Translator: Nox

Even if I fall into a ghost story, I still have to go to work

Chapter 100

Manager Gwak Je-gang of the Research Team.

He was the mad scientist who had pushed his own subordinates into the 'Pleasant Theme Park' ghost story.

He had also served as an advisor during the 'Mansion of the Blind' incident, where the employees almost suffered a mass death.

“I’ve been wanting to have a long chat with you, Mr. Noru, and finally, the opportunity has come.”

That crazy ghost story researcher reached out his hand with a beaming smile.

“Your performance has been so remarkable that I’ve been very curious about your impressions!”

“Thank you.”

Wow, he’s really a boss I don’t want to shake hands with.

But I have to. That’s corporate life.

“I heard Team D will become an elite team as soon as the New Year dawns. Once that happens, you’ll be busy working in units again, and it’ll be hard to have a chat like this before a darkness deployment….”

Gwak Je-gang rattled on about how difficult it was to call me in.

“And I was just so curious, you see.”

Then, with a smiling face, he got to the point.

“How on earth did you win over Manager Lee Ja-heon?”

“…!!”

“Whenever I tried to call you separately, he’d cut me off. He’s not usually such an active fellow~”

I screamed internally.

‘Thank you, Team Leader…!’

But in fact, I hadn’t "won him over" or anything.

‘I just had to say I didn’t want to do it.’

Manager Lee Ja-heon was originally a stickler for the rules who tried his best to reflect the requests of his team members.

It was just that until now, no one had ever made such a request!

Because in this ghost story company, I was the only type of person who would wail about wanting to split the work N-ways rather than enter a ghost story alone, no matter how sweet the rewards were….

No, even if there were others, they would have all died or disappeared by now.

Anyway, it seemed that this time, even Lee Ja-heon found it difficult to block it on his end.

Or… perhaps there was no justification for him to do so.

“Anyway, don’t worry, it’s not like I’ve developed any resentment because it was hard to invite you, Staff Noru.”

Gwak Je-gang smirked.

“It’s just… isn’t it fascinating how you, Mr. Noru, seem to be able to do everything!”

“What do you mean by fascinating…?”

“You work well, speak well, manage your reputation well… it’s very impressive. But humans are creatures for whom it’s impossible to be good at everything! Including myself.”

Gwak Je-gang tapped himself.

“Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. So….”

Eyes swirling with the passionate madness for darkness exploration stared at me.

“What exactly is your weakness?”

“…….”

“I’m truly curious how that weakness doesn’t stand out even while you’re rummaging through bizarre supernatural phenomena!”

Ha, damn it, seriously….

“If I could tell you, it wouldn’t be a weakness.”

“Haha, a wise answer to a foolish question~”

Save me.

‘I hope he hasn’t predicted that I’m a coward.’

I carefully swallowed my saliva without showing it.

Gwak Je-gang spread both hands.

“Anyway, the reason I called you today is for something good.”

“By something good, you mean,”

“Something to celebrate! By my calculations… Mr. Noru, haven’t you already collected more than half the points needed for a Wish Ticket?”

“…!”

You sharp bastard.

Yes.

What he said… was true.

I recalled my accumulated points as of last week.

[Accumulated Points: 177,200p]

This alone was a staggering figure.

Since it was an amount of points unimaginable for a newbie who hadn’t even been with the company for a year, I had never talked about it anywhere.

Even in a department where people openly discussed their resignation dates, there were limits.

‘If it’s this far out of the norm, people are bound to have other thoughts.’

But who would have known.

That entering this week, my accumulated points would become even more out of the norm.

[Accumulated Points: 277,200p]

It was reaching a stage where people might start asking if this was a manipulation.

‘It’s thanks to Sekwang Technical High School.’

Let’s look at the basic points awarded by grade.

Grade A: 100,000p

And I cleared Sekwang Technical High School as a Grade A solo.

While it’s true that several people entered and cleared it together, I was the only Grade A.

Furthermore, the concentration of the solution was thick enough that it could barely be considered a solo clear.

Thanks to Director Cheong and Director Ho—the two pillars of the Development Department—'actively' giving the okay, it was passed to be paid out as is.

It was a happy yet eerie thing.

‘And the registration was finished this morning.’

Thus, Kim Sol-eum had officially collected more than half the points for a Wish Ticket.

‘It’s ridiculously faster than I expected….’

Strangely, everything fit together perfectly to get me here.

At this rate, if I can just hold out for one year—no, maybe even less—in the elite team, I’ll be able to return to my original world.

To the comfortable 21st-century Korea where ghost stories don't exist!

All of this flashed through my mind in an instant, but my poker face didn't falter… or so I hope.

‘Let’s not give him any leverage…!’

“Does something change if I’ve collected more than half the points?”

Instead, I reacted vaguely, deliberately frowning slightly.

So he wouldn't know if I was feeling guilty for having collected that much, or if I was upset because I hadn't.

“It’s not that things change… but an opportunity arises, doesn’t it?”

Gwak Je-gang said with a smirk.

“The Wish Ticket Simulator, have you ever heard of it?”

Simulator?

…Ah!

From that point on, Qterw-D-718 is provided as a simulator to promising employees who have a chance of obtaining a Wish Ticket.

‘There was a ghost story entry like that.’

I remember.

I obsessively recalled the wiki entries that were starting to fade slightly.

At the same time, Gwak Je-gang’s chatter rang in my ears.

“This company gives employees who are about to get a Wish Ticket a chance to check their wish once. So that the wish can be fulfilled in the ‘appropriate’ way.”

Was the criteria for a ‘promising employee’ 250,000 points…?

Or maybe it was calculated backward based on the remaining time until receiving the Wish Ticket.

Either way, it seemed the opportunity to experience the simulator had come to me.

…If entering a ghost story can be called an opportunity!

“We could do it next time, but Sol-eum, if it’s not now, your turn might get pushed back and who knows when you’ll be able to do it? I called you because I thought it would be good to get it over with now.”

“…….”

I thought to myself.

A darkness deployment set up by Gwak Je-gang?

‘There’s definitely a trap.’

But I couldn't just refuse recklessly.

This man was the type who would persistently ask for a reason.

“It’s not like you’re a coward, so why would you avoid it? Right? Hahaha!”

Eek.

“Well. One could avoid it for other reasons too.”

I stood up with a sigh.

Let’s end this conversation quickly.

‘If I have to go into a ghost story one way or another, I shouldn’t give him any excuses.’

“Anyway, I understand. When should I enter?”

Gwak Je-gang chuckled.

“Mr. Noru.”

“…….”

“Your attitude has changed a lot. You’ve shed that newbie look. Haven’t you?”

Wait.

“No. I mean it in a good way! You finally feel like an employee of this company, and it’s familiar. Let’s cut the useless small talk and get to the point~ You already seem like an elite team member.”

Gwak Je-gang smiled, his eyes crinkling.

“Then let’s do something worthy of a company employee!”

Then he placed a document on the table.

‘This is….’

It was an employee profile.

One that I also knew.

[Employee: Jang Heo-un]

I looked at the ID photo of the long-haired, gloomy-looking employee of my age.

“Ah, you’re familiar with him, right? You entered the Pleasant Theme Park together. The friend from the Cleanup Team.”

“He shouldn’t be in the Cleanup Team now. He was definitely reassigned to Team F….”

“Ah~ right. The transfer was issued. …But his official affiliation is still the Cleanup Team.”

“…!”

“It’s in the form of being dispatched to a general team. Wouldn’t it be next year before the affiliation is officially changed?”

Gwak Je-gang tapped the document.

“So… he’s still in an affiliation that’s perfectly fine to deploy for this kind of work.”

“…….”

This kind of work?

An ominous chill ran down my spine.

“What do you mean by that?”

“It’s simple. Once your business in the darkness is over, Mr. Noru? Just call that employee to the remaining elevator and leave him there.”

“…!”

This crazy bastard.

No, stay calm. I mustn't show agitation here.

“Hmm. Is this darkness one that requires two people to enter… or is a sacrifice necessary?”

“Haha… confirming that is our raison d'être as researchers! You just have to do as instructed, Mr. Noru. It’s a simple story, right?”

Thud.

Gwak Je-gang threw another document onto the table.

The darkness assigned to me this time.

“In the Elevator Ghost Story.”

* * *

—Then, I’m counting on you, Mr. Noru! Call the Cleanup Team newbie and take him with you when you go.

“…….”

I read the manual I had already mastered once more and put it back in my pocket.

What did I do?

[Mr. Heo-un, I plan to enter around 5 o'clock, so please get some rest.]

[Ah, yes! Understood!]

I’m not taking him in.

And I knew.

‘This is grounds for disciplinary action.’

Probably… no matter what excuse I make, this will be talked about.

It’s not the kind of thing that can be overlooked as "flexibility" for a salaryman earning someone else's money.

But it was meaningless unless I blocked it at the source like this.

‘There’s a high probability that Gwak Je-gang has done something to Jang Heo-un himself.’

I have to prevent him from coming in the first place.

And there was also an effect I was aiming for here, enough to risk disciplinary action… but I’ll think about that again after the exploration is over.

The important thing is this.

……From now on, I had to ride a haunted elevator alone.

“Whew.”

It was the first time I was given time to prepare mentally like this before entering a haunted place alone….

‘Maybe… it was better when I just rushed in without knowing.’

My hands trembled with fear.

And I left Brown at my desk.

‘In this ghost story, the elevator is for one person anyway.’

I didn’t want to leave Brown in front of the elevator and ride it. …Because I didn’t know what would happen.

I asked Manager Lee Ja-heon to check on him occasionally to make sure he was okay, so it should be fine.

‘…Let’s go.’

I entered the confirmed entry building for Qterw-D-718, which the company had found and isolated.

It was a very old rental apartment; the water had already been cut off, but the company was arbitrarily supplying power.

The dark interior smelled of unmanaged, cold staleness.

The shadowed hallway looked as if it stretched endlessly in front of me.

And the machine operating alone.

[5F]

The door of the 1st-floor elevator.

“…….”

I swallowed hard and walked down the hallway.

By the light of the emergency exit sign and the dim lamps, I could see the elevator.

-Under Repair-

We will fix it quickly.

Haengbok Nara Apartment Security Office

Contrary to the text, a tattered piece of paper was already dangling from yellow box tape.

This phenomenon mainly occurs in buildings with only one elevator, and one must be especially careful of elevators that break down frequently or have a sign saying they are under repair.

Yes. This is it.

I called the elevator with trembling hands.

The elevator slowly descends.

5, F, 3, 2…….

[Ding]

I took a deep breath.

Through the opening elevator doors, the rusty and dark interior was visible.

The floor was dirty with soot, as if it hadn't been cleaned properly.

Still, I stepped forward.

If you take a step into the elevator, you can see them attached side by side on the right and left….

Dirty mirrors with handprints.

‘…Whew.’

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

Darkness Exploration Record / Ghost Story

[Don't Look in the Mirror]

The ghost story appearing in:

Baegil-mong Corporation

Identification code is Qterw-D-718.

One of the ritual-type ghost stories that circulated on the internet around 200X.

It is said that if you play

Rock-Paper-Scissors

with yourself in the mirror in the elevator and win, they will tell you the truth to any question.

It is written in a gamebook style that guides you by number on what actions to take according to the supernatural phenomena that occur.

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

[The doors are closing.]

I stood with my back pressed tightly against the only wall without a mirror, watching the closing doors with a somewhat desperate heart.

My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would pop out.

Soon, the elevator closes completely, and darkness and silence arrive.

I stand alone in the dark interior of the stopped elevator….

Along with the mirrors.

“…….”

A few seconds that felt like an eternity passed.

I have to endure it. If I endure….

[Going up.]

Ding.

Even though I didn't press a button, the elevator began to move.

…It had been called somewhere.

All the floor buttons lit up red as if they had been pressed, illuminating the inside of the elevator in a red and sinister way.

It started now.

After boarding the elevator, wait without pressing any buttons.

If the elevator starts moving on its own, you have successfully entered the ghost story.

1. From now until you reach the top floor, play rock-paper-scissors with yourself in the mirror.

If you win even once: Go to number 3.

If you don't win even once: Go to number 13.

“…….”

I swallowed hard and barely managed to move my head to… look at the left mirror.

Inside it, a pale version of me is standing in the elevator.

Countless times.

My front and back views repeated infinitely until they became dots, reflected again in the right mirror behind me.

My appearance getting smaller and smaller, and more and more indistinct….

“…….”

After wiping the sweat from my trembling left hand on my shirt a few times, I finally raised my hand.

And I muttered softly.

“…Rock, paper, scissors.”

Scissors.

The countless versions of me in the mirror are holding up scissors.

Front and back views side by side, all the way….

“Rock, paper, scissors.”

Countless reflections of me holding up a fist appear.

I repeated it a few more times.

Rock-paper-scissors.

Rock-paper-scissors.

Rock-paper-scissors….

“Rock, paper, scissors.”

It was the moment I threw a rock on the fifth round of rock-paper-scissors.

I saw something heterogeneous among my repeating mirror images.

…One of them is flicking its hand open.

Among the images of me with a clenched fist, a single back view with its hand wide open is formed in the mirror beyond.

“…….”

I froze with my hand still raised.

The Kim Sol-eum in the mirror far away, holding an open palm, slowly turns his head….

He looks back at me and smiles.

Broadly.