Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work (Novel) - Chapter 46

Chapter 46

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Translated by Jinmu

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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2nd floor.

Go Yeong-eun now asked the guide machine familiarly.

“Did the guests wishing to return home after finishing their viewing go to the lower floors from this 2nd floor above ground?”

Nod.

…!

It was finished.

With this, the answer sheet was practically deduced.

‘If the exit is among the floors above ground, and below the 2nd floor….’

Because only the 1st floor remained.

“Then, if we just go to the 1st floor now and ask for the exit…!”

“Let’s go quickly!”

“Yes!”

Baek Sa-heon and Go Yeong-eun agreed in opinion for the first time.

‘To think that the exit was on the 1st floor, just like the common sense of modern people. By chance, it fits like this.’

For some reason, it felt like we had taken a long way around, making me slightly deflated, but with expectation greater than that, I also quickened my steps.

Now, as long as I figured out the exit and told the superiors waiting on the terrace, everything would be prepared.

-Oh dear, is the viewing of the exhibition finished? What a pity. It feels like there aren’t even five halls that we have properly looked around yet….

Haha. If we look around more, your friend’s eyes, nose, and mouth could disappear.

Before that, they could even pass out!

‘Even now, three people are holding the light and sticking together to hold out.’

I tapped the pocket containing Brown as if soothing it and moved my feet.

Go Yeong-eun’s footsteps, holding the candle, became spirited.

That vigor did not shrink even when meeting the guide machine on the 1st floor. It seemed the desire to get out quickly overwhelmed all fear.

“Hello!”

This time too, the machine responded politely, influenced by the candle, and Go Yeong-eun took a deep breath before requesting energetically.

“Please guide us to the exit!”

However.

…….

Silence.

The machine stood without a single movement.

“……?”

There was no response.

“N-no way.”

Go Yeong-eun stared into the candle flame with a pale face. She seemed to worry if the candle somehow wasn’t working.

The candle flame was shining perfectly fine.

Reflecting on it, Go Yeong-eun, who checked by lowering her eyes a few more times, spoke again in a trembling voice.

“To the exit… please guide us.”

Again, silence.

“…….”

“…….”

The atmosphere froze chillingly.

‘Damn it.’

I opened my mouth.

“……Ms. Mountain Sheep.”

“Yes, yes….”

“Ask like this.”

I spoke the familiar sentence, and Go Yeong-eun’s eyes grew blackly dead as she pronounced along with it.

“Did the guests wishing to return home after finishing their viewing go…… below from this 1st floor above ground? …If correct, please nod your head.”

Nod.

“…!!”

The testimonies of the guide machines diverged.

“Why….”

Go Yeong-eun swallowed her saliva.

“Clearly, the guide machine on the 1st floor below ground said that the people exiting went up…!”

“Correct.”

A chill ran down my spine.

‘What on earth happened?’

Doesn’t it not make sense before and after.

In the underground they say go up, and in the above ground they say go down.

Even if there were two or more exits nearby, this doesn’t make sense. Because it is a signal diverging in outright contradiction.

‘No wonder there were so few survivors in the <Records of the Dark Exploration>, considering the exit was blatantly on the 1st floor.’

“Why not go underground and ask directly instead of spending time uselessly saying the same things? Don’t waste the candle when there’s still some left.”

“……Ah.”

At Baek Sa-heon’s urging, we moved our feet to search for the stairs going underground.

That path going down underground somehow felt long and heavy…….

And the result was.

Nod.

“Go up? Ha…….”

The exact same response that I had asked returned.

According to the guide machine, visitors who finished their viewing on the 1st floor below ground had definitely gone up.

“…….”

“…….”

Now even Baek Sa-heon fell silent.

It was the point where everyone’s head grew complicated.

“Excuse me.”

Go Yeong-eun lowered her head deeply.

“Actually… could it be that there is no such thing as an exit.”

“…!”

“There are many such ghost stories, aren’t there, which just deceive and torment, making it more painful by giving vain hope.”

Correct.

But not this time.

“The exit definitely exists.”

This wasn’t said because I read the <Records of the Dark Exploration>.

“Do you remember? Did you not receive a brief manual before entering here.”

Albeit it was contaminated by information and became an exhibition invitation, that is.

“Since they succeeded in escaping through the exit, a survival record must have been created, registering it as the Dark in Daydream Co.”

“Ah…!”

Go Yeong-eun raised her head.

“Indeed. You are right.”

And taking a deep breath, she continues in a much clearer voice.

“Whew! I’m sorry. At times like this, I shouldn’t vainly bury myself in emotion. There will definitely be a correct answer.”

“Yes.”

Although it looks like a contradiction, there must be something we haven’t thought of….

It was when we were deep in such thoughts.

“Hey.”

Baek Sa-heon looked at me with a subtle expression and asked.

“Your doll.”

“Brown?”

“Yes. What does… Brown say?”

-I’m waiting for my friend’s wonderful answer!

Of course, that wouldn’t be because he thinks the real Brown is speaking, but he probably asked because he thinks I am a madman talking to a doll….

‘I understand he wants to hear an unusual idea, though.’

I purposely stared at Baek Sa-heon intently and spoke.

“How can a doll speak.”

“…….”

“Think a bit before you speak.”

Baek Sa-heon clenched his fist tightly!

“But throwing out an idea itself is a decent concept, though.”

“…!”

“Ms. Mountain Sheep, do you perhaps have any thoughts that come to mind?”

“Ah, mmh…….”

“As positively as possible. Assuming that there is definitely an exit nearby, that is.”

“Then… a secret space, perhaps.”

Go Yeong-eun knitted her brows.

“Like having an attic above the top floor, could there be another space somewhere between the underground and above ground? Like a parking lot….”

I had never seen a record of that kind of secret space existing in this exhibition hall, though.

Of course, there is a possibility. There is a clear difference between experiencing it directly and reading what is depicted in print.

There are cases where even if one knows, they cannot match it.

‘Since even the window, in truth, I didn’t know was a door leading to the terrace.’

But… it feels like the exit would be in a much more obvious location.

‘Conceptually speaking, it’s strange for the official entrance to be in a secret space.’

Which means, the exit is normally and well there, but we just do not notice it.

Prejudice, way of thinking, cultural factors…….

“…!”

Wait a moment.

“M-Mr. Roe Deer?”

I sprang up from my seat.

I looked down at Baek Sa-heon, who was looking at me with startled eyes, and Go Yeong-eun, who couldn’t bring herself to look back due to the candle effect.

“By any chance, do you have enough physical strength left to go back and forth on the stairs a few more times?”

“What?”

“I, I do, but.”

“Then let’s move.”

“Pardon?”

I stood up from my spot.

“I must climb up to the top floor.”

“…??”

The stairs we came to again.

“…We just have to climb, right?”

“Yes.”

I moved my steps.

However, instead of climbing mindlessly until the next floor appeared, I kept count.

One floor.

Two floors.

Three floors…….

Until no stairs appeared at all.

“Gasp.”

“Phew.”

I raised my head.

“Here is the end.”

We had climbed up to the very top floor of this grand mansion.

On the way up, we met the guide machine about three times, and every time, the peers asked the machine, but the result was identical.

They probably had this thought.

‘They are telling us to go down, so why on earth did we climb up?’

The answer to that question lay within this top floor itself.

“Ms. Mountain Sheep. How many floors do you think we climbed up?”

“Pardon? I mean……. Uh?”

“…….”

“Wait a moment. If my count wasn’t wrong…….”

“6 floors.”

Baek Sa-heon spoke.

“It’s not 7 floors, but 6 floors here!”

Correct.

“You said this mansion had up to 7 floors!”

-Also, it is said that this time-honored grand mansion consists of 7 floors above ground and 7,221 floors below ground.

This time, it contradicts Brown’s explanation.

But because Brown is a ‘good friend,’ he does not lie.

Which means… if everything is the truth.

“…….”

Indeed.

“Did you lie on purpose that it was 7 floors….”

“Ms. Mountain Sheep, did you know that?”

“Hey!”

There are many such ghost stories too.

Where a situation yields a correct answer rationally to some, but does not yield a correct answer to others so as to be unreasonable.

Due to cultural and environmental differences.

Ghost stories enjoying the chills coming from that.

Although the type is different, just like the previous Dark where I knew the difference between a clown and a jester and found the clown portrait.

Environmental knowledge.

“The method of counting building floors differs depending on the culture.”

“……Uh?”

“In North America, and East Asian countries including Korea where we live, the floor numbers start from the 1st floor.”

However.

“But other cultures use a somewhat different method.”

The reason why the staircase going down from the 1st floor above ground to the 1st floor below ground felt uniquely long.

It wasn’t due to subjective feel.

“It starts from the 0th floor.”

“…!”

The floor also referred to as the Ground Floor.

“It should be correct that this mansion’s above-ground consists of 7 floors. …Namely from the 0th floor to the 6th floor.”

I looked down below the stairs.

“We just need to go to the 1st floor now and ask them to find the path to the 0th floor.”

And we did just that.

* * *

-Please guide the path heading to the 0th floor.

If walked along the path that the 1st-floor guide machine kindly took the lead to show, surprisingly, a staircase of a different shape from the existing ones could be seen on the opposite side of the 1st-floor main exhibition hall.

A massive spiral double staircase.

And if walked down along either side of that spiral… of course, one could go to the exhibition hall on the 1st floor below ground where brass light turned to bronze, just like going down before.

But one could also make the choice to stop in the middle and open a massive door.

And I opened that grand door and went out.

Creak.

A grand and elegant space filled with silver light unfolded.

It wasn’t an exhibition hall.

Precisely… the lobby.

“…!!”

Because it was a floor functioning as a lobby without exhibits, a 0th floor where they hadn’t bothered to make a passage from the general stairs going to and from the exhibition halls.

We had finally entered that floor through the most standard passage.

And the stained-glass-style glass door visible right in front of our eyes was….

“…The main gate.”

Although the outside was not visible because it was filled with light, it was certain.

We finally found the exit.

“We survived!!”

“Haaaa….”

Shouts and sighs of relief vibrated the lobby.

And cheers of joy too.

“Mr. Roe Deer! Mr. Roe Deer’s reasoning was correct! Correct again! Waaaaah!! Let’s get out right now!”

Really. Although I earnestly wished to run out right away while cheering and screaming, my desire was strong, but….

“I must find the superiors and go out together.”

“Ah, ah!! In that case… you will need the candle.”

Go Yeong-eun, who looked as if estimating the remaining amount of the candle, soon shouted spiritedly.

“…Let’s go together quickly!”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Truly, thank you so much…….

Just roaming around here alone to find my peers had already spent all of my energy…….

Go Yeong-eun made a choice worthy of her personality.

Of course, Baek Sa-heon did too.

Meaning he headed straight for the door right away without any hesitation.

“Do whatever you want. I’m going out!”

Whatever, then.

I stared intently at Baek Sa-heon.

‘I should verify what kind of effect occurs at the door when leaving, and what kind of reaction happens.’

However, Baek Sa-heon hesitated.

“…….”

“…….”

And he stealthily backed away from the entrance.

‘…?’

Why.

“I thought you said you were leaving?”

“…After confirming someone else leaves.”

Oh dear.

‘It would be much more convenient in many ways if he just went out.’

I glanced at Baek Sa-heon with a slightly disappointed feeling and turned my gaze.

-Hahaha… this is indeed an interesting situation. Mr. Roe Deer!

Although I don’t find it very fun, since someone finds it fun, that is indeed quite a consolation…….

-Must we go to inform your extraordinary superiors of the exit’s location now?

Correct.

‘Though they aren’t exactly ordinary people….’

I don’t know how many times on earth I am stirring through this grand mansion……. My legs are about to give out, but let’s go quickly.

-Wait a moment. Do your legs hurt, my friend?

-Oh, in that case, it seems the time has come to introduce my new ability.

…Uh?

‘New ability?’

-Correct! I will show you my strength rejuvenated thanks to the wonderful tub and bath my dear friend gifted me….

-Now, then, please take me out of your pocket.

It was a somewhat pretentious and boasting tone, but strangely, it was a mysterious tone that also felt a bit of gratitude.

At any rate, I took the stuffed doll out of my pocket just as he said.

“Mr. Roe Deer?”

“Please wait a moment.”

-Correct. There is no need to wait long! A true host is always prepared…… like this!

Snap!

A dull sound of snapping fingers echoed from the hand of the doll that had no fingers.

And I…….

Somehow, it felt as if something ‘opened up’ in my chest and mouth.

A sense of resonance.

A strange feeling as if a huge space had been created…….

[Ah.]

“…!!”

“Y-your voice….”

I shut my mouth.

The vibration coming through my vocal cords resonated through the entire lobby.

-It’s decent enough.

-In my show, any guest can deliver words comfortably and accurately to the audience and viewers without having to raise their voice.

That is…….

‘A microphone?’

-Ah, quite a popular expression!

-Mr. Roe Deer, my dear friend’s words will be clearly delivered to everyone…. If they are within the same studio, that is.

-Speaking of this space, yes. If they are on the ‘same floor’!

My goodness.

He really became more capable.

-You flatter me.

I admired him.

‘But unfortunately, it seems this ability isn’t suitable for the current situation.’

-Pardon?

I was only trying to call the superiors in the terrace room, but if everyone on that floor hears it…….

“…….”

-Friend?

Wait a minute.

Wouldn’t it be not so bad?