Got Dropped Into A Ghost Story Still Gotta Work Chapter 226

[ … words ]

Evening, with darkness settling in.

The annex lobby of Baekilmong Corporation.

Two black-suited Security Team officers with mobile containment pods sat at the front desk, processing arrivals.

“Corridor… 32. That way……”

“Th-thank you.”

Of course, “processing” was more a matter of offering a cursory greeting, unlocking corridor access permissions, and reading off precautionary instructions.

Usually it was a one-person shift. And rarely did the staff have a mobile containment pod beside them, so visitors would occasionally freeze up or eye the pod nervously, looking as if they were sweating bullets—Is this part of another experiment?

And in that “exceptional case” pod… was me.

“You okay…?”

Thump.

“Mmh… got it.”

The Guard Captain checked on my condition now and then, but for the most part sprawled over the front desk with a face that said everything was a hassle.

Normally, the Security Team wouldn’t be assigned to front-facing duties like this. But since I’d been designated as his responsibility, he’d ended up having to do all sorts of things.

I’m sorry…

“Still, it’s nice. Peaceful! Right, No—uh, sir?”

Thump.

I agreed with Assistant Manager Park Minseong’s sentiment.

He said that even within the Security Team, he was usually handling psychic suppression operations and rarely got to do peaceful desk work like this, so he seemed to welcome the change.

He was also genuinely pleased that, during our shifts today, I’d been responding more calmly and steadily compared to before.

—

Looks like your condition’s recovered a lot…! I’m glad, Noru.

I hadn’t yet revealed that I’d regained my proper mental faculties. I planned to wait until I’d fully adapted to the Bell, and could rein myself in completely, before letting anyone know.

First, I need to be able to control my body too.

And so, inside the containment pod, I was once again inspecting my physical form.

For starters… yeah. It’s totally mangled.

There’s no other word but “mush.”

I tried to categorize this mess stuffed into a crumpled Security Team suit using the rough layout of a human body.

Brain, esophagus, eyeballs, ears, stomach… The more nerves or intentional focus I’d placed on a body part, the more vaguely I could isolate it.

—

[It’s like a sliding puzzle! Excellent. Let’s solve it together!]

Brown’s advice was proving quite helpful too.

Of course, if someone with actual medical knowledge—like Yeongeun—were here to help, I might be able to grasp things more broadly… but this was the best I could manage for now.

What even is this? How many eyes do I have?

…To begin with, each part felt somewhat off.

—

[Ah, marvelous scales, my friend!]

I could sense it too—at the end of what might be a foreleg, no, my arm—some freakishly hard… reptilian scales and birdlike talons.

This is insane.

Still, knowing is power.

The problem is that if my emotions were functioning normally, I probably would’ve lost it before gaining that power.

I’m fully aware that I’m doing something grotesque here.

Mmh. If I calmly isolate each recognized part, I might be able to reconstruct my body… maybe.

Now that I can recognize them, I might even be able to move them…

Not yet, though. Maybe I could try it after taking off the suit, but the risk seems too high, so I’ll shelve that idea.

More importantly, I already found what I was looking for.

—

:恩主:

(:Eunju:)

The Inventory Tattoo.

Thankfully, it hadn’t shifted far from its original location. It was buried just under the left shoulder, along the upper forearm.

The other tattoos were likely crumpled further inward, jumbled and jammed into flesh—couldn’t locate them. Maybe once I reassemble my body, I’ll be able to use them again…

But for now, this was the big find.

Could I use this tattoo?

—

[Hoho, I see you’re looking forward to the end of today’s shift, Mr. Noru.]

Exactly.

I can’t reach out and test it while I’m inside the containment pod, after all.

So for now, the goal was to safely complete my first front desk shift at the annex.

Luckily, things at the annex proceeded without incident deep into the night.

…I did recognize quite a few faces. Most visitors to the annex were from the Field Exploration Team or the Research Team, which meant there was a high chance they’d seen me during a previous shift.

It gave me a strange feeling.

“Corridor 12… Oh, would you like to hand this to them yourself?”

“Eep!”

When I released a puff of mist beyond the pod to display letters and handed over an access card, the field exploration staffer in the seal mask nearly rolled backward in panic.

Ah… That was someone who used the office next door.

“……”

“……”

“I’m sorry…”

As I watched their retreating back—now clutching the access pass and speed-walking away—I floated the following message:

—

Survival Instinct: Excellent

– Ideal candidate for Field Exploration Team.

—

“Hahaha…”

Assistant Manager Park Minseong gave a laugh that sounded like he was crying on the inside.

Well, either way, it meant I’d gotten to do routine shift work for the first time in months.

Then, around 3 a.m., a very familiar face appeared.

A heavy hitter I hadn’t expected.

Deputy Jin Nasol!

Wearing a butterfly mask and a neatly tied ponytail, clad in a sharp suit with manicured nails…

It was Deputy Jin Nasol of Elite Team A.

“Mm.”

Seeing Assistant Manager Park Minseong dip his head slightly, Deputy Jin Nasol paused fiddling with her nails, and finally seemed to place him.

“Team D?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Heard you got transferred to Security. Looks like you survived.”

“Haha…”

Most people—even if they recognized him—would shy away once they realized he was Security Team, or treat him politely with some fear. But of course, this one was different…

And just then, as if on cue, another Elite Team member showed up at the annex.

“Hellooo~”

It was Deputy Lee Seong-hae, who I’d worked with just yesterday.

She was holding a large snack pack wrapped in recycled paper and placed it cheerfully on the front desk.

“I heard you were stationed here! Thought it’d be nice if you three shared something together while you worked!”

“Mmm… Thank you…”

For the record, it was seaweed-flavored oranda.

I couldn’t eat it… but the Guard Captain seemed interested, so it worked out.

Surprisingly, Deputy Lee Seong-hae didn’t stop there—she tapped lightly on my containment pod and whispered:

Huh…?

“Hey, wouldn’t it be fine if you came out? No civilians come around here anyway!”

“Come out? What?”

Deputy Jin Nasol blinked at her in disbelief, and Lee Seong-hae scratched the back of her head awkwardly.

“Ah, Deputy, you were here too. I, uh, didn’t bring any oranda for you…”

“……”

Just then, the Guard Captain—who had just taken a bite of oranda—half-turned to glance at the two of them, and limply pointed at the box…

“One…?”

“No, thank you.”

She didn’t offer a second time.

Deputy Jin Nasol looked at her like she’d lost her mind.

“You want to let the Darkness you locked up in a containment pod come out? Are you insane?”

“It’s not locked up—it just looked more comfortable inside, right?”

Partial affirmation.

: Currently adjusting to public-facing duties :

“……”

Deputy Jin Nasol, watching the mist emerge from the containment pod as I drew out text, briefly looked like she had a lot to say—then unexpectedly bowed her head in apology.

“My apologies.”

No need… that was an entirely reasonable thing to say.

Assistant Manager Park [N O V E L I G H T] Minseong hurriedly stepped in with a soft tone, turning to Deputy Lee Seong-hae.

“Ah, thank you. I know your teammate got captured by the Disaster Management Agency… It must be distressing, and you still thought of us.”

“Huh? Oh—Ponytail Guy.”

Lee Seong-hae gave a sweet smile.

“We’re not on the same team.”

“Ah.”

…Things got awkwardly quiet.

“Was he from Elite Team?”

“Nope.”

“Got it.”

And that was that.

……Apparently, to Deputy Lee Seong-hae, Kang Ihak wasn’t exactly a “good person.”

Deputy Jin Nasol didn’t even seem to care. Even though the two of them had worked together at the Mermaid Grave…

Truly consistent people…

My stomach—what was left of it—felt like it was about to cramp, so I gave my Bell another shake.

At this rate, I’m like one of those stress dolls they hand you at the dentist. Or a fidget toy. Just keep shaking the Bell whenever a warning signal hits.

“Aren’t you gonna give me the access pass?”

“Ah, yes.”

With a piece of oranda in his mouth, Assistant Manager Park issued the access pass to Deputy Jin Nasol.

Then, hesitating a bit, he asked:

“Um… our team leader—uh, I mean, Manager Lee Jahaeon of Team D—how’s he doing these days?”

“How should I know?”

Deputy Jin Nasol frowned but still answered, somewhat surprisingly.

“Probably better than before. Got new personnel this time, too.”

“…Ah. I see…”

“Well, it’s not rare for everyone but the team leader to rotate out, so I’m sure he’s handling it fine.”

“……”

“Oh! I think I heard Manager Lee went on a long-term Darkness dive the other day. Something like… a haunted boarding school rumor?”

She added that it would likely take four or five days. Only then did Assistant Manager Park finally smile and nod.

“I see. Thank you.”

After the two of them went their separate ways, Assistant Manager Park whispered to me:

“If we’re lucky, we might get to see Manager Lee too. If he returns from the Darkness this week… that’d be something to look forward to, right?”

Thump.

“Nice.”

Then, as Park smiled, I made a quiet, careful request.

Since no one else was around…

—

Request: Smuggle discreetly

“…Huh?”

I poked at the item with mist.

“You… want this?”

Thump.

“Uh, you sure…? Um, Captain?”

“Here.”

Thank you.

I carefully took the various front-desk writing tools that the Guard Captain pushed into the pod, hiding them within the mist.

And once the first night shift at the annex front desk came to an end…

—

[Ah, sanctuary! Though it lacks even a single window for ventilation, my friend wears a gas mask, so apparently this isn’t a problem.]

Back in the isolation room, I sat on the bed.

Then, very cautiously, I tried to perceive the inside of my body… and move the parts I’d managed to identify.

Come out.

To the surface.

To where you’re supposed to be.

—

Crack.

Squirm, squirm…

It felt like grotesque sounds were coming from inside me. Like I was about to vomit. But… I could move.

After what felt like an eternity that would’ve soaked me in sweat if I still had normal glands—

…There.

I reached toward the lower elbow of my left arm, near the wrist, and touched the Security Team uniform there.

Then opened the zipper.

Zzzip…

Behind the unfastened zipper, I saw a shifting mass of bizarre flesh, barely holding its shape.

But I could also see what I had sent precisely into position.

A tattoo.

Its color shifting—activating.

—

:恩主:

(:Eunju:)

The Inventory Tattoo.

Found it.

I reached into the tattoo.

…!

It worked. It still functions…!

—

[Ah, a corridor leading to the management office of Yukhoe Theme Park! I remember that shabby groundskeeper who rose to undeserved glory, all thanks to you, Mr. Noru…]

Not quite, but… the space had clearly expanded.

And unfortunately, it was supposed to be mostly empty now. I’d cleared nearly everything out before using the Wish Ticket.

I’d even handed some items over to the Disaster Management Agency.

In the end, I gave almost everything to Manager Lee…

I remembered the moment I crammed nearly all my equipment into a subway station locker and messaged Manager Lee Jahaeon the location and code.

Right. It’s supposed to be empty.

But… there’s a strange presence inside.

Something occupying my space.

There’s more in here than I expected.

But I couldn’t keep the uniform unzipped for long. I couldn’t examine further.

So I just felt around quickly for anything familiar or expected.

—

First item: Blue scale.

Given to me by the blue dragon mascot at Yukhoe Theme Park.

I hadn’t handed this to anyone. I was worried about the potential fallout if I did.

It once said, “You can summon me.” …But using it now would probably just get me added to the company’s incident report database, so I’ll hold off.

I’ll just remember it for now.

I pulled my hand away from the smooth, cool, shimmering surface.

And then… came the item that had been nagging at me.

—

Second item: Paper boat.

Left behind by Baek Saheon, who escaped from Jisan Village.

—

[Hmm. Let me guess, dear Brown will attempt a deduction: It’s a personal object with unclear value, which is why you didn’t pass it on to anyone else, correct?]

Correct.

And possibly, it might be a huge help.

A passageway into what happened during the six months I spent as a mindless wreck on Basement 13.

And also, into Jang Heowoon.

—

[A “passageway,” you say.]

Exactly.

A boat is typically something that transports things somewhere.

And paper—well, that’s what you write on.

Put those two together…

It starts to feel like some kind of communication tool.

I pulled the paper boat from the tattoo.

Then hurriedly zipped my uniform closed and tidied up my clothes.

Phew.

There. That went smoothly.

Then, I stared into the paper boat.

Despite being made of slightly worn paper, it had clearly been kept with care. It hadn’t gotten crushed or damaged, even though it was fragile.

If I think of it as an item, and think about how to use it…

This would be the first step.

I carefully unfolded the boat.

And revealed the inner surface hidden within…

—

[Oh, jackpot, my friend.]

Inside was a message.

Hey.

Are you dead?

Written in what looked like pencil.

Baek Saheon’s handwriting.

Of course, I had no idea when he’d written it.

But judging from the tone, it probably wasn’t something he’d scribbled randomly before fleeing Jisan Village.

Feels like he meant this for me.

More precisely, for Agent Podo, the one who pulled the golden rod in Jisan.

…Alright.

I dug through the writing tools the Guard Captain had given me, and pulled out a pencil.

Then I wrote on the paper…

I’m not dead.

A moment later—

What the hell

—came the reply.

Hastily scrawled, as if in shock.