Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 190
Chapter 190 – 190
-A spy. Ah, yes. A classic and popular figure who gets audiences’ hearts racing in any era.
-The catharsis of a twist where the mysterious and powerful identity of an extraordinary individual is revealed!
-Isn’t it the perfect job for my talented friend?
Hehe.
On my way to work, I entered the Disaster Management Bureau while listening to Braun’s lively commentary.
‘Good thing the Disaster Management Bureau’s jumper has front pockets.’ The plush doll’s ears were also covered by the upper flap of fabric over the pocket, so at a glance, it wasn’t noticeable.
I crossed the main lobby of the bureau naturally, greeting the agents as I went.
1 A special method of entering through a hidden entrance. Classic special agent cliché. Seems like an organization with a sense of romance.
2 Shall we see where Mr Roe will be working? I’m looking forward to it!
It started off well. Braun gave a pretty decent score to the Disaster
Management Bureau’s hidden entrance, and he gave a so-so rating to the
scene inside as well.
‘Glad to hear you like it.’
I responded casually, got in the elevator, walked down the hallway, and opened a door.
That’s when the waiting room for Team Hyeonmu-1 came into view. And then…
…. ….
‘Braun?’
1 Oh, it looks like they’ve cleverly decorated a leftover temporary space into something that resembles a lounge.
2 Haha. Mr Roe, it’s amusing that you’ve learned to slack off since we last met! So this is where you sneak in a short break before heading to your real work site?
‘This is it.’
3 Hm?
‘This is my workplace.’
My good friend gave no response.
1 Is this a trick to coax information out of visitors? A masterful use of an unofficial lounge space…
No.
‘This really is my official workplace.’
2 Friend, what exactly do you do here?
“I sit on the sofa.”
Again, no response from my well-meaning friend. It’s like he’s… dead…
1 Oh. You’ve deceived me. Aaaah!
‘Then, when I get a call, I’m dispatched. To rescue people caught in all sorts of strange and unusual disaster situations.’
-Aha.
‘This is just the waiting room.’
-Hahaha. So the actual work hasn’t even started yet!
Oh, you tricked me! That was quite entertaining, my friend!
‘Right? Hahahaha…’
A cold sweat trickled down my back.
Yeah, this is exactly what it’s like being around Braun… Phew.
At that moment, my right hand, still in my pocket, moved subtly.
I gave a thumbs-down. A hard, decisive one.
“….”
Yeah. I get it.
1 Good! In that case, I suppose this isn’t the worst place to rest alone! ‘This waiting room is for the entire team.’
…. …
‘It’s fine. Everyone’s fun and good people.’
Establish your footing… then strike downward with force.
Yes. I understand.
—Very well. In that case, this place doesn’t seem like the worst spot to rest
alone!
‘It’s a shared break room for the whole team.’
‘It’s okay. Everyone here is fun and nice.’
Braun seemed slightly shocked, but it couldn’t be helped. He was probably comparing it to the private office he had back at the big pharmaceutical company…
—…Understood. How many personnel currently work alongside you, Miss Roe Deer?
‘Ah, there are three of us right now… but only two use the break room.’ I looked over at the whiteboard in the break room.
It was covered in notes from the people who had once passed through Team Hyunmu 1.
‘Originally, about seven people worked here.’
That was just knowledge I had.
In
But after a certain incident, half had died or gone missing, and it had been
reduced back down to three teams.
‘It was a truly chilling ghost story.’
Anyway, there had been a time when they were actively recruiting… It seemed like now was one of those times.
—That is a relief. Whew, seven people in a room this old? What are we,
failed comedians or something?
I let out a dry chuckle.
Then, after some thought, I picked up a marker from the whiteboard and left
a line myself.
Respected individuals.
Thinking of the early days of the Disaster Management Agency and Team Hyunmu 1.
—You left a phrase? Oh my! A spy’s mark, perhaps… Now I’m curious.
Could you bring me closer so I can examine it in more detail?
It wasn’t anything special, but—
“Sure.”
That wasn’t hard. I took a plush doll out of my front pocket and held it up with both hands, placing it near the whiteboard… Click.
“You’re early again today, Grape? Last night, I barely got thr—”
Agent Choi, who had just entered, locked eyes with me—then saw the doll in my hands.
And then he sees my hands politely pressing the doll against the whiteboard.
Ah… aaaaaah…
“G-Good morning, Agent Choi.”
“Yeah. Good morning. Uh… are you donating the doll to our break room? I mean, that’s cool.”
“Ah. No, it’s not like that….”
—Hooh?
I hunched my shoulders and hurriedly scooped Braun up, tucking him back into my front pocket.
But Agent Choi stopped me.
His eyes were scanning the phrase I’d written on the whiteboard.
“Hm? No no, it’s fine. Kids these days do that—leave something and take a proof shot or whatever.”
Then he started rambling about how Grape was probably on social media, but our agency’s internal photos are confidential, so you can’t upload them —”Just think of it like the NIS or something.” Trying to match his tone, I quickly replied, “No, this—this one’s just, uh, a friend I always carry around with me.”
—Pleased to meet you! Oh, that scar on your neck is quite dashing. I do hope you’ll share the story behind it someday. “…A friend?”
“Yes…”
At that moment, Agent Bronze opened the break room door.
“Hello ev—”
“Jaegwan! Come over here! The rookie brought a doll!” “A doll?”
Agent Choi hastily pulled Agent Bronze over.
This was overwhelming.
—My word, isn’t this the serial killer character we saw at the mountain lodge? …Aha! Could it be you’ve infiltrated under the pretense of accepting his relentless recruitment attempts?
No. He had found me suspicious and started watching me…
—Well, either way, not bad. Two sidekicks supporting you!
No. They’re my bosses…
Meanwhile, my two superior agents were curiously examining Braun. “He says he always carries it—how come we’ve never seen it? Jaegwan, have you?”
Agent Bronze’s expression turned strange.
He was definitely remembering the times he’d glimpsed Braun poking out of my pocket or hanging from my jacket…!
‘But if he says anything, he’ll have to admit he knew from before!’ To spare the agent the internal conflict, I cut in.
“Ah. The friend I had before got torn by accident… so I made a new one
recently.”
Agent Bronze’s expression grew even stranger.
Then, after murmuring ‘friend’ to himself a few more times, he finally asked, “Wait… did you make that ‘friend’ while you were on break?” Surprisingly, that was the truth.
“Yes. That’s right! Well—I didn’t make it myself, I just bought it from a store, but still….”
“Grapes, if you keep calling your doll a friend, it’ll get possessed or something—”
“Go get the paperwork.”
“Waugh!”
Agent Bronze kicked Agent Choi’s butt and the two exited the break room together.
Then he looked back at me kindly and said,
“The New Investigation Unit just called for you, Agent Grape.
The distress signal should come from this direction, so don’t worry and go ahead.”
“What? Oh, okay.”
And just like that, they vanished.
Thud.
‘Phew.’
I thought they’d press me for more. That was a relief.
If it had gotten any more suspicious, Agent Choi would’ve whipped out his paranormal detection gear… yikes. That could’ve gone very badly.
Even though Braun had boldly claimed ‘No matter what they use, they won’t be able to identify me,’ it’s better to be cautious, right?
‘I figured it’d be safer to show him naturally from the start rather than get caught trying to hide him later, but still…’ I didn’t think it’d go down like this.
Is this… good?
—A “friend”? What kind of place is this “New Investigation Unit” anyway?
‘Ah, let’s go check it out now.’
Anyway, since the New Investigation Unit had called for me, I figured I’d step out briefly.
With Braun in tow, I passed through the actual government disaster management offices—basically a bunch of bureaucratic corridors. And then…
—My word, I wish this were just a sketch comedy corner… My friend has fallen for an employment scam.
“…”
To the host born of a glamorous, capitalist mass-media horror tale, these
21st-century government buildings must’ve seemed hopelessly outdated and substandard…
Luckily, something else soon caught Braun’s interest.
Standing in front of the New Investigation Unit’s office was my fellow spy.
Agent Ko Young-eun.
“Agent Grape!”
Ko Young-eun, who had been smiling and waving when she saw me, gave me a slightly complicated look as I approached—her eyes drifting to the plushie on my chest.
“You’re… carrying that around again?”
“…..yes.”
Come to think of it, Young-eun had seen Braun in his ‘Nice Friend’ form quite a few times before.
In fact, during that horror exhibit, The Mansion of the Blind, I’d used Braun to sway Baek Saheon… and I’m pretty sure she’d caught glimpses of that, too.
Anyway, it seemed like Braun had left more of an impression than I’d thought.
‘Geez, I figured since he’s small, it wouldn’t stand out that much…’
This is a horror-world setting run by a deranged pharmaceutical company.
People walk around with everything from rabbit feet to mummy bandages.
I thought a keyring-sized plush was harmless compared to the animal masks everyone wears.
Hm. Guess I was wrong…
Still, Ko Young-eun remained as kind as ever. “St—it’s still cute! I think you picked a good one…”
—Ah, someone with an eye for talent! A discerning audience is always a joy to any entertainer.
Well, as long as everyone’s satisfied, that’s what matters. I smiled and spoke up.
“Thank you. Does Agent Bakha perhaps have a similar plush—” “Oh, no thank you.”
…No, I was going to ask if she owned a plush keyring…
Cold sweat formed on my back.
Looks like the rabbit plush draws more attention than I expected.
‘This won’t do.’
After asking Braun for his understanding, I pulled the flap of my front pocket further down to hide his shape as much as possible.
“Agent Grape! We need your statement over—Oh? That’s cute. Did your little sibling give it to you?”
“Oh my, what’s that? A plushie?”
Still, whether because he moved or showed himself, Braun became small-talk material several times…
And the grand finale came after I finished giving a brief statement at the New Investigation Unit and returned to the waiting room of Black Tortoise Team 1.
It was… different.
“Grape!”
Two agents who had arrived earlier jumped up as I walked in.
And Agent Choi was grinning so brightly it was suspicious.
“Sorry! I was a bit harsh with Grape’s little friend earlier! I mean, calling it a ghost? That was rude, right?”
—Hm. And now he’s trying to be polite. I shall accept it graciously.
“I-it’s fine.”
…What is going on?
Anyway, now that I realized the plushie was drawing more attention than I thought, I figured I should do some damage control. I sat quietly on the sofa and muttered,
“Um, I’ll make sure to keep him out of sight and carry him discreetly, so even if it’s a bit uncomfortable, please understand…”
“Hahaha, what are you saying? Of course your little friend can stay in our waiting room.”
Smiling, Agent Choi slung an arm over my shoulder and showed me something.
“Here, this is his spot.”
Folded neatly on the plush armrest of the sofa by the window was a navy handkerchief—standard agency issue… No, really.
What is this atmosphere?
—Haha, your kindness is appreciated, but I shall decline! I brought my own handkerchief… Hm, where did it go? That’s strange—I can’t seem to find it! I’ll buy you a new one later, just hush for now! “Th-thank you…”
In the end, unable to resist the mood, I placed Braun atop the handkerchief.
Agent Choi, still smiling, asked kindly:
“What’s our little friend’s name?”
“Br… Braun.”
“…But it’s pink?”
“Excuse me?”
“Hahaha, no, it’s fine. That happens! People are free to choose names, after
all~”
“Y-yes… thank you.”
What the hell is going on?
I looked to Agent Bronze like I was silently begging for help, but when our
eyes met, all she could manage was a strained smile.
She was trying to look warm…
This just got even more confusing.
“Here, take this too—it’s a diary strap, but I bet it’d look cute tied to his ear.”
And so, Braun, with a cushion by the window and everything, successfully blended into the Black Tortoise Team 1 waiting room without drawing suspicion…
‘…??’
And the reason behind all this would later be revealed in the group chat.
[Let’s not say anything mean if the new agent walks around with a plush
keyring. It’s a dear friend.]
[?]
[Isn’t that, like, some supernatural phenomenon?]
[Apparently not. According to a teammate, they’ve been carrying it for a
while now to help them calm down. Let’s not pry into personal matters.]
[Ah…]
[Got it.]
[We all get it.]
[I’m the one who asked today if their younger sibling gave them the plush.
If you’re reading this… I’m sorry, Agent. ᅲᅲ]
“…”
Agent Bronze…!!
—With that in mind… hmm. I give this place a 39 out of 100.
After work.
I listened to Braun’s surprisingly generous rating of the Disaster Management Bureau as I hurried toward the motel.
Except for the brief afternoon call to a low-tier supernatural disaster, it had been a fairly uneventful shift, so my condition should’ve been fine, but… ‘I’m exhausted…’
Too much had happened mentally, and to top it all off, my “character traits” had been added to the script at the last minute without warning. Ugh.
I just want to rest.
‘…Maybe I’ll sleep somewhere nicer tonight.’
As I walked through the twilight, I started browsing alternative lodging on my phone when— Bzzzzzzzz.
A pop-up notification appeared on my phone along with the vibration.
[J: I’m trying to find the information]
[J: A little]
It was the Security Chief.
The first time he’d contacted me since I gave him a smartphone.
But now he was saying he got information?
[J: Issue]
[What do you mean?]
I replied in a panic.
But minutes passed with no response.
And then, much later—
[J: I’m heading out]
A chill ran down my spine.
I immediately called him. But he didn’t pick up.
What the hell.
The call was definitely ringing—so why wasn’t he answering?
[Where are you?]
[Are you okay?]
The “1” disappeared from the message. He saw it.
Wait. He… said he was going out, right?
I quickly narrowed down the accommodations I’d been searching to the area around the Hundred Dreams Corporation and booked a self-check-in motel.
Then I sent the address, room number, and entry code via text.
[If you’ve gone out, come here. (link)]
And with that, I dashed back into the subway.
Headed straight for that self-check-in motel near the company.
A short while later—
“…?!”
When I opened the door and walked into the motel room, I saw a scene I
could never have predicted.
“Mmff!”
Gwak Jegang was bound and lying on the floor.
And sitting on top of him, restraining him, was the Security Chief. And then
— “R-Roe Deer.”
Park Minseong turned to look at me, sweat pouring down his face.
He was wearing a Security Team uniform.
“…..”
What the hell is this?
