Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 116

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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 116

“You said the door to Car 1 opened?”

“Yes!”

I immediately moved to Car 2 with the people. Baek Sa-heon hurriedly came out with a triumphant expression.

“I did my best to persuade the people in Car 1 to open the door. Ah, of course, all the passengers worked together… ‘Forerunner’!”

“I see. Thank you for your hard work.”

It seemed that every time a round started, he went to the door of Car 1, knocked, and shouted that there was a solution so they should come out.

-And he must have excitedly shared heroic tales about what Noru did!

-Ah, I wish I could have heard those interesting stories here… But don’t worry. Good Friend always chooses to be with Friend!

Yes. Thank you, legendary host…

Anyway, actively conveying the outside situation to Car 1 definitely seemed to have been effective.

After all, the wiki clearly described it like this.

Those two sentences, I remembered very clearly…

‘The door to Car 1 definitely only opened after all those rounds.’

So actually, I was planning to just break down the door and go in around the 20th round.

’14 rounds is definitely good.’

It wasn’t for nothing that Baek Sa-heon’s nickname on the wiki was the Field Investigation Team’s viper. I nodded in acknowledgment of that.

“Then let’s have a conversation like this…”

“Um, but!”

Baek Sa-heon hurriedly stopped me.

Don’t tell me…

“The, the door. It closed again.”

“…”

“No, to be precise, we could communicate. Look at this!”

Baek Sa-heon hurriedly held out something.

A crumpled, dirty piece of paper.

Large letters were written on it…

Let’s endure just seven times

…Around the crooked, heavily pressed letters, dark red filthy lumps were smeared across the paper.

“Ugh.”

“That, that… looks like those rotten things that were in the tunnel…”

Murmurs spread among the people.

“W-wait a minute. Could it be that Car 1 has completely turned into a den of evil? Like that tunnel!”

“Right! They locked the door among themselves and didn’t follow the Forerunner, so they suffered a terrible fate!”

P-please calm down.

I hurriedly shook my head to calm the train atmosphere that was really on the verge of becoming a cult.

“That’s probably not what happened. It just seems like they’re in severe pain… Wait a moment.”

I immediately headed to the connection section of Car 2.

And knocked on the tightly closed door of Car 1.

Knock knock.

“Is anyone there?”

“It’s no use. I’ve tried several times…”

“Hello. Um, embarrassingly, I’m the person called the ‘Forerunner.’ Could we talk?”

I continued shouting.

“Behind me are hundreds of passengers. Over three hundred people in total. We can definitely help you.”

“Hello?”

“We came to help you!”

“I’m telling you it’s no use…”

Click.

“…!”

The lock was released.

I ignored Baek Sa-heon’s stunned expression, then turned around and calmly told the people.

“…I’ll go in alone.”

“N-no!”

“Forerunner! What if something terrible happens!”

I smiled and reassured the people.

“The people in Car 1 would probably be surprised and scared if a bunch of people rushed in. And even if something terrible happens, what more can I do than return to the beginning? It’ll be fine.”

“B-but at least enough to protect yourself…”

Thank you. I was waiting for those words…!

“Well, then… I’ll ask my work colleagues.”

I looked at the two Elite Team superiors and one colleague.

The three people who had already discussed this immediately nodded, and thus the Baekil Dream Corporation employee alliance entering Car 1 was complete.

‘Good.’

It was fortunate since I could see signs that Deputy Manager Jin Na-sol’s patience was running out.

“Be careful, Forerunner!”

When I asked them to ‘wait in Car 2 until I request otherwise, just in case,’ the passengers worriedly but obediently retreated to Car 2.

This was also fortunate.

‘Phew.’

…It’s getting harder and harder to lead people.

‘At some point, they’ll start acting in unpredictable directions.’

The fact that we’d maintained a peaceful atmosphere so far was because people had listened to what I said.

I felt the presence of the small badge that would still be attached in my suit jacket’s inner pocket.

The power of the Silver Heart was terrifying. Definitely.

I took a deep breath.

“Then I’ll open the door.”

That’s when it happened.

…I could feel Deputy Manager Jin Na-sol coolly staring at me.

“Isn’t this too long?”

“…”

“I wonder if we needed to come to the 14th round.”

“Yes.”

I replied calmly.

“A safe clear is important too. I’ve reduced all variables and gathered altar experiences to verify the escape method.”

Now we just need to escape.

“So, this train will be the last one.”

“…”

Jin Na-sol crossed her arms and once again overlooked my actions.

…This would probably be the last time.

“Since we’re ready, hurry up and go in.”

“Yes.”

As Baek Sa-heon, who had no voice as a new employee, hurriedly followed along, I watched Dolphin Assistant Manager open the door…

Click.

A fishy smell that stung the nose wafted through the opened door.

“…”

The smell that came from the altar.

And…

“Scary! Scary! Scary! Scary!”

“Kiiieeeek, keuuuuuuk!”

“Sob, huhuhusob…”

Sounds of wailing.

“Go in.”

I stared blankly at the scene inside the opened door.

Car 1 itself was contaminated.

More than 50 people were writhing inside, laughing madly, rolling on the floor crying and screaming.

The floor was filthy with what looked like vomited blood and fragments.

…And a small banner lay sprawled in the corridor, stained with blood and filth.

[Blue Photography Club 17th Regular Photo Trip]

That’s right.

The people in Car 1 were large group passengers…

People who had booked tickets through a travel agency, who already knew each other and were close, one group of people.

For them to end up like this…

“These people, they must have been continuously taking turns throwing each other at the window… or maybe in order?”

“What? All 53 people look insane, what are you talking about? Even if they threw one each time, it would only be 14 times?”

“You’re right. Then… as Team Leader Kim deduced, was there a ‘person of interest’?”

That’s right.

Unless everyone had been thrown, there was only one way this was possible.

Among the contaminated, there was someone who could exert very powerful influence.

In a group that was already close to each other, someone with equipment that could invoke very powerful persuasion and conformity… that is.

“Employee.”

“…!”

“What I asked you to do.”

Baek Sa-heon startled, then lowered his eye patch and began looking around.

His purple Reverse Eyes rolled around busily, then he soon drew in a breath.

And pointed his hand.

“Over there.”

It was right behind me.

I slowly turned around and looked at the person Baek Sa-heon was pointing at…

“…”

A shadowy figure who had let go of the handle to the door leading to Car 2 and fallen backward.

If I had met him on the street, I would have thought he was a pleasant-looking middle-aged man and passed by.

…If his entire body wasn’t convulsing in place, twisted and contorted.

“We, we caaaan…”

Dark red filth flowing from his mouth, blood vessels bulging to his temples. Flesh torn by fingernails was abundant all over his body. And…

“Can do, can…”

“Se, seven times, seven times…”

I slowly approached that person who was muttering while looking at the air.

And I confirmed the end of the belt revealed as his shirt rode up from his writhing movements.

A small glinting silver badge.

Found him.

“Is this person the person of interest?”

“…Yes.”

The person of interest in the ‘Tamra Express incident.’

The ‘Silver Heart Owner.’

“He, help…”

Now only confirmation remained.

“Sir.”

I bent my legs in front of him to match his eye level.

And whispered in his ear at a volume that wouldn’t be heard by those behind me.

“You read the pamphlet, didn’t you.”

“…!”

“The pamphlet about the ‘Shangri-La Test’ registered with the government.”

Some reason suddenly returned to eyes that had been unfocused and vacant with his mouth hanging open.

“How, hoooow…!”

“Just a moment.”

I was right after all.

‘Then…’

I hesitated for a moment, then took out a ‘Happy Maker’ from my pocket.

-Ah, are you preparing for a new interview?

‘…Yeah.’

I absolutely had to talk with this person.

For justification.

…To smoothly hide the suspicion that I had known about all this from the beginning.

Poke.

The powerful painkiller was inserted into the Silver Heart Owner’s hand.

“Heooook!”

The contaminated convulsing movements stopped instantly. Slowly, thud. The middle-aged man’s body collapsed to the floor…

And.

“Hiuuuk! Hiuk! Huhuhusob…”

He began drooling on the floor while shedding tears…

“What’s wrong, why is he like that.”

“…He fell from the altar too many times.”

This person seemed to have fallen at least five times.

Since Happy Maker was a painkiller, not a recovery medicine, his already collapsed mind didn’t return.

Still, conversation was more possible than before.

“Can’t do… can’t, can’t do anymore…!”

“…Yes.”

That was what mattered.

Fortunately, the other party began to provide information splendidly.

The Silver Heart Owner, who had been shedding tears, rushed toward me as soon as our eyes met, gripped my shoulders tightly, and began speaking while spitting saliva.

“You! You know!”

The hand gripping my shoulder was desperate.

“Seven times! Just endure seven times! I, I can do it…”

“…What exactly do you mean by endure?”

“The altar!!”

And then they spoke earnestly.

“I know, this is, that, managed by the government! You guys, that, that, there’s a department that manages this kind of thing, they had this there.”

“…”

“I read it! I, I worked there…”

I could hear the Elite Team’s conversation from behind.

“Ah, a Disaster Management Bureau retiree?”

“Hmm… I wonder if they might have equipment or something.”

That was correct.

I continued questioning the Silver Heart Owner.

“I see. Then what kind of supernatural phenomenon is this?”

That passenger, a low-level office worker retiree from the Disaster Management Bureau, was half out of their mind, spilling fragments of the Bureau’s secrets.

“Uh, uh, so, this, this supernatural phenomenon, uh, if you just endure the altar seven times, endure it, it ends, it’s a dream… uh, so our club…”

“…”

Then they looked around with hazy eyes.

At the Blue Photo Club members from Car 1 who were rolling around, their minds gone in agony.

…I know why these people ended up like this.

‘The Silver Heart Owner must have persuaded them…’

To sacrifice everyone just once and go to the seventh altar.

However, not everyone could be as good-hearted and courageous as the Silver Heart Owner.

Resistance, discussions, people who promised but were too scared to jump, etc. In all sorts of situations, the Silver Heart Owner ended up jumping out the window again and again as an example.

‘And the collapsed mental state and contamination affects all of Car 1 through the Silver Heart…’

That’s how everyone in Car 1 went insane in pain and contamination.

Eventually, at some point, everyone would jump out the window and their minds would completely collapse…

And then they’d unlock the door and rush out to other cars.

‘From there, an even more terrible situation would unfold.’

That’s why I couldn’t forcibly open Car 1’s door in the middle.

Because I could become completely hostile with the Silver Heart Owner, who was half-mad from being offered as sacrifice but had firm beliefs, and the situation could spiral out of control.

‘That’s why I had to wait.’

Until the right timing came.

When the moment of anguish came when the other party would give up and accept help from other cars.

The outside of Car 1 had to be peaceful, and there had to appear to be other solutions.

Enough so that even with a broken mind, they could unlock the door handle.

…14th round. At this point, Car 1 was already hell.

“S, sorry, k, kids, you, you’re in too much pain… sob sob…”

“…”

This was driving me crazy.

The overwhelming impact of facing actual tragedy, not the prose written on the wiki, was tremendous…

‘That’s why I need to escape even faster.’

I barely gritted my teeth and asked.

The question that would give me the crucial hint.

“Sir, but what kind of train was it that you saw? Is this the right train?”

“Sob, that’s right. This is it, bound for Iksan! The train bound for Iksan…”

Dolphin Assistant Manager tilted her head.

“Iksan? That’s strange, this train is bound for Mokpo…”

Baek Sa-heon quickly interjected.

“Um, it does pass through Iksan Station. Team Leader.”

“Ah, I see. Is Iksan Station an intermediate stop?”

“That’s right.”

Instead of trusting Baek Sa-heon, Dolphin Assistant Manager moved directly.

She walked briskly through the corridor of Car 1’s cabin, which was a mess of filth and wailing, and pulled out an item from one spot.

A booklet placed in the seat pocket.

And after confirming that fact in the booklet, she nodded.

“Aha. That’s right!”

“Really? Then we can follow the Disaster Management Bureau testimony.”

“Yes yes. That person said just 7 times, right? Then 28 people… Ah. Wait a moment.”

Then she stopped abruptly.

“7 times?”

“…”

Ah.

She noticed.

“Um, Deer Supervisor.”

“Yes.”

“You know what? Most trains create extended routes according to the flow of the times.”

“That would make sense.”

“So, perhaps this train used to have a shorter route in the past. Short enough that… Iksan Station was the terminal.”

“…”

“So much so that it would be labeled as bound for Iksan.”

Correct.

Precisely, this was a route extended in the mid-2010s.

From bound for Iksan to bound for Mokpo.

“And.”

Dolphin Assistant Manager’s hand, which had been flipping through the information booklet, stopped at one place.

“From Seoul to Iksan, if we count by local service… there are exactly 7 stations it passes through.”

“…”

“So probably, the altars were the stations.”

Right.

“And if we deduce from that.”

Rustle.

“Unlike the old train bound for Iksan, when this train goes to its terminal Mokpo Station, the stations it passes through are… 9.”

Dolphin Assistant Manager closed the booklet with a snap.

“So the altars we have to pass aren’t just 7… but 9.”

“…”

“We have to offer a total of 45 people up to the 9th altar.”

It was a chillingly perfect answer.

‘As expected of the Elite Team.’

And that answer was also the reason why the Car 1 passengers’ minds had completely collapsed…

The answer sheet that the Silver Heart Owner had provided was a ray of hope, but even that had disappeared.

In the end, everyone in Car 1 would be overwhelmed by anger, fear, and panic, completely losing their minds….

‘…I’m really glad it didn’t come to that.’

I had neither the confidence to handle it nor the courage to watch it happen.

I was quietly letting out a sigh of relief when—

“But you know.”

The Dolphin Assistant Manager turned to look at me.

“Team Leader, you only have 11 painkillers?”

“….”

“This time, you already used one. So that means….”

“There are 45 people who need to get off, but the painkillers will only go to 10 people?”

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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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