Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work
Chapter 191.1

goblin’s notes:

Yall I’m so sorry for the oversight, I’ve been translating two different teams within(?) the Security Department as just ‘Security Team’ im gonna cry

(Huge shoutout to kirinki at the server, thanks for pointing it out!)

So far, these were mentioned:

Security Management Department (보안관리부)

Security Team (보안팀)

Guard Team (경비팀)

*In line with this, Jay’s full position title is ‘Guard Sergeant’ (경비반장), but shortened to sergeant for brevity.

Anyway, when I get the time, I’ll comb through the past chapters and try to correct all other instances that these terms were mentioned. For now, please keep this in mind. Sorry for the confusion!

I’m still not entirely sure about this department’s structure and idk what kind of entity the Security Team is within the Security Department, or if they’re actually the same thing given that they have the same-ish name, but… I won’t question things for now, I’ll just follow you, author-nim ㅠㅠ * * *

So.

I opened the unmanned motel door, and Assistant Manager Kwak Jaekang was tied up, with the sergeant sitting on top of him?

And why is Supervisor Park Minseong here?

I mean, it’s nice to see him after so long, but what kind of combination is this…

“Mmmpf!”

At that moment, Kwak Jaekang, who was pinned to the floor, started struggling again. Wait a second!

‘This won’t do.’

If he turns his head and sees my face, things will spiral out of control. I quickly got a hold of myself and tried to close the door and leave.

But apparently, the sergeant noticed something before I could move.

“Ah.”

The sergeant struck the head of the man he was restraining.

Just like that, Assistant Manager Kwak Jaekang passed out.

“……”

– It’s a complete mess, my goodness! How chaotic can things get! But there is a certain unique charm that comes from chaos.

Wah, please…

“What exactly is going on here?”

“Ah… I secretly followed…”

“…??”

The urgent explanation that followed can be summarized as this:

The sergeant said he had gone all around the company collecting various bits of information that might be useful for the ‘Cheerful Research Institute’ I’d asked about.

And in the process, he explored different places, and the place he went today was…

“I went to the… Research Team’s special area in the annex…”

“…Wait. Isn’t that a restricted area where only authorized staff can enter?”

“Ah… the Security Team… can go in if it’s for work. Like, for patrols and stuff…”

Ah, I see.

“So you waited until you were assigned patrol duty?”

“No… I just filled in for another guard…”

“……”

“You said you needed information……”

‘Now I feel bad…’

The sergeant looked so proud of what he did that I was at a loss for words.

Anyway, given how much our actions overlapped, it seems pretty clear that the Guard Team member Baek Saheon mentioned really was the sergeant.

Wait, now that I think about it…

“I heard that you got into a fight with Assistant Manager Kwak Jaekang… is that related to what’s happening now?”

“I didn’t fight with him… he kept picking a fight with me……”

“Ah, so you just got caught up in it.”

“No… I ignored him…”

“……”

“He just ran into me by himself and fell over… um. Anyway.”

Scratching his head, the sergeant returned to the main point.

He said that while patrolling the Research Team’s special area today, he noticed something strange with the equipment or documents.

“It felt like someone was following me…”

“…!”

At some point, he felt a persistent, watching gaze.

He even sensed a strange kind of malice.

“So I just went outside… but this person kept following me secretly…”

And then you subdued him…!

“Well… and there was nobody around to see…”

I nodded, feeling like I wanted to hold my head.

“So you didn’t know it was Assistant Manager Kwak Jaekang?”

“No, I knew…”

“……”

Aaagh!

“Well… it didn’t matter much… I just didn’t expect he’d call someone from the Security Team…”

My gaze turned to Supervisor Park Minseong.

His pupils wavered.

“Yeah. I was the one who got the call…”

“……”

“When I got here… he was already… yeah.”

And so, this bizarre meeting occurred…

– Ahaha! My goodness! This is just like a sitcom!

Life is a comedy when you look at it from a distance. The problem is that I’m stuck right in the middle of it all!

‘I’m actually going to lose my mind.’

I barely managed to restrain myself from pressing my temples as I spoke.

“If we just send Assistant Manager Kwak back like this, is it likely he’ll report Jay-ssi, or otherwise exaggerate the situation and cause problems?”

“…Probably?”

Supervisor Park Minseong and I exchanged nervous glances, then looked at the sergeant.

The sergeant just looked annoyed by the whole situation.

‘Whatever happens, happens’, his reaction seemed to say.

“……”

“……”

No, I mean, this is about your own safety…!

“So then… Supervisor, does that mean you have to take the sergeant into custody?”

“Technically, yes, but… Umm. If you just send him back, I’ll try to handle things on my end… I’ll testify that Assistant Manager Kwak Jaekang was there alone.”

Supervisor Park Minseong laughed awkwardly and scratched the back of his head.

“He gets up to so much weird stuff that I think it’ll work ou—”

“It probably won’t…”

“……!”

The sergeant stared straight at Supervisor Park Minseong.

“You just joined the Security Team… that’s when the binding is strongest…”

Binding?

“It… hasn’t even been a full 100 days since you started official duty, has it? It’ll be hard to lie… to the company…”

“……”

“The clock. It’s counting down right now, isn’t it…?”

Supervisor Park Minseong’s face stiffened.

But the very next moment, a picture-perfect smile appeared on his face.

And, as if unconsciously, his hand moved to his wrist. Under the Security Team’s uniform, something resembling a wristwatch could be seen.

Right. A wristwatch.

‘…The binding that falls on the Security Team.’

I recall.

At Daydream Inc., once a rescued employee has sufficiently recovered from contamination and regained their humanity, instead of investing further, they devised methods that could be put to immediate use.

That binding wasn’t described in full detail in the Dark Exploration Records. They believed it would be more meaningful and chilling to let the reader imagine it.

But there were hints scattered throughout.

For example…

‘The wristwatch.’

Yes, yes. The company’s Security Team members really do wear wristwatches. What do they use them for, you ask? I don’t know either. The only thing I know for sure is that if they ever… act out of line,

Like, if they try to leave the company during the day, for instance?

Anyway, when that happens, you could hear it. The ticking sound from the watch…

Tick, tock. Tick, tock. That sound.

Why was that so strange? Because it was supposed to be a digital watch, so why was there the sound of a second hand moving? That in itself was creepy, like a ghost story…

It would keep getting faster, and eventually, there would be an alarm, I guess?

And then, they’d suddenly vanish.

Not the watch. The Security Team member.

—Excerpt from Interrogation 26 of Glass Prison Inmate G56 (Origin: Daydream Inc.)

“Supervisor.”

“…Ah! Yes.”

Supervisor Park Minseong quickly snapped back to his senses and took his hand off his wrist.

The atmosphere in the unmanned motel grew a bit heavier.

But the sergeant spoke casually.

“Um, don’t worry… I mean… It’ll probably just be a disciplinary measure… It’s not like you killed anyone…”

“…?!”

“Just… go explain it…… But… wait.”

The sergeant looked down at the researcher he’d tied up and muttered seriously,

“Isn’t this a bit… wasteful…”

…??

“This guy… knows a lot… Mm, since it’s come to this… might as well get some information out of him…”

“No. That’s not necessary.”

How suspicious!

And why would he suggest taking on even more disciplinary risk himself!

‘Let’s wrap this up quickly.’

If he hasn’t seen my face, it’s fine… Wait a minute.

Even if Kwak Jaekang didn’t see me, someone else did.

“Supervisor Park Minseong.”

“Yeah?”

“If it’s difficult for you to lie to the company right now, when you’re giving your statement… Do you have to say you saw me?”

“……!!”

Supervisor Park Minseong’s face went pale again.

“If the company demands it. I might have to…”

Damn it!

From that point on, the problem isn’t just that they’ll find out I’m alive.

‘…While trying to cover that up, Director Ho would definitely find out about it.’

If they ask why I was meeting with the sergeant, even the Dream Incubation Room could be exposed…

“I’ll try my best to avoid that situation…”

“Hey…”

The sergeant raised his hand.

“Um… actually, I don’t really want to… it’s a hassle…”

Then he pointed at Kwak Jaekang.

“Should I just… kill him?”

“?!”