The Wise Cleaning Life Of A Returning Genius Hunter [EN]: Chapter 321

320

A funeral hall in Seoul.

The funeral for Secretary-General Park In-beom was held simply, as he had requested.

The event was attended by people from various fields, including WDSO employees and even President Jo Hyun-min.

However, compared to the prominent mourners, the memorial altar was set up in a very small space, barely enough to offer a bow.

Soon, the funeral proceedings, lasting just over an hour, came to an end. As people finished their farewells and began to leave the funeral hall one by one, the following was said:

“Well… we should get going.”

“We’re swamped with work due to the recovery and relief efforts.”

“Sigh… no rest for us.”

Lee Ah-young, Ha Seong-il, and Han Yu-bin, the heads of departments, conveyed these words as soon as they exited the hall.

“Yes, well… go on ahead.”

“See you at headquarters, then.”

As I spoke, Department Head Lee Ah-young gave a nod and headed straight to headquarters with the other two.

Well… the real work starts now for those guys.

“…It feels a bit strange.”

And then.

Kim Min-ju, who was left alone with me, cautiously opened her mouth.

“What is it now?”

“It feels too modest compared to his achievements.”

She replied, looking at the funeral hall.

Judging by her expression, she seemed to be in quite a complicated state of mind.

“Is this your first hunter funeral?”

“It’s not, but…”

“Then you should know. It’s always like this.”

In the past, dozens of hunters died each month.

It was practically impossible to hold funerals for all of them, so from then on, all hunters had to sign a consent form regarding their funeral arrangements in advance.

To keep it as simple and quick as possible.

Well, in the first place, due to the nature of the hunter profession, there were hardly any cases where the body remained.

However, Kim Min-ju still seemed dissatisfied.

“Still, he was the one who created the country’s subjugation system [a system for managing and controlling supernatural entities], so treating him the same as a regular hunter is…”

“He was lucky.”

“…Pardon?”

Kim Min-ju looked at me as if asking what I meant.

“Secretary-General Park was lucky to have survived, and thanks to surviving, he was able to create the system and the association. Conversely, it just means the other hunters were unlucky.”

“What does that…”

“If those other unlucky guys had survived to the end, do you think they wouldn’t have been able to achieve that much?”

“……”

Kim Min-ju’s gaze turned to the ground.

Of course, I know it’s not something to say after someone’s funeral, but…

This isn’t my thought in the first place, but something Secretary-General Park In-beom had said several times while he was alive.

He was just lucky to have survived, and if those who were unlucky had survived, they would have accomplished even more than him.

The reason he asked for his funeral to be conducted in a simple manner, just like the others, if he died, was because of that.

“If you try to package surviving just by luck as if you’ve achieved some great feat, the guys who went ahead will beat you up, or something like that.”

“……?”

At that moment, another voice suddenly cut in.

Wondering who it was, I turned around.

“You came?”

“…Director Lee?”

It was none other than Director Lee Doo-shik.

“Where are the others?”

“They left first. Said they were busy.”

“Well, it’s about to be a busy time.”

He said the same thing as me and took out a cigarette.

“You used to smoke?”

“I quit. That guy nagged me so much.”

“Secretary-General Park?”

“He was my direct senior.”

With those words, he lit the cigarette.

He took a deep puff and then opened his mouth again.

“He lived a long life, well. He probably lived the longest among the hunters?”

He said, forcing a smile.

But the inside didn’t seem like that at all.

No matter how much he had prepared himself, it couldn’t be that losing a friend he had spent decades with wouldn’t affect him.

I hesitated for a moment before changing the subject.

“Are you resigning from the director position?”

“I’m tired now. Everything big is over, so I’m going to go somewhere with a nice view and drink and live.”

An unlike usual answer and expression.

Instead of awkward consolation, I deliberately threw even more mischievous words.

“You’ve passed the Secretary-General position to me, but you’re going to rest comfortably alone?”

“Hey, you punk, are you and I the same? How much longer do you think I’ll live? I need to rest in my old age!”

“I told you I don’t have much time either.”

“Such a show-off…”

Director Lee Doo-shik looked at Kim Min-ju once.

“So… what are you going to do from now on?”

He immediately brought up another story.

Knowing his intention, I also answered without showing any other signs.

“First, I need to proceed with the restoration project of the association that was attacked. It’s probably impossible to subjugate [control supernatural entities] right now, so I’ll dispatch a support team as a matter of urgency.”

“There are dozens of them, can you handle them all?”

“Hanbyul Group has promised support. Well… if we work hard, it will probably be normalized again in a year.”

“That’s a relief.”

Director Lee Doo-shik looked straight ahead and exhaled cigarette smoke.

I looked at him and continued.

“And… after normalization, I plan to gradually reduce the subjugation industry.”

“Reduce it…?”

“Yes.”

I answered calmly.

“We should start preparing to go back to 50 years ago.”

“…You’re trying to destroy Eden.”

“Of course, it’s not something I’m going to do.”

I said that and looked at Kim Min-ju.

At the same time, she smiled awkwardly and nodded.

And at that moment.

Ring―.

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

Kim Min-ju’s phone rang.

She bowed her head and answered the phone.

“What’s going on?”

“……In Jongno?”

“Okay, I’ll go now.”

After exchanging a few words, she immediately hung up.

“Something urgent came up, so I have to go first. Please continue your conversation.”

“Okay.”

“Thank you for your hard work~. Go quickly.”

Soon, Kim Min-ju ran off somewhere.

As she disappeared and I was left alone with Director Lee Doo-shik.

“…How many hours left?”

He suddenly asked.

“…About 8 hours left.”

“Can you finish everything in that time?”

“Well, everyone is working hard on the restoration project, so it will be enough.”

“No, not work.”

He looked at me and said with a serious expression.

“I mean what you need to sort out.”

“……”

I knew what he meant, so I hesitated to answer.

As I was doing that, Director Lee Doo-shik asked again.

“You’re not thinking of not saying anything until the end, are you?”

“…I don’t know.”

“They’ve been running, believing in you for four years. You should at least say goodbye.”

“……”

I looked into the distance.

When the story of entrusting the Secretary-General position first came out, I told Director Lee Doo-shik everything that had happened.

Regression, karma, the Time Stone and Eden, and even going back again.

But even after hearing all that, Director Lee Doo-shik entrusted me with the position of Secretary-General.

If you’re going to start something and run away, at least finish it during the remaining time.

Of course, the other guys who know about me probably have a vague idea that I’m going back.

However, they might think it’s not now.

That’s why I still have no idea how to bring it up.

As I continued to hesitate, saying nothing.

“Okay. I guess you’ll do it yourself.”

“……That’s right.”

“Whatever it is, just make sure you don’t have any regrets left.”

Still an unlike usual answer and expression.

I unknowingly let out a laugh.

And then.

“Junwoo-ssi!”

“Hey, you bastard! If you’ve returned, shouldn’t you contact us?!”

“Uh-huh, what’s with that way of speaking to our Secretary-General?”

Moon Soyeon, Han Sanghyuk, and Department Head Park Geuntae.

The cleaning team 3 members found me and came rushing over.

Director Lee Doo-shik looked at them and me, tapped me on the shoulder, and slipped away.

“Is your body okay?”

“Secretary-General… a dragon rose from the ditch!”

“Ugh… I could have tried to challenge you when you were the CEO, but now that you’re the Secretary-General, I really can’t do anything recklessly.”

Moon Soyeon, who is worried first, Park Geuntae, who is happy as if it’s his own business, and… Han Sanghyuk, who is still hopeless.

They were truly unchanging guys.

“Today is a bit… how about a company dinner tomorrow? Let’s call the department heads too.”

At that time, Department Head Park Geuntae lowered his voice and said.

Then.

“I’m good with that!”

“Of course we have to! Of course, with Junwoo’s card!”

Moon Soyeon and Han Sanghyuk also immediately agreed. And then they look at me.

I hesitated to answer and looked at them one by one for a moment.

Soon, with a smile.

“Well… I’ll go if I have time.”

I made a promise I couldn’t keep.

***

WDSO Seoul Headquarters.

Cleaning Team 3 office.

After finishing the funeral and returning, I stood blankly in the empty office and looked around.

Desks with all sorts of documents scattered haphazardly.

Cleaning tools that weren’t properly organized and an unidentifiable musty smell.

A space that was obviously dirty at a glance.

The Korea Otherworld Management Association.

Karma Corporation.

And up to WDSO.

Facing the place where I had spent a total of 4 years, quite a strange feeling arose.

‘I’ve been busy…….’

Starting as a mere cleaner who was struggling with cleaning work every day, I rose to the head of the operations headquarters, the president of a private cleaning company, and even the secretary-general of an international subjugation organization.

In the meantime, there were all sorts of things, such as raising the status of the cleaning team, reorganizing the headquarters, building overseas branches, and the 인수 [acquisition] war with international associations.

If you add up all these things, it feels like I’ve spent 40 years here, not 4 years.

That’s all over now.

The International Association has disappeared, and Secretary-General Wesley is probably cursing his karma by now.

All of the world’s Bank items are stored by WDSO, and at the same time, Eden is in our hands.

WDSO has become an organization that no one can touch anymore.

Like the previous International Association.

So…….

‘My role is over.’

As I muttered that, I unknowingly let out a laugh.

I was lost in thought for a moment, then picked up an old broom that was rolling around.

At that moment.

Bang―!

“……!!”

My heart dropped to the floor at the sudden sound.

“…Why are you so surprised?”

At the voice that followed, I stroked my chest and turned my head.

And there.

“…Please open and close it gently. I thought my heart was going to drop.”

As expected, Director Chloe was standing there.

“How did you know I was here?”

“Do you have any other place to go besides here? I thought you’d be feeling sentimental alone, but seeing you actually doing that is a bit shocking.”

“……”

“Looks like you don’t have much time left either.”

At those words, my eyes widened for a moment.

What.

How does she know?

As I was making a very embarrassed expression.

“I guessed and it seems like I was right.”

She shrugged her shoulders.

“You’re not going to tell anyone else, are you?”

“Do I look that sociable?”

“…I trust you.”

At those words, she let out a laugh as if she was dumbfounded.

“So, what’s the business with someone who doesn’t have much time left?”

“Before that, are you really thinking of leaving without saying anything?”

Director Chloe lightly ignored my question and still threw out what she wanted to say first.

I sighed deeply once.

“I don’t have time to go and talk to each person one by one. It’s better to finish as much work as possible in that time.”

“Who is that better for?”

“……Pardon?”

My eyebrows twitched.

Director Chloe let out a light sigh and plopped down on the chair.

“Well, honestly, it’s not something I should say, but… don’t you think you’re being too selfish?”

“……”

“There are still a lot of things you haven’t said to each other yet? Both you and those around you.”

Why is she suddenly saying things that don’t suit her?

Does she want to get hit?

“So, you came to persuade me? To tell me not to be sentimental here and go say goodbye to the people around me?”

“No.”

A firm answer.

I frowned and asked.

“Then what on earth……”

“I just came to ask.”

“…Ask what?”

Soon, she got up from her seat and came closer to me.

And then.

“Whether you’re really thinking of going back, that’s what I’m here to ask.”

“……What does that mean.”

“Honestly, isn’t it a waste? I don’t know what you were doing in the future… or in another world, but honestly, I don’t think it’ll be better than now.”

“Ha……”

You pretend to know everything, but you don’t understand at all.

“Whether I go back or not is not something I choose. I’m just following.”

“You don’t understand what I mean.”

“……?”

She opened her mouth again.

“So, if you could choose whether to go back or not, what would you do?”

I frowned and hesitated to answer.

But that was only for a moment.

“Wait, could it be……”

Something flashed through my mind, and at the same time, she smirked.

And then.

“There’s a way.”

She told me those words.