Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work (Novel) - Chapter 65

Chapter 65

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Translated by Jinmu

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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A black booklet hologram was overlaid above Supervisor Park Min-sung’s head.

The hologram, adhering like tar, melted down, and Supervisor Park Min-sung writhed while clawing at the floor.

Behind his struggling form, a cheerful voice came from the TV once again.

[From now on, I will let you know the rookie teachers who failed to actively participate in the Hangman game.]

Soon, similar scenes were repeated all around.

The problem, the problem was…

[Rookie Teacher Park Min-sung, you didn’t guess the alphabet even once!]

The 1 accumulated previously.

The 1 from stepping onto the platform.

And…

The 1 from failing to guess the alphabet.

In that case,

[3 Accumulated Penalties]

The TV sentenced him.

[Rookie Teacher Park Min-sung has been designated for after-school study.]

[You will receive instruction in the kindergarten forever and prepare for the opening until you become a perfect teacher of ■■ Annex Kindergarten.]

The black booklet holograms that had been covering the faces of those who failed to guess the alphabets.

Among them, only Supervisor Park Min-sung’s turned bright red.

And it covered his entire body.

“■!!”

The supervisor’s scream was eaten away in an odd form.

“N-No■, s-■ave me, ■■■■…!”

A human rolled and twisted on the floor in a gruesome state.

Phrases popping out as the incomprehensible contents of the education book were read aloud alternated with sobbing.

Yet there was no interest from the surroundings.

They only glanced and avoided getting involved if possible, stepping far away to wait for the next step written in the manual.

Namely…

[Good job on today’s mock play! Goodbye and return home safely, rookie teachers!]

Clear confirmed.

“……”

“Ah, fuck, finally!”

“Move out of the way!”

The moment they realized the game was over, people who were now free to swear and run rushed out of the playroom.

Soon, even the employees whose 10-minute penalty education had ended vomited tar-like holograms, clutched their foreheads, and, though staggering, stood up to limp and run.

In the process, someone bumped into me.

“Oh?”

“……”

“W-What.”

“……”

“The door only opens for exactly 30 minutes, and if you don’t exit now, you’ll be processed as a volunteer too! Dammit!”

And they ran past me again.

“……”

In this way, I was left alone.

Along with the ‘contaminated’ Supervisor Park Min-sung rolling on the floor.

—My goodness, to have my friend misunderstood as having applied to such an outdated place! Let’s get out immediately, Mr. Roe Deer!

“…No.”

—Mr. Roe Deer?

The game was over.

That meant…

The rules of this ghost story were also over.

‘In the worst-case scenario, even if I run alone, 10 minutes is more than enough to get out of the door.’

Therefore.

“I should at least try to take the supervisor with me.”

I could endure.

I had to do whatever I could.

It worked earlier, after all.

‘I don’t want to give up right away.’

Having saved the person who became the hangman by digging into a tiny loophole, I didn’t want to accept a conclusion where the person who tried to save them ended up missing in the ghost story.

‘I didn’t want to leave a digression on the wiki saying, ‘That indeed is an exploration result like Hungry Hangman.”

‘…I can do it.’

I raised my head.

And I immediately put my hand inside the tattoo on my wrist.

: Kind Master :

From the heated tattoo, the items I had stored inside emerged: the candle making kit, the apple juice, the vampiric knife, the stickers, dozens of bundles of 500-won coins…

—Oh, what interesting item are you planning to use this time, friend?

“I’m not using anything.”

—Hmm? If so, then that action is…

I put all of the retrieved items into my briefcase. Thanks to the absence of the blood tub, they fit tightly inside.

I took out the vampiric knife, which looked like it might pop out, and put it in my back pocket separately.

‘…Done.’

The briefcase, completed in this way, was heavy, but it wasn’t to the point where I couldn’t run while holding it.

And what remained was.

The empty space inside my wrist.

—It was to free up space, wasn’t it?

Yes.

I slightly inserted my hand into the space connected through the wrist tattoo and pulled it out.

“You said this has a volume equal to a cube with a side of 60 cm, right?”

—That is correct.

“But it’s amorphous, right?”

—…! That too…

Interest and laughter blended into Brown’s voice.

—Correct.

Good.

‘It’s all or nothing anyway.’

I had clearly heard the statement that being contaminated to the point of being unable to die and trapped in this ghost story forever was more terrible than dying.

‘Let’s try it.’

I gritted my teeth and waited.

For Supervisor Park Min-sung’s 3rd penalty to end.

‘Trying to grasp him and do something right now is a foolish move.’

Upon contact with a person currently receiving a penalty, that holographic education book would also kindly ‘appear’ to me.

In that way, I would also end up reading the education book aloud while being retired for 10 minutes.

‘That would be the end.’

Suppressing my anxiety, I waited calmly.

‘Remaining time until the penalty ends… 7 minutes.’

6 minutes.

5 minutes.

4 minutes.

3 minutes.

2 minutes.

1 minute…

0.

“……”

The sticky, red, tar-like substances vanished from around Supervisor Park Min-sung, who was collapsed on the floor.

And he slowly stood up.

With the appearance of a neat kindergarten teacher.

On his body, which had been wearing a black suit, soft beige-toned pants, a white T-shirt, and a light green apron were now visible.

In one of his hands, he held a brown folder with a red title.

And revealed on his bare face, where the mask had completely melted away…

The branding mark on his forehead.

Sprout Class

A gentle smile rose upon Supervisor Park Min-sung’s fully revealed face.

“Teacher Sol-eum!”

Fuck.

“Did you wait for me while I was reading the education book aloud? Thank you so much.”

“…Of course I had to wait.”

Let’s not be shaken, if I show agitation outwardly, I’m fucked.

“Is your condition okay?”

“Of course. It couldn’t be better!”

Supervisor Park Min-sung smiled gently and nodded.

“…That’s a relief. Then, shall we go now?”

“Go? Ah… returning home?”

“Yes. Let’s go together.”

“Ah, because I don’t have a clock-out time! I’m not a rookie teacher anymore, after all. Since I’ve finished reading the education book!”

“But clocking out…”

“I said there is none!”

“……”

“Mmm. Now it’s time for me to go to the Sprout Class and help prepare for the opening…”

And Supervisor Park Min-sung shouted with a bright expression.

“Ah, that’s right! Do you want to go together, Teacher Sol-eum?”

Goosebumps rose straight up.

“You don’t know which class you’ll be assigned to yet, do you, Teacher Sol-eum? You haven’t read the education book yet. You can find out if you read it. Your assigned class!”

Supervisor Park Min-sung reached out his hand.

“Where could it be? It would be nice if we were in the Sprout Class together. Since we were originally in the same group,”

Damn it.

Damn it!

I naturally stepped back one step as if contemplating the proposal.

The hand the teacher reached out brushed past empty air.

“Uh…”

“Thank you for the words, but… then it seems I must go throw this outside the entrance.”

I lifted my briefcase.

“Because I have some borrowed items that I must return within the time limit.”

“Teacher Sol-eum, no wonder you had so many interesting items; they were borrowed?”

“Yes.”

Please don’t get caught.

‘Please.’

The thing that had been… Supervisor Park Min-sung replied kindly and gently, like a professional quality.

“Then, shall I ask the teachers to help carry it?”

“It’s just a briefcase. If it’s fine with you, I would like you to just help guide me to the entrance for a moment… by Supervisor Badger.”

Supervisor Park Min-sung froze.

“……”

By any chance.

“…Supervisor Badger?”

…….

The supervisor’s mouth opened.

“That…”

…!

However, at the next moment.

“Sure! Let’s go to the entrance together.”

The gentle voice of a teacher came out once again.

“……”

“Teacher Sol-eum?”

“Yes, I only request your accompaniment to the entrance. I will move quietly without causing a disturbance.”

“Great!”

I turned my body and headed out of the playroom.

Leaving Supervisor Park Min-sung, who was completely contaminated as a ‘teacher,’ right behind me.

‘Whew.’

Slowly, I moved my steps.

Tap. Tap.

From right behind me,

the sound of someone following closely could be heard.

Not dress shoes, but the sound of soft-soled slippers.

Tap. Tap.

“Ah, I’ll help carry the briefcase together.”

“It’s fi…”

…Before I could even say it was fine,

the teacher’s hand grasped half of the briefcase I was holding.

And the cover of the perfect teacher’s education book held in the same hand lightly tapped my hand.

Tap. Tap.

“……”

It was fine.

I didn’t suddenly hear any mind-piercing sounds, nor did any mad terror or fear rush over me.

‘I can exit.’

There wasn’t much left until the entrance.

I just had to walk.

But at the same time, such a thought arose.

Is it right for me to sneak out to the entrance like this?

Fuck.

Look at me swearing.

Perhaps because I haven’t read the education book aloud even once yet, it is a bit of a shameful thing…

Actually, isn’t that not a penalty, but rather bestowing an opportunity for education under the name of a penalty?

This is crazy.

Hold on. This is a matter to contemplate seriously rather than dismissing it as contamination.

This is a wonderful workplace. Preparing for the perfect opening together with gentle and obedient people must be a supreme joy.

I have the aptitude to become a perfect teacher.

■■ Annex Kindergarten has taught me!

No.

What do you mean, no.

I self-deprecated. Didn’t I know that even getting caught in a lie is a penalty? Let’s just efficiently give up on the entrance.

That is correct.

Let’s voluntarily read the education book aloud here. I think I can ask Teacher Park Min-sung to look at it together.

I must not.

If I borrow the education book,

No.

Let’s not think other thoughts.

Because the deeper my thoughts became, the more I would acknowledge that this was a pretty decent idea—

No way!

Let’s concentrate on moving my feet. As I moved my feet one by one, the entrance grew closer and closer.

Tap, tap.

“……”

I arrived.

It was the entrance!

Shut up, even though there was a neat-looking entrance instead of the dirty entrance I had first entered, to the extent that I didn’t want to exit.

“Now you’re going to throw this briefcase, right?”

I pulled the briefcase. Unfortunately, the education book that had been in contact with my hand fell through the gap.

“Shall we throw it together?”

Please.

“Very well.”

Work.

“You just have to hold here…”

And only then did I turn my head.

The figure of Supervisor Park Min-sung, smiling with the face of a ‘teacher,’ filled my field of vision.

Along with him reaching out his upper body and hands to grab the briefcase just as I suggested.

‘Now.’

I snatched the supervisor’s head just like that.

“…!!”

And roughly shoved it into my forearm.

‘It’s entering.’

The size of the space attached to my tattoo was a cube with a side of 60 cm.

However, it wasn’t actually in the shape of a cube. It was an unfixed, amorphous space.

So, to convert this into another volume…

‘An adult male can easily fit inside and leave room.’

I fixed my gaze straight ahead.

Creak, creak.

The humanoid body being stuffed into the tattoo above my wrist resisting felt as if joints were breaking…!

‘I deliberately tried to stuff him in face-first.’

Because if we conversed, I would definitely be influenced and the contamination would intensify.

I kept pushing with one hand. The space inside the tattoo swallowed it without difficulty… Ah! The education book touched! I will set this aside separately and absolutely won’t do that.

Once the last foot was crumpled in, now…

Grab!

“…!”

Something popping out abruptly grabbed my left forearm.

With force entered into every single knuckle to the point of turning white,

Supervisor Park Min-sung’s right hand.

“Ugh!”

Damn it!

I tried to pry off the fingers one by one, but it was not easy.

‘I must not let the teacher suffer injury.’

I didn’t know how this Dark would react.

‘Quietly…!’

Unable to even breathe, I pulled out the vampiric knife and plunged it into my arm.

“……”

As the fingers were torn off, chunks of flesh from my forearm were also gouged out. It was a pain that should have made me scream insanely, but it was blocked by tension and adrenaline.

At the same time I stuffed the last finger into the tattoo, I hastily took a step out to the entrance.

Tap.

My last step.

“……”

I raised my head.

A blue sky in broad daylight.

Before I knew it, only the closed and worn-out private kindergarten building stood behind my back.

The glittering sunlight illuminated the weeds of the open outskirts of Seoul.

“……”

It was a clear.

I lowered my head.

I saw the wristless form of Assistant Manager Eun Ha-je collapsed on the floor.

Other employees were not visible. They seemed to have already returned…

I pulled my smartphone from my pocket.

And pressed the button as designated.

Proving it was reality, the call went through, and the other party answered…

“Is this… the Security Team rental warehouse?”

The designated words barely emerged from my dry mouth.

“I need equipment to lock up contamination…”

Because.

“I rescued a contaminated employee.”

…….

…….

It worked.

I fainted just like that.