Translator: Nox

Chapter 37

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 37.

Even if you fall into a ghost story, you still have to go to work. 037.

Saint U’s Peek-a-boo.

According to the middle schoolers, it was the final group album of a famous female idol who had made a spectacular comeback a few years ago after a long hiatus.

The addictive, bright, and cheerful pre-release track had stayed on the music charts for a long time.

Now, that song was echoing through the gloomy, dark, fog-shrouded forest, accompanied by rhythmic clapping.

Clap.

“My sharp gaze catches you in an instant, but I have no intention of approaching first….”

“I’ll wait, pretending I’m not, until you come to me. Very comfortably.”

Cuz Predators never move first…. The adults did their best to sing along, even if their attempts were clumsy.

Clap.

“Right, hurry and get ready. I’m an elegant tiger, and the moment you approach—Peek-a-boo!”

The upbeat, exciting melody continued.

Perhaps because they were singing together, the children’s expressions gradually softened, and their voices grew stronger.

“Peek-a-boo! Here I come, stay on your toes! I’m a tiger. My eyes sparkle even in the dark!”

—‘As you walk along the path raising the tune, place the scapegoat intended for sacrifice at the very end.’

However, at the very end of the line, instead of a person, a palm-sized purple mountain ginseng was dangling and swaying like a bundle.

The Security Team Leader followed at the rear, carrying the stick with the ginseng slung over his shoulder like a bag of trash.

While Go Seon-ha kept glancing back at it suspiciously, the man himself was humming along quite enjoyably.

“Peek-a-boo! I’ll bewitch you and make you lose your mind. Peek-a-boo. Right, stay on your toes.”

Clap.

I signaled for the group to stop.

‘The thirtieth time.’

The people hesitated for a moment before bowing deeply as if performing a New Year’s greeting, then stood back up.

And the song continued.

“Peek-a-boo!”

The trail gradually became flatter and easier to walk.

—‘The path ends when the tune ends. If you find a small snake hole in a place where no grass grows, thank the Mountain Lord for his mercy and reach inside.’

—‘Your hands must be coated in well water mixed with salt.’

By the time the second verse ended and the final chorus began, the scenery around us had changed.

The trees that had been dense enough to brush against our faces thinned out, and the grayish-white fog grew thicker.

Instinctively, everyone realized it.

‘We’re almost there…!’

The people’s faces were a mix of tension, hope, and vigilance.

But as calmly as possible, they sang the song to the end.

“Peek-a-boo, right, stay on your toes….”

Clap.

Down to the very last line.

“Now I’m coming for you.”

Our footsteps stopped.

“……”

“……”

The path had ended.

Ahead of the blocked trail was a wide-open clearing.

“Th-there are no trees.”

The people’s pace quickened. Through the thick fog, the result of the ritual finally revealed itself before our eyes.

“Now, the snake hole…!”

A massive reservoir.

“……”

“……”

‘What is this?’

A vast, black expanse of water from which fog endlessly rolled out.

The people came to a halt, their faces masks of bewilderment and terror.

They looked as if they couldn’t comprehend what was happening.

“Wh-why….”

“U-uh, a snake hole was supposed to appear, uh….”

What?

What went wrong?

I looked at the mountain ginseng the Security Team Leader was holding.

…It was perfectly fine.

‘It should have disappeared…?’

Go Seon-ha spoke, her face turning pale.

“…A water ghost.”

“…!”

The words I had heard a few hours ago immediately flashed through my mind.

‘And… be careful of water. In the past, the term Changwi also referred to water ghosts….’

“It was a trap! The ritual—the ritual itself was a trap!! We were bewitched by a water ghost…!”

“Aaaah!!”

“We’ve all been lured here, to the reservoir…!!”

Section Chief Lee Byung-jin screamed and tried to run back, only to trip and fall. The children began to cry, screaming and grabbing onto each other.

A chill ran down my spine, nearly making my knees buckle as well.

It felt like I had stepped into a scene from a horror movie just before all the characters die.

“……”

‘Are we going to die like this…?’

…No.

No!!

At the very least, I needed to know why.

No matter how much I thought about it, I hadn’t made a single mistake based on the information provided. Even including all the exploration records I’d read in The Encyclopedia!

The irrationality of it all—the sheer lack of logic—dominated my mind more than the fear.

Go Seon-ha’s terror-stricken shouts buzzed in my ears.

“T-turn back and run. To the abandoned house…!”

…Hm?

Wait a minute.

I turned to look at Go Seon-ha.

“…Do you know something?”

“Yes?”

“The abandoned house is a trick too.”

“……Excuse me?”

“Doesn’t it seem strange when you think about it?”

I spoke slowly.

I pointed out the intentional contradictions of this ghost story.

“This is a space we entered because we were bewitched by a Changwi. Doesn’t it seem odd that you could regain your senses in an abandoned house protected by talismans that the Changwi supposedly can’t enter?”

“……”

“And that the ritual to escape this place was so conveniently written down in that very house?”

That was why interpretations of this abandoned house were divided in the Wiki’s comment section, but I was almost certain.

‘This is a ghost story designed to bleed people dry from the start.’

If so, the intended logic was this:

“It purposely traps you in the house for fifteen days to squeeze the life out of your mind and body, weakening you.”

It broke down psychological barriers by dangling the hope of a ritual while forcing people to endure in an extreme state.

“Then it’s easy to lure them out.”

And crucially….

“In that state, if you make a mistake during the ritual, that’s perfect for the ghost. But even if you don’t, it doesn’t matter.”

I looked at the mountain ginseng.

“Because in the process of choosing a scapegoat, conflict will inevitably arise and someone will be left behind. It can always ‘take’ at least one sacrifice.”

“……”

“Of course, the ritual itself is likely real. That’s the only way people would cling to it so desperately.”

And because this was The Encyclopedia.

A story shouldn’t include too many convenient lies. It ruins the immersion and drains the tension, so the ritual was definitely real.

That was why I had proceeded with the ritual with near-certainty, but….

“That’s why I’m even more suspicious.”

I’ve read quite a few ghost stories.

At least all the ones that were uploaded to The Encyclopedia.

Even the ones that were hard to read became part of my work routine, so I read them over and over.

In that process, I picked up a few bits of trivia I hadn’t known before….

Things like this.

“Peach branches are commonly known to ward off ghosts.”

“So?”

“And plums are a fruit that Changwi love. That’s probably why these two items were required.”

“…Ah.”

“You lure the Changwi to the shrine, and in the meantime, the person performing the ritual escapes while carrying incense that wards off ghosts.”

I looked up.

“But strangely enough, there is someone here who seemed uncomfortable with the smell of the burning peach wood incense, and reacted as if they were enticed by the plums.”

“……”

Out of seven people, there was one who insisted on walking right next to the Security Team Leader at the very back.

As if they wanted to walk as far away as possible from the person carrying the peach wood incense.

“Ms. Go Seon-ha.”

I stared directly at her.

“Are you speaking of your own free will right now?”

“……What on earth are you,”

Perhaps.

The real Ms. Go Seon-ha had already failed the ritual at the shrine before we even met her and….

“Isn’t it the Changwi speaking right now, not Ms. Go Seon-ha?”

Thump.

Her feet stopped.

“You caught me.”

Go Seon-ha’s mouth split open.

But it was too late! Too late!

Her arms grew unnaturally long and shot forward, trying to grab and pull me….

‘Ack!’

I rolled across the ground, narrowly dodging her arms.

Behind me, the screams of the Section Chief and the children echoed.

“Aaaaah!!”

“A-a ghost!”

Reflexively, I pulled the knife from my front pocket. That thing isn’t completely a Changwi! It’s a human possessed by a Changwi, so if I can just suppress her….

But I realized.

‘I—I can’t charge at that thing!’

To use this short-range weapon, I’d have to get right in the face of a possessed person! I feel like I’m going to faint right now!

However, my frantic brain immediately found the right person for the job!

“Team Leader!”

I threw the weapon toward the figure standing behind me.

“Please neutralize her!”

Whoosh.

The Bloodsucking Knife sliced through the air.

“…Ah.”

The Security Team Leader caught the knife I threw, glanced at it once, and immediately charged at the Changwi.

Heheheh!!

Ms. Go Seon-ha’s face and arms twisted, and bizarre, grotesque forms began to burst out at random.

Countless arms, faces, hair, and eyes of men, women, and children of all ages looked in every direction.

Excuse me! Excuse me!

“Hieee!”

“Step back and close your eyes!”

Section Chief Lee Byung-jin scrambled back toward the mountain path with the children, huddling together.

Can you hear me? Someone please help me!

At that moment, the Security Team Leader’s form began to twist as well.

A grotesque shape.

His slender upper body swelled and grew massive as if it would burst, and his mouth tore open into a long snout, his tongue flicking out.

That tongue mercilessly grabbed and snapped the Changwi’s long arms.

Aaaaah!

No, it was a hallucination. The Security Team Leader looked like a normal human.

No, he really was transforming into a monster-like entity….

‘Wow, I’m going crazy.’

I barely managed to shift my focus.

The reason the Security Team was so good at neutralizing ghost stories.

And yet, the reason they weren’t the Field Exploration Team.

It was manifesting before my eyes.

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

[Security Team]

: One of the three teams under the Security Department of Baekilmong Corporation, the massive power that appears in The Encyclopedia.

A team where personnel who have been assimilated by specific anomalies and are no longer classified as human are employed.

It is a life-long position, and resignation is impossible.

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

Did you know?

If you are not classified as human, the collector won’t fill with essence even if you clear a ghost story.

There is no value in field exploration.

That’s why people who have synchronized with ghost stories and become nearly monstrous are assigned to the Security Team.

Especially… those infected by a certain ghost story that is violent and highly territorial.

It hurts! It hurts!

To the Security Team.

Used for the purpose of suppressing company-managed ghost stories when a major problem occurs.

‘…And if he’s made it to Team Leader there, he’s the same.’

In short, an employee specialized in confronting monsters within ghost stories.

Kyaaaaah!

The Changwi’s numerous arms were torn apart by the tongue, claws, and teeth protruding from the Security Team Leader’s snout.

With the Bloodsucking Knife clamped in his teeth, the Team Leader’s face was still flickering with that strange, shifting form.

‘…A wolf?’

Hallucinations of a snout torn wide enough to reveal countless teeth, dripping with saliva and blood, overlapped and vanished.

Waves of dizziness and nausea hit me, and I hurriedly looked down at the ground.

‘…It feels like I’m having a nightmare.’

I was beginning to understand, in a very realistic and visceral way, why the Security Team clears the area of all people when they neutralize a ghost story in The Encyclopedia….

Still, despite taking a gamble, things were proceeding successfully.

“Keep your eyes closed!”

I also endured in silence, staring at the ground.

And the next moment.

—Oh, Mr. Roe Deer. That bizarre guest you brought along has won!

The situation was over.

When I looked up, the Changwi was lying there with the Bloodsucking Knife driven through its right palm.

And I saw the distorted, mutated form of the Security Team Leader gripping its head….

—Ugh, what a low-class creature, gone past the point of no return. If it had come to my show as a guest, it wouldn’t have dared to perform!

There had never been a time when I felt more relieved that only I could hear what Brown was saying.

I forced my voice to sound calm as I spoke to the Security Team Leader, who was still pinning Go Seon-ha’s head down.

“Team Leader, thank you.”

“Uuuuh….”

—He says he’s tired. How rude!

You, who can translate those groans, are scarier….

It was then.

A muffled sound came from beneath the Team Leader’s hand.

It was a human voice.

“W-wait….”

“…!”

Before I knew it, Ms. Go Seon-ha, with her normal face restored, was groaning and gasping in terror.

“P-please save me! Sa-save….”

Leave her behind….

“U-uh, uuuugh….”

Her eyes rolled back, and the voice of the Changwi could be heard.

Let’s die together…… hm? You can die. You killed people. You tried to kill the kids. I know everything. You can die.

Go Seon-ha struggled.

“No, no…….”

Just leave her. Leave her behind. Hm? Hmmmmm?!

“Please save me, please!! Aaaaah!”

At that moment.

“Now.”

The Security Team Leader asked in a human voice.

“You’re requesting an emergency rescue… right…?”

His face was hidden by the monstrous form.

But that clear voice was definitely questioning Ms. Go Seon-ha directly.

“Is this an official request… at the level of signing a contract…?”

……Something felt off.

Ms. Go Seon-ha looked up with a dazed face, then, as if coming to her senses, she answered in a desperate voice.

“Ye—”

Wait.

“No, it isn’t.”

I gritted my teeth and cut in.

“This isn’t company-owned darkness, and we didn’t enter to rescue a civilian. Above all, we’ve been helping each other mutually.”

“Huh…? That’s strange…….”

The growling voice dropped dangerously low.

“Wasn’t this thing trying to stop us from leaving…?”

Gasp.

“…It doesn’t matter. She was helpful in the end.”

I stated firmly.

“Then this is cooperation.”

“……”

The Security Team Leader stared at me.

Then he looked at Go Seon-ha and….

“Ah… I see…….”

“……”

“I suppose you’re right….”

Slide.

The strength left the Team Leader’s voice, and his tone returned to its usual, world-weary indifference.

‘Whew.’

I had cut in because something felt wrong, and as expected, this was the right move.

‘It’s best not to get entangled with Baekilmong Corporation….’

Especially being in debt to that company? No matter how I thought about it, I had a very bad feeling about that.

“Hmm…… then what should we do….”

“One moment.”

I approached Section Chief Lee Byung-jin, who was huddling back with the kids, eyes shut tight.

The Section Chief jumped at the sound of my footsteps.

“Hieee! Are you going to use me instead—?!”

“The censer.”

“Huh…?”

“Give it to me.”

I snatched the censer that Lee Byung-jin was still holding.

The peach wood incense had already burnt out, but the ash remained intact inside the censer.

‘She hated the peach wood.’

In that case….

I poured the contents of the censer directly onto Go Seon-ha’s shoulder.

Kyaaaaaaaaaah!!

Sizzle.

It shouldn’t have been that hot, yet the smell of burning and the saltiness of the sea rose from her shoulder.

I’m not going! I’m not! I’ll just latch on again! I’ll just— Aaaaah!

I emptied the rest onto her head.

The possessed body convulsed, thrashing wildly, and then…….

“Gasp,”

Her eyes snapped open.

Eyes filled with clarity and relief.

It was Ms. Go Seon-ha.

“I-I’m okay! I think I’m okay now….”

“No, you’re not.”

“Yes?”

“This is a space you entered because you were bewitched by a Changwi in the first place, so it could come back for you at any time.”

“Th-then….”

“So, let’s make it so it can’t enter you at all.”

“…?”

I’d brought an extra pouch of apple juice.

I held out the sealed pack to Ms. Go Seon-ha.

“U-uh, uh….”

“Just swallow it all.”

When I insisted, Go Seon-ha looked confused but eventually began to gulp down the apple juice while still pinned to the ground.

And after a moment.

Thud.

She fell into a deep sleep, just like the mountain ginseng.

Phew.

‘That’s one thing settled….’

“You can let go now.”

“……”

The Security Team Leader obediently let go, then asked in a suggestive voice.

“By any chance, a department transfer….”

“I’m not doing it.”

Please, just stop.

I thanked the Security Team Leader again, who had returned to his human form, and then gathered Section Chief Lee Byung-jin and the children, who still had their eyes squeezed shut.

“You can open your eyes now.”

“Ah…!”

Relief washed over Lee Byung-jin’s face.

But soon, mindful of the children, he whispered to me with a look of despair.

“B-but what now?? How on earth are we going to find the way out…?!”

“……”

“It looks like the sun is about to rise!”

I looked at the sky.

Beyond the thick fog, a faint, dim light seemed to be shining through from somewhere….

…The night of the full moon was ending.

‘There’s no time to perform the ritual again.’

However…….

“It’ll be fine.”

“…Pardon?”

“Because half of the ritual was probably a success.”

I recalled how the path changed every time we walked while singing, and how the incense had burned properly.

‘Everything we prepared was correct.’

Strictly speaking, this ritual has two purposes.

To avoid the Changwi.

To find an escape route by pleading with the Mountain Lord.

“And I’m saying the latter seems to have worked properly.”

Because a possessed person was mixed in among us, the former failed and we ended up right at the water’s edge, but….

“Perhaps the exit is nearby as well.”

“…!”

We huddled together in the thick fog and began to search the clearing near the mountain, away from the water.

Right around the point where the trail we had walked during the ritual ended.

—‘If you find a small snake hole in a place where no grass grows, thank the Mountain Lord for his mercy and reach inside. Your hands must be coated in well water mixed with salt.’

‘A place without grass…, a place without grass.’

And a moment later.

“I-I found it!”

“…!!”

One of the middle schoolers discovered a small hole beneath a tree.

Moonlight was shining down, piercing through the fog.

Onto a hole as black as pooled ink.

“……”

A snake hole.

I hurried everyone to dip their hands into the saltwater. Driven by urgency, they moved immediately, forgetting their fear.

‘Hurry, hurry.’

Just before the sun rose.

We reached our hands into the snake hole.