Chapter 38
Chapter 38
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Even If I Fall into Ghost Stories, I Still Have to Go to Work
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The first sensation was dampness.
Squelch.
When I inserted my hand, soaked in saltwater, into the snake cave, a bizarre chill spread through it, as if I'd dipped it into ink.
And then it sucked me in.
"…!"
The suction starting from my hand soon engulfed my entire body.
'Ca-can't… breathe.'
It felt like wet paper clinging to and constricting my whole body.
In the pitch-black darkness and haze of sensation, my vision spun wildly…
"Gasp!"
Thud.
My breath cleared in the cool open air.
I opened my eyes.
Before me stretched the nightscape of a provincial city, where neon signs twinkled in place of stars.
A Korean autumn night.
'…I'm alive.'
This was reality.
"Hoo."
My legs trembled as I tried to stand, nearly toppling over.
Under my feet, dark red ink was oozing out.
"……."
I followed the trail of ink with my gaze.
There lay a traditional ink painting on weathered hanji paper, smeared and faded.
As if, after ages of the image fading away, someone had sloppily poured fresh ink over the top—no discernible form remained…
'…That must be one of those crazy paintings from that mountain tunnel.'
A chill ran through me, and I quickly averted my eyes, looking instead at the people sprawled on the ground.
One, two, three, four… seven. Everyone was here.
They must have been spat out right after me.
"Ughhh…"
"Are you alright?"
"Urgh… Huh?! Ou-outside!!"
Manager Lee Byung-jin shouted while staring into the empty sky.
"Haha!! We—we lived!! We survived!!"
His face full of joy and tears, he turned to me and bowed deeply.
"Th-thank you. For saving us…"
"You saved yourself, Manager. You were the one who performed the ritual."
"…Haha, so humble… I'm embarrassed. Yes, sir."
Manager Lee Byung-jin bowed deeply again, looking strangely moved.
It was more flattery than humility, but I'd let him misunderstand positively.
"Wh-what?!"
The middle schoolers regained their senses next, and as I checked on them, I heard their astonishing story.
"This is your school trip destination?"
"Yes!!"
Come to think of it, it matched their description of the 'pavilion in the woods behind the dorm' perfectly.
'We all got spat out here.'
…It was fortunate we hadn't come to in that bizarre office gap in the company basement.
I didn't stop the kids as they hugged each other in relief, sobbing, and rushed to run down the hill. I just cautioned them.
"Watch your step. Once you're down, find an adult and call your parents, got it?"
But the kids looked scared instead.
"Aren't you coming with us…?"
Uh… yeah, fair point.
Whether mistaken for a kidnapper or hailed as a hero who saved the kids, the moment we hit the police station, the company wouldn't be thrilled…
'As long as the kids get home safe.'
I slowly shook my head.
"We grown-ups have to go somewhere else. You just keep going down from here. Don't look back."
They could trip.
"…! Yes, sir."
The kids steeled themselves resolutely and, supporting each other carefully as instructed, hurried down the mountain.
'Good.'
It was a well-maintained walking trail on a gentle slope anyway—five minutes tops.
As I watched their safe descent,
Tap tap.
"Excuse me…"
The security chief, who'd staggered up early, tapped my shoulder.
"Here, take this…"
"Ah."
The security chief held out a wooden stick with a bluish-purple wild ginseng dangling from it.
'You could've just left it there.'
Anyway, I accepted the ginseng he'd passed out over, and he turned and started trudging away.
"…Where are you going?"
"Company… I'm still on shift…"
Oh.
'But this is Gyeongju.'
The shift would end on the way up anyway.
I followed suit regardless—I needed to get to Seoul.
Carrying grad student Go Seon-ha, still sprawled out, on my back.
'Drop her off in front of the police station on the way.'
That was when it happened.
"Ahh, you two are security, so you have to get back quick! I'll—I'll follow! Haha! Shouldn't we escort the missing person you've been looking for? Let's go together!"
I turned to Manager Lee Byung-jin.
His frantic pursuit looked like a sycophant's worry over losing his patron.
Hm, since we'd escaped… time to reveal the truth.
"And uh, after wrapping up, I'll stop by your workplace to pay my respects. Hehe, where does the security team work…?"
"No need."
"…?"
"Even if you come to security, you won't meet me."
"Pardon?"
"I'm with the Field Exploration Team."
A heavy silence fell.
"But your clothes are security—"
"They lent them to me…"
"…!?"
At the security chief's words, confusion flooded Manager Lee Byung-jin's face, but he soon seemed to rationalize it somehow.
"Aah! Ah! I see, I see. Eh? But we have no prior acquaintance… Don't you get admin support? Ah! Special team or something? That's why the security uniform…"
"I'm a newbie."
"……?"
"D Squad new hire."
"…???"
After that, things wrapped up quickly.
Manager Lee Byung-jin kept yelling 'lies' until we returned to the company in Gyeongju, but once he checked my personnel file, his face went blank again.
And, predictably, he didn't switch attitudes dramatically.
'Why not.'
I'd expected disdain for a Field Exploration Team newbie, but surprisingly, he behaved politely, constantly watching my reactions.
He even tried acting hearty, dropping formal speech.
"Hey, Sol-eum, hear about that? The kids and the grad student. They made it back safe."
A few days later, the manager informed us that the people who'd escaped with us had registered as civilian survivors with Daydream Corporation.
He hinted they'd received a nice info bounty too.
"In a way, it's ironic—they really hit the jackpot. Life's funny like that."
And that irony reached me too.
"Anyway, now Sol-eum, just stick with me, got it?!"
"…Uh, yes."
"Hahaha!"
Manager Lee Byung-jin swiftly processed my manual review.
…Just mine.
'Is it okay for a guy who ghosted for a week to show up and get this treatment?'
Anyway, it was good for me.
The scroll peak, passage to the 'Lord of the Mountain' ghost story, was swiftly collected as a Daydream Corporation subsidiary Darkness, and my solo escape method got manual-approved again.
Plus, my pending A Squad transfer manual revision sailed through.
And the amount stamped in my account…
"……."
'Insane.'
The staggering sum made my hand shake.
With two reviewed Darknesses approved, an unimaginable amount appeared in my banking app.
It felt like points weren't applicable for non-assigned work, so cash as second-best, but at this scale, eyes spun.
'Shouldn't I tackle new Darknesses while the manual reviewer is this friendly…?'
But voluntarily seeking ghosts and monsters solo? My feet wouldn't move. For now…
'Gotta spend this 100 million wisely.'
Where to call it well-spent?
Well, 30% was already earmarked.
The root of all this ordeal.
"Congrats, Brown."
-Ooooh!
Fortunately, the alien shop still had the Blood Bath, so I could fulfill my promise to the ambulatory plush doll.
'Will it come by delivery again?'
Remembering the postal box vomited from thin air made me pause.
As far as I knew, the Blood Bath was a four-legged tub the size of a home installation bathtub.
With legs gilded in gold leaf, quite ornate—and that in this company housing single room?
'…Order from the bathroom?'
F-First, I shoved the bed and desk aside in the room to clear space, deciding to hit order here. Bathroom was too cramped.
"…Alright. Ordering now."
-Looking forward to it! My heart's pounding.
In the room lit by a single flashlight, conversing with the heartless plush doll, I finally clicked 'Order'.
Sizzle.
Space tore like before. Tension rose.
But the rift was… smaller than expected?
Thud.
It spat out a package.
The package was… small too…?
"…?"
I opened the postal box, smaller than a quarter of expected size.
The product box appeared.
"……."
No wonder it was cheap.
Come to think of it, being from a home shopping ghost story, records showed all sorts of editions and versions…
Significant differences were rare, mostly cosmetic fun.
'Never dreamed of a foot bath version though.'
Apparently a special edition, with shiny gold foil stickers and warranty.
[10-Year Free A/S]
Totally meaningless…
'Like I'd apply for A/S.'
But I opened it anyway.
No records in [Darkness Exploration Records] of auto-blood draws just from touching a Blood Bath.
Unpacking the angular box like regular appliances revealed the item swaddled in premium packaging, as luxury brands do.
Stripping that away unveiled it at last.
'…Bath of Youth.'
Aka Blood Bath.
It was a glossy black-and-white checkered tub, seemingly ceramic, shining elegantly.
The whole basin curved gracefully, supported sturdily by golden cat-paw legs on all sides.
Pretty stylish.
'…If not for being a foot bath.'
But someone for whom it was perfect size was thrilled.
-Deer! Put me in there! With bath salts…
Wait, Blood Bath salts mean…
"…You want my blood?"
-Exactly! Excellent comprehension, Deer.
This lunatic.
For a split second, I weighed persuasion vs. flight, but
-Haha! Just kidding, friend!
"……."
-No audience or cameras—why would I make such a demand of a friend!
What if there were?
I kept that unspoken. The desperate side stays silent.
But one line slipped.
"Don't joke like that. Not funny, just scary."
-My bad. Humor varies by culture—must handle delicately!
That was 'delicate'…?
-Anyway, to the point… Isn't there something more suitable right here for bath salts?
-Oh, let's see if our Deer can guess!
Something like that in company housing?
I turned my head.
'Not talking about neighbor Baek Saheon…'
No, couldn't be. Better not.
Setting that aside… one thing caught my eye.
I half-heartedly pointed at the thing occupying a corner of my desk for days.
"…This wild ginseng?"
-Splendid!
Yes.
That corrupted purple wild ginseng I'd unwittingly nabbed from the 'Lord of the Mountain' ghost story.
'Sap or blood—definitely fluid running through it.'
But days later, it remained purple but ordinary ginseng otherwise.
Wake up and I'd grind an apple into juice, force-feed it, and donate to company if it balked—but no waking.
'Felt dumb for staying vigilant till sunrise that day…'
Brown commented thus:
-Won't wake anytime soon. Weak beasts play dead under threat, right?
Interpreted as trauma from being dragged from the 'Mountain Lord's Burial Mound' or whatever ghost space to reality.
-Anyway, friend. If worried, I'll keep watch steadily.
And no issues since.
So, use this ginseng?
'Hm, worth a shot.'
If no ghosts heard, just juicy ginseng prep.
Plus… honestly, curious to see the Blood Bath operate.
'It's intriguing.'
I had curiosity too—why else peek at ghost wikis on breaks…
Few ghost stories safe to view even as images.
Tempted to test with sap, not blood.
-Ooooh!
I fetched rubber gloves and scissors from the kitchen.
A low, excited voice came from the bed-under monster plush.
-Put me in the tub now!
"Hold on."
Something first.
"This tub rejuvenates. Need that? Uh… you look young enough."
Wanted to question if dolls grasped the concept, but held back.
The plush laughed heartily, clean as a show laugh track.
-Hahaha! Narrow view of rejuvenation, my friend! No worries—I, fine explainer and talker, got you!
-'Rejuvenation'… in Sinosphere, 'spring returns.' Strictly, 'regain peak prowess.'
-Exactly what I need now—heavy body, hard to balance!
…But you're stuffed.
Manual lists 'wound healing, fatigue recovery, arthritis treatment, skin beauty' etc.
'…Whatever.'
If he insists.
No records in [Darkness Exploration Records] of plush harm from good treatment in Kind Friend ghost story.
Rough handling caused disasters.
I halted deepening thoughts—pointlessly scary.
Instead, gloved up, scissors in one hand, ginseng in other.
'Let's try.'
And reached for the Blood Bath.