Even if I fall into a ghost story, I still have to go to work
Chapter 66
“Excuse me…”
“…”
“Excuse me.”
I snapped my eyes open.
Through my clearing vision, a familiar face came into focus.
“…Security Chief?”
“Yes…”
The slender build in a security uniform, the pale hair, and the name tag that read ‘J3.’
It was the very same security staff member who had been swept up in the Window Ghost-themed darkness with me!
I tried to scramble to my feet.
An immense headache struck—wait, what?
Jingle.
I froze.
Wrapped tightly around both of my hands, which I’d extended to support myself against the floor, was red yarn with bells attached.
‘Yarn?’
The use and appearance were strangely familiar… Ah.
‘It’s equipment used by the Security Team.’
======================
Darkness Exploration Log / Baekilmong Corporation
/ Item
Nostalgia Kitty
An equipment-type item in the form of red yarn with silver bells attached.
When worn, it fixes the target’s appearance to the period within the last 10 years when their body and mind were at their healthiest.
The more severe the mutation, the faster it snaps.
※ Refer to usage records for health criteria.
======================
It was an item that allowed anyone to temporarily regain their ‘best state from the past.’
Knowing what it was made me feel a bit more at ease.
I relaxed my body…
“…”
“…”
No, wait a second.
Why am I tied up?
I jerked my head up.
The Security Chief’s face, which usually looked like everything in the world was a chore, showed a slight hint of relief upon meeting my eyes.
He gave a small wave.
“Seeing you again…”
“Yes. But…”
I lifted my arms as much as I could.
“What on earth is this?”
“They said… they rescued a contaminated employee…”
“Yes, but why am I…”
The Security Chief pointed at me.
Ah.
“…Does the Security Team think I’m the one who’s contaminated?”
“Most likely… yes… Since there wasn’t anyone else.”
Then, the Security Chief raised both hands, showing a faint flicker of either anticipation or shyness.
“Um, welcome Security Team…?”
Oh, no.
This man thinks I’m a new recruit!
“It’s not me.”
“…Huh?”
“It’s not me.”
I emphasized it twice, then finally regained my senses and looked around.
‘…Is this some kind of isolation room?’
The interior space, enclosed by gray walls, was empty. Even the lighting was recessed into the ceiling behind sturdy finishing materials with no protruding parts.
‘It seems the Security Team did mobilize properly.’
That meant I’d made the right call.
[Security Team Rental Warehouse]
This facility, which I was authorized to use upon my promotion to Assistant Manager, was literally a warehouse where one could rent Security Team equipment via phone or a visit.
However, if the Security Team determines that a situation requires ‘subjugation,’ they sometimes intervene directly like this…
‘I hit the jackpot.’
Given that I was currently being held in a Security Team facility.
I nodded slowly.
“This must be the company building. Seeing as the Security Chief is here.”
“Yes… You’re quick on the uptake…”
“…”
I swallowed hard.
Unless I was mistaken, the contaminated Park Min-seong Assistant Manager was currently inside the tattoo on my wrist.
‘I need to pull him out of here and hand him over so they can deal with the contamination.’
But would officially registering the fact that I had such a tattoo with the Security Team be an incredibly stupid move in the long run?
In the end, I spoke tentatively, testing the waters.
“Are there CCTV cameras installed here by any chance?”
“Probably not…”
Right.
Since it was likely the first time a person contaminated by a ghost story had popped out into reality, they probably wouldn’t have set up recording media.
The CCTV footage itself could become contaminated.
‘Especially since Hungry Hangman is a ghost story with particularly strong mental contamination…’
At any rate, it seemed no one knew that the completely contaminated Park Min-seong Assistant Manager was currently inside my forearm.
I swallowed.
“…Security Chief.”
“You can just call me J… I’m the only J left in the Security Team now…”
“Yes, Mr. J.”
I made my request with a serious face.
“Could you keep what’s about to happen a secret?”
Naturally, he would say no.
Or he’d pretend to struggle with it before reliably agreeing as if persuaded, only to report it immediately.
Either way, I prepared a way to win him over…
“Sure, why not…”
“…”
“As long as it’s not something like blowing up the company… No, actually, would that even matter… In that case, keep the fact that I heard it a secret too…”
“…”
Is this the audacity of someone with a permanent position?
‘What is wrong with this company?’
I pulled my reeling mind together and spoke firmly.
“It’s nothing like blowing up the company.”
“Then…?”
“Actually, I’ve rescued a contaminated employee and am currently keeping him suppressed separately.”
“…”
“…”
“…??”
The Security Chief looked at me with an expression that asked what on earth I was talking about.
“Are you having a mental breakdown…”
“I’m perfectly fine. I’m even wearing contamination suppression equipment, aren’t I?”
I lifted my arms.
“This yarn with bells… it seems to be equipment for suppressing contamination.”
“Um… I suppose so.”
“Then you must know that I’m speaking with a clear mind.”
The Security Chief stared at me.
I swallowed.
“When you’re ready, I’ll bring the contaminated employee out.”
“Ah.”
The other man blinked, gazing at me as if he didn’t quite trust me, but he slowly opened his mouth.
“Okay… Give it a try…”
“Do you need any separate preparation? I only have one chance using a disposable item.”
“Well…”
The Security Chief tapped himself.
“I’m here.”
It was a statement that could have sounded arrogant, but his tired tone, as if everything was a bother, made it sound very matter-of-fact.
‘Besides, he’s a Chief.’
I had already seen his capabilities—as a Chief in the Security Team specializing in ‘Darkness Subjugation’—during the Window Ghost incident.
…Fine. In that case.
“Yes.”
I took a deep breath.
Then, I plunged my hand into the tattoo in one go.
“…!”
I didn’t even have to rummage around to find my target; I grabbed him instantly.
To think you locked up a fellow teacher… that’s against the rules—
Like hell it is!!
‘Pull!’
As my hand emerged from the tattoo, what I was holding was dragged out with it.
Th-th-th-th-thud.
With a bizarre sound, the ‘Teacher’ began to emerge from the tattoo.
And then.
Snap.
The moment the yarn snapped from the impact, blood sprayed from my forearm like a fountain.
The wound I’d made with the Siphon Knife had returned.
“—!”
Shit!
I should refrain from swearing, but it hurts so much!! The contamination—the contamination was returning too. But more important than that…
“Teacher Sol-eum! Mischief like this is a punishable offense at our ■■ Affiliated Kindergarten…”
He froze.
The softly smiling Park Min-seong Assistant Manager—the ‘Teacher’—stopped.
He looked around blankly, and then.
“…”
“…”
“This isn’t the kindergarten!!”
Damn it.
“This isn’t the kindergarten! This isn’t the kindergarten! I left without permission, I left without permission, I wasn’t a perfect teacher… I… I broke the rules…!”
I couldn’t respond. I just… a wave of guilt washed over me.
I am so sorry, Teacher. I made a wrong judgment. I shouldn’t have done this. I’ll even take Teacher’s punishment for you and read the educational manual aloud. I reached for the educational manual of our ■■ Affiliated Kindergarten…
“Oops.”
Grip.
Someone grabbed my face.
Then, they put something in my ear.
“Sleep anesthesia… or something like that.”
…
…
Blink.
I blinked my eyes.
“Excuse me.”
“…”
“Excuse me…”
I opened my eyes again.
Everything was quiet.
“Are you okay…?”
“I’m fine.”
I knew instinctively.
“Did you make me lose consciousness?”
“Yes…”
I saw a capsule shell that had fallen from my ear onto the floor.
‘Did he put medicine in?’
It seemed I had been subjected to a brief fainting effect.
It was like the Snow Mountain Apple I had, but a lower-tier version of the item.
‘Calm down.’
Thanks to that, I seemed to have escaped the influence of the contamination.
I caught my breath and looked down at my arm. The place where the wound had been was now wrapped in a bandage.
And the yarn that had originally been wrapped around me…
“…”
When I looked up, it was now wound tightly around the limbs of Park Min-seong Assistant Manager in the corner.
Yes. Not in his Teacher form.
It was Park Min-seong Assistant Manager!
‘…It worked.’
Park Min-seong, wearing a black suit and a mask, looked perfectly fine, just as he had right before entering the ghost story.
Even if it was only a temporary effect from the suppression equipment.
“…Haa.”
The strength left my body, and I leaned against the wall.
‘…Handover successful.’
Beside me, I heard the Security Chief muttering.
“That guy’s lucky… I didn’t know you could get out that fast… I’m jealous…”
Wait a minute.
“Since he came out quickly, is it possible for him to fully recover from the contamination?”
“Um…”
The Security Chief lowered his head as if even thinking was a chore, but when his eyes met my persistent gaze, he finally spat it out.
“That’s a Gloom-grade, isn’t it…?”
“Pardon? Yes. That’s right. B-grade.”
“Then it’ll be fine… probably…”
B-grade is fine?
“The company has the know-how… and um, if things are reasonably okay… a department transfer?”
“…”
True. Working for the Security Team would be better than dying.
‘I hope he recovers well and either returns to work or resigns…’
“…”
I looked back at Park Min-seong Assistant Manager.
Only then did the tension ease slightly.
It felt a bit strange.
Just yesterday, we were working in the same office, joking and greeting each other.
The feeling that he would suddenly disappear from my daily life starting tomorrow.
“…I leave him in your hands.”
“…”
The Security Chief gave a slight nod.
His expression was inscrutable.
…Thinking that far, my mind finally recalled the last sight I’d seen.
…Deputy Manager Eun Haje!!
“By any chance, what happened to the corpse that was lying next to me? The one without a left hand…”
“I don’t know…”
Surely, surely it hadn’t been incinerated or anything. No, that couldn’t be.
‘Since it was only missing a hand and not a head, they must have thought it was strange.’
But in my anxiety, I immediately hurried through the procedures and left the isolation room.
“Come out with me…”
“Ah, yes.”
Accompanied by some of the summoned Security Team staff, I walked out of the isolation room door, somewhere between being escorted and being monitored.
And the moment I stepped out, I realized.
This was the isolation room area attached to the Security Team Rental Warehouse.
[Isolation B]
‘There was a separate document in the Darkness Exploration Log that dealt with this place…’
Every single one was chilling.
The two summoned staff members walked down that corridor at a steady pace with me half a step behind, and I followed, suppression my creeping dread…
Gig-gig-gig-gig-giggle.
O-O-O-O-Glorious Named One shine your light upon me
Help me please help me help me
Bone-chilling sounds echoed from every isolation room lined up on both sides.
‘Don’t, don’t look.’
I walked without giving them even a glance, looking only at the light coming from the door ahead…
…
Who’s in the hallway?
Aaaaarrgh!!
Who’s in the hallway? Who’s in the hallway? Who’s in the hall—
Please walk faster! Faster!!
But these Security Team bastards insisted on maintaining a constant speed until they reached the door.
By the time I began the checkout procedures for the Rental Warehouse, I was completely drained, like a limp piece of kimchi…
“…”
The Rental Warehouse front desk looked like a bleak Facility Team corridor.
When I went to the window, a silent Security Team staff member brought out my belongings that had been held in quarantine.
“Thank you.”
I took the briefcase. A sticker marked [Qualified / Risk Level D] was stuck to the surface.
‘It doesn’t seem like they inspected the items individually.’
I wasn’t subjected to additional questioning about what I’d pulled out of my arm.
Surprisingly, Security Chief J seemed to have kept his promise completely.
‘But he might talk someday.’
I can handle that much. I’d made sure to mention it was a disposable item.
The important thing was the outcome.
‘Let’s make this work.’
I took a deep breath.
‘Now, I need to go find out Deputy Manager Eun Haje’s situation—’
—Friend!
—Friend!
Huh??
—Friend!
!!
“…”
Brown!!!
“Is, is this all of my belongings?”
The staff member pointed a finger at a bin in the corner of the front desk.
[Disposal Box]
There, my dress jacket, soaked and crumpled into a mess, was lying along with the small stuffed doll that had been tucked inside…
Gasp!
—This isn’t even a studio, yet they dared to throw me in a place like this!!
This is an abuse of power and an insult! Even when I was a rookie, nothing like this ever happened!
You—you crazy bastards!
I felt like I could take a bath in my cold sweat.
I hurriedly pulled out the jacket, straightened the doll, and tucked it into my shirt pocket.
‘You—you went through a lot. I’m sorry.’
—Whew… It is not something for you to apologize for, Mr. Roe Deer. It is those people who acted recklessly!
He seemed to have calmed down a little. I quickly turned around and hurried away.
But a sinister voice followed behind me…
—However…
A Good Friend does not forget.
“…”
I must make sure Brown never gets near the Security Team again…
It was the moment I stepped out the door.
“Kim Sol-eum.”
“…!”
Someone was waiting in front of the Security Team front desk.
“…Section Chief.”
The Lizard Section Chief stared at me with his vertical pupils.
“Did you come to pick me up?”
“Yes.”
“Where are you taking me? No, I mean, I’d like you to tell me why you’re taking me there as well.”
“The infirmary. Deputy Manager Eun Haje is lying there.”
“…!”
I,
After hesitating several times, finally managed to speak.
“…Is she alive?”
The Lizard Section Chief looked back at me.
And he answered clearly.
“Yes.”
“…”
A lump.
Something I couldn’t identify suddenly surged up to my throat.
“…Section Chief. Assistant Manager Park Min-seong came out too.”
“I see.”
Lee Ja-heon seemed to think for a moment, then asked.
“Is he alive?”
“…Yes.”
“Then everyone survived.”
“…Yes.”
That alone made it worthwhile.
Truly.
