The Wise Cleaning Life Of A Returning Genius Hunter [EN]: Chapter 341

340. Side Story – Episode 18

“Around 1 PM today, a woman’s body was discovered in a reservoir on the outskirts of Jecheon City, North Chungcheong Province.”

“The victim’s identity is currently being verified, and police authorities have stated that they will begin an investigation, considering the possibility of a murder case.”

National Forensic Service, autopsy room.

“…….”

I stood blankly, staring at Agent Ha Eun-hye lying on the cold bed.

“Judging from the fact that there’s no water in her lungs, it seems she was dumped in the reservoir after she had already died. The cause of death appears to be suffocation.”

“…….”

“The investigation is underway, but it’s going to take some time because no clues have been found.”

“…….”

The investigator next to me was explaining something, but it didn’t register.

But he kept talking.

“The problem is recovering the body… The deceased has no relatives. I heard she lived with her grandmother, but after checking, she passed away two years ago.”

“…….”

“We need to hold a funeral since her identity has been confirmed, but if no one takes custody of the body, it will proceed as a funeral for the unclaimed. Do you know any friends or distant relatives?”

“…….”

“…Um, are you listening?”

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, he asked.

I turned my gaze to him and nodded.

“…Yes.”

“If you know any friends or relatives who could take custody of the body…”

“There aren’t any.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Then we’ll proceed with a funeral for the unclaimed.”

I looked at her.

And then.

“Can you catch the culprit?”

I asked.

At the same time, the investigator looked startled.

The question wasn’t really about whether they could find the culprit.

It meant, even if they found the culprit, could they bring him to justice, and could they really hold him accountable?

But the investigator also seemed to have heard something, and hesitated to answer.

“…We will do our best.”

He gave a meaningless answer.

I slowly nodded.

Well, I didn’t expect a different answer anyway.

As I continued to stare at Agent Ha Eun-hye.

“I…”

I opened my mouth again towards the investigator.

“Could I take custody of her?”

“Yes, yes?”

“I mean, the body.”

“Ah, well…”

The investigator seemed quite taken aback.

But only for a moment.

“Of course, it’s possible. If you tell me your name, affiliation, and relationship with the deceased, I’ll take care of it.”

“Kim Jun-woo, Operation Team 1, Seoul Headquarters of the Korea Ability Administration Association. As for the deceased…”

I looked at her once more.

“She was a colleague.”

The investigator looked at me with a solemn expression.

And then.

“I understand. Then, we’ll proceed with the transfer process this afternoon, so you can prepare for the funeral in the remaining time.”

At that, I left the autopsy room without answering.

At the same time, countless thoughts swirled in my head.

But I couldn’t think deeply about any of them.

All the nerves and muscles in my body were twitching uncontrollably, and I felt like something would burst if I didn’t do anything right away.

So, I tried to empty my head, but it wasn’t as easy as I thought.

I have to do something right away.

With that sense of urgency, I immediately took out my phone and checked the text message that Team Leader Pyeon Chang-hyun had sent me again.

Agent Ha Eun-hye’s home address.

Trying to act as normal as possible, I headed there.

Soon, I arrived at a small villa.

I entered the house where Agent Ha Eun-hye had been living alone, and soon an empty room appeared before my eyes.

The place seemed to still hold the urgency of that day’s situation.

I stood still for a moment, looking around.

Scattered belongings and clothes.

A shattered computer and furniture.

I let out a faint breath.

Should I clean it up? I suddenly thought, but it was actually meaningless.

There was no one to give the belongings to.

In the end, it would all have to be discarded.

Just taking a few photos to use as a memorial portrait would be enough.

Thinking that, I slowly scanned the room, and soon a small frame caught my eye.

It was a photo of her, her grandmother, and her father smiling brightly.

I carefully picked it up.

After looking at it for a while, I put only that frame in my pocket.

And at that moment.

Thud.

Something that had been attached to the back of the frame fell to the floor.

My eyebrows twitched greatly as I checked it.

I swallowed hard and picked it up.

It was a USB, haphazardly taped on.

Of course, I didn’t know what was inside…

‘…….’

Just its existence made me vaguely understand what had happened here, and what choice Agent Ha Eun-hye had made.

At the same time, my breath trembled slightly.

Crack.

Blood began to leak from my mouth.

Yes, she’s dead.

No matter how much someone prays for her soul, she won’t hear it, and even if I reveal the truth, she won’t come back to life.

Clearing her injustice or taking revenge… it’s all meaningless now.

So, from now on, it’s just a personal matter.

The past is taken by the dead.

In the end, the remaining work is for the living.

***

“Damn it…”

Operation Team 1 office.

It was late, and everyone had gone home, but Team Leader Lee Soo-yong was still clutching his head, unable to think about going home.

‘How did things get this far…’

Team Leader Lee Soo-yong kept muttering the same words while shaking his leg.

That’s because he never expected things to get this big.

He never imagined that trying to keep a subordinate hunter in check would lead to someone’s death.

‘Chairman Woo Seok-ho is really going all out…’

Of course, he wasn’t directly involved in the investigation team’s rookie case, so he didn’t know the details, but judging from what Chief Seo Min-cheol had told him and the various situations, it was clear that he was the one who had started this.

He knew he was a scary man from the start, but he even killed a rookie to avoid getting caught.

Team Leader Lee Soo-yong’s head became complicated.

Should I back out now?

If this matter comes to the surface, it’s clear that I’ll be implicated as well.

If I’m unlucky, I might receive the same punishment even though I wasn’t directly involved in this.

‘But…’

Can I really pretend not to know now?

Backing out here would mean stabbing Chairman Woo Seok-ho in the back.

Would that man really let that go?

No, can this matter even come to the surface in the first place?

‘Damn it, I don’t know anything…’

As he couldn’t easily choose one thing out of all the thoughts, his phone rang.

Ring.

Team Leader Lee Soo-yong checked the caller and slowly answered the phone.

“Are you in the office?”

“…Yes.”

Chief Seo Min-cheol.

His voice was heard quietly.

“I talked to Chairman Woo. We’ve decided to handle it quietly.”

“…Is that so?”

“Don’t worry too much. Is the world going to end because one rookie with no connections died? It’ll be buried on its own in a few days anyway.”

Team Leader Lee Soo-yong was careful with his answer.

That’s because he felt a sense of unease in Chief Seo Min-cheol’s voice as well.

“So, go home and get some rest.”

“I heard you couldn’t recover the file. What if it’s found later?”

“It doesn’t matter. Since that bitch died, that file has become nothing more than an unsubstantiated rumor. We can just deny it as fabricated.”

“Is that possible?”

“It’s Chairman Woo Seok-ho. He has that much power, if nothing else.”

“…….”

At that, Team Leader Lee Soo-yong felt relieved.

Yes, it’s Chairman Woo Seok-ho, no one else.

If he’s going to do something like this, it means he has something to believe in.

“So, if we just keep our mouths shut, nothing will happen. You’re not involved in this anyway.”

“…Yes.”

“Pretend you don’t know until the end. I’ll make sure no harm comes to you, no matter what happens.”

“I understand.”

With those words, Team Leader Lee Soo-yong hung up the phone.

And then, as he let out a small sigh.

Click.

Suddenly, the office door opened.

His heart almost dropped at the sound.

“…Damn it, you scared me.”

Soon, after confirming who had entered the office, Team Leader Lee Soo-yong stroked his chest.

He thought the police had come, but it was none other than Kim Jun-woo.

“What are you doing here at this hour? You don’t have a subjugation [mission to defeat monsters] until tomorrow.”

“…….”

Instead of answering, Kim Jun-woo turned around and locked the door.

Team Leader Lee Soo-yong frowned at the action.

“…What are you doing?”

He asked, but Kim Jun-woo was still silent.

Soon, Kim Jun-woo clenched his fist and strode towards him.

“Hey, hey. What are you doing…!”

Pow!

He punched Team Leader Lee Soo-yong in the face.

“You, you crazy?! What the hell are you doing now…!”

Pow!

Before he could even recover from the staggering blow, another fist came flying.

A situation that suddenly unfolded.

With those two attacks, Team Leader Lee Soo-yong’s patience quickly reached its limit.

“You son of a bitch…!!”

[Acquired Skill: Revolution]

[Fires a magical sphere at the enemy.]

Zzzzzz.

He finally took out a skill in the office, not even in a dungeon.

But.

[Acquired Skill: Hyper Boost]

Bang!!

[Acquired Skill: One Counter]

Thud, Pow!

Kim Jun-woo easily evaded the attack and thrust his fist into his abdomen once more.

“Ugh…!”

The intensity was getting stronger and stronger.

Team Leader Lee Soo-yong writhed in pain, as if something was wrong with the part he had just been hit.

“You, you son of a bitch, are you crazy and want to get fired?! Where do you think you are right now…!”

Grab!

Kim Jun-woo grabbed his neck with one hand.

And then.

“Shut up and answer the question. Before I tear your mouth apart.”

A murderous glint in his eyes.

That expression, which he had never seen before, was looming before his eyes.

“Who planned this?”

“…Wh, what are you talking about!”

“I know all about you guys trying to ruin my reputation. But did that have to involve killing someone?”

“…….”

Team Leader Lee Soo-yong’s pupils shook greatly.

Did he know?

Since when?

More than that…

How much does he know?

As those thoughts flashed through his head, Team Leader Lee Soo-yong finally realized the seriousness of the situation.

“I, I really don’t know anything! Killing that rookie had nothing to do with me in the first place…!”

Squeeze.

As if that wasn’t the right answer, Kim Jun-woo strangled his neck without even listening to his words.

Team Leader Lee Soo-yong struggled to breathe and opened his mouth again.

“I, I… I was just trying to get you skipped over for promotion…! I was just going to fabricate the file and make it look like a mistake… Seo Min-cheol, that bastard made a deal to silence the committee with something else…!”

“…….”

Only after hearing that answer did Kim Jun-woo let go of his hand.

“Cough, cough…! Cough, cough!”

Team Leader Lee Soo-yong collapsed and gasped for breath.

“Explain in detail.”

But Kim Jun-woo didn’t seem to want to wait for that and asked immediately.

“Seo Min-cheol, that man had Chairman Woo Seok-ho’s weakness, and he made a deal with it! In exchange for turning a blind eye to this fabrication, he would bury that weakness forever…”

“Chief Seo Min-cheol?”

“Y, yes! The rookie’s death is all because of that bastard! I have nothing to do with it!”

“…….”

Kim Jun-woo listened to that answer and seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, and saved his words.

But only for a moment.

“Actually, I know.”

He smiled slightly.

“Wh, what?”

“I know. That it’s not really related to you.”

“Th, then why…”

“It’s the same reason you’ve been harassing me all this time.”

Kim Jun-woo looked down at Team Leader Lee Soo-yong with an emotionless expression and continued.

“Just because you’re an asshole.”

Pow!

At the same time, a kick came flying.

Team Leader Lee Soo-yong didn’t even make a sound and rolled across the floor.

At the same time, Team Leader Lee Soo-yong’s instincts twitched.

That bastard is really going to see this through to the end.

He might really kill me.

‘Sh, should I fight…?’

No, there’s no way I can beat that guy even if I do.

He’s a genius who rose to the position of sub-team leader with his skills alone, without any backing or connections in the first place.

There’s no way I, who became a team leader with Seo Min-cheol’s backing despite lacking skills and performance, can win…

The moment that thought reached him.

“Wa, wait a minute…!”

His head was spinning faster than ever.

“What’s going to change if you vent your anger on me?!”

“…….”

“I, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but if you want to take revenge, you should hit Seo Min-cheol and Woo Seok-ho, not me!!”

A voice close to screaming.

Kim Jun-woo saved his answer for a moment and listened to his words.

“It’s not like anything will happen to me, who has nothing to do with it in the first place…!”

“If I hit Seo Min-cheol and Woo Seok-ho…”

At that moment, Kim Jun-woo’s eyes flashed.

“Would you really have nothing to do with it?”

“…What?”

Team Leader Lee Soo-yong’s pupils shook greatly.

He had an expression that he didn’t understand.

“If this matter comes to light, those guys will cut off their tails first [abandon their subordinates to protect themselves]. Since you were the one who started it in the first place, they’ll put everything on you.”

“Th, that can’t be! There’s no evidence…!”

“Do you think they need evidence to get rid of one of their subordinates?”

At Kim Jun-woo’s words, Team Leader Lee Soo-yong’s expression hardened.

“As you said, I’m going to take down those two people soon. And I guarantee that the most screwed person the moment I touch those two people is you.”

“…….”

“If you really trust those two people, you don’t have to do anything. But if you don’t, there’s only one thing you have to do.”

“What is that…”

“You have to bite before you get bitten [betray them before they betray you].”

Soon, Kim Jun-woo lowered his posture and matched his eye level with Team Leader Lee Soo-yong.

“If you don’t trust those two people, go to the police right now and confess. That’s the only way to survive.”

“……!”

He conveyed those words.

“Or keep believing and endure until the end.”