Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 100

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Even If I Fall Into a Ghost Story, I Still Have to Go to Work Episode 100

Research Team Manager Gwak Je-gang.

The mad scientist who pushed his subordinate into the Cheerful Theme Park ghost story.

He also served as an advisor during the ‘Mansion of the Blind’ incident when all the employees nearly died.

“I’ve been wanting to have a long conversation with Noru for a while now, and finally this opportunity has come, it has.”

That crazy ghost story researcher smiled brightly and extended his hand.

“Your performance has been so outstanding that I’ve been very curious about your thoughts!”

“Thank you.”

Wow, this is really a superior I don’t want to shake hands with.

But I have to. That’s company life.

“I heard Team D becomes an elite team as soon as the new year starts, and once that happens we’ll be busy working as a team unit again, making casual conversations like this before darkness deployment difficult…”

Gwak Je-gang made several excuses about how hard it was to call me.

“And I’m also very curious.”

Then with a smiling face, he got to the point.

“How exactly did you manipulate Manager Lee Ja-heon?”

“…!!”

“Whenever I try to call just you separately, he cuts me off immediately. He’s not usually such an aggressive guy~”

I screamed internally.

‘Thank you, Team Leader…!’

But actually, I didn’t manipulate him.

‘I just had to say I didn’t want to do it.’

Manager Lee Ja-heon is originally someone who follows protocol and tries hard to reflect his team members’ requests.

Nobody has ever made such a request until now!

No matter how sweet the deal, I was the only person in this ghost story company who would cry out to split it N ways rather than enter a ghost story alone…

No, even if there were others, they would have all died or disappeared already.

Anyway, this time it seems even Lee Ja-heon found it difficult to block at his level.

Or… maybe there was no justification for it in the first place.

“Anyway, don’t worry that I hold any grudge because it was difficult to get our Deer Supervisor here.”

Gwak Je-gang smiled slyly.

“It’s just… isn’t it amazing that Noru seems like there’s nothing you can’t do!”

“What do you mean by amazing…”

“You work well, speak well, manage your reputation well… very impressive. But humans are creatures that can’t possibly be good at everything! Including myself.”

Gwak Je-gang patted himself.

“Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. So…”

Eyes spinning with passionate madness for darkness exploration looked at me.

“What exactly is your weakness?”

“…”

“How does that weakness not stand out even while you’re rummaging through all sorts of strange supernatural phenomena… I’m really curious about that!”

Damn it, really…

“If I could tell you, it wouldn’t be a weakness.”

“Haha, a wise answer to a foolish question~”

Save me.

‘He’s not predicting that I’m a coward, is he.’

I carefully swallowed invisibly.

Gwak Je-gang spreads both hands.

“Anyway, I called you today for good news.”

“What do you mean by good news,”

“It’s something to celebrate! By my calculations… Noru, you’ve already collected more than half the points needed for a Wish Potion, haven’t you?”

“…!”

Damn perceptive bastard.

Right.

That statement… is true.

I recalled my accumulated points up to last week.

[Accumulated Points: 177200p]

Even up to this point, it was an astounding figure.

It’s an unimaginable amount of points for a new employee who hasn’t even been with the company for a year, so I’ve never bragged about it anywhere.

Even in a department atmosphere where people talk about their resignation dates, there are limits.

‘If you’re this far outside the norm, people are bound to have other thoughts.’

But who would have known.

As this week began, my accumulated points would become even more outside the norm.

[Accumulated Points: 277200p]

I’m slowly entering a stage where people might start saying this is rigged.

‘Thanks to Sekwang Technical High School.’

Let’s think about the basic points given by grade.

A Grade: 100000p

But I cleared Sekwang Technical High School alone with an A grade.

It’s true that several people entered together and cleared it, but I was the only one with an A grade.

Moreover, they said the solution was concentrated enough to be considered a solo clear.

Thanks to Director Cheong and Director Ho, the two pillars of the Development Department, ‘actively’ giving their okay, it was approved for payment as is.

It was a happy and eerie event.

‘And registration was completed this morning.’

Thus Kim Sol-eum officially collected more than half the points needed for a Wish Potion.

‘It’s ridiculously faster than even my expectations…’

Strangely, everything fit together perfectly to get me this far.

At this rate, if I just endure one year as an elite team member, or maybe even less, I’ll be able to return to the original world.

To peaceful 21st Century Korea where ghost stories don’t exist!

All of this flashed through my mind in an instant, but my expression management didn’t… probably didn’t falter.

‘Don’t give him any ammunition…!’

“Does something change if you collect more than half the points?”

Instead, I deliberately frowned slightly with an ambiguous reaction, responding mysteriously.

Making it unclear whether I was guilty about collecting that much, or upset about not collecting enough.

“Rather than changing… an opportunity arises?”

Gwak Je-gang said with a sly smile.

“Haven’t you heard of the Wish Potion simulator?”

Simulator?

…Ah!

‘There was such a ghost story category.’

I remember.

I obsessively recalled the wiki that was starting to fade a bit.

At the same time, Gwak Je-gang’s chattering echoed in my ears.

“This company gives employees who seem about to earn a Wish Potion one chance to check their wish. So it can be fulfilled in the ‘proper’ way.”

Was the criteria for that ‘promising employee’ 250,000 points…?

Or maybe it was calculated backwards based on the remaining time until receiving the Wish Potion.

Either way, it seemed an opportunity to experience the simulator had come to me.

…If entering a ghost story could be called an opportunity!

“You could do it next time, but Noru, if not now, your turn will get pushed back and who knows when you’ll get another chance? I called you because I thought it’d be good to do it now.”

“…”

I thought about it.

A Darkness Deployment arranged by Gwak Je-gang?

‘There’s definitely a trap.’

But I couldn’t refuse carelessly either.

This guy seemed like the type to persistently ask for reasons.

“You’re not a coward, so why would you avoid it? Right? Hahaha!”

Hiiiek.

“Well. There could be other reasons to avoid it too.”

I sighed and stood up.

Let’s end this conversation quickly.

‘If I have to go to a ghost story anyway, I shouldn’t give him any satisfaction.’

“Anyway, I understand. When do I need to enter?”

Gwak Je-gang smirked.

“Noru.”

“…”

“Your attitude has changed a lot. You’ve shed your new employee vibe now. Right?”

Wait.

“No. I mean that in a good way! Now you finally seem like an employee of this company and feel approachable. Let’s cut the useless chatter and get to the point~ You’re already like the Elite Team.”

Gwak Je-gang grinned with gleaming eyes.

“Then let’s do some work befitting an employee of this company!”

And he placed a document on the table.

‘This is…’

It was an employee’s profile.

One I knew.

[Employee: Jang Heo-un]

I looked at the ID photo of a colleague my age with long hair and a gloomy impression.

“Ah, you know him, right? You went into Cheerful Theme Park together. The cleanup team friend.”

“He’s probably not on the cleanup team now. He was definitely reassigned to Group F…”

“Ah~ Right. He did get transferred. …But his official affiliation is still the cleanup team.”

“…!”

“He’s on dispatch to a general team. For his affiliation to officially change, it’ll probably take until next year, right?”

Gwak Je-gang tapped the documents.

“So… he’s still in an affiliation where it’s perfectly fine to deploy him for this kind of work.”

“…”

This kind of work?

An ominous chill ran up my spine.

“What do you mean by that?”

“It’s simple. You go into the darkness and finish your business, right? Just call that employee to the remaining elevator and leave him there.”

“…!”

This crazy bastard.

No, stay calm. I can’t show my agitation here.

“Hmm. Is this darkness accessible from 2 people… or does it require a sacrifice?”

“Haha… Confirming that is the very reason for our research department’s existence! Noru just needs to follow instructions. Simple story, right?”

Thud.

Gwak Je-gang threw another document onto the table.

The darkness assigned to me this time.

“In the elevator ghost story.”

-Then I’m counting on you, Noru! Call the cleanup team newbie when you go and take him with you.

“…”

I read the manual I’d already memorized once more and put it back in my pocket.

What did I do?

[Heo-un, I’m planning to enter around 5 o’clock, so please rest.]

[Ah, yes! Understood!]

I’m not taking him in.

And I realized.

‘This is grounds for disciplinary action.’

Probably… no matter what excuse I make, this incident will come up.

As an office worker earning someone else’s money, this isn’t something that can be overlooked as flexibility.

But if I didn’t completely block it from the source like this, it would be meaningless.

‘There’s a high probability Gwak Je-gang has set up some scheme involving Jang Heo-un himself.’

I have to prevent him from coming from the start.

And there was one effect I was aiming for that was worth accepting disciplinary action… I’ll think about that after the exploration is finished.

The important thing is this.

…I now had to ride a ghost-possessed elevator alone.

“Phew.”

This was the first time I’d had time to mentally prepare like this before entering a place with ghosts alone…

‘Maybe… it was better when I went in suddenly without knowing.’

My hands trembled with fear.

And I left Brown at my desk too.

‘The elevator in this ghost story is for one person anyway.’

I didn’t want to leave Brown in front of the elevator and ride it. …Since I didn’t know what might happen.

I asked Manager Lee Ja-heon to check on him periodically to make sure he was safe, so there shouldn’t be any problems.

‘…Let’s go.’

I entered the confirmed entry building for Qterw-D-718 that the company had found and quarantined.

It was a very old rental apartment where the water had already been cut off, but the company was arbitrarily supplying electricity.

The dark interior reeked of cold, unmanaged mustiness.

The shadowy corridor seemed to stretch endlessly before me.

And a machine operating alone.

[5F]

The door of the first floor elevator.

“….”

I swallowed and walked down the corridor.

In the light of the emergency exit signs and dim lighting, I could see the elevator.

-Under Repair-

Will fix quickly.

Happy Country Apartment Security Office

Contrary to the text, an already worn piece of paper dangled from yellow box tape, fluttering.

Right. This is it.

I called the elevator with trembling hands.

The elevator slowly descended.

5, F, 3, 2….

[Ding]

I took a deep breath.

Through the opening elevator doors, I could see the rusty, dim interior.

The floor was dirty with soot, as if it hadn’t been properly cleaned.

Still, I moved my feet forward.

Taking one step into the elevator, I could see what was attached side by side on the right and left….

Dirty mirrors with handprints.

‘…Phew.’

[The doors are closing.]

I pressed my back tightly against the only wall without a mirror and watched the closing doors with somewhat desperate feelings.

My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out.

Soon, the elevator completely closed and darkness and silence arrived.

I stood alone, dumbfounded, in the dark interior of the stopped elevator….

Together with the mirrors.

“….”

A few seconds that felt like eons passed.

I had to endure it. If I endured….

[Going up.]

Ding.

Even though I hadn’t pressed any button, the elevator began to move.

…It had been called somewhere.

All the floor buttons lit up red as if they had been pressed, casting a red and ominous glow inside the elevator.

This was when it began.

“….”

I swallowed and barely moved my head to… look at the left mirror.

Inside it, a pale version of me stood in the elevator.

Countless times.

My front and back views infinitely repeated, reflected again in the right mirror behind me until they became dots.

My appearance becoming smaller and smaller, more and more unclear….

“….”

I wiped the sweat from my trembling left hand on my shirt several times, then barely raised my hand.

And muttered quietly.

“…Rock, paper, scissors.”

Scissors.

Countless versions of me in the mirrors were holding scissors.

Front and back views side by side, in a row….

“Rock, paper, scissors.”

My image holding a fist was reflected countless times.

I repeated it several more times.

Rock paper scissors.

Rock paper scissors.

Rock paper scissors….

“Rock, paper, scissors.”

It was the moment I threw a fist in the fifth round of rock paper scissors.

Among the repeating mirror images of myself, I saw something out of place.

…One was spreading its hand wide.

Among my images with clenched fists, there was uniquely a back view with a fully spread hand, reflected in the mirror’s image.

“….”

I froze with my hand still raised.

Far in the mirror, Kim Sol-eum holding an open palm slowly turned his head and….

Looked back at me and smiled.

Brightly.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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