Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work

“Oh, right! Just send those to the team leader’s desk, Agent Mint.”

“Yes…!”

Go Yeongeun carried the bundle of documents she had just organized over to her superior’s desk.

It was information on the newly observed supernatural disaster.

She briefly reflected on how the term ‘Disaster’ had now become more familiar to her than ‘Darkness’.

‘Phew.’

Go Yeongeun sat down at her own desk.

Then, she could faintly hear the idle chatter of the other agents sharing the office from the hallway.

“…so that’s what happened. Black-Tortoise Team 1…”

“……”

Her nerves instantly went on edge.

Just from that, she could tell who they were talking about.

For nearly two weeks, agents at the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau had been careful about bringing it up, but it was still the main topic of conversation.

Agent Grapes.

Her fellow spy.

Whispers of Kim Soleum’s imprisonment, release, and subsequent disappearance.

That’s right.

Go Yeongeun’s colleague had failed in his spy mission and had gone missing.

…Maybe it was a relief he hadn’t been caught.

Given the circumstances, it seemed something had happened when Director Ho’s binding was exposed, but with the hush-hush atmosphere, it was hard to ask.

She’d heard that things had gotten serious during the imprisonment, but then improved again.

And that even after the disappearance, the mood toward Kim Soleum among the field agents wasn’t that bad.

…News from Black-Tortoise Team 1 had dwindled significantly.

That much was all that Go Yeongeun, as a rookie agent, could know for certain.

Of course, it was difficult to find out anything more after Kim Soleum had disappeared almost as soon as he got out of the Glass Prison.

‘He really… ran away, didn’t he?’

Go Yeongeun would worry herself into a state of nerves, but always ended her thoughts with a sigh.

She couldn’t risk leaking information while trying to track down Soleum’s whereabouts.

If Kim Soleum had managed to escape successfully, poking around would likely only cause trouble, and there was the risk her own identity might be exposed as well.

It was bad for both of them.

Given she was somewhat acquainted with Kim Soleum, and that they were both rookies, there was even more chance she was being monitored for security reasons.

‘…Feels like I’m under suspicion as a spy, too.’

She didn’t know.

The Disaster Management Bureau staff were certainly good people, but they were also skilled at pretending to be nonchalant while probing, or zeroing in on key issues as if it was nothing.

‘Well, they are agents, after all.’

In any case, unlike her nerves-wracked state as a spy walking on thin ice, there was no noticeable change in the other agents’ attitudes.

She hadn’t been dragged off to the Glass Prison herself, at least.

‘That’s a relief, but…’

…Honestly, it felt hopeless.

Of the three who’d come in, one was quarantined due to contamination, and one other had gone missing.

Only she was left, but for a rookie to steal a document on an annihilation-sanctioned disaster was realistically close to impossible.

…If she were Director Ho, she’d have cut her losses by now.

‘But I have to hang on.’

And she had to do her job.

Go Yeongeun forced herself to stay calm and calculated things to avoid panicking.

‘Calmly, one at a time.’

First, she needed to clean up any traces more thoroughly.

She’d only ever contacted Kim Soleum through a separate phone line registered under a different name.

She decided she had to take care of that, too.

So, that evening, when she returned to her officetel after work, she searched for the spare phone.

Rather than hiding it meticulously, she’d just tossed it in a drawer with other old junk, like her previous phone. That way, it would be easier to overlook.

And the moment she turned it on.

Spam messages, which she deliberately invited by giving out this number everywhere, poured in.

Even contact from Director Ho disguised as counseling offers looked like spam at first glance.

“Huu.”

Go Yeongeun began clicking through and deleting the spam one by one.

[ Don’t just sit there serenely, please disembark now! At this stop, ★Special Discount★ Gangnam Station… ]

Her hand froze.

“…Wait a second.”

Serenely, disembark, this stop…

“…!”

She couldn’t help but remember, like being struck by lightning.

The subway of Abyssal Transpo.

This was a hint only someone who’d shared that insane onboarding ghost story would recognize. And at this moment, there was only one person who would send such a message disguised as spam…

Only one.

Go Yeongeun immediately clicked on the message.

[ Don’t just sit there serenely, please disembark now! At this stop, ★Special Discount★ Gangnam Station Discount Phone Sales, only until 21:00 on the 17th at the left counter (Unsubscribe) ]

“……”

A location and a time.

Go Yeongeun quickly searched the internet.

She looked up the discount phone store near Gangnam Station.

And an hour later.

Go Yeongeun found herself standing in front of a storage locker near the discount phone store at Gangnam Station.

“……”

At first, she wondered if she was supposed to meet at the storefront, but even after the designated time of 21:00 passed, no one appeared.

Then, when she focused on the ‘left counter’ mentioned in the text, she immediately noticed a passage leading to the storage lockers on the left side of the store.

‘Is it here?’

She hesitated for a moment, then looked at the lockers.

There was locker number 17.

The number specified in the message.

“……”

If so.

When she entered the code, the same number sequence from the message, 1721, into the combination lock…

Bee-bee-beep.

“……!”

The locker opened.

Go Yeongeun hurriedly grabbed the card used to pay the locker fee and looked inside.

There was a small paper envelope.

A memo was attached, written in awkward, unfamiliar handwriting on purpose, the letters crooked.

Please open this at home

“……”

Go Yeongeun quickly took the envelope and went home.

Her heart was pounding.

‘What is this?’

Given the circumstances, it was almost certain that the person who left this was Kim Soleum.

But what on earth was being passed on?

Had the method of exchanging information for the spy work changed to something like this? With these swirling thoughts, Go Yeongeun opened the envelope at her dining table.

‘Two boxes?’

There was a black box.

Feeling puzzled, she opened one of the boxes…

A dazzling, multicolored light shone out.

“…!!”

The Daydream Inc. employee quickly shut the box in alarm.

‘W, Wish Ticket!’

That crazy potion with the holographic aurora-like glow— There was no doubt it was a Wish Ticket!

‘Kim Soleum-ssi!’

Did he actually complete the spy mission by himself and bring back Wish Tickets? No, but how? Is this real? Is it really real? There’s a Wish Ticket in a subway locker… Wait.

‘…There are two boxes.’

Her heart pounded in her chest.

She reached for the other box and opened it…

Once again, brilliant light spilled out.

‘Oh my god.’

And then, a small note fluttered down.

“…!”

She quickly picked it up.

Yeongeun-ssi.

Our work is finished.

Do as you wish.

You don’t need to come back.

“……”

She was so shocked her mind went blank.

But the note wasn’t finished yet.

P.S. If possible, please deliver the other box to its intended recipient. If not, please keep it safe until then.

“No way…!”

How could someone just hand over two bottles of Wish Ticket potions with only a note like this, as if it wouldn’t matter if she just took both for herself!

…but even as she thought this, that kind, clever spy knew.

That she would keep her word.

“……”

A swirl of gratitude, obligation, joy, and pressure spun in her mind.

So…

Go Yeongeun made up her mind about something else.

And grabbing something, she ran out of her house.