Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work [Novel] Chapter 32 - Chapter 32 is available as a full text chapter. Published May 16, 2026 and updated May 16, 2026.
Translator: Nox
Chapter 32
Even if you fall into a ghost story, you still have to go to work.
Even if you fall into a ghost story, you still have to go to work. Episode 32.
Even if you fall into a ghost story, you still have to go to work. Episode 032.
The missing manual manager.
My missing fifty million won.
And the missing Blood Bath Tub for the gift (planned).
“…….”
The bigger problem was that Brown, the very party who had demanded the gift, was currently tucked in my bag pocket….
‘He’s probably hearing everything, damn it….’
I’d been carrying him around because leaving him at home felt uneasy in many ways, and I never knew when I’d be pulled into another ghost story. Now, it felt like it had backfired.
It was like… promising a gift to a nephew on Christmas Day, only to find a “Sold Out” sign on the department store shelf.
Except the nephew is Annabelle.
“Phew….”
A sigh escaped me involuntarily.
‘In this world, a manager taking an unannounced leave for a week….’
It was obvious.
It meant they’d been caught up in a ghost story and gone missing.
“Just wait patiently. It’s better for your mental health.”
If I wait patiently and someone else buys that Blood Bath Tub from the Alien Shop first, I won’t be able to keep my ‘promise’ to Brown!
I really don’t want to get on the bad side of a stuffed doll that incinerated an A-Grade Darkness with a snap of its fingers…!
‘I’m going to die, seriously.’
Deputy Manager Eun Haje patted my shoulder before returning to her seat. I sat down and agonized in silence.
What should I do?
Should I wait two months in anxiety and then prostrate myself in apology if the tub gets sold in the meantime?
Should I try to pull out a loan somehow?
Or…….
‘…First, should I look into why he went missing?’
It wasn’t just an excuse to say “I did my best.” There was a chance I could find the manager without facing too much trouble or danger.
The manual was still in my head and on my smartphone.
‘Let’s just check.’
Coincidentally, work had become quite slow since the theme park incident. Plus, I’d finished the paperwork for yesterday’s ghost story exploration.
This meant I could afford to slack off a bit as long as I didn’t blatantly desert the office.
‘The bosses are just drifting in and out of the office anyway.’
Since I was at the bottom of the totem pole, I decided to move around for about an hour after lunch.
The first place to go was….
‘The manager’s desk, obviously.’
Ding.
The elevator doors opened.
Of course, I’d prepared an excuse for this visit.
—Roe Deer wants to visit the manager’s office? Oh dear… then take this with you!
The soft-hearted Assistant Manager let me deliver a ‘training certificate that doesn’t really need to be handed over right now, but wouldn’t look weird if it were.’
‘Thank you, Assistant Manager Park Min-seong….’
In this world of ghost stories filled with psychopaths, what a heartwarming choice.
I entered the administrative support office and looked for a staff member to give the documents to. Conveniently, someone was sitting at the desk next to the missing manual manager’s empty seat.
“I’ve brought documents for Assistant Manager Park Min-seong of Team D.”
“Hm? Leave them there.”
“Yes. Oh, and this….”
I politely held out a bag to the clerk, who was tapping away at a PC without even looking back at me with bored eyes.
Inside were golden-brown donuts, still warm, sprinkled with sugar and bursting with vanilla cream.
And even an iced americano.
‘A bribe is essential for these kinds of things.’
“I bought some while getting food for us. I thought you might like some while you work.”
“…! Oh, you didn’t have to bring all this.”
Despite the words, his hands were nimble as he took the americano and donuts. A true office worker.
“Assistant Manager Kang, pass these around.”
“Huh? Donuts?”
“That person brought them.”
“Wow, thank you! Are you from Team D?”
I watched the administrative staff bite into the donuts as the atmosphere in the office shifted into a subtle tea-time vibe.
The kind of atmosphere where people share trivial gossip.
It was the perfect time for a stranger to slip into the conversation. Especially if they were the snack provider.
I picked my moment carefully and spoke up.
While looking at the empty seat of the manual manager, ‘Lee Byung-jin.’
“Um, should I just leave a coffee at Manager Lee Byung-jin’s desk as well? He doesn’t seem to be here….”
“Ah, just take it back. He hasn’t even shown up for work.”
“Oh, is he on vacation?”
“Vacation? Ha, he’s missing.”
Hooked.
As if it wasn’t even tragic, the employee at the next desk tossed the words out while exchanging glances with the person across from him.
“Honestly, I knew it would end up like this.”
“Hey, hey.”
“What? Everyone’s going to hear the rumors anyway. You there from Team D, you said you were a rookie? What’s your name?”
“Kim Sol-eum.”
“…! Oh, the one who almost ended up in Team A?”
“Um, I think they were just kind enough to look favorably upon me.”
“Wow.”
From somewhere nearby, I heard whispers like, ‘So that was the Team D rookie.’
The employee next to me looked me up and down as if seeing me in a new light, then hid his indifference and spoke.
“Well, I guess you’ll find out anyway if you keep working here, so I’ll tell you.”
Hmm.
“Seriously, even while working at this company, there’s always someone who goes missing after picking up something strange without knowing any better.”
“Excuse me?”
I frowned as if in thought and asked.
“Is that… why he can’t come to work?”
“Exactly. That… what was it? A scroll?”
“A scroll painting, a scroll painting.”
When the person across from him answered as if giving up, the employee next to me chuckled.
“Right, a scroll painting. He said he bought a scroll that would bring him a fortune… He was low-key bragging that he won second place in the lotto after buying it.”
Oh.
Missing after bragging about a financial windfall from a suspicious scroll painting?
‘A classic secondhand item ghost story….’
The setup was a total cliché.
‘Hmm, okay.’
I made a quick decision.
‘I’m out.’
I might end up as a corpse if I jump in just to get my money a bit faster.
So I was preparing to say something like, ‘Wow, that’s terrifying! Well, I’ll be going now….’
“Anyway, if things stay like this, I feel bad for your side.”
For me?
“Hey, hey, why go that far!”
“No, but it’s true. The darkness that went in for manual revision audit is yours, right?”
Yes.
“It’ll be hard to get that through without Manager Lee, who went missing.”
…?!
Wh-what does that mean….
“That manager was originally close with Team A. You know how it is. The so-called… ‘same line’.”
“…!!”
Lines.
The root of office politics.
Interpersonal relationships divided into factions based on which higher-up you’re close to!
And the missing manager was someone who was particularly close to Team A, or in other words, riding the ‘same line’…?
Realization struck me like a bolt of lightning.
‘So that’s why the Team A Leader was so confident!’
No wonder he was so sure about the speed of the manual revision!
“It’s a mystery how the new person will be… but the chances of someone from the same line being appointed are low. Someone from Executive Director Cheong’s side will probably come.”
“…….”
“Things between them and Team A are… well.”
Did I just hear that?
The sound of fifty million won evaporating.
It’s not just coming late; it’s disappearing entirely…!
‘No!’
I spoke before I could help myself.
“By any chance, do you know where that manager disappeared….”
“Actually, there’s an interesting story about that too.”
The person next to me leaned in and whispered.
“There’s a rumor that he disappeared inside the company.”
“…!”
“Someone saw Manager Lee in the lobby arriving for work in the morning. But he never made it to the office.”
“…He vanished in between?”
“Well, who knows the truth. No one can say for sure. No one actually saw him disappear.”
“…….”
No one saw him… I see.
‘Even if there were no people, there might be something else.’
I looked up.
In a corner of the office, the red light of a CCTV camera was glowing.
CCTV.
If he really went missing inside the company, there might be a record left on that device.
‘If it’s a security CCTV used by a company of this size… they probably keep it for about two weeks.’
If so, I could still check.
To get my fifty million won on time, it was urgent to find the missing person’s whereabouts.
…The problem was.
‘In this company, the one managing the CCTV records is… the Security Team.’
And the Security Team is… well.
======================
Immunity from prosecution for lethal force. (Applies to all employees)
That’s right.
So I wanted to avoid them in every way possible, but….
‘Since I’ve joined, it’ll be impossible to never see them for the rest of my life anyway.’
Since things have come to this, let’s check it out while gathering information.
Conscious of Brown in my pocket once more, I headed to the first floor.
Straight to the Security Office where the Security Team was located.
“I just have to go to the basement from here.”
On the outskirts of the first floor, there was a staff-only door leading to a separate basement space. If I followed the stairs down a little, I would see this iron door.
[Security Office]
I raised my hand.
Knock, knock.
—…….
Knock, knock.
—Just come in…….
“…??”
I cautiously opened the door.
Inside a cramped space that looked like a typical facility office, I saw a worn-out sofa in the center.
A person was sprawled over it.
A security guard wearing a faded navy uniform.
……?
“Hello….”
I quickly scanned the person’s uniform name tag.
[Security Team 3 Leader J3]
“Excuse me, Team Leader. Would it be possible to check the CCTV records from a week ago? Someone has gone missing….”
“…….”
A slow reply came back.
“You want to see the CCTV….”
“Yes.”
“Ah….”
The man looked exhausted and bothered by everything.
Stretched out on the old sofa without even introducing himself, the Team 3 Leader spoke slowly.
“Normally, you have to submit a CCTV access request form…….”
Ah.
“But since when has this company cared about that… just watch it.”
“…….”
I wasn’t sure if I should call this kindness or dereliction of duty.
Anyway, since I was the one asking, I offered the remaining snacks as a bribe.
“I thought you might like these for a snack….”
“Ah, donuts.”
His lifeless face brightened instantly. He scrambled off the sofa and snatched the bag.
“I love donuts, but there’s no place that delivers to the company… and I can’t go out during the day, so I don’t get to eat them often…….”
I see.
‘Surprisingly, he doesn’t look that violent.’
But in ghost stories, there’s always the cliché of ‘he doesn’t look like it, but he’s actually a ghost.’
Maintaining my vigilance, I spoke softly.
“Then, is it alright if I head to the CCTV room now?”
“Yes……. But.”
Scratching the back of his head, the man stared at the donuts in agony for a long time before finally speaking.
“There’s a guard to spare, so take one with you and watch……. It might be dangerous…….”
“Ah, thank you.”
I waited for him to call a guard via radio or something.
But he didn’t move an inch.
“…?”
“…?”
“You said you’d assign a guard….”
“Me…….”
He pointed at himself.
“That’s me…….”
…….
“Ah… yes.”
‘Let’s not get involved.’
I should just watch the CCTV and get out quickly.
“You said a week ago….”
“Yes, yes.”
Regardless, I went into the CCTV room with the Security Team Leader and checked the recordings.
My suspicion deepened as he didn’t seem very skilled at operating the equipment, but something else was more important.
“Found him.”
I found the recording of the manager.
I confirmed a middle-aged man entering the lobby and getting into the elevator.
The face matched Manager Lee Byung-jin, the one registered on the company network.
And the long object in his hand.
‘Is that the scroll?’
It certainly wasn’t something one would bring to work. It felt eerie for some reason.
“You’re good at finding things. You could be a security guard….”
Please don’t say such scary things.
“Thank you. I think I was just focused because I’m trying to find the missing person.”
“……A missing person?”
“Yes.”
The man fell silent, looking somewhat flustered.
It seemed like he’d only half-listened to what I said earlier and was just now realizing it. The fact that the Security Team didn’t know someone had vanished inside the company.
“We missed this…….”
“Is it very troublesome for you?”
“No……. It wasn’t during my shift anyway.”
“…….”
“They’ll figure it out on their own….”
I see….
A clear logic from a shift-working employee. I hear you loud and clear.
Continuing to check the elevator CCTV, I was able to identify where the missing manager got off.
The surprising thing was…… the manager hadn’t gone to the upper floors.
“…He went to the basement.”
A floor even lower than this Security Office.
[B2]
The CCTV clearly captured him stumbling out at Basement Level 2.
…It was chilling.
‘What on earth happened?’
Why would an administrative employee suddenly go down to the basement as if possessed?
‘That’s a place where only the Security Department has access.’
I’d heard that even the Security Department only goes there for patrols, so what was going on?
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
I hurriedly looked away from the empty elevator.
‘From here on, even just watching the CCTV feels dangerous for me.’
I might have gotten away with it so far, but this felt different.
The basement floor of a mysterious pharmaceutical company that gathers raw materials from ghost stories.
A place where regular employees have no access and no idea what goes on?
‘Even in the manual, it was described like some kind of creepypasta!’
This was it. Time to wash my hands of this and leave.
Avoiding the CCTV as much as possible, I bowed my head to the Security Team Leader.
“Thank you for showing me. I’ll be going now….”
“……The restroom.”
“…?”
“The person you’re looking for. He went into an unused men’s restroom in the basement…….”
“…….”
“He didn’t come out. Not for a whole week.”
I desperately avoided looking at the CCTV.
However, this Security Team Leader seemed to have already checked B2, where the missing person had entered, on his own whim.
“Want to go… to the restroom?”
“I don’t have access to the basement floors.”
“I’m going though….”
Yes. Since it’s your workplace, I suppose you would.
Please go and find the missing person, I’d be very gratef—
“Let’s go together……. We can just say you’re a Security Team recruit or something.”
Excuse me?!
“No, you don’t have to go that far,”
“Let’s go….”
No!!
How did things end up like this?
‘I even got a uniform.’
I was riding the maintenance elevator wearing the navy uniform of a regular Security Team agent.
My mind was a haze, trying to process the situation.
‘I was talked into it….’
—It’s fine. The Field Exploration Team sometimes comes for support duty anyway…….
Isn’t that a disciplinary measure?
Anyway, it had been confirmed that even if word got out about me going to the basement, it wouldn’t escalate into a major issue.
I’d scrambled to contact Team D and had it processed as official support duty, so there shouldn’t be any disciplinary problems….
I suppose I should be glad my social skills with my superiors paid off.
‘Still, my head is spinning.’
I came all this way just to buy a Blood Bath Tub.
At this point, even if I can’t pull in the fifty million, Brown should acknowledge my effort.
Ding.
The elevator chimed and the doors opened.
Basement Level 2.
Even though it was the same sound, it felt sinister for some reason. What appeared was….
A hallway lined with ordinary offices.
“…….”
Why… are there offices in the basement?
‘Shouldn’t there be safety equipment or facilities here…?’
The office hallway, with its slightly dim lighting, was very quiet, and there were opaque glass doors everywhere.
Office A, B, C… nameplates were attached.
The Security Team Leader whispered.
“Don’t open the doors….”
“Understood.”
Even if you hadn’t said that, I wouldn’t have dreamt of touching a single thing.
I walked slowly, keeping my eyes only on the back of the Security Team Leader.
It was then.
—Roe Deer-ssi?
“…!”
—To think you would wear such drab clothes just to give this Brown a gift! It is truly touching, but it also breaks my heart. Should my friend have to do such menial work?
They were very kind words.
But the thing was.
‘…How are you talking to me?’
The ‘Good Friend’ could only talk and move inside a ghost story…. Which meant.
I was already inside a ghost story.
“Ah, we’re here.”
The Security Team Leader stopped walking.
In front of a restroom door where a pale light leaked out.
“I’m opening the door….”
“Wait,”
But before I could even finish my sentence, the restroom door swung open.
Creak.
Amidst the flickering lights, the space beyond the door revealed itself….
“…….”
‘Are you kidding me?’
The restroom was drenched in dark red ink.
As if an artery had been slashed, the splattered ink covered the restroom mirror like blood.
I froze completely.
I couldn’t even scream.
But in the next moment, my sense of smell awakened my reason.
‘There’s almost no smell of iron.’
That isn’t all blood.
But it didn’t smell like normal ink either. This was….
‘…Calligraphy ink?’
Tap, tap.
Brown tapped me from my pocket.
‘Warning.’
I snapped to attention.
The Security Team Leader reached out as he looked around the restroom.
“Don’t touch it….”
Poke.
“Excuse me…?”
I was screwed.
The moment the Security Team Leader touched the ink with his index finger.
The dark red liquid in the restroom began to swirl like a wave.
“…!!”
I tried to turn and run immediately, but the thick black liquid reached out like countless hands and snatched my feet, dragging me back.
Aaaargh!!
‘Damn it, damn it…!’
I barely managed to stay on my hands and knees without collapsing. The liquid splashed onto my chin as I struggled. Curses rose to the tip of my tongue.
The moment I turned my head to somehow grasp the situation, I saw the source of it.
“The scroll!”
On the restroom mirror was a scroll painting with its center shredded.
The blood-like ink was being sucked into the empty, slashed middle of the scroll.
Which meant my feet were being dragged toward it as well.
As if a living creature were pulling me…… wait, living?
Like blood?
‘Vampire Cutlery…!’
I pulled out a fork and stabbed it into the floor.
The bright silver fork trembled, then began to greedily absorb the surrounding ink.
“Ah!”
It was working!
But it was too much for a dessert fork the size of a finger to handle.
Ping.
The cutlery was flung away.
‘Damn it!’
Just like that, I was sucked into the scroll.
“Gah!”
I looked up.
Through my dark and hazy vision, I saw wallpaper with old, crinkled patterns.
It was an unfamiliar place.
‘…An abandoned house?’
I caught my breath and waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness.
And then, and then….
I realized.
What I saw wasn’t wallpaper.
Talismans.
Old, tattered talismans were plastered all over the walls made of rotting wood.
“……!”
It was heavy.
As if the air were pressing down on my shoulders, a strange pressure dominated this dark and chilly room.
……Something was wrong.
I felt like a rat that had crawled into the wrong place in the wrong way.
“…….”
I clenched my trembling fists.
But there was nothing to hold onto.
‘…It’s gone.’
The Vampire Cutlery had disappeared.
Breaking out in a cold sweat, I breathed slowly, slowly, to prevent hyperventilation…….
“Excuse me…!”
I nearly fainted.
“Y-you there! Are you a police officer, by any chance…??”
I looked up.
I wasn’t alone in the dark abandoned house.
Small figures huddled in a corner were staring at me.
They were… children.
‘Middle school uniforms.’
The students cried out, on the verge of tears.
“Please help us! W-we touched some strange painting, and now we can’t get out of here!”
