Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 374

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Even If You Fall Into Ghost Stories, You Still Have to Go to Work 374
Daydream Corporation.
Abandoned by this godforsaken company not once, but twice.
‘Save me.’
And it’s not even the headquarters where I originally was.
Namhae Branch…?
What even is that?
There’s no article about it on the Wiki!
I clearly succeeded in recalling things I didn’t remember from the Wiki after I got home.
Even though I’ve kept my distance from the Dark Investigation Records, that much was certain.
Wiki entries like those about Segwang Special City or the Disaster Management Bureau—things I couldn’t recall at some point.
‘Maybe at that time I gradually forgot them as I assimilated into and got buried in the ghost story worldview…that was my speculation too.’
…Or it could have been due to the situation I found myself in, related to the Good Friend.
Either way, it left an odd sense of unease, but in any case, it meant I now remember the Wikis I’ve read without any incongruity.
But Namhae Branch?
‘What’s that, I don’t know….’
Of course, I knew Daydream Corporation had branch offices.
…That kind of “oh, so that’s how it’s set up” feeling.
Daydream Corporation consists of the headquarters in Seoul and branches scattered throughout the provinces, plus a few special overseas divisions…
Isn’t it strange that such a large pharmaceutical company would have only a headquarters and no branches?
And it’s even stranger that ghost stories only happen near Seoul.
So this was more like a setting for natural plausibility.
But here’s the thing.
‘…I didn’t spell out the details of each branch specifically.’
If I’d gotten that granular, it would’ve stopped being a ghost story wiki and turned into a corporate exposé….
This was always a wiki written for ghost stories, and what mattered for Daydream was collecting dream essence.
Still, it was odd to actually see a branch office like this….
Daydream Corporation
Namhae Branch
Cleanup Team
Cleanup Team?
The same Cleanup Team I know about?
—It’s just meat shield. Spare lives you give to employees with work sense, so don’t worry about it.
Why does the team name for slaves and suicide squads show up here….
There’s a distinctly eerie feeling when work goes sideways, isn’t there?
And besides.
‘…Isn’t the environment so different from the headquarters?’
For reference, I was still lying prostrate in front of an old ancestral ritual table.
This is just a thought I had for about six seconds after seeing the nameplate “Daydream Corporation – Namhae Branch.”
With water dripping all over my head and no strength left in my body.
This is driving me insane.
“Hrgh,”
What state is my body even in?
I managed to haul myself up, nearly groaning (it probably came out as something closer to a plaintive whimper), and finally got a good look at the ritual table—
The pig head, rice cakes, and fruit on the ancestral table came clearly into view.
…They catch my eye strangely.
“…….”
‘Am I… extremely hungry right now?’
For a moment it occurred to me that my lack of strength might be because I was starving….
‘An ancestral table… In a ghost story company from the ghost story worldview, touching it would be suicide.’
It was a practical judgment, not just a sense of dread.
On trembling legs I barely managed to stumble forward, leaving behind the withered offerings on the ritual table, and stepped out the door.
‘I’m going to die, seriously….’
Beyond the door stretched a worn corridor.
Completely sealed off, and oddly resembling an underground tunnel.
‘Like a closed-off 1980s mine….’
—Religious activity time is ending shortly. Workers, please check this week’s assigned work quota.
—When you’re in a hurry, use Dream Money and Dream Life!
And what’s with this announcement?
‘Workers? Quotas?’
It had a similar ring to what I heard back in the Security Team, but it felt oddly like an advertisement—and lacked sincerity. How do I put it….
‘It’s like a loan-shark outfit.’
Illegal moneylenders, that is.
‘Ugh….’
And from the far end of the long corridor, I witnessed a procession of people moving heavily. Perhaps one of them was the one who poured water over my head.
‘That way…maybe?’
I reflexively followed them while keeping a bit of distance. Fortunately, the few who glanced back at me seemed uninterested, resuming their conversation among themselves.
The people’s outfits were identical.
‘Short-sleeved shirts and elastic-waist pants….’
The ochre color looked like convict garb or some group’s dormitory loungewear.
And there was something distinctly eye-catching.
‘…Stickers?’
They all had red stickers stuck somewhere on their bodies.
‘What’s written on them?’
Squinting, I barely managed to read it.
“…….”
Surely they don’t classify employees like that here?
I looked down at my own body. I felt around the ochre-colored clothes, and finally felt the texture of a sticker stuck to my neck.
I have one too.
‘…Can I peel it off?’
Just as I was about to grab an edge and check….
[Hey, you there, worker!]
“…!”
[Worker Z999, what you were just about to do constitutes a violation of work rules. Stop.]
…It’s a human voice.
Coming from the speaker in the corner of the corridor where the announcement had been playing.
I carefully withdrew my hand from the sticker and forced my mouth open.
“I wasn’t… peeling it. I was just touching it.”
[Understood. Any further detection will result in penalty points. Move to the designated break room.]
The obviously annoyed, bureaucratic voice cut off just like that.
‘They’re watching?’
But the voice just now was far too ordinary—there was no trace of contamination in it.
It didn’t feel like the Security Team at all.
‘…Hmm.’
At least I heard the destination.
‘They told me to go to the designated break room.’
I resumed walking, and as I continued following the people, the interior space soon began to change slightly.
It was a passage that evoked the sight of an old corridor-style apartment building.
—The rest zone is now closing. Fighting on this week too! Get rich!
Thud.
The moment I entered that corridor section, a fire door slammed hard behind me.
The electronic door lock sounded as it engaged.
‘Locked in…?’
“Damn it….”
“Hate this work so much.”
But the people seemed accustomed to it—they scanned their stickers in front of various doors along the corridor, then filed into rooms one by one.
I looked at the doors they’d already entered.
Iron doors with small barred windows like those in a prison, with nameplates attached.
Y 210 ~ 215
I think I saw similar numbers on the red stickers on those people’s bodies earlier.
‘And the number they called me by just now was….’
—Worker Z999.
…Okay.
Still in sorry condition, I dragged my feet and moved forward.
After walking through the corridor for a long stretch, I found the nameplate at the very end room.
Z 990 ~ 999
With a soft beep, the door opened.
And I was left gasping at the horrifying interior.
‘Wow.’
A small space, barely the size of a single room.
Bare concrete floor, spider webs and mold, and on one side, an exposed earthen wall. The foul-smelling pit must be serving as a toilet.
And scattered throughout the room were a few cheap thin mattresses with their stuffing burst open.
…That’s it.
No refrigerator, not even a chair.
‘What is this?’
Even a cell from the 1960s wouldn’t be this bad.
And if the nameplate’s 990-999 means this room houses workers with those numbers….
‘This place holds 10 people?’
It’s not some old POW camp.
How is this a break room?
It’s an abandoned prison….
With a grim look, I scanned the ramshackle interior again. And the moment my eyes landed on a mattress in a dark corner….
I caught a different silhouette.
‘What?’
Someone was lying on the mattress.
A corpse.
“…!!”
I nearly bolted from the room, but lacked the energy—my lurch was all I managed.
‘Crazy.’
What is this now?
I wanted to scream and cry, but to get a handle on the situation, there was no choice. I inspected the corpse while screaming internally….
‘Ha.’
The person lying with eyes wide open, staring at empty air, appeared to be a man around my age, dressed in the same ochre outfit as the other workers.
From his shirt pocket, what looked like a chocolate wrapper was sticking out. Up to that point, I might have considered it relatively ordinary,
‘But the… condition….’
Black ash water was flowing from every facial orifice, dried in place, and his left hand was clawing at his chest around the heart.
He appeared to have died of a heart attack.
“Please… no….”
This is not normal. Anyone could see it’s a ghost story death.
I read as far as the sticker on his exposed wrist—”Classification: Worker, Z993″—and let out a groan.
Apparently he was one of the nine roommates in this body of mine….
“Ah….”
This is really driving me insane.
And what’s driving me crazier is that my body’s starting to give out.
‘…I’m dizzy.’
Now I was certain.
I was about to lose it from hunger.
…And my eyes began darting to the corpse.
“……Ha.”
I really wanted to scream, but there was no other option.
I reached into the corpse’s pocket and pulled out what was there.
‘Urgh.’
Foil-wrapped chocolate, candy, and… a notebook.
I couldn’t hold back any longer and unwrapped the chocolate, shoving it straight into my mouth.
“Whew.”
Insane.
Sugar rushes through my stomach and up to my head.
Everything becomes horrifyingly clear and clean. Suddenly alive again, my body bites down hard on the chocolate and moves quickly.
‘Information.’
I opened the notebook the corpse had been carrying.
5/5 (probably)
Saw a poster about Daydream handing out money and contacted them? I think? Not really sure, anyway when I woke up I was here
Started working right away since they said I could make 50 million won in just one month
They said no outside contact due to security issues, but instead if I last 100 days total I get 500 million. Are they serious? Who could resist that lol
Seems like they divide workers roughly by X, Y, Z… I got assigned to X. Judging by the room, seems better in alphabetical order lol
Z room is not a place for people lol big corporation so motivation strategy is next level
‘This place I’m in right now….’
After that, the entries consisted of grumbling about the facilities and general living conditions of the Namhae Branch of Daydream Corporation.
Complaints about it being like a whaling ship, about being cut off from the outside world.
‘Hmm.’
I turned to the next page.
5/7
A few days into exploration
Seems like aside from me everyone here is debtors or gambling addicts or drug dealers or something, their eyes are weird. Can’t explain it
Feels like they’re rounding up life’s losers and putting them in danger, but anyway let’s make money quick and get out
So far they just have me light wooden dolls with a lighter every day, not a big deal, they burned pretty well though I don’t understand why they’re paying so much for this kind of work
Some paranormal investigation lol? Did they build up grudges from ghosts while making medicine? Anyway I don’t believe in ghosts so it’s fine
“…….”
I could see the future coming….
Sure enough, at some point the handwriting in the diary became more hurried, and strange phrases began appearing.
5/10
The wooden doll won’t burn right
Poured oil and forced it to burn but then had a weird dream tonight
Some faceless ghost laughing creepily grabbed my ankle and held me upside down and put me in the water by the shore then pulled me out… not sure what was happening but I got sleep paralysis and it felt like crap
Asked if I could quit but they said if I don’t complete 30 days they calculate me at minimum so I’m staying
Probably just stress. Got a beer at the shop today, was so damn expensive
5/12
Can’t sleep
5/14
Couldn’t sleep today either
5/16
Finally can’t take it anymore so said I’m quitting but the person in charge kept dodging, saying “later, later” and won’t let me stop working
Keep changing the terms. Say I gotta make 30 days and nothing before that, can’t quit. What is this?
5/16??
Please don’t make me do the wooden doll thing, please anything else
“…….”
5/35472
Making me burn the doll again
Can’t do it can’t do it they changed my number, now I’m Z in the last room. Still can’t do the doll work, not going out
“…….”
And the final page.
I’m sorry please save me I’m sorry please save me I’m sorry please save me I’m sorry please save me I’m sorry please save me I’m sorry please save me I’m sorry please save me I’m sorry please save me I’m sorry please save me
Thud.
I closed the notebook.
Cold sweat pooled between my fingers.
“…Ha.”
This is clearly the record of a civilian who fell into a ghost story with no knowledge, was repeatedly sent in, and died.
‘The Namhae Branch does… this kind of work?’
They lure in people with high pay who “won’t cause problems if they disappear,” then throw them mindlessly into ghost stories.
And they won’t even let them quit?
‘Was there ever a setting like this…?’
I tried to recall if there was ever mention of the branch like this, and there wasn’t particularly, but I did feel a strange déjà vu.
What kind of déjà vu?
‘Come to think of it, the early Dark Investigation Records’ Daydream did have this vibe.’
Specifically, from when J3 Security Captain was the Team B Leader.
It has the taste of those days when people were thrown brutally into ghost stories with no equipment or supplies, just their bare bodies.
Back then, that was just the baseline…….
…….
‘Wait a minute.’
“The timeline… doesn’t match.”
Right, that’s odd.
Just because something’s described as early in the Dark Investigation Records Wiki doesn’t mean it’s literally from the past chronologically.
The Disaster Management Bureau has some of that flavor due to agent turnover, but Daydream is different.
‘The early Daydream Ghost Stories had plenty of ghost stories set in the 2020s anyway.’
That couldn’t have been the story from back when I met the Wolf Team Leader of Team B.
So then, those nameless numbered Daydream employees who died willy-nilly like consumables with no contingency….
‘They were branch workers.’
The branches kept the early Daydream flavor intact, while the headquarters evolved…!
‘While the headquarters hired regular employees, made manuals, and managed dream essence supply, here they were running a factory operation, churning through people cheap….’
The perfect plausibility left me speechless.
I felt like I was losing my mind.
What kind of capitalism-meets-ghost-story logic was this….
—Personnel check complete.
“…!!”
The speaker announcement changed.
—Lights out.
—When you’re in a hurry, use Dream Money and Dream Life!
And the corridor lights went out.
“…….”
Personnel check complete?
This room is currently at “1 corpse, 1 human”?
‘Then where are the other eight people….’
Are they all already dead?
Am I the only survivor in this room?
‘Daydream, you crazy bastards.’
What’s with this insane survival rate?
So that’s why it’s the Cleanup Team?
‘I never thought I’d live to long for my days as a regular employee at the headquarters.’
The fatal disadvantage of not being able to relax because of roommates seemed like heaven compared to this.
At least there, my roommate was alive.
And my place to sleep was a state-of-the-art officetel in a station area…!
“Ha….”
I stood up unsteadily.
Then I reflected my image in the glass between the window bars, using the darkened exterior corridor as a mirror.
The hollow-eyed face looks like me… I think, but it’s too dark to be sure.
‘Wait….’
Why did I wake up at a Nameless Radiance Cult ID in a dream but come to at a Daydream branch?
‘Though I suppose waking up at Nameless Radiance would be worse than death….’
Curses rose to my throat, but the blood sugar spike from the chocolate was wearing off, so I just sighed.
This time, I reflected the sticker on my neck.
‘Can’t leave before a month’s service…that’s what it says.’
And based on the notebook’s “500 million after 100 days of work,” if I calculate backwards from the remaining deadline….
14 days left.
“Exactly two weeks.”
I need to endure that to make it 30 days, then I can escape this crazy place.
Then I get freedom of movement and a lump sum to boot.
I took a deep breath.
‘…Now I know how to get home.’
And there’s a calm that comes from the very fact that there’s a place to return to.
I also knew why I’d ended up here and what state I was in.
That’s right.
‘…I know myself well.’
Even now, as various hardships I’d endured in this ghost story worldview flashed through my mind, sighs and anxiety came naturally.
But at the end of all those experiences, I also know what help I received, what things I accomplished….
“…….”
Several faces come to mind.
That’s why I could say this now with such certainty.
‘If anything, I’m in a better position than before.’
Because in 14 days I can do whatever I want without restraint.
And….
‘…I can look for other people too.’
The acquaintances I knew from before in this place.
‘How are they all doing?’
The thought of being pulled back into a ghost story right after barely making it home didn’t match the quiet anticipation that was rising up, but then my eyes met the corpse and it vanished.
Please.
‘Just endure and escape…!’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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