An Office Worker Is Good At Exorcism - Chapter 116
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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 115
Part 7. My Thoughts Grow Heavy (1)
The workshop had ended.
It was meant to be nothing but a time for rest.
Yet I couldn’t say I had rested comfortably.
Gwak Young-ho’s possession?
Though it was a significant incident, I had only spent a short time dwelling on it.
The entire schedule was two nights and three days, and aside from the first day, the remaining two days were peaceful yet tense.
‘Don’t touch that.’
‘Let’s go somewhere else.’
‘Manager Lee, not over there—this way.’
‘Min-ah, don’t run!’
I felt sorry for my team members, but it was like taking kindergarteners on a field trip.
There were so many trivial things to worry about.
And why did they always insist on stepping into dangerous places?
*Sip.*
I leaned against the railing on the Company Rooftop, sipping my coffee.
It was the time between lunch and quitting time, and with no urgent matters, I was spending a leisurely moment as unhurried as the sun tilting toward the west.
*Creak.*
Then Gwak Young-ho came up to the rooftop, tapping his cigarette pack against his palm.
“Oh? Manager Kang.”
“Manager Gwak, you’re here.”
Gwak Young-ho had planned to visit the hospital.
Since he believed the possession was sleepwalking, he wanted to get checked out.
*Click, crackle.*
“Phew—”
“What did they say at the hospital?”
“They said there’s nothing particularly wrong. They mentioned it could happen temporarily if stress is severe.”
Gwak Young-ho smoked with an unsatisfied expression, while I offered a bitter smile.
“At least you’re healthy, sir.”
“Ugh! What on earth is the problem then?”
The problem isn’t with Gwak Young-ho.
It’s like being assaulted by a stranger on the street—this isn’t the victim’s problem, it’s the perpetrator’s.
“Please don’t worry too much. Overthinking will only increase your stress.”
“Mm.”
Gwak Young-ho spoke in a listless voice, then quietly smoked beside me.
When he’d burned about half the cigarette, he spoke again.
“My wife seems very concerned too.”
“You told her?”
“There shouldn’t be secrets between spouses.”
Gwak Young-ho’s voice sounded like a sigh, heavy with the weight of his heart.
I do feel sorry about it.
If only I’d made a better excuse, perhaps Gwak Young-ho’s mind would feel more at ease than it does now.
“Well, it was when I was leaving the hospital.”
“Yes?”
“My wife called me.”
Gwak Young-ho glanced down at his cigarette for a moment, then brought it back to his lips.
“She said she’d been to the Shamanic Temple. My wife, that is.”
I had forgotten about it.
That Gwak’s Wife was a fanatic for the Shamanic Temple.
When Kang Hyung-seok’s gaze hung upon him, Gwak Young-ho exhaled a long stream of smoke before speaking.
“She told me not to worry. Why cling to something that’s already finished and done with?”
“Your wife must have been pleased.”
“Well, that woman absolutely adores anything related to the Shamanic Temple.”
Gwak Young-ho chuckled, and his expression seemed somewhat more at ease than before.
“And do you know what else she heard?”
“I wouldn’t know?”
“Apparently, that noble person helped out again.”
“A noble person?”
“Remember back then at the Shamanic Temple? When you resolved that warehouse situation.”
“Ah, yes.”
The warehouse that had caused Lee Jin-pyung to be hospitalized.
After resolving that warehouse’s problem—where flesh had accumulated and harmed people—we’d managed to secure an incredibly favorable contract with the company.
Gwak’s Wife had heard the term “noble person” mentioned at the Shamanic Temple back then as well.
“This time too, she said. Apparently, a great disaster was averted thanks to that noble person’s help.”
“Ah….”
“You were right there beside me.”
Gwak Young-ho’s gaze, which had been fixed on some distant point, shifted toward Kang Hyung-seok.
“Yes?”
“When I came to in the valley, you were right beside me. Manager Kang.”
Kang Hyung-seok, at a loss for words, soon let out a hearty laugh and shook his head.
“What are you saying? Manager Shin was there, and Director Shin Yoseph was there too.”
“Those people weren’t there when we made the warehouse contract.”
“Do you believe in the Shamanic Temple, sir?”
I couldn’t tell what Gwak Young-ho’s narrowed eyes were trying to convey.
“Well.”
He spoke as if letting the words slip away, then took a deep drag from his cigarette and exhaled the smoke.
“Hoo—! I try to believe only in what’s certain.”
“What do you mean by that, sir?”
“They call you a noble person. That you’re a good person.”
Gwak Young-ho didn’t appear to fully believe what the Shaman’s House had said.
Yet he seemed grateful to Kang Hyung-seok.
Somnambulism or whatever it was—he had a subordinate willing to rush through the night with clothes soaked through, all for him.
That was enough.
What else could such a person be but a noble soul?
That was the thought reflected in Gwak Young-ho’s eyes.
“Hey, noble soul.”
“…Yes?”
“Shall we head down? Noble soul.”
“Ah, Manager.”
Gwak Young-ho smiled, creasing his face with warmth.
Then he walked toward the emergency exit stairs, his shoulder brushing against Kang Hyung-seok’s.
***
*Rustle.*
Shin Yoseph was reviewing overdue documents in his office.
The workload had piled up while he accompanied the Daejeong Materials Sales Team 1 workshop to its conclusion.
Mountains of paperwork awaited his approval.
So Shin Yoseph had no choice but to work without rising from his chair for even a moment.
*Clink.*
It was then that a cup of black tea was placed before him as he concentrated intently.
“Take it easy, Director.”
Shin Yoseph smiled faintly at the man, then picked up the cup with a weary expression.
The fruit-blended black tea released a complex aroma of vanilla and tropical fruit from its steam.
“Thank you, Secretary Jo.”
“Did you enjoy the workshop?”
Shin Yoseph chuckled and nodded.
“It wasn’t bad. It made me realize there are worlds like that out there.”
“I’m glad it pleased you. I hope it was a restful break?”
Shin Yoseph’s smile faded.
“It wasn’t restful at all.”
You couldn’t call that schedule restful even if you beat someone to death trying.
Sales Team 1 possessed a peculiar talent for never missing dangerous situations, as if asking “what’s wrong with these people?”
It seemed likely that every single one of them had been caught up in some incident at least once.
“That’s unfortunate. I had hoped you’d at least get some proper rest while you were away.”
“Rest can wait until the next opportunity comes around.”
Shin Yoseph took a slow sip of the black tea, then swept the stack of documents away with the back of his hand.
It felt like an all-nighter was in the cards for today.
But for now, the sight of them made him sick, so he wanted them out of view for a moment.
“What happened with what I mentioned before?”
Secretary Jo’s face stiffened at once.
He furrowed his brow deeply beneath his chin, composed his expression, and then opened his mouth.
“I’ve placed someone there.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. It’s a heretical sect, just as expected.”
“Do you have documentation?”
Secretary Jo gestured toward the computer with his palm, and Shin Yoseph accessed the company intranet, then downloaded files from his password-protected folder.
Click, click.
With his chin resting on his hand, Shin Yoseph scrolled through the monitor with a grave expression.
These were the investigation records Secretary Jo had compiled through his hired investigator.
A barrier gate installed at the village entrance.
A person monitoring the vehicles passing through.
That person’s gleaming gaze.
Photographs of gatherings held every Wednesday and Sunday.
They appeared highly suspicious at first glance, yet unremarkable from another perspective.
The gatherings resembled nothing more than an ordinary Pioneer Church in a remote neighborhood, which only reinforced this impression.
“You said it was a heretical sect, correct?”
“That’s correct.”
Shin Yoseph carefully reviewed the photographs, nodded, and spoke.
“Prepare things so I can go.”
“As for the chairman….”
“Tell him to speak to me directly if he has anything to say. It’ll be faster that way.”
The chairman, his father, and Shin Yoseph had always been this way.
When he said he would become a priest, and when he returned home, the two of them had experienced frequent conflict.
So there was nothing surprising or frightening about conflict anymore.
“Understood.”
“Regarding the village, try approaching it through establishing a new office or regional development funds. That works faster with these people.”
Shin Yoseph sipped his black tea while gazing at the monitor with an impassive expression, and Secretary Jo carefully opened his mouth.
“Director, will you be alright?”
“You mean the chairman’s side?”
“No. I was referring to you, Director.”
Secretary Jo also knew.
What kind of past Shin Yoseph carried.
Why he was searching for it even while wielding the company’s resources.
“It seems you don’t trust me much.”
Shin Yoseph offered a melancholic smile, and Secretary Jo hurriedly spoke in surprise.
“Ah, no. I was concerned for your safety.”
“That’s fine then. I won’t be doing it alone.”
“That’s why I asked.”
Their conversation had Kang Hyung-seok in mind.
Could that person truly be trusted.
It was what Secretary Jo wanted to ask.
*Clink.*
Shin Yoseph set down his teacup and rubbed his weary eyes before speaking.
“Why do you ask?”
“Forgive me, but I made some personal inquiries. There doesn’t appear to be any publicly known activity associated with him.”
Shin Yoseph’s eyebrows twitched for a moment, but he nodded as if he understood.
“I’m no different. We’re all similar people, in the end.”
“However….”
“Secretary Jo, I selected him personally.”
Shin Yoseph interlaced his fingers and rested them on his lap, turning his body toward Secretary Jo while remaining seated.
Then he pressed his lips together before offering a reassuring smile.
“Just trust me.”
Secretary Jo observed the unwavering conviction that dwelt in Shin Yoseph’s eyes and exhaled a heavy sigh through his nose.
Then he nodded slowly.
“I hope he proves to be of service to you, Director.”
Shin Yoseph nodded, a faint smile lingering on his lips.
Help.
Such a light word, yet so heavy.
Still, Shin Yoseph trusted Kang Hyung-seok.
“This time is different. This time, it will surely be different.”
Muttering to himself, Shin Yoseph drained the now-lukewarm black tea in one gulp.
“Please expedite the preparations. Once everything is ready, contact Daejeong Materials as well.”
“Understood.”
Shin Yoseph waved his hand as if entrusting the rest to Secretary Jo, then fixed his gaze upon the monitor.
Documents awaited processing on his desk, yet the photograph on the screen refused to release his attention.
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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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