Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 301

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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 301

 

Inside the screen of the small smartwatch.

 

In the strange home shopping channel that was playing, the show host had just spoken.

 

With the face of my colleague, Kim Sol-eum.

 

-This is home shopping, but there’s nothing to sell!

 

In that moment when I was wondering if this was really happening.

 

Everyone, why do you watch home shopping?

 

Kim Sol-eum spoke seriously.

 

In a pleasant voice.

 

Because something you really need just happened to come on? Because you think the phrase “unprecedented special price” is true? Because you’re convinced that buying that item they’re selling now would be profitable?

 

….

 

Well, I’m not like that.

 

Kim Sol-eum in a business suit made a somewhat embarrassed expression and cleared his throat.

 

I end up watching because I’m lonely and empty.

 

That’s right. I’m exactly that loser who has no girlfriend and lies on the sofa eating ice cream after work. Anyway….

 

Pfft, a small laugh involuntarily escaped from Go Young-eun’s mouth before subsiding.

 

Kim Sol-eum, who had spoken humorously, clasped his hands together and then sat on the edge of the table where home shopping products should have been nicely displayed.

 

Home shopping channels are different from dramas.

 

They talk to me.

 

And they offer solutions.

 

‘If you just buy this, you can be happy!’

 

‘If you buy this, you’re a really smart person!’

 

These are the magic words that home shopping offers. However, they don’t guarantee results.

 

We all know it. We all have something like a blender that we bought from home shopping, used just once, and then put away in a corner still in its box.

 

…Is it really okay to make such statements on a home shopping channel?

 

Of course, sometimes what home shopping says is right.

 

But today I want to tell you a somewhat different story.

 

Kim Sol-eum smoothly wrapped up the topic, then patted the seat next to him toward the person across from the camera.

 

Toward me.

 

Come, have a seat.

 

Actually… I do have an item I’ve prepared to showcase this time.

 

As expected.

 

The home shopping viewer thinks.

 

‘That earlier bit was probably just bait to sell something.’

 

Right. The declaration that there’s nothing to sell was just for shock value.

 

Now he’ll say that what he’s selling is definitely different and encourage purchases….

 

But I’m going to give it away for free.

 

“…?!”

 

Because I already bought everything I’m selling with my own money!

 

What kind of crazy talk is this.

 

‘The show host… hoarding?’

 

I’m not joking. I really bought everything. I bought it as soon as the broadcast started.

 

Look at this!

 

Kim Sol-eum started pulling out boxes from under the table one after another.

 

Fifteen in total.

 

The considerably sized boxes were well-packaged, in opaque colors so you couldn’t see inside, with ‘Present!’ written on the surface in elegant lettering.

 

And Kim Sol-eum stacked them up on the table.

 

Now….

 

I took the best-looking items, the most desirable ones from everything this home shopping channel had, put them all together and randomly packaged them.

 

The show host looked at me with very suspicious eyes. How on earth was I going to introduce and sell all of this.

 

‘Listen here, friend of the talk show…. I know you’re capable. But you’re going to sell all of this as random boxes? Do you think customers are idiots?’

 

Yes. They are idiots.

 

But he never dreamed that idiot would be me….

 

-What kind of program is this

 

-So you’re doing something like lottery disguised as home shopping?

 

-Please send me one please send me

 

-Trapped in home shopping trapped home shopping trap

 

-What’s inside?

 

Now I noticed that a chat window was also running at the bottom of the smartwatch, with lines passing by one by one.

 

But it had been updating too quickly since Kim Sol-eum started making crazy statements, so I hadn’t noticed.

 

You’re curious about what items they are, right?

 

Kim Sol-eum, as if he had seen the comments, put his hand on a box as if to open it, then hesitated anxiously.

 

And then he grinned.

 

Ah! The way to receive this gift is very simple. Just watch and enjoy. What that means is….

 

Kim Sol-eum gradually moved closer to the camera.

 

Go Young-eun realized that she was unconsciously leaning forward.

 

“…!”

 

You just need to have a conversation with me.

 

Kim Sol-eum took out his smartphone from his pocket and turned it on.

 

Then he wrote his smartphone number in the memo app and revealed it publicly.

 

Here, there’s a phone number!

 

“…!”

 

I will keep answering calls that come in during this broadcast.

 

And whoever gets connected through this call will immediately choose one gift box. You’ll receive everything inside the box in its entirety!

 

While saying this, he checked the timer function on his smartphone and made an urgent expression.

 

But there isn’t much broadcast time left. Already 5 minutes have passed. 15 minutes! It’s too short and precious.

 

Let’s hurry up. I wonder who will get connected through the call? Let’s check together….

 

It could be you!

 

 

‘What is this?’

 

Go Young-eun watched the screen while catching her breath.

 

Kim Sol-eum in the small screen skillfully answered phone calls.

 

Sometimes excitedly, sometimes very flustered.

 

-Hello! Yes? You want to put humans in boxes? Are you perhaps a magician?

 

-Hello… Ah, no small talk and open box number 2 right now? Well, sure….

 

-This person is… a test taker. You just took an exam? You really worked hard. I’m happy to give you a gift….

 

-Viewer? Viewer… Um, you seem to be a tiger. Is there anyone who can interpret? Please leave it in the comments… Wow, thank you!

 

-Taxi driver… Wait a moment. You say we’re acquainted?

 

‘Is this… home shopping?’

 

No, I’m not even sure if this can be called home shopping anymore.

 

‘Isn’t this just variety entertainment?’

 

If we’re talking about genre… yes.

 

Talk show.

 

Listening to all kinds of people’s stories, crying and laughing. And giving gifts to those who participated in interviews….

 

A composition so typical it was textbook.

 

But clichés become clichés because they work.

 

And there was a twist too.

 

-Hello hello hello hello hello hello… kekekekekekekek

 

The fact that those connected through phone calls weren’t always human.

 

Sometimes you could hear the eerie creaking of wooden floors, sometimes screams of the dying in the background.

 

Speaking incoherently, the studio lights would flicker or turn red.

 

Kim Sol-eum always kept the caller ID hidden from view, but occasionally impossible numbers or strange sentences could be glimpsed floating there.

 

Each time, Go Young-eun’s heart would shiver.

 

Even now.

 

Good child

 

Come back

 

Oh… well, a family elder called. No, Mascot… I’m fine. I’m working hard!

 

The host conversed with someone who was clearly not human as if they were old relatives. The stimulation from that sense of discord.

 

Humor, horror, familiarity.

 

When all these elements combined, it became 15 minutes packed with different stimulations.

 

-So funny so funny so funny

 

-Hurry up next

 

-Ghost fuck so scary

 

-Please die

 

-Please someone tell me this person’s InHeart account the concept is fucking hilarious

 

Comments were updating at an unreadable speed.

 

And….

 

Now there’s one gift left! Just one!

 

What’s left now… this is unbelievable, it’s the box I packed first when I selected the items!

 

Wow, I’m so curious who will take it!

 

…Wait, 1 minute? 1 minute left in the broadcast? Let’s answer the call right away!

 

1 minute before broadcast end.

 

The last call was connected.

 

Hello!

 

And.

 

From beyond the smartphone, a tone that was far too deep and resonant to be coming from such a modern, mass-produced device could be heard.

 

[Oh, nice to meet you. ‘Friend of Talk Show’.]

 

…!!

 

Kim Sol-eum startled and pulled his head away from the smartphone.

 

Looking at the call partner’s voice playing through speakerphone and the ‘call in progress’ screen with disbelief, Kim Sol-eum said,

 

Everyone. The person who just called… don’t be surprised. My goodness.

 

-The legendary host of the late night talk show, Brown, has called!

 

The comment section filled with the howls of bizarre things.

 

Naturally, Go Young-eun also swallowed her saliva.

 

‘A famous… darkness?’

 

She knew that even within the darkness, there were strange hierarchical relationships and systems, ‘something beyond what’s visible, outside of that’ that was difficult for humans to understand.

 

Again, the distinctive tone of a pleasant male voice resonated.

 

…along with faint band sounds.

 

[Were you surprised? Oh, if so, there’s one more little surprise….]

 

…What?

 

[What time do you think it is right now?]

 

…It’s close to midnight, no, surely not, surely not….

 

[Did you catch on?]

 

[Everyone, you’re currently appearing on a late night talk show!]

 

Aaaahhh!

 

Kim Sol-eum went into a frenzy.

 

Go Young-eun didn’t know, but it was loud enough to be heard even at other participants’ filming locations nearby that were being simultaneously broadcast for the show host survival.

 

Wait, hold on, no…. Is, is it okay? For this program to be broadcast on the late night talk show?

 

[Hahaha, of course it’s fine. I called them directly. Is your broadcast okay with this? If the transmission is inconvenient, we can cut it off right away.]

 

What? Yes, just a moment….

 

Kim Sol-eum briefly glanced outside the camera. There seemed to be a high-ranking personnel member there.

 

Then he soon nodded with a bright face.

 

Yes! They say it’s perfectly fine!

 

And an amazing 45 seconds passed.

 

“….”

 

When Go Young-eun came to her senses, she was sitting dazed in the train connection area.

 

‘…Was it a dream?’

 

But Go Young-eun soon saw it.

 

…The ‘Delusional Home Shopping Live App’ was now clearly positioned on her smartwatch.

 

And if she had known that what she was watching was a show host survival program, she would have intuitively realized.

 

That Kim Sol-eum would have won.

 

 

“Well then, goodbye everyone! Thank you!”

 

I waved my hand until the very end toward the camera that was turning off.

 

The broadcast that ended with the call with the host as the finale was pretty good! At this level, even if the main talk show broadcast is too much, couldn’t I get at least a small corner during special features?

 

…No, no. I have no intention of returning to the late night talk show… to that wonderful workplace.

 

Right.

 

My goal was to be number one in home shopping.

 

And that….

 

Clap clap clap.

 

Beyond the turned-off camera.

 

The Delusional Home Shopping show host is sending applause while fixing strange eyes on me.

 

Speaking with blood-red lips.

 

[Very clever. Right? You made good use of the fact that in the finals, the broadcast doesn’t end even when products sell out.]

 

….

 

[Ordering everything with your own money right from the start to sell out, buying viewers’ favor by giving things away for free… then just doing trivial small talk for the remaining time!]

 

As expected from someone with deep experience in the industry, I knew they’d figure out that much.

 

But still.

 

“Even so, I had the highest viewership, didn’t I?”

 

[…!]

 

It wasn’t trivial small talk.

 

The fact that I deliberately used ‘gift drawings’ to hold viewers’ attention.

 

The fact that I amplified anticipation through phone connections.

 

The fact that I condensed it within 15 minutes and proceeded at a fast tempo with only the essentials.

 

And with intense reactions and conversations, I even inserted sounds into other participants’ home shopping broadcasts, drawing attention.

 

It seems they couldn’t catch each detail precisely.

 

[So what?]

 

However, they seemed to have noticed just this one thing.

 

That I had a negative impact on other participants’ sales.

 

[You even planted a negative image about our home shopping in viewers’ minds.]

 

“But first place is still first place, right?”

 

[First place? Hahaha!]

 

The show host’s face approaching me twists and distorts in mid-air.

 

[Buying your own products yourself is cheating.]

 

“…You didn’t specify that, did you?”

 

[What nonsense about specifying. Why would we specify something so obvious! And….]

 

The show host’s mouth opens, revealing the blood-red void inside. My surroundings distort, the show host’s tongue lengthens and eyes grow larger….

 

[Cheaters are automatically disqualified.]

 

“That’s a lie though.”

 

[…!]

 

I smiled broadly.

 

“Actually, I didn’t buy it. Someone else placed the order.”

 

[Haha, if that ‘someone else’ actually has a close relationship with you, and bought the items at your request.]

 

[That would be the same cheating.]

 

“Is that so?”

 

I smiled and took out my smartphone to make a call.

 

To that ‘someone else’ who happened to be in my call history.

 

“Check for yourself.”

 

The Delusional Home Shopping Show Host, who had been staring at me with strangely large black pupils, smiled grotesquely with a grin that seemed to split his face as he took the smartphone.

 

And the moment he leisurely looked at the smartphone as the call connected.

 

[Oh, what’s the matter?]

 

[…!!]

 

He was startled and almost dropped my smartphone before catching it again.

 

[H-Host… Mr. Brown?]

 

[That’s right. And you are?]

 

[I’m Red Friday. Haha, it’s been a while since we talked. Mr. Brown…!]

 

The Delusional Home Shopping Show Host seemed flustered, but appeared to be composing himself to speak confidently.

 

[Right now is the Late Night Talk Show broadcast time…]

 

[Oh, the live broadcast just ended.]

 

[Ah, I see. I didn’t know. I don’t really watch other variety shows.]

 

The Show Host smiled, then spoke calmly with a somewhat cunning expression.

 

[Come to think of it, you called earlier too. I suppose our home shopping variety show that airs at the same time has been bothering you quite a bit. Especially since there’s an employee who transferred over!]

 

[Of course. I’m always concerned about my friend… Thank you so much for worrying about my mood like this.]

 

The Host added gently.

 

[Your home shopping must have many urgent matters to attend to as well. For instance… there must be quite a lot to pay for.]

 

[Excuse me?]

 

The Show Host seemed to catch on and burst into laughter.

 

[Hahaha… Ah, you must mean the products that the ‘Friend of Talk Show’ gave away as gifts on his own? He says Mr. Brown purchased everything, but I guess that was a lie?]

 

I feel a hand gripping my head.

 

[Don’t worry. The payment… this ‘Friend of Talk Show’ will take care of it.]

 

[Oh.]

 

The Host sighed.

 

[Oh my, there seems to have been a misunderstanding. That’s not what I meant. I was talking about…]

 

…

 

[Broadcast fees.]

 

[…Excuse me?]

 

[Your home shopping was broadcast on Brown’s Late Night Talk Show, wasn’t it? My goodness, do you know how far my talk show reaches?]

 

[…!!]

 

[It was even a special episode today. Oh, ‘Tuesday’s Joy, Tuesday’s Heat, Reminiscing about Tuesday Quiz Show’!]

 

The cultured and cheerful voice recited softly.

 

[Far away, to the back, to the deep places, through all kinds of media and various means, today’s talk show was broadcast…]

 

[…]

 

The Show Host looked back at me.

 

I smiled broadly.

 

-Even though broadcast fees are expensive in that location, this kind of thing works out well! Is it because it’s an isolated place?

 

You definitely said that, didn’t you?

 

I didn’t forget.

 

[W-wait a moment…]

 

[That small studio in a remote location must have had trouble affording the already high broadcast fees, yet you courageously answered that you would ‘broadcast’… Oh, I was deeply moved. Indeed I was.]

 

[Host,]

 

[But…]

 

[Can you pay immediately?]

 

[Th-that is.]

 

[It seems difficult. It would be an astronomical cost, oh dear…]

 

[Please wait a moment…! Of course I can arrange it. Of course it’s possible! Then in the meantime…]

 

[Oh my, you don’t seem to know that persuasion is meaningless. Broadcast fees are automatically executed. Now…]

 

All the lights in the studio went out.

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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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