The Wise Cleaning Life Of A Returning Genius Hunter [EN]: Chapter 34

033

The next morning.

A disciplinary committee was held at headquarters regarding the events of this settlement season.

I have no idea what was discussed…

However, the follow-up measures for those at the center of this incident spread quickly within headquarters.

Team Leader Lee Soo-yong insisted that he had ‘only carried out the subjugation with permission’ and claimed to know nothing about the preferential treatment.

I don’t know if his acting was good or if he really didn’t know… but anyway, thanks to that excuse, Lee Soo-yong only received a warning.

Deputy Director Lee Ah-young secretly told me that Seo Min-cheol was even worse.

-Doesn’t the elite team have a signboard? I thought it would be better for Team 1 to win, both internally and externally within the association.

-As for me, I only told them to give a little push, but I didn’t know the control team would approve everything.

He’s still the same old bastard.

‘Well, I thought he would come out like that in the first place…’

In fact, what he said isn’t entirely wrong.

It’s a clear fact that Operation Team 1 is the face of the association.

Even if they are association executives, there’s no point in messing with Seo Min-cheol, who holds the association’s signboard. Anyone who benefits from the association can’t deny that they benefit from Team 1.

It would have been obvious that Seo Min-cheol would also end up with just a warning…

‘I can’t believe they openly cut his salary.’

Director Lee Doo-shik is a truly uncompromising man.

To cut the head of headquarters’ salary, doesn’t he know that he could be ostracized by other directors for that one action?

He’s digging his own grave with a backhoe. At this rate, he’ll be dismissed within a year, let alone five years.

I don’t think I should get involved with him any further.

Finally, the control team leader received a reprimand.

Well, he was just doing what Seo Min-cheol told him to do, so he’s probably the most wronged…

For some reason, he contacted me personally and repeatedly apologized.

He said that this would never happen again and that he would definitely visit me later.

Seriously, a control team leader calling a janitor to apologize. How undignified can you get?

Anyway, that’s how this incident ended.

Kim Min-joo and Lee Ah-young seemed quite disappointed with the mild punishment… but what do I care what kind of punishment those guys get.

“I’m sorry for all the trouble!”

Right after arriving at work, in front of the dungeon.

Reporter Gu Sang-chan, who had just finished preparing for work, bowed deeply.

The week-long coverage has finally come to an end.

The originally scheduled coverage period was three days, but…

In the middle, the settlement season and other things happened, so he didn’t want to miss out on the stories.

“We had fun too. Let’s meet again if we have the chance next time.”

“Wow, thanks to you, we had a good experience too. Haha!”

He’s lying without batting an eye.

No matter how I think about it, it was nothing but a hindrance.

“As expected, you’re a team that doesn’t joke around! While covering you, I even thought about working here!”

“Then quit your job and join the cleaning team.”

“……”

Gu Sang-chan immediately shuts his mouth.

Seriously, with words like that…

“Ha, hahaha! But it was really fun. This is real!”

“That’s a relief. Go quickly, now.”

“Goodbye, Hyung-nim [term of endearment for an older brother or male friend]! I’ll contact you often. Hahaha!”

“Okay. Oh, and…”

He glanced around and approached Gu Sang-chan.

“Please, about what I asked…”

Then he opened his mouth in a low voice.

On the day the settlement ended, at the company dinner, I told Gu Sang-chan the truth about my salary.

I was bluffing back then; that’s the correct amount.

Then this bastard said…

‘Salary? Woah, what was it originally…?’

In my opinion, this guy got coverage permission just to get a free company dinner.

I almost punched him, but… well, since the raise is already out the window, what does it matter if he forgets?

In the end, I asked him again outright.

I want to receive even newbies, so please write an article that makes people look down on me as much as possible.

“Aigoo [expression of exasperation], I know, I know. How many times are you going to say it? Don’t you trust me?”

“…Is that even a question?”

He doesn’t deny it and laughs heartily.

“Anyway, I’m really going now. My boss is calling me like crazy because I’m late returning.”

“Okay. Go quickly.”

“If anything fun happens again, please contact me first!”

“Okay, just go.”

After dragging out the words several times, at the very moment he finally turned around.

His meaningful smile momentarily caught my eye.

***

Support Team, Hunter Management Office.

“Ah, hello!”

“You’re janitor Kim Jun-woo, right? Nice to meet you.”

“Thank you for your hard work during the settlement season!”

An overwhelming welcome that was almost burdensome.

As soon as I stepped in, the staff’s greetings poured out.

“You’re here?”

With a very awkward face, Deputy Director Lee Ah-young belatedly appeared.

“Why do you keep calling me when you’re busy.”

“Wow… anyone would think I’ve called you out several times.”

With a look of disbelief, she guided me to a seat in the corner of the office.

As soon as I sat down, I opened my mouth.

“So, why did you call me to the support team?”

“I’m embarrassed that you’re acting so confidently. You haven’t forgotten, have you?”

“What are you talking about.”

“The condition for helping with this joint operation! We haven’t settled yet.”

Tch, she has a good memory.

“I thought you were helping with a pure heart, but I didn’t know you’d be such a materialist…”

“You’re kidding me! When I was begging you to help, saying I’d grant you any condition, and now this!”

It was a joke, but the reaction is quite excessive.

How much were you grinding your teeth?

Well, whatever… a promise is a promise, so I have to keep it.

First of all, before that.

“I’m asking just in case… is this related to Director Lee Doo-shik?”

I need to address this.

If it’s related to Lee Doo-shik, I’m sorry, but I’ll have to back out, promise or no promise.

“No, it’s not. This is a purely personal condition.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Yes, well… wait. Now that I think about it, it’s strange.”

Lee Ah-young’s eyebrows furrowed.

“How did you know he’s my father? Only a few people in headquarters know that?”

“…Well, it just happened.”

“You didn’t tell anyone else, did you? Team Leader Kim Min-joo or…”

“What do you take me for.”

I answered, slightly averting my gaze.

In fact, I already told them.

I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to tell them?

“Hmm… I see. Well, let’s move on from that for now.”

Lee Ah-young crossed her legs and continued.

“Since the settlement season, the perception of the cleaning team within headquarters has been unusual.”

“Well, I guess so. We presumptuously interfered in the operation team’s fight… and even took second place, surpassing other teams. It’s something to be criticized.”

“No. It’s the opposite.”

“…Huh?”

“Except for the Seo Min-cheol line, everyone sincerely envies the cleaning team.”

Instead of answering, I blinked.

“There’s nothing to envy, so they envy the cleaning team?”

“Well, strictly speaking, they envy us for sticking with the cleaning team.”

Lee Ah-young shrugged.

“The results speak for themselves. As soon as the small teams, the errand teams, stuck with the cleaning team, they took second place in the final settlement. Well, everyone knows that they would have overwhelmingly taken first place if it weren’t for that incident in the middle.”

“Well, with that level of alliance, anyone could have planned it and taken second place.”

“Wow, creepy. You’re more humble than you look?”

“……”

I want to punch her hard.

“And above all, giving up first place and putting everyone into the cleaning team. That alone gave a big blow to the guys who were only focused on performance within headquarters. Of course, it would have been shocking. It’s something that the association has never imagined before.”

“…So that’s how it’s interpreted.”

Lee Ah-young smiled.

A perfect move? That’s ridiculous.

I lost two unlocking opportunities with that one move, tsk.

“Well… I appreciate the praise, but what does that story have to do with the condition?”

“The cleaning team is getting an additional team this time.”

My eyebrows twitched at the rather unexpected answer.

“…Are you saying that another cleaning team is being created?”

“Yes. Because of this incident, other people, and the higher-ups, have all felt the need for the cleaning team in various ways. Judging from the talk of personnel appointments already coming out… maybe as early as next month?”

“Well, I see.”

“You don’t seem happy?”

“Is it something to be happy about?”

“If a team increases, the workload decreases that much! There’s no change in salary, so it’s definitely something to be happy about!”

No, is she on the cleaning team?

Why is she more excited when I’m not interested?

“Enough, tell me the condition quickly. I have to go to work in the afternoon.”

“Ahem… Anyway, my condition is this: for the newly established cleaning team 6, I want you to pick someone who would be a good fit for it.”

“…?”

It was hard to understand.

“What are you talking about? What authority do I have to pick people?”

“Are you pretending to be humble again? Picking one person is enough with the team leader’s authority.”

“Of course, it would be enough with the team leader’s authority. But I’m just a… wait, what?”

I widened my eyes, wondering what I had just heard.

Then Lee Ah-young looked even more embarrassed. And shocking news followed.

“Ah… I guess you haven’t heard yet. You’re scheduled to be promoted this time…”

“H-How do you know about that before the person involved?!”

“I’m not the only one who knows… the cleaning team members know too. Team Leader Kim Min-joo knows too.”

“……”

I grabbed my head.

It seems like the world is spinning around, except for me.

“Even so, how can a guy who’s been here for two months become a team leader? What about Team Leader Park? Does the association have no respect for seniority?”

“It’s funny that you’re saying that.”

Lee Ah-young gives a meaningful smile.

Then she continued in a calm voice.

“There will be a personnel reorganization within the cleaning team this time. The biggest change is… a cleaning manager will be created?”

“Manager?”

My eyebrows twitched.

There is no manager in the association.

There was no need to divide into departments, so it was an organizational structure that had been maintained since the beginning.

But to create a manager position that doesn’t even exist in the operation team…

If a non-existent position is suddenly created, it’s definitely not a story that came from Seo Min-cheol.

At least the board of directors. Among them, it’s clearly Lee Doo-shik’s work.

‘Seriously, is this what they meant by good news.’

It seems like they’re slowly preparing for reform… but they’re being fast in useless areas.

“Actually, you were originally going to be promoted to the cleaning manager position. But well…”

“I absolutely refuse.”

“…I thought you would, so I stopped it.”

The fact that a position that has never existed before has been created is just a pie in the sky. I don’t know what kind of work I’ll be assigned to, and I don’t know what kind of responsibilities I’ll have to bear.

In the worst case, I could be forced to take the blame for some ridiculous thing and disappear without a trace.

I’m not stupid enough to enter a good-looking grave myself.

“Well, I know your personality. You’re not the kind of person who would be greedy for a position while ignoring your seniors.”

…That’s a better interpretation than I thought.

“So it was finally decided that Team Leader Park Geun-tae would be promoted.”

“And I’m going to take the vacant cleaning team 3 leader position, is that what you’re saying.”

“That’s right.”

My head dropped to the floor.

It’s not that I don’t like the position of team leader. In order to unlock future abilities, it’s essential to climb to a high position anyway.

However, what I’m worried about is that the team leader position is more troublesome than I thought.

Damn it, my head is already starting to hurt.

“Well, anyway, that’s a matter for later. Let’s proceed with the new team recruitment we talked about earlier.”

Lee Ah-young giggles.

I let out a faint sigh.

“But what does recruiting new team members have to do with you? It doesn’t seem like there’s any benefit to you.”

“Of course, I don’t care who comes in. But if they’re coming in anyway, it would be nice if someone interesting came in? Geniuses recognize geniuses…”

She smiles at me.

It’s obviously not a compliment.

“Anyway, look for someone suitable around you. You can scout them from a private guild. Or you can seduce them on the street.”

“There’s no need for that. A few newbies will be applying to the cleaning team soon.”

“…Hmm? Newbies?”

A questioning voice.

Now that I think about it, Lee Ah-young didn’t know about my perfect plan.

“You know the reporter who covered our team this time? I actually asked him to write it in a way that makes us look as easy as possible. Well… it’s a team that no one would join if I didn’t do that.”

“…?”

Still a puzzled expression.

“Anyway, a few mediocre guys will be applying soon, so if you pick from those guys…”

“Um, sorry for interrupting…”

Lee Ah-young scratched her cheek and cautiously opened her mouth.

“That article is already out… haven’t you checked it yet?”