Got Dropped in a Ghost Story, Still gotta Work

Director Ho’s project team.

A top-secret project with an unparalleled reward—granting a wish ticket to

every team member if the project succeeds.

’And I turned it down.’

The risks were too high, and it felt suspicious.

But now, Assistant Manager Eun Haje, who had taken a leave of absence,

was working there?

"Look at your expression, Roe. Yeah, I know you were offered a spot on the

team and rejected it outright."

The smile faded from Eun Haje’s face.

"...Good call. Don’t ever join. It’s a headache of a team."

"..."

But you’re working there, aren’t you, Assistant Manager?

"What kind of work are you doing there exactly...?"

"I can’t tell you."

"..."

Should I push it?

Let’s push it.

"Actually, I was offered the position of team leader for the project."

"What?!"

"Well, I think it was more of a motivational offer, but I still turned it d—"

"Wait a minute. Let me tell you this before you get any funny ideas later

on."

Assistant Manager Eun Haje lowered her voice and whispered,

"Director Ho is a nutjob."

"...!"

"I don’t even know what the other team members are doing. Director Ho

doesn’t allow us to talk to each other if our roles don’t overlap."

She swallowed hard.

"I think the only reason I was pulled into this is because I applied for a

leave of absence. It made me invisible to the rest of the company, which

was perfect for him to drag me in."

"...So that’s why you’ve been hiding?"

"Yeah, it was a requirement."

That explained why she had snuck into my officetel room quietly, like a

ghost.

"I was worried your roommate might catch me."

"Don’t worry. He’s not here."

"Oh? Damn, I worried for nothing."

Baek Saheon had cleverly scheduled his vacation leave with the New Year’s

holiday, so he wasn’t here.

"Anyway, I can’t tell you any more than that. Just take it as is."

And true to her word, Assistant Manager Eun Haje didn’t answer any of my

follow-up questions—whether it was about why she needed a wish ticket,

what exactly she was doing on the team, or how she was recruited.

She only said,

"I used to make a living uncovering dirt on crazy bastards. This isn’t new to

me."

But those were humans, and this is a creepypasta-infested corporation,

Assistant Manager...!

"Take care of yourself, Roe."

She smiled bitterly.

"Don’t get too invested in other people’s problems. Whether it’s this

company or society at large, nothing will exhaust you faster."

"..."

"I know it sounds ironic coming from someone like me who’s benefited

from your help, but I’m serious."

"It doesn’t sound ironic at all. Thank you."

"...Ha, you’re still the same."

As she left the annex, she repeated the same warning several times: take

care of myself, mind my own business.

"Thanks again. And remember—January 2nd."

Then, just like that, she disappeared into the night.

"..."

Director Ho’s project team.

’It already sounded dangerous just hearing about it.’

For now, I had too many immediate problems to deal with, but I made sure

to remember it.

– Well, we’ve gathered quite the collection of intriguing revelations,

haven’t we! January 2nd, the swirling conspiracy surrounding Mr. Roe

Deer...

– What now, Friend? Do you have a clever plan to avoid a death notice like

that? And remember, when things get tough, your good friend Braun will

always be by your side.

"Yeah, thanks."

– Think nothing of it!

And so, I had my first goal for the New Year: find a way to escape whatever

Darkness awaited me on January 2nd.

And this plan worked surprisingly well as I spent the entire New Year’s

holiday preparing...

And soon, it was time to head back to work.

* * *

January 2nd—

Just as expected, the moment I arrived, I was assigned a new Darkness

exploration mission.

But it was assigned ’only to me’.

"So, you’re saying the section chief has an afternoon meeting with the

executives and can’t join today?"

"Yes."

"And I’m going into the Darkness... alone?"

"No. To comply with the 3-person protocol, two support staff will be

assigned to join you in the afternoon."

Of course. I figured as much.

At this point, I suspected Section Chief Kwak Jaekang was pulling strings

behind the scenes.

’Is he pairing me with some weird employees on purpose?’

Group project villains always knew how to create the worst-case scenario.

’Better brace myself.’

But things started taking a strange turn.

Before the Darkness exploration mission on January 2nd was assigned to

me, an announcement was posted early in the morning.

It was about the restructuring of the elite D-squad.

[Notice of Field Exploration Team Reorganization]

Director Cheong’s groundbreaking proposal had finally been made public.

The Field Exploration Team, which had been buzzing with rumors, finally

confirmed the shocking reorganization—the entire D-squad was being

promoted to elite status.

The team was turned upside down with excitement.

Moreover, there was one remaining spot in the elite D-squad that would be

open to general employees on a short-term basis, with full elite team

benefits!

Naturally, those who were curious about this staffing decision... had

identified the person with the lowest rank and shortest experience among

the related parties.

Yep.

That would be me.

"..."

Buzz, buzz, buzz!

[Hello, Supervisor~ ^^ Congratulations on joining

the elite team! I was wondering if I could ask you

a few questions...]

[This is the first time I’m messaging you outside

the group chat! I wanted to ask about the last

open spot on the elite team...]

’This is really overwhelming...’

That was already my seventh message.

I wished people would think logically—there was no way someone at my

level had any say in personnel decisions.

– Hmm? But Friend, didn’t you have an opportunity to select a colleague to

work with during that exciting offer? I vividly recall that moment.

That was a bus that had already left the station.

I had declined the poisoned apple, so this wasn’t my business anymore.

’I have no authority here.’

I spent my morning responding politely with a variation of, ’I don’t have

any authority in this matter either. I’m just a lowly supervisor like you.’

Still, this influx of messages did help me realize something important.

’I can’t just be sent off randomly on this exploration.’

The January 2nd Darkness exploration had symbolic significance.

It marked the first trial run of the newly restructured elite D-squad.

With the entire Field Exploration Team watching, there was no way they’d

assign random, unqualified personnel to me.

That would ruin the image of a successful elite D-squad launch.

’It’s unlikely Kwak Jaekang can mess with this.’

I couldn’t help but wonder...

’Who exactly are the two support personnel assigned to accompany me?’

Then, at two in the afternoon—

"Oh, let’s have a good time working together, Supervisor Roe Deer!"

I nearly broke out in a cold sweat when I saw the cheerful staff member

entering the D-squad office.

It was Supervisor Dolphin from C-squad.

An elite team member!

"Oh, do you know who the other staff member is? I’m curious!"

"...I’m curious too."

I started having a bad feeling.

And ten minutes later, right on the dot, the door opened again, confirming

my fears.

"We’re both punctual."

Through the open door came the confident steps of someone in perfectly

fitting formal wear, her hair tied high, and wearing a flashy butterfly mask.

It was Assistant Manager Jin Nasol from A-squad.

’Oh, god.’

They had assigned me two elite team members!

The sight of her, a sunbae known for her ability-driven, cutthroat mentality,

left me dizzy. I immediately prepared to bow and greet her, but before I

could—

"Long time no see, Assistant Manager—"

"Uh-huh. I heard you turned down Director Ho’s offer."

"..."

"You made another stupid choice, and yet you still ended up on the elite

team? If only everyone was as competent as you, my work would be much

easier. At least today, I won’t have to deal with anyone whining."

...Right.

Nice to see you too, Assistant Manager.

"Thank you for the compliment."

I barely managed a response.

I felt like my soul was about to leave my body, but my mouth continued to

function in perfect corporate-mannered form.

"What a hassle. This mission is in a far province."

"Yes, but the company is providing generous travel expenses."

That’s right.

This C-grade creepypasta required us to travel all the way to Mokpo to deal

with it.

(T/N: Mokpo is all the way down south of Korea in Jeollanam-do, a couple cities away from

Gwangju. It’s about 3 hours via KTX and one train transfer.)

’Finally, an out-of-town mission.’

Creepypastas tended to emerge in densely populated areas, so the fact that

most of our missions had been confined to Seoul and its surrounding areas

wasn’t entirely illogical within the company’s worldview.

’Still, it’s strange that we’ve almost never been sent beyond the

metropolitan area before.’

Regardless, I obediently followed the two elite sunbaes out of the office and

onto the road, keeping a close eye on their mood.

Supervisor Dolphin, fortunately, was quite friendly.

"You haven’t moved upstairs yet? You’ll get your own private office soon,

right? It’s great for privacy and focus!"

"Yes, I’m looking forward to it, ma’am."

"Oh, you can speak informally with me! We’re the same rank, after all."

"Well, you’re my sunbae, and there’s a lot I don’t know yet. I wouldn’t

want to be disrespectful. I’ll continue speaking formally, if you don’t

mind."

"Wow. You’re really polite!"

Supervisor Dolphin gave me a thumbs-up, and I felt a bit of tension melt

away.

Yeah, she seemed like a genuinely nice person.

’Let’s try some small talk.’

I smiled warmly and brought up a topic that I thought was safe—someone I

had seen sitting next to Dolphin during a previous encounter, during that

terrifying creepypasta involving the backhand clapping incident.

"How’s Assistant Manager Leopard doing?"

"Oh, he’s dead."

"..."

"He mistreated a Round-Off Team member and got what was coming to

him. Serves him right, but it’s a bit of a waste of points!"

"I see. My condolences to the deceased."

This person clearly did not have a normal sense of empathy.

’Someone, save me.’

Thankfully, we arrived at the high-speed train station.

Trying to remain composed, I sat next to Dolphin on the train, maintaining

perfect decorum.

From this point forward, I intended to give my utmost respect to the elite

team sunbae seated next to me.

’I must not act overly familiar or casual, even if we share the same rank.’

Avoiding any possibility of being seen as rude was my top priority.

Meanwhile, seated in front of us was Assistant Manager Jin Nasol...

"I’m going to sleep, so don’t talk to me."

"...Understood."

Honestly, I was grateful for that.

– Oh, what a group of striking companions you have!

Yeah, no kidding.

And the significance of this situation?

’The two most competent non-executive employees in the entire company

have been assigned to accompany me.’

In other words, the two most efficient and capable employees were here to

witness everything I did.

’Assistant Manager Eun, how am I supposed to avoid entering the Darkness

and sneak away with these two around?!’

I broke into a cold sweat as I realized how full of holes my plan had

become.

’I didn’t expect them to assign two elite team members.’

I had been more prepared for the possibility of getting paired with useless

coworkers.

Desperately maintaining my composure, I scrambled to come up with a

Plan B.

’In the worst-case scenario...’

I could excuse myself to the restroom and make my escape.

It would be humiliating, sure, but survival mattered more.

Later, I could return and claim that I had accidentally gotten caught up in

another Darkness, which delayed me.

’If I can find a suitable creepypasta from the wiki, one with an appropriate

difficulty level, and clear it while collecting the necessary dream essence,

it’ll be believable.’

Being on an out-of-town business trip made this plan feasible.

’A-Alright.’

I think I can come up with something.

I quietly sighed in relief, satisfied with the plausibility of my revised plan,

and finally glanced at the destination displayed on the train’s electronic

board.

Bound for Mokpo

Come to think of it, I’d rarely been to Mokpo befo...

Bound for Mokpo

...

Huh?

The destination displayed on the flickering screen changed.

Bound for Tamra

"...!!"

I jumped to my feet.

"Huh? What’s wrong, Supervisor? Oh, the board?"

"Yes. We need to get off immediately—"

...

No.

No, I already knew.

’It’s too late.’

This was the kind of situation where, once you boarded the train and the

destination changed, it was over.

From that point on, there was no getting off.

"..."

Memories surfaced.

– This was recorded as the longest entry under the Human Error incidents

in the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau’s records. It even became

the basis for a short story in the wiki.

I knew exactly what this was.

– The train disaster caused by Silver Heart. Just once.

I knew this creepypasta all too well.

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

[Tamra Express Disaster]

This document is a recorded case of anomaly ID ’8008PSYA.2002. 아

88’, involving numerous fatalities.

Due to the shocking nature of the event, we advise readers to evaluate

their psychological readiness before proceeding.

Reading this material may induce severe mental distress or trauma, so

it is recommended to read it only when in a stable condition.

– Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau

Notice from the Records Office

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

The infamous high-speed train incident from which only one survivor

returned, the one who’s from Daydream Inc.

’...Ah.’

That’s when I realized.

Today, January 2nd, the day marked for my death.

’The C-grade Darkness wasn’t the real problem.’

The threat prepared for me wasn’t the company-assigned, fully documented

rural mission Darkness.

’It was this train.’

The train, which was supposed to be nothing more than a means of

transportation, was the threat itself.

"..."

I looked out the window.

Instead of the outside view, the reflection of the destination display

flickered back at me.

Bound for Tamra

Departing

With a deafening roar, the train began to move.