Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 85

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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 085

The Fox Counseling Room with warm sunlight streaming in.

Another me standing outside the window.

He’s grabbing my arm and stirring around inside the tattoo.

….

Huh?

Isn’t that someone else?

Did I break the rules?

“All done, Teacher.”

The hand that had been stirring inside my arm’s tattoo pulled out.

Thud.

An object held in that hand was ejected along with it.

From inside the tattoo that should have been empty….

“This was inside.”

Under the garden’s lighting, a clear red title was revealed.

A brown file folder.

“It seems like something you recognize. How do you remember it?”

My goodness.

My mind suddenly became crystal clear, as if I’d been doused with cold water.

‘That thing…!!’

And like a broken dam bursting open, several parts of my hazy memories from the past few weeks came flooding back clearly.

When I put the contaminated Park Min-seong into my wrist at the kindergarten!

Ah, the educational manual touched it! I need to collect this separately

The educational manual that Park Min-seong was holding also went into my tattoo all at once!

I suppressed the urge to collect it separately and put everything in at once. I probably planned to report everything to the Security Team together after rescuing Park Min-seong.

But….

-If you have any equipment or items brought out from the ‘Hungry Hangman’ Darkness, please return them.

-Ah, there’s nothing like that.

I didn’t return the educational manual.

To be precise, whenever I tried to recall what else was in my tattoo, I unconsciously felt resistance and stopped.

Because suspicion goes against the rules!

And even the fact that I felt resistance eventually became something I couldn’t remember. Because teachers shouldn’t feel resistance to rules… No. I shouldn’t think too deeply about this either!

What’s certain is that I still tried several times.

I tried to let those around me know that my condition was strange.

-…Team Leader.

-Yes.

-If you ever think I have strange obsessive thoughts about rules, I’d like you to look into it….

-Yes.

-…Ah. I’m saying this because I seem to be too obsessed with work lately.

-I see.

I had brought up this topic with Lee Ja-heon several times. Though it always ended inconclusively when the educational manual-influenced me would argue back.

‘That was close.’

The educational manual inside my tattoo gradually began to erode my unconscious, and eventually I stopped noticing all the bizarre aspects and naturally accepted them….

‘…At least I came to my senses at Sekwang Technical High School!’

It was thanks to taking the Nostalgia Candy.

But the moment I woke from that dream, even that ended.

And it reached its peak in the ‘final conversation’ I had with Lee Ja-heon yesterday.

-Kim Sol-eum.

-Yes?

-Have you recently been tormented by strange pressure to follow rules or been caught up in compulsions?

-I think following rules is natural as a member of the workplace, Team Leader!

-I see.

“….”

Oh my goodness.

‘I think I’m going to throw up.’

I was acting like that??

I staggered and leaned against the window.

‘So that’s why Lee Ja-heon….’

Was trying to get me into the counseling room no matter what.

“…Ha.”

Everything becomes clear.

It’s like taking off an ill-fitting tight sweater, or cleaning dirty glasses I’d been wearing.

A refreshing sense of liberation and exhaustion enveloped my entire body.

And… anxiety too.

“….”

“What are you thinking right now?”

“…I’m tired but refreshed.”

“Do you feel like you’ve escaped from some uncomfortable obsession?”

“…Yes.”

The ‘Counseling Teacher’ who looked like me standing outside the window looked at me as if comforting me.

“You did very well. The fact that you’re sitting here continuing the counseling session is thanks to your strong willpower, Teacher.”

“….”

Then he quietly placed the educational manual on the garden floor and brought a shovel from somewhere to lightly dig the ground.

“When you’re caught up in powerful impulses or obsessions you don’t want, it’s very painful, isn’t it.”

Scrape scrape, a small dirt hole was created in one corner of the outdoor garden by the hands of ‘Kim Sol-eum’ standing outside the window.

Thud.

The educational manual was thrown into it.

“Change isn’t always bad, but if it makes your body and mind suffer, you should always be able to refuse it.”

The me outside the window neatly covered it with the dirt he’d dug up, then brushed off his hands with satisfaction.

“Teacher Sol-eum, do you see the small plant in that pot over there?”

A pot?

When I turned my head, there really was a small pot on the table near the sofa.

It’s a plant bearing small, unripe fruits like beans.

“Could you pick one fruit that catches your eye from there?”

“….”

I gently plucked one fruit that was at least somewhat ripe and handed it to the ‘me’ beyond the window.

“You did really well.”

The counseling teacher outside the window took my hand along with the fruit.

Then.

“…!”

The fruit I was holding ripened to a bright red.

As if it had absorbed plenty of nutrients, plump and appetizing.

“Please chew it thoroughly before you go.”

“….”

I put the fruit in my mouth.

Intense anxiety, resentment, thoughts, irrational sadness and pain slowly melted away along with the fruit….

When clients with severe mental contamination visit, red fruit (presumed to be Fox Pouch Family Fox Bead) is provided as medicine.

Phew.

With a sigh, all emotional residue scattered like grains of sand.

I became peaceful.

Just as an ordinary office worker tired in body and mind.

As my usual self.

I raised my head and looked at the counseling teacher standing by the window.

“Thank you. I feel much better thanks to you.”

“I’m the one who’s grateful, Teacher Kim Sol-eum!”

The counseling teacher’s face brightened considerably.

Somehow, that person no longer seemed to be mimicking my appearance.

“Shall we talk a bit more then?”

What followed was ordinary psychiatric counseling.

To be precise, it felt like meeting a very skilled and comfortable counseling teacher and opening up about various things.

‘I’ll acknowledge this one thing.’

If I had to pick one thing that Daydream Corporation, this hopeless profit-driven ghost story corporation, did well, it would be including this as employee welfare.

“When you feel overwhelmed by bad thoughts in the future, I’ll give you a sign so you can come to the Fox Counseling Room anytime.”

On my way out, I also received an item.

Fox Counseling Room

It’s the same sign that was attached to the door I entered through earlier.

“If you attach that sign to a door and open it, it will connect to our counseling room.”

“…Thank you.”

I’d like to keep it, but I’ll have to attach it to the door as soon as I leave.

All clients using the company’s welfare program must attach the sign they receive after counseling ends directly to the door they use.

‘The nameplate that was hanging on the door I used must have disappeared.’

It’s convenient to think of it as an advance payment.

“Well then, I’ll be going now.”

I tried to get up from my seat.

I heard the counseling teacher’s voice, sounding genuinely regretful.

“Actually, it would be best if you could set up regular appointments and receive counseling consistently once every week or two weeks….”

Aaahhh!

“I’m sorry, but I’m too busy… That would be difficult.”

“I see. Everyone’s like that these days….”

The ‘counseling teacher’ seemed a bit dejected, lowering their head before nodding.

But I mustn’t be swayed by that appearance.

‘If I set up regular counseling… the probability of side effects exploding increases dramatically…!’

Usage Record #521 (Irregular)

Fortunately, instead of making another recommendation, the counseling teacher smiled and nodded to see me off.

“Still, I’m glad that Teacher Kim Sol-eum has good acquaintances, family, and friends around you.”

“….”

Wait a minute.

It’s true that I have acquaintances with good character and ‘Good Friend’ even in this crazy ghost story world….

“Family…you say?”

The counseling teacher reached out and tapped their own wrist.

I also looked down at my wrist.

That location is….

: Socius :

“That person.”

“…?!”

♬♩♪♬~♪♪♩~

“Ah, time’s up. Please go back safely, Teacher Kim Sol-eum.”

I raised my head.

No one was there.

The counselor who had been smiling by the window had disappeared like a lie, and only sunlight pouring from the simple and wonderful outdoor garden came in….

♬♩♪♬~♪♪♩~

A light waltz melody announcing the end of counseling.

In the distance, I thought I saw the scarlet tail of a fox hurriedly disappearing below the stone wall of the garden….

“….”

I got up from the sofa and headed toward the changing room curtain.

On the flowery lace table placed on the way to the curtain, some kind of cool drink had been prepared.

Have strength for today too!

*^^*

“….”

I drank the beverage down and gratefully set it down.

It was very savory barley tea.

Friend

“Yeah.”

I picked up the ‘Good Friend’ stuffed doll.

…Now that my mind was clear, I had several thoughts about this thing too…

‘That’s for after work.’

For now, there was someone I needed to face first.

Creak.

I opened the door and came out.

The white lizard head in a black suit, who had been leaning against the opposite wall, turned to look at me.

“Did you receive counseling?”

“Yes.”

I probably had quite an embarrassed expression when I said this.

“Thank you, Team Leader. Thanks to you, I escaped from contamination.”

“No.”

Lizard Team Leader being modest…?!

“Kim Sol-eum is still in a contaminated state. Please receive counseling regularly.”

“…Yes.”

Ah.

That’s what he meant…

“Still, I seem much better than before, don’t you think so too, Team Leader?”

“Yes.”

Lizard Team Leader looked at me as if measuring me, then declared:

“Now it’s okay for you to see.”

“What do you… mean?”

“It’s a message from Team Leader Park Min-seong.”

“…!!”

…Lee Ja-heon took out a small post-it note from his suit pocket and handed it to me.

Noru, you worked hard.

Thank you for getting me out.

“…”

I took a short deep breath.

“Has he recovered?”

“The standard for recovery is…”

“Is rational communication possible?”

“It’s probabilistically possible.”

Phew…

‘Does that mean it comes and goes?’

Anyway, being in recovery was a good thing.

And naturally, another team member came to mind.

“…By any chance, has Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je contacted you separately?”

“No.”

“…”

Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je had gone silent as soon as she was processed for leave.

When I sent texts or KakaoTalk messages, she would sometimes read them, but there were no replies. She would only mark them as read.

‘Maybe she wants to keep some distance from this ghost story company.’

After going through all that chaos because of mental contamination, it felt like a very wise attitude…

Anyway, that concluded my morning schedule.

“Should I return to the office like this?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you so much again, Team Leader.”

“Yes.”

Manager Lee Ja-heon left to attend to his work, and I killed time browsing the Welfare Mall in the office until lunch break.

It was leisure I could enjoy thanks to drawing a Grade A solution just before.

‘Is it better because I’m enjoying my sanity…’

I don’t know. This company is just plain scary…

Tap tap.

“Hello.”

Hm?

I turned my gaze from the monitor.

Someone who had entered the office was carefully tapping my desk.

It was a young man in a gray suit.

‘I don’t recognize his face.’

Someone from another team or department?

He looked around my age, but had the kind of impression I’d never want to meet as a competitor in an interview…

‘Why come here instead of just going to another big company.’

For a moment I almost looked at him with pitying eyes, but I managed to avoid it and straightened my posture.

“Hello. What brings you here?”

“Ah, I have something to ask you.”

He also asked just as kindly.

“Did you receive counseling well, Sol-eum?”

“…!”

“You seem to have recovered a lot, which makes me happy. Nice to meet you. I’m Ho Yu-won.”

And he extended his hand as if asking for a handshake.

“I heard you recently received an interesting proposal from Director Cheong.”

“…”

Director Cheong.

He called him without honorifics.

And the name.

Ho Yu-won.

…

…Director Ho!!

“I happen to have a proposal for you too, what an interesting coincidence.”

Director Ho had visited the D-Team office.

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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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