Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: And the Performance Begins
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14.
Orchestra. A massive performance involving at least 50 people, up to a maximum of 120.
In other words.
We're fucked.
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/And the Performance Begins.
[Exploration Record 1st Time]
‘Hyun-su’ Employee and ‘Park Young-ji’ New Employee received invitations to this ghost story and were deployed.
Upon entering the ghost story, no other personnel were visible aside from themselves.
Then the Announcement Broadcast echoed throughout.
【Today’s performance will be ‘Pansori’. Relevant performers, please proceed to K-2 Room.】
As soon as it announced the start of Pansori, faceless figures approached us.
They were exceedingly courteous to us. (Naturally, we couldn’t understand a word the staff were saying.)
Park Young-ji New Employee, on her first deployment mission, looked quite excited, her face tense with effort.
Hyun-su seemed not entirely displeased by her vibe.
And the point where their footsteps ended was.
K-2 Room.
A few minutes later, the performance began successfully.
The lively sound of a man’s hourglass drum.
The heart-stirring voice of a woman.
With all performances successfully concluded, the curtain call brought the show to an end.
The two returned to the GRA.
Result: All Dead / [Censored]
Cause of death: Hyun-su Employee’s entire body was [Censored], taking on the form of the traditional percussion instrument ‘hourglass drum’.
The scattered body parts beside him were confirmed via DNA test to belong to Park Young-ji Employee. (A vocal cord, seemingly ripped out forcibly, lay on the floor.)
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The lesson to take from this is.
Never follow strangers.
Just from the unpleasant memory brushing my mind, I could easily deduce why this ghost story had sent us invitations.
Everyone who receives an invitation is summoned to serve as instruments for the performance.
Even without detailed descriptions of the process like [Censored], I could guess well enough without imagining it.
……My stomach’s already churning.
As seen in that exploration, the performance back then was ‘Pansori’, so invitations went to just two people.
But the performance this time is none other than.
-Orchestra.
I hadn’t even considered that people might be gathering elsewhere, not in the main hall where Park Yeon-jeong himself now stood.
That E-grade I was thrilled about just moments ago? Canceled.
E-grade my ass!
From now on, this ghost story shifts from E-grade to B-grade.
The GRA took great interest in this ghost story upon reviewing the first exploration record.
They must have made that call after seeing the grotesque state of the returned employees.
……However.
Contrary to that intense interest, subsequent explorations revealed the ghost story wasn’t all that hard to tackle.
The staff could be subdued more easily than expected.
And despite the vast scale, passing through a door marked ‘Emergency Exit’ allowed escape with ease.
After several more explorations yielded the same results, the GRA Agency even joked that the grade should be lowered further instead of raised, treating it as a nothingburger ghost story.
Park Yeon-jeong had assumed that was the state when he entered.
Right up until he heard ‘orchestra’.
Precisely at the 66th exploration.
The worst incident in history occurred.
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/And the Performance Begins.
[Exploration Record 66th Time]
A new anomaly detected in the Announcement Broadcast, which had stuck to small-scale shows until now.
Exploration personnel estimated at roughly 50.
【Today’s performance will be ‘Orchestra’…….】
Result: 1 Survivor All Dead / For the melody.
Cause of death: Merely an act to deliver a beautiful melody to the audience. Death is an impure term. They are……■■■.
*Further records prohibited.
*Viewing restricted to Section Chief rank and above.
*Grade change for this ghost story permanently omitted.
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This ghost story.
Is an utter stubborn bastard, doing whatever the hell it wants.
Difficulty shifts every moment, with zero consistency.
That’s why the GRA has permanently omitted its grade assessment—one of the rare cases.
And right now.
I’ve stepped into it at the worst possible moment, right in front of that infamous 66th round glory.
……Fuck my life.
No easy days for me.
All plans are shot to hell. No escaping this place anymore.
Finding the emergency exit? Might as well not exist.
Until now, the ghost story ran small-scale shows because.
No important guests had arrived.
Even if canceled, it was small enough not to hurt much.
That’s why it allowed escapes.
It tolerated them knowingly.
But……
The situation’s different now.
Announcing a major production like orchestra means.
An important guest has arrived in the hall—one even outsiders would fuss over.
It’ll push the performance through no matter what.
No mercy for runners.
Escaping now isn’t the right answer.
It’s wrong.
I have to end this performance before it starts, while avoiding capture at all costs.
Mustn’t let the conductor get his instrument………
……!!!
‘No!’
Crack!
Park Yeon-jeong instinctively accelerated.
Faster than when fleeing those bear dolls.
Faster than when he ran for his life from that ghost story kid.
Faster, no matter what.
He had to stop it.
Toward the others, unaware of the current danger unlike him.
When his ragged, trembling breaths finally steadied.
……As expected.
He spotted a few in black suits leading civilians toward a door marked Emergency Exit.
“No!!”
He yelled desperately, swallowing his rough breaths.
The moment that door opens.
It’s over.
His eyes locked exactly with one black-suited figure. He figured explanations could wait.
“Where’s that voice coming from……!!”
“R-Run, now!!”
“Civilians first! Hurry!!”
……What?
Suddenly, people sprinting with even more desperation.
Thinking something was chasing from behind, he whipped around in shock.
‘……Ah, no one’s there?’
No one.
Not even the pursuing staff in sight. Just as he wondered what the hell they were running from.
‘……No! Not the time!’
He turned back.
Chilling.
Too late.
“No! Get out now!”
He shouted again.
But at his approaching voice, the civilians sped up even more, and some black-suited agents began drawing GRA-issued items.
‘Are you kidding me right now?’
Are you insane?
Don’t you know swinging items at civilians is a serious crime?
Definitely newbies.
No other way a newbie would draw an item on a civilian like me, committing such atrocity.
But……open your damn eyes, people!
“That’s not the exit, you idiots!”
Only after his curse-laden shout did one GRA agent sense something off and check the door that had said Emergency Exit moments ago.
ROOM
It had changed.
“……Wait, this is!”
Only then did the GRA agents pale, staring at the civilians they’d shoved inside under the guise of protection.
Rrrrrumble-
Crack-
Amid acrobatic screams, he witnessed people transforming into instruments with his own eyes.
“……Urk!”
Some GRA agents collapsed on the spot, others vomiting at the sight.
But even that time facing horror was too precious now.
“Get away from there now!”
Judging there was no reason for politeness anymore, he knew he had to stop them from adding more instruments.
Snap!
“D-Don’t come closer, you monster!”
He was sick of the dumb newbie still brandishing a bladed item at him, clueless.
At this rate, total wipeout right here.
Time for hard measures.
“Fine, do whatever you want.”
“……….”
“If you wanna turn into instruments that bad, go ahead.……Dumbass GRA agents who can’t even recognize help.”
“……!!!”
Something a normal civilian would never know.
A mention of the GRA.
Hiding his ragged breaths as best he could, he trashed the GRA agents.
Half-serious.
Some glared with murderous intent, ready to lunge.
But the sharper ones.
“……Everyone.”
A quick-thinking one who seemed capable of rapid assessment took charge.
“R Team, as of now, follow this guy and commence exploration.”
“Yes?! But this guy…….”
“I won’t report insubordination to the higher-ups. But if you wanna bail solo, be my guest.”
“…….”
A calm man who wielded his words with precise force.
Park Yeon-jeong’s gaze landed not elsewhere but.
On the same black suit, but with a red armband on his thick arm standing out.
‘……This guy.’
Section Chief rank.
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/GRA Employee
Rank: Section Chief.
Title: The Only Sane Man.
A figure with considerable charisma and vast exploration experience at the GRA. (Surviving means you’re strong.)
Unlike other Section Chiefs, he doesn’t possess ‘named-grade items’. But as a versatile man, he’s an above-average star employee. (Thus, he’s often hired as support for many unexplored ghost story records he hasn’t cleared himself.)
*Choi Kang-in knows the GRA works him hard but swallows his anger with superior financial compensation.
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An encounter with a quasi-named figure.
All named figures in the [Ghost Story Archive] are mostly unhinged in some way.
But.
Choi Kang-in is different.
As noted on the site, ‘Choi Kang-in’ is the man with the title of the world’s only ‘sane man’ in this mad realm.
Lucky break.
With him, it might be possible.
Might even survive and return.
Choi Kang-in’s name appears in countless ghost story explorations, but never noted as dead anywhere.
“…….”
Choi Kang-in kept a wary gaze on me while steadily moving his body.
“Comms with HQ?”
“……No signal since earlier.”
“Keep checking the line to HQ. Rest of you, prioritize civilian protection.”
“Section Chief…what’s the plan?”
“……….”
At the employee’s question, Choi Kang-in met my eyes again. Then, as if resigned, he squeezed his eyes shut and spoke.
“From now on, we follow ‘this guy’. Report any minor changes detected immediately.”
“……You’re serious, Section Chief? That guy.”
“…I’ll take responsibility.”
Hold up.
‘This guy’—that’s me?
With me right here, calling me ‘this guy’ isn’t rude?
Anyone’d think I’m the ghost story. Section Chief Choi Kang-in?
But this nagging discomfort I couldn’t shake since earlier.
Unlike other civilians, the GRA agents treated me with marked disdain.
No time to pry in the urgency, but……
Park Yeon-jeong unwittingly frowned and spoke sharply.
“I’m going. Follow if you’ve got half a brain. Dead weight’s just a hindrance………yo.”
In a surge of anger, he spat at the GRA agents.
Catching killing intent at the end, he tacked on politeness, but he’d flipped the switch too hard.
Gotta be careful from now on.
With my items, if all R Team rushes me, I’m dead for sure.
Step.
Wary of attacks, I stepped off first.
“!!! Don’t lag!”
“Yes!”
“Yessir!!”
Choi Kang-in hurriedly followed in my wake.
…Relieved it wasn’t a backstab attempt, I sighed in relief.
I slipped a hand into my Employee ID, pulling out a long box, gripping a lighter tight in my other.
Death Taste cigarettes: only 3 left.
My life hangs on these 3.
And the Announcement Broadcast blared in tandem.
【15 minutes until first rehearsal begins.】
【Lost visitors needn’t worry. Our capable staff will come find you.】
【So stay put……don’t move, cease all physical activity. Holding your breath also helps the staff locate you. But please refrain from taking your own life.】
【……Our honored guests prefer living, authentic melodies (screams).】
