Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 143

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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 143

Several days in the eerie mart ghost story.

Days filled with a shriveling mind, severed arm, cold sweat, tension, shock, and terror.

‘Ah.’

My arm hurts.

But it’s okay. I’m out of there now.

From now on, I can relax and….

I don’t think so?

….

Huh?

I think you’re still there.

I raised my head.

I looked around.

I could see the gloomy and bizarre darkened mart’s 2nd Floor Food Court.

I was… still standing there.

“….”

I’m still here?

Was escaping just a dream?

Was escape… impossible?

Did I misjudge?

Then why did I cut my arm?

I….

-Oh my, you’re having a nightmare. Friend!

“…!!”

I opened my eyes.

Sunlight stung my eyes.

It was a clean and peaceful Hospital Room. Clear late winter sunlight was streaming through the Window.

…It’s not the mart.

I gasped for breath.

Peaceful.

‘…It’s Reality.’

Right.

After successfully escaping Lucky Mart, I was transported by the ambulance sent by the Disaster Management Bureau.

And then I lost consciousness….

“Ah, you’re awake.”

“…?!”

When I turned my head, I saw someone in agent uniform sitting in the Caregiver’s chair, peeling an apple.

…?

“Did you sleep well? You seemed to be having a nightmare.”

He had the appearance of a lanky Office Worker, but strangely had prominent scars around his neck area… an unfamiliar person.

Who is this?

The person who made eye contact with me held out a piece of the apple he had finished peeling and winked.

“Nice to meet you, junior~ Thanks to you, I got to experience entering Lucky Mart and coming out in 3 minutes.”

“…!”

Ah.

“That’s right. I’m the Agent you summoned.”

To resume the mart’s operations, I had made a High School Student send a rescue request text to the Disaster Management Bureau.

‘The one who was dispatched because of that….’

Must be this person.

“I heard the story. They said junior came up with the reverse idea of ‘making the mart Door open’? That’s exactly the kind of talent needed for this work.”

“….”

“Hey, don’t be embarrassed.”

When I quietly lowered my gaze, the smiling Male Employee stood up from his seat and extended his hand.

“Let me introduce myself first? Um, I’m a bit embarrassed to use my Agent codename….”

Wait a minute.

This line is….

“Just call me Agent Choi.”

“….”

My goodness.

‘It’s that Agent.’

The protagonist of almost the only concrete Exploration record related to the 4th Floor that I had recalled.

Agent Choi : Welcome to Lucky Mart!

The Disaster Management Bureau Agent who had originally gone missing horribly while exploring Lucky Mart 4th Floor.

‘An early named character…!’

Right.

He was a named character from before the setting that ‘Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau Agents are called by codenames’ was created as the worldview expanded.

Agent Choi.

He was one of the characters who was very active back when the Darkness Investigation records only had government Exploration records without data from other organizations.

‘…That scar on his neck.’

I remember why that happened too. It was… the Cold Storage Ghost Story.

I swallowed.

‘He was a regular in famous early Exploration records….’

Even though his end was a horrible disappearance.

There was an uproar about whether it was okay to make an early named character disappear so horribly, but it passed despite opposition and tears, with people saying ‘isn’t this properly fitting for a Ghost Story worldview.’

But….

‘…Hasn’t it changed?’

The moment mine and Go Young-eun’s testimonies are conveyed, the Stair Landing leading to the 4th Floor will be used for other purposes.

‘The guidelines will also include recommendations.’

Then the timeline would change.

Agent Choi might not need to open the 4th Floor Door.

Right now, he had even entered Lucky Mart and ‘just’ came out in 3 minutes.

‘My goodness.’

An early named character’s fate has changed.

I felt a strange emotion for a moment as I looked at him, then barely managed to respond belatedly.

“Yes, Agent Choi.”

“You can call me Senior Agent Choi if you want.”

Agent Choi winked, then his cheerful expression slightly dimmed as he looked at my severed right arm.

But his face still wore a smile.

“Don’t worry about the arm. We’ll take care of all the ‘countermeasures’.”

“….”

“Just rest up for now. Oh, wait a minute!”

Then he swung open the door to the hospital room I was in and pushed someone who seemed to be waiting outside into the room.

…It was the Bronze Agent.

He had tidied up his appearance and was wearing casual clothes instead of his agent uniform, but somehow his complexion didn’t look very good.

“…You’re awake. That’s a relief.”

“Yes.”

A strangely awkward atmosphere flowed between us.

However, Agent Choi cheerfully patted the Bronze Agent’s back and offered me another peeled apple.

“Jae-gwan, I mean, the Bronze Agent put you straight into Xuanwu Team 1, right? I was wondering why that rigid guy suddenly ignored procedures and brought in a new employee, but as expected, he has a good eye.”

Then he extended his hand to me.

“Welcome to Xuanwu Team 1. You’re going to do meaningful work.”

“….”

“Come on, you want to call me senior comfortably now, right?”

Hmm….

About that.

“No. I….”

I deliberately bowed my head with a frightened and depressed expression.

“Please, I want to transfer departments.”

“…?!”

Sorry, but this is what I was aiming for.

‘A chance to escape the rescue team…!’

Honestly, there weren’t many ways to get out of a situation where I was already registered with the Emergency Rescue Team.

Even in modern society, if you cling to your boss’s pants because you don’t like the department you’ve been assigned to at work, wouldn’t you be marked as a troublemaker?

‘That would be the worst for a real spy….’

But due to the nature of the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau, there was one escape route.

Namely… traumatic experience!

‘It’s the blind spot of ghost story investigation.’

The fact that you never know what might happen.

But what if a new employee barely escaped their first ghost story after making extreme attempts like cutting off their own arm?

This was an organization with enough compassion to let you out if you expressed trauma.

‘This will definitely work.’

The problem was.

I seemed to have… done the job a bit better than expected.

“Just once more! Let’s try just once more!”

A veteran named agent was tearing at his hair like some crying internet meme, trying to persuade me….

“This is your calling! You survived an irregular situation and even brought back one more civilian along with the agent! This is an incredible achievement!”

It sounded like a wail of not being able to give up useful personnel.

Just like a government official suffering from chronic staff shortages. The relaxed, socially adept professional I had sensed earlier had disappeared….

Now he was even pointing at my severed arm.

“And the decisiveness to risk cutting off your arm, no, to risk bodily harm!”

Hmm.

“About that.”

I gasped with a pale face.

“It was insane.”

“….”

Sorry, but I’m going to attack your conscience a bit.

“I, I don’t even know what state of mind I was in when I did that.”

I do know.

“I’m a little… sorry. I know I’ll seem weak, but I can’t do it.”

But… these are all scripted words.

The more I spoke, the more sincere it became.

“I feel like I’m going to die from stress at this rate.”

I clenched my remaining hand tightly and bowed my head, muttering.

“I was so anxious that the kids might die….”

“….”

Agent Choi finally opened and closed his mouth before shutting it.

“I absolutely can’t… do any more. I’m sorry.”

“….”

The atmosphere in the hospital room grew heavy.

“Hmm… Right. That’s completely understandable.”

Agent Choi spoke with a slightly calmer demeanor, skillfully sitting down in the caregiver’s chair.

“But transferring departments after just your first mission when your assignment is already decided won’t be good for you. … You might be misunderstood as being kicked out and treated as a troublemaker.”

His calm, concerned voice worried about the future.

And he continued with a subtle tone.

“Of course, you won’t get fired, but the rumors going forward….”

“I’ll restore your original status.”

“Jae-gwan!”

“As a temporary agent who hasn’t been assigned to a department yet.”

Ryu Jae-gwan interrupted and disrupted Agent Choi’s plan.

Then he glanced at me and averted his gaze with a dark expression.

“…Try working in other teams as you wish. After 3 weeks are over, just tell me which department you prefer.”

“…!”

“That much… I can do within my authority.”

“…Thank you.”

“Hey, at least meet our elder first… Sigh.”

Agent Choi sighed.

“Right. It is proper to experience other departments for 3 weeks…”

That’s how it was settled.

-Agent Kim Sol-eum will experience various departments for 3 weeks like a proper new employee, then report his preferred assignment to the Bronze Agent.

-The Bronze Agent will actively recommend Kim Sol-eum’s desired assignment to higher-ups using his senior authority.

…Like this.

“Think about it. We’re really a good team.”

Agent Choi continued telling me to ‘keep your options open’ while making various appeals.

Saying I would do well, that everyone in our team was full of character and fun, that the work would be truly rewarding….

And finally, this topic came up too.

“And about the kids you saved.”

“…!”

“Aren’t you curious about what happened to them?”

The students we rescued this time.

Agent Choi nudges Ryu Jae-gwan and pushes him toward me.

“Please tell us, Bronze Agent.”

“…All three returned home safely.”

Ah.

The Bronze Agent calmly explained to me the whereabouts of the three.

Their injuries were properly treated and they had tearful reunions with their families.

And the High School Student I was in charge of actively participated in interviews with the Disaster Management Bureau, apparently expressing how much help I had provided at Lucky Mart.

“…They kept asking if you were safe, so now I can give them a proper answer.”

Student Lee Su-bin, who had suffered such severe mental trauma that she lost her reason, also received light memory erasure treatment and recovered well.

And during this process, regarding the Nostalgia Candy the student had been eating, the Bronze Agent apparently even made excuses to the government that it was ghost story-derived food he had obtained.

He talked about it so casually as if it was nothing that I almost missed it.

‘…How grateful.’

“All three people wanted to see you in person and express their gratitude.”

When told it was difficult due to Management Bureau guidelines, they said they would send letters instead.

“…That’s all.”

So everything was wrapped up well.

Including Go Young-eun.

“And the agent you rescued is also recovering, but should be able to return to duty soon.”

“…Yes.”

I exhaled deeply and rested my head on the bed. And without realizing it, I savored the moment.

Everyone is safe.

They all returned alive and well.

“Happy?”

“…”

“Right. I thought so. That’s your calling… Ugh!”

Agent Choi smiled with a friendly face, but Ryu Jae-gwan pushed Agent Choi toward the door.

“Ah! Jae-gwan is going to kill someone!”

“Well then, please rest more for now. …Don’t worry about other things.”

“Yes.”

I bowed my head to the Bronze Agent while sitting on the bed.

“Thank you for… being so considerate.”

“…No.”

The Bronze Agent looked at me with a complicated expression, but eventually turned his head toward the door.

“But that junior really is perfect for Xuanwu Team 1… Hmm. Well, rest well!”

Receiving the Bronze Agent’s terrifying glare, Agent Choi also closed his mouth, and so the two left the hospital room.

Creeeeak.

“…Phew.”

It ended well.

I let out a long sigh of relief and lay back down on the bed.

‘Escape from Emergency Rescue Team… success.’

It was an excellent result.

However.

‘It’s awkward.’

Both being without an arm and the relationship with the Bronze Agent.

‘He’s showing goodwill, but it also seems like his feelings are somewhat hurt.’

Still, it was fortunate that I seemed to have definitely escaped from being suspected as a spy.

“…Heave.”

I tried not to be conscious of the pain from my empty right arm and deliberately stretched with a sound.

Then the words I heard earlier naturally came to mind.

-Don’t worry about your arm. We’ll take care of all the ‘countermeasures’.

…’Countermeasures’.

Various treatments the Disaster Management Bureau provides to agents with physical defects came to mind.

Including the most impressive and anticipated method among them.

‘Well, even if that’s too expensive and they don’t provide it, they won’t just leave me like this at minimum…’

And also.

There was an opportunity to extract another ‘method’ before the Disaster Management Bureau took countermeasures.

“Hmm.”

I found my smartphone in the bedside table.

And checked the text message received yesterday evening.

[Consultation Schedule / I’ll see you this Friday. Teacher Soleum^^]

The time to make my first report on spy activities to Director Ho was approaching.

And I wasn’t planning to only give a work report at that meeting.

‘I need to extract everything I can.’

“Director, I’m filing for workers’ compensation.”

“…!”

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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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