Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work (Novel) - Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translated by Jinmu
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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Three minutes since getting swept up in the serial killer ghost story and dropped in front of the mountain lodge in the forest.
The secondhand market trader who got off the bicycle after us approached the lodge door.
And seeing me and Baek Sa-heon standing there first, he hesitated briefly.
‘…I think he recognized me.’
As the secondhand market seller, that is.
But I kept my mouth shut, pretending not to have noticed him yet.
Baek Sa-heon quickly began prattling in a gentle voice.
“Excuse me, are you by any chance the owner of this house? I’m sorry, but we seem to have boarded the wrong bus. Perhaps because it is a forest, our phones aren’t working, so I was wondering if we could use the phone once….”
“I also took the wrong path and came to ask for help.”
“Ah… I see.”
Only then did I turn back to look at him, pretending to be surprised.
“…!”
Basically widening my eyes and giving a slight bow.
Perhaps it was true that he had already noticed, as he was not very flustered and returned a light nod.
Even in the midst of that, Baek Sa-heon was subtly digging into the partner’s background.
He was likely trying to size him up. To see if he was an opponent weaker than himself.
“Did you come for trekking since it is the weekend? It seems like an isolated place here, so you must be a nearby resident.”
“…No. I also do not know how I ended up here. I clearly departed from Seoul.”
“Ah, really? Same for us, but the phones don’t work here. Do you by any chance know the way out or the location here…”
“……I don’t know well. Let’s go inside and ask.”
“…Ah, yes.”
Baek Sa-heon seemed to smack his lips at the fruitless conversation, then glanced at the bicycle the partner had ridden in on.
It seemed he finally confirmed the mark printed on the handlebar.
[Seoul Metropolitan Government #2153]
It was obviously for public servants’ official business at a glance. Baek Sa-heon, who captured an opening for prying into his background, brightened.
“Excuse me, by any…”
I poked Baek Sa-heon’s side.
The fellow stiffened completely, shut his mouth, and turned back to look at me.
I slowly shaped my mouth to speak.
‘Disaster Management Bureau.’
“……!”
‘He must have heard at least once while working that the company and the Bureau are on terribly bad terms.’
If caught…
As I barely made a gesture of slitting my throat with my hand, Baek Sa-heon’s complexion changed.
The fellow never actively spoke to the official again. Hm. Good posture.
“I will open the door.”
I nodded to the official who had grabbed the door handle before I knew it, and the official lightly opened the wooden door of the lodge.
Screeech.
“Is anyone there?”
The midday sunlight poured into the slightly dark lodge.
And….
“Uh, uh, uh? Someone else is here!”
“Are you the owner of this place??”
The people who had arrived in advance revealed their appearances.
A man and a woman who looked like a couple, three in their twenties, and a middle-aged man.
Six people.
If we combine the three of us… nine people.
‘It has begun.’
Holding back my desire to close my eyes tightly, I stepped inside the lodge.
* * *
And everything proceeded like a cliché…….
The couple who said they came here because their navigation system broke down.
“I mean, the navigation guides us to a strange place, the car broke down, the cell phone won’t work… it is driving me absolutely crazy!”
“Sigh, honey, that’s why I told you. Let’s go to Sapporo instead of Sokcho!”
Three university students from a climbing club who were stranded.
“We even left our car parked below.”
“I know… Ah, it’s driving me crazy.”
Even a middle-aged man who was looking for the nearest bus stop to go home after finishing his surrogate driving job.
“Auu, but meeting people makes me feel so relieved. Won’t the host come if we wait?”
-And now, when the lodge owner appears, does the bloody party begin?
Close enough.
I scanned the surroundings with dead, vacant eyes that had given up on everything.
I hadn’t even packed my items properly.
Life is truly hard….
‘Let’s only focus on myself. Only me!’
Questions did come to us who were newly arrived.
“What do you young men do?”
“Ah, we are just office workers, but we must have gotten the route wrong while taking the bus for a field trip. Here is the supervisor, and I am an employee.”
Look at this bastard Baek Sa-heon subtly shifting responsibility.
I took out my notepad.
Since I was still in outdoor clothing, it was in my pocket, enabling me to preserve my character.
[Hello.]
“Huh? Why are you… writing….”
[Because my throat is a bit uncomfortable.]
“Ah.”
The three college students turned their heads with expressions saying I was making a fuss. And the couple glanced at me, then widened the distance slightly.
“Sigh, I heard the cold is vicious lately, did you catch something like that?”
“You should at least wear a mask or something. What if others catch it.”
[I am sorry. I will try not to speak as much as possible and be careful.]
Baek Sa-heon looked at me with eyes as if looking at something disgusting. He had been doing the reactions I should be doing since earlier.
“But is that young man over there also from the same company?”
“No, we met in front of the door… well.”
The Salmon Market trader had a large build and sharp eyes, giving quite a fierce impression, but he replied politely.
“I am a Seoul Metropolitan Government public servant.”
Oh. He is telling this truthfully.
He adequately explained that he was a public servant and that he had lost his way while riding a bicycle.
Naturally, that was the end.
He did not utter a single word about belonging to the Paranormal Disaster Management Bureau, or that they were all stuck in a ghost story where Russian roulette was about to spin on whether they would soon be murdered by a serial killer.
Still, the people were not fools, so they seemed to have felt something strange.
“Then all these many people lost their way in broad daylight and gathered at this rural pension?”
“Are we possessed by some ghost.”
“Uh-uh! Honey, why say such things to bring bad luck.”
People become brave when their numbers increase.
Even while bringing up ghosts, the people now glanced around as if looking at a spectacle.
“Speaking of which, here…”
“It looks like a well-to-do house, right? Huh? The kind of rich house that existed one by one in the neighborhood when we were young.”
It was just as they said.
The wooden lodge built in a style popular decades ago felt slightly outdated but cozy in its richness and luxury.
“Oh my, look over there. There is even a gold frame there!”
A large picture frame was also hung on one side of the living room, and the frame indeed seemed to be pure gold.
But the contents inside caught my eye first rather than the frame.
There was a stanza of poetry.
+++
A Pleasant Mealtime
The rabbit is baked in the kitchen,
The deer is caught in the backyard,
The pigeon is fattened in the room,
The sheep slices a piece in the living room.
The sound of hopping and running with laughter,
Thump-thump on the wooden floor beneath the feet.
The dining table is rich,
A hum is heard,
The whole family sat around.
Bon appétit.
+++
“…….”
No.
‘It is a blatant foreshadowing.’
-Ho. Is it a metaphor for the serial killings that will unfold ahead?
It looks exceedingly so.
But it seemed there was no one interested in the horror or mystery genre here.
A few college students from the climbing club giggled among themselves and even committed theft, slipping an ivory ornament placed on the table next to the sofa into their pockets.
‘Oh.’
I wouldn’t be surprised even if I see them as the first corpses tomorrow.
The moment I thought so.
Clatter.
“…!!”
A sound was heard behind the kitchen.
The back door opening was visible as a shadow.
And so was the figure slowly walking inside through the open door.
Wearing a worn-out hood, hunching his body deeply and covering his face, that figure was…
“Hello, visitors of the lodge.”
“…?!”
“I am the caretaker of this place and will attend to you during your stay.”
It was a deep voice.
He bowed his head to us in a highly polite, old Seoul dialect.
-Oh, a suspicious related party!
Yes. A figure who usually appears as ‘the butler managing the murder mansion.’
Unlike me with vacant fish eyes, the people were flustered by the language and contents that did not match his shabby appearance.
“Ex-excuse me, but we aren’t guests, we just lost our way and came to borrow the phone…”
“No. You have found your way correctly.”
“Pardon?”
“Did you not come to exchange the cassette tapes?”
The people paused.
“The very thing inside your pockets right now, that is.”
“…!”
As if possessed by something, they each rummaged through their pockets and pulled out their respective items.
An old, ivory-colored cassette tape with its title scribbled out, similar to the one Baek Sa-heon possessed.
“…T-That!”
“How did everyone get that…”
“The master of this lodge was a tremendously rich man, and he distributed those cassette tapes to various places during his lifetime.”
The people flinched.
And he made a promise in doing so.
“W-What kind of promise?”
“‘If you visit the lodge with that cassette tape, I will let you exchange it for anything I possess’… such a promise.”
“……!”
“That remains valid even now that he has passed away.”
-Inheritance of a legacy! A good bait.
Isn’t it an obvious bait….
‘No, maybe it is obvious because it works so well.’
Money always has a magical power.
The people let out hollow laughs, yet their eyes reflexively turned to the various precious metals and Goryeo celadon inside the display cabinet.
The middle-aged man burst into a broad laugh and grabbed the pure gold frame in earnest under the guise of joking.
“Heh, then can I just pick it up and take it like this?”
The caretaker of the lodge replied smoothly and politely.
“Of course. However, you can depart with it three days later.”
“What?”
Hm. As expected.
———————=
A powerful monetary reward is promised to the entrants on the sole condition of staying in the disaster for a set duration or longer.
Here, the ‘set duration’ is from a maximum of one week to a minimum of twelve hours, presented at a line bearable by the entrant for the sake of the monetary reward.
———————=
“We are giving you three days of contemplation time so that you do not waste the single exchange opportunity.”
“No, I said we don’t need such a thing!”
“Then you may depart now. However, exchange will be impossible.”
The couple shut their mouths tight at the caretaker’s words. It seemed they felt it was a waste to give up free money.
One of the climbing club members raised his hand from behind.
“Excuse me. Then… is even something like that allowed? Like, give me all of the deceased’s inheritance.”
“It is possible.”
“…!!”
The playfulness completely drained from the college student’s tone.
“Is even asking for this lodge allowed?”
“Yes.”
“…….”
The people’s gazes changed.
‘They wanted to believe it.’
The uncomfortable chill vanished without a trace, and an atmosphere as if a financial fortune seen only on the internet had found its way to them formed.
Once they verified even the will and documents presented by the caretaker, it turned into conviction.
“It seems this is real.”
“Crazy……”
The couple who had been cursing also changed their air.
“Let’s endure it, weekend trip or not. If worst comes to worst, huh? We can just call the police.”
“I know, right. Whew, did some spiritual fortune-telling house put a talisman in the tapes? People gathered. Strange, truly strange.”
The caretaker even gave each of us time to make phone calls.
Once people finished making their respective calls like that, it became an excited atmosphere as if this were some event.
The caretaker, who had been watching, bowed his head deeply.
“When so many people visit at once like this, the order of exchange would be important.”
“Ah, that’s true!”
“If the first person who speaks says, ‘Give me all the inheritance,’ then that’s the end!”
“Therefore… first, we will give priority in the exchange to the person who possesses the most cassette tapes.”
“…!”
Instantly, the people looked around at each other.
Especially the college students who came together in a group of three exchanged glances among themselves.
Because if divided into groups, they had the most tapes.
“Wait, are you telling us to buy other people’s cassette tapes or something?”
“I am merely explaining the method. It is not that you must absolutely do so, and it would be fun for each of you to wisely devise exchange conditions. The order would also be important.”
“…….”
A meaningful tension swept through the people.
“Then shall I prepare the rooms? There are bedrooms suitable for lodging on the second floor.”
“Ah, right.”
“Yes. The bedrooms first…”
“Hold on, excuse me.”
Baek Sa-heon’s voice was heard from among the people.
“I might have to return because an urgent matter came up. Could you tell me the way out of here?”
“Of course.”
However, that thing did not happen.
A short while later.
———————=
The entrants are inevitably isolated in the corresponding location due to various reasons.
What mainly appears is extreme weather anomalies such as typhoons, heavy snow, or landslides.
———————=
“I hear that heavy rain fell and the outside was buried by a landslide. Fortunately, the power has not cut out, so there will be no problem in your staying.”
“…….”
Baek Sa-heon turned to look at me with a face questioning if they were screwed.
‘Correct.’
I shrugged my shoulders.
Now that things have turned out like this anyway, no one can leave here until everything that is bound to happen has happened.
‘I am currently contemplating a way to get through it to the point of my head bursting.’
Still, if there was just one good thing, it would be the fact that at least ghosts wouldn’t appear……
‘…Though a killer will.’
And isn’t it obvious.
It is a twist commonly used in all movies and novels, and it is the same for ghost stories.
The killer is….
One of the entrants performs a special role. This corresponds to the predator in the narrative sense,
and is among these people.
Commonly referred to as a serial killer.
I had to find the person who would transform into the killer among them and avoid him.
The corresponding person firmly believes they are a being who inherited the inspiration and legacy of the legendary killer derived from this location, and undergoes mental and physical mutations.
‘Hm.’
Or… I could use a slightly different method.
Right when I was stroking my chin, the official was seen stealthily leaving his spot.
“I will go and check the weather outside for a moment.”
“Please do.”
I followed him out to the veranda.
A fierce wind and rain began to rage and the outside grew dark, the raindrops wetting my clothes a bit.
The heavy rain seemed likely to mask the sound of conversation.
I held up my notepad, being careful not to let it get wet.
[Excuse me, you are the person who bought the cookies, right? Just in case I was mistaken.]
Fortunately, the official did not pretend not to know.
“Yes. That’s right.”
Only, he was sizing me up from head to toe as if evaluating me.
Hm.
Pretending to check the surroundings, I verified that no one was looking this way, and then hastily scribbled in small handwriting on the notepad with a tense face.
[I am sorry, but is this by any chance… a strange situation?]
“…….”
[Because no matter how much I think about it, it is strange that only the people who possessed the cassette tapes lost their way and arrived here.]
[Is it like… a ghost?]
In any case, he would know that I was someone who had already experienced a supernatural situation. Since I also sold food that came from a ghost story.
He wouldn’t view it as strange even if I asked a question at this level.
‘The problem is whether he judges that I entered here intentionally.’
If possible, I want to be treated as an innocent civilian.
I intended to set my future course depending on how he reacted here.
‘Honestly, the probability of him safely replying “I don’t know” is high….’
“That’s correct.”
…??
Right away?
The official seemed slightly conflicted, but asked me.
“How did you acquire the cassette tape?”
[Actually, I don’t have one myself… but I saw my colleague possessing it.]
[It looked ominous for some reason, so I boarded the bus while telling him to throw it away, but we ended up here.]
“…….”
The official placed his hand on his chin and was silent for a moment.
“Do you frequently get caught up in these kinds of things?”
I merely smiled as if intentionally troubled.
[Occasionally?]
“I see.”
The partner hesitated before continuing.
“I am… well, in other words, something like a government agent.”
He is revealing this much?
[Really? Is it like a ghost-catching 007?]
“Well… yes.”
[Wow!]
…Although it is written too blatantly on your face that you want to say, “This is no time to be amazed.”
“Anyway, it is true that we are inside a supernatural phenomenon. Be careful. …Stay with me if possible, and if it is absolutely unavoidable, move in groups of three or more.”
Hold on.
‘It seems he is treating me as an innocent civilian far more than I thought?’
I don’t know what on earth is going on, but it is a good thing. I replied quickly.
[Thank you. But… what about the other people?]
The official replied firmly.
“You do not have to worry about them.”
Hm.
[Is it okay if by any chance I tell my colleague—]
“No.”
Oops.
The official glanced back at the living room and spoke quietly in a lowered voice.
As if confessing a massive secret.
“Actually.”
Actually?
“…There is a killer among them.”
Mm.
Yes.
I know…….
Of course, since I couldn’t show it, I quickly scribbled the next words on the notepad while pretending to be flustered.
[A killer? How do you know that??]
“…This lodge is no ordinary place. It has never been disclosed to the media, but similar situations have already repeated several times where users were murdered by a killer.”
-Ah, a nightmare of that day reenacted in a long-standing, legendary murder scene… that is indeed a fine taste.
No, it isn’t, you host.
“Do not trust anyone no matter how close you are, and it would be best if you absolutely never open the door to your lodging room when you are alone.”
‘Generally, doesn’t the side that struggles to stay inside the room like that die first……’
In any case, it seemed I verified several facts about the partner through this Q&A.
And about this ghost story as well.
[Thank you]
I conveyed my gratitude and night greetings to the official, then left the veranda.
And I could go to the room assigned to me with a slightly easier heart.
Because I had made up my mind on what to do.
“Whew.”
I searched the room.
There was something I was looking for.
Namely….
-A murder weapon, indeed.
Opening the closet of this room, two fairly large one-handed axes hung as decoration were visible.
“…….”
It was truly terrifying and exhausting, but it couldn’t be helped.
-Ah, this will be truly fun!
Since it has turned out like this….
‘Shall I make the first move.’
I pulled out the axes.
A serial killer, let me try giving that a shot.