An Office Worker Is Good At Exorcism - Chapter 112

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 111
Part 5. Sales Team 1 Workshop (4)
Reflexively, Kang Hyung-seok closed his mouth.
We were in the middle of a conversation that the company people shouldn’t overhear.
‘Did he hear?’
Just as Kang Hyung-seok’s brow furrowed with concern, Shin Yoseph shifted the atmosphere so dramatically that even a ghost would have been startled.
“Why?”
Fortunately, Gwak Young-ho seemed not to have heard anything.
He approached with a clueless smile on his face.
“Well, you see, I spoke with our team members about it.”
“Yes.”
“You came all the way out here and even bought us meat. If you don’t have any urgent schedules, how about joining us for a meal?”
In short, he was inviting us to hang out together.
Kang Hyung-seok’s expression grew somewhat reluctant, and Gwak Young-ho threw a look at him as if to say, “Manager Kang, you’re fine with this, right?”
“Tsk.”
In the meantime, Shin Yoseph, who had been rubbing his teeth with his tongue, lit a cigarette and glanced briefly at Kang Hyung-seok.
Then he tapped the ash and nodded.
“Yes, sounds good.”
“Then I’ll let the pension owner know!”
Gwak Young-ho turned to leave with a grin spreading across his face.
Watching him from behind, Kang Hyung-seok let out a groan and clicked his tongue in frustration.
***
Sizzle!
As the sun dipped below the horizon, a barbecue party commenced in front of the Pension.
Charcoal was placed in a large brazier, and thick cuts of meat were laid upon an iron grate that had been oiled with pork fat.
Shin Yoseph and I handled every step of the preparation.
“Director Shin, let me do this. I’m quite skilled at this sort of thing.”
“No, I think it’s better if I do it.”
Shin Yoseph certainly seemed to have received culinary training.
The way he mixed powdered spices together and brushed them across the surface made that evident.
With the addition of a needle-like meat thermometer inserted into the pork, even Gwak Young-ho and the others didn’t dare attempt to take over.
Spritz, spritz, spritz.
As Shin Yoseph misted the thick pork with apple juice using a spray bottle, I spoke to him quietly.
“Why do you always choose pork?”
“It’s good. Why? Don’t you like it?”
“It’s not that I dislike it, but it seems like every time we meet, you end up eating pork.”
For Shin Yoseph, pork held special significance.
It was a memory of a senior colleague who had lost his life during an exorcism ceremony due to my mistake.
It was a longing to turn back time to those days, and a symbol that forced me to confront my failures anew.
“I don’t eat it with just anyone.”
Shin Yoseph spoke in a subdued voice, then transferred the fully cooked pork to a cutting board and sliced it.
The spices brushed on the surface had turned dark, and with each stroke of the knife, juices cascaded forth—it was truly impressive.
Clink.
The moment the plate was set on the terrace table, exclamations erupted from the gathered people.
“Wow, I’ve only ever seen something like this on the internet.”
“My goodness. Did you do all this yourself?”
Namgoong Min-ah was astonished, and Shin Jung-ah marveled as she asked Shin Yoseph the question, but he shook his head and pointed his thumb toward me.
“We did it together.”
“Oh… yes.”
Shin Jung-ah looked at me with surprise, then gestured for us to sit down.
And then it began.
“Thank you for this meal, Director.”
Gwak Young-ho expressed his gratitude to Shin Yoseph with a face that mingled apology and joy.
“Please, make yourself comfortable. I brought plenty, so eat as much as you’d like.”
Once I took my seat as well, the meal proceeded, and the atmosphere was quite warm.
Shin Yoseph’s presence blended in naturally among us.
“Eat plenty too, Manager Kang.”
“Yes, thank you, Manager.”
I smiled at Gwak Young-ho, and when his gaze turned elsewhere, I let a piece of meat fall.
The others didn’t notice.
Neither the meat I had dropped, nor the presence that rushed toward it.
‘Perhaps it’s because this is a rural area. There are so many victim spirits here.’
I sensed no malevolent aura emanating from the Victim Spirits.
Still, just to be safe, Kang Hyung-seok poured some soju into a paper cup and set it down beside his feet.
It was similar to the practice of offering street food to Victim Spirits during ancestral rites.
“Man, it’s such a shame that you’re not part of the same company.”
Gwak Young-ho laughed cheerfully after taking a sip of soju, and Shin Yoseph opened his mouth with a smile.
“It’s nice to be welcomed like this.”
“Ha! Of course it is. That’s only natural.”
We continued spending time together in this noisy yet harmonious atmosphere.
Gwak Young-ho looked up at the clear night sky and carefully opened his mouth.
“Say, how about a night walk after we finish eating?”
It was the moment Shin Yoseph’s eyes took on the expression of ‘Why would he be so cautious about just a night walk?’
“Actually, it’s very close by. I found a great course nearby—perfect for a courage-testing experience. How about combining it with a walk?”
“Come on, Manager. That’s so childish.”
“Oh, I’m in!”
Shin Jung-ah looked appalled, while Namgoong Min-ah showed strong interest.
Lee Jin-pyung went without saying, and Gwak Young-ho’s face was full of anticipation.
“Do we really have to go?”
Shin Yoseph, who had faced people possessed by Kumasa priests multiple times, furrowed his brows, while Gwak Young-ho laughed awkwardly, seemingly embarrassed.
“Well, I want to build some memories, you see.”
Everyone’s gaze converged on him as he scratched his cheek.
“My position is Manager, and being here like this feels a bit awkward. I want to keep spending time with team members who get along well with me, but it’s not easy.”
Resignation and job transfers.
These are things you inevitably face at some point in your career.
And quite frequently at that.
“Honestly, since I’m getting older, retirement doesn’t feel like someone else’s problem anymore. So I want to create at least one memory—something easy to recall even after I leave.”
“Memories….”
Shin Yoseph rubbed his lips with a thoughtful expression.
Kang Hyung-seok, watching him from beside, wore a similar look.
‘So that’s what he’s been thinking.’
Gwak Young-ho had seemed unusually cheerful throughout this workshop.
I had thought it was simply because we’d escaped the office, but I never imagined he harbored such feelings.
Kang Hyung-seok rubbed his lips with a bitter expression, and Shin Yoseph’s eyes were equally contemplative.
Of all things, it had to be memories.
For Shin Yoseph, who lived in the present while bound by old recollections, the word “memories” was something he could not ignore.
“Sigh…”
Shin Yoseph exhaled a heavy sigh and shifted his gaze to Kang Hyung-seok.
Gwak Young-ho was watching his reaction, making it seem as though the decision rested with Shin Yoseph.
But Shin Yoseph read Kang Hyung-seok’s eyes, and after seeing his gesture of agreement, he nodded.
“Thank you! Everyone’s okay with this, right?”
Shin Jung-ah nodded with a subtle smile, while Namgoong Min-ah enthusiastically agreed.
“I absolutely love it! It’s my first time since middle school!”
“I’m grateful you’re enjoying it. Let’s start preparing once we finish eating.”
The meal concluded in a warm atmosphere.
Clatter, clatter.
Those who hadn’t cooked quickly cleaned up, and Gwak Young-ho, brimming with excitement, gathered everyone and even pulled a lantern from his bag.
“What’s with the lantern?”
Shin Jung-ah spoke with a hint of reluctance, but seeing Gwak Young-ho’s expression, she quickly waved her hand.
“I don’t mean I dislike it. It’s nice. We won’t trip and it’ll be safe.”
“Y-yes, that’s right?”
It seemed Gwak Young-ho had been eager to include a courage challenge ever since planning the workshop.
“Alright, we’ll move in pairs of two. But the numbers don’t work out.”
“There are six of us total, so couldn’t we just pair up three and three?”
Gwak Young-ho smiled toward Namgoong Min-ah and answered.
“No, I’ll be the judge.”
“The judge?”
“Apparently there’s a desk in the innermost room. The team with the shortest time to take a photo and return wins.”
He was being as fair as possible.
Without holding back the younger members with his age, he wanted them to enjoy themselves freely.
The team members understood, and Shin Yoseph nodded, while Namgoong Min-ah’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as she asked a question.
“Is there a prize for winning?”
“Of course!”
“Really?”
Gwak Young-ho grinned confidently and spread all five fingers wide.
“Five hundred thousand won. It came from our workshop budget, and I added some of my own.”
“Wow!”
Namgoong Min-ah bounced with surprise, and Kang Hyung-seok and Shin Jung-ah gasped silently in admiration.
Five hundred thousand won was definitely not a small sum.
Even Shin Jung-ah, who had planned to humor Gwak Young-ho, had eyes that said ‘that’s actually pretty good,’ and Lee Jin-pyung was counting on his fingers, calculating something.
He was clearly thinking of something he wanted to buy.
“So, is this worth doing?”
“Yes!”
“Then let’s pair up quickly!”
The moment Gwak Young-ho finished speaking, Shin Jung-ah grabbed Kang Hyung-seok’s shoulder.
“Manager Kang! Let’s go together.”
They would have to walk a dark path relying on a single lantern.
So Shin Jung-ah, who knew Kang Hyung-seok’s secret, quickly claimed him, and naturally Shin Yoseph turned toward Namgoong Min-ah and Lee Jin-pyung.
“So we’ll be a team of three.”
“Uh, yes. Director Shin, are you okay with that?”
“Why? Do you dislike it?”
“That’s not it. It’s fine, but…”
Namgoong Min-ah seemed to think they had such an overwhelming advantage that she wondered if this was even fair.
Still, with three men, there was no choice but to divide things up this way.
“So which team should go first?”
The moment Gwak Young-ho finished speaking, two people responded immediately.
“Us.”
Shin Jung-ah spoke first, and Shin Yoseph pointed at Kang Hyung-seok.
Shin Jung-ah’s response was understandable, but Shin Yoseph’s was puzzling.
“Then, shall the department heads go first?”
Gwak Young-ho had no way of knowing.
The true identities that Kang Hyung-seok and Shin Yoseph were hiding.
‘Scout ahead first and send me a message.’
Reading the silent message in Shin Yoseph’s eyes, Kang Hyung-seok nodded and walked shoulder to shoulder with Shin Jung-ah toward their destination.
The Abandoned Building was exactly four hundred meters straight ahead.
I’d already checked the route on Street View, and despite the desolate path with no streetlights, it wasn’t a mountain road.
Step, step.
Still, because the path was dark, Shin Jung-ah naturally slowed her pace and spoke softly to Kang Hyung-seok.
“That Shin Yoseph person—do you know anything about him?”
“Why are you asking me that?”
“Well, just now, he pointed at you first.”
Kang Hyung-seok laughed silently, then paused to think before speaking.
“He’s not an ordinary person. He’s a priest.”
“What…?”
“To be precise, he’s an exorcist priest. It seemed like he wanted me to check first if there’s anything dangerous here.”
“Wait, hold on. The son of Shinjin Construction is an exorcist priest? Like in The Exorcist?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me more. What’s going on?”
Kang Hyung-seok walked along chatting quietly with Shin Jung-ah.
I told her about saving the demon-possessed boy at the Orphanage together, and also mentioned that I was investigating the scissors I’d obtained from the ceiling of Lee Ha-yoon’s Office.
“Wow… I never would have imagined?”
Shin Jung-ah spoke as if genuinely shocked, and Kang Hyung-seok nodded in agreement.
Who could have predicted it?
That a conglomerate heir lived a life chasing demons under the identity of an exorcist priest.
Step.
When Kang Hyung-seok had put considerable distance between himself and Gwak Young-ho, and had come halfway to the destination, he stopped walking.
Then he signaled Shin Jung-ah to be quiet and slipped his hand into his pocket.
Now Shin Jung-ah knew what was about to happen.
So she kept her mouth shut and stepped back, while Kang Hyung-seok discreetly pulled out the Shaman’s Bell and the blessed knife he’d brought with him.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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