Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work-Chapter 135

The High School Student Trapped in Lucky Mart

Jang Minseo, who had called for help from the Disaster Management Bureau, covered his mouth as he hid under a portable display stand.

His heart pounded.

A strange noise echoed nearby.

Screech, screech, screech, screech...

It was the sound of something imitating employees moving around.

Did they see me?

Did they see me hiding under the display stand?

No, they couldn’t have. I slipped in right after rounding the corner, they wouldn't have seen it.

I must’ve been quick enough... right?

But the noise drew closer.

Screech, screech, screech, screech...

“Huuk, huuuh...”

Tears kept falling from his eyes.

Why did I even come here?

He regretted following his friend. He cursed them silently, though the words quickly lost meaning. Terror had already overtaken his mind.

The sound was getting louder and louder.

Screech, screech, screech, screech, screech, screech...

It was right next to him.

His body froze.

Through the gap in the display stand’s bottom, he could see the shadow of feet moving right by.

Dozens of feet moved with broken, jerky steps, as if their ankles had been twisted, making a horrible creaking sound.

Screech, screech, screech, screech, screech, screech, screech, screech...

Minseo held his breath.

But unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of it.

Among the strange feet in worn employee shoes dragging along beside him, something else appeared.

An old pair of sneakers.

“...!”

Between the unevenly shuffling employee shoes, those old sneakers dragged across the floor.

“Sa-save me...!”

The chill ran all the way up Minseo’s spine.

It was a person.

Someone had been caught.

“I’ll pay! I’ll pay, here’s the money! I’m a customer, a customer...!”

“Welcome to Lucky Mart!”

But the employees didn’t politely guide the poor missing person outside. They were dragging them away.

Because...

You cannot purchase items in this mart using South Korean currency.

Remember: You do not have purchasing power.

“Help me!”

The moment they found out this fact, the employees no longer saw you as a customer. They reclassified you.

In most cases, you would become part of the store’s inventory.

Thud.

Minseo froze.

Slowly, he lifted his gaze upward.

The portable display stand he hid under was shaking.

Thud, thud, thud.

The employees were surrounding the display stand.

And then—

Vreeeeeen!

“Aaaaah!”

The sound of a blender and a scream filled the air around the display.

“This is an excellent product, isn’t it?”

Minseo realized.

They were imitating a promotional demonstration.

Using a missing person as inventory, blending them alive in the mixer.

“Uuup.”

Minseo covered his mouth. Luckily, or perhaps not, the sound of the mixer and the screams drowned out most of his noise.

“Aaaah! Huuurk, aaaaaah!”

“Thank you for shopping with us!”

“This is an excellent product, isn’t it?”

“Welcome to Lucky Mart!”

Pleading, screaming, the sound of the mixer, the cries, employee greetings, and more screaming. Minseo thought he couldn’t hold it anymore, that he was going to scream. He had to get out of here. Someone show me the way out, guide me...

Suddenly, someone grabbed his shoulder.

“...!”

A warm hand, trembling with tension, pushed him deeper under the display stand.

It was the hand of the agent who had come in response to the rescue request.

“...Huff.”

Minseo’s breathing slowly steadied.

In the cacophony of sounds that felt like they could drive him insane, he clung to the warmth of the hand, hiding under the display for what felt like hours, though it was only a few agonizing minutes.

The mixer kept roaring, the employees continued their mechanical greetings, but at some point, the screaming had stopped.

And then—

Vreeen... click.

“....”

The top of the display went quiet.

The promotional demonstration had ended.

Screech, screech, screech...

“....”

The sound gradually faded.

The shadows of the feet, the dragging sneakers, they all moved away until they were no longer visible.

“....”

“....”

“It’s safe now.”

“Hic...”

Minseo let out a deep breath and began sobbing again as the agent who had checked outside spoke reassuringly.

A bespectacled agent stood nearby, his expression tense and grim.

“....”

It had been close.

This is insane...

Indeed, rookie agent Kim Soleum was left alone with a terrified high school student they had to rescue.

Splitting up had seemed like the right call.

But it had been terrifying...!

The sound of a person being blended alive... it would return to him in nightmares, he was sure of it. His back was already drenched in cold sweat.

I almost passed out.

But he couldn’t show it. Next to him was a 15-year-old high school student, trembling in terror!

“W-what are we going to do?” Minseo sobbed.

“It’s okay.”

Kim Soleum spoke as ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) gently as possible.

He had unconsciously started speaking informally, but there was no time to think about that. It was more important to calm the student. A friendly adult seemed like the better approach.

The guard in that mountain ghost story had a bigger role than I expected.

But seeing the still-frightened student, he spoke again.

“Want to know a secret?”

“....”

Though Minseo was still crying, the word “secret” made him lift his head.

And the agent really did reveal a secret.

“Actually, I’m the agent who knows the most about this mart.”

“...Really?”

“Yeah.”

But inside, Minseo felt even more anxious.

He’s clearly a newbie.

With his glasses, messy hair, and mumbled tone, compared to the more composed senior agents, he looked like the bumbling sidekick of a superhero.

But the agent pressed on, determined to reassure him.

“I’ve researched this place thoroughly. I know what’s dangerous and what’s not. I even know things the other agents don’t.”

Their eyes met, behind those messy glasses.

Huh?

Instead of the timid gaze Minseo had expected, there was a sharp, composed look in the agent’s eyes.

“....”

Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.

Somehow.

It all sounded true.

“So I’ll figure out the safest and fastest way to get us out of here.”

“There... there’s still a way out?”

“Of course.”

The only problem was that more than half of those options were insane plans that increased the risk of death.

Kim Soleum swallowed his thoughts and added something more useful.

“Do you remember the instructions on the back of the information sheet? The ones for behavior after business hours?”

“...Yes.”

Minseo, still dazed, remembered them as if hypnotized.

After-Hours Protocol: Abandon All Hope of Escape

Most opportunities to escape after hours are traps.

Prioritize survival and hold out until business hours resume.

Currently, the second floor is the safest confirmed location.

The second floor.

They were on the first floor.

“Um, so, if we just go up one floor... will we be safe?”

“That’s right. Your friend and the other agent must have gone up, so don’t worry.”

“...Okay.”

The agent’s confident tone eased the high school student’s nerves. Sniffling, he managed to calm himself.

The agent checked outside before pulling himself out from under the display stand.

“All right. It’s safe now. Let’s go.”

“Sniff, okay.”

The high school student accepted the agent’s help, carefully pulling himself out from under the display.

“Agh!”

He quickly covered his mouth.

Luckily, the sound wasn’t loud, but the cause remained: his ankle throbbed.

He must’ve twisted it while diving under the display.

“...Does your ankle hurt?”

“Yeah...”

“...”

Kim Soleum’s mind raced.

He came to a cold conclusion.

I can’t give him any items right now.

Not in this ghost story.

A potent painkiller like Happy Maker might make him overuse his leg and leave him unable to move entirely.

And Nostalgia Candy?

No way.

Do not consume food or drink outside of the food court. This applies even to items you brought in yourself.

Employees cannot distinguish between permitted and prohibited items. Upon discovery, they will charge you the cost of the food.

You do not have purchasing power.

Even non-grocery items were treated the same. The “employees” of Lucky Mart couldn’t tell the difference.

There was no guarantee that unconventional methods—like hiding someone inside a tattoo or other tricks—wouldn’t lead to contamination, grotesque transformations, or even liability issues with the Disaster Management Bureau.

“...”

The student couldn’t have known this, but Soleum’s silence brought a cold, creeping dread over him.

He’s not... leaving me behind, is he?

Was it too difficult to save him? Or maybe the agent thought carrying him would only get them both caught. A storm of dark possibilities swirled in his head.

“Don’t worry. We’ll move in a way that doesn’t require running.”

The agent’s firm voice cut through his thoughts.

The student looked up.

“First, let’s head to the escalator.”

“...Okay.”

“But instead of going up, we’re going to take the down escalator. Got it? The one leading from the second floor to the first.”

Since the escalators had likely stopped working after hours, it probably didn’t matter which one they used.

Still, why go to the down escalator?

“...Okay.”

The student didn’t ask, nodding instead.

The agent helped him move cautiously.

“Let me know the moment you hear anything from the employees.”

“Yes!”

The student tried not to look at the display stand where he had hidden earlier. Instead, he focused all his energy on listening for the sound of employees.

A few times, pain made him wince, but he gritted his teeth and kept going.

Soleum guided him past the checkout counters toward the escalators. The student followed as quickly as he could.

But when they arrived—

Vreeeen.

Thud, thud, thud...

One of the escalators was running.

The one connecting to the second floor.

“...!”

The store was dark, closed for the night. The sound of the escalator’s slow-moving rails filled the air.

At the top of the escalator, a figure stood motionless.

It wasn’t a person.

It was an employee.

After hours, escalators are deactivated and cordoned off.

However, during employee inspections, they may be reactivated.

Do not approach.

The figure seemed to be imitating an “inspection.”

But its head was tilted to the side, staring blankly at the floor. Its presence on the moving escalator was uncanny, unnatural.

Slowly, the figure began descending the escalator.

Backwards.

“W-we should run...”

“No need.”

Kim Soleum calmly pulled out a tool from his belt.

It was a fishing line with a red goldfish-shaped lure attached.

Fishing Line Lure.

...The inspection always happens on the down escalator between the second and first floors after closing time, he recalled.

That’s why he had come here intentionally.

The fishing line had originally been intended to bypass the main entrance, but there were no other options now.

It was time to use it.

He threw the line.

Whoosh.

The nearly invisible wire arced unnaturally, like it was being cast from a proper fishing rod, and landed on the escalator.

It caught on an advertisement board.

“...!”

The line wrapped around the board, dangling the red lure below it.

As the employee descending the escalator caught sight of the lure—

Screech, screech.

“...!”

The employee’s body began to move.

Toward the lure.

It climbed against the flow of the escalator, moving upward.

Screech, screech.

Kim Soleum carefully controlled the line. His hands, slick with cold sweat, held steady as the lure shifted.

The dangling lure moved closer to the left edge of the escalator.

The employee staggered sideways.

It pressed close to the edge, leaning over the railing.

Screech, screech...

Kim Soleum released the line.

Whirr.

The line fell, and the red lure dropped between the escalators.

Thud.

The employee toppled headfirst between the escalators, diving after the lure.

“Gasp...!”

“Let’s go, quickly, before it gets back up.”

The agent moved immediately.

“Take off your shoes, crawl using your knees. Be quiet.”

The student handed over his shoes, dropped to all fours, and began crawling up the escalator.

He felt no embarrassment or physical pain—only relief that crawling made less noise and kept him out of the employee’s line of sight.

His chest tightened with the fear that something might jump out at any moment, but he successfully crawled to the second floor against the escalator’s flow.

“Huff.”

When his hands touched the floor of the second floor, tears welled up.

The agent helped him to his feet.

“You did well.”

“Th-thank you...”

Kim Soleum glanced down at his now-empty belt where the fishing line had been. He took a deep breath, composed himself, and looked ahead.

The second floor.

Immediately upon arrival, they were greeted by a massive food court.

In the dark store, the food court’s signs glowed faintly, and there was the odd sound of cooking.

But there were no employees in sight.

The second-floor food court is not patrolled by employees.

However, do not sit for more than an hour without placing an order.

Kim Soleum guided the student to a quiet corner near a bibimbap stall.

“Why... here?”

“Stalls without meat menus are safer.”

The student swallowed hard.

The agent seemed calm, even serene. He sat on a chair, allowing the student to catch his breath and rest his aching ankle.

His composure was astonishing—hard to believe this was the same man who had just pulled off an acrobatic stunt with a fishing line.

...He’s amazing.

The student found himself admiring the agent. He really does know so much more than he lets on.

Without realizing it, the student wanted to make a good impression.

“Um, my name is Jang—”

“Don’t.”

“...!”

“In places like this, it’s best not to share your real name. Be careful.”

Gulp.

The student swallowed nervously.

“Th-then... what should I call you?”

“...Call me Agent Grape.”

“Yes, Agent Grape.”

The student sighed deeply, finally feeling a sense of relief.

Maybe this man really was a proper agent. Perhaps his clumsy demeanor was just the result of putting all his energy into his work.

...I think we can get out of here.

Even with his injured ankle, the student felt hopeful.

“So, we’ll be safe here, right?”

“Yes.”

Agent Grape nodded.

The student felt a deep wave of relief.

“It’s fine.”

It was a lie.

And it wasn’t enough.

Even the second floor isn’t completely safe.

While maintaining a calm demeanor, Kim Soleum frantically searched his memory for relevant sections of the Darkness Exploration Records.

His brain, still recovering from the stress, struggled to prioritize the most critical data.

We need to get out of here.

Had there been any irregularities in past incidents?

Labor Day, early closure, anything...!

Then—

Store hours ended early for unknown reasons.

“...!”

He found it.

Kim Soleum strained to recall more details, reconstructing the fragmented record in his mind.

Exploration Record #3

A dispatched agent entered the store around 7 PM in response to a civilian rescue request. (Agent: ???)

Store hours ended early for unknown reasons. The agent went missing for three days.

“...!”

That was it.

He dug deeper into his memory.

What had the final result been...?

Result: Rescue failed. Agent returned alone.

“....”

No wonder it hadn’t stood out in his memory.

It was summarized in a single line.

The kind of record often deemed redundant, leaving much of the story to the reader’s imagination.

The implication, however, was clear.

Bronze Agent fails to complete the rescue.

If they regrouped with the Bronze Agent, whatever decision that person made, Kim Soleum would have to oppose it.

He would have to persuade them to follow his plan for escape.

...This is insane.

Not just him—this ghost story was insane.

Swallowing his frustration, Kim Soleum resolved to stay calm as he sat in the corner of the food court with the student.

Let’s wait.

The Bronze Agent would surely think to head to the second floor as well.

He forced himself to think positively.

We’ll meet and decide then.

Three Days Later.

Kim Soleum searched every corner of Lucky Mart.

He never found the Bronze Agent.