Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work (Novel) - Chapter 91

Chapter 91

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Translated by Jinmu

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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A dreary back alley.

That darkness and stench, which felt out of place even in the noisy and strange night market where non-human things gathered.

And the bizarre existences under the gas lamp, staring at me as I stood at the entrance of the alley.

Hollow eyes wearing uniforms.

-My, this is a place one would be reluctant to pass through in dress shoes.

But I had to go.

And I must not let my colleagues find out that my feet had frozen for a moment at that sight…!

*Squelch.*

I stepped into the back alley.

My colleagues followed close behind.

*Squelch, squelch.*

Walking into the black shadows beneath the faint gas lamps between the narrow walls, small doors clustered together passed by on both of my sides.

“…….”

It was bizarre.

It was a scenery that felt as if I had entered a poorly composited image where small doors stretched endlessly.

And the gazes staring intently at us from both sides as we walked between the doors.

‘Ha.’

Those wearing worn-out and filth-stained uniforms. Abnormally emaciated black bodies stood blankly against the walls.

Turning only their heads toward us.

-For a star, gazes are inevitable! But rest is also necessary. This Brown can temporarily relieve that burden, just as I always have…

I wanted to scream and cling to him, begging him to do just that, but…

‘No. It’s fine.’

‘Turn Off Lights’ must not be used right now.

‘Can I ask you when I really need it later?’

-Of course!

Right. I, I had to endure it.

‘I have to do it according to plan.’

I swallowed my saliva and kept walking.

At the very moment when goosebumps rose on the back of my neck and my legs became too stiff to walk any further.

“…Uh?”

I raised my head suddenly at my colleague’s exclamation.

Still, the endlessly lined-up bizarre doors, the grotesque figures wearing uniforms. And…

Just one.

There was a door left slightly open.

“…….”

The door panel protruded slightly.

The pitch-black darkness visible through the gap in the door.

‘Wow, seriously.’

It was nothing short of a horror movie. My eyelids even trembled.

But I had to say this.

“There is a door open over there. It seems like a sign of welcome. Let’s go in.”

“Yes!”

“Ah… I see!”

“…….”

‘Shouldn’t they not be convinced by this kind of bullshit…!’

Still, I had to do what needed to be done.

After taking a deep breath, I approached the single open door. The closer I got, the more the terror making me want to run away surged, but I endured it.

Instead, I bent down between the narrowly opened black gap of the door and peeked inside…

I locked eyes with bloodshot eyes.

“…!!”

It, it was something I had expected. Never, never get flustered and do anything foolish…

I barely shoved what I was holding in my hand beforehand through the gap in the door.

A pack of cigarettes.

“…….”

My hands trembled violently.

Something extremely cold seemed to brush against my fingertips, and then…

*Screeech.*

The door opened wider.

‘…Whew.’

In this alley, entry to shops is prohibited in principle, but temporary exploration is sometimes conducted using addictive luxuries such as alcohol and cigarettes.

I did it…!

I clenched my teeth as I retrieved my empty hand, from which the cigarettes had disappeared before I knew it.

Wow, I felt like I was going to cry…

“To open a client’s door with just a five-thousand-won investment for a pack of cigarettes! As expected, favorable conditions aren’t followed, they are created. Supervisor!”

“Indeed…!”

“…….”

Maybe it would be nice if someone could heavily persuade me too, so I could walk around with such peace of mind…

But right now, I had no choice but to move my feet, lamenting the fact that I was the one who did the persuading.

‘Ugh.’

The bloodshot eyes had disappeared before I knew it. Instead, a faint smell of cigarettes began to drift from somewhere, but that was still something.

‘It’s much better.’

I breathed a sigh of relief and took a step inside.

“…….”

It was extremely dark, but the outlines were vaguely discernible. A space where boxes and luggage covered in black cloth were piled up like a maze.

It smelled like a musty warehouse.

“Ah, this would be perfect if it were a warehouse-style mart or a clearance store! If they sell in bulk at low prices, there would be a lot of items to salvage…”

Unfortunately, it was not.

I pushed through the boxes and finally found what I was looking for.

“…! Mr. Roe Deer, over there…”

“Yes.”

There was one more door inside.

It looked similar to the one we had pushed through, but it was a less worn-out and cleaner door.

‘…I guess I have to open it this time too, right?’

Let’s just be grateful that I wasn’t at the very back.

I stepped forward and grabbed the doorknob.

And as I pulled it with all my might…

A bright, dazzling light stung my eyes.

“…!!”

My vision, which had been temporarily blurred by the pouring light, slowly recovered over a few seconds, taking in the full sight of the space.

A brilliant spectacle filled my sight.

The interior framework was structured with elegant chandelier crystals, brass, and deep-colored wood, and gold frames and thick, lustrous green velvet curtains hung on the walls.

But there was something even more overwhelming.

Ivory-colored torsos consisting only of upper bodies filled three sides along the walls, with unfinished suits and dresses displayed on each of them.

And between them, hands wearing white cotton gloves without bodies, measuring clothing sizes and finishing tailoring!

My colleagues let their jaws drop.

“Th-this place is…?”

What on earth was going on, suddenly coming from a gloomy back alley to a place like this?

To put it simply…

‘That place was truly a back alley.’

The alleys of Samangdan-gil identified so far:

38. Boutique Back Road

We had entered through the dirty back road of these brilliant, high-end shops.

Naturally, we were not legitimate customers.

We were nothing more than thieves who had sneaked in by bribing with a pack of cigarettes in a place like a slum where laborers doing menial tasks and laid-off homeless people rolled around.

But it wasn’t just once or twice that we utilized irregulars in a ghost story.

‘If it doesn’t work, let’s run.’

If we were caught trespassing, we might suffer a rather horrific fate, but in that case, I could just ask Brown to erase our presence and run.

‘Since the back door escape route is secured.’

Wasn’t that why I had held back from asking Brown until now!

I stepped forward.

“Ohhh…!”

Please do not be amazed, everyone…

Contrary to my anxious state of mind, the gloves touching the torsos reacted in perfect order.

*Whistle!*

Along with a light whistle, the bodies of the gloves suddenly revealed themselves in midair.

It was none other than the bodies of mannequins wearing luxurious navy uniforms.

They were similar to what we had seen in the back alley earlier, but much cleaner, tidier, and with more detail.

And even their heads popped out.

The painted mannequin faces.

‘Ugh.’

I must not stare.

I hurriedly lowered my gaze.

It was bizarre, but bearable.

At any rate, the mannequin employee bowed deeply in a polite posture and then gestured for me to follow, as if guiding me.

For reference, if you follow that, you will go missing.

Assistant Manager Choi went missing after moving under the guidance of a mannequin clerk. In their last communication, they stated, ‘It seems I am moving to the membership registration corner of the boutique street.’

Addendum: Later, a laborer wearing the broken glasses of the missing employee was spotted in the back road of the boutique. Presumed to be the person themselves. (Refer to Exploration Record #145)

Probably… it seemed to imply that their identity was discovered during ‘membership registration,’ forcing them to pay for the crime of trespassing with labor.

Or perhaps they could not afford the cost of membership registration itself.

“…….”

Whichever it was, I tried hard not to imagine what kind of people the numerous grotesque figures in worn-out uniforms I had witnessed in the back alley originally were.

‘It is meaningless right now.’

This was the only important thing.

That membership registration was the problem, so it had to be avoided.

‘First, as a test, I’ll approach them with the intent to purchase at an expensive non-member price.’

If the qualification for purchase itself belonged only to members, we would run. Because what I was trying to get here was not more precious than my life.

But it was when I raised my hand to show a friendly gesture.

…!

As if that mark was appearing over the printed mannequin faces, the mannequin employees flinched.

And they bowed their heads to me again.

“…….”

And I knew exactly one thing that could be the reason for that…

I turned my arm and checked.

Beneath the sleeve of my dress shirt, which naturally pulled down as I raised my hand, the now-familiar Latin word was revealed.

: Socius :

“…Was my membership confirmed with this?”

The mannequin bowed deeply.

“…….”

Now it was getting scary.

‘This is already the second time.’

That the ‘theme park membership’ tattoo left by the mascot granted me authority in a ghost story.

-Socius.

-It was used to mean colleague, member, or kin. Ah, the versatility of Latin!

Just as Brown said, the word was indeed working versatilely here and there, exactly in the sense it implied.

It had even pretended to know it in the Fox Counseling Room…

‘…Why did it leave something like this on me?’

If it had been in the past, I might have just passed it off as a huge profit, but now was a bit different.

Because I had experienced being severely affected by pollution once before.

‘If this is powerful, its influence on me is likely to be strong as well.’

How should I view having an unpredictable, powerful mark on my body, which did not even come from a verified summoning method like my good friend?

But the membership verification had already passed, and since it was risky anyway, I might as well make good use of it.

“Show me the goods.”

The mannequins nodded their heads again and approached the torsos they were working on, then pulled back the curtains behind them.

As if by magic, a glass display case appeared.

A sleek suit displayed inside it. It was similar in shape to the one I was wearing now, but somehow the color was deeper and had a bizarre luster…

As if asking if I liked it, the mannequins clasped their hands politely and looked back at me.

‘…Here I begin.’

I raised my hand.

“Hold on. I am mainly looking at small accessories for gifts.”

There was something to keep in mind.

I must not be greedy and try to take something beyond my means here.

It would surely be a price range that an individual human could not afford with a sane mind.

Whether it was bartering or currency.

So, let’s narrow down the scope.

“I would like something casual that can be worn comfortably.”

With that, the curtain immediately went down and up again.

The items in the glass case, which were briefly hidden and then revealed again, had magically changed.

Instead of torsos, three or four upper-body mannequins.

Accessories glittered on their necks, arms, and fingers.

“…….”

Among them, I found the object that seemed the lightest and least conspicuous.

It was a slender silver ring.

It had delicate, elegant engravings, but it looked as if it would require the least amount of raw materials.

Meaning, it looked the cheapest.

“How much is this?”

The mannequins raised their hands in unison and pointed.

At my companions behind me.

“…….”

Right.

The basic barter exchange in this boutique, also recorded in the <Records of the Dark Exploration>, was…

Humans.

Assistant Manager ■■■ succeeded in pretending to be an existing member of the boutique using mental disruption equipment.

Purchased Item: Ring

Cost: Three civilians (one 35-year-old, two 21-year-olds)

*This exploration record has been transferred in preparation for a government audit. Full access is restricted to Security Level C certified personnel.

“…Mr. Roe Deer?”

“…….”

“Ex-excuse me, what on earth is going on right now…”

“Ah, I see. Please wrap it.”

The mannequins moved in perfect order again, carefully taking the ring I chose out of the glass case.

And bringing a silk string with a luxurious tag from somewhere, they tied a knot on the ring and brought it to me as if asking me to check.

On the tag… tiny characters were elegantly written.

Instead of trying to read it and walking the direct shortcut to Samangdan-gil pollution, I asked my good friend.

‘Brown, would you read it?’

-No problem! ‘Bespoke apparel specialist, a luster that never fades. The skill of a noble artisan who is always there.’

-It is a phrase that would only appeal to the newly rich or overnight celebrities. Oops! This is strictly between you and me, my friend!

‘…Right.’

As expected.

‘Never fades, always there’… I see.

I knew there would be that kind of keyword.

Abilities related to durability or consistency, that is.

Actually, in the case of the ‘Purchased Item: Ring’ entry from this boutique’s exploration records that I recalled earlier, there was a separate wiki document that served as its origin.

A certain large-scale mental pollution incident.

The only surviving company employee from that incident was the very person who sold three civilians to purchase and wear the ring from this boutique.

‘…It had no choice but to immediately come to mind.’

Since it was an incident related to the goods I possessed.

Specifically, the only time a major disaster occurred because of the Silver Heart.

That train accident.

Employee ■■■

The sole surviving employee of Daydream Co. from the ‘Tamna-bound High-Speed Train Incident.’

Claimed to have lost the ‘ring,’ the equipment presumed to have played a decisive role in survival, immediately after the incident.

That was the longest document among the human error accidents recorded in the Disaster Management Bureau section, a wiki that had even been written as a short story.

A ring that played a decisive role in surviving such a large-scale accident without pollution.

It was practically no different from this boutique entry being created in reverse to give probability and fun to that ring’s settings.

In other words, the accessories or clothing sold here were indirectly verified by the wiki.

Exhibiting resistance in situations that break the ‘constancy’ of the mind, such as mental aberration or brainwashing, when worn.

Summing it up in one word,

‘It means it can be used as a powerful mental defense equipment…’

…An item absolutely necessary for me, who had almost met with disaster due to pollution once before.

“…….”

I raised my head.

“Nice. I will pay for this ring.”