Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work Novel (End Part 1) - Chapter 179

The landscape pulsed scarlet.

An unholy torrent of crimson-hued entities surged through the gate that cleaved the resort from the ancient woods. These were the frenzied adherents of the Magic Bunny’s macabre procession, their eerie song drifting on the air:

— ♪♪♬♬~♩♬♬~♩♪♪

— Hahahahaha!

They clutched grisly mementos: snacks fashioned from their own fractured ribs, headbands adorned with their gouged-out eyes, balloons inflated from the intestines that once tethered them to kin. These were the desolate, their minds shattered by the twisted spectacles of the Magic Bunny Zone and its architect’s insatiable, brutal demands.

Now, these monstrous denizens of the Red Zone spilled without restraint into the pristine Yellow Zone, their voices a cacophony:

“They’re giving out a mask prize! A mask prize!” “Oh, if only everyone could be just like me!”

“Come, enjoy the Magic Bunny Zone! It’s delightful! I promise you, it’s fun! Please! It’s truly fun!”

…The very horrors I had labored tirelessly to exclude from the resort were now crashing through its defenses.

Dozens, then hundreds.

No.

R E T R E A T

I frantically motioned the staff back, ordering the standard mascots to converge at the gate.

Hold them.

If I could just somehow stem this tide, uphold the illusion, proceed with the illumination as planned…

“The yellow mascot!”

“It’s him!”

“AHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Grotesquely distorted guests, born of nightmare, lunged ravenously at the Flower Golden mascots.

…!!

My gaze shot upwards.

Above the surging tide of abominations, the red Magic Bunny at the gate hoisted a ghastly sign.

Prize Event

Bring back pieces of the Yellow Mascot’s flesh!

1st Prize: The Great Magic Bunny

2nd Prize: The Great Magic Bunny

3rd Prize: The Great Magic Bunny

Ah.

“Yellow!!”

The red “guests” swarmed our standard mascots, tearing with bare hands, gouging flesh with grotesque Magic Bunny-branded implements.

Eyes ripped from costume sockets.

It burned.

Horns were torn free, stuffing erupted, the felt “organs” within ripped and shredded. The yellow mascots writhed, agonizingly dismembered. No… I was being torn apart!

“Got it!”

“Ahahahaha!”

“Lookitsparkles??Kkakkakkkakka!”

These crude, pathetic, impoverished addicts of the Red Zone’s depravity—how dare they violate my zone! Still believing themselves within their own twisted realm, performing these vile acts. I would not permit it! Never! Absolutely not!

All of you.

D I E

The red visitors, as one, raised their hands and throttled themselves.

The ceremony neared. I would not tolerate such a disgraceful defilement of my garden. They would not even be absorbed by me, would not become nutrients for my resort.

D I E

These insolent wretches had forfeited any right to be guests in my domain. I wouldn’t even send them back to the red zone. Though it might take a moment, asphyxiation would be the cleanest, most satisfying method. It was like watching an ant infestation overrun an office, gnawing at vital documents and supplies.

A furious, yellow blaze ignited my vision. No, not mere fury—this was the profound revulsion triggered by an unbearable injustice.

So…

D I E

The red zone mutants, blood weeping from their eyes, began to bash their heads rhythmically against the ground. The remaining resort guests watched, morbidly fascinated by this silent cadence.

Fine. A prelude to the illumination. It would only amplify the ceremony’s success…

“Mr. Roe Deer.”

……

“Mr. Roe Deer.”

Hmm?

I turned my head.

An employee, masked as a lizard, observed me.

What did he call me?

In a hushed, flat tone, barely audible to others, he murmured, “Do you remember your name?”

……

That is,

K I M

“Don’t say it.”

Ah.

My mouth snapped shut. One does not utter one’s true name in a ghost story.

And I… That is, my name is…

……

Kim Soleum.

Yes. That was it.

The yellow mascot suit I wore was merely a disguise. Flower Golden was a fabricated identity; I was only feigning monstrosity. The real being resided within.

I was… human.

……

S T O P

“Huuhhk!”

The self-strangling red zone visitors released their throats.

“Hiic, hiiiiic…”

“Givemeaprizeifyougivemeaprizepleasereturnour■■please”

Even as they erupted into manic laughter, or wept, or desperately scrabbled across the floor towards the yellow mascots, I spoke, my voice thick with gloom.

L E A V E

Disregarding the torn yellow mascots, I began to shove the invaders back towards the gate.

“AAAAAHHH!”

With forceful shoves, these already unhinged individuals were somehow propelled back through the portal.

Supervisor Lee Seonghae, observing the shattered pieces of yellow mascot suits littering the ground, spoke softly.

“Should I follow them?”

I shook my head.

My heart hammered in my chest, yet simultaneously, a chilling realization washed over me.

Just now.

What was I about to do?

I’m being assimilated.

Dangerous.

I had to escape swiftly. Quickly. As soon as the staff were safe, immediately…

The ceremony!

I had to commence the ritual!

Anxiously, I peered towards the gate.

…But what unfolded after I pushed those guests back was far more horrifying.

“Priiiiiize…”

Magic Bunny greeted those returning through the gate with open, welcoming arms.

And then.

“Uck.”

He tore off their heads.

…!!

He ripped out their entrails, snapped their spines. As if leading them through a macabre amusement park, as if playing a game or staging a performance, guests were systematically dispatched as they crossed the threshold.

“Blaaargh!”

…!

I heard the retching of Disaster Management Bureau agents tending to civilians further back. Even Daydream Inc.’s employees, almost immune to such gruesome sights, froze, overwhelmed by the sheer horror.

Yet, they still hurled themselves at the gate.

“Give me a prize!”

“I brought this! Please, a prize!”

And then, the “prize” was bestowed.

Cruuuuuunch

The empty husk of the deceased, toppled like a discarded toy, crudely transformed into a cute animal mascot suit.

Right.

Those who perished or became lost in the theme park were recycled into mascot bodies. That’s why, inevitably, the Red Zone teemed with an insane number of mascots.

……Ha.

This was the chilling truth.

At Magic Bunny’s playful gestures, they died and were remade into mascots in that death march. Even when I ceased pushing visitors out with the standard mascots, the Red Zone denizens did not stop. They continued to claw at the yellow mascot’s flesh, flinging themselves towards the gate.

“AAAHHHHHH!”

The gate had become a spectacle no one should ever witness.

And it didn’t end there. Magic Bunny, wielding a long, magic wand-like toy, began impaling visitors who hadn’t yet crossed the gate.

…!

“Stop it, you disgusting…!”

Thunk.

A red visitor’s neck snapped, their body tumbling into the garden. In the Yellow Zone… it became a corpse. Yet the one who had thoroughly corrupted that visitor was Magic Bunny, and the one who killed and disposed of them was also Magic Bunny. Their form twisted and distorted.

…!!

“Eek, r-red mascot…!”

The Magic Bunny mascot, shedding its lifeless host, rose within the Yellow Zone. Drawing terrifyingly close, it lunged madly toward the staff and me.

“Aaaack!!”

But mascots cannot trespass into another zone.

Thunk.

The advancing Magic Bunny mascot, like a balloon slowly deflating, staggered, then collapsed, stiff on the ground.

“……”

“I-It stopped…”

But the red mascots did not cease their actions. Playful bunny dolls bashed the heads of the unfortunate.

“Ack! Aaaah!”

“The Great Magic Bu—”

Those who died caught in the gate transformed into Magic Bunnies and, as they rushed forward, they continually collapsed and froze in place.

Overwhelming waste.

Overwhelming brutality.

…Before long, dozens of corpses—red mascot mutants—piled up in the resort garden. The staff watched, frozen, not daring to even breathe…

“……”

“……”

I lifted my head and met Magic Bunny’s gaze beyond the gate.

And I understood.

This performance was a threat. It was designed to provoke me, to make me angry or afraid and overreact, to make the coming spectacle even more amusing for them—a cruel overture.

F U N !

Fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun

On the other side of the gate, the Magic Bunnies clapped their hands.

— Kyaahahahahaha!

Some guests from my zone even laughed with them.

…Laugh? They laughed after witnessing this? Even if it meant missing the dazzling illumination, those laughing people seemed utterly devoid of manners!

Q U I E T

The guests hastily clamped hands over their mouths.

The Magic Bunnies poked their heads through the gate, as if eager for a closer look.

You too, shut up.

I snatched one of the inert Magic Bunny mascot suits from the ground and hurled it with all my might.

Thunk!

The Magic Bunnies struck on the head toppled backward.

“Huuk!”

At that moment.

Whip.

The red mascots who hadn’t been hit all turned their heads in unison, their silent, murderous gaze fixed solely on me.

Hahahahahahahaha

As if to kill.

Hahahahahahahaha

Silently.

…A chilling dread swept over me. Yet, surprisingly, I felt a faint surge of breath return to my lungs. Whenever you try a stunt like that again, I’ll just have to…

“Mr. Roe Deer.”

Even if you don’t constantly remind me, I recall that old name.

“Mr. Roe Deer.”

I know!

I turned to my caller. Section Chief Lee Jaheon.

“It appears you require assistance.”

But who could possibly aid me now?

…Ah, wait.

……

Perhaps.

— We Can Help.

That button item, the emergency escape tool, the one that reptilian aliens used to control my body before. Is he referring to that? It was certainly useful. But I can’t use it now. Besides, I had no funds for the Space Shopping Mall…

N O B U T T O N

“I see.” Lee Jaheon replied, his gaze unwavering, devoid of agitation. “Please reconsider this conversation after business hours conclude.”

……

“When business hours end, you also require rest. Have you had any rest lately?”

N O

“Tonight, remove your mascot suit and rest.”

C A N ’ T

If tonight’s ceremony concluded safely, I would emerge and stand guard. The red mascot would undoubtedly attempt something further.

…If I’m careless, I’ll die.

No, it would be a massacre. This mascot was explicitly depicted killing others in the attractions. It clearly knew how to kill mascots and would attempt it.

C A N ’ T T A K E O F F

“You can take it off.” Lee Jaheon’s voice remained utterly flat. “When the theme park’s operations cease, your shift also ends. That means you can rest as yourself, not as a mascot.”

That wasn’t the problem, though…

Wait.

Wait, wait.

Just now… I thought I heard something peculiar.

So, after the theme park closes for the day, I can exist in a state other than the mascot…

……!!

I remembered. After the theme park’s operating hours concluded, the guests who couldn’t re-enter the resort, begging and pounding on the lobby door:

— Let us innnnnnn!

People vanished in terror as they fled. All those who entered the theme park via the board game and never exited before closing time, eventually disappearing.

…Unless they were a unique case like Supervisor Lee Seonghae.

And Supervisor Lee even said it herself.

— Once business hours ended, there were weird noises from the theme park, but even if that crazy rabbit chased me into the forest, it was a bit slower there.

If they were merely normal sounds one would expect from attraction repairs, she wouldn’t have called them “weird noises.” This implied they were sounds that should never be heard within the theme park.

So…

Noises that didn’t belong in the theme park. And, with no other employees possessing separate selves, only the Magic Bunny mascot existed in the red zone after closing hours. It was only natural that it would be the source of those noises…

……

I looked at the red mascot in the rabbit costume on the other side of the gate.

Then.

Then perhaps, after operating hours, a mascot could shed its suit and move freely. If Section Chief Lee Jaheon’s explanation was accurate. The reason it could pursue Lee Seonghae through the woods wasn’t solely because that was territory beyond another mascot’s reach…

But what if it wasn’t even wearing the mascot suit? If it were categorized as “not a mascot,” perhaps it could infiltrate other zones? But in just a single night, it wouldn’t have had sufficient time to traverse the forest and reach here. Unless it had deliberately expanded its territory all the way.

……

No.

I understood.

How Magic Bunny was able to kill the other mascots.

— After the theme park closes, it comes to kill.

Then, today, with a gate to the Red Zone positioned directly before the resort…

…!!

“Mr. Mascot?”

I began to frantically tidy the garden.

I have to start the ceremony right now.

I needed to open the third zone and escape before the theme park closed.

T O D A Y

“Yes?”

I T ’ S C O M I N G T O D A Y

I pointed beyond the gate.

W H E N I T C L O S E S

I T W I L L C O M E

…!!

The moment the park closed, it would attack.

The employees didn’t even question the possibility, their faces draining of color. They had already witnessed Magic Bunny’s madness.

“Th-Then…”

“Wait, so if we just perform this ceremony quickly, we can escape, right?”

I nodded.

The Disaster Management Bureau agents rushed to assist in cleaning the garden. I assigned tasks to the remaining staff. My mind felt on the verge of breaking from sheer anxiety. It was like listening to a countdown before a nuclear explosion.

No.

More information… Right. Perhaps I could glean something useful. Just in case, I dispatched one of the standard mascots towards the gate where the Blue Dragon resided. Since the blue mascot had boasted about its assistance, it would surely help.

But…

…So much for the Good Friend.

There was no time left to acquire it. If I managed to escape today, I would have failed my original objective for coming here. And… There was no more time to devise a method to extract a staff member revived from the dead in a ghost story while they were still alive.

……

N E E D . . .

“What do you need?”

…!

I turned my head. Supervisor Lee Seonghae, still busily cleaning, had also been observing the Magic Bunny gate I was looking at. As she stroked her chin, she spoke.

“Do you, uh, need anything from over in the Red Zone? You keep looking over there!”

!

“Oh, I guessed right. In that case…”

Supervisor Lee Seonghae whispered.

“Should I go get it for you?”

What?

“I’ll hurry and do it while you’re running the ceremony! I’m probably the fastest one here with both legs still working. I may not be as strong as Section Chief Lizard, but I’m smarter!”

She glanced at the gate.

“I think it’s because of me that that crazy mascot figured out how to get here…”

……

I opened my mouth.

I T ’ S O K A Y

I couldn’t dispatch her to certain death on the slim chance of success.

L E T ’ S J U S T F I N I S H U P

Just hurry, let’s conduct the ceremony as planned, as swiftly as possible.

“…Yes, yes.”

I resumed cleaning the now-ruined garden.

There’s no time.

Faster, faster.

The ceremony was an event held just before closing, and of course, I had prepared it to align with that time. So, there wasn’t much time left until closing now. Any moment, the announcement might play.

— ♪♪♬♬~♩♬♬~♩♪♪

— Hahahahaha!

My staff and I frantically cleaned the area. Dozens of Magic Bunnies stared at us from just beyond the gate but refrained from their previous antics. Still, the tension lingered.

I sent employees to distribute gifts to guests, and I personally used the standard mascots to clear the mess near the gate.

. . . . . .

On the other side of the gate, the Magic Bunnies watched me clean.

Don’t show it.

They seemed the type who would revel in my distress. I quickly finished cleaning the horrific blood and flesh and retreated.

Is there still enough time?

— ♪♪♬♬~♩♬♬~♩♪♪

— Hahahahaha!

This area was good, that area was good. Everything was ready for the illumination. I anxiously scanned the garden. The only remaining objects were the inert Magic Bunny mascot suits, like kites with broken strings.

Let’s hurry and clear them. The standard mascots picked up those rabbit mascot suits and carried them away.

It’d be great if I could turn them into my own mascots instead.

But that didn’t seem possible. These appeared to be recognized as something unique, originating from Magic Bunny, the Red Zone.

Like a souvenir, maybe.

It was disgusting, but that’s how it seemed.

……

No, wait.

Wait a second!

I froze. And looked down at the Magic Bunny mascot suit I was holding.

Souvenir.

A thing made from a guest’s corpse, with the appearance of a mascot. A plush toy filled with soft fur and stuffing, with a cute look—something you can only get at the theme park.

There was one other thing that matched this description exactly.

…Good Friend!

♩-♪♬♬~♩♬♬~♩♪♪

Then, could a non-functional mascot suit essentially be treated the same as a Good Friend…?

— Attention, please! Our theme park will soon be closing for the day~

…!!

“Mr. Mascot!”

I had to make a decision. If the ceremony didn’t go well and closing time arrived, it would all be over. And just in case, right now… we needed a trump card.

If it were someone who knew a lot about the nature of ghost stories, who had various abilities, and who was on my side…

……

— We hope all guests inside the park enjoy Cheerful Theme Park until the very end!

I gritted my teeth and made up my mind.

“Mr. Mascot…?”

I immediately grabbed one of the Magic Bunny mascot suits, dragged it, and dashed like a madman into the resort. Then…

— One hour until closing!

I began drawing the Good Friend summoning circle.