Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work-Chapter 143

Several days of terror in the Lucky Mart ghost story.

Days filled with mental strain, a severed arm, cold sweat, tension, shock, and fear.

‘Ah.’

My arm hurts.

But it’s fine. I’ve made it out of there now.

From now on, I can relax...

...Or maybe not?

...

Huh?

It still feels like I’m there.

I lifted my head.

Looking around, I saw the dim and eerie second-floor food court of the darkened, abandoned mart.

I was... still standing there.

“......”

I’m still here?

Was escaping just a dream?

Was escape... impossible all along?

Did I make the wrong judgment?

Then why did I cut off my arm?

I...

“Oh dear, looks like someone’s having a nightmare, huh? Friend!”

“...!!”

I opened my eyes.

Sunlight stabbed at them.

I was in a clean, peaceful hospital room. Clear late-winter sunlight streamed in through the window.

...Not the mart.

I gasped for air.

It {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} was peaceful.

‘...This is reality.’

Right.

After successfully escaping Lucky Mart, I’d been transferred to an emergency vehicle sent by the Disaster Management Agency.

And then I’d lost consciousness...

“Ah, you’re awake.”

“...?!”

I turned my head and saw someone sitting in a caregiver’s chair, dressed in agent attire, peeling an apple.

......?

“Did you sleep well? Seemed like you were having a nightmare.”

The person looked like a clean-cut office worker but had an unusual and conspicuous scar near their neck.

Who...?

The stranger, meeting my gaze, handed me a freshly peeled apple slice and winked.

“Nice to meet you, junior~ Thanks to you, I got to experience going into Lucky Mart and coming out within three minutes.”

“...!”

Oh.

“That’s right. The agent you summoned was me.”

To restart the mart’s operations, I’d had one of the high school students send an emergency rescue message to the Disaster Management Agency.

‘So the person who responded to that was...’

It must be him.

“I heard about it. They said you came up with the reverse idea of ‘opening the mart’s doors.’ That’s exactly the kind of ingenuity you need for situations like this.”

“......”

“Come on, don’t be shy.”

When I lowered my gaze silently, the man chuckled and stood up, offering his hand.

“Let me introduce myself. Hmm, I don’t usually use my agent nickname—it’s a bit embarrassing....”

Wait a minute.

This line...

“Just call me Agent Choi.”

“......”

Oh my god.

‘It’s that agent.’

[Start of recorded log]

Agent Choi: “So, I’m on the third floor right now, and I found a door leading to the fourth floor.”

He was the subject of one of the most concrete exploration records related to the fourth floor that I could recall.

Agent Choi: “Welcome to Lucky Mart!”

He was an agent of the Disaster Management Agency who had originally been exploring the fourth floor of Lucky Mart when he vanished in a horrifying incident.

‘A named character from the early days...!’

Right.

Back when the narrative was still expanding, and the setting about ‘agents of the Paranormal Disaster Management Agency being referred to by nicknames’ hadn’t been established yet, he was one of the standouts.

Agent Choi.

During a time when there were no external institutional records in the Darkness Exploration Logs, just government data, he was one of the prominent figures.

‘...That scar on his neck.’

I remembered where it came from. It was... from the frozen storage ghost story.

I swallowed hard.

‘He was a regular in those famous early exploration records....’

Even though his ultimate fate was a gruesome disappearance.

There had been an uproar about whether it was okay to let such a prominent figure vanish in such a horrific manner, but the consensus had been that ‘it fits the ghost story aesthetic.’ Despite protests and tears, it had been finalized.

But now...

‘...It’s changed, hasn’t it?’

As soon as my and Ko Yeongeun’s experiences were relayed, the staircase leading to the fourth floor would likely be repurposed.

‘There’ll be a warning added to the guide.’

That would alter the timeline.

Agent Choi might not feel compelled to open the door to the fourth floor anymore.

This time, he even entered Lucky Mart only to leave within three minutes.

‘Oh my god.’

The fate of an early named character had shifted.

I felt a strange sensation of awe and glanced at him before finally responding.

“Yes, Agent Choi.”

“You can call me Senior Choi if you want.”

Agent Choi winked again, his cheerful demeanor softening slightly as he glanced at my severed arm.

But he still wore a smile.

“Don’t worry about your arm. We’ll take care of everything.”

“......”

“For now, just get some rest. Or wait, hang on!”

Then he swung the hospital room door open and shoved someone from outside into the room.

...It was Agent Bronze.

Though dressed in casual clothes instead of an agent’s uniform, he looked like he’d just tidied himself up. His complexion didn’t seem great.

“......You’ve woken up. That’s good to see.”

“Yes.”

An awkward atmosphere hung in the air.

But Agent Choi, ever unabashed, patted Agent Bronze on the back and offered me another peeled apple slice.

“So, Jaegwan—oops, I mean, Agent Bronze—assigned you directly to Team Hyunmoo-1, huh? I was wondering why such a stickler would suddenly skip protocol and bring in a rookie, but he clearly has an eye for talent.”

Then he extended his hand toward me again.

“Welcome to Team Hyunmoo-1. You’re going to have a meaningful career here.”

“......”

“Come on, I bet you’re feeling like calling me Senior already, right?”

Hmm...

About that.

“No. Actually....”

I deliberately lowered my head, putting on a fearful and somber expression.

“Please, I’d like to transfer to a different unit.”

“...?!”

Sorry, but this was my plan all along.

‘Escape from the rescue squad opportunity...!’

***

Honestly, there weren’t many ways to get out of the rescue response team after already being officially registered.

Even in modern society, if you cling to someone’s leg and beg to be reassigned just because you don’t like the department you’re assigned to, you’ll end up labeled as a troublemaker.

‘And that would be the absolute worst for a spy....’

However, the Paranormal Disaster Management Agency had a unique loophole due to its nature.

A traumatic experience.

‘The blind spot of ghost story exploration.’

The fact that no one knows what might happen.

But if a rookie, during their first ghost story mission, ended up cutting off their own arm in an extreme attempt to escape?

The agency at least had the decency to release someone if they confessed to being traumatized.

‘This has to work.’

The problem was...

It seemed like I’d done too good of a job.

“Just one more time! Let’s try it one more time!”

Agent Choi, a figure straight out of early ghost story lore, was now clutching his head like a meme-worthy character, desperately trying to persuade me.

“This is your calling! You survived an irregular incident, saved a civilian, and brought them out with you! Do you even realize how insane those results are?”

It sounded like the wailing of someone who couldn’t afford to let go of a useful asset.

Classic government worker behavior, constantly struggling with a lack of manpower. The composed and socially skilled professional I had met earlier was gone....

Now he was even pointing to my severed arm.

“And the determination to cut off—no, to risk harm to your body!”

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Hmm.

“That,” I said, taking a deep breath with a pale face, “was insane.”

“.......”

Sorry, but I’m going to hit you with a guilt trip.

“I... I don’t even know what I was thinking when I did it.”

I knew exactly what I was thinking.

“I apologize. I know I must seem weak, but I really can’t do this anymore.”

The funny thing is, even though these lines were planned, they started to feel more genuine the more I spoke.

“If I keep this up, the stress will kill me.”

I clenched my remaining hand and lowered my head, mumbling.

“I was so terrified they’d die...”

“......”

Agent Choi opened his mouth as if to argue but closed it again.

“I just can’t do this anymore. I’m sorry.”

“......”

The hospital room grew silent, the atmosphere heavy.

“Hmm... yeah. That’s understandable.”

Agent Choi, now calmer, sat back down in the caregiver’s chair and spoke.

“But transferring to a different team after just one mission might not be great for your record. People might misunderstand and think you were let go... and then treat you like a liability.”

His voice was calm, tinged with concern, as if he was genuinely worried about my future.

And then, in a more subdued tone, he added,

“Of course, you wouldn’t be fired, but rumors...”

“I’ll restore him to his original status.”

“Jaegwan!”

“As an interim agent who hasn’t been officially assigned to a team yet.”

Ryu Jaegwan stepped in, shattering Agent Choi’s momentum.

He glanced at me briefly, his expression dark, before averting his eyes.

“...Try working in other teams as you wish. Once the three weeks are over, let me know which team you’d prefer.”

“...!”

“That much... I can arrange for you.”

“......Thank you.”

“Still, at least meet our team leader first... sigh.”

Agent Choi let out a deep sigh.

“Fine. Three weeks to experience other teams... that makes sense.”

And so, the matter was settled.

Agent Kim Soleum, as a rookie, would experience various teams over three weeks and report his preferred assignment to Agent Bronze.

Agent Bronze, using his authority as a senior, would actively recommend Kim Soleum’s chosen team to higher-ups.

“Think about it. Our team is really great.”

Agent Choi continued trying to leave the door open, pitching his team with various appeals.

He said I’d excel, that the team was full of unique and fun individuals, and that the work was incredibly rewarding....

Then he brought up something that hit a little closer to home.

“And the kids you saved.”

“...!”

“Aren’t you curious how they’re doing?”

He was talking about the high school students we’d rescued this time.

Agent Choi nudged Ryu Jaegwan toward me.

“Tell him, Agent Bronze.”

“......All three returned home safely.”

Ah.

Agent Bronze calmly explained the whereabouts of the three students.

Their injuries had been properly treated, and they’d reunited with their families in tears.

And the high schooler I’d been responsible for had actively participated in interviews with the Disaster Management Agency, praising how much I’d helped them in Lucky Mart.

“...They kept asking if you were safe. Now I can finally give them an answer.”

Even Lee Subin, who had suffered severe mental trauma, had undergone mild memory-erasure procedures and was doing fine.

During all of this, Agent Bronze had even defended the Nostalgia Candy the student had consumed, explaining to the government that it was a ghost-story-related item he’d obtained.

He spoke about it so casually that I almost missed it.

‘...Thanks for that.’

“All three of them wanted to meet you in person to thank you.”

When they were told that agency policy wouldn’t allow it, they decided to send letters instead.

“...That’s all.”

Apparently, everything had wrapped up nicely.

Even Ko Yeongeun.

“And the agent you saved is currently recovering as well. They’ll be back to work soon.”

“......I see.”

I let out a deep breath and rested my head against the bed. Unconsciously, I savored the moment.

They’re safe.

Everyone made it out alive.

“You’re happy, aren’t you?”

“......”

“I knew it. That’s your true calling... ah!”

Agent Choi smiled brightly, but Ryu Jaegwan shoved him toward the door.

“Ow! Jaegwan’s going to kill me!”

“For now, just rest. Don’t worry about anything else.”

“Got it.”

I bowed slightly to Agent Bronze as he stood by the bed.

“Thank you for your consideration... truly.”

“......No need.”

Agent Bronze looked at me with a conflicted expression before finally turning toward the door.

“But seriously, you’d fit perfectly in Team Hyunmoo-1... well, rest up.”

Agent Bronze shot a piercing glare at Agent Choi, who wisely kept his mouth shut, and the two left the room together.

Creak.

“...Phew.”

It was finally over.

I let out a long sigh of relief and lay back in bed.

‘Rescue team escape... successful.’

It was a perfect outcome.

Well, except...

‘This feels awkward.’

The missing arm, the relationship with Agent Bronze....

‘They’re showing me kindness, but it feels like there’s still some lingering resentment.’

Still, at least I’d completely avoided being suspected as a spy.

“...Ahhh.”

I stretched noisily, trying to ignore the pain in my empty right arm.

Then, Agent Choi’s earlier words came to mind.

“Don’t worry about your arm. We’ll take care of everything.”

‘Take care of everything,’ huh.

I thought about all the measures the Disaster Management Agency could provide for agents with missing limbs.

And among those, the most impressive and exciting option came to mind.

‘Well, even if it’s too expensive, they won’t just leave me like this....’

And besides, I had another chance to extract a different “solution” before the agency stepped in.

“Hmm.”

I picked up my smartphone from the bedside table.

Checking the text I received last night, I read:

[Consultation appointment: This Friday. See you then, Soleum-nim^^]

The time for my first spy report to Director Ho was drawing near.

And I wasn’t planning to just submit a simple report.

‘I’m going to squeeze out every opportunity I can.’

“Director, I’d like to file for workers’ compensation.”

“...!”