Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work Novel - Chapter 96

A ghostly taxi calls to us.

From beyond the gate.

Honk.

If we get in and follow the manual exactly, we can definitely get to Seoul Station….

The problem is, how to get into that taxi.

‘It’s waiting outside this shop’s gate.’

That’s why we found a shop with a gate in the first place. The Death Lane alley is too narrow for a taxi to fit.

‘Therefore, to call and get a taxi, we have to go outside the gate….’

But what kind of scene will unfold outside the gate, and whether Lee Jaheon and I can survive, is uncertain.

So we also prepared a countermeasure.

Using this shop’s merchandise.

‘I was going to stop by anyway, and this shop conveniently has a gate, so I killed two birds with one stone.’

I swallowed.

“Team Leader, please proceed as planned.”

“Yes.”

Lee Jaheon reached into the paper bag he was holding and instantly tore open the packaging.

Then, along with the cozy socks, what was included as a bonus was revealed.

A small ball of yarn.

Like a handmade shop, it seems they gave it so we could add new stitching to the socks, but we’ll use it in a slightly different way.

“Let’s begin.”

Avoiding the shopkeeper’s gaze, I unraveled one end of the red yarn and tied it securely to the leg of the display case in the shop.

Then, Lee Jaheon and I split the ball of yarn between us.

It limits our movements a bit, but even with that, it’s safer for both of us to hold the yarn directly.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Slowly unwinding the yarn, I walked backward with my back to the opaque glass door….

And the moment my back touched the glass door, I reached down to grasp the handle.

Click.

As I pushed the handle open, a gust of wind rushed in from outside.

And the raw sound of a horn.

Honk.

Don’t look back.

I walked slowly backward, keeping pace with Lee Jaheon.

Luckily, I have a ‘good friend’ to be my eyes.

– Just keep backing up in that direction, friend! It’s night, so there aren’t many pedestrians.

…Pedestrians? No, let’s not wonder about that.

Keeping my gaze fixed inside the shop, I continued to walk backward without looking at my dark surroundings.

The yarn hanging inside the shop connected me to ‘Death Lane’….

It’s a tether of sorts.

‘As long as I’m holding onto this, I won’t disappear!’

Slowly, slowly, without haste, I retreat….

Thump.

My body touched it.

Honk.

…A taxi.

The horn blared again, and the car body vibrated.

Carefully, I extended my arm backward, feeling the smooth body of the car….

– A little to the left.

I adjusted my hand. I felt a smooth groove.

‘The handle.’

I grabbed the car door handle and pulled.

And I squeezed right into the taxi.

I didn’t have time to admire the modern and clean interior. I looked under the seat and moved to the passenger seat, and Lee Jaheon immediately got in after me.

And simultaneously discarding the remaining ball of yarn, I slammed the door shut.

Thanks to immense strength, all the actions happened instantly.

Bang.

“…….”

I finally lifted my head.

And to the taxi driver in the front seat, wearing a strangely crisp, neat suit and a cap, I said,

“Seoul Station, please.”

…….

[Arrival time: in 43 minutes.]

The car started smoothly.

‘Whew.’

I leaned deeply into the seat back, letting out a sigh of relief.

I managed it!

‘Ghostly transfer… successful.’

Of course, since this taxi itself is a ghost story, I can’t let my guard down.

I quickly recalled the relevant wiki.

The ‘Hellish Surge Taxi’, a ghost story that sounds like it’ll cause problems with the payment.

The taxi’s exterior is usually described as a German-made black luxury sedan.

The model changes each time it’s called, but it’s identifiable by its crimson taxi light and the inverted golden cross decoration on the driver’s side mirror.

I looked at the driver’s seat.

…An ominous-looking golden inverted cross hangs and sways from the front mirror.

Confirmed.

‘Whew.’

Even though it went as planned, tension runs down my spine.

Trapped in the confined space of a taxi, perhaps. The pressure of being in a terrifying story from which there’s no escape, along with…

Tick-tock.

The meter climbs.

[10000]

[10100]

[10200]

Fast.

“Sir.”

I had to quickly bring up the story.

The faster the car goes as the driver loses interest in the passenger, the faster the meter climbs.

And when the meter goes up…

The taxi passenger receives a curse corresponding to the meter fare upon exiting.

Right.

This taxi’s fare doesn’t collect money, it assigns curses.

To be precise, it’s less a curse and more like a ‘supernaturally occurring bad thing,’ making it even creepier.

However, if the driver consistently maintains interest in the passenger and drives slowly, the meter climbs slowly, and this ‘curse’ ends at a level the passenger can handle.

In the opposite case…

‘The moment you get out of the wildly speeding taxi, you receive an unbearable curse.’

Furthermore, even if the taxi is fast, it doesn’t arrive at the destination early.

All taxis arrive on time; the taxi’s speed and scheduled arrival time are unrelated.

My allotted time is 43 minutes.

During this time, I had to consistently hold the other person’s interest.

‘They say that if the car speeds up, the probability of strange phenomena occurring in the car, such as windows breaking, increases…’

I absolutely do not want to experience that.

But since I’ve already read the records, don’t I know what kind of conversation the other person will be interested in?

That’s true.

The problem is that there are 4 candidates for that ‘other person’!

A total of four taxi drivers work in shifts, referring to each other by number.

They look exactly alike but show subtle differences in their customer service, and each has different topics of interest.

They look exactly the same, so you can’t tell who’s who, but if you bluntly ask which number they are, they’ll show displeasure and kick you out of the taxi.

‘And those who are kicked out go missing…’

Therefore, the only way to find out is through conversation.

The keywords confirmed from the exploration records to have piqued the interest of each driver are as follows:

Number 1 / Olympics, Elections, Pets, Games, SNS.

Number 2 / War, Mafia, Action movies, Vampire legends, Firearms.

Number 3 / Good restaurants, Farming, Economic recession, Slum tours, Luxury goods.

Number 4 / Afterlife, Religious experiences, Pandemics, Massacres, ■■■.

Thus, the original strategy started with figuring out as quickly as possible which of these numbers the driver was, through the first conversation.

But.

If my exploration records are this extensive, I can try other things.

The conversation method that will let me get out of this taxi in one piece.

[Passenger.]

“…….”

The first question has already begun.

A subtly mocking, arrogant voice from the driver, who is driving the car…

[How was your day?]

“I just worked.”

[Aha.]

The driver doesn’t directly express their preference for the passenger’s conversation; they only ask questions.

But the meter answers.

[10500]

[10700]

[10900]

[11200]

It’s speeding.

– My goodness, doesn’t that driver understand the concept of small talk? Friend, if you want, a capable broadcaster like me can give you a hand…

‘It’s okay.’

It’s the expected result. I quickly and casually added the next words.

“But I almost died at work.”

Suddenly.

“I almost became meat when I went to buy meat at a butcher shop.”

The meter stopped.

[11300]

“Luckily, the shop owner was a vegetarian. I got away by bartering for agricultural products. I even won the haggling and got money.”

[…….]

The driver’s fingers tapping the steering wheel slow down.

…The car slows down.

[And what happened then?]

Whew.

“I headed down a back alley.”

‘It worked.’

What am I doing?

‘Weaving as many correct keyword answers as possible into my response.’

To get whatever driver is sitting there interested.

It’s the “one of these will interest you” strategy.

And finally, my current situation allows me to casually and naturally bring up all sorts of stimulating topics.

‘I’ve had quite a tumultuous six months.’

[What will you be doing tomorrow?]

Topics of conversation aren’t easy to come by.

“First, I’m going to rest and organize everything that’s happened so far. It’s been quite eventful.”

No matter what questions the taxi driver asked, I kept diverting the conversation to stimulating and eventful experiences and topics.

And I kept weaving them together.

Nightmares, food, blood, violence, survival of the fittest, mascots, cooking, fortune-telling, ghosts…

All were woven into everyday conversation.

Eventually, the vehicle moved forward slowly, almost like a bicycle.

I kept talking endlessly. It was enough to impress Brown several times.

And around that time my throat was almost hoarse.

[…We’ve arrived.]

The taxi stopped.

[Your destination, ‘Seoul Station.’]

…Click.

The taxi’s back door unlocks. And the tinted window goes down, revealing a familiar scene….

It was the night view of Seoul Station.

‘Ha…!’

I’m so relieved I could cry.

I wanted to run out immediately, but I had to settle the fare first.

I looked at the meter.

[29700]

[29800]

Click.

The driver ends the meter.

[29800]

‘I did it…!’

Ending in the 20,000 range is usually only possible for distances within 10 minutes.

At this rate, there will be no permanent damage.

[Fare settlement.]

The taxi driver extends his hand behind him.

In his hand is a check.

– 29,900 / Code 1

I carefully received the classic style paper check with a wax seal in the shape of a snake….

The back has an explanation.

A code signifying the curse the passenger will receive.

Fare Code 1: Illness.

– Three days of high fever, headache, hemoptysis, and chills.

Good.

‘This is quite alright.’

It was far better than my finances going crazy bad or someone close to me dying.

“Thank you.”

Holding the check, I bowed deeply to the driver and finally escaped the taxi.

‘Ha.’

The winter air could be this refreshing….

Knock, knock.

“…!”

The taxi driver’s window is half-way down.

[Sir.]

I almost fainted.

“Yes.”

[It was a pleasant conversation. I think my colleagues would be interested in your story too….]

In the darkness, a hand wearing a white glove gripping the steering wheel taps, taps its fingers….

[Let’s meet up after we retire. I’ll buy you a drink then.]

I swallowed.

…Did he notice?

In fact, this taxi driver has a very clear and famous motif.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

The horsemen of Conquest, War, Famine, and Death literally work as end-of-the-world taxi drivers, a pun-based urban legend.

Based on this, assessing the current situation… that was a statement that made my palms sweat.

But I can nod calmly.

“Yes.”

The Horsemen of the Apocalypse won’t be able to retire until the end of the world!

I will return before then.

“I hope so. Have a great shift.”

[Hahaha… Yes. So boring.]

The taxi window goes back up.

The black vehicle disappeared from Seoul Station like a ghost in an instant.

Leaving only the crimson taxi sign.

“…….”

I looked at the minus check in my hand.

At that moment.

The check burst into flames and hemoptysis began.

“Ugh.”

High fever and headache burned my head, but it was bearable.

And a lizard was looking at me.

Bleeding profusely from its mouth as well.

‘Aaack.’

It wasn’t a pretty sight, but I swallowed my blood-mixed saliva and said,

“Um, this will be all better in three days. That… seemed to be the rule.”

“Yes.”

“And thank you. For not asking how you knew, and for trusting me in the taxi. Cough,”

The lizard looked at me coughing up blood.

“Kim Soleum.”

“Yes?”

“Take sick leave.”

“Yes…”

A moment later.

After waiting for the hemoptysis to subside somewhat, we called another taxi and returned to the company housing.

Also, the taxi ride was quite unsettling, but nothing else unusual happened, and the Section Chief and I successfully returned home, except for the fact that we both had high fevers.

‘I never knew that Team Leader Lee Jaheon lived in the company housing.’

Anyway, we parted at the building entrance.

“Take sick leave.”

“Yes… Thank you.”

Let’s discuss the details later at the company.

‘Whew.’

That’s how…

I returned safely.

‘Company housing is nice to have.’

As I opened the door, the unique warmth of a heated room enveloped me. I almost felt a sense of pleasure.

Even though I’m sick, I just want to take a hot shower and sleep, but…

Well, I have one more thing to do.

‘Huh.’

I checked the shoes at the entrance, which weren’t mine.

Baek Saheon’s shoes.