The Wise Cleaning Life Of A Returning Genius Hunter [EN]: Chapter 209

208

Leaving the office in a hurry, Choi Jong-hyuk cautiously answered his phone only after making sure no one was around.

“Yes, Director.”

“How’s it going?”

“…It’s in progress.”

“Don’t make me laugh. Why haven’t I heard anything yet?”

“…”

“Tch, damn it. I knew it would be like this.”

The middle-aged man grumbled, sounding pathetic.

“There are only three days left until the evaluation ends. Did I ask for something difficult? Just screw up Kim Min-ju’s aptitude test, that’s all I’m asking.”

“It’s not as easy as it sounds…”

“You little shit, do you think I promoted you to listen to that kind of crap?”

“…”

Choi Jong-hyuk sighed inwardly.

*That’s right.*

What he had demanded in exchange for leaking the evaluation details was none other than the disqualification of Kim Min-ju, the head of the strategy division.

Not only that, but he also offered a huge deal: a scout to the International Association if things went well.

The ultimate dream and final goal for all hunters.

Who could refuse the opportunity to become a hunter affiliated with the International Association?

Choi Jong-hyuk, too, was tempted by the enormous deal and accepted it without thinking.

But the problem started after that.

When it came time for him to pay the price, he had no proper plan.

And for good reason… wasn’t his opponent Kim Min-ju?

Skill, character, reputation, performance.

A human being without a single flaw.

Above all, because all her attention was focused on subjugation [monster suppression], embezzlement or bribery wouldn’t work.

Even though he didn’t like her, he had to admit what he had to admit.

Finding fault with that woman was more difficult than becoming an S-rank hunter himself.

So Choi Jong-hyuk wasn’t paying any attention to his request at all. It was an impossible task from the start.

Well, seeing him call to urge him on like this, he couldn’t pretend not to know any longer.

“I heard an intern joined your team this time? Don’t tell me you’re not paying attention because you’re hitting on her?”

The middle-aged man on the other end of the phone spat out the question in a sharp tone.

“…No, I’m not.”

“Don’t give me that crap. Anyway, don’t do anything stupid and just do what I told you. Or what, are you just going to take the evaluation information and pretend you don’t know?”

“…Of course not.”

“I told you, the International Association asked me directly for this. You can go to the International Association if you do this well.”

“Haa…”

“If you can’t find anything to pick on, just do what you’re good at.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Why do you think I entrusted this to you? What’s so good about a shameless bastard who puts subjugation on the back burner and only uses his hunter title to pick up women?”

At that moment, the voice on the other end lowered.

He hesitated to answer, wondering what he meant.

“What… are you telling me to create a scandal with the division head?”

“That’s right, you son of a bitch. What else are you good at besides that?”

Soon, he continued in a voice barely audible.

“Try to set up a drinking party with the two of you. After that, do whatever you want. The picture looks good, right? It would be shocking if the strategy division head, who everyone thought was perfect, got caught up in a scandal. Of course, it would inevitably affect her aptitude evaluation. How about it? Isn’t it a perfect way to take her down in one go?”

“No… what if I get fired too?”

“Hey, you little shit! Do you think I can’t cover that much for you? And anyway, you’re leaving Korea after this is over, so you can put up with your face being known.”

Choi Jong-hyuk rubbed his forehead.

The old man was talking too easily.

To create a scandal with the almighty strategy division head.

No, scandal or whatever, the premise itself was wrong from the start.

From the beginning, that woman had no interest in anyone other than Kim Jun-woo.

Not to mention a drinking party, there was no reason for her to meet any man privately…

“Hey! Choi Jong-hyuk! Are you listening to me?!”

Just as he was thinking that.

Team Leader Lee Tae-beom came running up to him in a hurry, calling his name.

“…What’s wrong?”

Choi Jong-hyuk hid his phone and answered.

“Did you check the operation schedule for this week?!”

“…No. Is there a problem?”

“The control team just called and said that it completely overlaps with Team 3’s schedule, and the routes are messed up. We’ve already sent the subjugation team on our side… Ah, damn it, this is going to be a pain.”

“You left it to the intern, didn’t you? I guess she made a mistake. Go and say something to her.”

“…Ah, well, it’s not that big of a deal.”

When the intern’s name came up, Team Leader Lee looked troubled.

After hesitating for a moment, he continued.

“Well… just fix it for me. Okay?”

“Why me…”

“Please, man. I have to go back to the meeting. Just help me out once.”

“…Haa.”

“Oh, and bring this to my desk. I accidentally brought it with me because I was in a hurry.”

What he handed over was none other than a motel key.

His house was far away, and he had to live at the headquarters day and night on days when operations were scheduled, so he would rent a room for several days.

It seemed that he was still commuting from the motel these days.

“Anyway, please!”

“…”

Team Leader Lee Tae-beom forcibly left the work to him and hurriedly returned the way he came.

Choi Jong-hyuk looked back and forth between the key that Team Leader Lee handed him and his back.

“…Hey, hey! Choi Jong-hyuk! Are you listening to me?!”

“Come to think of it…”

A good idea flashed through his mind.

“There’s no need for me to get involved, is there?”

“…What?”

“Well, I’ll take care of it.”

Choi Jong-hyuk hung up the phone and smiled faintly.

And then he burst into the office.

“Hey, intern!!”

Moon So-yeon, who was sitting at her desk, was startled and jumped to her feet at the loud voice.

“The control team just called, and thanks to you, not only us but also other teams’ schedules are completely messed up, and it’s a mess right now. How did you do your job?”

“Yes, yes…?”

“You’re going to ruin the whole operation because of you. How are you going to take responsibility for this?!”

“…I, I’m sorry.”

“Is that all you can say? How much money goes into one operation? Can you pay for that?!”

“…”

Of course, it wasn’t that big of a deal.

Nevertheless, Choi Jong-hyuk needed to exaggerate as much as possible.

In order to instill a sense of crisis in the intern who was betting her life on converting to a full-time employee.

“I, I’ll do everything I can…”

When he heard the answer he had been waiting for, Choi Jong-hyuk tried to hide his smile and approached her.

“You’ll do everything you can?”

“Yes? Yes…”

“Then, from now on, can you do what I tell you without telling anyone?”

“…?”

Choi Jong-hyuk took out the motel key he had received from Team Leader Lee a little while ago.

***

“There’s someone on the committee backing Choi Jong-hyuk?”

Seoul Headquarters, Rank Evaluation Committee Office.

When I told her what I had found out so far, she also showed a rather surprised reaction.

“No, what use is that guy…?”

“I don’t know. It could be a blood relationship or a school tie.”

Of course, as a result of roughly checking, there was no one who seemed to be friendly with Choi Jong-hyuk…

“There aren’t many people on the committee who can know the evaluation details in advance and give you a hint. Except for me, you, and Dad…”

“Outside Director Ko Byeong-cheol, Directors Geum Eun-sook, and Park Jang-mok. Only these three.”

“Director Geum Eun-sook couldn’t participate in the practical test discussion this time because of other work, so it’s not her.”

“Then there are two left.”

I answered with my arms crossed.

To be honest, I suspect both of them.

I have no information on what kind of person Director Ko Byeong-cheol is, and Director Park Jang-mok has been rumored to have received hospitality from a specific political party since his days at the association.

‘Now that there are only three days left in the evaluation period, it’s too late to replace the personnel…’

I let out a faint sigh at the frustrating situation.

“By the way, putting aside who the culprit is. What is the purpose?”

Director Lee Ah-young continued the question in a puzzled voice.

“Rank evaluations are important to hunters, but they’re not that important to civilians. Even if you promote a specific person, there’s no benefit to them?”

“If it’s not about raising someone, but about dropping someone, it might be beneficial.”

“…?”

I looked at her and continued.

“Didn’t I nail it at the evaluation briefing? If you fail the aptitude test, you will be stripped of your hunter qualification.”

“Ah, could it be…”

“If you’re trying to deliberately drop someone who was an eyesore by using that, wouldn’t it be clearly beneficial to someone?”

Director Lee Ah-young’s expression hardened, as if she felt that it was more serious than she thought.

“So, who are you trying to drop?”

“If it’s someone who would benefit from having their hunter qualification revoked…”

Well, there’s only one person, isn’t there?

The mainstay and top power of Karma Corporation.

“Kim Min-ju, Head of the Strategy Division.”

“…!”

When her name came up, Director Lee Ah-young reflexively brought her hand to her mouth.

Yes, no matter how much she is the head of the strategy division and the mainstay of Karma Corporation, she is now just one of the candidates for evaluation, just like any other hunter.

If she is disqualified from the aptitude test for some reason, even I wouldn’t be able to prevent her qualification from being revoked.

“But… there’s no one in the association who would benefit from Min-ju’s fall. No one can take her place.”

“That’s right. There’s no one in the association who can benefit from that girl’s fall.”

I said with a glint in my eyes.

“Unless it’s the International Association.”

“…!”

Kim Min-ju is, in name and reality, the top power of Karma Corporation.

Not only is she excellent in her individual abilities, but she is also currently leading almost all operations and achieving tremendous results.

Above all, as my right-hand man, she is a reliable force that successfully solves any mission.

If such a person falls out, Karma Corporation will inevitably shrink.

So, if someone is really interfering with this evaluation and trying to drop Kim Min-ju, it is highly likely that it is the International Association.

“You’re thinking that one of the directors contacted the International Association…?”

“Of course, it’s just speculation. I’ll have to check the details from now on.”

I shifted my gaze to Director Lee Ah-young and continued.

“Call Director Ko Byeong-cheol and Director Park Jang-mok here right now. I need to have a conversation with them one by one.”

“Okay.”

She got up from her seat right away.

And then.

“President!”

Moon So-yeon opened the office door with a rather urgent look on her face.

“Moon So-yeon…? What’s wrong?”

“Well, Choi Jong-hyuk just gave me this and told me to put it in Min-ju’s office…”

With that said, what Moon So-yeon took out was none other than a motel key.

“What does this mean…?”

“…”

“…”

Heh.

Look at this bastard?

***

“No way, really?!”

“Keep it down, man.”

Choi Jong-hyuk, who was smoking with his colleagues Ko Hyun-jong and Park Tae-ha on the headquarters rooftop, lowered his voice and said.

“Don’t make such a fuss. I might have seen it wrong.”

“No, anyway, you saw the team leader and the division head going into a motel together, right?”

“Team leader, isn’t this the second birthday of your child? How are you going to face your wife…?”

“Ah, I might have seen it wrong. They might have had a meeting at the hotel.”

Choi Jong-hyuk swallowed his laughter and waved his hand, pretending to try to fix the situation.

Of course, he didn’t really intend to cover for them.

“Hey, does that make sense?!”

“I thought she was hung up on the president… Now that I see it, she’s a complete fox.”

“That’s what I’m saying. Shocking, shocking.”

Soon, Choi Jong-hyuk whispered to the two with a serious face.

“Anyway, this is a secret. I’d feel sorry for the two of them if I misunderstood. Got it?”

“Okay, you bastard.”

“Of course, I have to keep my mouth shut.”

He repeatedly emphasized it several times, but in fact, Choi Jong-hyuk knew.

That this scandal would spread in less than a day.