Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 219

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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 219

One of the many offices in the main building of Baekillmong Corporation.

An employee with long curly hair and a small frame sits at the meeting table in that neat space.

“Hmm hmm hmm.”

An elite employee from the Field Investigation Team already wearing a dolphin mask on her head.

The several documents placed on the table she was reading were today’s special assignment distributed just yesterday.

One that specifically designated her.

And then…

“Good morning, Deputy Manager!”

Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae looked up.

An employee opens the office door and enters, greeting her cheerfully with repeated bows.

“My name is Kang I-hak. Ah, you can just call me Pony!”

“Yes. Hello.”

An employee Lee Seong-hae was acquainted with.

If you survive about a year after joining the company, there are many employees who gradually start remembering each other.

There was evidence of this kind of thing.

Team leader promotion.

“Ah, you got promoted to team leader this time?”

“Yes yes yes. We all got promoted together. Ehehe, it’s nice not having to treat everyone for the promotion~”

Kang I-hak laughed while patting her chest.

That’s right.

About half of the Field Investigation Team new employees who survived without dying or retiring were almost uniformly given team leader positions just before this year’s new employee selection.

Of course, a few with good performance got theirs two or three months earlier… but Kang I-hak had wanted to decline that first.

Because she had recently realized something.

‘No need to create unnecessary spending!’

Isn’t it shameless human nature to expect generosity when you see someone doing well!

This wasn’t a structure where getting promoted first meant earning much more or having good darkness fall into your mouth.

Of course, if there were substantial rewards… you know, sparkling golden or green rewards, that would be a different story!

Just a slight salary increase was a loss from a macro perspective.

Thanks to this, she was able to suppress her reward center that craved short-term dopamine gains…

‘Some people just seem to like becoming a superior first.’

Kang I-hak recalled a colleague who had been promoted before her.

The goat-masked employee who always wore an eyepatch, Baek Sa-heon.

That employee had been obsessed with information and items from the start, buttering up the supervisors, and eventually got promoted first.

‘He seemed to invest quite boldly in extracting information from seniors from the beginning!’

Recently he’d become somewhat quiet. He must have realized the truth that it’s better to invest in darkness.

And as her thoughts reached that point, other colleagues came to mind.

People who were no longer at the main office Field Investigation Team.

“Ah~ Originally there was someone who got team leader really quickly, and there was also a very exemplary person… ah, do you remember by any chance?”

Kim Sol-eum, Go Young-eun.

The two people who recalled the same employees nodded their heads.

“Right. They were good people, so it’s really unfortunate…”

Lee Seong-hae frowned as if truly regretful.

Kang I-hak tactfully smiled and changed the subject. No need to upset a superior when there’s no money in it!

“Congratulations on your promotion too, Deputy Manager~ I heard the news that you were newly assigned to Team B with your promotion.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

Lee Seong-hae nodded.

“Haha, how is Team B?”

“Hmm. Company work is all the same!”

But information from the elite team was money.

Kang I-hak made her tone more flattering.

“Hey, but still, the people you work with have changed, so if you have anything you’d like to say, feel free to tell just me…”

“Huh, me?”

“You don’t need to. Yes!”

Don’t scratch at superiors! Again, no need to upset a superior!

Especially if it’s someone rumored to have dunked her two superiors from Team C in darkness and gotten sent to Team B!

‘Long-term perspective, long-term perspective.’

Kang I-hak made a quick attitude adjustment and sat down obediently.

“Then I’ll also work hard reading the materials!”

“Yes yes.”

After the appropriate pre-work small talk ended and they finished reading and understanding the work materials on the table…

“Good morning!”

A Research Team employee appeared.

The person who would brief today’s work.

Research Team 1’s Section Chief Gwak Je-gang, everyone appropriately stood up politely at the appearance of the supervisor from another department.

“Did everyone look over the materials?”

“Yes. We did!”

“Wow~ Our elite team’s Deputy Manager Lee is one thing, but Team Leader Kang is quite fast. Is it because you’re a team leader now!”

“Hahaha, thank you!”

No. It was because she found angles to extract side income from work.

And Gwak Je-gang knew this too, but anyway, he smiled and looked around at both of them before doing the most important thing.

Introducing the darkness that held his power of life and death.

“Then… here’s the superior you’ll be serving today!”

The office door opens.

A figure reveals itself along with black smoke.

Strange bone-like horns are crown-like and massive, and yellow lantern-like eyes and light sources shine between the black security team uniform.

Lee Seong-hae’s eyes widened at that familiar appearance.

The owner of Flower Golden Resort!

“Masco… no, Security Team Employee!”

To think she’d see him again like this!

Lee Seong-hae, with a bright smile across her face, stood up and approached.

“Really nice to see you! Have you been well?”

The black Security Team Special Department employee looked down at her without moving.

And one eye seemed to glance at the researcher for a moment, but soon bowed his head toward Lee Seong-hae and raised his hand…

Question: Current health status

“I’m always healthy!”

As expected, still a kind and good employee!

“As expected of elite team Dolphin Deputy Manager. You’re even acquainted with such a strong-looking Security Team employee!”

And Kang I-hak, having grasped the situation, quickly spotted her opportunity and approached.

“Really nice to meet you. I’d be grateful if you could call me Pony, Employee!”

She had actually requested a handshake.

“…”

“…”

Ah.

She made a mistake.

The moment that eerie sensation passed through her mind, a gloved hand emerged from the black smoke and grasped the extended hand.

“…!”

Surprisingly, the other party accepted the handshake.

But a strange sense of crisis crept up Kang I-hak’s neck.

It was chilling.

His spine tingled.

Danger signals, power, the instinctive alarm bells that greatness brings.

…But somehow it felt familiar too?

As if he had encountered it somewhere in the darkness before….

“Well, anyway. This person has difficulty walking into the broadcasting station, so that’s why they called our two Field Investigation Teams.”

But before Kang I-hak could recall anything, the handshake ended and the work-related briefing continued.

Gwak Je-gang smiled broadly as he explained why two Field Investigation Teams had been called.

They needed two people who were familiar with darkness but not heavily contaminated.

“The employees who originally assisted this Employee are from the Security Team, so they can’t go to the broadcasting station during the day either. Haha!”

That’s right.

Since this ghost story occurred at a broadcasting station where civilian attention was focused, proper verification required the cooperation of personnel.

Overly conspicuous supernatural beings or Security Team members who couldn’t go out casually during the day naturally found it difficult to take the lead.

Lee Seong-hae smiled brightly at the Researcher who explained that they had ‘already recruited a PD.’

“So we’re bringing dangerous darkness from the broadcasting station!”

“That’s right!”

“Mm, sounds good!”

If Baekillmong could isolate and secure that darkness, ordinary people would no longer be caught up in dangerous ghost stories.

Lee Seong-hae gladly welcomed this work, as it was rarely a good deed from the premise itself.

Soon the transportation method for the ‘Employee’ was introduced.

“Now, they’ll be inside this, so you just need to carry it and move.”

Watching the Employee being ‘stored’ in the black transport container like a lie, the two Field Investigation Teams felt a strangeness similar to what they experienced in darkness.

And communication devices were also provided in case of emergency.

Small walkie-talkies.

“It’s a radio connected to the Security Team personnel… well, if an ’emergency situation’ occurs, just press it.”

The Researcher laughed, saying this alone would have made new employees nervous.

And a brief preliminary call was also conducted.

Click.

[Um… can you hear me….]

“Yes. We can hear you clearly!”

“Yes. This is Team I’s Team Leader Pony, and I’m Team B’s Dolphin! Please take good care of us.”

Silence.

[…Team B?]

“Yes.”

[…I see.]

[Um… be careful when… carrying it. Don’t drop it….]

The male with a languid voice slowly explained.

How to call the Security Team personnel in charge if problems arose.

And even how to communicate simply with the ‘Employee’ inside the transport container.

[When agreeing… once, when disagreeing twice… they’ll knock.]

“Oh, understood.”

Kang I-hak noticed.

That Manager Gwak Je-gang was watching the conversation between the Security Team over the radio and Deputy Lee Seong-hae while suppressing his emerging laughter.

But that has nothing to do with me!

Realizing there was no smell of money at the moment, Kang I-hak immediately turned his head.

Toward something that did smell of money.

The transport container holding the Employee.

Dark, black, and cold, it exuded a strange presence even while sitting alone on the floor….

“Haha… then, shall I carry it and move? Shouldn’t subordinates handle this kind of thing!”

How much would it be worth.

If he could carry this transport container and smuggle it somewhere?

There was supposedly darkness somewhere in the annex building that returned gold equal to the weight of interesting offerings, so what would happen if he offered this transport container?

Kang I-hak approaches the transport container….

“….”

Dolphin, who had been watching intently, opened her mouth.

“Excuse me.”

“…Yes?”

“I’ll carry it. The transport container.”

“…Yes!”

Thus Deputy Lee Seong-hae picked up the transport container.

It was cold and light.

Though there was dense darkness inside, Lee Seong-hae stroked the iron cage without hesitation and asked.

“Are you comfortable?”

Tap.

“That’s a relief!”

She hummed while carefully holding the transport container.

And headed to the field site with Pony.

To the broadcasting station.

“Um, th-there, those… people introduced by the company… that’s you, right? Dream Walking?”

“Yes, yes.”

They were guided through the pre-contacted personnel entrance to the Entertainment Department Editing Room.

There, a PD with dark circles under his eyes met them alone in an inner sealed room with an anxious expression.

Believing in the elaborate identity that Baekillmong Corporation used when unavoidably dealing with supernatural matters in civilian areas, he took a breath and continued speaking.

“I never thought I’d actually meet people who specialize in this kind of work… th-that, it really works like exorcism, right?”

“Of course.”

Whether the two strange people in suits wearing masks gave him an odd sense of trust, the PD became a little calmer.

Still, his face remained pale. That gaunt face was haggard with worry and fear.

No, it wasn’t just the PD. The Main Writer, two Assistant Writers, and even the Lighting Director they had encountered on the way here all looked unwell.

Something that everyone knew about to this extent.

“Y-you’ve heard the story roughly, right? About, the current situation….”

Deputy Lee Seong-hae recalled.

An internet post that was attached to the materials on the table.

An eerie urban legend circulating among civilians.

[Has anyone seen this man on a PBS broadcast program? (Warning: Photo)]

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Does anyone remember PBS?

Even kids in school now have probably heard of it.

It was an old broadcasting station from about 20 years ago, now a defunct channel.

Up until twenty or thirty years ago, many popular variety shows of that time aired on PBS. Things like Living Room Sports Festival, Family Rising, Hot Talk Talk, Fun Saturday Night.

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Various images are attached.

Large colorful subtitles and low video quality, exaggerated audience reactions and sound effects.

Looking at them now, they seem somewhat outdated but also evoke a strange nostalgia. Various variety show scenes from around the 2000s.

There was one common feature.

They all had many cast members.

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

You know those variety shows with lots of people on them.

Tons of panel members, dozens of participants when there’s a special, or even if not that, they’d capture the sound or screen of hundreds of studio audience members reacting.

This was really popular before observation variety shows or YouTube content became big. I hear quite a few people still miss that stuff. On the flip side, many people dislike it for being chaotic and tacky… but anyway, this type of variety show format seemed to dominate that era.

But there was something that spread by word of mouth among the responsible PDs and editing room staff back then.

Look at this.

(Photo)

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It was a photo that seemed to be a screenshot from a video of people having a sports festival on a traditional Korean house set.

Living Room Sports Festival, the very PBS variety show just described.

And the photo doesn’t end there.

After that, photos that seem to be random screenshots from different variety shows continue to be listed.

Family Rising, Hot Talk Talk, Fun Saturday Night…

And at the end.

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Did you notice?

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Those photos are shown again with red circles drawn in the corners.

One person.

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It’s all the same person

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A black-eyed male looking at the camera.

Wearing a hat, with a smile that doesn’t show his teeth.

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This man was reportedly spotted among the cast members, studio audience, and people in most variety programs aired on PBS.

The editor found him when something seemed strange and they looked into it.

And when people talked among themselves, they realized something…

This man only appears in episode 6.

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An explanation is attached below the photo.

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More precisely, rumors spread that he only appeared in episodes ending with the number 6.

Creepy, right?

But well, there are so many ghost stories in the broadcasting industry. Ghost sightings come up frequently too…

So it was just something staff members talked about among themselves, and when it appeared in ghost story magazines at the time, it became slightly rumored among general viewers too.

Actually, though the probability is low, it’s naturally possible for the same person to keep appearing as a variety show panel member or studio audience.

But then one unexpected event happened.

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A newspaper article is attached.

An incident where broadcast data was lost due to a broadcasting station power outage.

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There were problems saving edited footage data due to the power outage. There were issues with documentaries and news too… but the important thing is this.

Among them was the final edited version of Hot Talk Talk episode 166.

In the end, episode 166 was just aired as a highlight compilation of previous episodes…

And

from here things start getting stranger and stranger

…

This man appeared in every single highlight reel.

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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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