Chapter 243
Chapter 243
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 243
Chapter Title: Even If Dropped into Ghost Stories, I Still Have to Go to Work
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Disaster Management Bureau agent.
And the entity his blade pointed at.
Ho Yuwon.
Supernatural disaster.
"……."
"The moment I return to headquarters, I'll have to file a report. 'Hyunmu Team 1 is seeking formal approval to register this supernatural disaster with the goal of termination.'"
Agent Choi's eyes met Ho Yuwon's.
Amid the coldly hardened faces, the agent's eyes burned fiercely.
"Let's see if that insane cult company, after getting one of their directors blacklisted by the Disaster Management Bureau, will keep trying to bail him out…"
"…Ah."
And then.
"You're saying you'll register me as a supernatural disaster and have the Bureau manage me directly? Until I die? Until I'm terminated?"
The corrupted being beyond the black smoke.
"You're being too much."
It spoke in a smooth voice.
"A government agent threatening a civilian… I didn't even kill anyone in front of your teacher."
But Ho Yuwon's eyes were sunken dark.
"Someone had to die anyway, right? Does the Bureau picking who makes death not death? Does it make it rational?"
"……."
"While sifting through people to pick the ones more worth killing, did you think someone like me wouldn't come up?"
Ryu Jaegwan ground his teeth.
At that moment.
"Huh? So we can just kill anyone?"
"……!"
"We were talking about not killing good people if we're gonna kill anyway, but the director's the one indiscriminately cursing people without any agreement."
Dusting off her hands as she approached was Deputy Lee Seonghae.
Ho Yuwon's smile deepened.
"It sounds like you're saying it's bad not to cooperate with the group… I'm a bit worried. You're part of a company group yourself— is it okay to not cooperate with your boss and hurl personal criticisms?"
"Why? I'm not attacking the director. And your interpretation's off too. I'm just saying the director did something nasty."
Lee Seonghae looked at Director Ho as if she couldn't comprehend, then lightly hopped over to stand beside the employee.
"And I'm on vacation, so it's fine even if I'm not working!"
"Wow. You're brave."
"Yep. Kinda am!"
"……."
"……."
"……Whatever, doesn't matter."
Ho Yuwon, who had been tilting his head, finally ignored the irritating employee and turned away.
Toward 130666.
"Employee. Will you continue accompanying me for my project, then? As part of your duties."
Additional words.
"And those folks over there keep interfering with my work… I'd appreciate it if you subdued them. For security."
"…!"
The agents' expressions hardened.
The yellow lantern beneath the black shadow scanned the agents…
Then peered into the director.
"…!"
Uniform?
At that moment, the people realized.
Something was leaking from inside the employee's coat, through the torn fabric.
Something amorphous.
Clumps like flesh, overflowing as if squeezing out without form.
130666 pressed the area with his gloved hand and covered it in black mist. Almost as if conscious of their gazes.
Some even read faint signals amid it.
A touch of shame.
"…!"
Agent Choi's eyes changed.
Hope.
"We can fix that uniform too."
The employee's gaze reached him.
"Come with us. We'll hook you up with something really nice? Our workshop folks have killer skills."
But.
Reason: Proposal violates labor regulations
"…Labor regulations? Can you explain that a bit more?"
Reason: Proposal violates labor regulations
"……."
"Hold on. Employee, you're not even considering switching jobs?"
The gaze looked down at Lee Seonghae.
Reason: Proposal violates labor regulations
"Can't even resign? Huh, that's…"
Before Lee Seonghae's words finished, the employee turned away.
As if about to leave right then and return.
To the Daydream basement.
To the isolation room.
"…Wait!"
Agent Choi rushed forward desperately to block the path.
"I'll help you get back."
…….
"You pulled me out of that box."
"…! Right. I owe you."
Accepting Ryu Jaegwan's help readily, Agent Choi continued.
"We're near Cheonan here. Even rushing back to the company in Seoul with shrinking spells, it'd take hours on foot?"
Ryu Jaegwan stood quietly beside him instead of his usual retort.
"You don't have a car, can't teleport. Right? I'll take you."
…….
Silence.
And then.
Done.
"Worried about riding a bike? Nah. We won't use that; we'll use something else."
Agent Choi casually guided the other as if it were natural, stepping toward the well.
"Secret, but this well's in a prime spot. Ley lines run through it—back in the day, the Bureau used it as a passage for emergency deployments to local areas. They sealed it due to procedural issues."
Additional explanation: Because of its spiritually potent function, it was also used as an escape point when this village became a supernatural disaster.
"Remember? When you came for the village festival, you took the manual where I noted tips. It mentioned the well too. Haha. How was it, reading that?"
Silence again, then.
…….
"Could be. Don't worry."
And…
"Anyway, they don't use that well now… but if we send the promised signal, the teleport function might activate. Let's give it a shot."
Of course.
A lie.
'Records exist, but no way it'd reactivate.'
The Bureau wasn't stupid; if it could reactivate, they'd have relocated it.
But it sounded plausible enough.
"We'll try moving with that. Close your eyes, open them, and you'll be in Seoul. Sound good?"
It wouldn't.
Just dump him in the well, trap him in a confined space where he couldn't escape, then use transport ability.
'Portable glass prison.'
…He didn't want to use that method if possible.
But no other way.
"Using that well won't lead to any Bureau identity handover or anything. I swear on the goblins."
He could swear casually.
No intention of using the well anyway.
'…Did he notice?'
Possible. This damn junior always had sharp instincts at these points…
Really suited to be an agent.
'Please.'
Director Ho just standing silently was also unnerving. Expected interference or some move to take him away, but he was oddly quiet and meek.
And Deputy Lee Seonghae following along felt off somehow.
But couldn't tell her to stop. Might tip him off.
Agent Choi tensed, stepping carefully.
Ryu Jaegwan would be preparing the portable glass prison behind.
'Thanks, Jaegwan.'
It touched him that his lie-inept junior had quickly prepared to assist the guy who just revived.
Agent Choi kept walking.
Step.
Step.
Footsteps brought the well closer…
"Here."
Ryu Jaegwan quickly removed the sealed cover from the well.
…Damp, trapped air escaped, leaving a strange smell.
Agent Choi inhaled deeply, smiling at 130666… no, Kim Sol-eum.
"…Hard to go first, right? I'll go in first, show it's safe. Might be something else."
The gas mask stared silently at Agent Choi.
Choi grinned, then stepped into the well.
'Footrests… luckily still there.'
Not collapsed.
He carefully wedged his feet into the well wall, descending as fast as possible.
To lure without variables.
And when his feet finally touched bottom.
"Oh! Looks good! Come down."
At his call, the horned thing peered in.
"…I'll send the transport signal once you're down."
Please.
…….
Clack.
The black loafers climbed the well wall, descending.
The smoke pooled at the bottom like liquid, but 130666's body arrived inside the well in a bizarre, physics-defying manner befitting a supernatural phenomenon.
'Ha…'
Some queasy churn passed Choi's throat, but no time to focus.
'Gotta do this.'
For more convincing smoke, he lowered his hand through the black mist, placing the goblin lantern at the well's center bottom.
As if sending a real transport signal.
Though it was an implicit other signal.
To Ryu Jaegwan.
"Alright, then…"
Jaegwan should capture this guy with him now.
But at that instant.
"…!!"
Wait.
'This…'
Only seen when transport signals activate at true ley line convergences.
Is this actually transporting?
'Where to?'
And the bizarre didn't end there.
Amid the black smoke, something similar to the lantern's light glowed from 130666's body.
A small rectangle from inside his coat pocket.
"…?"
130666 pulled it out as if checking too.
It was… something like an employee ID. But not Daydream's.
The company name on it…
'Jolly Lab…?'
At that moment.
The light intensified.
"…!"
Those watching from outside fully caught on.
'Damn!'
Ryu Jaegwan hesitated briefly, then gritted his teeth and leaped into the well. Couldn't let just those two go.
And Lee Seonghae, who had been peeking after.
"Oh."
Sensing the dire situation, she jumped into the well to 'help' the good people.
Plenty of time today since she took annual leave!
And so, shortly after.
When Ho Yuwon quietly approached the well and looked down, he saw this sight.
"Ah."
Nothing was in the well.
Ho Yuwon gripped the well's stone rim tightly with ecstatic hands.
…….
Dark.
Noisy.
Muscle aches and bone pains from sleeping in the cold tormented the body.
I was definitely sprawled on concrete somewhere… But too damn tired and heavy to open my eyes…
Tired?
"…!!"
I snapped my eyes open.
Felt like a chilling nightmare; the back of my neck was damp. I wiped the cold sweat with my hand and sighed.
"Hoo."
…….
…Wait.
'Voice.'
I just spoke.
"…!!"
And hands—bare hands. Normal hands with nails, knuckles, fingerprints. I groped: hair, cold sweat, teeth, face…
I lifted my head and looked around.
Right beside, my silhouette reflected in the dark glass window.
"…A person."
Me.
I blankly stared at my human reflection in the glass.
Couldn't grasp what happened.
So I realized a beat late.
A few familiar people collapsed around me.
And…
This was a subway platform.
"……."
I staggered to my feet. The station name, hidden behind a pillar, came into view…