The Wise Cleaning Life Of A Returning Genius Hunter [EN]: Chapter 350

349. After Story 6

In front of Geumgwang Capital’s office.

“Hoo…”

Association President Lee Ah-young stood there, taking a deep breath.

“Why are you so nervous, unlike your usual self?”

Planning Director Han Yu-bin, who accompanied her, seemed quite surprised by her behavior.

“It’s different from the old days. Meeting people as the association president is quite burdensome.”

“If you’re not confident, you can hand over the position to me.”

“If you were to hand it over, wouldn’t Min-joo be better than Yu-bin?”

“…….”

Han Yu-bin seemed speechless and closed her mouth.

Kim Min-joo, who was listening to the conversation, also scratched her nose awkwardly, pretending to look away.

“Anyway… let’s go in.”

Soon, Association President Lee Ah-young opened the door, and Kim Min-joo and Han Yu-bin followed her into the office.

At the same time.

“Wh-what is this?!”

“Association President Lee Ah-young?”

“Kim Min-joo is also here…”

“Even Han Yu-bin… are they planning to turn everything upside down if necessary?”

The men in the office murmured.

It was quite an embarrassing situation for them.

It was not in their plans for the top executives of the WDSO’s [World Defense Security Organization] Korean branch to barge in all at once.

“…You’ve come.”

A man sitting at the far end of the office, with his back turned, spoke.

The moment he slowly turned his chair to face Association President Lee Ah-young, she couldn’t hide her bewilderment.

‘That, that person…?’

The man who had stood up for the cleaning team when they were harassed before.

The man who had bragged about his daughter without being asked.

‘That man was the boss of the Black Light Gang…?’

Startled by the unexpected reunion, she quickly composed herself.

“It’s been a while, Mr. Choi Jang-seok.”

Association President Lee Ah-young quickly composed herself and greeted him calmly.

“It’s good to see you again. I hope you weren’t too surprised.”

“Well, I didn’t expect it… but it doesn’t really matter.”

“That’s a relief. But your honorifics are quite cold.”

“Consider yourself lucky that I’m even using honorifics.”

Association President Lee Ah-young chuckled and sat facing him.

The two stared at each other in silence for a moment.

“But… why did the association president come herself?”

Choi Jang-seok spoke first.

“I clearly requested the Secretary-General.”

“Mr. Choi Jang-seok.”

Lee Ah-young’s eyes flashed.

“Know your place.”

“…….”

“The Secretary-General has no reason or justification to personally meet with a mere street thug.”

“Oh, come on…!”

“Hey. Thug? That’s a bit offensive…!”

“Stay quiet.”

When his subordinates intervened, Choi Jang-seok’s sharp gaze immediately turned to them.

The subordinates immediately lowered their heads.

Once the situation was settled, Choi Jang-seok continued.

“I don’t think I made myself clear… I clearly said I would talk to Secretary-General Kim Jun-woo.”

“That’s why I came instead. If you tell me, I will convey it to him.”

“…No. That’s not it.”

Choi Jang-seok folded his hands and glanced at Lee Ah-young.

“It’s not about conveying it; shouldn’t you be calling Kim Jun-woo here right now?”

“……Haa.”

Association President Lee Ah-young sighed and shook her head.

“Why do you think we bothered to meet with you, Mr. Choi Jang-seok?”

“What?”

“We are giving you a chance now. A final chance for you to make excuses. Of course, we will decide the method.”

Association President Lee Ah-young’s voice grew stronger.

“No matter what you say here, we will hold you accountable. Of course, depending on what you say, the brothers who confessed might end up with a suspended sentence or actual prison time.”

“…….”

“So, it would be better for everyone if you talk to me here.”

She gave a final warning. Choi Jang-seok lowered his head and began to contemplate.

But only for a moment.

“No.”

He stubbornly came to the same conclusion.

“I will talk to Kim Jun-woo. If you can’t help me, then I have no reason to open my mouth any further.”

“……I understand.”

With that, the conversation ended, and Association President Lee Ah-young stood up as if there was nothing more to see.

Then, she turned her back without hesitation and opened the office door. At that moment.

“Congratulations.”

Association President Lee Ah-young glanced back at Choi Jang-seok and said something meaningful.

“……What?”

He asked back, but Association President Lee Ah-young ignored him and left the office as it was.

At the same time.

“……!”

“……!”

The eyes of everyone in the office, including Choi Jang-seok, widened.

A man entered the office, taking turns with Association President Lee Ah-young and the directors as they left.

“It’s been a while.”

“…….”

“…….”

The man Choi Jang-seok had been so eager to meet.

The Secretary-General of WDSO, the one person who could fulfill his wishes.

Kim Jun-woo revealed himself.

***

As soon as I entered the office, I sat facing Choi Jang-seok.

Soon, his subordinates brought coffee, and as I picked it up.

“…Why did you send the association president first? You were going to come anyway.”

He spoke.

“There was something I needed to confirm.”

“Confirm?”

“I was curious about what kind of important story it was that caused this whole mess.”

I slowly turned the paper cup and said.

“If you had accepted the association president’s offer, I would have returned as is. If it was a story that would proceed even without me, then it wouldn’t be worth listening to in the first place.”

“…….”

“So.”

I leaned back in my chair and glared at him.

“What is it?”

I asked, trying to suppress my emotions.

“What kind of story is it that made you beat our employees like that, who had nothing to do with it?”

“…….”

He hesitated to answer for a moment, then suddenly bowed his head towards me.

“First… I sincerely apologize for what I’ve done. I was in a desperate situation, so I couldn’t help it.”

“Mr. Choi Jang-seok.”

I barely managed to hold back a burst of laughter and looked straight into his eyes.

“I didn’t come here to receive such a pathetic apology, so stop talking nonsense and get to the point.”

“…….”

“What, if you have nothing to say, I’ll be on my way…”

“Bank Item.”

At that moment, Choi Jang-seok uttered an unexpected word.

“I need a Bank Item.”

“……What did you say?”

“Can you grant me permission to use a Bank Item just once?”

“…….”

My eyebrows twitched greatly.

I didn’t know what he was talking about, so I kept my mouth shut and stared at him for a moment.

Then, past events flashed through my mind.

“Could it be… are you the person who came to the headquarters a few days ago asking for permission to use a Bank Item?”

“That’s right.”

“Haa…….”

In the end, I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

That troublemaker who had been causing a ruckus at the headquarters almost every day, asking to use a Bank Item… I never imagined it would be this man.

‘He’s bothering me until the end.’

With that thought, I slowly opened my mouth.

“Mr. Choi Jang-seok, Bank Items are items that we also keep under extremely careful guard. It’s not something we can just grant permission to use just because you want to. Haven’t you forgotten what happened just a year ago?”

“…I know.”

“Then you knew it wasn’t allowed, but you still did it?”

“That means I’m that desperate.”

His answer made me frown.

“In fact, there have been several requests to use Bank Items even before Mr. Choi Jang-seok. Of course, they were all rejected. Well, the reasons why people need Bank Items are all different…”

I looked straight into his eyes and continued.

“Do you think those people gave up because they weren’t desperate?”

“…….”

Choi Jang-seok took a deep breath.

A very complicated expression.

The two hands he had folded were trembling slightly.

Of course, such a reaction had nothing to do with me.

“Then I trust you understand…”

“I have a daughter.”

At that time, Choi Jang-seok said something quite out of the blue.

“…Yes, I know. You mentioned it before.”

I answered awkwardly.

“It’s necessary for that child.”

“…….”

“There’s no parent who can win against their child, and as a father, I have to do whatever I can, right?”

Choi Jang-seok finally revealed his true feelings.

‘Haa…….’

I could tell right away what he wanted to say.

“Surely… you said your daughter would be applying to the operations team soon.”

“I hoped so.”

“You also said she has an ability.”

“…Yes.”

I sighed deeply.

As expected.

Well, in the first place, if you need a Bank Item in this situation, there’s only one possibility.

“Your daughter must be Unranked.”

“Unranked?”

“You have an ability and want to join the operations team, but your rank doesn’t meet the application requirements, does it? So you’re trying to use an ability stone to raise your rank.”

“…….”

“There were many people like that. Well, I don’t intend to criticize that in itself. But isn’t it too contradictory to assault ordinary people, especially the cleaning team affiliated with the association, to become a hunter?”

I leaned forward and continued.

“I’m sorry, but that alone disqualifies you from applying. WDSO doesn’t recruit people who don’t understand the organization and its members.”

“…….”

Choi Jang-seok hesitated to answer for a moment.

“My daughter was ranked B at the age of 21.”

“……Yes?”

“Her unique skill had A-rank potential, and the skills she acquired were also sufficient for her to become a hunter.”

An unexpected and bewildering story.

I looked at him with a bewildered expression.

Then, Choi Jang-seok’s gaze turned to a small frame on the desk.

“Mirae… my daughter doesn’t need an ability stone.”

A young woman wearing a graduation cap and smiling brightly.

Choi Jang-seok looked at the photo he had taken with her and slowly continued.

“It was about a year ago.”

***

As I left the office, three people approached as if they had been waiting.

“It took longer than I thought.”

“What did you talk about?”

“Well, it must have been a trivial story anyway.”

“…….”

I hesitated to answer for a moment.

“First…….”

I said to them in a heavy voice.

“Kim Min-joo and Han Yu-bin, return to headquarters.”

“Yes, yes?”

“No, you’re telling us to go back right after calling us here?!”

I nodded instead of answering.

Then, I immediately turned my gaze to Lee Yi-young.

“Association President Lee Ah-young… do you have some time?”

“Yes?”

“There’s somewhere I need to go.”

“…….”

As if she had noticed that the honorifics had changed, she also answered with a serious face.

“Okay.”

“Then let’s leave right away. It’s not too far.”

“Before that… can I ask where we’re going?”

To her question, I turned my back and answered.

“The hospital.”

“Yes?”

“We’re going to Giseok University Hospital.”

I only answered and left the building first.

After that, we didn’t say anything while moving in the car.

Of course, it wasn’t that we had nothing to say.

She had a face full of things she wanted to ask right away.

Having arrived at Giseok University Hospital.

As we entered a hospital room, there was a young woman lying asleep with all sorts of devices attached to her.

Lee Ah-young quietly looked around the hospital room as if she still didn’t understand why we had come here.

Looking at the emaciated woman who was nothing but skin and bones, I carefully asked.

“Who is this person…?”

“Choi Mirae. Mr. Choi Jang-seok’s daughter.”

“……Huh?”

Lee Ah-young’s eyes widened.

She also couldn’t have imagined that Choi Jang-seok’s daughter would be in such a serious condition.

“He asked for permission to use a Bank Item.”

“That man?”

“Yeah.”

“Wait a minute! Could it be that the person who kept coming a few days ago…?”

“That’s right. It’s him. He said it was absolutely necessary for his daughter…….”

“What is that…….”

“Well, at first, I thought he was asking to borrow an ability stone to raise her rank because she was applying to the operations team…….”

“…….”

At that, everyone’s gaze turned to the woman.

And soon, Lee Ah-young carefully opened her mouth.

“I understand his feelings, but this is not a problem we can solve on our own. As you know, there are no Bank Items that can save people.”

“No.”

I looked at the woman and answered.

“That’s not what Mr. Choi Jang-seok wanted.”