The Civil Servant Who Concealed Their True Strength Turns Out to be a Master of Possession - Chapter 54

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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 054
“Has anyone bought bubble gum from the workshop during this time?”
Since I’d been making nothing but experimental items, the workshop’s sales had remained at zero won the entire time.
Ah, but the profit wasn’t zero won. More like negative 600 million?
‘That money-devouring creature.’
I often found myself glaring at Kang Il-yeon in secret.
Every single time, she insisted on ridiculously expensive materials and churned out items whose purpose I couldn’t even fathom, day and night.
However, since the bubble gum product I created this time felt reasonably useful, I had her list it on the Smart Marketplace and even stocked a few units in the workshop.
Still, few people ever visited this dilapidated workshop in Seo-chon—
“Ah, yes. One person. They ordered through the Smart Marketplace, so I sent it by courier.”
It was when Kang Il-yeon tilted her head and opened her laptop.
“…?”
Kang Il-yeon’s brow furrowed.
“Noona. How do I shut down the Smart Marketplace site?”
“What…?”
What was she suddenly talking about….
I leaned over with a puzzled expression to look at the page she was viewing.
There were the pathetic order records up until last time—
X Month XX Day: 0
X Month XX Day: 0
X Month XX Day: 0
“…?”
X Month XX Day: 205
Today’s date suddenly showed a spike in orders.
By the way, as we were speaking—
[Refresh]
X Month XX Day: 234
…It had increased.

* * *
“Wow. Yu-ji, did you see this video? The workshop that made this seems to be run by the twins from the case we were handling?”
The moment I arrived at work the next day, Byeon Gu-do spoke to me in a voice about two octaves higher than usual.
While waving the video from that famous E-Rank Hunter YouTuber ‘Review Review’ in front of my face.
Today, I’ve prepared the bubble gum mask that appears in that viral video! To get straight to the point, I tried it myself and it’s really amazing, you know? It’s an item that even F-Rank Hunters can use, and most importantly, the mechanism is ingenious! In an era where terrorism runs rampant like these days, you could say it’s absolutely essential. It’s a kind of self-defense item!
“I’ve seen it…”
I answered in a quiet voice.
And for good reason…
‘I thought I’d die from exhaustion dealing with all that inventory yesterday.’
I couldn’t help with the manufacturing itself, but someone had to help with packaging and shipping orders.
As a result, I even had to bring in Kang Won-yeon and Lee Yu-gyeom.
‘Why did you two come here instead of just studying?’
At my question, Lee Yu-gyeom shrugged his shoulders.
‘I’m already done preparing for the midterm exam, so there’s nothing to do.’
What an annoying bastard.
‘What about your academy homework?’
‘Already done.’
‘School… uh… performance evaluations?’
‘All done.’
Damn it.
Just as I was making a face like I wanted to punch him, Kang Won-yeon tapped Lee Yu-gyeom on the shoulder and stepped forward.
‘Would it kill you to just say you wanted to help? You antisocial bastard.’
Oh. She’s saying everything I wanted to say…
Or rather…!
‘Uh-huh. Our Won-yeon, if you use such mean words…’
I was about to put my hands on my hips and nag, but when I saw Kang Won-yeon’s “What?” expression, I closed my mouth.
She’s scary.
That’s how the three of us ended up handling all 300 orders that came in yesterday.
And the sales were…
300 million won.
‘I’m not sure if this is right, but it must be.’
Even some of those bizarre products that Kang Il-yeon secretly uploaded to the Smart Marketplace contributed to the sales.
Honestly, I thought those items were all so expensive that they wouldn’t sell, but they did.
‘So that’s why small businesses are obsessed with going viral.’
Even excluding Kang Il-yeon’s share, I was able to recover quite a bit of my losses.
‘Hehe…’
I’m happy. But I’m not happy.
How would you feel clocking out at 2 AM from your side job and then heading straight to work for your main job in the morning!
No matter how grateful I am to that YouTuber for the increased sales, this feeling of working two jobs—it’s disgusting!
Byeon Gu-do’s face hardened as he heard my low voice.
He tapped my shoulder and spoke in a low voice.
“Why are you like this too? What’s with this gloomy atmosphere today?”
Me too?
At his words, I looked around the office.
Beyond the partition, Ma Deok-ho was the first person I saw, headset on his ears as always, busily working on something, and Pee So-won—
‘I bet she’s got her feet up on the desk, reviewing documents.’
That’s what I thought, but…
She was working on reports with an expressionless face.
“…It’s been three hours. She clocked in at 6 AM today.”
Byeon Gu-do whispered to me.
Oh.
Report work is what Pee So-won hates most. That’s why she’s always pushing it onto other team members or suggesting we bet on it. And now she’s been doing report work for three hours straight?
‘This definitely isn’t normal.’
I thought this to myself as I watched Pee So-won.
That’s when it happened.
Pee So-won suddenly lifted her head and looked at me.
“Um… um…”
I thought she was about to complain that I started work alone and wasn’t doing anything while lounging around.
“Partner.”
…is what I expected, but I was wrong again.
“Yes?”
“Didn’t I tell you there’s a shoot at the Hunter Management Office at 3 PM? Are you still going?”
Ah. Right. The shoot.
Only then did I remember the interview video that Captain Hong had specially requested.
He said they were doing a big promotional shoot.
I looked at my dull reflection in the mirror and furrowed my brow.
“I’ll wash up and come back.”
At my words, Pee So-won nodded and spoke.
“Wash up and come back, then let’s go in my car. I have a uniform in my car. I’m not sure if you’ll need it, but I’ll drive you to the Hunter Management Office.”
‘Not even a jab…’
She’s being kind, even!
Something’s really off.
What’s with this lack of energy?
I understood why Byeon Gu-do had tried to lift the office atmosphere.
“Yeah…”
I answered with the same deflated tone, without even realizing it.

* * *
A moment later.
Pee So-won drove in silence, her expression hardened as she gripped the steering wheel.
I sat beside her with an equally gloomy face, reading the atmosphere until I finally opened my mouth to shift the mood.
“Oh! Team Leader, did you see Melodians’ new song? It’s called ‘Beneath the Moonlight,’ and it’s been climbing the Billboard charts lately….”
“…You can stop reading the room now.”
“…Yes.”
I closed my mouth and said nothing more.
Pee So-won glanced at me briefly, seemed to be thinking about something, then let out a sigh.
Then she opened her mouth heavily.
“Cha Jeon-hyeok was arrested this morning, they say.”
“Yes. I heard about it.”
Ah, that’s right. Cha Jeon-hyeok.
Now that I thought about it, Cha Jeon-hyeok, Captain Hong, Pee So-won… and her former partner—the four of them had enough of a connection to conduct operations together.
With someone like that arrested, it made sense she couldn’t be cheerful.
“When you work in the Heonsu Department, sometimes things like this happen.”
Pee So-won spoke in an unusually serious tone.
“Low pay, no proper treatment, getting cursed at from all directions, and risking your life doing this damn job—you start wondering if it’s even worth it. Sure, all civil servants feel that way… but we’re hunters, aren’t we? How many bastards quit their jobs and joined guilds, making money hand over fist without breaking a sweat?”
Her continuing words felt less directed at me and more like she was speaking to herself.
“But still.”
….
“Money isn’t everything.”
Pee So-won’s eyes came alive for the first time since she’d arrived at work today.
“Someone has to catch the bad guys.”
While the car waited at a red light, she looked toward me.
Only then did I realize that what had seemed off about her since arriving at work wasn’t actually her being down—
“Bad people get punished, good people get rewarded. That’s what a just world looks like. No matter how clichéd it sounds, shouldn’t someone be the one to say what’s right is right?”
…I realized she had undergone some kind of awakening.
And perhaps this was—
”Pee So-won’s true self before that incident.”
The moment I saw the light return to her eyes, I felt certain that Team 5, led by Pee So-won, would become something different going forward.
Without realizing it, I clenched my fists tightly.
Like I was preparing to throw a punch.
Though I had no idea where my fist would be directed….
And shortly after.
My fist was being directed….
“Come on, a bit more solemn. Lower your head to a 45-degree angle, eyes sharp and alive! Staff! Someone spray his bangs to look like sweat. More blush too…!”
toward something completely unexpected.
I was standing on a blue mat laid out in front of the Hunter Management Office, throwing a punch at the camera while wearing a taekwondo uniform instead of an investigator’s suit!
Behind me, Pee So-won and Captain Hong held a banner reading [Taekwondo Girl Catches Bus Terrorist], their expressions utterly unimpressed as they cheered me on.
“Wow! You’re amazing, our maknae! That’s so cool!”
“Wow… that’s so cool….”
What is this…!
So this is what change looks like?

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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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