMaps. She doesn't care about brand names. She just wants to get there."

He paused.

"So I built this."

Jaeho ran the demo live.

He showed how the app instantly rerouted him using subway data, crowd density, and public bus APIs. How it gave him cashback links for local transport coupons. How it predicted when demand would surge — and how to avoid it.

Silence.

Then, one of the judges whispered, "Is this… real?"

"Everything's coded. I'll open-source the backend right now if you want proof," Jaeho replied calmly.

A long pause.

Then applause.

Long. Loud. Even the teachers stood.

The Result

Two hours later, the results were posted.

1st Place: Jaeho Kwon

2nd Place: Ha Yerin

3rd Place: Minho Jang

Whispers Turn into Roars

It spread like wildfire.

"Who's Jaeho?"

"Isn't he the scholarship kid?"

"He beat Minho? Are you serious?"

"I downloaded his app — it actually works!"

Even the school principal called him in.

"You've... surprised us," he said. "We're arranging sponsorship talks for you. Keep it up."

Jaeho bowed politely.

But inside, he wasn't surprised.

He had earned this.

And this was just the beginning.

Minho's Rage

After school, in the locker room, Minho shoved Jaeho into a wall.

"You really think you're someone now?"

Jaeho didn't blink.

"I don't think. I prove."

Minho's fist shook. But he didn't swing. There were cameras now. Witnesses. Sponsors watching.

And that made Jaeho smile.

"You want to fight me?" he whispered. "Then stop throwing hands... and start building empires."

He walked off.

Minho stood, fuming, as students whispered behind his back.