Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 188

Chapter 188 – 188

Cosmic Shopping Mall.

How much money had I spent there again?

Even if I don’t remember each item, the total easily adds up to hundreds of millions.

I sank an entire capital-area apartment deposit into that shopping mall, buying every kind of item imaginable.

Then one day, I received that golden card.

I’m a Cosmic Shopping Mall VIP!

At the time, I had no clue what that “Gratitude Cell” even meant.

Until this very moment.

“Dear customer.”

I looked up.

I remembered sticking the cell under my tongue, but everything after that was hazy.

Did I… nod off for a moment?

“Dear customer.”

Wait… Assistant Manager? I’m still trying to figure out what’s going on—

hold on.

Customer?

“Assistant Manager?!”

“I am not.”

Only then did I properly register the being before me.

A lizard was staring at me blankly.

“Assistant Manager.”

“I am not. I am your Shopper, here on behalf of the sales delegation from

Cosmic Shopping Mall to assist with your personal VIP shopping

experience.”

Oh no.

“Shall we proceed with the shopping?”

I stood up. Yeah, I was still seated at the motel room’s dining table.

And the person sitting across from me, who had looked like Lee Jaheon, had now been replaced by some similar-looking alien—wait. Cosmic Shopping Mall VIP shopping?

Don’t tell me… is this some kind of in-person sales visit?

…Assistant Manager!

We were just talking about my contamination level!

Was that whole build-up just to sell me an item that cures contamination? I mean, if it works, I guess I won’t complain, but still!

I forced myself to calm down, sat back down quickly, and said: “I want to speak with Assistant Manager Lee Jaheon.”

“Are you referring to the entity named Lee Jaheon, currently holding the position of Assistant Manager at Hundred Dreams Corporation?” I hesitated.

“Is that entity necessary for your psychological stability due to a preexisting

positive relationship?”

“What happens if I say yes?”

“We assure you there is no problem.”

The lizard’s snout opened.

“We are familiar with you, Mr. Roe Deer, with the exact same knowledge as Assistant Manager Lee Jaheon.”

“Additionally, we wish to continue maintaining a positive relationship with

you, dear customer.”

That was odd.

Now that I thought about it, Assistant Manager often referred to himself as “we.”

And the name of the button I’d used… was “We Help.” We.

“Who exactly is ‘we’?”

“We are the Union. Speaking to Lee Jaheon or the entity before you now is the same as speaking to the Union.”

This conversation was veering into the metaphysical.

So… a strange alien collective that shares one memory and emotional profile…

I’ve heard of horror stories like this.

It’s very sci-fi for a supposedly haunted alien shopping mall. I clutched my head.

“Look… I just want to talk to Assistant Manager Lee. I’m not in the mood

to shop right now.”

“Mr. Roe Deer.”

I looked up.

But the white lizard wasn’t Lee Jaheon. It was still some other being.

Yet it spoke in the exact same tone.

“You are currently in need of assistance. If that assistance can be received through shopping, please accept appropriate care.” “…What kind of care?”

“I exist here solely to assist with your shopping. Shall we begin your VIP experience at Cosmic Shopping Mall?” That was… not an answer.

But catching the nuance, I nodded slowly.

So I have to shop to proceed.

“All right.”

The gray lizard nodded.

The next moment—

The table began to expand.

“…?!”

To the left, the table stretched endlessly, covered in mist-shrouded objects. Tentacles—or something like them—hovered over each item. Wait. Where am I?

“You accessed this space through the cell. Due to complaints about the homepage UI, VIPs now shop in a familiar and comfortable virtual

projection…”

“Did I say that out loud?”

“Yes. Please sit back and enjoy your shopping experience.”

The lizard spoke with utmost professionalism. Wait—what do you mean I accessed this place through the cell— “Before we begin, let’s verify your identity. It’s difficult to confirm transactional intent in your current state.

For smoother purchasing, we’ll segment accordingly.”

“Segment?”

“Yes.”

People appeared around the endlessly long table.

“…!”

They were shrouded in mist. But the closer they were, the more distinct their silhouettes became.

A grocery store cashier, a TV host in sharp gloves and a luxurious suit, a kindergarten teacher holding an educational book, a high schooler in uniform…

All horror personas I had once become.

Contaminated versions of me from different stories.

The two seated closest weren’t mist-covered, so I could see them clearly.

I turned my head stiffly to look.

A yellow mascot.

A black cat.

It’s okay.

Stay calm.

[This way.]

It spoke to me.

Chills ran down my back.

Each of their table spots had decorations and colors matching the horror they came from. I tried to stand and flee— “Dear customer, you are currently connected to Cosmic Shopping Mall via the cell. This imagery is a projection of your mind. No actual separation of self has occurred.” “Do not be overly wary of yourself.”

“…So this is a visualization of my contamination? To help with decision-making during purchases?”

“Correct.”

This is insane.

I sat back down and massaged my temples. The yellow mascot nervously tried to help.

I’m going insane.

“Would you like to check?”

Check what?

“To support smooth shopping, would you like to re-examine the appearances of the nearby projections?” I instinctively understood.

This was a hint.

So I raised my head and looked at the “me” filling the table.

Where am I? I’m confused. I have to retrieve the education manual.

Throwing it away was a huge mistake.

Welcome to Looky Mart!

[The graduation ceremony is starting again. I must return to school.]

–What a fascinating place. If I do a deep-dive segment, the Great Host

might even give me a new corner!

I felt sick.

But that revulsion only came because I knew these things. Because I could

imagine them vividly.

But then…

I looked at the ones closest to me.

Their appearances were more distinct without the mist.

And then—

“Who are you?”

The figure just past the giant mascot beside me.

Wearing a ragged cloak like a tattered tarp.

“I’ve never seen you before.”

A version of me I didn’t know.

An intruder.

The mascot shifted, giving me a clear view of the figure.

I stared, realizing what the cloak was made of.

Old parchment.

“You.”

I stared at the stranger.

“Take that off.”

“….”

It slowly lifted the parchment cloak off its head and revealed itself.

Me, wearing a crimson janitor’s uniform.

–Busted.

The Impostor from the Nameless Radiance Cult turned away, grinning.

–

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA “I will remove obstacles that interfere with shopping.” The next moment—

The janitor version of me vanished from the table.

My heart pounded.

“Dear customer. Did the projection of yourself just now remind you of

anything?”

“Yes.”

It came back to me.

I reached into my inventory tattoo and pulled out something long forgotten… no, something suppressed. A rolled-up piece of old parchment.

Nameless Radiance Cult Holy Law Fragment 4

Story Thief An item dropped after the security chief eliminated the impostor I encountered while cleaning in the company basement. A shard of the cult’s divine scripture.

I even remember wrapping it in “Reward Slip 12B357na” to block its effect.

And… I unwrapped it and wore it as armor before the Tamna-bound train. Afterward, I got sucked into Braun’s midnight talk show and never had the chance to remember this sacred law.

Or maybe, at some point… the story forced me to forget it.

If I hadn’t just now received that music box from the cult via the RealGoods box, I might’ve forgotten it forever.

It was because I saw a related item that the memory resurfaced.

And then—

“Dear customer. The parchment is devouring something.” “Yes.”

I saw it too.

I forcibly pulled something black and cylindrical from where it was almost

absorbed into the scroll.

A fountain pen.

“…!”

The one I’d taken from Baek Saheon—an item from Segwang Industrial

High School used for brainwashing.

I forgot about this too.

I realized—

The sacred law must have been leeching off this pen’s story.

Feeding on it to grow stronger, until it consumed me, turning me into a full-on horror phenomenon of the Nameless Radiance Cult.

Wait.

What else have I forgotten?

I wracked my brain. Nothing came.

Makes sense. Those memories were already stolen.

In that case…

“Can I get a list of all the items I’ve purchased from the alien shop?” “Yes. Are you trying to locate a lost item?” “…That’s right.”

“Then I must inform you of something.”

The lizard looked at me.

“You have an item you’ve forgotten.”

“What is it?”

“You received strength-enhancing equipment from Lee Jaheon and used it

to create a new item. But its whereabouts since production are unknown.”

“He tried to inform you, but realized mere notification would not resolve

the problem.”

…That’s right.

–Let me introduce an item.

–It enhances physical strength?

–Close. Use it as a parent item when crafting a dedicated piece.

We’d had that conversation.

Listening, I gradually recalled the item.

…A bracelet.

Something I crafted with Assistant Manager Eungyeol at the Hundred Dreams Corporation annex.

Back then, she suddenly appeared in my room… like how Jaheon showed up in the motel.

But what I did with the item after crafting it—I have no memory of.

Even when I was in danger, I never thought to use it.

And I probably never will—because it’s already been consumed by the

sacred law fragment.

…Chilling.

I barely managed to speak.

“Sorry. You lent it to me, and I…”

“It’s all right.”

He says that so naturally—even though he’s not actually Assistant Manager

Lee.

Whew.

Calm down.

At least I realized it in time.

Maybe the reason the dream collector didn’t fill up was because the impostor nearly took over completely.

On top of that, I’ve been imitating all kinds of anomalies—special security team, mascot…

Of course the effect would be amplified.

…That’s probably why I was judged not as human, but as a phenomenon of the Nameless Radiance Cult.

Whew.

It definitely deepened the contamination.

I looked around at the strange “me”s seated at the table with gloomy eyes. The black cat glared at me with blood-red eyes, smacking the table with its tail. The mascot drooped its horns in disappointment. The others were reacting in ways that made me dizzy.

Though I hadn’t been expelled from the table, the part of me contaminated

by the impostor still remained…

Ha.

One thing at a time.

I motioned toward the sacred parchment.

“Can I dispose of this through the shopping mall?” “That item is not accepted by Cosmic Shopping Mall.”

“Do you handle the contaminated versions of me seated at this table?”

“They are not accepted either.”

Sigh.

Makes sense. They’re probably too dangerous to sell to humans. But Assistant Manager did guide me here as an alternative to the Fox Counseling Room.

So… there must be a method.

At that moment, I remembered the “We Help” button.

“Then, can I request their elimination from the Union? For a fee, of

course.”

“Yes.”

“…!”

The lizard looked at me.

“Would you like to proceed with a request to permanently destroy a part of yourself?”

Don’t

It’s dangerous

Wait—