An Office Worker Is Good At Exorcism - Chapter 20

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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 20
Part 7. Please, Kang Hyung-seok! (1)
A week had passed.
Click, clack.
Kang Hyung-seok’s fingers danced across the pristine keyboard, unmarred by a single blemish, as I drafted the proposal document.
It was the preliminary draft of a business proposal to submit to a government agency—work I had to complete and submit to Gwak Young-ho before clocking out today.
Click-clack-clack.
‘Ah, this is really nice.’
I had spent considerable time deliberating on how best to use the lump sum I’d received from Shin Jung-ah.
Normally, I would have saved it.
But with my living situation improving lately, I wanted to give myself a modest gift in recognition of all the hardship I’d endured.
So this keyboard was what I’d ordered.
“Senior, how much did you pay for that?”
Namgoong Min-ah from the adjacent desk asked with curious eyes.
“Sorry. Is it too loud?”
“No, it’s not that. The sound is just so nice.”
There’s something gratifying about someone reacting positively to something you’ve purchased.
Kang Hyung-seok smiled faintly and answered with my fingers.
“70,000 won? Why is a keyboard so expensive?”
“I don’t know either. I just picked one that was highly recommended, but it really does feel different.”
“Oh, I should get one when I become a full-time employee.”
“Work hard. When you become full-time, I’ll buy you one as a celebration gift.”
“Really?”
Just as Namgoong Min-ah’s eyes sparkled, someone from behind grabbed my shoulder.
Only a superior could make such a move.
Kang Hyung-seok closed my mouth first and turned my head, while Namgoong Min-ah had already returned her gaze and posture to normal.
“Looks like you have plenty of time. Chatting during work hours?”
Shin Jung-ah stood over Kang Hyung-seok with the eyes of a workplace superior.
“Manager.”
“It’s work time. You need to focus.”
She pointed to a corner of the draft displayed on my monitor.
“Something’s off here. Check if the formula broke. And fix the typos here too.”
“I apologize.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for. You’re still working on it.”
Shin Jung-ah tapped Kang Hyung-seok’s shoulder with the documents she was holding, left the words “work hard,” and disappeared.
“Phew.”
Namgoong Min-ah, who had been completely intimidated by Shin Jung-ah, exhaled and sent a message through the company messenger instead of speaking aloud.
「The manager scares me.」
Click, clack.
「Is that so?」
“You’re usually kind, but when you get angry, it’s no joke.”
That much was true.
I was about to type a message agreeing with Namgoong Min-ah when it happened.
“It seems like you’re only kind to Kang Hyung-seok.”
Namgoong Min-ah’s message came flying in, and my fingers froze mid-keystroke.
I clenched my teeth and turned my head to the side.
It was showing, apparently.
That Shin Jung-ah was being more considerate to me than to others.
Tap tap tap.
“It’s just your imagination. I get scolded plenty when I’m called in separately too.”
“Really?”
“Yes. So let’s focus on work for now.”
“Okay.”
“Lunch break is coming up soon, so let’s do our best!”
“Yes! You too, Kang Hyung-seok!”
I closed the messenger and tapped away at the keyboard, revising the points Shin Jung-ah had given me.
A chill ran down my spine.
There was nothing good about the other department members finding out that I was receiving special treatment.
‘It’s a bit unfair, actually.’
If I had to explain it, it was something like a business relationship.
I had helped Shin Jung-ah when she needed it, and in return, I received substantial compensation.
Our different relationship could be seen as a bond between major clients.
Moonlighting prohibition.
The company regulation that suddenly came to mind seemed to flutter before my eyes.
I shook my head and placed my hands back on the keyboard.
To leave on time, I needed to fill out the document format by typing,
“Kang Hyung-seok?”
Gwak Young-ho’s voice from behind kicked away the concentration that was barely clinging to my fingertips.
“Yes, sir.”
“Do you have a moment to talk?”
I saved the document and stood up from my chair.
“What’s the matter?”
“No, just for a moment. It won’t take long.”
Was it just my imagination that Gwak Young-ho seemed to glance at Namgoong Min-ah, who was intently focused on her monitor?
In any case, I followed him into the director’s office, and Gwak Young-ho spoke right away.
“How does Min-ah seem to you these days?”
I couldn’t answer and just stared at Gwak Young-ho’s eyes.
It was an abrupt question.
As I was wondering if Min-ah, with whom I had just been conversing comfortably, had done something, Gwak Young-ho smiled, creating subtle wrinkles on his face.
“I’m not asking because something’s wrong.”
His eyes spoke the truth.
So Kang Hyung-seok took a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking.
“If you’re referring to work performance, it’s improved considerably from before. I’d say he’ll be capable of carrying his own weight soon enough.”
I deliberately avoided saying he was too naive.
“Right? That’s how I see it too. In that sense, would you like to go on a business trip tomorrow with Min-ah?”
“Are you referring to the trip to Danyang?”
“I need to train her on fieldwork eventually, and this isn’t a difficult assignment—it’s perfect.”
The Company had multiple clients.
Among them, Danyang could be considered a good destination for a business trip, aside from the distance.
This was because the client themselves was straightforward, regardless of the account’s importance.
“Even though it’s a business trip, it’s really just a meal for management purposes, so there’s no pressure. Is there any inconvenience?”
“No. I’m just a bit surprised.”
Gwak Young-ho smiled in a friendly manner and cast his gaze toward where Namgoong Min-ah would be.
“She’s worked hard all this time.”
From intern to full-time employee.
It seemed to be the picture Gwak Young-ho was painting.
“Of course, you shouldn’t get any false hopes about this, understand? Nothing is confirmed yet.”
It was such an obvious statement that Kang Hyung-seok couldn’t help but laugh.
“I understand.”
“Then we’ll go on the business trip together tomorrow. If something comes up and it looks like it’ll take longer, just send me a text.”
It was a kind of melancholy inherent to the Sales Department.
It happened often enough.
Clients who tried to squeeze out corporate card expenses by any means, or those who demanded excessive time.
Danyang wasn’t a bad client, but they loved hiking.
Because of that, there had been times when returns were delayed, so Kang Hyung-seok nodded with a wry smile.
“Understood.”
Gwak Young-ho grasped Kang Hyung-seok’s shoulder firmly with a grateful expression, then released it.
It was a gesture of asking for his cooperation.
***
I’d taken care of dinner before heading home—just a quick meal.
When good kimbap dies, it goes to the place of spicy stir-fried pork.
The taste was nothing special, but it wasn’t bad for filling my stomach cheaply.
Beep, beep, beep. Whoosh.
As soon as Kang Hyung-seok stepped into the Rental House, he peeled off his socks and draped his coat over a dining chair.
Business trip preparations were always the same—nothing complicated.
Click.
He slid open the Bathroom cabinet, retrieved his portable toothbrush sterilizer and toothpaste, then grabbed a change of clothes from the wardrobe just in case.
Zip.
Since he didn’t need a full suitcase, he opened his backpack instead.
‘I have the power bank, the notebook… I’ll skip this one.’
As he was haphazardly organizing his belongings, his hand froze in front of the pencil case.
The pencil case containing the Shaman’s Bell.
‘Should I take it or not?’
Danyang was a business trip destination I’d visited several times before, and nothing seemed likely to happen. But instead of taking out the Shaman’s Bell, I pushed it deep into my bag.
‘Let’s just think of it as a charm.’
By now, I knew the Shaman’s Bell’s effects for certain.
It warned of danger and had the power to drive away impurity.
If I thought of it as a talisman that prevented disaster, it was only right to keep it on me at all times.
Zip, zip, zip!
After placing the zipped bag beside the shoe rack, I fiddled with my phone.
Before leaving work, I’d roughly told Namgoong Min-ah what to prepare, but I thought it might be better to remind her via text.
That’s how it had been when my mentor trained me.
Ding!
Just as I was typing out the message, Namgoong Min-ah unexpectedly called.
“Hello? Manager! Are you home?”
“Is this about packing?”
“Oh! How did you know?”
Kang Hyung-seok burst into hearty laughter and went through the necessary items one by one.
“Ah, yes, I remember.”
“This business trip isn’t difficult, so don’t be nervous.”
“Okay!”
“When they ask questions on their end, I’ll answer them. You just need to think of it as greeting the client—there’s really nothing hard about it.”
“Thank you…”
The way her voice trailed off suggested she was indeed nervous.
Suddenly remembering my early days as a new employee, Kang Hyung-seok smiled wryly and picked up his tumbler.
The coffee I’d brought from the Company had cooled to lukewarm, but some remained.
“Is there anything else you’re curious about?”
“Can I bring snacks tomorrow?”
“…This isn’t a picnic.”
“It would be nice if you could have something to eat in the car. I’ll make sure to bring some chocolate and snacks.”
Namgoong Min-ah spoke those practical words with such cheerful enthusiasm that Kang Hyung-seok’s lips curved upward in a silent smile.
“Got it. Thank you.”
“Yes! Then Manager, please get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Sure. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
The call ended.
In the room that seemed to have grown unusually quiet, Kang Hyung-seok drew a deep breath and sipped the coffee from his tumbler.
A business trip to visit a client out of courtesy.
There was nothing particularly to worry about.
A soft sip.
Yet after drinking his coffee, he retrieved a small dish from the sink and placed it on the dining table.
Then he went into the room and brought out a plastic bottle, pouring its contents into the dish.
It was purified water blessed for spiritual purposes.
“I humbly offer this prayer.”
Kang Hyung-seok offered a sincere prayer to the household guardian spirit.
It was what was commonly called a ritual offering—a prayer for both Namgoong Min-ah and himself.
“Please protect us so that we may travel safely, and watch over Namgoong Min-ah and me as we go together.”
Gazing at the still, blessed water filling the dish, Kang Hyung-seok brought his palms together.
“I ask that all the people we meet have harmonious connections with us, and that my heart and actions be guided toward the righteous path.”
It was a prayer hoping that he, Namgoong Min-ah, and the client would all be safe and free from trouble.
He especially hoped that Namgoong Min-ah, who might even become a permanent employee if she performed well, would avoid any complications or fall out of favor at the Company.
A soft rustling sound.
He rubbed his joined palms together and concluded the prayer by bowing his head three times.
Then he tidied away the dish and returned to his room.
Despite having offered the ritual, his heart remained strangely unsettled.
***
“This is my first business trip.”
Namgoong Min-ah said this the moment she settled into the passenger seat in front of the Company.
Kang Hyung-seok, who had fastened his seatbelt, caught sight of her excited expression and lifted one corner of his mouth.
“Aren’t you nervous?”
“Huh, should I be nervous?”
Yes, this was Namgoong Min-ah through and through.
My worry that she might be anxious felt entirely misplaced.
Kang Hyung-seok started the engine and, following the navigation’s guidance, opened his mouth as he maneuvered the car.
“It’s a client, so it’s not a difficult meeting, but it would be problematic if you made any verbal mistakes.”
“Ah.”
Seeing the expectation in her eyes, Kang Hyung-seok continued speaking while keeping his focus on driving.
“The Company trades garlic with them. We distribute it to processors who make black garlic.”
“Yes! I knew that!”
Namgoong Min-ah answered spiritedly, and Kang Hyung-seok nodded.
“Even though the profit margin isn’t large, they’re a long-standing client. You know that, right?”
“Of course!”
Kang Hyung-seok nodded emphatically.
This client we were visiting had been trading with the Company since its early days.
That’s why they held symbolic value beyond mere profit.
“We’re simply paying our respects to maintain the business relationship.”
“Hehe, it doesn’t sound like it’ll be difficult.”
“Still, don’t make any mistakes.”
Because it was so important, Kang Hyung-seok glanced briefly at Namgoong Min-ah even as he drove.
“If the deal falls through for any reason, it could impact you too. Understood?”
“Yes!”
Namgoong Min-ah clenched her fists tightly and nodded vigorously.

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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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