Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 299
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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 299
Fortunately, Brown didn’t suddenly go on a rampage about burying the entire station.
He probably thought it would be beneath the dignity of a refined show host.
‘Phew.’
Taking advantage of that gap, I quickly recalled the contents of the wiki.
This station where Delusional Home Shopping is located.
Afternoon Station (Blood Broadcasting Station)
A subway station that was connected to the Provincial Broadcasting Station of Segwang Special City.
This station had a temporary stage installed in the waiting room in connection with the broadcasting station, where citizen choirs and orchestras would perform.
All of that is now a thing of the past, and a certain home shopping ghost story that found the infrastructure of this station appetizing has occupied it.
Let’s all shop happily!
…And when I clicked on ‘home shopping ghost story‘, it directly linked to the Delusional Home Shopping page.
[Oh.]
[So, you already suspected that some merchant’s channel of unknown purpose was here, but were concerned about Brown’s reaction and didn’t click until you got off at the platform to confirm… That’s what you mean.]
No, rather than that… hmm.
‘Brown. Aren’t you curious though?’
[Hmm?]
‘About what Delusional Home Shopping is doing here.’
According to the station description, what happens at this station is as follows.
But if you don’t want to shop, it would be good to help others with their shopping!
As one of the few ways to obtain food through labor in the Segwang Special City subway, those who visit this station are treated as having come after seeing job advertisements from the home shopping channel and are employed short-term.
Day work is frequent, but depending on the broadcasting station’s situation, you might catch the unfortunate opportunity of a lifetime working as a home shopping assistant or model.
If you work too well, you might receive a contract position offer. Welcome to the eternal shopping paradise!
‘If I work as day labor here, I’ll be able to see what Delusional Home Shopping actually does.’
And… ultimately, this is it.
‘Either properly secure my share and return home by train, or quickly die and escape before being contaminated by an irregular situation.’
It’ll probably be the former.
Given the nature of a home shopping ghost story, it must be deeply connected to items and information, so maybe I can find an easy way to enter the Joyful Research Institute in the engine room.
‘Besides, it’ll be easier for me.’
Since I have experience working in similar places.
[Similar places.]
[Oh… surely you’re not making a comparison between this messy scammer’s toilet and my talk show?]
‘…I’ve experienced various jobs in different places. That’s what I’m talking about. Remember?’
[Ah, of course I remember! My friend persevered through even physiologically difficult jobs! How you had such diverse jobs in so many different places. They were truly interesting episodes…]
Sigh.
Anyway, I shared what I had learned from the wiki with my companions.
“Oh. Then we can get items or information from here.”
“Yes. However…”
I looked at Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae with some concern.
“Dolphin, is your contamination okay?”
Would it be okay for someone who was contaminated enough to work as a dealer at the Body Casino to seek employment here?
I looked at the tick-tock pin attached to Team Leader Lee Seong-hae’s head.
It seemed like he had suppressed the contamination with his own equipment before entering, but it might become a bad trigger.
But Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae readily nodded.
“Ah, it’s fine! Anyway, since I died here, it seems the casino’s surveillance on me has been lifted.”
Then he clenched and unclenched his fist, suppressed his hands that were trying to shuffle slightly, and shrugged his shoulders.
“Hmm… I think it’ll be fine as long as I don’t return to the casino.”
“…Yes.”
Just in case, let me prepare the euthanasia drug to be ready for use at any time.
Anyway, since we had already reached an agreement, we went up the stairs and stood in front of the back door of Delusional Home Shopping’s studio.
And carefully, after knocking, we opened the door.
Creak.
The appearance of a modern and clean broadcasting station corridor was revealed.
And colorful posters.
-Record-breaking sellout!
-Cumulative sales breakthrough ■■■■ billion!
-Soaring ratings, is this entertainment or advertising!
-Home shopping created by the entertainer of the era
-Your shopping mate on Tuesday nights
‘…’
At first glance, they look like typical self-congratulatory posters from a home shopping channel. But if you look closely, the items being sold give off a bizarre and eerie feeling.
The smiling show host is cutting his own arm with a kitchen knife, and from the eyes of someone demonstrating eye drops, bloody tears and eyeballs are pouring out.
‘Hah…’
The feeling of entering the wrong space makes one shudder.
And then there’s another thought that comes to mind.
‘The phrases…’
They’re somehow familiar.
[Oh.]
Right.
[You’ve noticed it. Noru.]
It seems like they’re blatantly copying Brown’s Late Night Talk Show…
No, there are even phrases that seem to copy the Tuesday Quiz Show from before that.
‘…Brown.’
Even though it was a thought and not a sound, I asked carefully.
‘Could it be that Delusional Home Shopping… has been copying you lately and that upset you?’
[Wouldn’t anyone in the mass media industry want to imitate a legendary role model? That’s only natural.]
[The problem is their attitude…]
The sound of fingers impatiently tapping on an expensive wooden table seemed to echo.
[How dare these merchant imitators try to exploit the reputation of my talk show, spouting slogans about new era entertainment and shows.]
‘…!’
[Those bastards’ purpose isn’t entertainment. Their only goal is to catch even a bit of the audience’s attention to sell off their cheap goods. Ah, nothing could be more vulgar and disgusting….]
I feel a gaze.
[So I’m quite looking forward to it! I wonder what kind of performance Noru will show here.]
From far away, from above, or perhaps right beside me, something seems to be watching me.
The gaze of show media.
[Of course, I can already picture my friend being horrified by the vulgarity of this place….]
‘….’
I swallowed and quietly continued walking down the corridor.
‘We probably won’t need to go that far.’
We’ll likely work as day laborers.
And before long, we stood in front of a door with a notice posted on it, as expected.
If you came here after seeing the job posting, enter here
Inside that door, which looked almost like a storage room, there was no one, only contracts carelessly placed on a shelf. And the contents of the contract were….
Day Labor Contract
‘Phew.’
Fortunately, it’s within expectations.
“Do we just sign here?”
“It seems so.”
“Well, at least there’s nothing about mortgaging our souls.”
We signed the contract one by one, which stated ‘Work Period: 1 day, Duties: Various unspecified auxiliary tasks, Compensation: Differential payment based on performance.’
The precautions below were censored, creating an ominous foreboding, but our hands, knowing we could escape through death, moved without hesitation.
And the moment we finished signing.
-Buy it right now! Today’s unprecedented price, 4,999,980 won! An impossible package, the lowest price in human history compared to market rates!
Sound began to be heard.
The broadcast sound of Delusional Home Shopping.
“…!”
“Noru, this way.”
Information gathering is essential for surviving in darkness. After leaving the storage room, we walked quietly down the corridor as we were accustomed to, carefully heading toward where the sound was coming from.
And when we peeked around the corner, a massive space finally revealed itself.
A home shopping filming site.
-Who could achieve perfect dieting for just 4 million won? It’s absolutely impossible. But today, the opportunity has come to you!
Bright lighting.
Voices that stick in your ears, various effects that seemed determined to dazzle the eyes, fast-tempo music. Sound effects that seemed to encourage purchasing and intense colorful letters.
It was like home shopping from around the 2000s, during its golden age.
But….
-Look. Amazing, isn’t it! Only the fat has been peeled off!
In the very center, there’s a person whose skin is being peeled off layer by layer.
An artificially clean image.
The person with wide-open eyes and a smile doesn’t move at all, but skin rises like molting scales, cracking with a swishing sound as fat flows out.
-Truly a diet supplement made by the devil, worms that devour fat, Aesthetic Caterpillar Egg Sacs!
-The simple usage is like a gift from God! Just take it with water after meals and that’s it.
While those words were spoken, the camera briefly showed the show host.
Meanwhile, the demonstrator who had been on display was thrown outside like garbage being disposed of.
Thud.
And that spot was filled by an identical-looking demonstrator.
Appearing again with neatly styled hair in clothing that seemed to show off muscles and slenderness, posing for the camera.
-A miraculous supplement!
-If you buy now, we’ll send you one Happy Maker as a bonus gift at an unprecedented special price! This package is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
Waaaah!
Amid the inserted cheers of people.
Outside the studio where the camera doesn’t reach, fat flows and pools between the bodies of demonstrators carelessly thrown on the floor.
Through those cracked gaps, worm-like creatures reveal their teeth like leeches.
Dozens of them.
They’re melting and eating fat from the entire body, going in and out as they emerge. Writhing.
“Ugh.”
Someone among our group made a short sound as if holding back vomit.
But then.
-Shall we show you once more? Excellent!
-We’ll show you properly once more with a different person!
And….
The show host pointed his finger exactly in our direction and wiggled it.
“…What?”
At that moment.
The Bronze Agent among us began to be ‘transported’ to the home shopping filming site at once, as if being dragged.
“…!”
Lee Ja-heon and I reflexively grabbed the agent, and the Bronze Agent also seemed to grit his teeth and resist with tense muscles, but… I understood.
‘Physical force is meaningless…!’
Only the Bronze Agent’s body would be harmed.
This wasn’t just being dragged away, but an effect occurring due to contractual labor.
Among the day workers, he was just ‘unluckily’ selected immediately for home shopping demonstration use.
Chills run down my spine.
All kinds of thoughts instantly emerge and flash through my mind.
The items sold on Delusional Home Shopping have definite effects, but also definite side effects. And sometimes there are items that are dangerously close to being ‘duds’….
That one is a ‘dud’.
Seeing the previous demonstrator collapsed like a corpse, continuously dripping blood and flesh along with fat, an unmistakable sense of foreboding consumed my mind.
And reaching a conclusion happened in an instant.
‘It would be better to die.’
I need to kill him quickly so he can escape from here.
‘Damn it.’
I immediately shoved the euthanasia pill I had into the Bronze Agent’s mouth.
“…!”
The Bronze Agent looked bewildered, but soon… swallowed it.
The next moment.
Thud.
His body fell to the floor.
“….”
Lee Ja-heon is dragging the Bronze Agent’s corpse away.
I gasped for breath in shock.
The Show Host seemed to notice the unexpected situation where the day worker could no longer perform the ‘demonstration’….
-Now, model, please come in!
He calmly continues the home shopping broadcast. And I realized.
He’s going to bring someone else as a demonstrator.
‘Damn!’
I urgently tried to pull out another euthanasia pill from my pocket with trembling hands, but before that, my body stiffened and I was flung forward.
Into the lights.
‘Wait.’
And….
-Now, in this person’s case, the area they want to diet is….
The moment I helplessly stepped into the middle of the home shopping studio illuminated by cameras.
-No, you are… this can’t be!
The Show Host grabbed my shoulder.
I raised my head. The strange, pale, red Show Host mimicking someone with an open mouth looked at me and opened his mouth wide with delight.
-Everyone! The assistant host from the late night talk show has come to our home shopping!
“…!”
I’m screwed.
‘An irregular situation….’
He identified me as a worker from a similar broadcast ghost story. A situation where I can’t predict what kind of anomalous reaction Delusional Home Shopping will show.
‘Just how interested are they in Brown Talk Show to even recognize me.’
I want to say ‘You’ve got the wrong person’ but that wouldn’t work on a ghost story, and I remember that Brown is listening to this conversation.
And that’s not the problem.
-What a pleasant face to see. Right? Please introduce yourself!
I felt myself lifting the corners of my mouth into a smile. An unnaturally bright smile spread across my face. Befitting a demonstrator of Delusional Home Shopping.
-Now please swallow the miracle diet pill with water. So easy, right?
My hand picked up the water glass placed on the desk.
‘Fuck…!’
And while maintaining a smile across my face, I grabbed the parasite egg sac that looked like a round pill, toward my mouth….
Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-bam!!!
“…!”
-Everyone! We just received news. All prepared quantities have been sold out!
The strength left my hand.
-Thank you for your support. Then Tuesday’s joy! Tuesday’s passion! Tuesday’s lowest prices, we’ll be back!
My hand waves toward the camera while smiling.
And the Home Shopping Host conducting all of this waves his hand together beside me.
The Show Host.
-Thank you!
It is a male wearing a black suit.
The thing that appears to be in its late thirties has the body of a typical show host and wears a trustworthy, cheerful smile.
But when it opens its mouth, inside is a blood-red abyss.
Black eyes with strangely large pupils.
And with a face made up eerily white like a person’s, it looks at the camera and grins wickedly….
Cut!
Soon the program ends.
I momentarily lost strength and almost knocked over the water glass on the table, but barely managed to keep it in place.
‘Damn.’
…Over there, I can see the Bronze Agent’s corpse still remaining outside the studio.
And I can even see my companions finishing their movements, as if they had been intensely discussing what to do with me.
I quickly looked away from there.
Because Delusional Home Shopping’s representative Show Host is looking at me with a joyful smile and patting my shoulder.
-My! How nice to see you. I never expected a celebrity like you to apply for a short-term part-time job!
And he subtly massages my shoulder.
Large black pupils within a strangely white powdered face look at me.
-Did you quit the late night talk show? Of course, there are as many job seekers wanting to join Delusional Home Shopping as there are stars, but for a former late night talk show crew member like us, I think we could create a position or so….
“…You seem to have a lot of interest in the late night talk show.”
The Show Host pauses for a moment.
-You could say it’s interest as a fellow industry worker! Our two programs are stars of entertainment that mutually support each other.
-Of course, there’s no comparison in terms of volume. Compared to our home shopping channel, Brown’s talk show is a bit… well. Symbolic but rather small-scale, don’t you think?
[Oh.]
Cold sweat soaks the back of my neck.
The show host walked out of the studio with me, wiggling his fingers excitedly as if he was having fun.
He didn’t even glance toward the day workers, and in the meantime, I could see Agent Lee Seong-hae stopping the Bronze Agent’s corpse from being handed over to the garbage cleaner.
“…Come to think of it, I didn’t know Delusional Home Shopping had a studio here too.”
-Ah, this 4-168 Studio is a relatively recent construction. But we got it at a reasonable price. Profitable business is what matters. However… the broadcast fees turned out to be more excessive than expected.
-To properly heat up the shopping fever, we planned an unprecedented variety show this time.
-It’s going to air today. But to think a celebrity would come for our part-time job recruitment! The energy is great.
“…What do you mean by unprecedented planning?”
-A very stimulating and fun format.
-Namely… Show Host Survival.
What?
-Only one person who sells the most items survives, a thrilling and dizzying variety show that calls for channel loyalty! And shopping! Shopping! Shopping!
-Among the show hosts I’m watching, who will survive!
-Viewers won’t be able to take their eyes off it, purchase volume will skyrocket with viewers who fix their channels, and someone will passionately buy anything for the show host they’re cheering for!
“…I see.”
I swallowed. Then I asked in a deliberately calm tone.
“Then what will we day workers do in that planning? …Will we become demonstrators like earlier?”
If he said yes, I was planning to immediately pour euthanasia drugs into everyone’s mouths.
But the show host didn’t affirm.
…He didn’t deny it either.
-Well, about that. Let me tell you more first.
-Amazingly, the winner of this survival show takes all of the total sales revenue allocated to show hosts, alone!
The show host brought his face close to mine.
-Truly amazing profit, right?
-But all of this setup is provided today! To all of you who came after seeing the job advertisement!
“…!”
That means…
-That’s right. Today’s day workers will all become participants in the Show Host Survival!
“…!!”
[Oh, Friend. I don’t particularly enjoy expressions like ‘I told you so,’ but there’s no more accurate timing than now.]
[I told you so.]
[About these vulgar merchants.]
The show host’s cold breath ripples against my nape.
-Now then, let’s go to work as per the contract. Survival participant, new show host of Delusional Home Shopping. Brown’s friend.
And so I became a daily show host for Delusional Home Shopping.
Along with all the exploration personnel.
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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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