Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 104
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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 104
“What? Noru, you didn’t forget about me, did you? It’s been so long!”
The person standing in the dark corridor speaks in a still cheerful tone while extending their hand.
Wearing a badger mask, it’s my old superior from Team D whom I haven’t seen in a while.
“…Team Leader?”
I was certain.
It’s Park Min-seong.
That person who was close to being my mentor seemed to have a clear sense of self, just like when we worked together.
I hurriedly shook his hand and asked.
“Have you recovered?”
“I’m much better. Well, I’m slowly doing rehabilitation activities now. These days, daily life hasn’t been much of a problem either. Right, Chief?”
“Yes, well… that’s right…”
Phew.
‘I never thought I’d meet him like this.’
Seeing him looking fine made me almost tear up. My voice naturally became brighter too.
“Then Park Min…”
“Call me Badger!”
“…”
“No, um… well… when I hear my name, it still causes some, um, problems.”
“…Yes.”
I closed my mouth.
I was going to ask if he could return to work, but I could tell without asking.
Now that I looked closer, Park Min-seong’s face, which seemed cheerfully smiling, somehow looked pale and anxious…
His cheeks and the area around his eyes, which were hard to see because of the mask, seemed a bit gaunt.
-Oh my, today’s partner doesn’t look to be in good condition!
Right.
‘He still seems to be… recovering.’
Is it okay to make someone in that condition do work assigned as disciplinary action?
“Let’s go, Noru. Let’s finish quickly so you can rest!”
“…Yes.”
But I didn’t have the authority to tell them to give my partner different work when I was the one being disciplined.
I thanked the security chief who had guided us and followed Park Min-seong, who was already wearing a cleaning uniform…
“Ah, wait a moment.”
“Yes?”
“Take this with you…”
The security chief stopped me, carefully set down the donut box he had been holding, and pulled something from his pocket.
Two old walkie-talkies.
“If it’s dangerous… call me. I’m on night duty today…”
“…Does this connect to you, Jay?”
Nod nod.
Two conflicting emotions hit me simultaneously: ‘So it could be dangerous’ and ‘I’m so grateful.’
“Thank you.”
“Yes…”
The security chief added in a low voice as if in passing.
Looking at Park Min-seong.
Quietly enough that he wouldn’t hear.
“Be careful.”
“…”
My hands grew cold.
I barely managed to nod and handed one of the walkie-talkies to Park Min-seong.
And we began walking down the underground corridor…
Toward the Security Team Equipment Storage.
Thud thud.
Thud thud.
Thud thud…
“Noru.”
“Yes!”
“Ah, sorry. Did I startle you?”
“No. I’m fine.”
“Haha, that’s a relief then…”
Park Min-seong’s voice walking beside me trailed off and trembled slightly.
“Well, it’s been a while since I talked to someone who isn’t from the security team… uh, did I say something strange? Wasn’t it awkward?”
“…”
Sigh.
“No. Team Leader, you were… still very much like yourself.”
“Huh? Wait, that’s not an insult, is it?”
“Who knows.”
“…! Hey, Noru’s actually joking around?! Is this the confidence that comes with promotion?”
Laughter entered our conversation and the atmosphere lightened a bit.
“…May I ask how you’ve been doing?”
“Of course that’s fine. Um… I’ve been here the whole time, continuously.”
The team leader muttered quickly.
As if spitting it out.
“I didn’t know there was a treatment room underground, and places like training centers, and strange, really strange places… No, well, they’re areas only the security team can enter, so I shouldn’t say more…”
Damn.
“Then you don’t need to tell me. Let’s talk about something else…”
“It’s really strange. Why is the underground so deep? Come to think of it, I used to wonder why our company didn’t build the parking garage underground and instead has a separate parking tower. But now I understand why. The underground here is too deep and strange, really strange, so I need to go back to where I originally worked…”
“Badger Supervisor!”
“…!!”
The team leader stopped walking and slowly exhaled.
“Sorry. …Should we talk about something else?”
“Yes. Let’s do that.”
I rambled about recently popular programs and random topics. Brown helped by providing material, making it easier.
“Ah, I watched that too!”
“It was interesting.”
Fortunately, access to the internet and OTT services seemed to be free, so our small talk continued without problems.
But my back was damp with cold sweat.
‘This won’t work.’
If someone stays in this massive underground enclosed space without windows, even a normal person would become strange.
‘Moreover, Park Min-seong seemed to have a sick family member…’
-…I have a hospitalized family member, and I wish someone could check on them once this filming is over! If possible.
…I couldn’t bring myself to say it outright. I approached the topic indirectly.
“Do you have to stay in this underground area all the time?”
“No. Once I recover enough, I can leave whether I transfer departments or resign.”
Phew.
“The Security Team members seem to go outside or move around freely at night too.”
That was a relief.
“Ah, we’ve arrived.”
And finally, today’s workplace appeared before our eyes.
[Security Team Equipment Storage]
Wow.
‘Seeing it at night, it’s really intimidating.’
I held back a gulp in front of the steel door.
And a cold voice rang out from my pocket.
-Ah, this unpleasant place.
“….”
Ahhhhh! Right!
This is the place where Brown was sorted and dumped!!
‘Um, Brown. If it’s unpleasant, would you rather stay home next time?’
-It’s fine! Not projecting personal displeasure onto a location is also a virtue of industry professionals. However, Friend,
Brown’s voice lowered.
-I think I’ll become depressed. Please do your best to entertain me….
“….”
‘I’ll do… my best.’
This is too difficult, Host…!
“Oh, right. This.”
As I was agonizing, Park Min-seong pulled something out of his crimson uniform pocket and handed it to me.
A note that looked like a handwritten notebook copy.
“Here, I got this work tip that’s been circulating in the Security Team. I thought it would be good for Noru to read it too, so I brought it separately!”
“Ah, thank you….”
Work tips?
I quickly read through the note.
Night Cleaning Work Tips
Hello! If you’re reading this, you’ve been unlucky enough to get stuck with night cleaning.
Yeah, that’s right. The Security Team area is full of crazy bastards and contamination, and going in there at night with just two people is perfect for having even more bizarre experiences.
But don’t worry too much. If you just read the tips I’m writing down, you can get through it and come out without any major problems.
‘Wait a minute.’
This is a typical work manual-style ghost story introduction.
You know those stories, right?
Ghost stories where you go to work some high-paying part-time job like night security or babysitting, and they give you strange work rules and tell you to endure.
Several indie horror games based on of this type immediately came to mind.
‘This is scarier.’
I swallowed and hurriedly read the next sentence.
In what sense is it sweet? This comes with overtime pay. Whether you want money, points, or Nostalgia Series equipment, just think about that and endure.
If it’s disciplinary action, well… hang in there.
I really hope you’re from the Field Investigation Team.
“….”
Yes. That’s me….
I gritted my teeth and quickly read through the remaining ‘tips.’
…The cleaning would begin soon.
Splash.
I wiped the storage room floor with a wet mop.
It wasn’t very dirty, but there were various colored stains stuck to it….
1. Wash the mop right away when it gets dirty. That’s better.
The cleaning solution is strong, so you just need to rinse it a few times. Easy, right?
‘Well, that’s somewhat reassuring….’
Fortunately, they had left about half the lighting on in the storage room, not as much as during the day but enough.
It was sufficient for cleaning without interference.
‘I can read the notices too.’
I glanced at a notice that read ‘Always Purchasing Nostalgia Series / Contact Desk for Details’ and focused on the floor again.
“Noru, if you find anything strange, don’t touch it and just clean around it.”
“Yes.”
Splash.
“Have you done this before, Team Leader?”
“This is my first time cleaning… but, well, I’ve done other Security Team work.”
Park Min-seong smiled. His voice carried a hint of anticipation.
“If I can get through this, I think I’ll receive a passing grade for recovery… enough to transfer to the Security Team.”
“…!”
That’s good news.
I asked carefully.
“What about receiving more treatment and returning to the Field Investigation Team completely… how would that be?”
“Haha… would that be good? I should try my best.”
The conversation was quite hopeful.
And we mechanically continued cleaning diligently.
‘It’s easier than I thought.’
Aside from my body being tired due to it being the middle of the night, it was fine.
The work tips themselves were quite solid to begin with.
2. No matter what happens, just clean calmly.
All sorts of things happen when you enter the Security Team area at night. Still, the Equipment Storage is one of the better places!
‘Understood.’
This was pretty much a summary of the entire content.
‘No matter what happens, don’t react and just clean.’
Let’s do this.
And cleaning the front area of the Equipment Storage was quickly finished. It wasn’t that spacious to begin with, so scrubbing off all the grime stuck to the floor took only an hour.
“We’ve finished half of our assigned area for today! Now what’s left is….”
Mine and Team Leader’s heads turned simultaneously.
“…over there.”
One of the three doors leading to the isolation area.
[Isolation B]
‘Sigh.’
-Ah, it’s the corridor where Noru came out from during that unpleasant experience last time.
Right.
Of all places, it was the corridor where the isolation room I had been trapped in was located, and now we had to enter there.
3. While cleaning, don’t open any isolation room doors. Well, if you’re a Company employee, you should know this… but I’m writing it down just in case.
4. No, let me emphasize this once more – just ignore any sounds coming from the isolation rooms. Don’t respond.
No matter who pleads from inside or claims to be your family or friends, it’s absolutely not true, so don’t open them!!
Creak.
We opened the door to the isolation area, entered, and closed it again.
The gray corridor spread out before our eyes.
Steel doors of isolation rooms lined up on both sides.
‘This is driving me crazy.’
I wanted to at least keep the door open while working, but not being able to do so was an enormous mental burden.
I swallowed and continued mopping.
…Those sounds I heard when leaving this place last time were echoing in the quiet corridor.
Kikikigikik.
Pleasesavemepleasesamemepleasesameme
I’mnotapersonwhoshouldbehere I’mnotapersonwhoshouldbehere I’mnotaperson
Kikikigikik
Ifyouleaveyou’llhavetodi
‘Wow, seriously.’
This is driving me insane.
I deliberately made noise while washing the mop. To hear a little less of it.
That’s when it happened.
Park Min-seong stopped mopping and suddenly raised his head.
And stared blankly.
…At one of the tightly closed isolation rooms.
[Isolation Room B14]
“Noru.”
Damn it.
“Noru. I can hear Deputy Manager’s voice from in there?”
“No, you can’t.”
“But… I can hear it.”
“No, you can’t. Let’s continue cleaning, Badger Supervisor.”
“Ah… okay.”
5. If your partner starts talking crazy, abandon them and run. Got it? If you try to help for no reason, you’ll die too. Security Team Newcomers especially remember this!!
Is this right?
Splash, splash.
I felt a strange feeling while mopping the floor.
‘…Anxiety?’
It was somewhat different from the previous Darkness Investigations.
To spend the entire night cleaning without manuals, wiki records, or escape pattern analysis, relying only on advice from some unknown veteran.
It really felt like coming to work part-time at a bizarre place without any information.
What am I even….
Step, step.
“Noru, be careful.”
“…!”
I quickly stepped aside.
There, someone was walking from the end of the gray isolation corridor….
Step, step.
A person wearing black facility employee uniform.
He looked at us and slightly bowed his head.
And….
“Ah. You must be the people cleaning today.”
He spoke normally. Phew.
When Park Min-seong and I nodded our heads, the employee spoke quickly in a somewhat embarrassed tone.
“I’m the night patrol officer for today. …Sometimes, the cleaning staff seem to get startled.”
Ah.
7. Sometimes you’ll encounter a patrol officer during night rounds, and they appreciate getting a bottle of water.
Give them one if you have it. Well, it’s not a good choice to ruin the atmosphere between people working together at night.
“Hello. Would you like a bottle of water?”
“Ah, that would be appreciated.”
At Park Min-seong’s signal, I handed one of the water bottles from our issued equipment to the officer, and he gulped it down right there on the spot.
“Well then, see you around.”
And with the bottle still at his lips, he headed back through the isolation corridor toward the equipment storage…
But here’s the thing.
There’s no position hierarchy like ‘officer’ in this company’s security team.
Remember. Don’t say unnecessary things.
“My throat keeps getting dry…”
In the distance on the ‘patrol officer’s’ back, I could see the blurred name ‘██ Research Institute’…
Step step… gulp.
The sound of footsteps and swallowing disappeared like a lie the moment he turned the corridor corner.
“…”
Ha.
‘It really feels like I’ve entered a horror movie.’
Splash.
I started mopping again.
Chatting with Brown and making small talk with Park Min-seong, trying my best not to pay attention to whatever sounds were coming from the containment rooms.
And finally, we almost finished cleaning the corridor.
‘Phew.’
The team leader and I looked at each other and smiled with relief.
“Shall we just finish up and head out?”
“Should we? We seem to have finished pretty quickly… ah, right.”
Park Min-seong startled and rummaged through his pocket to pull out another note.
“Th-this is supposedly a tip for after dawn. They said to read it after some time has passed since starting work, since it could be confusing.”
“Ah, thank you.”
What else is going to happen…
‘Thank goodness we’re leaving soon…!’
I screamed and cried internally while quickly reading through that tip as well.
But…
11. Sigh… it’s time to talk about this. You’ve probably been cleaning for about 3 hours now. Right?
…From around then, you’ll start hearing that crazy bastard ranting from containment room B14.
…Wait.
“Team Leader. It’s… 3 AM now, right?”
“Yeah. It seems to be around that time…”
Is someone there?
“…”
“…”
Someone is there, right? Is someone there? Someone is there, right? Is someone there? Someone is there, right? Is someone there? Someone is there, right?
Both of us turned our heads.
[Isolation Room B14]
Should I tell you how to get out of here? Should I tell you how to survive? Should I tell you how to bring the dead back to life? Should I tell you the company’s secrets? I’ll just tell you come closer just come a little closer and I’ll tell you the truth of the world
I want to run away.
I really want to open the door and sprint through the equipment storage to get out.
I want to tell the Security Chief something like ‘I’m quitting today’ and dump all the remaining Nostalgia Candy on Park Min-seong before leaving this place and never coming back…
But since I can’t do that, let me just read the tip…
Some name? Anyway, it’s a bastard that shouts weird things and says it’ll teach you how to be happy, but if you just curse at it roughly, it’ll quiet down.
If you don’t want to curse, just telling it to get lost is fine too.
I really hate this.
But to roughly tell it to get lost, I opened my mouth…
“…”
Wait.
“Noru?”
“Hold on.”
I pulled out the note from the previous page that I had received earlier.
There it clearly said…
4. No, let me emphasize this once more. Just ignore the sounds from the containment rooms. Don’t respond.
“…”
Rules 4 and 11 were contradictory.
‘Which… which one should I follow?’
Cases where contradictory numbers appear in these work rule ghost stories are common, but usually, it doesn’t clearly indicate which side is definitely correct…
Did the tip change over time? Or is this second page itself wrong? Or maybe…
“Noru.”
“…!”
Team Leader Park Min-seong pushed me back.
“What’s wro
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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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