Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work Novel - Chapter 7

On his first day, a new employee heard his team say something like, “New guy, you might die soon? Haha, just kidding!”, what’s the correct response?

There is no such thing.

No, there’s just no answer.

Fortunately, the superiors changed their words, as if they didn’t expect any reaction from me.

“First… congratulations on passing the Death Survival test.”

Is it okay to openly call it that within the company?

“But you’re really the top performer? That’s amazing.”

“Let’s hear your secret.”

I’m curious about the reason too.

“I just worked hard.”

“Oh, then everyone went to Seoul National University.”

“Anyway, it’s impressive. Welcome to our team.”

Having good entry-level performance has this advantage: in a department plagued by overwork, they don’t seem to bully the new hires.

“The team leader will be here soon. He’s out on a business trip, so let’s just take it easy for now!”

“Oh, thank you.”

Following the superior’s instructions, I went to a partitioned space.

Four desks lined up.

Next to them, a visitor’s sofa and a table with a 1980s style radio on it.

My superiors sat down and gestured to me.

“Sit on the sofa over there.”

“Yes.”

And as soon as I sat down, as if by magic, the radio on the table turned on, emitting a worn-out sound.

“…?”

An upbeat background music and a high-pitched announcer’s voice.

– Hello! This is Live Traffic Report. The current traffic situation in Seoul is as smooth as today’s clear weather, but from the afternoon…

I turned my head to look out the window.

A drizzle was falling.

A disconnect from reality.

‘Ah.’

This radio, it’s an urban legend.

———————

Darkness Exploration Log / Urban Legend

[Hello Traffic Information]

: An urban legend appearing in <Darkness Exploration Log>, Daydream Co.’s identification code is Qterw-E-63.

A strange radio that tells today’s fortune through traffic conditions. Sometimes it offers advice or warnings, but ironically, being mindful of that advice can sometimes lead to terrifying results.

———————

“Did you notice?”

“…!”

“Wow, this new recruit is like a ghost…. Quick at picking up inconsistencies?”

A male superior, who looks like he’s from a physical education department, said as he turned off the radio.

“This is like today’s fortune, a relatively safe urban legend. It’s verified Twilight-grade darkness.”

“…….”

“Wait, you just thought, ‘What’s an urban legend and what’s darkness, you nerd?’”

No.

“We prepared this for new recruits like you. Ta-da.”

A tablet PC was placed on the table.

The superior touched the screen a few times and played a video.

“Watch this.”

<Field Exploration Team New Employee Training Video>

A retro-feeling, low-quality, cheerful orchestral BGM played.

Two animation characters that seemed to be from around the 1988 Olympics appeared and bowed.

– Dream and passion-filled new employees! Welcome to Daydream Co.’s Field Exploration Team!

– Today, we’ll tell you in detail what kind of amazing work the Field Exploration Team does!

‘A fox and a dragon?’

The red fox and yellow dragon characters were wearing Hanbok and smiling brightly.

– Before that!

Above the subtly cute two characters, an overtly old-fashioned GULIM font appeared.

[What kind of company is Daydream Co.?]

I already know.

Publicly, this company was a cosmetic-specialized pharmaceutical company that sold incredibly effective hair loss medication and skin disease treatments.

But in reality?

– You think we only make hair loss medication? Oh my god! In fact, Daydream Co. can make all the medicine you need!

-A magic company that makes literal magic potions!

From medicine that cures drug addiction to elixirs of immortality, they make all sorts of fantastic potions, quietly trading with the political and upper classes.

That was the true nature of Daydream Co.

A secret society that creates transcendent potions.

‘And that’s impossible with existing scientific and realistic methods…’

The fox character winks and raises her index finger.

– But! To make magic potions, you need magic ingredients.

– That is… ‘Dream Essence’!

‘Dream Essence’ is highlighted in golden letters on the screen, enlarging and shimmering, with a sparkling liquid flowing gorgeously in the background.

Hearts and stars popping out, like a magic potion from a children’s animation…

But its true nature is a ghost story.

– ‘Dream Residue’ is collected from supernatural phenomena!

A dragon extends a hand, and the screen changes.

It’s an alleyway in a city, depicted in cute illustrations.

However, red eyes appear from the shadow of a streetlight, transforming into a monster’s form and threatening a passerby.

Next, an exaggerated animation shows a fan sticking out its tongue and peering at a sleeping person.

– Do you know that supernatural phenomena occur even in modern society?

– Sleeping in a confined space with a fan on will kill you, cursing will make you live longer… These are all superstitious urban legends!

– But sometimes these urban legends become reality!

‘So it’s called an urban legend…’

Indeed, the term “urban legend” sounded less frightening than “ghost story.”

And then the most important core content came out.

– Daydream Inc. manages these urban legends, collects ‘Dream Residue,’ and makes a wonderful magic potion that grants people’s wishes!

– Yongyong, ‘Dream Residue’ is the most important resource for the company, right?

-Of course! We always need it… but who will gather ‘Dream Residue’ for us?

The dragon character called Yongyong tilted its head.

Who else?

– It’s the awesome field investigation team!

Office workers in suits give a thumbs-up, and an SD animation shows them taking action in a space where various unrealistic events occur.

– Thanks to the brave and wise field investigation team, the Dream Residue collector is full again today!

An office worker character with bushy eyebrows in the screen proudly holds up an object.

A graduated portable cylinder.

‘Dream Residue Collector.’

———————

[Dream Residue Collector]

: An item that appears in <Dark Exploration Log>.

A portable liquid storage container made by Daydream Inc., the gauge fills when exploring “darkness (ghost stories).”

The company refers to this liquid as ‘Dream Residue.’

The main source of income for Daydream Inc. is producing insane reagents close to reality manipulation using this collected ‘Dream Residue’ as a raw material.

———————

The two characters applaud, looking at the field investigation team’s essential item.

– So let’s grab the Dream Residue Collector and bravely and wisely enter the darkness!

– The future of our company rests on your shoulders! Fighting!

The video, which ended with a typical gaslighting of new employees, ended by showing the <Daydream Inc.> logo with fireworks.

“…….”

“Did you watch it?”

“Yes….”

I chose my words.

“It was impressive.”

“Oh… our department’s work is a bit like that.”

The rather affable superior offered me his hand again, requesting a handshake.

“Ah, I should introduce myself first. You’re Kim Soleum, right?”

“Yes. Pleased to meet you.”

“Right. Ah! That’s Eun Haje, Team Leader.”

A woman with bobbed hair introduced as the team leader waved her hand from her desk and then lowered it.

A male, built like a physical education student, grinned and pointed to himself with his thumb.

“I’m Park Minseong. I’m a section chief.”

“Nice to meet you, Chief.”

“Haha, no need to be so formal.”

“Yes?”

“In this department, most people become section chiefs after about a year. You will too, soon.”

He didn’t mention the considerable probability of dying before that, showing some sense…

“You could die before that too.”

There’s none.

“Ah, senior!”

“What? It’s good to know. As you saw in the introductory video just now, it’s dangerous work.”

Eun Haje gestured with her chin.

Indeed. To reach the level of team leader in this company, one must possess that kind of mentality.

“Quitting isn’t a bad option either. There are so many jobs in the world.”

And in this world, no matter what job you choose, there’s a possibility of getting sucked into a ghost story…

“Thank you, but I’ll do my best for now.”

“Hmm. Okay.”

“Ooh, passionate.”

Both nodded approvingly of her attitude, and the team leader added words of encouragement.

“Ghost stories and urban legends, but there are countermeasures for everything, so don’t worry too much.”

“…Yes.”

The section chief nodded.

“Ah, in this company, we call it ‘Darkness,’ you know? If you don’t want to get those weird looks from people outside thinking you’re some kind of ghost story otaku, just call it that.”

“…….”

So, you’re saying I’ll just get treated like an otaku?

But I kept my mouth shut and just nodded. I didn’t want to cause trouble by picking a fight with my superior on my first day.

“Okay. Did you understand all the instructions in the manual?”

“Yes.”

I nodded after carefully reading the ‘Work Manual’ handed to me by the Supervisor Park.

“Hmm. Good, good.”

The two superiors looked at each other, then smiled and turned their heads.

“Shall we go to work then?”

Excuse me?

14th floor.

That’s the floor the two superiors took me to.

“Now that you’ve grasped the basics, it’s time for the experience.”

The elevator stopped at a small storage room next to the emergency stairs.

“So, what you’ll be doing this afternoon is… a light Darkness exploration.”

Excuse me?

“Don’t worry too much.”

“You won’t die, you won’t die. Uh, think of it like a slime you encounter in a beginner’s village in a game!”

“……Yes.”

It was about time I started working.

I was mentally prepared, but still felt a little dizzy.

‘Surely they wouldn’t send me to a life-threatening place on my first day.’

Wouldn’t it be difficult for them to take care of a panicked newbie?

I tried my best to calm myself and think.

First, let me guess why I’m here… Ah, is the storage room connected to the ghost story?

‘What ghost story started in a storage room?’

While I was searching my mental <Darkness Exploration Record> wiki, my superiors started giving me instructions.

The first thing was receiving an item.

“You saw it in the video earlier, right? The Dream Collector.”

I received what looked like a dice, a sturdy plastic sealed cylinder showing signs of use.

‘This was sold as merchandise too….’

Still, holding the real thing felt strange.

“Be careful not to lose it. They’re all numbered, and it’ll be a real headache if you do.”

“Yes, Assistant Manager.”

I understood it to be similar to losing a bullet casing.

“And it’s best to get into the habit of wearing a mask before entering Darkness. Don’t ask why. Your mask… well…”

“…….”

“…….”

The superiors blinked their eyes when they saw my mask, which looked like tree bark with antlers.

“…Deer?”

“Roe deer?”

I don’t know either.

“Cool antlers. Roe deer, right?”

“I’m not sure, but…”

“Let’s go with roe deer. It’s tougher than deer.”

A roe deer?

“Anyway, wear that, and look at this.”

Park Minseong Supervisor held out a tablet PC.

Ah, they’re going to give me another briefing through a video…

[Get 20 million won for doing this VS Just live]

“…??”

It was an internet post.

– Play hide-and-seek with a ghost for three days at a convenience store 10km away from anywhere and get 20 million won.

VS Just live.

For reference, the ghost looks like this ↓

‘Ugh!’

Suppressing my goosebumps, I quickly scrolled down to skip the picture, but the afterimage remained.

It was a blue ghost with bulging eyes and a lumpy, swollen forehead and head.

“What does it say?”

“It’s asking if you’d play hide-and-seek with a ghost at a convenience store for three days and get money…”

I still don’t get it.

‘Why did they show me this?’

It can’t be workplace bullying.

‘Going for ‘Darkness exploration’ and showing me an internet post… Ah.’

“…….”

“…….”

I scrolled back up without looking at the screen.

[Get 20 million won for doing this VS Just live]

This… is it?

———————

Darkness Exploration Record / Ghost Story

[Please Choose]

: The ghost story appearing in <Darkness Exploration Record>, Daydream Corporation’s identification code is Qterw-F-243

Darkness derived from the balance game choices of the internet trend “Experience fear and get money VS Just live”.

It occurs irregularly when accessing a URL containing a specific number.

It usually involves being chased by a murderer or a ghost, and being caught means starting over from the beginning.

———————

This crazy world.

As my surroundings distorted, the Supervisor’s voice somehow reached me.

“Have fun, have fun!”

Is that even possible?

I have to endure being sent out alone on a business trip to secure a contract by a newly assigned employee, even in a ghost story?!

However, I didn’t have time to scream.

With that, I fell alone into darkness.

“…….”

I stumbled to my feet.

‘It’s dark.’

A chilly, musty air. My vision was extremely dim.

The only thing visible was the flickering, cold, hazy light from the beverage refrigerator in the distance.

“…….”

Holding my breath, I cautiously walked toward the light source.

The image of the silent convenience store dimly revealed its outline, then disappeared….

Silence. Stillness.

With each step my footsteps made on the floor, cold sweat trickled down the back of my neck.

There seemed to be nothing around. At least, not now.

‘Whew.’

I swallowed a sigh.

My steps stopped where the only light source, the refrigerator light, was quite close but didn’t illuminate me.

Leaning against the hazy, cold light, I looked around.

The convenience store was quite large, about the size of a franchise cafe.

Household goods and groceries were strangely well-organized, displayed without a speck of dust.

‘Threat to food and shelter… none.’

Right. This ghost story, or rather, the ‘darkness’ itself, doesn’t affect a person’s physical survival.

It was specialized in inflicting mental shock and extracting screams.

The safest answer is quickly derived.

‘I’ll just grab water and an energy bar and hide and wait it out.’

Yes. I knew my place. I absolutely can’t play hide-and-seek with a ghost.

If necessary, I don’t even need an energy bar. I’ll just grab one or two quiet snacks and that’s it.

Humans don’t die from starving for a day or two. It’s better to starve than meet a ghost.

‘But I need water.’

There was no choice.

I quickly found water. Inside the beverage refrigerator.

The light made it stand out, and luckily, it was in the far corner, so I could keep an eye on my surroundings….

“…….”

Carefully shifting my feet, I moved towards the end of the refrigerator, avoiding the light.

‘Whew.’

The very last compartment, seen head-on.

As I had seen from afar, the upper compartment was full of various brands of water with the labels blurred out.

But as I got closer, I saw something else besides the water.

“……?!”

The internet page I had seen earlier. I scrolled down madly, passing it quickly, but I couldn’t forget the grotesque outline.

A blue, lumpy face with bulging eyes.

A ghost.

‘Crazy…!’

The moment our eyes met, the face contorted into a smirk, and the eyeballs bulged.

‘Why the hell is a ghost’s face in the refrigerator…!’

I immediately recoiled. And the moment I turned around to run.

I realized.

The ghost wasn’t inside the refrigerator,

It was reflected in the refrigerator’s glass door.

“Ugh….”

Thump.

Something touched my back.

I felt cold, thick, and hard strands of a grip on the back of my neck.

The hand of a drowning victim.

And….

-Got you.

Blackout.

Hide-and-seek over.

“Hup!”

I opened my eyes.

Chilly air. My vision was extremely dim.

The only thing visible was the flickering, cold, hazy light from the beverage refrigerator in the distance.

“……!”

I was back to the starting point.

I’m mostly chased by a murderer or a ghost, and if I’m caught, I start from the beginning again.

‘This is insane.’

I have to do this for three days?

Just kill me already, damn it!

‘No, no.’

I soon guessed a more chilling situation.

‘Since I go back to the beginning if I can’t hold out… I don’t know how long it will actually take.’

A truly endless reset.

I, a scaredy-cat like me, might go crazy before that.

‘No.’

Is there another way? Another way?

This time, I headed towards the counter, avoiding the beverage refrigerator.

There are many large structures or objects around the counter that can hide my body, so I plan to hide here and buy some time to think.

‘If I crouch completely under the chair….

In the process, I saw it.

Between the counter and the chair legs.

The lower half silhouette of the ghost.

“…….”

Thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump-thump-thump.

Pale bare feet moved with strange intervals and rhythm. The peculiar strangeness unique to something that isn’t human sent an unpleasant chill ringing like an alarm.

Holding my breath, I crawled under the counter.

Continues.

A ghost passed by with a strange gait, and I continued to endure until I reached my limit of not making a sound. 

‘There are too many clichés where they show their face the moment you let your guard down.’

And after a while, I very slowly exhaled. Even that was done with great effort to avoid making a sound.

“…….”

‘I’m going crazy.’

Cold sweat dripped from my chin.

I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t even turn on my smartphone, as the screen light would obviously attract attention.

My only hope was my memory!

‘Definitely, I’ve reviewed this urban legend many times….’

F-ranked urban legends often had exploration records with new recruits, so I’d gone over them like exam questions.

Of course, I never dreamed I’d be alone from the start!

‘Damn it.’

I recalled the exploration records, dripping with cold sweat.

‘Mountain lodge, basement, crosswalk, fast-food restaurant, abandoned school….’

None of them.

But definitely, definitely a unique case….

———————

Darkness Exploration Record / Urban Legend /

Choose

Exploration Record #23 (Irregular)

A night (12 hours) in an abandoned hospital at night, chased by a mad doctor.

※Special Note: Exploration ended after 16 hours and 11 minutes.

———————

“…!”

This is it.

I began to reconstruct the relevant content by squeezing out every detail.