Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work-Chapter 151

The phrase “I’m glad you’re alive” carries two implicit assumptions.

First, the speaker recognizes the person they’re addressing.

Second, they had assumed that person was dead.

And that meant one thing.

The security captain had realized that the taxi driver sitting in the front seat—me—was none other than Kim Soleum, field exploration team lead, who had been officially declared dead.

‘…Since when?’

I glanced at the security captain through the rearview mirror.

He was wearing his worn-out security uniform as if it were casual clothes, his cap pulled low over his face.

His expression wasn’t clearly visible.

But somehow… he looked relieved.

A memory flashed in my mind—something Park Minseong had told me.

- Captain J3 has been asking about you sometimes. I didn’t tell him you were lost in the darkness… but a few days ago, he seemed to know anyway.

Someone with his experience must have seen plenty of rookies disappear in the Hundred Dreams Corporation’s field exploration team.

But apparently, because he knew me personally, he had been worried.

‘It’s… appreciated. And awkward.’

Not only had he recognized me, but he had also chosen not to say anything—quietly assessing the situation instead.

That was… impressive.

But still, I couldn’t afford an emotional reunion.

Not when I was a corporate spy.

I already had enough problems with Director Ho figuring out that Team D knew about my survival. I couldn’t afford to raise my risk level any further.

That said, J3 wasn’t the kind of guy to go around spreading rumors.

If I just gave him a subtle hint to keep quiet, that should be enough.

Having sorted my thoughts, I spoke in the most polite, casual taxi-driver tone I could muster.

"Whew, what a crazy night… I nearly had a heart attack back there. So, sir—you said you were headed to Seoul Station, right? Should be about 40 minutes to get there—"

"Oh, that… it’s fine. I don’t need to go anymore."

"……What?"

I instinctively glanced at him through the mirror.

J3 met my gaze through the reflection—his face barely visible beneath his cap—and gave me a faint smile.

"I don’t need to go anymore."

"……."

Wait.

- Uh, am I doing this right? I need a ride to Seoul Station High-Speed Rail.

Seoul Station High-Speed Rail.

That was the entry point to the Tamna-bound Ghost Train—the place where I had officially gone missing.

‘No way.’

No, that couldn’t be it.

I fixed my gaze on the road.

And yet… I couldn’t help but ask.

"Ah… did you decide to meet your friend somewhere else?"

"No, I already met them."

"……."

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"It’s fine now."

Oh, hell.

He really came to look for me.

‘A guy who can only go out at night did all this?’

I had been missing for over a month—long enough for everyone to lose hope and declare me dead.

And yet, because he knew me personally, he chased after my traces, riding the high-speed rail in the middle of the night.

Maybe it was because I already knew his past—back when he was still a team leader in B-Squad, before he joined security.

But damn… this made me weirdly emotional.

And it made me think.

"……."

Could I trust him?

…J3 was never someone particularly loyal or passionate about the company.

That meant—

I needed to double-check.

"Ah, sir, are you here on official duty? Will your company reimburse the taxi fare? Or, uh… does anyone at HQ know where you are?"

"Mm… no. They don’t."

J3’s tone was flat and certain.

"They don’t really care about me anymore… I’ve been allowed out a lot more recently."

"……."

Good.

"In that case—how about we take a little drive before sunrise?"

"……!"

I turned off the taxi’s built-in navigation and pulled up a new route on my personal phone.

A location that could be accessed using keywords like ‘empathy, focus, and toys.’

A research lab holding one of Hundred Dreams Corporation’s prototype machines.

[Hundred Dreams Corporation – Classified Research Facility]

***

I parked the taxi at our destination.

The moment we stepped out, I called his name.

"J3."

He didn’t even flinch—just looked up immediately.

Oddly enough, he seemed relieved.

"Ah. So… the taxi wasn’t completely absorbed into the darkness."

"…What?"

"Well… if you got infected by the ghost train’s anomaly… I figured you might have been reassigned as a taxi driver."

"……."

Wait.

Did he seriously think I had become a ghost taxi driver?!

‘If that’s what he thought, he might have actually dragged me out of the car.’

A cold sweat formed on my back.

It was probably for the best that I got out of the vehicle before he acted on that theory.

"No. That’s not the case. But… thanks for worrying about me."

"Yeah… that’s a relief."

‘Damn. That was close.’

With a silent sigh of relief, I locked the car doors and turned back to him.

And suddenly, a question came to mind.

"By the way, why did you hail a taxi in the mountains?"

…Wait.

Did he get lost trying to walk to Seoul Station?!

"Mountains?"

His confused voice.

"I was in front of the company."

"…?!"

The explanation that followed was even worse.

As expected, J3 had originally planned to walk from HQ to Seoul Station.

Since it was past midnight, there was no public transportation, and he forgot how to hail a taxi.

And then, he saw it.

A taxi that inexplicably stood out.

"And then I heard the radio…."

"…!!"

"And when I heard it… I remembered the last time I took a taxi, so…."

So, on impulse, he chased the taxi down and flagged it.

There was only one possible explanation.

‘Brown!’

The warped space, the stage-lighting effect—

If that talk show host had decided to drag him into my cab, it would have been as chillingly theatrical as possible.

And how did J3 recognize me?

"…The smell."

"……!"

"I have a good nose."

A deeply convincing statement, coming from someone infected by a ghost story about an animal with a snout.

I exhaled, trying to process everything.

At least the situation made sense now.

I shook my head once, then started walking toward our destination.

"This way."

A manhole cover—disguising the entrance.

"We should talk inside."

I opened the door and stepped down.

J3 followed, his pace sluggish as usual.

But when he saw the nameplate of the research lab—

He froze.

[Dream Cultivation Room]

"……."

"This place… it’s from the company…?"

"No. I don’t think so."

I pushed open the research lab’s door, revealing the space inside.

"But it’s definitely connected somehow."

"……!"

For the first time, the former leader of Hundred Dreams Corporation’s B-Squad—a man who had always looked half-dead inside—focused his gaze completely.

"J3. Do you recognize anything?"

For someone who had seemed completely devoid of motivation, J3 was now moving with sharp efficiency.

His eyes, too, felt like someone else’s.

“Uh… there are a lot of suspicious objects here, so please don’t overdo it.”

No response.

At one point, he even flipped through the research logs I had abandoned earlier—only for a grotesque black shadow to lunge at him.

I yanked the files away in shock.

"……."

"……."

After a thorough sweep of the lab, J3 finally spoke.

“…Hey. Who told you about this place? An employee?”

“No, I stumbled upon a hint in another ghost story. But after looking into it… strangely enough, it doesn’t seem to belong to Hundred Dreams Corporation.”

"……."

"It looks like a prototype of the same technology. And yet…"

J3 remained silent, as if he agreed.

"Do you have any idea what this place is? Even just a suspicion?"

“…Hm.”

J3 surveyed the abandoned lab, his expression growing stranger.

“…Do you know… about how our company disposes of darkness?"

…!!

“No.”

That was a lie.

I did know.

I had seen that part of the setting being updated multiple times, each time made more disturbingly realistic.

But as a rookie employee, it would be too unnatural for me to admit that knowledge outright.

It was better to hear it directly from him.

"What does disposing of darkness mean?"

"It means… that even if a person clears a ghost story, if the substance can’t be extracted anymore…"

"We throw it away."

"……."

"It’s no longer useful."

Of course.

From the perspective of Hundred Dreams Corporation, a ghost story that no longer produced anything valuable was simply trash to be discarded.

"If darkness loses its supernatural presence, dream essence can no longer be extracted from it.

In such cases, after the deletion of its registration number, it is disposed of. Some of these discarded dark entities are recycled through research and recharging processes.

The phrase ‘losing its supernatural presence’ usually means that too many exploration records have accumulated, and the manual has become excessively comprehensive.

‘That means the ghost story has been completely figured out.’

The sense of mystery and the unknown, which made it extraordinary, disappears. The employees, having encountered it so often, begin to handle it routinely, without tension.

Once all mechanisms are fully understood, leaving no room for unease or speculation, that ghost story eventually becomes reality.

Just a slightly dangerous reality.

No different from a high-risk industrial worksite.

Of course, since it was originally a ghost story, some eerie aspects—ones that could act as unrealistic triggers—would remain.

Like this research journal the security captain is tapping on, covered in blood and filth.

'Things like this… it kind of gives off the vibe of a discarded darkness….'

Hmm.

So does that mean this entire space was originally a ghost story?

If I piece things together….

'The Hundred Dreams Corporation extracted pharmaceutical technology from this ghost story… and in the process of stripping it completely, the ghost story itself disappeared…?'

At any rate, the fact that this place is now relatively safe was good information.

'And this….'

The security captain picked up the keycard lying in front of the dream incubator.

The ID card I had found on the dead researcher.

Yuqoe Researcher

■■■

'This says… Yuqoe, right…?'

'I saw it that way too.'

'Ah, I thought so.'

The security captain, fidgeting with the keycard, slowly lowered his gaze and spoke in an unhurried tone.

'Then, by any chance… do you know about the Yuqoe Research Institute…?'

'…!'

The moment I heard that specific name, I realized.

Why the word 'Yuqoe' had felt strangely familiar.

'…The Yuqoe Research Institute!'

From the mysterious candle kit I owned to the ghost story about the theme park I had explored before.

I had come across it repeatedly, but had dismissed it as just another detail.

It was even mentioned a few times in the Darkness Exploration Records.

A ghost story manufacturer.

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

Darkness Exploration Records / Faction

Yuqoe Research Institute

A bizarre group that creates ghost stories with a toy concept. Its scale, personnel, and objectives are all unknown.

Their products have been found in various places, from paranormal shopping platforms like Delusion Home Shopping, Cosmic Mall, and Today’s Catalog, to the attic of an old countryside house.

They are frequently registered as darkness under the Hundred Dreams Corporation. The most infamous case being that theme park.

======================"

"Hmm… there are ghost stories that create ghost stories… and the company favors those…."

The security captain explained.

That the Yuqoe Research Institute was a name frequently encountered within the Hundred Dreams Corporation.

And something I had never heard before.

"I heard that even the very first darkness ever registered in the company had the Yuqoe Research Institute tag on it…."

Huh?

"…Do you know what kind of darkness that was?"

"I don’t know. It was already disposed of… I just overheard the directors talking about it…."

Damn.

"You… remember all of that?"

The security captain looked at me silently.

"I remember everything about the company… all of it."

"……."

"Everything else… I forget a lot of things, but…."

"…Do you want to remember them again?"

The security captain pulled his cap down.

"Not really… it’s not like all of them were good memories."

"……."

That’s only because he forgot them.

"I see. But if there were good memories, maybe someday it wouldn't hurt to find them again? Like a particularly delicious meal. Or a fun place you went to."

"Hmm."

His voice softened slightly.

"That… doesn’t sound too bad."

"Right?"

I smiled and nodded.

"Suddenly ending up in a weird place like this, but you’ve been kind enough to explain everything to me. I doubt there are many employees who know that the very first ghost story registered in Hundred Dreams Corporation had a Yuqoe Research Institute tag…."

"You’re not supposed to know."

"……."

Ah.

The security captain put a finger to his lips.

"So don’t go spreading it around… unless you want to meet the security team…."

A chill ran down my spine.

"Of course… since you faked your death and slipped out… it'll take them a little longer to find you."

"…?!"

Faked my death…? Ah, right.

"Actually, I didn’t manage to escape the company…."

"…?!"

"I’m in Director Ho’s project team now."

I quickly gave him a rundown of my current situation—conveniently skipping over the fact that I had been missing inside a ghost story for a month—and mainly emphasizing that I was now working under a director’s special task force.

"I applied because it seemed like the fastest way to get a wish ticket."

"……."

"I’d appreciate it if you could keep that a secret as well."

"I have no one to tell…."

Huh.

He said something sad in such a casual way and then simply stared into space, lost in thought.

"Director Ho… well, none of the directors in this company are sane…."

Yeah. I’ve learned that very well by now….

"Do you know much about Director Ho?"

"No… Director Ho became a director after I joined the security team…."

Ah.

"I saw Director Cheong a few times… but that was a long time ago…."

The security captain glanced around.

"Anyway… don’t tell the directors about this…."

"Of course."

The employee who originally discovered this facility and reported it to the company was already dead—there was no way I was planning to do the same.

That being the case….

'…Should I share more information?'

I had already shared this location with him. He continued to trust me despite how suspicious my situation looked and even gave me information in return.

'It might be better to strengthen our trust further here.'

I should share what I knew as well.

After all, I had verified that he was a decent person—from the detailed records in Darkness Exploration Records to the actual man standing in front of me.

'Alright.'

"J3, would you take a look at this?"

I reactivated the dormant dream incubator with the keycard.

With a buzzing sound, the panel and the glass chamber lit up….

🥰🥸🤯🧐🤪🥱

"…!"

"If you press this, it seems to create a syrup similar to Hundred Dreams Potion."

I explained, showing the pipes used for charging the dream essence.

"In the future, it might still be possible to charge dream essence separately…."

"That."

A glint appeared in the security captain’s eyes.

"Elite team collector."

Ah.

"Yes. I happened to get my hands on one that was never registered with the company."

"……."

The security captain cautiously reached out and barely touched the collector in my hands before pulling back.

"…They said they weren’t making those anymore…."

"……."

Had the security captain used this type of collector back when he was in B-Squad?

"Are you sure it won’t be tracked…?"

"Yes. It was never registered with the company in the first place."

"Alright…."

The security captain didn’t even ask where I had gotten it.

He just stared at the collector, his eyes filled with nostalgia, before shifting his gaze to the buttons on the dream incubator.

"…Do you recognize any of these emoticons?"

"No…. But this machine itself… it looks similar to something I’ve seen in the company…."

"…!"

As expected.

"The company uses similar machines to produce the potion?"

"Probably… hmm."

The security captain looked at me and gave a faint smile.

"If you’re curious… should I look into it? Yuqoe Research Institute… and some other things…."

…!

"Wouldn’t that be dangerous for you?"

"……."

The security captain returned to his usual unmotivated expression and shrugged lazily.

"It’s not dangerous…."

If you say so.

"Thank you."

"Mm…."

And with that, I gained an internal collaborator in the company.

"Avoid unnecessary risks, but I’d like to ask for three specific things."

A weary yet reliable veteran—security captain J3.

Some time later.

"Take care."

"Mm."

Before dawn, the security captain safely made his way home.

And I, after my conversation with him, pressed a new emoticon to produce a potion.

For reference, the one I pressed was…

🤯

…It was a button I would have never pressed if I were alone.

'Haa.'

Originally, I had planned to give it to the security captain as a thank-you gift, but he refused with a dead-eyed stare….

—I don’t… need something like that.

—…Okay.

I’ll find something else to give him next time.

I fiddled with the glass bottle in my pocket as I watched him leave.

…By the way, (not that it was surprising), the security captain didn’t even own a smartphone.

I stopped by a convenience store, bought a prepaid SIM card, backed up my old phone, factory reset it, inserted the SIM, and handed it to him.

Then, as soon as a store opened, I bought myself a new phone.

"You can contact me at this number."

"Yeah…."

This man seemed to have no worldly desires outside of donuts….

'So this is what happens when corruption reaches extreme levels.'

I dropped him off about a 12-minute walk from the company on my way to return the taxi.

"Whew."

And just like that, my long night shift ended.

'The Bureau work is finally wrapped up!'

I returned the taxi on time and received a positive evaluation for fulfilling my assigned role!

"Good work."

"It was nothing…!"

It was absolute hell, but I figured denial was the right move here. I ignored my right hand giving me a thumbs-up and nodded at the Bronze Agent.

And after getting some much-needed rest during my time off and learning the necessary paperwork…

"Today, you’ll be working here."

When I returned to work at the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau’s headquarters, I saw a familiar face.

Jang Heo-woon.

"Ah…!"

My colleague’s eyes lit up when he saw me, but he quickly lowered his head, pretending to be formal.

The superior standing in front of him chuckled and extended a hand to the Bronze Agent beside me.

"It’s been a while, Bronze Agent. Ah, so this is the new recruit?"

"Y-Yes…! Please take care of me."

That’s right.

Today, I was finally starting my long-awaited field cleanup duty…!

'I will prove my worth at all costs!'

***

…

I failed.