Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 133

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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 133

Me, a Disaster Management Bureau rescue team member.

When I can barely take care of myself, I have to enter ghost stories to save citizens.

‘Is this a dream?’

But it was reality.

I even had to enter a ghost story right now to rescue people.

7:30 PM.

It was exactly 1 hour and 30 minutes after the aptitude test ended and I was appointed.

But I had already received agent equipment from headquarters due to a Bronze Agent’s emergency request.

And I was riding a Disaster Management Bureau public bicycle, racing toward the supernatural disaster site.

‘…The sun has already set.’

Riding a bicycle in this cold and looking at the dim outside made me shiver and think many thoughts…

“Citizens caught up in supernatural disasters can also request rescue through the number on the guidance notice the Bureau has prepared in advance.”

Yes…

‘And I also know that number is a mysterious rescue number that sometimes works even inside ghost stories.’

Listening to the Disaster Management Bureau-style ghost story rescue briefing made my mind feel hazy.

I pedaled the bicycle almost mechanically, following the agent.

“When entering supernatural disasters, bicycles are actually safer than traveling by car.”

‘Yes. Most transportation methods either don’t work in ghost stories or can cause the worst kinds of accidents…’

It was fun when reading the setting, but actually doing it was really cold and difficult.

By the way, the equipment was more abundant than what I received as a temporary agent.

Glass cloth, iron badge, notebook, and… fishing line.

“You must never lose the fishing line. It’s a necessary tool when you need to make an emergency escape alone from this supernatural disaster.”

“…Yes.”

I felt a bit guilty remembering what happened when I was a temporary agent before, but I won’t deny that I was somewhat excited.

Of course, the most important thing is this.

So which ghost story am I entering now!

“The supernatural disaster we’re entering now to rescue citizens is…”

The disaster is?

The Bronze Agent who looked back at my expression and hesitated for a moment continued in a slightly kinder tone.

“…You don’t need to be that nervous. The citizen who requested rescue probably won’t die during the time it takes to hear the explanation.”

“…Yes.”

The direction of that kindness was wrong…

“Let’s start with the explanation.”

“Yes.”

I said I understand.

The Bronze Agent who turned his head forward again spoke while cycling through the desolate neighborhood with no people around.

“Kim Sol-eum, do you remember a chain called Lucky Mart?”

“…”

“It’s a chain that withdrew from Korea 11 years ago, but it’s famous in English-speaking countries… Agent?”

“Yes. I’ve heard of it.”

‘Oh my goodness.’

It wasn’t just at the level of having heard of it.

I knew it so well it was problematic.

A giant mart chain called Lucky Mart.

…A ghost story based on that motif.

Back when was still records of the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau in its very early days. It was also the seventh creative ghost story written.

People who urgently went out to find a mart at night accidentally discovered a Lucky Mart branch and entered it.

And they disappeared.

A large shopping mall.

It was a familiar everyday space, but at the same time, an exciting and chilling story that maximized the fear given by the mechanically repetitive, massive-scale space.

That is, when reading it.

‘It’s Catastrophic-class.’

That was a ghost story two levels higher than the mountain lodge where the serial killer appeared, where I met the Bronze Agent, according to the Disaster Management Bureau classification.

In Baekillmong Corporation terms, it was close to B-grade!

I broke out in a cold sweat and racked my brain.

‘…Were there more cases where Disaster Management Bureau agents entered Lucky Mart to rescue civilians and successfully rescued them?’

Most of them… seemed to have been successfully rescued.

Of course, there were many cases in the exploration records where things went wrong due to special situations. But usually, those special cases are what get recorded in detail on wikis, so I shouldn’t be too nervous… damn it.

‘I want to see it directly.’

I don’t know why the item repair isn’t completed.

Memorial phone grip!

I groaned thinking about my item for checking , where the adhesive still hadn’t hardened and remained as is.

‘They definitely said the repair would be finished after a month.’

The agent who was imitating a dokkaebi didn’t seem like they would lie.

‘…It must be one of two things.’

Either the item that popped out of the goods box couldn’t be properly repaired.

…Or I spent the past month in ghost stories, so it wasn’t properly counted as a ‘period.’

‘Either way, I need a backup plan.’

Lucky Mart was such a famous ghost story that I remembered almost every detail. In that sense, it might actually be fortunate that a well-known ghost story appeared…

‘But there will come a time when this kind of luck won’t work anymore.’

Remembering how I couldn’t recall the Silver Heart Owner’s identity during the Tamra Express incident still made my heart feel cold.

To avoid facing such a situation again, the Memorial phone grip was absolutely necessary.

‘Now that I’m an agent, getting a new one should actually be easier.’

Let me keep getting a new one as Plan B in my head in case this one continues not being repaired.

I racked my brain while thinking about the broken Memorial phone grip I had carefully stored in my pocket, wrapped in cushioning material.

Meanwhile, the Bronze Agent’s ‘Lucky Mart’ briefing continued.

“It’s a disaster you can only enter after sunset, but the rescue caller’s timing was lucky.”

“…May I ask about the rescue caller’s appearance and clothing?”

The Bronze Agent spoke calmly.

“Two high school first-year students.”

Wow.

‘Of all things, minors…’

Now I couldn’t even cut my losses and run away midway due to guilt.

I suppressed a groan and studied the appearance description and explanation given at the time of the report that the Bronze Agent handed me.

The Bronze Agent looked at me with what seemed like an empathetic gaze and said.

“…Don’t worry too much. The explanation that they can survive for about half a day also applies to high school students.”

“…Yes.”

I was really starting to feel guilty.

“However, two agents who entered earlier are currently in short-term missing status in that supernatural disaster.”

“…”

“Don’t worry. They weren’t rescue agents. It was an accident that happened during routine sealing method exploration.”

What hopeful news that is, Agent…

“Since we need to proceed with rescue work while being alert, please refrain from impulsive actions. Absolutely.”

“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”

I swallowed the words “Do we really have to bring a new agent in there?” that rose to my throat.

Anyway, that person knows I’m an experienced new hire, so there’s no way they’ll go easy on me.

Ding.

I listened to the cheerful sound from the bicycle bell with a not-so-cheerful mood as I continued pedaling.

And the Bronze Agent naturally slowed down and began to let me take the lead.

“…Agent?”

“We’ll be ‘wandering around’ like this for over 20 minutes. …Since someone who doesn’t properly know the location of that building needs to lead the way, please move ahead first.”

I remember now.

In the cold, I silently pedaled my bicycle around the unfamiliar neighborhood.

With the purpose of finding a mart constantly in my head, looking around and wandering without navigation…

“…Bronze Agent.”

I stopped my bicycle.

“I think I found it.”

And I saw a fairly large 3-story building standing tall between the dark streetlights…

The mart’s sign glowing green.

Saengsaeng Mart

It wasn’t a chain store, but one of those local marts with their own brand that you’d find in any neighborhood.

“…”

No.

The moment I blinked again…

LUCKYMART

In front of the mart building, I could see the familiar chain store logo.

As if it hadn’t been maintained for years, the electronic display board’s letters were covered in dust or some sections weren’t lit up at all.

“…”

If I look more closely, more carefully at the sections that aren’t lit up…

Flicker.

The lights come on.

LOOKY MART

A different phrase from what I had casually read was there…

“Don’t be too conscious of it.”

“…!”

That’s right.

LUCKYMART

I saw Lucky Mart.

‘Good thing I was looking for a mart.’

I parked my bicycle nearby and approached the mart building that was still lit up and operating.

Let’s naturally enter ‘Lucky Mart’ like this.

After all, Lucky Mart is a huge mart chain spread throughout this country, so if I don’t intentionally think about it, there’s no reason to be nervous…

When spotting the mart after sunset, one enters with the illusion that Lucky Mart hasn’t withdrawn yet.

The automatic doors smoothly opened as I entered the bright interior.

It was a typical mart.

Somewhat old-fashioned and cheap, but with such an everyday feel that you could casually pass it off as an old neighborhood mart.

First floor. Daily necessities section.

Children’s toys were piled up on the seasonal special display.

An outdated pop song was playing.

“Is that the idol song you like?”

“No mom! They’re rookies who just debuted from MS Entertainment…”

Shopping people passed by.

…A family holding old smartphones, dressed in clothes that were trendy over 10 years ago.

Past shoppers.

Upon entry, shoppers casually grocery shopping can be seen, and these are confirmed to be actual past shoppers from when Lucky Mart was in operation.

“…”

“Hahaha!”

The shoppers passed by to the side.

Not only were their clothes out of fashion, but considering the cold winter outside, their thin clothing created a sense of disconnect.

As if only inside this mart, with just one door between us, time flowed differently.

“They’re not people caught up in a disaster. Ignore them.”

“…”

I slowly nodded my head.

‘The rescue reporters are… estimated to be somewhere on basement level 1.’

Reporter 1: Pl-please help us. We came into the mart but something’s wrong…! Ah, no one can see us, and it’s like, like an old mart.

Reporter 1: Our surroundings? Uh, well, so… we’re near the snack corner right now. Yes, we’re thirsty too…

“Moving to the basement.”

I nodded and slowly followed the agent.

This place, which seemed to perfectly recreate the past Lucky Mart, still looked fine for now.

No, I might have even felt wonder and nostalgia as if I had entered the past.

That is, if I didn’t know this was a ghost story.

“…”

My throat tightened with tension.

Damn, this is driving me crazy.

All the terrible cases I saw in the darkness investigation records are coming back to me.

Come to think of it, ‘Lucky Mart’ was also a ghost story with particularly many unexpected situations in the exploration records…!

‘C-calm down.’

The Bronze Agent wouldn’t have suddenly brought a new employee on hardcore difficulty rescue work.

I swallowed as I rode the escalator down.

Then… between the two escalators going up and down, I spotted what looked like a receipt-like piece of paper that had fallen.

Wait a minute.

‘Could that be…’

I quickly reached out and grabbed that receipt-like note.

“…! You found it already. That’s a guide distributed by the Management Bureau.”

Right.

An escape guide placed here and there, avoiding the eyes of employees, for innocent civilians caught up in this ghost story.

‘The reporter probably saw this too.’

I checked the contents of the receipt.

Please take slow, deep breaths.

You are caught in a supernatural disaster.

However, there is no need to despair.

There have been at least dozens of successful escape cases from this disaster, and the government has recorded escape methods here for you.

Please check the guide on the back page.

…Hmm, just reading it makes me feel like I’d get anxiety – it’s really a typical manual-style ghost story guide.

‘Before making people take deep breaths, they should probably fix the red color and font first….’

But the content itself was exactly as I knew it.

When I turned to the back page, the guide was the same too.

‘…I’m not sure which version this is.’

Among the escape methods written in the guide, there are several that no longer work as exploration rounds accumulate.

This is because situations change as objects, targets, and structures change over time.

‘Of course, there are also contents that don’t change.’

Like this.

The ghosts standing at all entrances will not move until business hours end. Don’t worry.

“….”

Right.

At the entrance I came through, there would probably be a bizarre ‘ghost’ standing there by now….

And secretly running out when that ghost couldn’t see was the easiest escape method.

If business hours haven’t ended even once since you entered, there’s still a chance.

You can get out by blocking the ghost’s line of sight.

However, not everyone is lucky.

Reporter 1: *sob*, yes. I saw the escape method in the guide, but we can’t do it…. We don’t have anything to throw over the ghost…. We couldn’t steal any products either. We, we can’t reach it…!

‘This is when an agent is needed.’

More precisely, someone who has useful items for this situation and knows how to use them properly.

So we needed to secure the reporter’s identity and get out of here right before business hours ended.

‘When business hours end, it really becomes a horror escape game.’

And very fortunately, we were able to immediately spot two people in school uniforms near the escalator on basement level 1, in the snack corner.

“Huuuuung….”

Two high school students huddled in a corner, crying loudly.

These were the reporters.

“Would you like to speak to them directly?”

“…What?”

“Try it calmly. This is also practice.”

“Y-yes….”

For some reason, Bronze Agent looked at me with warm eyes.

I broke out in a cold sweat for a different reason.

I carefully approached the two teenagers, crouched down in front of them, and made eye contact.

“Hello. You’re the ones who called for rescue, right?”

“…!!”

“Uh, uhhhhh!”

Thud.

Both high school students fell backward.

“You’re, you’re human, right?! You can see us, right?”

“Yes. I can see you clearly.”

I smiled as much as possible.

“We came after receiving the report. You’ve been through so much until now.”

“Huuuuung….”

The kids are crying like their tears are flowing from faucets.

Even considering it’s midwinter and the sun set early, they must have been trapped for about 3 hours, and they seem completely traumatized during that time.

“Wh-what about the ghost at the entrance? Can we really get out?”

“Of course. Don’t worry.”

I pointed behind me and tossed all responsibility to Bronze Agent!

“The person behind me is a really capable agent…. We’ll be able to get out.”

“Wow….”

And the high school students seemed to gradually compare my disheveled appearance with Bronze Agent’s neat appearance, then slowly moved toward Bronze Agent.

‘Their survival instincts are working.’

“Um, are we leaving now?”

“That’s right.”

One kid completely stuck close and stood next to Bronze Agent like grabbing onto a lifeline.

Good job. That’s it!

I sighed in relief and checked the digital clock on my wrist.

‘So if we head to the entrance now….’

[ 20 : 24 ]

8:24 PM.

As far as I knew, the ‘Lucky Mart’ ghost story had its time flow synchronized with reality down to these hours, minutes, and seconds.

‘Closing time is 11 o’clock.’

There was still plenty of time. We could definitely get out by working with items.

And Bronze Agent seemed about to explain the same thing.

“Closing time is 11 o’clock, so we still have plenty of time. Stay calm….”

Na na na na na na nan na na na na na nan~

“….”

…I unconsciously looked up.

The Lucky Mart jingle was playing cheerfully….

Like some kind of notification sound.

-Hello, customers. Thank you for visitingLucky Mart again today.

-As announced, our mart will close at 8:30 PM today, May 1st, in commemoration of Labor Day.

“…!”

-Customers still inside the store, please follow the staff’s guidance and exit.

Thud thud thud thud thud thunk.

The store lights slowly go out from far in the distance.

As if preparing for closing, only minimal lighting began to remain in the store.

…The escalator stops operating.

-We will make the announcement once more.

-Please follow the Employee’s guidance and exit outside.

“Why…!”

I covered the High School Student’s mouth and crouched down.

Do not be spotted by the Employee organizing the mart after business hours. They will guide you outside.

Outside is not Reality.

Na na na na na na nan na na na na na nan~

“…”

We’re screwed.

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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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