Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 25

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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 025

In a corner of the locker room inside the theme park ghost story, a small stuffed doll speaks and moves its limbs.

Just reading that sentence would be enough to make anyone faint.

Except for the fact that I’m the one who created this situation.

Good Friend

The stuffed doll struggled on top of the disappeared hexagram.

“Ah,”

Only then did it hit me.

I had succeeded in inviting ‘Good Friend’ into the doll!

The problem was that what I invited was someone I knew—no, a monster I knew.

‘The Host…!’

The TV-headed monster that hosted the Tuesday Quiz Show ghost story.

-I do hope you’ll join as crew on my new talk show too, Noru!

I swallowed hard, recalling the final scene when I escaped from that insane ghost story.

“…It’s good to see you. Host. Have you been well?”

-Haha, good to see you too! I remember how splendidly you performed on the quiz show. How have you been, Noru? I’ve been…

-I’ve been.

Silence.

-I can’t… remember very well. Hmm… Right. I’ve been well. I hosted talk shows.

The voice coming from the stuffed doll became somewhat faint, then soon regained strength and friendliness.

-What’s important is that we’ve met again!

“…Yes.”

It felt like supernatural overwhelming presence and fear had been hazily suppressed before they could burst out.

‘…Because it’s a Good Friend?’

It seems like that stuffed doll and the ritual are playing some kind of controlling role.

Still, I need to be careful.

“Um, Host. I have a question.”

Good Friend

-Just call me Brown. Noru! Let’s drop the awkward honorifics like ‘sir’!

“…Right. Yes. Brown.”

Right. Even a TV-headed creature living in ghost stories would have a name…

Anyway, getting to the point was urgent right now. I spoke as politely as possible.

“Actually, I’m trying to leave the theme park but can’t find a way out.”

-Oh my! Theme parks are famous for their complex structures and confusing paths. Don’t worry. I’m quite good at finding directions!

“…It’s not that I’m lost, the mascots have blocked the exit gate.”

The stuffed doll fell silent for a moment as if at a loss for words.

-Huh, hmm… That’s quite an unusual situation?

Quite a human-like reaction.

I briefly summarized and explained the structure of this theme park and what had happened.

The teams and zones divided by color, and the rampaging mascots.

The stuffed doll lying on the floor crossed its arms.

-Hmm. What diva-like mascots! There are beings in the broadcasting industry who act just as dramatically.

-However, I’m concerned about the one that hasn’t appeared.

The one that hasn’t appeared?

I reflexively thought of it.

“…You mean the Yellow Mascot?”

The last mascot that was only mentioned in the attraction, with no trace to be found.

-Exactly! Yellow Flower, was it? Do you know where it is?

“…!”

Right.

‘Since I found the Blue Mascot’s zone, the Yellow Mascot’s zone might be somewhere too…!’

If I find that place and exit through that gate…

-Though it’s probably already dead.

…

“Excuse me?”

The Yellow Mascot is?

“Wouldn’t there be a space like a botanical garden or greenhouse garden? Since it’s a flower…”

-Oh my, but Noru, you should already know this.

The kind voice whispered.

-Didn’t you clearly say it yourself? That the Yellow Team also woke up in the Blue Zone outskirts.

“…!”

-If there had been a Yellow Zone, the Yellow Team would have woken up there. Wasn’t that the rule?

“…That’s right.”

The rule was to wake up in the zone matching the color of the game piece you drew. But the Yellow Team couldn’t do that.

Could that be… because there really is no Yellow Zone?

I thought about it.

And after a moment, I opened my mouth.

“…I’ve realized what I need to do.”

I need to confirm it.

-Oh, what is it? Together….

The stuffed doll struggled as if trying to get up, but lost its balance and flopped over with a thud.

-Ahem, Noru, could you help me stand up?

I carefully approached and gently lifted the ‘Good Friend’ with the keyring in one hand.

I could feel a warmth like body temperature.

-It’s difficult to control this body. It’ll take some time to adapt, but… don’t worry. I’m a very capable being!

Of course you are.

After thinking for a moment, I put the stuffed doll in my suit’s front pocket.

The stuffed doll raised one hand dramatically.

-Well, let’s go! …But where are we going?

A place that could serve as a guide.

A location that every large public facility has.

“The Information Booth.”

Naturally, there were exploration records of finding an Information Booth in Cheerful Theme Park as well. It had most of the typical facilities found in amusement parks.

‘The problem was that it couldn’t be used normally….’

It would tell you simple things like the locations of nearby attractions.

But when requests got a bit complicated or involved asking for physical items, this would happen.

The Information Mascot holds up a ‘Members Only’ sign.

‘Meaning a mere boarding pass won’t do.’

Though they treat you as a guest, it’s used to create an eerie atmosphere by hinting that this place wasn’t originally meant for you….

‘I happen to have a membership card on my arm.’

Actually, as soon as the boarding pass changed to a membership card, I did recall several exploration records related to ‘Members Only’ areas.

Special souvenir shops, restaurants, separate attraction entrances with no lines.

But there was a clear reason I avoided them when possible.

‘Because you have to interact with mascots.’

I didn’t know what terrible consequences might result from making contact with crazy mascots who shut gates, alone and without information….

‘Just imagining it is terrifying.’

But now that I have a monster friend who can serve as a danger alarm, I’ll give it a try.

“Brown. If the person I’m talking with seems upset or likely to harm me, could you let me know?”

-Of course. That’s not difficult at all!

The stuffed doll answered cheerfully, then quickly created and showed me several hand signals. It was truly the swift work of someone from the mass media industry.

And shortly after.

-Over there. Oh, it looks quite impressive….

I approached the Information Booth while listening to ‘Good Friend’ chatter. The booth was made of opaque blue glass and white partitions.

As I drew near, the partition opened and a Blue Mascot’s face appeared.

A blue dragon wearing a uniform.

“Hello. I’d like to see a map of this place.”

The Blue Mascot, who had been waving happily, quickly moved its hands and held out a high-quality catalog.

It was a convenient map showing various attractions, restaurants, and facilities of ‘Blue Dream Water Park.’

At the top of the catalog was written ‘Members Only.’

I looked up at the Blue Mascot.

“Thank you.”

It seemed somewhat proud.

“But do you happen to have one that shows all the zones?”

Thud.

The Blue Mascot’s movement stopped.

Don’t, don’t be scared.

“As you probably know, I came over here from the Red Zone without proper procedure. To avoid any mistakes… I’d like to avoid getting close to that area again.”

I asked in as calm and polite a voice as possible.

“Which areas border the Red Zone?”

A brief silence.

The mascot reached out its hand.

F R O M H E R E

T O H E R E

Riiip. The Blue Mascot’s claws tore the catalog map I was holding.

All along the eastern edge.

‘As expected, the eastern Blue Zone and western Red Zone are completely adjacent….’

But… this is too scary.

Both my hands holding the tearing catalog are trembling like they’re vibrating…!

‘Please spare me.’

You’re not going to split me in half with those claws too, are you?

The moment the mascot lifted its claws from the map, I hurriedly nodded to express my gratitude.

Now for the next topic!

“Thank you. If that’s the case, then perhaps….”

Tap tap.

“…!”

-Shh.

The stuffed doll in my front pocket quietly tapped its chest twice.

…This means.

‘The other party doesn’t seem to be in a good mood.’

…So this was the limit!

I immediately changed tactics and only gave a polite greeting.

“Yes. I won’t go near the Red Zone.”

Blue Dragon stayed still for a moment, then soon nodded.

Then it rummaged through its chest and pulled out another ‘Blue Soda Churros’ envelope to hand to me.

“Thank you.”

Good Child

Blue Dragon tapped my bracelet and withdrew its arm.

Drrrk.

Soon the information booth curtain closed smoothly.

“….”

‘Phew.’

Done.

I clutched my pounding heart and lowered my head.

I was scared to death, but….

My Friend

I found it out.

“Yes.”

I lifted my head and started running.

“Now I just need to move.”

I could have saved time by asking the mascot more questions, but safety comes first, so let’s use the most reliable method from now on.

My own feet, that is.

‘Let’s hurry.’

There aren’t many hours left.

I looked up at the sky of the theme park that was starting to get dark.

A few hours later.

The sun had set.

“Huff.”

I was still running.

My legs were trembling after thoroughly searching half of the massive water theme park.

-Noru, you seem very tired?

“I’m fine.”

The stuffed doll asked in a pitying tone.

-I think it’s time to ask this question. Where exactly are you trying to go?

I wiped the sweat from my chin and answered.

“The Yellow Zone.”

-Oh!

-We all seemed to agree on the premise that ‘there is no Yellow Zone,’ but what’s the reason for reversing your judgment?

“I didn’t reverse it. I still think there is no Yellow Zone now.”

However.

“There must have been one in the past.”

I lowered the map and looked ahead.

First.

“It probably wasn’t directly adjacent to the Red Zone back then.”

There’s forest to the east, entrance to the north, cliff to the south, and Blue Zone to the west.

‘The terrain fits perfectly, with no gaps.’

Then….

“It must have been adjacent to somewhere in the Blue Zone. There must have been a connecting passage.”

Excluding the north which was also an entrance, and the east which was adjacent to the Red Zone.

What remains is….

-So that’s why you were combing through the west and south like hunting for lice? Haha!

Correct.

Unlike the Red Zone, there were no mascots chasing me to kill me here, so I could use this brute force method.

And finally, I found it in a corner of the northwest, behind the bathroom in a flower bed.

A bumpy dirt path leading up the mountain, like a closed mountain trail.

-Hmm. It certainly looks like it was once open as a passage.

The problem is, crossing this would almost certainly violate the theme park’s rules.

[Restricted Area – Authorized Personnel Only]

After checking that signboard, I walked out from behind the bathroom and looked around.

I made eye contact with a mascot standing in front of a children’s attraction in the distance.

-Hmm, are you concerned about that mascot?

“Yes. If I cross into the restricted area, it will definitely notice….”

-Then you just need to not get caught!

“….”

That’s not as easy as it sounds….

-Come on, cheer up. It’s not difficult!

Friend

Good Friend’s voice became somewhat cunning.

Its characteristic confidence, slyness, and friendliness came to the forefront.

-I’ll help you. First… it would be good if you took me out of your front pocket for a moment!

I did as it said.

Then the stuffed doll sitting on my palm raised its hand and pointed at me.

I flinched for a moment. I remembered how it incinerated people on the Tuesday Quiz Show.

But this time was different.

Snap!

The sound of fingers snapping echoed dully from the fingerless hands of the doll.

At that moment.

Something like a strange shadow heavily covered over me.

“…!”

I am now faint and sunken….

-Now… they won’t notice. Come, let’s go.

‘Good Friend’, Brown’s voice became faintly tired.

“This is….”

-I turned off Noru’s lighting.

-Didn’t we promise not to pay attention to people who aren’t illuminated in the show?

It seems ‘Incineration’ wasn’t the Host’s only ability.

‘Was he controlling that entire filming set himself….’

I felt somehow chilled as I looked down at the stuffed doll, but soon realized that wasn’t the priority.

Escape first!

“Then I’ll move now.”

-Very good!

I went back behind the bathroom and stood in front of the closed trail path.

And I crossed over the no entry sign.

“….”

Nothing happened.

“Thank….”

-Save the praise for later, let’s move first!

I was genuinely grateful and almost moved to tears.

I climbed the steep mountain trail at maximum speed. Almost crawling.

Broken plastic fragments and decorative pieces crunched under my hands and feet through the dirt.

-There was definitely something here before.

I urged myself to go faster.

Up, higher up….

And finally, the end of the path appeared.

Step.

I planted my foot and stood.

From the top of the hill, I could see below.

It was….

-A resort.

A massive resort complex spread out beside the dark seaside.

…I heard that a certain famous franchise theme park also operates such enormous accommodation facilities.

The scale was overwhelming just to look at, but….

[Flower Golden Resort]

It was already a dead facility.

The golden-glowing resort probably once looked like quite the dream destination. But now it was old and peeling, looking desolate.

I looked at the cracked sign with Yellow Flower smiling brightly.

And below that, familiar but older machinery.

-There’s a gate at the entrance to the resort too!

“Yes.”

That made sense. The path from the theme park back to the resort was also a kind of exit.

‘Found it…!’

Forgetting my fatigue, I ran again. The shadow covering my body slipped away and my steps became faster.

-Hmm. But the gate here is also off, can you use it?

“Of course.”

I examined the area around the old gate device and opened the emergency control panel.

Just like I had done at the attraction.

And I activated the emergency power.

Whirrrr.

Creaking, lights sporadically came on in the gate device.

‘I couldn’t do it before because the mascots were glaring with their eyes wide open.’

This level of operation was something I could do easily.

I stood in front of the gate that lit up in the most intact condition among them.

Catching my breath.

And one final check.

“Brown. If I enter that resort with my membership card, do you think I’ll have to use those facilities?”

-Haha! That completely run-down place? The business ended long ago, it’s ownerless land now. It’s not a theme park, just empty ground!

Thanks for the sharp and accurate assessment, friend.

I immediately brought my membership card to the gate.

Beep.

The old gate device read the membership card.

Ding. The device flashed with light.

Welcome

It worked.

Feeling thrilled, just as I was about to step forward….

-Oh my, they’ve caught up.

I looked back.

In the distance, I could see a blue figure crawling up the trail path.

‘…A mascot!’

It’s Blue Dragon!

The uniformed mascot I saw at the gate approached at a terrifying speed and then… stopped.

It was… it was,

sniffling.

“….”

-Tsk tsk. That mascot thinks it’s the protagonist of a drama. Let’s get out of here quickly!

Something feels unsettling.

‘This feels like a complete foreshadowing for earning resentment.’

Wouldn’t earning resentment from an entity in a ghost story be nothing but trouble?

After pondering, I rummaged through my pockets and found what little remained.

[Alice’s Picnic Set – Cookie]

It was this flat cookie item that I had never used even once.

I lightly tossed the paper-wrapped cookie to the mascot.

…

-Noru, you are excessively kind-hearted….

No, I’m not.

‘Anyway, I gave it to you, your lordship.’

The moment I confirmed the mascot caught the cookie in its hands, I crossed through the gate.

Good child

I’m escaping from the ghost story.

As the world swirled around me, I heard the faint voice of ‘Good Friend’.

-Mm, now I’m finally getting strength back in my body! I think I’ll be able to move….

I opened my eyes.

I realized I was sitting in the Research Team 1 Conference Room on the empty 17th floor in the heart of Seoul, with the lights off.

‘…I’m alive.’

The escape was a success!

“Ha!!”

With a liberating feeling that made my hair stand on end, I immediately got up from my seat.

‘Is no one here?’

It seemed everyone had left the conference room since several hours had passed. I should call first to let them know I escaped too….

Huh?

I looked at my wrist.

◎

The bracelet was still attached.

“What is this,”

And it began to burn.

“…!”

The boarding pass’s form disappeared in an instant.

But something remained.

Exactly where the boarding pass had been, black text was engraved on my wrist.

: Socius :

What is this now.

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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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