Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 274

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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 274

Director Cheong said he would present a new employment contract to Team Leader Park Min-seong, one that would allow him to generously extract ‘re-education costs.’

“How about it?”

Director Cheong looks at me.

And so I recall.

The contract I received from Director Cheong.

The choice I made facing death in that horrific process where my entire body melted away, my ego and flesh collapsed as I regained my original form.

That was, that was…

A lifetime employment contract.

Eternal labor.

Being permanently buried underground in Baekillmong Corporation without retirement.

‘No way.’

I reflexively tried to summon smoke to stop Director Cheong, then stopped as if gritting my teeth.

Earlier, I had already prevented myself from responding to Team Leader Park Min-seong’s storytelling, so attacking him? That would obviously be impossible. It would be blocked.

After all, didn’t Director Ho only physically intervene after going through the three-warning rule?

Especially to respond against Director Cheong, who had a contract with me, I would need even more justification.

For example.

Confirmation:

Whether educational materials from ■■ Affiliated Kindergarten were provided to employee Badger

Explicitly confirming that Director Cheong was definitely involved in this situation where Team Leader Park Min-seong’s contamination had intensified.

‘I can also get testimony from the person involved.’

There’s definitely evidence that Director Cheong was involved. Then I could somehow push it as grounds for blame and discipline him…

“Do you think you’re qualified to ask questions yourself?”

…!

“From the moment you joined Director Ho’s project, you can no longer discipline other employees. Because you’re not a security officer.”

Director Cheong raises his hand and grabs my head.

Like restraining a dog.

“Besides, even if I answered ‘yes,’ nothing would change.”

…

“One should know and handle their own contamination first. Blaming a superior’s instructions for one’s own shortcomings isn’t proper conduct for an employee, is it?”

I looked at Director Cheong.

“But you’re quite fortunate.”

…

“Even when you return after finishing Director Ho’s pathetic project, the security officers in charge will still be in their positions. …Forever.”

In my dulled mind, an emotion that I hadn’t been able to recover and had only been mimicking as traces in empty spaces, clearly emerges…

Rage.

An emotion that seems to boil bright red.

[Oh, friend…]

At that moment.

“Sorry to interrupt your wonderful planning, but unfortunately, that’s unlikely to become reality…”

…!

“What do you mean?”

“I’m planning to treat that employee in the Fox Counseling Room.”

Director Ho pointed at Team Leader Park Min-seong.

“Director Cheong seems to view the mere two or three times the Fox Counseling Room was empty as an exaggeratedly major incident, so I’m trying to supplement it this way.”

Director Ho’s smile.

“By recovering a completely contaminated person faster than the re-education facility… I’d like to show my devotion to the company, even if just lightly.”

Director Cheong and Director Ho stare at each other.

“I’ll handle the accident where Director Cheong ‘coincidentally’ worsened this security team employee’s condition well and report it to the company. So you don’t need to worry too much.”

“Worry, you say.”

“Of course. Since Director Cheong was concerned about my performance, I should work harder too.”

Director Ho receives Director Cheong’s stare with a smiling face.

“I’m saying I’ll use a contamination recovery method that will be much more effective than the re-education zone. Surely Director Cheong, whose devotion to the company is far greater than mine, wouldn’t oppose this meaninglessly, right?”

“…”

“…”

The next moment.

Director Cheong’s hand that was gripping Team Leader Park Min-seong’s head releases its strength.

Thud. The Sprout Class Teacher collapses over his own bloodstain.

“Keep this in mind.”

Director Cheong looked at his own hand stained with the security team’s blood.

The next moment.

The bloodstain disappeared without a trace.

“I don’t like stray dogs that covet and touch other people’s things. Especially if they’re diseased.”

“I see. I’m not interested in whatever Director Cheong thinks.”

Director Ho’s smile remains the same.

Director Cheong watched that expression, then suddenly burst into laughter.

“Let me give you advice. Don’t let your impatience show. It’s like shouting that you’re desperate.”

“…”

“And being desperate is a weakness.”

Director Cheong slightly twisted his nose tip as if revealing displeasure through his laughter, but soon returned to normal.

While looking at me.

“Don’t be mistaken. All friendly relationships are merely products of circumstances. How long Director Ho’s choices will suit your taste… that’s unknown…”

…

“And remember this.”

Director Cheong took out a piece of paper from his jacket.

A document folded once.

Below the printed text, a name signed messily as if squeezing out of the space…

Kim Sol-eum.

My contract.

“That it’s in my hands.”

The moment the employment contract swayed at Director Cheong’s fingertips.

“See you when the project ends.”

Director Cheong disappeared.

Like a lie.

“…”

“…”

Thud, I can hear Baek Sa-heon, who had been hiding in that corner out of sight and collapsed as his strength gave out, muttering curses.

“Noru.”

I helped Team Leader Park Min-seong up.

“Let’s head back for now.”

Security Chief J3 regained consciousness two days later.

In the recovery room of the Fox Counseling Room.

The person lying on the bed simply opened his eyes quietly, like a withered old tree.

And beside him was….

Question: Current Status

I was sitting there.

“….”

The Security Chief looked at the sunlight coming through the curtains with vacant eyes.

Then he raised one hand as if to confirm something, but soon lowered it when he realized that sunlight wasn’t real.

Then he looked at me as if checking my condition.

I was perfectly fine, emanating black smoke and staring at him through my gas mask.

The Security Chief’s gaze seemed to blur with relief, but his next question came out in a low, rough voice.

“…Where’s Badger…?”

Next room

I looked toward one side of the comfortable recovery room.

Long-term Recovery Room

(Visitation Prohibited)

Behind the isolated partition, there was a door leading to a sealed room. The Security Chief’s eyes also turned very slowly to look at it….

Recovering

Location: Fox Counseling Room

The Security Chief’s pupils suddenly narrowed.

His eyes, which had been searching around as if exploring the surroundings, soon stopped moving. Once again, an old and hollow body, like a dead shell, lay quietly on the bed.

And he slowly asked.

About the consequences of what his contamination had caused.

“Badger’s arms….”

Searching for regeneration methods

“….”

The Security Chief’s next response came out terribly slowly.

“I see….”

….

“Is there… a telephone….”

Question: Reason

“I’ll contact the Security Team…. Badger’s… recovery costs… they can charge them to me….”

Since you’re a lifetime employee anyway?

It wasn’t even certain whether the Company would accept his proposal to take on the debt instead, no matter how much more debt accumulated.

And I realized anew.

That the Security Chief had also become a lifetime employee through a process similar to mine.

This person’s condition.

‘….’

I eventually grabbed the memo paper and pen on the table and quickly wrote something down to show him.

Don’t worry.

I’m talking with Director Ho, so you don’t need to worry about the costs.

“….”

The Security Chief didn’t answer.

I don’t mean I blindly trust Director Ho, but because I know what Director Ho needs right now, it should be fine.

“…What does he, need…?”

I didn’t answer.

Would it be okay to tell the Security Chief about Segwang Special City right now?

The Security Chief had just barely recovered.

But wouldn’t telling him about a ‘sealed ghost story from which no one can escape’ become another trigger?

Moreover.

‘The Nostalgia Candy that only worked for a moment on the Security Chief too.’

That,

was a different version.

Immerse yourself in even more distant memories!

Nostalgia Candy, More Distant Flavor

I had thought the pills were strangely larger than the ones I used before, and when I checked after coming here, the wrapper description was slightly different.

[Indeed, it’s the obvious marketing ploy of a food and beverage company. A seasonal edition!]

That’s right. And on the back, it said ‘■■ 300% Content’.

‘Triple, huh.’

Judging by the modifier “more distant”….

’30 years?’

Since the original Nostalgia Candy brought back the peak appearance from the past 10 years, this guess was likely correct.

So I could speculate like this.

-The possibility that the Security Chief’s contamination was old enough to approach 30 years, far exceeding 10 years.

To the extent that if I had used regular Nostalgia Candy, it would have had no effect at all.

‘….’

In the end, I gave a slightly different answer, as if changing the subject.

Director Ho is trying to transfer both of your affiliations to his own project team entirely.

I also wanted to reassure them.

‘Then at least I won’t have to get involved with Director Cheong anymore.’

But.

“…It won’t work… At least… for me…?”

…

That’s what I think.

Perhaps all the permanent security team members have already received Director Cheong’s employment contracts.

“I hope Badger… can make it though…”

The Security Chief rolls his eyes again to look at the partition.

Probably at the sealed room beyond it.

…

I’m sorry.

“…?”

It’s because I asked for help that you two got dragged into this. I’m sorry.

“No…”

I bowed my head and apologized.

“The one who should be sorry is me…”

When I didn’t respond, the Security Chief fell silent for a moment, then slowly opened his mouth as if trying to change the subject.

“Um… you know. That thing you asked me to look into…”

Ah.

Request: Director Ho’s Background

Right.

I had definitely made that request to the two security team members just before entering the groom lesson ghost story…

How Ho Yu-won had spent his time at Baekil-mong.

And his recent situation as well.

“Should I… tell you now…”

…

I nodded.

And belatedly, I heard about ‘Director Ho’s background’ from the Security Chief.

How Ho Yu-won had spent his time at the company.

“Director Ho… apparently came to headquarters suddenly as Development Department Director 4 years ago… Nobody knew about it… There are only rumors that he was at a Baekil-mong branch before…”

A branch?

Come to think of it, I remember that other Disaster Management Bureau spy employees besides me were processed as being assigned to branches.

‘I wondered why it had to be a branch specifically.’

The Baekil-mong branch and Ho Yu-won might have some kind of connection. I should remember this point…

“Rather than the Research Team… he pays more attention to the Field Investigation Team and has more people on his side there… They say Team A is completely his line…”

Some familiar information comes up.

And…

It moves on to the latest situation.

“Um, there were also rumors about the project team…”

The project team.

“Since there haven’t been any particular results, the pressure from above is intense.”

…!!

“They say something needs to come out by the end of this year… I heard the administrative team talking about it…”

…

“Um… is that not enough…”

No.

Thank you so much.

I was sincere.

Because I had realized one thing for certain.

‘Ho Yu-won is pushing himself too hard.’

Since he’s actually exploring Segwang Special City, it seems like he’s pulling in everything he can and throwing it all in.

And he probably doesn’t even think he’s pushing too hard. Because he’s prepared to handle anything if he can just find what he wants in Segwang Special City.

But that would be troublesome for me.

‘…’

[Noru, your thoughts are deepening… Have you made a new decision?]

Yes.

[Oh!]

And the next day.

A modest meeting related to the ‘Segwang Special City Exploration Project’ was held in the Fox Counseling Room.

“I thought we’d need time to greet the newly arrived person first. So I prepared this!”

But a deathly silence flowed across the table.

Everyone was already acquainted, and that ‘newly arrived person’ was lying sprawled in their chair, quietly and tensely staring at Baek Sa-heon who was wearing a goat mask.

Baek Sa-heon desperately avoided that gaze, and the Security Chief slowly turned his eyes to the table. Only Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae waved brightly.

It was then that the one person who absolutely couldn’t sit at this table was mentioned…

“It’s nice to meet you like this. Min-seong…”

Advisory: Adjust Form of Address

“…!”

A bitter smile appears on Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je’s face.

“…Right. You’re the one who used to work with ‘Badger,’ aren’t you.”

I recall.

-Then Park Min…-

-Call me Badger!

Team Leader Park Min-seong, who had been so contaminated that he couldn’t be called by his real name, had slowly recovered to the point where he could smile and respond to Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je calling him “Min-seong.”

That was just a few days ago.

And like a lie, it had deteriorated this much in an instant.

To a state so contaminated that nothing could be done about it.

-…Right. That’s how it is…

When I first heard the story, the reactions of Manager Lee Ja-heon and Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je were complexity itself…

“Director, how is Badger’s recovery speed?”

“He’s recovering, but it probably won’t be the state you want. Won’t it take at least several weeks?”

Silence fell again, but Manager Lee Ja-heon calmly continued his questioning.

“I see. Please tell us about the condition of both arms.”

“The arms… the cross-sections just healed bluntly as they were.”

“…!”

Right.

I did my best to stop Team Leader Park Min-seong’s bleeding. And I tried to use a C-grade potion, but…

“He’s completely contaminated by darkness that extracts dream essence more powerful than C-grade… I think it would be difficult unless we obtain a higher-grade potion.”

In that sense, it was impossible.

However.

Director Ho smiled faintly.

“But there’s a way he could recover as early as tomorrow.”

“…”

“Is that method entering Segwang Special City?”

“Yes!”

Right.

If we entered Segwang Special City, the ‘■■ Affiliated Kindergarten’ would also be blocked by external influence, so Team Leader Park Min-seong would likely recover from contamination instantly.

Just like me, Team Leader Park Min-seong would regain his senses and be able to use potions…

Manager Lee Ja-heon looked at Director Ho with reptilian eyes.

“Are you inducing employees to enter for exploration faster than scheduled?”

“Isn’t that natural?”

…!

“I want as much exploration to proceed as possible. So… do you perhaps dislike me?”

Director Ho’s eyes were calm as he looked around at Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je, who had risen from the table, and Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae, who was staring at him without blinking.

“Actually, I did nothing wrong in this situation involving Director Cheong. I merely helped you all who wanted to infiltrate the annex building for equipment…”

“…”

“The target of resentment should be someone else, shouldn’t it.”

And he smiled brightly as he said this.

“But I understand completely. Originally, resentment tends to be directed toward what’s easier and closer, right? It’s fine if you resent me. There’s only one thing I want…”

Finding what he wants in Segwang Special City.

“That’s all.”

…

But I think a little differently.

‘I need to lead this project more stably.’

That way, when this project ends, I can prevent the Security Team and my affiliation from falling back into Director Cheong’s hands.

‘That contract.’

At least until I can somehow steal it away.

For that, there’s something I need.

‘Results.’

In this Segwang Special City exploration, I need to bring back ‘achievements’ as much as possible.

Ones that suit Baekillmong Corporation’s taste.

And the progress results that won’t reveal information about Segwang Special City while giving the company something satisfying to chew on are actually simple.

Additional equipment recommendation for this exploration:

Dream Essence Extractor

“…!”

Let’s at least check if extraction is possible.

And so, some time later.

The exploration team, including two new explorers J3 and Team Leader Park Min-seong, entered Segwang Special City.

Carrying a dream essence extractor.

—————
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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