Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 336

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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 336

 

“That was a disaster text just now, right?”

 

“It’s terrorism, terrorism!”

 

May 4th, Segwang Special City’s day of disaster.

 

A time in the past.

 

Near Hanbat Department Store where I had rushed out that morning, that street in Segwang City’s transformation district wasn’t yet in complete chaos.

 

But it was ominous.

 

Right before something tremendous was about to break out, at that starting point, I sensed the smell of fear, a strange feeling.

 

Tension.

 

The atmosphere created by the disaster text saying ‘Biochemical terrorism occurred near City Hall’.

 

“Search for nearby shelters.”

 

“Jun-seong, stop looking at that and let’s go home. Hurry!”

 

“Are we really going to take the subway? What should we do.”

 

“Don’t you think there’s been continuous noise from over there? Someone’s screaming. Over there, that way…”

 

I reflexively turned my head at the last comment.

 

Far across the street, there was a square glass building with only its upper part visible.

 

My experience of living through 613 peaceful May 4ths repeatedly in Segwang Special City told me what it was.

 

Segwang City Hall.

 

-A disaster text suddenly came when first period was starting. It said terrorism happened at City Hall.

 

But the City Hall building was intact.

 

It looked clean and whole as if no terrorism had occurred. The glass surface sparkled in the sunlight.

 

That’s why passersby were glancing toward City Hall. They seemed confused.

 

“Isn’t the disaster text just an error?”

 

“Hey, but it said biochemical terrorism. Let’s not go close for now…”

 

However.

 

Thud.

 

“…Huh?”

 

I felt it.

 

A strange vibration coming from the floor.

 

Thud.

 

At short intervals, a sound like impacts ringing out as if raindrops were pattering down.

 

“What’s that?”

 

People seemed to notice too as the murmuring grew louder.

 

But the sound also grew louder.

 

Thud.

 

The next moment.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Hey, that…”

 

The passersby realized what the sound was.

 

It was the sound of people’s footsteps.

 

The sound of countless people walking.

 

Thud.

 

[Oh, look over there. Friend! We’ll need a close-up.]

 

I turned my head.

 

From the direction of City Hall, a group of people was walking around the crosswalk toward us.

 

They weren’t running away from something or screaming.

 

Still, such a large crowd naturally drew attention, so passersby watched them while murmuring and speculating.

 

“What’s that?”

 

“They must be controlling the street.”

 

Sounds like “Must be because of terrorism,” “Police must have come,” “I saw on SNS that fire trucks are there too” echoed from various parts of the street.

 

I swallowed and watched the approaching crowd.

 

And…

 

“Huh?”

 

A sense of unease settled in.

 

All the people were walking down the street with peaceful expressions, silently without talking to each other.

 

“…That’s strange?”

 

Their clothing was varied too. Restaurant employees, office workers, tracksuits, cafe uniforms… all those people were walking side by side on the sidewalk without any anxiety, impatience, or hesitation.

 

“Hey, hey, that.”

 

“Why are they all acting like that?”

 

But the unease didn’t end there.

 

The sight of people pouring onto the sidewalk continued, revealing new outfits of those following behind…

 

“…”

 

“…Firefighters?”

 

Firefighters.

 

They were walking with peaceful expressions, wearing crimson emergency uniforms.

 

Even police officers were behind that procession.

 

Behind them, paramedics could be seen.

 

All of them wore faint smiles.

 

Behind them, injured people were visible.

 

People who looked like they should be loaded into ambulances were walking mixed among ordinary passersby…

 

The people who had responded to and gathered at the terrorism scene were marching in the exact state of that emergency situation.

 

“…”

 

“Hey, this is strange.”

 

Humans feel fear even from unease.

 

The people in the entertainment district near the department store finally began hesitating and backing away, or quickly pulled out their phones to record videos with their cameras.

 

‘Damn.’

 

I slowly began backing away, stepping backward.

 

My heart was pounding.

 

And the next moment.

 

Beep!

 

Disaster text notification sounds began ringing from all directions.

 

I checked my smartphone with trembling hands.

 

Chills ran down my spine.

 

[Segwang Special City]

 

Alert canceled Not terrorism Not weapons Not explosion Don’t worry

 

Let’s go together

 

And.

 

“Uh, uhhh?”

 

As the text notification sounds subsided… other sounds could be heard.

 

Humming.

 

A small humming melody was softly echoing in the air.

 

‘Where is it coming from?’

 

And the next moment I realized.

 

Everyone’s mouth.

 

Everyone looking at the disaster text was humming.

 

Humming was coming from my mouth too.

 

The melody that seemed familiar from somewhere gradually became a more concrete tune from the muffled faint sound…

 

‘Fuck!’

 

I slapped myself in the face with my smartphone.

 

“…!”

 

The moment my consciousness returned from the dull pain.

 

“Aaaaah!”

 

I immediately turned around and started running.

 

Behind me, screams were followed by strange sounds beginning to emerge.

 

“You, what are you doing?? Uh, uhhh….”

 

“Why are you leaving!”

 

“Oh my god!”

 

The faint shouts that had been heard from far away were now coming from right behind me.

 

The sound of flesh clumping together, crunching sounds, wailing sounds and walking sounds….

 

“Sw, swollen… Hiiiiek!”

 

The back of my head bristled.

 

‘Don’t look back.’

 

I need to get away. I need to get away…!!

 

Survival instinct pushed my back. I ran without even breathing.

 

For a moment, through the department store glass on my left, a child holding their parents’ hands was casting a curious gaze.

 

My breath caught in my throat.

 

Beeeep!

 

[Segwang Special City]

 

Not a disaster alert Walking event participation let’s walk together

 

to Paradise

 

Notification sounds rang out from all directions. I put away my smartphone without reading further.

 

No, why did I even take it out to read while running desperately… wait a minute.

 

…Why do I see the department store entrance again?

 

And I realized.

 

I had been running in the opposite direction.

 

I had somehow turned around again and was running toward City Hall.

 

…The department store glass door is on my right side.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Let’s go forward.”

 

“Yunjin! Yunjin….”

 

I stopped running. I steadied my body that was about to fall and stepped backward.

 

I tried to lower my head to avoid looking forward at all costs, but I caught a glimpse.

 

…The legs of someone who had joined the group walking from City Hall were swelling up.

 

A leisurely and certain humming was coming from my mouth….

 

‘No.’

 

Someone pushed past me and rushed forward.

 

“Gasp.”

 

The humming coming from my mouth suddenly stopped. Fear, confusion, and panic spread everywhere like an infection. I made an instant decision.

 

‘I need to get away.’

 

But if I can’t just run blindly in the opposite direction of that procession….

 

‘I need to get off the street!’

 

I sharply changed direction and rushed back into the department store.

 

“Aaaaah!”

 

“Ah!”

 

“Close the door!”

 

Behind me, I heard the sound of the glass door closing and something splattering against the glass.

 

Without hesitation, I ran frantically across the entire first floor area of the department store and sprinted toward the opposite entrance.

 

“Ah!”

 

“What’s that?”

 

People who didn’t yet understand the severity of the situation glanced around, then soon noticed the commotion in the lobby and screamed.

 

I continued running as disaster alert notification sounds began echoing from the lobby behind me.

 

Soon the outdoor cargo parking lot came into view.

 

“Huff.”

 

I had escaped the department store.

 

Under the blue sky and sunlight, the outdoor parking lot was peaceful, but I could hear screams and explosive sounds echoing from beyond.

 

I looked at my now-quiet smartphone.

 

‘…That, that phenomenon… do sounds become audible when you get within a certain radius?’

 

Damn, damn!

 

Why did I suddenly fall on the morning of the disaster day?

 

My head felt dizzy.

 

‘What should I do?’

 

This Segwang Special City is now doomed, so how do I survive? No, I need to find Lee Ja-heon and the Two People in the Tattoo first….

 

[Oh my, Friend. The more you rush, the more you tend to waste. Don’t waste your precious ideas and thoughts, let’s think efficiently….]

 

[Shall we start by organizing what Noru knows?]

 

…What I know?

 

‘Right!’

 

It felt like sparks were flying in my head.

 

I know about this Segwang Special City.

 

The geography, locations, and transportation of this place that I naturally learned while repeating the peaceful May 4th over 600 times….

 

And even the past few months of exploring Underground Segwang Special City after it became an extinction-level disaster.

 

I know where everything is in this Segwang Special City, and how the various landmarks of this special city mutated after the disaster day.

 

If I reason backwards….

 

‘I know where everything is, what characteristics they have…!’

 

…Then, based on that, I can at least try anything.

 

“Phew.”

 

I stood up.

 

First….

 

‘Find the people.’

 

Find the people who came out of the train with me and fell into the heart of this Segwang Special City.

 

‘Those people are also likely trapped in this past.’

 

…I had to think that way.

 

And this place was already a disaster.

 

If this crazy May 4th was endlessly repeating in Segwang Special City, I had to find a way to escape somehow.

 

Search and escape.

 

“…Let’s go.”

 

I decided.

 

I took a deep breath and moved my feet.

 

After thinking, I didn’t turn off my smartphone. It also served as an alert that the ‘disaster phenomenon’ was approaching.

 

‘First, I need to get away from Segwang City Hall, which seems to be the source of the disaster.’

 

And I definitely know one place where this disaster is temporally suspended.

 

‘…Sekwang Technical High School.’

 

-The teachers hurriedly collected all our phones. They cut all the TV cables.

 

-And they told us to close our eyes, cover our ears, and lie still.

 

That means the students were fine at least until all that was done.

 

‘…They said they played classical music.’

 

And they told them to close their eyes and cover their ears….

 

I was now beginning to vaguely guess what that meant.

 

And.

 

-One of the teachers tried to go out.

 

The Counseling Teacher.

 

I’ll be able to meet Ho Yu-won as well.

 

“….”

 

[You’ve decided on a destination, Friend.]

 

‘Buses won’t work.’

 

Following the roadside would be foolish, and by now the roads must be in complete chaos.

 

And with the subway, who knows when they might block off the entrances….

 

‘Wait a minute.’

 

I was looking around the public outdoor parking lot connected to the department store cargo parking lot when I discovered something.

 

-Bicycle rack

 

In one corner, there were seven or eight bicycles tied up there….

 

* * *

 

And so, a little while later.

 

‘I’m sorry…!’

 

I was riding a bicycle and racing along.

 

I picked the most worn-out and dusty one that the owner seemed to have abandoned, so at least there won’t be a bicycle owner who gets robbed while trying to escape and ends up devastated!

 

‘I need to stick to the alleys.’

 

Avoiding people, I started racing toward the high school through small streets and between shopping complexes rather than main roads.

 

“What? What’s that?”

 

“Hey, get into the cafe!”

 

“What are those people….”

 

The bicycle skillfully squeezed through narrow passages, avoiding the confused people.

 

The bicycle riding skills I honed at the Disaster Management Bureau are shining in a strange place.

 

Actually, come to think of it, I’m going to find someone in a supernatural disaster, so this might be the perfect situation….

 

“Aaaaah!”

 

I quickly turned my head.

 

Right ahead, people came pouring out from the alley convenience store side street and tumbled in front of my bicycle.

 

Damn!

 

I barely managed to jump over them to avoid getting tangled up.

 

There seemed to be five or six people who fell. I shouted while regaining my bicycle’s balance.

 

“Are you alright?”

 

It seemed like they were running in the alley when someone turned a corner and fell, pushing the others and causing them all to tumble together.

 

One of the people who had fallen got up hastily without answering and started running.

 

I shouted after them.

 

“Go in the opposite direction from City Hall! Avoid the main roads!”

 

“Get up!”

 

“Hik!”

 

The other people also started running, pushing or supporting each other as they got up, but one middle-aged man couldn’t get up.

 

“Ugh….”

 

The high school student who had been pinned at the bottom was instead helping the middle-aged man up.

 

‘Damn, damn.’

 

It might really be a meaningless act, but I eventually stopped the bicycle and tried to help support him too. So the moment I turned around.

 

Someone was standing in the side street.

 

“….”

 

The figure of a person holding a phone.

 

From the phone in their hand, disaster alert notifications kept coming non-stop.

 

A citizen of Segwang Special City in everyday attire, wearing a floral patterned dress.

 

But….

 

‘Ah.’

 

It’s swelling up.

 

I can hear humming.

 

The melody is becoming more and more concrete.

 

It was making soft humming sounds and staggering toward us….

 

A disaster alert rings on my phone too.

 

‘Ha.’

 

My scalp prickled. I got off the saddle and pushed the bicycle toward the alley where that thing was.

 

“Go!”

 

Finally, the middle-aged man who got up with the high school student’s support started running frantically.

 

I wanted to scream and run away too.

 

‘It’s already infiltrating the alleys.’

 

At least it was fortunate that there were few of them.

 

‘Get away quickly.’

 

I gritted my teeth and tried to run again. I planned to use my feet for now and switch to a bicycle when I found one.

 

But then I saw it.

 

The high school student who had helped the middle-aged man was heading toward where I had pushed the bicycle.

 

“…!”

 

I immediately grabbed the high school student and kicked the bicycle back with my foot.

 

Blocking the humming that was about to come out of my mouth, I turned around and ran.

 

The high school student was half-dragged along before starting to run on their own.

 

And when I was confident that no more disaster alerts would ring.

 

“Huff.”

 

I only stopped when I found a rack with several shared bicycles. Then I turned my head toward the high school student who was still following me.

 

“Are you alri….”

 

And I hesitated.

 

“….”

 

The clothes this high school student is wearing – it’s a school uniform I recognize.

 

‘Segwang High School…?’

 

I reflexively looked up.

 

And stopped completely.

 

“Huff, yes, thank you….”

 

Ryu Jae-gwan.

 

Bronze Agent was catching his breath in the form of a high school student.

—————
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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