Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant-Chapter 229

At Im Cheol’s words, Su-ho couldn’t help but smile.

Im Cheol was bold.

Without a hint of hesitation, he had scratched exactly where Su-ho itched the most.

Which was why Su-ho responded with warmth.

“As expected of the Chairman. Just give me the order, and I’ll give it my all.”

“Haha, I like your directness. Coincidentally, the first thing I need to deal with after getting to work is personnel restructuring. And just like how there’s an order to things, the most urgent issue seems to be the Special Division. From what I can see, there’s no one more capable in the Association right now than you two.”

Im Cheol chuckled and lifted the bottle again.

Jeong Cheol-min quickly held out his glass with both hands, and Su-ho followed suit.

“Assistant Manager Ahn seems to agree—what about you, Team Leader Jeong?”

“If I’m placed in the seat, I’ll do my best.”

“Must be because you’re from the same team—you’re perfectly in sync. I like it. Then let’s toast to that. To both your futures.”

Clink!

Three glasses collided in the air.

The three of them shared the drink, and after setting their glasses back on the table, Su-ho spoke.

“Chairman. Since the positions are being prepared, may I make one more request?”

“What kind of request?”

“As you know, the Special Division is currently in disarray due to the recent scandal. Most of the previous members are gone, so we need to replenish the staff. If Team Leader Jeong is made Department Head and I become Section Chief, we’d like to rebuild the Special Department with people we work well with.”

“You’re talking about personnel recommendations?”

“Partly, but I’d also like to ask for a special recruitment for the Special Division.”

“A special recruitment?”

“Yes. It’s not like every staff member can be assigned to the North Korea Project. Just like with the Sealed Gates Project, I’ll probably be the one handling the toughest gates alone anyway. Which means we’ll need others to take care of the rest of the Special Department’s duties in my stead.”

“Hmm, you’re right about that.”

“Looking over the current staff in the Association, it’s going to be difficult for them to handle all the Special Division work. So while attention is on us, I’d like to open a Special Division recruitment to bring in some qualified people properly.”

At Su-ho’s words, Jeong Cheol-min immediately stepped in for support.

“I feel the same. Assistant Manager Ahn is a special recruit, and he’s already achieved this much. If we hire more through a special recruitment, I’m sure we’ll see great results again.”

Im Cheol nodded.

“Alright, let’s do that. Submit a related report, and I’ll process it right away.”

“Thank you!”

Im Cheol didn’t deliberate long—he approved it immediately.

Maybe that’s why...

Su-ho was growing more and more fond of Im Cheol.

‘I really like the way this guy works.’

From a public servant’s standpoint, he wasn’t exactly a good person.

There was plenty of dirt to shake off him behind the scenes.

But as an administrator, he knew how to handle things smartly.

It wasn’t that he had deep expertise.

His real strength was being able to run the organization flexibly by accepting input from his subordinates without being stubborn.

It was, in theory, the simplest thing—but in practice, the hardest.

Because once people get promoted, they naturally want to show off what they know and bask in their authority.

‘People who climb high usually get a bloated sense of self-worth.’

And that leads to most of them making mistakes due to lack of real knowledge—but not Im Cheol.

He acknowledged his weaknesses and accepted what others had to say.

More precisely, he had an eye for distinguishing the competent from the incompetent.

So he placed the right people, approved most requests, and stepped back to let things run while he reaped the benefits.

He knew exactly how to position himself to gain credit and avoid workload.

That’s what made Su-ho like him so much.

‘Someone like this, you use while they’re useful and cut loose when the time comes.’

If Im Cheol had been a clean, upright person, Su-ho would’ve kept him around no matter what.

But despite his competence, he also took bribes.

So when things go south later, Su-ho could cut ties with no regrets.

From that point on, the drinking session kicked into full gear.

And the more they drank, the more Im Cheol proved how useful he could be.

“If there’s anything else you need, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Is there anything lacking in your department right now?”

“Anything you want to say about the other departments?”

“If there’s something you need, just contact me directly anytime.”

Those kinds of conversations.

Thanks to that, Su-ho spoke honestly about what he wanted. For things he forgot or couldn’t think of, he promised to send feedback later.

The gathering ended on a friendly note, and Su-ho and Jeong Cheol-min saw Im Cheol off first by putting him in a taxi.

At the very end, Im Cheol had tried to lure them to a room salon he was familiar with, but they didn’t bite.

No—after turning him down once, he didn’t push it again.

As they watched Im Cheol leave, Jeong Cheol-min said,

“He’s a sharp one.”

“Not pretending to know everything and sticking to practicality... maybe that’s exactly the kind of person we need.”

“Exactly. So, shall we start drafting the Special Division recruitment plan right away?”

“I’ll take care of it. You just give it a final review, Team Leader. Ah... actually, I guess you’re not Team Leader anymore. You’re Department Head now, right? Isn’t that right, Department Head?”

“You little punk... I’m still a Team Leader for now.”

“Haha, if I start calling you that early, it’ll roll off the tongue easier.”

“Alright, alright. Anyway, Su-ho.”

“Yes, Department Head.”

“Well...”

“What is it?”

Jeong Cheol-min hesitated, watching Su-ho carefully before finally speaking.

“You got the Department Head position just like you planned. Can you stop leveling up now?”

“Huh? Hahahahaha!”

Fair enough.

Originally, he started leveling up just in case another candidate got the promotion.

But now that things had played out like this, there wasn’t much point in continuing.

Yeah.

Things were only going to get busier from here. It was probably fine to stop now.

It’s not like the entire Gate strategy would fall apart just because Jeong Cheol-min stepped back.

Su-ho nodded with a laugh.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“Alright. I’ll stop. But you must’ve had a rough time, huh?”

“What, you think it was easy? I feel like throwing up.”

“Come on, I doubt there’s anyone else in the world who levels up as easily as you, Department Head.”

“That’s true.”

“Then how about just up to level 100?”

“Not happening!”

“Hahaha!”

After that, the two of them got in separate taxis and headed home.

And on the way home, Su-ho made a phone call.

“Yes, Section Chief.”

A voice from the other end of the line.

It was Kim Geon.

Su-ho spoke with a smile.

“I’m not a Section Chief anymore.”

“Huh? ...Ah! Congratulations, Department Head.”

“As expected of Team Leader Kim—you catch on fast. Like I said earlier, my promotion’s been finalized. So, the Special Division recruitment is going to happen soon. How’s everything going on your end?”

“Give us about a week and we should have everything you asked for mostly wrapped up.”

“A week’s more than enough. Once you’ve sorted everything, head straight back up.”

“Yes, understood. Congratulations again, Department Head.”

“Yeah. See you soon.”

After that, Su-ho called Son Baek-geum.

“Yes, Hunter.”

“How’s the operation coming along?”

“We’re working smoothly with Team Leader Kim’s cooperation.”

“Nothing giving you trouble?”

“No, Team Leader Kim is being very attentive.”

“That’s good. And like I said before—no underground dealings. The national-level authority I gave you is solely for maintaining public order.”

“Of course, I fully understand.”

“I’m about to be appointed as the Special Division Department Head. It was confirmed today. So let’s just do what we’re supposed to do, properly.”

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“Don’t bother with that nonsense—just focus on the task at hand. Don’t you know public officials aren’t allowed to accept bribes?”

“S-sorry. I just thought...”

“Forget it. I don’t take gifts, and I don’t expect any. Let’s all just do our jobs. That’s all I need.”

“Yes, I apologize.”

Ending the call, Su-ho leaned back in his seat with a satisfied expression.

Everything was falling into place, one step at a time.

He looked out the window for a while, then made another call.

“Yes, Hunter.”

The person who answered was none other than Deputy Director Kim Mu-hwan.

“How have you been?”

“I’ve just been waiting for your call.”

Su-ho let out a small laugh without realizing it.

Fair enough.

Saying you’ve been “doing well” probably wasn’t the most accurate answer in his case.

“I’ve just been appointed as the Department Head of the Special Division. The punishment for the Association members will proceed as planned, and it’s about time we organized the Direct Strike Unit, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Let’s meet up. Are all the unit members still intact?”

“Yes. They’re all standing by.”

“Then take some time with your families. Will ten days be enough?”

“Yes, that’s plenty.”

“Just like I promised, I’ll take care of the families of all Direct Unit members. Regardless of cost, prepare whatever care or support is needed, and hold onto it yourself, Deputy Director. I’ll contact you again in ten days.”

“Understood. I’ll call you again around noon, ten days from now.”

That wrapped up the Kim Mu-hwan situation.

After a short pause, Su-ho decided to call Bae Dong-hyeok, the Nexus representative.

He hadn’t had a chance to meet him since returning from Jeju due to the nonstop work.

But just then, a call came in—from Director Ion.

“Hello?”

“Hunter, is this a good time to talk?”

“Yes, I’m free. Is this about the Jeju situation?”

“Oh, no. The Tamra businesses are being absorbed without issue. I called because we received a response from the Inagawa group, and I thought you should know.”

Inagawa.

Right.

He’d forgotten about those bastards for a moment.

Su-ho nodded and asked,

“What did they say?”

“The Inagawa representative wants to meet and talk... What should we do?”

“They want to meet?”

“Yes. They want to invite you to Japan.”

Ugh, these guys were really annoying.

If they want to talk, they should come themselves—who the hell do they think they are, summoning people like that?

Of course, Su-ho had a good idea what they were up to.

They probably wanted to lure him onto their home turf so they could try something.

Su-ho thought for a moment, then smiled.

“Alright. I’ll go.”

“Are you sure? I really think it would be better not to accept this invitation. They’re not coming here—they want you to go to Japan...”

“Yeah, they’ll probably try to get rid of me if things go sideways. That’s why I’m going alone.”

“Hunter, that’s way too dangerous.”

“No. What’s dangerous is for them.”

“...Excuse me?”

“They’re just yakuza thugs, at best. I can handle them easily on my own. I speak Japanese too, so I’ll go alone. Set up the meeting. Give me a few schedule options, and I’ll match one and head to Japan. Oh—and make me a fake business card while you’re at it.”

“...Understood.”

Ion didn’t argue further.

After all, it was Su-ho giving the order.

Of course, that didn’t mean Ion wasn’t worried.

Su-ho was about to spearhead the North Korea Project.

If something were to happen to him in Japan, it would be a massive disaster.

But even so, Ion knew he couldn’t stop him.

‘There’s nothing I can do anyway.’

After ending the call, Ion immediately began coordinating schedules with the Inagawa group.

And Su-ho, once again, called Nexus representative Bae Dong-hyeok.

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