Chapter 124
Chapter 124
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: Even If I Fall Into a Horror Story, I Still Have to Go to Work
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Universe Shopping Mall.
Commonly known as the Alien Shop.
It was the bizarre horror site that had allowed me to acquire useful items and equipment so far, selling high-priced supernatural mystery goods.
But…
‘…Lizard Squad Leader is an alien from there?’
I tried to swallow, but flinched upon realizing I had no body.
Because it felt like the Lizard Squad Leader had entered my body right now.
So instead, I asked.
It was truly an unbelievable question.
“…Are you the operator of the Universe Shopping Mall?”
And the response was…
Ah.
‘Then what kind of connection is it?’
I was a bit curious, but that wasn’t important right now.
The situation had been resolved.
‘Phew.’
I looked at my waiting room reflected beyond the CCTV-like field of view.
The dark blue blobs that had poured out had already solidified on the floor and dispersed, and the waiting room looked fine aside from being a bit messy.
For some reason, whatever it was, the situation seemed to have been resolved when I was ejected and Squad Leader Lee Jaheon entered.
Since it wasn’t spewing water anymore.
‘Thanks for that…’
Thanks to Squad Leader Lee Jaheon, my body hadn’t died, which was fortunate. I let out a sigh of relief inwardly and said.
“Anyway, thank you. Now that it’s calmed down, please leave my body.”
“…Squad Leader Lee Jaheon?”
The field of view suddenly shifted.
“…?”
Me, or rather Squad Leader Lee Jaheon, swept all my items from the table into the tattoo for storage.
Wait, what are you doing right now…
What?
“St-stop that.”
What kind of crazy talk is this? Bombardment?
“I don’t know what it is, but why use it right now?”
“I mean!”
This lizard… no, reptilian alien!
I ground my teeth in frustration and said.
“Why do I need to escape?”
The footsteps in the field of view halted.
I just quit and was living a meaningful and fun life on the talk show, so I had no idea why escape talk was suddenly coming up.
I’d already escaped Daydream Corporation over a month ago.
“I’ve adapted well to my new workplace and there are no particular problems. It’s not even a dangerous situation.”
Good thing it was break time now; if it had been during a meeting or talk show, I couldn’t imagine the nuisance…
Yes. So now that it’s sorted, return my body to me…
“…”
That was…
Before entering this talk show, so…
A month ago.
“…”
So I had,
become a horror entity.
“…No. I… I’m not contaminated. I can think properly, and my ethical standards haven’t changed.”
“Of course.”
“That’s because I ate churros…”
“…”
“…Because water poured out like I was suffocating.”
“But…”
“…”
Was I… naturally using horror items like everyday goods without realizing it?
“…! That’s not it!”
That much I could definitely refute.
“I can leave anytime I want right now. I just need to ask the host for time off.”
“…!”
H-ha, but.
Even as a business partner, the one hosting the talk show was Brown.
So wasn’t it natural to call him ‘Host’ with respect during work?
I started feeling increasingly strange.
Squad Leader Lee Jaheon had been my superior before, but now that I’d quit, he was just an acquaintance. Was it right for him to interfere in my private life like this?
Shouldn’t I feel annoyed?
But the one using my body right now was Squad Leader Lee Jaheon.
No!
“No bombardment, please. Countless staff have put effort into making this talk show.”
I pleaded desperately.
“The audience isn’t dying, right? So…”
“…”
What did he just say…
“…”
It felt like my nonexistent heart was pounding, reverberating through my entire body.
I recalled the audience member I interviewed yesterday.
The sight of ‘Happy Ending Gomdori’ staring piercingly at the one who wanted to adopt him…
What I felt then was definitely…
repulsion.
“…”
My head reeled.
My stomach churned.
I had no body for that now, so the churning was odd.
This was a mental reaction.
So…
The shock of realizing something utterly ridiculous.
“…”
What had I been doing all this time?
What kind of show was this talk show?
But Brown… no,
No.
Brown had never promised not to harm the audience.
He’d only assured me he wouldn’t let me get scared.
I shouldn’t conveniently interpret the situation with my common sense.
‘Horror stories are…’
Like that by nature.
“…”
My head cooled.
“Manager.”
I know.
I’m not contaminated.
At least, not since deciding to come to this talk show in that train bathroom.
But, but…
“I think… I’ve been thinking wrong about something.”
I’d overlooked it.
Even without contamination, humans can always make wrong judgments.
Get scammed, commit crimes, misunderstand, misinterpret… believe what shouldn’t be believed.
Maybe…
This is the case right now.
“For now… if possible, leaving the talk show and thinking more… doesn’t seem bad.”
I need some time to think alone…
“But no bombardment!”
If I had a body, I would have rubbed my dry face.
“That won’t beat the host in this studio…”
I was certain.
‘I’ll get incinerated the moment I’m exposed.’
On days when they generously just billed expenses, I might have to work this talk show for free until death, or even after.
…The fact that it didn’t seem bad was even more terrifying.
“…No.”
I didn’t even know how vast this studio was.
I knew it had unbelievably diverse sets and warehouses. But I didn’t know how many floors or how far the areas extended.
At some point, I naturally found paths in the staff area, but everything else was still vague.
I’d only stayed in the waiting room area or briefly visited other areas with other staff…
‘I haven’t left here in a month.’
It made sense; my waiting room was comfortable enough, I didn’t feel needs for food, clothing, or shelter, and it was busy as an adaptation period.
“But boldly leaving without vacation is foolish too, so maybe sneak out…”
……
Ah.
“No. That won’t work.”
Oh god.
The idea of sneaking out was impossible in itself. Because…
“…The host knows where I am no matter what.”
Because he’d confirmed the contract.
With the ‘Good Friend’ contract, he could find the me who called him until death, forever.
So now he could chase me anywhere I went…
……
“No.”
If the host asked why vacation, there’s no way he wouldn’t notice Squad Leader Lee Jaheon was in my body instead.
Even if I did it myself… I lacked confidence.
‘I’d get persuaded in reverse…’
I’d blindly and happily accept working the talk show again, audience dying or not.
The legendary horror talk show host wasn’t just eloquent; it was terrifying like a supernatural phenomenon itself…
The reason I could scare ‘Good Friend’ before was entirely due to its constraints.
My heart grew cold.
“…Yes.”
No way out.
No, even if I got out, it’d be meaningless.
It seemed perfectly sealed.
……
‘…No.’
There’s always a gap somewhere.
‘The host still doesn’t know I used an item to call Squad Leader Lee Jaheon.’
Then.
“…Manager, how long can you stay in that body?”
An intriguing word choice.
But that much time was ample.
Enough to time the narrow opening.
“Let’s prepare and wait.”
I calmed my anxiety and began racking my brain.
“…Until right before the talk show starts.”
Time passed.
The talk show live broadcast preparations began.
Then most staff busily went back and forth between backstage and the stage, setting up equipment.
Normally, I’d check equipment in the gaps, talk with the host, attend meetings, or poke around other sections.
‘Production staff can do that, not performers.’
Especially since I wasn’t on-site prep staff but the talk show creator, there were no fixed tasks during live broadcasts.
So whatever I did seemed natural enough…
Like running around everywhere as if on an errand or looking for something.
“Over there.”
I was frantically searching the studio where faceless staff had mostly cleared out.
Looking for one thing.
“There should be a cluster of guest waiting rooms.”
I’d definitely heard.
‘There’s a guest entrance.’
All guests had an original location, and something… ‘considerate’ was done for them to be comfortably invited to the studio.
‘I need to find that.’
Of course, finding the waiting rooms was tricky for me.
The moment I left the waiting rooms or staff area, I lost direction like in a maze.
But Squad Leader Lee Jaheon…
‘…Is ridiculously fast.’
Overwhelming with sheer quantity…?
Hard to believe it was the same body; the field of view shifted rapidly, checking countless paths, signs, and moving.
‘Same performance as his own body.’
Maybe the Lizard Manager could use that stamina and strength in any body…
The problem was…
Tap tap.
“…!”
The field of view turned.
A faceless staff gestured, asking why I was here and offering to guide if lost.
“…Say it’s an errand, and I’ll return soon after finishing.”
The faceless staff didn’t press twice and seemed to disappear, but returned from the corner with another staff!
“…”
Gulp.
If I had a body, I would have swallowed…
‘No.’
Acting suspicious here would report straight to the host. And then…
I’d happily host the talk show again.
With doubts cleanly resolved by kind ‘persuasion.’
‘…’
The new staff gestured.
“That staff seems to offer to do the errand instead…”
Squad Leader!
“S-say doing it myself has meaning. It’s no big deal, so this newbie wants to do it quietly and quickly.”
“…”
No, that…
Fortunately, the staff nodded at those words and left. With live broadcast imminent, no time to waste here…
‘Phew…’
‘Feels like controlling a robot.’
A robot ten times stronger and more enduring than me.
I sighed inwardly in relief repeatedly, sharing Squad Leader Lee Jaheon’s field of view as he continued the search.
A few more nail-biting close calls, but we passed safely.
And soon after.
“…!”
Click.
A door opened in the field of view.
The CCTV-like field of view now showed a dark corridor in an antique atmosphere.
Numerous doors lined up, with nameplates of guests from the past month still unchanged…
As if using a new one each guest appearance.
“…”
…A bizarre, ominous feeling I hadn’t sensed in the past month transmitted even through the one layer…
I swallowed.
“Now find the door labeled Happy Ending Gomdori.”
The field of view moved quickly and instantly found one.
The bulb above today’s guest waiting room door blazed brightly next to it, but I ignored it and went to the adjacent door.
Yesterday’s guest waiting room, bulbs mostly off.
Click.
…The dark waiting room inside was still uncleared, sized for the ragged doll’s build.
And traces of Gomdori’s use remained.
…Traces of teddy bear making leftovers too.
“…”
I tried not to look at the limb ends and skins.
Good thing Squad Leader Lee Jaheon controlled my body now, making it easy.
Squad Leader Lee Jaheon quickly scanned the room, then found something.
A colorful small door on one wall barely reached my waist, like a child’s toy…
“Let’s go there.”
Creeeak.
…In the field of view, my hand opened the small door, crawling prone into the dark space…
Light was visible ahead.
And shortly after.
“…!”
The field of view brightened suddenly.
A modern corridor appeared.
Contrasting Brown’s classic elegant studio style, finished in concrete and paint, modern aesthetic.
And voices from afar…
Home shopping host voice selling absurd items.
Delusion Home Shopping!
‘As expected.’
Last broadcast, ‘Happy Ending Gomdori’ said he got sponsorship here, so I thought the door connected here.
‘Got it.’
I sighed in relief.
I’d done it in Death's Shortcuts before. Horror to horror transfer.
‘Same broadcasting studio, so host might notice late.’
Plus live broadcast starting soon, no leisure to chase here.
No, maybe find something good here to block host’s tracking.
‘With Squad Leader Lee Jaheon’s physical prowess, safe here.’
Bet on that.
The field of view moved into the bright corridor.
I calmed my excitement and said.
“Manager, for now, something inconspicuous and helpful…”