Translator: Nox

Chapter 16

Even If I Fall into a Ghost Story, I Still Have to Go to Work

Episode 16

Job Rotation.

It refers to a change in duties or departments in the place where one primarily works.

It’s something that usually happens once your tenure reaches the scale of years.

Which means, it is absolutely not something you say to a recruit on their third day of work!

“…If you mean a job rotation, does that mean I have to transfer departments?”

I desperately suppressed the urge to snap back with, ‘What on earth are you talking about right after I had a nice lunch?’ and asked politely instead.

“No, well… it’s like this. Did you see the official notice? It just went up.”

“…?!”

At the ominous premonition, I immediately checked the intranet.

[Qterw-D-43 Special Incident Resolution Employee Reward Notice]

…Qterw-D-43 was the Tuesday Quiz Show.

And to summarize the contents….

-Wow! Some team resolved a special incident in a D-rank horror and extracted A-rank essence? Whoa, now that’s performance! We’re awarding this team a total of 100,000 points!

-Hey, you see that? You guys can do it too! So throw your work-life balance to the dogs and work like oxen to get those points! Follow Team D’s example!

……And there, listed as a major contributor receiving 40,000 points, the three syllables of my name, ‘Kim Sol-eum,’ were clearly etched.

“…….”

I wished this were a dream.

And the more terrifying part was this: if this notice was what triggered the job rotation, then just what….

I felt a chill as I looked at the hollow-eyed Deputy Manager.

“Did you see it?”

“Yes.”

“Right. Team D… well, we achieved some unusual results this time.”

No way.

“Have we been reassigned as a team?”

“Not exactly reassigned, but the workload is changing.”

The Deputy Manager downed his coffee in one shot.

“Up until now, they mainly gave us horrors to manage where the higher-ups had already completed the manuals.”

Wait.

“Now they want us to go into ‘Darkness’ where the manuals haven’t been completed yet!”

“…!!”

To put it simply, they were going to throw us into horrors with zero data!

“I mean, you do one thing well and they try to shove you somewhere even harder… Hah.”

The Assistant Manager was already slumped over his desk, head buried in his arms, as if he’d already heard the news. Even caffeine didn’t seem to be working.

“Good afternoon.”

And just then, the lizard-headed Team Leader walked into the office. The Deputy Manager practically spat fire.

“Team Leader! Entering Darkness without manuals! Isn’t this just telling us all to go die?”

“…? No.”

“Pardon?”

The Deputy Manager’s face flickered with a faint hope that maybe there was a way out….

“There is no guarantee of safety even when a manual is completed.”

“…….”

Ah, so that’s what he meant…….

‘That lizard really has a hell of a personality….’

I barely managed to open my mouth.

“Still, wouldn’t it be more dangerous without a manual? Since there’s no data.”

The lizard tilted his head.

“I’m not sure. I haven’t felt much of a difference.”

“…….”

Right, I forgot he was the type to exorcise things physically….

‘So you’ve just been powering through everything with brute force up until now….’

I decided to just ask point-blank.

“Are there any advantages to the current situation?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of advantages?”

“Additional points are allocated.”

“…!”

Park Minseong Assistant Manager’s head snapped up.

They truly were point-crazy people.

“Is it… is it a lot, Team Leader?”

“Yes.”

“How much?”

“On average, three to four times the points compared to Darkness of the same grade.”

“…!”

“By any chance, what’s the maximum point multiplier you’ve seen…?”

“Fifteen times.”

Suddenly, the eyes of the Deputy Manager and the Assistant Manager changed.

‘They have the eyes of stock traders.’

It was the exact expression of people about to buy into a bio-junk stock after hearing a rumor about a new drug.

It seemed that 30,000 points had been irresistibly sweet….

Normally, in this situation, a rational person would try to stop them… but, well… actually… for me.

‘It’s a guaranteed winning stock….’

To me, it makes no difference whether there’s a manual or not.

Because I already know the exploration records in more detail than any manual!

If that was the case.

‘Isn’t this just a triple-point event…?’

And so, a moment later.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Team D accepted the new duties without a single objection and moved out.

‘Let’s earn some points.’

The destination was the 17th floor.

“The Development Division mainly uses the 17th through 20th floors.”

The Deputy Manager grimaced as he jabbed the elevator button.

“And the 17th floor is… specifically where the researchers who scout for new Darkness are located.”

Ding.

As the elevator doors opened, a white, artificial interior of a hybrid office—a typical mix of laboratory and workspace—came into view.

And a person already waiting in front reached out a hand.

“Whoa~ Is this the guy? Incredible, simply incredible~”

Definitely a superior.

I reflexively shook the hand being offered.

“I’m Kim Sol-eum. I look forward to working with you.”

“Oh, good manners too.”

The man in the white lab coat and glasses looked quite young, but since this was a bizarre world where you couldn’t trust appearances, I decided not to jump to conclusions.

Anyway, that supervisor from the other department looked back at me after greeting the members of Team D.

“I’m Kwak Jegaeng from Research Team 1. Nice to meet you. I’ll be in your care~”

“…! It’s a pleasure.”

Our team’s Deputy Manager whispered to me.

“Don’t be intimidated. He’s just a measly Section Chief.”

Aren’t you just a Deputy Manager yourself…?

And the reason I was surprised wasn’t because the man was a Section Chief.

It was because I knew who he was.

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

Researcher Kwak Jegaeng

: An employee of Research Team 1 in the Raw Materials Development Department of Baekilmong Corporation who appears in <The Urban Legend Explorer’s Records>.

One of the research staff frequently mentioned in the early records of exploring newly registered Darkness in the company.

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

Another named character had appeared.

‘His personality is… well.’

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

A rare case among employees described directly as ‘cheerful and sociable.’

However…….

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

Hmm.

I kept my thoughts to myself and walked quietly behind my teammates.

“Well, we’ll be seeing a lot of each other from now on. Right, Section Chief Lee Jaheon?”

“Yes.”

…….

Oh, right.

“Could you tell me why?”

“Yes.”

The lizard finally explained.

“Research Team 1 researches and standardizes the methods for entering new Darkness. Therefore, we will frequently encounter Team D, who will be exploring new Darkness that has not yet been manualized.”

In short, this was the team that would be giving us our work.

‘So they find the new Darkness here and hand it over to the Field Exploration Team’s vanguard….’

“Aigo, Section Chief Lee, you always make things sound so difficult. And you’re not even a researcher!”

The Research Team Section Chief clapped the lizard Section Chief on the back. The lizard’s lidless pupils whipped toward him as if in confusion.

Somehow, it felt like I was watching a thriller movie in real-time….

“Now, now, anyway, the Darkness for today’s entry is ready~ Grab your Dream Collectors, and right!”

An expression of ‘Who does this guy from another department think he is, telling us the obvious?’ flashed across the Deputy Manager’s face, but it didn’t make it past his lips thanks to the Assistant Manager’s desperate gesturing.

“Check the records of the civilians who went in and out, and the records of the one team that entered before.”

Lee Jaheon Section Chief took the documents handed over by the research team.

Meanwhile, someone tapped me on the shoulder.

“…?”

I turned around to find a Research Team employee grinning as he spoke to me.

“Hey, want to bet on whether it’s D-rank or F-rank?”

“Pardon?”

“No, we’re just running a small bet with some money among ourselves. You should try it too. It’ll be fun.”

“I’m fine.”

I answered instantly.

‘Is this guy sane?’

What if an audit happens… No, come to think of it, he’s openly talking about gambling right in front of his direct superior.

I reflexively looked back at the Research Team Section Chief.

The Section Chief shrugged.

“What’s the harm? A little betting isn’t going to make a living person die.”

“…….”

“Haha. Oh, look at that poker face. You’ve got guts, Sol-eum?”

It’s because I’m so flabbergasted that my facial muscles forgot how to work.

‘Isn’t this crossing the line a bit too much for a workplace?’

I suppose I should have expected as much from a researcher in an internet ghost story setting.

“Well, I’m joking. This Darkness isn’t something to get all worked up over life or death. Plenty of civilians have escaped after entering… Ugh, the Planning Team kids had a rough time smoothing things over because the Disaster Management Bureau was raising hell again~”

“…….”

When Team D didn’t particularly play along, the Research Team 1 Section Chief just smiled thinly and organized the remaining documents.

“Hmph.”

And the Research Team employee who had mentioned the bet also looked over here with an annoyed expression before crossing his arms in a spectating stance.

‘Is it really okay to live your work life like that…?’

I didn’t feel great about it, but then again, it was hard to feel good at work anyway.

The important thing was this Darkness we just received.

Just what kind of ghost story was it?

“Ah, Roe Deer should see it too.”

“Yes.”

I took the documents my superior handed me.

‘Hopefully, it’s something I know.’

Besides, hearing that many civilians had escaped made it sound better. At worst, wouldn’t it be around D-rank?

I should be able to handle most things.

So, let’s not be nervous….

“Roe Deer, did you read it? Something about portraits of clowns… Ah, if you see a pierrot advertisement, you get dragged in?”

A pierrot advertisement…?!

No way, that…….

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

Darkness Exploration Record / Urban Legend

[Pierrot Hates You]

: An urban legend appearing in <The Urban Legend Explorer’s Records>, identification code Qterw-D-210 in Baekilmong Corporation.

A ghost story about wandering eternally in a place where an endless corridor is lined with various clown portraits.

If you look closely, they aren’t wearing actual clown makeup, but are people grotesquely distorted to look like clowns, forced into smiling faces.

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

“…….”

Oh no.

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

The longer you stay, the more distorted and bizarre the portraits that appear.

People who go missing in this urban legend become new clown portraits.

Honestly, exploration records with this level of full-on horror movie vibes are rare.

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

Wow.

I scanned the preliminary exploration records I’d been handed with trembling eyes.

…….

It was the one.

‘It’s… it’s here.’

A full-on horror theme, scarier than the convenience store ghost.

“Haha, well then, get in there!”

Excuse me!

Please just cancel the triple-point event! I’m not going!

---

But of course, such words don’t work in the real world….

“…….”

I opened my eyes. I saw a corridor as dark as… well, as dark as my future.

But it was an old wall plastered with all sorts of clown portraits with bizarre expressions.

‘F-Fuck.’

Everything from the entry method here was too terrifying.

1. Watch a Wetube ad where a red-nosed clown laughs like a madman at the person beyond the screen.
2. A clown’s hand appears, reaching out from around a corner in any enclosed indoor corridor.
3. If you approach, your wrist is suddenly grabbed, and you are dragged into this ‘corridor.’

I thought I was going to faint from that moment on.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

My eyes darted around. The exploration records of the horrible things that happened if you approached any wall were vividly replaying in my head.

A cold sweat broke out.

‘Honestly, I think anyone would be scared here, not just me….’

“Hmm. It’s not that dark? We might not even need the flashlights.”

“Section Chief! Should we dark-adapt for a bit before moving?”

“Yes. Close your eyes for 60 seconds.”

“Yes sir!” came the Assistant Manager’s cheerful reply.

“…….”

Are you serious?

How can you say that so casually—to close our eyes for a minute together in a dark corridor filled with portraits staring at us chillingly?

“Roe Deer, close your eyes too.”

I guess that’s how it was.

“Yes.”

I pretended to close my eyes while staring at the floor, breaking out in a cold sweat.

I just realized.

These people.

They fundamentally don’t feel fear.

Unless it’s a truly life-threatening situation, their fear threshold is insanely high!

They’re the type who don’t watch horror movies because they’re ‘not interesting,’ making comments like, ‘Hey, the scariest thing is actually people’!

‘Well, I guess that’s why they work as employees here!’

Even so, once those bizarre portraits start coming to life and moving, it would be hard to react like that….

“Mmm… if you approach or poke the portraits, they occasionally crawl out and chase you.”

“Ah, that’s right. Then the painting becomes empty, and apparently a few people have used that as a passage to return to reality.”

“I see.”

The Section Chief’s calm voice drifted over.

“Poke every portrait you see.”

I almost screamed.

“Yessir! If anything actually comes to life and jumps out, I’ll signal and run immediately!”

“Yes. We will repeat the attempts on an hourly basis.”

“Ah, you said they crawl, right? It’s good that their mobility is low.”

“Exactly. Oh, right, Roe Deer! I saw it earlier, there’s a clown with weird eyes over there on the left? Doesn’t it look like some kind of movie poster?”

“…….”

“His appearance is similar to a missing civilian. I guess that’s what happens if you go missing here.”

I looked up and saw it.

In the eerie darkness, a portrait of someone with a button instead of a left eye was caked in colorful clown makeup, forced into a broad grin that bared their teeth.

‘…It moved.’

The pupil of the remaining eye definitely moved.

“…….”

“Roe Deer, do you want to touch that one first?”

N-No!! No, really! Please, just stop!

“……Y-Yes.”

What do you mean, ‘yes’? I can’t even get close to it.

A powerful premonition struck the back of my head.

I… I… I can’t survive here if I try to keep up with these crazy people’s pace.

“Then Roe Deer will take the top left portraits….”

“Wait a moment.”

“Hmm?”

I have to go for it!

“I think I’ve figured out the escape method.”

“W-What?”

It hasn’t even been a minute since we entered, but anyway, I’ve figured it out! Please believe me!

“I inferred it from the previous civilian escape records.”

Had my brain ever worked this fast?

‘I can’t give these people who think courage tests are useless a turn!’

“First of all, you must not touch the other portraits.”

“Eh? Why?”

Because I’m scared.

Of course, my mouth said something else.

“…There must be a specific correct answer.”

Is this what survival instinct feels like?

I immediately took out the Toy Coin I’d pulled as gear and summoned the translucent glove into the air.

Then, I handed over twenty 500-won coins to the glove as if dumping them.

The glove stiffened for a moment like a Wetuber who just received a huge donation, then spun happily in the air before merging into my hand.

“Wait, is that Roe Deer’s gear?”

“Yes. I can touch objects remotely.”

“Oh.”

With this, at least I wouldn’t have to personally approach and touch the clowns.

But I nodded seriously, as if I had some other intention.

“From now on… I want to see as many portraits as possible while running. Because we have to find the correct answer.”

I turned to Section Chief Lee Jaheon.

“And from now on, the portrait I describe is the correct one.”

“…….”

“I would appreciate it if you could tell me as soon as you spot it. Is that alright?”

And if this worked, I wouldn’t even have to look closely at every single clown portrait myself!

‘Of course, if the reaction is something like “Where does a rookie get off acting out?”, then I’m finished….’

But Section Chief Lee Jaheon didn’t seem like the type steeped in a sense of authority!

Even if his head was a lizard! Even if his way of thinking was completely lizard-like!

“Yes.”

It worked!

A surge of relief washed down my spine, nearly making my legs give out, but I strained to keep my composure and nodded.

“Then, I’ll run.”

I was acting as if I was testing a brilliant and cool hypothesis that required running….

‘Actually, it’s not really necessary…….’

The escape method here is unexpectedly easy.

‘Even if you touch other portraits to your heart’s content, it doesn’t affect finding the right answer…….’

It’s a method that a brave person could do while just strolling leisurely alone….

However, I had already learned my lesson.

It was the lesson I’d gained from playing tag with a ghost in the convenience store.

What is the way for a coward to survive?

‘A speedrun!’

Let’s go, mid-level escape from the haunted house!