The Civil Servant Who Concealed Their True Strength Turns Out to be a Master of Possession - Chapter 82

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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 082
Choi Woo-jin cleverly sent me a photo of Kwon Ik-seong picking up food directly from the handmade burger shop, and another of me entering the office with a milkshake from that brand.
If he thought this counted as blackmail—
I’ll have an Avara. Extra whipped cream.
…That was good thinking.
I was completely blackmailed.
I placed my order with a sense of defeat.
Soon after, Choi Woo-jin arrived at the Special Team carrying coffee from the trendy 【White Bottle】 coffee brand, buying one cup for each person working late.
Isn’t that coffee brand over twenty thousand won per cup…?
“Hello. Everyone, grab a coffee.”
“…When did you even go get this…?”
Baek Sang-jin started to speak casually but switched to formal speech.
It was a statement that showed he was acutely aware that Choi Woo-jin was Choi Jun-gu’s grandson.
He’d been speaking casually to me from our first meeting.
‘…This dirty capitalist world.’
“Ah? I’m doing intermittent fasting, so I’m skipping dinner. I picked up the coffee from a café in Cheongdam-dong.”
He was substituting dinner with coffee from a Cheongdam-dong café while working late.
As he spoke, he twirled a car key on his finger—one worth a house.
Entranced by the sight, Byeon Gu-do picked up a coffee and bowed his head.
“Thank you so much. Ahahaha. Thinking of us lowly investigators like this. You’re truly different, truly different.”
Byeon Gu-do wasn’t much different from Baek Sang-jin. He was bowing so deeply his head might touch the ground.
That was when it happened.
Just as Byeon Gu-do reached for an Avara among the numerous Americanos.
Choi Woo-jin smoothly intercepted the Avara with an elegant gesture and handed it to me.
“Ah. This one’s for our investigator Lee Yu-ji.”
“…?”
At those words, everyone looked at me.
For good reason.
The rest were all iced Americanos—no questions asked, the menu was unified.
I awkwardly smiled, avoiding my teammates’ uncomfortable gazes, and accepted the Avara.
“Thank you. Administrator.”
“I should be thanking you. You’ve done more for me than I have for you.”
Choi Woo-jin said this while pointing to his bridge of nose, which had changed from gauze to a bandage.
Pee So-won, who had been watching, interjected.
“Youngest.”
“…Yes?”
I responded to the title without thinking, but Pee So-won wasn’t calling me.
“…Me?”
“Who else here is younger than you? Whether by seniority or age, you’re the youngest.”
“Ah… Is that so?”
Pee So-won’s eyes were always slack, as if a screw had come loose, and I never knew which way she might spin, which was terrifying—yet even before her, Choi Woo-jin merely smiled, his face showing no fear whatsoever.
“From now on, don’t bring things like this during work hours….”
I thought she was about to say not to bring them at all.
But—
“If you’re going to bring things, check the menu preferences of all staff members and bring them.”
…?
Pee So-won continued speaking without relaxing her gaze.
So for a moment, there was a disconnect between her words and her expression.
Pee So-won turned to address the others.
“Did you hear that? Our youngest will personally be our coffee shuttle using his own card from now on, so order your coffee from him. Morning. Lunch. Evening.”
She spoke thus while gazing quietly at Choi Woo-jin.
Only then did I roughly understand what Pee So-won meant.
This was how she was excluding him from duties.
It meant: you just be the coffee shuttle.
Yet Choi Woo-jin, as if unbothered, grinned and replied.
“Wow. That’s great, isn’t it? Coffee brings vitality to people.”
I watched the two of them in their battle of wills, briefly furrowing my brow before returning to my seat.
I didn’t want to get heavily involved in that kind of power struggle.
Just as I was thinking that and about to sit down.
Pee So-won called me.
“Ah, and tomorrow you have something to do at the Hunter Management Office, so prepare yourself, partner.”
“…Me?”
Why me.
To that place where the upper brass of the Hunter Management Office are?
I was standing there dumbfounded with such thoughts.
“You’re my partner, aren’t you.”
Pee So-won said this while subtly eyeing the abarai I was holding.
“You’re mine. So you have to listen to me, right?”
Pee So-won spoke thus and smiled faintly, and when a smile appeared on her face—whose default was usually expressionless—goosebumps erupted across my entire body.

* * *
However, whether by seniority, age, or most importantly—by salary—I was undoubtedly the youngest, so I ended up complying with whatever my Team Leader told me to do.
‘Choi Woo-jin, Kwon Ik-seong, and so many others seem to have their eyes on my partner.’
Just moments ago, Pee So-won had handed me the car keys while muttering anxiously.
Both of them are indeed targeting me, but it seems like their intentions aren’t quite what you’d think.
‘Do you think Kwon Ik-seong will treat me well if he joins Team 1? I heard he’s actually quite skilled at pressuring people?’
Is that really just Ik-seong’s problem, though?
I was puzzled, but Pee So-won’s worrying didn’t end there.
‘If the Chief from the Hunter Management Office tells you to come create another special department, will you go?’
No, if you’re that anxious, why not just not send me?
‘The Chief specifically said he wants you to come.’
Ugh.
I recalled the Chief, who the last time I saw him had a friendly face and was constantly snapping photos, and furrowed my brow.
That’s when it happened.
‘I know you like money—rolling around in a dobok in front of the Hunter Investigation Unit’s courtyard and all that—’
‘Noooooo!’
I tried to protest against my dark history, my nose flaring, but Pee So-won continued.
‘Will you crawl into the tiger’s den for a little more money? You’re already stamped as a Hunter Investigation Unit person anyway—you’re just a rolling stone that’ll end up wherever it goes.’
I tilted my head as I watched Pee So-won continue to grumble.
‘Could it be….’
‘Could it be what.’
‘Are you still afraid I might change jobs?’
‘….’
‘Afraid you won’t find another partner like me?’
At my words, Pee So-won’s face went rigid.
A smile naturally spread across my face.
‘Aww, you’re so jealous.’
‘…You…!’
‘Hehe. I’ll be back soon!’
I never thought the great Pee So-won would care about me this much.
I’ll have to tease her more next time.
As I drove with a goofy grin, Ji Won-gil in the passenger seat asked me.
“Got something fun going on?”
Oh, right.
Ji Won-gil was here.
This guy hitched a ride in the official vehicle I was driving, saying he had something to report to the office.
“No, just…. But what are you reporting to the office anyway?”
Is he really feeding information about the Special Team’s activities to the Chief’s side?
Was he dispatched here for that very reason?
Is that why Choi Woo-jin is the way he is—because Choi Jun-gu planted him?
No, but is Choi Woo-jin really the type of person Choi Jun-gu can simply plant into position?
And setting aside how skillfully Choi Woo-jin manipulated things in the original story, the current setup is that he’s a foreign exchange student on leave of absence who’s come back to Korea.
‘With that kind of background, causing all this trouble….’
If we place such a person in the Hunter Management Office, naturally we’d have no choice but to be cautious on our end, wouldn’t we?
Choi Jun-gu came up with such a sloppy scheme? I can’t believe it.
“Well. You’re probably trying to get a feel for the Special Team’s atmosphere?”
That’s what I was thinking.
Ji Won-gil gave the answer I’d anticipated.
“And they’ll probably tell you to probe Choi Woo-jin too.”
“Choi Woo-jin?”
When I asked, Ji Won-gil scratched his forehead as if somewhat exhausted.
“Choi Woo-jin was placed here by the Hunter Association. The Chief only intended to put me in this team, but Choi Woo-jin ended up coming along—”
Ji Won-gil trailed off, but I could roughly guess the rest.
In other words, even the Chief doesn’t know why Choi Woo-jin was suddenly placed here.
“That’s twice as annoying.”
“Well, it is. But what can you do? If they tell you to do it, you do it. We’re civil servants, after all?”
A place where all these ridiculous situations are explained away by the magical word “civil servant.”
Don’t ask questions—just do what you’re told.
That’s how it works here.
Ha. Bureaucracy, indeed.
While I was thinking such thoughts.
My phone buzzed with a notification.
Affogato again today?
Should we add a drizzle to the whipped cream?
…From Choi Woo-jin, who’s genuinely committed to being a coffee shuttle—
Today’s menu has been decided as salmon sushi. As expected, it ranks high among the preferred menus of the female staff, but since seafood preferences can vary, I’m inquiring in advance.
…Messages from Kwon Ik-seong, who I can’t tell if he’s genuinely committed to dating or to tracking down the Gamer, came pouring in.
Where on earth is my life heading?

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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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