Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work-Chapter 82

The morning after clearing a horrific high school ghost story in a horror game.

Despite surviving the nightmare, the truly terrifying reality was this: I still had to go to work.

And so, I was busily getting ready for my commute.

This time, though, the commute didn’t feel as grueling.

Because I had something I could rely on.

A-grade liquid, brimming in my dreamscape collector.

‘Reassuring.’

I carefully packed the dreamscape collector, filled with golden liquid, into my briefcase.

It was the bounty from a night of labor.

And as I fully sat up in bed, I noticed another “bonus reward” awaiting me—a rather unique one.

Clatter.

Something tumbled off me and scattered across the floor.

Dozens of... marbles?

Transparent marbles, shaped as though they could be loaded into a glass slingshot.

I picked one up, examining its design, and read the single Chinese character etched inside:

護

“To protect or safeguard?”

“Ah, yes, a character commonly associated with defense or protection. Fairly straightforward and intuitive.”Oh.

I realized it immediately.

‘This must be the final-stage reward from that game!’

Graduation Ceremony Successfully Conducted

(Deaths: 2, Survivors: 1)

Field explorers who "died as students" confirmed to have safely awakened in the morning.Large quantities of reward items found at the sleeping area of the final survivor. (Analyzed to be protective talismans with minor exorcism and safeguarding effects.)In other words, I had brought items from the dream-game back into reality.

Just like Baek Saheon, who had escaped the faculty office with the fountain pen item.

“...Huh.”

That reminded me.

When I stepped out into the entryway, Baek Saheon’s shoes were already gone.

‘Looks like he left for work early.’

I’ll deal with him later.

For now, these dozens of glass marbles, apparently functioning as "protective talismans," could prove quite useful.

‘There’s definitely a place for these.’

I stored the rest of the “talismans” in my stash and slipped one or two into my pocket before continuing my morning routine.

But something felt... off.

“......”“......”There was an unusual silence.

‘...Braun.’

“Ah, calling for me, are you, my friend?”By any chance...

‘Were you uncomfortable last night?’

The quiz-show host plushie I had nearly flattened under my head while sleeping...

“Haha, it wasn’t the most exhilarating experience, to be fair!”“Imagine your friend having an incredibly exciting night all to themselves, and you weren’t even invited! Who wouldn’t feel a little left out?”Oops.

“Ah, but it’s all fine. While I was having the enlightening experience of being a waffle, at least my friend was also having a unique adventure!”“......”

Well...

‘I did have a special experience.’

“Oh, do tell!”‘I conducted a fiery graduation ceremony.’

“A graduation ceremony? Did you give a speech or something?”Not quite.

‘A teacher attacked me because they didn’t like my hosting skills. I had to endure until they tore off my limbs one by one, and it finally ended.’

“Good heavens!”Braun, who had been sulking moments ago, was now thoroughly intrigued as I recounted the details of the nightmare.

Maybe I should treat Braun to some aromatherapy or a massage later.

“An excellent idea, Deer! I’m all ears for more!”Sure, sure.

On the way to work, I told Braun everything—about being chased by students, how I became one of them, and the events of the final stage.

“Fascinating!”By the time I reached the office and was heading upstairs, I ran into a familiar face.

“Ah, Soleum!”

“Ah, Manager Lee Byungjin.”

It was Manager Lee Byungjin, the manual review officer I’d rescued during the Changgui ghost story.

“I heard the exploration team attempted full entry into that profitable ghost story this time!”

Ah, so they already knew about our mission in the high school ghost story.

Well, it wasn’t surprising; the directive for full-team entry had been officially circulated.

“How did your team do?”

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“Oh, I went in and came back out, but I’m not sure about the others.”

I doubted that the Lizard Manager had made it inside.

‘If he had, his name would have been recorded in the Dark Exploration Records...’

No, he wouldn’t even have written himself into the records. The counter to this ghost story was none other than Jaheon.

‘A man capable of physically beating every threat to a pulp wouldn’t find this chase meaningful...’

Ruining the ghost story was out of the question.

Even if I’d caused some butterfly effect by joining the exploration, if the Lizard Manager had participated, I’d have noticed his presence.

‘He wasn’t there.’

...And as for the other member of Team D....

They didn’t survive.

‘Sigh.’

I was about to say something when—

“Ah, wasn’t Team D just you and the leader? I guess you didn’t meet, huh.”

“...Pardon?”

“Well, it was a solo run, right? Our company’s future! A talented deputy like you wouldn’t have been hindered by anyone else, haha!”

......

What?

“Wait, you’re saying Team D only had two members?”

“Huh? Oh, the personnel adjustment was temporarily postponed, wasn’t it?”

The manager gave me a puzzled look.

“They said contaminated personnel might recover, so Team D was told to focus on support duties for now. Didn’t you get the memo?”

“......!”

Ah.

It hit me like a ton of bricks.

Chief Yoon Johun.

The new assignment.

He had been "erased" by the teacher in the dream, treated as a glitch...

And thus, erased in reality as well.

Literally deleted.

As though he had never existed.

“......”

That explained why people mistakenly believed there were no fatalities in this ghost story.

At worst, people assumed they’d be dragged back to the school during the lunar eclipse.

Everyone!

Because...

Those who collected too many name tags and stubbornly held on at higher floors were all "deleted."

They ceased to exist as if they had never been there.

It was a terrifying power of reality manipulation.

‘...No wonder the liquid was rated A-grade.’

I could sense something darker and deeper lurking behind all this...

A chill ran down my spine.

Objectively speaking, this situation might not be bad for me.

After all, someone who would’ve been difficult to work with had conveniently disappeared.

But...

‘This is no different from being erased from existence.’

My stomach churned. The knowledge that I was the only one who remembered felt utterly unsettling.

No, wait.

‘Why am I the only one who remembers?’

Shouldn’t I have forgotten too?

Was it because I witnessed the death firsthand?

Ah!

Or maybe it was because I had eaten Nostalgia Candy at the time?

Come to think of it, when I ate the candy...

......

......

“Soleum?”

“...Ah. I think I might have been mistaken.”

In any case, this wasn’t the time to dwell on it. I needed to focus on the conversation.

A different team, sure, but a manager is still a manager.

And Manager Lee was now looking at me expectantly.

“Oh, by the way, Soleum, how did you do? What grade did you clear with? If you show me your collector, I can estimate the liquid’s grade.”

“Oh.”

I cheerfully pulled the collector from my briefcase and held it up.

Golden liquid swirled inside.

“This is it.”

“......”

After a moment of silence—

“...?!”

Manager Lee Byungjin gave his glasses a brisk wipe.

“Haha, I must be getting old. My eyes are playing tricks on me, the light reflecting off this seems way too bri—?!?”

“Oh.”

I greeted his reaction with a delighted tone.

“Does this look like A-grade liquid to you as well, Manager?”

“......”

Lee put his glasses back on, his expression now unreadable.

“......Immediately.”

“...?”

“You need to report this immediately! What are you standing around for?! Go!”

***

In the blink of an eye, I was summoned.

Before I could even properly clock in at the Team D office, the collectors had already been confiscated by the evaluators.

“Goodness!”

The evaluators looked at me with that “It’s you again?” expression, though it seemed to carry a grudging hint of approval.

And the liquid’s evaluation?

“Kim Soleum.”

“Yes, Team Leader.”

“The liquid you collected from the Darkness last night has been officially confirmed as A-grade.”

That afternoon, as I sat in the office writing my exploration report, the Lizard Manager delivered this news in his usual monotone.

That much, I’d anticipated.

But the next part?

“And regarding this exploration, a request for a one-on-one interview has come in for you.”

“......”

Well, this was unavoidable, I suppose.

A second A-grade liquid.

And from a ghost story that wasn’t even supposed to have that.

‘An A-grade from that ghost story? It was probably only ever meant to exist as a nominal possibility.’

Most of the collected liquids were D or F grades.

Once or twice, someone had managed to scrape together enough items and name tags to pull a C-grade, but that was about it.

A ghost story used primarily for item farming had suddenly hit the jackpot, so of course the higher-ups were buzzing.

Still, though.

‘This is the end of it.’

The first clear is the only one that counts.

Subsequent attempts to clear the ghost story using similar methods resulted in one or two tiers lower—at most a B-grade.

‘That’s just how games like this work.’

Repeats don’t count as achievements unless they’re unique.

Of course, I wasn’t planning to explain all this in detail during the interview, but I’d drop enough hints to avoid taking the blame if they ever pulled the “We backed you, and you didn’t deliver another A-grade!” card.

‘Looks like I’m going to be running around all afternoon....’

Just as I was gloomily anticipating the ordeal, the Lizard Manager spoke up again.

“Kim Soleum.”

“Yes?”

“Do you not want to do the interview?”

Is... is he offering me a way out?

But after a moment’s thought, I shook my head.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll do it.”

If I didn’t, I could already hear accusations like, “You didn’t follow through, and that’s why we didn’t get another A-grade clear!”

“Yes.”

The Lizard Manager didn’t ask twice. Very much in character.

Shortly afterward, at the appointed time, I left the Team D office for the interview.

‘They’ve called me up to a high floor.’

Descending to the 31st floor, I found the meeting room where I’d been summoned.

Knock, knock.

“Come in.”

Carefully, I opened the door to the room.

Sunlight streamed through the blinds, creating an almost majestic atmosphere.

Inside was a massive, round black conference table.

But...

“Hmm.”

The research team I was expecting wasn’t there.

Instead, seated at the most prominent position of the enormous table, was a single person.

A woman with dark blue hair, clad in a perfectly tailored three-button suit, looked at me with a kindly expression.

She didn’t appear elderly, but her aura made it difficult to guess her age.

What stood out most was the sleek black nameplate on the table before her:

Executive Director Cheong Dallae

“...?!”

An... executive director?

Wait a second—did I just walk into a meeting room where an executive director is sitting alone?

And it wasn’t even Director Ho, who had ties to A-Team and Manager Lee Byungjin.

But the surname...

‘I’ve heard it before....’

When Manager Lee went missing during the Changgui ghost story incident, his office staff had speculated about his potential replacement.

“Whoever it is, it’s a mystery for now... But odds are, it’ll be someone from Director Cheong’s faction.”Director Cheong.

A high-ranking executive from the development department, with whom I’d had no prior contact, had personally summoned me...!

‘This is insane....’

Despite my internal panic, I immediately bowed deeply.

I couldn’t let shock make me forget basic workplace etiquette.

“...! It’s an honor to meet you, Director.”

“Likewise. Welcome.”

Accepting my handshake, Director Cheong gestured casually toward the array of chairs around the round table.

“Have a seat.”

“Yes.”

Where on earth should I sit?

I chose a spot that wasn’t too close to the head of the table but still allowed for conversation.

A staff member, likely from the director’s office, entered and placed an unidentified file in front of the director before leaving.

Cold sweat began to bead on my back.

‘What is this situation?’

Since I couldn’t grasp the context, I decided to start there.

“So... Deputy Kim? Are you still in your twenties?”

“Yes, I was born in XX.”

“You’re young. I’ll speak informally, so just relax. I called you here for good news.”

“Good news?”

“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Director Cheong said with a smile.

“Very impressive. If we had more recruits like you, we’d never have supply issues with our raw materials.”

“Thank you.”

When someone in her position says things like this, it’s best to simply sit politely and listen.

Acting too eager to anticipate their needs could easily backfire.

‘Maybe this is just a formality to commend me for the A-grade and encourage me to write a good manual.’

A chance to make an impression, perhaps.

“So, Deputy Kim.”

But then, without warning, she cut to the chase.

“Have you ever considered joining an elite team?”

I nearly choked on my own spit.

“Well...”

“Oh, I know you turned down the offer from Section Chief Seok of A-Team recently.”

“...!”

“‘I need to start from the basics’—a solid excuse. Well handled.”

Oh, for crying out loud.

“That team... Well, prioritizing hierarchy isn’t bad, but they sometimes value it more than exploration itself.”

“......”

“It’s not a good look, but hey, knowing how to play the game is a skill too, isn’t it? Haha!”

She was openly acknowledging the factional politics within the company.

‘I’m not reacting to that statement at all, Director....’

I just smiled awkwardly and nodded.

If I messed this up, I’d end up implicated in badmouthing A-Team alongside her.

While it was safe for her, as a high-ranking executive, I’d be the one in trouble.

Carefully, I tried to steer the conversation.

“Well, as someone who’s still new to the company, I felt I needed a solid foundation. I’m working hard to learn...”

“Haha! Relax, relax. Of course, this is a nerve-wracking situation for you.”

Director Cheong laughed heartily, then abruptly turned serious.

“No need to agree with everything I say. I don’t like sycophants.”

“......”

“Let me rephrase my question more clearly.”

After a thoughtful pause, she closed the file and spoke.

“I’m not asking if you want to join an elite team.”

“...?”

“I’m asking if you’re interested in receiving the treatment of an elite team member. Or perhaps I should ask it this way.”

She smiled faintly.

“What would you think about turning Team D into an elite team?”

“...!!”

“With the freedom to choose one member to add, of course.”

Oh. My. God.