Even if I fall into a ghost story, I still have to go to work
Chapter 60
‘The fear that you might die.’
Perhaps that is the very essence of a ghost story.
Recently, I had even experienced a government-managed disaster that could theoretically only be cleared if someone died.
This meant I had become quite accustomed to the explanation that “people usually die in ghost stories,” and I had grown somewhat numb to it.
After all, I had managed to squeeze through the eye of the needle every time.
—This is crazy, but let’s find a way out first.
the past few months were more than enough time for that to become my basic mindset.
But….
“Originally, everyone went missing. Only one decapitated corpse ever came back.”
“…….”
“But after repeating it a few times, someone finally got lucky and returned alive. We built the manual based on that person’s testimony.”
It was the standard process for completing a manual for a high-grade darkness exploration.
“But no matter what we do, there’s one thing we can’t change.”
And that was….
“One death.”
“…….”
“The mechanism for who gets picked? There isn’t one. No logic, either. It’s literally random. We’ve run this thirty-seven times now, and no matter what gear you wear or items you carry, it has zero impact.”
“…….”
“In fact, since the target is designated as soon as you enter, it’s impossible to prepare or respond.”
I can’t believe I’m in a situation like this.
Literally by pure luck, I had a 1 in 12 chance of instant death.
…If you included my team members, that was an absurd 1 in 3 probability.
Someone just dies.
“You might be thinking, ‘Why put a talented person like me in there when you could just throw in some scum who deserves to die,’ but…”
“No, sir.”
“Is that so? I heard it anyway.”
“…….”
“We have no choice…. But this damn urban legend insists that there must be a challenger with a bright mind for it to be cleared.”
So they couldn’t even use disposable pawns.
Deputy Manager Eun Haje’s lips twitched.
“In a B-grade, an 8.3% chance of death is actually a pretty decent average.”
“…….”
It was the truth.
Just look back at the exhibition ghost story.
That was an even worse case because there was no manual, but even with a complete one, fatalities were bound to occur at an alarming rate.
And yet.
“It feels strange, but incredibly absurd that no matter what I do, I’m caught in those odds.”
“…….”
It wasn’t strange at all.
There is a clear difference between dying ‘just because’ without even being able to struggle, and having the possibility of doing something about it.
The latter is a challenge; the former is a slaughter.
“…Does giving us three days mean we should prepare ourselves mentally?”
“I suppose so.”
It was likely because after three days, heads would cool, and people would start thinking rationally and hopefully.
Thinking things like, ‘There’s no way I’ll be the 1 in 12,’ or something….
“Roe Deer, is this your first time dealing with this kind of darkness?”
“……Yes.”
“Go out and grab some coffee. Buy one for me, too.”
Told that I could ‘take my time coming back,’ I took Eun Haje’s card and stepped outside.
Sending me on a coffee errand was an excuse, but it was essentially mental health management for a rookie.
‘This is driving me crazy.’
Thanks to that, I was currently leaning my head back on a cafe sofa with an Americano in front of me.
Fear… well. Since falling into this place, there hasn’t been a moment I wasn’t afraid, so that wasn’t the problem.
I was just troubled.
‘In this situation, information or whatever is meaningless.’
Perhaps it was because I realized I had been operating under conditions where I could be more ‘certain’ than other employees until now. I felt a strange sense of self-loathing.
And a powerful sense of crisis.
“…….”
‘Should I just quit?’
Wouldn’t it be better to resign now and look for another way?
Investigating ghost stories independently based on the <Manual>….
—Ah, friend!
—In that case, how about working in the show business industry from now on?
Excuse me??
—Oh, but of course. For my friend, a good job is always ready…. As the old saying goes, what are friends for? Haha!
I was so startled I almost rolled off the sofa.
‘I’ll pass.’
That certainly snapped me out of it.
—That is a shame….
Right. In this neighborhood, there were countless cases where you ended up in a state worse than death.
Besides, investigating alone? That’s a choice only a fool who forgot he’s a coward would make.
Quitting just because of a 1 in 12 chance was indeed foolish.
‘But sitting on my hands is also foolish.’
—Ah, are you going in?
‘Yeah.’
First, I needed to find out more about this ghost story.
I went back to the office with takeout coffees for my teammates and read through the tablet PC.
And then….
‘…Sigh.’
It was true. Random.
It was indeed a ghost story I already knew through the <Manual>, but the problem was that almost everything I had read was already written in the company manual.
‘There’s no new information.’
I didn’t know any information that others didn’t.
‘There are no gaps.’
Even in the <Manual>, the description explicitly stated ‘random upon investigator entry.’
There were no exceptions or suspicious parts. To begin with, this hadn’t been treated as particularly important.
From the perspective of the one writing it, they probably just moved past it as a premise. They likely thought it wasn’t anything special in a world where people died in every ghost story anyway.
And….
“Team leaders are excluded from this deployment. Only employees at the rank of Deputy Manager or below will be sent in.”
“…….”
Team Leader Lizard would not be accompanying us on this exploration.
It was considered that if a team leader were designated as the sacrificial lamb, the employees might ‘accidentally confuse priorities’ due to the difference in rank.
“There’s no cleanup team or elite team either. Things turned into a mess once when they went in.”
An elite team—meaning one of Teams A, B, or C—had been designated as the sacrifice, and in their desperate struggle not to die, they caused ‘unnecessary losses’ by dragging other employees down with them.
I didn’t regret not going to Team A, but this damn company is truly consistent.
“Thank you for letting me know.”
“Don’t mention it.”
The Deputy Manager seemed to find solace in smoking, somewhere between enlightenment and annoyance. The Assistant Manager struck up a conversation about something or other, and the two headed upstairs with their cigarettes.
“Did you see the list? The employees going in together….”
“Yeah, honestly, if one of them dies, I don’t think I’d even go to their funeral. Surely they didn’t pick the bottom of the barrel based on personality, did they?”
“Hey, that’s not us!”
I kept comparing the <Manual> and the company manual, trying to find something.
A gap to squeeze through.
A small void in the rules.
But then.
That afternoon, a path to bypass the rules suddenly revealed itself.
Though in a slightly different sense.
“Assistant Manager Kim!”
“Section Chief.”
Section Chief Lee Byung-jin came to find me. As the person in charge of manual reviews, his coming all the way here was definitely not just ‘dropping by while passing.’
“I heard! No, I heard you’re going into that crazy Russian Roulette darkness, Assistant Manager!”
“…….”
I’d thought this before, but he really has a knack for saying things in a way that gets on one’s nerves….
But Section Chief Lee Byung-jin hadn’t come just to make a fuss.
After lowering his voice and checking that no one was around, he whispered quietly.
“Why don’t you try talking to Executive Director Ho?”
“……!”
“I’m telling you, the Director has his eye on your performance.”
“What you’re saying is….”
I looked at the Section Chief.
“Does that mean if I speak to the Director, he’ll pull me out?”
“Exactly!”
“…….”
“Normally, these things are assigned under the guise of fairness or whatever… but I’m against it, totally against it. Right? A young man with such a bright future like you, Sol-eum, should be given a pass. You were the top recruit!”
A true evasion method had appeared.
Getting out through the favor of a superior.
I opened my mouth.
“I’m fine.”
“Wh-what?”
I must never choose this.
‘It stands out too much.’
The moment I chose that, I would effectively be picking a side within the company.
In a ghost story company, the executives surely weren’t ordinary people, and I couldn’t afford to ride the line by ‘clinging to a desperate situation to receive a pardon.’
Besides, this was a matter of survival.
‘The moment I’m processed as an exception, rumors will definitely spread through the company.’
Would people look kindly on that?
It was a form of selfishness.
In order to be recognized as a proper member of a community, sharing the burden of pain is essential. If I tried to dodge that….
‘I’ll be completely blacklisted.’
Given the nature of the Field Exploration Team, which always moves in three-man cells, it was a move that would royally screw up my company life.
If the Director had stepped in and pulled me out without anyone knowing, then quietly called me to take the credit, that would be one thing.
The fact that he hadn’t meant that he wasn’t ‘paying attention’ to me enough to pull me out of here in the first place.
Or else….
‘He considers luck to be a type of skill.’
So this was a trap.
Even if it made my stomach churn, this was the right answer.
I spoke calmly, as if I were a stickler for principles.
“It would be a special privilege if I were the only exception. There must be a reason why the company allocates work this way, so I will do my best to fulfill my responsibility.”
“Uh, uh……”
Section Chief Lee Byung-jin stammered, but after asking several times if I was ‘really sure,’ he eventually accepted it and turned away.
Really…….
I barely managed to suppress the urge to grab his pant legs and scream yes…….
‘Let’s just consider it building my character.’
Since there was no other joy to be found.
I watched the Section Chief’s retreating back bitterly before returning to my seat.
‘Let’s look at the manual again.’
But whether I looked at the <Manual> or the company manual, it was the same—there were no gaps.
Because there were no exceptions for any of the explorers.
‘So every explorer who enters is entered into this victim drawing…….’
“…….”
Wait a minute.
‘This….’
I re-read it several times.
‘…Could this be a gap?’
I couldn’t be sure.
‘It’s a possibility, but.’
But in this situation, it was right to grab onto any possibility and try it.
—Did you come up with some fun idea, Roe Deer?
It’s not fun, but an idea did come to mind.
‘Creating an exception.’
—Hmm?
Every explorer who entered this ghost story was put into the instant-death lottery with a 1 in 12 probability, without exception.
But, perhaps there was a common condition shared only by these explorers?
A condition where an exception had never occurred until now.
—What kind of common condition?
…….
‘Being human.’
In both the manual and the darkness exploration records, the explorers were humans. There was no description of cases involving other life forms.
But in this world, humans aren’t the only sentient beings.
And if you included animals and plants, the possibilities became endless.
‘If it’s a living being that isn’t human, could it avoid the judgment?’
Considering the trends of the irregular records I’d read so far, that seemed like the most likely exception in the current situation.
—Roe Deer, do you wish to transcend humanity?
‘Th-that’s not it.’
I wish he wouldn’t ask such pure questions that sound like traps.
‘I’m just saying I want to be treated as if I’ve transcended humanity for a moment.’
I chose my words deliberately.
‘Like dressing up as someone else for a show.’
—Ho-oh.
‘…Is that something Brown can do?’
—Ah, but of course it is!
Strength and vitality returned to Brown’s voice.
Just like when he was hosting a show.
—Is it not the destiny of an entertainer to take on a new identity? I possess countless masks and…… ah. I believe I can lend one to Roe Deer even now!
It was a jackpot.
‘Let’s try this.’
“Phew.”
I finally looked away from the manual and leaned my head back.
Just then, as if they had finished their smoke break, the Deputy Manager and the Assistant Manager walked into the office and waved at me.
“…….”
Ah, damn it.
‘Brown, about that “mask” ability… could you use it on multiple people?’
—Multiple people?
Those who are not friends?
‘Well, including me.’
—…If I were to regain more of my peak prowess, it would be possible! Back then, I used to put dozens of people on the studio floor! No, was it hundreds?
…Good.
‘Brown.’
—My friend calls for me again!
I patted my pocket respectfully.
‘Let’s take a bath.’
—…!?
—Roe Deer, I appreciate the gesture, but I am not an entertainer so enamored with the occult that I enjoy bathing in a friend’s blood.
“I know.”
Even if he was a quiz show host who popped guests’ heads, Brown as a ‘Good Friend’ would certainly be such a being.
But there was no other way.
Even if I managed to get blood bags from a hospital, their freshness would be low and efficiency poor, and I couldn’t use someone else’s blood.
‘And the remaining wild ginseng won’t meet the sentient condition anymore since whatever was inside it escaped.’
What was left was obvious.
My blood.
I looked down at the small, elegant checkered bathtub.
Still clean and smelling pleasant, this was the Blood Bath Tub I had bought from the Alien Shop.
Now I had to pour my blood into it.
“I probably can’t give much either. About half a cup.”
In terms of volume, wouldn’t that be around 180ml?
—Half a cup! It will be tight, but for a small bath bomb body filled with cotton, that should not be bad. Diluting it with water… no, that’s not it. Are you truly alright with this?
I was alright.
‘I can do it.’
I took a deep breath and grabbed a kitchen knife.
Beside me was a wound-recovery potion I had brought back from the company infirmary.
“Phew.”
I pierced the flesh of my arm with the tip of the knife.
—Good heavens!
Blood poured out.
I must have found an artery, as it gushed out and filled the tub.
Ha….
‘Remember. I’m afraid of creepy situations, not the blood itself….’
This is not a creepy situation…!
As I calmed myself by repeating that several times, the blood soon fell into the tub in the amount I had predicted.
‘This should be about half a cup.’
But I didn’t stop the bleeding.
—Roe Deer?
A little more.
—I believe that is enough, friend!
Just a little more.
—friend?
About this much.
‘That’s it.’
I hurriedly stopped the bleeding on my arm with the company’s medicine. The magic-like effect of the medicine successfully halted the arterial bleeding.
I felt a bit dizzy from the blood loss, but it wasn’t a problem.
‘I can just drink a potion for this, too.’
I’ll be back to normal by the time I’m deployed to the ghost story the day after tomorrow, so it’s fine.
The important thing was….
Wasn’t that tub full of a fragrant scent rising up?
“Phew….”
I peered into the tub. A fragrant smell hit the tip of my nose.
It seemed my blood had successfully fulfilled its role.
‘I think I drew almost 500ml.’
It seemed to have properly transformed into a bath additive….
‘…The smell of wood?’
The scent reminded me of that damn Window Ghost forest, which made me feel a bit uneasy, but it was better than a foul or strange smell anyway.
I nodded and spoke to Brown.
“You can go in now. Is the scent okay?”
—Ah, yes. It is a fascinating scent. Just like your unpredictable and whimsical decisions, Roe Deer!
I smiled.
“Are you being sarcastic? Because I spilled more blood than I said I would?”
—Sarcasm is a vital virtue for a public talk show host! But I do not exercise that virtue at all times.
“Thanks for worrying about me.”
—…….
“I’ll treat myself properly, so it’s fine. I won’t do it again, though.”
—Now you speak wise words, friend.
Is that so?
To be honest, I did it this way on purpose.
I thought if I gave the ‘Good Friend’ a bit of a shock here, he would feel reluctant about the idea of bathing in my blood in the future.
And it seemed to have worked.
‘If I had announced this amount beforehand, he might have accepted it naturally.’
That wouldn’t do.
‘This kind of thing should end with this one time.’
I tried to pick Brown up to put him in the tub, but again, Brown declined.
—I shall walk in with dignity on my own two feet.
Well, suit yourself.
I turned my back to the tub. Soon, I heard the sound of footsteps and the splashing of water as he entered the tub.
The bath had begun.
But after a moment.
—Roe Deer, this bath additive you made….
—Hmm, it is quite unique!
Pardon?
