Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work Novel - Chapter 102

A single question-and-answer session, the reward for winning rock-paper-scissors against the elevator mirror ghost.

Naturally, the truth revealed by urban legends isn’t always pleasant.

It might be displeasing.

Or useless.

Either way was possible.

For example, if you were to ask when humanity would go extinct, the answer might be something like, “A long time after you’re dead.”

‘That’s true, too.’

So, if I were to ask, ‘What’s the way to return to my original place?’, it could mean that only extremely drastic and fragmented words might be revealed.

It was better to find out if the method I was currently aiming for could reliably return me to my original world.

‘Daydream Corporation’s Wish Granting Potion.’

My heart pounded.

The answer, which promised to tell me any truth, slowly appeared like a glass window, agonizingly slow.

It was…

I can return. Definitely.

A very clear affirmative.

“……!”

I slumped down, letting out a deep sigh of relief.

‘Wow.’

The tension seemed to completely release.

…Honestly, I was worried… that I might get a very vague or negative answer.

I tried not to think about it, but sometimes… I had doubts.

– What if I can’t even go back with the Wish Granting Potion?

– What if I set the conditions wrong and it turns out strangely?

But I tried my best to suppress them.

Even if I doubted it, the Wish Granting Potion was still the most likely method.

‘Even if I’m anxious, what I have to do doesn’t change….’

And I had to believe I could definitely return with the Wish Granting Potion to endure these terrible fears and work…

“…….”

But this will give me more confidence to work.

‘Let’s do it.’

I can do it.

Let’s do our best to gather the remaining Wish Granting Potions quickly and safely!

I steeled my resolve and got up from my seat.

‘My work motivation has surged….’

Very rarely, though.

However, I hadn’t escaped the urban legend yet.

‘The final stage of the ritual remains.’

If I successfully receive an answer, it’s time to finish the ritual and return.

Depending on which floor I won rock-paper-scissors on to reach the top floor, the actions I need to take to safely return are different.

If from floor 1: Go to floor 10.

If from floor 6: Go to floor 11.

Floor 1 was the case where I won rock-paper-scissors immediately and reached the top floor smoothly.

So, if I go to floor 10, it ends with something like, ‘Go down the stairs and go home, and don’t ride an elevator with mirrors on both sides for three days.’ But…

‘…I failed.’

In this case, what I have to do becomes even more eerie and painful.

“…Huh.”

It’s getting confusing, so let’s read the manual the company gave me.

Floor 11.

11. 11. If you won rock-paper-scissors against ‘Someone in the Mirror’ and reached the top floor, the countermeasures will differ depending on how many questions you answered.

First, you need to take the elevator.

I swallowed, turned around, and stood in front of the elevator door again.

The elevator was still stopped on the 12th floor, so as soon as I pressed the button, the door opened.

Ding.

With a short sound, the interior of the old elevator with its right-hand mirror shattered was revealed…

During this stage, you must keep the open button pressed while inside the elevator.

Never let go of the button.

And while going up to the top floor, look at the opposite mirror, not the one you played rock-paper-scissors with.

I turned my gaze to the left mirror.

Because the opposite mirror was shattered, there was no endlessly repeating space within it.

In that place, reflecting only the scattered light from the shattered mirror, illuminating the dark elevator interior…

Something strange would be visible.

It’s me.

With my head bowed abnormally low.

Wearing a completely worn-out suit.

With strangely immobile movements.

The ghost I played rock-paper-scissors with.

…….

The figure in the mirror slowly raises its head.

A face without expression looks at me, getting closer and closer.

Closer and closer.

Like it’s sticking to the mirror.

You must endure until a sound comes from the elevator. You must not move or run away. Stare until it ends.

The longer this lasts, the more questions you answer.

I held it in.

But there’s a limit. Even though a glass window clearly blocked the way, it got closer and closer, little by little, endlessly…

My hand trembled as I pressed the open button.

I had to think of something else…

‘Is…that a reply to the graffiti I wrote on the window?’

Yes, that must be it…

Bang!

I almost missed the button.

A ghost was pressing its head against the mirror, staring at me.

And its mouth shape.

IwanttogetoutIwanttogetoutIwanttogetoutIwanttogetoutIwanttogetoutIwanttogetoutIwanttogetoutIwanttogetoutIwanttogetoutIwanttogetoutIwanttogetoutIwanttogetoutIwanttogetout

I quickly averted my gaze, slightly downward. Cold sweat dripped from my chin.

But piercing the fear, the silver ring’s effect shone.

Want to get out?

‘…because it’s trapped in the mirror?’

My head spun.

‘Come to think of it, that ghost…couldn’t make the scissors hand shape…’

Why?

The reason it can’t make scissors.

I recalled the scissors hand gesture in rock-paper-scissors.

Whether the thumb is raised with the middle finger or not.

Regardless, the image of the index finger being the focus always comes to mind.

And if you think of the hand shapes with the index finger raised in an elevator, there’s one action that immediately comes to mind.

Pressing the button.

‘…that ghost, can’t it press the button?’

Of course, it could press it physically by hitting it with a fist or head, but this was a matter of concept and imagery.

A ghost trapped in the infinitely repeating mirror world of the elevator.

A completely closed space created by two mirrors facing each other.

And the warning in the manual, about failing the rock-paper-scissors ritual.

From now on, I’ll have to be careful whenever I ride an elevator. What’s in the mirror will try to find and meet you.

Could it be…

‘…that it wants to get out?’

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!Bang!Bang!Bang!Bang!Bang!Bang!Bang!Bang!Bang!Bang!Bang!Bang!Bang!Bang!Bang!Bang!Bang!

Damn it, really…!

I still tried my best not to look at the ghost hitting its head against the mirror, and kept thinking.

…Maybe.

‘Is that ghost trapped in the elevator?’

That’s when it happened.

Beep- Beep- Beep-

A signal sounded.

The sound that plays when you hold the elevator for too long.

If you hear the sound, immediately leave the elevator and use the stairs.

Never use that elevator again. It’s recommended to put a “<Under Repair>” sign to prevent others from using it until the next day’s sunrise.

And from now on, when riding an elevator with mirrors on both sides, don’t look at the mirror for more than 5 seconds.

It will come.

Then, that means…

I hesitated, then let go of the open button as I got out of the elevator.

And simultaneously touched a button.

[1F]

Naturally, because it was a mirror, the 1st-floor button lit up in the elevator inside as well.

I quickly ran out the open door without looking at the ghost’s face, which was my own.

Swish.

The door closed without the compulsion of the open button, and the elevator moved.

[Going Down….]

I went down from the 12th floor to the 1st floor using the stairs.

As I ran down the old stairs, I think I heard the cheerful sound of the elevator opening as it announced “1st floor”…….

“Whew.”

When I got out of the dilapidated rental apartment, the sun had long since set.

‘They said time flows strangely inside, and it was true.’

It was already 7 PM.

I immediately called someone.

[Oh, Soleum!]

It was Jang Heoun, who I was supposed to meet at 5 PM.

But considering I had left him waiting for two hours, my apology came out smoothly.

Because…

“I’m sorry. I mentioned something might happen beforehand, but you waited too long.”

[Ah, no, it’s okay. It’s a nice café! Something urgent came up, so it can’t be helped. I’m fine!]

That’s right.

I intentionally asked Jang Heoun to meet at 5 PM.

‘If the research team got a report that I went in alone, they might have taken Jang Heoun away to another bizarre urban legend in the meantime.’

That crazy psychopathic researcher was capable of doing that. While saying something like, ‘Oh, while we’re at it, would you like to go somewhere else?’

‘Company life really sucks…’

Anyway, afterward, I apologized to Jang Heoun, who was sitting at a cafe.

And I explained the whole story.

I explained it in a way that wasn’t overly shocking, making it sound like the research team had arbitrarily assigned us both dangerous tasks of no value, and that we had refused.

However, Jang Heoun noticed something else.

[Wait a minute. Isn’t this going to cause trouble for Soleum? You disobeyed company orders…!]

“Ah, it’s alright.”

I said warmly.

“If Heoun keeps it a secret, I have a use for it.”

[…??]

And some time later.

As soon as I came to return the Dream Collector, I received an urgent call from Kwak Jegang.

And I brazenly explained the situation.

“…So, you just left the finishing team member behind…. Is that right?”

“Yes.”

Kwak Jegang stared at me for a moment, as if he had lost his words, but eventually sighed and burst into loud laughter.

Of course, it wasn’t a good kind of laughter.

It was because he found it absurd.

“No, Roe Deer! This is punishable… This isn’t school, you can’t just do whatever you want, did Lee Jaheon say it was okay?”

“No. Section Chief Lee Jaheon always recommends adhering to regulations and field exploration manuals.”

“Oh, if you knew that, why did you do it? I’m just… hmm…”

And he asked in a subtle tone.

“Are you strongly averse to your colleague being sacrificed in the exploration? Since you know each other, you know.”

I knew you’d say that.

I answered immediately.

“…? It’s frustrating.”

“……??”

“Why should I, alone, carry, um, excuse me, yes, useless baggage to a place where I can quickly clear it?”

“…!”

Kwak Jegang stared at me with a dumbfounded expression, then hastily opened his mouth.

“No, you just leave them alone in the elevator after clearing it…”

“That’s not the point. Why should I worry about that while exploring the darkness?”

I slightly furrowed my brows and argued insistently as if I couldn’t stand it any longer.

“Whether the staff waiting below the elevator will run away, whether I can send them at the right time, that doesn’t help shorten the exploration time or increase the solution concentration.”

“…….”

“Isn’t the purpose of a field exploration worker to extract high-concentration solution as quickly as possible to supply the raw materials for the daydream potion? Why should I do something unrelated to my work?”

“No, this is also work…”

“Isn’t that the supervisor’s job?”

Kwak Jegang fell silent.

He seemed speechless at my crazy MZ energy.

Even though real MZ’s are entry-level employees who are ground down by work, this is all an act for me too!

“So I decided that it would be better to be disciplined.”

“…That’s more efficient?”

“Yes.”

I answered as if it were obvious.

“At least you’ll give me disciplinary action during the time I’m not exploring the darkness.”

“…….”

Kwak Jegang was looking at me as if I were some kind of new substance.

You think it’s absurd too, right?

Yes.

‘This is the weakness you’ve been so desperately wanting…!’

A person with a meticulous obsession with efficiency and their own principles!

It makes them seem morally upright, but in reality, if anything goes against their self-imposed principles, they act in an antisocial way like they’re having a fit.

‘This kind of extreme personality is inherently a weakness.’

As long as I can continuously prevent Kwak Jegang’s pointless probing, the disciplinary action was bearable…!

“Then I will wait until the disciplinary action is decided.”

I left the lab, maintaining my crazy persona until the end.

‘I need to go find Brown.’

I felt very satisfied.

Kim Soleum left, and the research team 1 office fell silent.

In that place, where all the other employees had left for the day, Kwak Jegang, silently sitting at his desk organizing the events of yesterday and today,…

“Hahaha!”

He burst into laughter.

“Said she left them behind because it was frustrating? Hahaha!”

This is so funny!

If it had been another employee, they would have been completely taken in.

Swept up by the extreme statement and swayed by the overwhelming performance, everything would have sounded plausible.

But…

“I’ve observed a lot of people!”

Actions speak louder than words.

And predicting another pattern of behavior from that action was one of the fun parts of this job…!

“Ah, this is enjoyable.”

Kwak Jegang smiled broadly, finished his notes, got up from his desk, and headed home with a light step.

Thump.

His humming briefly filled the office, then disappeared with the sound of the door closing.

On his desk, only a few documented materials remained.

[Kim Soleum Team Leader / Field Investigation Team]

It was Kim Soleum’s profile file.

Below that, there was a note scribbled by Kwak Jegang….

Characteristics (Predictable with significant probability)

1. 1. Kindness.

 

1. 1. Fearfulness.