Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work-Chapter 163

Clearing a Darkness under the jurisdiction of Daydream Corporation setting the escape point to their company.

It’s not unusual. But…

‘If we entered through different routes, shouldn’t we be able to exit the way we came in…?!’

I swallowed hard.

Looking around, it seemed that everyone who had been on the escape vessel had ended up in the research office without exception.

No, seriously—why did all the escapees have to get dumped into Daydream Corporation? Shouldn’t the escape vessel at least ask where the passenger wants to go…?

Ah.

‘Wait, was it because the first person to board and set the controls was someone from Daydream Corporation…?’

So the destination was set based on that?

‘That’s entirely possible.’

The problem was that realizing it now didn’t change anything.

Cold sweat ran down my back as I quietly shifted my gaze to Agent Bronze, who was in a tense standoff with Manager Gwak Jaegang.

“Oh, I see from your uniform that you’re from the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau? Looks like you guys received a distress call from our Darkness. Haha!”

“Supernatural disasters are not private property. Please refrain from inappropriate terminology.”

Agent!

“Well, sure, that’s how you might put it…”

Gwak Jaegang smiled faintly from behind his glasses.

“But still, you did trespass into a private company, didn’t you?”

“……”

“Of course, I assume it was a cooperative effort, clearing the place together? Haha, if that’s the case, a simple interview will do, and we won’t need to bill you for anything…”

“Bill?”

“Well, you did use our clearance route! Things like information usage fees, personnel costs, expert consultation fees… Surely, as a government institution, you wouldn’t just skip out on those.”

I wouldn’t have been surprised if Agent Bronze punched Gwak Jaegang right then.

But, surprisingly, instead of getting angry, Agent Bronze simply stared at him with a look of pure contempt and said:

“We did not request any consultation. The escape method we used was already known to us.”

“Huh… Then it wasn’t cooperation, but unauthorized entry.”

Gwak Jaegang smiled at Agent Bronze.

“……”

Agent Bronze silently watched him before slipping a hand into his jacket.

A strange tension filled the air.

Right.

‘This is the middle of the headquarters of a psychotic pharmaceutical conglomerate.’

And not just any part—the research department.

One push of a call button, and the security team could rush in and neutralize the "intruders" without hesitation.

And considering how far gone the security team members already were from being human, even with two veteran agents here, there was still a good chance we’d be gruesomely overpowered.

In other words, we were in the heart of an enemy stronghold where social norms meant nothing.

A chill ran down my spine.

‘A company like this… They wouldn’t hesitate to make a few government workers disappear and turn them into test subjects…’

“Oh, my aching back…”

“…!”

At that moment, the person lying on the floor groaned and casually sat up.

A perfectly timed, exaggerated display.

‘Agent Choi!’

“Man, this is too nerve-wracking to just lie here. What’s all this about trespassing…? I mean, nowadays, you end up in the middle of a ghost story, and suddenly it’s an invasion? The world’s really getting harsh; how’s anyone supposed to work under these conditions?”

Agent Choi stood up, locking eyes with Gwak Jaegang and grinning.

“When our Bureau does a safety inspection, we don’t get all stingy when we find people who happened to wander in…”

“……”

Ah, right.

Daydream Corporation didn’t hate the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau just because they were full of self-important bureaucrats.

Obviously, the government didn’t officially recognize the ownership of ghost stories.

Which meant that whenever the Bureau identified a ghost story under Daydream Corporation’s management and deemed it solvable, they’d push their way in and clear it.

All under the pretense of a “safety inspection.”

‘From Daydream’s perspective, the Bureau is the real disaster—they wreck their supply chain.’

Because of that, there were even regulations in place to limit how frequently the two sides clashed inside ghost stories.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net, it has been stolen.

Otherwise, the Bureau would have way too much fun writing up reports about their repeated encounters.

…Just like this situation.

“I’m honestly scared that if we keep going like this, things might get hostile, you know?”

In other words, Agent Choi was indirectly warning Gwak Jaegang—keep this up, and the Bureau will just keep making your operations a nightmare.

And while the veterans from both sides engaged in their silent battle, Agent Bronze, now out of the spotlight, glanced around like he was checking on children.

Our eyes met.

I read his lips.

—Stay put.

Of course.

‘Keep quiet and stay unnoticed.’

If I got caught here, things would spiral out of control.

Agent Bronze was likely trying to protect my identity because, as far as he knew, I had faked my death and quit this company.

But reality was much worse.

‘My identity in this company isn’t just that of someone who “disappeared.”’

I was still actively working as a spy, and my records had been manipulated to show me as deceased.

If the research team recognized me, and that information reached Director Ho’s ears…

I couldn’t even begin to imagine what would happen.

And if Director Cheong—who thought I had betrayed him—discovered that “Kim Soleum” was inside the building right now?

I swallowed hard.

‘…I’m dead.’

No, worse than dead. This was a ghost story, after all.

‘I cannot get caught.’

I instinctively blended into the crowd of children, minimizing my presence as much as possible.

Meanwhile, Agent Choi’s subtle threats—“keep this up, and we’ll hound your ghost stories non-stop”—were leading the conversation toward a resolution.

“We’ll just take the civilians and go. No need for a thank-you for rescuing your employees~ Hahaha!”

A clean compromise.

But Gwak Jaegang was a madman.

“…Ah, of course. You’re always so busy working for the citizens; how could I not understand?”

With a wide smile, he spread his arms, holding a file folder.

“Then take only the civilians.”

“……!”

Gwak Jaegang started walking toward us.

‘…!’

I quickly lowered my posture, pretending to still be unconscious.

Footsteps.

Thud. Thud.

Getting closer.

A voice from above.

“But these contaminated beings… No matter how you look at it, they don’t seem like ordinary citizens of our society.”

F*ck.

“Look at this—gills instead of ears? No way they’re regular citizens! Oh, and this one has an extra arm, and over here…”

A sharp gaze.

“This one is missing his right arm.”

Chills ran down my spine.

“Oh, of course, maybe he’s just a poor civilian who lost his right arm in an accident… But that’s something we should verify first!”

His voice was practically giddy.

“The contamination levels here are severe, so we’ll handle the inspections ourselves and sort out the real citizens for safe transport.”

If they weren’t “citizens.”

They’d handle them however they saw fit.

“Since you agents are so busy, you can go ahead and leave~”

That was the moment Agent Bronze finally lost his patience.

“Enough nonsense.”

“Nonsense?”

Sh*t.

"The Bureau agents' jurisdiction over this matter isn’t entirely clear… Hah. If you keep insisting like this… Fine. Let's hear from our own staff. Hey, Deputy Jin!"

I heard Gwak Jaegang shaking Deputy Jin Nasol awake.

Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freewebnσvel.cøm.

Then came a dry voice, dripping with irritation.

“…What.”

"Oh, you’re up. From the perspective of a top-tier team member, do these kids look like innocent civilians to you? I mean, I just have to know for my own peace of mind!"

"You're always talking about how unfair everything is, Manager."

But Jin Nasol seemed to have assessed the situation already and delivered only the facts that would work in her favor. Damn it!

“…They are mermaid juveniles."

“Oh!”

Gwak Jaegang’s footsteps became restless.

"Mermaid juveniles! This is so— I mean, what a fascinating new discovery. So, in reality… they’re not innocent civilians at all, but something like Darkness collaborators!"

"Hold on."

Agent Choi's voice hardened.

“That’s for the Bureau to decide, not a private corporation. Especially,”

Even though I couldn’t see him, I could feel it.

“You, personally.”

The pressure was suffocating.

"……"

"……"

“…Hah, it seems we have a difference of opinion!"

Clap. Gwak Jaegang clapped his hands.

Then he took a small step back.

"Perhaps I was a little too hasty. Then… why don’t we take a break and discuss this again later?"

"……"

The two Bureau agents seemed to be calculating the situation.

It was dangerously tense.

No.

‘The conflict can’t escalate any further.’

The best option was to extract ourselves smoothly and intact.

If hostilities broke out here, in our already exhausted state after escaping a ghost story, who knew what would happen?

So…

"We can have as many discussions as you'd like~"

I exhaled.

"We’ll stay here with the kids and rest. Come back when you've gathered your thoughts."

"Haha, well. Understood."

The agents remained seated, making it abundantly clear that they had no intention of letting the children out of their sight. Gwak Jaegang, seeing no other choice, seemed to back off for now.

But…

‘There’s no way that’s the end of his scheme.’

I slowly opened my eyes.

At some point, as if it had happened naturally during the movement, the Bureau agents sitting beside me had started talking.

And they were speaking loud enough for me to hear.

"How long will it take?"

"At most, half a day."

Agent Choi’s voice had returned to a sighing nonchalance.

"Not the first time I’ve dealt with guys like that. Let’s just wait until backup arrives."

Good.

It seemed like they had successfully secured a window to contact the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau for reinforcements.

The problem was…

"Excuse me, but we have work to do…"

The research team would be trying to pull something until then.

I cracked my eyes open just slightly to observe who was approaching.

A bespectacled researcher with deep dark circles was gathering the field team employees and guiding them toward treatment and interviews.

[Lee Yeonhwa]

Deputy of Research Team 1.

Her name was one I’d seen before in Darkness exploration records. Which meant…

‘She’s notable enough to have a Wiki entry.’

And her defining trait was…

One of the few researchers in Daydream Corporation with a sense of research ethics.

It showed in her demeanor.

If this had been a different situation, I might have been a little glad to see her. But not now.

Because it was obvious that Gwak Jaegang had sent her.

To lower the agents’ guard.

"Um, the kids… and the agents, too—you should really receive at least some basic first aid. Especially the children. Some of them have severe bleeding, and others are in shock."

"…Hmm."

That wasn’t something they could easily refuse.

After confirming that the researcher had no ill intentions, the Bureau agents checked the recovery potions with their equipment and gave the okay.

Of course, they didn’t drink any themselves. But given how much the children had suffered—having their tails ripped off, among other things—it seemed they had no choice but to allow it in this urgent situation.

"Drink up."

Naturally, the potion was handed to me as well.

A standard-issue red potion, the kind stocked in the medical rooms here.

‘Been a while.’

I reached out to take it with both hands—only to realize I no longer had a right hand, so I accepted it with my left instead.

Then, instead of drinking it, I subtly channeled the liquid into my wrist tattoo.

‘Just in case they recognized me and put something weird in it.’

Even if that wasn’t the case, they might have tampered with it for “research” purposes.

…Because I had definitely seen it.

A few of the researchers handing out the potions had exchanged signals and specifically selected different vials for certain children.

‘It’s definitely a healing potion, but they slipped something extra into some of them.’

Maybe I was being paranoid, but it couldn’t hurt to be cautious.

And in the process, I realized something.

The moment I moved, I felt an unfamiliar presence among my belongings.

‘…The glass lantern!’

The goblin-fire, which had returned to its glass lantern form, was tucked inside my coat.

“…!”

If it was discovered, they’d know I was an agent.

Which meant it was the perfect way to catch Gwak Jaegang’s attention.

‘No way.’

Feigning fear like an innocent civilian child, I huddled among the others and tried to conceal the glass lantern within my tattoo.

But the goblin-fire inside reacted violently.

“…!”

It… refused to go inside the tattoo?

‘Damn it!’

I had no choice but to hide it as best I could under my oversized jacket.

Then, still acting frightened, I held up my empty potion bottle to the researcher.

And at that moment, my eyes met Baek Saheon’s, just as he was waking up.

"……."

"……."

—If you acknowledge me, I’ll kill you.

—Ah, understood.

That was roughly the conversation we had with our eyes. Baek Saheon’s gaze twitched before he quickly looked straight ahead.

Honestly, he probably entertained the idea of ratting me out for a promotion.

‘But he won’t risk it, not when there’s an item he wants.’

He was the kind of guy who calculated benefits to the last decimal.

I recalled the conversation we’d had just before escaping, when I’d used Baek Saheon as a means of transport to read the Necronomicon.

—If you do this right, it’s yours.

And how his heart had pounded with greed.

‘Good.’

I could stay quiet.

I sat still, watching over the dazed children as we let time pass.

Then, suddenly.

“Team D has returned!”

An alert rang through the research facility as a new figure entered the room.

I instinctively snapped my head up.

“Ah, welcome back.”

“Yes.”

A voice devoid of emotion.

And… a pale, lizard-like head.

‘T-Team Leader…!’

It was Manager Lee Jaheon.