Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 164

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Even If I Fall Into a Ghost Story, I Still Have to Go to Work Episode 164

‘That’s right, Team Leader!’

When did it start, I wonder, that pale reptilian head and vertical pupils beginning to feel tearfully welcome.

Seeing Lizard wearing a lizard mask, I almost stood up from my seat.

‘Of course, this isn’t quite the situation to be that happy about…’

Still, the memory of being super-saved by the physical strongest in those crazy ghost stories was so vivid.

Anyway, Manager Lizard, who seemed to have just returned from the darkness, was starting to report to the research team.

“It took 3 hours and 24 minutes to clear.”

“Ah, um. Manager. The detailed matters are a bit difficult to hear right now…”

“?”

“There are outsiders here.”

The research team gestured toward the office that had become a battlefield.

The space was littered with nearly thirty injured children, agents, and groaning Daydream employees.

“I see.”

In Manager Lee Ja-heon’s eyes, it probably just looked like he had cleared the darkness as usual and returned to find it full of civilians instead of employees, yet there was no disturbance at all. Very lizard-like.

However, what was concerning was that no one was following behind him.

‘The researcher definitely said Team D had returned.’

But Manager Lee Ja-heon was alone.

…Don’t tell me all the assigned employees died instantly?

Regardless of my doubts, the interaction among Baekillmong Corporation employees continued.

“Um, Manager. Please bring the dream collector this way…”

“Yes.”

“Thank you…! Um, please wait a moment.”

The processing of the mermaid tomb that was cleared first came first.

Lizard, who had returned the dream solution to the researcher, looked around the research team space that was unusually bustling.

As his gaze swept around like that… those blood-red eyes met mine.

“…”

No way.

‘Ah, did he recognize me?’

But soon his gaze turned away, and Manager Lizard silently walked into the center of the office and sat on the meeting sofa.

…Which means he walked in and sat down among the contaminated, blood-covered children without any concern.

“Th-there…”

Even the research team stammered.

It was such an extraordinary intensity that I could even hear the agents murmuring.

“…Agent. Do you happen to know him?”

“Lizard mask? No. If I’d seen him once, I definitely wouldn’t have forgotten.”

Agent Choi seemed to be seeing him for the first time too.

Hmm, that makes sense.

Manager Lee Ja-heon, that is Employee D, was a character who appeared when the Darkness Investigation Records had grown larger and anomalous gag clears became acceptable.

‘You could say his investigation record category doesn’t quite match with Agent Choi, who was mainly active in the early records.’

The children who had regained their strength after emergency treatment also glanced at the man wearing the lizard mask.

It would have been good if it ended there.

As time passed, the result of more ‘children regaining their strength’ like this was…

“Excuse me. Are we going to see our mom?”

“I-I want to go to the bathroom…”

“Su-bin says she’s hungry!”

Mainly the children who were in relatively good condition started looking around and raising their hands to speak.

Although they had terrible experiences in the sparkling dragon palace, they hadn’t lost their innocence because they had been in that fairy-tale-like hallucination.

Moreover, being left in pain on the uncomfortable office floor, it was already amazing that the children had endured this long.

“I need to pee…”

But this gave the researchers perfect material to lure the children away separately. Damn.

It seemed like the researchers would soon try to classify and separate the kids, saying ‘we’ll guide you to the bathroom, we’ll guide you to the cafeteria.’

The agents would follow like clockwork, but the problem was that there would be remaining children, so they’d be split up.

‘If the agents are separated one by one, it’ll become even harder to handle the Daydream employees.’

The agents were already in a state where they’d used up their stamina to the limit and suffered bruises all over their bodies.

This obvious scenario was easily predictable for the agents too, as both their faces became slightly cold.

Then… this can’t be helped.

‘I need to make the first move.’

And the safest employee here is…

‘Only I know.’

After suppressing a sigh, I whispered to one of the children who had said they wanted to go to the bathroom.

“Really? You know?”

“Yeah.”

Then the child stood up abruptly and shyly grabbed the pant leg of someone nearby and asked.

“Excuse me, mister. Where do we go for the bathroom…?”

“…!”

Manager Lee Ja-heon.

The lizard face sitting on the sofa looked down at the child blankly.

“Kids, wait…”

Before Agent Choi could speak, I incited the other children.

“Do you want to go too?”

“Yeah!”

“Me too!”

Gwak Je-gang wasn’t there, and all the familiar employees had disappeared for treatment and interviews.

Moreover, half of my face still bore traces of inflammation and necrosis from ulcers, so the possibility of someone recognizing me was extremely low.

‘I just need to act properly.’

I went to Manager Lee Ja-heon from among the children and asked as much like the other children as possible.

“Mister, can you take us to the bathroom?”

“Yes.”

The children who had flocked over also sparkled their eyes.

“Will you guide us?”

“Yes.”

And when Manager Lee Ja-heon stood up, the children finally giggled and clung to his thighs and such.

“Wow!”

I finally gave a small nod to the two agents.

It meant I would shout to alert them of danger if things went wrong.

The Bronze Agent seemed to realize I had chosen the ‘safest’ employee, and though with a complex expression, kept quiet and stayed still.

“Going out!”

Anyway, thanks to this, Manager Lee Ja-heon began walking down the corridor like a pipe-playing lizard with six or seven children attached.

And fortunately, there were no other variables until we safely finished using the nearby bathroom.

‘Phew.’

After helping the children who were too young to use the bathroom easily, I tried to clear my head by washing my hands with cold water at the washbasin.

‘It’s inconvenient having only one hand.’

And using this familiar company washbasin again made me feel like my mind was going to fly away.

‘I want to collapse onto a bed…’

I suppressed my fatigue and finished washing my hands.

And Lee Ja-heon quietly came up beside me.

Don’t tell me he’s trying to look after me because I’m a child….

“Noru.”

I almost struck the lizard’s head with my remaining hand.

“Anti-surveillance equipment is currently active. This conversation will not be leaked externally.”

Phew.

I turned on the faucet with my trembling hand and asked in a lowered voice.

“How did you recognize me? I mean, I don’t have arms right now and my age has changed….”

“? Yes. I determined it to be age change and physical loss of the same individual.”

“….”

Let’s move on.

Since he’s a reptilian alien who fires sacred fire bombardments, he must have different analysis methods….

“Anyway, thank you for your help. My identity almost got passed to the research team.”

“I see.”

“When returning to the room, I’d also like your support to prevent the children from following the researchers midway.”

“Yes.”

The lizard looked at the air for a moment with his lidless eyes before returning.

…The children haven’t come out of the bathroom yet, so we have time for this much conversation.

I hesitated slightly before asking.

“How have you been, Team Leader? I’d like to ask if the new employee who joined Team D is doing well, and if the darkness exploration is going okay….”

“There is no new employee.”

“…!”

“Team D is currently assigned to single-person entry darkness, and there are no special incidents.”

“…Yes.”

…That means Lee Ja-heon is working alone.

‘It’s been neglected.’

Just when the team was about to be promoted to an elite team for trial operation, I, the very person who made a deal with the director for promotion, went missing and was processed as dead.

As a result, Team D became like a kite with a broken string, left floating.

So it wouldn’t be strange at all if the company had been hesitating and neglecting the team itself for months, unable to decide what to do with it….

It was realistic, which somehow made it more bitter.

‘There must have been some gossip.’

Even though Lizard Team Leader was the type who didn’t care about such things at all.

….

“Um, Team Leader.”

I unconsciously opened my mouth.

“If I make purchases at the space shopping mall, would it help Manager Lee?”

“Purchase records from the space shopping mall have no direct connection to Lee Ja-heon’s life.”

However.

His snout curved into a slightly friendly line.

“But it helps us.”

It was a strange designation.

‘…It reminds me of ‘We help!’.’

Anyway, I understood that it meant indirect help.

In that case.

“Do I have to use only cash to use the shopping mall?”

“No.”

“…! Then item bartering is also possible?”

“No.”

Damn.

“Then how do I use other payment methods?”

“Use your VIP card. I will end this conversation. Someone is approaching.”

I understood the sentences sequentially.

Click!

The opaque glass door of the bathroom opened and someone entered with light steps up to the washbasin.

“Oh~ What pleasant conversation were you having with the child?”

Gwak Je-gang.

“I was guiding them to the bathroom.”

“Ah, biological needs! Important~ Especially for children.”

Gwak Je-gang in his white coat lowered his body as if matching my eye level.

‘Damn!’

I deliberately hung my head low and stepped back as if frightened.

Gwak Je-gang’s voice became small as if secretly offering special benefits.

“Want to come with uncle? We’ll eat delicious snacks, play with friends at the playground, and rest well~”

“….”

“Let’s just go with the friends here now. Just you guys specially, not the other friends.”

“…I want to see mommy and daddy.”

“Right! You can see mommy and daddy too!”

This bastard really.

“I don’t want to. Uncle is scary and ugly….”

“…!!”

I hid behind Manager Lee Ja-heon while hearing the children come out.

“Scary!”

“What? Why?”

“They say it’s scary!”

“That uncle must be scary….”

Young children are quick and easy to catch atmospheric contagion. Public opinion formed instantly, and they all hesitated and backed away from the scary white coat uncle, flocking behind the kind uncle.

“Well, I may not be as good-looking as Manager Lee, but still I’m somewhat… Ah, this is quite embarrassing.”

Gwak Je-gang scratched the back of his head while looking at the lizard with children hanging all over him.

Regret and obsession flashed in his eyes.

“Manager Lee, any chance you’d consider coaxing the kids….”

“?”

“I should ask for favors. Sigh.”

Gwak Je-gang clicked his tongue, but eventually turned around and… left the bathroom.

Creak.

The moment the bathroom door closed, I could hear several children unconsciously letting out sighs of relief.

…I have this thought.

Perhaps the children weren’t just caught up in the atmosphere, but instinctively sensed a harmful person….

“Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

Manager Lee Ja-heon once again became a pipe-playing lizard and led the children back to the research laboratory.

The suffocating tension was somewhat resolved as the agents who had been tensely watching the door let out brief sighs of relief.

‘…Thank you.’

I nodded my head inconspicuously to Manager Lee Ja-heon, and the manager continued to stand guard sitting on the sofa with his still expressionless reptilian face….

And an hour or two later.

“…People from the Disaster Management Bureau have arrived.”

The support we’d been waiting for came.

What happened afterward went more smoothly than expected.

The Disaster Management Bureau mobilized even rescue vehicles and came to Baekillmong Corporation as soon as they received Agent Choi’s emergency text, and with their readiness to escalate the situation as much as possible, the research team eventually backed down a step.

“We’ll just collect simple samples. That won’t harm anyone, so it should be fine, right?”

Bronze Agent was almost at the point of exploding, but in the end, the biological tissue collection from the ‘young mermaids’ did take place…

‘Since they’re scraping from the cut surface of the severed tail.’

That much didn’t harm the children.

What was slightly concerning was that they also cut away some of my flesh… I should quickly contact Director Ho to have this dealt with.

The important thing is.

“Wow!!”

We finally escaped from the ghost story.

“Oh my, the kids are all sleeping.”

The children had fallen fast asleep.

The children who boarded the ambulances sent by the Disaster Management Bureau were transported to headquarters in an instant.

And they washed up cleanly, received treatment from medical specialists, changed clothes, and ate meals.

After that, perhaps due to fatigue from the spectacular experiences, they finally fell into a deep sleep.

‘…Thank goodness.’

Of course, the agents were also finally able to shower with hot water and have meals.

“Grape finally returned to being an adult too.”

The same was true for me.

I leaned back on the sofa, feeling stability in my right arm that had returned thanks to the emergency-charged goblin fire, and my entire body that had returned to that of an adult male.

It was strange how the Genbu Team 1 standby room felt incredibly comfortable.

Well, it originally had a cozy feeling like a club room, so maybe that was natural…

“We don’t know what else that company might have done.”

“I know.”

My drowsy mind caught the conversation the agents beside me were having.

Bronze Agent seemed to be suspicious that Baekillmong Corporation might have pulled other tricks…

“The Analysis Team contacted us about this… the medicine they fed the kids. Apparently there was some Baekillmong potion mixed in that would transport them ‘somewhere’ when they fell asleep.”

“…!”

My mind snapped back to alertness.

“I thought something was off since they seemed to be ‘selecting’ potions when giving them to kids with severe mutations, so I kept an eye on it.”

“Has it been removed now?”

“Of course!”

Phew.

Then Agent Choi patted my shoulder.

“Grape worked hard earlier too. Pointing out an employee who wasn’t in on the conspiracy and making them actually go to the bathroom!”

“…Yes.”

At this moment, Bronze Agent was desperately trying not to make eye contact with me or Agent Choi, even by accident.

Thank you, Agent…

“Then now… we should go fix that. Right?”

Hm?

Agent Choi suddenly pointed at me. Ah, more precisely… at half of my face that bore traces of the ulcer.

Right. Even after returning to my original form, these traces of infection hadn’t disappeared.

However, the mental contamination that caused assimilation with the ghost story seemed to have been cured by the conch shell, so I hadn’t been as conscious of it until now.

“Then if we go to the medical office…”

“Nah, no. There’s a faster method than that.”

Agent Choi stood up from his seat. Bronze Agent also stood up from the sofa without complaint, and they looked back at me with smiles.

“Let’s go see the Elder directly.”

“…!”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————