An Office Worker Is Good At Exorcism - Chapter 269

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

Chapter 269
Part 7. Getting Out of Here (1)
“Kang Manager, can we talk for a moment?”
It was Monday morning.
Shin Jung-ah approached Kang Hyung-seok as he arrived at work, lamenting the cruel return of Monday with its relentless grip.
“Is there something you need to discuss?”
“Nothing major. I have an outside appointment this afternoon, and I was hoping we could go together if possible.”
“Of course, yes.”
The moment Kang Hyung-seok stood up from his desk, the gazes of Namgoong Min-ah and Lee Jin-pyung followed him.
What on earth was this summons about so early in the morning?
Under the weight of their curious stares, Kang Hyung-seok and Shin Jung-ah each grabbed a cup of coffee from the Break Room, then made their way to the Daejeong Materials Rooftop.
Click.
The moment the rooftop door swung open, a bitter cold wind swept across them, announcing the true onset of winter.
“Ugh, it’s freezing.”
Shin Jung-ah rubbed both her forearms, then pulled out an electronic cigarette and took a drag. Kang Hyung-seok sipped his coffee cautiously before speaking.
“What’s this about?”
“Kang Manager, are you hurt?”
“Pardon?”
“Well, Yoon Sang turned on his broadcast Saturday night. I was startled and tuned in, and he mentioned you were at a hospital. You were mentioned too.”
“Ah.”
Though she didn’t seem like the type to enjoy internet broadcasting, Shin Jung-ah apparently kept up with Yoon Sang’s streams religiously.
Realizing the work excuse had been a pretext, Kang Hyung-seok smiled wryly. After glancing around to confirm no one else was present, he rolled up his sleeve.
“Why are you rolling up your sleeve…?”
Shin Jung-ah’s face, which had been exhaling sweet cotton candy-scented cigarette smoke, froze abruptly.
Even with gauze and white bandages covering the wounds, it was painfully obvious these were not minor injuries.
“What? Why is your arm like this? Who did this to you?”
“I did it myself.”
“What?”
“Something happened.”
Kang Hyung-seok spoke with a hint of bitterness as he lowered his sleeve.
Then he recounted, in broad strokes, everything that had transpired from Friday night through Saturday night.
The iron stake driven into the graveyard.
Kim Il-hong’s possession.
Kim Il-ju’s death.
Mugho trapped in the jar and the Vengeful Spirit finally laid to rest.
With each detail, Shin Jung-ah’s face grew as cold and pallid as the winter wind itself.
“Then you need to rest!”
“I was hospitalized last week—I can’t take more time off.”
“What if you collapse again? Are you taking your medication?”
“They prescribed antibiotics, and I’m taking them faithfully.”
“Does it hurt at all?”
“They gave me painkillers.”
I unconsciously lifted my leg.
The wound that possessed Kim Il-hong had carved into me with shattered glass was hidden beneath my pants, but thanks to the painkillers, I could walk without discomfort.
“Huh? Your leg’s injured too?”
“Yes.”
“Seriously, how recklessly do you throw yourself around?”
If I’d had an older sister, would she have been like Shin Jung-ah right now?
“It’s fine. Not worth your concern.”
“You’re injured but I shouldn’t be concerned?”
Shin Jung-ah furrowed one eyebrow while holding an e-cigarette between her lips.
If she’d truly been my sister, I felt she would’ve smacked the back of my head—so I laughed bitterly and averted my gaze.
“Well, everything worked out in the end.”
“Sigh.”
“It’s been ages since I moved with Yoon Sang, and there’s plenty of material for the broadcast.”
It really had been ages since we worked together.
He’s the type who’d say he’s fine no matter what happens, but still—having rich stories to tell is always better.
When I think of Kim Il-hong, a bitter taste floods my mouth.
Still, if I try hard to find something positive, it’s not entirely absent.
“You’re really saying that now…?”
It was then that Shin Jung-ah furrowed both eyebrows.
Creak.
Gwak Young-ho shouldered open the rooftop door and stepped inside.
He held coffee in one hand and a paper bag in the other.
“Managers, why are you both so busy this early?”
“Director.”
I bowed slightly, and Gwak Young-ho approached with long strides, waving the paper bag in his hand.
“What is it?”
“They were selling these in front of the convenience store. Grabbed some right away.”
“Is it fish cake pastry?”
“No, look.”
Shin Jung-ah took the bag, opened it, and burst out laughing.
“Roasted sweet potatoes this early in the morning?”
“Why not? They’re hearty with coffee and easy on the stomach.”
“Thank you, Director. I’ll enjoy it.”
Rustle.
Shin Jung-ah pulled out a roasted sweet potato from the bag and handed it to me, and I took one out, peeled the skin, and offered it to Gwak Young-ho.
“No, no. Mine’s at the bottom.”
“Eat it while it’s warm. Besides, you bought it for us.”
“Ha, you really are something, Manager Kang.”
Gwak Young-ho accepted the roasted sweet potato with moved eyes, and only then did Kang Hyung-seok take one for himself.
“What about the others?”
“Already gave them a bag. They were eating it happily.”
“Ah.”
“Min-ah, that girl—she’s young but loves roasted sweet potatoes so much. If I hadn’t brought any, it would’ve been a disaster.”
Both Kang Hyung-seok and Shin Jung-ah pictured Namgoong Min-ah bouncing excitedly, crying out, “Wow! Roasted sweet potatoes! Thank you so much, Manager!”
“What about Lee Deputy Manager?”
At Shin Jung-ah’s question, Gwak Young-ho laughed and shook his head.
“Always the same. You know how it is.”
His response had been lukewarm.
Suspecting the reason, Kang Hyung-seok shoved the roasted sweet potato into his mouth to hide his bitter expression.
For those who’ve raised dogs, roasted sweet potatoes are far more than mere food.
Baekseol would have loved it far more intensely than Namgoong Min-ah, and Lee Jin-pyung must have seen Baekseol’s image in the roasted sweet potato.
‘I should look after him later.’
Crackle.
After taking just one bite and wrapping the roasted sweet potato back in its bag, Gwak Young-ho draped his arm over the railing and pulled out a cigarette.
“Winter really is winter. Even roasted sweet potatoes are showing up.”
“Do you like winter, Manager?”
At Shin Jung-ah’s question, Gwak Young-ho writhed as if in disgust.
“I’m sick of it. Driving’s a nightmare when it snows, shoes get soaked. And at client offices, why do they always crank the heating so high? Plus, it’s year-end, so half of them won’t even meet with you.”
Shadows fell across the faces of everyone on the rooftop.
Though Shin Jung-ah had joined this year, she was hired as an experienced employee and understood the hardships of sales; Kang Hyung-seok had already endured several winters at Daejeong Materials.
“Speaking of which, how are you doing these days, Shin Manager?”
“I’m doing well, sir.”
“Work hard. You know that, right?”
Gwak Young-ho smiled with a subtle air and brought the cigarette to his lips.
He drew in a deep drag, then exhaled the smoke in a long plume toward the world beyond the company.
The cigarette smoke, mingling with his frozen breath, became a misty haze that scattered on the wind.
“What about you, Manager Kang?”
“I’ll contact the clients this morning and go on a business trip together this afternoon.”
“Right. Min-ah mentioned you two were going out on field work in the afternoon?”
Kang Hyung-seok shifted his gaze toward Shin Jung-ah.
He’d thought it was an excuse she’d made to have a relaxed conversation on the rooftop, and since Gwak Young-ho was asking to confirm, he wondered if she’d be flustered.
“Yes. I was coordinating schedules with Manager Kang.”
But contrary to his expectations, Shin Jung-ah answered calmly.
“Huh? Where? There wasn’t anything scheduled.”
“It was the weekend, Manager.”
Shin Jung-ah, feeling her hands grow cold, switched her electronic cigarette to her other hand and crossed her arms.
“I know this is an important time for me too. I reached out to some contacts. I got a lead and wanted to go with Manager Kang.”
“Oh! Really?”
“I was planning to report back once the schedule was confirmed.”
Gwak Young-ho blinked and took a quick drag from his cigarette with an urgent air.
Winter was never an easy season for sales calls.
Yet apart from that, it was truly a critical period.
Year-end settlements and fourth-quarter closings strangled like a Vengeful Spirit, suffocating everything in their grip.
“Good. Where is it? Do you know a decent place?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Excellent!”
Clap!
Gwak Young-ho clapped his hands together, his eyes sparkling with childlike enthusiasm.
“Where?”
“Shinjin Construction had submitted orders for next year in advance. I saw them too, and the thermal insulation materials looked particularly urgent.”
“Exactly, exactly.”
Kang Hyung-seok nodded silently—he knew that item—and focused his attention on Shin Jung-ah.
“So I looked into it, and fortunately I got an introduction. I was planning to go meet them this afternoon.”
“…Shin Manager.”
“Yes?”
“Make sure you pass the promotion review this time. Really.”
Gwak Young-ho clicked his tongue, and Shin Jung-ah laughed awkwardly, then pointed at Kang Hyung-seok with the hand holding her electronic cigarette.
“This introduction is practically thanks to Manager Kang as well.”
“Huh?”
Both Gwak Young-ho and Kang Hyung-seok looked at Shin Jung-ah with expressions asking what she meant.
Shin Jung-ah took a bite of her roasted sweet potato, brushed away a crumb from her lip, and continued.
“You mentioned before that someone’s been introducing you to people lately.”
“Oh, that shamanic practitioner from before?”
“Yes. She said it would be good if Manager Kang went along with me.”
“Is that so?”
Gwak Young-ho’s expression still hadn’t fully grasped the situation.
Yet knowing it was a shamanic practitioner that Kang Hyung-seok also knew, he seemed to think, ‘So their connections have intersected again.’
“If this works out, Manager Kang’s contribution will be really significant.”
“Well…”
“Manager Kang works incredibly hard even in places where you don’t see, sir.”
Gwak Young-ho looked at Kang Hyung-seok with newfound surprise, and Shin Jung-ah popped the last of her sweet potato into her mouth, then brushed the crumbs from her hands.
“I’ll submit it as a report later.”
Then she shivered in the cold, and after hearing Gwak Young-ho tell her to head down, she hurried toward the office with quick steps.
***
Click.
Kang Hyung-seok offered an awkward smile as he watched Shin Jung-ah settle into the passenger seat.
“It’s been a while since you’ve ridden in my car, Manager.”
“Indeed.”
This was after lunch hour had ended.
As always, we’d eaten at the Company Cafeteria, and the cup holder held a tumbler of coffee drawn from the Break Room.
Clink.
Shin Jung-ah, having placed her own tumbler in the adjacent holder, let out a groan while checking her phone.
“I was thinking of visiting around Wednesday, but things have gotten complicated.”
“You seemed to mention it rather urgently.”
“The insulation material is genuinely urgent, and since you mentioned I was injured, it made sense to pull me from the office.”
It appeared to be quite a hastily arranged schedule.
Watching Shin Jung-ah work busily that morning and now composing texts to various people on her phone confirmed it.
“Are you very busy?”
“No. Today I’m really going to take it easy. It wasn’t urgent to begin with.”
Shin Jung-ah replied while composing a message, her brow slightly furrowed.
She then pulled a corporate card from her pocket and showed it to Kang Hyung-seok.
“I spoke with the Manager and got the corporate card, and I’ve secured permission for early checkout. Since you’re injured, let’s take today easy.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
“I know the circumstances—I couldn’t not care.”
Kang Hyung-seok’s lips curved upward silently.
In truth, it was not an easy life.
Balancing work as both a Shaman and an office employee.
Yet I believed that because people like Gwak Young-ho and Shin Jung-ah supported me at the Company, I could maintain this kind of existence.
“Thank you, Manager.”
“Why so formal all of a sudden?”
Shin Jung-ah fastened her seatbelt, and Kang Hyung-seok entered the address she’d given him into his phone’s navigation, setting it as the destination.
Then, following the guidance, he began to drive.
I knew it might be a vain hope, but I earnestly wished that this time things would proceed smoothly.

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