Got Dropped in a Ghost Story Chapter 32

The missing manual evaluator.

The missing fifty million won.

And soon—

the missing Bloodbathtub I had promised Braun.

“…”

To make matters worse, Braun himself was currently tucked inside my bag.

He’s probably hearing all of this. Shit…

I had started carrying him around in case I suddenly got dragged into another ghost story.

Leaving him alone at home made me uneasy.

But right now, that decision was coming back to haunt me.

It felt like promising my niece a Christmas present only to arrive at the store and find the shelves completely empty.

Except in this case, my niece was Annabelle.

“Huu…”

A long sigh escaped me.

An employee in this world disappearing for an entire week without even reporting leave…

The answer was obvious.

They had probably gotten caught up in a ghost story and gone missing.

They say it’s better for your sanity to just relax and wait.

But if I waited too long, someone else might buy the Bloodbathtub from the Alien Shop.

Then I would fail to keep my promise to Braun.

And I really didn’t want to disappoint the plush doll that had once burned down an A-Class Darkness with a snap of his fingers.

I’m actually going to die.

Assistant Manager Eun Haje gave my shoulder a few reassuring pats before returning to her desk.

I stayed seated, silently thinking.

What should I do?

Wait anxiously for two whole months and hope the tub didn’t sell?

And if it did, swallow my pride and apologize?

Take out a loan?

Or…

…Maybe I should at least figure out why that person disappeared.

Not just so I could tell Braun, I tried my best.

Who knew?

Maybe I could find the missing employee without taking much risk.

I still had <Dark Exploration Records>, both in my memory and on my phone.

Let’s at least investigate a little.

Work had been relatively quiet since the theme park incident, and I had already finished the paperwork for our latest exploration yesterday.

As long as I didn’t actually leave the company, I had some freedom today.

And my seniors keep coming and going from the office anyway.

Still, as the lowest-ranking employee, I waited until after lunch before slipping out for a bit.

My first destination was obvious.

The manual evaluator’s desk.

Ding.

The elevator doors opened.

Naturally, I had prepared an excuse for being there.

– Oh, you want to stop by the evaluator’s office? Huu… Then take this, Roe. Just drop it off for me!

My kindhearted Supervisor Park Minseong had handed me a certificate for a training session.

It wasn’t urgent.

But it gave me a perfectly good reason to visit.

My deepest thanks, Supervisor Park Minseong…

In a world full of ghost-story psychopaths, his kindness felt strangely precious.

I entered the administrative support office and looked around for someone to give the paperwork to.

Luckily, there was an employee sitting right beside the missing evaluator’s desk.

“I’m here to drop off some paperwork for Squad D’s Supervisor Park Minseong.”

“Huh? Just leave it there.”

“Yes, sir. And also…”

The employee barely glanced at me, continuing to type with a bored expression.

I politely held out the envelope I had brought.

Inside were warm vanilla-cream donuts dusted with sugar, along with an iced Americano.

Bribes are essential for this sort of thing.

“I picked these up while buying something for myself. I thought you might like some.”

“…! Ah, you really didn’t have to!”

His hand immediately reached for the coffee and donuts.

A true office worker.

“Supervisor Kang, pass these around.”

“Huh? Donuts?”

“He brought them.”

“Wow, thanks! You’re from Squad D, right?”

As the snacks were passed around, the atmosphere in the office gradually relaxed into something resembling tea time.

The employees started chatting while eating donuts.

Perfect.

A friendly environment was ideal for casually prying into things.

And even better—

I was the one who had supplied the snacks.

I waited for the right moment, then glanced toward the empty desk belonging to Lee Byeongjin.

“Um… should I leave this coffee on Section Chief Lee’s desk? He doesn’t seem to be here.”

“Oh, don’t bother. Just take it with you. He hasn’t come in at all.”

“Oh, is he on vacation?”

“Vacation? No. He’s missing.”

Gotcha.

The employee beside his desk answered casually, barely looking at me, then exchanged a glance with the coworker across from him.

“Honestly, we kind of expected something like this.”

“Hey, hey.”

“What? Everyone’s heard by now, haven’t they?”

He looked toward me.

“You’re the rookie from Squad D, right? What’s your name?”

“Kim Soleum, sir.”

“…! Oh, you’re the one who nearly transferred to Squad A?”

“Um, I suppose so, sir. I’m grateful that they seem to think well of me.”

“Wow.”

Murmurs began spreading around the room.

So that’s Squad D’s rookie…

The employee next to the empty desk looked me over again, now noticeably more interested than before.

“The thing is, you’ll probably hear about this sooner or later if you keep working here.”

He smirked slightly.

“There’ve been cases where people working here picked up weird things without knowing what they were, then disappeared.”

“Pardon?”

I furrowed my brow, pretending to think.

“Wait… are you saying that’s why Section Chief Lee hasn’t come in?”

“Exactly. That thing… what was it again?”

“The scroll. The scroll.”

Another employee chimed in, apparently giving up on stopping him.

“Right, the scroll. He kept bragging about buying some thing that supposedly increased his luck. Said he won second prize in the lottery after getting it.”

Oh.

So he bought some suspicious hanging scroll, bragged that it improved his luck—

and then disappeared.

Classic haunted-thrift-store story.

It was almost painfully cliché.

All right. I know exactly what to do.

I made my decision immediately.

Retreat.

Staying involved would basically mean raising my hand and shouting,

Me! Pick me next! I’d love to become the next missing person just because I want my money a little sooner!

I was about to make some excuse like, “Wow, that sounds terrifying. Well, I’ll be going now…” when the employee spoke again.

“Anyway, this whole situation is pretty unfortunate for you, huh?”

Me?

“Hey, hey, don’t tell him that much!”

“Come on, it’s true, isn’t it? You’re the one waiting for a manual revision evaluation, right?”

Yes.

“Well, if Section Chief Lee was supposed to handle it, getting that approval without him is going to be difficult.”

“…?!”

What do you mean?

“That Section Chief was close to Squad A.”

He lowered his voice.

“You know. Same line.”

“…!!”

Line.

The foundation of office politics.

People grouping themselves according to which higher-ups they were connected to.

So the missing evaluator had been particularly close to Squad A.

Or more bluntly—

he had been on their side.

A realization hit me like lightning.

That’s why Squad A’s leader was so confident!

No wonder she had acted like the manual revision would be approved quickly.

“The person they replace him with could be anyone. But it probably won’t be someone from the same line.”

The employee lowered his voice further.

“Most likely someone under Director Cheong.”

“…”

“And that side doesn’t exactly get along with Squad A, so… yeah.”

Do you hear that?

That sound?

It’s my fifty million won disappearing.

Not delayed.

Gone.

Completely out of reach.

No way!

Before I even realized it, I had spoken aloud.

“Do you know where Section Chief Lee disappeared?”

“Oh.”

The employee leaned closer conspiratorially.

“There’s actually an interesting rumor about that.”

“…?”

“People say he disappeared inside the company building.”

“…!”

“Someone apparently saw him enter the lobby that morning, but he never reached the office.”

“He… disappeared somewhere in between?”

“No one really knows. Nobody actually saw him vanish.”

“…”

Nobody saw it happen.

But even if there weren’t any people around…

There might have been something else watching.

My gaze moved toward the corner of the office.

A CCTV camera blinked with a red light.

CCTV.

If Section Chief Lee really vanished somewhere inside the building, there might still be footage of what happened.

For a company this size, they should keep security footage for at least a couple of weeks.

Which meant I still had a chance.

If I wanted my bonus processed anytime soon, figuring out where he disappeared was important.

There was just one problem.

The company’s CCTV footage is managed by…

the Security Team.

And the Security Team was…

Um.

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

Authorized to use lethal force.

(No discrimination between employees.)

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

Right.

For several reasons, they were people best avoided.

But now that I work here, I can’t avoid them forever.

Since things had already come this far, I might as well gather some information while I was at it.

Braun subtly shifted inside my bag, reminding me he was still there.

I headed down to the first floor.

Straight toward the Security Team’s office.

“So it’s down in the basement?”

A door marked [Staff Only] led to a narrow staircase.

At the bottom was a heavy metal door.

[Safety Management Office]

I raised my hand and knocked.

– …

Knock, knock.

– Just come in already…

“…??”

I cautiously opened the door.

Inside was a cramped room that looked exactly like the stereotypical facilities office.

An old sofa sat in the middle.

Someone was sprawled across it.

A security officer wearing a worn dark-blue uniform.

…?

“Good afternoon…”

I quickly checked the name tag on his chest.

[Security Unit 3, Sergeant J3]

“Excuse me, Sergeant. Could I look at some CCTV footage from about a week ago? We have a missing person…”

There was a long pause.

Then he finally answered.

“You want to see the CCTV footage…”

“Yes.”

“Ah…”

He looked exhausted.

Even while slumped on the sofa, he radiated pure reluctance.

“You’re technically supposed to submit a request form before viewing security footage, but…”

Oh.

“Like anyone here actually cares about that stuff. Just go watch it.”

“…”

Was this kindness?

Or negligence?

Either way, I wasn’t about to complain.

So I offered him the remaining snacks.

“Would you like some of these while you work?”

“Oh. Donuts.”

His previously lifeless expression brightened instantly.

He got up and snatched the bag.

“I like donuts, but nowhere nearby delivers to the office… and I can’t leave during the daytime, so I hardly ever get to eat them…”

Is that so.

He doesn’t actually seem that scary.

Although, in ghost stories, the least threatening-looking characters were often the most dangerous ones.

Still cautious, I asked politely,

“Then would it be all right if I went to the CCTV room?”

“Yeah… but.”

The security guard scratched the back of his head.

He stared at the donuts with a conflicted expression for quite a while before finally adding,

“There’s only one guard on duty right now, so I’ll go with you. Just in case. Could be dangerous.”

“Oh, thank you.”

I waited for him to call another guard over the radio.

He didn’t move.

“…?”

“…?”

“Weren’t you going to ask someone to escort me?”

“That would be… me.”

He pointed at himself.

“Yeah… me.”

“…”

“Ah.”

Of course.

Let’s keep this short and leave.

“So you want footage from around a week ago, right?”

“Yes.”

With the sergeant leading the way, we headed into the CCTV room.

His handling of the equipment wasn’t exactly smooth, which made me slightly nervous.

Still, I focused on the footage.

“Here.”

We found the missing Section Chief.

A middle-aged man entered the lobby and headed toward the elevator.

His face matched Section Chief Lee Byeongjin’s profile in the company directory.

And in his hand—

a long rolled-up object.

That must be the scroll.

Definitely not something you normally brought to work.

There was something unsettling about it.

“You’re pretty sharp. You’d make a decent security guard yourself…”

Please don’t joke about that, sir.

“Thank you. I guess I’m just focused because I’m trying to help find him.”

“…He’s missing?”

“Yes, sir.”

The guard looked genuinely surprised.

It was as though he had only just processed what I had been saying from the beginning.

Someone had disappeared right under the Security Team’s nose.

“We missed this…”

“Will that be a problem for you?”

“Not really. It wasn’t during my shift.”

“…”

“Someone else’s problem, I guess.”

Right.

The timeless logic of shift work.

Noted.

We continued watching.

I traced Section Chief Lee’s movements through the building.

Then something unexpected happened.

He didn’t go up.

“…He went down.”

Further down than even the Safety Management Office.

[B2]

The footage showed him staggering out onto the second basement floor.

…

Creepy.

What happened to him?

Why would an administrative employee wander down there as if he were in a trance?

That’s an area supposedly restricted to the Security Team.

And even within the Security Team, they were only authorized to patrol it.

So what was an administrative employee doing down there?

Cold sweat broke out across my skin.

I quickly looked away from the empty elevator shown on the CCTV feed.

Just watching this footage is starting to feel dangerous.

So far, I had somehow managed to get by without too much trouble.

But this might be crossing the line.

The underground levels of this pharmaceutical company were rumored to store raw materials collected from ghost stories.

A mysterious place ordinary employees couldn’t access and knew almost nothing about?

Even in <Dark Exploration Records>, it was practically described like some haunted basement legend!

Nope.

Absolutely not.

I should get out while I still could.

Avoiding the CCTV screen as much as possible, I politely nodded to the sergeant.

“Thank you for letting me see the footage. Then, sir, I’ll be on my w—”

“…Restroom.”

“…?”

“The person you’re looking for. He went into an old men’s restroom down there that isn’t used anymore.”

“…”

“And he hasn’t come back out. Not once in the entire week since.”

I did my best not to glance toward the CCTV monitor.

Apparently, while I had been looking away, the security sergeant had already skimmed through the footage from the abandoned restroom on B2.

“That restroom… want to go check it out?”

“I don’t have clearance to enter the basement levels, sir.”

“I’m going, though…”

Of course you are.

It’s literally your job.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you just went down there and found him yourself…?

“Come on. Let’s go. We’ll just say you’re a new hire with the Security Team.”

Sir?!

“No, really, that’s not necessary—”

“Let’s go…”

Nooooo!!

How did things end up like this?

He even gave me a uniform.

I was now standing inside the maintenance elevator wearing the dark navy Security Team jacket issued to ordinary guards.

The sheer absurdity of the situation was making my head spin.

I let myself get talked into this…

– It’s fine. Field Exploration Team members sometimes help with support duties too…

That sounds suspiciously like punishment duty.

Anyway, I had at least confirmed that entering the basement wouldn’t cause some major disciplinary issue if anyone found out.

I had even contacted Squad D and had this officially processed as temporary support duty.

So technically, I shouldn’t get in trouble.

Maybe all that polite socializing really had paid off.

Still, this feels incredibly wrong.

All this for one Bloodbathtub.

After going this far, even if I failed to get the full fifty million won, Braun had better appreciate the effort.

Ding.

The elevator doors opened.

Basement 2.

It was the same ordinary elevator chime as anywhere else.

And yet, somehow, it sounded ominous.

The doors slid apart.

Beyond them was—

a hallway lined with ordinary office doors.

“…”

Why were there offices down here?

Shouldn’t this floor be full of safety equipment or facility rooms or something…?

The hallway was dimly lit and unnaturally quiet.

Opaque glass doors lined both sides.

A.

B.

C.

Each door had a simple nameplate.

The security sergeant lowered his voice.

“Don’t open any doors.”

“Yes.”

Even if he hadn’t warned me, there was no chance I was touching anything down here.

I kept my eyes fixed on the sergeant’s back and followed him slowly.

Then—

– Mr. Roe Deer?

“…!”

– To think you’d put on such a worn-out uniform just to bring this Braun his gift! I’m deeply touched… but also saddened. Must my dear friend really lower himself to such menial labor?

Very touching.

Really.

But wait.

…How are you talking to me right now?

[Good Friend] could only speak and move within the boundaries of a ghost story.

Which meant—

I was already inside one.

“Ah. We’re here.”

The security sergeant stopped in front of a door with a faint pale light leaking through the edges.

“I’m opening it…”

“Wait—”

Too late.

Click.

The restroom door opened.

The flickering light inside illuminated the room in brief flashes.

And—

“…”

What the hell—

Dark red stains covered the restroom.

It looked as though someone had sliced open an artery and sprayed deep crimson across the mirrors and walls.

I froze.

Completely unable to scream.

Then the smell reached me.

And my thoughts snapped back into motion.

There’s barely any metallic smell.

It wasn’t all blood.

And it didn’t smell like ordinary ink either.

This was…

…Ink made from an inkstick?

Tap. Tap.

Something struck lightly against my pocket.

Braun.

A warning.

My senses sharpened instantly.

The security sergeant was scanning the room.

Then he reached out toward the dark red substance.

“Don’t touc—”

Poke.

“Huh…?”

Oh no.

The instant his finger touched it, the dark red liquid surged through the restroom like a wave.

“…!!”

I turned to run.

But the thick fluid shot outward like countless grasping hands.

It wrapped around my legs and yanked me backward.

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!

Fuck, fuck, fuck…!

I barely kept myself from falling completely, landing awkwardly as the ink splashed all the way up to my jaw.

Bile rose in my throat.

I twisted around desperately, trying to understand what was happening.

Then I saw the source.

“The scroll!”

A vertical scroll had been attached to the restroom mirror.

Its center had been torn open.

The blood-like ink was pouring toward the hollow gap, being sucked inside.

Which meant my legs were being dragged toward it too.

As though something alive were pulling me in.

Wait.

Alive?

And blood-like?

The Bloodsucking Cutlery…!

I pulled out the fork and drove it into the floor.

The polished silver trembled.

Then it began greedily sucking up the surrounding ink.

“Ah!”

It worked!

But a tiny dessert fork wasn’t enough to hold back this much.

Ting!

The fork was ripped away.

Fuuuck!

And just like that—

the scroll swallowed me.

“Gasp!”

I jerked my head up.

My vision was dark and blurry.

Old, cracked wallpaper slowly came into view.

An unfamiliar room.

…An abandoned house?

I held my breath, waiting for my eyes to adjust.

Then…

I realized something.

That wasn’t wallpaper.

Talismans.

The rotting wooden walls were covered from top to bottom in old, crumbling talismans.

“…!”

The air felt heavy.

Almost physical.

The darkness and cold pressed against my shoulders, filling the room with a suffocating tension.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

I felt like a rat that had crawled into somewhere it absolutely did not belong.

“…”

I clenched my trembling hand.

Nothing.

…It’s gone.

The Bloodsucking Cutlery had disappeared.

Cold sweat ran down my back as I forced myself to breathe slowly so I wouldn’t start hyperventilating.

Then—

“Excuse me…!”

I nearly fainted.

“Over here! Over here! Are you… the police?”

I jerked my head up.

I wasn’t alone in the abandoned house.

Several small figures were huddled together in one corner, staring at me.

Children.

Middle school uniforms.

The students trembled as they called out.

“Please save us! W-We touched this strange drawing, and now we can’t get out!”