Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work Novel - Chapter 98

I checked my Griptok and found a crack. I don’t know how I got through that night.

The next day, sick or not, I immediately went out and bought a new phone.

After transferring my SIM card, I attached the cracked Griptok with trembling hands and turned it on.

‘…It works!’

Wiki was thankfully operational… but something was off.

Dark Exploration Records / Urban Legends
[Hellish Taxi Fare]
Glitches were popping up.

It felt like an old computer, showing the characteristic stuttering of a machine with barely any life left….

It soon recovered normally, but it sent chills down my spine.

‘Right. Merchandise can get damaged….’

I bought it from a pop-up store, and it’s a bizarre situation where it’s usable in the urban legend world. Since I carry my smartphone almost like a body part, I overlooked that aspect.

Should I copy the Wiki content somewhere else for backup?

‘That would take over a month.’

Pages that appear on the Memorial Griptok are prohibited from copying and capturing. I have to copy it by hand, looking at the smartphone page.

‘I don’t know if this Griptok will last that long.’

But there’s no need to panic.

After all, the goods given by the Goods Box aren’t from this world, are they?

I’ve established a foundation here for half a year, so other options are now open.

Get a new Griptok.

Or find a way to repair it.

Interestingly, both required the same kind of connection.

‘The Disaster Management Agency.’

That’s where this Griptok came from.

And I know where these Griptoks and silver badges are manufactured….

Naturally, I know how to access it, the password, and the necessary items.

And coincidentally, I even have a temporary Disaster Management Agency agent badge.

“…….”

I pressed my temples and thought.

‘I’m on a three-day sick leave.’

In other words, in this state, I can’t go to work or handle the follow-up for the Death Alley incident.

But as long as I don’t go to work, if I can endure it, I can push myself to do other things. My recovery in three days is certain.

‘But I can’t artificially avoid the pain imposed as taxi fare.’

This is a curse, so even if I take a ton of painkillers, it won’t get better, and if I try to avoid the pain through supernatural methods, the curse period increases by as much as I avoid it.

It only counts as payment if I experience the actual pain.

So, I should keep my super-strong painkiller, ‘Happy Maker’, unless it’s an emergency where I have to extend the curse period.

In the first place….

“…….”

Thinking about what I did in the nightmare, inserting it… it’s a little creepy.

‘I was completely comfortable and painless….’

If it wasn’t a dream, and if I hadn’t treated the contamination at the Fox Counseling Center, it would have popped up frequently whenever I was stressed, to the point of addiction.

I had to be careful.

‘…Right.’

Let’s not procrastinate as much as possible and prepare for when I can.

I carefully detached the cracked Griptok from my phone, packaged it, and stored it inside my tattoo.

“Braun. I need to go out again.”

– Aha, a heroic effort! Quite an appealing interview subject. Isn’t it sometimes a sign of dedication to the industry?

– But if it becomes too difficult, please tell me. Your perfect colleague, friend, Braun, will help you….

Those were chilling and reassuring words.

“Thanks.”

I showered again, my body drenched in sweat, and put on a light hoodie.

Then, I took my shiny bow tie-wearing rabbit doll and put it in the front pocket of my hoodie.

– You look refreshed, Noru-ssi! So, where are we going?

Hmm.

“Where the most young people gather in Seoul.”

I got off at Hongdae Station.

It was amazing how many people were there even on a weekday afternoon.

‘And even further from the station, there are a lot of people.’

From Mangwon to Yeonnam, the streets were packed with people out for a stroll.

It was almost embarrassing to compare this crowd to the less crowded alley I went to yesterday, the bustling street connected to Death Alley.

-There are a lot of people here! Bright, good reactions… Ah, I want to invite everyone to the show and give them the joy and shock of a lifetime!

Ugh!

Fortunately, Braun was immediately distracted by something else, so I didn’t need to silence his excited voice.

– Ah, the coffee smells good! Shall we have a cup, friend? …Oh dear! You’re stumbling. Do you need help?

‘…I’m fine.’

It was unavoidable… since I came out to Seoul city with a disease curse and a ghost story resident… Hehe.

Still, the feeling of being full of lively wasn’t bad.

A lively street with plenty of cafes and sunshine, where there wasn’t a trace of gloominess.

It’s hard to imagine something mystical or ghostly happening here in broad daylight.

‘That’s why it’s safe.’

I thought about how to access the place where I could fix the Griptok.

The Disaster Management Agency document that even had an image of a note and was registered on the wiki.
! Must be destroyed after careful reading

Place to go: A nameless cafe with a blue roof. A commercial facility converted from a house, with a buckwheat flower wreath on the door.

There it is.

With Braun’s help, I completely stealthily entered the building with the blue roof.
It was a large cafe bustling with customers.

Even in the daytime, the place was glittering with all sorts of lights and decorations, and the cafe staff were busy taking orders and serving drinks and coffee.

Instead of joining the order queue, I slightly leaned aside and slipped into the kitchen area.

And if I go a little further inside from there…

Turning the corner, two doors come into view.

[Staff Only]

They were identical yellow doors, but one led directly outside, and the other…

‘This is the door I need to open.’

Entering through the right door.

Never touch the left door. Once you touch the left door, you can never enter the ‘place’ through the right door again.

I carefully approached the right door and knocked lightly in rhythm.

Knock-knock, knock-knock-, knock-knock, knock-knock-

Jajinamori rhythm. It was a rhythm that anyone who received public education in this country would inevitably be familiar with.

And I opened the door very slightly, without attracting attention.

Creak, thud.

“….”

The inside looked like a normal staff-only area.

A space where a corridor, a storeroom, and a staff break room were mixed.

Old sofas, desks, laptops, boxes of consumables. And on one side, out-of-season interior decorations were piled up.

Find an object that can be interpreted as a house, such as a house, apartment, or ger.
I carefully lifted the decorations and found it.

A Hanok model.

It seemed to have been used as a Chuseok interior decoration.
‘This must be it.’

I crouched down in front of the Hanok model and reached out to grab the small gate.

And the moment I opened the gate.

BAM!

I landed hard on my backside with a thud.

“Ugh…”

Pain bloomed instantly, and though I felt the metallic taste of blood rising in my throat, I forced it down.

This wasn’t the kind of place where bleeding would end well.

Focus…

I slowly got back on my feet, taking in my surroundings. The lively café had vanished replaced by a hushed hanok courtyard, boxed in by walls.

No breeze stirred. Silence clung to everything.

The place was defined by its traditional features: pale walls and timber beams, unmistakably Korean in design.

Too quiet.

It felt like I’d stumbled into someone’s off-limits break room.

Then, all at once—

[Hey! Who’s there?! You can’t just— Wait, are you a Kim agent?]

The hanok door burst open, and out stepped someone in a braided hairstyle and a tracksuit.

Their gaze locked onto the Disaster Management Bureau emblem on my hoodie, finger pointed.

I let out a quiet breath and gave a respectful nod.

“Sorry about that. This is my first visit.”

[A fresh Kim agent, huh?! Must be the government again, sending rookies around for more of their strange experiments!]

[What if a daylight goblin jumped you while you were wandering around clueless, huh?!]

Though they looked like a regular person—loud and imposing—

[What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue? Say something, Kim agent!]

—they weren’t human.

The term Kim agent alone gave it away.

A goblin…

And this, clearly, was their domain.

========================

Dark Exploration Records / Urban Folklore Entry

[Goblins Workshop]

An urban tale archived in Dark Exploration Records
No Disaster Management Bureau ID recorded
No Daydream Inc. records available

A rumored workspace where goblins gather at night, crafting clubs and hats. Almost all known sightings happen in daylight.

The Bureau has classified the location and heavily restricts information to keep it away from Daydream Inc.

See attached documents for guidelines on interaction.

========================

This was it.

Legend had it that goblins held late-night gatherings here, feasting on buckwheat cakes and forging magical items.

The story went that some goblins loved the camaraderie so much, they lingered well into the day.

Approach them while they’re loitering midday with a thoughtful gift, and they might just craft something for you in return.

But that only applied to those recognized as “government Kim agents.”

Others? Chased out. No one had ever managed to sneak in again after being driven off.

Honestly, it felt more like a quirky folktale than a ghost story.

But that’s the nature of urban legends, right?

‘No wonder the Bureau just accepts the gear quietly and doesn’t ask questions.’

Some of the low-tier tools given to trainees—like popsockets or even the glass glove I received from a bronze-rank agent—originated here.

Mild ghost tales like these aren’t considered true Disasters. The Bureau just categorizes them as “supernatural occurrences.”

Still… there was one red flag.

Rumors mentioned the rare but dangerous “daylight goblins,” though no one had officially reported seeing one.

Even Dark Exploration Records hadn’t documented them so it wasn’t a high priority.

‘Time to finish this quickly.’

I carefully unwrapped the popsocket, layered in cloth, and offered it to the goblin.

“I was hoping you could repair this… And I brought a small token of thanks…”

[This doesn’t look like our work, Kim agent.]

“…Excuse me?”

[Definitely not ours. Someone’s made a knock-off! Ha! That’s hilarious…]

He chuckled, bending in closer to inspect the cracked item.

Copied?

But… the merch from the Bureau’s storage box had the same functions as the originals.

So the design had been replicated, but not by the original creators. That was concerning.

Fighting down a lump in my throat, I asked,

“Is it beyond repair, even for a master artisan like yourself?”

[Fix it? Of course I can! If it’s no bigger than my hand, I can fix anything. But…]

He gave me a knowing grin.

[You’re carrying something far more interesting, Kim-agent.]

“…I did bring some buckwheat cookies—”

[No, no. Not that.]

[Something smells delicious on you…]

“…!!”

I’m in trouble.

[It’s aged… rich… divine…]

The goblin’s grin widened.

[Ginseng!]

“……”

Ah.

I subtly slid my sleeve down over my wrist, pretending to dig through my bag, and slowly pulled out a root.

“Do you mean this ginseng, Elder?”

It was the wild ginseng I’d once used to cleanse Braun’s sentient bath. Even now, its earthy aroma lingered.

[Yes! That’s the one! Gorgeous!]

He looked like he might start drooling.

[A perfect tonic ingredient. In return, I could forge you a fine hoe, a sturdy broom or maybe a lovely jade ring!]

Wow.

– Bold, tempting offers! What do you say, Mr. Roe Deer? Would you trust this craftsman?

“……”

It’s tempting.

Why not accept a gift from a cheerful goblin?

Because I’m not supposed to be here.

I wasn’t an agent. My badge was temporary—borrowed—and I had to stay cautious.

‘If the Bureau finds out I slipped into a locked ghost story, it’ll be chaos.’

Had their visit been any closer on the calendar, I never would’ve dared.

‘They check in every fifteen days.’

A repair job might be minor. But offering rare ginseng and walking out with goblin-made gear?

The goblin wouldn’t mean harm—but they definitely wouldn’t keep quiet.

– Right! Even if you ask nicely, they’ll blab eventually.

So I made the safer choice.

“Please accept the ginseng as a gift. Brew something nice with it.”

[Such generosity! You’re a model Kim-agent!]

He took the root with obvious delight.

Then—

[Still… you should leave with something. It’s only right.]

“…Pardon?”

[Which department are you with? Judging by that temp badge, are you still in training?]

Wait… what?

– You were cautious, Mr. Roe Deer—but you missed one critical detail.

The problem was—

– This one’s human.

“……”

I turned my head slowly.

[Why so quiet, huh?!]

It wasn’t a goblin.

It was a Bureau agent… dressed like one.