Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 180

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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 180

I remember it exactly.

It’s so vivid I can’t forget it. It was a turning point in my life at Baekillmong Corporation.

The Good Friend Summoning Ritual.

1. On a smooth floor, dip your finger in water and draw the enclosed hexagram design.

I rushed to the bathroom to get water, poured it on the resort office floor, and began drawing with my finger.

Strangely, I could clearly recall what the design looked like. As if someone had embedded it in my mind.

In an instant, the floor was covered with a damp hexagram drawing.

However, there was one difference…

Make it bigger

The hexagram was large enough to cover the entire office floor.

I placed the broken Magic Bunny mask in the center of the completed hexagram.

And on the mask’s belly, with the most careful movements possible, I placed a coin…

‘…’

I can’t get the coin out.

The silver snake I originally used to summon ‘Good Friend’ is… inside this mascot costume, inside the Security Team outfit, all the way down to my civilian clothes’ pocket.

But I can’t take off the mascot costume.

‘…Then!’

I opened the office drawer and took out a Fun Coin.

‘This is also a coin.’

Even though it’s a plastic coin, it’s definitely currency, and it should fit the meaning of coin in this ritual.

It doesn’t mean something actually forged from copper, but rather a small circular currency with monetary value.

I completely removed the moisture from the mascot’s finger gloves, then picked up the coin and placed it on the mask’s belly.

‘Done.’

I hurriedly proceeded to the next step.

So…

‘Salt!’

If the coin disappears, you’ve succeeded! You’ve met a reliable friend. Always stay together and cherish them!

※If the salt won’t go down, tastes strange, turns to ash, or you taste blood, run away.

There wasn’t much time left.

The Standard Mascots came running from the room service storage with salt. I grabbed the salt from outside the office like I was stealing it and put it in my mouth…

…

Can I put it in my mouth while wearing the mascot mask?

‘I have to try.’

I carefully opened the Yellow Mascot’s mouth. Then I poured salt inside and closed it.

Now there was one thing left to prepare.

Burning an object with fire.

I used my necktie before… but I don’t have a necktie now.

‘I’ll substitute with this.’

I untied the yellow bow tie the Yellow Mascot was wearing and held it in my hand.

Then I brought the bow tie over the flame of the prepared candle.

Whoosh.

The bow tie caught fire.

The strangely large flames reminded me of when I summoned Good Friend before.

A huge shadow fell across the pink mask.

And it swayed.

Sway.

Sway.

I watched it anxiously.

Surely, it said it would come if called with a proper medium.

Then it should succeed.

Sway.

Sway.

The shadow moved as if the mask would move too.

Any moment now, any moment now.

Sway.

Sway.

In the dark shadow.

The huge mask opened its mouth.

-My resort!

…

Huh?

-My resort called me back! Hahahaha! Hahahahaha! Hahahahahahahaha! My resort! My resort! Myyyy resoooort! Beautiful Flower Golden Resort!

The mask shook convulsively with laughter in the center of the hexagram. I watched the scene with bated breath.

Thud.

The upper body sat up.

It twisted its head to look this way.

-Give it back

The Fun Coin placed on its belly sizzled and burned as it was sucked into the mask.

The acrid smell of plastic filled the facility office.

-My

-Resort

The water of the hexagram vibrates as blood flows.

Something like melted plastic flows out from the eye holes and mouth of the costume suit.

It fully raises its body above the hexagram.

-Give it back

‘….’

Something,

went wrong.

I had to end the ritual first. Right now!

‘Swallow.’

I tried to swallow the salt. So, if I push the salt water down my throat….

….

Huh?

Why… is there no throat?

-Hahahahahahahaha!

I looked down at myself.

And I realized something shocking.

‘I have no body.’

Inside this mascot suit is filled with cotton. And the reason is….

I didn’t return to ‘my body’.

When I met Blue Mascot and Lee Seong-hae killed Ladybug, forcing me to hurriedly return to the resort, instead of moving my original body, I used one of the Standard Mascot bodies as if it were my own.

And I’ve been living like that ever since.

So, so….

I forgot that I had an original body.

I’m currently using a Standard Mascot’s body.

‘…!!’

Then… where is my original body?

Don’t tell me, one of the Standard Mascots that was torn apart when Magic Bunny attacked earlier was….

No, no.

If my body had been torn, blood would have flowed and real organs would have spilled out, not cotton and cloth organs.

There was no such Yellow Mascot. My body was somewhere….

….

But where exactly?

-Hello?

And whatever was ‘invited‘ through the Good Friend Ritual, whose call did it answer?

I realized.

My deduction was correct. The mascot costume suit was definitely suitable as a medium for the invitation ritual.

But there was a flaw.

‘Its purpose wasn’t fixed.’

Because it’s not a doll sold at the gift shop.

There’s no prohibition spell as a Good Friend either.

-Hello? Hello? Hello? Answer me. Answer me.

The costume suit twists and transforms into a grotesque shape.

…That’s not a ‘Good Friend’.

Just something from the Other Side World.

-Offer kind greetings and accept me, you hollow thing

…But wait a minute.

‘My resort’? Don’t tell me that’s….

-Behold the true mascot!

…!

The being inside the hexagram bursts out from the costume suit.

Strange petals with a fractal structure glowing in dirty golden light surge up and down as if piercing through heads.

…Flower Golden.

-Accept me

The silhouette I saw on the signboard of the ruined resort.

A mascot resembling a golden flower was contained within it.

The invitation ritual conducted by the ‘Standard Mascot’ had awakened and summoned the deceased who was originally the owner of this resort.

That being who could have been anywhere after death.

-Accept me

The documents placed on the desk tremble.

A pen dances alone over those documents that had congratulated my appointment.

The true owner of this resort has appeared.

I was merely a lowly temporary person in charge filling his position, and now it’s time to humbly hand over everything I’ve built to him and step down.

Everything must have been prepared for this moment!

The document approaches me.

The pen moves frantically, scribbling words.

In my handwriting.

He will conduct the Ceremony Ritual. The great Flower Golden will personally operate this resort again as a mascot!

I have been stealing his power all this time! I dared to occupy the glorious position of temporarily filling his place, but it’s all over now.

Ah.

Accept him.

Completely accept him, become part of him, and follow the mascot.

Accept him.

-Accept me

I stepped backward.

The costume suit comes to the edge of the hexagram and peers at me.

-Accept it

The ritual has failed. I need to escape.

But where can I run to?

And I’ve been acting according to the excellent advice of the documents so far. And now that it’s been revealed that these documents were following the original mascot’s will, it’s right to humbly follow the true mascot!

Yes! That’s right….

….

‘No!’

I looked at the other documents placed on the desk.

Work rules and employment contracts, usage rules. All of them were written while fighting against the mascot’s will to operate the resort in bizarre ways.

I am….

….

N o

I saw the being inside the hexagram.

H e r e

M y R e s o r t

I grabbed the documents and stood before it.

My head was pounding, but it was bearable.

Because I had realized something.

Y o u

N o t Q u a l i f i e d

-Whaaaaaaat?

How dare I say such a thing

I crumpled the documents.

Y o u L o s t

-!!!!!!

That’s right. You’re a specter who died to another mascot and had your territory stolen.

And you know what.

C o m i n g

N o w

The very being that killed you and turned this resort into ruins is right in front of the garden.

Coming back into this zone to start hunting again.

I’ll show you the proof.

H e r e

I threw open the office door wide.

Across the corridor was a huge window.

Since it’s night, the outside isn’t clearly visible through that window, and instead the bright office is reflected.

Clearly reflected, the shadowy figure of the costume suit standing on the hexagram.

A red rabbit.

M a g i c B u n n y

C a m e

You.

-….

The costume suit reaches out to touch its own face, puts its hands to its head, and checks the two ears sticking up.

And… directly checks its own hands.

Rabbit paws covered in red fur.

-Magic Bunny

Its hands tremble violently as the costume suit’s limbs contort in terror.

-Magic Bunny! Aaaah! Aaaaaaah! Save me! Save me!! Please save me! Don’t pull out my entrails! My resort! Resort!

I hurriedly poured salt onto the office floor.

‘Let’s erase it.’

White salt covers the blood and black plastic drawing the hexagram, erasing the pattern.

As much as is erased, the costume suit is gradually pushed toward the center, clutching its head and screaming.

-Run away! Magic Bunny is coming! The red mascot is coming! Following the red path! Aaaah! Aaaaaaah!

-Save me! It’s infiltrating! The red ■■ writhing inside the costume ate me! Only scraps left underground! Save me!

-Disappear red thing disappear red thing disappear red thing disappear red thing disappear red thing disappear red thing disappear red thing please

The invited one who had been clutching its head finally,

Thud thud thud thunk.

Tore off its own head.

Both hands, as if wanting to distance themselves, as if in awe, as if terrified, lifted the mascot costume’s head up into the air. Held it high.

And.

Thump, collapsed to the floor.

….

….

‘Hah.’

I slumped down onto the office floor.

‘I thought it was over.’

I almost got absorbed and ended up with the standard mascot ending. Even though this mascot body has nothing but cotton stuffing, it felt like my heart would burst.

Still, somehow… I succeeded in handling the situation and seem to have achieved some impressive result, but what’s important right now….

‘…Time!’

How much is left?

I turned to look at the clock.

8:11 PM.

’49 minutes left until closing.’

I wasn’t sure whether to feel deflated or relieved that this whole chaos only took 10 minutes, but one thing was important.

I had failed to summon Good Friend.

‘….’

No.

This definitely has meaning.

There was a harvest.

I found out the identity of what was forcing this resort operation.

And I eliminated it.

I uncrumpled the document and brought a pen to it.

…I didn’t feel that strange controlling force.

‘I should be able to write the operating rules more freely now.’

Things that I couldn’t write before because they were blocked by the resort’s will, things that would harm ‘successful operation’ from the resort’s perspective, I felt like I could now implement according to my own intentions.

…Like the crazy things Magic Bunny does.

‘It’ll be useful.’

I got up.

…Still, a lingering regret clung to my back, wondering if I might have succeeded if I’d had just a little more time.

Was the coin the problem, or was the bow tie the problem, or maybe…

‘…Maybe it just decided not to respond.’

Since I didn’t summon it with my original body, that might have been a fatal disqualification.

‘Sigh.’

I gathered the documents and looked for some safety measures, even if minimal, for the Blue Mascot…

Ring ring ring-

“….”

I stopped.

Ring ring ring-

I turned my head.

The telephone on the office desk was ringing.

Ring ring ring-

I stared at it, frozen.

Had a telephone ever… rung in this resort before?

‘Never.’

Room service calls use walkie-talkies that play call melodies. Summoning mascots uses actual bell sounds.

But what I was hearing now was a very classic bell ring.

…Someone’s call.

Ring ring ring-

‘….’

I approached the desk and picked up the classic handset.

Click.

An elegant wooden telephone in maroon.

From within it came a cheerful and pleasant male voice.

[Good evening! What a lovely night this is. Oh, I’d be quite grateful if you could connect me to Flower Golden Resort’s talented and delightful mascot.]

…!

[Oh my, it was you personally. How perfect. You see, I’d like to rent your modest and beautiful resort in its entirety for a few days.]

[As you know, celebrities need private retreats, don’t they? So I was thinking of spending this summer vacation at your resort…]

….

No

[Hmm?]

I Right Now

Quit

[My word, but why didn’t you just hand over the resort to that guy earlier? He seemed so desperate!]

[Just kidding. Hahaha! How unpleasant that such a vulgar fellow would try to steal the resort you’ve cultivated.]

The Host’s distinctive voice came through the telephone.

[Noru.]

‘….’

[Trying to summon me was quite an excellent judgment, but you were so thoroughly soaked in the show that you overlooked a few things.]

Overlooked… things?

[Of course, that’s also the talent of an immersive entertainer, and enjoyment that suits the genre, but if it goes on too long it becomes boring. Now is the moment when a perfect advisor should appear for your enjoyment.]

[So from now on, your friend will offer some kind advice…]

The voice in the handset lowered.

[Now, hold onto that telephone and listen carefully to Amazing Brown’s voice.]

The great Host’s kind advice began flowing through the telephone.

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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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