Chapter 10: Please leave work

“Wh, what?”

Going home?

So suddenly?

I have no idea how the current situation is unfolding.

That one word, “go home,” keeps echoing in my head, as if I heard the devil’s whisper.

Creak-

Startle.

Suddenly, the library’s main entrance opened very naturally.

The white glove was…………nowhere to be seen.

Was it just the simple wind?

Flash.

Orange light filtering through the window.

…It was the sunset.

The soft sunset shining through the main entrance really made me feel like I had returned to my original world.

But, it can’t be.

It’s obviously another trick of that announcer.

Nevertheless, for some reason, I stared blankly at the main entrance.

The bear dolls that had been hiding in my sleeves until just now are also gone.

As if they were never there from the beginning.

Slide.

Slowly, the fingertip that went up to my face.

The ‘top student glasses’ that should have been around my eyes were also gone.

A dream?

Was it all………… a dream?

Really?

When I was trapped in the ghost story, I wished that every moment was a dream.

But now that it’s happened.

I’m even more anxious.

I’m so caught up in paranoia, unable to make proper judgments, wondering if I’ve entered another ghost story.

Really.

Can I really, go out that door?

‘…Ah! I’m going crazy!’

I shook my head, unable to bear the anxiety that was creeping up my spine, and forcefully slapped both of my cheeks.

Slap! Slap!

Ouch…

Good.

I felt a moment of relief in my anxious heart.

But that was only for a moment.

At that moment, doubts came flooding back.

Isn’t this also an illusion created by that guy?

Rather than showing familiarity right away.

I looked at the current situation a little more calmly.

First, maintain some distance from her-

Thud!

The horn-rimmed glasses woman, rushing towards me, pushing open the library’s main entrance as if my worries were in vain.

‘Ah, wait a minute!’

Ambush is cheating!

Without even a chance to escape, the horn-rimmed glasses woman, who immediately rushed to Park Yeon-jung, hugged me tightly.

“Wait!. ..?”

Huh?

But to call it an attack, the pressure of the hug wasn’t that strong.

Not an aggressive pressure.

A subtle trembling of someone’s body transmitted through the body.

And at the sound of someone’s sobs reaching my ears.

“Yo, you’re really back.”

“……”

I’m glad you’re safe.”

.Ah.

I, I’m back.

After that, the two of us moved to a park bench not far from the library.

The day had already set, and the two men and women sat quietly looking down at the ground.

This silence…it’s somehow uncomfortable.

The first to speak was Park Yeon-jung.

“…I forgot to ask your name.”

“Ah, that’s right. It’s ‘Han Sol’.”

“Ah, Ms. Han Sol……………?”

Hmm?

For a face I’m seeing for the first time, the name is not that unfamiliar.

While I was recalling the memory of the name Han Sol.

“Hey! Mr. Park Yeon-jung!”

“Yes?”

A voice full of strength.

A strong tone as if trying to say something important.

I stopped my stray thoughts for a moment and focused on Han Sol’s voice.

“Yeon-jung-ssi…calmly, please listen calmly.”

“…Yes. I understand.”

What is she planning to say that she’s setting the mood like this?

Could it be.

A momentary possibility flashed through my mind.

Is she going to deliver the sad news that the two remaining female students who escaped with Han Sol could not return here!

I spread the wings of imagination.

But.

The story that came out of Han Sol’s mouth.

It was an even more shocking development.

“This world we’re in now…I don’t think it’s our original world.”

What?”

“I don’t think we’ve gotten out yet.”

Clink.

Something fell from my pants pocket.

It was an employee ID card with Park Yeon-jung’s ID photo.

Ah. That damn guy.

I knew he’d let me go too easily.

Han Sol began to explain step by step that this place was not the original Earth they knew.

The beginning of the incident.

At the time when I just escaped the ghost story.

As soon as I stepped out of the entrance, I was met by a group dressed in black suits.

They immediately approached Han Sol and asked.

-What did you see inside?

“For a question suddenly asked to someone, I thought it was quite a random question.”

Normally, it would have been a question I would have just ignored, saying ‘crazy person’.

But Han Sol, as if they knew about the strange things they had experienced, began to explain step by step the story that happened in front of the library to those who asked.

And their reaction was.

-Thank you for your cooperation.

They didn’t show any agitation, nor did they show any other action.

As if they had experienced these strange phenomena countless times, they reacted calmly.

Han Sol, who was looking around in such a strange atmosphere, saw the moon reflected in the window of the vehicle that the men in black suits were riding in.

She doubted her two eyes.

Han Sol conveyed the strange appearance of the moon she saw that day to Park Yeon-jung.

“In the sky, two moons were floating, overlapping each other.”

A black-suited stranger.

The tone and behavior as if this phenomenon were natural.

And.

Above the dark sky where the sunset had already fallen.

Two overlapping moons.

Ah, right.

Even if I want to deny it, there is such clear evidence floating in the sky.

It’s undeniable.

As Han Sol said, this place is a different world with the same appearance as the Earth we know.

In simple terms, it can be called a parallel world, or to put it badly.

It’s the world inside the <Ghost Story Record Repository> that Park Yeon-jung has been reading so much.

In other words.

We’re now.

F*cked.

We’ve now fallen into the worst-case scenario world.

Moreover, Han Sol and the two female students have already met with a key organization in the <Ghost Story Record Repository> world.

‘GRA’.

GRA is known as a facility that researches ‘new and renewable energy’ in the current worldview, but in fact, it is a secret organization that secretly records, explores, isolates, and, if necessary, even eliminates strange phenomena worldwide.

It’s a worldview setting that gathers all the settings that people like me, who love cosmic horror, would die for.

Originally, it’s the main organization in the <Ghost Story Record Repository>, so if you can get their protection, it would be the best luck.

But the problem is…………….

The fact that this woman named Han Sol still remembers me.

Not only that, but she explained her meeting with the agency people to me without any hesitation.

Even though the GRA manual states, ‘Civilians who have come into contact with ghost stories should be debriefed and then have their memories erased.’

The agency guys forgot to erase this woman Han Sol’s memory, and even allowed her to roam around freely like this?

…Don’t be ridiculous.

Even a passing dog would laugh.

The situation is probably not much different for the two surviving female students.

The fact that they didn’t erase their memories.

It means that these guys have been selected as management targets of the GRA.

The reason is pretty obvious.

Because we.

Because we are ‘outsiders’ to them.

The GRA guys would have already noticed that Han Sol and the two female students are not humans of their world.

They might even be watching somewhere at this moment.

‘Damn it. Of all things, to be under the management of the GRA guys…….’

The organization that I would have been enthusiastic about in the original world is now seeing me as an enemy.

It’s safe to assume that they see us as targets to be eliminated if necessary.

“Yeon-jung-ssi, are you okay?”

“

“……Yes. I’m fine.”

Actually, I’m not okay.

I can’t be okay.

I’m just about to go crazy with anxiety.

I have no idea where the surveillance of the GRA guys is going on.

66

“…Han Sol-ssi.”

“Yes?”

The good news is that this woman, Han Sol, hasn’t shown much hostility towards the GRA yet.

If they don’t show hostility to the agency guys, they won’t make the first move either.

“Please follow the requests of those people as they are. If you cooperate well, they will definitely not harm you.”

I hoped Han Sol wouldn’t question my story.

66

…Yes, I will.”

That’s a relief.

Han Sol accepted my request, which she might have found suspicious, without much question.

Maybe it was because her trust in me wasn’t that bad yet.

Whoosh-

The day has set a lot.

The cold chill seeps into the skin.

It’s late now.

I stood up first, and Han Sol also stood up at that sight.

“Be careful.

Please take good care of the two students.”

As I was about to leave alone.

“Yeon-jung-ssi!”

Han Sol stopped me again.

Actually, I knew she would stop me.

“It’s dangerous to be alone! I think Yeon-jung-ssi should also receive protection from the agency!”

“…It’s not a wrong statement.”

“Then! With me….”

“

Yes, it’s definitely not a wrong statement. Han Sol-ssi.

To stand alone in this world, leaving the GRA agency, is no different than going around spreading the word ‘I want to die!’

.But.

My situation is different.

Unlike Han Sol, I’ve already gotten involved with a ghost story.

Another rule emphasized in the GRA is as follows.

1. Civilians involved with ghost stories are subject to isolation and observation. (Can be killed if necessary.)

Han Sol-ssi.

‘I’ll die if I go there.’

Of course, it might not be true.

But if that probability is fifty-fifty.

It’s best to stay away.

Gambling with your life is something for the overpowered protagonist in some fictional work.

…That doesn’t apply to me.

Now I needed a line that Han Sol would find convincing.

“…I think it’s best to have many options right now.”

In order for me to survive.

“I’ll look for a way to return to the original world while wandering around the city. Han Sol-ssi, please look for that method on the agency side.”

“……”

“Don’t overdo it…please.”

Because if something goes wrong because you overdo it, I’ll feel like it’s my fault.

“

And, if possible, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell the agency about me.”

“…………Could you tell me the reason?”

Because I might die? I wanted to say.

But Han Sol didn’t ask any further at my brief silence.

“…I understand. I won’t tell the agency people anything.”

“Thank you.”

Now it was time to say our final goodbyes to Han Sol and part ways.

“

Yeon-jung-ssi, please don’t overdo it either.”

“Yes.”

With those words, we parted ways.

The night grew deeper.

I slowly took steps and put my hand in my pocket.

Thud.

I checked the three objects caught at my fingertips.

An employee ID card with my face photo.

A smartphone with about 17% battery remaining.

A wallet with cash.

The temperature dropped rapidly as the sun set.

If I try to sleep outside in this weather.

It’s death.

I checked the cash in my wallet.

<Cash 120,100 won>

Hmm, I won’t be homeless today.

‘Tomorrow….’

Achoo!

Let’s think about it tomorrow.

‘Tomorrow….’

Achoo!

Let’s think about it tomorrow.