Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 245

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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 245

The bluish-pale feet of a corpse hanging from a tree are right above my head.

Feet that are clearly dried up yet strangely swollen as if bloated.

Sway.

They brush against my cheek.

“….”

“Noru?”

“Yes.”

This is driving me crazy.

I wanted to squeeze my eyes shut at the feeling of my whole body cringing, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

‘If there’s anyone in this group who could cry and say they can’t do this, that would be quite remarkable….’

Could I really show myself freaking out from fear when absolutely no one else is scared and everyone is acting so calm?

‘It’s not like this is my first or second time exploring the darkness!’

Besides, this is an extinction-level disaster.

‘I need to do my part somehow, somehow…!’

“I’ll check it.”

Suppressing the urge to grab onto someone’s pants leg and beg them to let me contribute wiki information as a side dish, I gritted my teeth and reached out my hand.

And I examined the corpse that had bumped into my head (oh please no).

I feel like I might faint at the fact that I have to touch this thing, and remembering that I was calmly next to a corpse with its eyes gouged out during the 130666 incident makes me want to pass out even more, but my mind keeps working….

‘…It’s cold.’

At least, touching it doesn’t cause any ominous contagion, suicidal impulses, or strange hallucinations.

“It just seems like a regular corpse.”

“…Yes.”

However, there are too many of them.

I saw a slightly defeated expression cross Agent Choi’s face as he tried to peer through the fog.

“It’s not working well. The talisman has no effect at all. But… one thing is certain.”

“….”

“With the naked eye, I can’t see the end. …Of the trees with corpses hanging from them.”

The corpses didn’t discriminate by age or gender.

Countless people were filling this entire forest….

Along with fear, a sense of melancholy settled on people’s faces.

“Do you think they’re really dead people?”

“There’s a possibility it’s some kind of staging, but if a disaster really occurred in this city… it’s more likely they’re real.”

“Our Cheongdong-i is too honest. To a citizen.”

“It’s fine. Well, they’re already dead people, so what can we do? We just need to work hard not to end up like that!”

I moved my steps while suppressing nausea from the overwhelming feeling.

Most of the corpses’ clothes had dust accumulated on them, as if they’d been there for years.

‘Meaningful information….’

“Could you take a look at their hands? If they’re really corpses, there might be clues about the circumstances at the time of death.”

“I was already looking at that. Grape. Heave-ho.”

And we soon found something.

The hand of a corpse wearing glasses and a checkered shirt.

“…It’s a bit smeared, but there’s something here.”

Writing in pen on the palm.

No one comes to rescue us

Seven thousand people have been abandoned

We want to escape but

There’s no way out

So we’d rather become trees

“….”

The dried pen marks make you imagine.

‘…Did they realize they couldn’t be rescued?’

The phone lines cut off, and countless people isolated in the collapsed station platform without food.

Outside, some terrible disaster is happening so they can’t get out. There’s no hope that someone will come to rescue them from that ongoing terror.

And so….

“Hmm. Still, they chose a pretty gentle method. Instead of killing each other, they all died together, right?”

“They might have been influenced by the darkness. Conversely, this kind of unusual aspect might have become the material for the darkness.”

“Ah.”

In contrast to the calm conversation of the Daydream employees, the expressions of the two Disaster Management Bureau people were somewhat stiff.

But like veterans, they soon regained their composure.

“…Now that we’ve grasped the background of the disaster, shall we go look for the information board?”

“Yes.”

After some consideration, we left the corpses hanging as they were to avoid creating unnecessary trouble and moved on.

And when 17 minutes had passed according to smartphone time.

“Found it.”

The information board revealed itself.

A typical public institution notice board with neat blue letters between black and yellow borders, appearing wet from the fog’s moisture….

The rules of this ghost story.

Segwang Station (Forest of Death) Etiquette

1. Do not break tree branches

2. If you stand too close to the platform screen doors, you will see strange things.

3. If you run near the ticket gates, an exit will appear.

4. Do not separate from your companions

5. Do not hang yourself from trees

6. Troublemakers in the station platform are in the fog.

7. ■■-bound trains no longer stop here.

“Hmm. Quite chilling. Don’t you think so, Old-fashioned Guy?”

“Old-fash…. Huh. Yes. It’s a typical manual for supernatural phenomena.”

Listening to people’s words, I deduced the rules of that rulebook….

“I think we can classify the content by tone.”

If you base it on whether sentences end with periods, you can see the tendency.

“It’s divided into forest and subway station.”

And the subway station part was closer to guidance, while the forest was instructions.

“Hmm. Maybe there was originally a forest outside, and it got mixed with the station platform?”

“Or maybe ‘being near a forest’ influenced this station’s identity. Originally, darkness is affected by human perception, right?”

While saying this, Deputy Manager lightly tapped the information board.

Then with a thud, a corpse that had been hanging behind the information board slid down and stopped right in front of my eyes.

“…!”

I almost cursed.

“Oh my, Grape must be very scared?”

But Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je snorted.

“Government Official, why would Noru be scared of something like this? This guy even went into a talk show that grinds people up. Isn’t that right?”

“….”

Ha.

I managed to show the Deputy Manager a smile.

“Of course. …It’s a character setting I created while infiltrating the Disaster Management Bureau.”

“You little rascal, you’re still good at your job.”

“Thank you.”

How nice it would have been if that were really true…

Actually, I want to tell the truth even now… no, look at the atmosphere here right now.

Four veterans who entered an extinction-level disaster.

‘If I say I’m scared here, it’ll really look like I’m lying to freeload on a group project…’

Ha.

And in the midst of all this, there’s even someone throwing a fit because their talk show was mentioned…

[Good heavens. Did you refer to this Brown’s Late Night Talk Show with such an uncouth designation? My word, no matter how much the masses desire sensational stimulation, this is too much!]

[I don’t understand why someone with such refined sensibilities as Mr. Noru maintains friendship with such a person, but I will respect that judgment. Friend.]

Right. Thanks… It’s a bit less scary now.

I looked at Agent Choi.

The other person grins.

“Oh~ So Grape is actually a fearless, cold-headed person?”

“…”

No, I didn’t say that much…!

“Got it. Okay. Then from now on, Grape will…”

Agent Choi suddenly turned their head mid-sentence. Why…

“Duck.”

I reflexively pressed down on the shoulder of the person next to me and lowered my head.

Whoosh.

Something.

I felt a strange sensation brushing past my head along with a taut sound. I silently pressed my body to the floor and listened to my surroundings.

…

…

I noticed.

My hand that had pressed someone’s shoulder was empty.

“…”

When I raised my head.

I was alone there.

Trees and fog.

Escalators and station name signs.

Among the forest of countless hanged people, I stood alone with my feet planted.

‘Ah.’

I didn’t do anything stupid like scream or call for other people.

I simply moved my steps while frozen stiff.

One step.

Two steps.

My steps gradually quickened. The purpose of finding other people, combined with fear, gradually gained momentum.

But at the same time, I think. I’m not an idiot. This is a supernatural phenomenon. I carefully used one corpse as a reference point to avoid getting confused about direction, while trying not to get too far from that spot, turning my head…

I see something.

Something long.

Something extending from a tree, hanging still.

“…”

I slowly approached.

A tightly twisted old rope, a brown cord tied in a circle so it could be looped around something…

A noose.

A noose extending from a thick tree branch above, hanging exactly at my eye level, is right in front of me.

“…!”

I slowly backed away.

The noose that had been hanging in the air gradually disappeared from view into the fog. Without even a moment to breathe a sigh of relief, I turned my head again and moved my steps.

This time, something reveals its silhouette in the fog. Hoping for another person’s presence, I quickened my steps, and there was…

A noose for hanging.

“…”

Somehow.

The hanged corpses in the trees around me seemed to have increased.

They seemed more visible.

Corpses of various people wearing various clothes – shirts, tracksuits, dresses, business suits, blouses, jumpers – sway as black silhouettes in the fog, within my line of sight.

I hear sounds.

News.

-Another body has been discovered in the ■■■ Forest of Segwang Special City. Mr. Shin, a man in his 30s, is presumed to have made an extreme choice due to despair over his circumstances…

-This is the seventh time this year that a body has been found in ■■■ Forest, and authorities are conducting construction to close the subway connecting passage and attach warning signs…

I move my steps again. Unable to enter between the corpses, toward any direction with fewer bodies. Then again this time…

There’s a noose.

As if prepared for you who became alone.

-■■■ Forest, the forest in Segwang Special City that has gained the notorious reputation as a so-called suicide spot. Photos of the hanged victim’s body spread on SNS, causing even greater controversy…

-Experts are expressing concern about the negative effects of this topic, saying it encourages citizens to imitate. Like this.

“…”

-You want to give up too, don’t you?

I realize.

‘How on earth could so many people hang themselves.’

Even to die, preparation is needed. If as many as seven thousand people all hanged themselves, that much rope or cord or something would be needed.

Rope strong enough to support a person’s weight.

So then…

‘If this forest was originally full of hanging ropes from the beginning.’

-You want to give up too, don’t you?

If it had been providing nooses.

For the peaceful death of the opponent.

This forest was prepared to hang the necks of seven thousand people.

Just as it had been in people’s perception.

“….”

Even if I turn around and run, I come back.

The rope, tied in a circle.

[Oh, what an inevitable development.]

[It’s calling for Noru toward the ending. Doesn’t it seem just like a black box with both arms extended?]

Of all the analogies to make…!

I gritted my teeth. Don’t think about it. What state I was in then, what state I became afterward…

More importantly.

‘How did I originally deal with this?’

I need to remember.

I had survived by breaking through ghost stories even without being in a state like 130666. Surely, there’s something I can do even in human form…

‘Though this is inside an extinction-level disaster, that’s outside.’

The anomalous phenomena here might have more escape routes.

Stay calm, stay calm…

-You want to give up too, don’t you?

Don’t touch the noose.

‘Damn it.’

I grabbed my strangely raised hands and thought while looking at the floor to avoid seeing the corpse above my head.

So this place is…

-Divided into forest and subway station.

“….”

Right.

‘The fixtures of the subway station building haven’t changed.’

The information board and walls are still the same.

It’s just a maze-like forest where there are eerily many trees, thick fog, and nooses keep appearing.

Then, I know a definite ‘symbol’ that means a place without fog and trees.

Stairs.

‘The platform…!’

I sprinted past the noose.

I searched my mind, adding the positions of subway fixtures to find the location of the stairs.

Illuminated ceiling, mirrors, information boards, escalators, tactile tiles, fire extinguishers…

And.

‘Found it.’

I ran down the stairs.

At that moment.

“Noru.”

I realized that my shoulder was being grabbed and I was standing at the bottom of the platform stairs.

Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je’s face, drenched in cold sweat.

And the other people also seemed to have just escaped through the stairs, breathing heavily.

Various objects were held in their hands.

‘Everyone escaped using items.’

That was fortunate.

I sighed and tried to secretly wipe away the cold sweat on my forehead… then suddenly realized my hand was heavier than expected.

A corpse was clutched in my hand.

“…!!”

Earlier, what I had thought was someone else’s shoulder and quickly grabbed was a hanged corpse.

‘Fuck.’

And I had probably been staring at the empty noose left behind after that corpse disappeared.

‘Hah…’

As soon as I realized it, goosebumps rose all over my body.

I couldn’t bring myself to throw it, and barely managed to put it down with trembling hands.

On the clean platform floor, a swollen and withered bluish corpse was placed with a thud.

The remaining sensation made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

“Are you alright?”

Bronze Agent who approached quickly examined me with equipment that was still working, as if checking. Then, with slight relief that there were no particular symptoms of being ‘possessed,’ he stepped back.

“The fog suddenly got thick and we couldn’t see people at all. We barely found the stairs and returned while only hearing each other’s voices. In the meantime, items kept malfunctioning and gave us trouble. But…”

When they arrived at the stairs, only I was missing.

“We were just talking about whether we should go back out to look for you, but thank goodness.”

Thank you…

It was fortunate that I found the stairs and came down in time.

“Still, seeing that everyone escaped safely, it’s not for nothing that the company prefers experienced workers.”

“Haha…”

Weak laughter came and went.

“Anyway, we learned one thing from this. If you stay in that forest too long, the fog gets thick and you get bewitched by hanged corpses, right?”

“It seems similar.”

I shared in detail about the empty noose rope I had seen.

People murmured thoughtfully.

“This is why I hate exploration without manuals. Don’t you think so? Everything here and there is all landmines.”

“It is quite troublesome!”

“Do you government officials perhaps have any methods? Looking at it, it feels ominous like ghosts or vengeful spirits, a traditional ghost story type of sinister place, something like that.”

“Oh, you guessed well. In that misty forest, I did feel an overall malevolent… that is, evil feeling. We usually call that evil energy.”

Agent Choi strokes his chin.

“But I don’t know if this originates from the forest itself, or if it was created because too many people died.”

“Oh, if it’s determined to be one of the two, can you do something like purification?”

The two agents and I exchanged glances.

“…There is.”

Agent Choi sweats coldly and grins.

“If we have the appropriate supplies.”

But the thing is.

“Right now, as for supplies we can use, Cheongdong-i has about… three bullets? Right?”

“…Yes. And they’re all for anti-ghost use, not suitable for this kind of territorial supernatural phenomenon. Moreover,”

Bronze Agent presses his furrowed brow.

“Either way, it would only be possible by borrowing the power of spirits that cooperate with the Disaster Management Bureau.”

That’s right.

Whether it’s Tiger General or the Elder, we’ll need the power of some supernatural spiritual being.

And in this Segwang Special City, probably all equipment and items of the ‘borrowing power from outside’ type are completely useless.

In short, it’s a hopeless and frightening situation.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

And right after that, I realized one more thing.

…Thirst.

‘I’m thirsty.’

Probably everyone else is feeling something similar too.

But without water and food supplies, how long can we really last here.

‘…Phew.’

But for now, let’s be grateful that we can put our heads together without anyone dying, and be grateful that there’s a platform we can escape to.

‘First, it seems like we need to do something about that corpse…’

Just as I was thinking that and about to open my mouth.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

“…!!”

I turned my head.

Sound was coming from the speaker attached to the platform.

It was a melody I’d never heard before, but it was in a format where I could predict its purpose. Specifically…

“…Subway notification sound?”

A train is entering.

Whoosh.

If there hadn’t been screen doors, tremendous entry wind would have hit our bodies.

The light from the train that came rushing at terrifying speed from the end of those railway tracks shines onto the platform from beyond the glass window, and passes by in an instant.

The announcement voice that can be heard.

Due to the current absence of passengers, the train will pass through our station without stopping…

“…”

“…”

The train disappears with a roar. We watched the light of the departing train from beyond the screen door…

And.

“People.”

I made eye contact with my companions.

“There were people riding inside that train.”

“…!”

And so one more option appeared.

-Follow the railway tracks to track the train.

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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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