Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 192

Chapter 192 – 192

Underground Laboratory.

Gwak Jaegang’s eyes trembled as he looked around the dream incubation room of the Yukhoe Research Institute—especially at the massive incubator in the center.

But the countdown had already begun.

A cheap jingle and a cheerful voice.

[10! 9! 8!]

“What do I know? You want me to spill everything I know about potion manufacturing equipment?”

I said nothing and just stared at him.

[7! 6!]

“No, haha. Potion manufacturing? Maybe I saw it once when I first joined? Asking a raw material procurement researcher about this… The irrationality might be the charm of the Darkness, but still—” Gwak Jaegang’s movement stopped.

“…Hold on.”

His voice quivered—

But from excitement, not fear.

[5! 4!]

A spark of madness lit up in the eyes of a man who had realized something.

“That’s the potion equipment prototype, isn’t it?!”

The countdown stopped.

But Gwak Jaegang’s mouth did not.

“The version without quality control restrictions during production! Ah, I’m

not that obsessed with Daydream Inc potions, but potion manufacturing machines are a whole different story, haha…” A grin spread across Gwak Jaegang’s face.

“It originated from the Darkness, didn’t it? And that’s the original machine

taken from there!”

…!!

“To see it before me now! If you had just shown it to me without all this theatrics, I would’ve testified to anything!”

He muttered, practically licking the dream incubator with his eyes.

“Where did you even get it? For a wish ticket to emerge, that’d have to be a

Deep-tier Darkness. What kind of horror tale is it from? Which upper

management member is running this thing? Need a researcher? I’m discreet,

passionate, and highly qualified!”

He beamed.

“Way better than wasting time in the annex! Hey, can I take a closer look?

That thing…”

Whoosh.

I spread a curtain of black smoke in front of the rising Gwak Jaegang.

He stopped mid-step.

But his lifted gaze shimmered—not with fear, but curiosity.

“You’re no ordinary creature. Haha… Who are you? Which Darkness did

you answer Daydream Inc’s call from? Fire? Water? Mad imagination?

Fairytale? Throne of Pure Silver?”

I didn’t answer.

But in my head, special expedition logs involving Gwak Jaegang flashed by.

Which Darkness would be best for him to misunderstand?

‘It should be powerful and unfamiliar to him—but enough to spark imagination.’

I reached toward my waist.

Wrapped in rib-like horns—my yellow lantern.

“…A star?”

Gwak Jaegang murmured.

So that’s what he interpreted it as.

“A Darkness related to stellar bodies. Gold, binding… Haha, fascinating.

Are you fond of humans?”

I didn’t respond.

Instead, I pressed the carrot.

[Next round begins.]

[Question!]

Now he was looking at me with interest rather than tension. Perhaps excited by the thought of uncovering more about the dream

incubator.

But.

That’s not what this question is about.

It’s one to smack him in the face.

[Is Darkness Qterw-B-553, into which you secretly swapped J-Team, still under observation?]

Gwak Jaegang’s face hardened.

[10, 9, 8…]

“…It’s under observation.”

The countdown halted.

“…How did you know? Did the company already find out?” Nope.

I just know the crazy shit you did thanks to the bonus logs in .

I chose one particular irregularity—something big enough to cause a stir in the development department if exposed, but that never actually was. The Endless Life of Team J.

A record notorious for leaving readers feeling unsettled just by imagining it being real.

But in this moment—it was perfect.

‘No way he’ll think I’m just a former employee.’

No matter how sharp he was, it was an impossible conclusion.

Instead, he’d assume—

‘Someone high up in the company caught on to what I did.’ From there, it’s simple.

“…Haha. If you summoned me through the security team instead of issuing a formal disciplinary action… then what exactly did I tamper with? What secret did I stumble upon?”

Letting him believe whatever he wants while steering the situation in my favor.

“What does this place have to do with that incident?” I didn’t answer his muttering. Instead—

I turned off the carrot.

Then I approached him and pushed the chair he was tied to toward the incubator.

“Haha…”

Even while sweating nervously, his eyes twinkled with anticipation, which honestly creeped me out. Still, we arrived.

The glow of the dream fluid reflected in his glasses.

And then—I turned the carrot back on.

[What function do you think this machine in front of you has?]

“…A stronger, more fundamental potion-manufacturing function! Since it’s

from the Darkness, I imagine the rules are extreme and incomprehensible to humans! Can I touch it? No? Just observe then.”

I let him move around, but carefully monitored every gesture.

Despite the cold sweat, he couldn’t hide his excitement.

“Crude… but more complex than the company’s final model. Fewer buttons, but… emoji? What’s this?”

He pressed something on the side of the incubator.

It revealed a pipe—similar to the one where I’d poured the solution earlier.

So there was more.

‘Maybe you can extract the solution from here?’

I made a mental note. Might be useful in emergencies.

Still buzzing, Gwak Jaegang even peered into the dream fluid’s storage

chamber.

What he saw—

A glowing reddish lump, about five times the size of an egg.

“What’s that in the center?! That wasn’t in the company’s model!” I remained silent.

I didn’t know either.

But he interpreted my silence as a deliberate concealment—”Not for your ears.”

He smacked his lips and finally peeled his gaze away.

Then noticed—

An empty slot where a button had been.

◎

“Aha, that’s… probably where the wish ticket would go.”

…!

“Right? Seems likely. Did you take it out so I wouldn’t accidentally press

it?”

Hold up.

That spot’s for wish tickets?

Even the prototype could produce wish tickets?

‘That means… they used to be even stronger than now.’ What the hell was Yukhoe Research Institute building?

‘If I could find and restore that button… would I get a Yukhoe version

of the wish ticket?’

Thump. Thump.

My heart pounded.

No—calm down.

That’s just his speculation.

Even if he’s right, the wish tickets I know are from Daydream Inc, refined and controlled.

Who knows what madness the original might unleash?

‘Don’t get greedy and chase unknown risks.’

“Haha. Give me more time and I could find out more. Whoever you are, if

you bring me onto this project…”

He tried probing again.

I simply stared.

Black smoke circled him.

He flinched.

As if to say, “Don’t try anything funny,” it spun once around him and then

sucked back into my body.

I activated the carrot again.

Time to wrap this up.

[What truth did you most want to hide during today’s game?]

…!

The last question in any security team interrogation.

A direct hit for anyone still trying to skirt around their secrets.

But Gwak Jaegang just smiled.

“Nothing really. Haha!”

This guy was nuts.

“You already know about my disciplinary issues and still spared me. What

else would I hide?”

He smacked his lips.

“Guess I’m not your ideal candidate, huh? Then who is on that team…

confidential, missing…”

And then.

“Kim Soleum?”

I almost leapt up from my seat.

“You’re about the same build. And didn’t Kim Soleum’s mask have horns too? Did you steal that worker off the train to use as your vessel?” This psycho.

“I thought it was odd! That Darkness doesn’t usually cause disappearances like that. But now the puzzle fits. Hahaha.” Wait.

‘That kind of Darkness doesn’t cause that kind of disappearance?’ That sounds like—

He knew about the Tamna-bound train horror.

I realized.

‘This bastard set the stage!’

The sudden field trip, the coincidental entanglement—none of it was chance.

He’d researched the train horror in advance.

“An upright, timid new employee. Sounds like a perfect human sacrifice, don’t you think?”

He knew me.

My personality.

“…Did he really figure me out?”

“And hey—was that security uniform made from that unlucky employee’s

skin? Perfect compatibility, huh?”

Stay calm.

I didn’t respond.

Whether he blabbered nonsense or guessed right—I gave nothing away.

Not even a flicker of interest.

Then, as if rehearsed—

The security captain, who’d been hiding behind the desk, sprang out and

knocked him unconscious.

Wham.

“…Phew.”

Felt cathartic.

“We can just leave him outside, right…?”

I nodded hastily.

As the security captain moved him, I quickly changed out of the uniform.

‘Done.’

And now?

The security captain will dump him near the company. He’ll be “found” by Park Minseong and escorted back.

Just like that—my name stays out of all official reports. ‘Even if he saw us, it wasn’t during official duties.’ Park Minseong won’t even need to lie.

—”Mr. Roe Deer! That was a delightful performance. Wit, deception, secrecy—you nailed all three!”

I patted Braun, perched in my pocket again.

‘Really? It didn’t feel too forced?’

—”Not at all! Unflinching even when named? A stellar act.” —”But aren’t you worried he’ll expose everything?” Ah, that.

1 smiled. ‘He won’t.’ —”Oh?”

Gwak Jaegang’s clever.

Security team interrogations are confidential.

No one talks—unless someone high up already knows.

Especially when the topic ties back to his own misconduct. ‘Why would he brag about what might get him punished?’ And he hasn’t even seen how it all ends yet. —”Indeed!”

Better than a memory wipe or silence potion.

I recalled Park Minseong’s worried wish: —”If only we had a forget-me-not potion or something.”

Sure, they exist—but I didn’t use them.

Because those are Daydream Inc products.

And someone like Gwak Jaegang could just buy a counter-potion.

That would only make him suspicious.

Better to keep it natural.

‘Act like it doesn’t matter if you talk.’

Even if he does blab, people will just assume he’s talking about a real secret project from some powerful faction.

—”So you crafted a perfect replica of a security team interrogation just in case?”

—”Even the insiders would be fooled?”

‘Exactly.’

The only thing that bothers me is… that he associated my disguise with Kim Soleum.

But by the time he says anything concrete, I won’t be here.

“It’s done.”

I had extracted every bit of intel from Gwak Jaegang and cleaned up the mess.

‘God, my whole body aches.’

Dealing with a crazy researcher was exhausting.

I stashed the uniform back into my inventory tattoo and sat in front of the

dream incubator.

Stared at it in silence.

—”Sorry to interrupt your break, friend, but… allow me to drop a little teaser.”

‘…A teaser?’

—”That’s right! Let’s raise the stakes.”

—”A very fun incident is about to happen.”

“…Braun?”

Then—

Zzzzt.

My phone buzzed.

…!

A message? At this hour?

Disaster Management Agency?

Maybe an emergency…?

I opened my phone—and froze.

[K.LEE: Long time no talk, Agent! LOL]

[K.LEE: How’ve you been?]

What?

Hawaii beach as the profile pic.

The one who once introduced himself as Assistant Manager Lee Kangheon of Team C—he’d connected me to the Salmon Market. But this message—

‘Impossible.’

Because…

I’m dead.

In Daydream Inc’s records.

Changed my number a long time ago.

‘…Something’s wrong.’

The phone kept buzzing.

[K.LEE: Oh right LOL I heard you’re a supervisor now]

[K.LEE: Wait…]

[K.LEE: Are you a spy?]

“…So.”

I turned my head.

“To be a proper spy…”

From behind the office chair, someone removed a goblin invisibility cap.

Agent Choi.

Crumpled in his hand—the note I had once given him.

“You really should’ve found a way to erase this clue earlier… Mr. Roe Deer.”

The blade fell.