"WHAT DO WE WANT?!"
"FAIR LABOR CONDITIONS!"
"WHEN DO WE WANT IT?!"
"THREE CENTURIES AGO!"
"WHAT DO WE DESERVE?"
"AN OFFERING RAISE!"
"RESTROOM BREAKS! WE DON'T NEED THEM, BUT IT'S ABOUT PRINCIPLES!"
"DECENT COMPENSATION!"
"WHAT IS OUR MISSION?!"
"NO REST, NO PEACE!"
Angry chants echoed through the skeleton frame of Mikel's half-built house as ghosts rallied around the entrance like it was a civil rights march. Dozens of semi-transparent spirits floated in formation—some upside down, mostly out of sheer disorientation.
They shouted, waved picket signs, and broadcast their undead demands in true spectral solidarity.
"We demand decent death conditions!"
"Your haunted house rests on our hollowed backs! Treat us properly!"
"I want cake!"
"We demand premium incense—Sandalwood Tier! OR ABOVE!"
"Just here for the snacks."
Mikel's jaw slowly dropped. Of course, Doom would be recording this—he had a dry sense of humor and unlimited storage, but he didn't care. He scanned the large group of ghosts, holding placards and shouting as if they'd been mistreated.
"What in the world… is going on?"
[An uprising? How nostalgic. Master, it seems even your absence creates trouble. Impressive.]
[Threat Detected: HIGH]
[Recommended Action: Mass exorcism.]
Mikel didn't even have the energy to respond to Doom's smug reaction as he looked at everything in horror.
"They're unionizing." Suddenly, Arthur came from his side.
Mikel turned to him, only to catch the evident helplessness written all across the man's face. "Unionizing? And you let it happen?"
"They held a vote, and I've tried to veto it, but I was outvoted. They also said — I quote: I am a managerial bootlicker," Arthur sighed, his face twisting as he recalled the horror of facing a couple dozen angry ghosts.
"..." Mikel was lost for words, looking at the humiliated look on Arthur's face. He blurted out, "For the love of Christ…"
Slowly, he turned to the rallying ghosts, still shouting for their "rights" even in death. He pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling his head throb.
"I've been working my ass off… and these guys—" Mikel muttered through gritted teeth, dragging his palm down his face. His eye twitched.
"—These guys are unionizing."
[New Side Quest Unlocked: Labor Negotiation]
[Warning: Union discontent may affect construction progress and ghost morale.]
[Rewards: Nothing from the system. However, it will give you a moment of peace.]
Mikel huffed, knowing Doom and his cursed relics were enjoying this. After all, just a night before, Doom said something about greed. And this was surely Doom's subtle way of saying, "I told you so."
"Fine," he huffed in surrender, taking a step closer to the rally. But before he could say anything, he glanced to his left and his face twitched.
"Say, Arthur…" he pointed at the little girl among the angry ghosts. "... why is your daughter rallying with them?"
Arthur glanced at his daughter, who was holding a card that said:
"If we can't pass on, then we'll pass legislation."
"I don't know," Arthur admitted with another heavy sigh, meeting Mikel's eyes again.
Mikel blinked. "She's eight. Where the hell is she getting this stuff?"
Arthur shrugged. "She's been watching courtroom drama reruns since you placed a Wi-Fi broadband in the shrine."
"..." Mikel was rendered speechless, shaking his head to regain his focus. Never mind that.
Facing the angry ghosts, he raised a hand to stop them from shouting. "Fine, fine! Everyone, can you PLEASE for one second, calm down?!"
"No way! We've been enduring hardships in life, and even now in death!" one of the angry ghosts yelled, which was then quickly followed by a ghost next to him. "We had enough! We demand fair treatment!"
"We want hot meals! Your offerings are room temp at best!"
The ghost on the other side angrily pointed at the ghosts, who didn't have a mouth or a head. "They don't have mouths, but that doesn't mean the management will discriminate! They don't need it, but they have principles!"
Mikel touched the back of his neck, feeling it stiffen. For crying out loud, he was just a teen, trying to get his house done before the school opened. But at this rate, he might get an early onset of hypertension.
He raised his hands once more as the shouts and chanting echoed louder with every passing second.
"Alright, alright!" he yelled through gritted teeth. "Everyone, we cannot settle things down if all of you are shouting at once!"
"Mikel is right!" Arthur backed him up while the ghost engineer came to their side for moral support. "Let's settle this calmly, alright? Tell Mikel everything, and perhaps we can meet halfway. How about that?"
The ghosts glanced between Mikel and Arthur, then all turned toward their union leader like a hive mind syncing on cue.
"Fine," said the union leader, but his answer didn't even give Mikel the slightest taste of relief.
---
Perhaps, even if Mikel knew this would happen, he would've still made the same decision as hiring these ghosts.
Seated on a repaired chair, his eyes scanned the long table these ghosts managed to put together. He looked at his house, then at the table. He winced.
Damn… they have time to make a table instead of using the materials for my house? Did they think I would hire them if I had an unlimited budget?!
At the other end of the table sat a ghost, who used to be an accountant before he died of exhaustion at his own desk. The ghost sat upright like he was still on payroll, clearing his throat.
"Good evening, Sir Mikel. I'd like to introduce myself as the ghost union rep," he said solemnly while the rest of the ghosts stood behind him. Their faces showed as if they hadn't clocked out for 200 years. "We, the committee of the Afterlife Laborers, present the following terms to Management — that's you, boss."
"..." Mikel blinked, his stress level waving at him at an all-time high. "You… gave yourself a name?"
Behind Mikel were Arthur and the old ghost engineer. The former leaned over and whispered,
"I heard they had other options. It was either that, or something like Phantom Movement Alliance," Arthur whispered.
Damn!
"As the elected representative of the committee, I, Gregory, former CPA, and current Head of the Afterlife Labor Relations, deliver to you our alliance's primary demands for an improved work environment, incense quality clause, weekly offering rotation, ceremonial recognition, and crossover conditions."
Another ghost walked over to Mikel's side and placed pieces of a used paper where they'd written their primary demands. It was more like a checklist, just like the G.U.P. (Ghost Union Representative) was saying.
Resigned, Mikel lifted his eyes at the ghost's representative and then at the rest behind him. Another sigh escaped him as he picked up the paper to read it. He'd seen a river ghost's rage, a cursed relic's appetite, and Doom's musical taste. But this? This was the scariest of all — organized paperwork.
[Your cursed relic and I have placed bets. You're losing this one, Master.]
Mikel ignored Doom, raising his head, and he placed the paper down. Slowly, he leaned against the edge of the table, now ready to negotiate just as these ghosts wanted.
"I see this is how you'd like to do it," he answered, his voice getting firmer. "Let me hear the rest of your demands, and I'll tell you mine."
[Reminder: You fought a river ghost to become a ghost union mediator. Still unpaid, by the way.]