Chapter 260
Chapter 260
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 260
Chapter Title: Even If I Fall Into a Ghost Story, I Still Have to Go to Work
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I opened my eyes.
A dark and pristine platform. But beyond the screen doors, the opposite platform was in a wretched state.
‘…Se-gwang Station’s scenery.’
Entry successful.
I looked down at myself, now returned to human form, and caught my breath.
‘This time, everyone succeeds.’
And I ruminated.
The plans we had set.
-Ah, right. When you all wake up again, you might not open your eyes at the Disaster Management Bureau headquarters anymore. Somewhere else.
-Huh?
-I pulled out the passage and dragged it here. You’ll wake up in a very safe place…
This meant there wouldn’t be a sudden pile-up of unconscious agents and Daydream employees at the Disaster Management Bureau headquarters.
No matter how sealed off it was, it was astonishing how Hoyuwon had found a way to extract them from the Bureau’s dedicated passage.
‘…Though considering that tenacity, maybe it’s not so surprising.’
In any case, since my disappearance would likely cause quite a stir at the Bureau, I’d left a note on the grand hall floor considering the responsible staff’s exoneration: ‘Taking a stroll in a dream, scheduled to return home shortly.’
And finally.
The emergency escape plan from the dream world’s Se-gwang Special City.
-This is the euthanasia drug Deer-ssi requested.
-…!
-It guarantees a peaceful death. Probably the most merciful drug among Daydream Corporation’s products?
The bronze agent had looked like he’d rather bite his own tongue than take it, but he’d accepted it in the end.
After all, with the nooses, there was the risk of complete contamination leading to an inescapable coma.
‘It’s here.’
I confirmed the pill was safely in my pocket and checked that all the items I’d brought were in place.
At the same time, I visually checked the personnel.
Two agents in Hahoe masks, just like me, rising from the platform floor.
‘…The agents had some objections even to infiltrating Se-gwang City.’
-For this expedition, it might be best if the civil servants sit this one out. No telling how long it’ll take.
-Heh, I’ve used up all my leave. For the citizens.
For this expedition, they’d somehow carved out time until rescuing Agent Lee Seonghae.
-And… we can’t leave the rescue target behind without agents.
A thick sense of responsibility emanated from Agent Choi’s wry smile and the bronze agent’s stern face.
However, Black Tortoise Team 1 couldn’t commit their entire unit to an expedition of unknown duration, so it’d probably be hard to pull this off again if there was a next time.
Still, their decision to accompany us this time held significance.
“Up we go. Grape body holding up okay?”
“Yes. Perfectly fine.”
Glowing blue eyes peered at me from under the Hahoe mask, giving a slight nod.
And the next lineup…
“Everyone awake?”
“Yes.”
People in suits and animal masks.
Current and former members of Daydream Corporation’s Field Exploration Team.
Overseer Lee Jaheon.
Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je.
Junior Viper Baek Saheon.
And…
“Deer Junior.”
Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je grinned and patted my back.
The old title felt almost nostalgic.
Here I was, in a suit, fully human.
Personnel check complete.
“We’ve all successfully entered Se-gwang Special City.”
A perfect start.
“Let’s go.”
I nodded.
First…
세광교통공사
세광역
The platform we stood on was cold and spotless, as if the nooses that had snared our necks were a lie. Like it had been reset.
“Deer, looks like you were right. Our customer count’s been reset.”
“Yes. Lucky us.”
Normally, subway systems shut down after hours. Meaning the boarding date on disposable transit cards expires after a day, rendering them unusable.
Naturally, this meant we were no longer being tracked by those eerie nooses from the concourse.
“……”
But right at the top of those stairs…
“…The fog’s spread further.”
The concourse fog was visibly encroaching on the platform, rippling just before it spilled over.
‘…Because we were caught on the platform.’
It felt far more threatening and ominous than our first visit.
And at the point where the stairs ended, hanging figures swayed as if ready to lunge.
Hanged ones.
The exact same form as those that had killed us last time.
“……”
“Think the bodies are still there?”
“Better not to check.”
“Oh. Old-timer. Agreed.”
Viper Baek Saheon’s face paled as he overheard this grim exchange right beside him.
Just like someone who’d stood at the well’s edge, suddenly backpedaling with ‘let me think it over again,’ only to be pushed in by Hoyuwon—he seemed to grasp the gravity of this near-death disaster.
“Alright. Let’s prepare. Goat Junior. Eyes okay?”
“…Yes.”
He even fumbled for his eyepatch and answered obediently.
‘He’s done the math.’
Trolling here wouldn’t help survival, and the completion rewards were too sweet.
Hoyuwon had dangled a Wish Grant as project compensation for Baek Saheon too.
…Dragging me in as a witness to prove it.
-Everyone who completed the last mission got potions. Right, Deer-ssi?
-Affirmative.
…Even so, I wasn’t sure how he’d react to my words.
“Then for entering the fog… just me, Overseer Lizard, and Goat Junior should suffice.”
“Hold on.”
“The rest of you, signal us from outside the fog’s reach. To guide us to the stairs.”
“Wait a sec.”
And sure enough.
“Then the reward split needs adjusting. Can’t have three doing the work while the rest just signal. We’ll need to renegotiate the terms.”
“Kya. Feels like home.”
Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je nodded, every bit the Field Exploration Team vet.
Baek Saheon glanced around, hoping someone would step up and yield their item or reward share to smooth things over.
‘He knows he was urgently recruited for a reason—he’s essential.’
His calculations were sharp in that sense too.
‘Deputy Manager will judge and direct from the escape point, and agents need to cover the rear later, so waiting makes sense. But he’s not the type to play nice with common sense.’
If he were, his nickname would be Owl, not Viper.
Hm. Maybe the rushed entry threw off the group dynamic a bit.
Yeah, time for this once or twice.
I smiled and whispered softly to Baek Saheon.
“Not thrilled? Someone else can do it then. We’ve got the method already.”
Then I lowered my voice further and grinned.
“Just rip out a 20-something Type-A male’s eye again.”
“……!”
“Someone else’ll transplant it. Don’t worry. Even if you bleed out and die, you’ll just wake up in reality anyway.”
Baek Saheon reflexively pressed his eye.
“Want to?”
“……”
“Think about it. If you sabotage on purpose, it hurts the project, so they might do that.”
“…N-no.”
“Hm?”
“I’ll just go.”
“What if you get pissy and feed us wrong sight info on purpose? Speak freely.”
“I won’t.”
“Hm… true, even if you survive alone, you’ll see these faces back in reality. No reason to pull that, right?”
“……”
“But it’d be kinda fun if you lied for real.”
“No,”
“Yeah. Sounds fun.”
“I said no.”
“It would be.”
“No…!”
“Got it. Then do a good job.”
Pat pat.
I patted Baek Saheon’s shoulder.
“O~ What’s with the cheerful long chat.”
“Ah. Just encouragement.”
“~~!”
“Says he’ll do his best.”
“Whew, thanks, citizen.”
Baek Saheon looked like he wanted to curse but ended up removing his eyepatch and staring into the fog.
Phew, good.
‘Troll prevention done.’
This nerve-wracking process felt almost nostalgic after so long.
I ignored Agent Choi, whose Hahoe mask seemed to grin mischievously…
“Let’s go.”
And what made all this possible…
“Rear guard to you, Overseer.”
“Yes.”
Was thanks to Overseer Lee Jaheon.
I took one more step into the concourse fog.
Just now, I’d gone to the information board, noted down all the rules, and memorized them.
Using the suncatcher from the agents—like at the board—I pierced the fog and faintly located the ‘transit card charger and vending machine,’ setting my direction.
“That way.”
Up to here, similar to before…
But the approach was different.
We could take the safest path.
“Follow Goat Junior’s path exactly, Overseer.”
“Yes.”
Baek Saheon was charting the route with the least ‘danger’ visible through his sight.
And in this process, no dried pollack eyes were used.
‘Hard to get anyway.’
Not needed for this escape method.
Instead, to obey ‘don’t stray from your group,’ two items were deployed.
Nothing fancy—just items to keep us within radius of each other.
This item, born from Daydream’s Kind Seed Kit, was Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je’s possession.
And as we walked…
“We’re here.”
I pulled cards from the disposable transit card vending machine.
Seven in total.
“Six people, why…?”
“Shh.”
I pocketed them all. And…
Here’s where it got critical.
“……”
I cautiously checked the turnstiles, then slipped through toward the entrance.
Alone.
And.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep beep…
I sequentially tagged all six cards I held.
And passed through the turnstile on the sixth tag.
“…Done.”
I pocketed five of them. Then moved at a cautious jog, not running.
Deeper into the thickening fog.
…Accompanied by news sounds starting from somewhere.
-Another body discovered in Se-gwang Special City’s ■■■ Forest.
Cold sweat instinctively dripped.
I shook the bell, desperately moving my feet to ignore the news, hearing gritted teeth from Baek Saheon directing beside me.
“What the hell is this…?”
His danger-sensing eyes would see a minefield.
One approaching us.
More precisely…
-Don’t you want to give up too?
Toward me.
“……”
Baek Saheon desperately picked the least bad direction.
And once far enough from the turnstiles, we quickened our pace.
“Hoo.”
Something hard and squishy bumped my head as I ran. A corpse’s foot. Not far. To stave off terror, I thought:
‘Did your best.’
Just go faster.
The more people here, the harder to respond. Key was a small team sticking together without straying.
‘That’s why three is optimal.’
One to secure sight.
One to lead movement.
And…
One to physically destroy.
-Don’t you want to give up
It came…
“Duck!”
Overseer Lee Jaheon reached out.
The noose falling toward my head caught in his hand. Veins bulged on his tensed arm, then the tough rope frayed and tore.
In Overseer Lee Jaheon’s relentless hands, the noose that sought my neck lay shattered.
No,
One wasn’t all.
Whoosh.
From the fog, nooses and corpses rained on my head, and Overseer Lee Jaheon began crushing them with raw power.
It was awe-inspiring brute force.
“Moving faster!”
“Yes.”
And even while running, Overseer Lee Jaheon mercilessly pulverized every corpse, branch, noose in reach.
Utterly ignoring the rules.
‘Insane.’
This was a physical specialist agent’s power.
The overwhelming force turned horror novel to pulp fiction; for a moment, terror forgotten, I felt catharsis.
The thrill of perfect recruitment lasted briefly.
Swoosh.
Running to the stairs, I nearly hanged three times but was barely saved by Overseer Lee Jaheon.
‘Ha,’
And finally…
The stairs appeared.
The guillotine blade gleaming green in the fog.
‘Got it.’
Just before stepping on it.
……
I stopped.
“Are you crazy? Hurry…”
“Release the cuffs and go down.”
Baek Saheon didn’t question twice, severed the link, and dashed down the stairs.
But…
The fog didn’t follow Baek Saheon.
‘As expected.’
Last time, it chased us down because it recognized us as passengers then.
Conversely.
‘Only those deemed passengers need to hold out on the platform without descending until the train comes.’
In other words, me alone holding all the cards.
Simply put, tanking the nooses’ aggro.
Of course, this was perfect for dying.
No matter how Overseer Lee Jaheon blocked, he’d violate countless rules too, becoming a target; limits would approach exponentially.
“Good work, Grape.”
From here, others joined.
Golden threads to dispel fog unfurled at my feet from the platform stairs beyond reach, and perm cannon shots began.
Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau gear tailored for this expedition.
“Hold on!”
As the patron of ‘Forest of the Dying,’ I endured every eerie phenomenon while others cleared them maximally.
Thus, holding out…
“It’s coming!”
The roar of the approaching train echoed. I teetered at the stair’s edge, dodging nooses, holding out.
Hold.
Again.
Hold.
And…
“Deer, now!”
I turned.
And rummaged in my pocket, tossing five cards down to the platform.
“…!”
The neatly thrown cards landed near the open screen doors on the platform floor.
“Grab them and board!”
Yes.
‘No matter who tags the turnstile, holding a ticket makes you a passenger…!’
Delay passenger status to the absolute last, hand off just before boarding.
‘Maximizes safe platform use…!’
“Now!”
We moved as one.
People dashed down stairs, snatched cards, and leaped into train doors.
I started a beat later. To slow the fog’s spread as much as possible. Overseer Lee Jaheon ran beside, snatching ropes and branches. Wood chips, straw, dried flesh scattered.
“Overseer!”
Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je, grabbing a floor card, tossed it. Overseer Lee Jaheon shook off noose fragments, caught the card, shoved me into the train, and jumped in.
Finally, Agent Choi grabbed a card…
Overseer Lee Jaheon yanked down the noose falling on Agent Choi.
I grabbed Agent Choi’s arm and hurled him.
Into the train.
Thud.
“……”
“……”
“Ha.”
Agent Choi, sprawled on the train floor, exhaled.
“We lived.”
With a roar, we began leaving Se-gwang Station.