Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 34

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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 034

Mountain Lord.

One of the most eerie and unsettling .

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Jangsan Tiger

Mountain Lord

One of the that gained word-of-mouth popularity in the first half of 20XX due to numerous reviews claiming that just reading it made people feel sick or nauseous.

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It was literally true.

Even I, who usually read text-based ghost stories just fine, had to stop several times while reading this one because it left such a strangely unpleasant aftertaste.

The fact that similar ghost stories were trending and felt somehow familiar also played a part.

Everyone has probably heard of it at least once.

‘The ghost story about someone eaten by a tiger who becomes a ghost and comes to find close friends…’

Also known as Chang-gwi.

This is the chilling story that this ghost can only go to the afterlife by finding another victim to take over their role.

‘Certainly, even thinking about it feels unsettling.’

But thinking about it rationally, there is a way to survive.

‘If it’s C-grade, it’s still a level with standard escape records.’

Even if it’s not easy, it doesn’t mean there’s no way to escape from this darkness.

The problem is… the method is quite bizarre and forces unfair choices, causing mental anguish and pressure that makes it hard to breathe.

It was the type of ghost story that readers enjoyed by immersing themselves and shuddering.

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Investigation Record #3

Career advancement

Strangely vivid

After downloading, occasionally had dreams of wandering near the mountain in the landscape painting, and strangely felt peaceful and had improved concentration each time.

Promotion

Someone’s voice calling him

Saying it’s a scholar’s duty to repay help received, sadly crying while walking heavily on mountain paths, with sounds of animals crying.

The man felt strangely chilled and turned to run away.

Then, repeatedly saying ‘You’re caught, you’re caught’ while cackling and following behind.

Dream of running away

As the man moved away from the mountain in the landscape painting, voices calling his name in various tones grew closer.

In front of house entrance

Voice

However, that day in the dream, the voice did not chase him.

Instead, he saw someone with a gaunt complexion giggling and slithering like a snake through the gap of his open front door.

The man finally realized.

The voice wasn’t following him, but was trying to find out his house and get inside.

Unidentified corpse

Later committed suicide while hospitalized for PTSD.

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…It’s like this.

The worst part was imagining the mental suffering of people caught up in this ghost story.

And there’s something even more unsettling.

‘…I’ve come too far.’

Already in a situation where I’ve been lured and dragged here by Chang-gwi.

Evidence of responding to the calling voice several times.

A talisman that’s almost fallen off.

This was the kind of description that would only appear in the desperate situation just before everyone dies at the end of a long investigation record.

It means I’m pushed to the very end.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

I ran my hand through my hair.

Friend

This isn’t just troublesome. I feel like I’m going to bathe in cold sweat.

-Oh my. Is this perhaps because of the uninvited guest who came earlier? Uninvited guests are always unpleasant. Especially in unwanted places.

-So I’d like to give you some advice. Would that be alright?

Huh?

I looked down at my pocket.

-I’ll turn off Noru’s lighting for you!

-Then you can quietly slip out of this place without drawing anyone’s attention.

“…!”

I recalled the amazing ability this stuffed doll had shown at the theme park.

That mysterious power that made my presence completely disappear, allowing me to move without being detected by the Blue Mascot.

-Just quietly go out that door and return home. There’s nothing better for avoiding tiresome situations…

“…”

I have a high probability of being able to deduce the correct escape route based on the .

So, if I just don’t get caught by Chang-gwi, I might really be able to easily escape from this ghost story!

‘But…’

Isn’t that for one person only?

‘I wonder if it could work for other people besides me too.’

Friend

Brown’s voice twisted briefly as if receiving an unpleasant proposal, but still answered in a cheerful tone befitting a radio host.

-Well. I might be able to do it, but I wouldn’t take such a risk!

-Noru, everything has a set total amount, and the more you divide it, the less I get to keep, don’t you think?

It seems like if he helps other people too, either the duration of his ability decreases or its power diminishes.

‘So to be safe, it’s meant for one person only.’

Still, leaving the kids behind goes against the conscience of a modern person who received public education…

And besides.

‘Brown. If I can’t bring Lee Byeong-jin over there with me… we’ll have a big problem with our budget.’

-…Excuse me?

‘Then I can’t buy the Blood Bathtub…’

Capitalism is holding me back.

-Ah… How could this be!

-But, but if two of them turn off the lights, sensitive audience members will easily notice! Then the quality of the cut will be ruined!

Right.

‘So I’ll look for another way.’

Of course, if it gets urgent, I’ll quickly send an SOS to Brown and at least one of us should escape.

‘Let’s try as much as I can.’

-How unfortunate! I understand.

I searched through my pockets for now.

Fortunately, the few items I always carry on my way to work were still there, having been transferred when I changed into the security uniform.

Smile Sticker, Alice Buff Debuff Food, and even the Snow White Apple.

I just lost the fork from the Vampire Utensils though…

‘They were originally a pair.’

Right, the knife is still left.

I took out the remaining Vampire Utensils from my opposite thigh pocket.

And I was surprised.

‘…It got bigger!’

The knife that revealed itself was no longer the size of dessert cutlery.

Delicate craftsmanship adorned the handle, and a very small red gemstone-like object was elegantly placed on top as decoration.

At first glance, it had grown.

‘Could it be that the blood the fork consumed was shared with this side.’

Since they’re a pair.

“…!! Is, is that the Security Team’s suppression weapon?”

I didn’t answer. Let’s let Manager Lee Byeong-jin misunderstand.

I carefully wiped the knife, now about the size of a cutter blade, on the fabric and put it in the front jacket pocket within easy reach.

Please let there be no need to use it.

“Then I’ll search this house.”

“Ah… Yes!”

When I started walking, the manager hurriedly stepped aside from my path.

I stared intently at Manager Lee Byeong-jin who had stopped.

“…?”

“I’d like you to accompany me.”

“Yes!? No, I mean. I’ve already seen everything…”

“Since you’ve already seen it, I mean please guide me.”

“Uh, um… Yes.”

Manager Lee Byeong-jin looked reluctant but started walking while watching my expression.

Good. I avoided the situation of wandering alone, getting scared, and fainting in terror.

“This is, um… probably what used to be the kitchen. There was no food though.”

Throughout the old house covered in rust, dust, and mold, only talismans filled every corner.

The kind of old, abandoned house you see far away on the mountainside when driving on provincial highways, where no one lives anymore.

“Haven’t you felt any discomfort staying here for a whole week?”

“Well… I didn’t get thirsty or hungry…”

The manager’s face turned pale.

“Every night when the ghost comes to visit, only then do I strangely feel my energy drain…”

“Have you ever tried going out during the day?”

“…I have, but no matter how much I walked, only forest appeared… I was scared the sun might set while I was outside, so I kept coming back here.”

It was testimony that matched other exploration records.

Then…

“Where, where are you going?”

I headed toward the end of the corridor that had no doors.

And I stood at the dead end.

“There seems to be an upper floor.”

“What?? No, there are no stairs going up! I’ve searched everywhere for a week but there’s no trace of stairs…”

I summoned Remote Hand.

And I made that hand grip the remaining Vampire Utensils, the knife, and threw it toward the air.

More precisely, toward the ceiling.

“Gasp!”

There was a sound of something snapping from the knife stuck in a tiny gap in the ceiling.

And with a loud noise, the ceiling opened and an old ladder came crashing down.

‘Attic discovered.’

“My, my goodness! As expected of the Security Team… Your, your way of seeing space is different from ordinary people!”

“…”

No.

I just read the exploration records…

Abandoned houses always have attics.

‘What someone who knows there’s something there sees versus what someone who doesn’t know at all sees – their eyes are bound to be different…’

Anyway, from the circumstances, that definitely seemed to lead to the attic.

‘Wow.’

It really looked like a place I didn’t want to go.

‘It feels like entering a room that opened by itself in the Ghost House.’

But since I’d already pretended to be Security Team, I’d essentially volunteered as the tank. In the end, I pretended to be calm and climbed up the ladder.

Creeeeeeak.

‘Please follow me!’

Not surprisingly, he didn’t follow.

‘The Security Team impersonation will remember this…’

I tried not to let my legs shake and barely managed to climb up to the attic, quickly finished searching, and hurriedly came back down.

As if I had finished exploring quickly because I was competent.

‘Phew.’

That must have looked natural.

“How, how was it?”

“Just an old attic. Nothing particularly special, but…”

I held up my only find.

“It was placed on top of an old small table.”

It was an old book, bound in an ancient style.

“Path, Path of Life! Could it be that it contains a way to escape!”

You read Classical Chinese well.

I carefully opened the old book that looked like it would crumble.

The inside was also entirely in Classical Chinese.

‘Classical Chinese… at best I only got level 2 in high school…’

-Oh ho. Interesting content indeed.

“…!”

Could it understand Classical Chinese too?

-Oh my, Noru. A capable host like myself can naturally communicate with all audiences in the universe… well, almost all.

I think I just heard something incredibly unrealistic, but what’s important is this.

‘…Could you read it for me?’

-Of course!

Good.

From Brown came the sound of a classic radio host with a nice voice clearing his throat, then the voice suddenly became old and deep.

-‘This is your only path of life.’

Thump.

-‘Foolish one who was bewitched by Chang-gwi and set foot in the Mountain Lord’s grave site! Your future is dark and a ghost clings to your back.’

I swallowed.

-‘Do not answer, do not open the door. Simply keep your body clean and endure until the full moon, when the full moon rises go to the sacred shrine and perform the ritual.’

-‘Then you shall live to see the rising sun. However…’

I turned the page.

-‘Chang-gwi, when it finds someone to be devoured by tigers, will chase them desperately. You are already bewitched by the tiger. You can never escape.’

-‘The ghost will continue to cling to your house’s doorway, to your bedside while you sleep.’

-‘So you too must become Chang-gwi. You must bring someone to be caught and killed by the tiger in your place.’

…!

-‘The sacrifice must possess intelligence, have hot blood flowing, and be able to make speech. Only then can you deceive Chang-gwi.’

-‘Offer the sacrifice and follow the trail path to where moonlight shines, and there will be a small snake den.’

-‘This alone is your only path of life, there is no other way.’

“…”

-That’s the end. Oh ho, how interesting.

I closed the ancient book while frozen in place.

‘…So this was it.’

In the exploration records, it was only mentioned in a line or two as ‘designated sacrifice through drawing lots then performed ritual. The selected person refused and was tied to a pillar and dragged away according to testimony.’

But looking at it directly… beyond creepiness, a strange psychological pressure weighs down on a person.

Flutter.

Then, something that had been tucked into the very last page of the ancient book fell out.

“…”

A small paper card.

When I picked it up, I could see scribbled writing on the back.

⧻⧻ Going out tomorrow.

I flipped the card over.

Go Seon-ha

Jugang University History Department

Could this be someone who had read this ancient book before?

Meanwhile, Manager Lee Byeong-jin, who could read Classical Chinese, seemed to be trying to stumble through reading the book’s text on his own.

And he was startled.

“… Th-this! Doesn’t this mean one person has to die?”

“…”

“That’s right! Ha, if just one dies, everyone else can live!”

I didn’t answer.

Manager Lee Byeong-jin started rolling his eyes and rubbing his palms together with an anxious voice.

“Well, but, uh, we’ll all die anyway if we don’t do it, so…”

“So?”

“…Wouldn’t it be fine if someone suitable dies? Someone who couldn’t escape anyway, you know.”

Want to introduce yourself?

But seeing Manager Lee Byeong-jin’s expression as he glanced downward, I realized.

‘That bastard.’

He’s talking about the children.

“Honestly! One of those kids… they would have all died anyway if the security guard hadn’t come, right? We should focus on getting out!”

“…”

“If just one of them dies and the rest of us survive and get out, yes! That’s still a good thing, isn’t it!”

I never thought I’d hear such talk in reality.

I could consider that he’d been trapped here for a week, feeling the fear of death and falling into panic…

‘But I can’t go along with that kind of talk.’

I glanced at the Classical Chinese text.

“Intelligent being.”

“Yes?”

“This ancient book says we must offer one with intelligence, that is, an intelligent being as sacrifice.”

I tilted my head slightly.

“But can we consider a child who hasn’t yet reached adulthood as a complete intelligent being?”

“Uh, uh…”

“I don’t think so.”

I quietly stared at Manager Lee Byeong-jin.

“As a complete intelligent being suitable for sacrifice, wouldn’t it have to be an adult? Then… there seems to be only one.”

“…!”

The manager who received my gaze broke out in cold sweat, his pupils trembling as he opened his mouth.

“Th-uh, uh…”

I opened my mouth.

“Me, that is.”

“…Yes?”

“I’m the only one who qualifies. Excluding the children and the manager who’s fallen into mental confusion after being trapped here for a week.”

“….”

“But I don’t want to die. I’ll look for another way.”

I began examining the Ancient Book again.

After silence flowed.

“I, um… I’m sorry.”

“….”

“Threatening the kids’ lives, how did I become the kind of person who says such things… ha, haha….”

With a completely dazed expression, the manager slumped down in his seat.

“On the first day, it was my deceased Father….”

He died of cancer on his Hospital Bed, and I couldn’t even be there for his final moments because I was working.

“But that Father was crying, saying ‘Byung-jin, our Byung-jin, let me see your face. Please open the door.'”

“….”

“When I held firm by hitting my head, the Ghost hurled all sorts of mockery and curses before leaving. In Father’s voice.”

The manager clutched his head and bowed down.

“Like that, every single day, they come visiting once in the voices of dead family and friends, neighbors…!”

His Maternal Uncle who cherished him dearly, his Paternal Aunt, his Cousin who died in an accident, his University Friend, and even the Neighbor Child who was kidnapped and went missing….

“Now they drag out every single person I knew who died. I can’t endure it with my sanity intact anymore…. If hell exists, this must be it.”

“….”

Hmm.

Come to think of it, the Middle School Students didn’t even know there was a Ghost knocking on the door from outside.

Even though they’d been here for two days.

‘Was he practically standing guard at the door the whole time?’

Whether it was intentional, coincidental, or because he was possessed by the Ghost, either way, it felt strange that his actions had ended up protecting the kids’ mental state.

I stared at the manager for a moment, then nodded.

“If this is hell, then all the more reason we need to escape.”

“….”

“Let me study the contents of this book more thoroughly….”

Knock knock knock.

“…!”

Both the manager’s and my face turned toward the door simultaneously.

“Just now….”

Knock knock knock.

“….”

“….”

Excuse me.

The voice came again.

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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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