Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work

Chapter 82.1

The morning after clearing a horrific high school ghost story horror game.

Still, the fact that he had to go to work—a reality more haunting than the ghost story itself—meant I was busily preparing to head out.

This time, though, the commute didn’t feel as burdensome.

Because I had something to rely on.

The A-grade liquid filling the Dream Essence Collector.

‘Reassuring.’

I carefully packed the Dream Essence Collector, brimming with golden liquid, into my briefcase.

It was the fruit of my labor from the night before.

Moreover, as he fully rose from bed, I noticed a rather peculiar ‘extra reward’.

Clatter, clatter.

Something that had been covering me spilled onto the floor.

Dozens of… beads?

They were transparent, like they could be loaded into the glass-handled pistol.

I picked one up to examine it closely and read the single Chinese character inscribed within it.

護

This reads as… ‘Hù’, I think?

– Ah, this is a commonly used character symbolizing protection or defense. Fairly straightforward and intuitive.

Ah.

I immediately understood.

‘This is the reward for clearing the game’s final chapter!’

Graduation Ceremony Successfully Completed (2 Deaths, 1 Survivor)

Members of the Field Exploration Team who died as students confirmed to have safely awakened the next morning.

A large number of reward items discovered at the bedside of the sole survivor. (Analyzed to be a type of protective charm with minor effects in exorcism and defense.)

In other words, I had brought items from the dream game into reality.

Just like when Baek Saheon swiped that fountain pen item from the faculty office and ran off with it.

“…Hmmm.”

Thinking about that, I stepped out to the entrance.

Baek Saheon’s shoes were already gone.

‘He’s already bolted to work. Figures.’

I’ll catch up with him later.

Anyway, the dozens of glass beads seemed to function as ‘protective charms’ to some extent.

‘I’m sure they’ll come in handy.’

I tucked all the ‘protective charms’ into my tattoo inventory, keeping just one or two in my pocket, then continued preparing for work.

But.

– ……

– ……

A strange silence seemed to hang in the air.

‘…Braun.’

– Oh, calling for me, are you, Friend?

By any chance.

‘Were you… uncomfortable last night?’

The host of the Tuesday Quiz Show, whose stuffing had nearly been flattened because Soleum used him as a pillow…

– Haha, well, it wasn’t exactly the best feeling of my life!

– Anyone would feel a bit slighted if their friend had such a fun and extraordinary experience alone without inviting them…

Oops.

– Ah, but no matter. It seems my friend had a special time of his own while this Braun was having the unique experience of feeling like a waffle!

“……”

Umm…

‘It was a special time indeed.’

– As I thought!

‘The graduation ceremony was quite intense.’

– A graduation ceremony? Did you give a congratulatory speech?

No.

‘The teacher didn’t like my hosting style and attacked me. I had to endure, losing limbs one by one, until it ended safely.’

– Good heavens!

Though initially offended, Braun quickly grew excited as I explained in detail what had transpired in the dream.

I’ll make it up to him later with that… aromatherapy massage-like thing the tattoo artist did in the evening.

– A most commendable attitude, Mr. Roe Deer! I’d love to hear more.

Sure, sure.

On my way to work, I recounted everything that had happened to me.

From being chased by students to becoming one of them myself.

– Hooh!

Finally, as he arrived at the building and began heading up to his office, he ran into a familiar face.

“Soleum-ssi!”

“Ah, Section Chief Lee Byeongjin.”

It was Lee Byeongjin, the manual revision officer Soleum had rescued from the changgwi ghost story.

He lit up at the sight of me.

“So, the entire Field Exploration Team attempted to enter this ghost story with decent item yields this time!”

Ah, so he already knew about my involvement in the high school ghost story.

Well, it’s not surprising. There was even an official directive for the entire Field Exploration Team to attempt entry.

“What happened to your squad, Soleum?”

“Oh, I went in and came back, but… I’m not sure about the others.”

I doubted Chief Lizard managed to enter.

‘If he had, it would’ve definitely been written in the <Dark Exploration Records>.’

Actually, no, they wouldn’t have even bothered recording it. After all, the perfect counter to this ghost story is Lee Jaheon.

‘A pursuit-based ghost story is meaningless for someone who can just destroy everything with brute force…’

There’s no point in ruining the ghost story mechanics.

Even if my involvement caused some butterfly effect during the exploration, I would’ve noticed if Chief Lizard had been part of this expedition.

‘He wasn’t there.’

…And then.

One other member of D-squad…

Didn’t make it out alive.

‘Huu.’

Just as I was about to say it aloud—

“Oh, right. There are only two people left in D-squad now: Squad Leader and you, Supervisor Soleum, right? I guess you didn’t run into each other.”

“…Pardon?”

“Still, it’s a solo mission, huh? Well, at least our company’s future is in capable hands with the talented Supervisor Soleum, ha-ha!”

……

Excuse me?

“Wait a second. When you say there are only two people left in D-squad…”

“Huh? Oh, wasn’t the personnel decision temporarily put on hold?”

The section chief looked at me quizzically.

“You know, D-squad was told to focus on support work this season since the contaminated member might recover. Didn’t you get that notice?”

“……!”

Ah.

In that moment, I realized something.

Supervisor Yoon Johoon.

The newly assigned member.

He had been eliminated as a ‘glitch’ by the ‘teacher’ in the dream…

And was erased in reality as well.

Literally deleted.

As if he had never existed in the first place.

“……”

That’s right.

‘That’s why people mistakenly believe there were no fatalities in this ghost story.’

At worst, they thought people who were ‘retired’ were just dragged back to the school on the next new moon.

Everyone believed this!

Because…

Those who collected a lot of nametags and stubbornly stayed on the higher floors without retiring… were all ‘deleted’.

They became people who had never existed.

…An unnerving ability to manipulate reality.

‘No wonder the essence was rated A-grade.’

It felt as though a deeper darkness was at work here…

A chill ran down my spine.

Objectively, this situation might not seem bad for me.

After all, someone difficult to work with had conveniently disappeared.

But…

‘It’s no different from having their existence erased.’

My stomach churned.

The fact that I was the only one who remembered him felt profoundly strange.

Wait.

‘Why am I the only one who remembers?’

Shouldn’t we all have forgotten?

Could it be because I witnessed his death directly?

Ah!

Or maybe it was because I had eaten the Nostalgia Candy at the time, and its effects shielded me?

Come to think of it, when I ate the Nostalgia Candy, I…

……n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

……

“S-Soleum-ssi?”

“…Ah. I must have been mistaken about something.”

Anyway, it wasn’t something important, so I decided to refocus on the conversation.

Even if he was from a different team, a superior was still a superior.

At that moment, Section Chief Lee Byeongjin, looking slightly expectant, asked me,

“Oh, by the way, Soleum-ssi, what grade did you clear with? If you show me your collector, I can estimate the liquid concentration and tell you the grade…”

“Ah.”

I readily pulled the collector from my briefcase and showed it to him.

The golden liquid shimmered as it sloshed.