Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work Novel - Chapter 222

[Oh, indeed! The man in the 2000s video, who had no way to appear to the world once the editing room was sealed off, can now visit homes thousands of miles away…] 

[21st-century editors have inadvertently invited him.]

My blood runs cold.

If I had a human body, I would surely use such an expression for this situation.

I am inside the carrying case, held in the hands of the two field investigation team employees who are frantically running out of the broadcasting station.

One of them is already contacting the company’s security team.

This wasn’t a rescue request. It was closer to reporting an uncontrollable, catastrophic incident.

The fatal spread of the ghost story.

[…What?]

As soon as contact was made, the head of security understood the gravity of the situation.

[Wait… Just a moment.]

And he hung up the radio to communicate in detail with the company.

Meanwhile, I am thinking.

A method to isolate the editing video files, which are in the data storage of at least several, and possibly dozens, of people, and even shared to cloud storage.

However, that… is not something a small number of people can handle.

The power of a strong group is needed.

However, quietly waiting for the company’s response is not the duty of a contract worker… No, time is short to just wait for the company’s full-scale action.

The ‘man on the screen’ has been agitated by undergoing an isolation process in the editing room.

In the worst case, the progression to the worst situation would have accelerated.

So, first, what needs to be done immediately.

Contact the client.

“Yes!”

Next to Lee Seonghae, who is also reporting to the field investigation team, Kang Yihak immediately picks up the phone and connects with the PD.

Hello. I’m calling because I have an urgent question.

“…! Hello. I’m calling because I have an urgent question…”

Kang Yihak subtly reads the black smoke.

“Is anyone from PBS Entertainment working from home or a personal studio today, editing videos? The Chapters ending in ‘6’ where the ‘man in the screen’ might appear.”

Especially around this time.

“It’s even more urgent if someone is working right now.”

-Of course there would be. Me, why is that…

Please contact them.

It’s an urgent matter.

-Ah, yes.

The PD’s voice was slightly reluctant, but he soon understood the atmosphere and situation of what he had requested.

He seemed to be frantically contacting various people via messenger.

And soon.

-…Why isn’t he answering?

…

A flustered voice, the sound of typing.

-Huh? Wait a minute. No, this call… Why isn’t he answering?

“PD-nim, listen carefully.”

It was too late.

Kang Yihak quickly spoke to the frozen PD, who had a chilling premonition.

“Immediately take down all files ending in Chapter 6 from the cloud storage that your PD team shares. It’s better if you delete them.”

And.

“Please make sure to tell everyone who edits videos in this entertainment department. From now on, absolutely do not touch any Chapter ending in ‘6’. …If by any chance they have it open.”

Kang Yihak’s fast voice, reading the smoke-formed letters like flowing water, was heard.

“Tell them never to intentionally look at the ‘man in the screen’ or try to delete him.”

-…What on earth is happening,

“I’ll explain the details later. Just talking to you about it might bring bad luck. You made a big mistake, a mistake.”

Kang Yihak, who naturally shifted the blame to the entertainment department even though he hadn’t written it down, continued.

“Hoo… Still, since we’ve received something, we’ll try our best to resolve it from our end. First, please give us the address of the person who lost contact.”

The frightened PD immediately handed over the address to the field investigation team.

A Seoul officetel, 20 minutes away.

As they moved in a frantically hailed taxi, Lee Seonghae whispered into the carrying case I was in.

“Isn’t there a high chance they called the police?”

Thump, thump.

Slightly, I let out smoke from outside the carrying case.

Difficult to estimate. Reason: Psychological factors.

People tend to want to believe for the best in such situations.

Calling the police means that something truly ‘serious’ is happening beyond simple supernatural fear, so there’s a high probability they’d wait for a certain amount of time first.

And a moment later, they finally arrived at their first destination.

The moment they entered the elevator…

Beep.

“…!”

It’s the security team.

The field investigation team members frantically picked up their walkie-talkies, but…

[For now, we’ve requested support… but I don’t know exactly when it will be available…]

News typical of Daydream Inc. returned.

[The higher-ups… um, the decision is being delayed…]

“…!”

[Hoo, it seems they’re regretting the cost of the cleanup. How vulgar, but typical of a capitalist corporation.]

Lee Seonghae’s face stiffened slightly.

“Then for now, I’d like at least the security team members in charge of ‘Employee-nim’ to act with us.”

[The security team… can’t arbitrarily leave the company during the day… because they need to be equipped.]

“…”

[However.]

The security chief’s voice became somewhat clearer.

[…I’m wearing equipment that allows me to go out during the day for my assigned duties. So, if it’s a situation that requires deployment for assigned duties… Hmm.]

“…!”

[Hey, the employee in the carrying case… isn’t he hard to control? I think he would be…]

Their gaze turned to me.

Affirmative.

“…That’s right!”

“It’s so hard, I’m dying! We desperately need help with control!”

The field investigation team members shouted as they caught the elevator heading to their destination.

[…I see.]

A faint hint of pride.

A very slight smile touched the security chief’s voice and then vanished.

[I’ll deploy…]

And the moment Lee Seonghae and Kang Yihak boarded the elevator.

Beep.

From the shadow of the walkie-talkie in his hand, a black figure emerged.

“…!”

The security chief.

His uniform, which enveloped his entire body, was covered by a deep hood with bizarre patterns, unlike his usual deployment attire.

Beep.

The elevator’s CCTV turned off. A sense of pressure and uncanny feeling filled the elevator.

“…”

The security chief reached out and took the carrying case.

“Reporting to the company… another employee is continuously… doing it, so don’t worry.” “Yes.”

Ding.

Soon, the elevator arrived at the floor. The three quickly went to find the assistant director’s apartment number, which they had received from the PD…

The front door was open.

“…”

From inside, laughter could be heard.

The sound of an entertainment program.

Tension settled on the shoulders of the field investigation team.

“Let’s go in…”

The security chief opened the door.

From inside the carrying case held in his hand, I saw the scene unfolding through the already open front door…

The assistant director lay on the floor, both eyes gouged out.

“…!!”

A small, blood-soaked living room, and on it, a chair, a desk, and on top of that…

A computer monitor.

The screen flickered.

The monitor displayed an editing program, with the distorted face of a man in a close-up. Black eyes and a bared-teeth smile. An open mouth, his gaze directed this way…

CRUNCH.

The monitor and the main unit were crushed at once.

The giant, black beast’s paw was roughly withdrawn back to the security chief’s shoulder.

“…!!”

“Since it’s… already on the USB, shouldn’t we… just destroy everything else… like this?”

It was the correct answer.

But the dead don’t return.

…It was already too late.

And one more thing.

“About the… open door.”

The security chief, pressing his mask and using his sense of smell, tilted his head and spoke.

“It seems someone else was here… and escaped…”

“…!”

“Someone who was in another room…”

There was a witness.

It was unknown how deeply they were involved in this supernatural phenomenon or if they had fully grasped the situation.

“…”

Bzzzzzz.

At that moment, news arrived from the PD.

-4 people aren’t answering their phones and aren’t reading messages.

It was confirmed that 4 of the PBS Entertainment editors had lost contact, and one of them had even left a strange message in the group chat.

-I’m watching you, I’m watching you, I’m watching you, please don’t do it, I’m so sorry. -You’re all going to die.

Even just the screenshot sent a chilling feeling.

-Please call me.

The PD’s message, asking what had happened and if the assistant director at this house was okay, reeked of fear. And he desperately sent the addresses of those who had lost contact.

Everyone on site realized.

The situation was expanding in a direction that was increasingly impossible for individuals to handle.

“First, I’ll report the witness to the company. And then move to the homes of the remaining people who lost contact…”

“Hey, Deputy.”

Kang Yihak cut him off.

“Shouldn’t we just leave here quickly before the police arrive?”

“…”

Lee Seonghae looked at Kang Yihak.

Kang Yihak didn’t seem to have much interest in the corpse.

Instead, he merely scanned the house as if checking if there was anything valuable or what the market price was.

“Haven’t we done enough? There’s no guarantee we won’t be too late if we chase those addresses, and it doesn’t seem like we’ll get any special allowance… In the first place, I think it’s right to consider our work finished in the editing room!”

“Oh.”

“We’ve reported everything to the company, so let them handle the rest, and you should rest too, Deputy. Haha, we’ve certainly earned our worth for what we received.”

“What if someone else dies because we’re late?”

Kang Yihak gave a thumbs-up.

“That’s the company’s problem!”

“Aha.”

Lee Seonghae smiled faintly and gazed at Kang Yihak.

And the security chief stood still, his face blank, as if detached from the scene.

…

[Oh, Deer. You seem impatient.]

Am I feeling impatient?

[Indeed. Of course, an uninvited guest who spoils the show’s atmosphere is an unwelcome noise! Especially if they lack wit or sense, it’s the worst. Oh, dear.]

Brown seemed to be recalling the ‘man on the screen’ he had seen.

I also recalled.

The reaction of the late-night talk show host to the face of the ‘man on the screen’ covering the monitor in the editing room.

-Look at that pathetic sight! He can’t even accept that he’s not qualified to appear, so he wants to appeal to his worthless existence in just one shot, even in the video! -Ah, of course. He’d obviously be kicked out of the filming set. There would be no other way for him to appear. Oh, dear.

Mockery.

Contempt.

Not the dull, faint fear I felt, but vivid verbal expressions.

[But I say.]

A generous offer was given.

[If my friend is truly concerned about the whereabouts of that pathetic, third-rate, low-class uninvited guest, I will invite him as an audience member to my splendid talk show.]

[Even a shabby little seat in the corner would make him ecstatic. Three days, no. Two days would be enough for him to burn out and disappear from the sheer glory…]

[How about it?]

…

No.

I cannot make such a decision.

[Hmm? …Ah, I see.]

[You mean you can’t send him to a talk show when you have to deliver him to the company, right? Oh, it seems that the employment contract, which holds your time and judgment hostage, states as much.]

That’s right.

I cannot perform actions that would clearly cause harm to the company.

Especially if it’s a matter directly ordered as part of my duties.

Even if I create a loophole, if that loophole is discovered, stronger restrictions will be imposed…

…

[Oh, it’s alright, friend! Cheer up.]

[Aren’t restrictions inherently essential elements of interesting content? The important thing is that we meet like this and have another fun experience, isn’t it?]

It’s not fun.

[Oh, dear! You’re doubting your own heart again. It’s alright. Your spiritual pillar, companion in adventure, and soul-comforting entertainer is right here beside you!]

…

Let’s assume that’s true.

First, I need to do the next thing. I tore my eyes away from the eyeless corpse and suppressed the strange throbbing in my heart.

And just as I was about to communicate with smoke.

Beep.

“…!”

It’s the security team.

A voice came from the walkie-talkie the security chief had pressed immediately.

[Chief.]

It was Badger, Section Chief Park Min-seong’s voice.

[Is Deer… No, 130666 doing well there?]

“Yes…”

[Phew… That’s a relief.]

His tone soon returned to the professional and friendly voice of the security team.

[The company has finished agreeing on countermeasures. I’ll connect you.]

“…!”

The field investigation team’s gaze simultaneously turned to the walkie-talkie.

The crackling walkie-talkie, along with the sound of a phone connecting somewhere…

Connected to a call.

Someone other than Kwak Jekang.

-Hello.

…!!

-It’s been a long time since we’ve talked like this, since you signed the contract. News has reached me here, you see.

…A relaxed, deep female voice.

Director Cheong.

-I’ve been hearing good things about your recent work. It seems you’ve adapted quite well… Hmm. This incident, excluding the irregular, was clean.

“Who…”

“…Director Cheong.”

“Ugh.”

-Other employees also did their part quite well.

“Hahaha, thank you!”

Kang Yihak immediately replied respectfully, but Director Cheong continued with her own words.

-I heard the report that it could cause large-scale casualties. It seems to have become quite a powerful darkness.

And her choice of words confirmed my suspicion.

‘…’

“Employee-nim?”

In that case.

I formed a message with smoke and showed it to the security chief.

“…”

The security chief’s eyes narrowed.

Perhaps he already knew this fact due to the circumstances.

“…Hmm.”

Tap, tap, the security chief, tapping the carrying case as if caressing it, read my words to Director Cheong over the phone.

“130666 says…”

Question: Was the ‘Man in the Darkness’ previously registered as a darkness?

“Isn’t this ghost story something the company already possessed in the first place?”

“…!!”

Do you remember?

The conversation I had with the security chief in the Pleasant Research Institute’s Dream Incubation Room.

-What does it mean to dispose of darkness? -It means… if a person clears it, but no more solution can be extracted… we discard it…

The company manual was strangely clear.

A ghost story that suddenly disappeared in the 2000s.

And then, this phenomenon suddenly reappeared.

When darkness loses its supernatural presence, dream solutions can no longer be collected.

In this case, it is discarded after the registration number is canceled, and some of these darknesses are recycled through processes such as research and recharging.

I pointed to one.

Recycling.

“Isn’t this… intentionally released back into the civilian population… to restore its ‘supernatural presence’? So it can produce a dream solution again…”

Perhaps the security chief knew.

He would have been on the field investigation team when this ghost story was registered as a darkness.

And if he read this knowing the fact, the censored parts of the documents given when he was assigned today’s task would be reread…

For detailed information, refer to ■■Record#C16548.

For detailed information, refer to Discarded Record#C16548.

Daydream Inc. had intentionally released this discarded ghost story back into the broadcasting station.

To make the ghost story prevalent until a dream solution could be extracted, until it could be recycled.

“…”

-You know it well.

“…!”

-After all, it was just a ghost story that was there, and we just managed it well for a while and then returned it.

-No one loses out, do they? Of course, it’s company product production know-how, so it shouldn’t leave the company. Everyone who heard it, keep quiet.

Lee Seonghae’s silent breathing could be heard.

Director Cheong’s calm voice was heard again.

-Then we’ll stop here.

…

“Yes?”

-I mean, return.

“Is the security team coming?”

-Of course not.

What?

-Why should my company use valuable personnel and capital for civilian commotion?

Director Cheong said calmly.

-There’s no need to use a tiger-hunting knife to catch a chicken. It’s troublesome and wastes money… I absolutely detest that.

-The cleanup will be handled by the agency responsible for cleanup.

…Agency?

-Yes. That’s what taxes are for, to do such things. So we should know how to use what we’ve paid for.

-Getting carried away by emotions and blabbering personal opinions to the company is something only a rookie like Ho Yoowon does.

Director Ho.

The agency Director Ho held a grudge against was…

-It’s a win-win situation as well.

-That foolish agency will resolve the supernatural disaster based on the report, unaware that our company has just one original copy of the ghost story left.

…

-Then it would be good to hurry back.

I raised my head.

-It’s been a while since the disaster management agency reported… They’ll appear soon.

From somewhere,

The sound of bells began to ring.