The Wise Cleaning Life Of A Returning Genius Hunter [EN]: Chapter 30

029

Lee Ah-young, the Deputy Director’s father.

Current executive of the Otherworld Management Association.

Director Lee Doo-shik.

A big shot appeared out of nowhere.

“Haha! Don’t be so wary. I’m not a bad person.”

“How… how do you know me, Director Lee?”

I asked with as much courtesy as possible.

Of course, he’s a dying ember, but he’s still one of the most influential figures in the Association.

For such a person to know me.

It makes me uneasy.

“Is there anyone in this headquarters who doesn’t know you? Even if they don’t want to, they hear things. I heard you’re working hard for the cleaning team.”

“No? That’s not…”

“Besides, you blew away Im Dong-bin in the joint project, and you’ve even planted lines all over the headquarters while running the operations team? Laying the groundwork to slowly swallow the headquarters…”

“……?”

Whose delusion is that?

“Hahaha! Just kidding. Well, it just means there are a lot of rumors about you. I’m more surprised that you know me. Should I be honored?”

“You flatter me. But what brings you to me…”

“Hmm? No, I didn’t have anything particular in mind. I just wanted to say hello to a celebrity passing by. I guess this is how my daughter felt when she followed idols back in the day. Hahaha!”

Director Lee Doo-shik laughed heartily.

He hasn’t changed.

In my past life, the Association President described Lee Doo-shik as ‘a clueless guy who still thinks he’s in high school.’

Looking at him again, there’s no better way to describe him.

‘By the way, Lee Ah-young, of all people, followed idols?’

I can’t imagine it.

“So, what brings you to Seo Min-cheol today?”

Lee Doo-shik seemed eager to continue the conversation, asking another question.

“Nothing much, I came to negotiate wages.”

“Judging by your expression, it didn’t go well. That’s strange… Seo Min-cheol should have taken care of that right away.”

“I proposed a double raise for the entire team.”

“Ah……. Well, then… that’s understandable.”

A few coughs.

If it were someone else, they would have been more than justified in yelling at me for being crazy.

“Well, I didn’t really expect much either. I brought something that only the board of directors can decide to the head of the headquarters… it was an obvious result.”

“Hmm… are you quick to give up, or do you value propriety?”

“……Pardon?”

Director Lee Doo-shik shrugged.

“The board member is standing right in front of you, and you’re not asking me?”

My eyebrows twitched for a moment.

Is he coming on this directly?

“……If I ask, would you grant it?”

“Well, I can’t guarantee anything. It’s not something I can decide alone. But at least I have a better chance than Seo Min-cheol, don’t I?”

An ambiguous answer.

I reflexively focused my eyes.

“What I’m about to say has nothing to do with the board of directors, it’s just my personal opinion… but I honestly don’t think your request is absurd.”

“What do you mean?”

“The cleaning team’s wages. I’ve heard about it, and honestly, it’s amazing that there are people who do that job for that money. The operations team hunters make hundreds of millions a year just by going on two or three subjugations a month.”

“You can’t compare the cleaning crew to hunters.”

“Hahaha! I’m relieved that you say that. Yes, that’s true, but… shouldn’t we at least treat them like employees working in the same organization?”

Lee Doo-shik’s voice grew heavy.

“As you said, it’s natural for hunters to earn more than cleaners. But that doesn’t mean cleaners should receive ridiculously low pay. They are also members of the Association. Then, I think it’s only right to give them that much treatment.”

“Does that mean you’ll raise the wages…”

When I asked cautiously, Lee Doo-shik let out another hearty laugh.

“Hahaha! I told you, this is just a personal opinion. In the current atmosphere of the board of directors, it’s something I can’t easily propose. There’s a considerable risk for me as well.”

“…….”

I was starting to get annoyed.

I couldn’t figure out what he was trying to say.

“So, if I grant your request… what can you do for me?”

I smirked.

In the end, is this why he said so many unnecessary things?

What a great build-up.

“I can’t do much for you… but I’ll help you when you’re in crisis in the future, Director.”

I said, looking straight at Lee Doo-shik.

This is a truly enormous offer.

Keeping me in the Association, a pretty good deal.

Well, of course…….

“Hmm, not very intuitive, is it?”

He has no idea what his future holds.

“I’m also an Association member, and being in this position, I can’t help but value performance. So I need intuitive results.”

“Results?”

“Prove that raising wages is worth it with results. That way, I’ll have a justification to present to the board of directors.”

“I don’t understand. What kind of performance can a cleaning crew, who only does what they’re told, produce?”

Director Lee Doo-shik grinned.

It was as if he had taken the bait.

“I heard the Operations Team 2 leader is your line [someone under your influence]?”

“It’s a bit of an exaggeration to call it a line. I’m just a cleaner.”

“Well, I don’t care if you’re a cleaner or a hunter…”

Director Lee Doo-shik glanced at the head of headquarters’ office and continued in a low voice.

“You may or may not know, but this month is the Operations Team’s settlement season [performance review period]. But the control team provided Team 1 with information on nearly 100 dungeons. Seo Min-cheol is openly giving all the credit to Lee Soo-yong. Tsk… I still don’t like those guys.”

He frowned and shook his head.

“But I can’t touch Team 1 either. After all, they’re the face of the Association. Putting those guys down is like spitting in my own face. Well… unless there’s a team to replace them.”

Then he shifted his gaze back to me.

“So, have your Team 2 friends beat Team 1 in this performance battle.”

“………Pardon?”

My eyebrows twitched so much they almost ascended to the sky.

“I heard you were delegated as the leader during the joint project. From what I see, you’ve been advising Team 2 on their operations planning this month… can’t you do that much?”

“Ah, no, even so…”

“If you succeed, I’ll have a justification to push it to the board of directors… I’ll do whatever I can to double the wages of the entire cleaning team.”

Lee Doo-shik tapped my shoulder with a bright smile.

“Show me what you’ve got.”

“…….”

Damn it.

It feels like things are getting bigger and bigger…….

***

It was almost midnight.

I called both the cleaning team and Operations Team 2.

I don’t know if they had nothing to do, or if they just came running when I called… but all the members gathered in the office in just 5 minutes.

But among those gathered…….

“Why are you here?”

Reporter Gu Sang-chan was confidently taking up a seat.

“Hey, it’s my job to cover every move of the cleaning team. I’m hurt if you say that?”

Actually, I don’t care who joins…….

‘I don’t want them to find out that I came this far trying to clean up my bluff…….’

I bit my lip slightly.

“So, what’s the matter, Teacher?”

Then, Kim Min-joo, who I had been waiting for, spoke first.

“It’s nothing much. It’s the Operations Team’s settlement season, right?”

“Ah, yes…….”

“Is the preparation going well?”

“Ah, no. We don’t even have enough people to meet the quota…….”

Her voice trailed off.

“I heard that Seo Min-cheol is openly pushing Team 1. Judging from the fact that Team 3 recently recruited a few freelancers, they seem to have sharpened their knives quite a bit.”

“Well, we don’t have enough people or support to get involved in the performance battles of the major teams… it can’t be helped.”

At the same time, the team members nodded in agreement.

“Instead of that, why don’t you try it?”

“We want to, but we don’t have the conditions…….”

“You’re saying you can do it if you have the conditions?”

“…?”

Kim Min-joo tilted her head.

“The cleaning team got a good offer this time. Well, you don’t need to know the details…….”

I leaned forward and continued.

“Anyway, because of that, I want you to get some results in this settlement season. Honestly, I think it’s worth challenging for you? If you do well, you might be able to get rid of the small team label.”

“…….”

“Of course, I’m not telling you to jump into the fight recklessly. I’ve roughly made a plan. I’ll help you as much as I can. So tell me now.”

I said, looking at each of the team members.

“Are you in, or not?”

“If Teacher says so, I can’t refuse.”

At the same time, Kim Min-joo smiled slightly.

“Well, if you help us, we’ll be grateful.”

“There’s no reason not to do it when Cleaner Kim Joon-woo is helping us in person?”

“Of course we can do it!”

The team members spoke in a row.

I nodded with a satisfied expression.

“Good. But there’s something you need to be careful about.”

“Just tell us!”

“This is a battle for the Operations Team, but the cleaning team is also involved.”

The team members looked puzzled.

I slowly continued the explanation.

“An average of 50 dungeons are subjugated [cleared] per week during the settlement season. All the dungeons that appear in Seoul in a month are subjugated in a week. Well, it’s a crucial time, so it’s natural… but the aftermath is all our responsibility.”

“Ah…….”

“With our current staff, we can barely handle 3 a day. 50 a week? No way.”

The office became somber.

Everyone seemed to have missed that point.

Well… even I wouldn’t have known.

It’s only hitting me now that I’m actually doing it.

“So you can’t just blindly subjugate. If you do, the cleaning team won’t be able to handle it. The Operations Team and the Cleaning Team have to work together perfectly.”

“As expected…….”

“I understand!”

“In the end, it’s a joint operation between the two teams!”

“…No. That’s not it.”

I scratched my head.

“Actually, there’s one more team…….”

The moment I said that hesitantly.

Bang―

“Seriously…….”

She entered the office just in time.

“When did you reject me so vehemently in front of my face, and now you call me when you need me.”

She gave me a hard time as soon as she appeared.

“Do you know how upset I am? I wouldn’t have even looked at anyone else.”

“I’m sorry.”

I let out a faint sigh.

The last reinforcement is none other than Lee Ah-young, the Deputy Director of the Support Team’s Hunter Management Office.

This operation is impossible with just the Operations Team and the Cleaning Team.

Subjugation is reality.

You can’t do it with just pathetic confidence or grit.

No matter how great a plan I make, and no matter how hard the Operations Team tries, there are clear limitations.

That’s why I swallowed my pride and went to Lee Ah-young to ask for help.

She bounced me a few times… but I’m glad she accepted, pretending she couldn’t win.

“You know you can’t just get back on a bus that’s already left [missed opportunity], right?”

“……I know.”

“I’m telling you in advance, I hold grudges. No changing your mind later.”

“I won’t.”

As I reluctantly answered, Deputy Director Lee Ah-young smiled brightly.

“Well, let’s talk about that later. So… what do you want me to help with?”