Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work Novel - Chapter 67

After that, everything was handled rather quickly. I seemed to have received some kind of significant recognition from the company. Apparently, employees rescuing contaminated colleagues independently isn’t unheard of, but most of those cases involved months or years of preparation and desperate efforts. It’s also common for rescuers to go missing along with the contaminated person. Pulling someone out immediately after contamination was unprecedented for a newcomer, they said.

“That deer antler mask…”

“Ah, is that him?”

“Wow… how many times is this now?”

I occasionally heard whispers behind me as I walked the company hallways. Actually, I remembered having similar experiences a few times before while eating with Team D in the cafeteria… Maybe because I was alone, I heard them particularly well. Though it wasn’t for long.

“Kim Soleum.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t come to work for ten days, starting tomorrow.”

“…??”

“Paid leave.”

Half of the team members had already disappeared, so Team D was temporarily suspended, and yet I received leave.

‘I was still coming in every day for a few days to write the situation report.’

I had been extremely curious about how Assistant Manager Eun Haje managed to bend the rules and survive the B-rank darkness of the Hangman that requires its death for a clear.

‘Someone must have reported that I and Supervisor Park Minseong were trying to do something.’

Apparently, there had even been talk of scheduling interviews with the research team to strengthen the reliability of the exploration records…

– Ah, Supervisor Kim. Why bother with that! Rest, rest. You did a great job!

-……Um. Thank you.

Lee Byeongjin, the manual review officer, and Lee Jaheon, our Section Chief, seemed to have cut it off.

It was a bit funny, but among the employees who went in with me, there were testimonies saying ‘Kim Soleum acted solely to save her teammates, without any other intentions.’ They just gave a deputy explanation that things worked out well thanks to quick thinking and luck.

‘Everyone ran away as soon as the clear door opened, and yet they’re still giving me credit.’

The former was expected, and the latter was appreciated, so I accepted it. Thanks to this, my name was mentioned repeatedly in the company’s internal communications, and the <Hungry Hangman> manual had the label ‘possible revision’ attached. My colleagues in the group chat were trying to extract information from me…

[Go Youngeun: You worked hard.]

“…….”

Someone sent a message of comfort.

‘Thank you. Truly.’

By the way, Baek Saheon didn’t even ask about my well-being at home.

‘That guy’s personality is just like that…’

I wasn’t expecting anything. In any case, the situation up to now wasn’t bad for my survival.

‘No, is it actually good?’

I was building an impressive career. Specifically, I was continuously building a reputation as a named employee characterized by ‘quick clearance using unconventional methods that deviate from the existing manual’ and ‘kindness.’

Ten days of leave, really. I thought I’d either be happy to be away from the horror stories for ten days, or disappointed that my point accumulation speed would slow down. But neither feeling was very strong. So I just didn’t do anything…

– Mr. Roe Deer, shall I give you Braun’s opinion on why that terrible comedy failed to captivate the public’s attention? It’ll be quite interesting!

“I guess so.”

I spent a few days sitting in the living room watching TV. About three days later… a text message arrived.

[Assistant Manager Eun Haje: Come to the hospital.]

“…!”

“Roe Deer, you came.”

“……Assistant Manager.”

I placed the get-well gift I had brought under the bedside table and stood beside the bed. Assistant Manager Eun Haje chuckled.

“Soy milk? Good choice.”

“…Thank you.”

This was the first time we met since our brief communication when I briefly regained consciousness in the infirmary… The Section Chief was a little pale, but otherwise looked fine. The Snow White Mountain apple must have done its work.

“Pretty good for someone who almost died, huh? …Good item. Thanks.”

Thanks to that item, Assistant Manager Eun Haje looked like a corpse, but it was fortunate that due to a special situation where their hand, and not their neck, was missing, they were kept in isolation.

‘Section Chief Lee Jaheon confirmed their survival at sunrise the next day and reported it, transferring them to the infirmary…’

She’s currently in a hospital affiliated with the company, apparently, and emergency treatment has just finished.

“Oh, I just said that an apple was something I had lying around. People usually don’t like revealing the source.”

“…Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it, I owe you and Minseong a lot.”

Assistant Manager Eun Haje raised her left hand as if to wave it away, then hesitated.

Because it wasn’t there.

“…….”

Her left wrist, wrapped in bandages, was blunt.

Such a missing limb cannot be regenerated with the company-supplied potion.

“…Um, Assistant Manager.”

I said what I was thinking.

“The C-grade regeneration potion I have…”

“You wouldn’t seriously give it to me?”

“I was going to sell it for money.”

“Huh.”

Assistant Manager Eun Haje clicked her tongue.

“Listen carefully, Roe Deer. Items traded only with points can’t be bought with ordinary money outside.”

“…….”

“And using that potion on a severed hand would be a waste. It’s the kind of thing that even regenerates half a limb.”

“Still,”

“Forget it. I’ll deal with my hand myself, you keep it for emergencies.”

Assistant Manager Eun Haje’s eyes gleamed with a slightly gloomy light.

“The more you walk in darkness, the more you’ll lose, more than just a hand, surely.”

A shiver ran down my spine…

“Actually, I have something for you.”

Assistant Manager Eun Haje handled her one remaining hand skillfully, as if she’d been using it that way for years, then reached into a drawer.

She took out a gold-leaf box with a sophisticated oil painting on it.

“…?!”

[Daydream Potion]

‘Wait, a second.’

That’s the box Daydream Corporation uses for their special potions!

It was even more ornate than the C-grade regeneration potion I received.

“Assistant Manager, what are you…”

“Look, see? The last one.”

Assistant Manager Eun Haje opened the box boldly.

The inside was shaped with silk, with indentations for two round glass bottles.

But one was already empty.

Assistant Manager Eun Haje took the remaining one and casually tossed it to me.

“Take it.”

“……!”

Good heavens.

I quickly reached out to catch the glass bottle and checked it.

Inside the bottle, a liquid that seemed to blend purplish and silver hues swam like elegant lines…

: Daydream Potion :

Poison

Desert Rattlesnake (Outstanding)

Poison?!

“The one you bought with points…”

“Right.”

Assistant Manager Eun Haje bared her teeth and smiled.

“Handle it carefully. It’s a 170,000-point Death Note.”

“…!!”

“You can secretly kill someone remotely.”

Wait, a second.

With trembling hands, I read the description on the vial.

Desert Rattlesnake venom helps you get revenge quietly and cruelly.

With a simple ritual, whisper the target’s name into the vial…

That night, a gruesome death will find the target.

“In short, perfect for silently eliminating someone you want dead.”

“…….”

“Before death, they suffer excruciating burning pain and terrifying mental torture that makes them curse the world, falling into a coma and experiencing 4 years of suffering in 4 hours.”

You’re giving me such a murder weapon…?

Assistant Manager Eun Haje grumbled about things like, “They sell the poison in sets of two, always two bottles”, “That damn concept doubled my working hours”, etc.

But in the end, she smiled at me.

“Use it if you have someone you want to kill.”

“…!”

“I had someone.”

I looked at the empty space in the box and groaned.

…He must have already used it!

“Curious? Who did I use it on?”

I couldn’t help but think of it.

– The word that best describes Teacher Eun Haje is ‘traitor’!

The exposé from <Hungry Hangman>.

“If it’s a personal matter you’d rather not discuss, you don’t have to tell me…”

“Personal? Kid, I’m dying to tell you.”

Oh, well, in that case.

Assistant Manager Eun Haje crossed her arms and leaned against the bed.

“To make a long story short… I did get into trouble when I was a reporter and changed jobs.”

“…….”

“I dug up a huge scoop on a politician’s son who was involved in drugs, human trafficking, and all kinds of crazy stuff, and it ruined me.”

Eun Haje’s tone was as usual, plain and unemotional, but the content was anything but. It was simply the kind of clean, refined story that comes from long contemplation and careful editing.

Articles wouldn’t get past the desk, then the next day, immense pressure came down on the team, stalking began, and threatening calls came to her family…

“Actually, the team concluded that we should just drop it and pretend it never happened, but I couldn’t stand it, so I was going to take it to overseas media outlets. It was a betrayal, sure. But…”

A small sigh.

“I received a call on the day of my departure. Four whistleblowers had died, as if by magic.”

“…”

“Well, officially, it was suicide due to depression…but of course, it wasn’t, right? They killed them, or tormented them until they died.”

“…”

“I was so stupid to think everything would be solved with just the news report.”

“No, you weren’t.”

“I was stupid. Anyway…”

Eun Haje quit being a journalist. She said he couldn’t do it anymore.

“But I had to get a job. I have people to support at home.”

That’s when he luckily found a suitable company. A company with a relatively wide age range for new hires, one that preferred sales staff with diverse professional experiences. A pharmaceutical company, where a change of industry meant she wasn’t on any blacklist.

“Daydream Corporation.”

And it was here that she met…

A wish ticket.

“Well… at first, I thought, ‘I can’t bring all those dead people back to life,’ but that felt like an insult to the deceased.”

Eun Haje crossed her arms.

“It’s self-satisfaction to think I can just bring them back because I feel guilty. It’s right to respect the dead as they are. Many in my company don’t agree, but anyway…”

She finished with a faint smile.

“So, I took my revenge last night, and that’s the end of it.”

“…”

“When the news comes out about the politician’s son dying horribly, just know it was me.”

Then Eun Haje stretched.

“Ugh… f***, anyway, I’m finally quitting this damn Darkness Investigation!!”

“You’re going to quit?”

“Life’s unpredictable.”

Despite the refreshing statement, Eun Haje’s face was rather stiff. She tried to make it light to avoid burdening me, but it was clear she was worried about Supervisor Park Minseong…

“Still, I’ll take some time off… so I won’t be able to work in Team D like before.”

“…”

Eun Haje smiled wryly.

“Roe Deer made such a fuss about needing to stay in our team, and it actually happened.”

“…Yes.”

I realized reflexively. I’ll…no longer be able to see Eun Haje, who sat next to me in the office.

“…”

“Roe Deer.”

“…”

“Are you stressed out?”

“…!”

“Yeah. If you’re not, you’re a psychopath. It’s just that you were too competent, so it came late, but everyone goes through it.”

Eun Haje laughed, patting her chest.

“Not seeing your teammate who sat next to you the next day.”

“…”

“But this is the best-case scenario, so give yourself some credit. You’re not seeing your teammate for a good reason.”

“…Supervisor Park Minseong is…”

“That’s a debt I’ll carry,”

Eun Haje firmly cut her off.

“You rescued that guy too. You should be proud of yourself. He’s a strong guy in his own way. He’ll recover on his own…you just worry about yourself.”

She glanced at me and smiled.

“The Section Chief’s been worrying about you a lot, you know.”

“…?”

The lizard… worried?

“Roe Deer, hasn’t the Section Chief hardly been coming to the office lately?”

It was true.

“Normally, when half the team is gone, they don’t take a break, they go support another team.”

Ah.

“But you were exempted.”

“…!”

“Well, whether he used his connections or went himself instead.”

My goodness.

“Doesn’t that build trust? That guy’s been like that since I joined. He’s strangely inflexible but trustworthy.”

Eun Haje grasped my shoulder with both hands.

“It’s hard to work with trustworthy people in this company, so that’s your blessing too. …Get along well with the Section Chief from now on.”

And smiled, holding it out.

“Whoever comes to my seat, it’s fine with Section Chief Lee Jaheon and Kim Soleum.”

With the only remaining right hand.

“I hope you earn a lot of points safely, Roe Deer.”

Squeezed tightly.

“May your wish come true.”

“……Yes.”

I shook hands with Assistant Manager Eun Haje of Team D.

That was the last time.

On the day I returned to work after my vacation, I saw that Eun Haje’s belongings were gone from the Team D office.

Park Minseong’s desk was still there, but who knows? When it might be gone.

“…….”

I quietly went to my desk and sat down.

That’s how.

I was the only remaining member of Team D.