An Office Worker Is Good At Exorcism - Chapter 48

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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 47
Part 8. East Gate (1)
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Shin Jung-ah, Manager at Daejeong Materials.”
Shin Jung-ah extracted a pristine business card from her case and offered it with both hands.
It was a bright morning, and we stood directly in front of a quiet small-to-medium-sized factory.
The outer wall was sky blue, and in the courtyard, a large dog stretched lazily, tethered by a heavy chain.
“Yes. But the person from before—where is he?”
A man who appeared to be in his late fifties accepted the card and adjusted his glasses, studying Shin Jung-ah.
“He left the company due to personal circumstances. I came by to inform you that your account manager has changed.”
“Ah, I see.”
The man fingered the card thoughtfully, then suddenly remembered something and pulled a wallet from his pocket, extracting a business card with a worn corner and handing it over.
“I’m the general affairs manager here. The person in charge went on vacation starting yesterday.”
“I apologize for visiting without notice.”
This was after Shin Jung-ah had placed his card in her case.
“About Daejeong Materials, you see…”
“Yes.”
“Since the account manager has changed, I wanted to ask—about the payment we’re owed. Is there any way you could expedite it?”
The warmth drained from Shin Jung-ah’s eyes, though her professional smile remained.
She immediately lowered her head and spoke in an apologetic tone.
“That matter falls outside my jurisdiction. I apologize for the inconvenience.”
“I know times are tough for everyone. I’m just asking for a small favor.”
“If you submit an official request to our company, we’ll discuss it internally and get back to you.”
“Ugh, come on!”
Shin Jung-ah pressed her lips together and exhaled a quiet sigh.
Most places were like this.
Because she worked in sales. Because she was a young woman. Because her position wasn’t high enough.
For all these reasons, even partners in equal business relationships often made unreasonable demands without hesitation.
“Expediting payment won’t shake Daejeong Materials, will it? It won’t, right?”
Shin Jung-ah composed herself and straightened her lowered head.
“Manager Lee Jung-hoon.”
“…What?”
“I believe you’ve made similar payment requests before.”
Shin Jung-ah continued in a businesslike tone, maintaining only her professional smile.
“And there was also an incident where products weren’t prepared on time, causing significant disruption to our transaction.”
“…No! That time was—”
“You said it was due to the typhoon.”
The general affairs manager’s face hardened.
The memory suddenly came rushing back.
Because of that, he already knew what Shin Jung-ah would say next.
“Fortunately, you suffered no typhoon damage.”
“….”
The administrative manager’s lips pressed shut, and Shin Jung-ah shifted her gaze to the weathered yet intact exterior walls and windows of the building.
“To be honest, I did look into things separately. If there was anything we could help with, we felt obligated to take care of it.”
But there was nothing of the sort.
More precisely, there was no need.
“However, it seems you’ve been delivering normally to other places. That’s a relief.”
The administrative manager turned away with a displeased expression and touched his neck.
“As you know, we have no choice but to honor our contracts. Regarding payment, it goes against the agreement, so I’m afraid there’s little I can do on my own.”
When the administrative manager said nothing, Shin Jung-ah picked up a beverage gift set in a cardboard box from the floor.
“Since it felt awkward to come empty-handed, I bought this on the way here.”
“…Yes, yes.”
“Then please enjoy your holiday. I’ll inquire with the company about the payment matter as well.”
Shin Jung-ah maintained her composure until the end and left the factory.
As she passed directly in front of the factory, a dog chained up there suddenly jumped to its feet and lunged with such force that the metal chain clanged, but Shin Jung-ah didn’t spare it a glance.
Thud, thud, thud.
Once she’d put sufficient distance between herself and the factory, Shin Jung-ah glanced back over her shoulder.
“Where does that punk get off acting tough? Damn it.”
Shin Jung-ah irritably rubbed the back of her neck and even lit a cigarette.
Click, crackle.
“Ahhhh!”
Her first cigarette of the day.
The heavy nicotine hit weighed down her body before making her mind go pleasantly numb.
After savoring the comfort the nicotine provided with her eyes closed for a moment, she opened them with her anger subsiding.
“Ugh, how did my predecessor even do their job?”
Usually, when a client acts like that, it’s largely the predecessor’s fault.
They probably acted as if they’d give away everything—liver and all.
While it might fill immediate targets, in the long run it doesn’t benefit the company.
‘Kang Hyung-seok must have had it rough.’
From what she’d heard, he had a terrible personality too.
Having such a man as a superior must have been quite the ordeal.
Shin Jung-ah walked toward the bus stop with the cigarette in her mouth and picked up her phone.
‘Should I give him a call…?’
She was curious.
Whether he was resting well, if anything had come up, and so on.
Above all, he was someone she owed a lot to, so it seemed right to call just to check in.
‘Wait, if he’s with his parents, wouldn’t that be awkward? Should I text first?’
Whoooosh.
Unaware that the bus she should have caught at the bus stop had already passed, she deliberated for quite some time.
Then, having made up her mind, she found Kang Hyung-seok’s number in her contacts and pressed it.
(The customer is currently on another call. Your call will be transferred to voicemail. A beep will sound, and standard call charges will apply.)
“Damn it!”
Shin Jung-ah let out an exasperated sigh as the call she’d finally made wouldn’t connect.
***
(Son! Why didn’t you come home last night?)
Kang Hyung-seok was on a call inside his car.
His phone was mounted on the dashboard with a charging cable plugged in, and his mother’s voice flowed through the car’s speakers.
“I got held up yesterday, so I slept in the car.”
(You’ll catch a cold! You should sleep somewhere comfortable!)
“Car camping is popular these days anyway. Sleeping in a vehicle isn’t all that inconvenient.”
Anyone who’s slept in a car knows the truth.
It seems cozy at first glance, but the cramped space makes it subtly uncomfortable.
Still, it’s not all bad.
Sip.
I sipped the warm Americano I’d grabbed from the convenience store and gazed at the view through the windshield.
It was a parking lot at the base of the mountain, so the scenery was really quite nice.
The imposing mountain was one thing, but the wide-open sky visible the moment I opened my eyes—that felt genuinely pleasant.
(Still, you should sleep somewhere comfortable! Come home and sleep properly.)
“You know how it is. Things ran late yesterday.”
(Sigh, why does your uncle work with people like that?)
“It’s not Uncle’s fault, as you know.”
(That may be true, but why are both your uncle and your father so thoughtless?)
“What happened yesterday?”
(Don’t even ask. Your father wouldn’t stop talking about you last night.)
Kang Hyung-seok laughed, exhaling as he held his coffee cup.
His mother was recounting what had happened at the hospital last night.
She’d asked Chung-geum to request help from the Shamans, and they’d performed a ritual to ward off misfortune while his uncle and father watched.
(The Shamans treated you like such an important person—your father’s eyes went wide as saucers telling me about it. In all the years since you were born, this is the first time I’ve seen him like that. The first time.)
“Father doesn’t understand the situation. It wasn’t because of me—it was because of Lee Geum-kyung.”
(Your father said that doesn’t seem to be the case?)
“He simply doesn’t understand.”
I’d maintained a dignified demeanor.
The Shamans had shown respect to my Guardian Spirit.
Of course, they were showing respect to me for receiving such a great deity, but if I stated it plainly, it seemed to plant unrealistic expectations.
It was enough that my son wouldn’t be disrespected anywhere.
That image alone sufficed.
“Oh? My supervisor called. Mother, I should head in now.”
(Already?)
“What do you mean already? We’ve been talking for quite a while. Besides, you should eat something too.”
(When will you come home?)
“I think everything should be wrapped up by today. There’s nothing dangerous, so please don’t worry too much.”
(That’s right. If anything happens, call me immediately! Got it?)
“It’s not dangerous, I’m telling you.”
Kang Hyung-seok reassured him repeatedly before hanging up.
Then he stared at his phone with an expression as bitter as the coffee in his hands, the call now disconnected.
How could I possibly explain it?
That I might come face to face with someone who spreads calamity.
Sip.
After drinking the still-steaming coffee with both hands, Kang Hyung-seok gazed out the window and drew a deep breath.
Then he reached for his phone from the dashboard and called Shin Jung-ah.
Ring, ring, ring.
“Hello?”
(Huh? Did the call end?)
“Yes. I’m available now. Are you finished with your work?”
(I’m done. But Kang, your voice doesn’t sound good?)
Uncanny. This woman.
Wondering if my worry had leaked into my tone, I took another sip of coffee before speaking.
“Nothing in particular.”
(That’s not how you usually sound. Be honest with me. Are you caught up in something troublesome?)
“It’s nothing for you to worry about, ma’am.”
(Are you trying to upset me?)
At Shin Jung-ah’s suddenly chilled tone, I let out a bitter laugh.
Was it because she worked in Sales.
Or did women’s intuition really exist.
Shin Jung-ah spoke with absolute certainty that something was wrong.
“It’s just some family matters, so…”
(Just get it off your chest.)
“Really, ma’am, you don’t need to—”
(You solved my problems before, so why can’t I do the same? Are you going to keep hurting my feelings like this?)
Faced with her stubborn resolve, I exhaled silently and explained everything that had happened last night, piece by piece.
(This is serious!)
“Yes. Which is why you don’t need to worry, ma’am.”
(Ugh!)
“It’s nearly resolved. There’s no danger involved.”
(Where is it?)
“Pardon?”
(You said you need to search some mountain, and you can’t even drive around there—are you planning to do this alone?)
My eyes widened slightly.
Shin Jung-ah was saying she would come with me.
“Wait, ma’am. Where did you get that idea? That won’t work.”
(I said it’s fine! I’m offering because I’m okay with it.)
“Manager!”
(Kang, I have to return what I’ve received.)
Kang Hyung-seok sighed without even trying to suppress the sound.
Then Shin Jung-ah bristled and said something, but it didn’t register.
I’m grateful that she offered to come along.
We do need to search the mountain, and two people are definitely more advantageous than one.
But what if something happens to Shin Jung-ah, who has no direct connection to this matter and no shamanic power?
(Are you ignoring me? Why aren’t you saying anything!)
This time, Kang Hyung-seok suppressed his sigh, took a deep breath, and opened his mouth.
“No matter how I think about it, I can’t accept this. Something could happen to you, Manager.”
(I’m probably stronger than Kang.)
Kang Hyung-seok rolled his eyes, wondering what she meant by that.
Then he recalled that Shin Jung-ah had trained in combat sports, and that she didn’t know how brutal and grueling his military background was.
“Ha ha.”
(Are you mocking me? Hey!)
Kang Hyung-seok fell silent for a moment, an awkward smile on his face.
And soon he opened his mouth.
“Understood. I’ll ask for your help this time.”
(That’s more like it!)
Shin Jung-ah, who answered so readily, immediately told him her location.
When I checked the navigation, it wasn’t far.
It was also not far from the mountain, our destination.
“We might have to go hiking—what are you planning to wear?”
(I booked a hotel nearby, so let’s just stop by there for a bit. Or we can buy something on the way, whatever.)
Kang Hyung-seok recalled that Shin Jung-ah came from a wealthy family and pressed his forehead with his palm, then released it.
“Understood. I’ll be there shortly.”
(Okay!)
After hanging up, Kang Hyung-seok started the engine.
Then he began driving along the route the navigation indicated to meet up with Shin Jung-ah.
Ding, ding.
The Shaman’s Bell on the passenger seat chimed twice.
Just as it had once before.
As if signaling that this time, the two of them must proceed together.
And with those two chimes, the Shaman’s Bell fell silent once more.

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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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