Chapter 46: The Gold Spoon New Recruit (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 46: The Gold Spoon New Recruit (2)
"Hello, everyone. It's been a while."
"Welcome back, Manager."
"I knew I could trust you, Manager."
It felt like I’d been coming to the office almost every day, but since I only ever showed up late at night, it really had been a while since I’d seen the people in the department.
Park Su-jin had managed to make the investigation itself vanish in less than three days, and I had received notice to return to work.
I accepted the greetings of the employees who welcomed me back after being cleared of the false charges, and my eyes met Han Ju-hee’s.
I gave a small nod to her as she bowed slightly in greeting, and offered a smile to Baek Bo-min, who was waving her hand vigorously beside her, before heading into my office.
It seemed the computers and documents they had seized for the investigation hadn't been returned yet.
Looking at the still-empty room, I sat down, pleased that I wouldn't have to do any work today either.
It wasn't exactly Clan business, but I’d been working far too hard lately.
Now that the charges were dropped, no one would say a word even if I slacked off openly for a while.
Since I already had Kim Yun-ah in the palm of my hand, there was no one left to blame me.
I felt a bit guilty toward Han Ju-hee, who hadn't been able to focus on her recruitment duties because of me, though.
But when is that girl coming?
I had arrived exactly on time, but there was no sign of Park Su-jin coming to my office.
As I sat there killing time by idly rotating a mana sphere, the office phone rang.
"The Clan Leader would like you to come up."
The secretary told me to come to the Clan Leader’s office.
Hmm... did she tell him?
If she did, I’d have to run away without looking back and beg Square Garden to save my life.
Anxious but knowing I had to go, I stood up.
The secretary, who was already waiting, opened the door for me, and Park Sung-jun, sitting in the corner, called out to me.
"You're here. Have a seat."
I walked toward the sofa, maximizing my mana detection and presence sensing to scan the surroundings, but I picked up nothing.
Unless they had a stealth skill, anyone around B-rank would definitely be caught by my detection.
Surely he didn't call an A-rank just to hide them?
As I sat down, Park Sung-jun pointed to Park Su-jin, who was sitting across from me.
"I heard you've met once, so you know her face, right? This is my daughter, Park Su-jin."
"Hello. I'm Park Su-jin."
Park Su-jin, who had been darting her eyes around anxiously, greeted me politely.
Ugh, it feels so awkward hearing you use formal speech.
I guess she was pretending to be well-behaved in front of her father.
"Yes, it's been a while. I'm Manager Jeong Yeon-woo."
When I spoke with a bright smile, the corners of Park Su-jin's mouth, which was forced into a smile as she stared at me, twitched.
She pretended to drink her coffee, hiding an expression that looked like she wanted to start swearing at any moment.
"The reason I called you today is because I want to entrust this child's professional training to you, Manager Jeong."
"Professional training?"
When I put on a look of total ignorance, Park Su-jin shot me a glance.
"That's right. Professional training. She's not an Awakened, but she's at an age where she needs to learn management step-by-step. Commendably, she said she wanted to learn the business from the bottom up."
Hey, you just got praised thanks to me.
However, Park Su-jin's rotten smile remained unchanged.
If you grit your teeth like that, you're going to damage them.
"I'm sorry to burden you with more work, but I'll place her under you, so please teach my daughter."
Perhaps because he was in front of his daughter, Park Sung-jun spoke in a dignified voice.
"Yes, if it's something that helps the Clan, I must do it."
When I agreed without complaint, Park Sung-jun nodded and sent Park Su-jin out of the office.
After telling her to go down to the office first, he sipped his coffee for a moment, keeping his words to himself.
Did she really not tell him about the video?
In the somewhat heavy atmosphere, I watched his reaction and prepared for any potential situation.
"Manager Jeong... Yeon-woo, you remind me of myself."
"...?"
What? What is he talking about?
I stared blankly at Park Sung-jun at the sudden, out-of-the-blue comment.
He calmly set down his coffee cup and looked at me with steady eyes.
"A Hero and the staff who support them. Though our positions are different, I also felt frustration like you do, Yeon-woo, during my time as a Hero."
"..."
"Abilities that wouldn't improve no matter how hard I tried, skills that didn't suit an Attacker... the longer my career as a Hero went on and the higher my rank rose, the harder it became."
Is he giving me a sob story?
A heart-to-heart before he kills me?
"But then a thought occurred to me. Why are those with no real talent at the top? While I had the qualities of a Hero, the position of Clan Leader is one that requires managing and running an organization."
"Yes, that's true."
I agreed. Catching monsters and running an organization were two completely different things.
Colonel Park, who used to be above me, was so old he was less helpful in combat than a fresh recruit, but I acknowledged his unparalleled ability to nag and manage the unit.
His ability to sit safely in a bunker and devise strategies was also impressive.
"So, I joined hands with Heroes I was close with and established Break Line. In the process, there were influential figures from various fields who lent me their strength, and the Heroes belonging to the Clan took my side."
"It's because you have the charisma to make people follow you."
I flattered him with a bright smile.
Park Sung-jun let out a small laugh—I couldn't tell if it was mocking or if he genuinely liked the compliment—and continued.
"In the process of founding Break Line, the Clan I belonged to lost most of its Heroes and shattered into pieces. I feel bad about it, but what could I do? Someone unfit to be a Clan Leader was running the place."
Ah... I understand now.
It wasn't paranoia; it was something that had actually happened. And he was the one who did it.
I finally understood why he was so wary of me just because I had some connection to Square Garden and was trying to replace B-rank Heroes.
What I was trying to do was clearly beneficial to the Clan, but since he had pulled that stunt once himself, he was afraid the same thing would happen to him.
I guess a thief thinks everyone else is a thief. If he had just stayed still, I would have grown the Clan until I was strong enough, but he doubted me?
Why would I unnecessarily increase my workload?
Honestly, the treatment was great and he looked after me, so I had intended to repay the favor.
He was only focused on expanding the size, so I tried to strengthen the internal foundation while he did that, but he viewed it with suspicion.
"Lately, the rookie Heroes have been very interested in you, Yeon-woo. And it's not just the rookies. So-ye, who is at the center of the B-rank Heroes we're trying to reorganize, is also very interested in you."
"..."
You think I'm following in your footsteps, don't you? You think I'm going to sweet-talk the Heroes and leave?
Just how twisted is your mind?
"Yeon-woo, do you think I am unfit to be the Clan Leader?"
The real question finally came out.
It was a warning not to do anything unnecessary and a test of my loyalty.
"No, I think it suits you well. You took my opinion—even though I'm just a manager—into account during the meeting, and the dungeon omen investigation was a huge success. Even if I was the one who picked it, what other Clan Leader would listen so closely to a mere manager? It's my achievement, but it's also yours, Clan Leader."
"..."
Park Sung-jun just stared into my eyes, as if trying to gauge my sincerity.
"And you accepted the replacement of the B-rank Heroes, even though it must have been personally frustrating. It's not an easy decision to make because of one's pride. But you thought it was the right thing to do and proceeded boldly. I think that's amazing."
I was being sincere.
Park Sung-jun had ability.
Of course, he was calculating and a bit cunning, but in running an organization, naivety equals incompetence.
"I see. Thank you for the compliment."
However, Park Sung-jun still didn't let go of his suspicious gaze.
It felt like he trusted me even less after hearing my words.
What a tedious personality.
Unless I crawled under his thumb, that look in his eyes wouldn't disappear.
"We will renew your contract soon."
Though my title was Manager, I was officially part of Break Line as a Hero.
Since I had no abilities back then, I had signed a short-term one-year contract and failed my first dungeon spectacularly.
I was only placed in the HR department temporarily; if the contract wasn't renewed, I would have to leave Break Line.
From Park Sung-jun's perspective, it wasn't that I had to leave, but rather that he might lose me.
I said I understood and left the Clan Leader’s office.
Still full of greed and suspicion.
I shrugged my shoulders and returned to my office to find Park Su-jin, with nothing to do, sitting in my chair taking pictures.
Ignoring my gaze, she took as many selfies as she wanted, then fiddled with her smartphone as she stood up and went to sit on the sofa.
"What?"
I stared at Park Su-jin, who was acting like she owned the place, and she spoke up boldly.
"I got the embezzlement charges cleared, and I did everything you asked."
Did she already forget what happened at the mansion?
She had even knelt and begged for forgiveness, but now she seemed perfectly fine.
I sat down and looked at Park Su-jin, who looked quite comfortable with both legs up on the sofa.
Her heavily adorned, flowy dress expressed with her whole body that she had absolutely no intention of working.
Her thighs, visible through the short skirt, complemented her tanned, bronzed skin, and below that, her feet, encased in frilly over-the-knee socks, tapped rhythmically as if tempting me.
"First, I have a question. What can you actually do?"
"Huh? You're using formal speech here? How cute."
What kind of woman is this?
Since she had fulfilled the conditions we discussed, she was acting completely thoughtless, as if she had done her part.
"My superior looks?"
Park Su-jin playfully made a V-sign under her chin, put on a confident expression, and then burst out laughing.
"Hey, you do realize I still have that video, right?"
"Uh-oh? Are you going to be that petty? I did everything you said."
Is she thoughtless, or just stupid? Or both?
I stared blankly at Park Su-jin, who seemed to be both, as she gave a smirk and went back to her phone.
"I'll teach you the work slowly, so why don't you go make some coffee?"
"Hah? You make it... Ugh, fine. Whatever."
When I just stared at her, Park Su-jin stood up as if it were a chore and rummaged through the cabinet in the corner.
The sight of her bending over, sticking out her appetizing rear, was a good view, but Park Su-jin just grabbed a coffee mix and poured it in haphazardly.
Without even using the kettle, she poured in cold water, stirred it roughly, and approached me, holding out a paper cup with clumps floating in it.
"First of all, while we have paper cups, the Clan encourages using personal mugs."
"So you want me to make it again? You have picky taste."
Yeah, you're hopeless.
I flicked the paper cup on the desk, knocking it over.
The brown coffee spilled across the desk, and Park Su-jin stepped back in surprise.
"What do you think you're—"
"Su-jin."
When I addressed her informally, Park Su-jin flinched and looked at me.
"I'll teach you your job. Lift your skirt."
"...What did you say...?"
"Your job. What else could you possibly do here? Just lift your skirt."
Park Su-jin, scanning the situation as her eyes darted around, clicked her tongue and slowly lifted her skirt.
Provocative panties were revealed above her sturdy thighs, and she gave a suggestive smile.
"Are you going to rape me this time?"
The combination of the over-the-knee socks showing her thigh flesh and the sexy panties was excellent, but I didn't like her arrogant mouth.
"Kneel down in front of me."
Park Su-jin, who had been rubbing her thighs seductively, walked over with a confident stride, knelt down, and looked up at me.
"This is a great job. If I knew it would be like this, I would have just asked you to let me sleep with you once. What should I do? Want a blowjob?"
I looked down at her, then picked up the office phone and dialed a number.
"Come to the office. I'm going to give out a punishment."
"Who did you just call?"
"Don't lower your skirt. Don't stand up either. Just stay still."
Park Su-jin, who had tried to move in a panic, stopped her hands at my words and looked up with trembling eyes.
"Are you crazy? Showing me like this—"
"Manager, you called~!"
Along with the sound of a knock, Baek Bo-min opened the door and entered with a bright voice.
After naturally locking the door, she started running toward me to hug me, but she stopped in surprise when she spotted Park Su-jin.
"Hiek! W-what are you doing...?"
"..."
Park Su-jin, who had been showing off her firm rear with her skirt lifted, looked away in shame and couldn't say a word.
"Um... Manager...?"
"She's receiving a punishment."
"Ah... Oh... I see. You have good taste."
As Baek Bo-min nodded as if she understood, Park Su-jin's expression turned to one of utter humiliation.
"What on earth..."
I beckoned with my finger, and Baek Bo-min passed Park Su-jin to embrace me.
As I rubbed Baek Bo-min's cheek against my chest and felt her buttocks, she let out a cute sound and curled her body.
Park Su-jin, watching blankly, frowned and then glared at me.
"What are you doing in an office where everyone is around?"
"Why? There was someone who was planning to do much worse."
I smiled and squeezed Baek Bo-min's butt.