Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 285

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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 285

 

The inside of Yi-jeong Bookstore was soft and peaceful.

 

The familiar and pleasant feeling that comes from things that have been well-maintained and have spent many long days. Above the comfortable feeling was the mysterious and profound impression unique to things that have accumulated over many years.

 

The small bookstore, less than eight pyeong, was bright with warm light, and new books and old books were arranged in what seemed like an irregular but organized manner.

 

“Excuse me.”

 

To think I would enter this mysterious place that cooperates with the Management Bureau like this, a place I had never visited even when I worked at the Disaster Management Bureau as an infiltrating spy.

 

‘Whew.’

 

Even though this body doesn’t know where its heart is, I find myself worrying about it beating for no reason.

 

While thinking about the identity of this place.

 

-A place the Disaster Management Bureau visits when obtaining spiritual items related to ‘letters and paper’.

 

To be precise, it’s a kind of intermediary place.

 

Where special books gather.

 

When the lights are off at Yi-jeong Bookstore, entry should be avoided.

 

The probability of supernatural beings visiting for transactions has been confirmed at over 80%.

 

According to the testimony of an agent who worked as a clerk, when the lights started going out from the entrance of the bookstore, one had to hide behind the staff counter without fail.

 

But now the lights were brightly lit.

 

I saw the light that my smoke had touched flicker and then remain on again.

 

“Please wait.”

 

And rarely when moving as a team, Bronze Agent rather than Agent Choi stepped forward first and walked toward the innermost part of the bookstore.

 

A counter-style desk.

 

It was an old-fashioned structure with the shop owner’s living space usually located in the back.

 

Door curtains hung down to separate it from the inner area, and the inside was not visible due to dark shadows.

 

Bronze Agent standing there bowed in greeting.

 

Then.

 

Pushing aside the beaded strings of the door curtain, a white gentleman’s right arm emerged from within.

 

“…!”

 

The owner of Yi-jeong Bookstore communicates with visitors only through written communication using the right hand.

 

Unless you have experience working as a clerk, it is recommended not to attempt to find out who is behind the door curtain.

 

The rest of the body submerged in shadow was not visible. Only the white arm and the dark blue hanbok sleeve covering it, and the hand beneath the sleeve writing with a brush.

 

Dong-i has come. Have you been well?

 

“Yes. Boss.”

 

I hear familiar footsteps

 

And also the sounds of new customers.

 

What kind of books are you looking for.

 

The white hand that wrote in neat handwriting politely pointed toward us.

 

Next to Agent Choi who smiled and bowed his head in greeting.

 

The horned 130666 standing while hiding black smoke as much as possible. Me.

 

[Hmm. You know how to create quite an atmosphere. Of course, that’s about all you can do in this shabby space.]

 

Yeah. I thought you’d say something like that….

 

“This is my companion. …Grape Agent.”

 

Whew.

 

I stepped forward as we had discussed beforehand.

 

When making vague requests at Yi-jeong Bookstore, differences in the bookstore owner’s interpretation may result in receiving completely different books.

 

Therefore, it is recommended that the agent who can most clearly describe the needed books attempt the purchase.

 

And in this situation, that’s me.

 

‘Let’s go.’

 

I picked up the ballpoint pen from the counter and wrote as politely and quickly as possible below the Shop Owner’s neat handwriting.

 

Hello, Boss.

 

What I need.

 

Do you happen to have books related to great beings that make libraries or bookstores and other repositories of knowledge their sanctuary?

 

Specifically, paper for the torn talisman.

 

I was looking for paper materials that could substitute for the Hanbit Library book loan slip.

 

‘If I can’t directly mention Hanbit Library to Disaster Management Bureau personnel because it’s within Segwang Special City, I can do it this way.’

 

Describing it indirectly.

 

And….

 

Yes. It’s in here.

 

‘…!’

 

It worked.

 

‘Buy it.’

 

And I hurriedly added additional text.

 

I would prefer it not to be dangerous to people if possible.

 

Even if it can’t be completely safe, please recommend something for which some precautionary measures can be taken.

 

Since I’m not human.

 

This bookstore introduces things that can be read without fatal damage based on the ‘requester’, so I added this with the thought that it might introduce something safe only for me.

 

But….

 

Of course.

 

When a person makes a request, I can’t just introduce books that are blindly dangerous to people.

 

Ah.

 

‘They’re… judging me as human.’

 

At least in Yi-jeong Bookstore.

 

I recalled the bookstore’s lights that hadn’t gone out even when I entered.

 

….

 

If you’re human, it should be fine as long as you don’t read the book’s contents aloud. Don’t worry.

 

Thank you.

 

I should be thanking you for finding the book for me.

 

And the white hand disappeared back into the darkness behind the door curtain.

 

After a few seconds of silence.

 

Here it is.

 

It reappeared with the book.

 

‘…!’

 

It was a hardcover book.

 

On top of that clean and worn-looking book was written a Korean title alongside Chinese characters….

 

Along with two unreadable characters.

 

 

 

[Hmm. This is a book that records the method of classifying books in a library. You could say it’s a book for books, a librarian for librarians.]

 

‘My goodness.’

 

A book so accurate it was chilling had appeared.

 

Even though my hand grasping the book was a black glove stuffed with formless flesh, I felt goosebumps rising from there.

 

Thank you.

 

This is the book I was looking for. How should I pay for it?

 

Would you make a suggestion?

 

…Right.

 

This is where it gets important.

 

‘The price.’

 

I looked at the white hand of the owner that emerged from behind the door curtain beyond the counter.

 

Yi-jeong Bookstore accepted various things – objects or labor appropriate to the value of books, or gold and currency.

 

‘But that all depended on ‘who was buying.”

 

For instance, cases where they accepted small amounts of currency were often limited to complete civilians or children.

 

‘For agents, they often accepted Disaster Management Bureau-related items, or did book-for-book exchanges.’

 

Right now we were out unofficially, making it difficult to pay that way.

 

So then.

 

…How about something like this.

 

Would you perhaps be interested in spending a dream vacation at a wonderful resort?

 

Excuse me?

 

It’s a theme park resort that provides excellent flowers and illumination, spa and VIP services.

 

It’s a suite room accommodation voucher that includes amenity gift sets, and since it’s made in catalog format, it could be treated as a book.

 

A book, you say.

 

…The bookstore owner seemed quite flustered, but eventually after persuasion, exchanged the 7-night suite room voucher for the book.

 

The white hand grabbing the catalog seemed to move somewhat frantically.

 

I could hear Agent Choi behind me shaking his shoulders, trying to hold back laughter….

 

[Oh my, it seems like Noru is getting the short end of this exchange!]

 

No,

 

‘It’s amazing that I can use contamination in such a profitable way….’

 

Isn’t this a jackpot, to put it crudely.

 

Since I’ve been getting help from my identity as Flower Golden Mascot in various ways, I have complicated feelings about it.

 

Anyway, the important thing was that the book had come into my hands.

 

 

 

“…Can you let me see it for a moment?”

 

The veteran agent from Genbu Team 1 took the book from me and checked and examined it in various supernatural ways.

 

Whether it was suitable for what we were about to do.

 

And finally made a definitive statement.

 

“Yeah. This will work.”

 

“….”

 

Our gazes turned to the Bronze Agent.

 

Yi-jeong Bookstore is not a library. Purchased books are recognized as one’s own.

 

Of course, meaninglessly damaging or discarding books in front of the shop owner seemed to displease them and wasn’t very welcome….

 

‘Recycling’ was entirely possible.

 

This was also one of the reasons this place was frequently used by the Disaster Management Bureau.

 

And.

 

‘In the case of certain books, Yi-jeong Bookstore itself sometimes ‘refurbishes’ and sells them for the buyer.’

 

Like tearing out individual pages to make calendars, or extracting just the book cover to create new value for that book.

 

And this.

 

“…Boss.”

 

Sometimes the clerk handles it too.

 

“Would it be alright if I went behind the counter for a moment? There’s a tool I’d like to borrow.”

 

Of course that’s fine.

 

It’s been a while.

 

Please sit comfortably and do your work, Dong-i.

 

“…Yes. It’s been a while.”

 

Bronze Agent, no, former clerk Ryu Jae-gwan quietly stepped forward and familiarly lifted the counter partition and took his place inside.

 

And he rolled up the door curtain and entered into that darkness….

 

Soon.

 

‘…!’

 

An auspicious light sparkled.

 

A white shadow flickered inside the door curtain, and the silhouette of a man lifting a brush was briefly revealed.

 

Ryu Jae-gwan’s form.

 

Ryu Jae-gwan, who had been a clerk at this bookstore, skillfully took out stationery from the storage cabinet, neatly opened the book and separated a page from the front section.

 

Probably the table of contents page.

 

He classified the cleanly blank back page and took it out as a single sheet. Soon he placed the fluttering sheet on the floor and put a paperweight on top of it.

 

He kneels down and takes up the brush.

 

Glimmer.

 

Through the dimming light, a white shadowy form visible within the screen.

 

The image of Ryu Jae-gwan drawing line by line with his brush ripples like beads on a string. The meaning of putting his whole heart into carefully giving form to something.

 

And then….

 

Thud.

 

The moment he puts away the brush and stores it again.

 

The auspicious light beyond the screen disappears.

 

“….”

 

Bronze Agent emerged, folding the screen as he returned to the cozy old bookstore counter.

 

Holding a book and a freshly completed talisman in one hand.

 

“…It’s finished.”

 

On the stiff paper, the character (protect) and straight lines were completed in neat yet intricate red and blue.

 

An evil-warding talisman.

 

“…!”

 

“I wrote it as similarly as possible, but it’s somewhat unstable in form.”

 

Bronze Agent, looking slightly pale, quietly offered the talisman to his superior without even wiping the sweat from his temples.

 

-If you make a talisman at Ijeong Bookstore, the burden of consequences returning to the creator will definitely be less due to the location’s characteristics. You can also receive help from the owner.

 

And he had successfully created it.

 

“Good work, Cheongdong. No, Dong-i.”

 

“….”

 

“Grape, about Cheongdong here. Did the owner originally call him ‘Dong-i’ as a clerk nickname here, and then he chose Bronze as his agent designation too?”

 

Bronze Agent sighed but didn’t seem embarrassed or bothered by it.

 

Instead, he just spoke to me somewhat sheepishly.

 

“…I didn’t plan it, it just happened to overlap.”

 

Yep. I understand….

 

“Thank you, owner.”

 

Anyway, we left the bookstore after politely saying our goodbyes.

 

With the talisman in hand.

 

Jingle.

 

“What’s left is… the Dokkaebi Fire.”

 

Only the procedure of borrowing power remained so this talisman could truly have potency.

 

“Hmm….”

 

Then, Agent Choi’s eyes, which had seemed lost in thought, sparkled the moment they looked at me.

 

Mischievously.

 

“Grape. About your resort.”

 

…?

 

“Should we… pull off one more big score?”

 

Excuse me?

 

 

A few days later.

 

#26HEO-0167 Situation Report (Draft)

 

Document Title: Reappearance of ‘Flower Golden Mascot’ entity.

 

Author: Sumaksae Agent

 

Incident Summary: At approximately 23:15 today, witnessed the reappearance of the so-called ‘Flower Golden Mascot’ at temporary quarters for field agents located in the outskirts of ■■ district.

 

The supernatural entity, which had disappeared from the company’s supernatural protection zone leaving only a simple letter, provided gifts to the encountered Hyeonmu Team 3 Agents as ‘a token of gratitude for the previous stay.’

 

Afterwards, it politely proposed to Hae-geum Agent that it wanted to invite the Dokkaebi Fire it had met previously to the resort.

 

It guaranteed safety and said they could bring their friends if they wanted.

 

The Dokkaebi Fire accompanying them on site joyfully accepted. The Hyeonmu Team 3 Agents present at the scene attempted to restrain them with pleas and temptations saying ‘let’s wait a little,’ but it didn’t work.

 

Eventually, five Dokkaebi Fire entities that were summoned and arrived rapidly gathered together while pretending to pack (no effect), then disappeared along with the ‘Flower Golden Mascot.’

 

Special Notes:

 

-Low estimated risk regarding Dokkaebi Fire whereabouts.

 

-Gifts are being analyzed at Barideogi Workshop.

 

-Rumors are spreading that the suspended spirit registration of ‘Flower Golden Mascot’ may resume depending on the results of this emergency situation.

 

“…That’s what I wrote as a draft, deleted, then dug out from the trash and read, Grape!”

 

Phew.

 

I held back a sigh while seeing off the Dokkaebi Fire who had enjoyed an amazing vacation at the resort.

 

‘At least you guys had fun….’

 

When Hae-geum Agent looked at me with an expression of bewilderment, I really wanted to crawl into a mouse hole….

 

Still, the fortunate thing was that Flower Golden Resort was really a decent vacation spot for non-human Dokkaebi Fire to stay for a day or two (as long as you planned the routes well). And….

 

‘It’s complete.’

 

The point that the talisman in our hands was completed.

 

I looked at the paper torn from the table of contents of that Bronze Agent was holding.

 

A talisman completed with spiritual power dwelling within.

 

The five Dokkaebi Fire who had returned after enjoying themselves at the resort had generously filled it with power, making it stand blue and stiff.

 

Suggestion: 130666 keeps it

 

“Oh no, that won’t do. For things like this, it’s seniority custody, right?”

 

I knew it.

 

He’s going to pocket it halfway through.

 

I calmly nodded to Agent Choi, then checked my thoughts.

 

Let’s see.

 

‘Most of the other Daydream Team Members are busy with company-related reports right now.’

 

It seems quite a stir occurred within the company due to the results related to the dream fragment collector I had proposed.

 

Even Ho Yu-won wasn’t at his post today.

 

Though there was something he had told me before.

 

-Researcher Gwak Je-gang from the research team keeps being anxious to contact Noru… Should I connect them?

 

Hmm.

 

Come to think of it, I was concerned whether he had fallen into some predicament after informing me of Director Cheong’s whereabouts.

 

Even if he was a crazy researcher.

 

‘It would be beneficial to maintain contact.’

 

After thinking it over, I decided to leave an email address.

 

And then.

 

“Then should we enter that library just by ourselves?”

 

Denial

 

No.

 

We won’t enter that way.

 

‘Hanbit Library has too many variables for us to go there alone again.’

 

Segwang Special City itself is like that to begin with.

 

When we notify them of the decision to restore the Disaster Management Bureau Agent’s talisman, I don’t know how Ho Yu-won will react either.

 

And besides.

 

‘To begin with, there’s definitely a way to enter that high school.’

 

The method that both Daydream and the Disaster Management Bureau were using.

 

Suggestion: Use illegal text version of ‘Under the Black Shadow’

 

“…!”

 

That thing they originally use.

 

And so, on the approaching new moon night.

 

We put our high school photos under our pillows and fell asleep, entering into the ghost story.

 

The nightmare in the new moon dream. Into Sekwang Technical High School.

 

And one night was enough to reveal all the stories hidden in this school.

—————
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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