Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work (Novel) - Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translated by Jinmu
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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There is one thing in common among the ghost stories of <Records of the Dark Exploration>.
It is that the more popular they are, the higher the probability that anomalies occur in the exploration records.
‘That is because there are multiple creators.’
When a ghost story first emerges, it is written while strictly adhering to the rules.
However, as it grows popular and everyone starts writing exploration records for that ghost story, what happens?
As the numbers grow longer, to break away from repetition and boredom, exceptional cases occur little by little within a ‘plausible level.’
The example I desperately recalled just now was also one of them.
The exploration record where Group J of Daydream Co.’s Field Exploration Team only had to endure 12 hours in a closed hospital at night.
However…….
※ Special note: The exploration ended after 16 hours and 11 minutes had elapsed.
Ambiguously, the exploration ended after 16 hours and 11 minutes had elapsed.
It was indeed the ‘temporal anomaly’ I was looking for. However…….
‘On the contrary, it took longer to escape.’
What kind of problem occurred during the exploration that they were trapped in the ghost story longer than the 12 hours ‘period they had to endure.’
‘So… clearly, they made some mistake.’
I remembered!
‘They didn’t get the time alarm!’
—–
(03:12) Employee Lee Jae-jin accidentally cut the counter telephone line.
—–
Because of this, the call that was originally supposed to come to the ward desk could not arrive.
The shift change call.
Therefore, an insane situation occurred where the doctor, who was originally supposed to leave work after the night duty ended 12 hours later, continued his duty.
—–
(12:12) Past 7:12 AM, but the sun did not rise.
—–
No matter how much time passed, the night did not end.
It is said that the employee, who had set his wristwatch to 7:00 PM as soon as he entered the ghost story, fell into panic as soon as he realized that fact.
‘They even fought over whether to get caught and restart, and I think one person was captured.’
Fortunately, a few hours later, another team member connected the phone line and the progress proceeded normally, allowing them to barely escape.
—–
(16:09) Successful restoration of the phone line. The phone rang immediately. Waited at least 3m away from the desk.
(16:11) The doctor answered the phone and vanished. Escape attempt successful.
—–
A ghost story that does not end even when the promised time passes. It is certainly a chilling anomaly.
‘Still, there is a hint.’
Although this was a case where the time was extended, there was a mechanism to extract.
The fact that there was a trigger announcing the end of the time.
‘In that case, it was the shift change phone call.’
And if that trigger did not work, the ghost story did not end.
Thinking conversely…….
‘If the trigger that informs the time just works, could it end even faster?’
“…….”
What is there in a convenience store that can tell the flow of time?
Thud.
“……!”
Hold on.
‘…The sound.’
It is coming from above my head.
Without realizing it, I looked up at the space above my blocked head.
This was under the convenience store checkout counter.
Therefore, what lay above this was…….
The POS machine.
Beep.
Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep.
The ghost was pressing the POS machine at the checkout counter.
According to that strange rhythm, a recorded voice echoed through the convenience store.
Calling an employee… Calling an employee, callanemploycallanemploycancancancallingcallinganemploycallinganemployee
“……!!”
I got it.
This means it knows I am underneath.
It is deliberately not catching me and playing pranks.
…Even though I knew, cold sweat flowed down my back rather than anger.
Wow, this is really driving me crazy, it drives a person crazy.
‘Let’s go out.’
I have to go out and run.
But my feet do not move as easily and lightly as my heart wishes. It was no different from an extra who faints and dies upon seeing a ghost in a horror movie.
‘No.’
Even if being caught is the same anyway, I must not learn helplessness.
In the end, I somehow squeezed out of the checkout counter.
In that moment.
Calling an employee.
In front of my face suddenly a bloated blue face
Smiled as if its mouth was tearing open.
– Caught you
* * *
Restart.
‘…….’
I took a deep breath very slowly.
My head ached for a moment because my heart was pounding so hard, but I endured it.
‘It passed.’
My whole body was numb.
‘Let’s endure.’
Instead, I looked at the dark convenience store panorama.
This time, instead of going to the checkout counter, I ran in the opposite direction of the beverage refrigerator where the light came out.
Right toward the convenience store exit.
“…….”
Outside the glass door was pitch-black darkness.
Still, trying to see outside as much as possible, I saw something hanging next to the outer glass door.
“……!”
It was an electronic clock.
[12:00⼁04⼁04]
April 4th, 12:00.
Is that the currently set date of this ghost story?
My eyes, adjusted to the darkness, even distinguished the chime bell attached to the glass door. Probably the moment I grabbed that door, the ghost, hearing the bell, would run with those strange steps.
‘And it wouldn’t even open in the first place, anyway…….’
Since the place one had to endure in was set as a convenience store. A restriction must have been placed.
Taking my eyes off the glass door, I partially hid my body behind a nearby display stand.
And with my back against the wall, I watched various places in the convenience store and continued my thoughts.
The cold sweat that trickled down my temples was icy.
‘The duration I have to endure is three days.’
Then, a trigger that could inform the time around my completion point… What on earth could it be?
What would happen in this convenience store three days later is…….
‘Logistics?’
I glanced at the boxes piled near the glass door.
The time when new goods are stocked.
‘Somehow checking the goods to be stocked on the date three days later, and somehow disguised as that goods, put it in advance to give a time suggestion…….’
No. That is too non-intuitive.
There is no way that undergoing such complex and minor processing steps would work.
<Records of the Dark Exploration> is an internet ghost story.
‘And internet ghost stories are intuitive.’
Because the impact drops as minor conditions and matching increase, it cannot gain popularity.
‘It must feel simpler and fit perfectly.’
If so…….
What is the object that makes it easiest to feel the flow of time in a convenience store?
“……!”
Yes.
I looked at the display stand closest to the entrance. It looked different from the beverage refrigerator, but it was a display stand from which cold air blasted.
But strangely, very few items were displayed there.
A bit of dairy beverages or coffee, and… lunchboxes and triangular kimbap.
Fresh foods that spoil quickly.
‘…Expiration date!’
Immediately heading to the display stand, I began to pick up and check the lunchboxes and triangular kimbap.
‘For most triangular kimbap, the expiration date is 36 to 48 hours.’
Probably the lunchboxes are similar.
But strangely, quite a few lunchboxes and triangular kimbap had expiration dates longer than three days, or were left with their markings messily erased.
With patience, striving not to make a sound, I carefully inspected the back and front of the items.
And eventually…….
‘Found it.’
In this ghost story, the current time is April 4th, 12:00.
An item whose expiration date ends on April 7th, 12:00.
[Soup Hamburg Bento]
I picked up that lunchbox.
And crossing the convenience store, I approached the POS machine.
‘Ugh.’
The residual image of the ghost frantically pressing the call button while standing at the checkout counter flickered.
But it was just my imagination. It hasn’t appeared on this side yet…….
‘Calmly.’
Pressing the device settings on the POS machine, I select ‘Change Date & Time’… Yes, it’s there! Suppressing a sigh of relief, I stared into the screen.
‘The set time is…….’
Exactly two days and 23 hours and 59 minutes after the starting point of April 4th midnight.
[April 7th, 11:59 PM]
‘Please!’
I prayed with an anxious mind.
Pressing the change button and confirming it leads to…….
[Change Completed]
“……!!”
It worked!
‘In many cases, you can’t change these settings, so it’s a blessing in disguise, no, it’s really fortunate.’
My hands trembled with joy and anxiety, but I steadied them.
Now I am almost there.
All I have to do is lift the food I brought and register it as an imminent waste item…….
Beep-beep-beep!
“…….”
[Imminent Waste Alarm]
[There is an item whose expiration date is imminent!]
The POS machine shouted in a cheerful tone.
In the dark convenience store, that recorded announcement voice echoed alone.
Beep-beep-beep! Beep-beep-beep!
“…….”
I turned my head, frozen.
From far away
Our eyes met.
It is running.
“You……!”
Don’t look, look at the screen. Only the screen!
Please, please! Quick!
Beep.
My hand scanned the barcode after three failed attempts.
[Would you like to register?]
Frantically tapping ‘Yes’…….
The footsteps approached too quickly.
Enduring the strange pitter-patter sound that kept getting closer, I kept moving my hand and…….
[Registered waste item.]
At the moment the foot of the ghost, which had been running with incredibly strange steps, reached right in front of the checkout counter and a vibration was felt.
[Completed]
It vanished.
“…….”
Flick.
The lights turned on.
Inside the convenience store that had become bright enough to hurt my eyes, the now inconspicuous screen of the POS machine showed a simple and clear explanation.
[Registration Completed]
With a whirring sound, the closing receipt printed.
In that white noise, I realized.
‘It worked.’
That I succeeded.
“Phew.”
Leaning my body against the checkout counter, I bowed my head. My legs were trembling.
‘I can’t breathe…….’
Humans really depend on light!
Still, just the fact that it became bright brought peace to my mind and body.
‘Now all I have to do is go out the door…….’
Clack!
The cash drawer underneath the POS machine opened automatically.
‘Huh?’
Inside lay a thick brown envelope.
“This is…….”
I grabbed the envelope and opened it.
Four thick, crisp bundles of golden bills were visible.
“……?!”
Bundles of 50,000 won bills!
‘Is it, is it four bundles of a hundred bills each?’
Then the total was 20 million won.
It was my first time handling such a large amount of money in cash. But why would this be in the convenience store cash drawer…….
Ah.
‘The prize money!’
—–
Records of the Dark Exploration / Ghost Story
/ Please Choose
Trivia
When cleared, they really give you money. In that case, isn’t it just a nice friend who likes to surprise people?
—–
Oh.
* * *
“How long will it take?”
“I think he can come out immediately if he completes the three days.”
“A success on the first attempt? Wow, the evaluation is generous. Generous.”
Group D of the Field Exploration Team at <Daydream Co.>.
The two employees were currently smoking on the rooftop after coming up through the stairs next to the storage room.
They had just sent off the new employee into the Dark and seen him off.
Even after doing it repeatedly, pushing a rookie into a strange phenomenon was not something one got used to.
Still, usually, this Dark called <Please Choose> was hardcore the shorter the set time, and lax the longer it was, so the rookie who hit the three-day mark wouldn’t have it too rough.
‘It’s probably on the level of a 3-day, 2-night courage test.’
Of course, it was harsh. It’s not that it wasn’t harsh.
However, in the minds of the two employees, there was a common premise.
-If you can’t even endure this, you will die soon.
In that case, they should rather resign.
Actually, because quite a few rookies had left due to this initiation ceremony, Group D frequently received pressure from HR managers, but they were still slacking off and managing somehow.
Because seeing a colleague, especially a rookie in the same group, die right next to you was truly harmful to mental health…….
However, this time, the feeling was slightly different.
A strange expectation.
“About this rookie.”
“Yes.”
“He was extraordinary.”
“He was extraordinary, indeed.”
The top rookie newly assigned to Group D, Kim Sol-eum.
“It’s my first time seeing a kid act like that on his first day of work.”
Usually, new employees panic or lose their minds the moment they realize that being continuously deployed into the very strange phenomenon they almost died in is their ‘work.’ That was natural.
But in Kim Sol-eum’s case… he was strangely calm.
“He didn’t even seem tense.”
“Yes. He wasn’t surprised. He even drank his coffee well.”
Not for a single moment did he lose his composure, lock himself in the bathroom to cry, or try to run away.
Of course, Kim Sol-eum had just had everything spoiled, given up on everything for three days, and finished his mental preparation.
But in the eyes of someone who didn’t know, he just looked like a rookie with an insane mental strength!
“It seems the Assistant Manager liked him.”
“Yes. He is very decent.”
A strong heart was always welcome.
It was a department that had to face all sorts of horrible, bizarre, or chilling urban legends. A coward was troublesome.
‘Well, in the first place, there’s no way a coward would pass that death survival game anyway…….’
There was!
Of course, the bosses, who had no way of knowing, were just nodding and repeatedly saying ‘this rookie is decent.’
However, there was also a slightly disappointing point.
“But the kid doesn’t seem like the type to cut corners, so why doesn’t he take notes?”
“Since it’s his first job, he might not know well. We can just tell him.”
In a job where life comes and goes like this, information and manuals are essential, they nodded.
“If we tell him, he should write it down. That way he can read it again and properly know it.”
“That’s right. It’s not like he knew it in advance.”
He knew it in advance!
Sharing a conversation typical of a team that had received a rookie, the two, who naturally couldn’t guess, concluded that they should head back.
“We should write the situation report.”
“Sigh, that report no one reads anyway, every single time……”
Anyway, the rookie would come out three days later at the earliest.
Still, since it was a ghost story with food and a place to sleep inside, going for a long-term battle wouldn’t be an issue.
The two nodded and picked up the pad where the internet post that had sucked in the rookie was written.
“Then, shall we go see the documents now……?!”
Flick.
In that moment, the pad spat out a person.
The new employee who was supposed to come out three days later.
“……?!”
The new employee, Kim Sol-eum, stood up from the floor, brushing off his clean suit, looking no different from an hour and a half ago.
And he raised something in one hand.
A ‘Dreamscape Collector’ whose scale was completely filled.
“I filled it.”
“……?!?!”
Elapsed time to clear: 1 hour 24 minutes.
The rookie who had achieved an absurd feat was merely looking at the bosses with a flat attitude.
‘I thought my heart was going to stop.’
Of course, it was just that a desperate coward who had escaped by breaking through the wall of a ghost house where halfway departure was prohibited was completely drained!