Even if I fall into a ghost story, I still have to go to work
Chapter 47
You Still Have to Go to Work Even If You Fall Into a Ghost Story
Assistant Manager Park Min-seong suppressed a sigh and sat down next to the sofa in the terrace room where they had been hiding.
‘It’s taking too long.’
It had already been over 70 minutes since Kim Sol-eum had taken his colleagues downstairs.
While he had mentioned it might take that long, Kim Sol-eum had also left a cryptic instruction in case he or his colleagues didn’t return within two hours…
—…You don’t have to wait for us or look for us.
It was essentially a suggestion to leave them behind if things went south.
‘I should have just gone with them.’
Park Min-seong suppressed another sigh.
Even in the dog-eat-dog environment of Baekilmong Corporation, some teams in the Field Exploration department possessed a strong sense of camaraderie, and Team D was particularly known for it.
Even Deputy Manager Eun Haje was showing signs of agitation, sighing as she revised the makeshift map of the darkness on the sofa.
‘…Roe Deer. I was hoping he’d settle into our team permanently once his probation ended.’
But first, getting out of here alive was the priority.
Park Min-seong felt a wave of gloom, but he still had something to lean on.
‘Section Chief Lee Ja-heon gave the okay.’
That meant the item must have looked genuinely useful.
He didn’t know where a rookie had managed to get such a thing, but occasionally, people like that did join the company—people who had already been entangled with urban legends and ghost stories before getting a job.
‘Is he one of those cases?’
Or perhaps he just had incredibly strong bad luck.
Even for the Field Exploration Team, having a rookie fully deployed into a darkness this dangerous was an event that happened maybe once a year.
But considering Kim Sol-eum had been pulled into one incident after another, starting from the theme park… it was enough to bring tears to one’s eyes.
‘At least he’s racking up points.’
Park Min-seong held back a sigh and looked toward the terrace door.
There, in stark contrast to his own anxious heart, stood a figure of absolute composure.
Section Chief Lee Ja-heon.
He was waiting right in front of the terrace door, motionless.
He was likely measuring the time with his unnervingly accurate internal clock.
And once the countdown ended, he would rise without hesitation and move according to the plan.
Park Min-seong only hoped that the plan didn’t start with the premise: “Employee Kim Sol-eum’s survival is unlikely; exclude him from the escape plan.”
’No, I just hope Roe Deer returns before that…’
The outside was cruelly silent, save for the occasional distant scream.
’No footsteps.’
If Roe Deer had finished the job, the quiet footsteps of the three of them would surely be heard first…
[Can you hear me?]
“…!?”
Park Min-seong bolted upright.
Beside him, he saw Deputy Manager Eun Haje jump up reflexively as well.
[This is an announcement regarding the escape.]
[There is no time to repeat this. Please pay close attention.]
It was the Team D rookie they had been waiting for.
It was Kim Sol-eum’s voice.
[The exit is on Level 0.]
[I repeat. The exit is on Level 0. Follow the stairs all the way down, and in the section where the color turns to bronze…]
It was definitely Roe Deer.
And for this extraordinary rookie, it wouldn’t even be that strange if he used some mysterious method to broadcast an announcement… But still.
…What were the odds that something non-human was imitating Kim Sol-eum?
“…”
The two Team D members stole a glance at each other, then deferred the judgment to the final decision-maker.
Their Section Chief, who knew how to judge with cold-blooded precision and a ghost-like intuition in these matters.
“…”
Lee Ja-heon heard the ‘announcement’ more clearly than anyone else near the terrace door.
[You must use the spiral staircase.]
Staring into the air as if deep in thought, he… made his declaration.
“We are moving.”
[That is all.]
I finally finished the message I had repeated six times.
From the 1st floor to the 6th.
‘I guess that covers everyone on the upper floors.’
Actually, I had debated whether to only inform Team D on the 1st floor, but Go Young-eun had been strongly in favor.
—Y-you can do that? Then we should save as many people as we can!
It was a very medical professional-like sentiment.
But from here on, it was up to each individual’s judgment.
‘Just in case, I didn’t mention the company, but I did include a few terms used by the Field Exploration Team…’
Still, some might be suspicious and refuse to come out.
Even if they were unlucky enough to encounter a guide machine on their floor while using the stairs, there was nothing I could do.
Isn’t it better to survive even if you lose a limb or two than to be trapped in this mad exhibition and die as a human slug?
‘It also has the effect of distracting any machines that might come for Team D.’
I cleared my throat.
“A-hem.”
Brown must have tactfully withdrawn his power, as the strange resonance I felt in my throat and lungs vanished.
‘Thanks.’
—Thank-you’s are always lovely to hear!
Brown’s voice sounded a bit tired, but his reply was cheerful.
However, a voice full of annoyance and incomprehension came from beside me.
“Why waste points like that? The more people who escape, the fewer points each person gets.”
There he goes again, showing his true colors.
Moreover, it was an ignorant comment.
“Are you an idiot? If a rookie like you is escaping, don’t you think there are veteran employees who could find the exit on their own without help?”
“…!”
There were employees whose item and equipment setups were perfectly suited for this, and some who were just naturally talented enough to escape on their own.
Even looking at the , the escape of seven people was already a certainty, so the points per person would have been 1/8th or less even if I hadn’t done this.
It meant you couldn’t make a fortune in points from this ghost story anyway.
But instead of explaining all that, I just gave a thin smile.
“This is the kind of time you earn favors to make company life interesting later… and I get to observe various reactions, too.”
“…”
Baek Sa-heon looked away with a disgusted expression.
‘Have you no conscience?’
Considering what you just said, I should be the one making that face, you sociopath of the ghost story world.
But fearing that Go Young-eun might have been horrified as well, I called out to the person in front.
“Mountain Goat.”
“…”
“Mountain Goat?”
“…Wait a moment. Did you just call me?”
“…!”
No way.
“…It seems… I’m starting to have trouble hearing.”
“…”
I looked at the spot where Go Young-eun’s ear was hidden by her hair.
I didn’t know what they had put inside that stitched-up empty space, but the ‘rented’ hearing device was losing its function.
In a relatively short amount of time.
’Of all times…’
“But it’s not like I can’t hear anything at all. And I still have quite a bit of the candle left, so I think we can move carefully.”
“Yes.”
To indicate my presence more clearly, I tapped Go Young-eun lightly on the shoulder.
She flinched slightly, but then steadily began to descend the stairs…
Baek Sa-heon spoke urgently.
“I should carry that item. Hand it over to me.”
“And what if Mountain Goat accidentally looks back?”
“…”
Baek Sa-heon fell silent.
Tense, we began to descend the six flights of stairs.
Thump, thump.
Only the sound of echoing footsteps filled the stairwell.
It seemed no one had rushed out yet after hearing my broadcast…
“Excuse me.”
Go Young-eun called out.
“Yes.”
“…”
Can she not hear me?
“Um, are you there?”
I tapped Go Young-eun’s back very gently. Baek Sa-heon also tapped her shoulder with a reluctant expression.
“Ah… thank you.”
Go Young-eun gripped the candle tightly with both hands as if relieved.
We resumed our descent.
Thump, thump.
After a silent period that felt like an eternity…
We reached the 1st floor.
Skree-eeee-k…
The sounds of the guide machines moving along their routes echoed from all directions.
One was passing right by us… dragging a dead human slug along the floor.
“…I’ll head for the spiral staircase now.”
“Yes.”
Go Young-eun’s voice got louder.
It was as if she couldn’t gauge her own volume because she could hardly hear anything.
‘It’s okay, we’re almost there.’
Instead, I listened intently to my surroundings and walked calmly and cautiously to react quickly.
I didn’t think my response was wrong.
The problem was that crises often strike regardless of how prepared you are.
For instance… while all our focus was on listening, a completely unrelated obstacle appeared.
“Huh?”
The person in front of me vanished from my sight.
Looking down, I saw Go Young-eun falling.
Something shiny slipped from beneath her feet.
A telephoto lens.
An invisible, transparent rental item that had fallen off the dead body the guide machine was dragging had rolled down and perfectly caught under her foot…
Thud.
I grabbed Go Young-eun.
But the candle had already flown from her hand as her arm hit the floor.
“No…!”
I reflexively caught the candle and threw it to Baek Sa-heon, but…
It was too late.
The candle had gone out.
“…”
“…Gasp.”
The guide machine turned toward us.
Whoosh.
A metal blade came flying.
“Hick,”
I rolled to the side. A sharp groan came from beside me.
The guide machine, having dropped the corpse it was carrying, raised its gas lamp and shone it on us.
It had clearly confirmed that we were all delinquent on our fees.
And so, the needle-like appendages attached to the upper abdomen of the monster, which had recalculated its ‘priorities,’ came flying again.
Targeting the closest eyes first…
“Mr. Roe Deer.”
A familiar voice.
“Get down.”
I reflexively pushed my two colleagues’ heads down and collapsed to the floor.
Clang!
A thunderous roar of metal colliding and sparks flying erupted above my head.
“…!”
It was Section Chief Lee Ja-heon.
The field exploration employee, possessing unbelievable physical strength, ruthlessly parried the guide machine’s needle.
Ting.
The broken tip of the needle flew off and embedded itself in the hallway wall. The guide machine let out a strange grinding sound and twisted its joints.
Crazy.
‘That thing could be broken?’
Section Chief Lee Ja-heon pulled back his gloved hand. Even if he was strong, it was a situation where it wouldn’t be strange for his hand to be fractured.
In that hand, he held something metallic like a brass knuckle…
It was a terrace doorknob.
“…!”
An alarm went off in my head. That’s…
‘Damage to exhibition property.’
======================
Any disturbance, theft, or damage to property within the exhibition hall is strictly prohibited and will be immediately sanctioned by a guide, and a corresponding fine will be levied.
======================
He had even broken the guide machine.
Even if they didn’t treat this as a criminal offense within the exhibition and merely requested an apology and compensation for the disturbance…
One thing was for certain.
We were now the guide machines’ overwhelming priority.
And that wouldn’t just apply to the machine in front of us, but to every guide machine in this area…
“Section Chief.”
“Yes.”
“Let’s run.”
I threw myself forward.
Skreee-k, skreek, bzzzt, zzzzt, kick, skreeeeek, skreeeeeeeeee-k…
The sound of the damaged guide machine moving more aggressively than ever before filled the air.
I heard my colleagues running like mad beside me. The Lizard Section Chief… no, wait!
“Section Chief!!”
“Yes.”
“Don’t fight, just run!!”
’No matter how jokingly strong the Lizard Section Chief is, he can’t break all the guide machines here!’
Just thinking about what would happen if the chaos spread that far made me lightheaded.
‘…The Darkness Exploration Records even censored that part!!’
I didn’t even want to imagine how the hidden content would manifest in reality.
Skree-eeee-k
‘Shit!’
On the way to the stairs, we encountered another guide machine.
No, one more.
“Ugh!”
I dove between the striking needles. I felt a stinging pain in my arm.
Even as I ran, my biological instincts knew.
‘We’re going to be caught.’
This was impossible given human physical limitations.
We would definitely be caught and taxed by the guide machines before we reached Level 0.
A chill ran down my spine.
‘…What can I do?’
I was out of breath. My oxygen-deprived brain wasn’t working well.
Resignation began to set in instead.
‘I guess… I lasted a long time.’
As my thoughts dulled, the sounds seemed to separate into multiple layers, and the sound of footsteps echoed in my ears.
As if dozens of people were running…
No, wait!
“…?!”
I realized it.
It wasn’t that the footsteps just sounded like many.
There really were more people.
Not just two, but the footsteps of at least ten people.
—Mr. Roe Deer, it’s the people who took their chance after hearing your wonderful announcement!
“…!”
It was the Field Exploration Team employees.
The visitors, who had been watching the situation, seemed to be trying to reach the spiral staircase by taking advantage of the chaos.
That had an unexpected effect.
The guide machines were thrown into confusion, recalculating priorities based on the severity of the acts and the distance to each visitor.
People who hadn’t paid their fees were popping out from everywhere and running.
“Hurry!”
Using that window of time, we gritted our teeth and threw ourselves toward the stairs.
Skree-eeee-eeee-k
I moved my legs like a madman.
Just as the chilling sounds from behind were closing in.
The stairs ended, and a silver hall unfolded.
The lobby.
And… the main entrance!
“Go!”
Deputy Manager Eun Haje and Assistant Manager Park Min-seong were holding the door.
We ran like our lives depended on it.
Almost at the same moment my foot hit the floor in front of the main entrance, my superiors dove through the exit.
I also stumbled through, practically falling.
Running until the taste of blood filled my mouth, the moment I stepped out through the light-filled exit…
“Phew!!”
I opened my eyes.
I saw a ceiling with clean fluorescent lights.
A modern hallway of reasonable width.
In front of the meeting room on the 31st floor of the company.
We escaped.
“Haah…”
I collapsed in the hallway.
I heard people rushing out of the large conference room, but my mental and physical strength were too depleted to care.
As I hovered in a daze, having squeezed out every last drop of energy…
An alarm rang.
[Darkness Exploration Record Real Goods Box]
- Access to new Goods unlocked!
