Got Dropped in a Ghost Story Chapter 12

A horrible stench spread through the studio.

Something with the head of a pig stepped into the spotlight on two legs.

Its body was emaciated.

Blood streamed from its huge, lifeless pig eyes.

[Ah, hold on! Our artist is the silent type… Oh! His equipment is arriving now!]

Thirteen silver trays descended from above, suspended on wires.

The large, circular trays were decorated with intricate, grotesque designs.

Screaming faces.

Countless faces clustered together like bunches of grapes.

[Now then, shall we meet our passionate contestants who applied to become members of the choir?]

The lights above the podiums switched on.

Six podiums.

Six pale, terrified people stood beneath the lights.

[You may recognize a few faces from last week! Hahaha! Will the contestants who preserved our ninety-ninth winning streak manage to set another record in this brand-new segment?]

[Stay tuned! We’ll find out soon!]

Waaaaah!

The audience seats were empty.

Yet canned applause mechanically filled the studio.

[But naturally, the first honor must go to our first contestant!]

The host stopped in front of an employee I didn’t recognize.

The woman in the mole mask hunched her shoulders.

[Here’s your question!]

Flash.

[Question: Which of the following creatures has the longest lifespan?]

1 – Pig

2 – Human

3 – Rabbit

4 – Flea

“H-Human. Number 2, human…!”

[Correct!]

Relief showed in the eyes behind the mole mask.

Yes.

In the original Tuesday Quiz Show, that would have been it.

The audience would cheer, and the show would move on.

But the new segment had added another step.

[Congratulations on passing, Ms. Mole!]

The pig-headed conductor raised one of its skeletal arms and swung a silver baton.

A silver baton swung through the air.

The woman’s head was ripped from her body.

[What beautiful harmony!]

Thud.

Her headless body collapsed beneath the podium like a broken puppet.

“…!”

The severed head floated into the air and settled onto one of the silver platters.

Its mouth was still opening and closing.

[It will awaken the talent best suited to each contestant. Oh, wonderful. Truly wonderful….]

The pig raised both arms.

And suddenly, from the mouth of the still-gasping employee came a clear, crystalline scream that rose and fell in perfect pitch.

“Hu-human. Human, human, humaAAAAAN!”

It sounded as though her vocal cords were being forcibly squeezed into producing the tone of a woodwind instrument.

[Our first choir member has taken her place!]

The choir practice had begun.

The heads endlessly repeated the final words they had spoken before being severed.

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

The Chorus of the Sacrificial Lambs consists of one conductor and thirteen summoned silver trays.

The heads of talk-show contestants are placed on the platters, with the method of selection determined by that day’s broadcast segment.

Each head fused with a platter produces a different sentence and instrumental tone, forming an a cappella arrangement.

The highest number of heads recorded so far is seven.

One head: Causes mild headaches, anxiety, and sudden emotional instability.

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

If you were comfortably reading this ghost story from somewhere safe, you might think—

Only one head? For something this horrible, that sounds manageable.

But when you were actually trapped inside this insane situation, you wouldn’t be saying that.

Especially not when someone you knew was the one affected.

“Aaaaaagh!! S-Siyeon, Si…!”

Incinerated.

The light above another podium went out.

A charred body collapsed against the floor.

The severed head on the tray continued its grotesque melody.

“H-Human. Number 2. Humaaaaaan!”

[Next up… Ah! Another new face! Hello, Mr. Jellyfish! Let’s see whether you can create a beautiful harmony with our successful contestant!]

[Now, your question is—]

“I don’t know! I don’t know the answer!”

The employee in the jellyfish mask screamed before the question was even asked.

His instincts must have told him that deliberately answering incorrectly and taking the penalty would be safer.

[How surprising!]

It was an impressive judgment.

…Unfortunately, it was meaningless.

[Failure.]

His head exploded.

LLike fireworks, sparkling mirror-ball lights and flower petals scattered across the studio.

Pre-recorded disappointed groans and cheers from the audience played at the same time.

[Oh no! Disqualified! What a shame…]

[He failed to earn a place in our magnificent choir!]

“…”

Right.

There are no penalties anymore.

If you answered incorrectly, you were simply disqualified.

I blinked.

None of this felt real.

Five minutes.

That was all it had taken for half of us to die.

And there was no way out.

Only three of us remained.

Assistant Manager Eun.

Supervisor Park.

And me.

[Let’s meet our next contestant! Oh, another familiar face!]

“…”

A fact I had been trying not to think about surfaced in my mind.

Neither of my seniors’ names appeared anywhere in <Dark Exploration Records>.

Just like Go Yeongeun.

I remembered the thought I’d had when I first heard Go Yeongeun’s name.

– Either she left early after getting through the ghost stories without much trouble…

– Or she died almost immediately.

[Mr. Badger!]

Supervisor Park was next.

Park Minseong.

Standing at the podium farthest from mine, his face had gone completely pale.

It was a death sentence.

And mine would come soon after—

No.

Get a grip!

Hidden behind the podium, I punched myself in the gut.

The pain cleared my head a little.

Being scared doesn’t give you an excuse to stop thinking.

This wasn’t even the kind of fear I was used to.

This is a disaster.

It was like standing directly in front of a natural disaster and witnessing its overwhelming force.

I had been swept into an unexpected catastrophe.

That was all.

If I panicked now, it was over.

I wouldn’t even have a chance to survive.

Don’t forget.

Out of everyone here, you have the best chance of surviving.

I had to think.

Right.

I had information.

And I had items.

[Mr. Badger, are you ready?]

Could I use this moment while the host and staff weren’t paying attention to me?

Was there really nothing I could try?

I desperately ran through every item I had.

Then I went over everything I knew about this ghost story.

I’m not expecting much, but…

I just needed a way out.

I wasn’t asking for something ridiculous like having this entire insane talk show canceled.

Just a pause.

One brief interruption.

Just for a moment…

Ah.

I raised my head.

The host was standing right in front of me with his back turned.

He was about to ask Supervisor Park his question.

[You’re ready! Wonderful—]

He was close.

…Then maybe!

Keeping my trembling hand hidden beneath the podium, I lowered myself slightly and pulled two items from the inside pocket of my suit jacket.

A cheap sticker with a smiling face.

And a can labeled:

[Drink Me]

Hurry.

I opened the can.

Then I stuck the Smiley Sticker onto it.

Hurry up.

Hurry the fuck up.

“…Ah. Could I say something to the viewers before I answer?”

[Oh, of course!]

Supervisor Park looked toward the camera.

He was pretending to address the audience—

but his eyes were actually on Assistant Manager Eun and me.

On the podiums where we stood.

“…I have a family member in the hospital.”

His voice shook.

“I’d appreciate it if someone could check on her after filming. If possible.”

[Wow! How touching!]

[Now then, what’s your answer?]

Supervisor Park forced a nervous smile, sweat pouring down his face.

“I don’t know…”

“Wait a moment.”

I raised my left hand.

“Mr. Host.”

The instant his attention shifted toward me—

I reached out with my right hand.

Then I quickly slapped several wet Smiley Stickers onto the underside of the old television set that served as his head.

“…”

Splat.

A drop of liquid hit the floor.

Had the cameras caught it?

Had anyone noticed?

No.

If they had, my head would already have exploded.

[Oh! Mr. Roe Deer! Do you have something to say?]

They hadn’t noticed.

I swallowed hard.

When I glanced over, Supervisor Park was staring at me in shock.

He was probably surprised that I hadn’t been incinerated for interrupting the segment and speaking out of turn.

It was definitely a gamble.

But I had a reason.

The host had said it himself earlier.

– And this time, it’ll be pre-recorded, so it should be even easier than before! Haha!

This wasn’t a live broadcast.

So as long as I don’t completely derail the show or refuse to cooperate, it might not count as disrupting the broadcast.

Simply raising my hand and making a comment shouldn’t be enough to trigger the punishment.

[Mr. Roe Deer?]

They let it slide.

“Yes.”

I glanced at the floor beneath the host’s television head, where the liquid had dripped.

Then I lowered my voice so only he could hear me.

“My head feels very dizzy. Could I… take a short break?”

[…]

What I had just used was—

The Smiley Sticker, an item that made a sentient being feel mildly friendly toward whoever attached it.

And the Alice Picnic Set canned drink, which doubled an item’s effect.

I had soaked the stickers in the drink before sticking them onto the host.

…Of course, there was one major uncertainty.

Could the host even be considered a sentient being?

He obviously wasn’t human.

But he had intelligence.

At least, he seemed to.

No. He has to.

I was betting my life on it.

And there was no taking it back now.

If I got incinerated for disrupting the broadcast…

Well.

If I was going to die anyway, at least this might make it a little less painful.

Cold sweat had soaked the back of my shirt.

Then the host reacted.

[Goodness!]

“…”

[Did you perhaps put a little too much passion into the broadcast? Yes, I can understand that… Hmm. Mr. Roe Deer, you certainly worked hard.]

[In that case…]

The screen on the host’s television head went black.

He raised his right hand.

[Cut! Let’s take a short break!]

The music stopped.

Murmurs spread among the staff.

[Haha! My screen’s gotten a little blurry. Makeup!]

The camera lights immediately switched off.

[Carefully, please. Ah, excellent!]

A faceless staff member carrying makeup tools hurried over and began vigorously polishing the old television screen.

Once the host was finished, he caught the makeup artist by the arm and pointed toward me.

[Ah, while you’re at it, could you escort this contestant to the waiting room? They were supposed to bring me some water.]

Then he winked at me.

The emoticon on his screen briefly changed as a line of text appeared and disappeared.

[Go take a break and drink some water!]

“…Thank you.”

It worked.

For now, at least.

I stumbled away from the podium and followed the makeup artist.

Even though filming had stopped, the grotesque pig-headed conductor still stood in the center of the stage, holding its baton motionlessly.

And the silver platters continued producing their eerie song through the severed human heads.

Keep it together.

Don’t look.

With stiff legs, I crossed the middle of the stage….

Then—

[Filming will resume in thirty minutes!]

As I passed the podium on the opposite side, Assistant Manager Eun slipped something into my hand.

“…!”

I immediately looked at her.

Her lips moved silently.

Check it. Alone.

What?

The makeup artist led me through a door behind the stage.

Beyond it was an ordinary old Hollywood-style waiting room.

Ordinary—

except for the unsettling number of black-and-white broadcast posters covering the walls like talismans.

“Thank you.”

The makeup artist silently nodded.

Then disappeared almost instantly.

Click.

The door shut.

“Huu.”

…I was alive.

Only for another thirty minutes, maybe.

But at least I had postponed my scheduled death.

I have to do something before the break ends.

And now I had another clue.

I immediately opened my hand to see what Assistant Manager Eun had slipped me.

What she had somehow managed to pass me in the middle of that nightmare was—

“…A button?”

It looked like an ordinary button from a suit.

But it was also literally a button.

Something you could press.

There seemed to be some kind of mechanism hidden inside it that would activate when pushed.

“…”

There was only one way to find out.

And I didn’t have time to hesitate.

She gave this to me because she thought it could help.

I pressed it.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep…

…

Click.

[This is Lee Jaheon.]

“…!”

[Who is this? That’s Assistant Manager Eun Haje’s call button.]

Section Chief Lee Jaheon.

The leader of Squad D of the Field Exploration Team—

the man who was supposed to still be away on a field assignment—

had answered through the button.

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