Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 83

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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 083

Elite Team.

At Baekillmong Corporation, where they devalue the lives of Field Investigation Team members below Grade B dream essence solutions, this is the level where they finally start evaluating you as a ‘long-term valuable employee.’

You’re given a private office and a separate salary table is applied. Moreover, new usage options are granted in the Welfare Mall.

Most importantly….

They assign you a Cleanup Team employee to use as a spare life when things go wrong.

It was a policy that made people feel disgusted, but there would be no disagreement that it increased survival rates anyway….

And now.

The Development Department Director in front of me was making me a proposal.

“There’s been a steady agenda to increase the number of Elite Teams… wouldn’t it look good if Team D became one?”

He was offering to make Team D itself into an Elite Team.

He was saying he’d keep my environment exactly the same while dramatically improving only the treatment.

“The alphabet order is perfect too, and it would be convenient for administrative procedures in many ways.”

“….”

“Choose one employee you’d like to work with. It would be fine to create a candidate list of two or three people.”

Wait a minute.

I absolutely can’t follow this flow….

“I’m grateful, but… why are you making such a big proposal to me?”

Frankly speaking, I’d understand if he said he wanted to send Team Leader Lee Ja-heon to an Elite Team.

According to my memory, he was originally someone who was supposed to briefly serve as an Elite Team leader before getting promoted through a different route.

But why… is he talking with me as the reference point?

‘It’s strange to leave the team leader aside and call in a new employee to say this.’

I understand that I achieved extraordinary results by creating manuals and extracting Grade A solutions twice, but there were more famous people who cleared ghost stories in impossible ways.

Those exploration records had to accumulate to become manuals too.

But none of them ever heard something like ‘I’ll make your entire team into an Elite Team for you~’

‘This is strange.’

It was an unnatural situation by anyone’s standards.

“I’m just a new employee. I’m receiving enough points and allowances from the company for my work, and just having such rapid promotion is already….”

“Team Leader Sol-eum. Have you ever heard the name Yoon Jo-hoon?”

My back nearly froze.

I barely managed not to show it. I only succeeded in answering in a tone that suggested this situation made me nervous.

“…Is he perhaps an employee?”

“That’s right.”

Director Cheong answered readily and smiled at me.

“Actually, he was a team leader newly assigned to Team D in this regular personnel change.”

“….”

“But now, even if you search the company database, he won’t come up. He won’t be in your memory either.”

I didn’t react.

“High-grade darkness sometimes has that effect. People who ‘fail’ have their existence erased. But….”

Director Cheong put down the documents and lifted something from under the desk.

A Dream Essence Collector.

“The Dream Essence Collector of a deceased employee gets returned to the company.”

“…!!”

“It’s unfortunate, but it’s a self-operating type that uses the dream essence collected up until just before death as power. And….”

Director Cheong flicked the end of the recorder.

“A simple recording function is also included here.”

“….”

“So this company can check and reference the exploration records of employees who were erased from reality.”

Good heavens.

“I think you’ve probably wondered about this before. ‘How exactly are the records of dead employees referenced in the manuals?'”

Wait a minute.

Right. Of course the also contained exploration results from dead employees.

It was natural. To create a ghost story atmosphere, you obviously had to write records of explorers being completely wiped out. That was more effective for inducing fear!

Records about employees or objects whose very existence was erased are all there intact.

But….

‘After all, wikis are naturally recorded from an omniscient perspective.’

And why that was possible was also roughly rationalized conceptually.

Field Investigation employees have their exploration records transmitted to the company upon death.

Like this.

What specific items or methods were used wasn’t described to prevent setting conflicts….

So when I fell into this place, I just naturally passed over that gap.

This was originally a creative worldview based on a wiki!

‘But there was such a specific and definite setting value….’

Suddenly, all the questions I had passed over as ‘that’s just how this worldview is’ came flooding back into my mind.

Could there be ‘plausible additional background settings’ for all of those too?

In this way?

My mind was about to become complicated.

-Noru! The other party is still looking at you. They seem to want to continue the interview.

‘…!’

-They seem like the type who wants a humble attitude from stars, so let’s focus….

Right.

Now was the time to focus on the immediate conversation.

Fortunately, my agitation ended at a level appropriate for ‘an employee who realized the company’s secret know-how,’ and the director continued speaking.

“Based on this recording, it seems Team Leader Kim Sol-eum explores and controls darkness in quite a unique way.”

“….”

It seems Team Leader Yoon Jo-hoon noticed that I had become a student.

“Becoming part of an urban legend yourself. ‘Assimilation’—it’s a method that ordinary people, being fearful and unwise, cannot choose….”

What kind of frightening words are you saying…?

“Anyway, even such exploration records are being collected without gaps… I wanted to tell you that story.”

Director Cheong looked at me.

“How is it? More systematic than you thought?”

“….”

“I heard there are employees who say this company operates haphazardly.”

Th-this… I broke out in a working adult’s cold sweat.

“I’ve met and talked with them before. Most of them are smart kids.”

A somehow benevolent voice.

“But if you stay long enough, you’ll realize there’s no company in this world with rewards and punishments as clear and rational as this one.”

“….”

“If you’re just outstanding in ability, you can smoothly rise up even after making a mistake or two.”

I absolutely did not agree.

But Director Cheong smiled and issued a dismissal as if I had answered ‘I’ll think about it positively, Director!’

“Go ahead. Give my regards to Manager Lee Ja-heon as well.”

Friend

Friend

Rather, isn’t it closer to ‘the nail that sticks out gets hammered down’….

I returned to the D-Team office feeling like my soul had been stripped bare.

It feels like I read a plausible pseudoscience book, only to realize that it was actually reality….

Unable to hold back any longer, I spoke to Manager Lee Ja-heon.

“Manager.”

“Yes.”

“What I just did wasn’t an interview.”

“I see.”

“….”

“….”

“Do you need help?”

“Yes.”

“Explain.”

I poured out everything that had happened like I was rapping.

Director Cheong’s remarks, the Dream Essence Collector, the disappeared Team D employee.

And even the proposal I received!

‘Anyway, the Dream Essence Collector information is probably knowledge that someone at manager level already knows.’

Besides, I knew that Manager Lee Ja-heon wasn’t the type to get angry that a mere new employee received a groundbreaking offer over him, or try to gaslight me into letting him become part of the Elite Team.

Well… he’s a lizard after all.

“I see.”

Sure enough, the lizard just nodded.

“Do you need my advice?”

“Yes.”

“Refuse it.”

“…!!”

The conclusion comes out this quickly?

“I’d like to know the reason.”

“Yes. Director Cheong Dal-rae is a being with a strong sense of ownership over the company.”

“….”

Does that mean she thinks this company belongs to her?

No, wait a minute.

“Did you just say ‘being’?”

“Yes.”

That’s a very suspicious way to refer to someone.

“…By any chance, is Director Cheong not human?”

“I cannot answer that.”

“….”

That’s practically the same as just saying yes…!

At the very least, I can tell for certain that there’s something fishy about Director Cheong.

Well, of course a director at a ghost story company would be like that!

“Ah, anyway, please continue.”

“Yes. Therefore, if Director Cheong Dal-rae gets a chance to subordinate a capable individual to this company that she considers her possession, she won’t hesitate.”

“…!”

“In this process, there’s a high probability that actions will occur that would cause Team Leader Kim Sol-eum to feel intense rejection based on your ethical standards.”

Good heavens.

“Don’t take the risk. You also have a high probability of being assigned to an Elite Team within six months.”

“…But I’d be leaving Team D to become part of another team, right?”

“Yes.”

“….”

“Do you want to stay in Team D?”

“I’d prefer to if possible.”

“I see.”

New employee or whatever, you really don’t seem to care at all, Manager….

What a consistent human… no, lizard.

‘Well, I wasn’t really expecting anything anyway.’

In any case, he’s not a lizard who would deliberately try to deceive me, so I should just take his words literally.

“Thank you for kindly informing me, Team Leader.”

“Yes.”

Hmm.

After some internal conflict, I asked.

“Um, by any chance, don’t you want to become the leader of an Elite Team, Team Leader?”

“I have no interest.”

That means it doesn’t matter to him either way.

It also meant it was no help at all for my decision….

‘This is driving me crazy.’

After that, I had a few more conversations with Team Leader Lee Ja-heon, but there were no clear gains.

My worries only deepened.

‘An Elite Team….’

Manager Lee Ja-heon advised me to refuse in the name of logic and rationality, but company life often operates on irrationality and emotions.

Why else would Manager Lee Ja-heon have so many enemies in the company and why would the Team A Leader look like he wants to kill him every time they meet!

‘I’m grateful for the advice, but it’s hard to approach it that way….’

From the start, the Ghost Story Company executives seemed like people who wouldn’t accept refusal.

Trying to slip away like I did with the Team A Leader wouldn’t work. The fact that Director Cheong mentioned it outright means doing so would be screwed.

“Hah….”

No, why do I have to worry about this even though I was promised a promotion and exceptional treatment…!

‘I really want to quit the Ghost Story Company so badly…!!’

Eventually, that evening.

I ended up leaving work completely mentally exhausted….

“….”

I didn’t even go on a darkness investigation, just stayed cooped up in the office writing reports, but it’s been a while since I felt this drained.

Friend

-First, let’s quickly get inside the house. Rest is important for a good performance, isn’t it!

‘…Right.’

Meeting with higher-ups, hearing worldview information, receiving a groundbreaking proposal….

‘I’m exhausted….’

As soon as I washed up, I collapsed on the living room sofa.

Friend

Hot chocolate… isn’t available in this house, but drinking a cup of honey water wouldn’t be bad…

I placed Brown on the dining table, then boiled water in the kettle to make honey water.

I was planning to drink it mechanically while lightly continuing our conversation with my back slightly turned to Brown…

Friend

A secret?

-That’s right. I hid it well with my natural cheerfulness as a direct Achievement quality, so it would have been difficult for Noru to notice, but actually…

Brown took a breath, then spoke dramatically.

-I was quite shocked by what happened last night!

“…”

A secret… is it?

Anyway, the intention to comfort seemed certain, so I responded sincerely.

“What was… so shocking?”

‘Good Friend’ will accompany you anywhere if that’s what you want

The shadow of the Rabbit Doll that briefly appeared seemed somehow drooped.

-It truly cannot be anything but shameful and embarrassing.

Is, is it that serious?

It was just a dream anyway.

My guess is that since Brown isn’t my possession but an equal personality, we should have performed a separate ritual.

‘Anyway, don’t worry about it. There probably won’t be much of that kind of thing in the future.’

Friend

Good Friend

…

That… might be true.

In the first place, wouldn’t there have been no chance of being caught by Team Leader Yoon Jo-hoon.

If Brown had turned off the lights.

-Exactly! My role!

-…This kind of anxiety has been a while. For our friendship, and for this Brown to fulfill its role, hmm…

From behind my head, there was a sound like someone anxiously lost in thought, pacing the floor with shoe heels…

And then it stopped abruptly.

-That’s it! It would be really great if I could do it myself, but… with this cotton-stuffed body, I need Noru’s help.

Friend

Brown spoke in a polite and friendly voice.

-If you could help me bathe in the Bath of Youth just one more time, it would be nothing short of pure joy!

Ah.

‘That thing.’

…

…

“Shall we do that?”

Friend

I readily agreed!

Good Friend

-You will never regret this choice.

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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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