Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work

“……Huu.”

I looked down at the tattoo again.

And among them, I reached out to a word that looked as if its font had glitched out, like a computer error.

The bells of Sekwang High School tolled.

“…!”

I realized that, if I wished, I could instantly don a high school uniform and become a being from a horror game, living in a different time and light from the intruder.

No matter what the side effects might be.

‘…Wait, hold on.’

So this tattoo doesn’t just organize what’s in my mind and show it to me?

It sorted out my contaminations so that I can ‘take them out and use them’ whenever I want?

This is insane.

‘It really was worth one-hundred sixty million won.’

Of course, whether I’ll actually use it is another question, but the important thing is that, for now, my contaminations have been organized and I won’t be swept away by them immediately.

‘Good.’

I carefully straightened my clothes, being especially cautious not to touch the worn Gothic-looking letters that, no matter how I looked at it, seemed to belong to the Church of the Luminous Unknown’s mimic.

Whether it was fortunate or not, a grand, gold, antique script and some words scrawled as if with little claws were inscribed even more prominently in the center.

‘Mascot and… cat?’

A strange sense of familiarity came over me.

Were these two on my side?

…Anyway, for now, this incident seems to have settled down.

Huu.

“Would you like to proceed with your next purchase?”

The lizard asked, as if it had been waiting.

I looked again at the piece of the Church of the Luminous Unknown’s scripture still on the table.

‘I need to deal with that too.’

Like buying something I could use to store it safely, for example.

The problem was, I didn’t have enough money left.

The best thing would be to rush to Daydream Inc. right now and sell it off, but as a spy, the timing wasn’t right…

“If I finish shopping, do you think I might forget about that item again?”

“There is a statistical possibility.”

Hm.

As the penniless wretch I am, I thought for a moment, then asked,

“Do you happen to offer a storage service?”

* * *

“Kim Soleum-ssi.”

“……”

“Kim Soleum-ssi.”

Huhk.

I opened my eyes.

A lizard was looking at me from across the table.

But this time, it wasn’t gray.

“Section Chief.”

“Yes.”

White lizard head, red pupils. Section Chief Lee Jaheon was standing in front of me. Huu.

“Did you experience any inconvenience during your VIP shopping?”

“No. It was very helpful…”

And then I saw it.

In front of Section Chief Lee Jaheon, a pink plush doll was now sitting on the table.

“……??”

Why is Braun here?

“Um, I thought I had… put that in my pocket.”

“I set it aside so it wouldn’t interfere with your shopping.”

“……”

I asked, struggling,

“Section Chief, just asking, but… can you still hear Braun— I mean, the plushie?”

“Yes.”

“But I can’t hear him.”

“I see.”

“What… What’s he saying?”

“Sighs, excessive excitement, criticism and threats.”

Aaaagh!

“I determined it had no informational value.”

“Y-Yes…”

Hurriedly, I carefully picked up the plushie from the table and returned it to my shirt’s front pocket.

But at that moment.

– My goodness. Finally.

“…Braun?!”

– Mr. Roe Deer! Oh, we can speak again at last…

I quickly pulled the plush from my pocket and checked it.

But at that instant, the voice cut off.

‘Huh?’

I put Braun back in my pocket.

– Mr. Roe Deer? Can you hear me?

Only one thing had changed.

‘The tattoo on the left side of my chest.’

Could it be that, when Braun is near my tattoo, it counts as being inside a ghost story?

‘Oh god.’

“Yeah. …It seems like, as long as I keep you here, we can keep talking.”

– Near the heart, hm. How fateful! Excellent. I shall generously forgive you for leaving me alone with that crazy, boring fellow for a full 23 minutes, because I am a Good Friend.

– Now, hurry up and kick him out. Quickly.

“W-Wait.”

I quickly soothed Braun, then spoke to Section Chief Lee Jaheon.

“Um, Section Chief… I saw someone who looked a lot like you while I was shopping.”

“That was not Section Chief Lee Jaheon. However…”

“They are still part of the collective ‘we’, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then, does that mean you already know everything I did?”

“Yes.”

I asked a little awkwardly in return.

“So you know what I did at the very end, too?”

“You mean the item storage service request?”

That’s right.

– I’d like you to store this item safely for me.

– Understood.

I entrusted the root of all evil—the Church of the Luminous Unknown’s sacred law fragment—to the lizards… no, to the Space Shopping Mall.

‘It seemed like it would be cheaper than removing it completely or buying an item to control it.’

And that expectation was correct.

…It was still hella expensive, though.

– The price is 8,999,990 won for 100 days, based on the planet you currently reside on.

– …Do you offer installment plans?

Installments, really.

I never thought I’d use a financial service I’ve never even tried in real life in a world of creepypastas…

‘Still, Daydream Inc. would probably pay a higher price if they bought it, so this is probably for the best.’

When the time comes, I’ll just find it and sell it right away.

Fortunately, according to Section Chief Lee Jaheon’s explanation, I’ll be able to retrieve it anytime.

The cell chip I put under my tongue had disappeared without a trace, but now, I can reactivate it by connecting to the Space Shopping Mall.

“Kim Soleum-ssi, you are now connected with us.”

…I wanted to ask if that was also a kind of contamination, but since it didn’t appear on my tattoo, I decided not to be rude. After all, he’s someone who can squeeze steel with one hand.

He’s also the one who always notices my contamination and takes care of it for me, and I’m grateful for that.

“I’m grateful. Thanks to you, I’ve come to my senses a bit.”

“Yes. However, the choice is yours, Kim Soleum-ssi.”

“…Do you think I made the right choice?”

The lizard’s snout curved slightly.

“Yes.”

“……!”

“You made a good choice.”

Just as he’s told me a few times before.

“……”

As expected.

When I was shopping earlier, the lizard had the same head and even spoke similarly, so I didn’t notice, but seeing him in person like this, I could feel it.

‘They’re subtly different.’

How should I put it? With this lizard, you could feel intelligence and emotion, and there was personality, maybe… I’m not sure.

Of course, if those alien reptiles share a single mind and feeling, maybe I’m just projecting that difference onto Section Chief Lee Jaheon because I’ve built a connection with him.

‘Honestly, I’m not even part of D-squad anymore, nor is it his responsibility, but he still looks after me.’

He probably does the same for my D-squad sunbaes, too.

He was a supervisor whose thoughts I was always curious about and whom I was grateful for in many ways.

“Thank you, Section Chief.”

With another word of thanks, I escorted Section Chief Lee Jaheon out of the motel when our business was finished.

Instead of using the door, he quietly disappeared out the window.

– If any issues arise, please contact us.

That was the last thing he said.

“……”

– Is it over?

Yeah.

– Huu. Finally gone.

– By the way, don’t you have any plans for us to leave this dreadful place too?

Hahaha.

“There is.”

– Oh?

“I’m going to work tomorrow.”

And by the way.

“I’m a spy infiltrating a government agency now.”

– Show business, my goodness.

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