Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 195

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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 195

“….”

I looked at the door to the Genbu Team 1 waiting room.

Standing here after going through all of that felt strangely surreal.

However, habit was honest.

Click.

I opened the door and went inside.

And….

“You’re here?”

I saw Bronze Agent standing up with a welcoming face upon seeing me.

“Good morning…. Grape Agent. You don’t look well.”

Ah.

“Did you have trouble sleeping again?”

“I, I tossed and turned a bit. I’m fine.”

Fortunately, I had healed the noticeable injuries beforehand.

“You should tell me if you’re too tired.”

“…Yes. Thank you.”

I succeeded in smiling and conversing with Bronze Agent as usual, then sat on the sofa across from the agent.

And I waited.

“….”

My palms were sweating.

However, even after several minutes passed, there were still only the two of us in the waiting room.

The person who should appear wasn’t appearing.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes?”

“Agent Choi is….”

“Ah. The agent said he couldn’t work today.”

“….”

What?

‘Wait a minute.’

Did something go wrong?

‘No way.’

Did Director Ho visit him again? Or did he have an accident while trying to immediately break the prohibition spell? I….

“He came to work a bit early, but said he wasn’t feeling well and took sick leave.”

“…Yes.”

There was an eyewitness account.

A feeling too strong to call relief swept through my chest.

“You don’t need to worry too much. That guy… I mean, the agent looked fine. And….”

Bronze Agent brought something from the small refrigerator in the corner of the waiting room.

A carrier containing cafe drinks.

“He left this. Said he stopped by a cafe.”

“….”

“He said this one is for Grape Agent.”

I accepted the drink.

It was green grape ade.

And there was a packaged cookie that seemed to be sold at cafes stuck in the cup holder, with traces of what looked like black marker writing on top.

Agent Choi’s handwritten message.

[Genbu Team 1 Fighting]

And it was crossed out with a line.

“….”

“Grape Agent?”

“…Thank you.”

I grabbed the ade.

It was sweet enough to wake me up completely.

Whether it was the awakened state from the sugar, my mind kept working throughout the morning.

The plan I made, the things I had to do over the month came rushing in.

‘First, I’ll lay low.’

Since there was the incident with Agent Choi, I would stay quiet for about a week, spending time without drawing attention at the Disaster Management Bureau while doing light groundwork before starting to act.

My plan had become more about timing than securing a long period of time.

However….

One concern.

‘…Is it right to tell Young-eun about this?’

Sometimes it seemed right to share my current situation, but it was ambiguous and precarious to gauge exactly how much I should tell her.

How would Young-eun react to me saying I would handle everything within a month?

Would it really be right to tell her about Director Ho’s malice in sending us here as spies for bait, expecting us to obviously get caught?

Even if she knew, would it be something she could deal with….

“….”

Wouldn’t it be easier and less obvious for spy work if she didn’t know?

My stomach hurt.

It felt like it was burning with stomach acid.

‘No. It’s okay.’

Young-eun only needs to work for exactly one more month.

If I do it properly, I should be able to bring Director Ho the information he wants in the form he wants, and in that process, I can claim Young-eun’s share.

Then it will end without problems.

‘Good.’

Let’s do our best.

“Phew.”

I put down the empty ade.

Bronze Agent, who was drinking vanilla latte and checking documents beside me, spoke up.

“I don’t see that doll today.”

“…!”

“I mean the small rabbit doll you call Brown.”

“…It’s here.”

I took the stuffed doll out of my jumper to show it, then put it back.

“Um, well, is that doll doing well?”

“I suppose so.”

I quickly pulled my hand that had touched the stuffed doll out of my pocket.

That’s when it happened.

Beep beep beep beep beep!!

“…!”

A loud alarm sounds from the Bronze Agent’s wrist.

It’s a call.

‘Rescue request!’

“Please standby.”

The Bronze Agent threw down the documents and stood up from his seat.

He checked the code that appeared on the pager to see what kind of ghost story it was and began preparing….

“…This is a ghost story that absolutely requires two people for rescue. We can enter together.”

“Yes.”

I also immediately stood up from my seat.

The dispatch experience from the past few weeks automatically moved my body, and that actually helped bring back the sense of reality that had been floating away.

“The dispatch location is quite far. Usually contact would go to the relevant branch office… but this rescue request came directly to headquarters.”

“Where is it?”

“Asan City, Chungcheongnam-do. And this supernatural disaster… has a rather large geographical scope, so there’s quite a bit to familiarize yourself with.”

The Bronze Agent quickly pulled out a small booklet-style document from the bookshelf.

“This is a manual and tips guide our team made. Please read it while we’re traveling.”

“Yes.”

As soon as the Bronze Agent made calls to the off-duty personnel, we immediately left headquarters and moved out.

And our means of transportation was….

“The rescue time for this disaster isn’t that urgent, so we’ll use public transportation.”

…a high-speed railway train.

Departing from Seoul Station.

“….”

“Agent Grape?”

“Ah, no, it’s nothing.”

I sat down in the train seat.

Let’s not panic.

‘The Tamra Express incident was a special case.’

It doesn’t happen every time, and Baekillmong Corporation is probably already observing the conditions for its occurrence for research purposes….

It’s fine.

‘I can do this.’

Let’s not get anxious.

If I struggle here, I won’t be able to do anything. I’d have to be startled every time I enter a convenience store, wouldn’t be able to ride elevators, couldn’t set foot on subway trains….

The train departed safely.

I’m fine.

‘Distract myself.’

Right. The manual.

“There’s a restriction spell so that different content appears to those not affiliated with the Disaster Management Bureau, so feel free to read it.”

As I took out the booklet, he even kindly provided additional explanation. Yes, good. Let me focus on reading the ghost story manual and tips while planning the rescue method.

I opened the booklet….

-I really worked hard writing this, Grape, so make good use of it lololol

“…!!”

“What’s wrong… ah.”

The Bronze Agent frowned and sighed.

“Agent Choi mainly wrote this. He added a lot of unnecessary comments. …There’s probably quite a bit he added after you arrived too.”

I blankly flipped through the booklet.

Text that seemed to be written earlier appeared.

-Big welcome to the newbie – Xuanwu Team 1’s ace Agent Choi’s honey tips explosion

└Please stop writing things like this

└Bronze Agent’s less sweet honey tips also included

└Sigh…

Each written in different handwriting, with different pens.

-Must read the next chapter carefully. It’s an introduction to this supernatural disaster, so read it like a novel even if it’s a bit difficult

I turned my trembling eyes.

A simple manual and tips for supernatural disasters written directly by Agent Choi, which I hadn’t seen in , begins.

This guide is being written entirely for the smooth rescue of people from registration number 1006PSYA.1941.A06., commonly known as the ‘Jisan Cattle Offering Ritual’.

Our strict Management Bureau classified this supernatural disaster as Destructive Form, but I strongly argued that it should be given a higher grade.

Even though the rescue itself isn’t difficult, complete termination of the disaster is impossible, and considering the testimonies of various dokkaebi that there’s something more evil inside.

So don’t let your guard down and be prepared for dispatch during the 4th and 5th lunar months!

“Here we are.”

We got off at Cheonan-Asan Station.

And we rode government official bicycles that were stored at the station.

“It’s about a 30-minute ride by bicycle.”

It was exactly as he said.

Incident Location: Jisan Village, ■■-ri, Asan City

As we left the station and moved away from the city center, winding unpaved roads appeared and vibrations transmitted through the bicycle seat.

And in the distance, a small village comes into view.

It’s an ordinary rural village.

Rural houses and tile-roofed houses have been patched here and there with modern repairs, and streetlight power lines are visible. The unpaved roads have been maintained centered around the village.

This village can be easily accessed if you have transportation, but families live there and are exclusive toward outsiders. (No real estate listings available. Moving in or infiltration impossible)

However, during the period called the ‘Jisan Festival’, they welcome outsider participation, and visitors can participate in the festival celebration.

“That’s it. …It’s started.”

A banner is visible.

Jisan Festival

Receive Jisan’s Blessings

This very holiday festival is the supernatural phenomenon.

“This way.”

We parked our bicycles in a corner at the village entrance. In the process, we witnessed several cars with ‘Seoul’ or ‘Gyeonggi’ license plates haphazardly parked.

“….”

“Remember this.”

I nodded.

Then I walked into the village with the Bronze Agent.

Hiyaaaaa!

As we got closer, people became visible.

Befitting a small village festival, it wasn’t a massive crowd, but there were folk music groups here and there, and people taking photos or sitting down to eat the pork and soup the village was distributing.

And there were also people touching their smartphones with bored expressions.

※Quick tip before entry!

Never wear Disaster Management Bureau jackets, bring earplugs, matches, and bells.

Most importantly…

Don’t sit among the village people.

“Hey, what’s this. It stinks.”

“Wait a bit. They’re doing a prize drawing.”

We sat next to those who clearly looked like uninterested outsiders.

Food was quickly served.

“Please have a spoonful! Receive Jisan’s blessing!”

A village person who made eye contact with me smiled broadly.

She appeared to be a woman around my age, wearing something like bird feathers on her chest.

The method to distinguish village people at the Jisan Festival site is simple.

If they’re wearing a brooch made of feathers, they’re village people.

-We stole one and analyzed it, turns out it was rooster feathers. The dokkaebi was disgusted.

Sounds could be heard from everywhere.

“Oh my, you came from Mapo? Our son also works in Seoul Mapo!”

“This is a no-smoking area. Absolutely prohibited!”

“Why don’t you have a drink. It’s homemade, very mild liquor.”

The village people would strike up conversations with outsiders, treat them kindly, and offer them drinks.

It seemed like a warm-hearted rural village.

Except for the fact that someone would die soon.

I suppressed a small sigh and looked at the bowl containing food.

Festival food is safe to consume. (Honestly, it’s also delicious)

However, I personally recommend not eating foods with broth. It’s probably better not to hear the reason.

I didn’t have an appetite anyway.

“…Thank you for the meal.”

“Thank you for the meal.”

The Bronze Agent and I just moved our spoons halfheartedly.

Hiyaaaaa!

Meanwhile, music continued to flow from within the village.

Sounds that seemed like folk music or traditional songs.

It should feel familiar, but the rhythm was strangely unfamiliar….

-Ah. It’s because there’s a difference in purpose. What was that music created for!

“…!”

I reflexively looked down at my pocket.

-Ah! You can hear me now, Friend!

-Haha, I was momentarily flustered because conversation suddenly became difficult. But it’s fine! If you’re worried this cotton-filled body might fall, we can pause our conversation for a while.

-We can always resume talking like this!

Supernatural disaster.

By entering the ghost story, the stuffed doll could speak again.

-Don’t worry. Even when I can’t talk with you, I’m always listening. As a Good Friend, that is.

….

-Oh, you don’t need to apologize for leaving me in the jumper yesterday. I was actually grateful. It was better to have something to hide behind in that terrible room.

‘…Really? That’s a relief.’

I turned my gaze back to the food.

-…Friend? You look more tired than usual. Oh dear, is the fatigue from last night’s adventure still lingering?

‘Maybe.’

-Then shall we go back today and watch TV together with this Brown? Those cartoons or variety shows you like would be good.

-And you should sleep well. This Brown will tell you interesting stories so Noru can have good dreams!

….

–Friend?

‘Could you let me focus on work for a moment? I’m not familiar with this ghost story.’

-Ah, of course!

And finally the stuffed doll became quiet.

That was fortunate.

I turned my head and began gathering information like the Bronze Agent.

Who might be the person who requested our rescue.

And….

Which village person would be suitable.

The Jisan Festival continues for four days, and no matter when the rescue signal comes, as long as the festival hasn’t ended, the person can be rescued.

Observe the village people carefully and find someone who looks as grumpy as possible to ask for a night’s lodging!

-I didn’t bother writing down physical descriptions since they might be confusing. Anyway, absolutely! Don’t trust people who approach outsiders first and act friendly, Grape

-You know those crazy bastards who lure kids with candy? It’s just like that haha

I recalled those words as I looked at the village person.

Let’s see, someone who looks as unfriendly as possible…

“…??”

Wait a minute.

I hurriedly turned my head.

There was a familiar face.

A man in his twenties standing among the village people with a grumpy expression.

An employee of Daydream Corporation with bad character, wearing a medical eye patch.

‘…Baek Sa-heon!’

That guy was here.

With a rooster feather attached to his chest.

And…

Near Baek Sa-heon, I spotted a tired-looking woman sitting at a dining area where the village people were talking to and taking care of outsiders.

Wearing gloves and scanning the surroundings with an indifferent expression.

A very familiar face.

“…”

It was Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je.

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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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