Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work

Chapter 106.2

“I mean, I’m sure it was... huh? Was it left in the dorm room? Or maybe a fellow Security Team newbie gave it to me... Wait, was there even another newbie here? What? Huh? What’s going on?”

Damn it.

“It’s fine! Don’t think about it anymore. Let’s just stay still for now.”

“...Yeah.”

Supervisor Park curled up quietly, lowering his head.

“Let’s just focus on getting out of here. When the door opens, we leave immediately. No looking back.”

“Yes.”

Huu...

‘This is insane...’

My head was spinning.

With our accounts conflicting like this, I couldn’t tell what was real or fabricated.

I couldn’t discern reality from falsehood, nor did I know what to believe. All I had was the oppressive weight of fear in this situation.

‘Am I... under some kind of spell?’

But no—my silver ring was still on my finger. That should have offered strong resistance against illusions, hallucinations, or brainwashing.

In that case...

‘Let’s think logically.’

I forced myself to focus.

1- My mind is intact.

2- Everything I’m experiencing is real.

3- This is an external phenomenon unrelated to my mental state.

For an objective perspective on this phenomenon...

‘Braun.’

The plushie in my pocket might hold the answer.

‘Braun! I need to ask you something. Can you help?’

......

Silence.

No way.

‘...Braun!’

I frantically searched my pocket. Even when I called again, there was no response—Nôv(el)B\\jnn

– Ah! Here I am, my friend!

Relief washed over me as I clutched the soft, plush figure in my hand.

– Apologies for the delay in responding! It took me a moment to catch up, I must admit.

“......”

‘Catch up?’

‘...Why did you need time to catch up with me?’

– Oh, because you jumped straight to the 30th, Mr. Roe Deer!

The cheerful voice made an incomprehensible statement.

– But I’m not blaming you. Finishing the disciplinary work quickly is a valid approach! Avoiding wasted effort and welcoming the new year early—it sounds like a splendid plan, don’t you think?

Ah.

Thanks! It’s open!

The faceless entity drew nearer, its voice brimming with elation.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

The grotesque laughter exploded in my ears, rattling my brain until everything blurred and my mind began to fade.

Reality itself...

...went black.

* * *

“......Heuuuuhp!”

I jolted awake.

A dimly lit storage room.

The red emergency lights still flashed, sealing us inside this confined space. Shutters locked tightly in place.

I stood there, clutching discarded cleaning tools, looking as if I had just escaped Isolation B.

The scene before me seemed to rewind slightly to an earlier moment.

In my pocket was another work tip sheet—for Day 3 of my shift.

I immediately crumpled it up and threw it aside.

Crackle.

[Hello? Are you alright?]

The walkie-talkie buzzed, but I ignored it.

This time, I remembered.

‘Ireum-nim, they said.’

My hands trembled as sweat dripped from my brow.

“I understand now.”

The lost story.

The entity that took the form of someone I knew.

The one that cried out about Ireum-nim.

Its true identity was...

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

Dark Exploration Records / Factions

[Church of the Luminous Unknown]

: One of the three great factions in the .

They worship an otherworldly deity referred to as Ireum-nim, and their doctrine centers around becoming a significant existence in this world to survive the end times.

Their practices involve antisocial, supernatural fanaticism, rituals, and laws.

The sect divides into six branches, each devoted to a different divine principle, which results in bizarre paranormal phenomena.

The ultimate truth about them is... [Spoilers].

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

It’s the Church of the Luminous Unknown.

T/N: By the way, ireum = name. It feels a bit weird to translate it as Name-nim, Lord Name, Almighty Name or some other variation... so I just left it alone. Hope that’s alright~