Chapter 24, Search and Seizure.
Search and Seizure
The fun weekend spent with my older and younger sisters was deleted in a flash, and Monday arrived.
I left the house with a slightly lighter step than usual.
Why was my step light, you ask...?
It's not like I don't get the Monday blues at all. To an office worker, Monday itself is a disaster.
But today, I was a little different.
The sweet ride bestowed upon me by the Team Leader.
It was because the Ray was parked right there, standing imposingly in the parking lot.
"Hah, it's seriously pretty."
I let out an exclamation of admiration looking at the smoothly polished body. I had sneaked out last night and polished it hard, and now it was practically glowing. As I approached with the car key, it unlocked automatically.
Opening the door and getting into the driver's seat, I started the engine, and a gentle vibration transmitted through my seat.
"Wow, ventilated seats."
I don't know about anything else, but I really loved this ventilated seat option. I had to repent for my past self who thought people were weird for saying they wouldn't drive a car without them. Humming a tune, I stepped on the accelerator.
"Hehe, it's a good thing I got my license like the Team Leader told me to."
Wasn't this the best choice of the year?
The worst choice, of course, was the incident where I touched my older sister's breast, pushing me into the quagmire of incest.
Now, look at that bus passing by up ahead.
People are experiencing hell—packed in like bean sprouts, suffering while smelling each other's sweat. What if it rains on top of that? Wet umbrellas bumping into each other, the discomfort index piercing the sky.
For the record, that was the reality I faced up until last Friday.
But now! To commute in my own personal space, blasting the AC and listening to music.
'Even if there's traffic because it's Seoul, this is still amazing~'
I finally understood what it meant for your quality of life to skyrocket. From now on, I decided I would believe the Team Leader even if he told me he made soybean paste out of red beans.
The Morning Commute
Of course, not everything was perfect.
This was a personal problem, though, so it was hard to blame it on owning a car.
"Hmm... the angle is a bit..."
The problem was that my parking skills were still terrible. The parking lot closest to the main office was already near capacity, and I had absolutely no confidence in squeezing my car into a narrow gap. Eventually, I parked in a quiet, empty lot furthest from the main office where people rarely went. Peace of mind is the best, even if it means walking a little.
"Yaaaaawn..."
Letting out a yawn that felt like it would tear my mouth wide open, I walked toward the entrance of the main office. It was quite quiet, probably because it was still before the morning rush.
As I was about to enter, the automatic doors slid open before I even stood in front of the sensor. At first, I thought they were people from another department and was going to give a light nod of greeting.
But the atmosphere was unusual.
Men dressed in black suits.
Every single one of them was holding a large, blue plastic box. The kind of box I had seen to the point of being sick of it in dramas, movies, and on the news.
A search and seizure box.
'A prosecution search and seizure?'
Clear letters were stamped on the white paper attached to the side of the boxes. Without realizing it, I stopped in my tracks and stared blankly at their backs. A search and seizure at the Hunter Management Bureau main office. I was wondering what kind of bolt out of the blue this was... when an incident suddenly flashed through my mind.
The General Affairs Department embezzlement case.
The one that broke out recently.
Was it a Level 6 civil servant and several civil servants from affiliated agencies who inflated the costs paid to a service company and pocketed the kickbacks?
'No, but they were already arrested. They're doing a full search and seizure for an embezzlement case?'
Of course, embezzlement is not a petty crime. But usually, doesn't it end at the internal audit level or with a police investigation? If the prosecution mobilized in such large numbers to carry out those blue boxes, it meant the scale of the crime was quite large. Inside those boxes must be various approval documents, computer hard drives, and cell phones.
I felt needlessly intimidated. It's a petty bourgeois instinct for your heart to shrink when you see police cars or prosecutors, even if you haven't committed a crime.
Office Gossip and Gag Orders
Shaking off the uncomfortable feeling, I entered the Civil Service Department office. As expected, the office was chaotic, like someone had kicked a beehive.
"Did you see? Them passing through the lobby earlier."
"I saw it. It was brutal. I heard they completely wiped out the hard drives?"
Quiet, buzzing murmurs could be heard from here and there. Everyone had put down their work to gossip about the embezzlement scandal. Well, it makes sense. It would be weirder not to talk when the department next door is getting completely raided.
I moved to my seat and turned on my computer. It wasn't something that would be solved by me worrying about it, and above all, it had absolutely nothing to do with me.
'To me, embezzlement is just pocketing 500 won when running errands for my parents.'
What did I even say when I pocketed it back then? I think I told them I lost it. Where would a lowly Level 9 civil servant even get the money to embezzle? Would I embezzle the 500 or 1,000 won I receive while issuing documents? I'm just thankful if I don't get cursed out by the civil complainants.
"Gyeong-ho, you're here?"
The Team Leader popped his head over the partition. It was his usual, smiling face.
"Ah, yes. Team Leader. Are you here?"
"Yeah. Did you have a good weekend?"
"Thanks to you. Having a car definitely makes things great."
Hearing that, the Team Leader smiled good-naturedly. Come to think of it, I hadn't filed my business trip report yet. Rummaging through my pockets, I took out the wad of receipts I had carefully kept over the weekend. They were corporate card receipts from my business trip to Yeoncheon County.
I stood up and headed to his desk.
"Team Leader, here are the business trip expense receipts."
"Oh, right. Good work. Nothing special happened?"
"The atmosphere on-site wasn't bad, and I wrapped it up well."
Actually, it wasn't that nothing happened. My relationship with Ji-hye had progressed, but it would be ridiculous to report that to the Team Leader. He patted my shoulder, praising my good work, and took the receipts. Then, as if checking his surroundings, he lowered his voice.
"How was Yeoncheon Bigok? Was it okay?"
"Ah..." I cleared my throat once and grinned. "It was amazing. The air was clear, the scenery was good. I had a really enjoyable time."
"Right? That's the taste of going on a business trip."
The Team Leader briefly glanced over the receipts and tossed them into his drawer.
"I'll check them later, so get back to work. Oh, and."
He paused and looked around again. Then, he leaned in closer.
"You heard about the General Affairs Department, right?"
"Yes. I ran into the prosecution people leaving the lobby earlier."
"It's seriously so embarrassing. Because of those bastards who embezzled, even innocent people like us are going to get cursed at." The Team Leader clicked his tongue and frowned.
Come to think of it, maybe because civil servants are public officials, if one department causes an accident, the atmosphere becomes one where everyone gets cursed at. The Hunter Management Bureau already had a lot of enemies as it is. It wasn't exactly pouring oil on a burning house, but wasn't it like pouring gasoline while trying to smoke pork belly over straw?
"Be careful for a while. Reporters are going to catch the scent and flock here."
"Reporters? Even so, this is the main office..."
"The Civil Service Department is the easiest target. Anyone can walk in."
"Now that you mention it, that's true."
"Don't get caught up in anything unnecessary, and if they ask anything weird, just say you don't know. No, actually, just don't even talk to them."
The Team Leader's expression was quite serious. I immediately understood that he meant I shouldn't run my mouth carelessly to anyone.
"Understood. I'll keep that in mind."
"I like our Gyeong-ho because he understands things so well."
I bowed my head and returned to my seat. The company messenger notification was blinking in the bottom right corner of my computer monitor. I clicked it open and saw a general announcement.
[Urgent Notice: Media Response Guidelines]
The contents were exactly what the Team Leader had just said. A directive prohibiting contact with outsiders, especially journalists, regarding the General Affairs Department embezzlement case. It explicitly stated that if a reporter followed us and asked questions, we shouldn't even use the excuse, "I don't know because I'm not the person in charge." It was a very specific and realistic guideline: just ignore them and leave the area.
'To not even say I don't know. Scary.'
If I answered that I didn't know because I wasn't in charge, it was obvious an article would come out saying, "Hunter Management Bureau Employees Feign Ignorance About Internal Corruption." Trash journalists are always like that. They are hyenas trying to extract a provocative headline no matter what.
The Ambush
The morning work flew by in a frenzy. The citizens filing complaints were still prickly.
No, were they a bit more prickly than usual? Maybe they had watched the news about the embezzlement case, but some people spoke to us in a highly sarcastic tone.
"Are you guys actually working? You tax thieves?"
I didn't embezzle anything, though...
Curses were bubbling up on the inside, but... what could I do? I am but a powerless Level 9 civil servant.
'Still, my stomach is settling a bit now that it's lunchtime.'
Thinking about eating made me feel better. I reached into my pocket while standing in front of the cafeteria.
"Huh?"
What the—why is my wallet missing? I went back to the Civil Service Department and checked my desk, but my wallet wasn't there. It seems I took it out when I stopped by the drive-thru in the morning and just left it in the car.
"Ah, what a pain."
I left a KakaoTalk message for Ji-hye and Kang-hyuk hyung to head to the cafeteria first, and I walked to the parking lot. Walking through the lot with the warm sunlight shining down made me feel good again. It felt like the stress I had suffered all morning was melting away.
Sticking my hands in my pockets and humming, I approached my car. I opened the door and grabbed the wallet I had tossed into the center console. I shoved it into my back pocket and was about to close the door when...
"Excuse me, hold on a second!"
A desperate voice called out from behind me. Surprised, I turned around and saw an unfamiliar man and woman standing there. The woman was wearing a suit and holding a notepad, and the man had a massive broadcasting camera, as big as his own torso, perched on his shoulder, pointing the lens right at me.
I sized up the situation immediately.
'Sigh, reporters. During work hours, the complainants throw a fit, and now reporters come and throw a fit during lunch too.'
The woman handed me a business card as she approached.
"Hello. I'm Kim Mi-young, a reporter for the Social Affairs desk at Hanjeon Ilbo."
"Ah, yes..."
It was a name that sounded like someone who would be great at voice phishing. I took the business card, glanced at it briefly, and slipped it into my pocket.
"You're an employee of the Hunter Management Bureau, right?"
"Excuse me? No, I'm here to file a civil complaint."
"That ID card around your neck..."
The woman's gaze fell on the public official ID hanging around my neck. Reflexively, I flipped the ID card over and tucked it inside my shirt. Feigning total disinterest, I locked my car door.
"I'm busy. I'll be going now."
I spoke firmly and tried to turn around to head toward the cafeteria. But the reporter was persistent. She blocked my path.
"Just a moment is fine. 5 minutes—no, just give me 1 minute of your time."
"I told you I don't have time. I'm hungry."
"Please. I just want to hear a little about what the internal atmosphere is like regarding this General Affairs Department search and seizure."
"I belong to the Civil Service Department, so I know absolutely nothing."
"Aw, come on, there must be rumors going around. Like the atmosphere of employees keeping it hush-hush, or the higher-ups issuing a gag order."
It was absurd. It was like she had already decided on her article's headline and was just demanding I provide the source material. If I affirmed the phrase 'gag order' right here, it would be plastered across the front page of tomorrow morning's newspaper.
It would probably say something like, "Level 9 Civil Servant Acknowledges..." Then I'd face internal disciplinary action, arrest, and prison. My older and younger sisters, who rely on me for living expenses, would starve to death. Good lord... how many people was she trying to kill with one interview?
"Move aside. It's my lunch break."
As I scowled and tried to walk past her, the reporter's expression hardened instantly. The polite business smile from just a moment ago was completely gone.