Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 265

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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 265

Baek Sa-heon’s mad dash, stuffing the coins and prizes that poured out from the winning slot machine into his arms.

And behind him, chasing frantically, the Casino Ghost Story Missing Persons who had traded most of their limbs for coins.

Their destination was… us!

‘This bastard.’

It was a spine-chilling sight.

Of course, given the personnel here, running this way was the right choice for Baek Sa-heon’s survival, but how is this any different from the Serial Killer Lodge?!

‘I’ll deal with you later.’

I swallowed and quickly prepared to respond.

But facing dozens of crazed ghost story long-term missing persons head-on…

“Let’s get out. For now!”

“Scatter to an open area!”

“No!”

“…!”

“They’ll chase us to death outside! We need to run around inside the casino and hold out as long as possible!”

At Go Young-eun’s voice, the people who were trying to secure the entrance hesitated.

“Will ‘measures’ be taken if there’s a disturbance in the casino?!”

“…! Yes! So while avoiding them as much as possible, we should go in a direction that doesn’t damage the casino…”

People who had entered ghost stories more than once or twice quickly grasped the situation.

‘Until the crazy casino personnel come to control the disturbance…’

We just need to hold out!

Then among us, the one with the best mobility and strength is…

“Manager! Please take care of that goat bastard!”

“Yes.”

“Argh!”

Baek Sa-heon let out a single scream, but we ignored him.

And we started running like crazy to avoid the long-term missing persons.

Where to?

It flashed through my mind.

“Let’s go to the dealer room!”

Since there’s a 50-coin limit, the long-term missing persons who were stuck in the slot machine zone probably can’t enter at all!

“This way!”

I ran urgently. The moment I left the slot machine room and turned the corner.

Thud.

The body of a long-term missing person who burst out of the door with us barely grazed me and crashed into the side wall.

“…!!”

The sound of dozens of human bodies unable to overcome inertia crashing into the wall, the sound of Manager stepping over them and landing on the floor with explosive force unbelievable for human movement, then running.

Even the sound of the old casino breaking from the missing persons’ rampage.

“Huff.”

I could hear Go Young-eun, whose stamina had weakened during her missing period, catching her breath beside me. I urgently supported her and sprinted.

The wide-open dealer room door appeared.

“We’re going in!”

The agents stepped into the dealer room, tripping or pushing away the long-term missing persons at a level of ‘moderate blocking’ without getting entangled in full combat.

And.

“They’re, they’re blocked, right?”

“Yes.”

Quite a few long-term missing persons stopped in front of the dealer room door.

‘I was right.’

But reality isn’t theory.

Missing persons who recklessly entered the dealer room also appeared afterward.

‘Damn.’

Crawling, staggering, crushing those who had stopped, they chased us again.

But the dealers still weren’t restraining them. Why?

“…Noru, is there a possibility they’re all treated as companions among themselves, and the total exceeded 50 coins?”

There is.

We were introduced to the dealer room the same way!

‘Damn!’

But with the number of pursuers greatly reduced, we could breathe somewhat easier.

“Whew.”

With some breathing room secured, people now tried to move between tables to distance themselves from the long-term missing persons and prepare defenses.

But there was no need.

The long-term missing persons were only chasing Manager Lee Ja-heon who was carrying Baek Sa-heon.

“…Wait.”

Agent Choi quickly approached over a broken table and snatched coins from Baek Sa-heon’s arms.

“No…!”

“Citizen, just a moment.”

And after showing those coins that poured from the slot machine to the surroundings, he crossed the table again.

“…”

However, the long-term missing persons still only chased Lee Ja-heon.

“Why isn’t the lure working?”

“They’re probably not after the coins.”

The Bronze Agent was right.

‘Are they just blindly chasing the winner?’

Anyway, seeing the long-term missing persons continuously sticking to Manager Lee Ja-heon made me anxious.

There are naturally limits to shaking them off in this confined space.

Then.

“Visitor.”

The dealer’s voice.

“Visitor?”

They were paying attention to us.

…!

“Manager, please pass right next to that table over there.”

“Yes.”

I ran ahead. Following me, Manager Lee Ja-heon moved almost touching the table.

Right next to the table where the dealer was standing.

The long-term missing persons chased through that gap.

But those with unbalanced bodies, just like they crashed into walls earlier, this time crashed into the table…

With a thud, the table overturned. And shattered. The long-term missing persons ran over that table…

“Please stop.”

The dealer raised their hand and spoke.

Looking at their destroyed table.

“…”

“…”

What was amazing was that the Body Casino’s long-term missing persons stopped all movement at that moment.

Like a mouse before a cat.

“I’m sorry, but disruptive behavior is prohibited inside the casino. And…”

The dealer pulled something out from their chest and held it up.

A document made of a single sheet of paper.

It was a bill.

“You are being charged for damages.”

Then.

Thud.

Thud-thud-thud-thud,

Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud…

The limbs and organs of the long-term missing persons fell off.

“…!!”

“Table damage, door damage, slot machine damage, entrance lighting and equipment malfunction confirmed. These costs have been billed to the responsible parties.”

From those who couldn’t enter the casino and were writhing on the stairs like the addicts, to the missing persons who barely preserved their legs and fled to the slot machine room.

What was certain was that the fallen organs and body parts twitched before disappearing at some point.

‘Ha.’

Even though I’d seen all sorts of scenes, this was a sight that made nausea rise up.

And those who had lost too much of their bodies to get up again…

Were just left on the floor.

With only writhing body parts remaining.

“…”

“…”

“Are you alright, visitor?”

When I turned my head, the dealer wearing Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae’s head was smiling.

“…Yes.”

“Don’t worry. Those people were the ones who caused the disturbance and damaged property! We hope you have a pleasant time at the casino from now on.”

“Thank you.”

Baek Sa-heon did roll his eyes as if gauging whether there was anything more he could extract from the ‘customer who suffered trouble’ position, but eventually stayed quiet and well-behaved.

While concluding that the probability of getting screwed for causing a disturbance was higher was certainly good judgment, it was so cunning it was almost admirable rather than annoying…

Anyway, thus we sat in a corner of the dealer room where the commotion had somewhat settled and began organizing the situation.

“…”

Manager Lee Ja-heon put Baek Sa-heon down without hesitation, and Baek Sa-heon avoided eye contact and stood against the wall.

And…,

“Mr. Goat.”

“…Yes?”

“Why are you so surprised? I was going to thank you.”

I smiled and patted Baek Sa-heon’s shoulder.

“You earned a lot of public funds for the team.”

“…!”

“I was so grateful that formal speech came out naturally. Really.”

“No…”

“Right?”

I brought my face close to Baek Sa-heon’s.

“You’re not going to tell me you were trying to earn coins for personal use by playing slot machines alone while everyone else was gathering information, and pushed all the danger onto your teammates, are you?”

“…”

And when things came to this, Baek Sa-heon had no choice but to desperately force a smile and answer.

“…Of course! I’m happy to have made a big contribution to the team.”

“Wow.”

I heard Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je’s exclamation. I was a bit embarrassed…

But honestly, this wasn’t me threatening him – it really was against business ethics to do that.

I held back a sigh so it wouldn’t show.

‘Still, when the job’s done, I can give back what he won himself.’

Now I roughly understood what kind of carrot and stick to use.

[Excellent. Friend!]

Thank you.

“Then let’s settle the accounts.”

“Yes.”

We put our heads together and totaled up all the coins we had.

Adding the coins Baek Sa-heon won from the slot machines to our basic funds…

“256 coins.”

It was a considerable amount.

“It was worth helping you escape even if it meant throwing away shoes. Isn’t that right, citizens?”

“Haha…”

The companions gave hollow laughs at Agent Choi’s words as he patted the Bronze Agent who had sacrificed his coat and shoes to stop the long-term missing persons. I was somewhat impressed.

‘Excellent at securing public funds…’

The coins were organized and returned to Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je’s possession for now.

And what remained was.

[Oh, there was a prize. Of course, you can’t expect anything great from a cheap slot machine!]

That’s right.

“It seems to be a slot machine prize.”

Except for the fact that it had unreadable words written on it, it looked like an ordinary packaging box.

“Here.”

I handed it to Baek Sa-heon, and Baek Sa-heon, while reading the room, unwrapped the package and checked the contents.

The contents were revealed.

It was neatly packaged in plastic…

‘…Electronic device?’

A small rectangular blue plastic body with two push buttons attached.

Overall, its appearance immediately brought something to mind.

“It, it looks like a recorder.”

“Yes.”

However, it didn’t look very sturdy, and being so small, it made one guess it might be disposable.

“Hmm.”

Then, Baek Sa-heon’s voice was heard.

Somehow sounding rather soft and melancholy.

“You’re not planning to take this prize too, are you?”

Oh?

“Running away is something anyone here could do. You’re all veterans after all. But the slot machine jackpot is an achievement only I could pull off. I’d appreciate it if you could leave me at least this much…”

[Hmm. The acting isn’t awkward, is it?]

Indeed.

It seems he changed his strategy after observing the team members.

However.

Go Young-eun with her pale face shook her head first.

“Um, for now, that item… it would be best if you didn’t use it.”

“Pardon?”

…An ominous feeling rises.

“Do you know what this item is?”

“…I’ve heard ‘rumors’.”

Young-eun glances at the item with slightly fearful eyes.

“…Most of the people who can’t leave the casino are because of slot machine prizes.”

“…!”

Wait a minute.

“Don’t tell me they chased us because of…”

The prize?

“Now that I think about it, that might be possible. If it wasn’t because of the coins.”

“…”

“Team Leader Sanyang, do you happen to know that item’s performance too?”

“…From what I’ve heard.”

Young-eun swallows and speaks.

“They say if you listen to the sound from this recorder, your mind becomes peaceful, your energy surges, and wounds heal.”

It was an incredibly good function.

“Oh?”

“Then it seems better than our company’s emergency medicine.”

But it ended ominously.

“At first, yes.”

…!

Don’t tell me.

“They say it’s extremely addictive.”

“…Ha.”

And so I realized why the updated called the casino’s long-term missing persons ‘addicts’.

‘It wasn’t simply gambling addiction.’

They were captivated by ‘something’ that comes from this disposable recorder.

Enough to go to the gambling hall and spin slot machines even after losing their limbs and facial features.

“…”

Baek Sa-heon began turning the prize over with a very disgusted expression.

“…How long can one endure it?”

“Three times. They said after listening more than that, it becomes irreversible.”

Young-eun continued with a tense expression.

“But I don’t know much beyond that. I’ve only heard ‘rumors’ myself.”

“…I see.”

I watched as Baek Sa-heon now completely flipped the item over and put it down.

Then I saw it.

…Some kind of picture was engraved in relief on the back of the recorder.

‘What is it?’

The moment I focused, I could see its outline. Curves, a swirling shape. That was…

A conch shell.

“…!”

“Noru?”

I reflexively looked up.

Baek Sa-heon, whose eyes met mine, seemed to have confirmed the same thing as me, his pupils shaking.

And that guy knows too.

‘…Mermaid Graveyard.’

The conch shell-shaped item we saw there.

Angel’s Sigh

“…”

Why is it appearing here?

But the keyword ‘recorder’ somehow fits with melody, giving me an eerie premonition.

And I knew one way to verify this…

‘Brown.’

[I can guess what favor you’ll ask, Noru.]

[Now, should I read what’s written on the box?]

‘I’d be grateful if you would.’

[Oh, of course!]

Then I heard the gentleman clearing his throat, followed by a low voice with pleasant pronunciation.

[‘Angel’s Sigh’.]

…!!

[…Tape recording. ‘Listen to heaven’s auspicious melody at a reasonable price’.]

[That’s what it says. Oh, obvious marketing tactics.]

A recording?

Then it was possible to assume that what we heard from the ‘conch shell’ in Mermaid Graveyard was the original sound, and this was a recording.

But…

‘The conch shell didn’t have such side effects.’

Addiction?

[Wouldn’t that be the limitation of an inferior version?]

[It’s only natural that trying to imitate a recipe with different ingredients won’t produce proper cooking, Noru!]

…Is that so.

It was a plausible deduction, but something beyond that felt… unsettling.

Do you remember? Even in the Mermaid Graveyard ghost story, the conch shell was used as a bad trigger.

‘Biological disaster.’

The biological disaster that destroyed that underwater city and turned it into the ‘Sparkling Dragon Palace’ had disguised itself as a conch shell to enter the city.

Even the Tattooist from Moonlight Tattoo Shop comes to mind, making my head complicated.

What kind of connection is there?

Why is an item with the exact same name as in Mermaid Graveyard being found in this Segwang Special City subway casino?

‘…I want to investigate this further.’

Anyway, I intuitively understood that recorder’s function, so that was progress.

‘Let me remember this for now.’

And while I was lost in such thoughts, I heard Agent Choi interrogating Baek Sa-heon beside me.

“Citizen, I’m curious how you won at the slot machine?”

“I was lucky.”

“Really? You were observing too intently for that…”

Agent Choi’s gaze turned to Baek Sa-heon’s purple eyes. The ones I bought for him at Death Road.

When checking vision through that equipment, the more dangerous an entity is, the more hot-colored halo appears.

But Baek Sa-heon was blunt.

“What do you think this is, some kind of miracle device? I can’t figure out winning methods with this thing. It’s just…”

“Just?”

“I could assess the danger level of slot machines too.”

“…?”

“I just avoided the ones that felt bad and spun the others.”

Unlike the somewhat puzzled agents, I immediately grasped the meaning and felt chills run down my spine.

‘The slot machines were also judged as ‘entities.”

As living creatures within the ghost story.

So the true identity of the slot machines is… Ha.

‘No, I won’t think about it further.’

I had no intention of expecting a coin jackpot in the slot machine room anyway.

‘The dealer room is the right answer.’

Because the previous case already proved it.

Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae.

-One day he exchanged one more body part to make coins, and based on that, he earned hundreds of coins in a single day at the dealer room.

I carefully retraced those actions.

‘He stayed still for several days, then suddenly exchanged for coins.’

It meant he wasn’t just spending time listlessly, but was ‘observing’ something.

In this casino, even though the VIP room is closed, the dealer room door remains open.

‘Then he could continuously observe inside the dealer room too.’

And when that observation was complete, he rushed to the dealer room and earned hundreds of coins in a single day…

‘There’s some secret in the dealer room.’

The very place where we are now.

I looked at the worn and broken tables, the colorful light bulbs flickering on the ceiling, and the panorama of this abandoned, old casino that showed its age due to lack of restoration.

And also at the dealer’s hands shuffling at the table.

“…”

Ah.

“So does anyone have thoughts on what to try with this war chest?”

…

I raised my hand.

“Oh?”

“There’s something worth trying.”

I think I’ve figured it out.

The method Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae tried.

And 73 minutes later.

“Current coins held… 924.”

“…!!”

Our war chest had grown to more than three times its original size.

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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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