Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 26

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Even If I Fall Into a Ghost Story, I Still Have to Go to Work Episode 026

After I finally escaped from that insane theme park.

-Noru!

-Crazy, Noru’s back!!

I received an enthusiastic welcome from the team members I encountered in the elevator.

As it turned out, the team members had fallen into a panic and were even trying to contact the civilian survivors to figure out what the hell had happened.

“We were trying to pick their brains for experience. Anyway, I’m glad you made it out safely.”

The Team D Deputy said with a much brighter expression.

“What the hell happened, why were you so late?”

Hmm.

Before answering, I deliberately raised my wrist outward while rubbing the back of my neck.

Making sure the burn mark left from the membership card was clearly visible.

: Socius :

“….”

“….”

“Noru?”

“Ah, sorry. Just a moment… I’m so tired.”

“Ah.”

The Deputy and Team Leader just nodded, saying it was understandable after going through such hell.

That’s when I realized.

‘They can’t see it.’

No reaction.

This tattoo isn’t visible to those people.

That wasn’t a very good sign.

I pondered very briefly before opening my mouth.

“The reason I was late is… actually the exit gate lost power right in front of me. It wouldn’t get fixed no matter how long I waited, so I found another escape route and came out.”

“What?!”

I deliberately omitted the part about the bracelet changing into a membership card.

In this abnormal ghost story company, saying that something unusual had attached itself to my body wouldn’t be a very wise decision.

‘Let’s also skip mentioning the stuffed doll that talks to me.’

Of course, I explained everything else thoroughly, so there shouldn’t be any problems with registering the investigation record and creating the manual.

“…Wait a minute. So… you went to the Yellow Zone and the gate there was also off, so you turned it on yourself and came out? By tearing open the distribution panel?”

“Yes.”

“What the hell are you…”

“Come on, I’m just ordinary Noru.”

“Hmm… that’s true.”

“…??”

Anyway, the atmosphere became quite warm.

“Points will be credited right away tomorrow. Don’t be surprised, they say the amount might come close to ten thousand points this time.”

“That’s amazing?!”

Actually, the points distributed would have decreased because I survived.

The two seniors, who had been running around busily worrying about my life and death and hadn’t even washed yet, smiled at me.

Honestly, I was a bit grateful.

It was even somewhat touching. It was a warmth too good for the company.

But one person was missing.

“Come to think of it, where is Team Leader?”

The Deputy averted his gaze.

“…He was called by the Team Manager.”

Oh.

“It’s fine. He’ll just get scolded and that’ll be the end of it. I mean, honestly, didn’t that Team A mantis mask guy commit suicide?”

Still, it seems like he really got on the Team A Leader’s bad side.

I recalled the mallard duck mask that had been glaring at Lizard to death.

Even the Team Leader was whispering.

“Deputy Manager, is that really true?”

“What.”

“That our Team Leader has enough achievements to go to an elite team, but he keeps slipping because of that guy’s personality and remains in Team D…”

“Yeah. Probably right.”

The Deputy crossed his arms.

“But he’s been living like that all along, so just leave him be.”

“….”

“God really does seem fair. Looking at Team Leader’s face with that personality…”

“Shh. He’s a good supervisor.”

Lizard face with lizard personality?

Well, I could now somewhat understand and agree that he was a good supervisor.

I had just witnessed the worst supervisor up close, after all.

“Ah, Research Team Manager.”

Research Team 1 Manager Gwak Je-gang, who pushed his own team member into a ghost story impromptu without warning and ultimately got him killed.

“That guy crossed the line.”

From what I heard, he was claiming under questioning that ‘he too was flustered and accidentally threw the chess piece at the researcher by mistake.’

‘Anyone could see it was deliberate with full intent…’

The Field Investigation Team members who were there would all remember it wasn’t that kind of nuance.

The problem was that there wasn’t really anyone who would strongly testify for the dead gambling addiction researcher.

Just look at the state of the supervisors with strong speaking power.

“Team A Leader is furious at our Team Leader, and our Team Leader might have to worry about the Research Team Manager.”

The outlook was that it would fizzle out and he’d get off with just a pay cut or something.

Since this was a company where employee lives were determined by performance, it didn’t seem like they’d give major disciplinary action to a manager-level person over one ordinary employee’s accidental death when his salary was a waste anyway.

‘So this is how Gwak Je-gang researcher kept appearing in …’

It was obvious he’d be screwed if he got caught just once, but he seemed to avoid that one time like a snake with good instincts.

The Team D supervisors clicked their tongues, saying some eerie rumors about Gwak Je-gang seemed to be true.

“I hate having to keep working with that bastard, but since he had an outburst this time, he’ll probably be quiet until next quarter.”

“Right? Otherwise he would’ve been fired already.”

Truly reckless enough to risk their lives working at a ghost story company.

‘I somewhat agree too… but actually, Gwak Je-gang seemed to be trying to kill all of us, not just his researcher.’

The researcher was just a variable for causing chaos.

But since everyone escaped safely, that part got blurred, which was strange.

‘I’ll have to keep watching him going forward.’

I planned to check the wiki pages of where Gwak Je-gang appeared once more overall.

“Phew, it’s been a long day.”

“Really.”

The conversation entered a lull.

Since Lee Ja-heon Team Leader didn’t know when he’d return, permission was given to clock out for now.

The Deputy said with a grin.

“There’s nothing more to do anyway. We haven’t registered you as missing yet. We thought we could find you. …Good thing we did that.”

“Right! Noru, we all said among ourselves that you’d definitely come out, you know?”

“Hurry up and go inside to rest.”

“…Thank you.”

“Ah, no need to thank me.”

With those words of encouragement along the lines of ‘look forward to the points you’ll earn tomorrow,’ I parted ways with the supervisors.

I returned to Research Team 1’s office to pack my things and headed home.

And on that path, I encountered one more familiar face.

“Jang Heo-un.”

“…! Sol-eum!”

Team Y New Employee.

Since all his team members had died, he seemed to have been pushed to the back burner and was sitting blankly in Research Team 1’s office.

His shoulder had healed, but he was still wearing his blood-stained clothes.

“You’re safe! Thank goodness….”

“Yes, thank you.”

I sat across from him for a moment and made small talk.

Jang Heo-un looked somewhat pale, probably due to blood loss, but he seemed less gloomy than before.

Considering that all his team members had died, it felt strange to say he was lucky….

I recalled what the supervisors had mentioned to me earlier.

-Ah, that Team Y New Employee handled himself well this time, so there’s been some talk from above. B Grade is high-level, after all.

-If he works without incident for about 3 months, there’s a high chance they’ll promote him to regular employee!

That’s all well and good.

The problem is whether he can survive those 3 months….

“Um, have you ever considered quitting? Your current situation seems too dangerous….”

“Yes.”

A firm answer came back.

Jang Heo-un, the Team Y New Employee, still wearing his cow mask, clenched both hands tightly.

“I absolutely need the Wish Potion. I can’t quit.”

“….”

He seems to have his own circumstances too.

“Then, I wish you the best of luck.”

After some internal conflict, I eventually added more words.

“3 months.”

“Pardon?”

“If you can endure for 3 months, there’s a high chance you’ll be reassigned.”

Enduring with a set timeframe versus enduring indefinitely carries completely different weight.

From a motivational perspective as well.

“…!”

Light entered Jang Heo-un’s eyes.

“Yes, yes…. I’ll try to endure…!”

He took a deep breath while looking at the ceiling, then soon bowed his head.

“I received a lot of help today. I… next time, after 3 months, I’ll definitely work hard so I can help you in return.”

“Not at all. Thanks to you, I made it out safely. Thank you.”

I shook hands with him.

And with compassion and empathy, I found myself saying without thinking:

“You really went through a lot. It must have been scary.”

“Pardon?”

A puzzled expression crossed Jang Heo-un’s face.

Huh…?

“Ah, it’s fine. I’ve almost died a few times before too….”

“…That aside, you saw many disturbing scenes in various ways.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

Jang Heo-un made an awkward expression.

“I’m not good with blood or organs… I kept fainting or my legs would give out.”

“…I see.”

Wait a minute.

The range of ‘disturbing scenes’ just got significantly narrowed….

‘No way.’

“…Heo-un, are supernatural phenomena or ghosts… okay for you?”

“Ah, ah yes! Those things are fine!”

“….”

“I just think ‘oh, that’s how it is,’ you know. Unless someone actually gets seriously hurt, I don’t have much of a reaction.”

“….”

He wasn’t… a coward?

“Thank you for worrying about… ah, that’s right! Sol-eum. Did you perhaps talk to that person in the new employee group chat… huh. You’re not in the chat room.”

There was such a thing as a new employee group chat?

So he wasn’t a fellow member of Coward’s Shelter.

…There was a colleague group chat that excluded only me!

“Hah.”

I returned to the company housing with a troubled mind, then came out after washing up.

Two shocking truths left the back of my head throbbing.

‘What a long day this has been….’

The traitor… no, I received a link to the new employee group chat from Jang Heo-un, so I should check it out, but I’ll do that a bit later.

There was something I needed to investigate as a priority.

“I should check the tattoo on my wrist first.”

Several candidates came to mind, but I happened to have someone perfect to ask casually.

‘Good Friend.’

I sat on the edge of my bed and took out the stuffed animal keychain from my business suit’s front pocket.

And I called out.

“Brown?”

But there was no answer.

‘As expected.’

When returning from a ghost story to reality, it would appear like an ordinary doll.

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

Good Friend will stay with you in your daily life like a shy doll.

Please treat it appropriately.

It remembers everything.

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

In other words, it wasn’t that it had been tactfully keeping quiet while watching me talk at the company, but that it truly couldn’t speak.

But even outside of ghost stories, there was a way to communicate with ‘Good Friend.’

‘…Make reality like a ghost story.’

I recalled one method written in the Darkness Investigation Records.

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

Talking with ‘Good Friend’

#1 Use darkness, lighter, and shadows.

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

Honestly, it was a bit creepy, but let’s try it.

I lowered my head under the bed.

And I propped up ‘Good Friend’ against the back right bed leg.

‘Next is… light.’

Since I quit smoking long ago and don’t have a lighter, I substituted with my smartphone flashlight.

I placed it on the floor so that narrow beam would illuminate the bed leg, and turned off the room lights.

Click.

And I sat on the bed in the pitch darkness.

‘…This is kind of scary.’

My back felt chilly, so I pulled the blanket over me.

No need to be embarrassed. I’m alone.

‘…Though I probably won’t be alone for much longer.’

When I looked up, the flashlight beam shot out from under the bed, casting a giant stuffed doll’s shadow on the wall.

“….”

Soon, the shadow of the stuffed doll leaning against the bed leg began to sway with the light.

As if shaking its body and awakening.

As I watched this while holding my breath, I soon heard a sound.

A voice that sounded somewhat ethereal.

Friend

“…Brown.”

The host had awakened.

-Ah, you made it out safely from that bizarre theme park! Congratulations.

“Thank you.”

Brown seemed to recall roughly what had happened to me after escaping the ghost story, like rewinding a tape.

‘So this is what remembering everything meant.’

Friend

“Thank you.”

Though it’s not my house but company housing.

Friend

“…Brown seems to be speaking quite formally too.”

-Haha, I can’t help it. It’s an occupational hazard, you see!

I swallowed the words ‘I probably can’t help it either because of my occupational hazard of being a crazy ghost story company newbie.’

The friendlier we become, the safer and more powerful this stuffed doll becomes.

“…Right. Then I’ll speak casually from now on. Since we’re friends.”

-Oh, excellent!

The doll’s shadow swayed as if nodding its head happily.

Good… now for the main topic.

“I actually have a question for you, friend.”

-Oh! Then how about we take turns asking each other questions? But we must answer them.

-It’s like a game. This should be fun…

Stop acting like a ghost story!

“Yeah. That sounds fun.”

But I forced myself to answer cheerfully.

This feels like working overtime… Let’s hang in there.

“What I wanted to ask is this.”

I immediately raised my left hand and lowered it under the bed.

So the black text like a tattoo on the inside of my wrist would be clearly visible right in front of the stuffed doll’s nose.

“The membership bracelet burned up, and this mark was left behind.”

A moment of silence.

And then…

-This is… Latin. How fascinating.

Strange interest and absorption seeped through in the tone.

The voice lowered.

-Socius.

-It was used to mean companion, member, kinsman and such. The versatility of Latin!

“I know that much.”

Since I did a dictionary search on the internet first on the way back.

The ‘membership’ bracelet burning and leaving behind text meaning member seemed quite connected, but what’s more important is this.

“But other people couldn’t seem to see it. What do you think the reason is?”

-Oh my, they must all have bad eyesight! I can see it very clearly.

This means creatures from ghost stories can see this.

“I’m glad you can see it clearly.”

I changed my question.

“Then, what role does this text play?”

-It’s a mark that grants you qualification.

The answer flowed out in a cheerful tone without hesitation.

-Don’t talk shows sometimes have VIP guests in the audience? They always have wonderful marks that distinguish them from other audience members. For instance, name tags or badges!

-Those ‘superior marks’ are granted things like special seating, rehearsal viewing, backstage access privileges!

I reflexively raised my arm to check the text.

“…So this is like a ‘special qualification’?”

-Well, that’s what it means to the Theme Park Mascot.

Brown’s voice became listless.

-That overly emotional mascot seems to be acting too friendly with Noru. Well, next time you visit, I’ll prepare that as a welcome drink!

I never want to visit again.

But I nodded as if agreeing to show cooperation.

-Good, excellent!

‘Corporate life is damn exhausting…’

Anyway, giving me ‘qualifications’ was abstract, but it didn’t have a particularly bad nuance.

‘I should check if there are any useful places when I enter ghost stories in the future.’

The stuffed doll seemed excited as its head’s shadow swayed a few times, then whispered quietly.

-Do you know something?

What.

-Noru, you just asked two questions.

-That’s a rule violation.

Goosebumps rose on my back.

-Haha, it’s fine. Breaking rules occasionally in close relationships is part of the charm, isn’t it!

Phew.

“…Yeah, thanks.”

-Don’t mention it!

-Anyway, now it’s my turn to ask a question.

I swallowed and looked at the giant doll’s shadow cast on the wall.

“What are you curious about?”

Brown whispered.

-Who lives in the adjacent room to yours?

It was a completely unexpected question.

And what’s currently in the adjacent room of this company housing is obviously…

“…A company colleague.”

Baek Sa-heon.

-Is it an intimate relationship?

Not at all.

“Just a work colleague.”

-Ah, I see. Yes… Good.

Brown’s voice became cheerful again.

Friend

“Why?”

-Because he’s going to die soon!

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————