Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 19

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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 019

The Psychopath Doctor had pushed his own Researcher into a ghost story exploration as a sacrificial lamb.

He probably intended to observe how the Field Investigation Team members would die in even more bizarre ways through synergy with that Researcher.

The problem was that I was on the same team as that Researcher.

‘Phew…’

I came to my senses.

My ears grasped the ghost story before my eyes did.

-♩♪♬♬~♩♬♬~♩♪♪

The cheerful sound of melodeon and orchestra.

It was typical theme park BGM.

“Huh.”

When I opened my eyes, we had awakened in the middle of a colorfully gaudy theme park.

-Hahahaha!

Children’s laughter echoed throughout.

However, no human faces could be seen anywhere.

Only Mascots were wandering around nearby.

I could see what looked like Visitors wearing doll masks in the distance, but they would disappear like a lie if I approached them.

‘Because that’s the kind of place this is.’

I immediately checked my wrist.

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

Three blank spaces.

‘As expected.’

It was that insane Board Game Amusement Park where you could only escape after riding three attractions.

======================

Darkness Investigation Records / Ghost Story

[Yukwae Theme Park!]

: A ghost story appearing in <Darkness Investigation Records>, Daydream Corporation‘s identification code is Qterw-B-11.

A Board Game Amusement Park themed around various fantasy lands.

After entering this ghost story, you can return home by using three major attractions.

A ghost story that became more famous for the appendix called ‘Yukwae Theme Park Usage Guidelines‘ written by people who played the corresponding Board Game in a state of delirium.

If you’re looking for a game based on this ghost story, click this link.

======================

There are many amusement park ghost stories. But this was one of the that became more famous among them for its bizarreness, uniqueness, and persistent terror.

‘There were goods with this theme park motif at the Popup Store too.’

The appendix, , also gained cult popularity.

They used to call it a ‘Neapolitan ghost story’ or something.

‘And it’s B-grade too.’

Dusk-grade Darkness.

Civilian survival rate… 2%.

Probably our previous Civilian Survivors had extremely good luck to have four people survive.

If I cross-referenced the list of missing persons who disappeared without a trace before that, there would probably be quite a few cases where everyone died in this ghost story.

Cold sweat trickled down.

‘…Team D Members seem like they’ll be in danger.’

Of course, I had my own problems to worry about right now.

Because this side had taken on the variable of ‘Researcher gets involved’!

“Aaaaah, huuuuuh… Let, let me out. This is wrong, wrong…!”

“Quiet!”

I covered the mouth of the Researcher who was having a fit and made him crouch down.

At that moment.

Thud.

The countless Mascots in the theme park all turned to look at the wailing Researcher in unison.

“…”

======================

Yukwae Theme Park Usage Guidelines (Applied up to Investigation Record 64)

3. Please refrain from negative and intense emotional expressions such as crying, wailing, screaming!

They don’t suit Yukwae Theme Park.

======================

It was nothing short of a nightmare.

I struggled not to squeeze my eyes shut.

3.

2.

1.

The noise returned.

-Hahahaha!

-♩♪♬♬~♩♬♬~♩♪♪

The gazes disappeared.

In the scenery of the theme park that began operating cheerfully again, I slowly released the Researcher.

The Team A Employee slapped the Researcher’s jaw.

“…!”

Thwack. After a short, dull sound, the Team A Employee who grabbed the Researcher’s jaw tightly brought his face wearing a Butterfly Mask close and spoke in a low, ominous voice.

“Hey.”

“…!”

“Know that if you whine one more time, I’ll kill you first before we start.”

“Hii, hiik.”

The Researcher backed away with a terrified expression, then sat down on the spot and held his head.

He seemed to be muttering things like ‘this is a dream’ and ‘lies’ mixed with curses, apparently having fallen into a panic.

“…Isn’t that a bit too harsh?”

The Team Y New Employee said cautiously, but the Team A Employee ignored him.

Instead, he asked me.

“You there, New Employee. You said you were the top of your class? Your judgment is decent.”

“…Thank you.”

“Did you draw exclusive equipment?”

Hmm.

So he’s going to treat me as a fellow employee for now.

‘Not an elite team, but I’m the top performer?’

I thought the criteria was overly one-dimensional, but I answered respectfully without showing it.

I do have exclusive equipment.

“Yes.”

“What is it.”

“Fingers capable of remote touch. There are limitations on time and frequency.”

Let me just tell him this much.

And I should ask him this much too.

“What kind of weapon do you use, Deputy Manager?”

“You don’t need to know… Hmm. Fine.”

The Team A employee pulled at his index fingernail.

It was a fake fingernail for nail art.

Something sticky stretched out from the back of the fallen nail.

It was a translucent thread.

“It stretches endlessly, and the strength is pretty good.”

“…That seems like it would be very useful for various purposes.”

“Hmm. Well, that’s right.”

The other person’s mood seemed to improve a bit.

I immediately nodded and asked.

“May I ask your name?”

“Just call me Assistant Manager Jin. What’s with this embarrassing formal introduction?”

Isn’t that basic courtesy when people meet…?

Anyway, the surname is unique so it’s immediately identifiable.

‘Probably… this employee.’

-Assistant Manager Jin Na-sol infiltrated the killer’s bedroom, set the clock to 4:44.

-Cucumber seriously answered Assistant Manager Jin Na-sol’s question about ‘whether he had any special grudge against carrots.’ No special notes.

-Cut off the teddy bear’s limbs (executor: Employee Jin Na-sol).

And so on.

There wasn’t enough description to deduce the personality in detail, but she seemed to be used in the story as a quite capable and ruthless employee.

Then, the Team Y new employee quietly asked me.

“…What exactly is exclusive equipment?”

Ah, right. This person probably doesn’t know properly.

“Ah, the company can use darkness to customize equipment…”

“Hey. Let’s move quickly. In large-scale darkness like this, observation comes first.”

“…”

“What are you doing, top new hire. I said let’s move?”

She’s blatantly cutting me off.

I followed Team A’s Assistant Manager Jin who was already moving without waiting any longer and answered.

“Yes. I’ll move while explaining the current situation to my colleague.”

“What? Why would you take care of… Ah.”

The mouth under the butterfly mask forms a strange smile.

“You don’t know, do you?”

“…”

“Well, do whatever you want.”

I didn’t argue back.

Instead, I roughly explained to the Team Y new employee what ‘exclusive equipment’ was.

I also added this to create less discord in the team.

“I really agonized over it and spent quite a lot of points to draw it. The future situations are scary too.”

“…I see.”

I nodded and continued speaking.

“Come to think of it, I’m late with introductions. I’m Kim Sol-eum.”

“…I know.”

A somewhat gloomy voice flowed out from under the cow mask.

“I’m… Jang Heo-un.”

“Yes. Nice to meet you.”

I also tried talking to the researcher who had sat down on the ground, but what came back was almost panic-like whimpering.

“No, no, I said I can’t walk. Give me some support!”

“I could support you, but… then Team Leader’s movement would become inconvenient.”

I added as if worried.

“In that case, the person in question has a high probability of dying.”

He got up like magic.

‘I knew this would happen.’

The Team A Deputy Manager glanced this way with displeased eyes, but didn’t interfere and just walked while observing the surroundings.

I also gradually quickened my pace and turned my gaze.

It was a dazzling but somehow dizzy and stuffy, dream-like theme park.

‘Is red the theme?’

There wasn’t a single place in this theme park area where red symbols weren’t found on flags, buildings, and even tents.

‘We probably drew the red piece and fell into this area.’

On the flags, a cute rabbit was smiling while raising one hand.

[Magic Bunny Arcade Zone]

A literal translation would be magic rabbit adventure space…

‘It really is theme park-like.’

That’s when it happened.

The rabbit mascot blocked Team A Deputy Manager’s path.

“Ah, blocking the way…”

“Wait a moment.”

I stopped the Team A Deputy Manager who was trying to go around the mascot.

Because…

“…It looks like a parade.”

A line formed behind the rabbit mascot, and from behind that, cheerful music and various colorful rabbits appeared.

However, I wasn’t excited at all.

I tried not to cover my face with both hands.

‘It’s starting…’

======================

Cheerful Theme Park Usage Guidelines (Applied up to exploration record 64)

7. Please cheer for the parade with a joyful face!

Everything that happens in Cheerful Theme Park’s parade is joyful and absolutely not negative. Absolutely absolutely not negative.

======================

The parade approaches.

A rabbit mascot in a dress waved from atop a palace…

Bang!

She hit the surrounding carrots with the colorful wand.

Then all sorts of sparkling red things poured down on the mascots.

-Waaaaah!

Candy, jewels, flower petals, firework effects!

But that wasn’t the end of it.

Pop!

The next one burst in succession, spilling out new red objects.

Blood and entrails, organs!

-Hahahahahaha!

They came pouring down.

Pouring, pouring. The mascots danced while rummaging through the entrails. Staining the stone floor right in front of me red… God, this is really driving me crazy.

‘This is the problem.’

This insane theme park has things that pop out like glitches that humans can’t laugh at with normal sensibilities, but if you scream or cry at them, you get [censored]!

-Waaaaah!

Splash.

The front of my shoes got wet with blood.

Something that rolled over hit the tip of my shoe.

It was an eyeball.

‘!@#$!@%!%’

Agh!! Agh!!!

A silent scream burst out up my spine.

‘I think I’m going to throw up.’

I tried to keep my eyes as narrow as possible and not look ahead properly, trying to endure this situation while pretending to be calm…

“Urk.”

“…?”

Wait a minute.

That sound just now… wasn’t from me, right?

When I glanced over, I saw a cow mask covering their mouth.

‘Could it be.’

“…Do you have trouble watching cruel things?”

“…”

The cow mask slowly nodded.

The lower half of their face not covered by the mask was already pale with shock.

‘A comrade…!’

My heart almost warmed up.

Finally, someone else who’s experiencing the insane fear of this insane situation with me!

‘Hey, you’re pretty good at enduring it though!’

Let’s avoid this well and break through this crisis together in a similar way… I was about to say that.

“Ah, seriously… what are you talking about.”

It was a voice annoyed to the very end.

…It was the Team A Deputy Manager.

“Can’t watch cruel things? Why don’t they understand that a torture officer like that is just baggage, not a spare life?”

“…!”

“Hey, top performer. I’m telling you this because you have potential. That thing.”

The Team A Deputy Manager’s index finger pointed toward the Team Y New Employee.

The Team Y Employee flinched.

“Don’t bother making friends with those X, Y, Z guys.”

“…”

I heard similar words from my direct supervisor just before.

-Noru. Just treat the people from other teams you saw today appropriately. You understand, right?

…I already know the reason.

‘The Field Investigation Team assigns alphabets to each team.’

And there’s meaning in that order.

The elite teams A, B, and C.

The regular teams from D to W.

And X, Y, Z are…

======================

Darkness Investigation Records / Daydream Corporation

/ Field Investigation Team

Cleanup Team

A Field Investigation Team that gathers personnel who passed the entrance exam but have some defect that makes them unsuitable for normal investigation work.

They are mainly deployed when experimenting with special situations.

Teams are mainly designated by the last three letters of the alphabet (X, Y, Z).

======================

“The last three letters of the alphabet are places where they just gather bastards like that. They’re just meat shields. They’re like spare lives given to competent employees, so don’t worry about it.”

“…What?”

“They don’t seem to properly tell new employees about variable elimination and such, but anyway, that thing’s going to die here, so it doesn’t matter.”

The Cow Mask Employee froze.

“Wh-what do you mean…?”

“Cleanup Team cow mask. Raise your left hand.”

“!”

Like a lie.

Jang Heo-un raised his left hand toward the air.

“…!!”

The lower half of his face not covered by the mask was pale with bewilderment.

“Wh-what…!”

The Team A Employee lifted their chin.

“Meat shield. That’s how you use them.”

======================

Employees of certain ranks or higher can demand unconditional command execution from Cleanup Team employees when entering darkness together.

Cleanup Team employees must carry out such demands.

======================

Right.

‘…It’s a device to extract more cruel and dramatic investigation records.’

In other words, it’s like slaves or suicide squads.

But seeing it in person was more bizarre than I imagined. It was even more so because the Cow Mask Employee seemed to be trying to resist.

‘This is insane.’

The golden mark near the chin of Team A Employee’s butterfly mask glittered.

“When something dangerous but worth trying comes up, we test it out with kids like that first. But it drives me crazy when they interpret things their own way, don’t follow orders, and end up dying.”

“Ugh, urgh….”

“Well, if they had enough sense to understand properly, they wouldn’t have been assigned to a team like that in the first place, right?”

The verbal abuse continued matter-of-factly, then ended with the tired voice of an office worker suppressing irritation.

“Ah, why even get a job at a place like this just to be a nuisance. Every single time, really…. Mental patients, cult members, criminals….”

“….”

Certainly, the Cleanup Team must have been deliberately filled with people who had character flaws.

It was probably a device to lower the psychological barriers for people reading ghost stories.

‘It feels somewhat better when bad, flawed people die rather than when good, decent people die like tools….’

Though seeing it in reality felt disgustingly sordid enough to leave a bitter taste.

What did that Cow Mask Employee do so wrong to be treated like a suicide squad?

“That damn coward bastard too….”

Right, coward….

“…!?”

…W-wait a minute.

Wait a minute, Deputy Manager!

I think I just heard something incredible….

“…Did you just say coward….”

“Yeah. Can you believe there’s a coward bastard who passed that entrance exam but still whines? Can you believe it?”

The Team A Employee gestured with his chin.

“Just like that Team Y New Employee over there.”

….

‘That’s it?’

Seriously?

They stuck that Cow Mask newbie in the Cleanup Team because he’s cowardly?

Being a coward was that much of a disqualification?

Then….

‘What about me?’

…I’m a coward!

Suddenly, like a panorama, I recalled what I said to my supervisors after running away from the Convenience Store Ghost on my first day.

-Uh, actually… I came out quickly because I was scared.

“….”

I’m only realizing it now.

How fortunate it was that they didn’t believe me.

‘So cowards get marked as rejects and become workplace outcasts…!’

And it’s not even subtle ostracism—they officially push you into deadly situations!

‘I-I was just thinking at the level of not wanting my weaknesses exposed….’

It wasn’t just that!

I could hear my survival rate plummeting in surround sound.

No way!

“Anyway, there’s nothing particular to order right now. You’ll probably get in the way, so just you and I will move. Got it?”

I don’t want to!

If I go alone with you, I’ll probably be targeted as a coward within 5 minutes!

I can see the future where Employee Kim Sol-eum gets exiled to the Cleanup Team tomorrow after Team A Employee’s testimony of ‘What, this guy was a coward all along!’

“Then please go ahead first.”

“What, what?”

For the first time in a month since joining, I broke the Ten Commandments for New Employees.

I rebelled against my supervisor.

My justification was also plausible.

“I’ll take care of my team member and follow.”

“….”

The Team A Deputy Manager stopped moving.

For a moment, I worried this supervisor might use the Team Y New Employee to take my head, but.

“This idiot….”

The Butterfly Mask Deputy seemed to choose to cut ties with me and disappear instead.

But… uh, the thing is.

‘You can’t go alone anyway.’

======================

Cheerful Theme Park Usage Guidelines (Applied up to Exploration Record #64)

2. Team members of the same color must always stay together inside the theme park!

If you’re more than 5 meters apart when not riding an attraction, you’ll be executed. Your neck will be strangled. It hurts, don’t go further apart, no, don’t

======================

‘There’s no way I’d just let a strong-hearted person like you go….’

You need to be our tank.

The deputy wearing the butterfly mask made a choking sound and stopped as if grabbed by the back of the neck.

“This damn!! Ah!”

Red string.

I could see that leash-like line connecting above our heads and growing taut, then disappearing again as the deputy sensibly stepped back to close the distance.

“This…!”

“Assistant Manager Jin.”

I pretended to put my index finger to my lips.

And I rolled my eyes.

The mascots around the parade were all staring at Assistant Manager Jin in unison.

“….”

The Team A Deputy quickly calmed down.

Competent people are really convenient….

“Don’t tell me dividing into teams was….”

“Yes. We drew red pieces together, didn’t we? We’re bound as a team like that… and probably subject to physical constraints.”

“…No way.”

The deputy looked at me and asked meaningfully.

“You… did you anticipate this beforehand?”

…?

I just read this ghost story in advance….

But let’s take advantage of this.

I set the mood and opened my mouth.

“As you’ll remember… there were definitely four civilian survivors.”

“So?”

“Weren’t they probably on the same team?”

I said seriously.

“Since four of us were also assigned to one team, I thought those civilians probably were too. I figured the highest probability was that one team survived together.”

“….”

“So for now, I think the four of us should look after each other if we want to safely escape from this darkness.”

After a moment of silence.

“…That makes sense. Alright.”

Fortunately, the Team A supervisor seemed to accept it rationally.

“Kim Sol-eum, thank you, thank you so much….”

“Not at all. Let’s work hard together.”

As a bonus, the cow mask colleague also seemed moved, but now wasn’t the time for us to get sentimental, you cowardly comrade.

‘Let me see.’

I looked at this team objectively.

A supervisor steeped in elitist consciousness.

Cowardly dumb and dumber.

And even an employee from another department thrown in as a bonus.

‘Heh, what a mess.’

If this were , this personnel selection would be appropriate for everyone to die right after the record starts and the perspective to shift to Manager Lizard, right?

But even with this crew, there was a way to survive….

‘There is.’

If we follow the action guidelines well and aim for the escape route!

“…Do you happen to remember?”

“What.”

“The phrase written on the board game box.”

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

The eyes beneath the butterfly mask narrowed.

“Three attractions… Right. This bracelet also has exactly three slots.”

“Yes.”

I nodded.

“I think we should do exactly that for now. If there are requirements hinted at by the darkness, following them is the standard approach for clearing.”

“…You talk like more of an expert than me, who’s worked at this company for 3 years, when you’re a newbie who’s only been here a month?”

Oops.

“During that month, I was continuously deployed to darkness without manuals… Well, I think I developed a habit of making these kinds of speculations.”

“Well, fine.”

Fortunately, the Team A supervisor nodded roughly.

I guess it wasn’t said out of spite.

“Your hypothesis is persuasive.”

“Yes.”

It seemed like they were reasonably convinced.

I raised my hand and very politely suggested.

“So I’d like us to ride an attraction first as well.”

Luckily, one of the nearby signboards had the attraction I was aiming for written on it.

[Fantasy Train]

Literally translated, a magic train.

“…Isn’t this the attraction the civilians testified about?”

“That’s right.”

I nodded calmly, and the researcher who was in a panic state screamed convulsively.

“Th-they said everyone who r-rode it died!!”

That’s right.

This was an extremely hellish train with a 3% survival rate!

‘But that doesn’t mean I’m crazy.’

A veteran has ways for everything!

…A way to clear it less frighteningly.

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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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