Even if I fall into a ghost story, I still have to go to work
Chapter 30
As soon as I thought about needing a large sum of money, an unfamiliar profile contacted me asking if I needed money.
But this is inside a ghost story.
[K.LEE: Mr. Employee? hehe]
It seems like the wise choice would be to scream, block them, and leave the chat room, but...
‘It also feels a bit too typical.’
Since I'm inside a ghost story, let's listen to some ghost story-like advice.
I lowered the 'Good Friend' under the bed, turned off the lights, and summoned Brown using the usual shadow-casting method.
Except this time, I used a small flashlight I bought on my way home from work.
-Oh,
Friend
!
Brown, who regained consciousness this time with almost no delay, recalled my escape method from the previous ghost story and seemed quite amused before immediately grasping the current situation.
A message from a stranger mentioning a large sum of money!
-Suspicious! But isn't curiosity that doesn't overlook suspiciousness the very virtue of a show?
-Of course, it would be even better if shiny gold followed!
The stuffed doll sounded like a dopamine addict, but seeing that reaction, I confirmed it wasn't a ghost story-related phenomenon, so that was enough.
‘In that case.’
I simply asked a question in the chat room.
[Kim Sol-eum: Who is this?]
An answer came back immediately.
Honestly, I thought there was a high chance I'd get something like "hehe, your friend~" at best.
Surprisingly, it was a proper introduction.
[K.LEE: I'm Deputy Manager Lee Kang-heon from Team C hehe]
"...!!"
‘Team C?’
That's another elite team.
Why on earth are they contacting me... No, they're revealing their identity down to their rank so readily?
[K.LEE: Mr. Employee, I heard you rejected the scout offer from Team A today!!! lololol]
Whoops.
[K.LEE: Wow, that's some crazy spirit! I've never seen such a capable newbie lol]
[K.LEE: You rejected it this time, but maybe I'll see you in another elite team next year? Is someone finally coming out who takes the route to the elite team as soon as they become a Supervisor? Just saying lol]
Are you wearing some kind of special equipment that makes your typing faster...?
Before I could even type a single character in response, sentences poured out like bombs.
I barely managed to pull myself together and sent one sentence.
[Kim Sol-eum: Yes, nice to meet you, Deputy Manager Lee Kang-heon.]
[K.LEE: Oh, don't mention it. Let's greet each other and grab a meal if we bump into each other at the company later. I know a really good charcoal-grilled chicken galbi place nearby! hehe]
[K.LEE: Oops, I talked too much. Anyway, the purpose of contacting you today is!]
The atmosphere changed.
[K.LEE: Mr. Employee, you need a lot of money, right?]
"......."
[K.LEE: Right about now is the timing to wish you had a bit more money... Since kids with some potential right before becoming Supervisor try to open up routes to get personal items lol]
[K.LEE: I heard you already have your own dedicated equipment. Then I bet you're looking for ways to get items through word of mouth?]
I don't have anything like that.
‘I just went to the alien shopping mall I already knew about...’
[K.LEE: All of that costs money, you know hehe]
[K.LEE: Don't waste your time and money buying meals and drinks for seniors for no reason, just hear it from me hehe]
Hmm.
[Kim Sol-eum: I'm very grateful for the offer, but why are you telling me this?]
[K.LEE: Because I want to get close? hehe]
At least put some effort into your lie...
[K.LEE: Do you want to hear it? hehe]
I pondered for a moment.
-My! Mr. Roe Deer, I smell a cheap medicine peddler in these letters. He doesn't seem like the type to appear on a classy professional channel.
-But... cheap things have their uses in their own way.
-If you coax them gently...
I typed.
[Kim Sol-eum: No.]
-...!?
[K.LEE: ???????]
[K.LEE: Ah, Mr. Employee, you're good at joking hehe. As expected of the one who broke the record for the fastest accumulated points hehe]
-Kim Sol-eum: I'll just ask the Section Chief.
-Kim Sol-eum: I hope you have a good night.
-K.LEE: Wai;t
-K.LEE: Hey, wait a second
-K.LEE: No, are you Section Chief Lee Ja-heon's cousin by any chance?;; Your personalities are identical]
I'd rather you just swear at me...
Anyway, since he didn't know my personality well yet, this kind of bluffing worked well.
The other party hurriedly poured out messages.
-K.LEE: Ah, I'm not taking any money, so just listen, seriously. I don't make these kinds of offers often!;; T_T
And then KakaoTalk messages came in rapid succession.
-K.LEE: (Link)
Along with a link to some internet page.
-K.LEE: If you need seed money or items, try going in. You can just designate me as the inviter, hawaiib53. From the perspective of someone who has read it, it was just overflowing with junk items, meaningless props, or false information.
In short, it felt like an occult second-hand trade site that wasn't very professional (by industry standards).
I rubbed my forehead and said,
"Is it a place with more ordinary people than insiders?"
-Hmm. Originally, popularity inevitably leads to a decrease in professionalism! Preventing that requires great effort and trouble... but this place feels intentionally neglected.
-Enthusiasts without professionalism tend to buy even trivial things at high prices.
It's just like the psychology of tearing off pieces of the stage floor where a star once stood!
No, that's a souvenir and it's real, so that's understandable.
The problem is that this place is full of fakes.
But even those showed traces of transactions completed at quite high prices.
"......."
‘Right. In this world, supernatural phenomena aren't officially recognized.’
The government, fearing social anomie, and corporations, wanting to keep trade secrets, are all keeping quiet while secretly investigating ghost stories.
However, civilian casualties must already be widespread.
Since ominous rumors and experiences would be circulating secretly among ordinary people, it wasn't strange for a site like this to exist.
Moreover, looking at the prices compared to the items being traded made me even more dizzy.
‘One million won for a single sheet...’
It's like monthly rent deposits are flying back and forth.
I don't know if it's because survival is at stake or if there's a Veblen effect even for occult items, but...
‘Maybe I can sell something here too?’
If that employee who introduced me really is a Deputy Manager from Team C, it seemed that employees working at 'Baegil-mong Corporation' were secretly selling junk items or information through this place.
That actually bothered me.
‘The moment I cross the line, I'll definitely get caught in an audit...’
So, let's create a safety measure.
I logged out of my current account and created a new one.
The name, hmm......
[Blue Friend]
-‘
Friend
’! Did you make it thinking of me? My, how touching!
It's true since I combined what roughly came to mind with what I saw.
And for the recommender ID, I put in the account I first made earlier.
"Done."
-Ho-oh. So you're creating a new identity to avoid tracking!
Correct.
I plan to trade items that an employee wouldn't likely have, or things that might get caught in an audit, through this account.
‘This way, hopefully, the purchase won't be traced.’
"Of course, I'll leave a few transaction records with the first account I made too."
-To avoid suspicion. Excellent.
With the previous account, I plan to handle things that a 'Baegil-mong Corporation employee' would likely trade within a range that doesn't cross the line.
Now that the social life part is over, let's get to the main point.
What should I sell?
‘First... reselling items bought from the alien shop won't work.’
Look at how amateur this site is. It would cause a massive uproar.
Well, anyway, I'm too busy buying useful items from the alien shop to have the leisure to look for such price differences.
I scrolled through the Salmon Market by the latest posts.
Is there anything that won't stand out too much, but that I can sell to make money...
[Buying food derived from supernatural phenomena.]
Oh?
---------------------
[Buying food derived from supernatural phenomena.]
For research purposes.
Preference for strong supernatural phenomena (Disaster Management Agency waveform or higher).
40.0
---------------------
-This guy is here again
-Ah, the food I'm looking for is Type 1 waveform, 'for research purposes'. (Adjusts glasses) lolololol
-Isn't this person a macro? Seems to be posted every day
-You occult otaku, please come out of your own world. What on earth is a Disaster Management Agency waveform?
Only a few comments of ridicule and teasing from people remained.
However....
‘...It's real.’
The Disaster Management Agency was a government agency that served as one of the three major powers along with Baegil-mong Corporation.
My merch, the Memorial Griptok, was also an item issued to civil servants by this agency.
‘And the Supernatural Disaster Management Agency classifies the risk level of ghost stories by "Hyeong" (Sentence/Penalty)...’
The "Pahyeong" (Broken Sentence) mentioned in this post was also an actual rank. In terms of Baegil-mong Corporation, it's slightly above Grade C.
This person is truly 'someone who knows'.
I stared at the page blankly.
‘If they're a real insider, there's a high chance I won't get ripped off.’
Mentioning technical terms that a layperson wouldn't know without explanation in the post itself lowers the probability of a scam.
It was an element that increased transaction reliability.
Moreover, look at the price.
40.0?
‘That's forty million won.’
At this level, even if someone didn't know anything, they might try contacting them just in case.
Sure enough, looking through previous posts, the topic had already come up in the comments.
-Wow, but it's forty million won... Anyone tried contacting them after seeing this?
└I actually contacted them with the intention of selling, but they disappeared after asking about the source a few times lol
└Everyone got left on read lol They're just a roleplayer, don't bother
No, that's not it.
‘From the sounds of it, they were ignored because the ghost story wasn't of Pahyeong rank or higher.’
However, I happened to have something in my possession that perfectly fit the preference.
Something suspicious, with unknown effects, that I wouldn't dare dream of consuming myself...
‘...I have it.’
Two bags of it, even.
The snack I received from the blue dragon mascot at the theme park.
"......."
-Ah, that filthy food!
It's not exactly... filthy.
But you see.
‘A good child needs war funds.’
The mascot will understand. Yes.
[Blue Friend: Hello, sir ^^ I can sell the food derived from supernatural phenomena you're looking for!]
Message sent!
* * *
The next day.
‘It just happens to be the weekend.’
I ended up waiting for the person I was meeting near Gwanghwamun Station.
In my hand was a box containing one bag of 'Blue Soda Churros' I received from the mascot.
‘I... handled myself okay, right.’
I recalled the messages I exchanged with the buyer yesterday.
A reply came almost immediately after I sent the message.
[T: What exactly is the food?]
This was the turning point.
I had two choices.
Showing that I know what the Supernatural Disaster Management Agency is and what the Pahyeong rank is, providing trust with professional knowledge.
Or...
[Blue Friend: It's like some kind of churros. Honestly, I'm not sure... T_T I received it in a very strange situation.]
[Blue Friend: But I'm scared to keep it... and I really need the money. Could you check it and buy it if it meets your conditions?]
Pretending not to know like this and leaving all the judgment to the other party.
And my choice worked well.
‘To be honest, the second part was all true anyway.’
I also didn't feel like getting caught being an employee.
Anyway, that's why I'm out here near Exit 5 of Gwanghwamun Station, 7 minutes before the appointment time, waiting for the other party.
‘If the vibe feels off, I'm running immediately.’
As I was feeling nervous just in case, I saw someone looking around while coming toward Exit 5 from Cheonggye Plaza.
‘Oh.’
Their eye movements were exactly like someone who came for a second-hand trade.
The person, tall and wrapped in black clothes from head to toe, even wearing a mask, approached me as our eyes met and said,
"Are you Salmon..."
I nodded.
And immediately opened the box and held it out.
It was a sign for them to check.
"......."
The other party quietly reached out.
They were wearing gloves on that hand too.
The voice was quite young, but to think they'd come so bundled up that it was hard to deduce their identity.
‘I'm not exactly one to talk.’
In fact, I was also wearing everything from a hat to glasses.
I pulled down my hood and watched the other party's movements. If they tried to grab it and run, I'd have to move first.
The prospective buyer swept their gloved hand over the box once, then nodded and grabbed the box.
Hmm?
"It's the item I was looking for."
Then they handed me a small drink box.
When they slightly opened the box for me, I could see the inside filled with 50,000 won bills before it was closed again.
"......."
The other party seemed to be looking at me as if asking what more I was waiting for.
It's a bit of a shame I can't ask Brown, but...
‘First, the task at hand.’
I set the box on the ground.
"...?"
After giving the other party a polite bow, I took a notebook out of my pocket.
"...??"
And I flipped the page open toward the buyer.
[I do not know the effects of this food.]
[It wasn't dangerous to have, but just in case, it might be better not to eat it.]
[You said you'd research it, but I wrote this just in case.]
"......!"
I couldn't see their expression, but the other party seemed a bit flustered.
‘You might wonder what kind of performance this is all of a sudden...’
Sorry. I don't want my voice to be recognized.
I gave another polite bow, then flipped to the last page, politely took the drink box, and ran off.
[Have a nice day ^^]
* * *
"Good."
I deposited the cash I received immediately and returned home.
Since it was the weekend, Baek Sa-heon was already gone from the company housing. Seeing how he's been in and out, I wonder if he's going to his family home or something.
At any rate.
"Now it's time to access the alien shopping mall."
I revived the link.
