Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 149

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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 149

As I’ve painfully experienced several times before, most of the ghost stories handled by the Disaster Management Bureau result in casualties.

This is because human casualties must occur for something to be registered as a supernatural disaster.

In that sense, work that keeps you one step away from human casualties while still being active as a Disaster Management Bureau agent could seem quite… attractive.

No, I understand that, but.

“Dawn, um… driving with a ghost in the passenger seat?”

“Yes.”

“…”

Is this for real?

“Don’t worry. There have been no cases of drivers dying.”

“…”

“At most, it’s just minor heart attacks or fainting. You won’t need much mental preparation.”

I do need it though.

I almost looked at the Bronze Agent with betrayal and shock written all over my face, but barely held back.

‘Wait a minute.’

…If I openly say I’m scared here, won’t they tell me to quit?

I’d already whined once to get out of the Emergency Response Team, and if I did it again in succession, the Bronze Agent, who was already awkward with me, might cheerfully recommend I look for a different profession.

‘No way!’

That would be the worst spy route.

So I changed my strategy.

“But, I’m… in no condition to drive.”

“…”

I hung my head low and, while acting a bit pitiful, glanced at my empty right arm area.

Right.

‘They wouldn’t be crazy enough to make me drive with one hand…!’

Maybe if someone had trained with one arm from the beginning, but how could someone who suddenly lost an arm go on a drive with a ghost? At 2 AM no less!

With this, I could naturally get assigned to other work…

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

…

“Excuse me?”

The Bronze Agent looked at me with a faint smile for the first time in days.

“Your turn has come to have your arm taken care of.”

Ah.

When I think about it, it’s only natural.

The Disaster Management Bureau isn’t stupid – they wouldn’t just assign driving duties to someone missing an arm.

It’s only natural that they’d take some measures for my missing right arm before I start this job.

‘Should I laugh or cry about this?’

For now, I wanted to cry.

Anyway, thanks to this, I was finally entering the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau headquarters facility with the Bronze Agent.

‘I’m actually going to do this.’

“This way.”

“Yes…!”

I followed the Bronze Agent, and instead of entering the busy city hall where civil servants would be working… we came back out and walked between the city hall and Seoul Library.

It was a back road, dark with shadows from both buildings.

Walking along the shaded path behind Seoul Library, past the unmanned book return system booth…

‘Here.’

A connecting passage with glass finishing that links the city hall and library buildings loomed overhead.

When you come under that bridge…

Glint.

The metal badge I was wearing sparkled, illuminating the narrow flower bed below the library window.

And a door that hadn’t been visible before was revealed.

“…!!”

The flower bed suddenly became wide and deep, revealing a hidden space, with clean, opaque glass doors and a nameplate appearing.

[Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau]

“Please come in.”

And so, in the path between Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Library that countless passersby walk past indifferently, we entered the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau headquarters through the hidden door.

It was an automatic door, by the way.

‘Wow.’

And inside the headquarters… surprisingly, it looked like an ordinary public institution.

A space with moderately old and depreciated interior where adults of various ages in suits moved around conducting business.

Though the conversations they were having were far from ordinary.

“How many died?”

“Fifteen people.”

“What the hell has gotten into Dobong District lately? That crazy phone booth keeps…”

And they were moving busily.

Strange lights and shadows followed behind them, properly showing the atmosphere of this bizarre ghost story world’s public institution…

“The Disaster Management Bureau’s facilities are mainly located underground. The above ground is more difficult to hide, they say.”

“I see…”

I boarded the elevator following the Bronze Agent’s guidance.

The moderately old and modern elevator was familiar, but instead of buttons, the floor input was a keypad system.

‘Probably to prevent people from figuring out how many basement levels there are…’

[07]

The Bronze Agent quickly completed the input.

“The Equipment Management Team is on basement level 7.”

We got off at basement level 7, which had exactly the same structure as basement level 1 where we entered, and knocked on the door right in front of the corridor.

[Supernatural Equipment Registration Office]

When we opened the door and entered, a middle-aged civil servant sitting alone in the small office looked up and greeted us familiarly.

“Bronze Agent! I was just thinking about that team elder… Oh, is this the new agent!”

“…Yes. That’s right.”

“Hello…! I’m called Grape Agent…”

“Ahaha, I see. Nice to meet you! I’m Oh Jeong-hye, Principal Officer of the Equipment Management Team, and since I’m administrative staff and not a field agent, I don’t have a code name.”

The middle-aged principal officer smiled and guided me and the Bronze Agent inside.

When she opened what looked like a display case made of old wood in a deep color… the shelves extended deep inside, becoming a storage room.

“…!”

“Now, what Grape Agent will be receiving today is…”

The civil servant’s voice gradually grew distant, and the storage room before my eyes grew dark…

“This is it!”

Glint.

Something sparkled as if moonlight was hitting glass.

I looked at the object placed on the nearest shelf.

An old, cracked glass lantern.

However, it was so exquisitely crafted that light sparkled through the delicate glasswork.

And the shimmering pale blue flame in the center flickered excitedly upon seeing me.

“It’s a dokkaebi fire that came today, very lively! It’s quite excited to help you.”

My goodness.

The most wonderful and promising method had actually appeared.

“Would you like to try holding it?”

I carefully took the glass lantern with my trembling left hand.

At that moment, the glass lantern crumbled.

“…!”

The collapsed transparent lantern reassembled on my right arm with a clear sound like ice fragments.

And as the dokkaebi fire enveloped it, the next moment….

“It worked well!”

It had transformed into a perfectly normal arm.

I waved my arm.

…It moved well.

Without a single bit of pain.

‘Wow.’

Truly, among phenomena classified as ghost stories, this was the most heartwarming and pleasant kind.

‘This seems closer to folklore or folk tales.’

I clenched and unclenched my right hand several times, which moved according to my will yet felt mysteriously cool and smooth.

Then my right hand gave a thumbs up and down on its own.

“…?!”

“Ah, it’s a bit mischievous. But that will actually help you while working. Haha!”

“…Yes.”

So this is what happens to government officials when they get steeped in the ghost story worldview….

Thus, I came to fill the gap of my right arm with a spiritual dokkaebi fire.

Of course, it wasn’t given permanently.

“Since it wasn’t specially blessed with your birth details, it’ll return to lantern form after three days of use. Then you can come and recharge it.”

Right, I thought they couldn’t just give a customized official dokkaebi fire lantern to a new employee out of the blue.

What I received wasn’t a real dokkaebi fire lantern that could use actual dokkaebi tricks, but rather something like shared equipment.

‘If that were the case, the Disaster Management Bureau would have been game-breakingly powerful in the Darkness Investigation Records.’

“When you make it customized like that? You can’t just take it in this simplified form, and the agent has to undergo dokkaebi trials too… Phew, it’s powerful but troublesome work.”

Originally, that was treatment only available to team aces or team managers within the Disaster Management Bureau.

‘It would be more convenient to create an excuse to use regeneration potions in the meantime.’

Anyway, I bowed to the two government official superiors who even helped me fill out the withdrawal documents.

“Thank you.”

“Oh, don’t mention it.”

And the Principal Officer from the Equipment Management Division winked at me through his glasses and whispered a tip.

“You’re the first new employee that Bronze Agent has tried to take care of this much.”

“…!”

“He’s always overworking without showing it, and while I respect him, sometimes I feel sorry for him… It’s nice to see him getting along well with a new agent.”

“Ah, thank… you.”

“Not at all.”

I’m not sure if we’re getting along well, but anyway, after spending today together, he seemed much more polite and caring than I expected.

Did he sort things out mentally during my hospitalization?

‘He might have thought he should treat me well even if it’s uncomfortable since he owes me a life debt.’

Anyway, that was truly something to be grateful for.

Bronze Agent also said this during our return:

-…It will take time, but let’s come look for your customized dokkaebi fire later.

-…Thank you.

I was somewhat curious and intrigued.

What form would it take?

‘If I could use dokkaebi tricks too, would escaping ghost stories become much easier?’

Of course, there was a high probability that my spy work would end before then, and that would preferably be better for my personal situation, but the imagination itself wasn’t bad.

…Though the fact that something that wasn’t my arm was attached to my right side occasionally felt quite strange.

…And though I’m currently waiting until dawn to provide taxi service to a ghost.

‘Save me.’

I endured the waiting time while suppressing my groans.

Now that I had both arms, I was inevitably going to have to drive.

‘Ugh.’

Time flowed helplessly and instantly like that… and finally the time came.

2 AM.

The dark Express Bus Terminal Station.

It happened to be drizzling.

As public transportation stopped running, the crowds also disappeared and silence descended.

However, only two or three taxis like mine, targeting the night surcharge and the time when no other transportation was available, stood side by side on the roadside.

“….”

I gripped the steering wheel tightly.

Around 12:45 AM, we successfully rescued 3 citizens who had sent a rescue request saying they could see a ghost in the bathroom near Express Bus Terminal Station and couldn’t escape back to reality.

Now if we safely return the ghost to where it originally belonged, the supernatural phenomenon will end.

And I was assigned the role of ‘safely returning the ghost to where it originally belonged.’

‘…Bronze Agent said he’s preparing at the destination.’

Whew.

I took a deep breath alone in the silent vehicle.

A ghost that has already missed its sacrifices cannot directly harm the driver, but strange anomalous phenomena will occur in the vehicle it boards. Be careful to respond without panicking.

First, let me explain about the vehicle distributed to agents.

So what was assigned to me was this 4-seat taxi vehicle with two or more number ‘8’s included in the license plate.

This car where I’m currently sitting in the driver’s seat, barely enduring my anxiety.

The ghost will check the license plate at the taxi stand, then board the agent’s vehicle.

Eventually.

A long-haired figure appeared outside in the darkness, peering through the front windshield of the car.

It was… looking down at the license plate with its head deeply bowed.

“…!”

I tried my best to keep my hands steady on the steering wheel and appear calm and composed.

If the driver becomes agitated, the ghost may exit the taxi.

In this case, the supernatural disaster will not end. Please be careful.

The shadowy figure with long hair draped down staggered and moved strangely toward the passenger seat area.

And knocked on the door.

Tap, tap.

I unlocked the car door.

A person with long hair almost covering their face, wearing faded summer clothes unsuitable for the weather, got in.

As they entered the car, they muttered.

“Please take me to Sajiyuk Public Cemetery…”

Thud.

The passenger door closes.

“Understood.”

“This car’s license plate number is nice. The number… is niceeighteighteighteighteighteighteighteightniceeighteighteighteight”

I almost fainted.

“I see.”

I tapped the navigation system as calmly as possible.

Sajiyuk, public… cemetery.

-Search completed.

A place with a bizarre name that normally wouldn’t have been found was surprisingly located, and the navigation began guiding the route.

-Estimated arrival time at destination is 4:04.

“….”

Two hours.

I barely managed to press the pedal.

The car started and left Express Bus Terminal Station…

Vroooom…

The car was left with only the sound of the engine.

Now I had to sit in this cramped space with a ghost for two hours.

While driving without causing an accident.

“….”

“….”

A strange chill circulated inside the car.

The air freshener plaster placed on the dashboard swayed, emitting a smell that wasn’t flowers.

The smell of burning incense.

Suffocating silence.

-Turn left in 200 meters.

My hands gripping the steering wheel almost flinched.

Even the emotionless voice of the navigation made my spine run cold.

“….”

I tried my best not to be shaken, so I tried not to look to the side.

But not looking seemed even scarier. My hands on the steering wheel became sweaty, and the dark road ahead didn’t register properly in my vision.

Looking would probably be better! Not looking made it harder with imagination and suffocation.

‘Wait, just a moment.’

“….”

I glanced at the passenger seat. The long-haired woman sitting there quietly…

Her neck was twisted around.

“I can’t breathe.”

I looked at the steering wheel.

“It feels like someone is chas ing us from be hind!”

I fixed my gaze forward.

Cold sweat trickled down the back of my neck, making me keep recalling the image I just saw, completely, with her head twisted so her face was pressed against the headrest and only the back of her head covered in black hair was visible…

“Excuse me! Driver, there’s something chasing us from behind, look behind you, behind!”

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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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