Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 225

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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 225

I sat back down on the bed.

I was still holding the bell in my hand.

The one that serves as a signpost to help me think like myself.

Jingle.

[Oh, I think it’s okay to ask once more now.]

[Noru, how does it feel to realize you’ve regained your ability to think?]

I raised my head.

‘…My mind is clear.’

I was remarkably myself.

[That’s wonderful news!]

‘Right. But…’

That point was also strange.

[Hmm?]

The fact that I wasn’t particularly overwhelmed or crying tears of joy at coming to my senses.

It was somewhat bewildering.

And so I noticed the sense of unease too.

For instance, something like this.

‘…Why am I not that scared?’

[Oh my, I don’t see anything frightening in this bedroom. Though this pink merchandise doll is frighteningly charming!]

R-right.

But what I’m trying to say isn’t that…

‘The overall situation seems like something I should be plenty scared of.’

My body is some bizarre thing, my future is in the gutter, and right now I’m locked alone in a sealed room in a ghost story containment facility. Normally I would have been screaming internally while swallowing sobs…

But just feeling ‘troubled’?

When I used Nostalgia Kitty to briefly become Deer Supervisor again and regained my body and mind only to have them crushed, what kind of terror and unbearable feelings did I experience.

A situation where panic would be appropriate.

But now I’m rather calm for having returned to my right mind.

Even though I’m somewhat afraid, it feels like the fear button has been deactivated. As if I’d taken some kind of tranquilizer.

‘Is it because this bell is for agents?’

Does it not return overly negative or strong emotions?

For that to be the case, it seems like I can’t feel delicate and subtle emotions very well either.

[Oh. In the old days, that ancient Greek philosopher classified the human psyche into reason, will, and emotion in layers.]

[It’s an outdated theory, but given it was an era without foundational knowledge, it’s also intuitive. Shall we try applying it?]

Hmm. Then that would mean.

‘I’m in a state where I’ve only recovered reason and part of my will… is that it?’

A state where emotions aren’t felt very well.

Since emotions are greatly influenced by the body, it does feel rational when you think about it briefly.

[Noru, you’re as quick to understand as always. Of course, this is all speculation, but according to your perspective, that’s how it could be seen. Friend.]

[If you adapt and get used to it again, won’t the rest slowly return too?]

…Then, it might actually be better for immediate activity right now.

‘If panic and fear are dulled, it would be much better for existing in this insane ghost story world…’

Though I don’t know what it’ll be like afterward.

I held back a sigh.

When I realized that with this body, even if I sighed, only smoke would come out so it wouldn’t matter much, I felt slightly depressed.

‘Let’s be grateful that I felt even a little depressed…’

And I engaged in productive activity.

Jingle.

Throughout my ‘break time,’ I adjusted the intervals of ringing the bell to confirm how long the effect of maintaining my ‘sanity’ lasted.

The result.

‘…About 4 hours.’

After 4 hours, it gradually becomes difficult to maintain thought.

To keep maintaining reason, I need to hear the bell sound once every 4 hours. At least for now.

‘Hmm.’

I looked at the small bell while pondering.

Would it break if I used it too long?

[All objects are consumables. Except in very special cases.]

[But right now it looks perfectly fine. It must be something made by a craftsman of sorts.]

Then I should be able to use it without major problems for a while.

‘Thank you, Team Leader Haegeum…’

After sighing once more, I pondered and then placed the bell between the horns that had sprouted from my head to secure it.

I can move my horns by moving my skull.

So this way I can shake it only when I want to. It won’t be very visible either.

With that done, the urgent matters were finished.

Now until work time… I could be lost in thought.

‘Mm.’

…I lay down as comfortably as possible.

And avoiding topics that seemed likely to shake me too much, I recalled the things I had experienced so far.

Mainly people come to mind.

Gwak Je-gang, J3, Park Min-seong, Deputy Lee Seong-hae, Kang I-hak, …Agent Choi.

And the moment I trace back to the first scene.

I realize something.

‘…!’

Jang Heo-un.

One of the new employees who came to find me in Annex Underground 13th Floor Room 666 in the experiment conducted under the pretext of ‘special recruitment.’

At that time, I think I only felt vague joy that Jang Heo-un was alive… but now that I can think, I realize that’s not something that should just pass by.

‘He would have recognized me.’

Jang Heo-un entered Cheerful Theme Park’s resort together knowing that I was Kim Sol-eum, and in this process also saw the Security Team costume.

Naturally, this means he can match the current me with the Kim Sol-eum he knew.

Of course, this comes with a premise.

The premise that it really was Jang Heo-un.

‘I see people’s faces as melting mosaics…’

Their voices are also hard to identify, so I’m distinguishing them mostly by their general appearance and speech patterns. At least I can see their expressions somewhat.

‘No, if the wish ticket worked properly in the first place, why would they come here?’

And unlike me, who was processed as resigned due to disappearance and death, it was a branch office assignment, so they could have just returned to headquarters when it was over.

Didn’t they contact Director Ho? Why…?

…

…!

[Hmm?]

A chilling speculation crosses my mind.

What if.

What if Jang Heo-un couldn’t return to being human until the very end?

So the wish ticket was used to turn Jang Heo-un back into a human?

Then Jang Heo-un doesn’t have a wish ticket to fulfill his own wish.

So the probability that he returned to the company to earn another wish ticket is…

‘There.’

There’s definitely a possibility.

‘Wait, conversely, the possibility that Go Young-eun gave up her wish ticket and saved Jang Heo-un is…’

…I don’t know about that.

Usually, people with wishes so desperate they can’t give them up are the ones who pass the Field Investigation Team’s aptitude test and can attend the orientation site.

[Either way, it’s quite a chilling and interesting speculation, Noru. It seems plausible.]

[And it seems like other thoughts have come to mind based on this?]

…

That’s correct.

If Jang Heo-un used a wish ticket to return to being human.

Then I too… if I use a wish ticket, couldn’t I have a human body?

‘No. That’s wasteful.’

If I can earn another wish ticket, this time I’ll make a proper wish. Then, if I can think of a perfect sentence, I can return home…

…

Wasn’t that blind desire to go home also actually fixed through experiments?

Did I forget the experiment records used to summon me into this world like Good Friend?

‘Ah.’

My stomach churns.

Earning another wish ticket.

It’s impossible anyway. The Security Team barely gives any points. They’re all consumed by maintenance costs. But moreover, I am, underground. Laboratory, broken culture tank, me collapsing. Crumbling…

No.

Ding.

My rapidly crumbling mind is pulled together again by the bell sound.

Whew.

I shook the bell between my horns again.

Ding.

‘Get it together.’

Let’s not cling to earning wish tickets with points from Baek Il-mong.

I need to think of another way.

First… I need to accurately understand the situation I’m in.

Goal: Approach the truth.

Then I realized.

What I had resolved with my shattered ego ultimately hadn’t changed even after regaining my sanity.

‘…I was going the right way.’

My chest stirs faintly. I imagined taking a deep breath mentally and resolved again.

And one more thing.

Additional goal: Meet Jang Heo-un again.

Good.

If possible, let’s do it this way.

[You’ve set your direction, Friend! Very good.]

And right around then, work started.

-It is your work time. Please wake up. It is your work time. Please wake up…

‘Really noisy…’

I mean, telling me to wake up when I can’t even sleep…

[To draw attention in such a crude and vulgar manner. I could tell from that tacky educational video, but this is truly a headache-inducing level of cost-cutting!]

I somewhat agree with this.

Anyway, before long, the complex containment room door’s lock opens and someone enters.

“Employee!”

Researcher Gwak Je-gang.

The researcher who had dismissed the Security Team outside entered with clearly excited signs.

Hmm, seeing him while sane makes him seem even stranger…

‘No, why don’t you regenerate your pinky fingertip…’

He should have quite a few points, so is he trying to hold out until the physical loss progresses further? Or maybe regeneration potions don’t work on the ‘Red Finger’ ghost story. There weren’t such detailed exploration records on the wiki.

Either possibility exists, but the fact that he doesn’t seem to mind is truly befitting of a mad scientist.

“Did you sleep well last night? Haha, the ‘Man in the Darkness’ you magnificently captured yesterday was safely handed over to the Research Team!”

Detailed processing procedure explanation

: Cannot be omitted based on arbitrary purposes

“Of course!”

And Gwak Je-gang, as promised ‘on his pinky finger,’ explained everything well and informed me.

How the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau safely controlled the situation, how they quickly obtained at least C-grade darkness and saved on processing costs, making Director Cheong satisfied.

‘…Phew.’

And…

“Team Leader Kang I-hak has gone missing.”

…?!

“Ah, I heard they were taken away by the Disaster Management Bureau. Well, what could happen? Even if the Disaster Management Bureau finds out about the USB’s whereabouts now, it’s already here with us.”

My nonexistent digestive organs seem to hurt….

Ah, no. Do I have them? Now that I’ve regained my reason, I seem to be able to examine my body’s condition more objectively…. They’re probably somewhere, just collapsed, right?

[That’s also an interesting consideration, but it’s developing in an odd direction, Friend!]

R-right.

Anyway, Kang I-hak is still a Team Leader, so nothing major should happen. And it would be better for humanity if the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau knows that Baekillmong took the ‘Man in the Screen’….

‘….’

Feelings like longing or regret tried to surface slightly, but they weren’t strong, so I could easily push them aside.

I demanded the next step from Gwak Je-gang.

Results

“Results? Of course there are! Thanks to you, Employee, I even managed to secure a private meeting with Director Cheong this time!”

Gwak Je-gang burst into laughter.

“It was the first time I could have such a long conversation… I was able to extract a lot of very interesting, I mean, valuable information. Haha! …To think the day would come when I’d hear such things.”

The researcher’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction from fulfilling his personal curiosity.

“It’s also foundational information that will bring us closer to our goal, that is… the truth about your origins, Employee….”

…!

Explanation required

“Of course! …It’s about how this company collects darkness. It’s surprisingly systematized from multiple angles.”

Gwak Je-gang pulled out a ballpoint pen, flipped over some documents, and frantically scribbled structural diagrams in front of me.

“The way this company collects darkness is broadly divided into two categories.”

External collection.

Internal collection.

“The former is something you already know well, Employee.”

Collecting from outside.

Searching for and bringing in new ghost stories that are floating around, or retrieving ones that were redistributed to civilian areas for recycling.

External collection – Capture.

External collection – Retrieval.

“And the latter is… haha, this is where the Research Team really shines!”

What’s done inside Baekillmong Company.

“Development and excavation.”

Internal collection – Development.

Internal collection – Excavation.

“First, development is creating new darkness through the process of grafting various darknesses together or experimenting with them.”

True to the ghost story setting, this is work commonly known to be done by development-related research teams.

Research to raise grades while maintaining maximum survival rates, and establishing hypotheses for manuals are also done here.

Naturally, this is content I’m well familiar with.

Then what’s important is….

“But excavation is something you’re hearing about for the first time, isn’t it?”

The last one.

“It’s exactly what it sounds like. …Excavation is digging up darkness from this company’s underground.”

…!!

Gwak Je-gang beamed with a broad smile.

“Do you happen to know what’s in our company’s basement….”

….

Joyful Research Institute

“…! I knew there would be a connection…. Hahaha, ha!”

I quietly stared at Gwak Je-gang.

He quickly stopped laughing.

“That’s right. If you go down to floors lower than now, from there the office layout repeats endlessly.”

I know.

Because I’ve witnessed it twice.

And… because the Security Chief risked danger to find out and tell me.

-Even going further underground… the same office corridors… keep repeating….

-It’s the same place, but… the time periods… seem slightly different?

I thought this was information I no longer needed to investigate since I was on the wish ticket, but that wasn’t the case.

“That’s exactly the ghost story called Joyful Research Institute.”

A massive ghost story in itself.

Gwak Je-gang shows me materials he copied from pages about the Joyful Research Institute ghost story, which he seems to have applied to access.

…It matches the Security Chief’s information.

And.

“Here you can find all sorts of prototypes that Joyful Research Institute was churning out when it was still thriving, and mediators that connect to ghost stories.”

The source of early darkness when Baekillmong was established.

“This is exactly where Baekillmong excavates ghost stories that will become darkness. Especially in the early days.”

Gwak Je-gang’s eyes gleamed with joy at discovering new knowledge.

“So maybe Baekillmong Corporation built the main building on top of this… we can even hypothesize that. Hahaha, isn’t it interesting?”

[Oh my. He has the kind of wit that would get him pelted with raw eggs if he tried stand-up comedy!]

“Anyway, now they’ve found everything worth finding in the lower levels… so they need to go deeper, but the deeper they go, the more bizarre things happen, causing them trouble.”

Gwak Je-gang looks at me.

“Even the General Security Team finds it difficult. …So, wouldn’t the help of a special department employee be desperately needed?”

…!

“It’s definitely related to the purpose for which you were created, Employee.”

I clenched my invisible hands in the smoke.

“Eventually, ‘excavation’ work will be assigned to you, Employee….”

Request rapid progress

“Of course! But to get there, we need a more solid trust relationship!”

Gwak Je-gang suddenly gauges my reaction.

“For instance… having the usage methods for 130666 that I, as the assigned researcher, create be recognized as useful. Hahaha.”

Hmm. In other words, I need to appear somewhat compliant to move to the next stage….

So the company thinks they can control me to some degree at their discretion.

This is seriously driving me crazy.

‘Well, whatever… I already signed the slave contract anyway.’

Let’s do it. That would make it easier to move around too.

Affirmative.

“…! Excellent. Then I’ll come up with a very appropriate and interesting method…”

I’ll think of something, so please don’t say anything else.

I quickly formed the smoke into words.

General Security Team duties

“…Ah.”

The excitement drains from Gwak Je-gang’s voice.

“Right. Well, it’s a bit boring, no, a gentle method… though it would be different if you’re the one doing it.”

I’m not finished talking yet.

Excuse:

‘Additional control factor discovered, wish to experiment with it.’

“…! Ah, you found a factor to control yourself and want to experiment with it! That sounds good. Fear? Pleasure? Reward and punishment, which is it? Haha, either direction…”

Money

“…”

Greed based on regulations:

Salary demands based on employee wage table

“…Yes.”

Thank you, Kang I-hak.

People who move for money are surprisingly reassuring.

And doesn’t Daydream have plenty of money?

And a few days later.

I found myself sitting at the Annex Front with two Security Team members.

They say they’ll pay me. That’s good news.

The somewhat sad part is that I’m still inside a transport cage…

‘Sigh.’

And one more thing.

[Oh, that looks like a noble part. Friend.]

During quiet work hours, as a result of rationally exploring and understanding my mangled body, I began searching for how things had flowed down and where each body part was located.

If any part maintained its intact form, there’s something I want to check.

And I find one.

::

The Inventory Tattoo.

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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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