Surviving as an Office Worker in Monster Management Bureau

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I stared at my reflection in the mirror, racking my brain hard.

How did it come to this?

I recalled the events from just a while ago.

*

The duty room was on the third floor.

“Damn it, what kind of night shift is this?”

Song Ah Rin grumbled as she arranged the blankets in the duty room.

“Do we really need four people for this?”

“Right?”

Thinking about it, that’s kind of funny.

I looked around the cramped duty room.

Could such a facility even exist in an elementary school?

After a brief tour of the school, what we were to stay in resembled a small studio.

There were two bunk beds on either side, and on the far end from the door, just a single microwave was standing there.

The environment was so miserable, a wall stood where windows should be.

“I hope the blankets aren’t moldy.”

“Well, since it’s a night shift, why are you so worried?”

“Weren’t we told it’s going to be a night watch?”

Song Ah Rin looked at me as if questioning why I was asking something so obvious.

“That’s true.”

“Yeah. Since you’re the patient, you can either go first or last. Gray hair, black hair, any complaints?”

“None!”

“…None.”

At her words, both of them nodded, and Song Ah Rin looked at me with a triumphant expression.

“So it’s settled. Now help me with folding the blankets.”

And without giving me a chance to object, she swiftly started folding the blankets.

Unlike Yu Da On, who was methodically slow, and Jang Chae Yeon, who struggled to do anything, she expertly slapped the mattress and swiftly spread the blankets out, clearly a pro at household chores.

“Miss Song Ah Rin.”

“What?”

“You’re good at housework?”

“Well, I’ve lived alone for a long time.”

She said it casually as if it were no big deal, then turned back to me, grinning mischievously.

“Why? Is a girl good at housework your type?”

“Joking aside, that won’t get you anywhere.”

“Boring.”

She clicked her tongue and continued skillfully folding the blankets.

Thanks to Song Ah Rin, the tidying up was completed faster than expected, and amidst the silence, the four of us were just staring at each other.

Looks like I’ll have to brief everyone again.

Clearing my throat to get their attention, everyone turned to me.

“First, let me organize what we need to do.”

I started listing what I had heard.

“First, we need to lock the front gate. Then please check if each classroom is locked.”

All three nodded.

“It’s a small school with three floors, so it’ll be done quickly.”

Let’s see, and what else did I say to do?

“Oh right. Also, since sometimes students or outsiders wander in, we just need to kindly send them away.”

“So someone who’s awake has to keep checking on them?”

“You don’t necessarily have to patrol the school all the time. Just make a round and wake someone up, or if you have time, sleep a bit longer.”

“Okay!”

I ended up wondering whether it was really necessary for everyone to check once, but—

“Just to be safe, let’s all be careful.”

At my words, all three nodded.

“Then, since you’ve taken care of me, I’ll thankfully take the first watch.”

At my words, all three nodded and laid down on their respective beds, looking at me.

I felt like I was going back to boot camp for no good reason.

“Take care~”

“Be careful.”

“Make sure to turn off the lights when you leave.”

“Yes. I will.”

I turned off the lights in the duty room, holding a handgun and a bundle of classroom keys in my arms, and stepped outside the duty room.

Can’t be too careful.

I walked down the dark school corridor, shining the flashlight.

I had never realized how elementary schools were designed to be at kids’ eye level when I was younger.

Everything was low. The doors, the water fountain, everything.

And I hadn’t known how eerie a school could be at night.

Walking through a dark corridor that seemed straight out of a horror movie, I recalled what I needed to do first.

Check the classroom doors.

I went to check the classroom door right next to me.

The lock was tightly secured.

That’s good.

I confirmed that all classroom doors were locked, then headed downstairs to the playground.

How is it that all elementary schools are so similar?

A tiny playground with a statue and some odd statue at that.

I turned on my flashlight and scanned the corners of the playground, starting to close the front gate.

-Creeeak.

The front gate creaked ominously, closing with an unsettling metallic sound. After locking it up, I checked the time and realized only 20 minutes had passed.

Was it really necessary for four of us to do this?

After doing this line of work and becoming paranoid, I find myself doubting everything now.

However, asking to take in better guns for service at the armory because I’m scared and anxious? Who would grant such a request? I’m not in the isolation team.

Nothing around either. No signs or symptoms of anything.

I looked at the clock outdoors.

8 PM.

Guess it’s time to head back, rest, then wake the next person.

I opened the door to the first-floor corridor and stepped inside,

“…Huh.”

A child’s voice.

Caught off guard by the sudden unease, my body froze.

Everything around me seemed to rise.

And the modern concrete corridor I had seen just moments ago had vanished.

Surely, I had been looking at a thoroughly modern corridor made of concrete, yet suddenly a wooden first floor unfolded before my eyes.

Something’s not right.

I found myself wearing a black t-shirt with a cartoon character on it and jeans.

What the heck?

Reaching into my back pocket felt a heavy sensation, and I pulled out a handgun, light enough to hold with both hands, and the manual still fit perfectly in my grasp.

This feels wrong.

I reached for the doorknob to head back outside.

-Clank!

The door wouldn’t budge even a little.

Should I shoot?

I readied my gun, just about to pull the trigger when—

-Dadadadada!

The sound of something rushing in.

My finger froze on the trigger.

Listening closely.

-Dadadadada!

Someone was running.

But it didn’t sound like someone wearing shoes. It sounded like someone running barefoot.

I quickly lowered the gun and hid behind what looked to be a shoe rack made of wood.

The footsteps drew closer and then stopped near me.

Instinctively, I shut my mouth tight to keep from being discovered and held my breath.

Outside, the bright moonlight shone through, and I could see shadows illuminated by the dim light.

It was the silhouette of a woman crawling on all fours.

She had unnaturally long hair, an eerily elongated torso, and finally—

I heard clattering teeth in her mouth as she moved closer to me.

“Delicious, delicious, delicious, delicious, delicious.”

Her neck elongated and began to stretch towards me.

Should I shoot?

I grasped the unusually large handgun in my arms firmly with both hands.

In that moment,

“This way! Over here!”

Yu Da On’s voice, sounding like a little girl, echoed down the corridor, and the creature abruptly turned its head and dashed toward the direction of the voice.

First things first, let’s go to the duty room.

I quickly started running in the opposite direction.

I ran up the seemingly high stairs, reaching the third floor and dashed towards the duty room.

The old stairs and corridors were all made of wood.

As I ran, I organized the situation in my mind.

I was in another realm or something akin to it. And judging by the weight of my hands, feet, clothes, and gun, it horrifically seemed like I had regressed.

There’s no time to check.

I spotted the duty room ahead. What about the others?

I hurriedly opened the door to the duty room.

At least this room looked the same as before. Two bunk beds, and just one microwave.

The only difference was—

“…Where did they go?”

None of the three were in sight.

I quickly looked around. Was there a note?

Soon, I discovered a torn note with neat handwriting hastily scribbled on it, lying on one of the beds.

[If you see this note, get out of here right now!]

Get out right now?

I turned slowly to the sound of squeaking.

It was a person with long black hair.

The difference was she was crawling on all fours, her mouth grotesquely torn open, and where her eyes should’ve been, were stitched up with black thread.

I reflexively looked above her head.

Nothing there.

Noticing my momentary panic, her neck lunged toward me, and I reflexively raised my gun to shoot her forehead.

-Bang!

“Ugh!”

The recoil jolted through my arms like it might break them.

“Aahhh!”

A hole pierced through her forehead, and taking advantage of her scream, I swiftly jumped to the side and dashed outside.

Where did the others go? Did they make it?

I kept repeating this childish game of hide and seek, where I would hide, and she would chase me.

The good thing was that I had the key bundle, so I could open the classroom doors with no trouble.

The issue was not being able to see the other people.

And concerning what I had seen last, the image of a child hanging from her hair weighed heavily on my mind.

Who suffered that fate?

Even if I wanted to understand the situation better, my eyes had lost their function due to the unwanted severe regression, and it was difficult to shoot easily.

Let’s think of other options.

I quickly unfolded the manual.

[Manual for Office Staff]

[JL – In case of bodily abnormalities]

1. First, if bodily abnormalities are felt, there is a high probability it’s too late, so commit suicide. If suicide is difficult, refer to section [T – Methods of suicide].

2. In cases where suicide is not an option, assess the situation and determine whether the change is a bodily change or an overall change due to being in another realm.

2-1. If it is a bodily change where suicide isn’t needed, get help from the management agency immediately. The management agency is responsible for any bodily loss caused.

2-2. If it’s a change due to being in another realm, escaping that realm takes priority. Long-term exposure could lead to permanent bodily loss or change.

I looked around.

The noticeably old corridors and buildings.

It was evident that I was in another realm.

As I took a few steps, I sank deep into thought.

How can I escape this realm?

If it’s related to a school, there should only be—school ghost stories, right?

Is it to fight head-on and win? Would such a brute method actually work?

Considering how that thing keeps moving around with a hole in its head, it didn’t seem like that would conclude it.

-Dadadadada.

The sound of running drew closer again.

The difference this time was that alongside it, I could hear smaller running footsteps.

“Hah… Hah… This damn, sick…!”

A familiar voice and tone.

Ignoring the pain in my arms, I rushed towards the source of the voice, handgun drawn.

Long purple hair gleamed under the moonlight.

It was Song Ah Rin.

The difference this time was she looked like a little child even smaller than me, wearing a purple dress, gasping for breath as she ran.

“Song Ah Rin!”

“Hey! Save me!”

“Get down!”

Without hesitation, Song Ah Rin jumped and dropped to the floor at my command.

I aimed my gun with both hands.

It was quite heavy, but I could hit with one shot.

She swung her hair around—

-Bang!

Once again, the gun blazed as I pierced her forehead.

At the same moment, her hair whipped my hand, knocking the gun far away.

“Dammit—”

Before I could finish, Song Ah Rin quickly turned around and shut her eyes tightly, and that creature’s legs got tangled up and crashed into the wall.

In the meantime, I quickly helped Song Ah Rin to her feet and we made our escape.

I don’t know how long we ran, but just when I was gasping for breath and Song Ah Rin looked like she might faint from exhaustion, we managed to hide inside an empty classroom.

“Gasp… Gasp… What happened?”

“…Hah… Hah… Suddenly… we all got younger…”

As Song Ah Rin clutched her chest, she took deep breaths before continuing.

Seeing her like that made it feel quite unbalanced.

“Earlier, that thing… Hah… got in, and the three of us… were trying to escape… but the black-haired guy… drew its attention…”

Could what I saw in the classroom have been Yu Da On? A sense of unease washed over me.

“…More importantly… I found something first…”

Song Ah Rin pulled out a crumpled paper from her pocket.

“…What’s this?”

“Hoo… This is kinda strange.”

She unfolded the paper.

In crude handwriting, the paper had this written on it.

[Escape Method]

First, gather its hair.

Next, head to the gymnasium and burn its hair.

If a child follows along, do whatever it takes to shake them off.

Physical impact won’t work properly.

After burning the hair, open the doors to all classrooms and sing the hide-and-seek song.

If not everyone is gathered, the remaining ones will wander this place for eternity.

“…”

“…”

Song Ah Rin and I exchanged glances.

“So first, we need to cut that ghost’s hair, huh?”

“Damn—”

Song Ah Rin let out a curse that came from the heart, which I also felt deep down as I grasped the paper tightly.

First, we had to find the others.