Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work-Chapter 102

A single question, granted as a reward for defeating the elevator mirror ghost in rock-paper-scissors.

Of course, the truths revealed by ghost stories are rarely pleasant.

They might be answers you don’t like.

Or they might be utterly useless.

For example, if you asked, "When will humanity go extinct?", the response could be something like, "Long after you’re dead."

“That’s still technically true.”

So, if I asked, "What’s the method to return to where I originally lived?", the answer could easily be an extremely vague or overly simplistic response.

Rather than risk that, it was better to confirm whether the method I was aiming for would definitely bring me back to my original world.

The Wish Potion from Daydream Inc.

My heart pounded as the truth, guaranteed by the ghost, appeared excruciatingly slowly on the dusty glass.

And the answer was...

You can return. Definitely.

A clear, definitive affirmation.

"......!"

I let out a deep sigh of relief and slid down to the floor.

“Wow.”

The tension in my body eased all at once.

...To be honest, I had been worried that the response might be ambiguous or even negative.

Despite my efforts to suppress it, doubts had occasionally crept into my mind.

What if the Wish Potion doesn’t work to bring me back?

What if I set the conditions wrong, and it leads to something unexpected?

But I had done my best to push those thoughts aside.

Even with those doubts, the Wish Potion remained the most likely solution.

“Even if I’m anxious, it doesn’t change what I need to do...”

Thinking that the potion could definitely bring me back was the only way I could endure the horrors and keep working.

"......."

But now, I could face my tasks with even greater conviction.

Let’s do this.

I could make it happen.

I resolved to gather the remaining Wish Potions as quickly and safely as possible.

Standing up, I steadied my resolve.

“For once, I feel motivated to work...”

That was rare, to say the least.

However, I wasn’t out of the ghost story just yet.

“The ritual’s final stage remains.”

After receiving the answer safely, it was time to conclude the ritual and return.

What you need to do to leave safely depends on the route you took to reach the top floor after winning rock-paper-scissors.

If you arrived via Route 1: Proceed to 10.

If you arrived via Route 6: Proceed to 11.

Route 1 involved winning rock-paper-scissors smoothly and reaching the top floor without incident.

Following Route 10 would lead to instructions like, "Take the stairs down, avoid using any double-mirrored elevators for three days," and so on. But...

“I failed at first.”

In this case, the tasks become more unnerving and grueling.

"...Whew."

Feeling increasingly confused, I decided to consult the manual provided by the company.

11. If you reached the top floor after winning rock-paper-scissors led by the "mirror being," the steps to exit safely depend on how many questions you answered.

First, you must re-enter the elevator.

I swallowed nervously and turned to face the elevator doors again.

The elevator was still stopped on the 12th floor, so the doors opened as soon as I pressed the button.

Ding.

The sound was short and sharp, revealing the shattered interior of the dilapidated elevator with its cracked mirrors.

At this stage, you must hold down the open button the entire time while inside the elevator.

Do not, under any circumstances, release the button.

Next, instead of facing the mirror where you played rock-paper-scissors, turn to face the opposite mirror.

I shifted my gaze to the left mirror.

The opposite mirror had been shattered, leaving no trace of the infinite repeating space. Instead, its broken shards cast fragmented reflections of the dim elevator interior.

And there...

I saw something strange.

Myself.

Head bowed unnaturally low.

Dressed in a tattered, outdated suit.

Completely motionless.

The ghost I had played rock-paper-scissors with.

......

The figure in the mirror slowly raised its head.

Its expressionless face locked eyes with me as it drew closer.

Closer.

Until it seemed pressed against the glass.

You must endure until the elevator makes a sound. Do not move or flee. You must maintain eye contact until it ends.

The more questions you answered, the longer this period lasts.

I held out as best I could.

But there’s a limit to anyone’s patience. Despite the glass separating us, the figure in the mirror drew closer, endlessly, inch by inch.

The hand holding the open button trembled.

I needed to distract myself.

“Is this... the ghost that wrote on the glass in response to my question?”

Yeah. That must be it.

Thud!

I nearly let go of the button.

The ghost had pressed its head against the glass, glaring at me.

Its lips moved.

"Let me out let me out let me out let me out let me out let me out let me out let me out let me out let me out let me out let me out let me out..."

I hurriedly lowered my gaze slightly to break direct eye contact. Cold sweat dripped from my chin.

But through the fear, the silver ring’s effect shone through.

Let me out?

"...Because it’s trapped in the mirror?"

My mind raced.

“Come to think of it, that ghost couldn’t throw scissors...”

Why not?

I pictured the motion of making scissors in rock-paper-scissors.

Whether you curl your thumb or your middle finger, the gesture always emphasizes extending the index finger.

And thinking about hands with extended index fingers in elevators...

One gesture comes to mind immediately.

Pressing a button.

“The ghost can’t press buttons?”

Of course, it could physically press them with a fist or its head, but this wasn’t about physicality—it was about the concept, the symbolism.

The ghost trapped in the infinite mirrored world of the elevator.

A space created by the two facing mirrors—a completely closed loop.

And the warning in the manual about failing the ritual by losing rock-paper-scissors:

Be careful whenever you use an elevator from now on. The being in the mirror will try to find you.

Was that because...

“...It wants to escape?”

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthud!

"Shit, seriously...!"

I struggled to avoid looking directly at the ghost slamming its head against the mirror as I continued to think.

...Maybe.

“Is that ghost trapped in the elevator?”

Just then...

Beep-beep-beep—

A signal blared.

The alarm sounded, indicating that I had held the elevator for too long.

When you hear the alarm, exit the elevator immediately and switch to using the stairs.

Never use the same elevator again. If possible, mark it as Out of Service to prevent others from using it until sunrise.

And in the future, do not stare into double-mirrored elevators for more than five seconds.

It will find you.

With that in mind, I hesitated briefly before stepping out of the elevator, releasing the open button.

At the same time, I pressed a single button.

[1F]

Naturally, since it was a mirror, the elevator’s reflected 1st-floor button lit up as well.

The sourc𝗲 of this content is freēwēbηovel.c૦m.

Without looking at the ghost mimicking my face, I dashed out of the open doors.

Swish.

The doors closed as the demand on the open button ceased, and the elevator began to move.

[Descending....]

I took the stairs from the 12th floor down to the 1st floor.

As I hurried down the creaking steps, I faintly heard the elevator announce, “First floor. Doors opening.”

***

“Hahhh.”

By the time I stepped out of the abandoned apartment complex, night had long since fallen.

“So the stories about time flowing weirdly inside were true.”

It was already past 7 p.m.

I immediately made a call to someone.

[Ah, Soleum!...]

It was Jang Heowoon, who I’d asked to meet me at 5.

Despite leaving him waiting for two hours, my apology flowed smoothly.

Why? Because...

“I’m sorry. I had mentioned something might come up, but I must have kept you waiting too long.”

[Oh, no, it’s fine. This café is nice! You had something urgent come up, so it can’t be helped. I’m okay!]

Exactly.

I had deliberately set the meeting with Jang Heowoon at 5.

“Just in case the research team got wind of me going in alone and decided to use Heowoon for some other bizarre ghost story.”

Knowing how insane that psychopathic researcher is, they could easily say something like, “Oh, since you're here, why not head somewhere else for us?”

“God, I hate this job.”

Eventually, I joined Jang Heowoon at the café and apologized in person.

I explained the situation in a way that wouldn’t shock him too much, emphasizing how the research team had tried to assign us both to something ridiculously dangerous, so I had taken matters into my own hands and refused.

But Heowoon latched onto a different concern.

[Wait, doesn’t that put you in trouble, Soleum? You defied company orders without permission...!]

“Oh, it’s fine.”

I said it warmly.

“As long as you keep this to yourself, it’ll come in handy later.”

[...??]

A little later, after I returned the Dream Collector, Gwak Jaegang summoned me urgently.

And, shamelessly, I explained the situation.

“...So, you’re saying you left the cleanup guy behind and went off on your own.”

“Yes.”

Gwak stared at me as if at a loss for words before letting out a heavy sigh and a laugh.

Of course, it wasn’t a good-natured laugh.

It was the kind of laugh that screamed, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Seriously, Kim Soleum! This is grounds for disciplinary action. Do you think this company is a playground? Do you think you can just do whatever you want? Did Team Leader Lee Jaheon approve this?”

“No. Team Leader Lee Jaheon always encourages adherence to company regulations and the Field Exploration Manual.”

“So if you know that, why did you...? Ah, seriously...”

Then, in a softer tone, he asked:

“Do you have a strong aversion to sending colleagues into dangerous situations? You seem to know Heowoon personally, after all.”

I knew he’d bring this up.

I answered immediately.

“...? It’s frustrating.”

“......??”

“Why should I have to carry... excuse my language, but... dead weight into an area I can clear quickly on my own?”

“...!”

Gwak stared at me, stunned, before hurriedly responding.

“No, you could’ve just cleared it and left him in the elevator alone...”

“That’s exactly my point. Why should I have to worry about something like that while exploring the Darkness?”

I frowned slightly, as if exasperated, and argued firmly.

“Why should I waste time worrying whether the employee waiting downstairs might run off, or if I can send them up on time? None of that contributes to shortening exploration time or increasing solution concentration.”

“......”

“The purpose of Field Exploration is to extract high-concentration solutions as quickly as possible to supply Daydream Inc.’s Wish Potion production. Why should I have to do something unrelated to my job?”

“But that’s still—”

“That’s your job as a manager, isn’t it?”

Gwak fell silent.

It seemed my "insane efficiency-obsessed" act had rendered him speechless.

Of course, this was all a facade. In reality, I was just playing the part of a new-generation professional with exaggerated principles.

“That’s why I decided it’d be better to just take the disciplinary action.”

“...Because that’s more efficient?”

“Yes.”

I replied as if it were obvious.

“Disciplinary action means I’ll be off exploration duty for a while. That’s time I can use to recover.”

“......”

Gwak looked at me like I was some strange new species.

You think this is absurd, don’t you?

Good.

“This is exactly the kind of ‘weakness’ you’ve been looking for in me...”

A compulsive perfectionist who adheres to their own set of principles! Sure, it makes me seem morally upright, but if anything falls outside of my self-imposed rules, I react like an antisocial lunatic.

“Extreme personality traits are a liability.”

If it meant stopping Gwak from testing me with pointless tasks, I could handle a little disciplinary action...!

“In that case, I’ll wait for the disciplinary decision.”

Maintaining my persona as a “crazy jerk,” I left the research office.

“Now, let’s go find Braun.”

I felt incredibly satisfied.

***

The quiet office of Research Team 1, after Kim Soleum had left.

Sitting silently at his desk, alone in the now-empty room where all the other employees had already gone home, Gwak Jaegang reflected on the events of yesterday and today.

And then—

“Hahaha!”

He burst out laughing.

“He said he left him behind because it was frustrating? Hahaha!”

How could this be so entertaining?

If it had been anyone else, they might have been completely fooled.

Swept up by such an extreme statement and overwhelmed by the impressive results, everything about it would have seemed plausible.

But...

“I’ve observed a lot of people!”

With people, actions are always more telling than words.

And predicting the patterns of future actions based on those behaviors—now that was one of the real joys of this job...!

“Oh, this is delightful.”

Grinning widely, Gwak Jaegang finished jotting down notes and rose from his desk, his footsteps light as he headed out for the day.

Clack.

His brief humming echoed in the office for a moment, disappearing as the sound of the door closing faded away.

Left behind on his desk were a few documents.

At the top of the pile was a profile file labeled:

[Kim Soleum / Field Exploration Team]

Beneath it, in Gwak’s messy scrawl, a handwritten memo stood out:

Traits (Predicted with Significant Probability):

Kindness.

Fearfulness.