Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work Novel - Chapter 213

Before I opened my eyes.

I heard a voice echoing in my mind.

Instructions.

—You have been assigned to a new position. Follow the researcher’s instructions. You have been assigned to a new position. Follow the researcher’s instructions….

“Hello.”

I opened my eyes.

“Nice to meet you. I am your assignment… assistant employee.”

The first thing I saw was a mask.

Not a face transformed into a melting mosaic, but a coated paper mask covering it.

It wasn’t the field exploration team’s mask I was familiar with. It looked like a child’s crayon drawing mimicking it.

But I knew that animal.

“I’ll try my best not to bother you. …My name is Badger.”

Badger.

This person, wearing the security team’s activity uniform, I knew….

Team D Assistant Manager Park Minseong.

My senior.

“From now on, um, please take good care of me.”

And he didn’t recognize me.

“I, today, just a simple introduction….”

It was natural.

My current state and Kim Sol-eum’s previous appearance had no commonalities other than body size, and the other person had never seen this appearance before.

But immediately after, something unnatural happened.

“…Why.”

Another person’s voice.

From that intonation, from that slow, uninflected peculiar tone, I knew who it was.

I saw a thin human figure, wearing a security guard uniform, standing at the door with his hat pulled down….

“Why… are you here.”

J3.

“Team Leader?”

“You… shouldn’t be here….”

…….

I tried to open my mouth, but I realized my vocal cords were not in place, and I didn’t know where in my melting body they were….

Smoke formed words.

Employment Contract

“…You said you resigned.”

New Employment Contract : Permanent Employment

“……”

I lowered the smoke.

“Team Leader, what do you mean, resignation….”

The person wearing the Badger mask was stiff with a bewildered tone.

Followed by rapid breathing, expressing anxiety, confusion, and hesitation as if trying to grasp the situation….

And finally, a gasp, as if he had grasped a shocking truth.

He had recalled.

A mutual acquaintance of theirs who had recently safely resigned from this company.

And the one who had lost contact.

“…Roe Deer?”

I did not answer.

“……”

The person wearing the Badger mask stared at me, frozen.

And looked back at the person in the security uniform.

The security team leader did not deny it.

Instead, he opened the door and left the room.

Click.

The sound of the iron door locking.

“N-no… no. This, I, I…. That…….”

The sound of catching breath.

It came from the Badger mask.

Due to agitation, symptoms of contamination tried to break through, but were hidden by the mask.

After more than 40 seconds, the Badger mask, having completely shed the identity of a kindergarten teacher, took a deep breath.

And then I heard it.

“It’ll, it’ll be okay.”

The sound of approaching footsteps.

“Being in the security team means, well, communication is possible, right…? There’ll be a way. I recovered too…. Right?”

I moved the smoke.

Impossible

“…!”

Contamination is when a formerly human being mutates due to supernatural phenomena.

Recovery from contamination means recovering one’s original human body and mind.

And.

“Roe Deer.”

Impossible

I don’t have the former.

“…Sol-eum.”

…….

I tried to form words again, then scattered the smoke and gathered it back into the gas mask.

Somehow, I felt a reluctance to perform the action.

A desperate voice was heard.

“Hey… yeah, does it feel strange hearing your real name?”

It feels nothing.

“No adverse reactions? Like confusion…? It’s natural to have them. So….”

Showing a strange reaction to one’s original name is a typical symptom of contamination.

It has nothing to do with me.

“Sol-eum…….”

Thud.

Assistant Manager Park Minseong, who was about to call out again, suddenly flinched and grabbed his wrist tightly.

The security team’s control wristband.

Tick, tock.

The sound of the watch ticking.

And a notification, which I hadn’t heard before, now faintly reached me, who shared a similar contractual relationship.

—A risk of violating safety regulations has been detected. Time remaining until confinement for retraining will be reduced by 7 seconds. 71 seconds, 70 seconds, 69 seconds….

It was similar to the announcement echoing in my mind.

A restriction controlling the speech and actions of a contaminated security team member.

He must have realized that he had violated a safety rule by referring to a ‘real name’ during duty.

Thus, I witnessed one specific mechanism not explicitly detailed in <Darkness Exploration Records>.

But it’s not important.

What’s important is….

—You have been assigned to a new position. Follow the researcher’s instructions.

Work.

“……”

“……”

What should I do?

In the silence, I finally began to look around the place I was in.

A rusty iron door. A blocked space. Similar to Annex B13, Room 666, but it wasn’t that place.

But I could recognize where it was.

—Daydream Inc. Main Building Basement Isolation Room.

The place I had visited for cleaning when I was human and received disciplinary action.

It was also the place I was transported to with Assistant Manager Park Minseong after losing consciousness upon clearing ‘Hungry Hangman’.

The isolation corridor accessible only from the security team’s supply warehouse, and the isolation room inside….

But I felt it.

This place was much deeper inside than the isolation room where I was quarantined after being rescued from the ‘Hungry Hangman’ darkness.

I knew, by the instinct of a worker, that it was located in the central isolation area, deep within, even deeper than the place I visited for disciplinary cleaning.

And the shape of this private room.

I traced the lamp on the desk with my finger.

Lamp, wooden desk, bed, towel.

A familiar shape.

‘Company housing.’

The interior was identical to the room where employee Kim Sol-eum stayed in the company housing.

Every single prop was obsessively arranged.

An arrangement that felt almost ritualistic, ceremonial.

Configurations that seemed to try not to offend the darkness held by the employment contract, as if trying to appease it.

At the same time, I felt that they were expecting my reaction….

‘Is this Kwak Jegang’s doing?’

It was something that researchers would do.

I traced the desk with my gloved finger.

Should I be angry?

My crushed and melting brain tried to think similarly to before, but it was difficult…….

‘So, am I… now in charge of security for the Main Building Basement Isolation Room instead of Annex B13?’

This is not difficult.

But if so….

That person isn’t needed.

“…!”

I stared at the Badger mask.

The agitation of the Badger mask was felt.

I asked him, who was stiffly frozen.

Request for job description

“…My job is to work with Roe Deer.”

Inappropriate designation Reason: Informal

“…Ah.”

The person wearing the Badger mask turned his head and made a small sound, looking at the CCTV in the corner.

The CCTV had no audio-related functions, perhaps due to concerns about contamination, but a gaze observing from beyond it was felt.

They were watching.

And there was no need to give the researcher in charge any definite confirmation about the current state.

Noticing the meaning of the warning I made with smoke, Badger’s words changed.

“Then… what should I call you? Haha, let’s think of another nickname. Roe Deer was originally the assistant manager’s…….”

His bright voice faded slightly, then returned.

“Hmm… do you have another favorite animal?”

Favorite animal.

I waited until something came to mind.

But no emotion was felt.

Unknown

“……”

…….

“It’s okay. Then I’ll think about it carefully.”

The sound of him clearing his throat was heard.

Request for job description : Including specific examples

“Ah, um, so… when you get a task, I’ll accompany you. I’ll help make sure you’re comfortable.”

The person wearing the Badger mask spoke kindly.

But….

“If you have any discomfort, you can tell me first. Or the security team leader…!”

What is he holding in his hand?

“…!”

The person wearing the Badger mask, feeling my gaze, hastily tried to put something back into his pocket, then, realizing something, carefully took it out again and showed it to me.

A syringe-shaped object.

It resembled a dream collector, but its purpose seemed to be the opposite.

Injector.

For restraining special division employees.

The other person slowly nodded at the words I formed.

“Don’t worry. I won’t press it. Really. Really….”

Why?

Recommendation for use in appropriate situations

“…For example?”

▶Collapse of bipedal form ▶Uncontrollable smoke state ▶When feeling extreme anxiety

“…When you look anxious?”

▶When feeling extreme anxiety Criteria: User’s emotion of control tool

“……. Hahaha….”

A sob escaped the Badger mask.

It was a sound that made it impossible to tell if he was crying or laughing, relieved or not.

“You’re still the same. Aren’t you?”

…….

“Yes… yeah, it’ll be okay.”

And somehow, as if relieved, his vibrations and movements subsided, as if his mind was much more at ease.

And he reached out his arm as if to pat my shoulder… but soon lowered it.

…….

Click.

“Team Leader, we….”

The door opened and the security team leader entered.

To perceive him as someone who left because he couldn’t accept an unexpected situation, there was no sign of rejection in his physical reaction.

Instead, he walked straight over, making the Badger mask flinch.

And he extended his left arm towards me.

“Team Leader?”

“Here.”

In the palm of his extended left hand, round objects appeared.

Nostalgia Candy.

“Want to eat this…?”

…….

I cannot eat.

I have no mouth. I don’t know where in my body there is an organ that could be called a mouth.

Perhaps it was never created in the first place because it wasn’t needed.

I just believed it was there.

Above all… I cannot take off my gas mask.

“……”

Silently, I pushed his hand with my gloved finger.

Impossible

“Is that so….”

The security team leader withdrew his hand, then stood still as if lost in thought.

And asked.

“What darkness did you enter…?”

Wish

“……”

I scattered the words before the Badger mask could see them.

J3 did not ask any more questions.

He simply quietly raised his hat-wearing head. Then, through his melting mosaic-like features….

A face was visible.

‘…!’

“Roe Deer, calm down…!”

What is it?

Why can I see it?

“Are you… in pain right now…?”

Even his voice was clear. I could distinguish it. I could perceive it! What is it? Why? Perhaps I just hadn’t perceived it, but another truth was…….

…….

Ah.

I know.

“Why is the smoke…!”

Because the other person is more like a ghost story than a human.

The security team leader’s contamination is so powerful and deep that it keeps him on the boundary of existence, no matter how much it’s removed from the security team curriculum.

This is meaningless.

“You don’t seem to be in pain…….”

However, despite that….

“Then it’s okay…….”

I slowly felt the strange tingling sensation I had felt in the elevator return.

The security team leader walked into the smoke as if it were nothing, then awkwardly raised his hand… and patted my back.

As if doing it for the first time in a very long time.

“…It’ll be okay.”

…….

I inhaled the smoke. The black gas tendrils swirling on the floor were drawn back.

The security team leader briefly looked at the Nostalgia Candy.

“Here, I’ll bring something else…….”

I shook my head.

The Nostalgia series is not needed for work.

Now, I need to hear what is needed.

—It’s your working hours. Wake up. It’s your working hours. Wake up….

Because it was time.

Request for work briefing

“Ah, that….”

[Aha, you’re passionate!]

“…!”

Both figures’ heads snapped towards the direction of the sound.

[Hahaha, I contacted you right on time, didn’t I? Good morning. Not a real morning, just small talk for starting work, though.]

Sound was coming from the CCTV in the corner.

The security team leader stepped in front of me.

[Ah, the speaker and recording functions only work during such interactive conversations. Such ethical and considerate working conditions are rare these days. Hahaha!]

“Is he crazy….”

[Well, anyway. I, as the researcher in charge, will explain the work very clearly.]

I shook my head at the security team leader. But the security team leader stood silently in place.

Only Kwak Jegang’s voice from the CCTV loudly echoed in the private room.

[This, in short, is a very important task directly related to our company’s goal. That is… efficiently producing many good potions.]

[And for that, isn’t there a prerequisite?]

The obvious explanation followed.

[A stable supply of darkness suitable for extracting the potion’s raw material, ‘dreams’!]

[Ghost stories that the company can ‘manage’, where humans can be periodically injected to extract dreams.]

However, it sounded as if something absurd was about to be said.

[And someone powerful needs to consistently bring such ghost stories to the company….]

The agitated breathing of the darkness researcher was heard.

[You are one of them.]

…….

[Subdue ghost stories that are useful to the company. So that dreams can be produced efficiently.]

A new task had begun.