Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work-Chapter 95

Water began to pour into the laundromat.

Gulp, gulp.

It seeped through the cracks in the glass door, forcing us to step back.

But the unmanned laundromat offered no place to run. There were only a few running washing machines scattered around the room.

‘Damn it.’

“This way!”

I climbed on top of a washing machine, followed immediately by Captain Lee Jaheon, who stepped onto a machine next to mine.

But that was the end of the line.

‘Where do we go from here?’

My eyes darted toward a small, high-set window on the left wall. It had bars, but maybe Lee Jaheon could rip them off....

♩♪♬♬♩♬♬♩♪♪

"......."

The sound of rushing water echoed, accompanied by a distant melody.

I recognized it.

The theme song of Happy Theme Park.

♩♪♬♬♩♬♬♩♪♪

The water filling the laundromat began to coalesce, forming a large mass.

A dragon-shaped mascot, dressed in a theme park costume, emerged from the liquid.

Found you.

Suddenly, a voice emanated from the shapeless eyes of the water dragon, as if it were coming through a phone line. Vibrations traveled through the water.

Found you.

Cold sweat trickled down my face as I stared at the black liquid dominating the laundromat.

‘How did it recognize me?’

I’d taken off my mask and was wearing both a cap and a face mask.

Kidnapper.

‘...It recognized Captain Lee Jaheon!’

The black water pointed one forelimb at the lizard on the washing machine next to me.

“That’s not true,” Lee Jaheon said flatly.

Kidnapper.

“That’s not true.”

It was endless.

Oddly enough, that was a relief. It wouldn’t have been surprising if this mass of water suddenly unleashed some horrifying ghost story-esque power.

I still hadn’t forgotten the torrent that erupted from the phone and swallowed the alley in chaos.

‘...It’s water. I don’t even know if physical exorcism techniques would work on it.’

"......."

Deep breath.

Alright. As long as communication was an option, however faint.

I...

“I’m not a kidnapper.”

I removed the face mask and put the tattoo-bearing mask back on.

Then I rolled up my sleeve, revealing the mark on my arm.

: Socius :

Making my expression as calm as possible, I faced the watery dragon head-on.

“Mr. Mascot, is it me you’ve been looking for?”

The water dragon’s form wavered.

And then—

Good Kid!

Its voice sharpened, becoming clear.

“Yes, it’s nice to meet you too....”

I gestured for Lee Jaheon to stay where he was and slowly stepped down from the washing machine.

‘Ugh.’

Water splashed around my feet, but other than the theme park melody becoming slightly louder, nothing strange happened.

‘Good.’

I could do this.

I approached the water dragon cautiously....

Come with me.

A vibration rippled from the tattoo on my arm. It resonated with the form in front of me.

The dragon’s forelimb reached toward me....

Let’s play more.

I took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry.”

Then I gently pushed the forelimb away.

“I’m not a kid anymore, so I can’t stay at the theme park forever. I have to work now.”

Silence.

‘This is terrifying.’

But I held my ground, keeping my voice steady as I looked into the dragon’s face.

“Still, when I want to have fun, when I feel like spending time at an amazing water park, I’ll definitely come back to visit.”

I raised my arm, showing the tattoo again.

“That’s what this is for, right? So I can come back whenever I want.”

The water dragon slowly nodded.

“Thank you. Um... but, I’m not sure how to get to Happy Theme Park.”

In the company’s exploration records, the way to access Happy Theme Park was always through a board game. Each game session brought players to a differently structured park.

‘If I could bypass that randomness, it might be safer.’

It would be better to return to a familiar location.

“What if I accidentally go to a different theme park without you there? Is there a way to prevent that?”

It’s fine.

“...Even if it’s a different park, it’s okay?”

It’s fine.

"......."

Strange.

‘...Does playing the board game again change anything?’

Either way, if that was the case...

Promise me.

Phew.

Suppressing my trembling, I extended a hand toward the water dragon.

“Yes. I promise.”

It hooked its slimy pinky finger around mine.

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The clammy sensation of the watery limb sent chills through me, but nothing harmful occurred....

.......

The watery mass released my pinky and then pressed its clawed forelimb gently against the tattoo on my arm.

It seemed to be checking if it was properly affixed. After a moment, it appeared satisfied and withdrew its forelimb.

That’s when it happened.

Whoosh.

The laundromat door swung open under the pressure of water, and something flew inside, landing atop the water creature’s forelimb.

A small, rectangular, black object.

My broken smartphone.

Yours.

"......."

With trembling hands, I reached out and grabbed my smartphone.

“...Thank you. I thought I’d lost it for good.”

Good Kid.

The watery mass began to dissolve.

Promise.

The waves receded.

Then, as though someone had hit rewind on a video, the black water flowed out of the laundromat and through the cracks, vanishing into the alley beyond.

Ssssshhhh.

The water retreated, and within moments, the alley was silent, with no trace of its flooding.

Inside the laundromat, where the black water had been, only a few chocolate bars remained scattered on the floor, printed with my likeness like flecks of gold.

"......."

I was alive.

Phew.

I collapsed onto the ground, exhaling a shaky breath.

"Goodness, my friend! Did you actually promise to visit that mediocre theme park again?"

‘Yes.’

Frankly, I didn’t want to imagine what would’ve happened if I’d refused.

Maybe they would’ve ripped out my guts and turned me into the second version of the blue dragon mascot, working as a staff member in that cursed park.

I’d rather avoid that fate.

With the membership card-like tattoo, I’d at least be treated as a guest there. It was better than being dragged off without preparation or control over the outcome.

My thoughts raced.

‘...I’ll need to coordinate with the company to schedule a board game session.’

Judging by the timing, I’d have to go within the next six months.

‘In the meantime, I’ll gather items and gear.’

Alright.

For now, surviving this moment was all that mattered. Shaking legs and all, I forced myself to stand, stifling a sigh.

‘If this was going to happen, I should’ve just stayed and dealt with it earlier...!’

But really, who in their right mind would have stayed to calmly negotiate instead of running in that situation?

‘I’d bet a gold bar that no one would.’

Phew.

Behind me, Lee Jaheon nonchalantly hopped off the washing machine.

Without thinking, I asked, “Captain. If I hadn’t stepped up just now, would you have tried to destroy... or at least eliminate that water mass?”

“Yes.”

"......."

Of course.

This whole scenario had worked out only because the timing aligned perfectly. If I’d stood frozen in that stationery store, everything would’ve gone straight to hell.

‘Guess running was the right call back then.’

I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry at this point.

But I needed to pull myself together.

‘We’re still stuck in this alley.’

The only silver lining was that I now had an idea for a potential escape plan.

“Captain.”

Brushing off my suit, I stood in front of the laundromat’s glass door.

“I’ve thought of an escape method. ...If certain conditions are met, we might be able to attempt it, even in this Death’s End Alley.”

“Understood.”

“Yes. And the first condition is...”

I scanned the alley’s shops, my eyes lingering on the stationery store—the place that had initially thrown us into this mess—and the object its shopkeeper had used to make that call.

“A phone.”

***

A few moments later.

Ding-a-ling.

We stepped into a shop that stood out amidst the dark alley, its windows casting a warm, inviting glow into the night.

As it turned out, this was the very same shop where my teammates had earlier indulged in their peculiar shopping spree.

True to its advertisement, “Handmade Knitting,” the store displayed cozy-looking sweaters, socks, and scarves. However, some of the fabrics appeared unsettlingly tattered and damp, as though woven from something... unnatural.

Ugh.

I averted my gaze, focusing instead on the store's layout.

After hours of ducking into countless shops to escape the furious stationery store owner’s wrath, I had finally found what I’d been searching for.

There it is!

Another door.

On the wall opposite the one we entered through stood a large, imposing door.

It was bigger than the one we had just walked through. Which could only mean—

That’s the main entrance.

And beyond it lay a street that was no longer part of Death’s End Alley, a place shrouded in the unknown.

The kind of place where exploration records typically concluded with the ominous phrase, “Subsequently presumed missing.”

"Occasionally, opposite doors are found in shops within Death’s End Alley. Leaving through them is strongly discouraged."

"No successful returns have been documented."

The fear of disappearing lingered heavily in the air.

I quickly turned my eyes away from the faint neon sign glowing beyond the frosted glass of the ominous door.

Instead, I grabbed a pair of socks from a shelf—a pair that had been verified safe in the exploration records—and headed to the counter where Captain Lee Jaheon stood examining another pair.

“Hello.”

The shopkeeper, a figure knitting with six arms, glanced up at me from beneath their round spectacles.

I avoided meeting their gaze, focusing instead on their intricately patterned sweater.

Handing over the socks, I spoke as casually as I could.

“Please ring this up. Oh, and would it be alright if I used your phone for a quick call?”

To seal the deal, I nonchalantly placed a few extra coins on the counter.

......

The elderly figure, bearing the face of Death’s End Alley itself, slowly reached for the phone.

Click.

They handed it to me without a word.

“...Thank you.”

Phew.

One condition met.

A phone.A door leading out of the alley.A means of transport.I glanced at the old rotary dial on the phone.

Of course, dialing a real-world number from a phone in Death’s End Alley wouldn’t actually connect to anything.

Previous records had noted instances where connections seemed to be established, but the results were always eerily distorted.

Some callers heard voices imitating their loved ones, only for the ruse to be exposed amidst mocking laughter. Others found themselves speaking with grieving family members during their own funeral, as if time itself had been warped.

Horrifying.

This wasn’t a call for rescue.

If anything... it was the opposite.

I lifted my hand and clumsily spun the dial.

666666 4444 8282

A nonsensical number that shouldn’t have worked.

Ring-ring... click.

Yet, as if defying logic, the call connected.

"......."

I fought to ignore the sound of breathing on the other end, forcing myself to speak as casually as possible.

“Hello, is this a taxi service? I’d like to request a pickup.”

[...We have located your position.]

A husky voice, polite yet dripping with mockery, responded.

[Please specify your desired time of pickup.]

“As soon as possible.”

[Destination?]

“...Seoul Station, Exit 1.”

[Understood. Dispatching a driver now....]

I briefly pulled the phone away from my ear.

Seconds later:

[The driver has been assigned. Have a pleasant journey.]

Click. Beep-beep-beep.

The line went dead.

“...Thank you.”

I returned the phone to the shopkeeper with a respectful nod, collected the bag containing the socks, and handed it to Captain Lee Jaheon.

The gesture wasn’t out of courtesy—it was to steady my trembling hands.

Phew.

It was done.

You might have guessed already, but that wasn’t a normal taxi service.

The number belonged to a ghost story.

A cursed taxi that could traverse dimensions at will.

Exploration Records / Ghost Stories

[Hell-Surcharge Taxi]

A ghost story documented in the Darkness Exploration Records, registered under code Qterw-C-8282 by Daydream Inc.

This ghost story involves a taxi that can be summoned by dialing a specific number late at night. Passengers who board it are inevitably cursed.

In Death’s End Alley, there were no normal paths left to reality.

If that was the case—

Then I’ll leave through the ghost story.

Moments later, a soft honk echoed from beyond the shop’s main door.

Beep-beep.

"......."

The taxi had arrived.