Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work-Chapter 96

The ghost story taxi was calling us.

From beyond the main door.

Honk honk.

If we got in and followed the manual properly, we could definitely reach Seoul Station....

The problem was how to board that taxi.

'It's parked outside the main door of the shop.'

That's why we specifically looked for a shop with a main entrance. The alleys of Death's End Alley were too narrow for a taxi to park.

'Therefore, to call and board the taxi, we had to step outside through the main door....'

But we couldn't guarantee what kind of scenery awaited us beyond that door, or whether Captain Lee Jaheon and I would be safe.

So we prepared a contingency plan.

Using the merchandise from this shop.

'I was planning to visit here anyway, and since this shop also had a main entrance, we could wrap it up all at once.'

I swallowed hard.

"Captain, please proceed according to plan."

"Understood."

Captain Lee Jaheon reached into the paper bag he was holding and swiftly tore open the packaging.

Along with the cozy socks, an extra item included as a bonus was revealed.

A small ball of yarn.

True to the handmade knitting shop, they probably gave it to us to add new embroidery to the socks, but we were going to use it a bit differently now.

"Let's begin."

Avoiding the shopkeeper's gaze, I unraveled one end of the red yarn and tied it firmly to the leg of a display shelf.

Then I split the ball of yarn with Captain Lee Jaheon, each of us holding half.

It would slightly restrict our movements, but it was safer for both of us to hold onto the yarn directly.

"Let's go."

"Yes."

I slowly unwound the yarn, standing with my back against the frosted glass door, and began to walk backward....

As my back touched the glass door, I groped downward to find the handle.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

Click.

As I pushed the handle, a gust of wind blew in from outside.

And the raw sound of a car horn.

Honk honk.

Don't look back.

Matching steps with Captain Lee Jaheon, I slowly walked backward.

Fortunately, I had a "good friend" who could act as my eyes.

—"Just keep stepping back in that direction, friend! Since it's night, there aren't many pedestrians."

...Pedestrians? No, don't get curious.

Fixing my gaze inside the shop, I continued to walk backward without looking at the dark surroundings.

The yarn hanging from the shop connected us to Death's End Alley....

In other words, it was a kind of lifeline.

'As long as we're holding onto this, we won't be considered missing!'

Slowly, slowly, retreating without haste....

Thud.

I bumped into something.

Honk honk.

...It was the taxi.

At the repeated sound of the horn, vibrations traveled through the car body to my own.

Carefully, I reached back and felt the smooth surface of the car....

—"Just a hand's width to the left."

I adjusted my hand. A sleek groove met my fingers.

'The handle.'

I grabbed the car door handle and pulled.

Then I slipped into the taxi, squeezing my body inside.

I didn't have time to reflect on the modern and clean interior. Keeping my eyes down toward the seat, I moved to the side, and Captain Lee Jaheon immediately got in through the empty space.

Simultaneously, he tossed away the remaining ball of yarn in his hand and closed the door.

Thanks to his immense strength, all these actions happened in an instant.

Bang.

"......."

I finally lifted my head.

Then I spoke to the driver in the front seat, who wore an impeccably pressed suit and a peaked cap, looking unnaturally neat.

"Please take us to Seoul Station."

.......

"Estimated arrival time is 43 minutes from now."

The car started smoothly.

'Phew.'

I leaned deeply into the seat back, exhaling a sigh of relief.

We had done it!

'Successfully switched ghost stories.'

Of course, since this taxi itself was also a ghost story, we couldn't let our guard down.

I quickly recalled the relevant information.

That problematic ghost story called "Hell-Surcharge Taxi," which, just by the name, suggested issues might arise during payment.

The taxi's appearance is usually described as a black luxury sedan of German make.

While the car model changes with each call, it's identifiable by the vermilion taxi sign on top and the golden inverted cross ornament hanging from the front mirror.

I looked toward the driver's seat.

...A sinister-looking golden inverted cross dangled and swayed from the front mirror.

Confirmed.

'Whew.'

Even though everything was going according to plan, tension crawled up my spine.

Was it because we were trapped in the confined space of a taxi? The pressure of being inside a terrifying story where escape was impossible, coupled with...

Tick tock.

The meter was rising.

[10000]

[10100]

[10200]

[10300]

Fast.

"Driver."

I had to start talking quickly.

The less interest the driver showed in the passenger's chatter, the faster the vehicle's speed increased, and the meter rose rapidly.

And as the meter rose...

Passengers received a curse corresponding to the meter fare upon disembarking.

Exactly.

This taxi didn't collect money as payment but instead assigned curses.

More precisely, it was closer to "supernaturally occurring misfortunes" than curses, making it all the more eerie.

However, if the driver maintained interest in the passenger's chatter and drove slowly, the meter rose slowly, and the "curse" ended up being something the passenger could handle.

In the opposite case...

'If you get off from a taxi speeding like crazy, you'll receive an unbearable curse.'

Moreover, the taxi didn't arrive at the destination earlier just because it was speeding.

All taxis arrived on time, and the taxi's speed was unrelated to the estimated arrival time.

My assigned time was 43 minutes.

During this time, I had to keep the driver's interest consistently.

'When the vehicle speeds up, the probability of abnormal phenomena occurring inside the car—like windows shattering—increases...'

I absolutely didn't want to experience that.

But since I'd read the records, didn't I know what kind of conversation would pique the driver's interest?

That's true.

The problem was, there were four possible "drivers"!

The taxi had four drivers working in shifts, referring to each other by numbers.

They looked exactly the same but showed subtle differences in customer service, and each was interested in different conversation topics.

They looked identical, so you couldn't tell who was who, and if you bluntly asked which number they were, they'd show displeasure and kick you out of the taxi.

'And those who were kicked out disappeared without a trace...'

Therefore, the only way to identify them was to engage in conversation.

From the exploration records, the keywords each driver was confirmed to show interest in were as follows:

Number 1: Olympics, elections, pets, games, social media.Number 2: War, mafia, action movies, vampire legends, firearms.Number 3: Good restaurants, farming, economic recession, slum tourism, luxury brands.Number 4: Afterlife, religious experiences, pandemics, mass massacres, ■■■.So, the original strategy was to start by quickly figuring out which number driver it was through the first conversation.

But you know.

If you had this much exploration data in your head, you could try something else.

A way to get off this taxi in the most intact condition.

"Passenger."

"......."

The first question had already begun.

From the front seat, a haughty voice that sounded subtly mocking came from the driver operating the vehicle....

"How was your day today?"

"Just worked."

"Ah."

The driver didn't directly express a preference for the passenger's chatter, only asking questions.

But the meter responded.

[10500]

[10700]

[10900]

[11200]

It was skyrocketing.

—"My goodness, doesn't that driver understand the concept of small talk? Friend, if you want, a competent broadcaster like me can chime in...."

'It's okay.'

This result was expected. I quickly and casually continued.

"But I almost died while working."

The driver paused.

"I almost became meat while trying to buy meat at a butcher shop."

The meter stopped.

[11300]

"Fortunately, the shop owner was a vegetarian. I managed to get out by bartering some agricultural products. I even won the haggling and got some money."

"......."

The driver's fingers tapping on the steering wheel slowed.

...The vehicle slowed down.

"And what happened next?"

Phew.

“I headed for the back alley.”

‘It worked.’

What was I doing, you ask?

‘I’m just tying as many relevant keywords as possible into my answers.’

The goal was to make sure the driver, whoever or whatever they were, couldn’t help but take an interest.

The so-called “Surely There’s Something Here That’ll Catch Your Attention” strategy.

And, conveniently enough, my recent experiences were the perfect fuel for throwing out one shocking story after another.

‘The kind of stuff I’ve dealt with over the last six months could fill a lifetime.’

[What are your plans for tomorrow?]

I wasn’t running out of material anytime soon.

“For now, I plan to rest and sort through everything that’s happened. It’s been one hell of a ride.”

No matter what the taxi driver asked, I kept steering the conversation toward all the wild, attention-grabbing experiences I’d had.

And I kept layering it on.

Nightmares, food shortages, blood, violence, survival of the fittest, mascots, cooking, divination, ghosts...

Everything blended naturally into casual conversation.

Eventually, the taxi crept forward at a speed that could rival a bicycle, inching along.

I kept talking endlessly, so much so that even Braun, my plush companion, was impressed by my ability to fill the silence.

By the time my voice was hoarse...

[...We’ve arrived.]

The taxi came to a stop.

[Your destination, Seoul Station.]

...Click.

The lock on the back door disengaged. The tinted windows rolled down, revealing a familiar view.

It was the nighttime scenery of Seoul Station.

‘Ha...!’

I was so overwhelmed with relief I almost cried.

I wanted to jump out immediately, but there was the matter of settling the fare first.

I glanced at the meter.

[29700]

[29800]

Click.

The driver stopped the meter.

[29800]

‘I did it...!’

For a ride to stay under 30,000 won, it usually had to be within a ten-minute distance. This was a miracle.

It meant there’d be no lasting harm from this trip.

[Your fare, please.]

The taxi driver extended a hand backward.

In their hand was a check.

-29,900 / Code 1

Carefully, I accepted the paper check sealed with a snake-shaped wax imprint.

The back of the check explained what the passenger’s curse would entail.

Fare Code 1: Illness.

High fever, headaches, hemoptysis, chills for three days.Alright.

‘Totally manageable.’

It was a far better deal than enduring terrible financial misfortune or losing someone close to me.

“Thank you.”

Clutching the check, I bowed deeply toward the driver’s seat before finally stepping out of the taxi.

‘Ha.’

The winter air felt unbelievably good.

Knock knock.

“...!”

The taxi driver’s side window rolled halfway down.

[Passenger.]

I almost fainted.

“Yes?”

[It was an enjoyable conversation. My colleagues might be interested in your stories as well....]

From the darkness, the gloved hand gripping the steering wheel tapped its fingers rhythmically.

[When we retire, let’s meet again. I’ll buy you a drink then.]

I swallowed hard.

...Did they suspect anything?

You see, there’s a well-known motif tied to this particular taxi’s driver.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

A ghost story where the horsemen of conquest, war, famine, and death serve as literal taxi drivers at the end of the world.

Given that context... what they just said was enough to make cold sweat run down my back.

But I managed to nod calmly.

“Yes.”

The horsemen of the apocalypse couldn’t retire until the end of the world, anyway!

By then, I’d be long gone.

“Sounds good. Best of luck with work in the meantime.”

[Haha... Yes. It’s tedious.]

The taxi’s window slid back up.

The black vehicle disappeared from Seoul Station like a ghost, leaving behind only its crimson taxi sign.

“......”

I stared at the minus check in my hand.

At that moment...

The check ignited in flames, and I started coughing up blood.

“Ugh.”

High fever and a splitting headache burned through me, but it was tolerable.

And there, watching me, was a lizard.

A lizard bleeding from its mouth in perfect mimicry of me.

‘Ugh.’

It wasn’t a great sight, but I swallowed the bloodied saliva and said,

“This’ll clear up in three days. That’s... how the rules seem to work.”

“Yes.”

“And thank you. For not interrogating me about how I knew and for trusting me in the taxi. Cough.”

The lizard stared at me as I coughed up more blood.

“Kim Soleum.”

“Yes?”

“Take sick leave.”

“Yes....”

A little later.

We waited until the coughing subsided and called another taxi to return to the dormitory.

Though the thought of another taxi made me uneasy, there were no further incidents, and aside from the boiling fevers, both my supervisor and I managed to get home safely.

‘Turns out even Lee Jaheon lives in the same dorm building.’

We parted ways in front of the building.

“Take sick leave.”

“Yes... thank you.”

More details would have to wait for the office.

‘Phew.’

And so...

I made it back in one piece.

‘Home is good, even if it’s just the dorm.’

The warmth of the heated indoor air greeted me as I stepped inside, a sensation that felt almost euphoric.

Though I was sick, I wanted nothing more than a hot shower and a long rest.

But... there was one more thing to address.

‘Huh.’

I noticed shoes at the entrance that didn’t belong to me.

Baek Saheon’s dress shoes.