The Wise Cleaning Life Of A Returning Genius Hunter [EN]: Chapter 102

101

Headquarters Chief’s Office.

Ever since his phone call with Team Leader Im Dong-bin last night, Choi Ho-sung had been wearing a sullen expression.

‘That bastard, once he’s been burned, all he does is get more suspicious…….’

Indeed, the way he kept demanding confirmation made him uneasy.

Of course, that doesn’t mean Im Dong-bin’s mind would change. He had no choice in the first place.

Even if he’s anxious, if he doesn’t do as I say, he’ll have to stay a cleaner. Someone with his personality wouldn’t keep doing cleaning work.

No matter how much he doubts, he’ll eventually have to follow my orders.

As he was trying to sort out his thoughts, there was a knock.

Knock, knock.

Team Leader Kim Min-ju entered the office.

“Hmm? What’s the matter?”

“Well, it’s not about anything else…….”

She continued with a stiff expression.

“The subjugation volume [the amount of monsters or dungeons that need to be cleared] of the Operations Team is too high.”

“……What?”

“It’s increased by 30% compared to before. Isn’t it too much……?”

Chief Choi Ho-sung couldn’t understand what she was saying.

The Operations Team Leader is complaining about the subjugation volume being too high.

“Isn’t the current number of Operations Team and Guild personnel enough to handle it?”

“We might be, but the Cleaning Team can’t keep up with this workload.”

“Haa…….”

Chief Choi Ho-sung rubbed his forehead.

All she does is come and talk about the Cleaning Team again.

‘What on earth was Kim Jun-woo thinking when he brainwashed these kids like this…….’

Why inject them with useless things and make the work troublesome?

“Is it because of the Operations Team-oriented planning? There hasn’t been any problem until now, why are you doing this now?”

“It’s not that there aren’t any problems, but aren’t problems starting to arise little by little? It’s been cut in half due to the last restructuring, and the subjugation volume has increased on top of that… Everyone is having a hard time. If this continues, it will become increasingly difficult in the future.”

“What does that have to do with you?”

“……Pardon?”

“You’re the Operations Team Leader. What does it matter to you whether the Cleaning Team is struggling or not? Isn’t it their job to take care of the Cleaning Team’s difficulties?”

“What kind of…….”

She never imagined she would hear these words from the headquarters again.

“……We’re not the only team in the headquarters, are we?”

“Yes, you’re not the only ones. But all the other teams are there only to assist you. It’s not about going together, but about supporting you from below.”

“……”

She had a vague idea, but he was an impossible man to reason with.

Kim Min-ju clenched her fist without realizing it.

“All the members of the Cleaning Team are working day and night, but the cleaning work is still piling up. If we continue the subjugation like this, accidents will happen.”

“So? What do you want to do?”

“Increase the number of Cleaning Team personnel. If that’s difficult, hire a dispatch company.”

“Haha…….”

Another story about a Cleaning Team dispatch company.

Choi Ho-sung was getting sick and tired of this connection.

“Did CEO Kim Jun-woo ask you to say that?”

“……? No. I judged it myself.”

Judging from her answer, it didn’t seem like a lie.

Of course, I don’t want to do anything good for Kim Jun-woo.

We could push forward as it is now… but as long as Kim Jun-woo’s forces remain in the headquarters, there will be strong opposition if we do that.

Anyway, once Im Dong-bin gets the embezzlement evidence, it’s only a matter of time before the Association falls into my hands… It wouldn’t be bad to take a step back here.

“Alright. I’ll look into it, so get out of here.”

Kim Min-ju bowed lightly and left the office.

Choi Ho-sung looked up the phone number listed on the Karma Corporation website.

He didn’t like it, but he had no choice if he wanted to solve the urgent problem.

‘Tsk, well, what could go wrong.’

As he made the call, he heard a young woman’s voice after a short ringing tone.

“Ah, this is Choi Ho-sung, Head of the Operations Headquarters at the Otherworld Dimension Management Association. I’m calling about a cleaning team dispatch contract.”

***

I stared intently at the man sitting across from me in the Seoul Headquarters Chief’s office, which I had entered for the first time in a while since resigning.

I needed some time to sort out the situation.

I didn’t expect them to propose a contract first.

And it was a request from the headquarters, of all places.

“I was honestly a little surprised.”

Chief Choi Ho-sung of the Operations Department opened his mouth first.

“I’ve heard a lot about cleaning team dispatch companies being popular among the branches… I didn’t expect the CEO to be my senior.”

“Haha.”

Such clumsy acting.

He even planted an insider, where is he pretending not to know?

“From what I’ve gathered, the managers handle all the contracts with the branches, and the CEO doesn’t show their face often… It’s an honor to meet you in person like this.”

“Isn’t this a contract with the headquarters? It’s a big deal, I can’t leave it to an employee.”

When contracting with the branches, I didn’t want them to know that I was the CEO, so I sent Manager Lee Ah-young…….

Now that they seem to know everything anyway, there’s no reason to hide it.

Well, let’s end this pointless exploration here.

“Moving on to the main point… Do you have a preferred dispatch cycle?”

“Well, I don’t know how the cleaning team works.”

“It would be most efficient to arrange for each team to work on an average of three dungeons per day. Since each team is currently working on an average of five dungeons per day… it would be best to contract with us for a total of 10 dispatches per month.”

“What’s the cost?”

“About this much…….”

I handed over the contract, and I could see his jaw twitching.

The amount was much higher than he had imagined.

“……I understand. Then please proceed as is.”

“Alright. Oh, do you have a specific team you want?”

When I asked, Chief Choi Ho-sung gave me a puzzled look.

“Is there something different about each team?”

“Their work styles are different.”

“Any team is fine.”

“Alright. There’s a team with a new recruit this time, so I’ll dispatch that team to you.”

“……A new recruit?”

“Yes. Oh, don’t worry. That person is actually from the Operations Team Leader, so they’re quite the veteran when it comes to dungeons. Trust me and give them a chance.”

I smiled, pretending not to know anything.

Choi Ho-sung quickly hid his flustered expression.

He probably didn’t expect me to send Im Dong-bin to the headquarters first.

But on the other hand, he’ll think it’s a good thing.

This way, he can easily contact him without arousing anyone’s suspicion.

‘I’m going out of my way to take care of you, so do a good job…….’

I finished the contract with additional explanations and left the office immediately.

Then, Manager Lee Ah-young, who had been waiting in the hallway, asked as if she had been waiting.

“Isn’t it too good of a condition for them to dispatch Team Leader Im Dong-bin to the headquarters? It will be easier for them to contact him if they get closer.”

“……Did you hear that?”

“I couldn’t help but hear it.”

Manager Lee Ah-young shrugged her shoulders.

She really has good ears.

“Well, there’s a need for that.”

“What exactly is the need for that? Can’t you tell me? I’m starting to get frustrated.”

“……”

She’s being annoying.

I can’t keep my mouth shut forever… but even if I tell her in detail, she won’t believe me anyway, so what’s the point?

But she’s not the type of woman to stay still if I don’t tell her.

Should I just give her a hint?

“A dungeon will appear in Seoul in three weeks.”

“What kind of dungeon?”

“A dangerous dungeon. A dungeon dangerous enough to bring down the Association.”

Her eyebrows twitched.

“Ahaha, you don’t mean the Association will collapse because of a dungeon, do you?”

“It won’t collapse. However, the power of the Association will change.”

The International Association will quickly swallow up the collapsing Association.

“I don’t understand…….”

“Then just accept it without understanding. Anyway, the current Association is important to me. I want to avoid the power being transferred to another place.”

“Then you can just do that. If you know, it shouldn’t be difficult to stop it, right?”

“If you think simply, that’s right. But…… honestly, there’s no way to stop it right now. I can only minimize the damage.”

“……How?”

Lee Ah-young asked with anxious eyes, sensing something dangerous.

“I’m going to scatter the Association before the dungeon appears.”

“……Yes?”

Her eyes narrowed. And soon, she reacted violently and shook her head.

“Wait a minute! Are you planning to have Choi Ho-sung deliberately catch evidence and bring down the Association President?!”

She’s definitely quick-witted.

Well, that’s accurate.

What’s needed for this is a big enough incident to shake the Association and a leader to take responsibility for it.

There’s nothing easier to dismantle than an organization with its head cut off.

But that’s not enough.

“Is it just the Association President? I’m planning to bring down all the key personnel I know in the headquarters.”

“That, that’s betrayal! How can you do such a thing…….”

“It’s better to step back than to die.”

“No, even so…….”

She was shaking her head with a dumbfounded expression when suddenly an uninvited guest intervened.

“What did you say just now?”

I shifted my gaze and saw Association President Park In-beom approaching from the end of the hallway with a stiff face.

“Gasp……!”

Lee Ah-young’s breath caught in her throat.

“I must have misheard, right? Bringing me down…….”

“P, President… Th, that’s not…!”

Lee Ah-young stepped forward and tried to make excuses.

“What do you mean it’s not? I’ve been treating you kindly, and this is how you repay my kindness?”

But when she met the Association President’s sharp gaze, she started to stutter, unlike her usual self.

She seemed to be in a panic.

I opened my mouth with a faint sigh.

“Stop joking around. You’re going to scare the person next to you to death.”

“Hahaha! I just wanted to tease you a little without realizing it.”

“……??”

Manager Lee Ah-young’s eyes widened.

Then, she looked back and forth between me and the Association President with a dumbfounded expression.

“Don’t worry too much. It’s already been discussed.”

“Surely you don’t think I would proceed with such an important matter on my own.”

“……”

Instantly, Lee Ah-young’s expression turned cold.

Smack.

A fist landed on my shoulder.

“If you tease me one more time, I won’t let you get away with it!”

“……”

No, I didn’t tease you, so why are you hitting me…….

‘Crazy, what strength…….’

She could be a hunter at this point.

I rubbed my shoulder, feeling a tingling pain.

“So, how’s the progress going?”

“I’ve had a trustworthy guy manipulate the details roughly. Of course, only to the extent that they can be found if you’re determined to dig.”

“Now it’s really just straight ahead.”

The Association President gave a subtle smile.

“Thinking about it, it’s ironic. You were the one who put me back in the position of Association President, and now you’re the one who’s making me step down from the position of Association President.”

“Are you really okay with this? To be honest…… it might be difficult for you to return after this is over.”

“I’m not going to be in that position for thousands of years anyway. I’ve been the Association President for decades. I’ve done it long enough. Hahaha!”

There was no hesitation in his hearty laughter.

“I’m more worried about you. Once I step down from my position, there will be no one to back you up anymore. I’m telling you in advance, even if I can’t return, I won’t stop our project.”

“Of course.”

“You’re confident.”

“When wasn’t I?”

The Association President smirked.

But Manager Lee Ah-young couldn’t.

“Wait a minute! Our project? What else is there?!”

“……”

“……”

She never misses anything.

As an awkward silence continued, Manager Lee Ah-young rubbed her forehead.

“……What are you two planning?”

“Th, that’s…….”

“No, never mind. Thinking about it, I think it’s better not to know.”

She reacted as if she had enough headaches with the current situation and didn’t want to hear any more.

The Association President, who was watching her reaction, cleared his throat and opened his mouth.

“Then… I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“Don’t worry.”

“Okay. Then I have some business to take care of.”

He said that and seemed to turn around…….

“Ah, but you know.”

He paused for a moment and raised the corner of his lips.

“You two look good together.”

“……”

“……”

What nonsense is this person talking about?

“Just kidding, just kidding. Don’t be so serious. Hahaha!”