Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 72
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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 072
Ghost stories set in schools.
Actually, it’s been a long-standing tradition since ancient times.
When hundreds of teenagers have to live in one building all day long, it would be stranger if they never showed interest in scary and bizarre rumors, mysterious rituals, or ghosts.
The seven mysteries, Ouija boards…
Naturally, having graduated from school myself, I thought they were quite interesting too.
Aren’t they universal and popular horror stories?
‘That’s why I mustered up the courage to add investigation records for the first time.’
Fortunately, there was no incident of my records being taken down by “not recommended” rating terrorism, and I even used this as an opportunity to create an entire ghost story myself…
But.
‘I’m… going in there?’
It was a strange feeling.
Of course, the thought of entering a ghost story made my spine tingle first, but there was this strange queasy feeling.
Like having an educational manual in front of me.
Anticipation and fear?
‘I don’t know how to describe it…’
Anyway, the manual had already been distributed, and I had to at least ‘attempt’ to enter.
In that case.
-Are you going to perform a short ritual before sleeping tonight? I’m curious if it’s Noru’s secret method for sleeping soundly!
“That’s not it.”
I silently arranged my bed.
“I’m trying to have the ‘special dream’ the company told me about.”
-Ah, you’re trying to go to that ‘high school’?
Right.
‘Even if not here, I have to enter a ghost story anyway.’
It would be better to enter here where the company gives good points since only a few people who meet sporadic conditions can enter each time.
‘Phew.’
The company housing late at night.
I opened the problematic ‘specific book’ I received from the company.
-If you read a specific book and fall asleep on a night when the full moon rises, you may wake up at the nighttime school.
Just as Team Leader Lee Ja-heon explained.
What’s somewhat unique is that this is a text file.
In the Black Shadows.txt
This file is said to sometimes be included when you download a collection of text files from the internet called ‘2000s Masterpiece Horror Novel Collection’ (which ridiculously ignores copyright).
The file size definitely seems like it would be about two books worth. But…
I clicked and opened this file.
All of this happened on our graduation day.
This single line was the end of the content.
And when I scrolled down further in confusion,
Baek Sa-heon very quickly and persistently, greedily scanned and checked the area around my bed’s pillow beyond the open door.
Anyone could see he was trying to squeeze out hints.
‘Well, well.’
I deliberately didn’t block the door and laughed.
“Oh. That’s right?”
“Really? I heard you don’t know whether you’ll enter or not until before you fall asleep… but you look confident, Team Leader, so I’m curious. Do you have some secret method?”
“You’re quite curious about many things.”
“Since you came all the way to my room, I thought I should at least listen to what you have to say.”
I casually threw out.
“Do you need a hint?”
“…Well, if you’re willing to tell me?”
“Why would I?”
“…”
Baek Sa-heon gritted his teeth and smiled.
“…Should I deposit another three days’ worth of salary for you?”
“Money’s fine, but there’s something I want to hear.”
“…!”
“You want to enter, right? What’s the reason?”
A brief and intense conflict passed across Baek Sa-heon’s face.
Rather than not wanting to tell me, it seemed like he was desperately weighing whether he could extract something more from me by saying this.
Then, as if reaching a conclusion, he spoke as if it was no big deal.
“…No, there’s a rumor at the company.”
A rumor.
“Like, you can bring items obtained from that ghost story directly outside… so it’s profitable to definitely go in and bring something out.”
“…”
“And they say you pretty much never really die.”
Hmm.
So that’s what the employees know at this point.
As ‘a ghost story that’s profitable once you enter.’
“Actually, the hint you’re talking about probably isn’t worth that much, but since we’re colleagues and roommates, I’m sharing this kind of information with you…”
Oh, he’s naturally trying to put me down.
I deliberately nodded seriously.
“You’re right, my hint probably isn’t worth much.”
“…!”
“You don’t need to hear it then? Let’s pretend this never happened. Ah, but I heard you well.”
“…!! Hey, you son of a…”
I looked at Baek Sa-heon. He stopped cursing and soon smiled again.
“…Team Leader, if an employee living in the same company housing extorts a poor new employee’s salary and personal information through threats and intimidation, couldn’t I request a meeting with a superior for workplace harassment?”
Oh my.
I looked at Baek Sa-heon with a pitying expression.
“You… do you really believe this company would care about such things?”
“…”
“Well, belief is free, I suppose.”
“…”
Baek Sa-heon seemed to be wandering somewhere between anger and despair…
Well, I should stop around here.
‘I should give him what I’m going to give.’
I spoke lightly.
“Put your high school photo under the pillow too.”
“…?!”
“Write your grade and class on the back, and add your profile. Like a graduation album.”
I kindly wrote an example on the Post-it Note placed on his desk.
Name:
A word to friends:
“Then see what happens.”
“….”
Baek Sa-heon seemed skeptical and persistently asked whether I had also put a high school photo under my pillow.
I went straight to my room and pulled out the photo from under my pillow to show him.
It was a printout of one of my high school images saved on my smartphone.
“….”
Baek Sa-heon looked at it with an expression of disbelief, then closed his mouth.
“Did you think I was lying?”
“…Usually! You speak so eloquently that you have that kind of image, Team Leader?”
“Really? I’ve never lied though.”
“….”
“Think about it carefully.”
I issued an eviction order to Baek Sa-heon, who had somehow gotten a dazed expression.
“Anyway, I need to make the remaining preparations with Brown, so go ahead and leave now.”
-We hope you have a safe entry, ordinary colleague employee!
Baek Sa-heon looked at me with an expression that was either disgusted or mysterious, then eventually backed away and quickly entered his room.
Thud.
‘That’s settled.’
Having to suppress him like this every time was a bit tiring, but there was no choice.
Think of the new employee who came to Team D. Corporate life is originally like that….
“Phew.”
I went back to the pillow on my bed.
First of all, the tip I gave Baek Sa-heon was true.
Exploration Record #15
And now that entry was confirmed like this.
Naturally, the next priority was ‘what to bring along’.
Only what I put under the pillow before sleeping would come in as possessions at the dream’s ‘Sekwang Technical High School’.
Since the volume of items that could fit under the pillow for sleeping was limited, I had to choose carefully.
‘If I put it in the wrist tattoo and it doesn’t activate in the dream, it’s over.’
I was already a bit anxious since this was a ghost story where appearance changes.
In the end, I matched the capacity like playing Tetris and put important items under the pillow.
Finally, I placed Brown in the most comfortable spot at the very edge.
Hmm. Obviously… Brown ended up in quite an awkward state.
-….
‘Sorry. Is it very stuffy?’
-Well, it’s bearable! Though if this were the studio, I think I would have called the staff. Haha!
‘R-right. Thanks.’
That meant it was quite uncomfortable.
I shouldn’t make the ghost story resident who used to carry people with finger flicking even more uncomfortable…!
I quickly put my head on the pillow and tried to sleep. While being careful not to press down on Brown.
‘The pillow is a bit thick though….’
“….”
However,
My eyes close.
Unbelievably for someone who had suffered from insomnia lying down with an uncomfortable pillow.
Drowsiness quickly rushes over my mind….
Fog.
Black shadows.
And….
[Ding- dong- dang- dong-]
…school.
[Ding- dong- dang- dong-]
I opened my eyes.
I could see a classroom in dim darkness without a single light turned on.
Looking down at my clothes, I was somehow dressed in a school uniform.
[■■High School]
The familiar uniform from my alma mater was properly worn with only the school name scratched out as if scraped with a needle.
I couldn’t check directly, but I knew.
My appearance itself had returned to when I was in high school….
And.
“Wh-what is this??”
Do you remember the characteristic of this ghost story that I heard earlier?
-They say you don’t know whether you’ll enter or not until you fall asleep….
In other words, it also meant this.
It wasn’t just our company employees who entered.
“Huh? Huh? Why am I in a school uniform….”
“Oh my god!”
“Excuse me, do you happen to know where this is?”
A late-night classroom without a single light bulb’s glow.
People who had been sitting at the dark desks got up one by one, then looked at each other in confusion, screaming or looking around.
They were civilians who had been accidentally dragged in here.
“Is this some kind of event? Huh.”
“Wait, why am I wearing a school uniform… huh? Wait! Why am I a high school student?!”
“This is a dream.”
“Did you look outside the window? This seems to be the 2nd floor…”
‘…It looks like I’ve returned to the subway ghost story.’
I felt a stomach ache watching people who were torn between panic and fear, curiosity and excitement as they looked around.
And… intense tension as well.
“Huh?”
One person who had been wandering around looked at a corner and finally discovered it.
A student sitting without any movement.
“Why isn’t this person moving?”
It was a strange sight.
In the dark classroom, people wearing various school uniforms were shouting and moving around actively.
But it was as if only one person was frozen in place, sitting in their seat.
Not even blinking.
That male student, who looked like a very elaborate wax figure, was wearing an intact name tag.
[Sekwang Technical High School]
“Is it a mannequin? Here.”
Poke poke.
“Ah!”
The person who poked with their finger was startled and pulled their hand away.
“It’s warm??”
“Whoa, really?”
I stood up from my seat.
And without ever taking my eyes off, I slowly approached the classroom door.
‘I need to open the door in advance.’
Thud thud.
While trying to move my hand in tension, the stuffed animal keychain almost fell from my school uniform front pocket.
I grabbed it in shock.
Whew.
‘Thank goodness, Brown.’
Silence.
“…Brown?”
I lifted up the stuffed doll.
The doll drooped limply.
“…!”
I hurriedly pressed around the doll’s belly area. The coins I had used for the ritual to summon ‘Good Friend’, the form of the silver snake…
Wasn’t there.
“…”
This was just a regular doll.
‘Good Friend’ couldn’t follow me into my dreams.
“…”
“Outside there… uh, uhhhhh, aaaahhhhh!!!”
We’re screwed.
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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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