An Office Worker Is Good At Exorcism - Chapter 165
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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 164
Part 2. May You Find Happiness (1)
“How did it go?”
Work day.
Kang Hyung-seok and Shin Jung-ah met in the break room at the office.
Glug-glug-glug.
The coffee machine poured a rich shot into Shin Jung-ah’s tumbler, and the space held that perfect blend of morning calm and the coziness that coffee brings.
“It was resolved well.”
“…Good to hear. I checked the Horror Broadcast just in case, but there was nothing.”
“Yoon Sang?”
“Besides him, there’s nothing worth watching.”
Shin Jung-ah leaned against the table where coffee mix, tea bags, and snacks were displayed, exhaling a shallow sigh.
“But it looks like you’re tired too, Manager Kang.”
Slurp.
Kang Hyung-seok sipped the straw in the drink he held before answering.
“Just the usual.”
It wasn’t the sugar-free Americano he usually drank.
Coffee milk with a cute yellow cat character printed on it.
Despite the adorable packaging, the caffeine content was surprisingly bold.
“It looks strange seeing you holding that, Manager Kang.”
“The taste isn’t as bad as I expected.”
“No, I mean… yes.”
Shin Jung-ah nodded with a meaningful expression, then raised the corners of her mouth while narrowing her brows.
Her expression remained subtle, which is when Kang Hyung-seok’s gaze focused on her.
“Bu-yong? There was nothing about her?”
“No. We won’t be able to contact her anyway.”
“Why not?”
Kang Hyung-seok shook his head slightly and exhaled a breath heavy with the scent of coffee milk.
“That’s the right thing to do. Since we found out through the Horror Broadcast, if something goes wrong, I could end up in trouble.”
Click.
The coffee machine finished extracting and pushed out the used grounds.
Shin Jung-ah filled her tumbler with cool water and ice, but her eyes looked troubled.
“It’s a shame. After all that effort.”
“This time we all did it together anyway.”
“Still, it seemed like the ritual went on for quite a long time.”
That wasn’t wrong.
Excluding sleep and bathing, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say we invested everything.
“Rewards come back in ways and times we can never predict.”
That’s why one must live righteously.
At the very least, one must not accumulate karmic debt.
In the end, everything circles back around, returning in ways we never could have imagined.
“Still, it’s a bit much.”
“But Manager, are you alright?”
“Hm?”
Kang Hyung-seok silently lifted his leg slightly, then set it back down.
The sudden memory of that kick flashed through Shin Jung-ah’s mind, and her face flushed with embarrassment.
“No, no. There’s nothing to worry about. Oh, and it seems Ha-yoon has started writing a complaint. She’s gotten in touch with several people.”
Kang Hyung-seok nodded with a faint smile.
That cursed mother and daughter would face legal consequences as well.
“That’s good.”
“Hmm.”
“What is it?”
“Just wondering if it’s really over like this.”
“It’s over.”
As always, a brief abnormality had come and gone, and now the ordinary returned with a familiar face.
Like Monday, arriving every week.
That’s all it was.
“Good morning.”
Namgoong Min-ah shuffled in, her eyes puffy with fatigue like someone mourning the departure of Sunday, her voice trembling.
“Let’s head out soon.”
“Yes.”
Kang Hyung-seok left the break room with Shin Jung-ah.
“Hello.”
“Good morning.”
“Oh? Coffee milk. I’m jealous.”
It was as Kang Hyung-seok let out a hearty laugh beside the rambling Namgoong Min-ah.
The door swung open.
Gwak Young-ho entered the office with a deeply displeased expression.
“Good morning, Manager.”
“Oh? Oh! You’re here.”
Gwak Young-ho wiped the emotion from his face, and Shin Jung-ah, who had been preparing for work, peeked her head out cautiously.
“Is something wrong?”
“Hm? No, no.”
“It’s written all over your face.”
“Sigh. Hey, want to have a quick meeting with me? No, no, Min-ah, you don’t need to come.”
“Yes.”
Gwak Young-ho shot a look of ‘why is she acting like that?’ before catching sight of Lee Jin-pyung sitting silently at his desk, and he flinched in surprise.
“When did Lee Deputy Manager arrive?”
“Just now.”
“Ah, yes. Alright, get to work.”
Gwak Young-ho climbed to the rooftop with Kang Hyung-seok and Shin Jung-ah.
The fact that he hadn’t even grabbed a cup of coffee beforehand suggested his mind was in turmoil.
The door swung open.
“What on earth is going on?”
Instead of answering Shin Jung-ah’s question, Gwak Young-ho pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
“Ugh.”
The lighter clicked and flared.
“Phew—! Ah, this has become such a headache.”
“What do you mean? Manager Gwak.”
As Shin Jung-ah furrowed her brow and asked, Gwak Young-ho exhaled smoke like a sigh before speaking.
“I got a call this morning on my way to work.”
“From where?”
“The Sales Team 2 Manager.”
“What?”
Gwak Young-ho’s face burned with anxiety as he drew on his cigarette.
“You all know Shinjin Construction sent in a huge order this time, right?”
“Of course.”
“Yes, we’re aware.”
As Shin Jung-ah and Kang Hyung-seok responded, Gwak Young-ho took a deep breath through his nose, running his tongue across the bitter taste of smoke in his mouth.
“So we’ve been trying to match our inventory to their quantities, but matching supply to a suddenly increased order isn’t easy, you know? That’s why Sales Team 2 has been running around so hard.”
There wasn’t just one client.
Though they varied in scale, every client was precious.
“They boasted so much about breaking into that Wallpaper Factory, and now they’re suddenly saying it’s going to be difficult.”
“…Why are they telling you this just this morning?”
“That’s what I’m saying!”
Gwak Young-ho swept his hair back with an exasperated expression.
“If rumors start spreading behind the scenes, it’ll damage the company’s image. We’ll lose all our clients for sure. Anyway, do you know what the Sales Team 2 Manager is asking?”
“What?”
Shin Jung-ah asked with icy composure, and Gwak Young-ho’s frown deepened as he answered.
“He’s asking us to help them.”
“What?”
“It’s shameless. Absolutely shameless.”
There was something Gwak Young-ho hadn’t said aloud.
It was the jealousy Sales Team 2 harbored toward Kang Hyung-seok.
Despite how things had always been, they were now requesting help from Sales Team 1.
It showed how desperate they were, but he couldn’t help feeling indignant about it.
“So I think we need to go there urgently this morning. Could you come with us?”
“I’m available in the afternoon.”
“That won’t work. We need to go as soon as possible, just in case. What about you, Manager Kang?”
“I’m available.”
Gwak Young-ho nodded, his expression tangled between gratitude and apology.
“Then let’s move together this morning. This needs to be handled before anything else.”
“Is there anything I should prepare?”
“We just have to charge in. That’s how these things work.”
This was the most grueling scenario in sales.
If it were a place we already knew, there would be some way forward.
But this was a completely unfamiliar place with no existing connections, and worse—a place where another department had already failed. It was like descending bare-handed into the deep sea to retrieve a pearl.
“Ugh! This is driving me crazy.”
“Come on, Manager! Kang Hyung-seok is going with you—what’s there to worry about?”
Shin Jung-ah forced brightness into her voice, and Gwak Young-ho rubbed his face as if suddenly remembering, his expression shifting to something less anxious.
“Right, right. Let’s think positively.”
“Positively?”
“Sales Team 2 tossed this to us anyway. If it works out, we get to look down on them a bit. If it doesn’t, they take the blame.”
Gwak Young-ho wore a smile, but both Shin Jung-ah and Kang Hyung-seok knew better.
He was simply swallowing his anxiety by force.
This industry was small.
Bad rumors spread in an instant, and when they do, sales becomes even harder.
“Understood. I’ll prepare for the business trip right away.”
“We’ll take my car.”
“Yes!”
Kang Hyung-seok answered heavily, and Gwak Young-ho shot Shin Jung-ah an apologetic glance before rushing down the stairs.
As Kang Hyung-seok followed him, Shin Jung-ah found herself alone on the rooftop and lit a cigarette.
Click, whoosh.
“Phew—!”
Smoke drifted across her face as she thought how another headache had landed on her the moment she’d arrived at work.
***
Vroom.
Gwak Young-ho’s car always had that heavy engine sound, no matter when you got in.
“Starting the day like this, it feels like we’re skipping work to go have fun somewhere, doesn’t it?”
Gwak Young-ho forced brightness into his words, but his intention was transparent.
It was like a soldier charging into battle without preparation.
As a department head, he didn’t want to instill unnecessary anxiety in his subordinates.
“If things go well, how about we have a company dinner tonight?”
“Ah! That sounds great! Really great.”
“I’ll treat everyone.”
“Huh? Why would Manager Kang treat?”
“I have my own reasons for it.”
Gwak Young-ho smiled, creasing his face, then added one more thing.
“Let’s decide that depending on how things go.”
After those words, Gwak Young-ho’s lips pressed firmly shut.
Vroom.
As Gwak Young-ho approached the large wallpaper factory visible in the distance, he parked the car nearby after receiving directions from the security guard.
It seemed to be right when goods were being shipped out.
Forklifts were loading palletized items onto large vehicles, creating a bustling atmosphere.
“Ah, it must be over there.”
Gwak Young-ho, who had been peering around the factory interior, took the lead.
Kang Hyung-seok followed behind, and after receiving directions from factory employees asking how they’d arrived, they entered the office located at the very back.
Click.
Perhaps because this was a place that handled interior-related materials.
The factory was naturally loud and bustling, but the interior was soundproofed and organized neatly.
“Welcome! Representative.”
The Factory Owner, who had been working at the computer, was opening his eyes narrowly as he stood up.
‘That flower is….’
A flower resembling the Hibiscus syriacus sat in a vase on the reception table.
Bu-yong.
“Please, have a seat. Yes.”
“Thank you.”
Gwak Young-ho, tense, sat on the reception sofa with Kang Hyung-seok, and a factory employee poured coffee into paper cups and placed them on the table.
“You’re Manager Gwak Young-ho from Daejeong Materials, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Gwak Young-ho spoke with a smile, but the Factory Owner’s expression grew increasingly rigid.
“A different person came instead. Ah, this is troublesome.”
“I’m truly sorry for the inconvenience. But Representative, we came to visit you like this because we really wanted to make this request.”
“It’s not that something else is the problem—we have our own schedule as well. I’m sorry, but please come another time.”
“We’re dealing with quite an urgent matter too. What can we do if it’s absolutely necessary?”
“You saw the factory situation.”
This won’t be easy.
In the heavy silence, I watched Bu-yong silently, her form arranged in the vase on the table.
The door swung open.
“Dad! Why did you close the door?”
A familiar voice reached my ears.
“Oh!”
The Company Representative, who had been frowning, sprang to his feet with a brightened expression toward the door, and my gaze followed his.
I drew a short breath.
I didn’t want to show it, but my eyes wavered for a moment.
“Dad, I’m in the middle of a conversation with guests right now….”
“…What?”
She too looked at me.
A viewer of Yoon Sang’s broadcast.
A victim of the spirit wedding.
And a woman who used the same username as Bu-yong, arranged in the vase on the reception table.
“Huh? Why? Do you know her?”
The Company Representative, finding Bu-yong’s gaze toward me strange, asked the question, and Bu-yong met my eyes directly before slowly shaking her head.
“No, this is our first meeting.”
The lie was obvious.
Still, it wouldn’t be easy to recognize without experience in sales.
I smiled faintly and nodded toward Bu-yong.
She followed suit, nodding with a smile playing at her lips.
The gratitude she couldn’t convey in words was etched deeply in her eyes.
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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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