The Civil Servant Who Concealed Their True Strength Turns Out to be a Master of Possession - Chapter 101
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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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A Civil Servant Who Hides His Strength Is Exceptionally Good at Possession – Episode 101
Sizzle— sizzle—
As I listened to the marbled ribeye searing on the grill, my nostrils flared.
“I shouldn’t be the one doing this…”
“Just stay put.”
Pee So-won spoke coldly.
Choi Woo-jin let out a soft laugh at the sight.
“Why are you laughing, junior?”
Pee So-won didn’t miss that laugh and looked at Choi Woo-jin, who shrugged in response.
“Looks like a lovers’ quarrel. You two. Ah, our investigator Lee Yu-ji sure is popular.”
Choi Woo-jin said this while looking in my direction.
As Choi Woo-jin tilted his head slightly to look at me, I felt momentarily flustered.
‘…He’s handsome.’
Not that I should be thinking this right now, but this guy is handsome.
Is this what they call protagonist buff?
But my favorite is still Ik-seong!
“You grill it, then.”
Just then, Pee So-won tossed the tongs to Choi Woo-jin.
Then she picked up a glass and downed a shot of soju in one gulp. I tried to hurry and toast with her, but failed.
‘Damn it.’
Pee So-won, as stubborn as a dried anchovy.
Pee So-won seemed angry at my actions—moving independently without even telling her.
In fact, she had every right to be angry.
Especially since Kwon Ik-seong had even hinted that he knew about it beforehand.
‘Since this is work I was assigned, it’s only right that I take responsibility for it.’
It was because of those words I said before entering the Captain’s Office. Definitely.
In fact, Kwon Ik-seong had pinpointed my location in an instant and rushed over in one stride.
So Pee So-won couldn’t help but believe Kwon Ik-seong’s words.
After that, Pee So-won remained in that state the whole time.
‘Team Leader, the suspect statements document….’
‘…Leave it there. Oh, and Byeon Gu-do, this needs to be sent to Incheon City Hall—handle it.’
‘That’s Yu-ji’s responsibility though.’
Pee So-won deliberately ignored me by assigning the task to Byeon Gu-do, even though I was standing right in front of her.
‘Then handle it yourself. Why would someone who moves independently listen to anything I say anyway.’
…Damn it.
I’m really getting the cold shoulder from my direct superior, aren’t I?
Moreover, Pee So-won had even received a special promotion to Grade 2 in this promotion cycle.
There was even talk that the Hunter Investigation Unit would be promoted to the status of a Hunter Investigation ‘Bureau’ as an institutional upgrade because of this case.
Which meant—
‘Her authority to exercise personnel decisions within the Hunter Investigation Unit itself has increased.’
Until now, personnel decisions had been formally approved by the Hunter Management Bureau Chief, but with Hong Jae-gyeol looking likely to become a director, he’ll soon have the power to fire and promote people on his own.
And those two at the next table are exactly Hong Jae-gyeol’s people.
Kwon Ik-seong, who hasn’t touched a single drink and is rigidly grilling meat, and Pee So-won, who’s only been drinking.
There’s no time when social relationships matter more than now, and I’ve managed to get on the bad side of my direct superior in this situation!
I didn’t calculate that while avoiding physical death, I’d be driven into a situation of social death!
The reason I never faced consequences for repeatedly overshadowing my superiors and clearing Quests under the guise of cognitive investigations was because of the special circumstances of being part of Team 5.
The Team 5 members had virtually no obsession with results.
‘It wasn’t just an absence—they were too busy looking for ways to slack off.’
And at the center of that was Pee So-won.
But Pee So-won changed at some point.
And Byeon Gu-do and Ma Deok-ho gradually became interested in investigations as well.
Especially after the Special Team was established, Pee So-won took investigations seriously.
In that situation, I had no choice but to appear to be ignoring Pee So-won and acting alone with Kwon Ik-seong while throwing the chain of command to the dogs.
Moreover, the Special Team is literally a ‘special’ team made up of members and team leaders from each team. The subtle tension within it was evident just from looking at the relationship between Baek Sang-jin and our team members.
As someone from Team 5, I was inevitably closer to my Team 5 members even while being part of the Special Team.
The same went for everyone else.
It was Pee So-won and Kwon Ik-seong who maintained that delicate balance and led the Special Team.
But Kwon Ik-seong called over Team 5’s youngest member and gave him this instruction without Pee So-won knowing?
‘Even I feel like I got stabbed in the back.’
I filled my glass with soju with a ruined expression.
Splash—
Then someone took the bottle from me and poured soju instead.
When I looked up, I saw Choi Woo-jin.
Pee So-won, who had been at our table, had disappeared somewhere, and the other team members were gradually getting tipsy, conversing with their tongues slightly loosened.
“I seriously… my wife gave me grief for five years because I joined the Hunter Investigation Unit instead of a guild. But when I saw the president mention us on the news, my wife cried. And then she suddenly bought butterfly pajamas.”
“Ah, I really don’t want to know about that, please.”
“Let’s just look at cat photos.”
Baek Sang-jin shedding tears and Byeon Gu-do restraining him.
And Ma Deok-ho, who as always showed more interest in animals than people.
Quite the mixed set.
At least Byeon Gu-do and Ma Deok-ho simply reacted with “Lee Yu-ji being Lee Yu-ji” to my solo action, which was fortunate…
“Our team leader must hate me.”
I muttered with a gloomy expression.
Then Choi Woo-jin, resting his chin on his hand, poured soju into a glass again.
I thought he was pouring it for me, but naturally that glass of soju went to Choi Woo-jin’s lips instead.
“Does Investigator Lee Yu-ji have good sense… or no sense? Or are you just pretending not to have any?”
“You’re speaking informally to me as the youngest? You bastard. You’re on short-term contract, but I’m a permanent civil servant, grade 3!”
I scolded him quietly enough that the other tables wouldn’t hear.
This punk.
I was aware that I was gradually getting drunk, but I used that to say what I wanted to say.
“You… driving around in that sports car, you know that’s incredibly bad luck, right? Some people… work their asses off for eight years and still drive around in a clunker.”
“Wait, are you talking about Team Leader Pee So-won with ‘some people’?”
“Yeah. Don’t disrespect our team leader! That woman might seem like a psychopath, and sure, her hair’s a bit of a mess, but… she’s got loyalty, you know…”
Regardless, it’s always Pee So-won who comes running to save me.
During the bus terror incident, and this time too.
I know well what a “partner” means to Pee So-won.
“Investigator Lee Yu-ji is cute—who does she take after? Her father? Her mother?”
That’s when Choi Woo-jin’s voice dropped.
At those words, I lifted my head to look at Choi Woo-jin.
‘This bastard…’
Bringing that up here.
As I glanced around, Choi Woo-jin lowered his head toward me and spoke quietly.
“Want to go get ice cream with me? I think we have a lot to discuss.”
Ugh…
I wanted to refuse.
* * *
But I couldn’t refuse, and I ended up going out for ice cream.
When the two youngest ordered ice cream, Kwon Ik-seong readily handed over his card.
“I can go. You seem pretty drunk.”
Kwon Ik-seong stood up as he spoke.
Then Choi Woo-jin subtly gripped my shoulder and said.
“Exactly. The investigator seemed a bit intoxicated and wanted to take a walk, so we’re going to grab some while we’re at it. We’ll enjoy it.”
Choi Woo-jin snatched Kwon Ik-seong’s card and looked at me.
“Shall we go? Investigator?”
“…Y-yeah…”
Damn.
I found this situation quite uncomfortable, but ten minutes later, I ended up sitting across from Choi Woo-jin under a parasol at a nearby convenience store.
Drinking the hangover cure he’d bought me.
“So, want to play a game?”
He laid one of the hangover cures meant for the others on the plastic table.
“What game.”
“Truth game.”
Before I could even agree, the bottle was spinning.
The bottle cap soon pointed toward me.
“Whoa— looks like it’s your turn, Investigator. So I’ll ask first. How did the Druids move? That lie about the Slime moving won’t work.”
…Fuck.
This isn’t a truth game—it’s Russian roulette, isn’t it?
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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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