Got Dropped in a Ghost Story Chapter 28

…Before entering a ghost story with Squad A, let’s review the things I need to keep in mind.

Stipulations

1 – I must not let them find out that I’m a coward.

2 – I must not reveal that I already know the correct strategy.

3 – I must survive the workplace bullying of this uncooperative Squad Leader.

Just kill me already.

I’d probably said that to myself more times since joining this company than I could count.

But there was nothing I could do about it.

This was my first time entering a ghost story with a superior who genuinely wanted to see me fail.

Every day brings a new kind of hell…

And then there was the workaholic superior beside her who would probably throw me straight into a Cleanup Team the moment she discovered I was a coward.

In other words, I was entering a ghost story with people who were more likely to interfere with my survival than help me.

Maybe the only real solution is to save enough points, buy a Wish Ticket, and escape this place.

To make matters worse, the ghost story we had entered was filled with misleading clues.

“How does the place look to you?”

“…It looks like an abandoned factory, ma’am.”

A dark abandoned factory reeking of oil.

Do you have any idea how many ghost stories in <Dark Exploration Records> take place in abandoned factories?

Dozens, at least.

And that number gets even higher if you include ghost stories where the location changes randomly and an abandoned factory is one of the possible settings.

I had hoped to get even a moment away from the two Squad A members so I could quickly search the identification code.

But they hadn’t given me a single opportunity to be alone.

Th-They’re watching me like hawks.

Both of my Squad A superiors kept glancing sideways at me as they leisurely walked through the factory, almost as if they were waiting for me to make a mistake.

Cold sweat broke out across my back.

There’s nobody here I can rely on…

– Friend?

“…!”

– Oh! Another new setting, I see.

– Hmm, I must say, it isn’t particularly suitable as a filming location! Such filthy conditions. Like a bedraggled donkey! Don’t you agree?

I quickly looked down.

The voice was coming from the [Good Friend] keychain plush inside my pocket.

Braun!

I do have someone on my side!

W-Wait.

My two Squad A superiors were standing right next to me.

If Braun suddenly started talking openly like this—

– Oh dear. Are you worried someone might interfere with our precious friendship?

– Don’t worry! Those who aren’t my friends have no right to hear my voice! Huuu.

So no one else could hear him.

Come to think of it, there were Exploration Records saying that [Good Friend] only speaks to its owner.

Apparently, it could also sense its companion’s mood or surface thoughts.

I felt a little more relieved and lightly tapped my pocket a few times.

– Haha! That tickles a little!

I was seriously going to cry.

A monster from a ghost story had somehow become my only source of comfort.

“Squad Leader. There’s a door over there.”

“Ah, right.”

Squad A’s leader looked at me.

“Soleum-ssi, why don’t you open it?”

“…”

“Soleum-ssi?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Swallowing my scream, I approached the rusty door.

They weren’t even trying to hide the fact that they were making things difficult for me.

They had specifically picked me to open the suspicious door while refusing to give me the manual!

– Goodness… Mr. Roe Deer, you look like you’re having a difficult time.

– Is it a stamina problem?

Shake, shake.

I subtly shook my head, hoping no one noticed.

– Then is the filthy environment bothering you?

Shake, shake.

Another slight shake.

– Ah, I see!

– Then perhaps your companions aren’t quite to your liking?

Bingo.

This was awful.

The creepy abandoned factory.

The workplace harassment.

Everything.

– Are those bad people tormenting my dear friend?

Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake.

– Oh, I see.

– Sometimes we simply clash with others like opposite poles of a magnet!

– Let’s keep going cheerfully, friend!

Now my stomach hurt too.

On top of everything else, I have to manage Braun’s mood so he doesn’t go berserk.

Was this normal?

Caught between terror and stomach cramps, I somehow managed to steady myself and grab the rusty handle.

Creeeeak.

The door opened onto the factory’s main production area.

Dust-covered cans and boxes were scattered everywhere, as though operations had stopped years ago.

Spoiled contents leaked from broken cans of beef lying around the floor.

But one smell stood out even more strongly than the rot.

The sharp metallic scent of blood.

And…

a body lying on the floor.

“…”

W-Wait.

“There’s a corpse over there. Do you see it?”

“…Yes.”

“Soleum-ssi, go search it.”

“Yes.”

AAAAAAAAACK!!

The only thing stopping me from collapsing and crying was the comforting warmth of the plush keychain inside my pocket.

Abandoned factory… corpse. Abandoned factory… corpse…

I desperately searched through the wiki in my memory while approaching the body and suppressing the scream building inside me.

The corpse lay face-down on the factory tracks.

A man in a suit.

Blood seeped from the back of his head.

Something about him looked strangely familiar.

Maybe because he seemed around my age and was dressed in a suit.

I’m losing my mind.

There was absolutely no way I could touch that thing directly.

Without even pausing to breathe, I summoned my personalized equipment and used the floating hand to examine the corpse from different angles.

Thank God it transmitted pain but not touch.

Truly.

Thank God.

“…Male. Estimated height in the upper 170s to lower 180s. Wearing a suit. Bleeding is concentrated at the back of the head. He appears to have been struck by an object more than ten centimeters in diameter.”

“Hmm. Not bad.”

Squad A’s leader nodded.

“Now turn him over.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Kim Soleum will remember this.

I glared at Squad A’s leader with every ounce of resentment I could muster.

Suppressing a gag, I used the shadow hand to flip the corpse over in one swift motion.

Its face was exposed.

Its eyes were closed.

And the face was…

mine.

My own bloody face was lying on the factory floor.

“…”

Holy sh—

Holy fucking shit—!!

These goddamn ghost stories!

“Oh?”

Squad A’s leader sounded amused.

“He looks exactly like you, Soleum-ssi.”

“Could it be some kind of trap?”

Assistant Manager Jin finally spoke up.

“Squad Leader, shouldn’t we at least give him the basic manual now?”

“Oh. I suppose you’re right.”

Squad A’s leader looked at me for a moment as though seriously considering whether I had earned this rare privilege.

Then she finally said,

“Soleum-ssi, you’re inside a story.”

“…”

“Think of it like entering a novel or a movie.”

Yeah.

I mean…

I’d already figured that out.

The moment I saw my own corpse, I knew exactly which Darkness this was.

======================

Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story

[The Day I Died]

: A ghost story featured in <Dark Exploration Records>.

: Daydream Inc. Identification Code – Qterw-C-406

A ghost story that pulls the victim into a failed thriller-mystery story and casts them as the character destined to be sacrificed.

The first witness always begins by discovering their own corpse.

Up to twenty-five Exploration Records have been documented.

======================

It was practically a ghost story specifically designed to drive someone into a mental breakdown.

This is… a potato.

A potato.

I desperately tried to brainwash myself while refusing to look directly at the corpse-shaped thing in front of me.

“Don’t use your personalized equipment.”

Squad A’s leader continued.

“Examine it directly. Look carefully at every detail.”

Are you fucking kidding me?

“No, I can’t.”

The answer came out before I could even breathe.

The eyes beneath the teal duck mask narrowed.

“…Hm?”

Oh no.

I had just openly refused an order from a superior who was already bullying me.

Fix this. Now!

My survival instincts kicked in.

I immediately followed up with a line from a routine I had already successfully used once before.

“There’s a faster way to escape.”

Not again.

Why does it always end up like this?

My working conditions had just expanded.

Stipulations

1 – I must not let them find out that I’m a coward.

2 – I must not reveal that I already know the correct strategy.

3 – I must survive this uncooperative Squad Leader’s workplace bullying.

4 – I must pull off a timed escape. (NEW!)

…

Still, there was one good thing.

Seeing my own corpse had confirmed exactly which ghost story this was.

And the standard method for clearing this one is…

======================

To clear the Darkness, restructure the story so that the victim does not die.

In this ghost story, continued investigation sends the participants progressively further back in time.

Normally, explorers must investigate the entire setting, determine why “my corpse” died, and reconstruct the sequence of events step by step.

======================

Failure to alter the story within the time limit will result in the victim’s confirmed death.

Normally, the exploration would turn into a tense half-day race against the clock as you desperately tried to prevent the one guaranteed death.

Um.

At this rate, my stomach is going to give out first.

My digestive system wasn’t surviving half a day of this.

If there wasn’t a shortcut, I would have to create one.

Help me out, <Dark Exploration Records>!

There were twenty-five documented attempts.

Surely at least one explorer had tried something strange enough to break the usual pattern.

Something creative.

Something unconventional.

Anything that could give me a hint.

I rapidly searched through the Exploration Records in my head.

Let’s see… any unusual cases I can use?

======================

Exploration Record #21

Participants: Assistant Manager Han So-eun and two others.

Immediately upon entering the Darkness, which took the form of an abandoned lodge, the squad recognized the story they had been placed inside.

It was a notoriously unsuccessful thriller that had become an online meme.

The participants responded by mocking the story, reenacting popular memes, laughing openly, and ridiculing the plot using spoilers.

Result:

The setting suddenly collapsed, and the participants were transferred into another story.

(Continued in Exploration Record #22.)

According to testimony, crying and whimpering could be heard during the collapse.

======================

What is this, the poltergeist of some failed director?

Even the fragile ego was authentic.

– Researcher Kwak Jaekang

Oh.

“Squad Leader. Assistant Manager.”

I straightened.

“Could you give me ten minutes?”

“Hmm.”

Squad A’s leader nodded.

“All right.”

First things first.

I couldn’t leave any room for my superiors to interfere.

If I wanted to prevent their workplace bullying from ruining this plan, I would have to handle everything myself, no matter how irritating or unfair it was.

…I just need to finish before I either throw up or scream.

Using my personalized equipment, I quickly rechecked the sticky indentation on the back of the corpse’s head.

Uuuuuugh.

Then I examined the footprints around the body and the nearby bloodstains.

“Why are you using your personalized equipment when you could just use your hands?”

“Handling the corpse directly might damage the evidence. I thought this would preserve the scene better.”

I hadn’t realized I was this talented at making up answers on the spot.

“Evidence?”

Assistant Manager Jin sounded amused.

“You’re talking like you’re in a detective novel.”

“It isn’t really deduction. Just a simple guess.”

I looked around once more.

“And…”

I stood up.

“I found it.”

“What?”

“The answer.”

I immediately surveyed the surrounding area.

Naturally, I did that remotely with my personalized equipment too.

Let’s see…

There.

In a dim corner.

Partially concealed, but not completely hidden.

Exactly the kind of place something could be overlooked if no one was paying close attention.

Found it.

I pulled a cylindrical object from a dusty corner beneath one of the shelves.

“That’s… a can?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm. There are cans everywhere in this factory, though.”

True.

This seemed to be an abandoned canning factory, after all.

But this one was different.

The edge of the can was slightly dented.

And there was blood on it.

A classic cliché.

The murder weapon hidden in plain sight.

– Hooh, Mr. Roe Deer!

Braun sounded impressed.

– If this were a mystery story, that would be the decisive piece of evidence.

– Its shape matches the wound perfectly!

Exactly.

“This matches the indentation from the blunt-force injury on the back of the victim’s head.”

– Ah, a classic!

– The murder weapon was an ordinary background object that nobody paid attention to.

– A very typical piece of fictional structure. Yes, yes!

Assistant Manager Jin seemed convinced as well.

She nodded.

“So that’s the murder weapon?”

Tuk.

I let the suspected weapon fall to the floor.

Then—

I brought my foot down on it with all my strength.

Crunch.

The can flattened beneath my shoe.

“…??”

“…????”

– ?!??!

“Ah.”

I tilted my head.

“There’s no way a human skull would be damaged by something this weak… Hmm. Something doesn’t add up.”

Tremble, tremble.

The space around us began to shake faintly.

– But no matter how you look at it, he really does seem to have been hit with a can!

Exactly.

I nodded as though I had only just realized something.

“Oh… This can is made of aluminum.”

“So?”

“Food cans are usually made of steel.”

Assistant Manager Jin frowned.

“Why would canned food be packaged in aluminum like a drink can…? Hmm. Could it be…?”

– Intriguing…

I deliberately paused for effect.

“A plot hole?”

Rattle.

The cans around us started trembling.

I ignored them and continued thinking aloud.

“That’s definitely possible. People see drink cans far more often than canned food, so maybe whoever came up with this accidentally used the wrong material and assumed all cans were aluminum…”

– Hoooh…

Then I stopped.

A small, mocking laugh escaped me.

“But come on. No way.”

“…Soleum-ssi?”

“Anyone could check that with a quick search. Surely nobody would make such a basic mistake.”

I looked down at the crushed can.

“The trick is the most important part of a mystery. You can’t afford to be sloppy with something like that.”

– Hahaha!

“And when you think about it, a murder inside a canning factory where the murder weapon turns out to be a can is incredibly predictable, isn’t it?”

That part, at least, I genuinely meant.

“There’s no freshness to it. No surprise.”

I gave a faint scoff.

“No writer with any sense would seriously present this as the big twist.”

– Oh, I completely agree!

The entire space began shaking violently.

“Honestly, this is so badly written…”

I finished in a bored tone.

“Even an amateur wouldn’t write something this sloppy nowadays.”

Boom!

A short silence followed.

Then—

Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!

Cans exploded all around us.

“What’s happening?!”

The surrounding space began to melt away.

Liquid dripped from the ruptured cans like tears as the entire setting collapsed around us.

Then everything vanished.

Just before the final remnants disappeared, I heard someone sobbing.

A miserable, agonized cry.

And in the next instant—

we were back in the familiar luxury lounge on the fifteenth floor.

Covered from head to toe in exploded canned meat.

“…”

“…”

“We… got out.”

For the first time, Squad A’s leader visibly faltered.

The shock showed plainly on her face.

“The Darkness released us… but why?”

I wiped a chunk of canned beef from my cheek.

“It had a mental breakdown.”

======================

After escaping the ghost story where I had been forced to look at my own corpse, I used the shower attached to the office to wash off the remains of the exploded canned meat.

Then the three of us gathered in the lounge again.

“Wow…”

Squad A’s leader stared at me.

“So the rumors were true. You really are good at clearing Darkness quickly without a manual.”

“It was nothing.”

“This isn’t the time to be modest, Soleum-ssi.”

She checked the Dream Essence Collector.

Yellow liquid was filling it as expected.

Then she turned back toward me, openly impressed.

“How did you arrive at that solution?”

Right.

I knew she would ask.

I clasped my hands behind my back and straightened my posture as though I were giving a formal presentation.

This was my defensive stance.

If I looked professional enough, maybe she wouldn’t find some excuse to criticize me for being frightened or incompetent.

“I followed a standard process of deduction.”

“Hmm.”

“First, since I was repeatedly told to examine the corpse and investigate the surroundings, I assumed the corpse was probably central to the escape condition.”

Of course, she had probably only been making me do it to test me.

But presentation was everything.

“And once you told me that we were inside a ‘story,’ I concluded that it was probably some kind of murder mystery in which I was destined to become the victim.”

I continued calmly.

“So I assumed the normal way to clear it would be to determine why I died and prevent that death.”

Then I shrugged.

“But that would take too long.”

“…?!”

“Since you specifically called me in today, I wanted to finish the assignment before the morning was over if possible.”

Squad A’s leader stared at me as though wondering what kind of rookie she had brought onto her team.

But honestly, eccentricity was still better than cowardice.

Right, Section Chief?

“So I looked for a shortcut.”

“And how did you find one?”

“There were clues.”

I looked between the two of them.

“In the way both of you behaved.”

“…!”

“You had already read the manual.”

“I noticed that the things you said and did were giving me hints.”

Like constantly telling me to inspect the corpse.

And if those were intentional clues, there were probably other clues you gave away without realizing it.

The most important one came back to me.

– Right. Soleum-ssi, why don’t you go ahead?

– Soleum-ssi?

“When we entered the Darkness, you called me by my real name.”

“…!”

Normally, inside a Darkness, using real names was strongly discouraged.

Employees were supposed to use the nicknames associated with their masks because supernatural entities could sometimes exploit a person’s real name.

But Squad A’s leader had called me Soleum instead of Roe Deer.

Someone as experienced as her wouldn’t make that mistake casually.

Which meant—

she already knew it was safe.

“That told me there probably wasn’t a sentient supernatural entity inside this Darkness capable of harming me just because it knew my real name.”

It also suggested there wasn’t much supernatural interference beyond the death that had already occurred.

I added that explanation before continuing.

“So once I realized I had more freedom to act, I thought I could be more aggressive.”

“Instead of solving the story normally, I decided to attack the story itself.”

“…??”

“You… decided to do that?”

“Yes.”

I nodded.

“A story can’t continue if the foundation supporting it collapses.”

“So I attacked its internal logic and undermined its plausibility until the setting broke apart.”

“That’s all.”

“…”

“…”

The two of them stared at me in silence.

“You figured all of that out from the environment… and from our behavior and conversation?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Not really.

The truth was much simpler.

I had copied the idea from an Exploration Record.

======================

The setting suddenly collapsed, transporting the participants into a different story.

(Continued in Exploration Record #22.)

According to testimony, crying and whimpering could be heard during the collapse.

======================

Apparently, insulting that failed story had shattered its fragile ego badly enough to force it to reconstruct itself into something else.

So I figured that if I kept tearing apart its logic and insulting whoever created it, I might be able to make the whole thing collapse completely before it could move us into another story.

And it worked.

Yay.

Then Squad A’s leader slowly spoke.

“You’re explaining this… very casually, Soleum-ssi.”

Oops.

“Well, it wasn’t exactly the standard method.”

I lowered my head slightly.

“You could call it a shortcut.”

Had I offended her?

I quickly added,

“Of course, I’m prepared to accept any reprimand.”

Yes.

Please.

Just scold me and let this be over.

I waited quietly, bracing myself for another round of workplace harassment.

Instead—

Clap.

Clap.

Clap.

…

Applause?

I raised my head.

Squad A’s leader had removed her teal duck mask.

She was looking at me with a mixture of surprise and satisfaction.

“You follow rules and instructions.”

“But when necessary, you aren’t afraid to use unconventional methods.”

Excuse me?

“Very good.”

She smiled.

“That is exactly the kind of person we’re looking for.”

Me?

“Soleum-ssi.”

“You pass.”

“…What?”

“There’s currently an opening in Squad A.”

“You know that, don’t you?”

At that moment, everything clicked.

Oh.

This hadn’t been workplace bullying.

It had been a test.

“How would you feel about filling that vacancy permanently?”

“…!!”

My God.

This had been a recruitment test for Squad A.