The Civil Servant Who Concealed Their True Strength Turns Out to be a Master of Possession - Chapter 87
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
A Civil Servant Who Hides His Strength Is Exceptionally Good at Possession – Episode 087
* * *
“How did you figure that out?”
Lee Yu-ji asked, her gaze fixed on Choi Woo-jin.
Choi Woo-jin observed her fist clenched tightly.
He could see the metacarpal bones protruding as if she’d shattered his nasal bone.
It was a force that defied belief for someone ranked F-class.
That’s how she’d kicked down the bomb delivery man and the bus terrorist alike.
But that wasn’t all.
Choi Woo-jin recalled the incredible body control Lee Yu-ji had displayed in Kevin Choi’s illegal fighting arena.
Most people would lose consciousness just from touching the cage, yet Lee Yu-ji remained alert the entire time while pressed against it, waiting for her moment to strike down Lamia.
Honestly, even a C-class hunter would struggle to accomplish such a feat.
Every opponent Lee Yu-ji faced had some advantage over her—whether it was an item or the situation itself.
Yet she shattered through every handicap and defeated them all effortlessly.
He’d watched her carefully, wondering if she was hiding some special skill, but that wasn’t it.
Lee Yu-ji simply knew how to use her body well.
Anyone who’d thrown a punch understood this.
Even with identical mass, identical muscle mass, and identical speed, the power generated when controlling your entire body’s muscles through proper form was on a different level.
That’s why trained fighters were dangerous.
Choi Woo-jin recalled Lee Yu-ji’s match.
Her final match, which he’d looked up on a whim.
After the incident involving assault on a fellow athlete, the audience’s reaction had been cold.
Well, taekwondo wasn’t a popular sport to begin with, so there weren’t many spectators anyway.
They were all officials, and most of them were aware of the “accident” Lee Yu-ji had caused.
Despite that atmosphere, Lee Yu-ji stepped into the match wearing a red helmet and red protective gear.
Her opponent had a height advantage and a significant leg length difference.
In boxing terms, it was a reach disadvantage.
If they both extended their legs simultaneously, she’d lose every time.
Even so, Lee Yu-ji never lost her focus for a moment.
As if she’d studied her opponent’s techniques thoroughly, she read every move, allowed no clean hits, and even deliberately showed openings to tire out her physically weaker opponent.
Honestly, in a match venue where no one seemed to want her to win, she gave her all throughout.
Even though she must have already sensed this would be her last fight, she fought with everything she had.
‘Foolish.’
That was Choi Woo-jin’s assessment of that video and of Lee Yu-ji herself.
But perhaps that’s why she always gave her maximum effort.
A foolish person who poured every ounce of strength into each moment without any waste.
Choi Woo-jin quietly observed Lee Yu-ji, who appeared visibly angry.
Why was she angry?
Yet somehow, that anger didn’t seem directed at him.
Lee Yu-ji was remarkably… transparent.
“It’s simple. Once you observe her, you understand. Inspector Lee Yu-ji wears everything on her face.”
Choi Woo-jin regarded her with an odd expression. His pupils were somewhat lighter than typical for a Korean, lending his gaze an enigmatic quality.
Inscrutable and hazy, almost alien in nature.
“So be careful. Always.”
The words carried sincerity, but Lee Yu-ji failed to recognize it.
Watching Choi Woo-jin’s faint smile, her mind only grew more tangled.
She couldn’t fathom how much Choi Woo-jin knew about Han Seong-ye.
If Choi Woo-jin recognized Han Seong-ye as his benefactor, then why was such crucial information absent from the original work?
‘I’m going to lose my mind.’
Just as she was thinking this.
Byeon Gu-do awoke from his sleep.
“Yeah, yeah. So what happened?”
The moment Lee Yu-ji was about to respond, watching Byeon Gu-do exert all his effort to feign wakefulness.
Kwon Ik-seong’s voice came from beyond the glass.
“So you’re saying all items used by the local government underwent proper disposal procedures?”
It had begun.
Lee Yu-ji narrowed her eyes and pressed herself against the glass window.
Choi Woo-jin observed her quietly.
She still hadn’t released the tension in her fists.
And with those sharp eyes, she was fixed on Go Cheol-won.
Just like back then.
Like during the final match.
Waiting for the opponent’s opening.
“Yes. As you can see from the documents, most of the items those illegal brokers sold after deceiving our local government were single-use products. Ah, I’m sorry to trouble such busy people. All because of those criminals.”
That was technically accurate.
Coincidentally, every item charged under Go Cheol-won’s name in this ledger was disposable.
So if the local government claimed they used them through municipal offices or other means and then disposed of them, no evidence would remain.
Relying on this, Go Cheol-won was bluffing so confidently—
“No trouble at all.”
In an instant, the atmosphere in the interrogation room shifted.
Kwon Ik-seong had produced different evidence.
[I only signed it! I didn’t even check the contents…! This is so unfair…! There was never a vehicle, they just shoved disposal paperwork at me and told me to sign. What power do I have! I’m just a low-ranking civil servant who’s worked at the municipal office for years!]
“This is testimony from one of the municipal office employees in Incheon City. You claimed this item was distributed to the municipal office for public convenience, but in reality, the office staff never even saw it.”
“…!”
At Kwon Ik-seong’s voice-modulated statement, Go Cheol-won’s confident expression froze solid.
“We can apply charges for falsifying official documents right now.”
As Kwon Ik-seong spoke, delivering a decisive blow to his opponent, his face remained utterly expressionless.
And seeing this, Go Cheol-won, for the first time, pulled himself away from the backrest, briefly lowered his head, then raised it again.
A politician’s mask-like, perfectly composed smile was plastered across his face.
“Let me have a brief word with our lawyer first, then we can continue with the rest of the conversation.”
…I’d been caught. That’s what he meant.
A faint smile crossed Lee Yu-ji’s face as she watched.
It was the kind of exhilarating smile you get when your kick lands perfectly on an opponent’s body.
* * *
The blow I’d landed on Go Cheol-won.
I’d prepared it days ago.
Honestly, I understood why Mayor Koh had been so confident.
Go Cheol-won had created official documentation for every single item in the ledger.
Claiming they’d been removed for use at the naval base, or that the dungeon management department had used them—that sort of thing.
“The paperwork is all there, and the real issue is whether Mayor Koh was aware it was illegal trafficking or not. Since the municipal dungeon management office employees testified that Mayor Koh didn’t directly know about it, it’ll be practically impossible to pin illegal trading charges on Go Cheol-won.”
After the article broke, the Special Team naturally held a meeting before summoning Mayor Koh for questioning.
Ham I-na gave a brief briefing at that meeting.
“So Mayor Koh claims the local government used all these items?”
Pee So-won spoke with a dissatisfied expression.
Pee So-won flipped through the thick ledger.
“Something smells off about this….”
When Byeon Gu-do spoke, Baek Sang-jin let out a hollow laugh.
“What smell? Are you a detection dog? Don’t investigate by smell—use your head, damn it.”
Though he had no right to say that, considering what he did every day was ramble on about some “cognitive investigation” while trying to pin charges on random people to boost his numbers.
I listened to what Baek Sang-jin was saying to Pee So-won while thinking these thoughts.
“Team Leader Pee. Let’s just drop this summons investigation here. The scale is bigger than expected, and there’s nothing to gain….”
And then I very quietly raised my hand.
“What is it? Speak.”
Already annoyed by Baek Sang-jin’s words, Pee So-won immediately gave me the floor.
I pointed to one document among the thick stack and spoke.
“There’s a place I’d like to dig into.”
And that document was an item disposal form signed by a municipal office employee.
When I looked into it, that employee was a 50-something Team Leader of grade 6.
In other words—
‘It’s time for him to retire.’
I recalled what the Team Leader who used to nag me always said.
‘Are you really going to work like this? Don’t do anything that could get you in trouble. If I get caught up in something stupid, my pension! What do civil servants work for?’
They work for their pension.
Recalling those words the Team Leader always said, I spoke to Pee So-won.
“If you could bring in the municipal office employee who signed here, I’ll dig into it.”
Only a municipal office employee understands the struggles of working at a municipal office.
What would you lot who only work at the Hunter Investigation Unit know?
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————