Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 65

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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 065

A black booklet hologram overlays above Park Min-seong’s head.

The hologram clings like tar and drips down as Park Min-seong writhes, clawing at the floor.

Behind his struggling figure, a cheerful voice comes from the TV again.

[Now we’ll announce the New Teachers who failed to actively participate in the Hangman Game.]

Soon, similar scenes repeated everywhere.

The problem was, the problem was…

[New Teacher Park Min-seong, you didn’t guess a single alphabet correctly!]

One accumulated violation from before.

One for going up on the platform.

And…

One for failing to guess any alphabet.

That makes,

[3 Accumulated Penalties]

The TV pronounces judgment.

[New Teacher Park Min-seong has been designated as a remedial learning subject.]

[You will receive eternal instruction at the kindergarten and prepare for its opening until you become a perfect teacher at ■■ Affiliated Kindergarten.]

The black booklet holograms covering the faces of those who failed to guess alphabets.

Among them, only Park Min-seong’s turned blood red.

And it covered his entire body.

“■!!”

His scream becomes corrupted into a strange form.

“Help■, ■ease, ■■■■…!”

The person rolls and writhes on the floor in a horrific state.

Incomprehensible contents from the Educational Manual are recited, with emerging text and sobbing intersecting.

Still, no one around shows any interest.

They glance briefly, then move far away as if to avoid any association, simply waiting for the next step written in the manual.

Which is…

[Thank you for today’s practice session! Please return safely, New Teachers!]

Clear confirmed.

“…”

“Ah, fuck, finally!”

“Move!”

As soon as they realized the game was over, people freed to curse and run rushed out of the Recreation Room.

Soon, even the employees whose 10-minute penalty education had ended vomited tar-like holograms, clutched their foreheads, staggered up, and limped while running.

Some even bumped into me.

“Huh?”

“…”

“What, what is it.”

“…”

“The door only stays open for 30 minutes, if you don’t get out now you’ll be processed as a volunteer too! Geez!”

And they ran past me again.

“…”

I was left alone like that.

Together with the ‘contaminated’ Park Min-seong rolling on the floor.

Friend

“…No.”

-Noru?

The game is over.

That means…

The rules of this ghost story are over too.

‘In the worst case, even if I run alone, 10 minutes is enough to get outside the door.’

So.

“I should at least try to take you with me, Team Leader…”

I can endure it.

I should try as much as I can.

It worked earlier too.

‘I don’t want to give up right away.’

I didn’t want to accept an ending where I managed to save someone who became a hangman by exploiting a thread-thin gap, only for the person I tried to save to end up missing in the ghost story.

I didn’t want to leave a note on the wiki saying something like ‘What a Hungry Hangman-like exploration result.’

‘…I can do it.’

I raised my head.

And immediately put my hand into the tattoo on my wrist.

: :

From the heated tattoo, the items I had stored come out. Candle-making kit, apple juice, Blood-sucking Knife, stickers, dozens of bundles of 500 Won Coins…

Friend

“I’m not going to use any of this.”

-Hmm? Then that action is…

I put all the items I took out into the Document Bag. Thanks to not having the Blood Bathtub, they fit in tightly.

Things that seemed likely to stick out, like the Blood-sucking Knife, I took out separately and put in my back pocket.

‘…Done.’

The completed Document Bag was heavy, but not to the point where I couldn’t run with it.

And what remained.

The empty space inside my wrist.

-It was to clear space?

That’s right.

I slipped my hand into the space connected through the wrist tattoo and pulled it back out.

“This has a volume equivalent to a cube with 60cm sides, right?”

-That’s correct.

“But it’s irregular in shape, right?”

-…! That’s also….

Interest and amusement mixed in Brown’s voice.

-Correct.

Good.

‘It’s all or nothing anyway.’

I’d clearly heard that being contaminated and trapped forever in this ghost story unable to die was more terrifying than just dying.

‘Let’s do this.’

I gritted my teeth and waited.

For Park Min-seong’s third penalty to end.

‘Trying to grab him and do something right now would be foolish.’

If I make contact with someone receiving a penalty, that hologram educational manual will kindly ‘appear’ to me as well.

Then I’d also be retired for 10 minutes, forced to recite the educational manual.

‘That would be the end.’

I suppressed my impatience and waited calmly.

‘Time remaining until the penalty ends… 7 minutes.’

6 minutes.

5 minutes.

4 minutes.

3 minutes.

2 minutes.

1 minute….

0.

“….”

The tar-like sticky red things around Park Min-seong, who had been collapsed on the floor, disappeared.

And he slowly stood up.

With the pristine appearance of a kindergarten teacher.

The body that had been wearing a black business suit now showed soft beige pants, a white t-shirt, and a light green apron.

In one hand, he held a brown file folder with a red title written on it.

And revealed on his bare face where the mask had completely melted away….

A brand mark on his forehead.

Sprout Class

A gentle smile appeared on Park Min-seong’s completely revealed face.

“Teacher Soleum!”

Fuck.

“Did you wait for me while I was reciting the educational manual? Thank you so much.”

“…Of course I had to wait.”

Don’t waver, don’t waver. If I show it outwardly, I’m screwed.

“Are you feeling alright?”

“Of course. I couldn’t feel better!”

Park Min-seong nodded with a gentle smile.

“…That’s a relief. Shall we go now?”

“Go? Ah… going home?”

“Yes. Let’s go together.”

“Ah, I don’t have a quitting time! I’m not a new teacher anymore. I’ve finished reading the educational manual!”

“But leaving work….”

“I told you there isn’t one?”

“….”

“Hmm. Now it’s time for me to go to Sprout Class and help with opening preparations….”

And Park Min-seong exclaimed with a bright expression.

“Ah, that’s right! Teacher Soleum, do you want to come along too?”

Chills ran down my spine.

“You don’t know which class Teacher Soleum will be assigned to yet, right? You haven’t read the educational manual yet. You’ll know once you read it. Your assigned class!”

Park Min-seong extended his hand.

“I wonder where it’ll be? I hope we’re in Sprout Class together. We were originally on the same team,”

Damn.

Damn!

I naturally stepped back as if considering the suggestion.

The teacher’s outstretched hand swept through empty air.

“Uh….”

“I appreciate the offer, but… I think I should throw this outside the entrance first.”

I lifted up my document bag.

“I have some borrowed items that I need to return within the time limit.”

“Teacher Sol-eum, I wondered how you had so many interesting items—they were borrowed?”

“Yes.”

Please don’t let me get caught.

‘Please.’

What used to be Park Min-seong answered kindly and warmly, like a model employee.

“Should I ask the teachers to help you move them?”

“It’s just a document bag. If it’s okay with you, I’d appreciate it if you could just guide me to the front door for a moment. …Badger Supervisor.”

Park Min-seong froze.

“….”

Perhaps.

“…Badger Supervisor?”

….

The supervisor’s mouth opens.

“That….”

…!

But the next moment.

“Right! Let’s go to the front door together.”

The gentle teacher’s voice came out again.

“….”

“Teacher Sol-eum?”

“Yes, I just need you to accompany me to the front door. I’ll move quietly so as not to disturb anyone.”

“Good!”

I turned around and headed out of the recreation room.

Leaving Park Min-seong, who had been completely contaminated into a ‘teacher,’ right behind me.

‘Ha.’

I slowly moved my steps.

Tap. Tap.

Right behind me,

I could hear the sound of someone following closely.

Not the sound of dress shoes, but the soft material of slipper-type shoes.

Tap. Tap.

“Oh, I’ll help carry the document bag.”

“It’s fin….”

Before I could say it was fine,

The teacher’s hand grabbed half of the document bag I was holding.

And the cover of the perfect teacher’s educational manual held in the same hand tapped my hand.

Tap. Tap.

“….”

It’s okay.

I don’t suddenly hear sounds piercing my mind, nor do overwhelming fear or terror rush in.

‘I can get out.’

There isn’t much left until the front door.

I just need to walk.

But at the same time, I have this thought.

Is it right for me to secretly go out to the front door like this?

Damn.

Look at me cursing.

Is it because I haven’t read the educational manual even once yet? It’s somewhat embarrassing….

Actually, maybe that’s not a punishment, but an opportunity for education given under the name of punishment?

This is crazy.

Wait. This is a serious matter to consider, not something to dismiss as contamination.

This is a wonderful workplace. Preparing for a perfect opening with refined and obedient people would be nothing but joy.

I have the aptitude to become a perfect teacher.

■■ Affiliated Kindergarten told me so!

No.

No, what am I saying.

I mocked myself. I know that getting caught lying is also a punishment, don’t I? Let’s just efficiently give up on the front door.

That’s right.

Let’s voluntarily read the educational manual here. I think I could ask Teacher Park Min-seong to read it together.

No.

If I borrow the educational manual

No.

Let’s not think about other things.

Because the deeper my thoughts go, the more I’ll come to acknowledge that this is quite a decent idea

Which won’t happen!

Let’s focus on moving my feet. If I move my feet one by one, the entrance gets closer and closer.

Tap, tap.

“….”

We’ve arrived.

It’s the front door!

So reluctant to leave

“Now I’m going to throw this bag, right?”

Unfortunately

“Should we throw it together?”

Please.

“That sounds good.”

Work.

“Just grab here….”

And only then did I turn my head.

Park Min-seong’s face filled my vision, smiling with the ‘teacher’s’ expression.

He was extending his upper body and hands to grab the document bag, just as I had suggested.

‘Now.’

I immediately grabbed the team leader’s head.

“…!!”

And forcefully shoved it into my forearm.

‘It’s going in.’

The space attached to my tattoo is a cube with 60cm sides.

But it’s not actually cube-shaped. It’s an unfixed, irregular space.

So if I convert this to a different volume….

‘An adult male can easily fit with room to spare.’

I kept my gaze fixed upward.

Crunch, crunch.

I could feel the human body being stuffed into the tattoo on my wrist resisting, like joints breaking…!

‘I deliberately tried to put the face in first.’

Because talking would definitely affect me and make the contamination worse.

Ah! The educational manual is touching! I need to grab this separately

After cramming in even the last foot, now….

Pop!

“…!”

Something that suddenly protruded grabbed my left forearm.

Park Min-seong’s right hand,

with fingers gripping so tightly each knuckle had turned white.

“Ugh!”

Damn!

I tried to pry off each finger but it wasn’t working.

‘I can’t let the teacher get hurt.’

I didn’t know how this darkness would react.

‘Quietly…!’

Unable to even breathe, I pulled out the blood-sucking knife and stabbed it into my arm.

“…!”

The fingers were torn away along with chunks of flesh from my forearm. It was pain that should have made me scream like crazy, but tension and adrenaline blocked it.

I shoved the last finger into the tattoo while hurriedly stepping toward the front door.

Step.

The final step.

“….”

I raised my head.

The blue sky of broad daylight.

Behind me now stood only the closed, run-down private kindergarten building.

Sparkling sunlight illuminated the weeds of the open Seoul outskirts.

“….”

It was cleared.

I lowered my head.

I saw Eun Ha-je lying on the ground, missing her wrists.

The other employees were nowhere to be seen. They seemed to have already returned….

I took out my smartphone from my pocket.

And pressed the button as planned.

As if proving this was reality, the signal went through and someone answered the phone….

“Is this the Security Team Equipment Rental Warehouse?”

The predetermined words barely came out of my dry mouth.

“I need contamination containment equipment….”

Because.

“I’ve rescued a contaminated employee.”

….

….

Done.

I collapsed unconscious.

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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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