Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work Novel - Chapter 114

The art of scamming is similar to a kind of unethical marketing.

1. Build trust.

“That person cured the bespectacled guy? He was completely out of his mind.”

“Right! He’s fine now. And that person also fell out the window but is fine. What did he see down there?!”

“Wow… No, are you really okay?”

“Yes. I am fine. And he is now at peace too.”

2. Present the problem and its cause.

“S-so… this is some kind of test situation, right? We can leave if we pass?”

“Yes. We will definitely be able to leave.”

“Ah…!”

“H-could this be some kind of hunter-type story? Like we awaken…”

“Exactly! It must be like that. There’s no way they would throw us into such a crazy situation for no reason!”

“That’s right. There was a reason.”

After heating up the atmosphere like this.

“And for us to escape this situation…”

3. Sell a magical solution.

In unethical marketing, this ‘solution’ is the product they want to sell, and in a cult, it is the doctrine itself.

And the method I will propose is…

“Everyone must go out the window at least once.”

“…!!”

“W-what did you say?!”

“Don’t be surprised, everyone.”

I smiled and pointed to myself.

And also to the bespectacled office worker, who was calmed by Happy Maker.

“Those who accept my invitation and go out will be perfectly fine, just like me. This is a kind of test.”

“Ah…!”

“If you have any doubts, um… I’ll try to persuade you somehow. Or, it’s fine if I fall again.”

And then, the announcement video began to play again.

Those who wish to reach Tamra, offer a sacrifice. Those who wish to reach Tamra, offer a sacrifice. Those who wish to reach Tamra, offer a sacrifice. (Repeated many times)

“Oh…!”

But this time, the atmosphere was a little different.

At least in car #7, where they had listened to my marketing, people began to whisper and glance at the window.

‘So, it might be okay to go out there?’

It wasn’t just panic or fear; curiosity and anticipation were beginning to stir.

“Ah, this is interesting. Very interesting… Excellent work, Mr. Roe Deer!”

“However, every great and impressive entertainer is challenged. Ah, look. There he is!”

Thump!

“You, you fing idiot! What the f are you talking about?!”

It was the middle-aged man, his face red and blue, who slammed his chair armrest and shouted.

This was the passenger who fell out the window in the first loop, and in the second loop, pushed the bespectacled man out.

‘He rested for a turn, so he seems to have regained some reason.’

But he was still not in his right mind.

“Th-that person pushed someone out the window just before… gasp!”

“Crazy bastard… G-get out! You f***ing imbecile.”

His eyes were spinning like a madman, as if he would stab me with a knife at any moment.

“Jump out?! I won’t jump! I won’t, you son of a b****! You jump again!”

I calmly spoke to the man who had pushed a nearby passenger aside and stood in front of me.

“If you don’t wish to participate, you don’t have to right now.”

“Huh, huh, huh?!”

“Rest. You don’t have the qualifications right now anyway.”

“W-what?!”

“It means I cannot grant your request even if you ask for help to go out the window.”

This is also an important step.

4. Limit who can have the solution.

Why do they keep producing small quantities that immediately sell out, and ask you to inquire about prices via message?

It targets the psychology that scarcity makes something seem precious, and difficulty of acquisition makes it seem more desirable.

That tantalizing feeling of being able to possess something that’s right in front of you, yet knowing that if you miss this chance, you might never have it.

That’s what I’m instigating.

“Only those who are qualified can go out the window without pain…”

“W-what nonsense…”

“And that is not you. It means you are not yet qualified to pass the trial without pain. Step back.”

“…Uh, uh…”

The middle-aged man mumbled, ‘Uh-uh,’ then stumbled and collapsed onto his seat.

Hmm, it seems that responding to crazy talk with crazy talk worked again.

Perhaps my provocation was effective, as everyone in the train car was now staring at me with wide eyes.

I smiled gently at them.

“But don’t worry too much. Eventually, everyone will be ready.”

“……!”

“Aaah! Excellent!”

Beyond Brown’s cheers, the people in the car swarmed forward and began to ask questions.

“Excuse me! Th-then, who gets ready?”

“I don’t know either. I just seem to be able to recognize those who are ready.”

“Then is there anyone ready here?”

It was then.

“I-I… am I perhaps qualified?”

The bespectacled office worker, who had been sitting quietly, raised his hand and asked.

Thanks to Happy Maker, he was in a calm state, free from fear and PTSD, so he didn’t lash out at the middle-aged man who pushed him.

However, he couldn’t help but swallow his saliva due to a natural tension.

I smiled and nodded.

“Yes.”

“…!!”

“You are qualified. …You’ve already done it.”

And I walked over and took his hand.

“You’ve proven enough without having to go down again. That serenity is the evidence. …You truly suffered greatly, and you were brave.”

“Ah… Ahh!”

Tears streamed down the bespectacled man’s eyes.

At his sight, the murmuring of the people subsided.

Instead, something new slowly began to appear in their gazes.

Desire and consensus.

“From now on, I will give tokens to those who are confirmed to be qualified and go down, to protect them from suffering as much as possible.”

“…!”

“Th-then…”

However, there were still no volunteers.

‘I knew this would happen.’

After all, I just said that everyone has to jump out the window to escape.

No one would rush to be the first in a potentially painful situation without any obvious benefit.

“Friend, an amazing solution, perhaps?”

It’s obvious.

‘I’m going to gather public opinion one more time.’

I nodded as if I understood everything.

“That’s right. I know it will be difficult. In this life, I will go out the window one more time…”

“Excuse me, I’ll go.”

Huh?

Assistant Manager Dolphin raised his hand.

Assistant Manager! My overwhelming gratitude…

“But not alone. If the Assistant Manager also falls out the window one more time with me.”

“Huh, huh, huh?”

“E-excuse me, are you… okay?”

“Of course. I’m fine.”

I was going to do that anyway! It’s nauseating and disgusting, but what can I do?

“If there are no other volunteers, I will demonstrate one more time.”

“Yes, yes. Oh, but I’d prefer that person go before us.”

Assistant Manager Dolphin casually pointed with both hands.

To Deputy Butterfly.

“Seniority first!”

Ugh!

“Excuse me, Deputy, you said you’d grant my request once, right? I’m using it now!”

“I didn’t give it to you to use in a situation like this. But well, it doesn’t matter.”

But unexpectedly, Deputy Jin Nasol was calm. It seemed as if they had discussed something beforehand.

“Should I go now?”

Entering the first altar.

Just then, the surroundings were tinged red and dark.

Amidst the people who instinctively froze, Deputy Jin Nasol’s small, calm words were heard.

“I don’t like being asked again.”

Hee-ik.

“Yes. Please close your eyes for a moment. I will pass you the sign of permission…”

I pretended to shake hands with Deputy Jin Nasol, and in the darkness, subtly slipped her the stick.

‘Just insert it.’

But before I could even mouth the words, Deputy Jin Nasol had already skillfully and invisibly inserted the Happy Maker into her arm.

She seemed to have guessed it, as expected. …That it was a painkiller item.

“Hmm.”

Click.

With a short sound, the medicine was drawn from the stick inserted under her sleeve, and the remaining stick naturally disappeared inside.

“This is quite good, isn’t it?”

Deputy Jin Nasol grinned and immediately dropped back out the window.

“Hic!”

“Th-they went smiling!”

Thus, at the first altar, the sacrifice voluntarily offered themselves.

Now the atmosphere in the car entered a state of complete excitement.

No one claimed that my companion was suspicious.

Because they were gradually starting to believe.

‘The sensation of things being resolved is addictive…’

Afterward, there were even two dramatic volunteers.

“M-me, too!!”

“I’ll fall with you.”

It was a couple sitting near the window. Having witnessed everything from the first loop – who fell out the window and what conversations transpired – they seemed to have gained courage from the ‘information value.’

But I didn’t immediately say okay.

“……”

I silently observed them for a few seconds, as if trying to grasp their essence.

Before long, the couple waited with a mix of anticipation and tension, as if taking a test.

And a moment later.

“Yes. Both of you are qualified.”

“Ah…!!”

“As soon as you enter the altar, please close your eyes for a moment and hold out your hands. I will give you the mark.”

The two, elated by surprise, stood before the window amidst congratulations from those around them.

Entering the second altar.

Thus, taking advantage of the darkness, the two, who had secretly been injected with the powerful painkiller ‘Happy Maker,’ held hands amicably and went out the open window.

Hmm. The scam was proceeding smoothly…

‘It’s certainly better than everyone throwing each other out the window and half of them going crazy.’

Still, cold sweat ran down my back as I committed the fraud.

“…Since there are no other volunteers, I and this person will now go out. Everyone, above all, keep your mind, and we will see you at the starting point in a moment.”

“A-are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I… will be fine going one more time.”

“Ah…!”

I really don’t want to, but I have to do it one more time.

‘I need to differentiate myself.’

If I wanted to keep leading people, I had to emphasize my unique qualities. Showing that I could fall out the window multiple times and be fine would be an impressive method.

Fortunately, Assistant Manager Dolphin didn’t go back on his word.

“Let’s go together!”

“Ah, thank you.”

“But…”

Assistant Manager Dolphin looked up at me intently.

“Am I qualified?”

“…Yes.”

The nuance was subtle.

Entering the third altar.

“B-be careful!”

“See you in a moment!”

Anyway, like that, I successfully garnered people’s support and fell out the window again with Assistant Manager Dolphin.

Into the insane tunnel full of rotting flesh.

“Ugh-cha!”

Assistant Manager Dolphin, who landed with a breakfall, grimaced and grumbled at the horrific surroundings, then brushed himself off.

“Ugh, it’s messy. W-what was that? It’s noisy. Ah, should we go that way? Towards the light?”

“Yes. You just need to walk, even if it’s a bit difficult.”

Still, it’s much more comforting with one more person.

‘…I can’t hear anything either.’

Those strange voices, telling me to abandon my sins or come to Tamra, had somehow disappeared.

‘It’s not a crucial element for escape, though.’

I tilted my head and walked.

Then, Assistant Manager Dolphin casually spoke.

“Excuse me, the reason I came down with you like this is actually… because I wanted to talk.”

“Yes.”

“You know what you said to people? About protecting them so they wouldn’t get hurt. You thought it wasn’t strictly a lie, right?”

“Yes. I just… changed my communication method to be effective in an emergency. It’s a bit extreme, though.”

“Hmm…”

The Assistant Manager rested her hand on her chin for a moment, as if contemplating, then suddenly spoke.

“Excuse me, Assistant Manager.”

“Yes.”

“Do you know how many people suffer because of cults?”

She didn’t frown or anything.

She just stared at me intently.

Without blinking.

“……”

Right.

Assistant Manager Dolphin is an extreme humanitarian…

‘A-a cult might be disqualified…!’

Handle it!

I immediately opened my mouth and spoke calmly.

“I know very well. In fact, one of my colleagues was also swayed by a cult and lost contact.”

This is true.

“That’s why I thought I had to preempt it.”

“Hmm.”

“In this situation, cults and superstitions will inevitably thrive. When pain repeats without reason, people want to hold onto anything.”

And in real cases, cults did emerge like that.

‘Of course, it’s not only because of that. It’s also because this is the only way to escape the darkness before people go crazy and without bloodshed.’

Since I couldn’t logically explain that far, I ended it like this.

“Whatever I do, I chose this method to minimize damage. …I know it’s a bit extreme and strange.”

“Hmmmm…”

After a suffocating three seconds.

“Well, you’re right!”

Phew.

“Honestly, you’re just saying those things, but you’re actually trying to find a way for everyone to escape while making people suffer less and feel comfortable, right?”

“Precisely.”

“Good! I’ll cooperate fully too!”

Assistant Manager Dolphin extended her hand as if to shake.

And when I took her hand,

She pulled sharply.

“But you shouldn’t exploit good people.”

“……”

“Otherwise, I’ll fight you, Assistant Manager.”

“Of course. I will keep that in mind.”

“Yes, yes! Good!”

I smiled and finished shaking hands with Assistant Manager Dolphin.

‘I-I’m saved.’

Cold sweat trickled down my back.

Fight a senior member of the elite team who joined a crazy ghost story company and rotten flesh? Why would I commit such a suicidal act? I’d rather bow my head.

“For now, given the atmosphere, our car’s people will be completely convinced, won’t they?”

“Right.”

Squish, squish.

I replied as I walked towards the light exit.

“But I won’t stop here.”

The ultimate goal is…

“I will make the majority of this train ‘believe’ my words.”

At least 7 out of 8 cars.

I needed to secure the dominant public opinion.

Loop 5.

The people on the high-speed train, who had died and restarted countless times, were gradually succumbing to fatigue, resignation, and madness beyond mere panic.

Their perceptions were distorted, and it became difficult for them to think normally.

And they had heard something repeatedly during the loops.

“Someone in the back is saying strange things… like, we’re chosen, this is a test?”

“…Sounds like cult talk, but, what kind of test?”

“They say if you pass this, you can gain transcendent abilities?”

“Everyone who fell out the window went crazy. But the people in the back car say they fell but are fine. They even describe the scenery inside…”

“…Really? No way. Isn’t there any evidence?”

But the very act of asking revealed a subconscious desire for an answer.

An unconscious expression of hoping those words were true.

“In car #7, a ‘Pioneer’ is telling them how to escape.”

“They say they’ll help us all. That everyone is qualified.”

As the whispers of the first-class passengers in car #3 grew louder.

“……”

The man sitting in the front single seat.

Baek Saheon opened his eyes.

‘Damn it.’

He was supposed to be going home for vacation, but now he was trapped in this accursed train ghost story, likely to wither away.

‘No, no…’

He recalled the new eye beneath his medical eye patch and smiled triumphantly.

He could roughly grasp the situation now.

‘This is about throwing people out the window!’

So what, wouldn’t it end if they threw out about half and reached the destination?

‘I just need to stay hidden and out of sight.’

Well, cults running rampant were a common occurrence in these kinds of situations anyway.

In a small society, especially during a stressful emergency, humans tended to do crazy things.

A train constantly returning to its starting point.

In this extraordinary situation of inescapable extreme stress, when words that seem to offer a solution to the situation are heard, everyone can’t help but listen.

Even if it’s crazy talk that they would normally scoff at and pass by, saying ‘no cults for me,’ it’s human nature to cling to it!

‘I just need to stay quiet and not get swept away, right?’

Just stay still like a mouse, and wait for them to throw each other out and make a mess, and then it’ll be cleared…

“H-hey!!”

“…!”

The back became noisy.

‘Did a fight break out?’

No. Someone had entered the car.

“It’s them! The Pioneer and the people from car #7!”

They’re those cult bastards.

‘I’ll at least get a look at their faces.’

Baek Saheon subtly turned his head to look down the aisle… and saw familiar faces.

“…!!”

‘It’s the elite team.’

Deputy Jin Nasol from Team A and Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae from Team C.

Two faces he had memorized from the company intranet just in case, had appeared.

‘W-why are they here?’

While he was complicitly wondering if this train was some kind of darkness managed by Baekilmong Inc.

“Attention!!”

Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae shouted from among the cult group.

“The person who will tell us how to escape is here!”

And as he stepped aside, a person walked out from the door connecting to the next car.

A businessperson in a suit, with an indifferent and cool impression, wore an unusually serene smile…

It was an even more familiar face.

‘…Kim Soleum!!’

“Everyone, don’t worry.”

Kim Soleum smiled gently and spread his arms.

“All of this is a great trial, and the passengers have been chosen.”

You, you f***er!!

That psychopath is the cult leader!!