It Seems I Must Go to Work Even After Falling into a Horror Story 030

The moment I thought I needed a large sum of money, a strange profile contacted me asking if I needed cash.

But this was in a horror story.

[K.LEE: Employee? hehe]

Screaming and blocking while exiting the chat room seemed like the wise choice, but….

‘It feels too cliché, you know.’

Since this is a horror story, let’s hear some horror story-like advice.

I lowered my “Good Friend” under the bed, turned off the light, and summoned Brown using the polite shadow-casting method.

This time, though, I was using the compact flashlight I bought on my way home.

– Oh, Friend!

This time, nearly without delay, Brown snapped to attention, recalling my escape method from the previous horror story and was quite amused before immediately grasping the current situation.

A strange message mentioning large sums of money!

– Quite suspicious! But isn’t curiosity that doesn’t overlook suspiciousness the virtue of a show?

– Of course, it’d be even better if the shiny gold followed!

Though the plush toy made a dopamine addict’s sound, seeing that reaction confirmed it wasn’t related to any horror story phenomena.

‘In that case.’

I simply asked a question in the chat room.

[Kim Sol-eum: Who are you?]

A reply came back immediately.

Honestly, I thought the probability was high that I’d get something like “heh, I’m your friend~.”

To my surprise, it was a proper introduction.

[K.LEE: I’m Assistant Manager Lee Kang-heon from Team C, hehe.]

“…!!”

‘C team?’

Another elite team.

Why on earth would they contact me… or no, revealing their rank so readily?

[K.LEE: Employee, I heard you turned down a scout offer from Team A today!!! Hahaha]

Huh.

[K.LEE: Wow, the audacity! I’ve never seen such a capable newbie before, haha.]

[K.LEE: You turned them down this time, but you might be seen in another elite team next year? As soon as you become Chief, it seems like another person with a route to an elite team is finally emerging? Haha.]

Did you have some special equipment to increase your typing speed?

Before I could type a single character in reply, sentences bombarded me.

I barely collected my thoughts and sent one sentence.

[Kim Sol-eum: Yes, nice to meet you, Assistant Manager Lee.]

[K.LEE: Oh, don’t mention it! Let’s greet each other when we meet at the company, and maybe grab a meal together! I know a really nice charcoal grilled chicken place nearby! hehe.]

[K.LEE: Oops, I talked too much! Anyway, the purpose of today’s contact is!]

The atmosphere shifted.

[K.LEE: Employee, you need a lot of money, right?]

“…….”

[K.LEE: Isn’t this just the perfect timing to wish for a bit more money? Because those with some potential before becoming Chief are trying to open routes to acquire personal items, haha.]

[K.LEE: I’ve heard you already have exclusive equipment. So, I thought you might be finding ways to get items under the radar?]

I don’t have anything like that.

‘I just went to the alien shopping mall that I originally knew about….’

[K.LEE: Those things all cost money, you know? hehe.]

[K.LEE: Don’t waste your nonexistent money while buying meals and drinks for your seniors out of pity, just listen to me! hehe.]

Hmm.

[Kim Sol-eum: I appreciate your kind words, but why are you telling me this?]

[K.LEE: To get closer to you? hehe.]

Please, at least put some effort into your lies…

[K.LEE: Do you want to hear it? hehe.]

I hesitated for a moment.

– Oh no! Doe, that text reeks of a cheap drug dealer. They don’t seem like the type for an upscale professional channel.

– But… even cheap stuff can sometimes be useful.

– If I coaxed them gently…

I typed.

[Kim Sol-eum: No.]

– …!?

[K.LEE: ???????]

[K.LEE: Ah, Employee, you’re quite the joker, huh? As expected of the record-breaking project point achiever! haha.]

– Kim Sol-eum: I’ll just ask Manager Lee.

– Kim Sol-eum: Have a good night.

-K.LEE: Wait!

-K.LEE: Hey, just a minute!

-K.LEE: Are you by any chance Manager Lee Ja-heon’s cousin? Your personalities are so alike!

Just curse at me already…

Anyway, they still don’t know my personality well, so this bluff worked.

My opponent quickly bombarded me with messages.

-K.LEE: I’m not asking for money, so please listen! Seriously, I rarely make these kinds of offers!;;ㅠㅠ

Then, a flurry of instant messages came in.

-K.LEE: (link)

With a link to an internet page.

-K.LEE: If you need seed money or items, check this out. Just make me the referrer, hawaiib53 <— you just need to type this in. -K.LEE: You don’t have to, but since I'm introducing this to you, you should follow your conscience, hehe. You know, right? hehehe. -K.LEE: Please keep it somewhat secret from others! (shy emoji) ‘...Template?’ No matter how I looked at it, it felt like a copy-paste... -K.LEE: Anyway, it’s me who told you, right? -K.LEE: I’ll take off before I get caught, have a happy shopping life! hehe. [K.LEE has left.] “......” ‘If you were worried I might get caught, why introduce yourself at all...?’ Is it something they want to keep as a mental debt? I was typing a response asking, “What the heck is the site you sent?” but deleted it. ‘Given they mentioned shopping, it sounds like a platform for buying goods.’ Finding routes other than the alien store wasn’t a bad move. Moreover, the opponent’s expression was quite intriguing. ‘Seed money, huh.’ They framed it as if one could make a decent amount of money. ‘It’s not a gambling page for company bets, is it?’ Regardless, the way to find out was clear. I ran a security check on the link’s authenticity, then accessed it carefully. As the smartphone screen turned pitch black, the appearing text was... Salmon

“…??”

Like salmon swimming upstream against the flowing river

We struggle against a mad world

‘What the hell is this…?’

That nostalgic prose vanished like a swimming salmon, and a new sentence appeared.

Registration possible (referrer needed)

Hmm.

It’s quite suspicious for (multiple meanings), but I went ahead and created an account with that employee as my referrer. I had to verify it anyway.

And as soon as I logged in, I realized the changing page showed…

Salmon Market

“This is a second-hand trading site.”

This was a platform for buying and selling items between individuals.

Leaving aside the superstitious and strange items or information being traded.

[Mermaid jerky for sale (genuine, includes Han Seong-hoo appraisal)]

[Looking for Bloodlust Bath tile pieces, no discoloration]

[$$ Find reliable locations for the appearance of the Accursed Vending Machine $$]

[Powerful protective talismans for sale]

I skimmed through to assess the situation.

So this was….

‘Just a scam-ridden showcase.’

From the perspective of someone who has read [Dark Exploration Records], it was filled with junk items or meaningless trinkets, or blatant misinformation.

In other words, it felt like a not-so-specialized site for occult second-hand trading (from the industry’s perspective).

Rubbing my forehead, I spoke.

“Isn’t it that general public folks are more prevalent here than the concerned parties?”

– Hmm. Public appeal tends to inevitably lead to a decline in expertise! It requires immense effort and diligence to prevent that… but this place feels intentionally neglected.

– Non-expert fans tend to buy even trivial things at outrageous prices.

It’s similar to how ‘stars’ would even snatch pieces of the stage set they performed on!

No, that could be a memento and real, so that might be acceptable.

The problem is that fakes are scattered everywhere here.

Yet, there were traces showing that even those had been traded at quite steep prices.

“……”

‘Yeah. In this world, supernatural phenomena aren’t officially recognized, right?’

Both the government, fearful of a social anomie, and corporations wanting to keep their secrets certainly have been quietly investigating the tales of horror.

But civilian casualties must already be widespread.

Among regular people, there would be clandestine rumors and experiences circulating, so it’s not surprising for a site like this to emerge.

Moreover, looking at the price list compared to the items being traded, it was even more chaotic.

‘One million won per item…’

It was like security deposits for monthly rents flying around.

Whether it was because survival was at stake or because the occult items had a Veblen effect, I couldn’t tell…

‘Hey, could I sell something too if I play my cards right?’

If that employee really was Assistant Manager Lee Kang-heon of the elite Team C, then it seemed like employees working at ‘Daydream Corporation’ were secretly using this place to sell junk items or information.

That stuck in my mind.

‘Crossing the line would surely get caught in gratitude…’

So, I needed to create safety measures.

I logged out of my current account and created a new one.

The name was… hmm…

[Blue Friend]

– ‘Friend’! Did you create this with me in mind? How touching!

I combined something that came to mind with what I saw, so it was accurate.

And for the referrer ID, I put in the account I first created earlier.

“Done.”

– Oh! You’re creating a new identity to avoid being tracked!

Correct.

I was thinking of trading items that wouldn’t be associated with ‘Daydream Corporation’ employees or be caught by suspicion with this account.

‘This way, I won’t risk being tracked even if I purchase.’

“Of course, I’ll leave a few transaction records on the first account.”

– To avoid suspicion. Excellent.

With the previous account, I planned to manage things that seemed like it wouldn’t cross the line for ‘Daydream Corporation employees’.

Then, my social life ended, so let’s get to the main topic.

What should I sell?

‘For now… reselling items bought from the alien store wouldn’t cut it.’

Look at the amateurish atmosphere of this site. It would lead to massive losses.

Well, I’d be too busy buying useful items from the alien store anyway to have the leisure to engage in something like profiting from price differences.

I rummaged through the Salmon Market in the latest posts.

There was nothing too noticeable that I could sell for profit…

[Looking to buy food derived from supernatural phenomena.]

Oh?

[Looking to buy food derived from supernatural phenomena.]

For research purposes.

Favorable for strong supernatural phenomena (Disaster Management Bureau wave anomalies).

40.0

– This guy’s back again.

– Oh, the food I’m looking for is from Wave 1, “for research purposes.” (adjusting glasses) Hahahaha.

– Is this person a macro user? Seems like it pops up every day.

– Please, occult nerd, come out of your own world. What on earth is a Disaster Management Bureau wave?

There were only a few comments full of mocking laughter and ridicule.

But…

‘…This is real.’

[Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau].

It was an agency involved with ‘Daydream Corporation’ and one of the three major powers alongside it.

My merchandise, Memorial Grip Talk, was also an item provided to public officials by this agency.

‘And the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau classifies the danger level of horror stories using penalties (刑)…’

The mentioned wave (破刑) here was also actually an existing classification. It’s a bit above the C-grade in regard to Daydream Corporation.

This was indeed someone ‘in the know.’

I stared blankly at the page.

‘If they’re a real insider, the chances of getting scammed drop significantly.’

The very fact that they mentioned specialized terms that an outsider wouldn’t know without explanation lowers the probability of deception.

It was an element that increases transaction trustworthiness.

And look at that price.

40.0?

‘That’s forty million won.’

At this level, even someone who has no clue might be willing to give it a shot based on it, assuming they get scammed.

And as expected, upon searching previous posts, it seemed comments had already brought it up.

– Whoa, even at forty million… Has anyone reached out after seeing this?

└I genuinely contacted them thinking of selling, but after a few questions, they ghosted me, haha.

└Everyone’s getting left on read, haha. Just a concept user, don’t engage.

No, that’s not it.

‘From what I’ve heard, since the horror story is not exceeding wave classification, it probably got ignored.’

However, I miraculously had an item fitting the favorability criteria in my possession.

Suspicious and untested, and I’d never dream of consuming it myself…

‘…I have it?’

In fact, I had two bags.

[Blue Soda Churros]

Snacks received from the blue dragon mascot at a theme park.

“……”

– Ah, that unclean food!

Unclean… might be a stretch.

But that said…

‘Good Kids need funds.’

The mascot would understand, surely. Right?

[Blue Friend: Hello Teacher^^ I can sell food derived from supernatural phenomena!]

Message sent!

The next day.

‘Just in time for the weekend again.’

I found myself waiting for my appointment near Gwanghwamun Station.

In my hand was a box containing the ‘Blue Soda Churros’ gifted by the mascot.

‘My demeanor… looks alright.’

I recalled the message I exchanged with the buyer yesterday.

As soon as I sent the message, I received an almost immediate reply.

[T: Exactly what kind of food is it?]

This was the turning point.

I had two options.

I could flaunt my knowledge by revealing what the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau is and trying to give them a sense of trust with specialized knowledge.

Or…

[Blue Friend: It’s sort of like churros. To be honest, I’m not too sure…ㅠㅠ I received it in a really weird situation.]

[Blue Friend: But it’s kind of scary to hold onto… and I’m in desperate need of money, you see. Would it be okay if you checked it out, and if the conditions fit, you could buy it?]

I could pretend to be oblivious and hand over all the judgment to the other party.

My choice turned out to be quite effective.

‘Honestly, the second reply was all true.’

I just didn’t want to be caught as an employee of ‘Daydream Corporation.’

Anyway, that’s why I found myself at Gwanghwamun Station near exit 5, waiting for my appointment seven minutes early.

‘If something feels off, I’ll bolt immediately.’

Nervous, I kept an eye out as I saw someone scanning the area, approaching from exit 5 at Cheonggye Plaza.

‘Oh.’

Clearly an individual here for a second-hand transaction.

The tall figure, entirely cloaked in black clothing and wearing a mask, approached me, locking eyes as they spoke.

“Are you looking for salmon…?”

I nodded.

And without hesitation, opened the box to present.

A signal to check.

“……”

The other party silently extended their gloved hand.

Their voice sounded quite young, but I was surprised they went to such lengths to obscure their identity.

‘Not that I’m in a position to say.’

In fact, I was also wearing a hat and glasses.

I pulled my hood down, monitoring their movements. If they tried to bolt with my stuff, I’d have to act first.

The prospective buyer lightly brushed their gloved hand over the box before nodding and taking hold of it.

Hmm?

“This is the item I was looking for.”

Then they handed me a small beverage box.

When I peeked into their box, I saw it filled with 50,000 won bills, just barely revealed before they quickly closed it again.

“……”

It seemed the other person was waiting for me.

I couldn’t ask Brown about this, which was a bit regrettable…

‘For now, let’s get to business.’

I placed my box on the ground.

“…?”

Nodding my head slightly to the other person, I pulled out my notebook from my pocket.

“…??”

Then I opened a page and showed it to the buyer.

[I’m not aware of the effects of this food.]

[It was not dangerous to hold, but just in case, I think it’s better not to consume it.]

[I noted this just in case since you mentioned research.]

“……!”

Though I couldn’t see their expression, they seemed a bit flustered.

‘What a sudden performance, huh?’

Sorry. I didn’t want my voice to be recognized.

I gave a slight bow again and opened the last page, gently accepting the beverage box before bolting.

[Have a nice day^^]

“Nice.”

I promptly deposited the cash I received and headed home.

Since it was the weekend, Baek Sa-heon was already absent from the staff quarters. Given how his presence was so hit or miss, I wondered if he had gone back to his hometown.

In any case.

“Now it’s time to access that alien shopping mall.”

I called up the link.