Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 349

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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 349

 

I caught my breath.

 

Meeting Director Ho itself wasn’t methodologically difficult.

 

I belonged to Director Ho’s project team, and since I frequently worked alone, the director had given me free access to his domain.

 

Unlike the agents who had spirited away Director Ho’s sleeping project team members, I still had that ‘authority’ alive.

 

In material form, that is.

 

Fox Counseling Room

 

“…”

 

I took out the nameplate with its warm-colored lettering from within my tattoo.

 

“…Are you going?”

 

“Yes.”

 

The two agents decided not to accompany me and stay behind to avoid provoking Ho Yu-won.

 

…Though the persuasion process was a bit pressuring.

 

[What a truly persistent fellow. Phew!]

 

As I walked the treacherous path out of Agent Choi’s hideout, recalling Brown pouring out criticism disguised as jokes, I felt a faint smile cross my lips.

 

The tension eases slightly.

 

Still, thinking about what’s to come ahead, my hands remain stiff.

 

“…”

 

A rural street in Gangwon Province.

 

I hung the nameplate on the front door of one of the sparsely visible empty houses and pulled the old door open.

 

Creak.

 

Sunlight pours in.

 

A peaceful, soft, well-prepared interior revealed itself.

 

Fox Counseling Room.

 

The warm space of a counseling waiting room neatly prepared to receive clients.

 

When I first set foot in this place, I viewed even this comfortable atmosphere as an element constituting the ghost story’s gimmick and looked at it suspiciously.

 

Even afterward, whenever I entered this place, the cozy atmosphere made me feel wary first.

 

But now it’s different.

 

That’s…

 

Perhaps it’s because I experienced how sincerely this being dedicates itself to counseling, to clients.

 

Even with just the single day of May 4th repeating eternally.

 

“…There’s no sign of anyone. Should we go in?”

 

“Yes.”

 

I carefully stepped inside.

 

“Ho Yu-won.”

 

There was no response.

 

But I continued going inside.

 

Passing the table prepared with tea and refreshments, I headed toward the inner door.

 

Long-term Hospitalization Room

 

A door with an explanatory note saying ‘Rest space for hospitalization.’

 

It was exactly the place where we had entered the Seegwang Special City subway.

 

I carefully grasped that door handle.

 

At that moment.

 

“Noru…?”

 

…!

 

“Badger Supervisor.”

 

When I turned around, a large-built man with a warm impression was standing there.

 

It was Park Min-seong, whom I hadn’t seen in a very long time.

 

His welcome face looked at me with trembling eyes, then quickly approached.

 

“You’re awake, you’re safe! What a relief…!”

 

Had he recovered somewhat from the contamination? I felt relieved seeing Min-seong with his limbs intact and able to converse normally.

 

…In this moment, the 293-day gap didn’t seem entirely bad.

 

“Here… ah, it’s Sanyang. Did you come together?”

 

“Yes… Hello, Team Leader.”

 

Go Young-eun greeted him gently.

 

However, I caught a glimpse of some subtle expression crossing her face.

 

…Why?

 

Though I felt an ominous feeling somewhere, Go Young-eun, who soon composed herself, only wore a polite smile.

 

Instead, the welcome expression soon faded from Park Min-seong’s face, replaced by tension.

 

“Here… no, both of you should leave first. While Director Ho is away…”

 

“It’s fine. I have something to say to him.”

 

“Th-that’s not a good idea either… If you just woke up, you might not have heard the news… Director Ho seems to be getting stranger.”

 

Min-seong lowered his voice.

 

“Nearly half the people who went in for counseling have gone missing. Recently… someone high up from the company’s HR Department came, but they were transferred to a security zone and never came out again.”

 

“…”

 

“Real conversation is becoming increasingly impossible, and now… he hardly feels human anymore.”

 

“Still, I need to talk to him.”

 

Park Min-seong’s face seemed to harden, then soon became strangely gentle, as if melting.

 

“Why are you being so stubborn… Listen to the Teacher…, no, no…!”

 

…!

 

…Park Min-seong, who had been breathing heavily while covering his face, suddenly raised his head and spoke.

 

In a somewhat dazed tone.

 

“Um, I’ll go in and take a look.”

 

“…What?”

 

“Into the Seegwang City subway.”

 

…?!

 

“The project, yes, I’m also doing exploration. In the subway station… I’m off duty now? I was just staying here briefly, but it seems someone woke up inside. Right? Ah, they’re coming out.”

 

The door to the long-term hospitalization room opened.

 

“…!”

 

What came out was… a gaunt man with faded, disheveled hair.

 

A man still wearing an old security guard jacket.

 

J3.

 

“…Jay.”

 

“I’m going.”

 

And Park Min-seong fled into the long-term hospitalization room through the door the Security Chief had emerged from, then shut the door.

 

Thud.

 

…

 

The Security Chief, who had been staring blankly at that scene, turned his head toward me and opened his mouth.

 

“Um, want some tea…?”

 

“…What?”

 

And as he tried to awkwardly take out the refreshments placed on the desk, I hastily stopped him.

 

“It’s fine. I think it would be good if you had some, Jay. It looks like you just finished work.”

 

“Yeah…”

 

Then he glanced at me and quietly pushed several refreshments toward me.

 

‘It was an expression of joy…’

 

Still, it was surprisingly natural how he accepted that I had awakened.

 

But perhaps because of that, my mouth opened unexpectedly.

 

“Just now, what Badger Supervisor did…”

 

“Ah.”

 

I heard the Security Chief’s slow response.

 

“Badger is… um… he wants to keep staying in the subway…?”

 

…!

 

“As I thought…”

 

I heard Go Young-eun muttering.

 

When I turned my head, our eyes met.

 

“Actually, I secretly saw Director Ho’s current project team inside the subway. But at that time… I saw everyone trying to leave while he alone tried to stay behind.”

 

“…”

 

Suddenly, I recalled the time when I explored Hanbit Library with Team Leader Park Min-seong.

 

-Should I just stay here?

 

…That anxious voice.

 

Now I think I understand why contaminated people in that subway are relatively sane.

 

People who were uncontaminated and sane on ‘that day of May 4th’ might have regained their mental state from that time due to being affected by the distortion happening on the surface.

 

That might have been further strengthened by being influenced by the ‘world without ghost stories.’

 

The important thing is that Team Leader Park Min-seong became obsessed with that effect.

 

“Yeah… In the subway… you’re not swayed by contamination… it’s quiet so it must be nice…”

 

“Still… leaving him like that.”

 

“Well, in the end it’s something he has to handle himself…?”

 

“…”

 

“He has to control and accept it himself…”

 

From that coldly calm contemplation, I think I can faintly see glimpses of his old self…

 

Although this person was contaminated long before that ‘May 4th’ and remained the same even in the subway, the appearance of the Wolf Team Leader I saw at Hanbit Library briefly shows through.

 

“…You’ve been continuing to work on the project.”

 

“Yeah…”

 

“Is your work and condition alright?”

 

The Security Chief adjusts his cap.

 

“Well… For me… there’s nothing… that could get worse…”

 

“…”

 

Somehow, it’s a bit bitter.

 

Still, the fact that he wasn’t under Director Cheong was relieving enough to make me sigh with relief.

 

I hid my bitterness and asked the main question.

 

“I heard that this current project team is meeting researchers in the subway and protecting their… um, safety. Could I know who that is?”

 

“That’s me…”

 

…?!

 

“You mean Jay is protecting them?”

 

“Rather than protection… discovery and capture…?”

 

“…”

 

“I was monitoring them…”

 

So that’s… how it turned out.

 

‘Actually, that’s fortunate…’

 

Still, if it’s the Security Chief, he wouldn’t deliberately harm or seek revenge against the researchers.

 

Rather, Gwak Je-gang would have likely picked fights… but no, with that personality he would have just ignored them, so it should be fine.

 

Anyway, I feel a bit less tense.

 

“Are those people doing well?”

 

“I guess…? But I’m currently… on shift change… Dolphin… um, that person should be watching them…”

 

So Seong Hae was still deployed there…

 

I immediately wanted to ask about the potion-making machine that Baek Il-mong the researchers were probably fixing.

 

But the Security Chief was staring intently at me.

 

“Is this why you told me to come out…?”

 

“…Excuse me?”

 

“Someone made me come out… It seems they knew… that you had awakened…”

 

Who…?

 

But before I could come up with an answer to that question myself, I heard a sound.

 

Click.

 

“…!”

 

I reflexively turned my head.

 

…Over there inside,

 

the door to the counseling room was automatically open.

 

Next client, please come in.

 

“…”

 

Client Kim Sol-eum, please come in.

 

“Noru,”

 

Go Young-eun broke out in cold sweat and grabbed my back as if trying to stop my impulsive action.

 

I carefully removed her hand.

 

“…I’ll go have a ‘counseling session’ and come back.”

 

“…”

 

“Um, Jay. Sanyang’s safety is…”

 

The Security Chief’s yellow pupils look down at Go Young-eun.

 

“It’s okay… I’m here…”

 

I slowly nodded.

 

And carefully, but without hesitation, I took a step forward.

 

Into the counseling room.

 

…

 

…

 

A warm space.

 

A counseling room professionally designed to create psychological effects.

 

However, beyond the large window where a ‘counselor’ with the same appearance as the actual client used to appear, only pitch-black darkness was visible.

 

There was no longer a simple and beautiful green backyard.

 

Dark night.

 

“…”

 

I moved forward and sat on the sofa in front of the window.

 

I heard someone walking behind me, then they grabbed both my shoulders with their hands and spoke.

 

“Sol-eum.”

 

…

 

“You’ve awakened. Very good. Now, it’s time to tell me what you saw and heard. Before that, raise your hands…”

 

“Hello, Teacher.”

 

The other person stopped.

 

“How have you been? During the long time of nearly 300 days, waiting without any news must have been very difficult for you.”

 

“…”

 

The hands fall from my shoulders.

 

“What could be the intention behind this.”

 

“I also heard that you’ve been protecting the Seogang Special City citizens you recently counseled. When you faced them directly, seeing the clients who had forgotten everything, you probably felt both relief and anger.”

 

“…”

 

“Did the Management Bureau tell you to say such things?”

 

“No.”

 

I spoke slowly.

 

“I haven’t met anyone from the Disaster Management Bureau on my way here. Except for those who were project members.”

 

“Ah, those agents who spirited away the sleeping project people…”

 

“But it was strange.”

 

“What was strange?”

 

“This Fox Counseling Room isn’t actually just a space, but is you yourself, isn’t it?”

 

The presence of the other person stopped.

 

“You’re maintaining this space under a strong obsession that you must maintain your identity as a counselor, aren’t you?”

 

“That’s,”

 

“But taking something out from here would actually be difficult without your tacit permission. Teacher.”

 

“…!”

 

“At that moment, you must have been surprised by your own impulse to overlook the Agent. …But you couldn’t intervene, and let it pass momentarily, didn’t you?”

 

“Well.”

 

“Weren’t you confused about where such an impulse came from? Why you feel such pity for your clients, why when regular counseling deepens those feelings, you want to protect that person by hiding them from the outside… have you ever thought about it?”

 

“Right now.”

 

A low, eerie voice was heard.

 

“Are you trying to counsel me in reverse?”

 

“Perhaps.”

 

I smiled with difficulty.

 

“I am mimicking you. Teacher.”

 

“…What?”

 

“Yes. I’m mimicking the you that I experienced. A counselor who stayed in one region for a very long time, grew attached to the people there, and tried to protect those clients.”

 

“What you’re describing now….”

 

“Do you perhaps remember? When you first counseled me?”

 

I looked at the window.

 

“I came into this counseling room contaminated by Hungry Hangman darkness, carrying an educational manual. You… counseled me in my appearance from outside the window.”

 

And….

 

“When the counseling ended, I saw a small fox running into the garden.”

 

“….”

 

“Is that also your form?”

 

“Darkness has many aspects. But I don’t understand what this conversation means. Are you trying to buy time?”

 

“No. There’s something I want to tell you, Teacher.”

 

-Soleum-nim.

 

Why does Ho Yu-won use such extreme honorifics only with me?

 

That’s because….

 

I opened my mouth, feeling emotions welling up as the puzzle pieces fell into place.

 

“By any chance, Teacher… weren’t you also in the form of a small fox when you regained consciousness outside Segwang Special City?”

 

“….”

 

“And when you came out, didn’t you feel like you came out with someone?”

 

“You,”

 

“You came out pushing someone bigger than you, but when you came to your senses, weren’t you alone?”

 

“….”

 

“That would have been inevitable.”

 

Because….

 

“You each went to your respective time periods.”

 

“….”

 

“You regained consciousness a few years ago on the afternoon of May 4th when the disaster occurred, and I regained consciousness yesterday.”

 

I turned my head.

 

And met eyes with Ho Yu-won, whose expression had disappeared.

 

-I will push you out…. The small fox, by supporting it. So that it can slip out through the back door of the counseling room, as if helping it.

 

Counseling Teacher.

 

The being I met in Segwang Special City, the small fragment it sent along to see me off, was right before my eyes.

 

“Teacher, thank you.”

 

I extended my hand.

 

“Thanks to you… I escaped safely.”

 

The counselor of the Fox Counseling Room looked at my hand with trembling eyes.

 

And slowly shook hands.

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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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