Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work Novel - Chapter 1

Have you ever been completely captivated by something?

I mean, beyond simply thinking “this is fun,” to the point where you’ve invested extra time and money because of a deep impression it made on you. You know what I’m talking about.

For movies, maybe watching the director’s cut; for games, buying the artbook; for webtoons, paying for early access; for a singer, going to a concert…

And taking it a step further, you could even buy related merchandise.

Yes, what we call “goods.”

Figures, slogans, badges, dolls…

I can honestly say I’ve never spent money on things like this in my life.

Until now.

This is a department store.

The hugely popular pop-up store had already run out of waiting list tickets by 10:00 AM, the moment the department store opened.

And I got one of those tickets.

“2:30 PM time slot, we’ll let you in now!”

“Oh, finally!”

“Hey, let’s go!”

The cheerful teenagers standing next to me ran towards the employee with excited faces.

‘2:30 PM… that’s right.’

I stood in line, pulling my hat down as low as possible.

But I heard whispers from behind.

“Huh…”

“Is that a reseller?”

“Aren’t they a professional?”

“…….”

It’s really unfair, but I can see why they’d think that.

I was the only adult who looked like a working professional in this line!

‘Ugh…’

I groaned, looking at the pop-up store entrance.

[Explorers who have come from the darkness, welcome.]

‘This is insane.’

A black and red background with various monster caricatures and occult elements, and intersecting symbols of corporations, religions, and governments. It’s a worldview that perfectly targets teenagers.

The title is also really well done.

[End of Days Prophecy: Chronicle of Darkness]

Ugh…

I barely managed to stop myself from covering my eyes with one hand.

‘Why did I have to see this at work…’

<Chronicle of Darkness>.

It’s a recently trending internet urban legend universe. You know, the kind where people can participate and create stories, a collective intelligence open-source worldview.

It seems to have started small, branching off from a certain famous urban legend and spreading among students by word of mouth, but then it encountered the YouTube algorithm and exploded in popularity.

‘Records of exploring various paranormal phenomena called <Darkness>’. That’s the concept of these urban legends.

Eventually, it became an independent wiki with hundreds and thousands of stories recorded, and that’s how it caught my eye.

‘…It’s text, so it was easy to read at work.’

And I did say that anything that wasn’t work was fun at the office.

I got completely absorbed into this worldview, even creating and posting my own urban legend…

Why did this happen? Is my dopamine-free office life to blame?

And <Chronicle of Darkness> itself is like that too.

‘I never thought it would get this big.’

It’s apparently a huge IP that now practically reigns supreme on YouTube.

Naturally, corporations jumped in to capitalize on it.

And this pop-up store is part of that.

‘But even so, there was a 15+ rating on the wiki.’

Why are there so many kids here?

Hearing the whispers from behind, the reality of the situation hits me hard…

“They look like resellers…”

“Hey, hey, they could be buying for a niece or cousin… let’s not be so harsh.”

No. I’m going to have it.

…Actually, I came last week too, but the goods I wanted sold out right in front of me, so I came again…

I even took a day off.

‘At least there were some women my age last time.’

But today, during the weekday afternoon, the only adults seem to be parents accompanying their children, and the shame of it is making me want to run away, but I will persevere.

‘I don’t even know why I’m trying to persevere…’

Anyway, I entered the store following the employee’s instructions.

The employee’s unfazed demeanor was my only comfort.

“Wow!”

“Hey, it looks just like the picture.”

I heard middle schoolers gasp in awe, and inside, the pop-up store was impressively well-decorated, like a theme park.

And the exhibition themes were clearly categorized.

[Daydream Corporation]
[Supernatural Disaster Management Agency]
[Unnamed Glorious Church]

In this urban legend universe, there are three major powers: corporations, the government, and religion, and they are all trying to observe and secure paranormal phenomena… that’s the setting.

At first, there were only rumors from the government’s Disaster Management Agency, but somehow, a lot of people got involved, and it became like this.

Anyway, this pop-up store seems to have collected only the items that became a hot topic on the internet.

It felt like a pop-up store blatantly aiming for money, simply lumping together popular characters and rumor-related items, but the quality was decent.

‘Yeah. When would I ever come to a place like this….’

Ignoring the stares, I quickly gathered the items I intended to buy.

Luckily, I had already bought most of what I planned to get last week, so there weren’t many popular items among my purchases. The suspicious stares implying reselling were gone.

“Would you like to purchase an L-size eco-bag to carry your items? It’s 5000 won.”

“Yes, thank you.”

I finished paying, but I hesitated to leave the pop-up store immediately.

I turned my head to see the space next to the counter where people were lined up.

[Roulette Event]
:Create your own Dark Exploration Log character.

That.

I saw it last week, but I couldn’t bring myself to wait in line for it…

‘This pop-up ends tomorrow.’

I was intensely struggling with whether it was worth exchanging for my social standing.

The staff member who had just relieved the previous one smiled and spoke to me.

“The roulette event ends today! Would you like to participate?”

“…Yes.”

Thank you.

Really, thank you, staff member…

“Yes! Then, please come this way! Oh, please stand here… ”

The staff member quickly guided me to the end of the line in front of the huge black roulette, and I was able to naturally join the end of the queue.

The line moved faster than expected.

Soon, I was at the front, receiving a button that looked like a walkie-talkie.

“First, let’s spin the lucky roulette! Please stop it with the button whenever you want.”

flute.

The roulette wheel began to spin with artificial sound effects.

Each section showed the rank and prize.

Goods I had already bought, goods not sold as exhibits, and unexpectedly, Bluetooth earphones…

Of course, the largest section, the 7th prize, was just a small memo-like thing. I’ll probably land there.

Still, it was fine. I almost left without participating.

‘Don’t get your hopes up.’

I thought that as I carefully pressed the button the staff member gave me.

Drr-drr-r… klik.

But my black roulette slowly stopped… surprisingly, it stopped here.

A thin golden section.

[1st Prize]
:Dark Exploration Log Real Goods Box

“…!”

“Wow! Congratulations!”

Is… this real?

“Whoa, crazy!”

“You’re so lucky, I’m so envious.”

Screams, exclamations, and jealous voices erupted from behind.

“Wow, on the second to last day of the pop-up, we finally have a first-place winner!”

The staff member, even more excited, rushed behind the roulette and returned with a large plastic-wrapped box.

The black box, with a huge symbol embossed in silver foil, looked like a meticulously crafted product itself.

I managed to hold the box without trembling.

“…Thank you.”

Quickly… I need to get out of here and slap myself in the face. Is this real life?

I tried to leave the pop-up store immediately, but the staff member stopped me.

“Ah! We’re giving out on-site produced goods, so could you just tell me your name?”

Name? My personal information has been public for a long time thanks to data breaches. The important thing is to get this home safely…!

“Kim Soleum.”

“Yes! Sol Eum, just a moment.”

The staff member fiddled with a black vending machine that looked like a 3D printer next to the roulette.

There was an explanatory text on top, presumably made for the pop-up store.

[Dark Exploration Log Character Maker]

Ah. Is that the subtitle of the roulette event?

…‘Create your own Dark Exploration Log character.’

It’s undeniably geared towards a younger audience…

“Please enter your name here.”

“……Yes.”

Holding the goods box tightly with one hand, I quickly entered my name on the vending machine’s pad.

The black vending machine made a rather loud and gloomy music box sound, performing a flashy performance of turning gears.

Then it spat out a small object.

Click.

I picked up something familiar-looking.
It was… an employee ID card.
[Daydream Co., Ltd.]

Employee Kim Soleum

Field Exploration Team

“Wow! It’s from Daydream Corporation! One of the three most famous factions in our <Darkness Exploration Records>!”

“…….”

Yes. I know.

To put it simply, it’s the cliché of a large corporation doing business with paranormal phenomena.

And among them, the field exploration team…

‘It’s like a suicide squad.’

Like the red shirts in that sci-fi drama. They keep going into investigate paranormal phenomena and getting wiped out.

Of course, thanks to that, it seems many of the named characters belonged to this field exploration team.

“Wow! It’s a field exploration team ID card. I’m really looking forward to seeing what Kim Soleum did in the <Darkness Exploration Records> world!”

“Yes, thank you…”

I felt like my hands and feet were going to cramp, but I held back.

‘It’s better than a government agency or a pseudo-religious organization ID card.’

It was fortunate that it was a company ID card.

I was a little embarrassed, but the employee had said it so many times that I’d become immune, or perhaps I was just a jaded salaryman in a capitalist society.

Anyway, it seemed the roulette event was over with the receipt of this ID card.

“Thank you.”

I looked at the ID card with my name printed on it and groaned.

‘I need to hide this… somewhere out of sight.’

Even I couldn’t handle this much anymore. Meanwhile, the employee excitedly asked.

“Do you like it? You’ll treasure it, right?”

“Yes.”

“Liar.”

……?

Thinking I’d misheard, I lifted my head.

Grin.

The employee suddenly smiled, their lips splitting into a wide, unnatural grin that stretched up to their ears.

“…?”

At that moment. Suddenly, dizziness washed over me.

“…!”

The noise of the pop-up store disappeared. My vision swirled dizzily, as if coated in black paint, flickering red and blue. And when the dizziness finally subsided… I never dreamed the world would be completely different.

[Welcome to Daydream Corporation!]

“…!?”

I was somehow sitting in the corner of a large lecture hall, looking at the central stage.

And.

Waaaaaaaaah!!

With cheers, a firework effect exploded on the large beam projector PPT on the stage.
[New Employee Orientation]

Amidst the polite applause and cheers of young professionals in suits, someone who seemed to be the emcee smiled brightly and turned the page of the PPT. It was unmistakably a large corporation’s new employee orientation event.

Faces filled with happiness at finally having landed a job were brimming with pride and excitement.

[The 145:1 competition to get here means our new employees deserve to be proud! Haha! Now, let’s begin the new employee orientation!]

“…….”

What is this? I flinched and tried to back away. But I realized I was sitting in a chair. I was wearing a suit; I’d put it on for a client dinner, but it coincidentally matched the ‘new employees’ who packed this lecture hall.

Meanwhile, the goods box I received from the roulette event was quietly resting on my lap.

“Excuse me, where did you get that? Is it something the company gives out?”
“…….”

I couldn’t answer the new employee sitting next to me.

[You are the chosen ones!]

[In fact, among the applicants we recruited through this new employee recruitment announcement, only very special individuals have been invited to this lecture hall, Room A, for the orientation!]

[Congratulations! You have passed the aptitude test and have been assigned to the special team, <Field Exploration Team>.]

“Already assigned?”

“Field Exploration Team? Does Daydream Corporation even have that?”

“Field exploration… in a pharmaceutical company…?”

“Uh, it sounds like exile? It’s not the head office, is it? Some branch? Trying to sweet-talk us…”

Whispers of dissent were audible from all directions, but I had no time to focus. Because I had realized the familiar company and team names.

Daydream Corporation.
Field Exploration Team.

……Like a bolt of lightning, a wiki page flashed before my eyes.

[Field Exploration Team] (Daydream Corporation)
: One of the five teams under the development department of Daydream Corporation, a massive force appearing in <Darkness Exploration Records>.

A so-called “death squad,” a team fated for misfortune. But thanks to them, ghost story writers have a field day.

‘Wait a minute.’

…This, this is the origin story of the ghost story from the pop-up store I just participated in.
If that’s the case, what will happen next…?

A crazy department that makes new hires participate in a death survival game starting from their orientation to weed out those unsuitable for permanent positions.

It’s also a consistently popular topic for wiki entries, highlighting what happens when ordinary people attempt dark exploration.

“……!”

“Wh-what are you…”

I immediately jumped up from my chair. Forget understanding the situation, I was planning to run outside.

But it was already too late.

[However, there’s a short probationary period before official employment; it’s not long! Your practical aptitude will be judged via absolute evaluation.]

[Of course, for individual assessments to be properly conducted, active participation is essential! We will catch all freeloaders!]

Bang, bang, bang, bang.

The doors of the lecture hall slam shut one after another.

‘Damn it!’

Meanwhile, naive new employees who still think <Daydream Corporation> is just a regular pharmaceutical company haven’t grasped the situation yet. Thus, as about a hundred new employees listened attentively to the host, the host announced cheerfully and energetically:

[Alright, let’s begin!]

With that lively voice. The lights in the lecture hall went out.

“…?”

“Huh?”

Perhaps they thought a video would be played, the new employees were only slightly puzzled.
It was understandable.

‘I never expected this kind of crazy thing to happen after getting a job.’

For instance. Suddenly, the surrounding scenery changes to a gloomy subway car.

[Passengers, thank you for using Abyss Transportation Corporation today…Our train does not stop.]

[Please pay attention to the announcements for a pleasant journey to your final destination.]

An unfamiliar announcement, using a name I’d never heard before.

“……!?”

“Wh-what is this!?”

As if the lecture hall had been moved whole, the new employees, still in their suits, sat on the subway seats, suddenly springing to their feet. It was understandable that they were startled.

“Excuse me?”

“Is this VR? Did we really move?”

Even so, most of the people who were in the lecture hall seemed to be there, so their reaction was rather calm, somehow reassured. They looked around the subway, searching for traces of the company, looking for the event host or anyone who looked like company personnel. And soon they grasp the situation somewhat.

“There are other people in the front car! The doors… uh, the doors won’t open, is this…?”

“Some kind of new technology?”

I felt like I was going to break out in a cold sweat, my eyes squeezed shut before I opened them again. Because I had already figured out what ghost story this was.

[Welcome to Abyss Transportation Corporation]

: A ghost story appearing in <Dark Exploration Records>.

Among the initially recorded D-class darknesses, a crazy ghost story boasting overwhelmingly difficult escape rates. And the eternally suffering field exploration team. The exploration was recorded a total of times.

<Welcome to Abyss Transportation Corporation>.

As you can see, it’s a ghost story using the Korean subway as its setting.
– You fall asleep and wake up on the subway. It seems like a commute home, but strange station names start to be announced…

Such an introduction. The ghost story’s prey is the broad group of “people who have commuted by subway,” making it more chilling for most office workers who fit this criterion.

“…….”
‘
And this ghost story…is a darkness under Daydream Corporation’s jurisdiction.’

Apparently, Daydream Corporation was using this ghost story to “weed out” the new employees.

…Damn it!

“Is this like an escape room?”

“No, why would a pharmaceutical company that makes hair loss medication make new sales staff do an escape room…”

That’s when it happened.

[The next station is Sorrow, Sorrow Station.]

“…!”

“Sor…row?”

The first announcement. I held my breath and turned my head.

[The doors on the right will open….]

Clunk.

The train stopped.

[The screen doors will open.]

The doors opened.

Just like an ordinary day, but.

[The doors will close in 30 seconds. You can never go back.]

[Passengers whose final destination is Sorrow Station must exit according to the announcement.]

A familiar voice, laced with strange words and phrases, speaks kindly through the announcement. But people tend to find something reassuring to rationalize the situation.

“Look outside! It’s just a subway station!”

Literally. Beyond the train doors, the platform was clearly visible. A bit dark and damp, but otherwise it looked like a normal subway station. Encouraged, two or three people headed for the door.

Oh, damn.

“I don’t think you should get off.”

“Excuse me?”

This is insane. I sighed inwardly and spoke quickly.

“Did you hear it say ‘Sadness Station’ just now? Where is there a station like that in Korea? It’s ridiculous.”

“Oh…”

“I think he’s right. Maybe we should wait and see…”

A quick-witted person agreed with me. A new employee who had been sitting next to me. Because of this, the people who were about to leave hesitated even more.

“But…”

“Hey, the doors are closing!”

However, at the sound of the closing doors, several hurried people suddenly rushed out… It’s over.

[The doors are closing.]

“Ah!”

“I didn’t get off! Damn it.”

Seeing the ‘people who got off’ waving from the station, those who hadn’t could only sigh in regret. Some even glanced at me and muttered curses under their breath.
I understand. In a strange and bizarre situation, you’d want to just blank out and escape.

But.

“Huh?”

“That…”

A grotesque sight unfolded. As the people who had exited the station turned to leave,
countless silver droplets suddenly erupted from the station ceiling and pillars, pouring down onto their heads.

Pit-a-pat-pit-a-pat.

Like giant tears. But the countless silver droplets, like molten iron, poured onto the people’s bodies, producing a terrifying sound of tearing.

Screams. Screams. Convulsions.

Silence.

Blood mixed with silver liquid splattered on the windows.

[The train is departing from Sadness Station.]

The last thing I saw outside the window…

“…”

In front of the screen door, soaked in filth and blood, were only the crushed remains of the new employees.

Twitching.

“Aaaack!”

“Ugh!”

The end for the wrong answer.

[To ensure a pleasant journey to your destination, please pay attention to the announcements.]

Amidst the people shrinking in terror, screams and shouts finally began to stain the air.

‘It’s begun.’

I squeezed my eyes shut. Trapped in an urban legend? I don’t know how I ended up like this, but I’ve definitely become a new employee in the company team from that urban legend. A team with an extremely high mortality rate.

‘Is this real?’

Yes. To be honest, I’m in a better position than other new employees. I’ve read the entire urban legend wiki, haven’t I?

3.2 Exploration Record (Recorded up to ■■)

This means I remember it in quite detail, roughly to that level. And up to this point, I seem like a typical overpowered protagonist. Being transported to a world I like, I can picture myself escaping this situation with the advantage of information. I might even feel a bit confident about monopolizing opportunities and items.

That’s possible.

But there’s a problem. A very crucial problem.

‘…I can’t stand scary things!’

That’s right. I’m… a scaredy-cat. Text is fine. I can read it interestingly. But the moment it becomes an image, I can’t handle it. A scaredy-cat.

Not just any scaredy-cat, but the kind who gets relentlessly teased by my friends!
-Kim Soleum’s crush wanted to watch a horror movie, but he couldn’t watch it so he refused. Is this real?

-Hahahahahahahahaha

-Sol Eum, your name is creepy, but you can’t watch horror movies lol Hahahahahahahahaha

-Even the crush will run awayHahahahahahahahaha

-Want to die?

-I’m sorry.

-I’m sorry.

Even when reading urban legends during the daytime at work, if there’s a scary background image or BGM, I turn off the data and only read the text. That level of scaredy-cat! I couldn’t even include a single image in the urban legend I submitted, a long-term resident of the coward’s haven!

“…”

I covered my eyes with both hands. I’m, already, done for…