Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work Novel - Chapter 62

[What kind of game is ‘Hangman’? ]

[That’s right! It’s an educational game where you guess the spelling of a word! If the alphabet you shout is included in this word, it’s correct! If not, it’s wrong!]

[And to make it easier to learn this game, we’ll give you several hints.]

A substitute teacher hangs in mid-air.

The pastel colors of the TV and the bright voice contrast with him, striking my ears.

[Shall we begin?]

Eun Haje, the substitute teacher hanging in mid-air, breaks into a wry smile, beads of sweat on his forehead.

“Everyone knows this already. Why such a long introduction?”

This B-rated horror story depicts the mental pressure and agony, the hellish hours before death.

……It goes like this.

It’s true that the victim selected for Hangman is essentially declared dead.

However, they are temporarily alive during the actual ‘game’.

And this victim…

[This word describes Teacher Eun Haje best!]

[Let’s all guess what kind of person Teacher Eun Haje is!]

is ruthlessly exposed.

According to the Darkness Exploration Records, all attempts to hide the victim’s identity failed in this process.

Major life events are devastatingly publicized, as if scrutinizing and evaluating their entire life.

The Hangman game itself has been modified for this purpose.

[The English word has 8 letters.]

I looked up at the blanks on the TV screen.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Filling in all the letters will reveal an English word.

Originally, the participants take turns throwing random letters, and if it fits a blank, it’s naturally filled.

That’s how you deduce the word.

But…

‘Here, every single letter is related to the victim.’

[Hint for the 8th letter!]

[What was Teacher Eun Haje’s job 4 years ago?]

Like this.

It’s easier to guess if it’s related to the person’s information. So, to make this process smoother…

The victim’s cooperation is required.

You have to persuade or threaten the condemned to tell you.

“…….”

“…….”

Sweat trickles down my chin.

‘So, right now…’

What am I doing?

The stuffed doll in my hand, the old TV, Eun Haje hanging in mid-air…

What can I do?

‘Run.’

I moved my feet.

“Roe Deer ya! Where are you going?!”

“I don’t have time. Explanations later…”

“Are you looking for the execution stand?”

“…!”

“Smashing it won’t help. You know? You read the manual.”

“I don’t know until I try.”

I call Lee Jaheon, the supervisor, like during a quiz show. So, if I ask him to break the execution stand again… yes, until it’s restored, to buy time,

“Wait a minute.”

There’s no time.

“Just sit down for a bit. Actually… I have something I want to try at the last minute.”

“…….”

“I’m not kidding. So don’t do anything conspicuous. You don’t want to accumulate unnecessary penalty points.”

Penalty points.

“Right?”

I know.

This horror story is based on the suffocating fear stemming from the meticulously controlled nature of everything.

The kindergarten monitors the movements and actions of the twelve ‘new teachers’ via CCTV in real-time, imposing ‘penalties’ for any teacher-unbecoming behavior.

[1 minute remaining. Teachers, raise your hands and shout the alphabet!]

“Assistant Manager Eun! Assistant Manager Eun!”

At that moment, the door to the playroom burst open, and an employee rushed in anxiously.

His face shows desperate impatience. He must have been searching for the victim, but since he can’t run, that’s the look he has.

Running beyond a brisk walk is also prohibited in this kindergarten.

Cursing is prohibited, damage is prohibited, everything that violates the rules of the game is prohibited.

“Sh… damn it. Why the last room on the 3rd floor?!”

The employee shouts at Eun Haje, venting his frustration. Yet, he refrains from cursing, trying to abide by the rules.

“Hey! You… Assistant Manager Eun, what did you do 4 years ago?”

Eun Haje chuckled.

Because…

“You goddamn bastard, who do you think you’re talking to?”

“…!”

This Hangman is an exception to all these rules.

“Wh-what… why, sudd…”

Because we’re going to die anyway.

“I didn’t correct you all this time to avoid getting involved with you, you idiot. I’m already in a bad mood because I can’t collect all the points and I’m about to die.”

“Uh, uh…”

“You killed three new employees. Get a grip, you crazy troll.”

The employee’s face flushed red with anger.

“Feeling wronged? Pissed off?”

“N-no…”

“You still have to endure it. You don’t want to receive a ‘No Contribution’ judgment later and get penalized for not being able to guess a single letter, do you?”

Eun Haje, the Assistant Manager, spoke with a sly smile, teasing him.

“There are only eight spots, so behave yourself. Okay?”

“…….”

The employee clamped his mouth shut.

It was an obvious judgment if one had any sense.

In this urban legend, only one person dying is the best-case scenario even based on the manual, and it’s a place where total annihilation easily occurs if things go wrong.

An urban legend where strict adherence to the rules guarantees survival.

‘And in this Hangman game, if you can’t guess even one letter, you’ll also receive a penalty during the final ‘evaluation’…’

That’s when it happened.

“Hey, Roe Deer. Come here.”

Assistant Manager Eun Haje, called me.

As I approached, he lowered his voice so only I could hear.

“My job four years ago was as a journalist.”

“…….”

“Roe Deer, you guessed it. Let’s start without the ‘No Contribution’ penalty.”

This is insane.

“Even if you say you don’t want to guess here, nothing will change. Right?”

“It helps my mental state.”

“Take care of the mental state of someone who might die soon. Please.”

Eun Haje, the Assistant Manager, frowned.

“Just appreciate how awful it is when that guy gets it right first, okay?”

Ugh…

I pressed my temples and finally went in front of the TV.

The eyes of the employee who had barged in widened.

“W-wait, you…”

“The last letter of the word is R. The initial of Reporter.”

*Static*

[Correct!]

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The screen displayed the letter with a cheerful sound.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ R

And.

[Let’s draw the Hangman~]

“Cough.”

Assistant Manager Eun Haje, twisted her body. Literally, her left leg ‘disappeared’ from his body hanging in mid-air.

…One leg had ascended to the gallows.

The sacrificial lamb designated as Hangman ascends to the gallows each time the other explorers guess correctly about them, and eventually gets hanged.

There are no exceptions.

This is insane.

“…It’s not cut off, so there’s no pain. Don’t worry.”

Does it look like I’m not worried?

“At least it’s not my neck. I can still talk, at least.”

No.

No matter how I think about it, that person’s ‘last-ditch effort’ seemed like bluffing to keep me here safely.

‘I can’t spend time like this.’

Meanwhile, the TV continues.

[Hint for the 5th blank!]

[What was the last mode of transportation Teacher Eun Haje used when he was a journalist?]

The employee hesitates, glances nervously at Eun Haje, and grits his teeth.

“T-tell me… hey, even though we…”

“Even though what?”

Eun Haje glared at him, exasperated.

“Because of you, three new employees are dead… you are the real son of a bitch. You should have been the one to die here.”

“Sh-shut up! You’re going to die!”

“Oh~ I shouldn’t listen to someone who’s going to die.”

Eun Haje nodded his head, bored.

The employee’s face turned red and purple. He shoved me aside and went in front of the TV.

“Transportation! Yeah, it’s obvious statistically! Bus or subway! Yeah, uh, subway initial, S!”

[Oh dear, Wrong!]

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ R

[Penalty: Please read the instruction manual for 10 minutes!]

“Uh, uh…”

With a twisting sound, a black book hologram appeared in front of the employee…

“Kaaaaack!”

It stuck to his face.

“Aaaaaack! Aaack!”

The black book, which engulfed his face, melted like it was sticking to his skin. He rolled on the floor, struggling to remove it, but nothing changed.

Below the following book, a clear branding mark was visible on his forehead…

[Chick Class]

Eun Haje clicked her tongue.

“He got that one. Stupid idiot.”

“…….”

“Watch closely, Roe Deer. This is cumulative; this is your training to become a proper ‘kindergarten teacher’ here… forever.”

That’s right.

Failure to faithfully participate in the games here is worse than death.

“Three strikes. Three strikes and you’re out.”

Three penalties.

Becoming so contaminated that you’re not considered human.

Like the security team.

‘But it’s worse.’

Unlike the security team, if you’re not rescued, you’re just trapped in this urban legend and disappear.

“So don’t do anything stupid.”

“…….”

“If you mess up, you won’t even be able to die.”

Cold sweat trickled down my back.

‘I know.’

In this situation, if I just follow the manual, I’ll definitely survive.

I even eliminated a penalty by guessing a letter.

But is there a need to take a risk?

‘Trying might only worsen the situation.’

In this urban legend where countless people have been contaminated trying to save Hangman, failing to escape and ending up endlessly trained as a kindergarten teacher.

There are no exceptions.

Yes, there’s no answer.

I know it too.

That there’s no answer.

Here, no matter what, the game has to be completed, and Hangman has to die.

This wasn’t an urban legend that enjoyed watching anomalous exploration records.

‘It’s a different kind of being.’

From the moment it was registered on the wiki, it was written as a theme designed to drive people insane because the rules couldn’t be broken!

It was an urban legend that maximized the bleakness and frustration of being unable to break the rules, ultimately the fear of a weak person having to desperately censor themselves to conform to those rules.

At least, at least there was a tiny bit of a variable I witnessed.

Braun, who escaped the game by talking to the urban legend.

But I just blankly watched Braun talk, so I missed that opportunity.

‘I should have interfered.’

Somehow, stalling for time, not immediately handing over the rope, having a bit more of a conversation…

– Huh?

Braun was aghast, as if he couldn’t believe it.

– Oh dear, I’d rather decline. Engaging in such tedious conversation with these fellows!

– Roe Deer. Are you seriously saying that I should have willingly pretended to be hanged in this antiquated game? To me, your friend?

…

Huh.

‘Braun. I could say that too.’

– Wait a minute?

‘When you declared you wouldn’t participate in this game, you knew someone else would be chosen to be Hangman.’

So,

‘You did it without hesitation, knowing there was a 1/12 chance I could die?’

– !!

‘You didn’t care if I was hanged?’

– No! No… that’s not it. But, this old-fashioned game should also have its rules respected… Of course, my friend is more important…

Braun’s speech was filled with unprecedented confusion.

It seemed that his role as a ‘good friend’ and his role as the urban legend’s host were clashing.

Let’s not forget, this guy has a twisted way of thinking, worthy of an urban legend.

But at the same time…

He was a stuffed animal who was trying very hard to be my friend.

‘Right.’

Let’s stay focused. I might be a coward, but I won’t be stupid.

I explained as calmly as possible.

‘What I was trying to say is that I don’t think you should have been hanged either.’

I’m just… going crazy with anxiety.

‘I meant that it would have been better if I had asked you to leave after getting more information. You seemed to be able to communicate with this urban legend.’

– Ah… that’s true. Unfortunately for Roe Deer, it seems they’ve decided to treat me as an outsider, so there’s no special interview connection.

– Anyway, I can readily understand that judgment!

‘Yeah.’

But vaguely… I felt like we understood each other differently.

Even thinking that, I didn’t have any more brainpower to spare.

‘None.’

Even knowing that, a part of my mind desperately searched through my exploration records and manual information again and again, looking for a loophole to save Hangman.

But there wasn’t one.

No, there shouldn’t be one!

If there had been one, I would have thought of it during the past two days when I was racking my brains!

‘There’s no such case.’

No matter how much I searched my memory for “<Darkness Exploration Records>” or reviewed the manual, it wasn’t there.

I already knew…

Even if I destroyed the gallows, tried to switch out the Hangman, or stubbornly refused to guess the word.

Only the penalties would increase, and the Hangman would still die.

There were no exceptions.

“It’ll definitely kill me…? Definitely…,”

Was there really nothing else?

I gritted my teeth.

How…

“Roe Deer ya!”

At that moment, a familiar voice rang out.

Turning my head, I saw a second employee appear in the open doorway…

“…Supervisor.”

“I’m… alright.”

Supervisor Park Minseong, entering the room, caught sight of Assistant Manager Eun Haje and gasped.

“You’re here?”

“…….”

“You heard it on TV already, right? Get ready to guess.”

Supervisor Park Minseong’s face filled with indescribable agitation, then quickly subsided.

“Don’t think too much, just guess quickly. You know you’ve already accumulated some, right?”

“…….”

Accumulated?

“Supervisor, what does that mean…?”

The supervisor whispered to me with a strained expression.

“Um. Actually, this is my second time here…”

“…!!”

“I came in right after I started, and I’m here again after two years. Haha… I don’t know if I’m lucky or unlucky.”

The supervisor laughed bitterly.

“Before, I received a penalty for trying to remove someone who was caught by the Hangman… so probably an accumulation of contamination… I don’t know much. There haven’t been any cases like this before.”

Rambling that he only carried one piece of specialized equipment at a time just in case, the supervisor seemed to have completely lost his composure.

I grabbed the supervisor’s shoulder.

“…!”

“Supervisor.”

A firsthand witness.

Almost the only person who might possess the detailed information I lacked!

“Please answer my questions quickly and accurately from now on.”