Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work Novel - Chapter 139

Agent Cheongdong was dragged away by the employees.

That future was easily imagined.

Because he had witnessed a similar case on his first day.

“Aargh! Aaaaargh!”

Recalling that ‘item’ being ground alive in a mixer still sends chills down my spine and makes me break into a cold sweat.

But to think that the veteran agent we’d been searching for these past three days might be suffering the same fate.

The high school student Agent Cheongdong was in charge of describing the past situation as if spitting it out.

“At, at first, I felt a little relieved…”

On the first day, the agent seemed to have taken the rescued person, moved them to the tent in this store, and then ‘cleaned up’ the surroundings and taken some measures.

The strange turn of events happened on the second day.

“Originally… over there, that side.”

“…You mean us?”

“Yes. It seemed like he was trying to find you.”

But Agent Cheongdong didn’t find me, but something else entirely.

“Th-that, that came out…!”

That?

Everyone turned their heads in the direction the high school student was pointing, but there was only the tent ceiling.

“Ugh!”

Then the kid stood up, went out of the tent, and opened the door of the adjacent tent.

And there, a figure in a school uniform lying inside appeared…

“…?!”

“Lee Soobin!”

My high school student leaped up and ran to that tent. Then he turned back to me and urgently said,

“Th-that’s the kid we were looking for! Lee Soobin!”

Ah.

The friend who had gone missing first, and whom these high school students had come to find.

“Soo, Soobin-ah?”

The high school student repeatedly called his friend’s name.

But ‘Lee Soobin’ did not react. Lying in the tent, staring blankly into space with her mouth agape… she already looked as if her soul had left her body.

‘…Is it because she’s been missing for so long?’

She was scratched and bruised all over.

It was a distressing sight.

But now I understood better why Agent Cheongdong hadn’t been seen for days.

“…Where did the agent find her?”

“I d-don’t know. He suddenly brought her and said he found her. Asking if she wasn’t wearing the same school uniform…”

If he had two minors to rescue, his scope of movement would naturally be restricted.

Perhaps for two days, he cared for them, waiting for the store to reopen…

…And at the same time, waiting for me to safely arrive at this store.

“…So, when did the agent disappear?”

“Today… around dawn?”

“……”

More recently than I thought.

“Suddenly, the employees came rushing in, and, uh, anyway, he was taken away.”

“He wasn’t seriously hurt, was he? Just ‘taken away’?”

“How would I know! …W-well, I think so.”

In that case…

“F-f***, we’re really doomed, right? Everyone’s going to die, right? Huh? The ability user is gone. You’re a rookie, aren’t you? Uh, the agent said so.”

“Hey, why are you talking like that! Are you crazy?”

“……”

My high school student gasped in horror and came over to talk to his friend, then started glancing at me and Go Youngeun.

The high school student from Agent Cheongdong’s side, who had spoken, sniffled and swallowed his snot, then hung his head low.

“An-anyway… we’re doomed.”

“No.”

“…!”

Go Youngeun spoke firmly.

“We’re not doomed. You have a safe place to stay, and new adults have arrived to help, so it’s actually better.”

“Oh…”

“If you think you’re doomed and act recklessly, you’ll lose even the opportunities you have. To get out safely, you have to cooperate with each other to the best of your abilities. Understood?”

“……”

Both high school students nodded.

Shame and regret showed on the face of the one who had been yelling at us.

…A thought suddenly crossed my mind: Go Youngeun seemed better suited for the Disaster Management Bureau than Daydream Inc.

“Phew.”

Having soothed the kids, I briefly stepped out of the tent.

Go Youngeun let out a short sigh, then swallowed and spoke to me.

“…It wasn’t just to comfort the kids; I think we also need to believe that.”

“I agree.”

And speaking of which.

I hesitated, then whispered to Go Youngeun.

What I had been contemplating since hearing the high school student’s words.

“About my senior agent who was taken… he might still be safe.”

“…!”

That’s right.

Missing persons who were processed as ‘items’ could, if unlucky, be ‘used’ immediately if they fit an employee’s routine.

‘But usually, they wait their turn to be used.’

Like items, as they were.

The employees imitated supermarket duties, so they stored items according to regulations.

The place where such items were piled up.

Somewhere inside the staff area of the supermarket…

“He might be in the item storage room.”

Item storage.

Unable to escape from the item storage. Declared deceased.

…It seemed that I frequently recorded such sentences.

But rethinking it, it meant that the missing person could still attempt an escape. It meant they were alive, with reason and vigor.

‘There were rare cases of escape, too.’

For those with special items or abilities.

…Of course, there were also many cases where they were already ‘processed’ into a form for the item’s purpose.

The important thing was this.

This group currently possessed that ‘special item’ that could access the item storage.

“……”

I looked at the soft, lumpy object Go Youngeun was holding, its candle now extinguished.

The Mysterious Candle.

Three people were needed to make it, but one could carry it alone.

‘If only I could light the candle…’

But for some reason, I couldn’t light the candle, which only ‘modern people’ could use. So, it was impossible for me to carry that item alone.

“…Agent.”

“Let’s go.”

“…!”

“Two heads are better than one, and two pairs of hands… so it should be a bit better.”

Go Youngeun glanced at my arm with a face that couldn’t quite smile and nodded.

…It seemed to be a choice made considering that I could only move normally by relying on Nostalgia Candy.

“Thank you.”

“That’s what I should say. Anyway, if it weren’t for you, I would have died on those stairs.”

Go Youngeun shuddered slightly, as if briefly imagining it.

“Anyway, let’s go. …To find your senior agent.”

I nodded.

We were going to find Agent Cheongdong.

The high school students’ reaction to that statement was intense.

“Wait, if both of you go, what about us? An employee might come. If we’re alone…”

“It’s okay.”

I calmly grabbed the high school student’s shoulder.

“…Another agent already took measures before leaving.”

Surely, this store was chosen for a reason: employees rarely appeared here.

However, since a long-term missing person might attack at any time, it seemed that aspect was also taken care of.

‘…Is that it?’

I saw an item resembling a child’s playing stone pressing down on a tent’s anchor pin.

Air Suppressing Stone: A piece of equipment from the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau that creates an auspicious space.

The item description came to mind: if these stones are placed on all four sides of a certain area, they protect against evil.

The contaminated long-term missing persons would probably pass by this store without properly recognizing it.

…It left a bitter taste in my mouth, knowing that if the agent had just stayed inside, he wouldn’t have been caught.

“You’ll… come back, right?”

“Of course. I’ll find the agent and definitely come back.”

I advised the high school student I was in charge of to rest comfortably after spitting out the Nostalgia Candy, and to put it in his mouth in case of an emergency.

Fortunately, he followed the advice, though with a reluctant expression.

Hwa-reuk.

Go Youngeun lit the candle again, and I stood back, as if hiding in the fog created by the candlelight and the shadows of my synchronized clone.

“…The candle has melted about a third.”

“……”

We had to move as quickly as possible.

We began to move, heading into the vast 3rd floor stores, which were now almost familiar and thus even more eerie.

‘…He said the agent was caught on the 3rd floor.’

In that case, we had to find the door in the 3rd-floor wall again.

“Exactly what kind of door?”

“Didn’t the announcement come on before closing time? And at the same time… those balloon-like employees poured out.”

“…Yes.”

“It’s the door that opened then.”

This time, however, we didn’t have to find it ourselves.

Squeak-squeak-squeak.

“……Let’s follow.”

“……”

We followed behind one of the creaking, hollow-eyed employees.

The employee, who had been wandering around the 3rd floor, didn’t take long before…

Having apparently finished imitating their ‘patrol routine’, they returned to where they had originally appeared.

[Staff Area]

A metal door leading to the space used by staff.

“……”

“……”

Kiiiiiik.

The door opened.

There were many similar doors scattered around, but all of them, like an anthill, would be connected to a single space through corridors.

From there, we had to find the item storage.

Holding our breath, we quickly slipped inside with the employee before the metal door they had opened closed.

And then, the sight of the staff area inside, which seemed to pour out…

“Hup.”

Go Youngeun clapped a hand over her mouth.

Countless employees were folded and stacked vertically under bright incandescent lights.

Not the grotesque employees that appeared after closing hours, but employees who looked like normal people.

Piled up, crushed and wedged in—such expressions suited their appearance.

In that bright, modern space, as if it were an everyday place, human bodies were casually stored, folded and stacked in layers…

“…They look like the employees who worked during business hours. Hmph,”

Go Youngeun swallowed a retch and calmed her breathing.

So they even mimicked shift changes.

I didn’t want to imagine how those crushed people would come out in their normal forms to perform their duties when business hours began.

A feeling of repulsion rose in my throat, but I moved my feet.

If either the candlelight or the Nostalgia Candy had been missing, I would have given up…

Squeak-squeak.

The employee moved again.

“…Should we follow for now?”

“Yes.”

Our footsteps echoed faintly in the staff area. My nerves were on edge.

Trusting only the candlelight, we cautiously moved forward.

“…Actually, I’ve memorized all the paths I took to get here. For now… don’t worry.”

“…Yes.”

Since two people had memorized it, even if someone’s memory was blurry, it would be supplemented.

We held our breath and moved forward.

Every time we saw employees, employee remnants, half-employees, and things repeating grotesque noises and greetings, it felt like every pore on my skin was standing on end.

But we had to look closely at our surroundings. Because we had to find the storage room.

‘I can do it… I can, do it.’

Passing through a space of bizarre continuity where corridors, employee lounges, and storage rooms seemed arbitrarily attached, we finally…

[Item Storage]

We found employees gathered densely in front of the space with that sign.

Squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak.

The employee we were following joined them.

“Ha.”

Go Youngeun swallowed, looking at the metal door obscured by employees.

“…We can just go in when an employee opens the door…”

It was then.

Thump.

The item storage door opened from the inside.

“…!”

A few employees who had gone inside were coming out, carrying ‘items’.

And I saw.

A familiar face among the items.

“Th-that person…”

A large, young man in an agent’s uniform was being carried by two employees.

It was Agent Cheongdong.

But he had no legs.

“……”

An eerie chill ran through my hands and feet.

“Perhaps…”

“Yes.”

It seemed Agent Cheongdong had been processed into a mannequin.

The only advantage was that there was no bleeding, but Agent Cheongdong seemed unconscious, with his eyes closed.

“Sh-should we approach him?”

“…Yes.”

We followed the two employees who were carrying Agent Cheongdong.

But even as we followed, my mind was blank, wondering what on earth we should do.

‘Damn it.’

Is he… alive?

Should I call out to him? But even if we were protected by the candlelight, would it be okay to make a sound right next to an employee?

Kiiiiiik.

In the midst of this, the two employees eventually carried Agent Cheongdong out of the staff area.

This was actually better.

I hesitated, then acted somewhat boldly.

“…Could you stick very close?”

“……”

Go Youngeun, who nodded, quickened her pace and got right next to the employees.

And just as the employee got close enough to be within the fog’s range, I reached out my hand toward Agent Cheongdong.

And lightly tapped near his neck.

Tap-tap.

“…!”

To my surprise, Agent Cheongdong’s eyes snapped open.

I swallowed.

“…Agent.”

It was that moment.

Pik.

One of the employees holding Agent Cheongdong collapsed like air escaping.

“…!!”

The employee holding Agent Cheongdong from behind also began to shrivel with a continuous sound of air escaping. I saw a small, transparent pistol suddenly in the agent’s right hand.

‘Glass Handgun.’

Equipment supplied by the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau shone brightly in the hands of the right person.

The moment the agent turned his hand again, the pistol disappeared from his hand.

“Thank… you… customer!”

“Heee-heee-heee-hello…”

The deflating employees gibbered strange sounds and repeated announcements.

And something even more bizarre and terrible was about to pop out from within them, but Agent Cheongdong bound them first.

‘Binding Rope.’

A containment item for suppression.

He moved both hands in a flash, tying the two employees with thin, rope-like bindings, then sat on top of them as if to subdue them.

…So, he could handle about two employees like that.

“They’ll endure without making a fuss for about 5 minutes like this.”

It was a masterful feat.

…Unbelievable for someone who had just lost their legs.

“…Agent Podo.”

Agent Cheongdong looked up at me and offered a faint smile.

The eyes of someone who had resolved themselves.

“You’re safe. It was worth enduring.”

“……”

“What about you?”

His gaze landed on Go Youngeun.

“One of the missing agents who came in here first was alive.”

“……”

Go Youngeun bowed her head deeply.

“…You did well. It’s a relief you’re safe.”

Agent Cheongdong looked at me with a rather warm gaze, as if leaving a will. My stomach churned.

“Agent Podo.”

And he took something out from inside his agent’s uniform.

“Take this. It’s for escape.”

…It was two shoelaces.

The shoelaces, woven from five-colored threads with complex hues, had a strangely glossy texture.

“There are exactly two, so the two of you can leave.”

“……!”

“If you tie them to your shoes and walk three steps on your own feet, you can immediately leave this place.”

I unconsciously looked at Agent Cheongdong’s lower body.

…Legless.

Agent Cheongdong could not walk now.

He couldn’t use the escape item.

He… had no choice in the first place.

“……I’ll look for other methods, so you should protect yourselves.”

“……”

“There’s not much time left. Quickly.”

No.

Nostalgia Candy. Let’s give it to Agent Cheongdong so he can leave, then…

‘No.’

I clenched my hands until they turned white.

‘There are only three left now.’

If I give him one now to make him escape immediately… then what on earth would I do with the remaining two?

Two of the three high school students who needed to be rescued were unable to move normally. Wouldn’t it be more advantageous for overall survival if Agent Cheongdong joined us?

My head felt like it was going to explode from the complexity.

Is there no other way? Another…

“……”

Ah.

That’s right.

“Agent.”

Pretending to take it out from my pocket, I pulled out an item from within my tattoo.

A small glass bottle containing a light green potion, glowing like a new sprout.

Daydream Potion:

Regeneration

C (excellent)

My lifeline.

As if trying to hide it from Go Youngeun, I showed the potion’s label to Agent Cheongdong.

“Drink this. It’s a regeneration item.”

“…!!”

“Wait…”

“It’s fine. It’s a verified item.”

I quickly winked at Go Youngeun, who was about to say something.

‘…If my guess is right.’

This wasn’t just to help Agent Cheongdong escape easily.

It was a move that would yield an even greater harvest.

The build-up I needed.

‘This is the answer.’

The exhilaration of finding the most effective answer momentarily shot through my spine.

…Suppressing the instinctive fear of deficiency.

“……”

Go Youngeun, though with a somewhat distressed expression, closed her mouth.

However, Agent Cheongdong did not accept the potion, and with an unreadable face, he asked me,

“…Is it made in your ‘place of origin’?”

“……Yes.”

I nodded slightly and smiled as if forcing myself.

“There’s only one left. …I know you might find it unsettling. But you have to drink it.”

“……”

A strange emotion flickered across the agent’s face.

Honestly, it was a complex emotion, hard to tell if it was discomfort or a surge of emotion, but one thing was certain: he seemed conflicted.

And that conflict ended when the agent reached out his hand.

Clink.

With a short sound, the potion was handed over to Agent Cheongdong.

And the agent opened the regeneration potion and drank it as if plugging it into his mouth.