Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work

Chapter 5.2

“……!”

[Don’t believe me? But we have a whole truckload of your seniors and superiors who’ve taken this and had their wishes fulfilled.]

[Allow me to demonstrate.]

The host tore open the packaging of the bottle and downed it in one gulp!

[Today’s the day I was scheduled to receive my Wish Ticket. Haha!]

And in that moment, everyone in the lecture hall immediately knew what the host’s ‘wish’ had been.

The instant he drank the Wish Ticket.

The face of the host, who appeared to be in his mid-to-late 40s, rapidly tightened and gained a youthful, rosy complexion.

His body became fit, and his hair grew back, shiny and thick.

He had returned.

He looked exactly like a young man in his prime, full of energy and growth!

[Yahoo!]

The host, who now looked like a high school student, raised his fist in excitement.

[How about that? To put it simply—rejuvenation!]

Even his voice had grown young and youthful.

A stunned silence fell over the room for an entirely new reason.

It was a silence filled with disbelief.

The host pointed at the new hires in the lecture hall.

[The Field Exploration Team, your team, always gets great performance reviews. On average, they receive the Wish Ticket in half the time it takes other teams…]

[In fact, the ten employees who got the Wish Ticket the fastest were all from the Field Exploration Team!]

Gulp.

Someone swallowed nervously from somewhere in the hall.

Of course, it was all wordplay.

In reality, it was no different from hazard pay.

‘Before those ten, dozens, maybe hundreds of people must have died.’

So, it was more like bait—a shiny, but deceptive promise.

But still…

‘There are people who’ve taken it.’

It wasn’t a scam.

[Now, let’s take some questions—oh, you there!]

One of the new hires quietly raised a hand and asked in a rough voice,

“Can it bring the dead back to life?”

It was a tall man with brown hair.

[Ah. You always hear that question in these kinds of stories, don’t you? ‘The one thing that can’t be wished for’…]

[…But!]

The host raised his hand dramatically.

[The Wish Ticket will grant a-n-y wish the drinker desires.]

“……!”

[Of course, as long as you use it correctly. For detailed instructions, please refer to the employee portal.]

“……”

The questioner fell silent again, but the unease among the new hires grew even stronger.

The host didn’t miss the moment.

[For other benefits, please check the screen or the pamphlet included in your gift bag… So, shall we make a decision?]

With a swift motion, the back doors of the lecture hall swung open.

[If you want to resign, please go to the desk outside and collect your paperwork.]

[But if you’ve decided to stay with the company…]

The host gestured.

[Put on the mask that’s inside your gift bag.]

A mask? Oh.

‘So, this is when they hand those out.’

[You know how ‘customization’ is all the rage these days, right? The mask is designed to express your unique personality.]

[Well… this one doesn’t have any special functions, though. That’s all there is to it.]

I clutched my smartphone.

There were too many eyes watching to check properly, but if I could access the page of <Dark Exploration Records> reconstructed by the ‘Memorial Popsocket’, it would probably show something like this:

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

Dark Exploration Records / Daydream Inc.

/ Departments

Miscellaneous

Employees in the Field Exploration Team wear masks while on field duty, which are distributed after the new hire orientation.

According to Employee D, the design of the mask is determined by the year of hire.

For example, agents with ant masks and agents with mantis masks are likely to have joined in the same year.

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

In short, it’s a symbol of the ‘Daydream Inc.’ Field Exploration Team.

‘I can’t believe the day has come for me to receive this.’

It felt strange in many ways.

Of course, 90% of me wanted to run out of here and throw the mask aside, screaming that I was quitting.

Please, just let me go.

‘But… even if I quit, this whole universe is a mess.’

The ‘dark paranormal phenomena’ are already scattered everywhere.

It’s far too easy to end up as a background extra in a ghost story and have your life end in a rare and horrific way.

‘Haa…’

It might be safer to work as an employee, collecting my paycheck, company gear, and ultimate reward while aiming for a department transfer. My survival chances might improve that way.

‘Besides, if I want to return to my original world, that ‘Wish Ticket’ seems to be my best bet.’

Anyway, there’s no way a coward like me will survive long in this universe. Escaping this world entirely is the only real option.

So logically, as painful as it is, if I choose the most reasonable answer…

‘I have to join.’

As much as it kills me to admit it, there’s no other choice. Damn.

In the end, I swallowed my tears and opened the envelope.

I reached in to pull out the mask.

“……?”

Something else came out with it.

───

If needed

010-0153-24865

───

A business card?

The space where a name and title should be had been whited out, replaced with scribbled text.

‘…Did the host put this in here?’

I looked around, but no one else seemed to have a business card stuck to their mask.

‘I’ll deal with it later.’

I slipped the card back into the envelope and pulled out only the mask.

It was smooth to the touch, covering only until my nose—a basic mask in shape.

The surprising part was that everyone around me was already attempting to put their masks on.

Without a single exception.

‘…Even after all that, no one’s running away?’

There was only one wildcard.

The Wish Ticket.

‘Did they filter out only those who would risk their lives for the Wish Ticket?’

As I looked around the lecture hall at the silent employees accepting their masks, I felt a complicated mix of emotions.

We’re all about to do the same thing, after all.

‘No choice, I guess.’

I brought the mask to my face.

As soon as I did, the shape of the mask began to change.

I could feel it stretching and becoming more uneven across my cheeks and forehead…

“……”

I reached up and touched it.

A mask with antler-like horns and a bizarre wood-grain pattern had formed.

Wait, antlers?

‘…Reindeer? Deer?’

It looked too strange to just be a deer.

Reluctantly, I turned to look around. Go Yeongeun, who was wearing a sheep mask, made awkward eye contact with me.

Around us, other new hires, wearing masks resembling animals like elephants and goats, sat stiffly in their suits.

They looked just as unsettling as you’d expect from employees working at a company that manages ghost stories.

[Once again, congratulations on joining the company!]

Clap, clap, clap.

The slide on the PPT changed, playing a recording of applause.

[Employment Confirmed]

‘So, it’s come to this…’

Just as I was starting to feel overwhelmed thinking about my future with the company…

Flutter—

The notepad suddenly reappeared in midair.

“……!”

The same notepad that had spit out the ‘Memorial Popsocket’ merch earlier.

[Dark Exploration Records Real Merch Box]

– New merch unlocked! (!)

Huh?