Even if I fall into a ghost story, I still have to go to work
Chapter 68
Even If You Fall Into an Urban Legend, You Still Have to Go to Work
Even If You Fall Into an Urban Legend, You Still Have to Go to Work, Episode 68
Even If You Fall Into an Urban Legend, You Still Have to Go to Work, Episode 068
Morning.
I am sitting in the quiet office.
-Ah, what a refreshing winter morning. How about a cup of coffee, Friend?
Sure. Let’s have some at lunch.
I tidy up my desk while talking to Brown to chase away the silence, and around 8:50 AM, my lizard-headed superior walks through the door.
I approach him and bow politely.
“Hello, Section Chief. Good morning.”
“Yes.”
I lift my head and continue.
“I heard that you helped me get paid leave. …Thank you.”
“Yes.”
The lizard moves only his eyes to look at me.
“Will you be able to perform your duties in the same capacity as you did two weeks ago?”
“Yes. I can work just like before. Even if my results aren’t quite the same at first, I’ll find my rhythm as quickly as possible.”
“I see.”
His vertical pupils stare at me intently.
“I will judge that and compensate accordingly.”
Hmm.
By now, I can more or less translate what he means.
‘He’s saying whether I do well or not, he’ll watch over me and cover for me, so I should just work hard like I always do.’
I’m starting to think that even if he looks like a lizard and has a limited vocabulary, as long as he’s a good boss, what does it matter…?
Of course, that doesn’t mean I can let my guard down.
‘For a while, I absolutely have to clear the darkness flawlessly.’
I already received paid leave.
But what if an employee who was efficient enough to be promoted to Assistant Manager in sixty days returns from a break and fails to produce results ‘unlike before’?
That would get people talking in the company.
Because it looks suspicious.
[No, it’s not like a colleague died; I heard they all made it out alive.]
[Hmm… maybe that Kim Sol-eum guy is surprisingly weak when it comes to psychological trauma?]
[But how did someone with such a weak mental state… manage to produce those results until now?]
…It would go something like that.
‘Nothing good comes from being suspected.’
I shouldn’t give them any excuses.
‘Let’s clear this properly.’
Even if… I haven’t been able to purchase any reliable new items yet.
I recalled the text on the Alien Shop website that had been up throughout my vacation.
※ Restyling in progress (Temporary Situation) ※
I UNDERSTAND!
That’s right.
The website is undergoing a renewal….
‘I wonder when it’ll open.’
I haven’t seen any documents regarding the renewal, so it’ll probably finish soon and reopen.
Since my budget is fixed, I planned to secure items after seeing what the newly opened Alien Shop has to offer.
For now, I should regain my focus and clear the darkness properly.
‘They probably won’t give me high-grade darkness for a while anyway.’
The strange emptiness from the reduced team size is unavoidable, but it’s not like I can quit… I have to make it work somehow.
I asked with a forced bit of cheerfulness.
“Still, is it right for me to be deployed to the darkness starting today? I heard that since we aren’t at our three-person capacity, there’s a high chance we’ll be sent to support other teams….”
“That is correct.”
Oh.
“Which team are we supporting today?”
If I’m lucky, I might meet one of the colleagues I joined the company with but haven’t met yet…….
“It is the Elite Class.”
…….
Excuse me??
Again?
“Are you referring to Team A?”
“No.”
“…Then which team is it?”
“Team C.”
It was a team I had no acquaintance with.
The fact that they were the Elite Class weighed on me, but I was thinking it was a relief that the A Team Leader and Lee Jaheon wouldn’t have to meet… when it hit me.
‘Wait.’
Come to think of it, in a sense, I wasn’t entirely unacquainted with Team C.
[K.LEE: I’m Deputy Manager Lee Kang-heon from Team C haha]
That suspicious deputy manager who introduced me to the Salmon Market!
‘He definitely said he was in Team C.’
Maybe I’ll actually see his face this time.
But there was a more important question to ask first.
If it’s darkness that the Elite Class enters….
“Is it perhaps a high-grade darkness that is difficult to clear?”
“By what criteria do you wish to judge?”
“……I’m sorry. That was a slip of the tongue.”
“?”
“Um. I would appreciate it if you could tell me the grade and if there is a manual available.”
“It is grade D. The manual is complete.”
Oh, then the chances of seeing some crazy stunt like calling in the Cleanup Team to use as meat shields are low. I asked comfortably, feeling much more at ease.
“Understood. Then when should we move?”
“We will begin moving in five minutes.”
Yes, sir.
So we packed our bags and walked out of the office.
However….
“…….”
“…….”
“Section Chief.”
“Yes.”
“Why are we heading toward the annex instead of the Team C office?”
“Because Team C has already entered the darkness.”
“…….”
What?
After a few more exchanges with the lizard chief, the answer I squeezed out was this:
[Team C is currently down to two members because their leader is on vacation.]
[The urban legend they are entering today is Grade D.]
[But Team C, questioning why they needed to stick to the three-person rule for such low-grade darkness, went in on their own without authorization, so the administration hurriedly assigned additional personnel.]
“…….”
Wow.
When I first joined, Deputy Manager Eun Haje was fuming and cursing because of a temporary fix like ‘Well, there are three of you including the rookie.’
‘And here, they voluntarily entered with only two people….’
I have a bad feeling about this.
-Hmm, members who don’t follow instructions well! A great host must be able to handle all elements of the show, especially the human resources.
-Will today be an opportunity for you to learn that, Roe Deer? Let’s find out. Shall we go with gusto, Friend!
I just want to slump down and give up…….
But I needed points, and it was time for me to get back into the darkness.
‘Though there hasn’t been a single normal person among the Elite Class I’ve met so far….’
And I have a strong hunch that this time will be no different.
A six-month-old assistant manager has to do what they’re told.
If I didn’t like it, I should have gone to Team A… though if I had, I’d probably have been kicked to the Cleanup Team and be a corpse by now.
‘…Do I miss them already?’
I tried not to think of the two superiors from Team D as I moved my feet.
Section Chief Lee Jaheon handed me a tablet.
“Familiarize yourself with the manual for the next ten minutes.”
“Is there a reason you’re only giving me ten minutes?”
“Time is tight until the entry window closes, and the survival rate for the last two quarters is nearly 97%.”
Thank you for the kind explanation…….
‘I guess I’ve reached the point where I just shrug off a 3% mortality rate….’
Honestly, in this setting, the 3% who die despite having a full manual are usually just incredibly unlucky or did something unexpected.
‘It’ll be fine.’
With a feeling somewhere between reluctance and resignation, I looked into the tablet and…….
“…….”
“…….”
-Hmm? Roe Deer, your mind seems to have gone blank all of a sudden.
Yeah.
Because I’m screwed.
======================
Darkness Exploration Log / Urban Legend
[Not Knowing is the Right Answer]
The identification code for the urban legend appearing in Baekilmong Corporation is Qterw-D-2367.
A classic, nerve-wracking urban legend where one must spend an entire night among ghosts.
======================
“…….”
Wait a minute.
Please wait just a second, Section Chief…!
Instead of wailing that I wouldn’t go in, I managed to make a rational suggestion.
“Um, would it be possible to prepare for about thirty more minutes before entering?”
“It is impossible.”
“…….”
Right. He said the entrance was closing….
It wasn’t a rational suggestion at all.
“…….”
Aaaaah! Seriously!!
Why does it have to be this one for my return!
“Excluding the two who died of heart attacks, there are no death records. It is safe compared to others of its grade.”
“……Yes.”
‘That’s not why I’m doing this…!’
It’s just that I had been mistaken about something.
I had forgotten while intoxicated by the ‘me who is building an elite rookie character.’
Even before my paid leave, I was… just a person who hated scary things and was crying internally while trying to speed-run.
And yet, my return urban legend is the hell of traditional horror, my biggest weakness.
‘And since half the group are people I’m meeting for the first time, and elites at that, I can’t even pull any tricks.’
Furthermore, because the grade is low, it feels like a waste to use a tattoo sticker, so I have to endure it with nothing but grit.
I can’t just run and think of an escape route because my survival instinct is ringing bells; I have to experience it all raw….
The taste of horror intended by the wiki author.
‘Phew….’
At least with the convenience store ghost, I ended up playing tag because I went in without knowing.
I felt like I had been splashed with cold water and brought back to reality. Should I call it shock therapy?
Feeling like a cow being led to the slaughter, I entered the darkness of my own volition.
My legs were trembling.
“This way.”
The only silver lining was that this time, it wasn’t the kind of darkness that swallowed us by twisting time and space into some strange place.
The method of entry this time was very simple.
After knocking on a confined space that satisfied certain conditions, you enter, and that place becomes the urban legend.
An indoor confined space with no people within a 100m radius, blocked by four walls and a ceiling.
There must be no interior elements that allow you to check the outside, such as windows, and there must be exactly one analog clock.
The volume should be around 40㎥; if there is a difference of more than 4㎥, the darkness will not manifest.
In the case of our company, they supposedly renovated a part of the annex to create a space that satisfies these conditions and use it regularly.
The ‘4m x 4m x 2.4m’ space….
[Pantry]
Section Chief Lee Jaheon and I stopped in front of the door with this nameplate.
It was a normal pantry attached to a regular office, but the conditions were met.
A Wednesday on a date ending in the number ‘4’.
Knocking on the door of the confined space with a specific rhythm begins the urban legend.
“…….”
I… have to do it, right?
Because of the hierarchy?
Knock, knock, knock-knock, knock-knock-knock.
I knocked on the door, trying my best not to let my trembling hands show.
Then, as if by magic, the door clicked open.
“Oh?”
“Who are these people…… oh!”
Inside, two employees were sitting comfortably, and they waved when they saw us.
“Ah, did you come for support?”
“Yes.”
“Man, I said we didn’t need it, but they sent you anyway.”
While the employees grumbled among themselves about how having more people to clear it would split the points and dilute the concentration of the Dream Essence….
The lizard chief replied:
“If you have a complaint, apply for a department transfer and change the common field exploration manual.”
“…….”
“…….”
The two employees gaped, then eventually nodded with awkward expressions.
“Yes… well, we didn’t mean to criticize those who came. We’re sorry….”
“Hahaha, I think we were being inconsiderate! Truly sorry. You’re the Team D Section Chief, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then you must be….”
“I am Assistant Manager Roe Deer.”
“Ahhh!”
Both of their faces changed again.
“Are you the rookie who almost joined Team A? I heard Deputy Manager Butterfly has her eye on you!”
“I also heard you saved an employee who was supposed to die… Ooh, tell us about it when we get out of here!”
“It wasn’t that big of a deal, I just got lucky… but yes. Nice to meet you too.”
Lee Jaheon and I took the seats we were offered at a small table in the corner of the pantry.
“We have to spend the night together, so let’s introduce ourselves. For starters, you can call her Assistant Manager Dolphin.”
“Nice to meet you! Assistant Manager Roe Deer.”
A small woman wearing a dolphin mask waved when she was called. Her tone was quite bubbly.
And then, a sociable man with a tan and a friendly attitude reached out his hand with a grin.
“And I’m Leopard, Deputy Manager Leopard.”
“Yes. Deputy Manager Leopard.”
Hmm.
[K.LEE: Oh hello, Mr. Employee hahaha]
The profile for ‘Lee Kang-heon’ was definitely a Hawaiian beach. The tan suited him.
Plus, the matching rank and sociable attitude.
‘I think it’s this guy.’
Of course, I planned to keep the possibility open. Since I didn’t know his real name yet.
Naturally, I had no intention of acting like I knew him in front of my superior.
“I look forward to working with you.”
“Yep. Let’s just spend the night in the pantry snacking on some treats!”
Anyway, up to this point, it felt like a conversation you’d have while sitting down to work overtime in some office.
In reality, things like blood tears flowing down the walls, the room flipping upside down, or the coffee machine turning into a murder weapon don’t happen in this pantry.
However….
‘The ghosts are already here.’
Some of the explorers are replaced by ghosts.
That’s right.
Someone among the people talking right now has already been replaced by a ghost.
Maybe more than one.
“Would you like a cup of coffee?”
“Ah, I’ll go get it.”
“Hey, we don’t do that ‘youngest’ stuff in our team. Just stay seated.”
No one knows when it happens. Maybe from the moment they cross the threshold, maybe from the moment they sit down and exchange greetings….
‘Actually, the person replaced by a ghost is the easy part.’
Because they just stay unconscious from the moment they enter the pantry and wake up the next day.
The problem is the manual for the person who didn’t become a ghost.
“…….”
The rules I must follow.
The ghost is identical to the explorer in every aspect including appearance, personality, and character, but they create a sense of uncanny dissonance by doing things humans don’t do.
However, you must not notice who the ghost is.
Explorers who openly showed that they realized have all gone missing.
I—I can do this.
‘I just have to ignore it and let it slide.’
I can do it!
If someone smiles until their mouth rips or something, I just have to look away and endure it, right?
‘At that time, I’ll just naturally pretend to look at someone else and hold it in.’
With many people around, I felt like I could endure it.
I thought I might have become more of a coward after everything I’d been through, but maybe I’ve actually become a bit stronger against horror.
At least I’m not bathing in cold sweat while imagining what’s about to happen!
“Ah! The entrance just closed completely. Now we just have to hold out with this group.”
“Oh~”
“Great. Let’s do this!!”
Clap clap clap clap!
The employees smiled brightly and applauded. It was a heartwarming scene.
Except for one thing.
“Yay!”
Every single person in the room was clapping with the backs of their hands.
“…….”
Oh.
“Oh? Roe Deer. Why aren’t you clapping?”
“…….”
“Why?”
Deputy Manager Leopard thrust his face right in front of mine.
“Is something bothering you?”
