Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 7
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Even If I Fall Into a Ghost Story, I Still Have to Go to Work Episode 007
What’s the proper reaction for a New Employee when hearing something like ‘New guy might die soon? Haha, just kidding~’ from the team on their first day?
Actually, there’s no such thing.
No, there’s just no answer.
Fortunately, the Supervisors changed the subject as if they weren’t expecting my reaction anyway.
“First… congratulations on passing Death Survival.”
Is it okay to call it that openly within the Company?
“But you really got first place? That’s amazing.”
“Let’s hear you brag a little.”
I’m curious about the reason too.
“I just worked hard.”
“Oh please, then everyone would’ve gotten into Seoul National University.”
“Anyway, it’s impressive. Welcome to our team.”
Having good entrance exam scores has this advantage. Being a department suffering from heavy workload, they don’t seem to haze new employees.
“The Team Leader will be here soon too. He’s out on field work, so let’s just relax for now!”
“Ah. Thank you.”
I followed the supervisor’s guidance to the Partitioned Space.
Four Desks arranged front and back.
And on the guest Sofa next to them and the Table, there was an 80s-style Radio.
The Supervisors sat at their seats and gestured to me.
“Sit on that Sofa over there.”
“Yes.”
And as I sat on the Sofa, the Radio on the Table miraculously started working and made an old sound.
“…?”
Cheerful background music and a high-pitched Radio Host’s voice.
-Hello! This is Live Traffic Forecast. The current morning commute road conditions in Seoul City are quiet like today’s clear and pleasant weather, but from this afternoon…
I turned my head to look out the window.
It was drizzling.
A disconnected reality.
‘Ah.’
This Radio is a ghost story.
======================
Darkness Investigation Records / Ghost Story
[Hello Traffic Information]
Darkness Investigation Records
Today’s Fortune
======================
“Did you notice?”
“…!”
“Wow, this New Employee is like a Ghost… Quick to catch the sense of wrongness?”
The male supervisor who looked like a physical education student said as he approached, turning off the Radio.
“This is something like Today’s Fortune, a relatively safe urban legend. It’s verified twilight-grade darkness.”
“…”
“Wait, you’re thinking ‘what’s an urban legend and what’s darkness, you otaku,’ right?”
No, I’m not.
“We prepared this for such new employees. Ta-da.”
A Tablet PC was placed on the Table.
The supervisor touched the screen a few times, then played a video.
“Watch this all the way through.”
A somewhat retro-feeling, low-quality and cheerful orchestral BGM played.
And two animated characters that seemed from the same era as the 1988 Olympics mascots appeared and bowed their heads.
-New Employee full of dreams and passion! Welcome to Daydream Corporation’s Field Investigation Team!
-Today we’ll tell you in detail about the wonderful work the Field Investigation Team does!
‘A fox and dragon?’
The red Fox Character and yellow Dragon Character were wearing hanbok and smiling brightly.
-But first!
Above the subtly cute two characters, an obviously old Gulim font appeared.
[What kind of company is Daydream Corporation?]
I already know this.
This Company was publicly known as a beauty-specialized pharmaceutical company that sold ridiculously effective Hair Loss Treatment and Skin Disease Treatment.
But in reality?
-You think we only make Hair Loss Treatment? Oh my god! Actually, Daydream Corporation can make all the medicine you need!
-Literally a magic company that makes magical medicine!
From drugs that completely cure drug addiction to Immortality Elixir, they make all sorts of fantasy potions and secretly deal with Political Circles and the Upper Class.
That was the essence of Daydream Corporation.
A secret organization that makes transcendent potions.
‘And that’s impossible with existing scientific and realistic methods…’
The Fox Character winks and raises her index finger.
-But! Magical medicine requires magical ingredients.
-Namely… ‘Dream Essence’!
On screen, ‘Dream Essence’ is emphasized in golden font and grows larger, while sparkling liquid flows enchantingly in the background.
With hearts and stars popping out, it looks like a magic potion from a children’s animation, but…
The true identity of that thing is a ghost story.
-‘Dream Essence’ is collected from supernatural phenomena!
As the Dragon Character extends one hand, the screen changes.
It’s City Alleyways depicted in cute illustrations.
However, red eyes appear from the streetlight shadows, then transform into monster shapes threatening pedestrians.
Next came an exaggerated animation of a fan sticking out its tongue and peering at a sleeping person.
-Did you know that supernatural phenomena occur even in modern society?
-Sleeping in an Enclosed Space with a fan on will kill you, getting cursed at makes you live longer… These are all superstitious urban legends!
-But sometimes these urban legends manifest into reality!
‘So they call them urban legends…’
Indeed, urban legends did sound slightly less scary than ghost stories.
And then the most important core content came out.
-Daydream Corporation manages these urban legends, harvesting ‘dream essence’ and creating wonderful magic potions that grant people’s wishes!
-Dragon, ‘dream essence’ is the most important resource for our Company, isn’t it?
-Of course! We always need it… but who will collect the ‘dream essence’ for us?
The Dragon Character called Dragon tilted its head curiously.
Who indeed.
-It’s our amazing Field Investigation Team!
An SD animation showed Office Workers in Business Suits giving thumbs up and performing various activities in spaces where all sorts of unrealistic situations were occurring.
-Thanks to the brave and wise Field Investigation Team’s efforts, the Dream Essence Collector is full again today!
The bushy-eyebrowed Office Worker Character on screen coolly held out an object in one hand.
A portable cylinder with measurement marks.
‘Dream Essence Collector.’
======================
[Dream Essence Collector]
: An item that appears in .
Darkness (ghost stories)
Dream essence
Reality Manipulation
======================
Watching the Field Investigation Team’s essential equipment, the two characters applauded.
-Then let’s grab our Dream Essence Collector and bravely and wisely enter the darkness!
-Our Company’s future rests on your shoulders! Fighting!
The video that shouted typical New Employee gaslighting ended by showing Daydream Corporation’s logo with fireworks.
“….”
“Did you watch it well?”
“Yes…”
I chose my words carefully.
“It was impressive.”
“Uh… our department’s work is somewhat like that.”
The quite easygoing superior extended his hand to me again, requesting a handshake.
“Ah, I should introduce myself first. You’re Employee Kim Sol-eum, right?”
“Yes. Please take care of me.”
“Right. Ah! Over there is Manager Eun Ha-je.”
The short-haired woman introduced as manager waved her hand from her Desk and then lowered it.
The athletic-type Male Employee grinned and pointed at himself with his thumb.
“I’m Park Min-seong. I’m a Team Leader.”
“Nice to meet you, Team Leader.”
“Haha, you don’t need to speak so formally.”
“Excuse me?”
“In this department, everyone gets Team Leader rank after roughly a year of service. You’ll get it soon too, soon.”
The tact of not mentioning that the probability of dying before then is also considerable…
“Though you might die before then.”
He doesn’t have it.
“Ah, senior!”
“What. It’s right to know. As you saw in the introduction video just now, it is dangerous work.”
Manager Eun Ha-je gestured with her chin.
Indeed. To reach manager level in this Company, you’d need to have that level of mentality.
“Quitting isn’t a bad choice either. There are so many jobs in the world.”
And in this world setting, there’s a possibility of getting sucked into ghost stories no matter what job you choose…
“Thank you, but I’ll try working hard for now.”
“Hmm. Alright.”
“Ooh, passion.”
The two nodded, saying the attitude looked good, and the manager added words of encouragement.
“Ghost stories, urban legends and all, but there are response manuals for everything, so don’t worry too much.”
“…Yes.”
The Team Leader whispered.
“Ah, in this Company we call them ‘darkness,’ you know? If you don’t want to get looks from outsiders wondering if you’re some ghost story otaku, just call them that.”
“….”
Then wouldn’t I just be treated like an otaku anyway?
But I kept my mouth shut and just nodded. I didn’t want to do something pointless like nitpicking my superior’s words on my first day of work.
“Right. You understood all the manuals?”
“Yes.”
I nodded after thoroughly reading through the ‘Work Manual’ that the Team Leader handed me.
“Mm. Good, good.”
The two superiors looked at each other’s faces, then grinned and turned their heads.
“Then shall we go to work?”
Excuse me?
14th Floor.
This was the floor where the two superiors brought me.
“Since you’ve finished the basic briefing, now you need to get some experience.”
The place we stopped after getting off the elevator was in front of a small Storage Room next to the Emergency Staircase.
“So. What you’ll be doing this afternoon is… light Darkness Investigation.”
Excuse me?
“You don’t need to worry too much.”
“You won’t die, you won’t die. Uh, if we compare it to a game, it’s like slimes that appear in beginner villages!”
“…Yes.”
It was about time to start working anyway.
I was prepared for it, but still felt dizzy.
‘Surely they wouldn’t send me somewhere easy to die on my first assignment.’
It would be difficult for them to take care of a panicked newcomer too.
I tried my best to calm myself and think rationally.
First, let me guess why I’m standing here… Ah, is the storage room a place connected to ghost stories?
‘What ghost stories start in storage rooms?’
While I was searching through the wiki in my head, the supervisors began giving me various instructions.
The first thing I received was an item.
“You saw it in the video earlier, right? It’s a Dream Essence Collector.”
I took what looked like a syringe-shaped, well-used hard plastic sealed cylinder.
‘This was also sold as merchandise…’
Still, receiving the real thing somehow felt strange.
“Be careful not to lose it. They all have numbers engraved on them, so it becomes a real headache.”
“Yes, Deputy Manager.”
I understood it was similar to losing bullet casings.
“And it’s good to make wearing a mask a habit before entering the darkness. Don’t ask why. Your mask is somewhere… hmm.”
“…”
“…”
The supervisors blinked when they saw my mask that looked like tree bark with two horns.
“…A deer?”
“A roe deer?”
I don’t know either.
“The horns look cool. It’s a roe deer, right?”
“I’m not really sure.”
“Let’s go with roe deer. It’s stronger than a deer.”
Is it?
“Anyway, wear that and look at this.”
Team Leader Park Min-seong held out a tablet PC.
Ah, they’re going to brief me with another manual video…
[Do this and get 20 million won vs Just live normally]
“…??”
It was an internet post.
-Play hide and seek with a ghost for 3 days at a convenience store with no one within 10km and get 20 million won.
VS Just live normally.
For reference, the ghost looks like this↓
‘Ugh!’
I suppressed my goosebumps and quickly scrolled down past the photo, but the afterimage already remained.
It was a blue ghost with eyes so large they seemed ready to pop out, and a swollen forehead and head covered in bumps.
“What does it say?”
“It’s asking if I’d consider playing hide and seek with a ghost at a convenience store for three days to get money…”
Even as I spoke, I didn’t understand.
‘Why on earth did they show me this?’
It can’t be workplace harassment.
They said we’re going on ‘Darkness Investigation’ but showed me an internet post… Oh.
“…”
“…”
I scrolled back up without looking at the screen.
[Do this and get 20 million won vs Just live normally]
This… don’t tell me.
======================
Darkness Investigation Records / Ghost Story
[Choose for me]
Darkness Investigation Records
‘Experience horror and get money VS Just live normally’
Occurs irregularly when accessing URLs containing specific numbers.
Killer
======================
This crazy world.
As my surroundings distorted, I could still hear the team leader’s voice.
“Take it easy, take it easy!”
How can I?
Do I have to endure being sent out alone on external work to bring back contracts as a new employee who just got assigned today, even inside a ghost story?!
But I didn’t have time to scream.
With that, I fell alone into the darkness.
“…”
I staggered and got up from where I was.
‘It’s dark.’
Cool and musty air. My vision was extremely dim.
All I could see was the cold, hazy flickering light from the beverage refrigerator in the distance.
“…”
I held my breath and carefully walked toward the light source.
The silent convenience store’s shape dimly revealed its outline, then disappeared…
Silence. Stillness.
With each sound my footsteps made hitting the floor, cold sweat trickled down the back of my neck.
There seemed to be nothing around. At least not now.
‘Phew.’
I even swallowed my sigh inwardly.
My steps stopped at a spot where the only light source, the refrigerator light, was fairly close but didn’t illuminate me.
I leaned on the dim, cold light and looked around.
The convenience store was quite large, about the size of a franchise cafe.
Daily necessities and food items were arranged so bizarrely well that they were displayed without a speck of dust.
‘There’s no threat to basic needs… is there.’
Right. This ghost story, or rather the ‘darkness’ itself, isn’t the type that threatens human physical survival.
It was specialized in extracting psychological shock and screams.
The safest answer quickly emerged.
‘Let’s just grab some water and energy bars and hide to endure it.’
Yeah. I knew my place. I absolutely couldn’t play hide and seek with a ghost.
If necessary, I didn’t even need energy bars. Just grab any one or two things I could eat quietly and that’s it.
Humans don’t die from starving for a day or two. It’s better to starve than meet a ghost.
‘But I need water.’
It couldn’t be helped.
I quickly spotted water. It was inside the beverage refrigerator.
Fortunately, there was light so it caught my eye immediately, and luckily it was at the far end so I could keep a good watch on the surroundings…
“…”
I carefully moved my feet, avoiding the lit areas as I headed toward the end of the refrigerator.
‘Phew.’
The very last section when viewed from the front.
Just as I had seen from afar, the upper shelf was packed full with various brands of water with blurred logos.
However, standing close to the front, I could see something other than water.
“…?!”
The internet page I had seen earlier. I had scrolled down frantically and passed by it briefly, but I couldn’t forget that bizarre outline.
A bluish, bumpy face with bulging eyeballs.
Ghost.
‘Crazy…!’
The moment our eyes met, the face twisted with a grin and the eyeballs bulged.
‘Why the hell is a ghost’s face in the refrigerator…!’
I immediately pulled my body back. And just as I was about to turn around and run.
I realized.
The Ghost wasn’t inside the refrigerator,
but was reflected in the refrigerator’s glass door.
“Huh….”
Tap.
Something touched my back.
I felt cold, thick, hard strands of fingers on the back of my neck.
The Drowned Person’s hand.
And….
-Caught you.
Blackout.
Hide and Seek over.
“Hup!”
I opened my eyes.
Cool air. My vision was extremely dim.
All I could see was the flickering of cold, murky light coming from the beverage refrigerator in the distance.
“…!”
I had returned to the starting point.
Killer
‘This is fucking crazy.’
I have to do this for 3 days?
Just kill me instead, damn it!
‘No, no.’
I soon deduced an even more chilling situation.
‘If I can’t endure it, I’ll eventually return to the starting point… so I don’t know how long it’ll actually take.’
Literally an endless repeat.
A coward like me might go crazy before then.
‘No way.’
Another method, isn’t there another method?
This time I avoided the beverage refrigerator and headed toward the checkout counter.
There were many large structures and objects around the checkout counter that I could hide behind, so I planned to hide here first and buy time to think.
‘If I crouch down and get inside under the chair….’
In that process, I saw it.
Between the counter and the chair legs.
The silhouette of the Ghost’s lower body.
“….”
Tap. Tap tap. Tap tap tap tap tap.
Pale bare feet moved with strange intervals and rhythm. The peculiar sense of wrongness characteristic of non-human things rang out unpleasant chills like an alarm.
I held my breath and crouched under the counter.
Continuing.
Even after the Ghost passed by with its bizarre gait, until the limit of what I could endure without making a sound, continuing.
‘There are too many clichés of faces popping up the moment you let your guard down.’
And after a long while, I very slowly released my breath. Even that, I struggled desperately not to make a sound.
“….”
‘This is driving me crazy.’
Cold sweat dripped from my chin.
I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t even turn on my smartphone because the screen light would obviously draw aggro.
All I could trust was my memory!
‘Surely, I saw things about this ghost story several times, going over them repeatedly….’
F-grade ghost stories often had exploration records with newcomers deployed together, so I looked at them like reviewing past exam questions.
Of course, I never dreamed I’d be dropped in alone from the first round!
‘Damn it.’
I broke out in cold sweat as I recalled the exploration records.
‘Mountain Lodge, basement, crosswalk, Fast Food Restaurant, Abandoned School….’
None of them.
But surely, surely there was a special case….
======================
Darkness Exploration Record / Ghost Story /
Please Select
Irregular
Chased by Mad Doctor for one night (12 hours) in an Abandoned Hospital at night.
16 hours 11 minutes
======================
“…!”
This is it.
I began to squeeze out and reconstruct the relevant content.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
