Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 95

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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 095

Water poured into the laundromat.

Gurgle gurgle.

I backed away to avoid the water seeping through the gaps in the glass door.

But there was nowhere to escape in the unmanned laundromat. Only a few washing machines were running on all sides.

‘Damn it.’

“Over here!”

I immediately stepped up onto a washing machine. At the same time, Manager Lee Ja-heon also stood on the washing machine next to me.

But that was the end of it.

‘Where should we go?’

I scanned the high, small glass window on the left wall with my eyes. There were window bars, but if it was Manager Lee Ja-heon, he could tear them off…

♩♪♬♬~♩♬♬~♩♪♪

“…”

The sound of water currents crashing could be heard.

A wistful and magnificent orchestral piece echoed in my ears.

A melody I’d heard before.

The theme song of Cheerful Theme Park.

♩♪♬♬~♩♬♬~♩♪♪

The waves that filled the laundromat gathered together and transformed into a mass of water.

A dragon in theme park mascot costume.

Found you.

A voice suddenly flowed out from the water mass in front of me that seemed to lack intelligence.

A sound like it was coming from the other end of a telephone.

Using water as a medium, it vibrates…

Found you.

I broke out in a cold sweat as I looked at the black water streams and masses that had occupied the laundromat…

‘How did it recognize me?’

I’d even taken off my mask and was wearing a hat and mask…

Kidnapper.

‘…It recognized Manager Lee Ja-heon!’

The black water mass raised its front paw and pointed at the lizard standing on the washing machine next to me.

“No, I’m not.”

Kidnapper.

“No, I’m not.”

It’s going to keep doing this endlessly…!

No, actually that would be fortunate. In reality, it wouldn’t be strange if that water mass immediately exercised some ghost story-like spine-chilling ability!

I still haven’t forgotten. The torrent that burst out of the telephone and frantically devoured the alley.

‘…Since it’s water, I’m not even sure if Physical Exorcism would work.’

“…”

Whew.

Right, if it’s at least a situation where communication is possible.

Bad…

“I’m not a kidnapper.”

I took off my mask and put on my mask.

And I rolled up my sleeve to show my tattoo.

: Socius :

In that state, I faced the water mass dragon with the most comfortable expression possible.

“Mascot. Is what you were looking for me?”

The shape of the water mass wavers.

And…

Good child!

The voice became clear.

“Yes, I’m glad to see you too…”

I gestured to Manager Lee Ja-heon not to come down, then slowly got down from the washing machine.

‘Ugh.’

Water splashed under my feet, but aside from the theme park’s theme song becoming slightly clearer, there were no other crazy symptoms.

‘Good.’

I can do this.

I approached the front of the water mass…

Let’s

I feel vibrations from the tattoo.

It seems to resonate with the form in front of me.

The dragon’s front paws approach…

play more

I took a breath.

“I’m sorry.”

And I quietly pushed away the front paws.

“I’m not a child anymore, so I can’t stay at the theme park. I have to work.”

Silence.

‘This is insanely scary.’

But I endured it and spoke calmly while looking at the dragon’s face.

“But when I want to play, when I want to spend time at a fun water park, I’ll definitely come visit.”

I raised my wrist to show the tattoo.

“You gave me this so I could come whenever I want, right?”

The water mass slowly nodded its head.

“Thank you. …Um, but I don’t think I know how to get to Cheerful Theme Park properly.”

The method to enter Cheerful Theme Park from the Company is through board games, and each game leads to a theme park with a different structure.

‘If I could prevent this part, it might actually be safer.’

A place I’ve been to before would be better.

“I’m worried about accidentally going to a different theme park where you’re not there, Mascot. Is there a way to prevent that?”

It’s okay

“…Even if I go to a different theme park, it’s okay?”

It’s okay

“….”

That was strange.

‘…What would be different if I played that board game again?’

Well, if that’s the case.

Promise me

Phew.

I hid my trembling and extended my hand to the water mass.

“Yes. I promise.”

And I hooked my pinky finger.

The sticky feeling of water made me shiver, but there was no problem…

…

The water mass that released my pinky finger pressed my tattoo with the claw of its front paw.

It seemed to be checking if it was properly attached, and soon withdrew its front paw as if satisfied.

That’s when it happened.

Whoosh.

The laundromat door opened from water pressure and something flew over, landing on the water mass’s front paw.

A square black thing.

My broken smartphone.

Yours.

“….”

I picked up my smartphone with trembling hands.

“…Thank you. I was troubled thinking I had lost it.”

Good child

The water mass’s form collapsed.

Promise me

The waves subsided.

And like a video tape rewinding, it was sucked out through the gaps of the laundromat…

Swoooosh.

The water current swept backwards through the alley.

Before long, the alley became quiet without any trace of water.

And inside the laundromat that had been filled with black water, a few chocolate bars printed with my portrait remained like gold dust.

“….”

I survived.

“Phewww…”

I slumped down where I stood.

Friend

‘Yeah.’

No matter how I think about it, I don’t know what would have happened if I had said something like ‘I don’t want to make a promise’ there.

‘I might have had my organs completely stripped out and ended up working at the theme park as a Blue Dragon Mascot ver.2 employee.’

It was rather fortunate to have avoided that…

With a membership card, I would be able to receive guest treatment there. That would be better than being dragged away recklessly now or accepting variables.

My head spun rapidly.

‘…Should I talk to the Company and schedule to use the board game?’

Looking at the timing… I should probably go within half a year.

‘In the meantime, let’s prepare items and equipment.’

Good.

For now, what mattered was that I had gotten through this moment. I stood up on shaky legs and held back a sigh.

‘If this was going to happen, I shouldn’t have run away earlier…!’

But honestly, would there have been any crazy person who would stay instead of running away in that situation and think to solve it calmly through conversation?

‘I’d bet a gold bar on ‘no’…

Phew.

Just then, Lee Ja-heon casually jumped down from the washing machine behind me.

I unconsciously asked.

“Team Leader. If I hadn’t stepped forward earlier, would you have tried to smash… no, anyway, eliminate that water mass?”

“Yes.”

“….”

As expected.

The timing was just right now, and if I had stood there dazed at that stationery store, things would have gone to hell in many ways.

‘Running away then was the right choice.’

I don’t know whether to cry or laugh about this…

But let me pull myself together.

‘We’re still trapped in this alley.’

The fortunate thing was that I had thought of one method we could try to get out of here.

“Team Leader.”

I stood in front of the laundromat’s glass door, brushing off the hem of my business suit.

“I’ve thought of an escape method. …If just a few conditions are met, I think we could try it even in this Death Road alley.”

“I see.”

“Yes. And the first condition is…”

I looked around at the shops in the alley.

Earlier, the item the shop owner used to contact someone at the stationery store that had put us in a troublesome situation.

“A telephone.”

A moment later.

Ding-

We opened the door and entered a shop that showed quite comfortable light through its window from the alley where darkness had settled.

Coincidentally, it was the very shop where my colleagues had enjoyed shopping earlier.

True to the advertising phrase ‘Handmade Knitting’, cozy-looking sweaters, socks, and mufflers were displayed, but occasionally there were strangely tattered and damp fabrics…

‘Ugh.’

I turned my gaze away from those things as much as possible and looked more at the shop’s structure.

And after spending the past few hours going in and out of numerous shops in this alley while avoiding the angry stationery store owner’s voice, I finally found what I was looking for.

‘…It’s there!’

Another door.

There was a main entrance on the wall opposite to the door I had entered through.

It’s bigger than the door I just came through. That means…

‘That’s the main entrance.’

And beyond that would be an unknown street, not an alley of Death Road…

Subsequently reported missing

Doors on the opposite side are sometimes found in Death Road alley shops. It is recommended not to go out through them if possible.

※No return records to date.

It’s similar to the fear felt when the question ‘Where do explorers who deviate from the route go?’ only returns the answer ‘Unknown’.

The fear of disappearing.

‘Phew.’

I quickly turned my eyes away to avoid seeing the neon sign shining from beyond that opaque glass door.

And I picked up one of the socks that Lee Ja-heon was looking at intently, one that had been verified as safe, and headed to the counter.

“Hello.”

The owner, who was knitting with six arms, looked at me through primitive glasses.

This time too, I subtly lowered my gaze and only looked at the shop owner’s sweater.

And I held out the socks and said naturally.

“Please process the payment. Oh, and would it be okay if I made one phone call here?”

I didn’t just end with words, but casually placed a few more coins on the counter.

…

The Death Road shop owner with an elderly face…

Click.

Picked up the telephone and handed it to me.

“…Thank you.”

Phew.

‘With this, I’ve secured all the conditions.’

1. Telephone.

2. A main entrance facing a direction other than the alley.

And…

3. Transportation.

I looked at the dial of the classic telephone.

Naturally, dialing a real-world number with Death Road’s telephone doesn’t guarantee a connection.

There were intermittent records that seemed like connections were made, but they were all strangely twisted like ghost stories.

Someone would imitate relatives and then giggle and hang up the moment they were caught, or time would be distorted and connect to family members who were holding their own funeral.

‘It was terrible.’

So what I’m doing isn’t a rescue request.

‘Perhaps… it’s closer to the opposite.’

I raised my finger and somewhat clumsily dialed the number by turning the dial.

666666 4444 8282

Originally a number that makes no sense even in format, there shouldn’t even be a dial tone, but…

Ring ring ring… Click.

It connected as if by magic.

[…]

I tried desperately not to be conscious of the other party’s breathing and opened my mouth as calmly as possible.

“Hello. Is this a taxi company? I’d like to call a taxi.”

[…Location confirmed.]

A husky voice was heard.

Polite, but with a low and arrogant tone that strangely sounded mocking.

[Please state the time you wish to use the service.]

“I’d like one to come right now.”

[Please state your destination.]

“…Seoul Station Exit 1.”

[Confirmed. Dispatching a driver…]

I deliberately took my ear away from the telephone for a moment.

And a few seconds later.

[Driver dispatched. Have a comfortable trip.]

Click, beep beep beep…

The call automatically ended.

“…Thank you.”

I politely returned the telephone to the shop owner and received the packaged sock envelope, handing it to Lee Ja-heon.

It was to hide the fact that my hands were trembling.

‘Phew.’

That’s done.

As you might have noticed, what I just called wasn’t a normal call taxi.

A suspicious call taxi number that freely crosses through space and time.

‘It’s a ghost story…!’

======================

I can no longer find a normal way to get back to reality from Death Road.

In that case.

‘I’ll get out through a ghost story.’

And a few seconds later.

From beyond the store’s main gate, I heard the sound of a small car horn.

Beep beep.

“….”

The taxi has arrived.

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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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