Chapter 269
Chapter 269
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 269
Chapter Title: Even If I Fall Into a Ghost Story, I Still Have to Go to Work
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Se-gwang Special City Secondary Exploration Results.
"Rescue... success."
Word came from the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau that Deputy Lee Seong-hae had regained consciousness.
And the gimmick that 'dying in the Se-gwang Special City subway wakes you up in reality' had worked perfectly.
"Everyone's fine, aside from their heads hurting like hell from the bullets. The government guy's the only one who woke up laughing."
The team had woken up in reality in the order they'd 'won' Russian roulette and died.
"They woke up laughing, but once they figured out what happened, the smiles vanished."
Everyone except me, that is.
After that, I'd been unconscious for about an hour.
The others had agonized over every possibility and nearly resorted to half-threatening Ho Yu-won.
"We were this close to actually planning to head straight back into the special city. Lucky you woke up when you did..."
...Sigh.
I looked at myself again—dressed in the black security team uniform, no longer human but something else.
And at the warm, softly lit room around me, sunlight streaming in like a bright day, completely at odds with my appearance.
Fox Counseling Room.
Ho Yu-won had kept her promise: she'd hijacked the well's pathway to the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau and rerouted it here instead.
It was a secret room connected to a cabinet corner next to the waiting area, newly constructed. People had woken up one by one on the beds here, which looked like hospital rooms, each marked with their names like chart labels.
For reference, right next to me, the agents who'd been relieved to see me awake were now speaking to Ho Yu-won in stiff voices about the situation.
"How is this even possible?"
"He's finally talking civilly! Earlier it was all threats... that was terrifying."
She had no intention of answering the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau agent. I figured as much.
Anyway, the key point was that Ho Yu-won was obsessively committed to providing any support she could for the Se-gwang Special City exploration.
...No matter what happened in the process.
Once the agents confirmed I was stable enough, they immediately started piecing together what had occurred...
"What reckless stunt did you pull this time?"
Ah, no.
I hurriedly explained the situation, using gestures and writing in smoke.
The agents looked like they wanted to smack me if I weren't a horned gas mask monster, but their momentum faded when I mentioned Go Yeongeun had dragged me away.
It was the empathy of those who'd endured similar ordeals.
"...So Parkha Agent helped you out."
Without Go Yeongeun, the odds were I'd have been stripped bare and working as a dealer in there.
And...
"Did you hear why Parkha Agent was in that disaster?"
......
"Deer? Why are you staring at me?"
Everyone's gaze followed mine to Ho Yu-won.
"I have no idea why I'd tell you that."
"No clue what you're talking about."
She even furrowed her brows in feigned sympathy.
"But that's too bad... It seems that person's completely trapped in Se-gwang Special City. Can't even escape through death."
......
"But don't worry. It's fine if you help them out while working on my project."
You bastard.
Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je excused herself from the others and spoke quietly to Squad Leader Lee Jaheon and me.
"No matter how I look at it, this feels like bait... Like she's painting a big picture to keep us tied to her project."
A chill settled over me as I moved the smoke.
I doubted Ho Yu-won was unaware Go Yeongeun hailed from Se-gwang Special City, regardless of when or how she'd laid this out.
'No way someone obsessed with that city wouldn't know.'
Her words right when I woke up said as much.
-Have you found a reason to go back in?
...As if she knew Go Yeongeun was trapped there.
'Picking Jang Heo-un, tied to the Jolly Lab, was the same.'
And... picking me, too.
I had a strong hunch it wasn't just about selecting employees with personalities that'd pass muster at the Bureau.
I heard Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je sigh.
"No wonder she gave such a half-assed goal for this expedition. Trying to shove us right back in."
"Ha-je, I can hear you."
"Yes. Listen up. This is about my housecat."
She was fed up with bosses and all that now.
Refreshing as that was, it left me with complicated feelings.
'How far has she seen ahead?'
It wouldn't sway my decisions, of course.
From the start, we'd planned to keep exploring Se-gwang Special City to learn more about this ghost story world and my summoning.
But this eerie, sticky unease lingered unpleasantly.
"Stay sharp."
At least there was one relief in all this.
Objective achieved.
"Deputy Lee Seong-hae's on her way."
Properly rescued Deputy Lee Seong-hae. And in remarkably sound mental condition.
"Hello there! Deer!"
The very next day.
Deputy Lee Seong-hae appeared in the Fox Counseling Room, courtesy of Ho Yu-won.
She'd passed the Bureau's 'inspection' and provided full details before release. Astonishingly, her eyes gleamed with the same clear green spark as before.
"Thank you all so much!"
No change in speech patterns, no PTSD, no distress.
Just occasional slips into dealer lingo or casual casino trivia.
"Hm, maybe the contamination from the body casino got blocked by the seal and couldn't escape."
"No, contamination aside, it's hard to believe this is the same person who got diced up limb from limb."
"Huh? The pain was just a moment. Doesn't hurt anymore—why would it be tough?"
She was nonchalant, even.
Considering how we'd suffered for weeks after getting snared at the first station, it was downright bizarre.
That might make it even stranger, but something else overshadowed it.
The blatantly obvious aftereffect.
"But... this won't move."
Her legs.
...The parts of Deputy Lee Seong-hae not recovered from the casino wouldn't budge at all.
She'd wheeled in here on a wheelchair.
"Any sensation?"
"Faintly? But there's weird phantom pain too. 'Caught by that thing' fits perfectly. Feels like my will doesn't reach them."
Her legs looked perfectly fine externally—no issues even on inspection, probably.
But the impact was clear.
"The swapped eye barely works either. Hm."
'If I hadn't stolen her arms and pelvis from the rail...'
...A shiver ran through me at the averted horror. I sighed inwardly in relief.
Still.
"...Grape."
Agent Choi eyed me.
"Parkha Agent carried you out, right? At 150cm tall?"
Oh.
"Come to think of it, sitting all the time must be stuffy. Shall our Grape try standing and walking?"
......
Sigh.
"...!"
Right.
Truth was, my legs wouldn't obey either.
This was unavoidable.
But.
"Deer, are you immobile?"
Not quite.
"Show us."
Like this.
I 'moved' to another chair without using my legs.
"...!"
Black smoke enveloped me, dissolving and reappearing elsewhere.
It wasn't remotely human-like, but I had freedom of movement.
I manifested my body here and there, ghost-like, connected by smoke.
Ta-da.
Heh, all in all, not bad... aside from not being human-like...
......
...Wait a sec.
Did I just use a sound effect like 'ta-da'?
'...!'
Even after seeing a colleague abandoned in a near-apocalyptic disaster.
Calmly?
A chill crept down my spine.
'Again.'
The gravity and intense emotions from Se-gwang Special City were fading.
Same symptoms as when Deputy Lee Seong-hae hadn't woken yet.
'I was just worrying about Go Yeongeun's situation moments ago.'
...I'd have to consciously stay vigilant from now on.
At least it didn't fully erase from my mind. I could still plan and scheme.
'Still, stay cautious.'
Anyway, I stopped the demonstration and returned to my original chair.
Deputy Lee Seong-hae, who'd been clapping at my freak show, wasn't done.
"But I should've said this first—sorry I'm late."
She looked around at us.
"Truly thankful. I survived thanks to you. Especially Deer—you can't use your legs now either..."
She stared at us intently, unblinking.
"And no one's resentful or anything. Hm."
As if confirming.
"You all... are really good people."
Our eyes met.
"I won't forget. I'll repay you for sure."
"Aw, no need to repay us. But if you insist, how about quitting that shady cult company?"
"Ah, no can do."
"Aww. Too bad."
"Well, I won't refuse help if it's there... More importantly."
Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je patted her missing parts.
"Doesn't Dolphin Deputy need something like me?"
Specifically, gear to replace her empty left hand.
Yes.
This world had plenty of ways to compensate for lost body parts.
Like the left eye Baek Saheon was quietly pondering—lips sealed, weighing the safest, most profitable words.
I needed one too, actually.
'I'll be legless when I return to Se-gwang Special City.'
Plus, there was a promise.
'Us.'
Squad Leader Lee Jaheon's reptilian alien group had offered something to let me take human form.
But like this, I couldn't walk even in human shape. I needed gear either way.
"Guess so?"
Deputy Lee Seong-hae beamed.
"Gotta rescue Goat-san too."
...!
"Gotta help good people like that. I got big help too!"
She pondered calculatively, then spoke.
"Guess I'll head back to the company and whip up some gear."
"If you're making..."
"Annex bound."
I recalled after ages.
The Twilight-Grade Darknesses stored in the annex where Daydream employees grabbed gear.
The Field Exploration Team favored the Kind Seed Kit most, but this time... pricier options seemed more useful.
However.
"Sadly, the company doesn't support annex Darkness gear crafting right now..."
"Then we'll do it on the sly."
Ho Yu-won was momentarily speechless.
"What's the reason support for gear crafting stopped?"
"Something happened in the annex, but I didn't dig into details."
"I see. Look into it."
"Cough."
Agent Choi stifled a laugh behind her. Agent Cheong patted her back.
"...So I'll take that as agreement to join my project, and I'll help with gear."
"Yup. Get the director to grant special permission?"
"Hm. Officially impossible, but..."
Ho Yu-won smiled slyly.
"I can help you use it on the down-low, right?"
"...!"
"For that..."
Ho Yu-won's gaze turned to me.
"We might need internal cooperation..."
Specifically, my security team uniform.
"Like security staff?"
I already knew who she meant.
"Sigh."
Park Minseong unzipped his uniform collar after a grueling day.
Duties had piled up since the recent annex commotion.
After 130666 got pulled for Director Ho's personal tasks, leaving them somewhat neglected, his team had been mobilized nonstop.
'...Hope he's okay.'
He'd heard once, but in an environment where people died or vanished overnight, he alternated between worst fears and best hopes...
Shift Supervisor J3 was out for reports, so he sat expressionless on the worn sofa in the security team's lounge.
As fatigue tugged his eyes shut.
"Minseong."
...!
He whipped around reflexively.
"Deputy...!"
A familiar face stood behind him.
For a split second, he thought it was a Darkness-induced hallucination, but the hand ruffling his hair felt real.
"Long time no see."
And behind Eun Ha-je, two figures.
"Deer, Squad Leader..."
An unexpected reunion.
The situation and appearances were totally different, yet the familiar lineup made Park Minseong feel oddly like he'd returned to Field Exploration Team D Squad...
"We're doing fine..."
Park Minseong, a bit choked up, watched the old Field Exploration Team D Squad members approach and sit on the sofa.
"Listen, we've got something important to say."
Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je slung an arm over his shoulder. Just like old times.
'She used to say that a lot on the job...'
A touch sentimental, Park Minseong unwittingly flashed his biggest smile in days.
"Sure, what..."
"We need to steal something from the company."
Yes...?