Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work-Chapter 166
The night I escaped from the Mermaid Grave.
I was able to immediately meet with Director Ho at the designated waiting area of the Fox Counseling Room.
And…
“Oh my, you must have had a tough time. Soleum-nim! Don't worry about the body tissue you harvested. I'll recover it right away.”
“…Yes. Thank you.”
The conversation ended much more smoothly than I expected...
‘This easy?’
To be honest, it wasn’t my fault, but the fact that I had to have an emergency meeting with the director, even though it wasn’t a regular report, was a nerve-wracking situation for someone of my lower rank.
But Director Ho listened to my story with great interest, even clapping his hands in delight.
He only showed a moment of indirect discomfort once.
“So, that’s why the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau’s support team came to the company headquarters.”
Damn it.
“Ah, I’m not complaining about Soleum-nim! It’s just that they’re such a hypocritical group, so I instinctively find it uncomfortable to get closer to them.”
“......”
Did you really say that while having a spy planted in their ranks?
And honestly... their personality isn’t even comparable to that of Daydream Corporation.
‘I think our company should be the one to drop the hypocrisy...’
Where exactly does that almost hateful aversion to the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau come from? It's bizarre.
“I’m sorry if my personal feelings made you uncomfortable, Soleum-nim.”
“It’s fine.”
Anyway, the conversation went smoothly, and Director Ho wrapped it up with ease.
“Anyway, don’t worry about these things at all. Just let me know anytime!”
And…
“Is there anything else that makes you uncomfortable?”
I had been waiting for this.
‘...The atmosphere seems fine now.’
Just the two of us.
It’s time to ask when I can. I poured another cup of hot water into Director Ho’s green tea and said.
“It’s not uncomfortable, but... there is one point of concern.”
“Feel free to tell me.”
Director Ho nodded with a look that seemed to say, ‘I’m so sorry that you’re worried.’
So, I explained.
“There’s a darkness that I’ll need to enter soon.”
“......”
About the Happy Theme Park.
I didn’t specifically mention the blue mascot there, but considering how often I’ve encountered bizarre entities while exploring creepy tales, Director Ho must have easily understood the situation.
“I almost died, but when I promised to ‘visit again next time,’ they let me go.”
The rest of my explanation was reasonable.
At the time, I was still working at the company, so I naturally assumed I’d be able to re-enter the “Happy Theme Park” without any issues, but now, with things turning out like this, I can no longer go in.
‘You assigned the spy mission, didn’t you?’
And based on what I’ve seen of Director Ho’s personality up to now, if I were to make such a request...
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“Happy Theme Park…”
Director Ho smiled brightly.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you can enter as quickly as possible, Soleum-nim!”
Just as expected.
“Thank you. I was really worried that if I couldn’t enter within a month or two, it might make my work impossible due to personal issues…”
I nodded seriously.
“Thanks to your intervention, I’ll be able to focus on my work with peace of mind.”
So, give me access within a month.
If you don’t, I might die, spy or not.
I trust that message was conveyed clearly.
“Of course. It’ll be ready in no time. Don’t worry.”
It was nice to have someone as efficient as him.
‘Surprisingly, maybe he’s not such a bad superior, as long as you don’t hit his crazy trigger...’
It was the first time I’d agreed with that section head’s opinion about Director Ho.
“Thank you.”
With that, the urgent report ended with a tense atmosphere.
Director Ho stood up, saying he’d go in soon, and I saw him off before quickly preparing to head back.
“Oh, by the way, I did have a question I wanted to ask you…”
Director Ho, who was about to leave, stared at me silently.
“You don’t use the Fox Counseling Room?”
“......”
Ah, crap.
“If you go into the counseling room, you don’t have to worry about running into other employees. It would be great if you actively used it to heal both your contamination and mental trauma.”
Would I?
‘This place seems way too connected to you...!’
It’s almost ridiculous that the counseling room is closed whenever I come for a report.
If I heard that Director Ho was bribing the counselor for commissions and stealing employee counseling information, I’d almost believe it.
One thing’s clear, though—this space, this ghost story, is definitely within Director Ho’s domain.
That’s why I’ve been intentionally avoiding the Fox Counseling Room until now.
‘It’s awkward.’
Even though it did help me a lot during the last session.
Besides, now that the senior burned away my infection traces, I don’t really need to go.
But I couldn’t just speak all that out loud, so I simply nodded.
“Yes. I’ll try my best. But, including this space, the Fox Counseling Room is a darkness, and that person is not a real counselor…”
‘I’ll keep that in mind,’ I was about to finish my sentence when...
“Exactly.”
“…!”
“The ‘real counselor,’ yes.”
The warmth disappeared from Director Ho’s voice.
It came out with a tone that was somewhat numb, rising without any particular emotion.
“He’s a darkness, so he’s even more firmly bound by the professional discipline of being a counselor. He knows exactly what he’s doing, and he takes pride in being a professional.”
“......”
“So, I just want to say that you can trust the teacher at the Fox Counseling Room!”
“…Yes.”
“Also... he’s quite concerned about the state of client Kim Soleum.”
“......”
Tap. Tap. Director Ho patted my shoulder as if encouraging me.
“Well then, I’ll go in now. I’ll see you during the regular report, Soleum-nim!”
“Yes. Director.”
The urgent report came to a close.
***
‘...The Fox Counseling Room and Director Ho.’
And Director Ho was a figure not even properly recorded in the darkness exploration records.
...I had a feeling there were some hidden settings I’d yet to uncover. I’d like to confirm that a bit more, but...
‘Right. Let’s focus on the wish rights.’
Don’t forget. The purpose and means shouldn’t be reversed.
Let’s finish this spy job quickly, then focus on earning the wish rights so I can go home.
...In that sense, I probably got too absorbed in the ‘Twinkling Dragon Palace’ ghost story and pushed too hard to get all the kids out...
“Phew.”
But, at least there was an additional harvest.
“The Dream Liquid rating has gone up.”
I looked at the golden liquid that filled the elite team’s collector.
The sparkling B-rank or higher Dream Liquid.
Considering that the Mermaid Grave was rated C-rank, this was irregular.
‘Did I pull the core of that biological disaster to get the rank up?’
It was a possibility.
And while I was checking, I also took out the recovery potion I had secretly stored in my wrist tattoo and squeezed it into a plastic bottle.
The recovery potion meant for kids with severe contamination or foreign elements.
‘Drinking this means I’ll be moved to ‘somewhere’ the research team has set up, right?’
It was probably one of the research team’s experimental spaces, but just in case, I decided not to dispose of it and keep it for later.
I sighed in relief and stored the potion back in the tattoo.
Then I rummaged through the space again.
‘At least the items stored in the tattoo exist separately from each other, so that’s a relief.’
I almost ended up burying it in this tag card.
I’m a VIP at an intergalactic shopping mall!
Thank you cell enclosed
I also found the golden card that I received from the alien shop months ago, delivered by a tentacled deliveryman.
This must be the ‘VIP card’ that section head Jeo mentioned, right?
‘Hmm.’
I carefully examined the card letter, then gently rubbed it.
As I did, I felt something thin inside the slightly thick card.
“…!”
When I carefully peeled off one layer of the card paper, a small, sealed... chip-like object was revealed.
‘...It looks like a SIM card.’
It had a sticker with a bold font.
"Feed cells wherever you are!"
"Healthy and peaceful purchase"
※Quick connection to counselor guaranteed※
“......”
I really hope they hired a professional translator for this...
‘Feed...’
For now, it seems like this chip is for cells, and it looks like I’m supposed to eat it, but ‘healthy and peaceful purchase’?
‘It reminds me of the weird conversations with the lizard lord.’
It’s like a mistranslation from not knowing modern cultural contexts.
Anyway, I decided that I’d try out this ‘cell’ if needed.
‘...The lizard lord isn’t the type to put others at risk with lies or tricks.’
It would probably be more rational to worry about physical danger than getting my head blown off.
“Done.”
I finished the calculations and raised my head.
Anyway, for now, I’ve got the most useful items, so I’ll use those first.
‘The Dream Laboratory’s potions.’
Right.
I’m back at the manhole cover hidden laboratory in the dead of night.
‘It’s even scarier at night.’
However, the Dream Liquid stored in the Dream Cultivator gleamed in mesmerizing colors, so it was somewhat better.
DE 00128313
I also poured the B-rank Dream Liquid I got this time into the container.
The numbers ticked up.
DE 00143126
‘B-rank should be around 15,000 points.’
It’s roughly equivalent to one and a half potions, but there’s actually a caveat here.
The price varies depending on the button pressed.
The first one I picked deducted 10,000 points, but the second one deducted 20,000 points.
‘Maybe it depends on how many stars are on it.’
The first item I picked, "Detective Syrup," had 3 stars, and the next one, "Surprise Syrup," had 4 stars.
These stars…
‘It must be the difference in performance.’
The 4-star potion even worked for a biological disaster, albeit briefly.
However, in simple terms, if we just convert it to the welfare points of Daydream Corporation, it was still more expensive than Daydream’s potions.
‘This dream cultivator is an early model, so its utility might be poor.’
It seems like a better syrup, closer to concentrate, comes out, with more powerful effects than the Daydream potions.
In any case.
‘Until I actually press the button to extract the potion, I won’t know how much will be deducted.’
It’s not user-friendly.
‘I wish I had a research notebook.’
The security team leader said he’d check, but there still hadn’t been any special updates.
I should wait a little longer. Maybe there are other features in this dream cultivator...
But for now, I’ll use it for its current utility and make sure to pick a potion each week.
So, now, the time of choice.
??????
“Hmmm.”
There is a safe way to extract the potion whose effect has been confirmed, but…
‘Maybe it’s better to prepare a bit more before entering the theme park.’
The effect needs to be confirmed quickly when the timing allows. There may be even more useful things.
For now, I’ll use all the available methods to find the most useful one.
‘Assumption and deduction.’
In that sense, the button I’m checking this time is…
‘The most expensive and effective potion when matched with Daydream Corporation’s potions.’
??????
Click.
“Alright.”
At the same time as 30,000 points were deducted, a small bottle of syrup came out of the exit.
I grabbed the sparkling turquoise liquid.
Children’s Disguise Syrup
(Green Grape Flavor)
★★★★★
An expensive potion. Sniper success.
***
The next day.
I took a full day off, as the agents had told me I could rest. I went to work late the following day.
“Podo Agent, thank you for your hard work.”
Thankfully, thanks to the agents from Team Hyeonmu 1, who had already nearly finished the situation report, I was able to wrap up the tasks related to the "Twinkling Dragon Palace" ghost story with a light response.
‘I’m incredibly grateful.’
I received various words of encouragement from the agents.
And then….
Good news.
“They’ve found guardians for more than half of the kids.”
“......!”
“Since the method of entry is so distinctive, it seems there were many cases collected in our database.”
“There was no phenomenon where the rescued citizens disappeared either. …By around 7 PM last night, all were confirmed rescued.”
The faces of the Hyeonmu 1 team agents were unusually bright with joy.
…I probably didn’t look much different.
“And, and, there’s one more surprising piece of news! One of the team members found their younger sibling, who went missing in 1989.”
“......!”
“Some of the agents here came in specifically to find their missing family members.”
Finding missing family.
“Thanks to you, that person finally got their reward for all the years spent searching, and now they can sleep peacefully at night... with their family.”
“......”
“How does that feel?”
How does it feel?
An agent who came in here after spending decades looking for their sibling.
That person, who couldn’t save their sibling because of the distorted time, but finally managed to find them.
How does it feel hearing that they successfully rescued their sibling?
‘Oh my god.’
I felt a chill run down my spine, as if something overwhelming was passing through me.
This wasn’t just satisfaction.
‘This is why we do it.’
It was dangerous.
If I wasn’t careful, I could end up really developing a sense of duty for this job.
‘...No.’
I clenched my lost right hand tightly.
I have to go home.
That’s the only goal I should focus on.
Right now... I don’t even know how many times I’ve narrowly escaped death. Living sanely in a world full of ghost stories, after having consumed them as mere content, was impossible.
‘Purpose and means. They must not be reversed.’
I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself.
But my racing heart wasn’t fully settled.
“Anyway, really well done.”
Agent Choi, who had been listing all kinds of rewards fitting for a successful exploration, smiled brightly as he patted my back.
“Ah, Podo, since you’re still in your probation period, you must be heading off to do something else now, right?”
“Yes. I’ll be guided to another role.”
“Right. I’ve kept you too long. Good luck with the work!”
I waved goodbye to Agent Choi, then followed Agent Bronze.
Thankfully, they didn’t ask me to come back to Hyeonmu Team.
That’s right. The rescue team... it would be too difficult to keep doing this kind of work. Mentally too.
‘Ha.’
I held back a sigh and followed Agent Bronze.
And the place he guided me to was….
[New Investigation Division, Baekho Team 2]
The team with Go Yeong-eun.
“Soleum-ssi!”
As I entered the office, Go Yeong-eun, with a pleasant face, immediately stood up from her seat upon seeing me.
I reflexively turned to look at Agent Bronze.
The other person was faintly smiling. It seemed like they intentionally gave me this assignment, considering we had met at Lucky Mart…
“Since there’s no field work today, you don’t have to move in pairs with me. You can work here in the office. If any issues come up, feel free to visit the Hyeonmu 1 team’s waiting room.”
“…Yes. Thank you.”
I was truly grateful.
Moreover, since it wasn’t fieldwork, I felt more at ease.
‘This is a good time to take it easy for today.’
Of course, I’d still show that I’m someone who belongs with the New Investigation Division, but still.
I bowed my head to Agent Bronze, who was leaving, and entered the office with Go Yeong-eun.
The neat office, which looked like a typical office, was still quiet.
“Since everyone is out on fieldwork, I’m the only one here. Once they come back, we can all greet each other.”
“Yes. I understand.”
I added with a slight sense of hope.
“I’d really appreciate your guidance. Perhaps I’ll be assigned here to work with the department in the future.”
“Ah, well…”
…??
Go Yeong-eun seemed to hesitate when replying.
Why that... ominous reaction?
“…Did I make a mistake?”
“No! It’s not a mistake… sigh.”
Go Yeong-eun gave a strange expression.
“Being too competent, well, I can’t help it…”
Pardon?
“Uh, would you like to... take a look?”
I took the smartphone Go Yeong-eun handed me.
It was a new phone, possibly newly issued for work, with a screen that hadn’t been used much, and what appeared on it was….
[Agent TalkTalk Anonymous Room]
An old-fashioned name for a group messenger anonymous room.
“......”
Wait a minute.
Is this... another group chat that I’m not in…?
“Oh. Apparently, after your probation period ends and you’re officially assigned, they’ll invite you to the group.”
“I see.”
I’m relieved.
‘Hmm.’
I asked Go Yeong-eun for permission and checked the group chat to get a feel for the atmosphere.
"A vending machine has appeared in Seocho-dong, please check with the duty officer quickly."
"The swamp music box... is it okay to just leave it when it’s not working?"
"It’s fine. It’ll be reflected in the rules next month."
"Any recommendations for lunch?
‘Seems like the atmosphere is more relaxed than I thought.’
It looked like the agents were using the room to ask each other for advice when they were in urgent or uncertain situations.
Since they often work alone or are on shift, it naturally became a space for sharing information.
Unlike some companies, there wasn’t ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) a death-survival-style competitive atmosphere, so it seemed more relaxed, and useful information was easily exchanged.
‘Come to think of it, I think I saw this in the .’
Thinking about it that way, it felt somewhat heartwarming. I scrolled through and nodded to myself.
It might be fun to be invited here once...
"The Rookie Destroyer has ruined another disaster."
“......”
Wait a minute.
Is this... me?
‘No way.’
I quickly scrolled down to the latest conversation.
"Thirty people who were trapped in the regular rescue disaster were all rescued, and the city was destroyed."
"Is this true??"
"Hyeonmu 1 team must be thrilled, haha."
"Wow, at that level, it’s not coincidence, it’s real skill... You don’t seem like an ordinary person, probably the first since Team Leader Hong joined."
"I want to be friends..."
"Are you interested in Hyeonmu 3 team? We can really take good care of you, honestly, I’m better than Team Leader Choi."
"Hey, I’m here too^^"
"I know."
“......”
And the conclusion in the group chat was this….
"Looks like someone’s volunteering for the rescue team, haha."
"You’d be the youngest team leader. I hope so~^^"
Please, save me....
