The Wise Cleaning Life Of A Returning Genius Hunter [EN]: Chapter 355

354. After Story 11

“Y-You’re going to America?!”

Han Sanghyuk’s voice echoed loudly in the small living room.

The news he had suddenly received was quite shocking.

“S-Surely Kim Junwoo isn’t sending you?! Is that guy out of his mind? Sending someone who caused a ruckus in America and even got kicked out as a Hunter back to America?!”

“Don’t make such a fuss. I’ve been there once before, what’s the big deal?”

Han Yoobin said calmly while packing her luggage.

It was only three years ago that she searched all over America to find Eden.

There were no problems back then, so it was ridiculous for him to act like this now.

“No, is it the same as back then?! Kim Junwoo went with you then. And you weren’t even at the branch that much in the first place.”

“…That’s true.”

Han Yoobin replied quietly, as if struck by a precise blow.

Han Sanghyuk wasn’t wrong.

Three years ago, she was secretly worried about running into colleagues with whom she had bad blood.

But those concerns were unnecessary because she only stayed in the branch building for about two hours, and the rest of the time she was mostly dispatched to other regions.

As a result, she barely encountered anyone, and there was hardly any chance to see people at all.

It was as if someone had arranged the schedule to avoid contact as much as possible.

At the time, she thought Kim Junwoo had deliberately taken care of her….

‘If he cared about that, he wouldn’t have sent me this time….’

After a long time, she realized he wasn’t that kind of person.

“This time you’re going alone without Kim Junwoo. Are you really okay…?”

“Ah Young is going with me. And what’s not okay about it?”

“Still, you’re going to be working alone. You’re definitely going to run into your old colleagues, right?”

“So what if I do? It’s been years since the Nicole incident. Do you think I’m going to start punching people when I meet those guys?”

“…….”

There was no answer, but his expression seemed to desperately want to agree.

Well, the truth was, she couldn’t guarantee it either.

Even if she thought it wasn’t right in her head, her fists never listened.

“I’ll take care of my own work, so you take care of yours.”

“…Okay. You do you. Call me if you go to jail. I don’t think I’ll be able to visit.”

Han Sanghyuk shook his head as if he had half given up and went into his room.

Han Yoobin continued to pack her luggage. As she did, her gaze suddenly turned to a small frame on her desk.

The only photo she had taken with Nicole.

Looking at her smiling brightly in the photo, Han Yoobin also smiled slightly.

And after a moment of contemplation.

‘Should I stop by while I’m there….’

She muttered to herself and put the frame in her carrier.

***

New York International Airport.

Lee Ah Young stretched out, seemingly stiff from the long flight.

As she glanced at Han Yoobin, she noticed her expression seemed lost in thought, unlike her usual self.

She had been quiet since departure, as if she was thinking about something.

Well, it was obvious what she was thinking about.

“Don’t worry too much.”

Han Yoobin was startled and asked back as Lee Ah Young sighed softly and spoke.

“You’re worried about it too, right? That you might cause an accident, start something… well, you don’t need to worry too much. Yoobin, you’re a much more level-headed person than you think.”

“H, how did you…?”

“It’s written all over your face.”

Lee Ah Young smiled, and Han Yoobin awkwardly smiled along.

“I don’t know how to fight with words and paper while sitting in a chair. That’s why I was stripped of my Hunter qualification and kicked out of the American branch.”

Han Yoobin continued in a rather bitter voice.

“I’m the head of the main branch now, but… honestly, I still don’t know. It’s an important job, and if I cause trouble again….”

“Hehe.”

Lee Ah Young’s quiet laughter interrupted her.

“…Why are you laughing?”

“Have you ever ruined a job by acting emotionally?”

“……?”

Han Yoobin didn’t understand the meaning of those words for a moment.

But after slowly retracing her memories for a moment.

She felt her head go blank.

She had acted impulsively and failed to control her emotions several times while doing this job….

But as far as she could remember, that had never caused a job to go wrong.

“Junwoo knew your personality from the start and put you in that position anyway. If that was a problem, he wouldn’t have sent you here.”

“Are you saying he planned everything from the beginning and put me in?”

“Well, I don’t know that far.”

Lee Ah Young smiled slightly and continued.

“All I know is that you are one of his best assets.”

“…….”

“So, stop worrying about useless things and let’s focus on work.”

Han Yoobin nodded.

The American Association official who was supposed to meet them was nowhere to be seen.

They couldn’t just wait, so they were about to leave the gate to catch a taxi.

“Excuse me. You two ladies there.”

A deep voice.

They heard someone calling them from behind.

Turning around, they saw a man who appeared to be an airport inspector standing with airport police.

“…What’s going on?”

Lee Ah Young asked with a puzzled voice, and the inspector replied with a meaningful smile.

“We received a report of a theft and are conducting a search. We would appreciate your cooperation.”

“…So, what do you want us to do?”

“Please open your carriers so we can search your bags.”

An absurd laugh escaped her.

“I don’t understand. Why do we have to open our bags? We’ve already completed the quarantine and customs declaration.”

“If you don’t open them, we have no choice but to enforce it.”

“What did you say…?”

“If a problem occurs in a big country like America, you will only suffer. So, please comply with our request quietly. If you continue to refuse, you may be arrested and detained.”

“…….”

“…….”

Lee Ah Young and Han Yoobin looked at each other for a moment at the absurd story.

And then.

“We refuse.”

Lee Ah Young answered firmly.

The inspector shook his head.

“I’m afraid we have no choice. We will arrest you for obstruction of official duties and failure to comply with instructions.”

With that, the airport police took out handcuffs and approached the two.

Then.

“I’m warning you, you’ll regret it the moment you put those handcuffs on us.”

Lee Ah Young said, looking straight at the two men.

But the men, who didn’t understand the meaning of those words at all, just snorted and opened the handcuffs.

At that moment.

“Get your hands off them immediately.”

A man in a suit approached them.

At the same time, dozens of attendants followed behind him.

People who looked like they were from a high-ranking institution appeared at the airport, and a look of embarrassment flashed across the faces of the inspector and the airport police.

“W-What is this?”

“Who are you guys? We’re on official duty…!”

“The moment you put handcuffs on those people….”

The man in the suit continued with a sharp look in his eyes.

“You could die.”

“W-What…?”

“What does that……”

At that one word, which could not be taken as a joke, the inspector and the airport police unconsciously took their hands off the two women.

Confirming that, the man once again paid his respects to Lee Ah Young and Han Yoobin and said.

“I’m sorry for being late. I’m Marcus from the business department of the American New York Association.”

“…….”

Lee Ah Young looked at the man who introduced himself as Marcus for a moment.

Then she glanced at the inspector again.

“They said they would arrest us for theft.”

“……Yes?”

“To arrest foreigners based solely on speculation without any evidence or explanation….”

Association President Lee Ah Young smiled.

“I think the Secretary-General would be very disappointed if he knew.”

“……!”

“……!”

At that moment, the faces of Marcus and his attendants froze.

Countries around the world have an invisible hierarchy based on their national power.

It is a power that everyone is aware of and that no country can easily ignore.

And that was the same for the Association.

The Korean Association is the center of the global subjugation industry and holds both Eden and Bank items under WDSO [World Dungeon Security Organization].

It is at the top of all associations around the world.

Lee Ah Young and Han Yoobin are the head and senior executives of such an association.

The two were not just guests visiting another association, but the highest VVIPs [Very Very Important People] who had to be supported at the risk of their lives.

But not only were they late to pick them up, but in the meantime, the VVIPs were insulted?

This was not something that would end with just a simple punishment.

At least two or three heads would have to fly off in this situation.

Marcus also seemed to realize the situation immediately and approached the inspector and the airport police.

“Tanimbala?”

As he uttered the word, the faces of the two men turned pale.

“Why, weren’t you satisfied with your salary? Or was it because they were young women from the East?”

“I, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Do you have any evidence? We really were searching for a theft…!”

“Well, trying to do Tanimbala [a type of scam] in the middle of New York Airport is a mistake, but an even bigger mistake is….”

Marcus continued in a low voice.

“You picked the wrong people, very wrong people.”

“……”

“Because of your mistakes, the American Association has lost a diplomatic card. So… you’ll have to take responsibility for that.”

Marcus then gestured to the attendants behind him, and in response, the attendants each took out their cell phones and started making calls somewhere.

In the meantime, Marcus once again approached Lee Ah Young and Han Yoobin.

“Tanimbala is a scam that was popular in airports in developing countries in the past. It’s a method of putting something in your bag in advance and then demanding a fine for pretending to find it later.”

“I know that much. What I don’t understand is… how we almost fell victim to such a decades-old prank.”

“…….”

As Lee Ah Young glared, Marcus’s gaze fell downward.

“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I sincerely apologize.”

“It’s already happened, so what’s the point of apologizing now?”

With those words, Lee Ah Young and Han Yoobin passed Marcus and moved on.

“The car is waiting. Let’s go to the accommodation first….”

“No. Let’s go to the association right away. I have something to report.”

Lee Ah Young answered without looking at Marcus. Then she glanced at Han Yoobin and said quietly.

“It’s a good start.”

“…Yes?“

“We’re already in a favorable position as soon as we arrived.”

Han Yoobin’s eyes widened at those words.

Lee Ah Young continued.

“You can create a sufficiently advantageous situation without having to fight like now. The influence of an organization is something you should never ignore. Yoobin, keep that in mind too.”

“……Isn’t that just being a bully?”

“…….”

Lee Ah Young hesitated to answer the dagger that Han Yoobin threw.

“You can’t get anything done if you worry about every little thing.”

“……?”

“Let’s overlook the trivial things.”

Leaving those words behind, Lee Ah Young left the airport first.

Han Yoobin stared at her back for a moment.

‘They say you resemble the one you love….’

Isn’t that too much of a resemblance?

Han Yoobin muttered to herself like that.