Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 171

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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 171

A new mascot?

‘What kind of crazy talk is this.’

I immediately got up from the desk. But nothing changed.

Welcome to your appointment as the new mascot of Flower Golden Resort!

The message doesn’t change.

And in the management office of the ruined Flower Golden Resort. The only one inside is… me alone.

Wearing what appears to be a monster suit.

“….”

Don’t tell me, it judged my disguised self as a ghost story resident and just hired me as a mascot for Cheerful Theme Park…?

It was a chilling speculation, but the logic seemed flawed somewhere.

‘This was originally a place where non-human things came to play.’

Even for a ghost story, there should be some plausibility. Making me a mascot out of nowhere as if targeting only me is strange. There must be a reason…

Ah.

I recalled the actions I took when I entered this theme park last time.

The Yellow Zone that had already become ruins.

It was me who activated the gate leading to that place.

So strictly speaking, I… had ‘reopened’ this resort.

‘….’

This is driving me crazy.

I swallowed my saliva.

‘So I became a mascot because of that? Me?’

I hastily checked my appearance, but I was still in the same combat suit with the monster appearance protruding.

‘Other hints.’

I examined the desk where the card with the message had been placed again.

Next to the card was an ink bottle.

And an antique feather pen stuck in it.

“….”

Did they write the congratulatory message with this pen?

I sat in front of the desk, recalling the gimmicks of various ghost stories. I wondered if I could escape the situation by politely writing something like ‘I must decline’ on a document with that pen.

But the moment I grabbed the pen.

‘…?!’

…My hand moves on its own and writes words.

What’s needed to start resort operations

3 employees

This is insane.

My hand continued to scribble. The sentence continues.

The employment contracts seem to be in the desk drawer.

And there happen to be customers who came to visit outside. If there are suitable candidates among them, how about politely scouting them?

It was crazy talk. But…

…’Customers who came to visit outside‘?

That’s when it happened.

“This place is…?”

“It’s, it’s not a resort?”

Sounds come from outside the door.

I looked at the closed door with a spine-chilling feeling.

The Baekillmong Corporation employees who drew the ‘yellow horse’ with me also fell here together…!

‘Damn it.’

I immediately got up and opened the door.

Creak.

The moment our eyes met through the open door, the employees were startled and froze stiff.

“Gasp…!”

“Ugh.”

The fact that they didn’t scream must be thanks to their darkness investigation experience.

The two employees sent looks of tension and fear from behind their masks, hesitantly moving their bodies to press against the wall as they looked up at me.

At least Jang Heo-un’s face turned pale, but he didn’t blatantly press against the wall. Did he hear from Director Ho that it was me?

Anyway, my head was throbbing.

Inside the theme park, I cannot be separated from them by more than a certain distance.

‘…Last time too, people who drew the same horse were transported nearby.’

If you get farther than the set distance, a rope appears and a noose gets caught around your neck, choking you.

‘I have to accompany them for now.’

And the escape method is also clear.

Ride the 3 fantasy attractions fastest with your team members and receive prizes!

Just ride three attractions and get stamps from the mascot.

The problem is that mascot seems to be me.

“Excuse me.”

Jang Heo-un spoke to me.

“There don’t seem to be any attractions worth riding here… How about we move to another zone and ride some rides?”

I looked back at Jang Heo-un.

“Hik!”

For some reason, the other employees made sounds of swallowing their breath.

‘I’m agreeing with him!’

However, when I slowly nodded my head, only Jang Heo-un nodded back with a somewhat pale face.

“Then we’ll move…”

Phew.

We came outside.

The place we were in was a space like a corner of the lobby attached to the front of the largest building.

We pass through the eerie resort ruins and head toward the outdoor gate.

I led the way. Toward that gate where I had escaped last time.

“That, that thing… it knows the way.”

“Shut up.”

That gate I came out of last time is… fortunately in operation. Although the lights were flickering and not in good condition, some lights were on in the gate.

…Just as I had left them on.

[◎Welcome◎]

And entering the theme park from the resort was fully possible with tickets that allowed riding 3 attractions…

However.

“….”

I stopped in my tracks in front of the gate.

‘I can’t get out…!’

-The theme park’s mascot cannot leave their designated zone.

Cold sweat ran down my back.

An enormous sense of pressure weighed down on my limbs.

I must not interfere with other zones. That would be a terrible violation that threatens my very reason for existence. I can’t. I can’t…

My bizarre identity, already defined as a mascot, was strangling me.

‘But I need to get out of here to ride attractions or whatever!’

Because this damn Golden Resort has no attractions.

It’s ruins!

I looked at the gate that would let me cross over to Blue Dream Water Park.

Cold sweat trickled down my back.

‘…Even if I die and become a corpse, this still won’t work.’

Of course, just imagining my corpse being carried around like luggage while riding rides together in the blue zone gives me chills from head to toe.

But this is a problem that goes beyond whether I can accept such a dog’s death or not.

‘I’m not even sure if they can drag a dead mascot to another territory.’

No, I don’t even know what would happen in this zone when the mascot dies…

To those people too.

‘….’

In that case.

I turned to look at the employees.

“Hik!”

The Ladybug Mask covered the mouth of the Field Mouse Mask who was about to scream.

Politely ignoring that scene, I blocked the front of the gate.

“Uh…?”

And I pointed in one direction with my finger.

Toward the indoor area where we had started.

“Um, by any chance… are we not allowed to go out? Do we have to go back?”

Nod.

“If, if we go back, is there another way?”

Nod.

“…!”

The employees’ faces turned deathly pale.

“I, I don’t want to…”

“Hahaha, we, we just need to follow, right? That’s it, right?”

The Ladybug Employee covered the Field Mouse Employee’s mouth and looked at me while hesitantly backing away.

‘Damn.’

At least they’re listening, so that’s fortunate.

I suppressed a sigh and returned to the indoor area of the building where we had originally regained consciousness.

And I opened the door to the office I had come out of and went inside.

“Ah…!”

I blocked Jang Heo-un who was trying to follow me in, and pointed to the worn-out nameplate.

[Administrator Zone]

Rule violation.

No matter how I think about it, they shouldn’t enter carelessly.

Thud.

I deliberately slammed the door shut and came inside, squeezing my eyes tight.

Wow…

‘This is driving me crazy.’

…I had thought about whether I might lose my mascot qualification if I took off this suit and was judged to be human again.

But conversely, the horrific ending where I’d be modified into a ghost story to fit the qualification was also quite convincing.

No, actually this would be more orthodox in a ghost story.

‘Ha.’

In the end… judging from the hints given now.

There’s only one way for the team that drew the yellow piece to achieve the condition to escape this Cheerful Theme Park.

‘…Make this resort operational so we can use 3 attractions.’

And what’s needed is…

I approached the desk again and looked at the document card placed there.

What’s needed to start resort operations

3 employees

“….”

I opened the desk drawer.

Inside, just as written in the document, there was an employment contract.

—

Employment Contract

I accept my employment at Flower Golden Resort with gratitude and joy, and swear to dedicate my existence and devote myself to operating a cheerful and happy theme park.

Employer :

Employee :

—

It’s a creepy document like something for illegal test subjects.

‘No matter what, this won’t do as is.’

I immediately picked up a pen and modified the contract.

—

Employment Contract

I accept my employment at Flower Golden Resort with gratitude and joy, and swear to dedicate my existence and devote myself to operating a cheerful and happy theme park.

Employees can safely return home whenever they wish to resign and can refuse any actions that threaten their safety.

Employer :

Employee :

—

I crossed out parts that could be interpreted ambiguously as much as possible.

‘I can’t overwrite sentences.’

The pen refused. Having barely succeeded in drawing lines and crossing things out, I scribbled additional measures in small letters in the blank spaces.

And I gathered the completed contract, the existing document card, and even the quill pen before going back outside.

Click.

The employees who had been huddled together in the corridor, whispering in a tense, vigilant stance, looked at me.

Meanwhile, only Heo-un was standing quietly a bit apart, as if he hadn’t been included.

‘Phew.’

I held out the employment contract I had written to them.

“What is this….”

“….”

“…!!”

As if confirming something terrible, the employees looked at the contract with trembling eyes and soon froze in horror.

Because I’m telling them to get a job at the theme park.

“Y-you want us to sign this…?”

“Uh….”

Naturally, signing an employment contract in a ghost story ends in terrible disappearance more than 50% of the time.

The eyes of those who knew this changed.

The eyes of experienced people looking for a way out.

“Um… I already have a job, so it’s difficult to suddenly sign this. Could I think about it for a moment?”

“M-me too. Please…!”

So if I give them time, they’ll frantically look for ways to escape or prepare equipment to temporarily suppress me while I’m off guard.

‘If they’ve gained experience in the Field Investigation Team, they’ll all have some hidden lifeline prepared.’

So I can’t wait for that.

‘I have no choice.’

I silently stared at the person who spoke first.

“Uh, uh…?”

And I held my breath.

“…!”

Instead of being drawn in with my breath, the black smoke around my suit became thicker.

The smoke that wasn’t being recovered flowed heavily below the employee’s feet and waist.

If you don’t sign, something will happen.

So that this would hit all five senses intensely.

So that trying to buy time would make them think they’d die immediately.

I lowered my face to look down at the Field Mouse Employee.

Close.

The employee, completely enveloped in black smoke and the dim light of yellow lanterns, trembled.

“Hic, hic….”

Finally, the Field Mouse Employee reached for the paper while tears streamed down, grabbed the pen I offered with trembling hands, and signed the employer section.

‘Please don’t write your real name.’

I was going to take it back and guide them to use a nickname if they tried to write their real name, but fortunately ‘Field Mouse’ was written.

‘Phew.’

I immediately breathed in again and withdrew the black smoke.

“Ah…!”

The Field Mouse Employee collapsed against the wall and bowed their head to me.

And the Ladybug Employee, who had been watching all this with rolling eyes, took advantage of the gap to quietly step back and….

“Ugh!”

Pushed Heo-un aside and tried to frantically run down the corridor to escape.

But.

“Urk!!”

The running Ladybug Employee fell forward with a thread wrapped around their neck.

‘They tried to leave the yellow horse team.’

The yellow line chokes the neck….

As expected, I’m still recognized as part of the yellow horse team. I’m also subject to the rules that entered through the board game.

I suppressed a sigh and approached them.

Fortunately, instead of running further, they knelt down in the corridor.

“S-sorry. I thought I saw something over there… in case it was an intruder, I was going to chase them away, haha….”

I silently held out the employment contract again.

“….”

The Ladybug Employee swallowed and finally signed the paper with their eyes tightly shut.

Ladybug. Good.

And finally….

“….”

Heo-un also looked up at my face briefly, then hurriedly bowed his head deeply and signed the paper.

‘Thank you.’

That’s how I got signatures on three employment contracts.

‘Finally….’

Employer. It was time to add my signature.

I chose the most appropriate pseudonym.

Employer : GOLDEN

At that moment.

Whoosh.

The employment contracts burst into flames and turned to ash.

And attached to the three people’s foreheads.

“Ah…!”

Now on the foreheads of the Daydream Employees was something in fancy cursive similar to the letter ‘G’.

“….”

I looked at the first document I had brought from the room.

The moment I lifted the pen over it.

What’s needed to start resort operations

3 employees Complete.

The surroundings began to rumble.

“…!!”

The old ruins we were in crumbled, and something new revealed itself.

Sparkling golden light.

A wonderful and comfortable corridor surrounded by bright, beautiful colored wood and gold interior decorations.

Gorgeous small chandelier-type lights swayed from the ceiling, and at the end of that corridor, a huge and magnificent lobby revealed itself.

A space where golden stairs like something from a cartoon fantasy, magenta velvet, and sparkling yellow crystal crafts bloomed like flowers.

And….

[Flower Golden Resort]

Elegant cursive was written on the Flower Golden Resort sign, and the magnificent resort of the Cheerful Theme Park revealed itself.

“…!”

Unfortunately, the customers were not suitable candidates. However, I took pity on the weak inferior creatures and hired them.

Although they lack the capacity to work as full-time employees at Flower Golden Resort, I expect they will work hard.

The pen moves on its own.

The document updates by itself.

■■ was insufficient, so we decided to temporarily operate the lobby and basic accommodation facilities first.

May many customers find comfortable rest.

And.

And for the customers who came seeking rest, I decided to show a friendly and cheerful appearance befitting a theme park.

The moment that sentence was recorded.

My appearance began to change.

“…!!”

Something warm, cozy, and stuffy began to wrap around my suit.

The soft-furred thing naturally enveloped my entire body like my own skin, creating a thick form.

“….”

I saw my reflection in the glass window of the clean, sparkling corridor.

A mascot was there.

“…!”

Something feline with antler-like horns… deformed into a childish toy-like shape.

A new mascot costume for Cheerful Theme Park.

But I wasn’t the only one changing.

“Aah!”

The employees’ bodies were twisting and transforming. Into basic mascot forms. Wait…!

I gritted my teeth and grabbed a pen with my clumsy mascot hands, writing on the document.

However, regular employees wearing uniforms rather than mascot costumes would better suit the resort’s luxury.

“Huff!”

The mutation stopped.

Instead, the employees’ business suits changed into formal uniforms with golden bow ties.

I withdrew my hands, damp with cold sweat.

It seemed I could write as long as it didn’t go against the resort’s operations.

And I… I would be fine. My flesh hadn’t turned into a mascot, but rather I was wearing a mascot costume.

…Probably.

‘Phew.’

I took a deep breath and waddled toward the lobby.

Terrifyingly, mascots that looked like me were already waiting there.

“…!”

Bellboys, cleaners, security guards, information staff – they stood there in various uniforms.

No… I was standing there.

I manage the resort as a mascot.

I can do anything and become anything. As long as it’s for resort operations.

…It was exactly as written.

I could know what all the mes were doing. If I wanted to.

‘I feel like throwing up.’

My stomach churned. This didn’t seem like human sensation.

But I had to continue working. After all, that was the only option I had right now.

I approached the largest front desk in the lobby. Trying not to make eye contact with the mascot at the reception desk, I scanned the desk.

There was a golden stamp.

‘…!’

No matter how I looked at it, it seemed like a stamp for confirming attraction usage.

Apparently, at the resort, you could receive stamps by using the attached facilities.

“By any chance, this…”

I tried to immediately pick up the stamp and press it on someone else’s wristband, but a powerful resistance blocked my hand.

‘No!’

Reducing the count for a customer who hasn’t enjoyed the attraction yet, how dare you do such a thing! That goes against the operating rules!

I gasped for breath.

Then I presented them with the accommodation register.

“…!”

The employees seemed confused by the situation that had already strayed too far from the manual, but eventually saw the stamp and wrote their nicknames in the accommodation register.

“I-I’m fine!”

Except for the Ladybug Employee.

“….”

I stamped Jang Heo-un and the Field Mouse Employee who had filled out the accommodation register.

[(Cheerful) Fantasy Land Boarding Pass ■□□]

[(Cheerful) Fantasy Land Boarding Pass ■□□]

“Ah…!”

“It was real.”

The atmosphere brightened somewhat.

The Ladybug Employee glanced over here with what seemed like slight regret, but didn’t say anything for now.

‘Let’s create an atmosphere for them to do it voluntarily later.’

Right now, they looked like they would escape or neutralize me immediately if given the chance, so it was dangerous to keep dragging this out.

I wasn’t really from the Security Team and didn’t have any tremendous unknown power that transcended humanity.

‘If I’m not careful, this will fall apart and I’ll die.’

I had to manage this group stably somehow.

And speaking of which.

‘Could we possibly get out by staying 3 nights like this?’

Since they said 3 attractions, maybe we could stay by changing room types.

Hoping to find a hint, I raised my pen to the document.

I should assign lodging to the employees.

However, since they came as customers today, let’s have them use their boarding passes to stay in a wonderful suite room.

Right.

And the official opening is after sunset.

…What?

I’m very excited.

I stared blankly down at the pen.

‘…Right.’

The resumption of resort operations meant accepting customers.

And the customers of this theme park were originally…

‘Not human.’

That meant…

When the sun sets, things that aren’t human will come rushing here.

‘…!’

I had to get out of here quickly before that happened.

‘Expansion!’

I needed to expand the attraction right away. I had to open other parts of the resort to find new attractions!

A new page appeared in the documents with text being written.

What’s needed for resort facility expansion

3 employees

Damn it!!

‘Where am I supposed to get three more.’

Unless they’re crazy, people in other zones will finish all the rides at Blue Dream Water Park and escape.

There’s no need for them to come over here!

I was anxiously clicking my tongue when.

…If we start operating like this, there’s no telling what the customers might do.

‘That itself would be a ghost story.’

Then.

My pen moved again.

Then let’s establish resort usage rules for the official opening.

“…!”

As the mascot of this place, I must sincerely decide what kind of place I want Flower Golden Resort to be.

Just as the Red Mascot pursues endless stimulation and slaughter.

Just as the Blue Mascot values kindness and honor.

My mascot values.

‘In that case.’

I immediately scribbled it down.

Flower Golden Resort Usage Rules

1. Our resort is a dream destination for clients who possess courtesy and dignity.

Therefore!

Please be sure to observe resort accommodation manners and etiquette.

Problematic behavior is prohibited.

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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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