Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work-Chapter 174
The lizard became a theme park employee.
No, really!
Kim Soleum stared blankly at Manager Lee Jaehun, who, instead of checking out this morning, suddenly expressed a firm intent to be employed.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
And in no time, he had signed the employment contract. The sight of Manager Lee Jaehun in his uniform was truly, truly...
‘Huh, it suits him.’
Given the lizard appearance, he really looked like a theme park employee...
“Is it over there?”
Yeah.
Naturally assigned as security personnel, Manager Lee Jaehun was placed near the front gate to work.
‘I’m counting on you to handle the troublesome guests…’
By the way, the person standing next to him, Jang Heowoon, was looking at the sweet room voucher in his hand with a confused expression, unsure what to do.
That’s right. I had already heard what Jang Heowoon had done!
Actually, I went to see Manager Lee Jaehun last night. The resort is short-staffed, and I can’t leave here...
And so, Jang Heowoon was promoted to the position of personnel manager.
“......!?”
It was a pyramid-like structure, but no one cared since they were all just out to make a quick buck!
Still... Kim Soleum felt a strange sense of discomfort.
‘How did they know?’
That there was a need for more staff to escape this resort.
“Ah? So, naturally... Ah, we needed three people to work at the resort just to stamp a document, so I thought the next step might be similar... We need more staff,”
Hmm.
If it was reasoning, it was impressive, but it felt a little weird, so Kim Soleum decided to remember it.
‘Anyway, it's a good thing.’
Manager Lee Jaehun would certainly be a person with a noble sense of involvement, even as a superior, for the survival of many employees... though, considering he’s an alien...
This brought them one step closer to escaping!
However, there was someone watching this scene nervously.
‘Shit.’
The ladybug employee rolled his eyes.
With a manual for responding to insane room service now available, he started to think of other things.
It was crazy, but in a ghost story, the notion of ‘success’ falling behind meant a direct threat to survival.
He bit back his anger, looking at Jang Heowoon in the bison mask.
‘Isn’t that bastard only saving himself?’
Stories of bizarre beings only became clichés once they passed the benchmark for ‘successful’ clearing.
‘This isn’t going to work.’
In the end, he tricked the ferret employee into signing the employment contract with lies and threatening statements.
The ferret mask, terrified, was on the brink of panic after hearing about how the lizard manager had to work.
‘This is it.’
The ladybug employee expected to get a position for himself but...
Can I go?
The yellow mascot, on the other hand, told the ferret employee that he was free to leave.
After glaring at him for a moment, he suddenly said...
‘Shit!’
Is this because he’s useless?
Still, the ferret employee, hanging on, was eventually hired, so he was somewhat satisfied.
Read latest chapters at freёweɓnovel.com Only.
One more guinea pig...
At that moment.
Standard mascots swarmed in and set something up in the center of the lobby.
Look at this.
A massive gacha machine had appeared in the middle of the lobby.
“......??”
The ladybug employee momentarily forgot everything and stared blankly at the huge, sparkling glass decoration that looked like a Christmas tree.
What... is this?
As if to inform them, a flashy sign appeared in front.
[Welcome Gift Gacha]
Come meet some wonderful items to help with your relaxation.
Inside, looking like a giant snow globe, were wrapped gifts.
Guests could press the button to pull a gift out of it.
Kim Soleum, inside the yellow mascot, was watching this with a satisfied look.
‘Gambling for probability always gives you dopamine...’
By the way, the special gift was wrapped in golden packaging, and pulling it upgraded the room to a top-floor suite.
No one would mind, as everything inside was good and there were no bad prizes... Haha.
‘Take this and stay quietly in your rooms.’
The yellow mascot showered the guests with bribes!
“Ooh, it's so shiny! I love shiny things! Can I pull one?”
Yeah.
Gift.
It didn’t end there.
They were upgrading rooms for each visitor with an excuse...
‘What’s going on?’
Truly a giveaway-style operation!
The ladybug employee, amidst confusion and surprise, looked at the mascot.
And then, it hit him.
‘Isn’t this trying to pressure the guests to stay longer in the theme park by luring them with these gifts and increase the resort owner’s stature?’
No!
It wasn’t that!
Kim Soleum, who was running an entertainment-style board game with all the chips bet on escape, looked at the guests with pride.
By the way, from today, they even put a sign on the glass door in front of the lobby saying ‘A peaceful space for relaxation.’
It seemed effective, as some troublesome guests were being turned away at the entrance.
‘Good.’
The yellow mascot sighed in relief, thinking he was finally getting the hang of how to manage the resort as it entered its second day.
But, just before closing time that day...
An unexpected incident began to unfold.
I looked at the employee candidate... no, the hopeful guest lacking funds.
With dull eyes, still appearing human, the person anxiously searched their pockets, trembling.
“Ah, I don’t have any... I don’t have any money...!”
Oh!
I extended my hand in a welcoming gesture and kindly spoke.
Then.
Work.
Labor is also counted!
“Eek!”
But the person ran straight for the door instead. I was willing to let them sleep in the lobby...
I hoped they would leave the theme park before business hours ended. I glanced at my front paw, tasting the air.
‘Finding the last one... difficult.’
Failure to recruit someone in exchange for accommodation fees.
Still, I thought maybe one person would eventually be caught.
‘...How much longer?’
It might take longer than I thought, and I started to feel a bit anxious, but since this was not a situation where I should panic, I kept it under control.
I am a mascot.
And...
-See you next time~
‘It’s the closing time today.’
The theme park’s business day ended.
Second day concluded.
“Ahhhhh!”
“Resort!”
The last guests rushed through the door, and the standard mascots prepared to close the doors, standing by on both sides.
Manager Lee Jaehun, still learning the ropes, stood behind a standard mascot holding a baton, being taught something.
‘Manager’s a newbie...’
Just then, a loud noise sounded.
“…!”
Someone roughly pushed open the glass door and entered the lobby.
“Welcome... eek.”
I heard Jang Heowoon gasp next to me, holding back a gag.
...At first, I thought it was a monster.
A bloody creature with human limbs growing instead of arms.
But when I looked closer, it was actually a small person dragging others by their arms.
...It might have seemed like a gruesome sight.
If only what they were dragging were not broken bodies, limbs shattered and heads cracked, dragging behind like garbage.
“Hoo,”
The cleaning employee, a rat mascot, hurriedly covered their mouth. Pure fear, coming from the threat to survival rather than supernatural terror.
The creature dragged two thick trails of blood across the lobby floor, weaving through the guests who had entered and rapidly approaching the front desk...
“......”
Huh?
It wasn’t fear, but a strange emotion rising.
Discomfort.
‘You shouldn’t cut in line.’
Isn’t that rude?
And why, so blatantly dirtying the floor like this?
They could have left the corpse in the lobby, or at least left it to the standard mascots, who would kindly take care of it!
It’s undignified.
It doesn’t fit our resort.
I, along with the standard mascots, stared at it.
‘......’
But, as we made eye contact with the person at the front desk, this strange and sudden feeling of discomfort vanished.
The small figure, bloodied, looked up at me at the front desk, gasping for breath...
“One room, please.”
‘...!!’
Dolphin mask.
...It was Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae!
‘Why, why is he ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) here?’
Shouldn’t he have left yesterday? Why is he still here, and...
‘How did he survive last night?’
In a theme park that had closed for business.
Dragging two dead bodies.
‘...Wait!’
I barely confirmed the horrific appearance of the bodies in Lee Seonghae’s hands.
Masks and formal suits.
They were the teammates who had drawn red cards, just like Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae.
A chill ran down my spine.
‘They were dead, and he was dragging them around.’
When physical distance was too far, they died by strangulation.
‘......’
I felt something was off, but as a mascot, I had to kindly attend to him.
Accommodation.
“Ah.”
Thud.
Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae dropped the bodies carelessly on the floor and handed me something small, golden, covered in blood.
“How about this?”
It was solid gold.
It seemed like something originally intended to be decoration, broken apart.
‘Gold.’
If I were my usual self, I’d think it was a good profit, considering I was already low on funds, but...
As a mascot, I couldn’t... sigh.
No.
I pulled out a plastic coin, the cheerful token, from under the desk and showed it to him.
However, Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae showed no reaction. Naturally, it seemed he didn’t have any of the tokens...
Ah.
Then...
Work?
This might work after all.
I nervously watched his mouth.
Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae’s lips parted...
“Alright!”
Wow!
“But my legs are both cracked, so... I can't do any sitting work. Hehe.”
‘......’
What is he saying so innocently?
Now that I think about it, it seems like he’s barely moving because he doesn’t even notice the surroundings and is struggling just to get around.
He probably needs to rest quickly.
‘I’ll ask him for the details tomorrow.’
I quickly handed him the employment contract, and Lee Seonghae carefully examined the document...
“But there’s no compensation section here?”
Ah.
Right. For the employee, that’s the most important part of the contract.
‘We were in a rush...’
We made a resort and started regular operations in just half a day after everything was in ruins.
Wait a minute.
I quickly scribbled on the back of the labor contract.
The employee is entitled to housing during the time they work at this resort.
Hmm.
And, additionally...
If the three facilities at the resort successfully operate, the employee will be able to take one item of their choice from the souvenir shop once it opens.
That way, they might be able to get an item.
‘It’s worth trying.’
I’m not sure if a souvenir shop will really be created, but considering the other theme park areas, this is a plausible guess.
“Oh, nice.”
After reviewing all the wording, Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae took the pen and signed energetically.
Employee: Dolphin
In that moment, something extraordinary happened.
“Ah.”
The bloodstains on Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae’s body disappeared, replaced by a neat uniform, and his disheveled hair was tidied up and neatly tied back.
On the areas with severe injuries, there were buckles or stickers shaped like mascots, adding a decoration that made him look like a proper theme park employee.
...It was like a lie.
“Oh.”
Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae jumped in place and raised both hands.
“I feel so light!”
That’s a relief.
‘It’s not just the uniform; it seems to transform him into a full-fledged employee.’
It’s to ensure he can work properly.
Good.
Now, I need to guide Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae to a room... Ah!
Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae is trying to drag the bodies again. Aaah!
No!
The uniform will get dirty!
‘This is creepy.’
I suppressed the goosebumps that rose as I looked at the two bodies Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae had carelessly tossed on the floor.
Then I pointed with my finger.
Leave it.
“If I leave them, I’ll die...”
In the resort.
It’s fine.
Strictly speaking, all my employees are part of me as mascots.
So, when they’re working as employees, they seem to be recognized as a group within the resort.
‘So, everyone’s working at their respective posts now.’
And as for the bodies from my team... hmm. They’ve automatically become part of my crew.
Now, they’re mine.
I watched the standard mascots move the two bodies somewhere.
...Let’s not worry about what happens next. It’s mentally unhealthy, and I don’t have the luxury to focus on those things right now.
Let’s take care of the living.
Today...
Rest.
I handed Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae a well-wrapped welcome gift that hadn’t been put in the machine yet.
It was a golden flower-scented candle that would help with insomnia.
“Oh.”
Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae, while watching the flame dance, drew a small flower shape in the air and smiled faintly.
“You’re such a kind mascot.”
Thank you.
Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae clenched his fists and raised them up.
It looked like the dolphin was cheering.
“So, where will I be working from tomorrow?”
Well...
‘I think he’s really going to handle the troublesome guests well.’
But I also think he’ll end up getting into bloody fights with customers who make unreasonable demands or even try to kill them...
‘Hmm.’
I postponed the assignment.
Let’s wait a little longer.
“Yes.”
Because, soon, new positions will be created.
‘Resort expansion.’
After closing time that day.
Second-day performance:
Visitors: 102
Guests: 67
Rooms used: 41
Satisfied visitors: 33 / 45
Revenue: Cheerful tokens x62
‘Done.’
I received a pretty good report card.
‘Satisfaction was decent even on the first day.’
I think I’ll be able to verify the effectiveness of the ‘social distancing’ theme starting today, on the second day.
The important thing is...
‘Now I can expand the facilities.’
I looked at the documents.
Needed for resort facility expansion:
3 employees – Done.
30 satisfied guests – Done.
Opening is progressing smoothly! Most of the guests seem satisfied, and the primary reason for satisfaction seems to be the ‘theme park-style accommodation.’
I’m looking forward to the effect of the new bedding and welcome gifts bought with the revenue investment.
And... this resort seems ready to open new facilities.
What facility should I open?
I looked at the pen moving swiftly in my hand.
The expected words filled the document.
Spa
Restaurant
Fitness Center
Swimming Pool
‘...Phew.’
Since I had already thought it through, it wasn’t difficult.
Let’s see.
Given the tendencies of the current employees and the clichés of ghost stories...
‘This one.’
I picked up the pen and circled one of the facilities.
Spa ○
Restaurant
Fitness Center
Swimming Pool
The restaurant is a staple in ghost stories, the fitness center has a high gore risk, and the swimming pool overlaps with the blue zone, so I excluded them.
‘Then, it’s the spa.’
Let everyone enjoy a sauna and massage!
I felt satisfied with the decision.
By the way, this choice would lead to an unexpected outcome.
Two days later...
The number of visitors to our resort would surge sevenfold...
‘......!’
And.
...On the same day.
The first death occurs.
