Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Even If I Fall Into a Ghost Story, I Still Have to Go to Work
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“To think there’s even a basement here...”
In front of the basement stairs, fear and anticipation were half-mingled on Go Yeongeun’s face.
Baek Saheon snarked.
“Exactly. And the guy standing next to me knew there was a basement without a word of explanation and insisted we had to head to Basement Level 1 no matter what.”
“If you don’t want to go, then scatter here.”
“......”
Baek Saheon fell silent.
Now that the basement’s existence was confirmed, he wasn’t about to miss the vibe that Kim Sol-eum had some ace up his sleeve.
I gave Go Yeongeun a simple explanation: ‘I used special equipment to scan the notice by the elevator and found a spot that might be helpful.’
And finally, we set foot on the basement stairs.
“......”
“......”
The further we descended, the more we realized.
‘The decor’s changed.’
The mansion, once brass-colored, had darkened to a bronze hue, with more avant-garde decorations appearing.
For some reason, it felt like we were sinking much deeper than when we’d gone from the second floor to the first...
“......”
“......”
Soon, an ornate gate appeared beside the stairs.
We’d arrived.
I cautiously gripped one of the gate’s door handles, confirmed no mechanical noise from outside, and only then opened it.
What appeared wasn’t an exhibition hall or corridor.
Go Yeongeun’s eyes went wide.
“This is...”
“Probably the guest lounge.”
It was a sort of rest area.
The spacious hall, furnished quite comfortably, had luxurious armchairs, vintage tables, and even a bronze fireplace in one corner.
“Is this what you read about on the elevator?”
“Yes.”
“Ah, so places like this are usually in the lobby, meaning there might be an exit nearby...?”
“Not sure about that. But...”
“But?”
“The manual listed a few things off-limits in the exhibition halls. A rest area should have fewer restrictions.”
Yeah.
I’d come here betting that some prohibited acts in this exhibition were allowed elsewhere.
“Off-limits things... Oh, like eating!”
“Yes.”
“...But we don’t really need to eat anything right now.”
Probably not.
“To be precise, I came to do something prohibited under the eating ban.”
“...What’s that?”
I pulled an item I’d prepared from my bag.
“Strict no open flames.”
Now, time to craft an escape item.
Go Yeongeun swallowed hard.
Before her eyes, her ridiculously competent colleague was doing something utterly ridiculous.
“Like this, huh.”
Kim Sol-eum pulled a bizarre box from his briefcase and quickly scanned the enclosed instructions.
But that box looked anything but ordinary. Why the hell would he bring a candle-making kit?
‘Never seen that brand before.’
The logo for ‘Jolly Lab’ gleamed tackily alongside a smiley face, but the instructions he held were scrawled in messy crimson ink handwriting.
...It gave off a seriously eerie vibe.
Like some prop you’d encounter in a ghost story...
That’s when Baek Saheon muttered.
“...Item?”
Item?
Reflexively turning to Kim Sol-eum, he answered quite kindly.
“Yes. Objects with supernatural properties.”
...!
“Th-then it’s not a Darkness?”
“Depends on classification, but... Items seem to be stable, portable objects without domains—unlike Darkness.”
“......”
How does Sol-eum know all this...?
‘Aren’t we... both new hires?’
Why’s his info gap this huge?
And where the hell did he even get it...?
For Go Yeongeun, who’d prided herself on being top-three among new hires in company life, this was bewildering!
‘No, he handles it like a pro...?!’
Sensing her gaze, Kim Sol-eum turned and said, almost apologetically.
“This is my first time making one too.”
True!
He’d puzzled over the instructions a few times but never actually crafted one.
But his colleagues, unaware he’d run similar rituals three times already, just felt dizzy...
No, someone like him... shouldn’t he start his own company for society’s sake?
Shouldn’t he steer clear of this horror-show of a workplace??
But cold reality snapped her back.
‘......Because of the Wish Grant.’
Because of the wish she couldn’t give up.
Go Yeongeun nearly drowned in pity for their shared plight but quickly steeled herself.
Focus solely on escape now.
...And channel all that rage at the R Squad leader who ditched her the second the monster machine approached!
She wanted to retract her past thoughts that no cliques meant no interpersonal stress.
‘Die, you squad leader!’
But thinking her R Squad bosses might end up gruesomely mutilated made that feel weird too...
“Done.”
“...!”
Go Yeongeun snapped her gaze up at Kim Sol-eum’s voice.
He’d laid out a black sheet of paper on the floor and drawn a small picture with the included crayon.
It was... um.
‘...A candle?’
Yeah. It looked like a candle... sort of. More like a flat outline of one, really.
But Kim Sol-eum ignored that and pointed to the cards near the drawing with one hand, indicating for his colleague.
“You see the cards.”
“Y-yes.”
“Draw one.”
“......”
“It sets the item’s property.”
Was she being used or dragged into something?
Go Yeongeun hesitated briefly but reached out.
Nothing suspicious or off-putting in his words or actions so far, and objectively, he’d always treated her with good intentions.
‘Let’s do it.’
She trusted her big-data brain’s judgment on smart people.
So she boldly flipped one of the scattered cards.
The front showed a spirited blue figure raising one hand.
A white star sparkled like a gem at the top.
A faint smile spread across Kim Sol-eum’s face.
“......Good draw.”
Really?
‘Doesn’t feel like we need honor right now...’
Anyway, glad the guy who read the instructions said it was good.
Then Kim Sol-eum turned, calling Baek Saheon in a tone that wasn’t thrilled.
“Draw a card.”
“......”
Baek Saheon seemed to calculate the situation, then narrowed his eyes and reached out.
His card showed a crooked smile and red iron bars.
“Fits you.”
“What?”
Kim Sol-eum ignored him and continued crafting!
“I’ll flip the rest.”
“Y-yes.”
Whatever, just do it!
Go Yeongeun watched Kim Sol-eum neatly flip the cards with quick hands.
Ten left.
Chaos, healing, meditation, wound, falsehood, dream, rage, protection, strike, gaze... Ten cards laid out face-up on the floor.
‘What even is this?’
Why make them draw like tarot, then reveal all?
She realized watching his next move.
The last one’s a pick-your-own.
Kim Sol-eum picked the card with a black heart beside a golden gear, then lit a lighter and burned all three drawn cards.
Flames sparked in colors as the cards turned to glittering ash.
“...!”
He gathered the ash carefully, smeared it like paint inside the crayon candle outline, and folded the paper.
“Now let it set for about 30 minutes.”
With a faint smile, Kim Sol-eum lifted the paper from the floor, folded it, and tucked it into his suit pocket.
“What you just made...”
“This candle will help us get out of here.”
“...!”
“Was gonna repeat if it failed, but the keywords came out decent on the first try...”
Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiek
“......”
“......”
The three turned their heads in unison.
A massive shadow emerged under the bronze light from afar.
Eight straight lines like spider legs.
And...
Kiiiek
A machine’s eye leaking gas lamp light.
“......”
“......”
“Run!”
The three bolted in the opposite direction at full speed.
I knew.
Even in a rest area, the machine could show up.
I’d guessed it patrolled looser than exhibition halls, so I’d accepted the risk...
‘No hiding spots like vents, though—what timing!’
I gritted my teeth and crossed the corridor.
Once spotted, hiding in another vent wouldn’t help—it’d track us.
That level of performance!
“Straight ahead?!”
“For now!”
Straight led to the main exhibition hall.
Hoping some higher-priority issue would draw its aggro there...
‘But after descending to basement, how dangerous has the exhibition gotten...!’
That’s when.
Whoosh.
“...!”
Baek Saheon tried to grab my suit.
‘What now, you psycho!’
He yelled.
“That item! The candle! Offer the candle we made! It’s valuable, right?!”
I slapped his hand away and shouted back.
“No, you idiot!”
“What?!”
“Look at the exhibition theme!”
“Art!!”
“...!”
“Specifically, living beings, civilization, history!!”
I bellowed.
“What makes you think it’ll accept an item as payment?!”
If items had value, our company folks wouldn’t sacrifice their own gear before losing eyes!
Besides, the candle wasn’t even finished!
But Baek Saheon reached again for my bag, and Go Yeongeun sighed in frustration.
“Let’s at least try! We’re dead otherwise!”
“Argh! Hey! Stop and run alr—...”
I turned my head.
Our feet had crossed the main exhibition hall’s grand doors.
“......”
Catching my breath, I looked up.
The entire room sparkled with starlight.
No—countless pairs of glowing, identical-colored eyes densely covered the square walls, staring at me. Human gazes...
“......”
The vast black exhibition hall’s three walls were packed with eyeballs, no gaps.
Only one entrance: the door we’d come through.
And through it, the guide machine approached relentlessly...
Trapped.
That too...
‘If it were just me.’
I could escape safely anytime.
Brown would gladly use what I call ‘lights out’—erasing my presence.
While the others drew aggro and lost eyes and ears, I’d slip out quietly.
Yeah. The three-person candle succeeded, so Baek Saheon’s expendable now.
‘Only kept him for mental stability.’
Honestly, even if he died, no big loss? Might even benefit society.
In that gap, Go Yeongeun might luck out and escape too...
...Huh?
Wait.
“Let’s split up! If even one escapes...”
“Mountain Goat!”
“Yes?”
“You’re safe.”
“...?!”
“Didn’t it collect your fee recently? You’ve still got time till the next one.”
“Ah!!”
Go Yeongeun, who’d lost an ear not long ago, surely had ‘usage time’ left!
Hope flickered in her eyes.
“Then I’ll go distract it...”
Giii iiiiiiiiek
“......”
“......”
It was here.
The guide machine.
Drurrrrlk.
In the bronze candlelight, I faced the machine head-on for the first time.
Mercilessly sharp and precise.
Like a spider base with iron flesh layered on—head and thorax bizarrely fused, abdomen and lower body below.
Yet vaguely humanoid in bipedal stance, hitting an uncanny valley. Creaking, grotesque movements chilled the spine.
Sharp needle-legs twisting joints freely.
And on its head, eight gas lamps pierced the hazy shadow with yellow glow.
“......”
Go Yeongeun froze mid-approach.
Trauma from her ear extraction surging back, probably.
Understandable.
Kiiiiiek.
The machine passed her right by.
‘As expected.’
So it was chasing...
Me and Baek Saheon.
Giii iiiiiiiiek.
I pondered briefly.
When its gaze locked on Baek Saheon, erase presence and bolt.
Tough if solo-targeted, but dual targets might let Brown’s ability through.
Decision made.
‘No.’
Instead, I shoved Baek Saheon aside.
“...!”
“Run.”
Baek Saheon had one eye left.
He knew it might take more than eyes.
‘No telling his freakout level.’
Even if it took an ear instead, his reaction after one eye would be fiercer.
Hard to predict his extreme antics.
Better to let him flee.
“Run, I said.”
Baek Saheon hesitated.
But soon backed away from the machine, then sprinted full-tilt out the door as it positioned before me.
At the same time, Go Yeongeun caught my glance, squeezed her eyes shut, and dashed out.
“......”
Now then.
I looked up.
A grotesque machine, like a mosaic of spider and woman, shone its gas lamps on me.
Chilling, otherworldly form.
The guide machine raised its eight legs and arm-needles, wagging them at me.
I bowed politely.
“Hello. Just came in.”
I knew it wouldn’t work.
Sure enough, the machine emitted unintelligible noise, nodding one massive needle joint.
Deep breath.
“Hold on. Question before payment?”
“Guest room reservations at the front desk? ...Nod for yes, shake side-to-side for no.”
......
Nod.
“Thank you. Then...”
I held back a sigh and spoke.
This was the setup for the key question.
Core escape query.
‘These machines only know their zone, so they don’t know exit locations.’
Probably clueless on front desk spot too.
But.
Ask via their zone info, and maybe answers.
Like this.
“Do guests heading home after viewing go down from Basement Level 1?”
......
“Or up?”
Nod.
“Up. Thank you.”
Yes.
Asking tailored questions per-floor guides would narrow the exit eventually...
If eyes, nose, mouth, and limbs weren’t plucked first.
‘Above Basement 1... so ground level.’
Huge win. Ground floors only seven stories.
‘Good conditions.’
But joy flickered out like a candle.
Unavoidable time approaching.
Kiiiiiiiiiek.
Fee collection.
“......”
Rationally, no big issue.
‘It shoves rentals into eye sockets, so vision till escape.’
I know this world well. Multiple ways to restore lost parts, easier for me than most...
Why I’m here, standing firm.
‘Calculated and accepted.’
Problem... this insane revulsion!
Who’d take eyes ripped raw by a monster casually!
In a room displaying plucked eyes everywhere!
Cold sweat dripped down my jaw.
‘Still, must test.’
I gritted my teeth.
Won’t hurt, even if plucked.
‘If I can’t endure this, abandon surviving here.’
Best conditions yet. Test if coward-heart withstands ghost-story wounds.
Need experience building tolerance for fixable losses.
Hands still trembled clenched.
‘Fuck...’
Ziiing.
A thin, sharp metal needle like a spider leg approached my face.
I held my breath.
Swoosh.
The needle dug into my eye socket...
Ziiiiiiiek.
“......”
I rolled my eyeball sideways.
From the darkness, a massive spider-like form approached...
Ziiiiiiiek, kiiiiiiiek.
Another guide machine.
“......”
What’s this.
‘Machines have patrol routes.’
Overlapping routes... not impossible?
Sure enough, the one targeting my eye glitched briefly... then backed off, rerouting.
Like self-adjusting path.
Kiiiiiiiiiek...
“......”
No sigh of relief.
New one would extract instead.
I just held breath, staring at the newcomer.
It raised a spider-leg appendage right to my nose.
Then...
“Phew.”
...?!
“You okay, Deer?”
The spider form crumbled, revealing a Badger-masked human.
“...Foreman!”
Park Minseong, the foreman who appeared, grinned through sweat-soaked face.
“Whew... That was close!”