Chapter 17: Shinsomi Becomes the Promotion Team’s Guardian Angel

The Promotion Team dashed straight to the Facilities Team office.

The Facilities Team office was three times larger than the Promotion Team’s, but it was packed with all kinds of machines and monitors.

Mujae, opening the door, greeted them loudly.

“Hello! We’re from the Promotion Team!”

“Oh, you’re here!”

From behind a gigantic server device, Facilities Team Shinsomi peeked her face out.

Her glasses were so thick and heavy they looked like they covered half her face.

She smiled shyly.

“I’m sorry we had to meet because of something like this… But, I’m so happy to see the famous Promotion Team!”

“Huh?”

Mujae’s round eyes grew wide.

“We’re famous??”

“Of course! I heard stories from our Team Leader about the Celestial Personnel Department inspectors. The Team Leader found it so, so~ interesting. But… Team Leader had to leave early after an all-nighter…”

Facilities Team Shinsomi sounded genuinely regretful.

Seated in a wheeled chair, she zipped around the office, quickly checking three server devices in an instant, then called the Promotion Team over.

“Look here.”

The Promotion Team looked at the screen she pointed to, but Mujae and Zack could only see complicated computer records they couldn’t make sense of.

Only Hallakgoong nodded seriously.

“There were only eight attempts.”

“Definitely seems like an inside job.”

Noticing their confusion, Facilities Team Shinsomi kindly explained.

“These are the traces left by someone trying to break into your home, so to speak. Normally, someone with no info about you would have to try hundreds, thousands of times, and still wouldn’t get in, right?”

“Gasp.”

“But our server was breached in just eight tries.”

Hallakgoong clicked his tongue in disbelief.

“Only someone who really knows the security System could do that—it’s got to be an inside job.”

“So, the culprit is someone from the Seocheon Flower Garden’s Facilities Team?”

“It’s possible, but…”

Facilities Team Shinsomi hesitated.

“That would be too many attempts for just that.”

“When was the first attempt?”

“It was at 3:47 AM today.”

“Can’t we find out the location it was accessed from?”

“Well…”

Facilities Team Shinsomi’s voice trailed off again. With a resigned sigh, she pulled up another record.

“Here it is.”

Facilities Team Shinsomi’s finger pointed at an address.

“It was accessed from the Agriculture Team Office’s IP address.”

They had suspected, but hearing it out loud was still shocking. Hallakgoong gnashed his teeth.

“I knew it.”

“But why do something like this when it’s obvious you’ll get caught right away?”

Mujae’s question was met with a cautious answer from Facilities Team Shinsomi.

“I wonder… Maybe they didn’t realize they’d be caught, since they left such clear traces.”

“But if that’s the case, they managed to wipe everything out way too thoroughly.”

Hallakgoong shot back.

“Could they have left the traces on purpose to provoke us?”

“Well…”

Flustered by Hallakgoong’s anger, Facilities Team Shinsomi stammered.

“Goong!”

“Father?”

It was Sara, who strode abruptly into the Facilities Team office. Facilities Team Shinsomi seemed startled, springing to her feet. But in Sara’s eyes, there was only Hallakgoong. Hallakgoong, however, couldn’t hide his disgruntled expression.

“What is it?”

“I know… I know I’m a lacking father.”

Sara’s breathing was ragged.

“You probably see me as woefully inadequate, but please believe I’m doing my best.”

“…I know.”

Hallakgoong averted his eyes and shrugged his shoulders.

“I understand you’re in a difficult position.”

“Sir.”

Mujae interjected. Just thirty minutes ago, Mujae would have clapped at this touching reconciliation between father and son. But now was not the time.

“Someone deleted all the Promotion Team’s videos. What do you think about that?”

“What?!”

Sara shouted in surprise. Tense, Facilities Team Shinsomi jumped in to explain.

“For now, there are traces of access from the Agriculture Team Office at 3:47 AM yesterday…”

“Agriculture Team?”

“We still don’t know who it was.”

She tried her best to keep her tone neutral, but Sara’s face was already ashen. It was clear he only heard what he wanted to. He clenched his fists and swept out of the room, his robe trailing.

“Sir?!”

Mujae called after Sara, but he was already gone. Hallakgoong waved it off.

“Let him go. He’s probably headed over there.”

“Could he really have gone to the Agriculture Team?!”

Facilities Team Shinsomi nearly fainted, her voice weak as a thread. Soon, on the verge of tears, she blamed herself.

“What should I do, with the Team Leader gone I’ve caused strife between departments…!”

“It’s not your fault, Shinsomi.”

Mujae quickly tried to comfort Facilities Team Shinsomi. But Hallakgoong was different.

“Then you shouldn’t have done that.”

“Hic…!”

Zack nodded as if agreeing with Hallakgoong. As Facilities Team Shinsomi seemed on the verge of crying, Mujae hurriedly added,

“Don’t worry, even if something happens, we’ll never breathe a word about the Facilities Team.”

“Really?”

“Of course. I promise.”

Mujae nodded and gave his best friendly smile.

At that, Facilities Team Shinsomi nodded and gave the Promotion Team some vital information.

“Fortunately, your videos can be recovered. Over 80 percent.”

“Really?!”

“Yes, we set up a Backup Server exclusively for the Promotion Team’s data not long ago. Most of it should be restorable…”

Facilities Team Shinsomi smiled proudly.

“In fact, the Promotion Team has the most data after us. That’s why I suggested it—but who knew something like this would happen right away.”

“Thank you!!”

For the Promotion Team, who felt as if the sky had just collapsed, this was truly a lifesaver.

Facilities Team Shinsomi had become their complete savior.

“And I’ll set up a dedicated security System for the Promotion Team.”

“What’s that?!”

Mujae asked, full of curiosity.

“It’ll block outside access, have multiple backups, and a real-time login alert System. If someone logs in to the Promotion Team account, you’ll be notified immediately.”

“E.”

Even Hallakgoong, who understood everything, was impressed by what he heard. Then Mujae, glancing around, carefully spoke up again.

“Um… could you help with another favor?”

“Yes?”

“I heard the Greenhouse is managed by the Facilities Team.”

The Seocheon Flower Garden’s Greenhouse.

It was the only place not managed by the Agriculture Team, which oversaw almost all the land’s farming.

The Greenhouse was connected to the Research Pavilion (literally, ‘Hall for Gathering Pollen’) and under the Facilities Team’s jurisdiction.

Rumor had it that Sara kept all sorts of rare plants there.

“Would you allow us to film there?”

“Well…”

“We promise not to cause any trouble!”

Buoyed by Mujae’s energetic spirit, Facilities Team Shinsomi smiled awkwardly. But faced with the child’s enthusiasm, she relented.

“…As long as you all promise never to take off your gardening gloves, and not to touch anything.”

“Thank you!”

“I’ll only mention it to the Team Leader. I don’t have authority~”

Though she was trembling, this was a very positive answer for the Promotion Team, who had lost all hope that morning.

The Greenhouse at Seocheon Flower Garden! Just the name made it sound like it was filled with treasures.

“Don’t you know anything?”

Meanwhile, Sara had actually gone to find the Agriculture Team Representative.

Dragged in from pulling weeds under the blazing sun, the Agriculture Team Representative snapped at her superior.

“You think every bad thing that happens to the Promotion Team is our fault?!”

“There was an access trace from the Agriculture Team Office!”

But Sara was not about to back down. He was determined to be a better father than he had been before, no matter what.

He raised his voice sternly.

“Still going to deny it?!”

“I said I don’t know, didn’t I?”

The Agriculture Team Representative rolled her eyes, clearly feeling wronged.

Their budget had been cut, their pride hurt, there was too much work to do, and now they were being falsely accused.

She shouted in frustration.

“When exactly did the culprit access it?! What hour, minute?!”

“Just before 4 AM yesterday.”

“Isn’t it possible someone snuck into our office at that hour and did it?”

“Who would do such a thing?”

“Then why do you think we would do it?!”

It was an endless debate. Unable to get through to Sara, the Agriculture Team Representative thumped her chest in exasperation.

“Do you want to see me die of frustration?”

“…You really don’t know?”

“I’ll get you our office CCTV footage, all right?! Satisfied?!”

With nothing more to say, the Agriculture Team Representative stomped back to the fields.

Meanwhile, Sara was lost in thought, wondering just who the culprit that even the Agriculture Team Representative didn’t know could be.