The Wise Cleaning Life Of A Returning Genius Hunter [EN]: Chapter 119

118

[A New Beginning for Hanbyul Group: Hanbyul Dungeon Co., Ltd.]

[Former Head of Sales, Ha Seong-tae, Hanbyul Corporation: ‘A subjugation industry for the citizens, by the citizens, of the citizens.’]

[Companies Step into Subjugation Industry in Place of Association Facing Crisis, Citizens ‘Relieved’]

[GT Group, Ogak Group Also Join Subjugation Business, Which Team Should We Pay Attention To?]

[Nationwide Sole Cleaning Team Dispatch Company, Karma Corporation. Exclusive Contract with Hanbyul Dungeon a Hot Topic]

[CEO Kim Jun-woo, ‘I Want to Maintain a Good Relationship,’ Will Hanbyul Dungeon Dominate?]

It was the first day of the pilot operation for the Dungeon Private Management Act.

As a law closely watched by everyone, public opinion was already buzzing.

Naturally, some people held reservations, but even amidst this atmosphere, Hanbyul Dungeon Co., Ltd. was successfully established.

“Congratulations.”

“Haha, thank you.”

CEO Ha Seong-tae and several other important figures were holding a meeting in the CEO’s office of Hanbyul Dungeon.

Of course, I was also present.

Strictly speaking, my participation was as a member of the Hanbyul Group, but…

‘Their real intention is just to establish a hierarchy, isn’t it?’

It’s simply a venue to introduce the people I need to impress or those I need to defer to in the future. Nothing more than that.

“Ah, we also thank CEO Kim Jun-woo. I didn’t expect you to accept the contract so readily.”

CEO Ha Seong-tae addressed me at that moment.

“There’s no reason to refuse an exclusive contract with a large corporation like Hanbyul Group.”

“I heard you have very big ambitions. Now that you’ve signed an exclusive contract, you’ll have to put your personal goals on hold for a while. Are you really okay with that?”

“For a businessman, ambition translates to money. Wouldn’t everything else be secondary?”

“That’s a wonderful answer.”

CEO Ha Seong-tae smiled, seemingly pleased.

“By the way, Karma Corporation’s sales have increased quite a bit. You must have worked very hard.”

“Is it something I did? It’s all thanks to Manager Oh Jae-yeop.”

“Well, what matters is what happens from now on.”

I gave Manager Oh a slightly sharp look, and he seemed to notice, speaking nonchalantly.

Then, he leaned closer and continued.

“So, as I was saying, it seems like commuting to Karma Corporation will be difficult from now on.”

“I suppose so. You’re officially a director of Hanbyul Dungeon.”

“From now on, I’ll trust and leave things to you, CEO Kim. I hope you continue to maintain a good relationship.”

“Hahahaha.”

I offered only a polite smile.

Maintain a good relationship?

What a load of crap.

It really means don’t even think about deviating and obediently follow their orders, or you’ll be fired.

‘It’s practically their company, damn it.’

Well, they managed to secure a majority stake and even got an exclusive contract, so it’s not unreasonable for them to think they’re the ultimate authority.

Of course, being treated like an underling so openly like this feels pretty awful.

“Ah, the first operation is scheduled for this afternoon.”

Now that the hierarchy confirmation was over, Manager Oh spoke up.

“Our control team will contact you separately with the details.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

“Then, please head back first. You must be quite busy with work.”

“……Understood.”

Did I just see a son of a bitch…….

‘If we had met outside, he would have been beaten up several times already.’

The way he was acting like he had me on a leash from the start was quite annoying, but… well, what can I do?

I can’t show my teeth when I’m not even ready yet.

I resigned myself to that and turned to leave the office.

“Ah, now that I think about it, there was something I wanted to ask…….”

Suddenly remembering something, I turned back to Manager Oh.

“Why did you fire Team Leader Han Yu-bin?”

“Wasn’t it all written in the report I sent you? She used abusive language and threatened a superior.”

He answered without batting an eye.

“I know that. What I’m curious about is why Yu-bin used abusive language and threatened Manager Oh.”

“……Pardon?”

“She’s not the type to do that without a reason. But somehow, that part is missing from the report.”

To put it bluntly, she’s like a dog that barks when it sees trash. [A metaphor for someone who reacts strongly to injustice or wrongdoing.]

Her personality is terrible, but she’s not a bad person at heart. At least she knows where to draw the line. If she crossed it, there must be a reason.

I already asked Han Yu-bin herself, but she didn’t give me a clear answer and changed the subject.

So, I wanted to hear it directly from the person she fought with…

‘Did he glue his mouth shut?’

He wasn’t answering easily either.

As an awkward silence filled the room, everyone, including CEO Ha Seong-tae, turned their attention to him.

Only then did Manager Oh quickly open his mouth, as if to salvage the situation.

“Well… I was also in a very sudden situation… I only remember her rushing in out of nowhere while I was in a meeting with Moon So-yeon.”

“So… you’re saying she cursed at Manager Oh for no reason?”

“Well, I guess she’s been under a lot of stress lately. I understand… but the organization can’t just let it go.”

Manager Oh brazenly played dumb.

Who does he think he’s fooling?

Does he think I believe that story?

“By the way, I heard she was fired from her previous job for the same reason. Didn’t you do a personality test when hiring? How did you bring in someone like that?”

It’s getting worse the more I let him talk.

I don’t know what he’s hiding, but the fact that he’s digging up the past of someone who has nothing to do with it means he’s definitely feeling guilty.

But I won’t bother dealing with him here.

The timing and place aren’t very good.

I forced a smile to end the conversation and left without regret.

Manager Lee Ah-young, who was waiting outside, quickly approached.

“How was it?”

“I felt like I was suffocating.”

“Well… I guess they called you in to show you who’s in charge from the start.”

“Has there been any contact?”

“Not yet. It’s a large sum, so it’ll take some time.”

As long as I’m leashed to Hanbyul Dungeon, there’s only one way for me to continue to hold the title of CEO.

Securing more than half of our shares.

Therefore, I contacted the people who could help.

Director Lee Doo-shik is also rolling up his sleeves and gathering white knights [Investors who come to the rescue of a company facing a hostile takeover.], but it won’t be easy to raise a large sum of money so suddenly.

It will probably take some more time.

“If we delay any longer, we’ll never be able to escape from Hanbyul Group. Of course, we won’t even be able to dream of overseas branch operations.”

“I know.”

I answered, holding my phone tightly.

Of course, I want to slap Manager Oh in the face right now and cut off the tail [End the problem at its source.]… but not yet.

If I act emotionally, everything will be in vain.

I have to wait quietly until we secure our shares, at least.

“Let’s have some patience. Let’s go back to the office for now.”

Lee Ah-young and I returned to the office.

After that, we didn’t say anything.

Like a beast aiming for its prey, we were just waiting quietly for the right moment.

***

「This is the Hanbyul Dungeon Control Team. We have just completed the operation in Jongno-gu. Please deploy the cleaning team.」

“Understood. What are the grade and monster type?”

「Blue grade, humanoid monster.」

“We will dispatch them immediately.”

After hanging up the phone, I asked Manager Lee Ah-young.

“Are there any teams on standby now?”

“So-yeon’s team is left.”

“Then deploy them right away. Oh, and… please tell them not to do anything that could be used against them.”

“Okay.”

Lee Ah-young picked up the phone immediately.

It was barely 10 minutes after the hasty deployment of Team 1.

“R, Representative! So-yeon has collapsed!!”

A frantic call came from a member of Team 1.

“……Yes?”

“She hasn’t been feeling well for the past few days… she suddenly collapsed during the dismantling work…….”

“Where are you now?”

“Seong-eun Hospital.”

So, it finally happened.

I grabbed my coat and left the office immediately.

Arriving at the hospital, I saw Moon So-yeon lying in the emergency room with the members of Team 1 around her.

I immediately approached the doctor in charge.

“What happened?”

“Acute gastritis.”

The doctor answered indifferently, scanning the chart.

“It seems she’s been under a lot of stress recently. Well, it’s not a big problem, but she must have had a fever for days……. Did she go into the dungeon in this condition?”

“…….”

Instead of answering, I approached Moon So-yeon.

“Didn’t I tell you to tell me if you were sick?”

“I, I told Manager Oh, but he said sick leave wasn’t allowed…….”

“So you worked in that condition?”

“What else could I do? It’s the first job after signing the exclusive contract, I couldn’t just skip it.”

Moon So-yeon replied stubbornly, avoiding my gaze.

A sigh escaped me at her pathetic appearance.

“Representative…….”

“This doesn’t seem right.”

“I’ve been holding back, but… I can’t work with you anymore.”

Meanwhile, the members of Team 1 poured out their grievances as if they had been waiting for this moment.

“Everyone, calm down, if we just hold on a little longer…….”

Just then, the phone rang.

It was a call from Manager Oh Jae-yeop.

“Representative, where are you now!”

“What’s wrong?”

“No, the Team 1 you dispatched just left the dungeon without doing any work, what’s going on!”

“Team Leader Moon So-yeon collapsed. She’s in the hospital now.”

“Hospital…?”

He was briefly taken aback, but quickly continued.

“No, what are you doing at the hospital! Then you should dispatch another team right away!”

“Haa……. Manager Oh.”

“What is this from the first operation! Can you take responsibility if we make a loss?”

For a moment, anger surged, but… not yet.

I have to endure until the time comes.

“Manager Oh, calm down first…….”

“And another thing. People can collapse while working, what’s the big deal that you run all the way to the hospital! If you can’t even tell the difference, how can you work with us in the future…….”

“Hey, you son of a bitch!”

Why do you keep interrupting me, you fuck.

“W, what……!?”

“Are you saying it’s not a big deal that someone collapsed while working? Can you say that even as a manager?”

“…….”

In business, capital is power.

Of course, the person who gives the money has the power, and the person who receives the money must follow that power.

But that doesn’t mean giving up being human.

“This is still work done by people. If you say that work comes before people because there’s no alternative… that’s not work, it’s forced labor.”

“……No. That’s not what I meant.”

“Yes. Well, I know you didn’t think that far, Manager.”

If you had, you would have died by my hand already.

It’s not like I’m treating anyone like a slave.

“It’s just… I can’t take it anymore.”

“What does that mean…….”

“It means I’m sick of wiping your asses. So from now on, clean up yourselves, or don’t, do whatever you want.”

“…….”

He was silent for a moment, shocked.

“You’ll regret this.”

Soon, a voice returned, as if genuinely warning me.

I scoffed without realizing it.

“Stop talking nonsense and don’t interfere anymore. Before I twist your neck off.”

I had nothing more to say and hung up.

The gazes of Team 1, including Moon So-yeon, were on me.

“What are you looking at? What’s the big deal.”

“Y, you… what are you going to do…….”

Manager Lee Ah-young’s face also turned pale.

It can’t be helped.

What can I do about what’s already happened?

“I’ll take care of it, so don’t worry.”

I left those words behind and left the emergency room.

***

“As expected, the Representative was holding back too.”

“That’s right. What kind of person is he…….”

The members of Team 1, who remained in the emergency room after Kim Jun-woo left, said one thing each.

They were a little surprised, but they were all secretly welcoming it.

“He must be very angry. It’s the first time I’ve seen Jun-woo swear like that.”

While Moon So-yeon was speaking with a worried tone, Lee Ah-young’s expression was quite dark.

“Ah-young unnie? Why, what’s wrong?”

“Jun-woo might… get dismissed.”

“Yes?!”

Moon So-yeon’s eyes widened at the shocking news.

It’s a natural reaction, since she has no idea how things are going…….

Lee Ah-young was just as taken aback.

‘When he told me to just hold on a little longer…….’

Why is he blowing up here when we’re not even ready yet?

Isn’t this all for nothing?

Lee Ah-young pressed her temples.

It was definitely the worst-case scenario, but she was still secretly thrilled.

Well. This is more like him.

“It can’t be helped. What’s done is done, and thinking about it more won’t give us an answer.”

“Wh, what do you mean?”

“It means we can’t just stand still.”

Lee Ah-young smiled as if shaking off her worries.

“Let’s help him a little.”

She took out her phone and dialed the number she had received from Kim Jun-woo earlier.

“Ah, Reporter Gu Sang-chan?”

“Huh? Manager Lee is calling… what’s the matter?”

“It’s nothing, I just wanted to give you a tip that you might like.”

“What’s the genre?”

“Internal whistleblowing.”

“Keeeee!!”

For a moment, I almost hung up the phone due to a feeling of physiological disgust.

……Crazy bastard.

“I’ll meet you right away. Where are you?!”

“Ah, and it would be better to bring a recorder than a notebook.”

She looked at her team members and continued.

“Because there are many people to interview.”