Uninvited Guest (??? - Reverse Tour: Naked Display ♥ That Bitch Stands There and Takes Her Punishment ♥) (1)
Sergeant Kwon Jihyun's TF team had suddenly become swamped with work lately. It wasn't the bad kind of busy, though. Their target organization's true nature had finally come to light, naturally piling on the tasks. Sure, their bodies felt like lead from the endless all-nighters and grueling marches, but compared to just a while ago when the team's very existence hung by a thread, this exhaustion felt almost welcome.
Shadow Company… That was the name of the organization whose identity had finally been exposed thanks to Seo Eunha's crucial tip-off. They were a human trafficking ring that hypnotized and toyed with people, then sold off their shattered personalities to clients for exorbitant sums. The police had raided one of their hideouts not long ago, successfully arresting two employees on site. But the core executives and the rest had slipped through the net with cunning precision. Right now, the TF team was combing through CCTV footage from every corner of the city, verifying anyone remotely suspicious, and pouring all their efforts into tracking the fugitives who had vanished into the shadows.
With what happened to Seo Eunha this time, too. I won't let them get away, no matter what.
Sergeant Kwon Jihyun had targeted the same organization two years prior. Back then, there wasn't even a dedicated TF team, and they lacked any decisive evidence. In the end, pressure from above forced the investigation to a fruitless close, leaving Jihyun to swallow a bitter pill. This was her revenge match. Things were different now in so many ways—she'd catch them for sure this time.
"Oh, she's out."
Her junior, Minseo, who was analyzing suspect profiles alongside her, muttered softly. The interrogation room door swung open at the end of Minseo's gaze, and someone stepped out. A beauty with sleek long black hair, exuding a demure and elegant aura. She was the hypnotist hired from outside. The suspects they were chasing wielded hypnosis, and several officers had already fallen victim. Even when they caught someone, hypnosis often sealed off information, making interrogation impossible. To counter that, the higher-ups had brought in a pro from outside.
A hypnotist on the team hunting hypnotists. Jihyun honestly felt uneasy about it, but she couldn't defy the brass. The woman had a verified identity, personally vouched for by the team leader as highly skilled—no choice but to trust and observe for now.
"……."
Jihyun stared piercingly at the woman emerging from the room. Sensing the gaze, the black-haired beauty turned toward her with a faint smile, gave a light wave, then gracefully turned and vanished down the hallway.
"You okay, Sergeant? Aren't you being a bit too wary? See something off?"
"Nah… nothing like that. Just thought she was pretty, that's all."
"She is strikingly beautiful. Especially that hair—how does she keep it so glossy? I wanna ask her secret for managing hair that long."
Her hair was gorgeous. Meanwhile, Jihyun's own felt straw-like from pulling all-nighters almost every night. No boyfriend or anything, but as a woman, it bugged her a little. Might need to get some treatment when she had time.
…
"Good work, President."
"Kept you waiting long, Section Chief Park?"
President Berze, stepping out of the police station's main entrance, slid into the car where Section Chief Kim Alice waited. Sinking deep into the back seat, she released her suppressed yokai energy. Her dyed black hair responded, shimmering back to its original snow-white hue.
"Any results with those guys?"
"Not much so far. Probably won't get anything even with more digging."
Starting with Seo Eunha's tip-off, they'd used connections planted in the police to steer the investigation toward Shadow Company. But the outcome was disappointing. The only captures were two low-level pawns sacrificed as decoys. Berze had personally rifled through their minds in the interrogation room but found nothing useful. The whereabouts of Shadow Company's core members—the "rule-breaking quitters"—remained a mystery.
"Cops are really useless."
"That's harsh, President. They're up against your handpicked staff, after all."
Healing Soul Co. once had over twenty employees. But more than half had been "fired" or "encouraged to resign" for breaking rules. Firing meant harvesting and offering up their souls. Resignation wiped their memories of the company and hypnosis techniques, turning them back into ordinary humans. The problem was the rule-breaking quitters who had abandoned the company without proper firing or resignation, defying taboos. Leaving them be posed a fatal threat to Healing Soul.
"…An oracle has come down. The 'karma' our company bears has reached dangerous levels. The more they rampage breaking rules, the more this karma swells without end. If we don't clean it up soon, it'll be irreversible."
Karma, or industry. Berze received "oracles" from the heavens through certain channels. These oracles designated next targets or bestowed favors, but also warned of the company's accumulating sins. Fail to manage karma, and the company met a gruesome end. That was why Berze reacted so harshly to employees' rule violations—to avert that apocalyptic future.
Speaking of karma, one face comes to mind.
Suddenly, a man's image flashed in Berze's head. Intern Han Igyeol. The company's sole ray of hope, an unremarkable newbie on the surface. But his presence was anomalous in many ways. For reasons unknown, ever since he joined, the steadily rising karma levels had noticeably decreased. How? Why? The only way to reduce karma before had been offering oracle-designated sacrifices.
Berze had no answers. His hiring had been by oracle decree in the first place. Without that, no way they'd take in a human of unknown origins. And he'd started with zero hypnosis knowledge, yet in a year, he'd grown astonishingly. His skills now could make even the hypnosis yokai Berze's eyes widen.
Maybe… by now, he's already on par with our section chiefs—
"President, speaking of which, how were the cops? There was that detective the intern tipped off, right?"
"Mm… Oh, that woman. She definitely has spiritual senses. That's probably why she tracked us down."
Sergeant Kwon Jihyun. She'd come right up to the Healing Soul building not long ago. But she'd only gotten that close—never spotted the company itself. Only those with staff name cards could access it. Intricate hypnosis traps and barriers layered the building, blinding outsiders without cards to its existence.
"Once you know she has senses, fooling her's easy. Just hide your yokai energy like I did back there."
"Hiding it as perfectly as you is tough~. Without her, I could've gone all the way into the station."
"No helping it. One of me was enough anyway. …But she's definitely a nuisance."
Looks like she's from a powerful bloodline. Strong spiritual senses resist yokai hypnosis. Exorcists who hone their energy are their natural predators. Kwon Jihyun had talent, but thankfully wasn't trained in wielding it. So, ways to break her existed. They did, but…
Her difficulty looked sky-high. Even I might need half a year of focused effort to crack her… Who knew the cops had someone like that.
Among police brass, some were company clients. A word from them could reassign a mere detective easily. For now, just watch the situation.
But that could rack up more karma. Only if absolutely necessary—otherwise, avoid anything that built karma. On the flip side, offering a woman like her as sacrifice would meaningfully reduce it—
* * *
………………
………
……
Catching a glimpse of the section chiefs or seniors was like chasing stars. They were always erratic with hours, but this past month, unless via company messenger, I couldn't even confirm if they were alive. At best, I'd brushed past Section Chief Kim Alice restocking meds a few days ago, or Section Chief Park Sea grabbing paperwork for the "Park Hayan" product shipment.
Senior Kang Rita? Haven't seen hide nor hair. Worried she might've hit trouble on-site, I texted her well-being. Got a blunt [ㅗ] back. Seemed fine, at least.
With Park Hayan shipped successfully and the rest nearing completion, no real work lately. So today, I'd been leisurely frolicking with naked Deputy Manager Lee Joohee until quitting time.
Then, like lightning from a clear sky, an exorcist crashed our company.
"Scared the shit outta me. Barging into someone else's office and pulling this crap—what a nuisance."
Thud! Boom!
Groaning, I righted the desk I'd slammed to the floor, grumbling. The place looked bombed out. Half the desks splintered, a couple pricey monitors smashed beyond repair. The floor was worse: scorch marks from flames, melted ice patches, ashes from mystery talismans.
Section Chief Park was a neat freak bordering on OCD—this sight would make her foam at the mouth.
"When do I even clean this? How do I report the damaged gear…."
Forget cleaning—how to handle the wrecked supplies? What to tell the president and others? A deep sigh escaped me. President's been out, so who fixes the shattered company barriers? I didn't even have her contact.
"Don't trash someone else's company uninvited, you damn woman."
Grumbling, I swung a half-spilled paper cup through the air. Splat! Leftover cold coffee nailed her face, but she didn't flinch. She stood blankly, posture exposing armpits and groin perfectly.
In one trashed corner of the office stood a pretty bob-haired woman, stark naked and alone. Her spirit sword, talismans, and enchanted clothes? I'd dumped them in the trash like garbage.
"Exorcist or whatever, showing up out of nowhere is a pain in the ass!"
I spat more curses, starting to sort the mess. Beside me, Deputy Manager Lee Joohee wiggled her ass with a gleeful look, eagerly pitching in.
