The Wise Cleaning Life Of A Returning Genius Hunter [EN]: Chapter 328

327. Side Story – Episode 5

Operation Truth Commission, directly under the Korea Ability Dimension Management Association.

Commonly known as, The Commission.

Their office was in the same building as the Seoul headquarters, but it was a place where other employees rarely went.

Or rather, a place they hoped not to go.

If a member of the operations team was summoned there… it meant things had taken a pretty serious turn.

“Let’s start from the beginning again.”

Contrary to what one might expect, the interrogation room had a rather ordinary atmosphere.

Team Leader Ki Hoon-cheol opened his mouth again in a soft, even voice.

“Hunter Kim Jun-woo, you received information from the Control Team that this was a Blue-grade problematic stock and only basic information about the boss monster, and you created the proposal based on that, is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“You didn’t know there was a possibility of dungeon interference, or that it was a one-sided dungeon?”

“Yes.”

I met his eyes directly and answered curtly.

But Team Leader Ki Hoon-cheol let out a long sigh and leaned back.

“However, the Control Team’s files clearly state that there was a high possibility of dungeon interference.”

“……Excuse me?”

I raised my eyebrows, wondering what nonsense he was spouting, and Team Leader Ki Hoon-cheol handed me several documents.

“This is the initial information file for this dungeon, created six months ago. If you look at the special notes section, it clearly states that there is a high possibility of dungeon interference.”

“…….”

I examined the file.

A snort escaped me before I realized it.

“…What is it?”

Perhaps that reaction had offended him, as Team Leader Ki Hoon-cheol’s voice suddenly changed.

“Hunter Kim Jun-woo, do you think this is a joke?”

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

“I don’t think you realize how serious this situation is… If you knew about the possibility of dungeon interference and still forced the operation, that’s grounds for disqualification from the association, not just disciplinary action. Do you understand?”

“…….”

I stared at him silently, holding back my response.

I needed to hear what he had to say first.

“Right now, the upper echelons of the association, including our committee, all suspect that you forcibly pushed this operation to minimize the distribution of subjugation profits.”

“……Subjugation profits, you say.”

I forcibly suppressed the laughter that threatened to burst out.

“So, even though it was clearly stated in the initial file, what was the reason for proceeding with the operation with only eight people?”

“…….”

When there was no answer, Team Leader Ki Hoon-cheol sighed deeply and opened his mouth.

“Hunter Kim Jun-woo. We are well aware of your skills and achievements. Above all, your contribution during the Regen Dungeon was very significant.”

A tone as if he were coaxing and appeasing me.

He continued in a soft, even voice.

“We understand that it’s difficult for someone like you to admit mistakes. But… you must admit it this time.”

“A mistake…?”

“Surely Hunter Kim Jun-woo wouldn’t have carried out this operation for the sake of subjugation profits, knowing the possibility of dungeon interference. You simply didn’t check the files properly, right? Isn’t that so?”

At Team Leader Ki Hoon-cheol’s words, I smiled imperceptibly.

I see.

Now I have a better grasp of how things are unfolding.

‘They’re trying to frame it as my mistake no matter what…….’

In any case, it’s an undeniable fact that an accident occurred during the subjugation.

And now Team Leader Ki Hoon-cheol is mentioning two possibilities for the cause.

One is that I forcibly carried out the operation despite knowing about the dungeon interference situation in advance.

The other is… a kind of mistake that happened because I didn’t check properly.

The two possibilities seem similar at first glance, but there is a stark difference in their consequences.

The former, as Team Leader Ki Hoon-cheol said, could lead to suspension of my hunter license.

I would be unable to live as a hunter for the rest of my life.

But if it’s a mistake… at most, it would be a suspension or a missed promotion.

So, from a human perspective, one would naturally have no choice but to choose disciplinary action over disqualification.

Team Leader Ki Hoon-cheol is also trying to induce that.

‘But…….’

Isn’t one possibility missing?

“This initial information file.”

I slowly opened my mouth, looking through the documents again.

“Are you sure it was really created six months ago?”

“……What do you mean?”

“Is there no possibility that it was modified in the middle, or that someone added to it?”

“…….”

Whether intentional or a mistake, both stories are premised on the fact that it is ultimately my responsibility.

That’s why I can’t choose either of the two.

Of course.

The file I checked clearly had no mention of the possibility of dungeon interference.

If it had been written in the special notes section as prominently as it is in the document I’m looking at now, there’s no way I wouldn’t have seen it.

There’s even less of a chance that I saw it and forgot about it.

This is neither intentional nor a mistake.

“I can say with certainty that the file I checked contained none of this information. I simply proceeded with the subjugation as with any other Blue-grade dungeon.”

Someone must want to make it that way.

“So… I’ll ask you again.”

I looked straight at Team Leader Ki Hoon-cheol and asked.

“Is this file really the original, unchanged from six months ago?”

“…….”

Team Leader Ki Hoon-cheol was staring straight into my eyes, but he didn’t answer.

But only for a moment.

He opened his mouth with a small smile.

“Are you suggesting that the file was manipulated… is that what you’re trying to say?”

“I’m just talking about possibilities.”

“Even if that were the case, there’s no way the committee wouldn’t know.”

“Of course. There’s no way the committee wouldn’t know.”

I glared at him again and said.

“That’s why I’m asking Team Leader Ki Hoon-cheol now.”

“……Are you suspecting the committee now?”

“The committee is arbitrarily suspecting me of causing this incident for the sake of subjugation profits, so there’s no reason why I can’t suspect the committee.”

“Ha, hahaha.”

He only smiled with his mouth.

“Can you take responsibility for that statement?”

“Well, if the truth comes out, someone else will take responsibility, won’t they?”

“……Hunter Kim Jun-woo.”

He said.

“A fact that cannot be proven is simply a lie.”

“…….”

“Don’t try to cover it up with unnecessary lies, and take the opportunity when I give it to you. Don’t make a small matter bigger.”

I closed my mouth and exhaled deeply through my nose.

“A clear investigation and truth-finding regarding the accident during the operation.”

“……?”

“Through that, to assign responsibility for the cause of the accident, provide definite compensation for the victims and damages, and prevent the same accident from happening in the future.”

As I spoke, Team Leader Ki Hoon-cheol’s eyebrows twitched.

“I understand that’s what the committee does.”

“……You know it well.”

A brazen reaction.

I put both hands on the desk and continued.

“What happened inside was, as always, an unexpected ‘accident’ that could happen during subjugation, and I did my best as the person in charge on the scene to resolve the situation.”

“…….”

“And I testified that I did not see the relevant content in the information file. Then… shouldn’t the first step be to investigate whether that testimony is true or not?”

I looked straight at him and continued.

“I don’t know why you’re so quick to say that I’m lying. It’s as if you’ve decided on the outcome from the beginning.”

“…….”

I could see his eyelids twitching slightly.

“Anyway, I don’t see any reason for me to be investigated any further.”

With that, I got up from my seat first.

“If additional information comes out regarding the points I mentioned, please contact me again then.”

As I turned my back and left the investigation room.

“Hunter Kim Jun-woo.”

Team Leader Ki Hoon-cheol called me in a low voice.

I turned my head to look at him.

“You’ll regret it.”

“…….”

Instead of answering, I walked out into the hallway.

‘So…….’

Who could it be?

Who would do this to me?

***

“W-what? Why are you at work?!”

Operation Team 1 office.

As Kim Min-joo entered, Geum Se-young shouted in surprise.

Kim Min-joo smiled awkwardly with a half-cast on her right arm.

“I thought your shoulder was shattered! You should be hospitalized, why are you coming to work?!”

“Ah, no… After getting it checked, it wasn’t that badly injured. I have reports to write anyway, so…….”

“You’re crazy, you’re crazy! You stubborn bear. Does anyone give you more money for that? It’s not like a ghost who died because they couldn’t come to work is haunting you!”

Geum Se-young said, pounding her chest as if she was frustrated to death.

But Kim Min-joo laughed it off nonchalantly and went to her seat.

Geum Se-young stared at her for a moment.

“Hey, so…….”

She glanced around and asked in a low voice.

“What really happened? Did Kim Jun-woo really force it, knowing about it?”

“…I don’t know either.”

She had no way of knowing about that either.

In the first place, what Kim Min-joo had checked was the operation plan written by Kim Jun-woo, not the initial information file.

“Well… I doubt he would have done that knowing. That person may have a dirty personality, but at least when it comes to operations, he’s a perfectionist.”

“Hey, it’s not just a little dirty, it’s very dirty! If it’s him, he’s capable of anything.”

Geum Se-young poured out her resentment, as if she had been waiting for this moment.

“I heard you’ve scheduled 10 people for the Yellow-grade subjugation the week after next? And almost all other dungeons are planned with the minimum number of people.”

“…Yeah.”

“See? That guy is just doing it for the money, right? If you subjugate with the minimum number of people, you can take more.”

“…Is that so?”

Kim Min-joo still didn’t seem to know.

“He did almost all of the subjugation alone this time, right? He told the other personnel not to interfere. If it’s not money, maybe he’s aiming for the team leader position by monopolizing the achievements. Well… anyway, his intentions are not pure. That guy.”

“…….”

Kim Min-joo was silent for a moment.

Certainly, as Hunter Geum Se-young said, Kim Jun-woo almost single-handedly defeated the boss in this subjugation.

Rather, when the dungeon interference occurred, he tried to step up alone even more.

Almost to the point of feeling compulsive.

But even he, who is called the ace of headquarters, had a hard time this time.

If he really didn’t know about the dungeon interference, the logical way would be to proceed with the subjugation together.

‘But even so, the fact that he insisted on subjugating alone…….’

Then…….

Did Kim Jun-woo really know that dungeon interference would occur?

Was he really trying to subjugate alone for the sake of achievements and profits?

The moment that thought crossed her mind.

Bang—!

Someone burst into the office, throwing the door open.

None other than.

“Damn it, it’s up…….”

“I thought you were being investigated by the committee?”

“That ended quickly.”

“Looking at him, he must have used his connections to smooth things over.”

The person at the center of this controversy.

It was Kim Jun-woo.

He had a rather uncomfortable expression on his face.

Kim Min-joo and Geum Se-young also immediately avoided his gaze and pretended to focus on their work.

But for some reason, Kim Jun-woo’s steps headed towards Kim Min-joo’s seat.

“…….”

Eventually, he stood in front of Kim Min-joo, and she, unable to pretend any longer, carefully met his eyes.

“W-what’s the matter…….”

“Get up.”

A dry voice.

Unable to resist that pressure, Kim Min-joo stood up awkwardly.

At the same time.

Slap—!

His hand flew.