The Wise Cleaning Life Of A Returning Genius Hunter [EN]: Chapter 334

333. Side Story – Episode 11

“……Who are you?”

As I arrived at the office early in the morning, a man I’d never seen before was standing at my desk.

I asked, on high alert, and he bowed his head slightly as he replied.

“I’m Park Chan-young, an assistant manager from the Task Force for Truth Investigation. I’ll be in charge of the Hunter in your place, replacing Ha Eun-hye for the time being.”

“Replacing?”

As I repeated the word, he said in a dry voice,

“She’s on sick leave. Probably won’t be in for a day or two.”

“…I see.”

“Actually, it’s rare for a newbie to be assigned to a person under investigation, but we’re short-staffed, so it was unavoidable. Ha Eun-hye is a very passionate friend, so I’m sure she made you quite uncomfortable. I apologize for that, even if it’s late.”

“…….”

I listened to his polite explanation and stared at him for a moment.

And then.

“It’s okay.”

I replied indifferently and sat down at my desk.

It wasn’t that I didn’t like his first impression.

Rather, he seemed very neat and organized.

Even though I’m under investigation, he didn’t hesitate to apologize and show consideration, which gave me the impression that he was definitely more of a veteran than Ha Eun-hye.

But.

‘He’s no fun…….’

That was about the extent of my first impression.

Before long, I was shocked by my own thoughts.

‘…….’

Yes, this is actually normal.

Even if she’s with the committee, it’s strange for her to be nagging me about everything.

But…….

‘I’m crazy…….’

I’ve only seen her for a few days, and I’m already like this.

“Anyway, I look forward to working with you for the time being.”

The man who introduced himself as Assistant Manager Park Chan-young greeted me once more, but I pretended not to hear and sat down.

No, I was actually too shocked to hear him properly.

I blankly started working with a half-dazed look on my face.

Assistant Manager Park Chan-young also didn’t say a word to me after his last greeting.

So much so that I would forget he was even there if I didn’t pay attention.

He didn’t say anything, and he didn’t make any objections.

Whether I was doing paperwork, writing reports, or attending meetings… he just followed me around and watched silently.

That was the same even now that we were out on a subjugation mission.

“Then… good luck.”

After lunch, when I had finished all the preparations in front of today’s first dungeon.

Assistant Manager Park Chan-young stood at the entrance of the dungeon and said to me.

“Aren’t you coming with us, Assistant Manager Park?”

“Yes?”

When I asked with a puzzled expression, he was rather startled and asked back.

“D, did Assistant Manager Ha Eun-hye follow you into the dungeon?”

“Isn’t that normal?”

“Haa…….”

He covered his forehead with a very embarrassed expression.

“Even if she’s supposed to be monitoring the person under investigation, she doesn’t follow them into subjugations. The investigation team is made up of ordinary people, after all. It’s a place where anything could happen, so why would she go that far…….”

‘She’s so reckless,’ I heard him mutter quietly.

Hearing those words, I confirmed once again.

“Anyway, you’re saying that normally you don’t follow people into subjugations, right?”

“Ah, yes… that’s the principle. I’ll be sure to tell Ha Eun-hye when she gets back.”

“Well, I understand.”

I nodded, not really caring, and turned around. Then, I led my team into the dungeon.

As soon as I entered the dungeon, I stopped walking for a moment.

“……?”

“Why, what’s wrong?”

The team members asked all at once.

But I didn’t answer.

No matter how I thought about it, it was strange.

As soon as she promised to find evidence for me, she immediately took sick leave.

I knew that she was never one to make empty promises, but…….

‘I never thought she’d go so far as to take sick leave…….’

She’s the most unique oddball I’ve ever seen.

She has a past that’s incomparable to others, and perhaps because of that, she fearlessly blurts out reckless remarks.

If it’s her, she might go beyond simply digging into someone’s background and do something even more outrageous.

‘So she’s really planning to go all out……,’

I closed my mouth for a moment and pondered.

To be honest, I couldn’t help but worry.

Although it’s just a guess, the higher-ups involved in this incident are at least the head of the operations headquarters and the chairman of the Truth Investigation Committee.

The two people with the most power in the association, excluding the board of directors.

Digging into this case meant confronting those two head-on.

That’s not easy even for me, who has some influence in the operations team, let alone a newbie who’s only been here for three months…….

‘……Never mind.’

Since she’s already started moving, there’s no stopping her now.

Well, she’s not stupid enough to be unaware of her limits, so she’ll take care of herself.

If things really get dangerous, I can help her then.

“Let’s go.”

With those thoughts in mind, I started walking into the dungeon again.

***

“I just got in.”

Operations Headquarters, Control Team hallway.

Ha Eun-hye, who had stepped into the hallway, contacted Eom Gyeong-hun on her phone.

「Oh, we’re in the middle of an operation, so almost everyone’s gathered in the situation room. Once you get past there, you shouldn’t be noticed.」

“Okay.”

「If you go straight down the hallway, you’ll find the archives. The server room is inside, so you’ll have to go into the archives first.」

“It’s locked?”

「…Isn’t that obvious?」

A tone as if she was dumbfounded.

But only for a moment.

「Wait a minute.」

Eom Gyeong-hun said that and hung up the phone.

As Ha Eun-hye waited in front of the archives door, Eom Gyeong-hun soon appeared in person.

Eom Gyeong-hun took out his employee ID from his pocket and said,

“The moment you scan this, a record of entry will be left. I’ve come up with an excuse, but if you mess up, I’m ‘done’ too.”

“…….”

Words that were hard to tell whether they were encouragement or a warning.

Ha Eun-hye looked at him with a sullen expression for a moment.

“It’s a bit funny to ask this now…….”

She asked him with a serious expression.

“Why are you helping me this much?”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden? You asked me to help you first.”

“Yeah, I did, but… honestly, you didn’t have to jump into my business. If we get caught, not only me but you’ll be in danger too… and even if things go well, you might get labeled as a whistleblower and be transferred to the provinces.”

“Seriously…….”

Eom Gyeong-hun scratched his head with his employee ID.

An expression as if asking why she was asking such a thing now.

And then, he slowly opened his mouth.

“Back in college, was it freshman or sophomore year… there was a student council corruption scandal, right? You took the lead and exposed it back then. Remember?”

“Of course. I almost got expelled because of that.”

“Hehe. Things got bigger than expected.”

Eom Gyeong-hun glanced at her and continued.

“Honestly, I thought you were pretty cool back then.”

“……What’s with you all of a sudden.”

He closed his mouth for a moment and hesitated to say the next words.

But then he smiled.

“Well, that’s the reason.”

He ended the conversation quite blandly, as if he had cut off the words he was about to say.

“What. That doesn’t explain anything?”

“Ah, just listen. Anyway, we don’t have time, so hurry up and go in. You have to get out of the server room before the operation ends.”

“…Okay.”

Eom Gyeong-hun handed her the employee ID, and Ha Eun-hye accepted it and turned around with a somewhat sullen face.

Soon, she swiped the employee ID on the security device.

Beep―.

The thick iron door opened, and she entered the archives.

A space that wasn’t particularly special.

She carefully looked around the place, which was lined with all sorts of documents and electronic devices of unknown use.

And soon, she found another door in the corner.

Main Server Room.

Access Restricted to Authorized Personnel Only.

Top Secret Area.

A door plastered with all sorts of gruesome phrases.

Even the mighty Ha Eun-hye couldn’t help but feel nervous.

But only for a moment.

She opened the door with the key she received from Eom Gyeong-hun.

A dark room.

It was cold enough to make you feel chilly.

The sound of machines running incessantly could be heard from all directions.

In the middle of it all, a small monitor could be seen.

“I’m in the server room now.”

「Okay! I’ll send you the code.」

“But… it’s a top-secret area, and the security is just a key?”

「The entry security is already filtered once in the archives anyway. And the main security in the server room is the access security. There’s no need to put anything else on it.」

“…I see.”

「I’ll call out the code, so concentrate.」

Eom Gyeong-hun quickly recited a 13-digit code, and Ha Eun-hye entered it into the monitor.

At the same time, a BIOS [Basic Input/Output System] window popped up.

「Now press F1, then Ctrl+B, then…….」

Ha Eun-hye followed his instructions and entered something for a long time.

“It, it’s up!”

Records of all the dungeons that had appeared in Seoul, South Korea, for the past 30 years appeared in front of her eyes.

「Okay. Now plug in the USB.」

“…….”

It was already the final stage.

Ha Eun-hye took a deep breath and plugged the USB she had brought into the device.

「You remember the date and time of the dungeon three months ago, right?」

“Yeah.”

「You have to check it accurately and bring it. If you bring the wrong one, it’ll all be for nothing.」

Ha Eun-hye didn’t answer and started focusing on the monitor in front of her.

Thousands and thousands of pieces of information that had been accumulated since 30 years ago.

Among those records that made her eyes feel like they were going to fall out, a certain date caught Ha Eun-hye’s eye.

‘…….’

As if she was possessed by something, Ha Eun-hye clicked on it without realizing it.

***

「Chief.」

Operations Headquarters, Chief’s office.

A phone call to Chief Seo Min-cheol.

It was none other than Oh Hyeong-tae, the head of the security team.

“What is it?”

「Well… it’s nothing much…….」

Chief Oh hesitated for a moment.

「Did you happen to access the main server just now?」

“…What?”

Chief Seo Min-cheol’s eyebrows twitched.

「No, a record of access suddenly popped up here……. I was calling to confirm if you were the one who accessed it.」

“…I didn’t.”

「Ah, is that so. Hmm, it does sometimes have errors. I understand for now.」

Chief Oh said it casually, but Chief Seo Min-cheol had an ominous expression.

“Tell me……. Can you also check if anyone has touched any files in the server?”

「Ah, yes. It’ll take a while, but… would you like me to check?」

“Please do.”

「I understand. Then I’ll check and call you back.」

Chief Seo Min-cheol ended the call with that.

Then, he put his hands together and started shaking his legs.

‘Suddenly a server access record…….’

Well, if it often has errors, there’s no need to be too anxious.

In the first place, the possibility of someone suddenly touching the server at the right time in this situation is small.

But……

‘Just in case…….’

As he waited for a call while biting his nails.

Ring―.

Before long, he received a call from Chief Oh again.

“Yeah, did you check?”

「Yes, yes. That’s…….」

“What is it? Speak.”

Chief Oh hesitated for a moment.

「There’s a record that one file from three months ago was just moved.」

“…What?”

At the same time, Chief Seo Min-cheol’s eyes widened.

But there was more shocking news left.

「Um, but… there’s one more.」

“There’s one more…?”

「Yes, yes. It’s the information from 15 years ago…….」

At that moment, his breath caught in his throat.

「It’s the Green-ranked dungeon information from September 12th, 15 years ago, when the operation was launched at 2:20 PM.」

“…….”

「Oh, wait a minute. Isn’t this… the dungeon where that incident happened back then?」

Chief Seo Min-cheol couldn’t hear anything anymore.

As he was doing that.

「The one where Hunter Ha Gi-sik murdered his fellow hunter…….」

Chief Oh confirmed the kill once more.

Soon, Chief Seo Min-cheol’s hands began to tremble.