Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 248

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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 248

A train is coming.

And I don’t know how long the Misfortune Blocking talisman I’m holding will last.

All of these circumstances point to one thing.

‘Quickly!’

Getting down to the platform through the stairs immediately.

“This way.”

Deputy Lee Seong-hae, who has the best sense of direction, rushes out almost instinctively and starts retracing the path we came from.

Since I was also picturing it in my head, and probably everyone else was trying to remember it similarly, no one gets confused and follows behind him running.

Breathing sounds.

Footstep sounds.

…In the distance, the vibration sound of the approaching train.

The path quickly draws near. Only the sounds of pushing through trees and fog echo in the silence.

And finally the stairs reveal themselves. A clear view without fog. That will send us to another place…

We had arrived at the ‘exit’ like that.

My heart grows cold with a chill.

‘Why couldn’t anyone remember?’

It’s absurd that not a single person among this group noticed this.

And I realized. Even now when I recalled it from shock…

‘It’s quickly evaporating from my mind.’

As if fog is seeping in.

‘It’s a gimmick.’

The contents of the information board don’t seem to stay in memory for long. But there’s no time to feel dismayed.

‘Quickly.’

We have to go back…!

“Cheongdong. Direction again!”

“Yes.”

Wait. I hastily added.

“Agent, please don’t look toward the exit.”

Who knows what might be visible.

“…! Yes.”

After checking that Bronze Agent nodded while holding up the colored glass, I urgently checked my items.

…Half of the Misfortune Blocking fragment I was holding was covered in black mold.

The silk thread is rotting.

‘…It got faster.’

Coming to the exit by mistake must have had a negative effect.

At this rate, the time I can hold out is probably…

Barely 5 to 10 minutes or so.

‘Quickly.’

“Found it, the ticket gate…!”

“Okay. Let’s not run this time.”

Moving our feet.

So we won’t be judged as running, so both feet won’t leave the ground at the same time. Movement began again in extreme tension and concentration. As soon as we reach the ticket gate, we track the direction back to the station again.

We found the transit card charger.

Most of the Misfortune Blocking pollack was covered in dark purple mold.

From the charger, we walk back the way we came.

The silk thread on my ring finger snapped.

The walking path grows dizzyingly thick with fog…

Drip.

Cold sweat falls onto the Misfortune Blocking talisman.

Now the talisman’s shape is almost indistinguishable.

More than half of the thread on my finger has snapped.

‘Quickly.’

Not being able to run is like torture.

I feel like I could run now, but since I already got caught by the rule once, I can’t easily attempt it, so I keep walking.

Walking.

And.

And…

It’s the stairs.

The path down to the platform.

“…!!”

People go down the stairs in a state where they can’t even breathe. While tightly gripping the remaining thread connected to the Misfortune Blocking pollack, I also move my feet.

And.

And…

We escape from the fog.

“….”

“….”

The moment we set foot on the platform.

“Haaaaah…”

“Whew.”

People collapsed.

‘We’re alive.’

The moment everyone felt the same intuition, tension suddenly released and deep relief spread through the atmosphere.

I looked up at the ceiling and gasped for breath.

And when I lowered my head, I could see exactly one line of silk thread remaining.

I swallowed my saliva.

‘I almost died.’

[Oh, that was a thrilling exploration full of exciting twists in the middle, Friend!]

Right. A friend who helped me out with 100 million can say whatever they want.

And finally some joke-like words began to be exchanged among the people.

“When we came out at the exit, I thought we were dead.”

“Hahaha!”

“Good thing we came down safely!”

The subtle distance that individuals from the two bad groups, Daydream Company and the Disaster Management Bureau, had seemed to lessen a bit.

It seems some kind of strange sense of solidarity had developed.

[It’s a very classic psychological phenomenon. The mechanism is a bit different, but you could say it’s similar to the suspension bridge effect!]

Right.

‘Whatever’s fine.’

It seemed like we’d be able to handle things well without getting red-faced with each other even after getting out.

“We should have an after-party when we get out. Did you say the government officials like tripe hot pot? How about Korean beef too?”

“Geez, this is maddening. Citizen.”

“Agent, please….”

“That old-fashioned guy looks like he could easily eat a whole serving, so why’s he being picky.”

“…?!”

“Can I come too?”

“Of course.”

I know they won’t actually have a company dinner, but meaningless conversation goes back and forth a few times to relieve tension and gather our thoughts.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

“It’s coming in.”

The signal that another train is coming is detected.

‘Does it come more often when there are passengers at the station?’

I’m not sure about the frequency, but anyway, it would be good if we could get out of here.

Of course, we’ll have to see if it’s a means to completely escape from the ghost story….

“Since there were people on the train, I hope it connects to some other supernatural phenomenon at least. Right, Grape?”

“…Yes.”

Anything would be better than the middle of an extinction-level disaster….

And also.

“…We should prepare for the possibility that the people on the train aren’t normal either.”

“Of course.”

In fact, if they’re passengers on a train appearing in a ghost story, we couldn’t rule out the probability that they’re also contaminated humans.

The train is entering.

I can see the agents switching to anti-personnel equipment and the Daydream employees organizing their items.

Among those, there are probably some items that can’t be used here but they’re maintaining them for appearance’s sake.

‘Though I’m not one to talk, being completely empty-handed.’

I held back a sigh as I looked at the protective dried pollack shaking in my sweaty hands.

It’s already almost completely ruined.

100 million for five lives isn’t bad, but still, thinking of it as disposable makes it feel wasteful….

Thud.

“….”

I saw it fall to the floor.

A piece of persimmon wood covered in mold lay there, crushed beyond recognition.

The last silk thread that had been dangling from my hand snapped and fell.

The protective charm was completely.

Broken.

“….”

“Wait. Noru, that thing….”

It’s not something that could break simply from weight.

Because it’s an item.

…Which means.

It had been functioning as protection right up until it broke.

“….”

I stiffly turned my head toward the platform stairs.

…The fog that had spilled out from the waiting room was flowing down through the passage.

‘Ah.’

That’s right. The waiting room is part of the subway station.

Being registered as passengers at this station.

Means the station knows of our existence.

Means the forest in the waiting room also knows about us….

Enough to chase us.

But the reason we hadn’t been chased to the platform until now was because the protective charm had been blocking that presence for us.

But now that it’s broken.

“Get back,”

The next moment.

Fog pours down the stairs like a waterfall, completely covering the platform.

“…!!”

The fog-covered platform becomes eerily wide and tree shadows begin to appear.

Trees with hanging corpses.

…Nooses without bodies.

-New bodies have been discovered in ███ Forest, notorious as a suicide spot. These bodies are five unidentified male and female corpses found hanging side by side from trees near the subway connection passage.

-According to witness testimony, they are presumed to have made an extreme choice after giving up on boarding the subway train. The content of their last conversation in life was….

-You want to give up too, don’t you?

“Duck.”

I lowered my head. I tried to grab the shoulder of the person next to me, but again, what I grasp is a corpse.

I hastily shake it off.

“Everyone to the screen door!”

Fortunately, the sound can be heard.

Moreover, in the fog, I can faintly see the trail of blue flames burning and hear bell sounds.

A presence driving away the fog.

“Over here!”

I urgently headed in that direction.

As I get closer, I can see silhouettes in the fog. Agent Choi near the screen door!

Passengers are requested to board safely while observing proper etiquette.

“As soon as the train door opens….”

Whoosh.

“…Agent?”

Just now.

Just now, didn’t Agent Choi get caught by a noose around his neck right in front of me and get pulled up dangling into a tree?

Huh?

What… is this?

Why did this suddenly happen? This was clearly a ghost story that lured victims, but because we were registered as station users, there was no need to lure us? Because what the protective charm was blocking burst forth like a broken dam? Because we violated etiquette? No….

Just now.

He died?

He died….

“Damn it.”

….

…Deputy Manager!

I barely managed to regain my senses and searched for voices while cutting through the fog. The Deputy Manager, so somewhere around here…

Whoosh.

Another shadowy figure caught by a noose and pulled up.

Disappears into the fog.

-You want to give up too, don’t you?

I froze.

‘…Ah.’

The platform was already completely covered with trees and fog.

Could everything I just saw be hallucinations, hallucinations? I mean, suddenly like this, there’s no way two people could die, so…

But other presences…

“Grape Agent!”

Bronze Agent.

“Agent.”

Silhouettes approaching me. I can see Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae beside them too. The fog is slightly revealed by the light of glow-in-the-dark star stickers that Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae stuck on the back of his hand and held up high.

We were almost right next to the platform screen door.

The light from the open train door is faintly visible beyond the fog.

“Get in right now…!”

This time.

I saw it.

A noose that shot out from the fog grabbed Bronze Agent’s neck and pulled him upward.

He’s pulled up into the fog.

“…!”

I reflexively grabbed his lower body. At the same time, Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae also grabs his feet.

But it’s meaningless.

Because it’s around his neck.

With impossible pressure, the noose slipped through our hands and went up.

I only heard the crack of his neck breaking.

“…”

The platform screen door is closing.

I throw my body toward the train.

My confused mind can’t reach a proper conclusion and shakes dizzily. Escape, escape like this? Isn’t there anything I can do?

It’s already too late…

…!

And this time I saw it.

By the light of the glow-in-the-dark star stickers on the back of Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae’s hand that he raised while running, I can see rope coming down from the fog.

A noose.

The turn of one of us two.

‘No.’

I pushed Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae beside me into the closing train door as if throwing him.

At the same time.

-You want to give up too, don’t you?

A noose also catches around my neck and pulls.

Whoosh.

Pain.

Pressure pain.

Suffocation.

…

Death.

Blackout.

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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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