The Wise Cleaning Life Of A Returning Genius Hunter [EN]: Chapter 226

225

“Well, now that the nuisance is gone…”

I stared at Hwang Dong-hui, who was sprawled silently in a corner of the unfinished building, then turned my head.

Assemblyman Jeong-hoon, who met my gaze, looked as terrified as if he had seen a ghost and slumped to the floor.

“Let’s continue our story.”

“S-Save me…”

“Don’t worry. As I said, I’m just trying to do what you want.”

As I said with a smile, he swallowed hard.

“W-What do you want? I’m just doing what the International Association tells me to do. As for their information, I don’t know anything…”

“No. The things they ask you to do *are* information to me.”

“W-What…?”

“Let’s look at this time, too. It was quite twisted, but in the end, the goal was to eliminate our detection facilities. That alone told me what they want now.”

“……”

I continued slowly.

“The International Association is in a pretty desperate situation right now. The plan they’ve been preparing for decades has gone up in smoke, and we’re hot on their heels.”

“So…”

“There’s only one thing they can do when they’re cornered.”

I paused for a moment.

Then, in a very serious voice, I continued.

“War.”

“……!”

He looked shocked, as if he hadn’t considered such a thing.

“There must be several others besides you who have joined hands with the International Association anyway. When you get caught, orders will be issued to them. Then we have to go to the trouble of finding them again.”

I stared straight into his eyes and continued.

“Instead of that, I’m saying that you should just keep doing it.”

“S-So, you’re going to let me go…?”

I frowned at those words.

“What are you misunderstanding? You… killed someone. Someone who had nothing to do with it, no connection at all.”

“……”

“Where are you shamelessly thinking of running away?”

I stared straight into his eyes and tossed him an old cell phone.

“I’ll contact you again later. Until then, wait quietly.”

With those words, I left the building.

***

Paris, France, headquarters of the International Hunter Association.

“……I can’t get in touch.”

Wesley, the Secretary-General, opened his mouth, frustrated, in front of the silent phone.

Then, the executive secretary carefully spoke.

“Could it be that Kim Jun-woo found out?”

“Hmm…….”

If there was no contact yet, it was highly likely.

If Kim Jun-woo noticed, he would no longer be able to maintain a relationship with Jeong-hoon.

‘He was a good worker…….’

Too bad.

As he muttered that, the phone finally rang.

「S-Secretary-General.」

Secretary-General Wesley was delighted at the voice he had been waiting for.

“Mr. Jeong! I was waiting for your call. How did it go? Did you get out okay?”

「No. I don’t think I can avoid being arrested. It’s such a big case that it’s been spread in the media…….」

“Then what about the work I asked you to do…?”

「I think the detection facility will proceed without any problems. My charge is operating an illegal hunter organization, and I won’t be able to prove the resort business.」

“That’s a relief.”

Secretary-General Wesley smiled.

“Well, don’t worry about being arrested. I can get you out somehow.”

「Thank you.」

“By the way, where is Chief Hwang Dong-hui? I can’t get in touch with that person either.”

「Ah, that’s…….」

Assemblyman Jeong-hoon hesitated, trailing off.

「H-He’s dead.」

“…Dead?”

Secretary-General Wesley’s eyebrows twitched.

*What* nonsense is this?

Who on earth could kill him?

「K-Kim Jun-woo must have done something.」

“Kim Jun-woo…?”

「Yes, yes.」

“Were you there too?”

「Yes.」

At that moment, Secretary-General Wesley’s eyes sharpened.

“So… Kim Jun-woo came to you, killed Chief Hwang Dong-hui, and let you go?”

「……Yes.」

Secretary-General Wesley sighed at the absurd answer.

“Mr. Jeong.”

Then he slowly opened his mouth.

“Are you hiding something from me?”

「…N-No.」

“If not, that’s a relief, but if you’re trying to deceive me…….”

Secretary-General Wesley continued in a businesslike voice.

“You… will die. Not only you, but your entire family.”

「…….」

I heard him swallow hard once.

「K-Kim Jun-woo came to warn me. He told me not to think about running away and pay for my sins……. Seeing that he didn’t catch me on the spot, it seems that the charges haven’t been proven yet.」

“Is that so…….”

「And Chief Hwang Dong-hui…… it was revenge for what happened last time…….」

Secretary-General Wesley leaned back in his chair.

“I understand. I’ll watch the situation and contact you again.”

「Yes, yes.」

He hung up the phone.

Then, the executive secretary who was waiting next to him carefully asked.

“What do you think?”

“Well…….”

Secretary-General Wesley smirked and replied.

“I think he’s lying.”

The executive secretary nodded.

“The fact that Kim Jun-woo came in person must be for a reason. He’s not the type to go just to give a warning.”

“Did he make a deal with him?”

“That’s probably it. He likely told him to move the detection facility and report to him from now on.”

Wesley smirked. “뻔하군 [Ppeonhagun – It’s obvious what happened].”

Secretary-General Wesley smirked.

“Then, should we take care of Assemblyman Jeong-hoon?”

“No. Then Kim Jun-woo will try to investigate another guy again. It would be better for us to keep him alive and use him.”

He scanned the scattered documents.

It was a document containing the profiles of several people, including Assemblyman Jeong-hoon.

Secretary-General Wesley picked up Assemblyman Jeong-hoon’s document and tore it apart.

“From now on, issue separate orders to Assemblyman Jeong-hoon.”

“Yes?”

“Orders that seem like important information, but only waste time and money.”

The executive secretary nodded.

***

Four days after the start of the operation.

– This morning at 7 a.m., a total of 152 former hunters involved in illegal hunter organizations were arrested.

News of the end of the incident was broadcast from early morning.

Since I already knew the content, I didn’t pay much attention and changed the channel.

– Assemblyman Jeong-hoon, who secretly ran an illegal hunter organization, has been booked again. Assemblyman Jeong-hoon of the Future Democratic Party was tried a few months ago on charges of bribery with Ha Seong-tae, head of Hanbyul Group, but was acquitted and released…

*Beep*.

– However, police authorities have announced that there is still no evidence to support the claim that there was a connection between Assemblyman Jeong-hoon and GT Construction. In addition, with former hunter Choi Jong-hyuk revealed as the culprit in the murder of CEO Cho, it is still unknown whether Assemblyman Jeong-hoon instigated it…

Each channel was telling similar but slightly different stories.

And I nodded as I listened to the last news report.

‘Indeed…’

I turned off the television.

Like Chief Ji Seon-woong, people with ties to Assemblyman Jeong-hoon are scattered everywhere.

As long as they are exerting their power, it will be impossible to link the resort project to Assemblyman Jeong-hoon. Of course, it won’t be possible to prove that he ordered CEO Cho’s murder.

From the beginning, it was a battle we couldn’t win.

That’s why I had no choice but to make a deal with him.

To make him pay for his sins.

“By the way… how long can Assemblyman Jeong-hoon deceive the International Association?”

At that moment, Director Lee Ah-young, who was watching the news with me, asked cautiously.

“The Secretary-General is quite perceptive, so I’m worried that he might get into more trouble if he gets caught later.”

I let out a burst of laughter at her words.

“He’s already been caught.”

“……?”

“Of course. He knows I came to see him, and it doesn’t make sense that he just let me go. He must have realized that I made a deal with him.”

“Then, he won’t give Assemblyman Jeong-hoon any more orders?! Doesn’t that make everything useless?!”

“No.”

I shook my head.

“He will continue to issue orders. To avoid revealing that they have noticed. However… they will be meaningless orders.”

“……”

Director Lee Ah-young wore a suspicious expression.

It was a reaction as if to say, what good is that, in the end?

“Well, while he’s deluded into thinking he’s receiving the International Association’s protection, and pouring his energy into meaningless orders… he’ll eventually destroy himself.”

“W-wait a minute. So, the deal with Assemblyman Jeong-hoon was…”

“Yes.”

I nodded and continued.

“Either way, he has to pay for his sins. But if society can’t punish him, we’ll have to use other methods.”

“……”

“He’ll probably be crawling at the bottom in a few months, having squandered all his connections and money.”

Director Lee Ah-young stared at me with a blank expression.

But only for a moment.

“So… is this all over now?”

“Don’t be silly. There are still guys here and there who are receiving orders from the International Association. We have to find them all and root them out.”

“How long will that take? Are you seriously suggesting we keep doing this?”

“My vacation is almost over, so how could I?”

I put my hands behind my head and continued.

“Well, that’s why I’m thinking of forming a new team to handle that.”

“We’re already struggling with subjugation [monster hunting], where are you going to find the people?”

“I have a place in mind.”

“Where?”

“Well, I’ll tell you the details when I get permission.”

I smiled at her.

She narrowed her eyes and glared at me as if she was disappointed.

It can’t be helped, even if it’s a shame.

Because if I told her now, she would hate it and desperately oppose it.

“Anyway, you have one day left of vacation, so get some rest…”

Knock, knock—.

At that moment, someone knocked and entered the office.

It was none other than Min Yu-jin.

“……”

“……”

Director Lee Ah-young looked at her warily before smiling.

“It seems like you have something to say, so I’ll leave you two alone. Have a conversation.”

“……”

“Don’t worry about me. Really.”

Director Lee Ah-young smiled coolly until the end and left the office.

Soon, only the two of us were left in the office.

“…You’ve worked hard.”

She spoke first.

“Thanks to you, the illegal hunter organization case has been completely resolved. Assemblyman Jeong-hoon will also be arrested.”

“Aren’t you disappointed? You couldn’t link the GT Construction lobbying case and the request to murder CEO Cho.”

“Well, it can’t be helped.”

She shrugged and let out a burst of laughter.

“I think I’ll get promoted because of this case.”

“That’s good.”

“…Thank you.”

I paused for a moment at her quiet voice.

For some reason, I had an ominous feeling.

And, sure enough.

“That… you asked me last time if I was willing to try again, right?”

“……”

As the ominous premonition seemed to become a reality, goosebumps began to rise on my body.

I tried to hide my nervousness and answered.

“Y-yes, I did.”

“I’ve been thinking about it…”

She hesitated, averting her gaze.

I swallowed hard.

“I don’t think it will work after all.”

She smiled as she said those words.

At the same time, I let out a sigh of relief.

“I don’t know what happened during that year… but no matter how much I think about it, I can’t forgive you.”

“Well, then that’s fine.”

We smiled at each other like that.

“Still, if you need help again, I’ll contact you. It would be even better if you could look after me since I’m thinking of supporting the operations team from next quarter.”

“……”

Was this her purpose?

She’s still persistent, both before and after the regression.

‘The operations team…’

The her that I saw directly was definitely strong.

She might be much better than mediocre E and D-rank hunters.

“Anyway, I’ll be going now.”

She waved her hand and turned her back.

As I looked at her back, the events of the Regen Dungeon before the regression came to my mind again.

Yes, that girl is strong.

But this place is where even those who are dozens or hundreds of times stronger than her can lose their lives with a single mistake.

The hundreds of hunters who died when the Regen Dungeon appeared were strong enough.

It’s not that they died because they were weak, it’s just that kind of place.

A and S-ranks even die meaninglessly.

But I know her too well.

No matter how much I try to persuade and coax her, I can never break that girl’s stubbornness.

So…

“Min Yu-jin.”

I opened my mouth towards her as she was leaving the office.

“……?”

She blinked and looked back at me.

I opened my mouth with a cold smile.

“You’re rejected.”