Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Mistaken for a Catastrophe-Level Ghost Story Employee
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Fortunately, I hadn't spent the night roughing it last night.
[Balance: 38,830 won]
My wallet was freezing its ass off.
Even if this is a parallel world, the prices don't have to be exactly the same...
'...Ah, I miss home.'
For reference, last night.
Before heading to nearby lodging.
The studio apartment I'd originally lived in wasn't far from the library. So, with a sliver of hope, I'd gone to check it out.
But as expected.
"...Who are you?"
"Ah... Looks like I got the wrong place."
Someone else was already living there. They'd been there for five years, even.
Now, all I really had left was less than 40,000 won in cash and the employee ID from that Announcement Broadcast bastard.
No room for choices anymore.
Due to financial limitations, forced homelessness was confirmed.
With even less capital left than I'd expected, my feet felt heavy.
...But.
Now that I knew this was truly the world of the [Ghost Story Archive] I remembered.
There was one place I had to head to right away.
A spot open 24/7 year-round. A key location for the main characters even in the [Ghost Story Archive].
[Ghost Story Pawnshop.]
If I could've, I would've come straight here last night.
...Honestly, though, it was too damn scary to go alone late at night.
So, I headed there as soon as the sun was about to rise.
Exactly around 6:41 a.m.
[In front of Seongsu Station Exit 1.]
I arrived a bit earlier than rush hour, standing in front of Seongsu Station Exit 1.
The entrance to the station featured a convenient escalator for heading up and stone stairs right beside it, catching my eye.
I chose the stone stairs next to the escalator. And in the Seongsu Station Exit 1 I remembered.
There were no such stairs.
=======
■■:44 a.m.
Strange phenomenon observed on the stairs next to Seongsu Station Exit 1.
=======
...Haa.
A deep sigh, as if the ground might cave in. But I had to press on.
A sense of rejection emanating from my very steps.
Before he knew it, Park Yeon-jeong had set foot on the stairs and was murmuring softly through his lips like a sob.
Step.
"...One."
Step.
"Two."
He counted each step as he climbed, tallying the risers one by one.
Originally, there were 43 steps here.
Checking the time on his smartphone, fully charged back at the lodging, right when the minute hand pointed exactly to '6:44'.
The moment he went to climb the 43rd step.
...It had increased.
The step count, which should've ended at 43, had grown by one more.
Witnessing a bizarre moment where another block protruded atop what should've been the final landing.
Step.
"...Forty-four."
When he lifted his head, which had been facing the ground.
Silence exhaled like a breath.
A profound stillness descended.
Behind him, where he'd been climbing the stairs moments ago, thick black darkness blanketed everything, and ahead, pitch black so dense he couldn't see an inch in front of his face welcomed him.
A bizarre shift in space.
'...I really hate this.'
The atmosphere alone made him dread entering the [Ghost Story Pawnshop].
Flash.
But in that inky darkness, a single light began seeping from the floor.
The yellow braille blocks laid on the ground emitted a soft glow.
It seemed like a device intentionally guiding visitors to avoid counting wrong paths.
=======
/Location
[Ghost Story Pawnshop]
A place that illegally sells items issued only by the GRA. (Ironically, it's the spot most frequented by GRA agents.)
You can buy unique goods unavailable from the GRA. (Though most have flaws.)
*Notes for visitors.
Never stray from the path marked by the braille blocks on the floor. (Unless you want to wander the underground mall forever.)
Occasionally, survivors are spotted returning. Their testimonies... (Read more)
=======
Don't worry.
No matter what happens, even if the world ends, I won't step off those braille blocks.
Absolutely not.
I'm a law-abiding guy at heart. The type who could live without laws.
Step.
After walking silently along the braille blocks for a while, at the end stood a rundown pawnshop, the only bright beacon in this dim place.
'...It's more.'
Rundown than I thought?
The text-only descriptions of the Ghost Story Pawnshop had mentioned "an exterior on the verge of collapse."
'But this is a bit much, isn't it?'
The rotting wooden pillar looked like it could crumble any second.
Seriously, is it safe to even go in?
He worried more about being crushed under debris than dying to a ghost story.
Creeeak—
With creepy BGM, the pawnshop's gloomy door swung open on its own.
...Should I turn back?
No. Get it together, Park Yeon-jeong.
You know damn well you can't be picky about hot or cold rice right now.
"...Excuse me."
Pushing the sliding door aside and stepping in, the scene that greeted him made his jaw drop.
The shop was a mess, a perfect specimen of clutter from floor to ceiling.
This place is seriously bad.
He wondered if the owner even intended to sell anything.
Rustle—.
"!!"
Something moved amid the junk he'd been eyeing, making his body flinch instinctively.
"...Ah. A customer?"
"...Yes."
Thankfully, not a ghost story.
With shaggy long hair cascading down.
Through bangs so long it was questionable if he could even see, the man's eyes gleamed.
He glanced at the clock on the wall.
"...You must be in a hurry. Sorry, coming to the shop so early in the morning."
"Yeah... well. Looking for something specific."
"Oh, really?"
The man, apparently the shop owner, stood from his seat after hearing that and waddled off somewhere.
He unceremoniously shoved aside the mountain of piled goods.
Crash! Bang! Clang!
A table appeared where the pile had been.
...Now I get why the shop's such a wreck.
But the man stood there casually, as if this were daily life, switching to merchant mode.
"So, what item is the customer seeking? Knowing the name helps."
..."Do you have 'Taste of Death'?"
".........Hmm, let me check."
A brief silence.
The man didn't go far. He rummaged right at his feet.
"...Ah. Here it is."
That quick?
Finding the desired item so fast through this insane clutter.
Classic trait of pawnshop owners.
"The item you're looking for. This it?"
What the man held out was a long box filled with incense, like something from a ritual.
"...Yes. That's it."
Found it.
Definitely the one I was after.
"You're lucky, customer. Barely any left."
Opening the incense box, only three sticks remained inside.
'Only three...'
He felt a pang at that. But more important now was the price.
"...How much each?"
My account balance: just 38,830 won.
10,000 won each would let me buy all three left.
"100,000 won each."
"............"
No chance.
...Thinking about it, buying an item infused with otherworldly power for cheap was a greedy mindset anyway.
As he seriously pondered getting a part-time job in this world.
Bzzz—
Sudden vibration from the smartphone in his left pocket.
Who could it be?
A natural question.
Maybe spam texts exist here too? With that vague thought.
He checked the phone.
[Web Sender]
『To Park Yeon-jeong,
■■■■■■ Co., Ltd. (Additional) Salary Payment.
Performance Bonus: 10,000,000
Thank you sincerely for your hard work.』
"...I'll take it."
"Pardon? Ah, how many?"
"All three, please."
"You're cool, customer... Oh, lighter's on the house."
Ten million won just hit my account directly.
Park Yeon-jeong's favorability toward the Announcement Broadcast guy ticked up slightly.
'...While I'm at it, maybe browse other stuff too!'
With sudden capital influx dulling his impulse control.
"How would you like to pay?"
..."By any chance, does it take SamX Pay?"
"...Pardon?"
A new hurdle arose.
*****
Thankfully, the shop owner agreed to put it on tab after hearing that, and I safely acquired the 'Taste of Death.'
"If you need anything else, just say the word."
..."I'll definitely bring cash next time."
Heavy heart.
But my steps felt lighter.
Is this the joy of shopping?
The so-called morale booster for office workers.
Financial therapy.
But when big money comes in, true pros curb impulse buys...
'Any good stuff around!'
...But right now, protecting my life comes before money, right?
So this is justified spending.
Scanning the shelves, an oversized knife and red sheath caught my eye.
Catching my eye meant.
'I know this one.'
An item originally meant for GRA employees only.
"'Pain-Sharing Knife'."
Muttering something he absolutely shouldn't have.
"You've got a good eye, customer."
"!!"
The guy heard my tiny mutter like a ghost and switched straight to sales mode.
"No more, no less—after taxes, exactly 8.5 million won. No one else sells it for this price."
"......"
Definitely.
If it's that item I know, 8.5 million is a steal.
Even without Top Student Glasses, I remembered this item perfectly.
For good reasons.
Or bad.
=======
If you love them, shouldn't you share that much pain?
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[Pain-Sharing Knife.]
One of the tools introduced as a ghost story subjugation weapon, small paring knife size. Its usage is basically spoiled by the name.
Pain-Sharing.
Exactly as it says: shares pain with a specific target. Top of my [Absolutely Never Want List] items.
To use it, the blade must graze the pain-sharing target first.
Against ghost stories where even brushing means death for most.
One thing's clear.
I'd already died in that process.
Even if I landed a solid hit on a ghost story too tough to approach.
The real issue comes after.
As mentioned, the Pain-Sharing Knife premises sharing pain with the target.
...Which means.
Self-harm as the basic premise. Insane usage.
The GRA user who carried this weapon—call it fortunate or not—had a strong attachment to the 'Pain-Sharing Knife.'
But.
If memory serves, that user once used the Pain-Sharing Knife on a colleague in the agency... (That rumored yandere?)
No more memories I want to dredge up.
"......"
It still being here means.
I might prevent countless future victims—a mission sense given to me.
"Buying it?"
The merchant's voice asking.
"No."
You think?
Hard pass.
Sorry, future unnamed GRA victims.
But... but.
Saving my own skin is tough enough now.
With 'self-harm' baked into the activation.
Even buying for the greater good, it'd just be a normal paring knife to me—nothing more, nothing less.
Pay 8.5 million for a regular knife?
I immediately averted my eyes from the displayed knife and resumed hunting survival-boosting items.
And another item that caught my eye.
An artificial sculpture.
Something modeled after a human eyeball.
Crude appearance, like a kid made it hastily.
I pointed straight at the shoddy eyeball.
"How much for this?"
"Ah......"
But the man, who'd been sales-pitching prices smoothly till now, hesitated this time.
"...Customer, as a seller, I won't stop you if you insist on buying."
Through his long bangs, the man's hollow eyes stared at me.
"That item's... 'flawed'."
I know.
"...Haa. Didn't want to say this much. It's a defective with a flashy history of killing multiple users......"
"I know."
"...Pardon?"
The man revealed this toy-like crude item was already linked to fatalities.
"So, the price?"
".........5 million won."
350,000 cheaper than the previous 'Pain-Sharing Knife.'
An item that, if used right, outperforms 5 million worth.
A steal you can't refuse.
"I'll take it."
"............"
The man didn't try to dissuade me further. Seeing me happily buy a 5-million cursed item, he seemed to distance himself a bit.
Tsk.
He clicked his tongue.
Looked like he had plenty to say, but he shut up. Probably not the first weirdo customer.
Honestly, though.
'Compared to someone buying that self-harm scam, I'm the normal one, right?'
Rationalizing like that. The man rubbed his chin with one hand and kindly added explanations about my purchase.
"Well, since you know what you're buying. You probably get the usage, but... here's a warning explanation anyway."
"Yes."
"...Honestly, best not to use it."
His eyes still wary of my item to the end. Yet he explained politely.
"The 'Thousands of Eyes' you bought is simple to use. Throw it hard on the floor of the building you want to use it in. And absolutely do not move when those things open their eyes."
The explainer's voice dropped a notch.
"...Remember, customer. If you feel their gaze, do not move. Absolutely do not move."
"Got it."
"......"
The man, seeing Park Yeon-jeong so calm during the explanation—not tense at all—seemed to drop it.
He changed the subject.
"You're GRA, right?"
"...Pardon?"
......Pardon??