Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work (Novel) - Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translated by Jinmu
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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“Think about it carefully.”
The official in typical serial killer attire spoke reliably.
“It is a salary step system where you are absolutely never fired and work up to the age of sixty-five. Since it is a special occupational category, allowances are also calculated separately.”
Why was I listening to something like a Paranormal Disaster Management Bureau job fair here.
“Since you are of a ‘constitution’ that gets swept up in supernatural phenomena easily anyway, wouldn’t it be better to at least receive money and proper protection from the system?”
I am already receiving them….
No matter how much I think about it, I don’t think an 8th-grade public servant would receive more money than a pharmaceutical major corporation!
But even if my mouth tore here, I absolutely couldn’t say that I worked at <Daydream Co.>.
I didn’t want to get marked as a person of interest and reported to the Bureau!
‘Should I have just continued the written communication.’
I began to regret using my voice after long contemplation for rapid communication, more appealing interaction, and impact.
I opened my mouth with a feeling as if cold sweat would break out.
For now, since he seemed to view me as about an ‘innocent civilian who easily gets swept up in supernatural phenomena,’ let’s reinforce that side….
“This time was truly terrifying, so I tried to do whatever I could, but I am a person who lacks the capability to eliminate such supernatural phenomena. An agent, that is out of the question.”
“…….”
The official looked at me with eyes that were slightly dumbfounded.
No, why?
“You thought the caretaker was the culprit of this phenomenon just now, and terminated his contract so that the next incident wouldn’t occur, correct?”
“Th-That’s right, isn’t it?”
“Then did you not bring about the complete termination of this supernatural phenomenon through your own arbitrary judgment?”
“…….”
“It is a natural talent.”
No, it isn’t.
It is the power of the wiki…….
“I am sorry, but it truly seems impossible. Actually, I also did this time under consultation with the friend I came with….”
Wow, please.
“To begin with, it’s not that I fight well or possess special capabilities to the point of becoming an agent.”
“Special capabilities.”
The corner of the official’s mouth rose slightly.
“As for that… there is a separate ‘way to learn’ it.”
“…!”
“Once you are appointed, you will hear about it in detail.”
This is maddening.
“No, what on earth do you trust in me to do this….”
“Do you not possess a small shield-shaped silver badge right now?”
“…!!”
“That is the reason.”
Ah, dammit.
‘Sharp, indeed.’
Although I had considered this situation too, I startled as if intentionally more flustered.
“Pardon? H-How….”
“That is persuasive equipment used by the Disaster Management Bureau. I heard that in the past, it was also distributed to citizens who accumulated great good deeds… but it is my first time seeing someone capable of using it.”
“Ah…….”
“Since it is an object only usable by a good person, it also serves as a sort of certification.”
And he cast a glance at me.
“Did you wear it inside your pocket and use it?”
This bastard is smart too.
‘If I pretend not to know here, it would actually be suspicious.’
Let’s rather get the efficacy acknowledged and go.
Do not forget, this only has an effect on a ‘good person’!
‘He wouldn’t retrieve it for no reason. Unless one caused trouble, there was no such case.’
Fortunately, after my brain operated like mad, a reaction popped out without a gap.
I rummaged through my pocket with a bitter expression as if having a slight history, pulled out the small silver badge, and held it up.
Subtly bringing up the only legal route where it wouldn’t be strange for me to possess this.
“…I inherited it from my family.”
The goods box is my family starting from today.
“I was told to use it when a voice is needed in an emergency situation…….”
“Yes.”
The official nodded and looked at me as if feeling slightly sorry.
“You had a wonderful family.”
“…….”
Did he misunderstand that ‘they are looking down from heaven right now’?
In a sense, it wasn’t a misunderstanding, but well….
I spoke while trying hard not to recall the black goods box floating in the sky.
“I was told not to do dangerous work voluntarily, and I want to keep that word as much as possible….”
“…….”
The comment my parents made while stopping me from going into the financial sector was true, and my joining this company was truly not voluntary either, so I didn’t tell a lie. Not a lie!
“…I understand well.”
The official looked at me with slightly regretful eyes, but stepped back readily.
“Then it cannot be helped.”
Whew.
The sweat-inducing job fair was wrapped up like that.
Together with an unexpected harvest, at that.
“If you develop concerns or problems, please contact me.”
Around the time we left the lodge, I received another contact number from the official.
Only, the format was different this time.
Ryu Jae-gwan
010-XXXX-XXXX
“It is my work contact number.”
Oh.
“This side would be better than the card I gave you previously. Because that one might take time until the dispatch team is deployed, and it is also unknown what class of agent will arrive.”
In a word, it was a ghost story escape free pass.
As if exchanging cassette tapes, I exchanged the contact number I previously received with the corresponding contact.
I didn’t know I would use it like this.
If I return quickly before he asks to exchange names… would he do a background check anyway.
‘If so.’
I scratched the back of my head as if intentionally sheepish.
“Um, actually, I did written messages during the Salmon Market because I was a bit scared… but when I see you next time, I want to talk in this voice again.”
“Of course.”
“And… um, could my identity by any chance be protected as a secret? Because it is burdensome… and terrifying.”
“…….”
The official was silent briefly, but.
“You may go as you are.”
He let it slide.
Score!
‘This means he is leaving me as unidentified, right?’
Since it also left room for new transactions, it was perfect.
‘Next time I will be able to sell more food with less suspicion.’
“I hope you go down carefully.”
“You too, Agent.”
I shook hands with the official.
The official departed riding his bicycle right then.
Even when the official suggested it one last time as we parted, I passed it over quite naturally.
-To be honest, this kind of situation is hard for me… I am close to my limit even now. It seems difficult.
This was truly genuine.
Baek Sa-heon, you take away those eyes that are said to bring goosebumps.
Perhaps the official also made the remark out of mere regret, as he nodded his head and rode his bicycle without lingering attachment.
Along with the blood-and-flesh advice to depart before the ‘Bureau cleanup team’ arrived.
‘I must flee right away.’
Leaving the front of the lodge where the soil of the landslide and the bus stop had vanished like a lie, I began to walk along the hiking trail.
‘Whew.’
The tension was released only then.
-These past few days, this Brown knows your efforts poured for the artistic final cut, even giving up sleep! You went through a lot.
Yes. It was fucking disgusting, terrifying, and exhausting….
‘Being deployed to such a ghost story alone, indeed the Disaster Management Bureau is not it.’
Had there ever been a time when the corporate score of Daydream Co. was as high in me as today.
‘They give money and points, after all.’
They say even a servant must serve in a noble house, and it was exactly that case.
Of course, it doesn’t seem that it was more rewarding though….
I looked back at my coworker who was playing a part in that unrewarding work.
“Let’s go down right away. This damn lodge…!”
“…….”
“Fucking hell, it doesn’t make points or money, yet getting swept up in this crap!”
“You should have something to say before that.”
Baek Sa-heon shut his mouth tight.
And turning back to look at me, he spoke highly defensively.
“I can’t pay anything for this kind of thing. It’s not like I asked you to save me anyway.”
Look at this guy.
“Since only you… Supervisor Kim Sol-eum took the cassette exchange reward. It should be settled with that.”
“Oh.”
I smiled broadly.
“Fascinating. You have the guts to speak like that even to the person who blew his weekend and had unauthorized absence because of you?”
“……”
Baek Sa-heon’s face turned deep blue and returned.
And he asked with difficulty.
“……What do you want?”
“Nothing.”
“…?!”
“Actually, it was fun.”
“…!!”
I strode down the mountain trail.
The footsteps of Baek Sa-heon following in a hurry and a reply a step late were heard behind my back.
“…Anyway, I will acknowledge that I caused you harm in terms of the weekend and the unauthorized absence.”
“…….”
“I’m just saying.”
Oh.
“I will deposit three days’ worth of salary, so wait.”
“Okay.”
But after a short while.
The moment we entered the signal range and data burst open, Baek Sa-heon shrieked.
“The date is exactly the same!”
Indeed.
Do you not know that in ghost stories, different flows of time are the national rule.
“At any rate, I spent three days.”
“…!”
But I extracted the salary, and after looking at me with a face mixed with resentment, relief, and anger, Baek Sa-heon hastily lowered his gaze and fled.
-Haha, even without this work, he seems to be a category hard to live with an intact body!
A bit like that, right?
Though actually, there was something else to say.
‘I didn’t expect he wouldn’t say thank you until the end.’
He was truly a remarkable bastard in many ways.
Even if viewed favorably, there was a villain at least among Baek Sa-heon’s acquisition routes.
-…It was an object that was at my home. I inherited it from a relative.
……A relative.
‘There might be a story.’
But for now, I stopped thinking.
Because I had no leisure to explore the behind-the-scenes stories of the characters in the wiki.
‘I must survive in the ghost story company first.’
And not long after, this damn company started doing corporate-like work again.
It brought an unexpected bizarre matter like common sense.
* * *
A few days later.
“Supervisor Kim!”
On my way to buy coffee on an errand for my superior, a familiar face called me in the hallway.
It was Section Manager Lee Byung-jin, the manual evaluation person who had gone missing.
“Ah~ Congratulations. I knew our Supervisor Kim would do well!”
We have known each other for less than two months, though….
“Top of the class at entry, scouted by Group A, even saving me, uh, connections to the Security Team, and now super-fast promotion? Wow, that’s great.”
“Thank you.”
It wasn’t very great, but I replied like that for now.
But instead of roughly wrapping up the conversation and departing, Section Manager Lee Byung-jin lowered his voice and whispered.
“Director Ho is keeping an eye on Supervisor Kim.”
“…….”
“He is the most decent superior in this company. It’s an opportunity, so don’t miss it.”
An opportunity…?
“There are rumors that the director operates an external classified project team under him… you could be transferred there.”
Haha. You don’t know anything.
In a ghost story worldview, once ‘classified’ is attached, the survival rate drops to less than half….
Instead of speaking like that, I shook my head politely.
“It hasn’t even been half a year since I joined, so I do not hope for such things. I will just work hard in the position given to me.”
“Wow, even humility! I judged the person well. Haha!”
I simply grateful that he comfortably forgot the high-handed attitudes when I pretended to be a guard. Is a human indeed a creature of environment.
Section Manager Lee Byung-jin patted my shoulder a few times as if proud, then disappeared leaving these words.
“Anyway, I am curious where you will go, seriously!”
“……?”
The nuance is strangely different.
‘Why does he seem to speak under the premise that I will go somewhere?’
This doubt would soon be revealed.
That afternoon.
“Um, Roe Deer. Even if you go to another group, let’s meet up sometimes. I didn’t even get to buy you lunch many times.”
Pardon?
I blinked while looking at the slightly dejected Supervisor Park.
Another group?
Am I… by any chance demoted to some strange place?
The director said he was keeping an eye on me, but was it actually a bluff to make me relax and then shock me to extract a reaction?
Why would they do such a useless and evil thing to a mere employee…!?
“No, I wish you could remain in our team if possible… but looking at how things are running now.”
Fortunately, before I fell into a panic, the assistant manager explained kindly.
The Field Exploration Team usually has a capacity of three people per group, and assigning one or two extra people is usually for training new recruits.
And until this employee is promoted, he remains attached to the same group as a member outside the capacity.
“But you are a supervisor now.”
Ah.
I was… excluded from that general case.
“The probability of being bounced somewhere else is slightly high… well, maybe you don’t have to worry too much.”
I asked with a bit of hope.
“Is it by any chance processed as an exception?”
“Not that… but because it seems the capacity of three would fit perfectly. Keep this to yourself.”
“Yes?”
The assistant manager smirked.
“I am resigning soon.”
“…!!”
A coworker’s escape announcement popped up!