The Wise Cleaning Life Of A Returning Genius Hunter [EN]: Chapter 27

026

It was a truly bewildering encounter.

I know Team Leader Lee Ah-young, but she has no reason to know me.

I first *met* Lee Ah-young right after I *become* a team leader, which is still five years away.

In my past life, we never even crossed paths before that.

But she’s suddenly seeking me out like this? Why?

“Is there something on my face?”

“Pardon? Oh, no.”

I quickly relaxed my gaze.

“Aren’t you going to shake it?”

“…Excuse me?”

“My hand. Aren’t you going to shake it? It’s getting tiring.”

Only then did I notice Lee Ah-young’s outstretched hand.

I belatedly took her hand and looked at her again.

She looked much younger than when I first met her in my past life. Yet, I could still vaguely recognize the Lee Ah-young I knew.

However, the atmosphere was slightly different.

Something about her was different from when she was my aide…

She seemed more human, I guess.

‘Ah… could this be before *that* incident?’

I began to piece together the timeline from my fragmented memories.

“I’ve heard a lot about Janitor Kim Jun-woo. Your recent statement was quite impressive.”

“……”

I was so focused that I missed the timing to respond.

Leading to silence.

“It’s a compliment.”

“…Ah, yes. Well… thank you.”

“……”

More silence.

The atmosphere was incredibly awkward.

Eventually, Lee Ah-young sighed softly and opened her mouth.

“You’re not as charismatic as I heard.”

“Is it necessary?”

“Well, it’ll be a bit necessary for what I’m about to say.”

Lee Ah-young sat across from me and replied.

“So, what brings the Assistant Manager of the Support Team to me…?”

“Well, to be blunt…”

She scrutinized me for a moment.

“How far do you want to go?”

“…Excuse me?”

“How high do you want to climb from your current position? Cleaning Team Leader? Ability Management Department Head? Or even higher?”

It was a question with an incomprehensible motive.

“I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”

“We were wondering if we could help you go higher. Like, pushing out Chief Seo Min-cheol and becoming the head of the main office…”

Lee Ah-young said in a probing tone.

At the same time, my eyes widened, and Kim Min-joo’s widened even more.

“Why all of a sudden…”

“No special reason… Just thought we could watch the show and get some free food. Personally, I’d like to see the main office turned upside down.”

Lee Ah-young crossed her legs and continued.

“Honestly, I was getting a little tired of it. Hierarchy, order. Of course, they’re necessary, but not really my style. Did you know that even when you came in, the cleaning team wasn’t allowed to use the cafeteria?”

Of course, I knew.

It had been that way until the day I died in my past life.

“The Support Team is only slightly better off. Team Leader Kim Min-joo probably knows. Some people call us lackeys, you know?”

“Ah, y-yes…”

Kim Min-joo trailed off.

This was also something I knew.

It was what Team Leader Lee Soo-yong used to call the Support Team.

“The funny thing is, the main office thought it was perfectly normal. No one dared to challenge it, so they would grumble behind our backs but couldn’t say a word in front of us. But then some guy with no respect for hierarchy suddenly appears and starts causing a ruckus as a janitor… How could we not be interested?”

Lee Ah-young shrugged.

At the same time, I sighed deeply.

“So, you’re saying… the Support Team will help me take over the main office?”

“Not exactly. You can just keep doing what you’re doing. But we’d like it if you went a little bigger while you’re at it.”

“That sounds like the same thing.”

“Well, if that’s how you take it, there’s nothing I can do.”

Her answer was incredibly confident.

She didn’t back down an inch.

“I don’t know what your plans are for the future, but… wouldn’t it be difficult with just the Cleaning Team and the newly formed Task Force? Wouldn’t it be better for you to have more cards to play? If you had the Support Team on your side, you might be able to get what you want more easily, don’t you think?”

“……”

It was a valid point, but I held back my answer for now.

There was something holding me back from eagerly accepting the offer.

As I remained silent, Kim Min-joo spoke first.

“I… appreciate the thought, but even if you’re the Assistant Manager, is this something you can decide on your own?”

“Yeah, well. It’s within my power. Besides, you guys have a lot of fans within the Support Team.”

“Th-then, what’s the scope of support…?”

“Anything we can do. Equipment manufacturing, intensive care, and so on. Ah, but isn’t this a more tempting offer for the Task Force than the Cleaning Team?”

Lee Ah-young’s voice was more confident than ever.

Well, there’s a reason why she, who isn’t even a director or team leader, is showing so much confidence.

Her father is an executive in the Association.

‘Director Lee Doo-shik… he was quite a big shot.’

One of the few powerful figures who could control the Association.

Except for the Association President, no one could question his decisions.

Well, unfortunately, it didn’t last long.

Within the next five years, Lee Doo-shik will be dismissed from the board of directors.

Well, the reasons were various, but… the biggest trigger was that he rubbed some people the wrong way while pushing for reforms in the Seoul headquarters.

And one of those people, a successful Hunter, stirred up the Association President and the board of directors.

In the end, Lee Doo-shik was caught on various pretexts and dismissed, and the employees who had cooperated with him were made examples of in various ways.

The most prominent figure among them was *Assistant* Lee Ah-young.

I don’t know if it was because of her father’s influence or her own skills, but she became a director at a relatively young age and was a fairly influential figure in the Association…

After Lee Doo-shik’s downfall, she lost power even within the Support Team and became an aide to a successful Hunter.

That’s when Lee Ah-young turned into a machine.

To look at it negatively, the confident person had conformed, and to look at it positively…

‘…Thanks to that, she became my aide?’

Anyway, it seems like he hasn’t been dismissed yet… and the condition Lee Ah-young is offering must be part of Lee Doo-shik’s plan.

So, if I cooperate with this…

‘The Cleaning Team and the Task Force will disappear without a trace.’

It’s not even worth considering.

“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll have to decline.”

“…Yes?”

A genuinely bewildered response.

“I don’t understand. I’m not setting any conditions; I’m just asking you to do what you’ve been doing…”

“Yes, I’ll do what I’ve been doing, but I don’t want your help.”

“…Is it confidence? Or do you just not like me?”

“Neither.”

I stood up from my seat.

“Overturning the headquarters, pushing someone out to become the head… I don’t have such grand ambitions in the first place.”

“Ha, really…”

Lee Ah-young let out a burst of laughter, as if she was dumbfounded.

“I trust you understand… Well, I have to go for my afternoon work now.”

It might seem cold, but it can’t be helped.

Right now, I can’t allow any blemishes on the Cleaning Team.

With that, I left the office first.

***

“…What is he?”

Assistant Manager Lee Ah-young’s gaze remained fixed on the office door for quite some time.

Then, as if she was truly dumbfounded, she shifted her gaze to Kim Min-ju.

“He’s rejecting help without any conditions? Wow, this is so embarrassing! Isn’t my face red right now?”

“He’s always been like that.”

However, Kim Min-ju’s reaction was unsurprised.

“It was a topic that he wouldn’t be interested in anyway. If it were me, I would have set a condition to support the Cleaning Team rather than becoming the head of the headquarters.”

“…Seriously, you guys are more insane the more I see you.”

Lee Ah-young shook her head.

Although she said that, she had a smile on her face.

“The Team Leader probably understood Assistant Manager’s feelings. His expression is just a bit stiff.”

“I have nothing to say when the Team Leader says that.”

“What are you going to do now?”

“There’s nothing I can do. It’s a bit ridiculous to beg him to let us help. I’ll just have to let him do what he wants.”

Kim Min-ju smiled brightly.

“Come visit sometimes. The Team Leader often comes to help me too.”

“Wow… I’m really jealous of that, you know? You include the Task Force but not the Support Team.”

Lee Ah-young exaggeratedly frowned.

Then, she stood up from her seat.

“Anyway, if you ever need our help later, I won’t easily agree then.”

“I’ll be sure to tell him.”

“And well… I’ll come visit sometimes.”

Lee Ah-young threw those words and hurriedly left the office.

***

Around the end of lunchtime.

I arrived at the next dungeon without being late.

The reason I didn’t eat lunch with the Cleaning Team members and took refuge in Kim Min-ju’s office was just one.

The nagging about the statement I made yesterday was too severe.

‘Did you think we’d be comfortable if you took it all on yourself?’

‘It’s too much.’

‘I’m disappointed.’

‘Promise not to do that again.’

Etc., etc….

It seemed like they wouldn’t stop for a while, so I was busy running away from them whenever I had the chance.

“Oh, Jun-woo, you’re here early?”

“Hey, that new Chinese restaurant over there is pretty good. Let’s all go together next time.”

Just in time, Moon So-yeon and Team Leader Park also arrived in front of the dungeon.

“Well, shall we get to work right away?”

“…Han Sang-hyuk hasn’t arrived yet.”

I asked, looking around with a puzzled expression.

“How far did he go to eat lunch?”

“Hmm? Didn’t I tell you? Sang-hyuk has a half-day off today.”

“Suddenly? Is he not feeling well?”

“No, no, his sister came to Korea after a long time, so he went to pick her up.”

“Sister?”

“Yeah. That friend’s sister is a Hunter affiliated with the International Association. Well, she came to Korea for some work… Sang-hyuk doesn’t know the details either?”

“…”

I nodded at the quite interesting fact.

A Hunter affiliated with the International Association.

It wouldn’t be possible with ordinary talent.

‘The sister is an international Hunter, and the brother is a cleaner…’

Han Sang-hyuk must have a lot of worries one way or another.

“Actually, Sang-hyuk’s only family is his sister. So, now that it’s happened, I told him to take a few days off. We’ll have to do it ourselves for about a week.”

“…I see.”

Family matters are none of my business.

‘Working with three people…’

I won’t be able to catch the last train for a week.

“Alright, let’s work quickly and take a little rest. Everyone, check your equipment one more time…”

“Greetings!”

It was then.

Interrupting Team Leader Park’s words, someone’s voice echoed.

At the same time, a young man in a neat suit approached from over there and bowed deeply to us.

“…?”

Of course, none of us knew the man.

“Ah, I’m Gu Sang-chan, a reporter from *Jungsim Ilbo* [a fictional newspaper]. I look forward to working with you!”

“…”

Even though the man introduced himself, everyone still looked clueless.

A reporter. Why is a reporter here?

And what’s with suddenly saying he looks forward to working with us?

“Huh? D, didn’t you get the message?”

“…? We haven’t heard anything.”

“R, really?! Oh, this is a disaster. What should I do…”

The man scratched his head repeatedly, genuinely flustered.

“Ah, should I contact them again… It was so hard to get permission… How could this happen…”

Then, he kept muttering to himself without even thinking of explaining.

Eventually, unable to watch any longer, I asked first.

“So, what’s the matter? And what do you mean by permission?”

“Ah, ah…! The thing is, I’ve made an appointment to interview Cleaning Team 3 starting today.”

“…Pardon?”

“The headquarters barely gave permission, so I thought you all had been informed…”

…An interview?

Us?