It Seems I Must Go to Work Even After Falling into a Horror Story Chapter 108

The security team leader handed me a towel so I could clean up the bloodied cleaning uniform.

I mechanically wiped the uniform, trying my best not to look to my side.

Because there, undoubtedly, was the grotesque corpse of the unnamed radiant church member whose head was smashed by the security team leader.

“Hmm. It’s definitely not a pretty sight! The floor is dirtied without any sense of aesthetics… Oh, Doe! An interesting phenomenon is occurring!”

“…??”

I reflexively turned my head.

That spot, which had been splattered with blood and mangled flesh, was melting away before my eyes.

It was as if time had suddenly reversed, and what was drying on the floor transformed into the withered body of someone…

A human corpse.

So desiccated that I couldn’t even identify who it was; a crumpled, dried-up piece of paper fell from the gaping mouth.

The inside, covered in unreadable golden characters, wriggled and transformed into Hangul the moment my gaze landed on it.

The Sacred Law Scripture: Section 4

Story Thief

“…!”

This is the Sacred Law.

In other words, it’s somewhat like the horror story generator of the unnamed radiant church.

Initiates can ingest fragments of the Sacred Law Scripture and conduct rituals at the altar to use the corresponding powers.

The security team leader leisurely approached the paper and squatted down.

He seemed to want to take it…

“It’s a Level 4… Hey, do you want it?”

“Huh?”

“It seems like the company buys these at a bit of a high price… I could say I got it elsewhere and sell it later…”

“…Is it really alright for me to personally take this when Chief Jay had it?”

“What does it matter…”

“……”

“I don’t really need money…”

No, that’s not what I meant. I was just asking if I could take it for personal use since the security team was here…

Anyway, since he’s offering, I quickly took it.

“Thank you.”

I thought of a few practical uses for it outside of selling it to the company immediately.

‘Having usable cards is always good.’

Besides, after all this hell, why not grab something…

To avoid any influence, I pretended to put the item in my inventory, wrapping it with ‘packaging paper 12B357’.

“Phew.”

“Once again… thank you for your help. I owe you my life.”

“Don’t mention it…”

Meanwhile, memories from the last two days were slowly rotating in my head.

A mundane routine.

Just moments that flew by without anything particularly noteworthy, so much so that you wouldn’t even bother writing in a diary.

Days that would probably fade from memory after a year… in novel terms, they’d be the equivalent of ‘narrative omission.’

And that was a bit chilling.

A feeling of time being sucked away.

‘The unnamed radiant church… truly the worst.’

There’s a reason they’re the last group I’d want to get involved with.

‘Horror stories mixed in with reality.’

I never imagined I’d encounter one while cleaning. I knew the unnamed radiant church was at Daydream Corporation, but I never thought I’d meet an escaped entity from an isolation room without any preparation…

‘Thank goodness I’m alive.’

I heaved a sigh of relief. Now I just wanted to clock out and rest…

“Oh, it’s here… in the hallway.”

Creak.

A man in a crimson uniform, who had lost consciousness, stumbled through the door to Isolation Corridor B, opened by the security team leader.

The cleaner who had entered with me.

“…Chief Oso-ri!”

Aaaaah!

You’re still here on the third day!

Fortunately, Chief Park Min-seong regained consciousness shortly after being moved to the break room.

“……Uh? What’s going on? Who… pushed me?”

“There was a commotion with an escape from the isolation room.”

“Whoa?!”

I explained everything I had experienced up until now.

As a side note, during this process, the security team leader only nodded occasionally when prompted. He didn’t seem at all interested in pressing me about my prior knowledge of the unnamed radiant church.

He just looked… like he really didn’t want to work…

‘…I guess it can’t be helped since it’s a lifetime position.’

I understood.

And Chief Park Min-seong’s expression changed as he seemed to grasp my explanation.

“I really don’t remember well what you did on the first or second day… just cleaned up without any issues. So I’m still here.”

“…….”

“Scary. That cult.”

“Exactly.”

The mimic of the unnamed radiant church had absorbed every incident he caused, transforming everything into a still and ordinary existence.

‘To think that’s a Level 4.’

It’s a type of reality manipulation.

In terms of Daydream Corporation, it’d roughly be between a B to C rank, so it’s not necessarily low.

The problem lies in the fact that the unnamed radiant church is flooded with zealous devotees who have received powers with a horror story rank of Level 4 or higher…

Reflecting on the earlier mimic that barely resembled a human, I swallowed hard.

Please, let there be no stuff related to them until I gather all my wish-granting points.

“Um… I finished cleaning, so you should change your clothes too…”

“Oh. Right. Doe, I’ll change quickly and be back. Just a moment!”

“Yes.”

I waved goodbye to Chief Park Min-seong as he headed out of the room.

Next to me, the security team leader was sweeping up a piece of paper that Chief Park Min-seong had left behind and tossing it into the trash.

The strange work tip note, of course.

“…….”

“Um, about this note…”

Just as it happened, the security team leader initiated the conversation first.

“I was about to ask because it looked too suspicious, but is it really a tip that was circulating within the security team?”

“Yes… it is. But… I definitely wouldn’t have given it to that person.”

“…Huh?”

“Chief Oso-ri…”

The security team leader murmured softly.

Looking at the now-empty spot where Chief Park Min-seong had vanished.

“That guy is a full-on contaminated individual of the ‘Hungry Hangman’… We shouldn’t have any contact with any form of rule book… because he’s been tainted with a similar darkness…”

“…!!”

Wait a minute!

‘Chief Park Min-seong was already tainted with the kindergarten educational material, so similar forms of writing could definitely be dangerous.’

The intensity might differ, but having gone through the same type of contamination had my stomach churning.

It was completely natural to prevent access to things that reminded one of contamination.

However, what the security team leader was about to say didn’t end there.

It was an even… more chilling fact.

“Chief Oso-ri can contaminate rule books just by reading them…”

“…….”

What?

“If he realizes that too consciously… it could accelerate the contamination, so he probably doesn’t even know up until now…”

In that case…

“Are you saying someone intentionally gave Chief a prohibited note? That I had to let Chief Park Min-seong read the tainted work tip?”

Nodding.

The security member slowly nodded his head.

– Ah, it’s a trap! How classic.

My response was also classic and direct.

“…Can we rewind the CCTV footage?”

“There’s no CCTV in the security team quarters… The chance of capturing something bad is quite high too…”

“…So someone took advantage of the lack of CCTV.”

“Yeah, probably…”

Who would that be?

This was definitely a purposeful attack on Chief Park Min-seong’s work shift. It wasn’t just some random escape due to luck or misfortune with a mimic getting away.

‘Could it be that another unnamed radiant church was cooperating within the company?’

But it seems hard to believe that this was an effective way for the unnamed radiant church in the isolation room to escape… just causing a disturbance, they are.

‘Then, if the objective isn’t the escape…’

If the goal was the cleaning staff who had worked that day…

‘And if it was to mess me up?’

“…Jay.”

“Yes…?”

“Do you think that research team staff might know about the security team’s underground area?”

“Um… it depends on the team…?”

The security team leader’s eyes narrowed.

“Is there a member of the research team you’re suspicious of…?”

“…A bit.”

“Who…?”

There was a slight conflict.

However, the security team leader was the one responsible for security in this area today, so I felt he had the right to know.

‘Additionally, he could also become a witness to the situation.’

Alright. I decided to willingly lay it out.

“It’s Manager Gwak Je-gang.”

“……”

“The reason I got this punishment in the first place was that I didn’t follow his orders. He told me to leave a colleague from the cleanup team in a dangerous place, and I ignored it.”

“……”

“I don’t necessarily suspect Manager Gwak himself; I’m just inferring from the circumstances…”

“I understand.”

“…??”

“Just a moment…”

Beep beep.

The security team leader walked over to the telephone on the break room side and picked it up.

Then he seemed to think deeply for a moment before pressing the buttons emphatically.

A short beep rang before… click.

[Hello, this is Gwak Je-gang!]

“…!!”

I stared, mouth agape, at the security team leader who rang up a manager from another team out of nowhere at this hour.

But he himself showed no change in expression.

“Uh… this is Team Leader J3 from Security Team 3.”

[…J3? …Wait, who is this?? Group B leader… Oh, I see, you’re not part of the elite team anymore? Haha, I just made a mistake with someone who hasn’t even been on a field exploration team!]

“……”

[Anyway, it’s been a while! I’ve heard your name from the security team. Wow! A capable employee is different! It’s a shame that you can’t get involved in the dark!]

‘Is he scratching his back?’

No, I can’t question that. It feels like he’s really rubbing it in…?

[Anyway, what’s the sudden call about? Was today your shift? Is this the security team quarters phone?]

[Did something happen? Ah, if you’re itching to get into the dark or something, that won’t be possible, sorry. Haha!]

I nervously looked over at the security team leader.

“Uh…”

[Hmm?]

“Actually… even if I can’t get into the dark… I can kill people.”

[……!]

“Just… putting that out there.”

And then I hung up.

“……”

Wow.

“Is that… really okay?”

“Yes… well.”

The security team leader shrugged his shoulders.

“But I don’t think it’ll really work… those higher-ups in the research team… um.”

The security team leader chose his words carefully.

“They’re insane…”

“……”

That didn’t sound good.

I barely managed to respond.

“Anyway, seeing that reaction from him, I realize that my suspicions make sense…”

‘By asking him directly if anything happened during the security team duties today, I couldn’t help but think that Manager Gwak was involved in this matter.’

‘Wouldn’t it be strange if it got too easy to back off just because I’m concerned?’

‘It’s driving me insane…’

I need to come up with a countermeasure again.

Anyway, I nodded toward the security team leader.

“Thank you, Jay.”

“Um, then… I’ll bring some snacks for the next time I visit. Maybe some donuts.”

“Yes.”

Surprisingly, bribery seems easy.

“Anyway… be careful… You never know what they might do…”

“……”

I hesitated a bit before asking.

“By the way, can I ask if you’ve had any bad experiences with the research team due to conflicts?”

“……”

The security team leader avoided eye contact.

“It’s not a very interesting story.”

A brief silence.

“I got caught in some weird fairy tale… And it took a very… long time to come out.”

Then the security team leader didn’t say anything more.

“……”

‘The horror of the fairy tale caused by the research team.’

Just hearing that sentence made it clear to me.

I could guess what kind of darkness the security team leader had been contaminated with.

And I naturally started to associate it with a well-known named character from the elite team.

That character’s tormented exploration record also included the security team’s tragic history.

The recording of the employee who went missing during research of Qterw-A-37 confirmed the document ‘And everyone lived unhappily ever after.’

‘I could choose to ask more while pretending not to know…’

So I could possibly uncover another named character.

“……”

I too fell silent.

I decided to respect the security team leader’s silence.

After a moment. When Chief Park Min-seong returned after changing his clothes, the security team leader said:

“Anyway, you passed the cleaning work for three days… um, now… you should be able to handle the duties of the security team…”

This was the first approval for Chief Park Min-seong’s recovery.

“…! Really?!”

“Yes… And you should be able to go outside too…”

“Really?!”

“Well, after sunset…”

Hmm.

“Then, can I possibly go today? Since the sun has already set.”

“No, Doe? I’m fine. I can go another day…”

“Just a moment…”

The security team leader uploaded a report to somewhere via an old computer and declared.

“You can go today…”

“Whoa!”

“From now on… you’ll be allowed to go out once a week…”

“Whoa!!”

The slightly pale complexion of Chief Park Min-seong brightened, and a smile spread across his face.

It was the same expression I had seen when he was still in Group D.

“……”

“Just return before the sun rises… um…”

“And what happens if you can’t come back?”

“Well, the company… would ask for rescue services…”

“……”

“Don’t do that… If you don’t want a lifetime position…”

Chief Park Min-seong lowered his head sadly.

“Yes. I’ll make sure to return on time. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it…”

The security team leader scratched his cheek.

Then shortly after, I quickly finished preparing to go out with Chief Park Min-seong, and we climbed the stairs.

“See you later…”

The security team leader lightly waved goodbye as we left the underground.

“Wow! It feels so nice to walk outside!”

Chief Park Min-seong beamed with joy and raised both arms.

Even though it was past 3 AM and not many people were around, the bright lights still sparkled in the city of Seoul, and there were still people walking around.

“I can’t believe it’s been so long since I got some fresh air… I’m even seeing stars!”

Chief Park Min-seong had his mask on and hat pulled down, as if trying to cover his face as much as possible.

The time allowed for Chief to be outside was conservatively set for 3 hours until dawn.

‘Well, at least it’s winter.’

“Chief, are you heading home?”

“Um… I’m planning to visit the hospital.”

“……”

“A family member is hospitalized. They’ll probably be sleeping, but… I just want to see their face.”

Chief Park Min-seong said that with a bit of an embarrassed smile as he scratched his cheek.

“Um, actually, I’m saving points for family…”

Damn.

“Can I ask what kind of family member?”

“Oh, it’s my younger sibling. They’re really sweet! And a genius? A violin prodigy!”

And Chief Park Min-seong enthusiastically explained how great and nice his younger sibling was when they were young, and how much they loved playing and excelled with the violin.

However, he didn’t say anything about their current condition.

“……”

“Anyway… so I really need those points for my sibling. I really don’t want to quit…”

“Then you’ll return to the Field Exploration Team?”

“…Hmm. It seems like it would take too long.”

Chief Park Min-seong trailed off and added with a brighter tone.

“Oh, but I heard that there are departments in the security team that give a lot of points. They say you get more than from the Field Exploration Team?”

“…!”

Oh.

There…

“…Isn’t there a reason why they give so much?”

“Well, that’s true… but.”

Chief Park Min-seong murmured.

“Sometimes you have to take risks for wishes to come true…”

“……”

“Ah, we’ve arrived at your staff quarters!”

Chief Park Min-seong patted my back.

“Go on in. I can catch a taxi from here. Go relax comfortably, Doe. You really worked hard!”

Then he spoke softly in a lowered voice.

“Hey, don’t worry too much… Honestly, I was prepared for this. Given how things went, it’s actually better than I expected… It’s thanks to you. Thank you, Doe.”

“……”

In the end, I just smiled faintly and shook hands with him.

“Wherever you work, I’ll support you, but I still hope we have an opportunity to work together someday.”

“…Yeah. I hope so too.”

We bade farewell like that, and Chief Park Min-seong got into a taxi and left for the hospital.

“Phew…”

I sighed as I entered the staff building.

If I wasn’t mistaken, there was a strange madness about Chief Park Min-seong when he spoke about wishes…

– Every ordinary person has now developed an interesting individuality.

Let’s not make any scary noises, Brown…

‘Anyway, I can finally sleep now…’

Having a day off on the last day of the year wasn’t so bad, but I never thought it would all pass and I’d just be sleeping.

I entered the dim early morning staff quarters, turned on my smartphone’s flashlight to light the way warmly and brightly toward my room.

And then, I went to sleep.

‘The countermeasures for Gwak Je-gang… I’ll think of those with a clear head after I wake up… I hope to just rest for a bit.’

My overworked body, fatigued from the night’s exhausting physical and mental labor, embraced sleep sweetly.

It had been a very long time since I’d experienced that.

It was the first time in ages I hadn’t fallen asleep while watching a children’s cartoon or comedy.

I relished in the deeply delightful sleep that came without dreams.

And the moment I woke up feeling refreshed, as if I had just closed my eyes and opened them again…

“Ah. You’re awake.”

“…!”

I shot up immediately.

– A guest has arrived without warning, Doe.

Someone was standing by the pale window.

They looked tired, in casual clothes with hair tightly tied back, and…

An empty left hand.

“It’s been a while, Doe… So you were cleaning with Min-seong.”

It was really Assistant Manager Eun Ha-je.