Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work Novel - Chapter 85

A warm sunlit fox’s counseling room.

Another me standing outside the window.

He grabs my arm and stirs inside the tattoo.

…….

What?

Not someone else?

Then I must refuse. Did I break the rules? No. Yes, this situation is wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! I must follow the rules because I am a new teacher who must follow the rules.

“It’s done, teacher.”

The hand stirring inside my arm tattoo comes out.

Thud.

An object is flung out with the hand.

From inside the tattoo, which should have been empty…

“This was inside.”

A bright red title is revealed under the garden lights.

A brown file folder.

“It seems like something you know. How do you remember it?”

Good heavens.

My mind suddenly cleared, as if I’d been splashed with cold water.

‘That…!!’

And like a broken dam, several parts of the blurry memories of the past few weeks poured out clearly.

When I put the contaminated Supervisor Park Minseong onto my wrist at the kindergarten!

The space inside the tattoo continued to swallow it without any problems… Ah, the training manual touched it! I will keep this separately and absolutely not do that again.

The training manual the supervisor was holding also went into my tattoo at once!

I suppressed the urge to put it away separately and put it in all at once. I probably intended to report it to the security team all at once after rescuing the supervisor.

But….

– If you have any supplies or items taken from the ‘Hungry Hangman’ darkness, please return them.

– Ah, there aren’t any separately.

I didn’t return the training manual.

To be precise, whenever I tried to recall that there was something else in the tattoo, I unconsciously felt a sense of rejection and stopped.

Doubt goes against the rules!

And even the fact that I felt that rejection has become something I can no longer recall. Because teachers shouldn’t feel averse to the rules… No, don’t think about this too deeply!

What is certain is that I tried several times.

Attempts to let others know that my condition was unusual.

-…Team Leader.

– Yes.

– If you think I have some kind of strange obsession with the rules, could you take a look…?

– Yes.

-……Ah. I mentioned it because I seem to be obsessed with work recently.

– I see.

I even spoke to Section Chief Lee Jaheon several times about this topic. It ended vaguely as my training-manual-infiltrated self questioned him.

‘I almost got into big trouble.’

The training manual for the tattoo began to increasingly engulf my subconscious, and eventually, I naturally accepted all the bizarre points without noticing them…

‘…At least I was sane at Seogwang Industrial High School!’

It was thanks to taking Nostalgia Candy.

But the moment I woke up from the dream, that too ended.

And it peaked in the ‘last conversation’ I had with Section Chief Lee Jaheon yesterday.

– Kim Soleum.

– Yes?

– Have you recently suffered from a strange pressure to follow the rules or been overcome by impulses?

– I think following the rules is something that’s natural as a member of the workplace, Team Leader!

– I see.

“…….”

Wow, good heavens.

‘I’m going to throw up.’

I was doing that??

I staggered and leaned against the window.

‘So Section Chief Lee Jaheon…’

was trying to put me in the counseling room unconditionally.

“……Ha.”

Everything becomes clear.

It’s like taking off a tight turtleneck that doesn’t fit, or cleaning dirty glasses.

A refreshing sense of liberation and listlessness enveloped my whole body.

And… anxiety as well.

“…….”

“What are you thinking now?”

“……Tired and refreshed.”

“Do you feel like you’ve escaped from some uncomfortable obsession?”

“……Yes.”

The ‘counseling teacher,’ who looked like me, standing outside the window, looked at me as if comforting me.

“You did very well. The fact that you are sitting here and continuing the counseling session is thanks to your strong willpower, teacher.”

“…….”

Then, quietly placing the training manual on the garden floor, they took a shovel from somewhere and lightly dug the ground.

“When I am overwhelmed by strong impulses or obsessions even though I don’t want to be, it’s very tormenting.”

Swiftly, a small hole was dug in a corner of the outdoor garden by Kim Soleum’s hand outside the window.

Thump.

A textbook was thrown inside.

“Change isn’t always bad, but if your body and mind are tired, it’s always right to refuse.”

After neatly covering the hole with the soil dug by the ‘me’ outside the window, she smartly brushed off her hands.

“Soleum teacher, do you see the small plant in that pot over there?”

Pot?

Turning my head, there really was a small pot on the table near the sofa.

It’s a plant with small, unripe fruits like soybeans.

“Could you please pick one fruit that you like from there?”

“…….”

I gently picked one of the slightly riper fruits and handed it to the ‘me’ beyond the window.

“You did a great job.”

The counselor outside the window held my hand along with the fruit.

Then.

“…!”

The fruit I was holding ripened into a bright red.

As if it had absorbed plenty of nutrients, it became plump and appetizing.

“Chew it thoroughly before you go.”

“…….”

I put the fruit in my mouth.

Intense anxiety, resentment, afterthoughts, irrational sadness, and pain slowly melted away with the fruit…

A client with severe mental contamination visits and is given a red fruit (presumed to be a species of *Physalis* or *Solanum*) as medicine.

It shows an excellent effect on mental stability.

In all attempts to take it out without eating it, the fruit disappeared the moment it left the room.

Whew.

With a sigh, all emotional residue scattered like grains of sand.

I felt calm.

Just a regular office worker whose body and mind were tired.

My usual self.

I raised my head and looked at the counselor standing by the window.

“Thank you. I feel much better thanks to you.”

“I’m the one who should be thankful, Kim Soleum teacher!”

The counselor’s face brightened.

Somehow, she no longer seemed to be mimicking my appearance.

“Shall we talk some more?”

After that, it was a normal psychiatric counseling session.

To be precise, it felt like I had a very skillful and comfortable counselor, and I poured out everything.

‘I’ll admit this.’

If I had to pick one thing that Baekilmong Corporation, this hopeless profit group and rumored company, did well, it’s including this as an employee benefit.

“Whenever you feel overwhelmed by negative thoughts, I’ll give you a sign so you can come to the Fox Counseling Room anytime.”

On my way out, I also received an item.

Fox Counseling Room

It’s the same sign that was on the door I entered earlier.

“If you put this sign on the door and open it, it will connect to our counseling room.”

“…Thank you.”

I want to keep it, but I should put it on the door as soon as I leave.

All clients using the company’s welfare program must attach the sign they receive after the counseling session to the door.

‘The nameplate I used must have disappeared.’

It’s easy to think of it as being paid in advance.

“Then I’ll be going now.”

I tried to get up from my seat.

I heard the counselor’s somewhat reluctant voice.

“Well, actually, it would be best to schedule regular appointments and receive counseling once or twice a week…”

Ugh!

“I’m sorry, but I’m too busy… I don’t think that’s possible.”

“Right. That’s how it is these days…”

The ‘counselor’ bowed her head as if slightly discouraged, then nodded.

But I can’t fall for that.

‘Scheduling regular counseling… drastically increases the chance of side effects…!’

Usage Record #521 (Irregular)

The ‘counselor’ strongly recommended regular counseling to the client.

The client refused, but the ‘counselor’ persistently tried to persuade them. After 1 hour and 21 minutes, the client accepted the offer with a relaxed mind.

Subsequently it disappeared.

※B-level security authentication is required to view the full text of this record.

Fortunately, instead of recommending it again, the counselor smiled and nodded, letting me go.

“Still, it’s fortunate that Kim Soleum teacher has good acquaintances, family, and friends around you.”

“…….”

Wait a minute.

Certainly, even in this crazy rumor-filled worldview, I do have good-natured acquaintances or ‘good friends’…

“Family…?”

A counselor extends a hand and taps their own wrist.

I also looked down at my wrist.

The location was….

: Socius :

“That person.”

“…?!”

♬♩♪♬~♪♪♩~

“Ah, time’s up. Please go carefully, Kim Soleum.”

I raised my head.

No one was there.

The counselor who had been smiling by the window disappeared as if by magic, and only the sunlight pouring in from a simple yet beautiful outdoor garden remained…….

♬♩♪♬~♪♪♩~

A light waltz melody signaling the end of the counseling session.

In the distance, I thought I saw a fox’s crimson tail darting away below the garden’s stone wall….

“…….”

I got up from the sofa and headed towards the changing room curtain.

On the flower-patterned lace table on the way to the curtain, there was a refreshing drink of some kind.

Have a great day!

*^^*

“…….”

I drank the beverage and gratefully put it down.

It was a very fragrant barley tea.

-Was the counseling helpful, friend?

“Yes.”

I took my ‘kind friend’ stuffed doll.

……With my mind clear, I have a few thoughts about this fellow….

‘I’ll think about that after work.’

First, there’s someone I need to face.

Creak.

I opened the door and went out.

A white lizard head, wearing a black suit, leaned against the opposite wall and looked at me.

“Did you receive counseling?”

“Yes.”

I probably looked quite embarrassed saying this.

“Thank you, Team Leader. Thanks to you, I’ve escaped the contamination.”

“No.”

The lizard Team Leader is being modest…?!

“Kim Soleum is still in a state of contamination. Receive counseling periodically.”

“……Yes.”

Ah.

So that was the meaning….

“But I feel much better than before. Do you think so too, Team Leader?”

“Yes.”

The lizard Team Leader looked at me as if measuring me, then declared:

“You can see it now.”

“What… Do you mean?”

“Park Minseong’s message.”

“…!!”

…Lee Jaheon, the Team Leader, took a small Post-it note from his suit pocket and handed it to me.

Roe Deer, you’ve worked hard.

Thank you for taking it out.

“…….”

I took a short, deep breath.

“Have you recovered?”

“The criteria for recovery…”

“Are you capable of rational communication?”

“Probabilistically possible.”

Hoo….

‘Does that mean it’s inconsistent?’

Anyway, being in recovery was good news.

And another team member naturally came to mind.

“……By any chance, has Assistant Manager Eun Haje contacted you separately…?”

“No.”

“…….”

Eun Haje went silent immediately after being placed on leave.

If I send a text or KakaoTalk message, she sometimes views them, but she doesn’t reply. She only shows a receipt.

‘She might want to distance herself from this spooky company.’

After going through all the trouble because of mental contamination, it seemed like a wise attitude….

Anyway, that ended my morning schedule.

“Shall I return to the office now?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you again, Team Leader.”

“Yes.”

Lee Jaheon left to do his work, and I spent some time browsing the employee benefits mall at the office until lunchtime.

It was a luxury I could afford thanks to having just drawn an A-grade solution.

‘Is it better to be in my right mind….’

I don’t know. I’m just scared of this company….

Knock knock.

“Hello.”

Huh?

I turned my gaze from the monitor.

Someone had just entered the office and gently knocked on my desk.

It was a young man in a gray suit.

‘I don’t know him.’

Is he from another team or department?

He looked about my age, but he had the kind of impression I’d absolutely not want to compete against in a job interview….

‘Why would you come here instead of another large corporation.’

I almost looked at him with pity for a moment, but I managed to overcome it and straightened up.

“Hello. What brings you here?”

“Ah, I have a question.”

He also asked politely.

“Did you receive your counseling well, Soleum?”

“…!”

“I’m glad to see you’ve recovered a lot. Nice to meet you. I’m Ho Yoowon.”

And he extends his hand as if to shake hands.

“I heard you recently received an interesting proposal from Director Cheong.”

“…….”

Director Cheong.

He called him without honorifics.

And by name.

Ho Yoowon.

…….

…Director Ho!!

“It’s a strange coincidence, as I also had a proposal to make.”

Director Ho visited Team D’s office.