Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 260

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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 260

I opened my eyes.

A dark and clean platform. However, the devastating state of the opposite platform visible beyond the screen doors.

‘…The scenery of Segwang Station.’

Successful entry.

I looked down at myself, having returned to human form, and caught my breath.

‘This time, everyone will succeed.’

And I reviewed.

The plans we had made.

-Ah right, when you all wake up again, you’ll be able to open your eyes somewhere other than the Disaster Management Agency headquarters.

-Huh?

-I extracted and pulled out the passage. You’ll wake up in a very safe place…

This meant there would no longer be agents and Daydream employees suddenly collapsing unconscious at the Disaster Management Agency headquarters.

Though it was shocking how Ho Yu-won managed to find a way to extract from the Disaster Management Agency’s exclusive passage, even if it was closed.

‘…Considering his persistence, maybe it’s not surprising.’

Anyway, in this case, my disappearance would likely cause considerable controversy at the Disaster Management Agency, so considering the exemption of the staff in charge, I left the phrase ‘temporarily taking a walk in dreams, scheduled to return home’ on the wooden floor.

And lastly.

The emergency escape method from Segwang Special City in the dream.

-This is the euthanasia drug that Noru requested.

-…!

-It guarantees a peaceful death. It might be the most merciful drug among Baekillmong Corporation’s products, don’t you think?

Bronze Agent looked like he’d rather bite his own tongue than take it, but he eventually accepted the supply.

Just looking at the noose incident, we couldn’t ignore the risk of falling into a coma due to complete contamination and never being able to escape.

‘It’s here.’

I confirmed that the pill was safely in my pocket and checked that the items I had brought were all in their proper places.

At the same time, I visually checked the personnel.

Two agents wearing Hahoe masks, now getting up from the platform floor just like me.

‘…There was some discord in the agreement for the agents to infiltrate Segwang City.’

-It would be better if the government officials sat this exploration out. We don’t know how long it will take.

-Hehe, I used up all my annual leave to come here, citizen.

For this exploration, they seemed to have somehow made time until we could rescue Lee Seong-hae.

-And… what’s the point of leaving agents behind when there’s a rescue target?

I could feel a deep sense of responsibility from Agent Choi, who smiled bitterly, and Bronze Agent with his stern face.

However, since Genbu Team 1 couldn’t keep leaving for explorations that might take several days, if there’s a next time, it probably won’t be easy to spare this much time.

Anyway, the significance lies in their decision to accompany us this time.

“Heave. Is Grape’s body okay?”

“Yes. I’m fine.”

The blue-glowing eyes under the Hahoe mask looked at me and nodded slightly.

And the next lineup was…

“Is everyone awake?”

“Yes.”

Those wearing animal masks and dressed in suits.

The current and former Field Investigation Teams of Baekillmong Corporation.

Manager Lee Ja-heon.

Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je.

Team Leader Baek Sa-heon.

And…

“Team Leader Noru.”

Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je grinned and patted my back.

The previous title that even felt somewhat nostalgic.

Here I was, in a suit, in complete human form.

[Oh. Of course I’m here too. Friend.]

Personnel check complete.

“Everyone has safely entered Segwang Special City.”

It was a perfect start.

“Let’s go.”

I nodded.

First…

Segwang Transportation Corporation

Segwang Station

The platform we stood on was cold and clean, as if the time when we were caught by nooses around our necks was a lie. As if it had been reset.

“Noru, I think you were right. Our client count seems to have been reset.”

“Yes. That’s fortunate.”

Usually, subway systems shut down when operations end. In other words, after a day passes, the boarding date registered on disposable transportation cards expires and they become unusable.

Naturally, we were no longer being tracked by those strange nooses in the waiting area.

“…”

However, right above those stairs.

“…The fog range seems to have expanded.”

The fog in the waiting area was visibly swaying, just about to invade down to the platform.

‘…Is it because we were caught on the platform?’

It definitely felt more threatening and ominous than when we first came.

And I could see them swaying as if about to burst out right at the point where the stairs ended.

Those who had hanged themselves.

In exactly the same form as when we died last time.

“…”

“Do you think the corpses will still be there?”

“It would be better not to check.”

“Oh. Old-fashioned guy. I agree.”

Baek Sa-heon’s face was pale as he listened to this grim conversation right beside him.

True to someone who suddenly changed his mind when standing in front of the well, saying something like ‘I’ll think about it one more time’ before being pushed in by Ho Yu-won, he seemed to have grasped the severity of this extinction-level disaster.

“Now. Let’s prepare. Chief Goat. Are your eyes fine?”

“…Yes.”

He even felt around his eyepatch and answered obediently.

‘He must have done the calculations.’

Trolling here wouldn’t help with survival anyway, and the completion reward was too sweet to pass up.

Because Ho Yu-won had offered Baek Sa-heon a wish scroll as project compensation too.

…Even bringing me forward as a witness to prove it.

-Those who successfully completed their duties last time all took potions with them. Isn’t that right, Noru?

-Affirmative

…Though even after going that far. I wasn’t sure how he’d react to what I was about to say.

“In that case, for entering the fog… just the three of us will be enough – me, Manager Lizard, and Chief Goat.”

“Wait.”

“We’d like the others to give us signals from where the fog can’t reach them. So we can find our way to the stairs.”

“Hold on.”

As expected.

“Then the reward distribution should be different. This is problematic. Only three people work while the rest just give signals? We’ll need to renegotiate this.”

“Hah. Feels like I’m back home.”

Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je was nodding, saying this was truly Field Investigation Team-like.

Baek Sa-heon seemed to be watching to see if anyone would step forward to hand over their share of items or rewards to settle this.

‘Seeing how urgently they recruited him, he figured out he’s an essential presence.’

He was certainly quick with calculations in this sense too.

‘He’s not the type to be pacified by reasonable words like the Deputy Manager should judge while watching for escape opportunities, and the agents need to stand by for rear support.’

If he were, his nickname would be Owl, not Viper.

Hmm. It did seem like a problem of not establishing the atmosphere properly due to joining too hastily.

I suppose this was necessary at least once.

I smiled and spoke quietly to Baek Sa-heon.

“Don’t like it? Then someone else can do it. I already have a method.”

Then I lowered my voice further and grinned.

“We can just pluck out one eyeball from the 20s Type A Adult Male again.”

“…!”

“Someone else will get it transplanted. Don’t worry. Even if you die from excessive bleeding, you’ll wake up in reality anyway.”

Baek Sa-heon reflexively pressed his eye.

“Want to do it?”

“…”

“Think about it. If you deliberately mess up the exploration, it’ll damage the project, so I could arrange that for you.”

“…N-no.”

“Hm?”

“I’ll just go.”

“But I’m worried you might get annoyed and deliberately give wrong visual information. Speak comfortably.”

“I won’t do that.”

“Hmm… Well, I suppose even if you survive alone, you’ll have to keep seeing all these people’s faces when you get out, so why would you do such a thing? Right?”

“…”

“But it would be kind of fun if you actually lied.”

“No,”

“Yeah. It would be fun.”

“No.”

“It would be fun though.”

“I said no…!”

“Alright. Then do well.”

Pat pat.

I patted Baek Sa-heon’s shoulder.

“Oh~ What kind of conversation were you having so warmly for so long.”

“Ah. I was encouraging him.”

“~~!”

“He says he’ll work hard.”

“Oh my, thank you. Citizen.”

Baek Sa-heon looked like he wanted to swear, but eventually took off his eyepatch and focused on the fog.

Phew, good.

‘Prevented trolling too.’

This nerve-wracking process was so unfamiliar it was almost nostalgic.

I avoided looking at Agent Choi with his Hahoe mask that seemed to be grinning somehow…

“Let’s go.”

And the reason I could proceed with all of this confidently was…

“Please watch our backs. Manager.”

“Yes.”

Thanks to Manager Lee Ja-heon.

I took another step into the fog of the waiting room.

Just now, I had gone to find the information board and written down all those rules to memorize them.

And just like when approaching the information board, I used the suncatcher received from the agents to pierce through the fog, this time faintly identifying the location of the ‘transportation card charging and vending machine’ to set my direction.

“That way.”

Up to here was similar to before, but…

The approach was different.

I could choose the safest path.

“Just follow the exact path Chief Goat took. Manager.”

“Yes.”

Baek Sa-heon was using his vision to find the route with the least ‘danger’ as much as possible.

And in this process, I didn’t use the misfortune-blocking pollack.

‘It was hard to obtain anyway.’

It wasn’t needed for the escape method I was going to try this time.

Instead, two items were used to follow the rule ‘Don’t get separated from your companions.’

Nothing fancy, just items that kept us from straying too far from each other’s radius.

Cordless Handcuffs

Invisible handcuff chains prevent each other from leaving the radius.

This item born from Daydream Company’s kind seed kit belonged to Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je.

And as we walked…

“We’ve arrived.”

I pulled out cards from the disposable transportation card vending machine we reached.

Seven cards total.

“There are six people, so why…”

“Shh.”

I collected all the cards. And…

From here was the important part.

“…”

I carefully checked the ticket gate, then crossed over toward the entrance.

Alone.

And.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep beep…

I tagged all six cards I was holding sequentially for boarding.

And as I tagged the sixth card, I passed through the ticket gate.

“…Done.”

I put five of them in one pocket. This time I moved at a brisk walk instead of running.

Into the thickening fog.

…Along with the sound of news that began to be heard from somewhere.

-Another body has been found in the ███ Forest of Segwang Special City.

[Oh. It’s starting again.]

Cold sweat reflexively broke out.

I rang the bell and desperately moved my feet to avoid being entranced by the news sound. I heard this cursing sound from Baek Sa-heon who was getting his bearings beside me.

“What the hell is this…”

To eyes that detect danger, it would look like a minefield.

One that was approaching us, no less.

To be precise…

-You want to give up too, don’t you?

Toward me.

“…”

Baek Sa-heon seemed to be desperately moving in the relatively better direction he could find.

And once we were far enough from the ticket gate, he quickened his pace.

“Huff.”

Something hard and soft bumped against my head as I ran. A corpse’s foot. It wasn’t far. I thought to myself to avoid being paralyzed by fear.

‘I did my best.’

I just need to go quickly.

This is a place where the more people there are, the harder it becomes to respond. The key is for a small number of people to keep looking after each other while moving without getting separated.

‘That’s why three people is optimal.’

Someone to secure vision.

Someone to lead the movement.

And…

Someone to physically destroy things.

-You want to give up t

It came…

“Duck.”

Manager Lee Ja-heon reached out his hand.

The noose that was falling toward my head was caught in his hand. As tendons stood out in his arm muscles with taut tension, the tough rope was eventually torn apart strand by strand.

In Manager Lee Ja-heon’s hand that moved without hesitation, the noose that had tried to grab my neck was torn apart and destroyed.

No,

it wasn’t just one.

Whoosh.

Manager Lee Ja-heon began to continuously crush the nooses and corpses falling toward my head from the fog with pure ‘force’.

It was marvelous brute strength.

“Moving faster!”

“Yes.”

And even while running, Manager Lee Ja-heon began mercilessly crushing everything his hands touched – corpses, trees, nooses without discrimination.

Completely ignoring the rules in this insane act.

‘This is insane.’

Is this the power of a physical specialist agent?

The overwhelming force that made the horror novel seem like it had turned into pulp fiction made me momentarily forget even fear and feel catharsis.

The brief pleasure of successful personnel recruitment was short-lived.

Whoosh.

[My goodness, that one was quite close this time!]

While running to the stairs, I nearly got hanged about three times but narrowly avoided it thanks to Manager Lee Ja-heon.

‘Ha,’

And finally…

I can see the stairs.

The blade of the cleaver glowing blue in the fog.

‘Got it.’

Just before taking the first step there.

…

I stopped.

“Are you crazy? Right now…”

“Uncuff the handcuffs and go down.”

Baek Sa-heon didn’t ask twice and released the handcuff connection before jumping down below the stairs.

However…

The fog didn’t follow Baek Sa-heon.

‘As expected.’

When it chased us down to the platform last time, it was because it recognized and pursued us after we were judged as passengers.

Conversely, that means.

‘Only the person judged as a passenger shouldn’t go down to the platform, just hold out until the train comes.’

In other words. I alone hold out while carrying all the cards.

Simply put, I’m drawing the aggro of the nooses.

Of course, this way I’m perfect prey for death.

No matter how much Manager Lee Ja-heon blocks for me, he would also become a target of the nooses by breaking numerous usage rules, so as time passes the limits would approach and it would become exponentially more dangerous but…

“Good work, Grape.”

From here, other people join in.

Sacred rope that drives away the fog spreads beneath my feet from the platform stairs that don’t touch the fog, and they begin shooting specialized bullets.

Equipment from the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau prepared for this exploration.

“Hold on!”

A state where other people are clearing away as much as possible all the strange phenomena I experience as a user of the ‘Forest of Death’.

If I endure like that…

The train is entering.

“It’s coming!”

The thunderous sound of the approaching train can be heard. I stand precariously at the edge of the stairs, avoiding the nooses while enduring as much as possible.

Passengers are requested to observe etiquette and board safely.

I endure.

Again.

I endure.

And…

The platform screen doors are opening.

“Noru, now!”

I turned my body.

And rummaging through my pocket, I threw five cards down to the platform.

“…!”

The cards I threw as neatly as possible landed on the platform floor, close to the open screen doors.

“Pick them up and get on!”

That’s right.

‘No matter who tags the ticket gate, as long as you have a ticket, you’re a passenger…!’

So if I delay the passenger qualification until the very end and only transfer it right before boarding.

‘I can use the platform as safely as possible…!’

“Right now!”

We moved simultaneously.

People ran down the stairs to grab the cards while simultaneously rushing into the train doors.

I also started running a step late. To delay the fog from spreading too quickly as much as possible. Manager Lee Ja-heon ran beside me, grabbing ropes and branches. Wood fragments, straw, and dried flesh scattered.

“Manager!”

Eun Ha-je, who grabbed a card from the floor, threw it. Manager Lee Ja-heon caught the card while shaking off noose fragments, and rushed in while pushing me into the train.

Finally, Agent Choi grabbed a card…

The platform screen doors are closing.

Manager Lee Ja-heon pulled back the noose that was falling toward Agent Choi.

I grabbed Agent Choi’s arm and threw him.

Into the train.

Thud.

“…”

“…”

“Ha.”

Agent Choi, who had fallen face-down on the train floor, exhaled.

“We’re alive.”

[The train is departing.]

With a thunderous roar, we began to leave Segwang Station.

—————
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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