The Civil Servant Who Concealed Their True Strength Turns Out to be a Master of Possession - 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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A Civil Servant Who Hides His Strength Is Exceptionally Good at Possession – Episode 048
While I was happily munching on my yakgwa, Kwon Ik-seong spoke to Captain Hong with a stern expression.
“Captain. It seems the CCTV footage was leaked by the Gamer. Tracking down the Gamer would be…”
“We should. Of course we need to investigate! But Investigator Lee Yu-ji, have you tried this beverage that’s been trending lately?”
Captain Hong seemed to have little interest in what Kwon Ik-seong was saying.
He was only enthusiastic about bringing me all sorts of delicacies.
“Oh. Bubble tea. I’ve been wanting to try it.”
“Really? You wanted to try it? This place has ridiculous wait times these days, you know? So I asked the Team 3 Team Leader to get it for me.”
I recalled the Team 3 Team Leader I’d seen earlier, sweating profusely as he left the captain’s office in the opposite direction.
The same person who’d been bumping shoulders with Team 5 members in the hallway every time we passed, showing off.
Remembering that moment, I sucked up the sweet bubble tea with a slurp.
‘Ah, so sweet.’
The taste of advancement.
“Haha, you really didn’t have to go this far.”
I said this while leaning back against the chair.
Then Captain Hong turned on the fan and subtly angled it toward me as he spoke.
“But hey. How did you even think to rescue Han Su-a? And on top of that, you even saved her violin?”
He was on the verge of fanning me with a hand fan next.
“Ah. Han Su-a…”
Han Su-a.
The violin prodigy sitting next to me.
I learned her identity through comments on the video.
【Baby Genius Discovery】.
A fairly famous TV show where she appeared and became a hot topic—a violinist who had been teaching herself violin since age four and reached a professional level.
Now she was enrolled in a Korean arts high school while competing in one of the Top 3 International Music Competitions overseas—
‘That competition was that kind of competition!’
I had no idea.
Han Su-a was, in a word, a potential seed who would become a world-class musician.
‘Even Lee Yu-gyeom knew about it.’
How frustrating.
Once again, I was the only one who didn’t know.
Anyway, it became a hot topic when it was revealed that she had been on Bus 316.
A broadcasting station had interviewed her on the 7 o’clock news about her departure.
[Yes. I was also on Bus 316. I heard that the driver and everyone else were safe, and I’m so grateful for that. Especially Investigator Lee Yu-ji, who was sitting next to me—she saved my life and even rescued my violin. Actually, this violin was given to me by Professor Stein when I was in Berlin, so it’s more precious to me than my own life. But even in that urgent situation, she made sure to save it so I could take it with me.]
The violin shown on the news was worth 500 million won.
I thought it would be worth at most a few million won at best.
‘…Oh my.’
Just thinking about the possibility that it could have been destroyed made my heart tremble.
Moreover, it was apparently something used by a famous musician from a hundred years ago, so in Germany it was treated like a cultural heritage.
[(Reporter) Before your departure, is there anything you’d like to say one last time?]
[Inspector Lee Yu-ji! Just as you said, I won’t put things off anymore. I’ll tell the people I cherish what I’m feeling right away! Unnie! Thank you so much! I’ll live thinking of this as my second life!]
She even left her final farewell at the airport just for me.
I don’t recall saying anything quite so elaborate—
“These days, Taekwondo Girl L is making waves with her enthusiasm for Inspector Lee Yu-ji. It’s hot, scorching hot!”
Captain Hong set a steaming beverage in front of me with a grin.
At this point, I began to sense a certain ulterior motive.
‘Well, I can roughly guess where this is going…’
“So here’s the thing. How about our Inspector Lee Yu-ji films a few promotional videos for us? A righteous guardian fighting villains—the Hunter Investigation Unit! Something along those lines—”
…As expected.
This was it.
Having gained the upper hand in the court of public opinion, they intended to capitalize on this momentum aggressively.
They meant to push public sentiment as far as possible and tie the Hunter Management Office’s hands.
Well, that’s a sound strategy, but—
‘If something goes out, something must come in.’
Was there something more important to me than the Hunter Investigation Unit’s survival?
I made a slightly troubled expression and pushed the cup Captain Hong offered back toward him.
“But wouldn’t people find it too contrived if I stepped into the spotlight like that?”
Sensing me backing away, Captain Hong waved his hands dramatically.
“No way. And in this video, Inspector Lee Yu-ji will receive a commendation and do an interview—people feel good when they see a righteous person being rewarded, don’t they? Team Leader Kwon?”
Captain Hong shot a pleading look toward Kwon Ik-seong.
Kwon Ik-seong glanced at me briefly, then answered matter-of-factly.
“…That would be the case.”
I thought he’d be negative about commendations and interviews, but what was this?
That’s when it happened.
Captain Hong leaned toward me discreetly and spoke in hushed tones.
“And we should be able to give you a generous bonus. Four hundred million this time.”
Four hundred million won.
Gulp.
I swallowed involuntarily, managing my expression as best I could.
I couldn’t let it show that I was interested!
‘Because what I really want is something else.’
“That’s quite fortunate.”
I picked up the teacup with a mechanical, creaking motion.
After taking a sip, I broached the real subject.
“But what… what happens to Inspector Ham I-na?”
At the mention of Inspector Ham I-na, Kwon Ik-seong’s expression hardened.
At the same time, Captain Hong’s face grew slightly troubled.
“She’s been transferred to the Hunter Management Office, so there’s not much we can do about it…”
The way his words trailed off suggested he knew more than he was saying.
As I regarded him quietly, Captain Hong sighed and glanced sideways at Kwon Ik-seong.
“It seems they’re conducting a high-pressure investigation over there. There are definitely witnesses who saw Ham I-na being threatened with a gun by the criminal, but there’s no one who actually saw Ham I-na arrest that criminal, and there’s no internal CCTV either. So they’re essentially in a situation where they need to extract a confession.”
At those words, Kwon Ik-seong spoke with some emotion in his voice.
“The interior was in complete chaos. Ham I-na probably can’t clearly remember who she arrested either. In such circumstances, if Ham I-na confesses under high-pressure interrogation, it could become a false confession.”
Captain Hong frowned as he spoke.
“I know. We could claim it’s a false confession if it goes to trial. But public opinion is already this bad just from raising suspicions, and if Ham I-na misspoke even once… Ugh… We’re in trouble too.”
I understood the situation.
I had managed to prevent public opinion from turning against the Hunter Investigation Unit as a whole because of me.
However, at the same time, as the organization’s reputation rose, criticism of Ham I-na’s personal mistake could intensify even more.
The kind of narrative where ‘because of one careless investigator, other righteous investigators get dragged through the mud too.’
So according to organizational logic, the Hunter Investigation Unit could only survive if they commended me while simultaneously disciplining Ham I-na properly.
And the severity of that discipline depended on Ham I-na’s conduct.
But—
‘I’m sorry. I almost died because of me…’
With Ham I-na’s self-esteem at rock bottom right now, there was still room for her to make the wrong choice of blaming herself for everything.
“Well, we’re supporting Ham I-na anyway, so don’t worry too much…”
Captain Hong mumbled, trying to reassure Kwon Ik-seong.
But Kwon Ik-seong’s expression didn’t brighten.
It seemed like Ham I-na was going to take the fall alone in this difficult situation…
But even in this seemingly difficult situation, there was a way out.
“By the way, about this dispatch. I heard that the restraint-type item supplied by Team 1 was suddenly switched midway.”
I suddenly spoke up.
This situation needed to be escalated further.
“I heard that because the supplied item changed, it was difficult learning how to operate it. I heard this while eating with Ham I-na before the dispatch.”
I didn’t want to see a righteous person get screwed over.
The ones who should get screwed over are the bad guys, right?
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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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