Even if I fall into a ghost story, I still have to go to work
Chapter 72
Even if you fall into a ghost story, you still have to go to work.
Ghost stories set in schools.
In truth, they have been a long-standing tradition since time immemorial.
Hundreds of teenagers have to spend all day in a single building; it would be stranger if they didn’t take an interest in scary and bizarre rumors, mysterious rituals, or ghosts at least once.
The Seven Wonders, the Ouija board…
Naturally, having attended school myself, I thought they were quite fun.
They are universal and popular horror stories, after all.
‘That’s why I took the courage to add an exploration log for the first time.’
Fortunately, the record wasn’t taken down due to a terror of “Not Recommended” ratings, and using that as a catalyst, I even went so far as to make up a ghost story myself…
But.
‘I’m going in… there?’
It was a strange feeling.
Naturally, the thought of entering a ghost story made a chill run down my spine first, but there was also a strange churning sensation.
Like having a textbook placed in front of me—
No, it wasn’t that…
Anticipation and fear?
‘I don’t know how to put it…’
At any rate, the manual had already been distributed, and I had to at least ‘attempt’ to enter.
If that’s the case.
-Shall we perform a short ritual before falling asleep today? I’m curious if it’s Noru-ssi’s own secret to falling into a deep sleep!
“It’s not that.”
I silently tidied my bed.
“I’m going to try to have the ‘special dream’ the company told me about.”
-Ah, are you planning to go to that ‘high school’?
Yes.
‘Even if it’s not here, I have to enter a ghost story anyway.’
Since only a few people who meet specific, one-time conditions can enter at any given time, it’s better to enter this one, where the company gives good points.
‘Phew.’
Late night at the company dormitory.
I opened the ‘specific book’ in question that I had received from the company.
-On a night with a full moon, if you read a specific book and fall asleep, you may wake up in a school at night.
It was exactly as Manager Lee Ja-heon had explained.
What was a bit unique was that it was a text file.
In the Black Shade.txt
This file is said to be occasionally tucked into text file collections downloaded from the internet titled ‘Collection of 2000s Horror Masterpieces’ (which ignored copyright like a lie).
The file size seemed like it would surely be enough for two books. But…
I clicked to open the file.
Everything happened on our graduation day.
That one line was the end of the content.
And when I scrolled down further out of strangeness,
₩ub124₩uac00₩u0020₩uc774₩u0020₩uae00₩uc744₩u0020₩uc77d₩ub294₩ub2e4₩ub294₩u0020₩uac74₩u0020₩ud3b8₩ubc95₩uc744₩u0020₩uc4f0₩uace0₩u0020₩uc788₩ub2e4₩ub294₩u0020₩ub73b₩uc774₩ub2e4₩u002e₩u0020₩uac10₩ud788₩u0020₩uc55e₩uc73c₩ub85c₩u0020₩uc77c₩uc5b4₩ub0a0₩u0020₩uc77c₩uc744₩u0020₩uc5ff₩ubcf4₩ub824₩uace0₩u0020₩ud55c₩u0020₩ub300₩uac00₩ub97c₩u0020₩uce58₩ub97c₩u0020₩uac83₩uc774₩ub2e4₩u002e₩u0020₩ubc18₩ub4dc₩uc2dc₩u002e
Indecipherable broken characters filled the text file in a dizzying mess before…
The file cannot be opened.
It vanished.
“……”
Ha.
Nothing is ever easy…!
‘I’m going to go from a heart attack first at this rate…’
Just then, I heard the sound of someone swearing loudly in the next room.
Baek Sa-heon was probably preparing to enter this ghost story as well. Since it was for all employees…
‘Maybe I’ll meet him inside.’
Well, the probability of Baek Sa-heon happening to meet the exact conditions to enter was low.
The conditions for who could enter this ghost story changed every time it opened.
‘But I know the “guaranteed entry” method mentioned in the middle and later parts of the exploration log…’
That’s why I had already prepared that method.
The important thing was that I didn’t know how much information had been released to the employees at this point.
‘Even if the exploration logs haven’t accumulated much, other rumors might have circulated bit by bit due to the nature of this ghost story.’
Since all employees were preparing to enter, this point bothered me a little.
Hmm.
‘Let’s check it out.’
It was also time to keep him in check so he wouldn’t do anything stupid.
I went to Baek Sa-heon’s door and knocked politely.
Knock, knock.
“Wh-What!”
“I’m coming in.”
Creak.
When I opened the door, Baek Sa-heon glared at me with a face somewhere between panic, fear, and irritation, then gritted his teeth and forced a smile.
“Isn’t it a social agreement that you only enter a knock after there’s an answer like ‘come in’? Huh?”
“Is that so?”
I went back out and knocked on the door.
Knock, knock.
Knock, knock.
Knock, knock.
Knock, knock.
Knock—
“You son of a—! Argh! Just come in!”
I opened the door and walked in, casting a pitying look at him.
“The result is the same.”
“……”
“You… really live inefficiently.”
Baek Sa-heon looked like he was boiling with resentment, but he seemed to have suppressed it successfully. Hmm, I’m glad to see that some human courtesy is finally developing.
“Anyway, I’m very curious why you suddenly felt the need to barge into someone else’s room for the first time in the middle of the night…”
And as he spoke, he seemed to have realized the answer himself.
“……Hey, no, Junior Officer-nim, don’t you have to enter the darkness as instructed by the company? Into that high school.”
“Yeah.”
“Ah, I knew it. Then you must have been preparing just now?”
And Baek Sa-heon’s eyes very quickly, persistently, and greedily scanned the area near the pillow of my bed through the open door.
Anyone could see he was trying to squeeze out a hint.
‘Look at him.’
I didn’t bother blocking the doorway and smiled.
“Yeah. That’s right.”
“Is that so? I heard you won’t know if you’ll enter or not until you fall asleep… It’s strange how you look so certain. Do you have some kind of secret?”
“You have a lot of questions.”
“I figured since you came to my room, I should at least listen to what you have to say.”
I threw it out casually.
“Do you need a hint?”
“……Well, if you’re offering?”
“Why should I?”
“……”
Baek Sa-heon smiled while gritting his teeth.
“…Should I deposit another three days’ worth of pay?”
“I don’t need money, but there’s something I want to hear.”
“…!”
“You want to enter, right? Why?”
A brief and intense conflict passed over Baek Sa-heon’s face.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to tell me, but rather he seemed to be busy weighing whether he could squeeze something more out of me by telling me this.
Then, as if he had reached a conclusion, he spoke as if it were no big deal.
“……No, well, there’s a rumor at the company.”
A rumor.
“That, well, items obtained in that ghost story can be brought out as they are… So it’s a win regardless to go in and bring something out.”
“……”
“And they say you don’t really die, for the most part.”
Hmm.
So that’s what the employees know at this point.
That it’s a ‘ghost story where it’s a benefit just to enter.’
“Actually, the hint you’re talking about probably isn’t worth this much, but since we’re colleagues and roommates, I’m sharing this information with you…”
Oh, he’s trying to talk it down naturally.
I deliberately nodded seriously.
“You’re right, my hint doesn’t seem to be worth much.”
“…!”
“You don’t need to hear it, right? Let’s forget it. Oh, and I heard you well.”
“…!! You son of a—!!”
I looked at Baek Sa-heon. Baek Sa-heon stopped swearing and soon smiled again.
“…Junior Officer-nim, if a coworker living in the same dormitory extorts a poor new recruit’s wages and personal information through blackmail, couldn’t I request an interview with a superior regarding workplace harassment?”
Oh dear.
I looked at Baek Sa-heon with a pitiful expression.
“Do you… really believe this company would care about something like that?”
“……”
“Well, belief is a matter of freedom.”
“……”
Baek Sa-heon seemed to be wandering somewhere between anger and futility…
Well, I should stop here.
‘I have to give what I owe.’
I said lightly.
“Put a photo of yourself from your high school days under your pillow before you sleep.”
“…?!”
“On the back, write a memo of what grade and class you were in and write a profile. Like a yearbook.”
I even kindly wrote an example on a post-it note on his desk.
Name:
A word to your friends:
“Then see what happens.”
“……”
As if he couldn’t believe it, Baek Sa-heon grilled me, asking, ‘Did you put a high school photo in too, Junior Officer-nim?’
I went straight to my room, pulled out the photo from under my pillow, and showed it to him.
It was a printout of one of my high school images saved on my smartphone.
“……”
Baek Sa-heon looked at it with an expression of disbelief, then shut his mouth.
“Did you think I was lying?”
“…Usually! You speak so eloquently that you have that kind of image, you know, Junior Officer-nim?”
“Is that so? I’ve never lied, though.”
“……”
“Think about it carefully.”
I gave the order to leave to Baek Sa-heon, who had somehow developed a blank face.
“Anyway, I have to finish preparing with Brown, so you should leave now.”
-I hope you enter safely, ordinary fellow employee!
Baek Sa-heon looked at me with an expression that was either fed up or mysterious, and eventually backed away and walked quickly into his own room.
Thud.
‘There.’
It was a bit tiring having to suppress him like this every time, but it couldn’t be helped.
Think of the new employee who came to Team D. That’s just how social life is…
“Phew.”
I went back to the pillow on my bed.
First of all, the tip I gave Baek Sa-heon is the truth.
Exploration Log #15
Confirmed entry of all three members of Team K into Segwang Technical High School using explorer’s high school graduation photos.
Validity proven.
And if entry is confirmed like this.
Naturally, the next priority is ‘what to bring.’
Because only the things put under the pillow before falling asleep would enter as belongings in the ‘Segwang Technical High School’ within the dream.
Since the volume of items that could be placed under a pillow and still allow one to sleep was limited, I had to choose carefully.
‘If I put it in my wrist tattoo and it doesn’t activate in the dream, I’m screwed.’
I was already slightly anxious because it was a ghost story where one’s appearance changes.
In the end, I fit the important items under my pillow like a game of Tetris.
Finally, I placed Brown under the most comfortable spot at the edge.
Hmm. Naturally… Brown ended up in quite a miserable state.
-…….
‘Sorry. Is it very suffocating?’
-Hmm, it’s bearable! If this were a studio, I think I would have called for the staff. Haha!
‘I-I see. Thanks.’
That meant it was considerably uncomfortable.
I must not make a ghost story inhabitant, who used to burn people with a snap of his fingers, any more uncomfortable…!
I quickly laid my head on the pillow and tried to sleep. Being careful not to crush Brown as much as possible.
‘The pillow is a bit lumpy…’
“……”
But,
My eyes closed.
To the point where it was hard to believe that someone who had suffered from insomnia was lying on an uncomfortable pillow.
Drowsiness rapidly rushed into my mind…
Fog.
Black shade.
And…
[Ding- Dong- Dang- Dong-]
…School.
[Ding- Dong- Dang- Dong-]
I opened my eyes.
I saw a classroom shrouded in dim darkness without a single light turned on.
When I looked down at my clothes, I was already in a school uniform.
[■■ High School]
The familiar uniform of my own high school was perfectly worn, though the school name looked as if it had been scratched out with a needle.
I couldn’t check for myself, but I knew.
That my very appearance had returned to that of my high school days…
And.
“Wh-What is this??”
Do you remember the characteristic of this ghost story I heard earlier?
-I heard you won’t know if you’ll enter or not until you fall asleep…
To put it another way, it meant this.
It wasn’t just our company employees who entered.
“Eh? Eh? Why am I in a school uniform…”
“Oh my god!”
“Excuse me, do you happen to know where this is?”
A classroom in the middle of the night without a single light bulb.
People who had been sitting at the dark desks stood up one by one, and in their panic, they screamed at each other or scanned their surroundings.
They were civilians who had been dragged in here by chance.
“Is this some kind of event? Huh.”
“Wait a minute, why am I in a school uniform… Uh? Wait! Why am I a high schooler?!”
“It’s a dream, this.”
“Did you see outside the window? I think this is the second floor…”
‘…It feels like I’m back in the subway ghost story.’
I felt a stomachache watching the people who were wavering between panic, fear, curiosity, and fun as they scanned their surroundings.
And… a heavy sense of tension.
“Huh?”
One person walking around looked into a corner and finally discovered it.
A student sitting without a single movement.
“Why isn’t this person moving?”
It was a bizarre sight.
In the middle of a classroom where people in various school uniforms were shouting and moving around actively.
Yet one person was sitting in their seat as if frozen.
That male student, who looked like a very sophisticated wax doll, was wearing a proper name tag.
[Segwang Technical High School]
“Is it a mannequin? Hah.”
Poke, poke.
“Ack!”
The person who poked him with a finger pulled back in surprise.
“He’s warm??”
“Seriously? For real?”
I stood up from my seat.
And without ever taking my eyes off him, I slowly approached the classroom door.
‘I have to open the door in advance.’
Click.
As I tried to move my hand amidst the tension, a stuffed animal keychain almost fell out of my uniform’s front pocket.
I snatched it in a fright.
Phew.
‘Thank goodness, Brown.’
Silence.
“…Brown?”
I lifted the stuffed animal.
The doll went limp.
“……!”
I hurriedly pressed the doll’s belly area. The shape of the coin, the Silver Snake, which I had used in the ritual to call my ‘Good Friend’…
Was gone.
“……”
This was just a doll.
My ‘Good Friend’ had failed to follow me into my dream.
“……”
“Outside… Uh, uh-uh-uh, Aaaaaaaah!!!”
I’m fucked.
