Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work-Chapter 139
The Bronze Agent, dragged away by the staff.
The fate that awaited them played vividly in my mind, because I had already seen something similar on the first day.
"Aaaah! Aaahhh!"
The memory of someone being ground alive in a mixer—turned into “inventory”—still made cold sweat run down my spine.
And now, the thought that the veteran agent I had been searching for over the last three days might have ended up the same way was unbearable.
The high school student the Bronze Agent had been protecting began to recount their story as though vomiting out the horrors they had witnessed.
“At first... I felt kind of safe...”
On the first day, the agent had brought the student here, leaving them in the tents within this section of the store, then "cleared" the area and took some precautions.
But the turning point came on the second day.
“They originally... seemed like they were looking for you guys.”
“...Us?”
“Yes. I think they were trying to find you.”
But instead of finding me, the agent encountered something completely unexpected.
“They... they came out!”
They?
Everyone turned to where the student was pointing, but there was nothing there—just the fabric of the tent.
“Ugh!”
The student got up, walked outside, and opened the flap of the neighboring tent.
Inside was the figure of a student in a school uniform, lying motionless.
“...?!”
“Lee Soo-bin!”
The high schooler I had been looking after jumped up and ran toward the tent.
They turned to me, frantic.
“That’s... that’s the one we were looking for! Lee Soo-bin!”
Ah.
The missing friend they had come here to find.
“S-Soo-bin?”
The high schooler called out repeatedly to their friend.
But “Lee Soo-bin” did not respond.
They simply lay in the tent, staring blankly into nothing, mouth slightly open, as though their soul had already departed.
‘...Could it be because they’ve been missing for so long?’
Their body was scratched and bruised all over.
It was a pitiful sight.
At least now, I understood why the Bronze Agent had been missing for several days.
“Where did the agent find them?”
“I-I don’t know. They just brought them in and said they’d found someone wearing the same school uniform...”
With two minors to look after, the agent’s movements must have been severely restricted.
They probably spent the next two days caring for the students and waiting for the mart to reopen...
...all while hoping I would eventually make it to this area.
“...So, when did the agent disappear?”
“This morning... around dawn?”
That was more recent than I expected.
“Then suddenly, all these staff members came rushing in and... they dragged them away.”
“They weren’t seriously hurt, right? Just ‘dragged off,’ correct?”
“How should I know?! I... I think so, though.”
In that case...
“We’re screwed, right? We’re totally screwed! We’re all gonna die! The agent’s gone, and you’re just a rookie, right? The agent said so!”
“Hey! Why are you talking like that? Are you crazy?”
The student I was looking after quickly tried to smooth things over, nervously glancing at me and Go Yeong-eun.
The other student, the one the Bronze Agent had been protecting, sniffled and lowered their head, muttering.
“Still... we’re screwed, aren’t we?”
“No.”
“...!”
Go Yeong-eun spoke firmly, her tone unwavering.
“We’re not screwed. You have a safe place to stay, and now you have more adults here to help. Things have actually gotten better.”
“Ah...”
“If you assume everything is hopeless and start acting recklessly, you’ll lose the chances you still have. To get out of here safely, we all need to do our best and cooperate. /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ Got it?”
The two high schoolers nodded hesitantly, shame and regret apparent on their faces.
For a moment, I thought that Go Yeong-eun seemed more suited to the Disaster Management Agency than Daydream Inc.
“Hah.”
After calming the students, we stepped out of the tent for a moment.
Go Yeong-eun let out a short sigh, swallowed, and then spoke to me.
“...What I said to reassure them wasn’t just for their sake. I think we need to believe it too.”
“Agreed.”
And then...
Hesitating for a moment, I leaned in and whispered something that had been bothering me ever since the high schooler’s earlier story.
“About my senior agent... they might still be alive.”
“...!”
Yes.
While it’s possible for missing persons processed into "inventory" to be used immediately, depending on the staff’s routine...
‘Most of the time, they wait their turn.’
Like proper "inventory," they’re stored according to the mart’s bizarre imitation of workplace regulations.
The place where such items are kept...
Somewhere deep within the staff-only area of the mart.
“They might be in the inventory storage.”
The Inventory Storage.
"Unable to escape from the inventory storage. Deceased."
This phrase appeared frequently in .
But if you think about it, it means there’s still a chance for the missing to make an escape attempt.
It means they’re alive and still have their wits and strength.
‘There have even been rare cases of successful escapes.’
Those who possessed special items or abilities managed it.
...Of course, in many cases, the person had already been “processed” for their intended use as inventory.
But the crucial point is this:
Our group currently has the special item needed to approach the inventory storage.
“......”
I glanced at the soft, extinguished candle in Go Yeong-eun’s hand.
The Mystical Candle.
While it takes three people to create, it can be carried by one.
‘If we can light the candle again...’
The problem is, for some reason, only “modern humans” can use the candle’s flame. I can’t light it or carry it on my own.
“Agent.”
“Let’s go.”
“...!”
“Two people mean twice the brainpower and twice the hands—it’ll be better this way.”
Go Yeong-eun glanced at my arm and nodded, her face a mix of determination and concern.
“Thank you.”
“I should be the one thanking you. I’d have died on those stairs if not for you.”
She shuddered slightly, as though recalling her near-death experience.
“Anyway, let’s go. Let’s find your senior.”
I nodded.
* * *
The decision to search for the Bronze Agent caused a stir among the students.
“Wait, if both of you leave, what happens to us? What if the staff shows up? What are we supposed to do?”
“It’s fine.”
I calmly placed a hand on the shoulder of the student I had been looking after.
“The agent who was here already made preparations to keep you safe.”
This area had clearly been chosen as a low-risk spot, likely one where staff rarely appeared.
And just to be certain, I noticed something on the tent peg—a faintly glowing object.
Air Suppression Stones
A piece of equipment from the Supernatural Disaster Management Agency, designed to create sanctuaries.
According to the item’s description, placing these stones around a designated space protects it from malevolent forces.
The corrupted long-term missing likely wouldn’t even register this area.
“You’ll come back... right?”
“Of course. I’ll find the agent and return.”
I advised the student to rest with the Nostalgia Candy at hand. If anything happened, they could use it to escape.
Thankfully, they complied, albeit reluctantly.
Fwoosh.
Go Yeong-eun lit the candle once again.
As the mist and shadows enveloped us, I stepped into its protective glow.
“...The candle’s already burned down by a third.”
“......”
We needed to move quickly.
Together, we plunged once more into the unnervingly vast third floor.
‘The agent was taken on the third floor, right?’
This time, we would need to find the door on one of its walls.
“What kind of door exactly?”
“You remember the announcement that played before closing, right? And when those balloon-like staff poured out?”
“...Yes.”
“It’s the door that opened back then.”
Luckily, we didn’t need to search on our own this time.
Squeak... Squeak... Squeak.
“Let’s follow that.”
We trailed a staff member, their movements stiff and mechanical, their empty gaze scanning the aisles.
After wandering the third floor for a while, they eventually returned to where they had come from.
[Staff Only Area]
A steel door leading to the staff area.
“......”
“......”
Creeeak.
The door opened.
There were plenty of similar doors around, but all of them likely connected to a single area through a network of hallways, like an ant’s nest. Somewhere in there, we would have to find the inventory storage.
We held our breath and slipped through the door before it closed, following the staff member who had opened it.
And then, we were greeted by the inside of the staff-only area.
“Hhk.”
Go Yeong-eun clamped a hand over her mouth.
Under the bright fluorescent lights, countless staff members were stacked vertically, crushed together like discarded goods.
Not the grotesque staff members that wandered out after closing hours—these looked like normal humans, like actual employees.
But they were crammed together, piled up in a way that made words like stacked and squashed seem inadequate.
In this disturbingly bright, modern space, human bodies were stored in such a state without any hint of it being unnatural.
“They... look like employees who were on shift earlier. H-hhk.”
Go Yeong-eun swallowed back a gag, steadying her breath.
Even the staff shift system was being imitated.
I didn’t want to imagine how these crushed bodies returned to their normal appearance and performed their duties during business hours.
Revulsion climbed up my throat, but I kept moving.
Without the candlelight or the Nostalgia Candy, I would have given up right there.
Squeak, squeak.
The staff member began moving again.
“...Should we follow them for now?”
“Yes.”
Our soft footsteps echoed faintly in the staff area, every sound putting us on edge.
With nothing but the candle to rely on, we proceeded cautiously.
“...Don’t worry, I’m keeping track of the path we’re taking.”
“...Alright.”
With two of us remembering the way, we’d have a backup even if one of us forgot.
We held our breath as we moved forward, carefully observing the grotesque surroundings.
Staff members, remnants of staff, half-formed staff—all of them repeated bizarre sounds and greetings, sending shivers through my very skin.
But I couldn’t let my attention waver. We had to find the storage.
‘We can do this... We can do this.’
We passed through the twisted, seemingly random layout of hallways, break rooms, and storage areas, and then finally...
[Inventory Storage]
We found the door, its sign clearly marked.
But a group of staff members stood clustered in front of it, almost plastered to its surface.
Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak.
The staff member we had been following joined the group.
“Hah.”
Go Yeong-eun swallowed hard as she stared at the iron door, its view blocked by the staff crowding it.
“...If we slip in when they open the door—”
And then it happened.
Thunk.
The inventory storage door opened from the inside.
“...!”
Some of the staff inside began carrying out “inventory.”
And that’s when I saw them.
A familiar face among the items being moved.
“That... that person...”
A large, young man in a Disaster Management uniform was being carried by two staff members.
The Bronze Agent.
But he had no legs.
“......”
A cold shiver ran from my hands to my feet.
“Could it be...”
“Yes.”
The Bronze Agent had been processed into a mannequin.
The lack of bleeding was the only saving grace, but he was unconscious, his eyes closed, with no signs of life.
“Should we approach them?”
“...Yes.”
We moved carefully, trailing the staff who were carrying the agent.
But as we followed, my mind went blank, overwhelmed with the question of what to do.
‘Dammit.’
Was he even alive?
Should I call out to him?
But even under the candle’s protection, was it safe to make noise right next to the staff?
Creeeak.
The two staff members eventually carried the Bronze Agent out of the staff-only area.
This was a small relief.
Making a snap decision, I acted boldly.
“...Can you stay close to them?”
Go Yeong-eun nodded and quickened her pace, sticking close to the staff.
As soon as the staff moved within the mist created by the candle, I reached out toward the agent.
I tapped lightly near his neck.
Tap, tap.
“...!”
The Bronze Agent’s eyes flew open.
I swallowed hard.
“...Agent.”
At that moment...
Pop.
One of the staff members holding the agent deflated like a balloon, crumpling to the floor.
“...!!”
The other staff member holding the agent quickly followed, collapsing with a similar sound.
That’s when I noticed a small, transparent pistol in the agent’s hand.
‘Glass Handgun.’
A piece of Disaster Management-issued equipment that shone in the hands of the right user.
The agent moved his hand swiftly, and the pistol vanished as if it had never existed.
“Thank... you... dear customer!”
“He-he-hello...!”
The deflating staff members spewed strange noises and repeated phrases like broken announcers.
Something more grotesque seemed ready to emerge from within their collapsing forms, but the agent acted faster.
He restrained them.
‘Restraint Rope.’
Another issued item for subduing targets.
In mere moments, the agent’s hands worked skillfully to bind the two staff members with thin, rope-like restraints. He then sat on them as though pinning them down.
The fact that he could handle two staff members so efficiently was astonishing.
“They’ll stay subdued for about five minutes without causing trouble.”
It was a remarkable display of skill.
Hard to believe this was a man who had just lost his legs.
“...Agent Podo.”
The Bronze Agent looked up at me with a faint smile. His eyes carried the resolve of someone who had already accepted their fate.
“You’re safe. I’m glad I held out.”
“......”
“And who’s this?”
His gaze shifted to Go Yeong-eun.
“One of the missing agents who came in earlier is still alive.”
“......”
Go Yeong-eun lowered her head.
“You did well. It’s a relief they’re alive.”
The Bronze Agent gave me a warm look, like someone preparing to leave their final words. My stomach churned.
“Agent Podo.”
He pulled something from inside his uniform and handed it to me.
“Take this. It’s for escaping.”
Two shoelaces, woven with threads in five colors, shimmered with a strange, glossy texture.
“There are only two, so the two of you can leave with them.”
“...!”
“Tie them to your shoes and take three steps. You’ll leave this place immediately.”
Instinctively, my gaze dropped to the Bronze Agent’s lower half.
He had no legs.
The Bronze Agent couldn’t use the escape item.
He had no choice from the start.
“I’ll find another way. You focus on protecting yourself.”
“......”
“There’s not much time left. Go quickly.”
No.
The Nostalgia Candy. If I gave it to him, he could leave immediately. Then...
‘No.’
I clenched my fists until they turned white.
‘I only have three pieces left.’
If I used one now to let him escape, what would I do with the remaining two?
Among the three high school students who needed rescuing, two couldn’t move normally. Wouldn’t it be better for everyone’s survival if the agent stayed and helped us?
My head felt like it was about to explode.
Was there another way? Anything...
“......”
Ah.
There was.
“Agent.”
Feigning a gesture as if pulling something from my pocket, I instead drew an item from the tattoo on my arm.
A small glass vial, glowing faintly green like new leaves.
: Daydream Potion :
Regeneration
Grade: C (Excellent)
My lifeline.
Hiding the label from Go Yeong-eun, I discreetly showed it to the Bronze Agent.
“Take this. It’s a regeneration item.”
“...!!”
“Wait...”
“It’s fine. It’s a proven item.”
I shot a quick look at Go Yeong-eun to silence her.
‘If my assumptions are correct...’
This wasn’t just about helping the agent escape more easily.
It was about setting up for a bigger payoff.
A vital move in the long game I was playing.
‘This is the right choice.’
A shiver ran down my spine, a mix of instinctive fear of loss and the thrill of finding the perfect solution.
“...Alright.”
Reluctantly, Go Yeong-eun closed her mouth, her expression conflicted.
The Bronze Agent, however, didn’t immediately take the potion.
He studied it, his face unreadable, before speaking.
“...Is this from your ‘origin’?”
“...Yes.”
I nodded, forcing a smile as though it pained me.
“It’s the last one I have. I know it might seem unsettling, but you need to take it.”
The agent’s expression flickered with something unreadable—a mix of doubt, hesitation, and something more profound.
Eventually, his internal conflict ended as he reached out and took the potion.
Tap.
With a soft sound, the vial was in his hands.
This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.
He uncorked it and drank it in one swift motion.
