Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work Novel (End Part 1) - Chapter 195

“……”

I looked at the door to the Hyunmoo Team 1 waiting room.

It felt strangely unreal, almost bizarre, that after everything I’d been through, I was still standing here.

But habit was honest.

Click.

I opened the door and walked in.

And…

“You’re here?”

I saw Agent Cheongdong stand up with a welcoming face, looking at me.

“Good morni— …Agent Podo. You don’t look so good.”

Ah.

“Did you not sleep well again?”

“J-just tossed and turned a little. I’m fine.”

It was a relief that any noticeable injuries had been treated in advance.

“You must tell me if you’re too tired.”

“…Yes. Thank you.”

I managed to converse with Agent Cheongdong with my usual smile and sat on the sofa opposite him.

And waited.

“……”

My palms were sweating.

But even after several minutes, the waiting room still held only the two of us.

The person who was supposed to appear hadn’t.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes?”

“Agent Choi…”

“Ah. Agent Choi won’t be on duty today.”

“……”

What?

‘Wait a minute.’

Did something go wrong?

‘No.’

Did Director Ho really go back to him? Or did he have an accident trying to lift the restriction immediately? I…

“He came to work a bit early, but then he said he wasn’t feeling well and took a day off.”

“…Yes.”

There was an eyewitness account.

A feeling too strong to be called relief swept over my chest.

“You don’t have to worry too much. That human… no, Agent Choi looked perfectly fine. And…”

Agent Cheongdong took something out of the small refrigerator in the corner of the waiting room.

A carrier filled with cafe drinks.

“He left this. Said he stopped by a cafe.”

“……”

“This is for Agent Podo, he said.”

I took a drink.

It was green grape made.

And a packaged cookie, like ones sold at a cafe, was tucked into the cup holder, with what looked like a mark written in black marker on it.

Agent Choi’s handwritten message.

[Hyunmoo Team 1 Fighting]

And a line drawn through it, crossing it out.

“……”

“Agent Podo?”

“…Thank you.”

I gripped the ade.

It was sweet enough to snap me wide awake.

* * *

Whether it was the sugar-induced awakening or not, my mind kept working through the morning.

The plans I had made, the things I needed to do over the next month, rushed in.

‘First, I need to lie low.’

Since the incident with Agent Choi, I would remain still for about a week, avoiding attracting attention from the Disaster Management Bureau, doing some light preparatory work, and then begin my actions.

My plan had become less about securing a long time and more about precise timing.

However…

One concern.

‘…Is it right to tell Ms. Yeongeun about this?’

While it felt right to share my current situation, it was ambiguous and precarious to gauge how much I should reveal.

How would Ms. Yeongeun react to me saying I’d handle it within a month?

Would it be right to tell her about Director Ho’s malice, that we were sent here as spies, expecting to be discovered, as bait?

Is it something that can be dealt with just by knowing…?

“……”

Wouldn’t it be easier for her spy work, and less noticeable, if she didn’t know?

My stomach hurts.

It felt raw from stomach acid.

‘No. It’s okay.’

Ms. Yeongeun only needs to work for one more month.

If I can do this properly, I can deliver the information Director Ho wants in the form he desires, and in that process, I can claim Ms. Yeongeun’s share.

Then it will end without a problem.

‘Good.’

Let’s do this.

“Hoo.”

I set down the empty ade cup.

Agent Cheongdong, who was checking documents while drinking a vanilla latte next to me, spoke.

“I don’t see that doll today.”

“……!”

“The small rabbit doll you call Brown.”

“…It’s here.”

I took the plush toy out of my jumper, showed it, and then put it back.

“Is, um, is that doll doing well?”

“Probably.”

I quickly took my hand, which had touched the plush toy, out of my pocket.

That’s when it happened.

Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep!!

“…!!”

A loud alarm blared from Agent Cheongdong’s wrist.

A call.

‘Rescue request!’

“Stand by.”

Agent Cheongdong tossed his documents aside and stood up.

He checked the code for the ghost story on the pager and began to prepare…

“…It’s a ghost story that definitely requires two people for the rescue. We’ll go in together.”

“Yes.”

I immediately stood up too.

My experience over the past few weeks of deployments made my body move automatically, and that in turn brought back my detached sense of reality.

“The dispatch location is a bit far. Normally, the call would go to the local branch, but… this rescue request came directly to headquarters.”

“Where is it?”

“Asan City, Chungcheongnam-do. And this particular supernatural disaster… is quite large in scope, so there’s a lot to familiarize yourself with.”

Agent Cheongdong quickly pulled out a small booklet-shaped document from the bookshelf.

“This is a manual and tips compiled by our team. Please read it while we travel.”

“Yes.”

As soon as Agent Cheongdong sent out calls to off-duty agents, we immediately left headquarters and moved.

And the means of transportation…

“The rescue time for this disaster isn’t that urgent, so we’ll be using public transportation.”

…It was a KTX train.

Departing from Seoul Station.

Bound for Mokpo.

“……”

“Agent Podo?”

“Ah, no, it’s nothing.”

I sat down in the train seat.

Don’t panic.

‘The Tamna-bound KTX incident was a special case.’

It doesn’t happen every time, and Daydream Inc. is probably already observing the conditions for its occurrence for research…

It’s fine.

‘I can do this.’

Don’t be nervous.

If I struggle here, I won’t be able to do anything. I’ll flinch every time I enter a convenience store, I won’t be able to take elevators, and I won’t be able to step onto subway trains…

Departure.

The train departed safely.

I’m fine.

‘Distract myself.’

Right. The manual.

“There’s a restriction on it, so if you’re not affiliated with the Disaster Management Bureau, different content will appear. So feel free to read it.”

As I took out the booklet, he kindly added an explanation. Good, fine. I’ll focus on reading the ghost story manual and tips, and devise a rescue plan.

I turned the page of the booklet…

-Podo, I really worked hard on this. Make good use of it lololol

“…!!”

“What’s the matter— Ah.”

Agent Cheongdong frowned and sighed.

“Agent Choi primarily wrote this. He put in a lot of unnecessary comments. …There’s probably a fair bit he added after he joined the team.”

I stared blankly as I flipped through the booklet.

Words that seemed to have been written earlier appeared.

-New recruits are warmly welcomed! Ace Agent Choi of Hyunmoo Team 1’s honey tips unleashed!

└Please stop writing things like this.

└Includes Agent Cheongdong’s less sweet tips too.

└Sigh…

Different handwriting, different pens.

-Read the next page carefully. This is an introduction to a supernatural disaster, it might be a bit difficult but try reading it like a novel.

My trembling eyes shifted.

A simplified manual and tips for supernatural disasters, written directly by Agent Choi, which I hadn’t seen before , began.

This guide is specifically being written to facilitate smooth human rescue during Registered No. 1006PSYA.1941.아06., also known as the ‘Jisan Village Offering Ritual.’

Our strict Management Bureau has classified this supernatural disaster as a ‘Broken Form,’ but the author strongly argued it should be assigned a higher grade.

This is because even if rescue itself isn’t difficult, the complete termination of the disaster is impossible, and it’s due to the various goblin testimonies suggesting something more malevolent exists within it.

So, don’t let your guard down and be prepared for dispatch during the 4th and 5th lunar months!

“We’re here.”

We got off at Cheonan-Asan Station.

And rode the government-issued bicycles stored at the station.

“It’s about a 30-minute ride by bike.”

That was true.

Location of Occurrence: Jisan Village, ■■-ri, Asan City

As we left the station and moved away from the city, winding unpaved roads appeared, and vibrations were transmitted through the bicycle seat.

And in the distance, a small village could be seen.

It was an ordinary rural village.

Rural houses and traditional tile-roofed houses had modern repairs added here and there, and streetlights and power lines were visible. The unpaved road was maintained relative to the village.

This village is easily accessible if you have transportation, but the families living there are exclusive to outsiders. (No real estate listings available. Infiltration via moving is impossible.)

However, during the ‘Jisan Festival,’ outsiders are welcomed, and visitors can participate in the festival.

“There it is. …It’s begun.”

A banner was visible.

Jisan Festival

May Jisan bless you

This very festival was a supernatural phenomenon.

“This way.”

We parked our bicycles in a corner at the village entrance. In the process, we saw several cars with ‘Seoul’ or ‘Gyeonggi’ license plates parked haphazardly.

“……”

“Remember that.”

I nodded.

Then, together with Agent Cheongdong, I walked into the village.

Hee-yaa-ah-ah-ah-ah!

As we got closer, people became visible.

True to a small village festival, there wasn’t a huge crowd, but there were traditional music groups here and there, people taking photos, or sitting down to eat boiled pork and soup provided by the village.

And also people fiddling with their smartphones with bored expressions.

※Urgent tip before entry!

Never wear the Disaster Management Bureau jumper, bring earplugs, matches, and bells.

Most importantly…

Do not sit among the villagers.

“Hey, what is it? It’s shady.”

“Hold on a sec. They’re doing a prize draw.”

We sat next to them, looking like outsiders who clearly weren’t interested.

Food was quickly served.

“Have a bite! May Jisan bless you!”

A villager whose eyes met mine grinned.

She looked like a woman my age, wearing something like a bird’s feather pinned to her chest.

How to distinguish villagers at the Jisan Festival site is simple.

If they are wearing a brooch made of feathers, they are villagers.

-Analyzed one I sneaked out, turns out it was a rooster feather. The goblin was disgusted.

Sounds could be heard from all around.

“Oh, you’re from Mapo? My son also works in Mapo, Seoul!”

“No smoking here. Absolutely forbidden!”

“Why don’t you have a drink of this? I brewed it at home, it’s a really light liquor.”

The villagers approached outsiders, treated them kindly, and offered them alcohol.

It felt like a generous rural village.

Except for the fact that someone would soon die.

I suppressed a small sigh and looked at the bowl of food.

Festival food is okay to eat. (Honestly, it’s tasty too.)

But personally, I recommend not eating any food with broth. You’re better off not knowing the reason.

I didn’t have an appetite anyway.

“……I’ll eat well.”

“I’ll eat well.”

Agent Cheongdong and I just casually moved our spoons around.

Hee-yaa-ah-ah-ah-ah!

Even amidst that, music continued to flow through the village.

Sounds that seemed like traditional folk music or a folk song.

It should have been comforting, but the rhythm was strangely unfamiliar…

-Ah. That’s because there’s a difference in purpose. What was that music made for!

“…!”

I instinctively looked down at my pocket.

-Ah! You can hear me now, friend!

-Haha, I was momentarily flustered when conversation suddenly became difficult. But it’s okay! If you’re worried this plush body might fall, I can stop talking for a while.

-We can always talk again like this, can’t we!

Supernatural disaster.

The plush toy had regained its ability to speak upon entering the ghost story.

-Don’t worry. I’m always listening, even when I can’t talk to you. As a good friend, you see.

…

-Oh, you don’t need to apologize for abandoning me in your jumper yesterday. On the contrary, I was grateful. It was better to have something to cover myself with in that terrible room.

‘…Really? That’s a relief.’

I turned my attention back to the food.

-…Friend? You look more tired than usual. Oh dear, are you still fatigued from last night’s adventure?

‘Maybe.’

-Then shall we go back today and watch TV with this Brown? That cartoon or variety show you liked would be good too.

-And then you’ll sleep soundly. This Brown will tell you fun stories so you can have good dreams, Mr. Roe Deer!

…

-Friend?

‘Could I just focus on work for a bit? It’s a ghost story I don’t know well.’

-Ah, of course!

And finally, the plush toy went quiet.

It was a relief.

I turned my head and started gathering information like Agent Cheongdong.

Who sent the rescue request to us?

And…

Who was the suitable villager?

The Jisan Festival continues for four days, and no matter when the rescue signal came, as long as the festival isn’t over, the person concerned can be rescued.

Observe the villagers carefully, find the person who looks most disgruntled, and ask for a night’s stay!

-I didn’t bother writing down their description in case it’d be confusing. Anyway, absolutely! Don’t trust anyone who approaches outsiders first, acting friendly, Podo.

-You know those crazy guys who lure kids with candy? It’s just like that lol.

I recalled those words and looked at the villagers.

Let’s see, the person who looks the least friendly…

“……??”

Wait a minute.

I quickly turned my head.

There was a familiar face.

A man in his twenties, standing among the villagers with a sullen expression.

The ill-tempered employee from Daydream Inc., wearing a medical eye patch.

‘…Baek Saheon!’

That guy was here.

Wearing a rooster feather on his chest.

And…

Near Baek Saheon, I continuously spotted a fatigued-looking woman sitting among the outsiders who were being approached and taken care of by the villagers during their meal.

Wearing gloves and observing her surroundings with an indifferent expression.

A very familiar face.

“……”

It was Eun Haje, Assistant Manager.