Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work-Chapter 173

The first day of resort operations was progressing smoothly.

"Hoo."

Inside the mascot suit, I was drenched in cold sweat.

"T-There are too many problem guests."

To be precise, when I say "problem guests," I mean something out of a horror movie—terrifying and ominous guests appearing at a rate of one in three.

"I need Room 404. It has to be Room 404. And never come looking for me again."

"Come burn to death with me."

"There sure are a lot of elevators here... Hehehehehehehehehe."

And now, I'm starting to realize that it's actually more convenient when they reveal themselves outright.

...Because the room service requests are starting to get out of hand.

Calls that suddenly disconnect, guests pretending to desperately call for help only to burst into maniacal laughter when questioned, eerie and incomprehensible apocalyptic religious sermons—

"This is terrifying."

This is just a Napolitan urban legend hotel.

Someone save me. I'm going to lose my mind.

The only comfort I have is that today is finally coming to an end.

Check-in for the day is almost over.

Once operations close, I'll need to review the results of our first opening day.

"The theme park is closing too, it seems."

The resort seems to shut down together with the theme park, except for the night duty staff.

-Ahahahaha!!

Outside, in the distance, fireworks were exploding.

...Over in the Magic Bunny Zone’s red section, some kind of horrific and amusing parade must have started. I could hear guests murmuring about how disappointed they were to have missed it.

"That insane red zone is still operating as usual, huh..."

For once, I was grateful that mascots couldn’t leave their assigned areas.

Another thing I realized—a large portion of the problem guests at this resort were those who had primarily visited the Magic Bunny Zone.

For example, right now—

"Excuse me. I don't have eyes. If I don’t have eyes, I can’t close them. If I can’t close them, I can’t sleep. And if I can’t sleep, then what’s the point of renting a room? Give me eyes. Eyes."

"E-Er, please wait a moment. I’ll check our stock..."

"You have stock! You have them! You have them!!!"

"Hurk."

Get lost!

I barely managed to rescue Jang Heoun before his eyes got plucked out, slamming the horrifying figure out the front door.

"Eyes!!! Eyes!!"

The empty eye sockets covering its entire body blinked as it howled, but the basic model mascot suit’s intimidation worked, forcing it to retreat.

In the corner, a janitor wearing a rat mask was huddled up, only pretending to sweep the floor, looking like he wanted to disappear entirely.

Understandable. If I hadn’t been wearing a mascot suit, I might have fainted too...

'...Can’t we just refuse them at the entrance beforehand?'

The sooner we drive them out, the better—before they even set foot inside.

We’ve already added three new rules to the employee manual today alone...

"Hoo."

While I was contemplating how to handle this issue, taking advantage of the quiet moment with few check-ins left—

A guest suddenly burst through the glass doors.

"HELP ME!"

No, wait—they might not even be a guest.

A staff member wearing a weasel mask—part of the on-site exploration team—ran straight toward the ladybug-masked staff sitting at the room service call desk, grabbing onto them desperately.

"M-Manager! Manager! Please save me! I tried to exit through the gate, but I can't get out...!"

"S-Sir? What are you talking about...?"

"No matter what I do, I can't leave! I can’t even go back to the blue zone! They say my admission ticket is already used! Please help me, help me...!"

"...I’m very sorry, sir!"

The ladybug staff member gently but firmly pushed him away and pointed to the front desk.

"I'm not in charge of guidance. If you have questions regarding the exit, please inquire at the front desk over there."

"......"

The weasel-masked employee froze, stiff as a board.

With a creaking motion, he slowly turned his head.

Our eyes met.

Welcome.

You’re safe here.

I’m an ally.

But—he immediately turned back and tried to run out the glass door.

Wait, where does he think he’s going to sleep?

No, more importantly, how did he even get here in the first place? Did he slip past without scanning his ticket?

And then—

"...!"

Just as another guest was entering the lobby, they suddenly grabbed onto the weasel-masked staff who was trying to flee.

...It was the Lizard Manager!

Wait—why are you still here?!

Assistant Manager Lee Jaheon strode into the front desk, practically dragging the trembling weasel-masked employee with him.

Then, he looked me straight in the eyes—

"Good evening."

Good evening.

Then, he held out a small rectangular badge-like object.

It was a lodging coupon.

'...??'

Where did you get this?

"The Blue Dream Water Park mascot is distributing them as event prizes."

"......"

Wow.

"Why... would they do that?"

No, actually—is that even allowed?!

I instinctively reached for my appointment documents hidden under the front desk.

My pen started moving on its own.

The Blue Dream mascot has apparently been hosting an unauthorized experience event, possibly as a gesture of welcome.

Though it is a borderline case of exceeding authority, since they are a fellow theme park mascot, we will let it slide this time.

That never happened.

It might help promote the resort’s opening.

Do we really have to do this...?

Also—that mascot personally guaranteed to pay for all the free coupons it distributed.

Ha.

Suppressing a sigh, I forcefully controlled the pen as it tried to scribble on its own.

In the end, I decided to only charge them the employee-discounted price.

'Let’s maintain friendly relations, at least.'

It was obviously a goodwill gesture, after all.

But how am I supposed to receive the payment? I can't go over to their side.

During theme park operating hours, the Blue Dream Water Park mascot can be found near the gate leading to their section.

Well... thanks for the heads-up, I guess.

I stifled another sigh and closed the document.

Then, I took the coupon and met the lizard manager’s blank stare once again.

Why are you still here?

Go outside.

"Blue Dream Water Park is currently undergoing maintenance on all other gates. The only operational gate is the one leading here."

Oh, for fu—

'No wonder we had so many guests on opening day!'

Why are they forcefully sending people here?!

"And guests who received event coupons cannot leave."

"...!"

"It seems their admission ticket is considered not fully used."

Ah.

They haven't 'enjoyed' the theme park enough.

That’s probably why Assistant Manager Lee Jaheon and the weasel-masked employee couldn’t get out.

'Welcome.'

I couldn’t just let them disappear into the closed theme park.

Taking the coupon from the weasel-masked staff’s trembling hands, I assigned them both a deluxe room.

And I even had a basic model mascot escort them to their rooms.

'I'll put them on a quiet floor with well-behaved guests.'

Including our own staff.

Please, let’s not find any corpses tomorrow morning.

"M-Mascot."

While things had settled, Jang Heoun softly whispered.

"Thank you. For helping me..."

It's fine.

Honestly, the fact that he thanked me for simply helping a forcibly contracted employee was surprising.

'How did you even survive Daydream Corporation?'

And at that moment—

-♩♪♬♬♩♬♬♩♪♪

The theme park background music changed.

'...!'

A cheerful... ending song.

-See you again next time~

The dazzling, radiant lights of the theme park began shutting down.

One by one.

'...Closing time!'

The theme park came to a halt.

The basic model mascots locked the lobby’s glass doors.

And at that moment—

"LET US INNNNN!!"

Over a dozen figures slammed into the glass doors, pounding on them like maniacs.

...They must be guests who failed to leave in time.

But—the doors would not open.

The mascots simply waved goodbye like friendly theme park characters.

Blood splattered against the glass. Hands were crushed. Some wailed, banging their heads.

But still, the doors would not open.

Then, the resort’s streetlights began to go out.

Tick.

Ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-tick.

Watching the darkness spread from the distance, the panicked guests outside finally ran off into the night.

To where, even I don’t know...

'......'

My heart pounded violently.

Above, the grand chandelier in the lobby dimmed.

Only the soft glow of gas lamps remained, gently wrapping the resort in a warm, eerie light.

Today’s operations had ended.

"Hoo."

A cold sigh, laced with both fear and relief, escaped my lips.

"Day one—complete."

At any rate, I survived.

Good job.

At my words, the staff collapsed into chairs or hung their heads in exhaustion.

Now.

Break time.

Everyone except the night shift could go get some rest.

For the record, I’m on night duty. …Apparently, mascots don’t need sleep. Sob.

"If anything happens, I’m the best one to handle it."

It was terrifying, but I had to endure. If I passed the responsibility to someone else, I might wake up to find the resort completely wrecked.

One by one, I assigned rooms to the exhausted and drained employees.

"Please rest well…"

For the love of everything, just sleep. Don’t get curious and start exploring.

Once everyone had left, I lingered in the lobby for a bit before heading back to the manager’s office.

"Hoo."

I briefly considered removing the mascot suit but… if I took it off and somehow lost my status as a mascot, that’d be bad.

Besides, it was strangely ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) becoming more comfortable.

"It’s like being wrapped in a fluffy blanket."

It was a bit heavy and suffocating, but still tolerable. In the end, I simply sat down at my desk and picked up my pen.

New novel 𝓬hapters are published on ƒreewebɳovel.com.

Time to review the day’s business report.

Day 1 Operations Report

Visitors: 78Guests: 45Rooms Used: 27Satisfied Guests: (Still calculating)Revenue: 51 “Cheerful Coins”

Cheerful Coins?

"Are they the plastic tokens we received as payment?"

To confirm, I had a basic model mascot bring them over.

Indeed, there were exactly 51.

"So that’s the currency here."

If this place operates like a board game, then these coins must be usable somewhere.

"Should I try using them to buy resort supplies?"

That seemed logical.

Alternatively, I could upgrade the resort’s facilities or make it more luxurious.

Either way, I’d choose whatever would benefit the resort the most.

"Hmm."

I crossed my arms. Though I looked a bit awkward wobbling in the suit, I was still managing.

"To make the resort safer… I need to block problem guests in advance."

If I could alter the resort, the solution was simple.

"I just need to make it unappealing for them to come."

I grabbed the resort rulebook and began adding a new entry.

2. To ensure a peaceful stay for our guests, all disruptive behavior is strictly prohibited within the resort.

All amenities, welcome gifts, and services will be provided immediately at check-in, ensuring a calm and sophisticated environment for your relaxation.

STRICT SOCIAL DISTANCING!

"It’s like those clothing stores that advertise ‘no pushy sales tactics’ as a selling point."

Now, I could add this next part naturally.

If a guest disrupts another guest’s peaceful rest, their room may be canceled.

But… this was still a resort attached to a theme park.

The logic of "You’ve had your fun, now get some rest" made sense, but it could backfire.

Some guests might complain about "lack of service" or "boredom."

And I needed guest satisfaction to unlock more facilities and escape this place.

Alright.

I’ll buy the highest-tier amenities and welcome gifts with Cheerful Coins.

On top of that, I’ll replace all the bedding with the most luxurious options.

Full-on "freebie" strategy.

Investing in infrastructure? That’s for long-term managers.

I was just milking this place for all it’s worth before I escaped.

Game money it is!

Hahahaha!

...Ha.

Hoo.

"But seriously, where am I supposed to find more staff?"

The people who used those free coupons today were definitely going to run away tomorrow.

No way around it.

"Ugh."

"For now, I’ll just focus on picking out supplies…"

And so, the night shift passed by.

A Few Minutes Earlier

Before Kim Soleum descended into a shopping spree of madness—

Lee Jaheon took the antique wooden elevator up to the third floor, where he had been assigned a room.

The basic model mascot that had guided him opened his door, waved a few times in a vaguely friendly manner, and then politely disappeared.

Now, he was alone.

"……."

Like any hotel room, it was a bit cramped, but it had a Baroque-style atmosphere fitting for a theme park.

Brass decorations and glass art pieces reflected dim light.

He walked past the crystal stand lamp and headed for the bed.

On the nightstand, there was a beautiful gold-embossed welcome letter.

For Guest Lizard,

Welcome to the fantastic retreat of Flower Golden Resort!

To ensure a comfortable and relaxing stay, we have prepared this simple resort guide.

We hope you enjoy all the cheerfulness this resort has to offer.

The first rule was just the usual courtesy and etiquette statement.

But then—

Lee Jaheon’s eyes moved downward.

The second rule… was being added in real time.

2. To ensure a peaceful stay for our guests, all disruptive behavior is strictly prohibited within the resort.

"……."

And at that moment—

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone was at the door.

Lee Jaheon immediately put down the paper and approached the door.

The knocking didn’t stop.

It grew faster, more frequent.

Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock.

Click.

He opened the door without hesitation.

If Kim Soleum had seen this, he would have torn his hair out, yelling "DO I NEED TO ADD 'IGNORE SUSPICIOUS KNOCKING' TO THE RULEBOOK?!"

But Lee Jaheon remained unfazed.

And standing at his door was—

"Ah, good evening."

A staff member.

Jang Heoun.

He had removed his uniform after his shift and was now back in a business suit.

A golden bow tie peeked out from his front pocket.

He looked nervous and restless, glancing down the hallway before quickly speaking.

"I apologize for the sudden visit, sir. But actually…."

With a resolute expression, he raised his head.

"Would you be interested in working at this resort? …We need more staff."

Lee Jaheon’s vertical pupils stared at him.

***

The Next Morning.

"I want to work at this resort."

"…?!"

The yellow mascot dropped the entire stack of welcome gifts onto the floor!