Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 123

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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 123

[Oh my.]

The Nostalgia Candy I had been holding in my hand disappeared.

“…!”

[Good heavens! Noru, were you surviving on candy for meals?]

“Haha….”

[This won’t do at all!]

The disappeared Nostalgia Candy appeared like magic in Brown’s gloved hand, then vanished again with another magical hand gesture.

…Completely gone.

“….”

Ah, should I have applauded?

Clap clap clap….

When I clapped my hands together, Brown bowed his head like a magician greeting the audience.

“Um, where did the candy….”

[Noru, your first meal in a month being some ancient candy from who knows when! Oh, this is an insult to catering.]

Snap.

The Host snapped his fingers.

[Some say creative passion comes from hunger… but my standards are a bit different!]

[First, let’s have some proper food.]

At the Host’s request, the faceless employees opened my waiting room door and cheerfully greeted me.

Then a white tablecloth was spread on the table in one corner of the room, and food began to be placed on it in perfect coordination.

It was Western cuisine with steam rising from it.

A full-course meal that should have been served course by course was all placed on the table at once.

[Since Noru didn’t make any special requests, Brown here carefully selected today’s menu.]

[Now, you’ll feel energized after this meal….]

“….”

…I suddenly realized it had been a very long time since I’d seen warm food.

The Host sitting across from me displayed a smiling emoticon on the TV and waved the utensils on either side.

Bon appetit!!

…Somehow, the surroundings seemed dark.

It was as if a spotlight was shining only on the feast on the table….

Glint.

The silver ring sparkled in the light illuminating the table, then became dull as it was overshadowed by the light reflecting off the fork.

“….”

I hesitated, then picked up the utensils.

But as I was wondering what to eat….

[For a drink to go with this… ah yes, Noru. You said you liked grapes, didn’t you?]

“…!”

With the Host’s hand gesture, a curved glass bottle with ruby liquid sloshing inside appeared on the table.

A wine bottle.

[This is very high-quality wine. I received it as a gift while hosting a quiz show before, and now I get to open it to celebrate my friend’s successful first appearance….]

I unconsciously read the production year written on the bottle. Vintage 1999.

It was the same year as the Happy Ending Teddy Bear edition that I had booked as this broadcast’s guest.

“…Did you match it to this broadcast’s guest production year?”

[Ah, an audience member who notices the intention is always delightful. That’s right!]

[I prepared it as a celebration. It was your debut stage, wasn’t it!]

[Ah, such details are something an excellent entertainer must always consider for the sake of emotion. Kim Sol-eum, I hope this serves as good learning….]

The Host personally opened the wine.

Then the ruby liquid was poured into a glass, swirling, and placed in front of me.

[Now… shall we have a drink?]

…Hmm.

Having come this far, it would be strange not to drink, but somehow my appetite was returning while my motivation wasn’t.

[…Oh my. Don’t you like it, Noru? I lack the skill to understand my friend’s heart. This is shameful for a radio host….]

“Ah, no. That’s not it.”

I became anxious.

I picked up the glass of wine that had been poured….

And drank it.

….

“It’s delicious.”

[Isn’t it? Please enjoy it comfortably….]

“Right.”

I picked up the utensils.

“….”

The meal continued.

Somehow, the more I ate and drank, the clearer my mind became.

As if nutrients were entering my tired body… no, it wasn’t just a metaphor, that was exactly what was happening.

‘I thought I was in good condition.’

Maybe I was more exhausted than I thought.

….

…No wait, hold on!

‘If I haven’t eaten for a whole month, of course I’d be like this!’

Common sense dictates that a human can’t go a month without eating and be fine.

‘I should be dead by now.’

My God. I’m only realizing this now?

[Hmm? Noru, is there something wrong with the food?]

“No. It’s not that.”

I continued eating.

The more I ate, the clearer my head became.

‘It seems like even if I wasn’t contaminated by this darkness, I was definitely being affected by it to some degree.’

My mind must have been hazy.

Even after coming here, I was just mindlessly working hard.

Maybe I got too excited about not being scared anymore… Anyway.

‘I should check to be sure.’

I was about to take out a new candy from my tattoo, but stopped, feeling it was somehow wasteful.

I needed permission from the great host after all.

“Brown, could you give me back that candy you took earlier?”

[Hmm?]

“Since I’ve eaten, I thought I’d have one as a snack.”

[Oh… I see. Understood.]

Brown placed a candy back on my palm.

Nostalgia Candy.

[Here you go, Sol-eum!]

Now I remembered clearly.

‘If I eat this candy, I return to my peak physical condition from the past 10 years.’

Thanks to this, I survived at Sekwang Technical High School.

‘Good.’

I popped the candy into my mouth.

…

Hmm.

‘No change at all?’

I just… feel like I got confirmation of something.

‘This probably means my current state is the best it’s been.’

They say stress is the root of all illness, so I guess it’s important for people to do work that suits them.

From now on, I just… won’t skip meals and only work…

Even though working at this supernatural talk show made it seem like skipping meals wasn’t a big deal, it clearly had this kind of effect.

‘Come to think of it, only working was pretty strange too.’

I set down my empty wine glass and spoke seriously.

“Brown. No matter how I think about it, I need to say this…”

[Hmm?]

“About my employment contract. Shouldn’t we discuss things like vacation and salary?”

[Oh… Sol-eum.]

Brown looked at me with a somewhat troubled expression, then the TV emoticon held its forehead.

[Of course my show’s crew is guaranteed sufficient vacation and silver coins… I’m baffled by what explanation you received on your first day.]

Is, is that so?

‘Maybe I wasn’t in my right mind from not eating.’

Come to think of it, my memories of the first few days working here were hazy.

I even seem to have lost all the items I used at Daydream Corporation… This is driving me crazy.

“Sorry. But I’d like to negotiate working conditions even now.”

[Of course, Noru!]

After eating well and with a clear mind, I engaged in intense negotiations with the host and completed an employment contract.

Two days off per week, summer and winter vacation, 50 mysterious silver coins with performance bonuses every six months…

Hmm. Not bad.

[Then let’s sign the contract before this week ends!]

“Got it.”

[Now you’ll be officially working on the talk show. Oh, that’s right. I also had a brilliant idea that came to me while doing today’s live broadcast!]

[I came to the waiting room to tell you about it, but I was so shocked to see you putting candy in your mouth after fasting for a month that I forgot. My goodness!]

“Haha… Um. Sorry. What is it?”

Brown pointed at my forearm with his gloved hand.

[I’m talking about Noru’s tattoos.]

Ah.

I lifted my arm to look at the letters.

My forearm was mottled red and blue where the makeup had been unevenly wiped off.

[It must be annoying to get makeup every time you appear now. Oh, a workaholic like Noru who tries to work even during break time would find it even more so! In that sense…]

[How about we just erase them completely?]

“…”

[Think about it. It would save time and be a chance to escape from annoying constraints…]

“Wait a minute.”

[‘Wait a minute’? Aha, do you have concerns?]

“These tattoos have been useful in many ways.”

[Haha! What was I thinking!]

[That’s a story from when you were working at that painful company with no fun or proper treatment.]

[Sol-eum is now a crew member of this wonderful talk show! You’ll be treated well wherever you go. You can even get free sundae ice cream at the boutique. Come now, let’s cleanly erase these messy scraps of writing.]

Hmm.

“Still, this… seems like it could be used in interesting ways.”

Especially the inventory tattoo.

‘It seems like it could be used for various interesting productions on the talk show too.’

Like pulling something out of my arm like magic to surprise the audience. Even if I don’t come on stage, wouldn’t it be good for helping staff carry sets or lighting equipment when needed?

“Why should I get rid of an ability I already have? I’m asking because I’m not really convinced.”

[Hmm.]

The host clasped his hands together.

[Yes, Sol-eum. After eating and regaining your energy, you’re showing a more inherently independent side… Good!]

[Then I’ll look into this separately. I’ll find something that can produce very similar effects.]

[To even covet magician’s tricks! Such a passionate attitude, it’s touching. Haha!]

An emoticon wiping away tears appears on Brown’s TV screen.

[Then spend the remaining rest time comfortably, friend!]

“Yeah. Thanks.”

The host confirmed that the catering staff cleanly cleared away the meal traces from my waiting room, then waved and left my waiting room.

“Phew.”

I sat down on the sofa.

The next talk show wasn’t one I was appearing on, and this week’s guest booking and production meetings were already finished, so I had some free time.

‘Then should I do some organizing?’

Since the tattoo might be erased, it wouldn’t be bad to organize the items inside the tattoo for now.

Since I noticed I’d lost items I received from Baekillmong Corporation, I might as well properly check what’s inside while I’m at it.

Thud.

I put my hand into the inventory tattoo and started taking out various items, laying them out on the table.

‘Most of them are all intact and fine.’

Besides company items, what disappeared was the blood bath… ah, this was in the bathroom too. So it’s gone.

Even the specialized equipment made by the company was perfectly intact…

Among them were things I didn’t make myself, but received as gifts.

“Ah.”

I took out a black button the size of a fingernail.

…It’s Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je’s communication button.

‘Could this be the button that Manager Lee Ja-heon was talking about?’

Hmm, it must have meant to keep in contact.

‘How thoughtful.’

I should try using it when I get vacation time later. I smiled and put the button away.

And past the Happy Maker, emergency rations, blood absorption knife, wrapping paper, Necronomicon…

I can see the red button too.

We Help! – ₩66,666,666

‘Surely this wasn’t the button they were talking about.’

This kind of thing is for pressing in life-or-death moments, isn’t it!

There’s no reason or need to recommend it to a job-changer who’s working perfectly fine.

I casually placed it on the table.

‘Almost done?’

Now there’s almost nothing left in the tattoo… ah, there’s one more.

A paper bag with a theme park mascot drawn on it emerges from the tattoo.

What fills the bag are dragon-shaped churros.

[Blue Soda Churros]

Wow.

‘It’s been so long I can barely remember when this was from.’

I think this was left over after I sold one to the Disaster Management Bureau official?

Still, since it was stored in the inventory tattoo, it didn’t seem to have gone bad.

I was about to put it on the table… but stopped to examine it due to a strange feeling.

Text I couldn’t read before became readable.

Ecstatic Taste

Healthy Snack for Children

A healthy snack.

‘…Is it okay to eat?’

Because, well, the host said it was okay to eat candy too.

And he told me to take good care of my meals!

‘If I erase the tattoo, it’ll go bad, so it might not be bad to eat it quickly before then.’

It would be a waste, wouldn’t it.

‘Right.’

I put the churros in my mouth.

The churros with a popping texture like junk food crunches in my mouth and goes down my throat…

And.

And…

“~~!!”

Something surges up from my throat.

Splash splash splash.

Dark blue water began pouring out of the mouth that had swallowed the churros.

Seawater with a salty smell.

“…!! ~!!”

Seawater completely fills from my throat to my mouth and pours out crazily onto the talk show waiting room floor.

I, I can’t breathe!

I can’t breathe!

‘Wh-what is this…’

What kind of healthy snack is this, damn… no! I shouldn’t curse! But what the hell can I do in this situation…

No, no. My consciousness is getting hazy, maybe because oxygen is running low. I’m dy-dying…

…

‘That thing.’

We Help.

I barely managed to place my hand on the table.

As I frantically rummaged through the items I had laid out, the moment the red button touched my hand.

“~!!”

I wildly swung my arm to hit the table and pressed the button.

Now seawater was streaming from my eyes, nose, and ears as well.

‘S-save me…’

And then.

Beeeeeep!

An alarm went off like crazy in my head…

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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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