Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 8

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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 008

The ghost stories in have one thing in common.

The more popular they are, the higher the probability of anomalies occurring in the exploration records.

‘That’s because there are multiple creators.’

When a ghost story is first created, it’s written while strictly following the rules.

But what happens when it becomes popular and everyone starts writing exploration records for that ghost story?

As the numbers get longer, to escape repetition and boredom, exception cases gradually emerge at a ‘reasonable level.’

The example I desperately recalled is one of those.

The exploration record where Daydream Corporation’s Field Investigation Team J had to endure 12 hours in an abandoned hospital at night.

But….

16 hours 11 minutes

The exploration ended ambiguously after 16 hours and 11 minutes had passed.

This is the ‘temporal anomaly’ I was looking for. However….

‘It actually took longer to escape.’

Due to some problem during exploration, they were trapped in the ghost story longer than the required 12-hour ‘endurance period.’

‘So… they definitely made some mistake.’

I remembered!

‘They couldn’t receive the time alarm!’

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(03:12) Employee Lee Jae-jin accidentally disconnected the counter phone line.

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Because of this, the call that should have come to the hospital room desk couldn’t get through.

The shift change call.

So the crazy situation occurred where the doctor who should have finished the night shift and gone home after 12 hours continued working.

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(12:12) Past 7:12 AM but the sun didn’t rise.

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No matter how much time passed, the night wouldn’t end.

The employee who had set his wristwatch to 7 PM upon entering the ghost story reportedly panicked as soon as he realized this fact.

‘I think they fought over whether to get caught and restart, and one person ended up being tied up.’

Fortunately, a few hours later another team member connected the phone line and things proceeded normally, allowing them to barely escape.

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(16:09) Phone line restoration successful. Phone rings immediately. Wait more than 3m away from desk.

(16:11) Doctor answers phone and disappears. Escape attempt successful.

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A ghost story that doesn’t end even after the promised time passes. Definitely a chilling irregular.

‘But there’s a hint.’

Although this was a case where time increased, there was a mechanism to extract.

The fact that there was a trigger signaling the end of time.

‘In that case, it was the shift change phone call.’

And if that trigger didn’t activate, the ghost story wouldn’t end.

Thinking in reverse….

‘If the trigger signaling time just activates, could it end faster?’

“….”

What in the convenience store can indicate the passage of time?

Tap.

“…!”

Wait.

‘…There’s a sound.’

It’s coming from above my head.

I unconsciously looked up at the blocked space above my head.

This is under the convenience store counter.

So what’s above this is….

The POS system.

Beep.

Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep.

The ghost was pressing the checkout counter’s POS system.

Following that strange rhythm, a recorded voice echoes through the convenience store.

Calling employee… calling employee, calling emcalling emcalling employee calling calling calling calling employee calling emcalling employee calling employee

“…!!”

I get it.

This thing knows I’m down here.

It’s deliberately not catching me and playing around.

…Even knowing that, cold sweat ran down my back rather than anger.

Wow, this is really driving me crazy, it’s making me go insane.

‘Let’s get out.’

I need to get out and run.

But my feet won’t move as easily and lightly as my mind wants. I’m no different from an extra in a horror movie who sits down helplessly and dies after seeing a ghost.

‘No.’

Even if getting caught is the same either way, I can’t let helplessness become learned.

Eventually, I somehow forced myself to squeeze out from the checkout counter.

At that moment.

Calling employee.

Right in front of my face suddenly a blue and swollen face

grins with its mouth torn wide.

-Caught you

Restart.

‘….’

I took a very slow, deep breath.

My heart was pounding so hard that my head hurt for a moment, but I endured it.

‘It passed by.’

My whole body is numb.

‘Hold on.’

Instead, I looked at the dark convenience store scenery.

This time, instead of going to the checkout counter, I ran in the opposite direction from the beverage refrigerator that was emitting light.

Straight toward the convenience store entrance.

“….”

Outside the glass door was pitch-black darkness.

Still, as I tried my best to look outside, I saw something attached next to the outer glass door.

“…!”

A digital clock.

[12:00⼁04⼁04]

April 4th, 12 o’clock.

Is that the current setting date for this ghost story?

My eyes, adapted to the darkness, also made out the door chime attached to the glass door. Probably the moment I grab that door, the ghost hearing the bell sound would come running with those strange footsteps.

‘And it probably won’t even open in the first place….’

Since the place I have to endure was set as the convenience store. There would be restrictions in place.

I turned my gaze away from outside the glass door and half-hid my body near a nearby display shelf.

And leaning my back against the wall, I continued my thoughts while watching various parts of the convenience store.

The cold sweat flowing down my temples feels cold.

‘The period I have to endure is three days.’

Then what could be a trigger that would tell me the time around my completion point?

What would happen in this convenience store three days later….

‘Logistics?’

I glanced at the boxes stacked near the glass door.

The time when new items are stocked.

‘Check the items that will be stocked three days later somehow. And somehow disguise with those items and try putting them in advance to hint at the time….’

No. That’s too unintuitive.

There’s no way such complex and trivial processing steps would work.

is an internet ghost story.

‘And internet ghost stories are intuitive.’

The more petty conditions and forced connections there are, the less impact it has, so it can’t gain popularity.

‘It needs to feel simpler and more perfectly fitting.’

Then….

What item in a convenience store makes it easiest to feel the passage of time?

“…!”

Right.

I looked at the display shelf closest to the entrance. Different from the beverage refrigerator, but still a display shelf that blew out cold air.

But strangely, there weren’t many items displayed there.

Some dairy drinks and coffee, and… lunch boxes and triangle kimbap.

Meal-type foods that spoil quickly.

‘…Expiration dates!’

I immediately headed to the display shelf and started picking up lunch boxes and triangle kimbap to check them.

‘Most triangle kimbap have expiration dates of 36 to 48 hours.’

Lunch boxes would probably be similar.

But strangely enough, quite a lot of lunch boxes and triangle kimbap had expiration dates that were unusually long at three days or more, or the markings were completely messed up and erased.

I patiently and carefully examined the back and front of the items, trying not to make any sound.

And finally….

‘Found it.’

The current time in this ghost story is April 4th, 12 o’clock.

A product whose expiration date ends on April 7th at 12 o’clock.

[Soup Hamburg Lunch Box]

I picked up that lunch box.

And crossed the convenience store to approach the POS system.

‘Ugh.’

The afterimage of the ghost that had been frantically pressing the call button while standing at the checkout counter flickered.

But it was just my imagination. It hasn’t appeared on this side yet….

‘Stay calm.’

I pressed the device settings on the POS system, then selected ‘Date and Time Change’… Good, it’s there! I held back a sigh of relief and looked at the screen.

‘The set time is….’

Exactly two days and 23 hours and 59 minutes after the starting point of midnight on April 4th.

[April 7th 11:59 PM]

‘Please work!’

I prayed with an anxious heart.

Press the change button, and confirm….

[Change Complete]

“…!!”

It worked!

‘Sometimes you can’t change settings in many cases, but this is fortunate among misfortunes, no, really fortunate.’

My hands trembled with joy and anxiety, but I pulled myself together.

I’m almost there now.

I just need to take the food item I brought and register it as nearing disposal….

Beep beep beep!

“….”

[Disposal Alert]

[There are products nearing expiration date!]

The POS system announced in a cheerful tone.

That recorded announcement voice echoed alone in the dark convenience store.

Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep!

“….”

I froze and turned my head.

From far away

our eyes met.

It’s running toward me.

“Shit…!”

Don’t look at it, look at the screen. Only the screen!

Please, please! Hurry!

Beep.

After three failed attempts, my hand finally scanned the barcode.

[Would you like to register?]

I frantically pressed yes…

The footsteps were getting closer too quickly.

That strange ticking sound kept getting closer, but I endured it and kept moving my hands…

[Disposal has been registered.]

The ghost running with insanely strange footsteps reached right in front of the checkout counter, and I could feel the vibrations.

[Complete]

It disappeared.

“…”

Click.

The lights turned on.

In the convenience store that became painfully bright, the POS system screen, no longer so conspicuous, showed a simple and clear explanation.

[Registration Complete]

Zzzt, the closing receipt printed out.

In that white noise, I realized it.

‘I did it.’

That I had succeeded.

“Phew.”

I leaned against the checkout counter and lowered my head. My legs were shaking.

‘I can’t breathe…’

Humans really do depend on light!

Still, just having it brighten up brought peace to my mind and body.

‘Now I just need to go out the door…’

Clank!

The cash box under the POS system automatically opened.

‘Huh?’

Inside was a single thick brown envelope.

“This is…”

I grabbed the envelope and opened it.

I saw four bundles of thick, crisp golden bills.

“…!?”

Bundles of 50,000 won bills!

‘Are there a hundred bills in each of the four bundles?’

That would be twenty million won total.

This was the first time I’d ever touched such a large amount of cash. But why was this in a convenience store cash box…

Ah.

‘Prize money!’

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Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story

/ Choose for me

Side note

Money

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Oh.

“How long do you think it’ll take?”

“If he lasts the full three days, he should be able to get out right away.”

“Success on the first try? Wow, that’s a generous evaluation. Very generous.”

Field Investigation Team D of .

The two employees had briefly climbed up to the rooftop via the stairs next to the storage room and were smoking cigarettes.

They had just sent off the new employee into the darkness.

No matter how many times they did it, it never really became something you got used to. Pushing new employees into paranormal phenomena.

Still, this darkness usually meant the shorter the set time, the more hardcore it was, and the longer it was, the more relaxed, so the new employee who got three days wouldn’t have it too rough.

‘It’ll probably be like a 2-night, 3-day courage test.’

Of course, it was harsh. It wasn’t like it wasn’t harsh.

However, both employees had a common principle in their minds.

-If you can’t endure this, you’ll die soon anyway.

So they’d rather have them quit.

In fact, quite a few new employees had left because of this initiation, so Team D often got dirty looks from HR department executives, but they still managed to hang on somehow.

Watching a coworker, especially a new team member, die right next to you was really harmful to one’s mental health…

However, this time felt a little different.

A strange sense of anticipation.

“About this new employee.”

“Yes.”

“He was extraordinary.”

“He was extraordinary.”

The senior new employee newly assigned to Team D, Kim Sol-eum.

“First time I’ve seen someone act like that on their first day.”

Usually, new employees would panic or become frantic the moment they realized that being consistently thrown into the same paranormal phenomena that nearly killed them was their ‘job.’ That was natural.

But in Kim Sol-eum’s case… he was eerily calm.

“He didn’t seem particularly nervous either.”

“Yes. He wasn’t startled at all. He drank his coffee just fine too.”

Not once did he lose his composure, lock himself in the bathroom crying, or try to run away.

Of course, Kim Sol-eum had already been spoiled on everything and spent three days giving up on everything while mentally preparing himself.

But to those who didn’t know, he just looked like a new employee with insane mental fortitude!

“The Deputy Manager seems to like him.”

“Yeah. He’s pretty good.”

Strong nerves were always welcome.

This was a department that had to face all kinds of horrific, bizarre, or eerie urban legends. Cowards were problematic.

‘Well, a coward couldn’t have passed that death survival test in the first place…’

There was!

Of course, the supervisors who had no way of knowing just kept nodding and repeating ‘this new guy is pretty good.’

Though there were some slightly disappointing aspects.

“But the kid doesn’t seem like the type to cut corners, so why doesn’t he take notes?”

“It’s his first job, so he might not know. We can just teach him that.”

In a job where lives hung in the balance like this, information and manuals were essential, so the two nodded.

“We should tell him to write things down. That’s how you properly learn by reading it over again.”

“Right. It’s not like he would have known this stuff beforehand.”

He did know beforehand!

The two people who couldn’t even guess continued their conversation typical of a team that had received a new employee, then started wrapping up their discussion to head back.

“We need to write the situation report.”

“Ugh, that damn report no one even reads, every time…”

The new employee wouldn’t come out for at least three days anyway.

Still, since it was a ghost story with food and sleeping quarters inside, it would be fine even if it went long-term.

The two nodded and picked up the tablet with the internet post that had sucked in the new employee.

“So now we go look at paperwork…?!”

Tick.

At that moment, the tablet spat out a person.

The new employee who was supposed to come out three days later.

“…!?”

The new employee, Kim Sol-eum, got up from the floor brushing off his business suit that was as clean as it had been an hour and thirty minutes ago.

And he held something up in one hand.

A Dream Essence Collector with its gauge completely full.

“I’ve filled it up.”

“…?!?!”

Time to clear: 1 hour and 24 minutes.

The new employee who had achieved this ridiculous accomplishment was just looking at his supervisors with a calm attitude.

‘I thought I was going to die of a heart attack.’

Of course, it was just that the coward who had been desperate enough to break through the walls of the Ghost House where you couldn’t quit midway was exhausted!

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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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