Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work-Chapter 144

The cozy, warm atmosphere of the Fox Counseling Room.

In front of the sign that read “Closed Today”, Ho Isa sat waiting for me at a table in what looked like a waiting room in a hallway.

And the first thing I said after bowing respectfully and sitting across from him was—

“I’d like to apply for workers’ compensation.”

“...Excuse me?”

“Yes.”

I confidently raised my empty right sleeve and set it on the table in front of him.

“On my very first mission with the Disaster Management Agency, I was forced to cut off my arm.”

“......”

If Ho Isa had any memory at all, he would recall this:

“You’ll be much more comfortable.”

The way he had introduced the spy department to me as a safer and more favorable position.

Yet, after spending over six months grinding away in Baekilmong, extracting two A-grade solutions without losing a single limb—here I was, losing an arm within three days of officially becoming an agent.

‘This is basically fraud.’

Of course, I was prepared for the possibility that he’d try to spin it as “bad luck” or “your own lack of skill”....

“Oh dear! Of course, we must take care of this immediately!”

“...?!”

Ho Isa’s face twisted in distress as he nodded earnestly.

“You must have suffered greatly, Soleum-nim. So, what you require right now is Baekilmong Corporation’s regeneration potion?”

“Exactly.”

“Of course, I’d love to give you as much as you need right away, Soleum-nim. But... I wonder if you’ll be able to manage it.”

“...Excuse me?”

Ho Isa glanced briefly at my empty sleeve.

“If your arm suddenly grows back... you won’t have any excuse to give to the Disaster Management Agency. That could be quite inconvenient for you.”

“......”

“And surely, the Disaster Management Agency must have some kind of procedure for dealing with lost limbs. So why exactly do you need Baekilmong Corporation’s regeneration potion so urgently...?”

As he rambled on with a concerned expression, he suddenly clasped his hands together as if realizing something.

“Ah, I must be overthinking. Of course, you must have a clever plan in mind.”

“Yes.”

“......”

“I think there’s been a misunderstanding in how I worded it.”

I smiled slightly.

“I’m not asking for the regeneration potion right now to use immediately and cause trouble for you, Director.”

“Of course not! I never thought you were a bother, but then...?”

“I need it so that the next time I lose a body part, I can restore it immediately.”

“...!”

“The Paranormal Disaster Management Agency operates on a one-agent-per-mission basis. That means I can simply use the potion before I even file my report after escaping a ghost story.”

How about that?

“I’ve heard they strongly recommend retirement if an agent’s injuries reach an unmanageable level, so this is a preventive measure as well....”

“......”

“Of course, if it’s difficult for the company, I’ll endure it.”

But would Ho Isa, of all people, outright reject me, saying his company couldn’t afford it?

‘No way in hell.’

If he were to refuse, he’d either start making some long-winded excuses or, alternatively, suddenly pull rank and pressure me.

‘Neither of those fit his style.’

There was no way he’d be stingy over a single C-rank regeneration potion....

“Did you know, Soleum-nim?”

Ho Isa stared at me intently.

“When I look at you, I feel like I’m looking at my younger self....”

The Fox Counseling Room shook strangely.

Worn-out dirt walls, rice-paper windows, old rafters, a moldy wooden floor.

“I miss it....”

Somehow, beyond the cozy modern interior, I caught a glimpse of a dilapidated straw-thatched house flashing in my vision, like a haunted ruin peering through the cracks of reality.

Click.

“Ah, you’ve arrived.”

“...!”

The door to the Fox Counseling Room swung open, and everything froze.

Two figures—a man and a woman, both looking tense—stepped into the waiting area of the Fox Counseling Room.

Familiar faces.

“Ah, hello.”

“...!”

Ko Yeongeun, Jang Heowoon.

The two other spies who had infiltrated the Paranormal Disaster Management Agency with me had also been invited here.

I was so relieved I could cry.

“Welcome, both of you.”

Ho Isa smiled as he guided them to the table.

I glanced at Ko Yeongeun, who nodded slightly, and then at Jang Heowoon, whose face brightened for a brief moment—before he noticed my missing right arm and turned ghostly pale.

“Ah, thanks to Soleum-nim’s excellent suggestion, all of you will be receiving a regeneration potion today. Isn’t that wonderful?”

“...?! Y-yes....”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Ko Yeongeun seemed composed, but Jang Heowoon looked like a mouse cornered by a cat.

Meaning—he was extremely nervous.

‘That’s the right reaction in front of an executive....’

Especially when the executive in question belonged to a ghost story corporation.

“Oh? Aren’t you happy?”

“I-I’m happy.”

“...I’m grateful, but I’m a bit on edge because we have a report to present soon. My apologies.”

“Ah, of course. That’s understandable. Let’s go over things quickly, then.”

Ho Isa laughed as if he completely understood, then turned to face each of us.

“Yeongeun, I heard you were nearly lost in the ghost story, but thanks to your colleague’s help, you made it out safely. That’s wonderful, isn’t it? It makes your group infiltration feel worth it.”

“...Yes.”

I heard a brief, sharp intake of breath from Ko Yeongeun.

“And Heowoon, I heard you’re doing well. You’ve joined the Cleanup Division, correct? That’s a great team for accessing documents.”

“Y-yes, that’s correct....”

Jang Heowoon couldn’t even lift his gaze.

Ho Isa smiled and took a sip of the green tea I had brewed.

“It’s nice to meet you all in person and have this chat. Since it’s your first time, try not to be too nervous—relax.”

“......”

“......”

If it was all of our first times reporting our status updates to him—

Then who exactly had he "heard" our assignments from?

‘The Disaster Management Agency isn’t the only place he has eyes in.’

He knew exactly how to set the mood to prevent us from making any careless moves.

I really, really hated higher-ups like this....

But as mere low-level employees, the three of us stiffened, nodded silently, and sipped on our instant green tea.

“...Excuse me.”

“...!”

Or so I thought.

Surprisingly, someone actually spoke up.

Even more surprisingly, it was Jang Heowoon.

“...If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to ask something I’ve been curious about.”

“Oh? What would that be?”

“What exactly is the document we’re supposed to retrieve from the Disaster Management Agency?”

“That’s none of your concern.”

Silence fell.

“I’ll tell you when the time is right—when you’ve gained enough access to the information relevant to our project.”

“......”

“For now... Hmm, I suppose it’s fine to share this much.”

Ho Isa smiled.

“It’s a document related to a supernatural disaster.”

I expected that much.

“It’s stored on the 33rd basement floor of the Disaster Management Agency’s Gangwon Branch. To categorize it properly... it’s Extermination-Class.”

“...! Th-that’s....”

“Ah, you’ve heard about it during training! That’s right.”

Extermination (滅形) Class.

“It’s the highest official threat level for supernatural disasters designated by the Paranormal Disaster Management Agency.”

...Of course.

The agency only managed ghost stories that caused casualties, but Extermination-Class disasters were on a different scale—where even the agency itself couldn’t handle the death toll.

The criteria?

Estimated fatalities exceeding 500,000.

In other words, catastrophes that wiped out entire cities.

Not just a ghost story—a true supernatural calamity.

And yet.

‘I... think I know which one he’s talking about.’

The Extermination-Class ghost story related to Baekilmong Corporation’s “Project.”

This clue alone had already narrowed things down too much.

‘There’s only one case like that in the Darkness Exploration Records.’

Which meant I now knew exactly what Ho Isa was looking for—and what the hell that project of his was trying to accomplish.

‘This is insane.’

Just thinking about it made my mind go hazy. The ghost story he was investigating... it was beyond comprehension.

My heart pounded wildly, my body going cold.

This couldn’t continue.

‘The wish ticket... There’s no way I’m getting it within the next few years at this rate.’

I had to cut ties.

But if that sharp-eyed, terrifying executive realized that I already knew, I didn’t even want to imagine what would happen next.

Cold sweat ran down my back.

The smartest choice was—

‘Just keep my mouth shut.’

Don’t get caught in a battle between giants.

I fixed my expression, looking down at the table instead of meeting Ho Isa’s gaze, as if I was just another nervous subordinate. Which, in my current state, wasn’t even hard to pull off.

Fortunately, he didn’t seem to notice.

“Was that enough of an answer for you?”

“...Yes.”

“Good!”

The conversation flowed on.

“Ah, about your ‘workers’ compensation’ request.”

Regeneration potion.

“A formal process might be difficult. After all, the three of you aren’t officially affiliated with the main branch.”

Thankfully, he wasn’t about to change his mind.

“So, I’ll provide it as part of your activity expenses.”

Ho Isa spread his fingers.

“10,000 points per month.”

“...!!”

“I’ll give you temporary accounts for the benefits mall. You can spend them however you like, but if you don’t use them within a month, they’ll expire.”

Oh my god.

That was enough to buy a C-rank regeneration potion every month.

“So, are we all satisfied now?”

Ho Isa looked at each of us in turn, his gaze finally settling on me.

I bowed my head respectfully.

“Yes. For now, I’m grateful.”

For now.

“Great!”

He beamed.

And then he went a step further.

“Oh, let me give you something else to help with your work. All three of you, hold out your hands.”

“...Ah.”

The other two obediently raised both hands, palms up.

I lifted my single hand and placed it on the table as well—

“Not like that. Turn them over, so the backs are facing up.”

“......”

The moment we adjusted our hands—

“There we go.”

Something began to form on the backs of our hands.

“...!!”

“Careful. If you move too much, you might need that regeneration potion sooner than you think....”

This crazy bastard.

A pattern of countless hollow circles rippled like waves across our skin.

‘What the hell is this?’

A strange, suffocating sensation spread through me.

—Male, female, male. From now on, the three of you will no longer be able to call each other by your codenames.

“......!”

—If there are prying eyes, you will not be able to share any information that hints at your true identities.

Thud.

Thud.

—If you attempt to change this rule, you will be punished.

Something round and unseen drilled into the back of my hand. The vibration spread from my skin to my entire body. And then—

“Gah...!”

It vanished. Not a single trace remained.

“......”

“......”

Sweating profusely, the three of us slowly withdrew our hands from the table.

“...W-what is this.”

“I worked hard to prepare this so you ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ wouldn’t make any unfortunate mistakes.”

Ho Isa smiled kindly.

But none of us could bring ourselves to smile back.

“Just now... I heard the word ‘punishment.’”

“Hm?”

“You said we would be punished.”

“Oh, it’s nothing too serious. But if you’re trying to break this restriction, that probably means something really big has gone wrong, doesn’t it?”

Ho Isa laced his fingers together and grinned.

“So as your ‘punishment’... the thing you treasure most will come to meet me.”

“...!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of it.”

“Wait! That’s—”

Ko Yeongeun was about to protest, but I locked eyes with her.

“......”

“...Yes?”

She slowly calmed herself, then spoke again in a steadier voice.

“...So, will we have to bear this restriction until the project ‘succeeds’?”

“Oh, no. This is just to help you with your work!”

How conveniently phrased.

‘Help?’

“As soon as you bring me information on the Extermination-Class disaster, this restriction will disappear. And...”

Ho Isa leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand.

“Whoever contributes to this task will receive their potion immediately.”

“......”

Wait.

Beside me, Jang Heowoon’s voice trembled.

“P-Potion, meaning...”

“A wish ticket.”

“...!!”

“You’ll receive your wish ticket the moment you fulfill your assigned role! Isn’t that amazing?”

Holy shit.

“I’ve worked hard to make sure you don’t have to wait until the project succeeds. You can get it much, much sooner.”

The timeframe for getting a wish ticket had just been dramatically shortened.

Suddenly, this spy job felt incredibly tempting.

‘If I play my cards right, I can get it absurdly fast.’

If I just did well.

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“......”

At the same time, I felt a chill down my spine.

‘He revealed this now on purpose.’

It was a secondary motivator, ensuring we’d cling to this mission for dear life.

Instead of explaining everything at the start and letting us make a well-informed decision, he withheld information—

‘So that now, it feels like it’s right within our grasp.’

I had suspected it before, but his methods were so multi-layered and insidiously effective that it sent cold sweat trickling down my back.

‘And this isn’t even all of it.’

I recalled something Ho Isa had said when I was first recruited as a spy.

—And since it might get lonely working alone, I’ve arranged for some others to be deployed with you.

At the time, it sounded like he was assigning other people for my sake.

But in reality?

‘My fellow recruits had already been deployed before me.’

Ho Isa never lied about the situation itself.

But he warped the framing and interpretation so masterfully that people fell into the exact position he wanted.

Just look at my fellow spies now.

‘Their eyes are shining.’

‘A wish ticket right after completing the job’—how intoxicating was that promise?

But.

“May I ask something?”

“Hm?”

Details were everything in moments like this.

“If we all cooperate and submit the report together, will we each receive a wish ticket?”

“Oh, of course.”

“...Then, will you be the one to decide whether we ‘cooperated’ properly?”*

“......”

Ho Isa met my gaze for a moment, then smiled again.

“I trust your reports.”

Exhale.

“Thank you.”

With this, I had prevented him from twisting things later and picking just one MVP, reducing the total number of wish tickets distributed.

“Ah, it’s time.”

Ho Isa checked his wristwatch and stood up.

Then, clapping his hands together, he spoke to us with a bright, cheerful tone.

“Take your time chatting, the three of you. It’ll be hard to gather like this ‘outside’ from now on, after all. I arranged this meeting especially for you.”

A warning—don’t get caught meeting up as spies.

At least he had the decency to let us talk this once.

Because, of course, he wasn’t the kind of superior who’d ever allow us to act freely.

“Well then, I’ll be off.”

Smiling wide, Ho Isa turned and waved as he walked toward the door.

We all scrambled up from our seats and bowed.

“No need to stand! Thank you all.”

Then, right as he reached the exit—his hand on the doorknob—

He paused.

Our eyes met.

Ho Isa subtly gestured toward the silver ring on my left finger.

My mental defense item.

“That thing’s all worn out now.”

“...!”

Swish.

“See you at the next session, everyone.”

The Fox Counseling Room door clicked shut.

Thud.

“......”

“......”

Ho Isa was completely gone.

And then.

“Haa...”

A deep sigh filled the waiting room.

The collective sigh of lower-ranking employees who had just faced an utterly insane superior.

‘At least it wasn’t a one-on-one meeting. That made it a little easier.’

And I had also reunited with someone I hadn’t seen in a long time.

“Uh... It’s been a while, Soleum-ssi.”

I turned to look at my fellow spy.

A man with long hair, a former member of the Finalization Team.

His face showed a mix of relief and concern as he greeted me.

“Have you been doing well?”

It was Jang Heowoon.