Who could have imagined something like this.
Being trapped in an enclosed space with three ghosts imitating humans, all while sitting in a cold sweat, pretending to act normal.
And worse…
However, you must never show that you’ve noticed.
‘…I can’t let it show.’
Even if every person in front of me—no, every ghost —was clapping cheerfully with the backs of their hands.
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.
‘Don’t, be ob, vious.’
Then, one suddenly turned to me and asked,
“Why aren’t you clapping?”“……”
Oh, fucking hell.
I barely kept myself from trembling as I raised my hands.
And then…
Clap, clap, clap.
I placed one hand politely over the other and produced a quiet sound. I glanced around as if embarrassed, offering a slightly awkward smile like a rookie trying to gauge the situation.
“…I missed the timing to clap and got flustered. It’s a bit embarrassing.”
“……”
Please.
Please let this slide.
“Eyy~ No worries at all!”
“Hey, Leopard sunbae, don’t pressure the competent newbie. Sit back down.”
“Aigoo, alright.”
The Leopard employee—or rather, the ‘thing’ pretending to be Leopard—shrugged and sat down as instructed.
‘Huu……’
But my relief was short-lived.
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.
Suddenly, the Dolphin employee dropped her head to the floor and started banging it sideways.
Expressionlessly.
“There’s… there’s a bug, a bug, a bug I can’t catch…”
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.
“…I heard no other creatures can enter this Darkness. Perhaps you were mistaken?”
“Ah.”
The Dolphin employee stopped banging her head.
Her disheveled hair was now a mess, and her skull was crushed.
“That makes sense. Thank you, Supervisor Roe Deer.”
“Not at all.”
And then, as if nothing had happened, she resumed chatting naturally with Assistant Manager Leopard.
“……”
If I pass out here… would I disappear?
I’m going crazy.
‘Why did everyone but me get replaced…!’
If only I could’ve blacked out and been replaced too—waking up tomorrow morning oblivious.
“Supervisor Roe Deer, have some food.”
“Ah, thank you very much, Squad Leader…”
The lizard mask-wearing ghost—no, don’t think like that—Squad Leader Lizard handed me some food.
It was kimbap from a rather tasty snack shop near the office.
‘I need to eat to survive the nearly 24 hours until tomorrow morning.’
It was a rational decision… If only I didn’t feel like I’d throw up or get indigestion the moment I put anything in my mouth….
‘Urgh.’
“Ohh, how about sharing? We brought some sandwiches, too.”
The two employees from the C-squad took out their sandwiches. I reflexively responded out of social courtesy.
“I should’ve brought something, but I was unprepared. I’m truly sorry and grateful.”
“Eyy, maknae, come on. No need to worry about stuff like that! Even this squad leader here doesn’t seem to care about formalities, right?”
“Yes.”
With the lizard’s short reply, Assistant Manager Leopard gave a thumbs-up with a grin.
“Ee-yah~ Our C-squad’s leader is like that too. Hey, you know Squad Leader Teal Duck from the A-squad, right? Our squad leader is on a whole different level.”
Ack.
“…Sounds like someone worth respecting.”
“Right? The squad leader even used that wish ticket to take a vacation… Eyy, hope it doesn’t lead to retirement though.”
I avoided commenting on the subtle criticism against A-squad’s leader and turned the conversation with gentle praise instead.
Not that it matters since they’re ghosts… But yeah, I’ll keep this up.
‘Forget it, forget it…’
Honestly, it felt less like a ghost story and more like awkward small talk during a team-building retreat with senior employees from related departments.
Of course, it didn’t last long.
Right after the meal, Assistant Manager Leopard yawned and stood up.
“Ah, we’ll be here all night… Mind if I take off my shoes for a bit?”
“Aww, you should’ve brought slippers like me!”
“Eyy, what can I do if I didn’t? My socks are clean anyway.”
Assistant Manager Leopard chatted nonchalantly with Supervisor Dolphin while starting to take off his shoes.
‘Sure, I won’t even be surprised if he suddenly starts tap dancing on the table…’
Instead of feet, there were hands.
Crammed and forced into the shoes, the hands unfolded and pressed onto the floor as they emerged.
“……”
“Ah, since I’m already up, I’ll grab more coffee~ Everyone wants a refill, right?”
Thup.
Suddenly, Assistant Manager Leopard stood on his hands.
The hands attached to his feet swung up and waved.
Thup… thup.
A company employee walking on his hands.
“Supervisor Roe Deer.”
I swallowed a scream.
“Yes, Assistant Manager Leopard.”
“Can you help me carry the coffee? It’s hard to see straight for some reason. U-Uh—”
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
His inverted body kept bumping into the counter where the coffee was placed.
“Not trying to boss you around just because you’re the junior—it’s just you’re seated closer. Sorry if it feels like I’m pressuring you.”
Sh-Shit.
“Of course. I’d be happy to help, sir.”
I stood up immediately and moved toward Assistant Manager Leopard.
Now that I think about it, sitting next to a ghost with a crushed skull might be worse than assisting the upside-down ghost.
Right?
Riiight??
– Fascinating! Could this be a deliberate uncanny valley effect?
– An entertaining performance, Mr. Roe Deer. Let’s enjoy it to the fullest!
Enjoy it?
To the fullest?
‘Just keeping my eyes open deserves a self-pat on the back right now…!’
Enjoyment is way too high a bar!
“Now then, let’s move these.”
“Yes, sir.”
I handed cups of coffee to the hands attached to his feet, holding two cups myself, and placed them on the table.
I was proud of not spilling or trembling, despite the sheer absurdity of it all.
The real problem, though, was that with coffee refilled, the mood shifted into casual conversation.
“Now then.”
Supervisor Dolphin, smiling brightly despite her caved-in skull, suggested,
“How about we go around and share stories of the Darknesses we’ve cleared? Let’s be honest, it’s hard to stick with this job without finding some fun in it!”
Assistant Manager Leopard waved it off.
“What if the ghosts overhear us and do something crazy? Let’s just talk about our favorite foods or something.”
“Ah, that’s good too.”
“……”
He wasn’t wrong.
Discussing the ghost-switching itself would not cause anomalies.
However, it greatly increased the risk of someone noticing who the ghost was, which was highly discouraged.
But they’re all ghosts.
“I like things crispy on the outside, moist on the inside. Like fried eggplant, you know?”
“Oh, really? I like food that pops when you bite into it. Like eyeballs?”
Fwick—
Dolphin leaned right into my face.
“Supervisor Roe Deer, you’ve got eyeballs, don’t you? I can see them. You brought them under the mask, right? To share? Let’s share.”
AAAAACCKK!!