《Ghost Story Club》 Chapter 1: First Ghost Story - Broadcast Announcement (1) Chapter 1: First Ghost Story - Broadcast Announcement (1) <Excessive Gore. Readers Please be advised.>> It was the first morning after high school enrollment. As I idly waited in the ssroom for the entrance ceremony to start, a message window appeared before my eyes with a sudden Pop!.
Congrattions on your eptance at Nakseong Highschool, the school of secrets and mysteries. Uncover the shady secrets hidden within the school, or fight against the legends and ghost stories of the campus in order to earn points to unlock special abilities. Additionally, you must gatherrades to prevent the resurrection of the Demon King before graduation. The world is in your hands. > Click for the next page.
? It was a message window, simr to one you would see in a game. I looked around in surprise, but none of the other students seemed to notice. They were just staring at their phones or chatting with each other. While I was staring nkly at the words in confusion, an announcement was broadcasted over the speakers. The entrance ceremony was about to begin. [The broadcasting room would like to inform all students that the school is currently experiencing a ckout, so the electricity is not working. Because television transmission is impossible, the entrance ceremony will ur in the courtyard. New students are to gather there. Once again, the broadcasting room would like to inform] The students in the ssroom stood up while murmuringints. I, of course, stood up with a nk expression and moved with them. As I was swept down the halls by the surrounding students, I could not take my eyes off of the message from before. I tried swiping my hands in front of me, but the words had no substance and my hands simply passed through them. A hologram? It was like something Id seen in movies.
Congrattions on your eptance at Nakseong Highschool, the school of secrets and mysteries. Uncover the shady secrets hidden within the school, or fight against the legends and ghost stories of the campus in order to earn points to unlock special abilities. Additionally, you must gatherrades to prevent the resurrection of the Demon King before graduation. The world is in your hands.
I quietly checked for anyone paying attention to me again by observing my surroundings. As I moved to the courtyard amidst the human wave, I concluded that the message was only visible to me. *** In the courtyard, the teachers were circling around us to keep us properly in line. Naturally, I lined up in the middle of theining students. Nowadays, most schools dont gather the students at the courtyard. Instead, they use a school wide transmission to deliver most of the schedule. The students were grumbling as if they were annoyed, but when a man who appeared to be the headmaster stood at the podium, the crowd instantly grew quiet. Ah, to the newly admitted students of Nakseong Highschool, who I love, I wee you. First, I congratte you all for your eptance into the main school. I am this schools headmaster Just as the headmaster was about to begin his solemn speech, his head suddenly exploded. As a fountain of blood spurted up, something began to scatter around them. The crowd was silent, the only sound the gushing of blood. The headless body of the headmaster swayed back and forth as the spray of blood covered the podium. It continued to sway until it finally copsed. Plop. Kyaaaa- Ack! U-aaaaaahhhh! It is then that the students began to scream. They were either stunned, copsing on the spot, or they pointed at the podium with pale faces. The teachers next to the podium were facing the students, so they didnt even realize what had happened to the headmaster until the students iling caused them to turn their heads. H-Headmaster? Instructor Kim! Call 119 right away! Are you alright? Th-this is crazy! A few of the more squeamish teachers that had approached the podium had to turn away to vomit. Some of the newly admitted girls began to cry, while others sat down andforted each other, despite meeting each other for the first time today. The guys, on the other hand, were either staring at the podium with grimaces on their faces or tilting their heads with shocked expressions. At that moment, an even more terrifying event urred. Bam- As a strict-looking middle-aged woman was issuing orders at the podium, her head also exploded into a fountain of blood. Afterwards, the heads of those near the podium exploded, one after the other, creating a squall of crimson blood that sprayed everywhere. Uaaaaaahhhhh! Kyaaaaaa! Girls and guys alike began to scream and run away. When the headmasters head first exploded, a few of the students who did not understand the situation had looked around curiously. Now, without exception, all of the students ran away in fear. Bam- Bam- Boom- Plop- Plop- Naturally, I ran away from the podium like crazy, hands iling about just like the other students. Our destination was the front gates of the school. The continuous sounds of explosions and bodies copsing could be heard as we tried to escape. As the heads of new students exploded, their bodieswhich couldnt resist inertiarolled over the floor of the courtyard. Gasp, gasp, gasp My breathing was hard. This is insane. What is this? I wasnt exactly sure what was happening, but knew I needed to run. As I approached the front gates to the school, I could hear the sounds of the security guard shouting. Hey, you punks! What are you guys doing?! Its still the middle of the entrance ceremony, so where do you think you bastards are going?! Since he didnt know the situation, he was shouting at the students to the point that his face reddened. Hey! I said stop! Do I sound like Im joking?! Hey, you fuckers! Get back to your ces! I said get back! The distance between the guardroom, which was by the front gates, and the podium was about the same distance of the courtyard from end to end. With the wave of 300 fleeing students, as well as the cloud of dust the running created, the guard didnt notice the tragedy that was urring. This fucker. No matter what, if dozens of people are fleeing he should realize that something isnt right Some of the athletic students dashed past me as I was mentally cursing the guard. The athletes running in front rammed their shoulders into the security guard blocking the way, running towards the front gates like there was no tomorrow. Ouch! As the guard hit the floor, he was covered in dust. Some of the athletes that reached the front gates realized that it was locked. After shaking it a few times, they cursed and began to climb the bars to escape the school. Hey! You fuckers! Stop! Hey! The guard started screaming again as he stood back up. The front gates quickly descended into chaos because of the scuffle between the shouting security guard and the students that were attempting to climb the gates. A few of the non-athletic girls, who found it difficult to climb over the gates, began to cry and shout at the security guard. Mister, were all about to die! Back there, their heads are all exploding! Open the gates quickly! Please! What bullshit! Go get the teachers! Where are all the teachers?! Maybe it was because the security guard was serious about his work, but he shouted at the students that they would need to go back. He wouldnt budge without permission from the teachers. He began grabbing and pulling on the pants of some of the students, who were busy trying to climb the front gates. * * * * * * Bam- It happened in the middle of the courtyard. The heads of some of the students at the back of the pack exploded, their blood spraying. The students went crazy. Guard, you fucker! Open the gates, you bitch! What? Fucker?! Hey, you punk! Get over here. The security guard grabbed the cursing student by the scruff of his neck and began to p his face. p- p- Maybe it was because the sense of duty he got while guarding the gate was the only piece of identity he had in his life, but the guard couldnt hold back his anger. Aaarrrgghh! Fuck! Open the front gate, you guard bitch! It may have been because of the full on sprint from trying to escape, or that the entire situation made their legs go weak, but many of the students could not make it over the gate. Those students began to group up and confront the security guard. Open the gate, fucker! Give us the key! The guard, who had previously wailed that he would never let them go, began to backtrack as the mob grew in size. Urgh, what is it? What is it, huh? These little bastards! Open the gates, you fucker! Open the gates! Give us the key! Give us the key! The storm of blood began to approach, closer and closer. As students rushed to try to empty his pockets, the guard began to huddle into a ball to try to hide the key. The girls who saw the guardy in the fetal position began to scratch at his head, while the boys would either punch his shoulders or kick at his back. Smack- Smack- Smack- Smack- Argh! Ack! The guard was screaming in pain as the students used violence to try and search his pockets. The schools front gates were a crucible of delirium. Ack, aaackk! Give it! Give it to us! Even as his skin tore from the girls fingernails, the guard protected his pockets. It was a cruel and frustrating scene, but it actually worked in my favor. Because of this chaos, the spot by the gates hinges was free. Gasp, gasp I quickly ran to the spot, secured the area, and began to climb over the gate. The gate was made of steel bars, so it was very slippery and there were no proper footholds. The edges of the gate consisted of bars to prevent outside ess. It was quite difficult to climb, but because my survival instincts had kicked in I was able to squeeze out every bit of strength I had left. Somehow, I barely made it to the top of the gate. I stopped on top of a bar, which poked at my behind, to catch my breath. Now all I had to do was cross my leg over the top and jump off the gate. Hmph! The moment that I was about to jump off the gate, I noticed that the wave of head explosions had almost reached me. I could see the guard. His face was bloodied all over and he was still being pummeled by the students. At that point, the students seemed less concerned about stealing the key and more focused on obliterating the guard altogether. The fact that an obstacle has appeared in their path to survival led to desperation in the form of chaos and violence. The students had expressions of fear on their faces as they continued to attack the guard. Die! Die! Why are you in our way?! Die, fucker! Argh, ack, ugh, agggghh! Soon, the heads of the guard and the surrounding students all exploded. And right below me, the heads of some of the students still trying to climb the gate began to swell. Fuck! I quickly jumped off the gate andnded on the other side. Thump- I escaped the school! And as I began to catch my breath so that I could dash away, I felt my head also begin to swell. Escaping the school doesnt mean you survive? That was right. I had been swept away by the atmosphere and thought, just like everyone else, that the path to survival was getting out of the school. Running from the school was instinctual behavior that kicked in when trying to escape danger. There were no guarantees that it was the actual path to survival. I came to terms with that fact as my head began to feel like a growing balloon. Soon, I heard an incredibly loud sound. I lost consciousness.
[You are dead.] [You will restart at your previous checkpoint.] [Loading]
Click- ***
Congrattions on your eptance at Nakseong Highschool, the school of secrets and mysteries. Uncover the shady secrets hidden within the school, or fight against the legends and ghost stories of the campus in order to earn points to unlock special abilities. Additionally, you must gatherrades to prevent the resurrection of the Demon King before graduation. The world is in your hands. > Click for the next page.
When I came to, I was in the ssroom. The students were all either on their smartphones or quietly chatting about rumors theyd heard as they waited for the entrance ceremony. Because of the ckout, the lights in the ssroom were off. However, since the bright morning sunlight was seeping in through the windows, it was not that dark. Rather, it was a very peaceful morning. What had happened? I had definitely just gone through a bizarre situation, and my head had exploded as I tried to escape the school. Why was I alive right now? I could almost feel the chaos, smell the blood and sweat of over three hundred students sprinting to escape as some of them exploded into fountains of blood. Was this foresight? Or did I go back in time? What is this? What is happening? That was when the sentence, which I hadnt been able to check before because I was busy, caught my eye.
> Click for the next page.
I couldnt understand what was going on at all. I had the sudden thought that whatever had urred was rted to the message window in front of me. Click? Click, huh I wondered how I was supposed to click it. First, I tried pressing thest sentence with my fingersas if the message window was a touchscreen. Click- That seemed to be correct. The window changed and new text was visible.
[Tutorial - Entrance Ceremony] As a in and timid student, with nothing you are particrly good at and nothing about you that is particrly charming, you have spent your school life in a dull manner. Today is the first day of your three years in high school. Other students may be nervous or excited about today, but you had no expectations. However, after the entrance ceremony you feel that this school does not seem ordinary. And these anxious thoughts refer not to simple criminal cases, but other crazy and bizarre situations. Regardless, it is the first day of the next three long years. You reluctantly ept this anxious feeling. [You received a quest.]
  • Make three friends to create a club. (Current 0/3)
  • Reward: 10 Ghost Story Points, Status Window unlocked.
...... A sound of surprise automatically slipped from my lips. What was this? How was I supposed to just ept this information? Quest, tutorial, it seemed like A game. As I continued to read the message that was floating in front of me and considered what I read, the speakers in the ssroom came to life with the sound of static. [The broadcasting room would like to inform all students that the school is currently experiencing a ckout, so the electricity is not working. Because television transmission is impossible, the entrance ceremony will ur in the courtyard. New students are to gather there. Once again, the broadcasting room would like to inform] Chapter 2: First Ghost Story - Broadcast Announcement (2) Chapter 2: First Ghost Story - Broadcast Announcement (2) <Excessive Gore. Readers Please be advised.>> [The broadcasting room would like to inform all students that the school is currently experiencing a ckout, so the electricity is not working. Because television transmission is impossible, the entrance ceremony will ur in the courtyard. New students are to gather there. Once again, the broadcasting room would like to inform] The students, who were originally nning on spending the time during the entrance ceremony on their phones, expressed their annoyance at the news that they would have to go out to the courtyard. The students slowly began to get up. ...... I didnt get up from my seat. I just sat there, overwhelmed by my thoughts and worries. If I just followed them out of the room and down the corridor, wouldnt the same situation just repeat itself? Everything was urring the same way it did before. The announcement that alerted all students to go to the courtyard because of the ckout, the scene of the students leaving in annoyance If I thoughtlessly went to the courtyard for the entrance ceremony, would my head just explode again? What the hell is this? Really I just sat in the ssroom and sighed repeatedly. Once most of the students left, the ssroom grew quiet. The chairs of some of the students lingering behind ttered. One male student and two female students remained. One of the female students was seated in the back, head down. That was how three students other than me were left in the ssroom. I was still sitting there, unable to do anything. A young female teacher soon stopped by after she spotted us still in the ssroom from the hall. Why arent you guys and gals heading out? ...... I reluctantly packed my shoe bag, and the other students who were loitering around also packed their shoes and headed outside. *** Ah, to the newly admitted students of Nakseong Highschool, who I love, I wee you. First, I congratte you all for your eptance into the main school. I am this schools headmaster And with those words, the headmasters head exploded. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck I cursed as I immediately began sprinting towards the front gates. The other students were still just standing around murmuring or screaming at the sight of the tittering headmaster; none of them were running away like I was. Im in the front! This time, I was running at the head of the crowd. After that, the heads of the people near the headmaster began to explode. As the courtyard began echoing in screams, the students finally began running away. Gasp, gasp. While I was in the front at first, because of myck of athletic skills I could feel the athletes quickly catching up behind me. Stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp- Gasp, gasp Fuck Even if I kept running like this, there was no guarantee that I would survive. My head could still explode even after I escaped the school grounds, just likest time. But I needed to worry about that after I got out of there. Way up in front, I could see the security guard blocking the students and shouting at them to go back. Gasp, gasp Please, just I started cursing quietly to myself. When I ran awayst time, there was chaos because there were a lot of students. Because of the timing, I had been sessful in sneaking over the front gates. But this time, I was running near the front. With my shoddy athletic skills, the guard was sure to target me. Running near the front actually put me at a disadvantage. What do I do? Fuck! Gasp, gasp What do I do, what do I do? With the threat of death looming, my brain worked its hardest toe up with a solution. Lets incite all of the students! I slowed down and shouted so that everyone could hear me. The front gates are locked shut! I shouted again, to the point my voice went hoarse. The front gates are locked! The guard has the key! Uaaaahhh! Mister! Open the gates! Quickly! Open the gates quickly-! Aaack-! As heads exploded around them, the students had lost all reason. Their survival instincts had kicked in, so they all mored that they had to handle the security guard first. The security guard has the key! We have to catch him first! Originally, the students had ignored the guard as much as they could as they flopped around, trying to climb over the gates. However, this timesince Id instilled the idea the gates are locked into their minds firstthe students had registered the gates not as a path of escape, but as an obstacle that needed to be opened up. Mister guard! Open the gates! Quickly! The students that had been in the front with me started to hurriedly crowd towards the security guard. The guard was still strong for his age, as he had smacked away some of the students as he shouted, but that wouldnt matter much againstrger numbers. What are you guys doing, you crazy bitches? Why are you gathering around and stirring up shit? Go get the teachers, the teachers! Guard, you bitch! Open the gates! Fuck! Open the gates! Open the gates, you crazy bastard! Using the gap I had created by inciting the students and the guards into a fight, I was able to climb over the front gates after the athletes. Taking care to make sure that my pants did not get caught on the iron bars on top of the gate as I swung my legs over the top, I was able to see that the wave of head explosions had only reached about halfway across the courtyard. At the same time, I could see the guards face being scratched up by the female students nails. Ive escaped much faster than I didst time! Without much more to see, I jumped off the gates in the direction of the outside. In the distance, I could see the athletes that reached the streets had grabbed some of the passing people and caught their breaths. Police, please call the police, the police . What happened? Student, are you alright? Gather your wits, student! Police Pol ice . Thest scene I saw as I copsed was some man hurriedly pulling out his cell phone to contact the police and the figures of some passing people beginning to crowd around. Ah, should I have asked him to call for an ambnce? No. What can an ambnce do when their heads have already exploded It seems that, when a person is very flustered, they end up worrying about things that dont matter. Those were myst thoughts before I fainted. * * * * * * When I woke up, I was in patient clothes. I was able to see white ceilings and people moving around. I was in the hospital. My mom and dad were sitting with haggard faces until they noticed me waking up. Seeing me awake, they began to cry as they hugged me. Oh, my dear son how could this happen? I was worried that you would never wake up How are you feeling? Mom, Dad You should be at work now, why are you here? Oh, you poor thing. How is that the issue right now? You copsed Not long after, the doctor came by and exined that the reason I had copsed and lost consciousness was due to extreme shock. Other than that, my body showed no signs of anything wrong. ... Did I survive? Suddenly, atrocious memories began to flood back in. When I tried to exin to my parents that Their heads exploded, and, they said that they already knew. It was all over the news, and everyone was in a panic because of the incident. The government would debrief everyone soon. As I watched the television while I recovered in the ward, the situation became more clear. [The Case of Nakseong Highs Serial Head Explosions: Over 300 People Dead!] ... Three hundred people. The number of newly admitted students at the entrance ceremony should have been a little over three hundred. Except for a few escapees, everyone had died? ...... No matter which channel I went to, it was all over the news. While I had lost consciousness, the entire country must have been speaking about what happened. The news anchors on each channel all looked dismayed as they read off the prepared scripts. [On the fourth, at around 9:30 AM, a disaster urred in Seouls Gwanak District, at Nakseong High School. Over three hundred people were killed in this disaster, with no clear cause of death. It is said that all bodies found at the site were missing their heads.] [ording to police investigation, Headmaster Shinaged 59as well as 14 school employees and 293 newly admitted students were killed. Fortunately, a dozen or so students have survived and are] The other channels were simr. The news depicted the police moving the bodies covered in white sheets from the crime scene. Other channels invited experts on air, who were giving their opinions and theories on what happened. [There were no explosives, firearms or chemicals discovered on the site. When considering this fact, we suspect an act of terror involving either viruses or some other bioagent.] [Then what is the difference between the survivors and the victims? It was revealed that the survivors were also at the site at the time of the entrance ceremony.] [Yes, that point is quite the mystery. Originally, it was thought that the speed with which the people escaped was very important, as most of the students who escaped the school grounds survived. However there have been reports of some of the students who escaped still dying.] [There must have been some other condition besides simply escaping the scene quickly.] [That is what it seems.] I was quarantined at the hospital for a few months afterwards. From parasite testing to blood tests, urine tests, feces tests, endoscoptomies, and MRI It was only after all sorts of tests and several interrogations from a bear-like investigator that I was discharged from the hospital. The topics during the interrogation usually covered what urred during the incident, as well as any suspicious points I may have noticed. However, from the mood, I was able to tell that even the government had no clue as to where to start for this bizarre incident. *** Three yearster. I wasying still in bed as graduation day neared. In the end, the government was never able to discover the cause of the incident. They decided that a virus may have remained in the entirety of the ShinLim Neighborhood, so they decided to seal off the entire area. My family wasnt even allowed to pack all of our belongings before we were forced to leave. The government provided us with an apartment unit across the river and also provided somepensation. In movies, the government is often depicted as very inept in these situations. Instead, they were so thorough in helping with the move as well as in transferring schools that I was a bit moved. Although I was almost held back a year because of the months I had spent at the hospital, the department of education had already been prepared. I was able to transfer properly, without any hups. While I did asionally have nightmares in which my familys heads exploded, I was able to focus on my studies over the past three years and I was epted into a decent college. It was the night before my graduation ceremony. It had been a while since I read the message that had appeared in front of my eyes that day.
[Tutorial - Entrance Ceremony] As a in and timid student, with nothing you are particrly good at and nothing about you that is particrly charming, you have spent your school life in a dull manner. Today is the first day of your three years in high school. Other students may be nervous or excited about today, but you had no expectations
  • Make three friends to create a club. (Current 0/3)
  • Reward: 10 Ghost Story Points, Status Window unlocked.
I began to think as Iid in bed, swirling my hands at the message floating in the air. ... I wonder what this message was about. The message could appear and disappear in response to my will, though I did keep it hidden to try to forget the horrible incident that urred that day. Now that I checked it out again, the day before graduation, it was very confusing. In my new school, although I cannot say that I made many friends, I was still able to make a few close friends. I joined the book club and made friends, but the quest requirements continued to remain unfulfilled. What was this message? After considering it for a while, I ended up falling asleep.
[It is now the day of Graduation.] [The Demon King has revived.]
Beeeeeeeep In the middle of the night, not long after I had fallen asleep, my cell phone began to sound with an emergency warning message. [2:30 Safety Announcement Text: A state of emergency has been dered in the Seoul, Incheon, and GyeongGi regions. Citizens are to ready supplies and evacuate the cities as soon as possible.] A matter-of-fact toned message was visible from the shing phone screen. What was this? What was happening? Was it an earthquake? My heart began to pound. Although these alerts did happen during natural disasters, it was my first time seeing a situation this bad. I grabbed my phone and quickly went on the inte. When I checked the real time popr search bar, the first thing I saw was: 1. Unknown Monstrous Figure in Seoul. 2. Monster Appearance in Seoul. 3. Unidentified Lifeform in Seoul. It was the middle of the night, inside the dark and quiet house. Unlike the feeling of dread that quietly spread, the inte was loudly spreading urgent news. In a hurry, I tried logging onto the social media site I frequented. [Im warning the poor bastards that live in Seoul. Never leave your house.] [I am currently moving around near the sealed off ShinLim neighborhood. Its big. Really big. Like, muchrger than an apartment building big.] [To those living in the capital, may you Rest In Peace] The moringments of the people on the inte continued. The morements I read, the rougher my breathing became. Huuu Huuu What happened? Should I wake my parents? Damn, what do I do? I could hear shouting. Even without waking my parents up, the apartmentplex began to be noisy. Other people had woken up because of the situation. My father opened his door after all of the noise woke him up. Joon, whats happening? I dont know. I also just woke up. Our family went out onto the veranda to check out the source of the mor. Despite it beingte at night, we could see some of the windows in the apartmentplex flicker on. Others came out to their verandas to check outside. I checked outside the veranda, but all I could see was darkness and a bit of the waters of the Han River. Sonny! O-o-o-over there Look over there! Across the river! Thedy next door shouted at me as she stared out from her veranda. It wasnt just thedy next door. The people from the floor above, the floor below, everyone in the apartmentplex were looking outside and asking about what they could see. The ones who could see more clearly began to scream in horror. Wh-what in the world? What the hell is that? What were they talking about? I followed thedy next doors finger and tried to see across the river at the forest of buildings. Beyond ck waters of the Han River were the neon signs of the forest of buildings. In between, one could see a giant shadow move around. I could not make out exactly what it was because of some of the stray lights. All I could see was something that walked on two legs. The dark silhouette moved amongst the city lights. It was huge. Really huge. As the unidentified being was moving around slowly, I suddenly remembered where that area was. It was across the river, and my sense of distance was not perfect. But it was definitely in that direction. My sixth sense was telling me I was absolutely right. The ce where that giant unidentified lifeform was standing was NakSeong High School, where I had attended three years ago. And then I suddenly died, in a method I could notprehend.
[Bad Ending - The Price of Ignorance] Conditions 1. Running away without clearing the tutorial. 2. Doing nothing until the revival of the Demon King. [Starting Regression] [Loading]
***
Congrattions on your eptance at Nakseong Highschool, the school of secrets and mysteries. Uncover the shady secrets hidden within the school, or fight against the legends and ghost stories of the campus in order to earn points to unlock special abilities. Additionally, you must gatherrades to prevent the resurrection of the Demon King before graduation. The world is in your hands. > Click for the next page.
Right in front of me was a very familiar message, and a ce that I never wanted to be reminded of ever again. I had just woken up from a mysterious death, after seeing the monstrous figure right before graduation. School. I was back in the ssroom of NakSeong High, waiting for the entrance ceremony just like three years ago. Crackle- [The broadcasting room would like to inform all students that the school is currently experiencing a ckout, so the electricity is not working. Because television transmission is impossible, the entrance ceremony will ur in the courtyard. New students are to gather there. Once again, the broadcasting room would like to inform] Chapter 3: First Ghost Story - Broadcast Announcement (3) Chapter 3: First Ghost Story - Broadcast Announcement (3) [The broadcasting room would like to inform all students that the school is currently experiencing a ckout, so the electricity is not working. Because television transmission is impossible, the entrance ceremony will ur in the courtyard. New students are to gather there. Once again, the broadcasting room would like to inform] The students expressed their annoyance as they started heading out of the ssroom. I was just sitting there in a daze. As most of the students began to leave, there were only a few dawdling students and me left when I suddenly recalled something. Now that female teacher wille and chase us out again Three years had already passed since that day. But perhaps because the memories of that day are unforgettable, I could still recall every detail as if it were yesterday. Just like I remembered, footsteps could be heard in the hallway. The young teacher discovered us still in the ssroom and stopped to pop her head in. Why arent you guys and gals heading out? ...... After hearing those words, I looked around the ssroom to discover three students other than me still present. One was a small, puppy-like young girl who still looked as if she were in middle school. The second was a small, nerdy looking boy with sses that looked like they belonged to a young master. Finally, sleeping on the desk at the very back was a female student with bleached blonde hair. Those three students were still there. Now, lets hurry up and go out. Also, wake up the kid in the back. The teacher crossed her arms and leaned against the doorway, as if to show that she wouldnt leave until she saw us leave the ssroom. The puppy-like girl and the bespectacled boy were ncing at each other and stalling. No matter who you asked, the girl in the back looked like a delinquent. Both the bleached blonde hair and the unnecessarily poofy and embellished puffer jacket screamed delinquent. It looks like both of them are afraid of waking that girl up. I sighed. What was it like in the past? I think she would wake up on her own if we waited a bit. My mind drew a nk, since it had been three years. However, the faster I interacted, the faster the memories would return. ... Ill wake her. I spoke in the direction of the two who were dawdling and made my way towards the back. No matter what, I had lived three years longer than these kids. I was the one who, before I returned to this time, had already finished high school and got into college. Although the girl was exuding an air of dont bother me, the so-called hierarchy amongst delinquents wasughable to me. Uh, uhm, ah Ah, uh, uhm Uh But why was I stuttering so much? I cleared my throat and tried to speak again. Ah, uhm Ahem. Uh, excuse me the teacher asked us to leave now Because of theck of response, I courageously tried poking her jacket. It was then that the scary girl finally raised her head with a frown. The four of us finally followed the teacher out into the hall. Damn If we continue on to the entrance ceremony like this, things will y out in the same way We couldnt keep going on like this. I couldnt have my head explode, nor could I run again to the point of fainting. I needed to make some sort of change, but what was I supposed to do? Of course, my first thought was that I should first avoid the entrance ceremony. But how? The teacher was also heading to the entrance ceremony. Since our destinations were technically the same, it would be weird for me to slip out in a different direction. I tried to brainstorm methods of skipping out and hiding somewhere, and of course ended up pretending to be sick. Uh, excuse me. Teacher? Yes? She had to turn around to face me, as she was heading down the stairs first. Ive always had anemia since I was little If I stand for a long time or stay in the sun too long, I often faint, so Is that so? After observing me for a bit, she responded. But you dont look that thin? The truth is, people are often misinformed. Anemia has nothing to do with body weight Really? She once again started to slowly observe me as she considered this. Is it that bad? You dont think you canst through the entrance ceremony? This was my chance, so I began to act weaker. Yes, especially this morning. I was feeling a bit dizzy I think it will be a bit dangerous for me to stand outside in the sun I tried to add a bit of nuance by iming that I was already feeling unwell. I swayed and furrowed my brows. After seeing the uncertainty in her eyes, I took the opportunity to add a few more words. If I leave now, it would be difficult for me toe back in because of how many people there are and if I were to copse, my mother woulde and throw a fit I added the suggestion that if something happened, the issue would be exacerbated. Would she be able to handle that? And truthfully, it didnt really matter to this person whether I attended the entrance ceremony or not. It was just that she discovered us on her way to the entrance ceremony. She didnt particrly feel the need to make sure that we actually attended. The teacher once more observed me from head to toe before nodding and making a decision. I see. Ill take you to the infirmary then. You probably wont know where it is, so I will lead you there. You can just rest there during the entrance ceremony. Thank you very much. It seemed like I seeded. You three cant go wandering off. You must attend the entrance ceremony. Okay? Yes After a listless reply, the three headed towards the courtyard. The delinquents grimacing face was a slight treat. After the teacher dropped me off at the infirmary, she made her way back towards the courtyard. I pretended to rest on the bed briefly, and when no one was watching I went back to the ssroom. As if Ill just calmly wait in bed for my head to explode. I have to find something to change the scenario I have to find a change. A turning point! And then a thought came to mind. In my past life, while watching TV in the hospital, didnt the experts emphasize a difference while exchanging opinions? [Then what is the difference between the survivors and the victims? It was revealed that the survivors were also at the site at the time of the entrance ceremony.] [Yes, that point is quite the mystery. Originally, it was thought that the speed with which the people escaped was very important, as most of the students who escaped the school grounds survived. However there have been reports of some of the students who escaped still dying.] [There must have been some other condition besides simply escaping the scene quickly.] [That is what it seems.] In actuality, during the first try, my head exploded despite escaping the school. I barely survived the second time because I had run farther away. I heard that someone who had run just as far as I did had died of a head explosion. Just running far and quickly wasnt the only reason for survival. There has to be another reason. What would it be Why was it that I was able to survive? Slide- Deep in thought, I opened the ssroom door and saw an unexpected situation. It had looked like the three from before had left for the courtyard. The young girl, the bespectacled boy, and the delinquent girl Those punks were back in the ssroom, just sitting around. What was going on? Why are you guys here? Ah, umm When I asked, the young girl stuttered for a while before pointing at the delinquent girl and answering. That is, we were going to go but she suddenly went back to the ssroom and we followed During the time that the teacher had brought me to the infirmary, as there was no more supervision, the delinquent must have nonchntly returned back to the ssroom. And it seemed like the other two just went along with her You guys are more audacious than I thought. That is The girl was noticeably flustered. I know that she is the same age as me, but her looks and her actions reminded me of someone younger than me. Was she nervous because, unlike me who seemingly had a reason, they were just ying hooky? Even so, there was no reason to be that flustered. Im also in a simr situation. Since it came to this, I decided that I should speak with them and try to find some clues in their words. Unlike my usual reaction, I said my greetings first. Im Lee Joon. My name is a single character. A bit hesitant, the girl responded with her name. My name is Yoon SunAh . In a diminishing voice, she barely added nice to meet you before her face blushed red. It seemed that she wasnt used to speaking with people. Afterwards, the bespectacled boy greeted me in a hard tone. I am Ahn GyeongWon. Is it okay for you to be here when you are anemic? I called him bespectacled boy on my own since he was wearing sses, but to think his name literally had the word sses in it T/N:AhnGyeong means sses in Korean. His name could technically be saying sses One Yeah, Im fine. The anemia was just a lie. What?! The bespectacled boy, GyeongWon, shouted in surprise and the young-looking SunAh chuckled quietly to herself. I dont think its us that is audacious, but you. Well it just happened. Although I couldnt help but wonder why his tone was so hard, I just passed it off as one of the new students deciding on an image. The delinquent girl in the back had no thoughts of joining in the conversation, so she remained sleeping face down. I asked GyeongWon and SunAh some questions in hopes of learning some possible clues. But why were you guys trying to stay in the ssroom in the first ce? I was SunAh mumbled quietly first. Late, because I am usually slow ... I see. It seemed like there was no particr reason. It was then when it happened. A message popped up in front of my eyes.
[Your understanding of Yoon SunAh has increased by 5.] [Detailed information can be seen after you unlock the Status Window.]
This is another game-like system that Im not too sure about As I stared at the message while salivating, GyeongWon responded. I was reminded of the school broadcast announcement ghost story, so I didnt go What? The broadcast announcement ghost story. Since there was a ckout. After seeing my confused expression, GyeongWon continued to exin a little more. One day, there was a ck out in the school, when suddenly a broadcast announcement sounded. Everyone was told to gather up in the courtyard. Dont you know this ghost story? It was a very famous one, didnt you know? Ghost story? * * * * * * Ghost Story. To think Id hear those words here. I pulled up the message window.
Congrattions on your eptance at Nakseong Highschool, the school of secrets and mysteries. Uncover the shady secrets hidden within the school, or fight against the legends and ghost stories of the campus in order to
The words that Id seen numerous times as I repeatedly died: Ghost Stories. Did that have something to do with the situation now? ... Sorry, but could you exin it to me in more detail? Huh? Seeing my sudden earnestness, GyeongWon was temporarily startled. What part do you want to hear in more detail? That ghost story, I want to hear all of it. Hmm At first he looked around in worry, but soon he nodded his head and began his story, as if reciting it from a book. One day, during the after school self-study time, there was a sudden ckout in the school. The students were surprised at first because it suddenly became dark, but an announcement was broadcasted soon afterwards. Because of the ckout, there were ns to let the students go home early, so they were to gather in the courtyard. GyeongWon seemed to be the type that enjoyed bragging about their knowledge. He was able to tell the story in a clear, flowing manner, without any awkward pauses.
[Your understanding of Ahn GyeongWon has increased by 10.] [Detailed information can be seen after you unlock the Status Window.]
At some point, SunAh quietly got closer and focused on the story. That announcement broadcasts ghost story went like this: An announcement tells people to go to the courtyard because of a ckout. The students were excitedly packing their stuff to go out to the courtyard, but the first ranked student in the school continued to sit there. The second ranked student asked the first ranked student why he was just sitting there. And then the first ranked student answered, How can an announcement be made during a ckout? I quietly waited for the next sentence before I spoke up. Is that it? Yeah, thats the end. First time you heard it? No, I think I might have heard of it a long time ago It was in Scary Stuff is Just my Style, I think? T/N: Scary Stuff is Just my Style is a very old and famousic book series in Korea that had lots of short stories. The series had scary stories as well as funny ones under the name Funny Stuff is Just my Style. Thisic series started in 2002. I think I read something simr in a book once. There is nothing more after? Yeah, it just ends here. ... I see. After seeing my serious face, GyeongWon coughed once and began to speak a bit more. But there are a lot of different versions of this story. In one version, the first and second ce students looked out the window to see that the courtyard had be a sea of blood The courtyard was a sea of blood. Focusing on those words, I asked a question. What happened to the first and second ce? Did they survive? Im not sure. But going by the flow of the story, I think they would have survived. I wouldnt know exactly, even if you asked me. Its not like it''s a story that really happened, its just a scary story. GyeongWonughed as he responded, probably because he thought I was digging uselessly into a silly story. Why are you taking this scary story so seriously? And heughed. Again. Arent you also not leaving the ssroom because you took that story seriously? Well, it did bother me a bit, but that wasnt the main reason why I didnt leave. Although GyeongWon was slightly embarrassed, it seemed like a good opportunity to brag about how smart he was, so he began speaking a lot more.
[Your understanding of Ahn GyeongWon has increased by 10.] [Detailed information can be seen after you unlock the Status Window.]
I was thinking that if the school was in a ckout, all of the microphone and other equipment wouldnt work, so the teachers would just send us back to the ssroom. Was he suggesting that he didnt want to needlessly walk back and forth? So, I was thinking it would be easier on me to just stay here sitting. ... I see. In other words, he didnt want to bother moving around. He didnt really have a serious reason as to why he decided to stay here. But what do you think about the fact that the speakers actually worked, despite the ckout? At least it seemed like GyeongWon knew a bit more than I did. I asked the question that just popped up in my head. Although we could say that it was just a part of the story, the speakers had in fact worked during a ckout. I wonder what had really happened. Hmm, that is He started to think after hearing my question. He began to grimace and scrunch his brow before answering. Maybe the source of the electricity for the speakers is different from the other parts of the school? ...Really? Its just a guess. I wouldnt know for sure. The source of the electricity was different? Was that possible? Well, I wasnt an electrician, so I wouldnt know. But I thought that it was wrong to bring in some vague scientific reasoning to that bizarre and abnormal urrence. Later, there would be unexinable explosions of peoples heads, so there was no way that the bizarre ult wasnt involved. I summoned the message window again and read it once more.
Congrattions on your eptance at Nakseong Highschool, the school of secrets and mysteries. Uncover the shady secrets hidden within the school, or fight against the legends and ghost stories of the campus in order to
Ghost stories. Those words continued to bother me. Were they rted to the incidents that were happening around me? If thats the case The fact that the broadcast announcement could be heard, despite the ckout, could have been because of its rtion to the ghost story. If the incident that would soon ur, The Case of Nakseong Highs Serial Head Explosions: Over 300 People Dead!, and the School Broadcast Announcement Ghost Story were connected, then the method I could try out first was simple. I just had to sit in the ssroom like the first and second ced students did in the ghost story. That was how the two in the story had survived. Excuse me SunAh suddenly spoke up hesitantly. I also thought it was a fun story What was that, so suddenly? SunAh shared her thoughts on the story a beatte. I had thought she was a bit slow, but to be this slow? Ah, so that was why. I had been staring at the message window deep in thought, so I didnt notice, but SunAh was right behind the message window that was floating in front of me. I might have been staring at the message window, but from SunAhs perspective, it would seem like I had been staring intently at her. So that was why she had hesitantly presented her thoughts. Sorry, sorry! I wasnt staring at you to force you to answer! Okay It was at that moment that, from the window, we could hear the headmaster begin his speech. Ah, to the newly admitted students of Nakseong Highschool, who I love, The headmaster was starting his speech with a chuckle, unaware of what could soon happen to him. If the same thing were to happen as before, he would be unable to finish three sentences before his head exploded. I wee you. I really hoped that this method, just sitting here, would work. First, I congratte you all for your eptance into the main school. Please I am this Badump, badump. schools headmaster Shin MoonHyeup. Our Nakseong High School was established in 1984, and has seen its share of prominent students graduate over the past forty years. Our school is steeped with deep tradition and a great history. At the same time, we hope to provide you with the correct mindset, one that will allow you to seed in the 21st century global society and connect with the ubiquitouswork that you will need in the future. We hope that as students here, you will I was alive! I had survived!
[You havee across and survived the D-rank Ghost Story - School Broadcast Announcement.] [You have earned 5 Ghost Story Points.]
The messages appeared simultaneously, right in front of my eyes. Huuuu Damn. My mind seemed to be swept clear of worries. With that, it was finally over! Someone just had to calmly remain seated in the ssroom, but to think of all the bullshit I had tried before! Until now, none of the newly admitted students were able to remain in the ssroom? Soon, I realized why. The female teacher. That damnable teacher had roamed the halls and forced all of the students remaining in the ssrooms to leave While I was a bit stunned at the reasoning, as I was released from the tension I could feel my body finally rx. Facing my third possible death, both my body and my mind had been extremely tense. I had thought that, like the story, everyone outside would die. Maybe it was because it was only the tutorial. It could possibly have been because there were many versions of the story, like GyeongWon said. But it didnt happen. Regardless, with this, the situation was finally solved. To think that all I had to do was calmly sit here like this Huuuu. I couldnt help but think I was a bit dumb Possibly because SunAh and GyeongWon werent the type to curse much, when I had suddenly shouted damn they had been a little startled. However, they seemed to just let it subtly pass by. As soon as my mind cleared, more messages began to rapidly pop up.
[Tutorial - Entrance Ceremony] As a in and timid student, with nothing you are particrly good at and nothing about you that is particrly charming, you have spent your school life in a dull manner. Today is the first day of your three years in high school. Other students may be nervous or excited about today, but you had no expectations. However, after the entrance ceremony you feel that this school does not seem ordinary. And these anxious thoughts refer not to simple criminal cases, but other crazy and bizarre situations. Regardless, it is the first day of the next three long years. You reluctantly ept this anxious feeling.
  • Make three friends to create a club. (Current 0/3)
  • Reward: 10 Ghost Story Points, Status Window unlocked.
[You have cleared the quest.] [You have earned 10 Ghost Story Points.] [The Status Window has been unlocked.]
Although several game system-like messages popped up rapidly, I didnt have any remaining energy to check them out. I bet you guys have no idea what I just went through. ? The two students gave me weird stares. Not caring what the two thought, I let out a sigh and nodded my head. And so, I decided to spend my time speaking with the two newly made friends right in front of me. There was nothing better for my mental health than spending time with friends, chatting about useless things. Chapter 4: Interlude - Ghost Story, System, Status Window Chapter 4: Interlude - Ghost Story, System, Status Window While the entrance ceremony proceeded in the courtyard, I was sitting in the ssroom with SunAh and GyeongWon. We spent the time chatting about various topics. Of course, the delinquent girl was in the back, sleeping away. In addition to the atmosphere in high school suggesting that one must make friends quickly, the camaraderie built up by escaping from a teacher to y hooky had helped the three of us get closer and be friends. We spoke of which apartmentplexes we lived in, how far away our homes were from the school, what middle school we graduated from, how well we studied, and which cram school we attended, along with other topics along that vein. After spending time talking about severalmon conversational topics, the entrance ceremony hade to an end. We could hear the students returning to the school. Naturally, we broke apart, acting as if we had just gotten into the ssroom. Afterwards, we were told to wait in the ssroom for a long time. This allowed me to sort out my thoughts. Many different things had urred, but they could be separated into three broad categories. Ghost stories, the game-like system, and the fact that when I died, I returned to the past. First, ghost stories. It seemed likely that the incident I had just experienced was a ghost story that had been physically realized. The incident followed the plot of the ghost story, and behaving like the characters in the ghost story allowed me to survive. Of course, ghost stories on their own were just pieces of fiction spread around by other people. There could be several different versions of the same story, so while the main points were still the same, some of the minute details could differ. However, what was most important was that the ghost stories were happening in real life. This was the simplest way of exining the situation. Second, the game-like system. There existed a game-like system window that only I could see. This system could provide me with help and information about what was uring around me. The first message window warned me of the fact that an unknown being, called the Demon King, would revive in three years'' time. Also, the message window had emphasized the ghost story in the situation that I had just encountered. Until now, I had just briefly skimmed the contents because I didnt understand what was going on. I needed to properly read through the messages I received from then on. Especially the Ghost Story Points, understanding level, the status window, and the other words that had been emphasized recently. Ghost Story Points. Was it something simr to experience points? Or, since they were called points, would they be something simr to in-game currency? Understanding. It seemed to be a stat that went up the more I discovered about an individual, or understood their personality. When SunAh herself told us that her actions were slow, the level of understanding increased. When I felt that GyeongWon was the type who liked to show his intelligence or show off his knowledge, the level of understanding increased as well. Finally, the status window. It was stated that the status window was unlocked, but how to use it? Hmm Using the same method as when I opened and closed the tutorial message, I used my will to call for the status window in my mind. Status window! Poof-
Name: Lee Joon Age: 17 Title: Main Character Disposition: [Two-Faced] NEW!! > Click to Expand Special Ability: None Quirk: Last Second Cramming.
I admired the status window in my mind. It felt like a character stat window from a game. The name and age I could understand immediately. My disposition was two-faced does it mean that my personality was two-faced? The message window told me to click, with a NEW!! alert attached to it, so I clicked on the button to expand the window. However, when a very long page popped up I immediately copsed it again. Its way too long I should go through this slowly when I get back home. I wasnt sure about the special ability and the quirk. Was it something simr to a skill? Regardless, it felt very much like the character stat window or information window from a game. Can I use this on other people? I turned my head slightly and stared at SunAh, who was sitting right next to the wall. SunAh was staring nkly at her desk as she fidgeted with her fingers. Yoon SunAh, status window! Poof-
Name: Yoon SunAh Age: 16 Title: Dirt Spoon Disposition: ??? > NEW!! Click to Expand Special Ability: ??? Quirk: ??? Understanding: 5/100 [Your understanding of the target character is too low. Please interact more with this character to obtain more information.]
T/N: A Dirt Spoon is a phrase that originates from the idiom, born with a silver spoon in your mouth. A person born with a dirt spoon is someone from a very poor andcking background and family. It must have been because it hadnt been very long since I''d be friends with her. A message stating that my understanding was too low had shown up. Unlike my own status window, her disposition and quirk were all question marks. I tried pressing the NEW!! message next to the question marks under disposition. Click.
Disposition: ???
  • Her actions are slow.
It was only the one line from when SunAh had stated that her actions were slow. It seemed thatter, when I found out more about the individual, more information would slowly fill in. This time, I turned my head around and stared at GyeongWon. GyeongWon was reading some unknown, very thick book. Ahn GyeongWon, status window! Poof-
Name: Ahn GyeongWon Age: 17 Title: Pro WikiWarrior Disposition: Exnation Character > NEW!! Click to Expand Special Ability: ??? Quirk: ??? Understanding: 20/100
T/N Pro WikiWarrior is a reference to a Korean meme which trantes literally to Turn off Namuwiki. The meme is a reference to certain keyboard warriors tendencies to get all of their information from Namuwiki (the Korean equivalent of wikipedia) and acting as if they are an expert, despite the possible misinformation or mistakes on the wiki. In GyeongWons case, my understanding of him was much higher than that of SunAh. That must have been why, under disposition, it was written Exnation Character instead of just question marks. Click.
Disposition: Exnation Character.
  • Thinks hes smart, and enjoys situations where he can unt that. His speaking tone is hard, as if he is an expert.
Just as I thought. It was written exactly as I had evaluated in my mind, and my understanding of him had increased greatly in response. This time, I took a look at the delinquent girl, who was still sleeping at the back. The quest condition was that I needed to make three friends. I wasnt really sure why, but the system must have registered that girl as one of my friends. How in the world is she my friend? It was a bit unbelievable, but I tried calling up the status window anyway. Now that I thought about it, I didnt even know her name. However, I was determined to see her status window. I called up her status window with all of my will. Delinquent Girl, status window! * * * * * * Poof-
Name: Lee JinHee Age: 17 Title: Backseat Delinquent Girl Disposition: ??? Special Ability: ??? Quirk: ??? Understanding: 0/100 [Your understanding of the target character is too low. Please interact more with this character to obtain more information.]
I knew it Since I knew nothing about her, of course there wasnt much to see. So that scary looking girls name is Lee JinHee. That was information that I had no prior knowledge of, but it was clearly written on the status window. What did this suggest? Did that mean that the status window transcended beyond the information I knew? If that was the case, there was one thing that bothered me. SunAhs age was written as 16. We were born in 03, seventeen years old Even those born in the early part of 04 would have already hit seventeen. Did she attend school early? If I could check this point outter, I could confirm whether or not my guess about the status transcending beyond the information I knew was correct. I had roughly finished checking out the game-like system, and I finally had to think about my life restarting, over and over. The first thing that came to mind was a time loop. I think I had seen it before, in some science fiction novels. Regression, reincarnation, or time loops. It seemed like whenever I died, I was returned to the time right before the entrance ceremony. This might get annoying Returning to the entrance ceremony every time I died what could be the meaning behind this? Even if I tried thinking over it right then, I wouldnt have been able to understand. I decided that I would have to die a couple of more times before I could get the hang of it. Why are things like this continuing to happen to me? While I was thinking over things, a middle-aged man with a rotund stomach walked into the ssroom. He introduced himself as the homeroom teacher, and stated that he hoped we would have a good time. Three years. Three years of high school life has started for me again. I had studied to the point of life and death for three years in order to take the standardized tests, but now my three years of high school were going to start all over. Fuck I was so preupied with ghost stories and the demon king and what not that I hadnt properly thought about other aspects of the situation. Now that I had properly thought things through, I realized that I was going to have to repeat some very annoying moments. Even having to repeat admissions for a single year would ruin most peoples personalities, but to think that I would have to repeat three full years again Haah T/N: Sooneung Exams are the standardized tests taken in Korea for college admissions. It is basically the Korean equivalent of SATs in the United States. One major difference is that it is only avable once a year, so if you fail it miserably, you have to repeat the admissions process again next year. I will now hand out the printed announcements. For each row, take a sheet and pass the rest to the person behind you. At the homeroom teachers words, the students sitting at the front of each row came up to the teachers desk to receive a pile. On the back of each sheet, the rules and regtions are written out. Alcohol and cigarettes are not allowed, and the dress regtions, such as hair length, are written down. Be sure to check it thoroughly. You wouldnt want to be at a disadvantage. The middle-aged and balding homeroom teacher was using formal speech with the students, who were much younger than him. T/N: The teacher has been using formal speech, which is usually used to speak with your elders to be very polite. It is very umon for teachers to use formal speech with students. This formal speech is lost in trantion. The homeroom teacher handed the piles of paper to the students. I received the pile of announcement paper, took a sheet, and passed the rest to the person behind me. I thought the sheet would contain the typical boring stuff, like congrattions, the history of the school, and the rules and regtions, so I didn''t even bother reading it. My brain was already busy trying to sort out the bizarre happenings so far, so my brain was already overloaded. Whether it was words, knowledge, or information, I did not want to put anything into my brain for at least a while. My mentality is on the weaker side, afterall. I had felt this to my core when I had studied for the standardized tests in myst life. Although my mind wasnt bad, because my mentality was weak I was the type to get sick of things quickly when forced to focus on something for a long time. In fact, I was the type of person to react quickly in real time, depending on the situation. My gics must have all been poured into being quick to react to a situation. During exams, I only knew how to cram at thest second. Because of this, I was able to handle school tests well in a short time, but on the standardized testswhere I needed to study continuously, over longer periods of timeI couldnt help but do poorly. That was why the university I was epted to was just so-so. I was able to react quickly to any situation that happened suddenly and solve those issues, but I did not have the capacity to do anything that involved consistent effort over a long period of time. I want to get home quickly and rest In the current situation, rather than discover more about what was going on, I wanted to go and get some rest. It couldnt be helped, since my brain was already oversaturated. ... Now that I think about it, since I returned three years into the past, my home must still be my old house. Its been a while. Murmur, murmur - Suddenly, the sound of some of the ssmates whispering amongst each other could be heard. They were exchanging uneasy gazes as they began to look at each other. Whats happening? An unusual atmosphere. At that time, the school broadcast system came to life. [The broadcasting room has an announcement. It has been confirmed that the rules and regtions announcement sheet that was just distributed to everyone was printed out incorrectly. We will be collecting all announcement sheets immediately. We repeat, we will be collecting the distributed printouts with the rules and regtions on it. Each homeroom teacher is to collect every single printout, with no exceptions. That is all.] Murmur, murmur- Following this, the homeroom teacher, who seemed to have received some sort of instructions, hurried back into the ssroom. Ah, it seems that the printout was printed incorrectly. Now, lets have the students in the backe forward as they pick up each sheet. Wanting to find out what was on the printout, I lifted it up to read through it. However, the student who was collecting the printouts just grabbed it right out of my hands. He must have mistaken it for me holding it out so that it would be easier for him to collect the sheet. What was written on the sheet that has everyone reacting like this? I had ignored it because I found it annoying, but now I regretted not even skimming through it once. Well, it wasnt like I didnt have friends or anything. I could easily find out by asking my newly made friends, GyeongWon and SunAh. Shortly after. Sorry. I thought that the information would just be the typical stuff, so I didnt bother reading it. GyeongWon responded in a straightforward manner. Then SunAh, who was seated next to him, responded shyly. I read it. But they took it back quickly, so I dont remember it too well Oh! Do you remember what was said on the printout? What was printed out incorrectly that made everyone whisper about it? After I asked that question, SunAh began to scrunch her brows as she tried her best to remember. Honestly, there weren''t any mistakes in the printing itself But there were a few weird lines in the content Weird lines? That is Seemingly unable to put into words properly, SunAh opened and closed her mouth a few times without being able to speak. Most of the information was normal, but in between some of the rules It was written to not meet a certain girl A girl? GyeongWon and I responded simultaneously. A girl? Why would the girl pop up in the middle of the school rules? It said to be careful if you ever meet a certain girl A certain girl? Ummm, theughing girl? I think that was it Aughing girl? If we meet aughing girl in the school, we have to be careful? SunAh tried very hard to remember, but soon her expression became disheartened. Sorry, there was also a line about how to be careful around her but I cant remember what it was Be careful when you meet aughing girl at school. Was that really a part of the school rules? ...... Do you think someone was ying a prank? As I slowly looked at GyeongWon and asked him this, it looked like he was deep in thought. Well, it could be a prank. But it seems like this is based on the recently popr manual ghost story. Manual ghost story? Ghost story! Again, the words ghost story popped up! It''s a ghost story that recently became popr on the inte, but it''s a story about a in looking announcement flier with some unexinable and bizarre warnings hidden within. Is it your first time hearing about this? Manual ghost story Chapter 5: Second Ghost Story - Laughing Girl (1) Chapter 5: Second Ghost Story - Laughing Girl (1) <Suicide. Readers Please be Advised.>> Manual ghost story Is it your first time hearing it? You both look like you dont know about it. Yeah, its my first time hearing it Then it might be better just to show it to you. Give me your number and Ill send you the link through KakaoTalk. Sure. T/N:KakaoTalk is a very popr messenger app used widely in Korea. Since the topic came up, the three of us swapped cell phone numbers. Okay, my cell number is 010 Mine is While exchanging numbers, one person was obviously enjoying it. It was SunAh. Was she happy that she could make friends so easily on the first day of the new semester? No longer blushing, she smiled brightly as she saved my number on her phone. Okay, I just copied the link and sent it. Give it a read if youre curious. The manual ghost story that GyeongWon sent us was an announcement flier with information on a dormitory for newly admitted office workers. Congrattions on your employment at Clover Industries. To those who hope to apply for the on-site apartments, please apply using the methods below.
    • Subject Applicants: Those in good health who are newly employed, as of 2019.
    • On-Site Apartment Application Period: 2019.01.28 (Mon) ~ 2019.02.22 (Fri).
    • Required Documents: 1. Health Certificate (Tuberculosis, Hepatitis B), Photo ID Upon submission, fax to the manager in charge of Clover Pharmaceutical.
    • Submission Method: Clover App Employee Menu On-Site Apartment On-Site Apartment Entrance Application New employees must call the Human Resources Department to verify your data before applying through the app.
    • Precautions During Application:
      • Said apartment was constructed for the sole use of employees through Clover Industries own money and resources. Please remain grateful.
      • Should your family be religious, your application will be denied.
      • When visiting the supervisor to submit the documents, all time-keeping items must be kept with the security agent before the visit.
    • Notice After Moving In
      • After moving into the apartment, cancetions due to health reasons such as auditory and visual hallucinations are not permitted.
      • For safety reasons, units at both ends of the hallways are always empty. Even if the lights are on or sounds can be heard, please ignore them.
      • The apartment has no fourth floor for religious reasons. Should the elevator stop at the fourth floor, pleasemit suicide before you get caught.
      • Entry and exit using the stairs at night is forbidden. Should you be forced to use the stairways, you must crawl on all fours at all times.
    • For All Other Questions:
On-Site Resource Team: 0xx) xxx -xxxx Clover Pharmaceutical: 0xx) xxx - xxxx Even after briefly reading through it, there were a lot of suspicious points about this announcement. Once it seemed like I had read through all of it, GyeongWon asked his question. Did you figure out which parts are weird? Hmm, wait a moment First, when applying for on-site housing, it is suspicious that one must visit the pharmaceutical department. The lines after that were filled with weird points. Do you think they are performing live experiments on the new employees who move into the dormitories? Oh ho! GyeungWon shed his sses in surprise. Thats quite the sharp thinking, despite it being your first read through. Haha, well I just made a guess. But I dont think that was the right answer. It depends on how you perceive it. Is slipping in suspicious statements into these official announcements the manual ghost story that had recently be popr? SunAh also stared intently at her phone screen, scrolling up and down numerous times. GyeongWon, just likest time with the broadcast announcement, you seem to know a lot of scary stories. He pushed up his sses and smiled brightly after hearing what I said. Originally, I enjoyed mystery and suspense. But as I began reading stories of that genre, I got to know a lot about horror, since its a rted genre. Is that so? I thoroughly read through the manual ghost story again. So for this, what was the answer? Answer? He flinched, as if he hadnt expected this question. Yeah, it might be an unusual announcement notice, but whats the conclusion? Ummm SunAh, who was standing in front of him, also stared at GyeongWonseemingly curious about the conclusion as well. That was right. Shouldnt a story have a conclusion? While there were suspicious points all through the notice, what story was it trying to tell? Even if you ask me that It felt like GyeongWon was now a bit embarrassed. Okay, hear me out. Its not that I cant tell you because I dont know, but ghost stories arent supposed to have conclusions Really? Really. He nodded in a determined manner. This notice was something that a newly hired employee of Clover Industries secretly took a picture of and posted on the inte. It wasnt something that somebody just made up Ah, so someone posted a picture of it on the inte. So asking for the conclusion is a bit difficult. Its not that I dont know the answer to it He was a bit embarrassed. Maybe because he was proud of his knowledge, he was emphasizing that the reason he couldnt answer wasnt because he didnt know. But I didnt understand his point. Because I had no prior knowledge about the horror genre, I had asked such an amateurish question. It would be difficult to try and get me to ept theck of a conclusion. Ghost stories are just short, fragmentary stories floating around the inte or somewhere like that. Asking for its conclusion is very difficult to I waved my hands to show that I understood him when GyeongWon struggled to exin it again. I see, I understand. Sorry, sorry. Because my hobbies arent usually about horror, I asked a question like that. Yeah I wasnt struggling to exin because I didnt know. It was just difficult to exin the point that there is no answer to that So, youre saying that hiding these weird warnings within these types of official notices is what creates a manual ghost story? After I cut him off and asked about my conclusion, GyeongWons eyes sparkled as if he found things interesting. For a beginner, you understood the main point pretty well. Youre right. That is the scary part of the manual ghost story. Hmm. Clover Industries was a conglomerate that could influence the world, but couldnt they be sued for spreading such a ghost story? Well, we could just leave it at that. As for the printouts handed out by the school, the fact that it had also contained a hidden warning like the manual ghost story made me think that it was what I needed to focus on right then. Beware theughing girl. * * * * * * After briefly chatting with GyeongWon and SunAh, we returned to our seats as the distribution of textbooks was began. This is a new feeling. Receiving the textbooks I had gotten during my first year of high school gave me an unusual feeling. Out of all of these textbooks, none of them were of any help for the college standardized exams. With the exception of some of the early mathematical material, all of these textbooks had only the most basic of basics, which would not show up on the standardized tests at all. Actually it wasnt only the standardized exams. Not only was the material covered by the textbooks useless for college exams, none of it was helpful for life in general. When I was starting out working part-time jobs during the winter break of my senior year of high school, I remember having a difficult time due to myck of knowledge. If I had at least learned some of theborws, I would have been in more of an advantageous position. These thoughts were what came up during my time before the exam season. Soon after, the homeroom teacher returned and made the closing remarks. Everyone began to pack their bags and get up. The new students were struggling to shove the heavy textbooks into their bags. Of course, they dont know anything. What cute kids they are. The textbooks that we received for our freshman year, there was no reason to study them at home, hehe. Instead of bringing the textbooks home, I just chucked them all into my locker. With my lightened bag, I prepared for dismissal. Looking at the time, it was still only 11not even lunchtime yet. As I was about to leave the ssroom, I could see SunAh hesitating as she was looking at me. Excuse me. Yeah, whats up? SunAh was acting restless as she continued to stare at me. She might be looking for a friend to leave school with. I was nning to walk home alone so that I could collect my thoughts. Although I found it slightly bothersome, she was still a new friend I had just made that day. There was no need to act so cold-hearted. SunAh, lets go together. Wheres GyeongWon? Over there, with someone else Looking at the direction that SunAh was pointing, I could see GyeongWon leaving with arge sses+Pimples+Pig boy. They were heatedly discussing something. Was it like that saying, fanatics get along with fanatics? It seemed like they were speaking about some obscure hobby that I knew nothing about. SunAh was giving me a pathetic look as she fidgeted with her bag. I spoke energetically to SunAh. Lets go! Did you say your home is the JuGong Apartment Complex? Yes, thats right After we leave the school, we have to go in different directions~. Thats unfortunate. Yes, it is When I cleverly began to lead the conversation, SunAh had a relieved expression on her face. Although I had unexpectedly ended up leaving school together with a girl, none of the surrounding students even seemed to notice. Since it was the first day after bing high schoolers, most of the students were busy trying to maintain their image. It probably had to do with the people not knowing each other. If SunAh and I continued to travel together after the students became more acquainted with each other, they might have whispered to each other about whether or not we were going out. School brats really are shallow. I was looking down on the other students, thinking that I did not count as a school brat. Although I had not graduated yet, I had held a college eptance letter in my hand before. Lets go this way. We can cut through the courtyard. Sure SunAh and I naturally began to match pace with each other. Gossiping while seeing girls and boys strictly as the opposite gender was also something you only really did until you graduated high school. I heard that once you get to college, all of the guys and girls eat together naturally and get along. Although I was a bit regretful that I had returned before having experienced that At least Nakseong High School was a co-ed school. Even with all of this unexinable ghost story, demon king revival nonsense, being able to make friends with a girl as cute as SunAh at a co-ed school and go home together made my heart flutter. What did you think of the homeroom teacher? N-not sure He seemed like a funny guy. Yeah Just like I thought, SunAh wasnt the type to talk a lot. It seemed like I would mostly lead the conversation, and SunAh would stutter in response. Regardless, as we continued our conversation in this manner we somehow passed through the courtyard and reached the front gates. Near the front gates, the security guard was checking things out as he stood around. Its also been three years since Ive seen this guy. Do I have to call it a hostile rtionship? You could say that he had quite the ties with me. At that time, I was so busy trying to survive that he waspletely exasperating. Now that I was in a normal situation, it was even a bit nice to see him three years in the past. Of course, he wouldnt know who I am, was what I thought as I passed by him. Not long after we passed the front gates, I said my farewells to SunAh. Goodbye! Ill see you tomorrow~ Yeah, goodbye~ As SunAh walked in the direction of the JuGong apartmentplex next to the school, I could see her looking back in loneliness as she carried her book bag. That dpidated apartmentplex was built over thirty years ago. Although some people did live there because of the rumors of redevelopment, theplex was like a haunted house where only the elderly lived. The walls around the building were covered in vines, and none of the asphalt was intact, with grass growing through all of the cracks I hadnt been inside before, but it was probably even more terrifying. I had been thinking, so SunAh lives there, when I had a sudden thought. The understanding system. I remembered that even if I couldnt know something for sure, if I made a guess or just roughly went over things, it would still properly reflect in the system. Can I make some inferences based on what Ive observed about SunAh so far? After taking a moment to gather my thoughts, I spected on a statement by myself. Yoon SunAh is struggling. No response. Yoon SunAh is poor. Still no response. I considered using more offensive words for a moment. Although I did feel apologetic to SunAh, this was just something I was saying to myself in order to get ustomed to the system. Its probably alright, since the person involved wouldnt hear it, and it wasnt like I really meant it. Yoon SunAh was born with a dirt spoon in her mouth. Yoon SunAh has no money. Yoon SunAh is a beggar. Yoon SunAh ispletely broke. Yoon SunAh is T/N: STOP INSULTING my babySunAh. I tried saying things randomly, but of course there was no response. Was randomly trying to figure things out not allowed? As I watched SunAh move further away, I again tried to collect my thoughts. Let''s see first, SunAh is slow to speak or act. No, rather than just slow, she seems very awkward with human rtionships. Ive seen her spend a lot of time acting hastily or hesitantly over nothing. Has she spent a lot of time alone? I dont think her personality was originally like that. Although there are some people who are awkward with human rtionships because they were morefortable alone, SunAh seemed different. She was clearly joyful when she made a new friend. Then that meant that the reason SunAh was awkward with people was an extrinsic reason. Could the reason be her household situation? Anyway, it was just guesswork in order to get ustomed to the understanding system. There was no reason to feel guilty about just making some conclusions, right? I decided to try to make a conjecture. Yoon SunAhs household is poor. Therefore, during her school days, she probably had a lot of problems with her rtionships with friends. That led to her confidence being worn down, to the point that it became the reason for her reserved personality. Ring-
[Your understanding of Yoon SunAh has greatly increased by 30.]
! I seeded! And it was a great increase at that! So this works. It seemed like I was somehow able to guess it correctly. I wanted to check SunAhs status window to see what had changed. However, SunAh had already entered the apartmentplex. She couldnt be seen anymore, so there was no way to open her status window. I should check it at school tomorrow. I decided that I should prioritize understanding the system. Finally, I turned around and headed home. Chapter 6: Second Ghost Story - Laughing Girl (2) Chapter 6: Second Ghost Story - Laughing Girl (2) After walking about fifteen minutes from school, I could see an apartmentplex in the distance. It was a normal apartment in a neighborhood for the middle ss. My home was there. After the closing of Nakseong High School in myst life, the government had provided aid in my familys move across the Han River. We had lived there for three years before my regression. At this point, it had been a long time since Id visited my home. It felt like I had returned to my hometown from a long time ago. At first, I was worried that I would have forgotten the way home, since it had been three years. However, after following along the sidewalk for a bit, the memories slowly returned. Right, there used to be a store like this over here. I used to buy spicy rice cakes here That store over there was the mart that I used to go to on errands for my mom. That restaurant was the ce my family used to eat out on birthdays And a bit further down, I could see my apartmentplex. Three years might have passed, but I could clearly remember which building and which floor I lived on. I was unable to calm my beating heart as I quickly entered theplex. But What was the passcode to our building again? I was stalled at the apartment building entrance. I stood there for a while, trying to remember the code. Fuck, what was it? Damn it. If I looked up, I could see my home just a few floors up. To think I was stuck at the entrance I could even see the dryingundry on the veranda clearly from where I was standing. It would be weird to suddenly call my parents asking for the passcode, right? Actually, it wouldnt be too weird, but I also thought that there shouldnt be a need to go out of my way to do that. I ended up deciding to sit and wait until someone came by to open the entrance. Because it was still morning, there were almost no people passing by. It was only after a long time that some olddy opened the entrance door as she left. I rushed in and got on the elevator, pushing the button for my floor. 7th floor. Badump, badump. On the elevator walls there were familiar sights, such as announcement notices and fliers. Everything was the same. Just leaving the house for a few days on a retreat or a school trip could make the space feel slightly unfamiliar, but for me, I had spent three years away. Was this what it felt like to return home after finishing military service? T/N: In South Korea, able-bodied young men are required to serve in the military from anywhere between 21 months to 3 years, depending on the branch of the military and the type of service. The draft begins once the male reaches the age of 18, but it can be dyed until the age of 28. While the ce felt slightly foreign, at the same time, I had the weird feeling of familiarity and thought that everything was just the way it used to be. As the elevator doors opened, I could see the front door and the bag of recybles that my mom had sorted out to be disposed of. My heart began to beat faster than ever. How should I greet my mom when I see her? Is my oldputer still the same? As those thoughts began to flood my mind, I pressed the passcode to the front door and opened it. Luckily, I could remember the passcode to my home. Im home~! I shouted energetically, but the house was quiet. Mom? As I headed to the kitchen, I could see my moms note and a ten dor bill on the kitchen table. [You came home early today because it was the entrance ceremony, right? I leave work at six, so you can order some chicken if you get hungry.] Mom I remembered. Three years ago, mom had said that she would get a job as well, and so she had been working as a cashier at a local mart every day. Because I missed my mom, I teared up a bit. Even as my eyes grew wet, I grumbled to myself. Why is it ten dors? Chicken costs closer to twenty dors, nowadays I missed Mom. I also missed Dad. It hadn''t even been that long since Id seen them. In fact, from my perspective I had seen them just yesterday. However, in myst life I had seen my parents die right in front of my eyes before I was brought back to the past, so my heart hurt greatly. Huuu But it wasnt like anything had happened now. I decided to stop being so rushed, and to slowly enjoy my old home. I took a deep breath. I could smell the nostalgic scents of the potted nts purchased by Dad, mixed with the deodorizer purchased by Mom. It smelled like a house where people actually lived. Although the house we moved into in my past life wasnt bad, for some reason it didnt really grow on me. However, this old home had the same atmosphere just the way I remembered. While the media often portrayed hometowns as some home in the sticks, since I was born and raised in the city, in my mind my hometown was the house that I have lived in the longest with my family. In my past life, after the closing of Nakseong High School, the government believed the cause to be a bioweapon attack. They had the residents of the neighborhood move rapidly, and after the area was sealed off, I couldnt even visit the nearby area. It was a ce I always missed. First, I went into the bathroom to take a piss. The sight of the bathtub I often used and the toothbrush I had used in the past made my heart stir. In the house we moved into, instead of a bathtub, there was only a shower stall. It was incredibly ufortable. All bathrooms should have a bathtub. My room. Will my room also be the same? After finishing my business, I hurried to my room. My room was exactly as I remembered it, from the curtains, to the bed, to the desk and theputer. In my past life, we were so rushed to move that we were unable to pack some of our personal items, and so myputer had been left behind. Because of that, I had lost all of my game files, the pictures filled with memories, and my personal journal. It had been one of my biggest regrets, but I was finally able to get them back. It was weird enough returning home early because of the entrance ceremony, but I had evene back to my old home. Calmly sitting on my bed in my own room felt like a dream. It didnt feel like a dream because I was happy, but rather because it was bittersweet and slightly hazy. My old home was always like that. Just sitting there often made me get lost in my thoughts. myputer. I had been sitting around for a while, before getting my head straight and standing up. Lets see, what kind of thoughts did I have three years ago? After turning on theputer, I could see the desktop and a lot of nostalgic folders. Right, at that time I was ying this sort of game lets check out my browsing history. Oh, Past Life Rubber Shoes. Right, at this point in time I used to read this webnovel a lot PUBG was around back then as well. Its a bit older than I thought Ah, this is T/N: The Past Life Rubber Shoeswebnovel mentioned may be a parody of a very oldic called ck Rubber Shoes. And so I spent my time lost in memories as I browsed through myputer. I had also looked around my house, ordered chicken with the money mom left me, and rolled around on the sofa as I watched TV. After leaving the building and spending time outside on the yground reminiscing, it had already be evening. I returned home and was ying on my phone when I heard the buttons on the door lock being pressed. My parents had returned from work, and I could hear them as they came in. * * * * * * Moooooooom~~~! Daaaaaaaaaad! I came out running to greet them, but they were acting normally as they entered the house. Oh my, why is this kid so delighted to see us? I missed you Huh? Did something happen? Did you see a ghost in the house or something? My dad tossed out a joke as he chuckled. The atmosphere became harmonious and cozy, and that atmosphere continued as we ate dinner together. My parents and I chatted about how my entrance ceremony went, whether I made friends and the like. In this manner, I enjoyed the reunion with my parents and spent the rest of the day with them.
Name: Lee Joon Age: 17 Title: Main Character Disposition: [Two-Faced] > Click to Expand Special Ability: 1. None 2. None 3. None Quirk: Last Second Cramming. Click. Disposition: [Two-Faced]
  • Your disposition is two-faced.
  • You feel lonely when you are alone, yet you feel bothered when with others.
  • You seem sociable at a nce, but you are actually introverted.
  • You are usually cautious, but you asionally be impulsive.
> Because of your two-faced nature, you usually have two opposite mindsets that sh. This results in theck of persistence to continue through a task over a long period of time. However, because of your two-faced nature, you are able to see a situation from multiple angles. This allows you to react quickly in sudden situations and act with great wit and tricks in response.
Im a moron? Before going to sleep, I was reading through my status window thoroughly as Iy in bed, but I ended up being stunned. My strong point is what? Using tricks? Of course, I already know what my own personality was like. Whenever I did something, although I usually did more than average, I often found it difficult to finish up all the way. In human rtionships, I felt lonely when Im alone, but I also had the mindset that when I was with others, I wished to be alone. Financially speaking, I always made sure to turn off any lights I wasnt using and I had the desire to save up. However, if something really caught my eyes, I had the tendency to splurge just for that. I had a somewhat contradictory personality. I did already know this about myself, but the system had just urately bombed me with undeniable facts. Do you think I want this type of personality? While I did feel a bit indignant since I couldnt do anything about being born with this personality, I once again felt that the system was able to transcend beyond what I had recognized. While I had dismissed it simply as aplicated personality, the system had strictly defined it as two-faced, with no room for argument. Is there anything else? I checked it thoroughly to see if it had stats simr to most online games, such as strength, agility and intelligence, but there were no such stats. After searching the status window, I closed it to find the main screen.
[2019 Mar. 04 | Monday, 23:03] [Lee Joon - Number of Attempts: 2, Progressing in Tutorial] [Ghost Story Points: 13] [Causality Rate: 2%]
  1. Status Window
  2. Manage Club (Locked)
  3. Statistics
  4. Settings
That was probably the most fundamental screen of the system, the main screen. What does the number of times mean? If you include the first time, when my head exploded, I should be on my third try Also, what was this causality rate? Even when I tried to press it, there was no response. Since the manage club tab was locked, I couldnt click that either. Number 3, Statistics, click. Poof-
-Total Time- [Total Time yed: 3 Years, 0 Months, 0 Days, 23 Hours, 03 Minutes, 57 Seconds] [Time Spent Sleeping: 1 Year, 02 Months, 13 Days, 7 Hours, 30 Minutes, 25 Seconds] [Time Spent at Nakseong High School: 11 Hours, 21 Minutes, 42 Seconds] [Time Spent Speaking with Friends: 3 Days, 11 Hours, 48 Minutes, 37 Seconds] [Time Spent Studying: ] [Time Spent Gaming: ] . . . -Total Numbers- [Number of Deaths: 2] [Number of Times Surviving a Ghost Story: 1] [Number of Times Starting Over at a Checkpoint: 1] [Number of Times the Demon King Revived: 1] . . .
T/N: Pretty sure the number of checkpoint start overs should be 2, but the author may have a different method of counting it. Damn, they have the strangest things here. Using the moment the message had first popped up as the starting point, the statistics page contained all sorts of different statistics about me. Checkpoints, huh Since I mostly yed online games, it was a word that was slightly unfamiliar to me. I may have seen it a few times when I yed some console games a long time ago. They might have simplified the Save/Load functions and called it a checkpoint. For the rest will there be a time I use it? How annoying. I guessed that it would take a few more deaths and experiences for me to get the hang of what it did. Next! Number 4, Settings, Click!
[Graphics Options] [Audio Options] [Control Options]
The graphics options included numbers for brightness, contrast, and gamma correction. As I increased or decreased those numbers, my vision would get brighter or darker in real time. While this did seem very intriguing, it didnt seem to have any real uses yet. I had thought that increasing the brightness in a dark space could be useful, but after testing it out in my room, I found out that that was not the case. As I increased the number, it wasnt that the brightness was actually increasing. It was more like a white filter was forming in front of my eyes. It wouldnt help with seeing something better. Damn, this is useless.
[Audio Options] Click.
The audio options were at least better. When I decreased the volume bar hovering in front of me, I could hear the sounds growing quieter in real time. Although being alone in my room at night was already pretty quiet, when I decreased the volume to the lowest value, even the minute sounds of the hum of the refrigerator and the sound of my heartbeat disappeared. This is quite good. With this, I wont need any earplugs in loud ces. Of course, it was more likely that the system was controlling my sense of hearing, rather than actually eliminating all of the sounds in the world. In order to find out what the control options did, I tried pressing random stuff. There were so many useless options, like when I tried moving my arms, my feet would move instead. That was an option with absolutely no use. Thats crazy. Nothing here is useful. I slowly struggled, trying to move my feet in order to get my hands to move and return the options back to normal. When I finished struggling and finally got it back to normal, it was already past midnight. I guess it was time for me to go to sleep. Chapter 7: Second Ghost Story - Laughing Girl (3) Chapter 7: Second Ghost Story - Laughing Girl (3) The Next Morning. Even before my mom could wake me up, my eyes opened on their own. It might have been because of the fact that I was tense after all of the bizarre urrences that I had been through. I was able to get to school early because I woke up early. Because it was the entrance ceremony the day before, we had been temporarily assigned to the upstairs ssroom. They must have finished the ss distribution, as they made an announcement to go to the first floor. Nakseong High School. A humanities focused school that opened in 1984 in the City of Seoul, Gwanak District. The first seniors to have graduated from that school were already over the age of fifty and were members of society. If you wanted to, you could say that the school had quite the tradition. From what Id heard, the school had a foundation that paid for its costs, so it was categorized as a charter high school. However, because the school pursued normality to the point of being abnormal, its teaching methods and atmosphere were like that of any other typical school. Because it was close to Seoul National University, it would have been reasonable for the school to have be a prestigious high school, but in the thirty years since its founding, it did not seem to put in the effort. As such, the students tended to be a bit run-of-the-mill. T/N: Seoul National University is the most prestigious university in Korea. Thanks to that, even though I was thoroughly average, I was epted. I tried picturing theyout of the school as I sat calmly in the ssroom. Three buildings were shaped in a C formation, and in the middle was the courtyard. It was a simpleyout. If you looked in from the front gates, you could consider the middle building to be the main building. To the left of the main building was the cafeteria, and to the right was the gymnasium, which doubled as an auditorium. There was nothing about it that seemed abnormal. But the tutorial message suggested otherwise. It definitely stated that this school hid some sort of secret Even though it just looks like a typical school from the outside. Well, from my perspective the school already no longer seemed typical. Underneath the school there existed some unknowable monster called the Demon King. Haah Where do I need to start unearthing clues? Whether it was secrets or the Demon King, both were such faraway objectives to me. So I decided to focus on the incidents that ured right in front of my eyes, first. What I meant by right in front of my eyes was the ghost story theughing girl that was hinted at in the announcement printout. This phenomenon called ghost story may have been closely rted to the path I needed to take. I need to make my objective for today finding out more about theughing girl that was mentioned in the announcement sheet. In order to do that, I needed to find someone who urately remembered the portion of the announcement printout that described theughing girl. The more that time passed, the more likely it was that the students memories would grow shaky. By the end of the day, I needed to ask as many of my ssmates as possible if they remembered the contents of the announcement sheet. I definitely am not the type of person to go out of my way to make friends It was fine to have what people called friends, but they could also be tiring if you were bound by them. To think that I, who didn''t have such a disposition, was forced to act like some sort of extrovert While I was waiting in the ssroom and ruminating, I watched SunAh slide open the ssroom door and rush in right before thete bell rang. Even though she lives right next to the school, she still had to rush over. I suddenly thought of a weird statistic that stated that the closer you lived to your destination, the more likely you were to bete. Now~ everyone. Starting with those of you in the front,e out and pick out a piece of paper. It was our rotund, middle-aged homeroom teacher, who wasughing while speaking and using formal speech. Within just a day of meeting each other, he made jokes and maintained his own pace. I was thinking that he had amazing sociability as I went up and picked a piece of paper. Lets see 26? Based on the number on the paper, our seats and our partners were being decided. I checked the chalkboard to see the seat distribution that the homeroom teacher had marked down and walked to the desk that was assigned the number 26. I had hoped to myself that a pretty girl would be my partner, but when I got to my seat I could see a massive guy sitting in the seat next to mine. Wheeze wheeze He was so obese that he seemed to have difficulty breathing. He wore sses and was fiddling around with his earbuds. I think I saw him yesterday. Soon, I remembered that he was the one who was having a very intense conversation with GyeongWon when they left school. Hello, nice to meet you. Lets get along. Wheeze Nice to meet y-UwU~ The bitch was an otaku.
[Your understanding of Oh DukHun has increased by 15.]
After talking to him about various topics, I discovered that he wasnt a bad person If you ignored the fact that he would hide a chocte bar and secretly eat it while going squee, or the fact that he would spend his breaks watching some weird anime on his phone.
Name: Oh DukHun Age: 17 Disposition: ??? Special Ability: ??? Quirk: ??? Understanding: 15/100
I decided to ask him about the pamphlet, like I had originally intended. Hey, DukHun? There is something Im curious about. ? You remember that printout that was distributed and then taken away, right? Did you read it? Yeah. I heard that there were weird things written on it. Do you remember? When I began to talk to him, DukHun, who had been watching anime on his phone for a while, took out his earbuds and began to stare off somewhere behind me. Aaah, are you talking about theughing girl-desuka? Maybe it was because he watched too much anime, but he seemed to be speaking Japanese. I was going to point it out, but since it was our first time meeting, I held it in and nodded instead. Yeah, thats right. Do you remember? DukHun began tough as he responded. When you see theughing girl, you must never act like you can see her-aruyo You cant act like you see her? Dame. Dame? What the fuck does that mean? Besides that, are there any specific words you remember? Zenzen. The weeb put in his earbuds and returned to watching anime, ending the conversation with those words. Haah I went to visit SunAhs seat after that. SunAhs partner, who was a girl wearing sses, was reading a book. Her face was small, like a dolls. Her long ck hair and clear skin caught my eye. SunAh must have found it awkward to be with someone she just met, since she was fidgeting with her pencil case. When she saw me approach, her face changed to show a weing expression. Hey, SunAh. I saw you were almostte today. Ahaha SunAh spoke afterughing a bit more naturally than yesterday. My grandmother woke me upte Do you just live with your grandmother? Yeah. I wondered where her parents were. Her household situation seemedplicated. Did you greet your partner yet? Not yet When SunAhs partner heard that, she briefly peeked in our direction before her expression turned stoic and she returned to reading. I need to ask about the announcement sheet. I tried speaking to SunAhs partner in an attempt to get the two to start speaking with each other as well. Hello, Im Lee Joon. In response, the girl met my eyes and greeted me, smiling very brightly. Yes, hello. Im In HaYoon. Because she had a stoic expression on right before, I had been scared that she would ignore me while thinking, Why the fuck is this bastard talking to me? Instead, she greeted me brightly, with a smile. She was unlike SunAh, who had a hesitant demeanor and spoke with a slight mumble. Instead, she had a clear voice and great pronunciationlike a newscaster. Do you happen to remember the announcement sheet that they distributed and took back yesterday? Yes, why? I heard there was a weird warning on it, do you happen to remember it? I remember. Are you curious? Yes, Im curious. Will you tell me? HaYoon put her finger to her lips, making a gesture that suggested she was thinking. White and smooth hands, slender fingers, tidy and trimmed fingernails. Her hands were so different from my own hands, which I didnt take particrly good care of, that I subconsciously gulped. I think it was If you discover a girlughing in an unusual manner at school, pretend you dont see her and just act naturally until she passes by. ! She remembered it exactly, right down to the details. My gosh It seems very creepy, right? I know. To think that such a creepy warning was just written in among the various rules, like the uniform restrictions or the rules on hair length. I could only call this situation bizarre. When SunAh couldnt find an opportunity to slip into the conversation, her expression grew worried as she looked around. I began to speak to the worried SunAh. SunAh, do you want to go check out the school store on our next break? Yes. It seems like itd be fun SunAh smiled slightly, as if she was relieved. I said goodbye and made my way back to my seat. In myst life, I went to an all boys school. I didnt have many opportunities to hang out with girls. Thank god I could speak without stuttering. The school I went to in my past life, after Nakseong High was closed down, was sadly an all boys school. While thinking to myself that co-ed schools were the best, I sat down at my seat and prepared for the next lesson. The next ss was English, but nothing much happened. Because it was the first lesson, all we did was say our names and introduce ourselves in English. After that was break time. Like I promised, I left the ssroom with SunAh, with the intention of going to the school store together. I was nning to invite her partner HaYoon as well if we made eye contact, but she just continued to read her book. I calmed my disappointment and left for the school store with SunAh. Right before we reached the school store, SunAh spoke up as if she had just remembered something. Ah, right. GyeongWon Ah, right. Because my mind was so upied with the school and ghost stories, I hadpletely forgotten. The three of us had ditched the entrance ceremony together and gotten friendly with each other yesterday, so we could have at least asked him toe to the school store with us. During the stage when people were just getting closer, like right then, sticking together with the original members of a group without isting anyone was necessary to avoid trouble. You think hell be upset that he was left out? Probably But that guy looked like some rich households young master, so he didnt seem like he would eat the cheap foods sold at the school store That was the excuse I came up with as I reached the school store. Of course, the school store had a long line. It seems like the break will end before we even get to look at the snacks. Seems like it Well, I didnte here because I was hungry, but because it was an opportunity to get closer to my newly made friend, so it didnt really matter. Regardless, the front of the school store was utter chaos. With all of the chatter between waiting students, the sound of students shouting, please give me this, please give me that, please ring it up, and the chaos caused by students leaving and bumping into students entering the store the whole ce seemed like it would erupt within five minutes. And during that time, some good-for-nothing upperssmen pushed past us and cut in line. I almost fell over, but I managed to steady myself by grabbing SunAhs hand. ! At that moment, I could feel the smoothness and the warmth of SunAhs hand, and I couldnt help but jolt. Fuck, Im screwed ! * * * * * * SunAh stared at me in surprise, her eyes wide. Before I could even give an excuse, the students around us continued to push and pull, so we almost fell over again. In the end, I continued to hold SunAhs hand and pulled us both out of the crowd. Like that, we passed through the chaotic entrance. Once we were inside the school store, the situation was a bit better. We ended up in front of the snack disy, neither holding hands nor letting go. Our hands were in a weird in-between state, where they just barely ovepped on top of each other. Whew, this ce is really hectic, isnt it? I tried acting like nothing had happened. SunAh didnt answer. Although our surroundings were noisy, there was a quiet tension building between us. Soon, I could feel SunAh trying to slip her hand from mine. I let go, as well. I pretended to pick out things to buy, as I secretly peeked to see SunAhs reaction. It was a stiff expression, slightly mixed with seriousness. It was, without question, a face that thought the situation was burdensome. Ah fuck I knew I was screwed. At that point, it would have been a bit iffy to give some kind of excuse, too Did you decide on what you want to eat? No response. SunAh? SunAh furrowed her brows slightly as she tried to avoid my gaze. Was she annoyed? The kind boys and girls in the movies often ended up holding hands within a day of knowing each other when coincidences like that happened. Was that sort of thing just in the movies? In reality, if some guy began grabbing the hands of someone he just met the day before, people would definitely think he was a moron. But it really was an ident Ah fuck what do I say now? We were getting pretty friendly, but because of this one incident It was an awkward situation because I hadnt spoken much to girls, and SunAh already had low self-esteem and was inept at human rtions. I was anxious about how to recover from this situation. If only I could turn back time just five minutes It was at that moment that I could hear a small scream near the entrance of the school store. ? I was about to pay for the Chochung Rice Snack I had randomly chosen at the counter when I reflexively turned my head towards the entrance. I could see a brightlyughing middle-aged woman standing by the entrance. I was shocked the moment I saw that woman. She seemed like just some typical neighborhooddy, but she had such thick and white makeup all over her face that it was hard to even make out her features. But her eyes and mouth made such a sharp crescent moon shape that the brightughter seemed eerie, as if her features were ripping. Someone screamed after being surprised by the womans appearance. Wow, that scared me Who are you, olddy? Dont block the path. Move aside! Fuck, stop blocking the pa Even without her standing there, the entrance was busy. The students who bumped into her on their way out couldnt help but be annoyed as they passed her by. Meanwhile, some of the students in the line that saw her monstrous makeup and heard her awfulughter couldnt help but shout in surprise. In addition Just how tall is thatdy? It seemed like nobody else noticed because they were all in such a hurry. The school store entrance was a chaotic mess. Even in that situation, everyone was able to see the woman. They shouted or cursed at her. In that sort of situation, where it was difficult to differentiate even the person right next to you, they could all see her. That was because she was at least head and shoulders taller than all of the highschoolers, who should have been at the end of their growth spurts. Su-SunAh I subconsciously searched for SunAh. As SunAh had also seen thedy, she forgot about all of the awkwardness that had happened between us and had attached herself to my side, her face pale with fear. Ye-yeah? Uh, what do we do? Thats uh that, right? Theughing girl I was flustered at that moment, and ended up asking SunAh for the answers. Uh, uh, yeah Lets SunAh continued to speak with a pale face. Lets just, uh go over there I looked into SunAhs eyes and nodded my head slightly. [If you see theughing girl, pretend that you didnt and just act normally.] That had definitely been written in the school announcements. Murmur, murmur. The students, who had been busy trying to get in and out of the school store, all eventually focused their attention on the woman. They all began whispering in worry. What is that? Isnt she a crazy person? I AAAAAMMMMM NNNNNOOOOOOOOTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At that moment, she let out a piercing scream as she pulled something out and began to make sweeping swings with her arms. It seemed to be a boxcutter. It wasnt the type that students would use for arts and crafts, but an industrial one. As she swung the boxcutter in the direction of the students trying to get past her, the students necks tilted at awkward angles and a dark, reddish liquid squirted out. Gasp, keeeek. Swish- sh. Mommy, my neck Everything suddenly went silent. And then KYAAAAAA! AAAAAAACK! Save me! AAAAAGHH! UAHHHH! She''s a crazydy! The students tried to run away, screaming. However, the area around the school store was already packed with students, bursting at the seams with them. As those trying to run away and those standing in line crashed into each other, it became total pandemonium. And in the center of it all, theughing girl began swinging the box cutter like crazy. KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! UACK!! Save me! Gasp gasp. Get out of the way! KYAA! Run, run! Around half a dozen students had their necks slit by theughing girl, and could be seen tilting and then copsing. It wasnt even a full copse onto the floor. Because of the crowd of people, it was closer to bodies leaning against other people. The male student who had just caught a dead body lost all sense of reason as the blood spurted out. KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA The womanughed like crazy as she began slicing away at a speed and with a strength that seemed inhuman. UAHHHH! FUCK! Uaarrgh. As the womanmitted ughter at the store entrance, those of us inside were unable to leave and were forced closer to the counter, trapped like rats. Kuuuaaaaaak- Swish- Gaaaarrgghh KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Kyaaaaaaaa! Swish- Grrrrrghhh . Su-SunAh. Gasp Gasp SunAh was so scared that she began hyperventting. The crazilyughing girl made her way through the overcrowded students and slowly began to draw closer. I was supposed to pretend I didnt see her and act naturally in this situation? Thats fucking dogshit. Both of our shoulders were already shaking in fear. Calmly pretending not to see her seemed impossible. Heub! I quickly pushed SunAh towards the counter. SunAh quietly yelped. I then knelt and interlocked my fingers as I lifted SunAhs feet on top. Cross. O. Ver. Es. Cape. Through. Win. Dow. After a moment of slight confusion at what I had mouthed, she understood what I said and used the boost I provided to get over the counter. She began running towards the window. Because theughing girl was blocking the entrance of the store, the only path of escape was the window on the opposite side of the counter. That was the only method of escape. I followed SunAh across the ss pane of the counter when I saw the store clerk crouching and hiding in the corner, trying to call the police. Th-this is the police right? This is the school store of Nakseong High School! Pleasee quickly! Its a murder, a murder! Pl-pleasee quickly! We passed by the hiding woman and headed towards the window. The window was about shoulder height. It was a bit high up, but a guy like me could adequately climb out through it. However, it would be a bit difficult for a small girl like SunAh. SunAh reached the window first, gasping for breath. I grabbed SunAh and pushed her up higher so that she could grab the top of the window. SunAh struggled a bit and barely made it through the window. Then it was my turn. J-Joon The moment SunAh got out, she turned around and spoke to me as she looked at me from the other side of the window. I wasnt angry before! You know that, right? Is she talking about before, when I grabbed her hand? I quickly nodded and grabbed the top of the window to try to jump over. I struggled a bit as I attempted to get my legs over the top, but unfortunately, Icked the strength and fell back to the ground. Gasp, gasp I tried to catch my breath to make another attempt. I crouched in preparation to make the jump when SunAh suddenly saw something behind me and began to shout desperately, eyes wide. J-Joon! Joon! JOON!! NOO!! KYAAAA!! ? I looked back. The woman had noticed that we were trying to escape. Suddenly, she began to cut through the crowd at twice the speed, crazily running towards us. Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap DashDashDashDashDashDashDashDash- KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It seemed like she had been just ying around before that moment. As her shoulders swung at speeds invisible to the human eye, the heads of the students were sent flying. As the girlughed in a crazed manner, she jumped over the counter andnded right by me. I was a second away from the boxcutter slicing through my head. DDDDOOOOOOONNNNNNNTTTTTTT LLLLLLLLEEEEEAAAAVVVVEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The industrial grade boxcutter shed into my head, and my vision went dark.
[You are dead.] [You will restart at your previous checkpoint.] [Loading]
Chapter 8: Second Ghost Story - Laughing Girl (4) Chapter 8: Second Ghost Story - Laughing Girl (4) > When I came to, I was sitting at my desk. The morning rays were shining into the ssroom. The students were quietly sitting. I was at school. School. This. was school, huh. I was briefly in a daze, before letting out a big sigh. Haah I was alive. Regardless, I was alive. I came back. I was back at that miserable entrance ceremony. It wasnt even the first time. My gosh. ? No, it was a bit off. The fact that it was morning and a ssroom was still the same. But something was slightly different. What is it? Something was different. What was it? The lights. In the morning, because the sun was bright, it was difficult to tell if the lights were on or not. Because of that, it took me longer to realize that the lights were on. During the entrance ceremony, the lights were definitely off because of the ckout. Whats the date today? I immediately took out my phone from my pocket and checked the date. [March 5, Tuesday. 07:59] At that time, the door opened violently. Gasp, gasp It was SunAh. SunAh, who had barely avoided beingte, roughly sat down at a nearby desk and began to catch her breath. I had returned to the morning of that same day. After a brief moment, the balding middle-aged homeroom teacher entered the ssroom, chuckling and announcing the seat distribution method. Now~ everyone. Starting with those of you in the front,e out and pick out a piece of paper. The students in the ss slowly stood up and lined up in front of the teachers desk. I could see SunAh and GyeongWon among the students in the line. This time, I returned to the same morning. I wondered what the standard was. As I was contemting that, I also stood up and got in line. Shuffle. Which paper did I choosest time? Was it this one? After opening the sheet I chose, it was, fortunately, 26the same one asst time. Since I had returned, I had decided to avoid making changes and instead, I was going to maintain the previous flow and slowly discover more about the situation. When I went to the desk that corresponded with my number, I could see my partner, DukHun, breathing harshly as he organized his belongings in the seat next to mine. Last time, I was the first to greet him. My understanding of him rose when I discovered that he was an otaku from his speech patterns. I suddenly wondered if my status window would match with what I knew now, or with what was known at that moment in timebefore I regressed. To test that theory, I opened DukHuns status window first, before greeting him. Poof-
Name: Oh DukHun Age: 17 Disposition: ??? Special Ability: ??? Quirk: ??? Understanding: 15/100
Hmmm . My understanding of him had already increased. It seemed like the system transcended, and was unaffected by the regression. Well. I could have confirmed that through the statistics menu on the main menu screenst night. Hello, nice to meet you. Lets get along. Wheeze Nice to meet y-UwU~ And after a bit of light conversation, I asked the same question I had asked before. DukHun, you know the announcement printout that was distributed and then collected right away, right? Yeah. I heard there was some weird stuff written on it, do you remember? DukHun, who had been watching anime on his phone, took out his earbuds and began to stare off somewhere behind me. Aaah, are you talking about theughing girl-desuka? Yeah, thats right. Do you remember? DukHun began tough as he responded. When you see theughing girl, you must never act like you can see her-aruyo You cant act like you see her? Dame. Besides that, are there any specific words you remember? Zenzen. Dame and Zenzen, what do they mean? Is it Japanese? DukHun flinched, and then answered. It means you cant and not at all. I see. Thanks. DukHun put his earbuds in again and began to focus hard on his anime. So those words didnt mean much, after all. I went to visit SunAhs seat after. The first thing that I saw was HaYoon, who was exuding the atmosphere of a precious daughter of the upper ss, calmly reading a book. Next to her was the poor SunAh, who was restless due to meeting her partner for the first time. When she saw me approach, her face changed to show a weing expression. She looked like she wanted to greet me quickly, but because of her shy personality, she seemed to hesitate. When I saw SunAh acting in that manner, I couldnt help but feel a bit affectionate. Was it because just before this, we had spent time together running for our lives? Or was it because I could start our friendship over, without the burdensome incident that urred before? Hello. I saw you were almostte today. My grandmother woke me upte Do you just live with your grandmother? Yeah How about your partner? Did you greet her yet? Not yet HaYoon briefly peeked in our direction before returning to reading. I then greeted her. Hello, Im Lee Joon. In response, HaYoon greeted me brightly, as if to suggest she had never put on a stoic expression. Yes, hello. Im In HaYoon. Do you happen to remember the announcement sheet that they distributed and took back yesterday? Yes, why? I heard there was a weird warning on it, do you happen to remember it? I remember. Are you curious? Yes, Im curious. Will you tell me about it? HaYoon put her finger to her lips, making a gesture that suggested she was thinking. White and smooth hands, slender fingers, tidy and trimmed fingernails. I think it was If you discover a girlughing in an unusual manner at school, pretend you didnt see her and just act naturally until she passes by. Its very creepy. It was here that I had suggested to SunAh that we should go to the school store because she was feeling a bit nervous the first time. Lets avoid the school store. Thinking that, I faced SunAh as I finished the sentence. Right? You also think it''s creepy, right? SunAh flinched, but then she started smiling, as if she was relieved. Yeah, its weird. And so, the three of us spend the rest of break chatting about what middle school we graduated from and other typical topics like that. The next ss was English, but because it was the first lesson, the ss was simplespeaking your name and introducing yourself in English. The next break arrived. Instead of visiting the school store, I entered the hallway and observed the store through the window. Where did that girle from? After waiting a bit, I saw something white pop out on the other side of the school walls, along the boundaries. It was at the wall, right next to the school store. The pale white face of the brightlyughing girl popped up. Theughing girl was standing on the other side of the wall. She climbed up the wall and onto the school stores roof, then slowly crawled across the roof. Once there, she plopped herself right at the store entrance. So that was why she appeared at the entrance so suddenly, even though there was such a big crowd. As I watched the situation unfold, sweating, GyeongWon came up next to me and started to speak. Hello. Its our first time speaking since we saw each other yesterday. What are you looking at? Umm, uh GyeongWon. When GyeongWon saw how startled I was, he followed my gaze out of the window. When he discovered the woman, he frowned. What is that person doing? GyeongWon, you see I hesitated a bit before resolving myself to speak up. GyeongWon, I think thatdy may be theughing girl that was mentioned on the announcement sheet yesterday. What? DukHun and HaYoon did think that the warning that said to beware of theughing girl was weird, but they did not know much beyond that. However, the person who had realized that the announcement was a manual ghost story was GyeongWon, and only him. If it was him, he might have known something more. At the same time, the murmurs of the students near the school store could be heard. Wow, that scared me Who are you, olddy? Dont block the path and move aside. Fuck, stop blocking the pa It wouldnt be long before thedy would make her move. I hurriedly asked him a question. GyeongWon, this might be weird, but answer me right away. What do you have to do if you want to survive a manual ghost story? GyeongWon tilted his head and looked at me. Answer me. How does the main character in the manual story survive? Main character? He seemed really flustered. Quickly! Whateveres to mind! That is I think I told you yesterday that technically, there is no main character in that story. There is no introduction, development, turn, or conclusion. Suddenly he stared at me in a way that suggested he was looking down on me. Did you perhaps not get it yet? Its a simple concept. However, I didnt give in. Instead, I pushed back. I fucking understood, so just tell me, how do the people who see her survive? Thats what I want to hear! Despite his high pride, it seemed he had no resistance to cursing. He seemed to flinch at the pressure I applied. After a brief thought, he answered with what he remembered. Probably, uh since it''s a manual ghost story, you just have to follow the manual? Since it''s in the form of a warning and all. ! Afterwards, GyeongWonughed as he looked out the window again. Youre uselessly serious. Did you see that olddy and think about that? Thats just an insane woma I AAAAAMMMMM NNNNNOOOOOOOOTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The woman let out a piercing scream and threw something in our direction. The industrial grade box cutter. It flew in a straight line at the hallway window, and Crash! It broke through the ss and pierced GyeongWons forehead. Ugh The young master couldnt even scream before his head was forced back. The boxcutter had been thrown with such force that it had forced GyeongWon a long way backwards. Plop. * * * * * * His body stopped only once it hit the wall. His head hung down and his body leaned against the wall. It had only been a day since I had made friends with that prideful guy. Ahn GyeongWon. It happened way too suddenly. Except for the few students who had been in the hallway, nobody had noticed. Because the ce where GyeongWon had copsed was not visible from the outside, it seemed like the people at the school store did not realize what had happened. I quickly rushed back into the ssroom. Follow the manual? Pretend I didnt see her? Fucking was that something that a human could do? An insane, brightlyughing girl was ughtering people in front of your eyes, and you were supposed to act naturally? Even if an actor were toe, he wouldnt be able to act like that. Fuck, fuck I didnt know what to do. I wasnt the hero-type, who went out of his way to solve difficult problems. At the end of the day, it was just onedy. Whether it was the police or the military, they could figure the fucking situation out. For now, with thoughts of escape, I grabbed my shoe bag from my locker and was about to run out when I suddenly saw SunAh. She was sitting next to her indifferent partner, being conscious of others without knowing what was going on. I quickly walked over to SunAhs seat. Hey, SunAh? Yeah? She turned around to face me with a weing expression. That is What should I do? I was originally thinking of running away. I would rather not survive by myself, it would have been lonely. If SunAh and I escaped the school and all the way to the subway station during the time that the girl was rampaging, wouldnt it work out? As for the rest we could think about itter. As I was in a panic, I could only think about how I could slip out of this situation. SunAh, uh you want to take a stroll around the courtyard with me? SunAh stared at me with round eyes. Break time will end soon Break time was extended due to some school situation. At those words, HaYoon, who was one seat over, peeked over in my direction. I ignored her and continued to say whatever came to mind. It was extended another twenty minutes. Maybe because its the day after the entrance ceremony, the schedule got screwed up. Lets go on a walk. Uh, sure. Lets go, then As SunAh reluctantly stood up, I rushed her out of the ssroom quickly. Kyaaa! Uaaahh! Save me! You could slowly start to hear screamsing from the direction of the school store. Huh? Over there Lets go, quickly. As we were passing through the hallway, SunAh was about to look out of the window. However, when I rushed her she just followed me out. We were in the main building, and the school store was in the back. The courtyard was in front of the main building. It seemed like it would take time for the chaos that was urring at the school store to spread through the main building and to the courtyard, so it was still quite peaceful there. There were upperssmen determined to y ser, despite the short time, and female students out on a walk while giggling amongst themselves. This way. Sure SunAh and I joined the people who were taking a stroll around the circumference of the courtyard and began to walk. Our destination was the front gates. Because I was in a hurry I didnt notice, but SunAh had an awkward expression because I had suddenly dragged her out. I was striding about, and SunAh was hesitant to follow me. In that manner, we walked silently. Soon, we reached the front gate. Luckily, because an ingredients delivery truck wasing in, the gates were open. We could see that the security guard had stopped the truck and was chatting about the weather with the driver. I was on silent standby at the basketball court near the front gate. SunAh was calmly standing next to me. Kyaaaa! Uaaah, Aaaackkk! At some point, screams could be hearding from the main building. Even though the front gates were on the opposite side of the courtyard from the main building and quite far away, we could already start hearing the pandemonium within. The students who had been strolling in the courtyard stopped and started to shade their eyes from the sun to see what was happening in the main building. Did something happen? Over there, look over there. Through the windows of one of the ssrooms on the middle floor, we could see students running around, screaming. In between some of the waving curtains, we could see some of the students falling over. Soon, some of the students stuck their heads out of the windows in the direction of the courtyard and shouted. Help us! Help us! Call the police! Police! Save me! Save me! Some of the students even tried to escape through the windows by bncing on the ledge and sliding over to the side. All of the students in the courtyard began to murmur about what was happening. Even the security guard, who was standing by the front gates, and the truck driver, who leaned out of his window, began to look towards the main building. Whats dat? Hmmm . It was a male student, who had climbed out of the window and tried to cross over to the next ssroom using the pipe. From the window that the student just came out of, thedy pushed her head out and began to shake her fingers at the boy as she began tough like crazy. KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA The student, who was dangerously trying to cross over using the pipe, was startled and lost his footing when he heard herughter behind him, leading to his fall. Uaaaaaahhhhhhh St- KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Kyaaaa! A person fell! The students in the courtyard began to panic. SunAh was nervously looking towards the main building. SunAh. Yeah? I grabbed SunAh and slowly began to exin. SunAh, listen closely. Right now, someone has infiltrated the school and is swinging a weapon around. Since its dangerous, lets wait outside of the school until the situation is settled. SunAh stared at me with round eyes, before reluctantly nodding her head. In order to do that, we need to pass through the front gate without the security guard knowing. Crouch down quietly and follow me. Okay? Nod, nod. Bringing SunAh along, I avoided the security guard, who was distracted watching the chaos urring at the main building. I ducked behind the truck and headed towards the gates. Kyaaaa! Uaaaaaaahhhhh! Suddenly, I could hear shouts from the back of the courtyard. What happened? Did that girl already get to the courtyard? After passing a few steps through the front gate, I looked back to check the situation. A pale white girl, who wasughing brightly, was creating a dust storm in the courtyard. Pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat She was running towards me. DDDDOOOOOOONNNNNNNTTTTTTT LLLLLLLLEEEEEAAAAVVVVEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As if she was in fast forward, the girl was dashing towards us, swinging her arms all willy nilly. She quickly jumped over the truck. The pale, brightlyughing face was rapidly getting closer. Whoosh- Fuck. As my head was blown into the air, I could see my headless body and theughing girl miserably ughtering SunAh before I cked out.
[You are dead.] [You will restart at your previous checkpoint.] [Loading]
*** Slide - ck. Gasp, gasp SunAh, who had barely avoided beingte, sat down roughly at a nearby desk and began to catch her breath. I had returned to the ssroom. If I met her I would die, and when I attempted to run away, I still died. What am I supposed to do? Fuck. I considered GyeongWons hint: since it''s a manual ghost story, follow the manual. [If you discover a girlughing in an unusual manner at school, pretend you dont see her and just act naturally until she passes by.] Act naturally in front of the girl, utilizing superhuman acting abilities. Was that the only method? Thats insane, how do you do that? Pretending you didnt see her was simply looking away or closing ones eyes. I had seen that a lot of the victims had turned to run away or closed their eyes, but were still murdered. Pretending you didnt see her involved acting like she was actually not there. It meant behaving totally normally when you saw the girl. This is driving me crazy Was that even possible? At least look a little less scary! A middle-ageddy in pale white makeup with an eerie smileughing crazily while swinging around a box cutter Fuck, I would have been thankful if I managed to not piss myself in fear. But I have no option other than attempting it In a situation where there is no one else around. Other people would surely start murmuring about her and only serve to instigate her. The only possible method was that, before the girl climbed over the wall and onto the store roof, I needed to climb over the wall and face her one-on-one. Then, I would have to do what the manual said. Chapter 9: Second Ghost Story - Laughing Girl (5) Chapter 9: Second Ghost Story - Laughing Girl (5) Once again, I was in the ssroom from that morning. As I calmly remained sitting, trying to organize my thoughts, the homeroom teacher entered the room, chuckling as he carried a box filled with bunched up paper balls. Now~ everyone. Starting with those of you in the front,e out and pick out a piece of paper. As I had been lost in thought, I had grabbed a random piece of paper. Surprisingly, it was the same seat as before, next to DukHun. ? That was slightly unusual. It was weird because I really did choose a random piece of paper, since I was thinking hard on how I would face theughing girl. Even when I checked the number again, it was the same number as thest time, and the time before that26. Is it a coincidence? What is this? While it was a bit eerie, considering how to handle theughing girl was more important and urgent. Pushing aside any useless doubts, I sat down. Soon after, the first periods seat cements ended and break time came. Usually, I would go to SunAh and greet her. However, I was too busy trying to think of how I would face off against theughing girl, so I didnt. As I was pondering the matter, I peeked over at SunAh and saw HaYoon calmly reading her book, as always. SunAh was fidgeting with her fingers, probably because she was ufortable since she had been unable to speak properly to her partner. And just like that, break time ended and it was time for English. The students took turns standing up and introducing themselves in English. I I am Yoon SunAh I I like ice cream Even throughout the lesson, my mind was on the manual ghost story. Even after seeing a ghost like that girl, I had to pretend to not see her and act naturally. How exactly was I supposed to do that? Once it was time for the next break, that woman would climb over the wall from outside and onto the school stores roof. My n was to face her one-on-one before that happened, meeting her outside of the school. Getting to her before anyone else saw her was just a matter of running as soon as the bell that signaled the end of ss rang and jumping over the wall. If I just timed it right, it was reasonably possible. The issue was the acting. Could I remain calm after seeing a white-faced, brightlyughing crazydy as tall as a basketball yer, who would draw a boxcutter and swing it like crazy? I thought that there had to be some limits to the acting, such as instinctively flinching, having an unstable gaze, or acting in a hesitant way. I needed a method to face the woman with my eyes open, all while acting like I didnt see her. That was the method that I had to think up. Is there really such a method? Even as I tried to squeeze out all of the ideas in my head, time continued to flow. Soon, it was ten minutes before the end of ss. I could see the English teacher exining the lesson curriculum for future lessons, before ending the ss. Dont end it, fuck I wished that English would continue on forever I had to face a scary girl like that, one-on-one Why the hell did I have to? I wanted to avoid the situation if I could. Ah, mother Why the hell did I need to be involved in a situation like that? After checking the clock again, it was five minutes before lessons ended. Five minutes had already passed! You crazy ass clock! I harshly cursed at the clock as my hands trembled. Brriing~ Brriing~ In the end, break time had carelesslye. I got up from my seat as I caught my breath. I didnt actually want to go. My mind was full of thoughts on how to escape. But I had already decided that there was no option but to go. If I ran away again, the monstrous incident would force the school to close again. My family would be forced to move And after three years passed, a giant monster would emerge again and I would die, only toe back here I couldnt leave it like that. Right there, right then. That was the first button that I had to sp. The first step was fighting the crazy ghost stories and using the system. Huuuu Huu Huuu! As I was leaving the ssroom with unsteady breaths Hey, Joon When I turned around, SunAh was standing there. Do you want to go to the school store together? Badump. The moment SunAh asked that, my heart trembled. Of course, I didnt want to face the scary monster all by myself. If there was least one person, at least someone to go with me My weakened resolve made my hands shake. Umm, if you dont feel like it, I can go on my own When I didnt answer, SunAh spoke in a more reserved manner. I shook my head. No. Lets go together. SunAh smiled slightly. Lets go together. Lets go together Let''s go together, please go together with me I made a mistake. I was taking SunAh to that dangerous ce But, realistically speaking, going alone would only lead to me pissing my pants. Rather, I felt so thankful to SunAh, who had asked to go together with such great timing. Right. When I think it over, there is no need for SunAh to face that girl herself! While I climbed over the wall and faced the girl by myself, SunAh could stay behind as a lookout. Someone would be watching my back. I wouldnt be trying to do this by myself. Just that was enough to give me some encouragement. That much wouldnt be too bad, right? Itll just be a little a little bit of help. I dont need to look at it like Im tricking SunAh and using her, right? But how did SunAh decide to ask me to join her on her way to the school store with such perfect timing? Originally, I was the one toe by during break and greet her, but this time I just stayed put. Was that why she couldnt ovee the awkwardness with her partner and ended uping to me first? As I thought about things like that, we neared the school store. As always, there was a huge crowd of students there. SunAh, this way. I avoided the students and headed towards the walls. They were void of people. SunAh tilted her head as she followed me. When I reached the walls, I roughly tried measuring the height with my eyes. It might have been a bit difficult because the wall was about my height, but since there were a lot of gaps in between the bricks, if I could get a good grip as I climbed it was certainly doable. Last time I looked, the womans head went up past the wall. She must be at least two meters tall. I took a brief moment to steel my will and then spoke. SunAh, can you wait for me here for a bit? I just have something to do. Ille back right away. If I were alone, I wouldnt have been able to handle it at all. The fact that someone was with me Just that was enough to give me courage. SunAh? Rather than responding, the small female student was staring intensely at me. SunAh? Will you wait for me here? Wait, the situation is a bit Because I didnt have the leisure to think about it at the time, I had just thoughtlessly brought SunAh with me, but it was like that. The image of making a friend keep a lookout as I smoked a cigarette came to mind. That was right. Smoking was the only thing that came to mind when a student went out of their way to secretly cross over the walls to quickly do something during break time. The bad boy Lee Joon, who got close to this girl within a day of meeting during the entrance ceremony, and forced her to keep a lookout as he went to smoke. SunAh just continued to stare at me without saying a word. Uh, it isnt that Im here to do something bad. I just need to check something At first, I tried to make some excuse, but I gave up. That girl would arrive soon. I had no time. Sorry, SunAh. Please just wait for me here for a bit. Lets go to the school store again next time. Ill pay. Sorry. Although she had no expression on her face, I saw her slowly nodding before I quickly climbed over the wall. The woods there were connected to the mountains at the back of the school. Far away, between the trees, I could see something white approaching. Although I could not see clearly through the branches and leaves, it was definitely theughing girl. Am I already meeting her head on? Damn. I hadnt even properly thought of a method to face her yet What do I do? What do I do? Fuck Gradually, the girl began to grow more visible. Right before we saw each other Insandywithherbrightlysmilingpalewhitemakeupedface. As the girl was just on the verge of bing visible, my brainwhich had survived school by cramming and ying quick tricksbegan to work at full throttle. Badump. Badump. Badump. Fuck, I need to find a way. I definitely have to find a way!! In my mind, my memories from the start of this goddamned game to just now began to overflow. Congrattions on your eptance at Nakseong Highschool, the school of secrets and mysteries Because I am usually slow Two-faced, I see. Because of that disposition, I react quickly and If you discover a girlughing in an unusual manner at school, pretend you didnt see her and just act naturally until she passes by When you see theughing girl, you must never act like you can see her-aruyo My brain was working at inhuman speeds for a method, due to my survival instincts. As the innumerable memories passed through my brain, I barely managed to recall a certain image. It was the scene from the night before, as I was talking to myself on my bed. Thats crazy. Nothing here is useful. Ah! ! Yes! That was it! Wouldnt it work out if I used that? Step, step, step. Soon, the girl was right next by the trees and very close. I purposefully did not look at her and lowered my line of sight. It was because I did not think I could maintain my calm if I saw that monster directly. Main Screen. I began to act out what I had just thought up. Poof-
[2019, Mar. 05 Tuesday, 20:54] [Lee Joon - Number of Attempts: 2, Progressing in Tutorial] [Ghost Story Points: 20] [Causality Rate: 3%]
  1. Status Window
  2. Manage Club (Locked)
  3. Statistics
  4. Settings
Step, step, step. I could feel the girl silently looking at me, as she had noticed my presence. Dont look, dont look Number 4. Settings, Click. Poof-
[Graphics Options] [Audio Options] [Control Options]
Slide- The girl suddenly ran towards me and slid her face in front of my eyes. At the same time, I picked the graphics options and increased the brightness to the maximum. In an instant, everything brightened and I was in a world of white. I raised my head and opened my eyes wide, trying not to avoid thedy. I couldnt see anything. But I was certain that my eyes were wide open and that I was facing the direction of theughing girl. I couldnt see. I definitely couldnt see. It wasnt that I had covered my eyes or that I was turning away. It was because the system transcended my knowledge, and it even transcended reality and the flow of time. Through the use of the system, although I had been facing the girl with my eyes open, I was unable to actually see her. If you cane here At that time, thedy began saying something in apletely creepy way. Eeek! I opened up the audio option and lowered the volume to the minimum. Now I couldnt see anything and I couldnt hear anything. All that I could sense was the whiteness of space and the sound of silence. It was quiet. It was as if I was meditating. Of my five senses, Icked both my sight and my hearing. In addition to that, the mental stability I gained from the thought that SunAh was with me behind the wall made my heartpletely serene, as if I had never been rushed in the first ce. Huuuup~ Huuu, Huuup~ Huuu Breathe in, and breathe out. In, and out. I slowly continued to maintain the stability in my heart. I waited for a bit, but I didnt feel much of a reaction. She didnt just pass by me already, did she? Theplete silence worried me slightly, so I tried lowering the brightness a bit. I could vaguely make out some kind of face in front of me, so I quickly increased the brightness again. It couldnt be that this bitch Is she shoving her face in front of mine and checking for a reaction? That bitch was really fucking childish! In order topletely check whether or not I had seen her, she was shoving her face in front of mine and checking my pupils. At that point, it was forcing others to recognize her existence and eliciting a reaction. No matter how good of an actor you were, if she shoved her face into yours and smiled the way she did, there would be no possible way to avoid flinching. It was a game that you couldnt win with acting skills from the start! However, I was using thews of the system, and it waspletely safe. tantly shoving your face in mine? Wow, thisdy is a fucking bitch! Lets do this, you insane woman. You can spend a hundred days staring at my pupils for a reaction. I really cant see you. Huuup~Huuu Huuup~Huuu Again I focused on breathing in and out. My mind was calm. The world was peaceful. Ah, how are you doing? Are you still checking out my eyes? She was a moron. At that point, I was even starting to slightly enjoy it. Safety,plete safety. Finally, I was winning against the monster at her own game! Hmm~ Hmm hmmmm~ Hmm~. I nonchntly began humming. You can spend as much time as you like checking my eyes~ I can see or hear you anyways~. Hmm~ Hmm hmmmm~ Hmm~. Yup, I cant hear~. Yup, I cant see~. Slip. Suddenly I could feel clothing touch my hand slightly as it passed by. ! That was right. I could still feel touch. This bitch is really trying to force my reaction. I had suddenly pulled my hand back because of the unexpected situation, but in the middle of that action, I smoothly started to dance in order to hide the fact that I had reacted. That was smooth. Completely smooth. The hand that I had abruptly pulled back started a wave that passed through my arms to my other hand. And when the wave ended at that hand, I started back towards the first hand again. However, as my hand began to move, I couldnt help but feel a bit of hatred. Matching the rhythm, I swung a fist towards the woman. Pow- You insane bitch, why are you still acting like a bitch? Because of this one insane bitch, how many times did SunAh and I die, and how much difficulty did I have to go through? As if that wasnt enough, because I was slightly scared that I would be discovered, I was forced to dance around to try to cover my reactions. In my anger, I punched another time in the same direction, but then I tried to calm myself. Lets calm down. Calm down I have to pretend to not know shes there. Pretend she isnt there. I started shadow boxing. Shhhh~ Whiff~ Shhh~ Whoosh~ In the nk world, where I couldnt see anything, I began to swing my fists in the air. I continued to think to myself, Im not swinging in that direction because I noticed your existence. Im just spending my break at school in the back mountains, secretly practicing shadow boxing. Im just a normal student, whose hobby is boxing. You being hit is just a coincidence. Do you understand? I dont know you exist. I cant see you. Its true! If you doubt it, check my eyes! Look at my pupils! They aren''t doing anything, right? But it isnt that Im blind, or that Im covering my eyes. My eyes arepletely open, but I cant see you. Pow- Pow- PowPow- Pow- Pow- I had been shadow boxing in the empty space, but because I felt like shit, I started hitting her outright. Fuck! Fuck! I said stop acting like a bitch! Pow- Pow- PowPow- Pow- Pow- The girl was beyond themon sense of man, and like a monster, she was covered in rock hard muscles. Because of that, as my fists hit her, it was actually my own hands that hurt. At this point, with how long Ive just tantly hit her without her killing me, this method definitely works. Did that mean that, just like the words suggested, I just had to pretend not to see her? Pow- Pow- PowPow- Pow- Pow- Why the fuck are youing to this school and acting up! This is a ce where students study, so fuck off, you insane bitch! After punching around for a while, I had a sudden scary thought. Am I actually hitting SunAh right now? It could have been that, because I couldnt see or hear anything, I might have been identally hitting someone else. Maybe SunAh got worried while waiting for me and came to my side, but because I wouldnt respond no matter how much she called me, she hade closer and was now being pummeled. When I began to imagine that ominous scene, I decided I had to check. Just for a moment. I just have to check, just for a moment. I lowered the brightness slightly and increased the sound, checking in front of me. I could roughly tell that a two-meter tall thing was moving around while shouting. Thats definitely not SunAh. Relieved, I continued to wail away at her. Pow- Pow- PowPow- Pow- Pow- Pow- Pow- PowPow- Pow- Pow- Pow- Pow- PowPow- Pow- Pow- Pow- Pow- PowPow- Pow- Pow- I tried the spinning side kick Id only seen in movies. I tried copying the forms from the boxing pros Id seen on TV, throwing tons of amateurish blows with awkward footwork. Voicing out some sound effects, I tried copying some finishing moves from game characters. After punching and kicking for a while, a message popped up in front of my eyes. Poof-
[You havee across and survived the B-rank Ghost Story - Laughing Girl from the Manual Ghost Story.] [You have earned 15 Ghost Story Points.]
Even though the brightness had been turned up to the maximum, I could still see the blue and ck of the message window normally. Is it like when game images and the UI are separate? At that moment, a firework special effects happened in front of my eyes and another window opened.
[You have exerted great wit and repelled theughing girl!] [You have earned 70 Ghost Story Points.] [You have earned sufficient Ghost Story Points! By spending Ghost Story Points, you can gain special abilities and speed up your growth!]
OHHHH!! I wasnt really sure about it, but that was an unexpected reward! Is the situation over for now? I went back into the graphics and audio options and returned all settings to normal. My eyesight and hearing returned to normal. I looked around, but I could not see the girl. In front of me, there was only green grass and trees. I could see the peaceful mountains behind the school. I chased her away! Chapter 10: Interlude - Open Ability Chapter 10: Interlude - Open Ability SunAh must have waited a while. When I checked the time, fifteen minutes had passed since the break had ended. I had only been facing the monster for around twenty minutes. Although I thought that I had spent a long time fighting the monster, it hadnt actually been long at all. Since my sight and hearing had been blocked, my other senses became that much sharper. It made the twenty minutes feel much longer. After a short walk, I reached the wall. After climbing over it, I could see SunAh shaking. SunAh, did you wait long? Sorr Who was it? SunAh asked me that question, her face pale from fright. Who was it that cursed at you in such a harsh way? Huh? SunAh was shaking in fear. Of course. Although she was on the other side of the wall, she could still hear the sounds from where she was standing. I couldnt hear her because I had blocked off my hearing, but theughing girl must have said a lot. It was just someone touched in the head. Im alright. I just got back from chasing them off. It seems so. It was weird She wasughing As she cursed a ton about you Yes, youre right. Even though it was my first time seeing her. Actually, I hadnt heard her at all, but I yed along for her sake. At this point, I might be able to just tell her the truth? I couldnt reallye up with a decent excuse as to why I had left SunAh here to do something in secret, but if she had heard everything, I thought maybe I could just reveal the truth. Of course, I would only reveal the truth to the point that it would be realistically understandable. SunAh, do you remember the warning yesterday? The one in the school announcement handout? Yeah It might be that it wasnt a mistake in the printing. This morning, during break, I was looking out the window when I coincidentally saw a very creepilyughing girl skulking about behind the school wall with a boxcutter. SunAh looked at me with a worried face. So, because she looked suspicious, I came here to check it out. Why did you do something so dangerous? You should have just told a teacher I should have. Hahaha. Iughed in an embarrassed manner and scratched my head. I should have just done that. Right? Still, I chased her off properly, so she wont be able toe near the school anymore. She left? Yeah, she left. SunAhs face went red. She avoided my gaze, and as she looked to the side she asked a question. You didnt get hurt? Im alright. Completely fine. I swung my arms in a circle as a joking gesture to show that I was fine. Soon the serious expression on SunAhs face broke and she began tough with me. Dummy. Hahaha. You brave dummy I felt great, but I could onlyugh because I was embarrassed. Good work. Haha, not at all. She said I was brave! She told me good work! Even though I had tricked SunAh, who didnt know a thing, into being a lookout! I felt a mixture of exuberance, embarrassment, and a pinch of guilt. Hehe. The words acknowledging me made all of the stress I felt that day fly away, and I couldnt help but feel proud. Thats right. I felt proud. Thanks. And truthfully, because you were here with me SunAh tilted her head as she looked at me,ughter still lingering on her face. I thought, if something happened, you could go and let someone know. That was why I was able to check things out without being too worried. Instead of answering, she began to giggle. On another note, its already been quite some time since ss started. What should we do? When I said that, SunAh suddenly exploded withughter. Ahahaha, Ahahaha! Unlike the shy giggling she usually did, it was a different, feel-good sort ofughter. Why~ why are youughing?! Ahahaha, hahahahaha. Its just we cut ss once again. Ahahahaha. Seeing SunAhs body shaking inughter this time, I couldnt help but also feel great, so I began tough with her. Youre right! Kekekeke. Afterughing for a long time, all while hitting each other on the shoulders from time to time, we returned to the main building. I had a feeling that we had be much closer and friendlier than before. *** Where did you two go? Youre really lucky that the homeroom teacher told us to think of what club we wanted to join. He left after dumping some printouts on us. You guys were really reckless. GyeongWon spoke to us in a reprimanding tone once we returned to the ssroom. Well, things just happened. Luckily, it seemed like there was no ss during this period. Was it because it was still early into the year and the teachers needed to make adjustments to the schedule? Under the guise of self-study, I could see our ssmates chatting with newly made friends or ying games on their cellphones. When I found my seat by the window, I saw that DukHun was, naturally, wheezing heavily as he watched his anime. Think of a club to join? As I thought over what GyeongWon said, I could see a sheet of paper on my desk. It was a printout with a list of club names and brief introductions to each of them. The moment I decided to take a look! Poof- A message window appeared before my eyes.
You have checked out the list of clubs within the school, but there were no clubs that caught your interest. You have decided that, since it came to this, you would make your own club. [You have received a quest.]
  • Make a Ghost Story Club.
  • Reward: Manage Club Menu unlocked, 10 Ghost Story Points, Clubroom.
Wh-what? A quest window suddenly appeared. I was stunned. I hadnt even read the list yet. Who was it that decided that I wasnt interested in any of the clubs? Im a bit shocked. Including the time that eerie message popped up when the tutorial started, the system seemed to progress the story on its own in whatever way it wanted. For now, I took a seat and browsed through the printout. Maybe because the school actively supported club activities, the first thing exined on the sheet was that every Friday afternoon, there would be no sses and that the time was reserved for club activities. And, in order to prevent students from ying around by iming they werent in a club, there was a rule stating one person, one club activity, meaning that everyone was required to be a part of a club. After browsing through the list of clubs, at the very bottom there was a space to write down a name and a new club that you wished to create. Do I have to write it down here? While I was thinking, the homeroom teacher suddenly opened the ssroom door and entered, chuckling. Itll be lunchtime soon. Did everyone decide on the club you wished to join? Since I gave you plenty of time, I will be collecting the handouts~. A-already? The people at the back of each row, please walk up and collect the others sheets along the way~. Damn. Because I had just begun checking out the printout a moment ago, I hadnt even properly looked through the entire thing. Thinking I had no choice, I decided to do as the quest window said and wrote down my name and Ghost Story Club'' as the club I wished to create. * * * * * * Soon after, the bell signaling the start of lunchtime rang out. As I walked from the main building to the cafeteria mixed in among the students, I could see the teachers guiding some of the students. In this school, in order to not be cluttered, I heard there were hallways that connected to the cafeteria on each floor. As I couldnt see any upperssmen, they may have been traveling to the cafeteria through a hallway on a different floor. New students are to eat on the first floor of the cafeteria. Second years on the second floor, and third years on the third floor~. After following those words and heading to the cafeteria, I could see that it was no different from the usual cafeteria at most other schools. There was enough room for the entire grade to sit, which would be about three hundred students. Tables and chairs were distributed throughout the ce. After looking around briefly, I got in line, received a food tray, and filled it up with rice and side dishes. Stir-fried vegetables and sausage. Seems tasty. Often called YaSau for short, it was a popr menu wherever you went. T/N: Korean for vegetables is Yache, so they shortened the name by taking the Ya from vegetables and Sau from sausage. After seeing the sausage, I suddenly felt really hungry. Because theughing girl had killed me two times and I had regressed twice, it felt to me as if I hadnt eaten for four hours longer than the others. Of course, since my body was restored to its previous state each time I returned, I was actually feeling the same level of hunger I would have normally. Still, I felt famished after seeing the food. Murmur, murmur- As three hundred students were gathered on the same floor eating lunch, I had lost SunAh and GyeongWon in the crowd. Some of the new students were determined to eat with their friends and were moving about, trying to weave through any space they could, but I didnt feel the need to go out of my way and cause trouble. That in mind, I decided to just sit down at a reasonable spot and eat. As I carried my lunch tray full of food, slowly moving around, I found an empty seat. DukHun was sitting next to it. That bastard. I didnt know if this was fate, but he kept getting put with me. Well, I guess it''s better than having to eat between two students I dont know at all. DukHun had his earbuds in, even as he was eating. After sitting next to him, I listened in on the sounds seeping out of the earbuds. From the sound of a high pitched girl rambling Japanese words, I could tell it was some anime song. Like that, I ate lunch and came back to the ssroom. I still had about thirty minutes left until lunch was over. During that time, I decided to try using the Ghost Story Points I received before. Main Screen.
[2019, Mar. 05 Tuesday, 12:32] [Lee Joon - Number of Attempts: 2, Progressing in Tutorial] [Ghost Story Points: 105] [Causality Rate: 4%]
  1. Status Window
  2. Manage Club (Locked)
  3. Statistics
  4. Settings
Hmmm. At some point, I had hoarded 105 points. The message window before had stated that I could use those points to gain abilities. Huh? Causality rate? It also went up. What does this stat do, really? I wonder when I will learn about it. Number one. Status window click. Poof-
Name: Lee Joon Age: 17 Title: Main Character Disposition: [Two-Faced] > Click to Expand Special Ability: 1. None 2. None 3. None Quirk: Last Second Cramming.
So I can use the points to purchase special abilities here? I pressed the first spacebeled none. Poof-
[Currently, the first ability slot is empty. You may use 100 points to unlock an ability.] [Unlock Ability(100) / Go Back]
It costs a hundred points? My head began to hurt. Although I have never used them before, and didnt know their value, I had only gathered this many points after going through several deaths. Although I didnt know the other uses for points, thinking of how I would use all of the points in one go made my blood run dry. Man, this feels like a waste. Thinking about it, in mobile game tutorials they often gave yers expensive cash items and forced them to use it during the tutorial. Well, I had to use them. So instead of having second thoughts, I decided to use them all and pressed the button. Poof-
[Spending 100 Ghost Story Points. You unlocked your first ability.]
Then, a 16 bit melody began to y. Several words spun past the first slot, as if it were a slot machine. Tada Tan, Dada Tan~ Whats this? Is it random? This could be called what the mobile games often called random pulling systemsGacha.
V [y - Life Design - Identity Forgery - Lip Reading - Jo]
Tada Tan, Dada Tan~ Spin
V [fe Design - Identity Forgery - Lip Reading - Joint Regression]
Spin
V [ty Forgery - Lip Reading - Joint Regression - Fast Walking]
Spin What kind of ability was fast walking? It couldnt literally be the ability to walk fast, right? It isnt even running fast I definitely couldnt start off with such a useless ability. At that point, I was just praying for a good ability to be chosen. Tada Tan, Dada Tan~
V [Lip Reading - Joint Regression - Fast Walking - Detachment - ]
Spin Please, please! Soon, the spinning began to noticeably slow. It was going to stop soon. Spin- Spin-
V [ding - Joint Regression - Fast Walking - Detachment - Go]
Fucking fast walking bullshit, get the fuck out of here! Tada Tan, Dada Tan~ Spin I couldnt bear to watch any longer, so I closed my eyes and waited for the melody to stop. Only then did I open my eyes. What I saw was
V [sion - Fast Walking - Detachment - Goddess of Luck - Speed Eating - ]
Tada Tan, Dada Tan~
[You obtained Special Ability: Goddess of Luck.]
Rank: S-Rank Trigger Condition: Automatic Ability: After calcting the entire situation and determining the moment that you would receive the most benefit, arge amount of luck is instantaneously activated. This is a consumable skill that disappears once activated.
Wow!! I got something that seemed amazing. An S-rank special ability! Although the fact that it was a consumable skill slightly bothered me, even if we took that into consideration, the fact that it was a S-rank ability meant that the ability was amazing! I was lucky. I nodded my head in contentment and spent the rest of the afternoon in a good mood. Chapter 11: Third Ghost Story - Red Tissue, Blue Tissue (1) Chapter 11: Third Ghost Story - Red Tissue, Blue Tissue (1) Did you understand? My point is that the belief that hamburgers are unhealthy is a false rumor. Rather, it can be said to be a perfectlyplete food, with the perfect ratio of carbohydrates, protein and fat. Why would bread, lettuce, tomato, and beef be bad for your health? Within an idle fast food joint, GyeongWon, a rich young master who imed to be elite, was showing off his knowledgegained from the inteon hamburgers. Its unhealthy because of artificial coloring and other additives? Saying that means youre ignorant. In the past, once the fake news that MSG is bad for your health became popr, the owners of the mass mediapanies only continued to instigate these topicshowarethelightsoninthisstorewhenitsackoutand when you exclude the french fries and c, hamburgers are actually healthy food products. You get it? I was letting the words flow in through one ear and out through the other, and just roughly replied that I understood. Next to me, SunAh was fixing her makeup. Watching a female friend fix her makeup was quite the stimting experience for a guy in puberty. I ate my burger as I continued to watch the young-looking SunAhs face be much more beautiful as she did her makeup. The easiest target for mass media to mess around with is the food industry. While broadcasts im to be suing thepanies, how much did they actually do? Other than being a bother for others? Whats even more disappointing is that the masses are all convinced by the media, and BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM GyeongWons head suddenly exploded. Blood and sh was scattered throughout the store. From the impact of the explosion, GyeongWons sses flew over towards my eyes andnded on my face. I unintentionally ended up wearing them. That was when a message popped up.
[Wheeze, Wheeze! Passive ability Goddess of Luck Activated-ne. UwU~!]
What, was the Goddess of Luck that sort of ability? It was supposed to be S-ranked so I expected a lot, but all it amounted to was wearing sses without using my hands? My disappointment was immeasurable Even through all that, SunAh was fixing her makeup. SunAh, after you put on your makeup, you look so beautiful When I mumbled the words, as if I were in a trance, SunAhs arms began to move at twice the speed as she continued to put on her makeup. The speed steadily increased, and soon weird noises began toe from her arms as they moved at invisible speeds. Soon, SunAhs joints couldnt handle the speed and her arms went limp. I suddenly became scared and spoke. Su-SunAh. Stop. Something is weird here. Lets leave. Suddenly, SunAh stopped. She began to smile in a creepy but bright mannerlike a clown. Then she spoke. DDDDOOOOOOONNNNNNNTTTTTTT LLLLLLLLEEEEEAAAAVVVVEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *** Aauugghh! Huuu, Huuu, FUCK When I awoke, I was in my bed. Haah What time is it?
[2019, Mar. 06 Wednesday, 02:32] [Lee Joon - Number of Attempts: 2, Progressing in Tutorial] [Ghost Story Points: 5] [Causality Rate: 5%]
  1. Status Window
  2. Manage Club (Locked)
  3. Statistics
  4. Settings
Its not even dawn yet. I felt lucky that I could still sleep for another four hours. After discovering that using the system to check the time was far more convenient, I often used this method to check the time instead of my phone. Damn, that was such a weird dream. In my past life, I had nightmares of my friends heads exploding. In this life, due to my unusual and traumatic experiences, I had a nightmare consisting of a hodgepodge of the system, theughing girl and the exploding heads. Damn. That meant that these incidents had an impact on me. The only stress I used to have was exam stress. This was the first time that I was so close to death that I began to have nightmares. I shook my head, got out of bed, and headed to the kitchen to grab a drink of water. I could see the dark waters of the Han River past the veranda. Now that I think about it Looking at the Han River at night ovepped with the night in my past life, when I had seen the Han River right before it all ended. I had woken up due to the emergency alert on my cell phone in the middle of the night, the night before my graduation. And I had seen the Demon King across the Han River. The ce that the Demon King had been standing was where I was right then, ShinLim Neighborhood. My current house and my house in my past life were just across the Han River from each other. What exactly was that thing? It was too unusual to simply say it was just a giant monster. I started getting the creeps as the image of giant shadow lurking among the city lights resurfaced, fresh as ever. Also, the method of death that I couldnt understand that mysterious creature is hunched over beneath the school? And above him, all of the high school students were spending time talking and enjoying their school lives, ignorant of what was below. It made me shudder. I shook my head and went back to bed. It would only wake up the day of graduation. Only two days had passed since the entrance ceremony. I still had three years, and I had just started taking steps towards the goal. Since nothing woulde out of thinking over it now, I decided to go back to sleep. *** The Next Morning. As soon as I entered the ssroom, I noticed the schedule and lunch menu posted on the notice board. Even yesterday, I could feel thex atmosphere that hovered because of the fact that it hadnt been long since the entrance ceremony. It was readily apparent, since there was lots of idle time between the few lessons. Now it felt like we were properly starting our school life. It soon hit 8 and the balding, middle-aged homeroom teacher came in and spoke to us. Oh? Whats this empty seat? It was probably ate student. Now, lets begin checking the attendance Those of you who arent present, please raise your hands~. Hahaha! A few of the studentsughed. They werent there, so how could they raise their hands? But the dad jokes seemed to fit him perfectly, so it was surprisingly refreshing to hear him say them outright. When I turned my head to look out the window, I could see SunAh runningps around the courtyard. The school apparently gavete students punishment in the form ofps. Ah, and is there a student who goes by Lee Joon? Yes? Thats me. Joon, please follow me to the teachers office. With that, homeroom is over. Good work, everyone. I followed the teacher out into the hall. *** Okay, you can sit down right here. After entering the teachers office, my homeroom teacher started sorting through the piles of paper before finding and picking up a specific piece. Hmm a Ghost Story Club. Ah, so that was why he called me over. This is a club that doesnt exist yet in our school but if you feel like, I must be in this club!, then you have to make a new club, be the club president, and run it yourself. Would that be okay? It seemed like he didnt really care too much about the weird concept of a ghost story club itself. Yes! Ill be alright! Truthfully, I didnt want to make nor run such a weird club. I was only doing it because the system told me to, and I thought it would help me in some way Ill be printing out a club application form, so you just have to fill it out by the end of the day. There needs to be a minimum of four members, so excluding you, youll need to find three more people. Yes. And do you see the nk spot at the top of the form, asking for the supervising teacher? This is asking for a supervisor for the ghost story club, and the school will assign an avable teacher so leave it nk~. Then, keep up the good work~. Yes! Thank you very much! So I left the teachers office and began to think on my way back to the ssroom. Three people Ill ask SunAh and GyeongWon first, but who should thest person be? The only people Id spoken to in my ss were my partner, DukHun, and SunAhs partner, HaYoon. No, wait. The time I spoke with HaYoon was before time turned back. I guess she wouldnt know me now. Then would the only person left be DukHun? I let out a big sigh. As I was about to head into the ssroom, down the hallway I could see two female students walking my way. One person was SunAh. The other girl was a yellow-haired girl who looked like she had an attitude. It seemed like they had finished runningps around the courtyard as punishment, and were on their way back to the ssroom. was that yellow-haired girl named JinHee? She was the scary girl who was knocked out in the back of the ssroom during the entrance ceremony. I remembered discovering her name through the status window when I checked it that day. Wait, on the very first quest I received, didnt it count her as my friend? I had received a quest to gather three friends in order to make a club, and that scary girl counted as one of the members, allowing me toplete the quest. If the system registered her as a friend, couldn''t I trust it and try asking her? Fine. I decided to invite her into the Ghost Story Club! I briefly waited in front of the ssroom door, and as the girl approached I tried to speak with her. Hey, are you The girl just continued on her path and walked into the ssroom without even looking at me. SunAh, who was right behind her, misunderstood and thought that I was talking to her. She came up to me, smiling. H-hello. Good morning. Yourete today too, SunAh. SunAh shyly giggled. Afterwards, I tried asking SunAh to join the club. As SunAh was the type of person to follow the lead of others, she coolly answered that she would join the club. So GyeongWon and DukHun are left. As any schstic person would, GyeongWon was sitting at the very front. I decided to ask DukHun first, since he was closer. * * * * * * DukHun, did you decide which club to join? DukHun began to stare at me while making a questioning noise. If a person asks a question, at least respond. Im trying to start a new club. The idea is that we study scary stories. Would you be interested in joining? After listening to what I said, DukHun pushed up his sses and chuckled in an irksome way. Yare, yare. After that, he began to shake his head with a triumphant expression on his face and mumbled to himself. I wanted to spend my time quietly this year At the start of school, to think I would get someone who would talk to me first~. I thought they were extinct in reality. Life is incredible. Demo, Watashi decided to join the Anime Club. Gomen~. DukHun gathered his hands in apology. Whew, this is rough. *** Ghost Story Club? It was break time. I had just invited GyeongWon to join my club. Its a new club youre making? Yup. Hmmm Unexpectedly, it looked like he was thinking about it. Because he knew a lot of scary stories, I thought that he would agree right away, but I guess not. I wondered what I should say to make him agree to join. What club were you nning to join in the first ce? Its called the Academics Club. I was nning on joining a club that would help when applying to college. I was nning to participate in somepetitions to add to my resume. I see. I thought back to the three years in my past life that I had spent preparing for college, and quickly thought of something. If you join those types of clubs in the first year, you actually lose out. The reason is that, for thepetition activities that can reflect on your college entrance, they never let first years join. What? As I expected, this guy might know a lot, but he only lived by following his parents decisions. He was the type who hadnt experienced much in real life. I, who had spent three years longer in high school than him, had the advantage. Its because of the upperssmen. Its more important that second and third years get priority for thepetition activities. Even if the entire club is considered to have won apetition, the ones who actually receive the credit are the upperssmen. The first years are recorded down as reserves at best. Who are you to give me advice? After listening to what I had said, he attacked me because of his bad mood. Whats this? For a moment, I felt like crying. But I tried to keep it in and calmly raised my head as I began to work my brain. I thought I might have bothered his sense of pride too much. That bastard might have enjoyed teaching others, but must have been the type that didnt enjoy getting taught in return. Especially if it was in the topics he was confident in, such as grades or college applications.
[Your understanding of Ahn GyeongWon has increased by 5.]
But because I was annoyed at his cocky attitude, I reflexively responded in a rude way. I gave you advice because I felt it was needed. You good at studying? Better than you, at least. The bastard spoke like a bitch. But what did that mean? Was he saying that I seemed like Id suck at studying? Although it was a fact, because I wanted to win once, I started to bluff. You think you study better than me? What was your rank back in middle school? I was always within the top ten. You? I was always in the top three. Liar. The bastards face began to quiver. Then why did youe to a school like this? You should have gone to a specialized high school. Well, I had the same purpose as you. Same purpose as me? The young master had an inquisitive expression on his face. I, who had spent three extra years in this field, could see through it all. I could tell his purpose ining to this school. A top ten student from a rich household, giving up on going to a prestigious school anding to a in school? There was only one reason for that. Rather than be a small fish in a big pond, he would be the big fish in a small pond. GyeongWon, didnt you alsoe here to get good credentials? Rather than going to a specialized school and being mediocre, you were nning oning to a slightly lesser school and bing the top in order to get into Seoul National University. I was nning on going toKAIST. You dont even know T/N:KAIST stands for Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. Its considered the top science and tech school in Korea. Commonly ranked second behind the Seoul National University mentioned previously. Same shit. Getting the top grades in a crappy school to jump your way into a prestigious university. I was nning the same. The bastard was staring at me with doubtful eyes. His suspicious gaze was suggesting that he was wondering if I actually was good at studying. Just try listening to me. What I say wont be of any disadvantage to you. GyeongWon slowly nodded his head. Im listening. What is it that you want to say? First, the club that you want to join because it will help with your resume. The first year is worthless. Youll just end up acting as the upperssmens servant and waste a year. My mom didnt say anything like that Bitch. At the age of seventeen, he was looking for his mommy? No matter how smart your parents are, they wouldnt know about the politics that happen within the school. Listen to me. If you go to the Academics Club, you will definitely waste a year. But what about the Ghost Story Club that Im trying to make? My point is, we are the founding members. We dont need to worry about any of the schools circumstances. As long as we have the skills, it doesnt matter what we winwe get to take all of the credit. We dont need to spend a year cleaning up after those upperssmen idiots. Oho. GyeongWon started to gain some interest. While framing the upperssmen as bumbling idiots whod steal from their juniors, I was also fanning his pride as an elite student. We dont have to go to our upperssmen to ask for the schools club support money. Instead, our small number of members can split the wealth all by ourselves. Also, since Im the club president, we wont have any annoying and unavoidable club customs. And the club hours are entirely our free time. How does that sound? This will definitely work. His purpose in attending this school, and his personality, which made him like to im himself as an elite. I had taken all this into ount as I tossed him that invitation. The moment the slowly nodding GyeongWon opened his mouth to respond, a message window popped up.
[Your understanding of Ahn GyeongWon has greatly increased by 20.]
So you were one of those people who have smart ideas. Sorry for looking down on you earlier. Great! He was hooked! It seemed like he hadnt particrly liked the idea ofing in under someone else, as his expression wasnt great. But as I slowly revealed my n, it must have fulfilled what he was looking for, as at the end he was admiring the idea. Instead of joining some aggrandized club and wasting a year serving the upperssmen, us skilled people would just make our own club and do it all ourselves Impressive. Well, thats the n. No need to waste any time. As much as the weird concept of a Ghost Story Club does make me worry Well, youre free to package it as you like, and with an unusual concept like that, there would be no other clubs that ovep with ours. It would stand out inpetitions. As GyeongWon was thinking it through, he suddenly had an idea. But are new students allowed to make clubs? If so, it would be preferable if I made the club. That bastard. How dare he? I was the one who thought of it first. Usually, new students cant make a club. The only reason I can is because I have some connections to a teacher in the school. GyeongWon, who was calmly watching me, spoke in admiration. You are so different from your first impression. I totally didnt see you like that. Hey, you fucker. All of this is a lie~. As I listened to GyeongWons admiration, I filled out the spaces in the club application form. Club President: Lee Joon Member 1: Yoon SunAh Member 2: Ahn GyeongWon Member 3: I finished lunch and I was on my way to the bathroom as I worried about who to recruit as thest member. Suddenly, I heard someone chuckling. When I turned to look, I saw that it was the homeroom teacher. Its you, Joon. Is the club application going well? The rotund, middle-aged homeroom teacher. He looked like he just finished brushing his teeth, as he had a toothbrush in his hands. Its going so-so. Hehe, a Ghost Story Club, how exciting. It seems you enjoy scary stories. Well, rather than me liking ghost stories, I have a need to study them. Im trying to learn more about them now. After listening to what I said, the homeroom teacher looked both ways to make sure no one was near. Then he cautiously asked me a question. Were you on your way to the mens room at the end of the hall? Yes. A ghostes out at the fourth stall in that restroom. It asks if you want a red tissue or a blue tissue. Youd better choose wisely. Well then, Im off. The homeroom teacher disappeared in a hurry after telling me that. How old is that story? That story was one of the old stories that were popr around the time I was in nursery school, such as the Hong Kong Grandma or the Red Mask ghost. Just like his joke this morning, this homeroom teacher seems to be too much like an old man. Was that his concept? Still, he was a rotund, middle-aged, balding man. That image,bined with his old man sense, made for an interestingbo. How cool. How great would it be if I could also live life not caring about what others think and just going at my own pace? Iughed to myself and headed to the mens room. Chapter 12: Third Ghost Story - Red Tissue, Blue Tissue (2) Chapter 12: Third Ghost Story - Red Tissue, Blue Tissue (2) <Lewd Humor and Suggestive Behavior. Readers Please be Advised>> After walking down the hallway, I reached the mens room on the first floor. It was empty. Red tissue, blue tissue, huh? For some reason, the story was stuck in my mind. I quietly peeked into the fourth stall, but there was nothing there. I stood by the urinal and was minding my own business when I heard footsteps in the hallway. The bathroom door opened with a crash, and a rude looking student rushed into the fourth stall. I just heard a ghost story about this. How could you go into that stall, out of all of them? With the sound effects of a grand release, the male student let out a sigh of relief. I had finished my business, so I zipped up my pants and went to the sink to wash my hands. Unexpectedly, the voice of a slender woman could be heard. [Should I give you a red tissue, or a blue tissue~?] The bathroom went silent. When I looked around to try and locate the source of the voice, I heard it again. [Should I give you a red tissue, or a blue tissue~?] If you ignored the eerie words and the fact that you couldnt tell where it came from, the voice was quite pretty. It had the strange charm of a nursery teacher speaking affectionately to young children. The student in the fourth stall must have also heard the voice, as there was no longer any noiseing from the stall. After some more time passed in silence, the male student shouted. Hey, stop messing around! It was a tone meant to pick a fight. Was he talking to me? I guess there was only me and him in here. I spoke back to him as I looked at the fourth stall. It wasnt me. Again, silence. And then, a littleter [Should I give you a red tissue, or a blue tissue~?] It was the voice of a woman speaking in a very soothing tone, as if she were talking to a very young child. The male student spoke to me in a low voice. Hey, I said to stop messing around. The deep voice seemed very menacing. From what I briefly saw of his looks and atmosphere, he might have been one of those Delinquents. A punk, or a gang member. I said it wasnt me. However, I was a 3+1th year, who had gone through a lot. Not to mention, I had just won a fight against GyeongWon. I was listening to a punk three years younger than me speak to me in a rude manner. I couldnt hold it in and responded back to him. Then who was it? Who else is here besides us? I dont know. It isnt me though, so stop nitpicking. Silence once again. The bathroom was quiet. I could have just left it like that, but I really wanted to see the end of the funny ghostly phenomenon. Soon there was a shuffling noise, before the student cursed. Ah, fuck. The male student sighed after letting out a curse. Haah Sorry, but could you get me some toilet paper from the next stall? Sure, wait a moment. In order to show my friendliness, I opened the stall next to his. However, there was no toilet paper. The other stalls were the same. It may have been because vacation had just ended and the school year had just started, so no one had been made in charge of cleaning yet. Hey, the other stalls dont have any toilet paper either. Soon after, the soothing female voice could be heard once again. [Should I give you a red tissue, or a blue tissue~?] Fuck, are you actually fucking with me? The student shouted in anger. Stop fucking with me and go get me some toilet paper! I was trying to hold back before, but are you trying to piss me off? Are you insane? The male students shouting echoed off of the bathroom tiles, filling the previously silent bathroom with noise. My aggravated mind couldnt take it, so I shouted back. There really isnt any! And cant you tell voices apart? That was a girls voice! Fuck! Who else is in here but you? Fuck you, bitch! Stop cursing at me, fuck. Bitch? Are you crazy? What? I told you it wasnt fucking me! Stop with the bullshit! There is no one else here but you! [Should I give you a red tissue, or a blue tissue~?] Fucker, I got you now! Just stay right there! The male student was so angry that I could hear him pulling his pants up without wiping his ass. More important than the fact that I would get beat up if I got caught, I didnt want to get caught because of how dirty it would be. So I started to run away from the bathroom, when What are you guys doing?! Why are you fighting in the bathroom? A roughly thirty-looking, beautiful female teacher burst into the mens room. I had seen her before. She was the teacher that had forced me out of the ssroom, and when I pretended to be sick with anemia, she had delivered me to the infirmary. The male student in the fourth stall came out angrily, with only his underwear on, but when he saw the female teacher he rushed back into the stall and closed the door. What is it? What happened? The teacher sent me an inquiring look. Um, you see Not including the part about the ghost, I told her what had happened. When she heard the story, the teacher gave me a look of disbelief. What were you doing? Were you two putting on a y? I had nothing to say. The fight was more childish than the ghost story from before. You two are seventeen years old, but were screaming and fighting over that? And one of you was taking a shit while fighting. Ha! Im shocked Sorry. If you didnt have any toilet paper, just borrow it from a teacher! How many times do I have to tell you that I will lend you toilet paper? You just had to choose between the two of them, but even disregarding that, why were you two fighting? What? How many times did I have to ask you if I should give you red tissues or blue tissues? Iaskedifyouwantedredtissuesorbluetissuesbutwhywontyouanswer?! After saying those words, she got down on all fours and quickly mbered towards the fourth stall, where she instantly jumped over the tall stall wall and into the fourth stall. WhydidntyouanswerwhenIaskedyouifyouneedredtissueorbluetissuesyousaidyoudidnthaveany. RedtissuewouldmeanIcouldcoveryouinblood. BluetissuewouldmeeanIcouldstrangleyouuntilyourfaceturnedblue. Uaaaaaaackkk! FUUUUUUUCK! With the screamsing from the fourth stall, I could hear a crashing sound when the stall door opened. The student that had been arguing with me was covered in his own shit and iling around. Behind him, the teacher, whose hair was loose and flying around like a ghosts, was grabbing onto the students ankles to prevent him from running away. White tissue! Please give me some white tissue! I shouted desperately. Then the teacher stopped. White tissue? Yes! White tissue, please. The teacher let go of the male student and slowly got up from where she was. Then, after gracefully swinging her hair back, she crossed her arms and began to stare at me. To say you want the white tissue You must be lewd. In the meantime, the male student had caught his breath and crawled along the floor to get behind me. Well, what can you expect from male students during puberty, right? Do you really want the white tissue? The teacher slowly began to walk my way, her butt swaying as she walked. Uh, umm That is Was it that you wanted to experience the white tissue~? The teachers soothing voice echoed throughout the bathroom. If you excluded the weird words, it was quite the pretty voice. It was a charming voice that nursery teachers would use on young children. I was unable to think of how to handle this situation due to the sudden change in atmosphere. The teacher appeared perfectly normal, as if she had never crawled on all fours just a moment ago. When she spoke, her red lips began to lookscivious. Are you saying that, knowing what it means~? As the teacher approached, the smell of her perfume wafted over and my head started to spin. Then she brought her face close to mine, as if she were about to kiss me, before turning away slightly at thest moment to whisper in my ear. Do you want to receive the white tissue from me? Uh, uh I couldnt keep my mind straight. It felt like I was falling into the trap of an adults charm. The moment I was about to respond with yes, I suddenly came to my senses. The sound of the bathroom door swinging open and closed quickly snapped me out of it. Creak- m! ! The student behind me had taken the opportunity to escape. F-fuck I slowly turned my face away and hurried to the door. When I opened the door, before I left I turned around to look at the teacher. She was still staring at me with her eyes thinly opened. G-goodbye Im fine on toilet paper now. I quickly left the mens room and ran to the ssroom. At that moment, a message popped up.
[You havee across and survived the C-rank Ghost Story - Red Tissue, Blue Tissue.] [You have earned 10 Ghost Story Points.]
* * * * * * I spent the rest of the afternoon in a daze. It partially had to do with all of the iprehensible incidents happening continuously, and it also had to do with the way the unusual behavior of that teacher kept running through my mind. What exactly did the white tissue mean? It keeps crossing my mind. And did that guy survive? He seemed to have gotten injured. As I thought about numerous topics, sixth period had somehow ended and it would be time to go home soon. Right before the closing session, before the homeroom teacher came in, SunAh took the opportunity toe over to me. Hey, Joon. Yeah? Your expression doesnt look so good. The club application form Is it very difficult? Oh! Right! I was in trouble! There was only five minutes left before the homeroom teacher came in. I quickly grabbed a pen and began to rush through the form. Like my disposition for cramming suggested, as I was cornered my inspiration began to explode. Ghost Story Club! By studying our ancestors traditional ghost stories, we will be researching the history of those times this is the concept Im going for Lets just tie this into the exnation for now. With rushed handwriting, I included all sorts of content to extend the exnation. I barely finished when the homeroom teacher came into the room. SunAh was watching me with an admiring expression, until she noticed the homeroom teacher and skittered back to her seat. Everyone worked hard today~. After checking that everyone was in their seats, the teacher made announcements on how we should not be chatting on our way to the cafeteria during lunch, and for those of us who still had dyed hair to dye the color back to ck by next week. Also, there was an incident today where a male student slipped on his way to the bathroom and was severely injured. Everyone please take care not to slip~. Then, goodbye! He was trying to leave after finishing with those words when I followed him. Teacher! Here, the club application form. Good work~. The teacher quickly took the sheet and didnt bother to read through it as he left for the teachers office. Is he the type to be sensitive about leaving work?
[Your understanding of Park DamIm has increased by 10.]
When I returned to my seat, SunAh approached my side. What did he say? Sigh, Im not sure. He didnt read it, but truthfully, I couldnt find a fourth member so I just left it nk. Is that so? Well, Im sure things will work out. If we cant make the club, we can just join an existing club together. Sure SunAh extended her response as if she thought it was a shame. Activities like a ghost story club would seem weird anyway, so what did she think was a shame? Did she think that joining a club and meeting new people was burdensome? I hope the club is epted I nodded my head in response to SunAhs murmuring. Yup. And then we could spend afortable time amongst close friends. Yes! Youre right. I wish that would happen When I expressed her inner thoughts for her, SunAh began to nod her head furiously. Her expression suggested that I was right.
[Your understanding of Yoon SunAh has increased by 5.]
*** After school ended, GyeongWon, SunAh and I left the ssroom together. What did the teacher say? Nothing yet. I think we will have to wait until tomorrow to know the results. I hope things go well. GyeongWon pushed his sses up with a smile as he replied. I suddenly had a question I was curious about, so I asked right away. GyeongWon, do you know the red tissue, blue tissue ghost story? That question is not even worth answering. True. It was so famous that even someone like me, who had no interest in ghost stories, knew of it. You know how the ghost in the story asks if you want a red tissue or a blue tissue, right? But what happens if you answer that you want a white tissue? White tissue? GyeongWon had a stunned expression on his face, before he let out a sigh. Simr tost time, this is quite the peculiar question. Is this type of question only imaginable by those who arent very knowledgeable about ghost stories? In a way, I am kind of jealous I could only chuckle in embarrassment. A white tissue, huh. White tissue There is no decisive answer, but we could make a few spections. What kind of spection? When you choose the red tissue, they make you bleed to cover you in red. If you choose the blue tissue, you are choked to turn you blue. Thus, the white tissue would definitely be something that would turn you white. Turn you white? Maybe something like surprising you to make your face turn white? The method can be whatever you can think of. Like the way you would use blood to turn red, something white within our bodies would be used to turn you white. What would that be? Nothing really came to mind, so I just shrugged my shoulders. SunAh, do you know? I dont know SunAh also didnt know much about ghost stories. Later, we went our separate ways, and I headed home. Now that I think of it, for the ghost stories I came across before this one, I died at least once. Today, I survived without dying at all. The reason I survived might have been because I already knew of the ghost story involving the red tissue and blue tissue. Thus, I was able to respond immediately, without getting flustered. Already knowing what the story is about makes such a big difference. From what Id experienced up to that point, the monstrous phenomena didnt happen indiscriminately. There were at least some sort of basic rules that each of the ghost stories followed. What that meant is that, if you didnt know the contents of the ghost story, you would face great dangersuch as when everyones heads exploded, or when theughing girl murdered people. But if you knew the conditions of the ghost story ahead of time, you could easily handle the situation. That was right! It was simr to games, where if you didnt recognize the signs you would die. And then I realized that I didnt know any of those kinds of stories. Where would I have to go to study ghost stories? Would there be a ce that specialized in teaching them? Nope, nope. Of course there wouldnt be. The only method would be to search through books, search through the inte, and ask others in order to slowly stack up knowledge of ghost stories. Do I really have to be a useless expert on ghost stories? After I let out a sigh, I looked up to see my apartment building. I must have reached home while I was lost in my thoughts. When I looked up at my house, I saw someone out on the veranda. Mom? Mom was standing on our veranda, looking down at me. I waved my hand to greet her. For some odd reason, there wasnt much of a reaction from Mom. I was pretty sure she was looking at me. ? Something was making me worry, so I hurried home. Chapter 13: Fourth Ghost Story - Mom (1) Chapter 13: Fourth Ghost Story - Mom (1) <slight Body Horror. Readers Please be Advised>> After getting off the elevator, I stood in front of our front door. The moment I opened the keypad to the door lock to input the passcode, I felt that something was off. Its too quiet. I gently closed the lid and I put my ear against the door. If someone was in the house, there would be some sort of noise, no matter how small. The sound of the TV, the sound of the vacuum being run, the sound of opening and closing doors. At the very least, there should have been some sort of noise when they walked around. However, I couldnt hear anythinging from our house. All that I felt was the cold metal of the front door. I used my hand to block my other ear and tried to focus harder. Like I thought, no noise could be heard. I could sense that there was nobody there. There is no way. I just saw mom I pushed aside the foreboding feeling and quickly punched in the passcode, turning the doorknob. Creak- Im home~. Mom? I took off my backpack and tossed it aside, heading towards the veranda. No one was there, either. Mom? I tiptoed to the master bedroom and opened the door. No one was there. I went to the bathroom right next to it and switched on the lights. Flick- Just in case, I checked the bathtub as well. There was no one there. It was quiet. Including my dads office, I looked through all of the rooms in my house. Finally, I checked my own room before going back out to the living room. Silence Complete silence. This isnt right. I definitely just saw my mom on the veranda. There was no way we had just missed each other, not within such a short timeframe. She definitely had to be in the house. Veranda. I had been about to check the veranda again when I paused, a feeling of foreboding washing over me. I had definitely thought that someone was there, but the house was silent. Where would my mom have gone? Was I currently alone in the house or not? Even though it was the middle of the day, with the sunlight shining brightly into the house, the inside of the house waspletely foreboding. I suddenly got shivers down my spine, making me turn around. But of course, there was no one there. Again, I began to walk towards the veranda. I stood at the exact spot that my mom was standing before. When I looked down, I could see the footpath connected to the apartmentplex entrance. I looked up as I was walking at roughly that point It wasnt that far of a distance. As I thought, there was no way that I saw incorrectly. After standing on the veranda for a bit, I turned my head to leave when something caught my eye. It was the washing machine. Our washing machine was located at the very end of our veranda. The lid to the washing machine was shut. Mom always left the lid open because of the humidity. Why was it closed? The foreboding feeling ran up my spine. I slowly approached the washing machine. I wanted to call out to my mom, but I felt that the moment I broke this eerie silence, something menacing would jump out. Swallowing my saliva, I held it in. I muffled my footsteps and sneakily stood in front of the washing machine. Then I slowly opened the lid. Mom was huddled down inside the washing machine, staring directly at me. ! I started to backpedal as I gasped. Once I backed up a bit, the angle at which I looked at the washing machine was lower, which meant Mom was no longer visible. However, I could still see the top of her head jutting out. Gasp, gasp. Keeping my eyes on the washing machine, I slowly continued to back up. I felt like the moment I looked away, something woulde running at me, screaming. Gasp, gasp. And just like that, one step at a time, I very slowly escaped the veranda. Continuing to back up in the same manner, I turned the corner into the living room. In the direction I was looking, the washing machine was covered by the wall as it gradually left my sight. I continued moving the same way until I reached the middle of the living room. Suddenly, a head popped out from the corner leading to the veranda. Did you just get back from school? Mom popped her head out from around the corner, asking without any inflection in her voice. Gasp, gasp At that moment, my heart dropped. It wasnt her. It wasnt my mom. A person could not stick out only their face, at exactly a 90 degree angle. In order to do that, their body would have to bepletely bent sideways, in an unnatural 90 degree angle. Gasp, gasp Instead of answering, I slowly turned my head and approached the front door. I had no confidence in maintaining eye contact with that thing pretending to be Mom. However, I had a feeling it would start running after me the moment it left my sightpletely. Therefore, I began to slowly sidestep while keeping that face barely visible in the corner of my eye. I managed to arrive at my front door. I stretched my hands vaguely in the direction I thought the door lock would be and used my sense of touch to press the button. Beep beep beep~ You bastard, just like your father! Where are you crawling to?!!!!!! The moment that thing opened its mouth wide and tried to jump out, I kicked the door open and ran like crazy down the stairs. I ran down the stairs as if I were rolling down them, skipping four to five steps at a time. Stomp, stomp, stomp. I mindlessly escaped to the first floor and opened the building entrance. I then ran to themercial center, which I could see in front of me. Gasp, gasp, huff, huff I ran away like crazy until I was in the middle of themercial center, where people were walking around. I finally caught my breath. Fuck Insane, huff, huff gasp huff what was that? Fuck huff huff The passingdies and students were staring at me. I turned my head and wiped off my sweat as I looked up at the apartment building. My mom was in the same spot on the veranda, staring down at me without moving. A little while after, my mom leaned back onto all fours, stomach up, and bridge-walked back towards the living room until she was out of sight. T/N: look up the spider walk scene from The Exorcist to get an idea. Fucking insane Fuck I breathed in deeply and let out a long sigh, before copsing onto the stairs at themercial center. I was lucky to have run out of the house with my slippers on at least. Wow, when did I even make the time to? Haha. I admired my quick wits. But I wasntughing because it was funny. It was a reactiveugh, originating from the release of tension. Huuuuuuuu I let out another long sigh. What should I do now? Its not like I could go back into the house now. I was thinking that I should wait until both of my parents returned from work before I went inside. Did I have to call that a ghost? That thing didnt usually appear when I was with my family What time is it? Status Window. Poof-
[2019, Mar. 06 Wednesday, 16:22] [Lee Joon - Number of Attempts: 2, Progressing in Tutorial] [Ghost Story Points: 15] [Causality Rate: 6%]
  1. Status Window
  2. Manage Club (Locked)
  3. Statistics
  4. Settings
It was a little past four in the afternoon. My parents wouldnt be home from work until at least seven. I had to wait at least two hours. Ah. I left my wallet at home, too. I usually kept my wallet in my bag, and I tossed my bag to the side in the house before I ran away. The only thing I had on me was my cell phone. If I had at least a dor, I could have spent my time in an inte cafe. I didnt have a single cent on me. What do I do for two and a half hours? If I just sat at a bench and surfed the web on my phone, the time would pass by quickly. However, my data n was minuscule because I was a student, and without wifi there was no way for me to go on the inte. With no other option, I dusted off my butt and headed towards the yground located within the apartmentplex. * * * * * * I was calmly sitting on the swings at the yground when a passing neighborhooddy clucked her tongue and approached me. Student, why are you here alone? I cant go home. Tsk tsk tsk. Did you eat? It waste in the afternoon, almost sunset. I was a student on a swing alone with no bag, slippers on my feet, and I was still wearing my school uniform. Did it look like I had some sort of story? No, you dont need to worry about me. Im alright. Its really only that I cant go home right now. What do you mean you cant go home? Were you chased out by your mom? Yes Tsk tsk. She began to cluck her tongue again. Im not trying to insinuate anything about another households educational methods, but how could someone calling herself a mother chase her son out while hes only in slippers? Haah My first son is a doctor, and my second child is awyer, you see. They grew up so well without me having to give them a beating Ah, yes. Now go, please. What was with the sudden bragging about her sons? I thought she hade over because she was worried, but she was just a nosydy.
[Your understanding of Choi JaOk has increased by 5.]
I got up and began to walk around the neighborhood to avoid thedy. I walked around slowly in order to pass the time, but after a singlep I was already tired. Why the hell do I have to go through this trouble? I had been nning on spending afortable afternoon ying games, but that thing pretending to be mom had ruined everything. Haah I let out a sigh and I plopped down onto a nearby bench. There was still a long time to wait before my parents returned. That desperate and poor state of mine. Being a broke ass student was so pitiful! The word poor suddenly made me think of SunAh. Its not like I have anything to do. Should I send SunAh a KakaoTalk message? Thinking about it, as I had listened to the exnation of the manual ghost story the day before, I had swapped numbers with GyeongWon and SunAh. I had only met them at school and had not contacted them via phone yet. Well, it would be natural if I said I was just saying hello while checking if the number worked, right? It was the first time I was sending a KakaoTalk message to a girl. It was a bit tense, but at the same time there was nothing unusual about sending a message. I just had to send it. Badump, badump. Slip- I slipped my phone out of my pocket and opened the KakaoTalk app. After checking my friends list, I found that didnt need to scroll. Both SunAh and GyeongWon were on the first page. At that point in time, I really didnt have many friends. I really spent my school life in apletely boring way. It was a miracle that I had two friends that would walk with me on my way from school. The reason for that was because of my unusual disposition of feeling lonely when I was alone, but wanting to be alone when I was with others. Although there were no people who I was on bad terms with, there were also no friends that I was close enough to contact personally. Hmm, Ahn GyeongWon. Should I check out his profile? When I checked GyeongWons profile, he had confidently put up a selfie as his profile picture. The hell? As if he wanted to emphasize that he was an intellectual, his mouth was closed and he was shing his sses. And for his status message, he had put the quote, You make your own luck through thorough preparation, which sounded like something he found after scouring the inte. How respectable. His face was pretty as long as he remained still, so he might have been popr with the girls. Because he focused too much on trying to show off that he was an intellectual, he had such a strong idiot who thinks hes cool image that at school he didn''t have friends outside of SunAh and me. I clucked my tongue and checked out SunAhs profile. Everything was still the default settings. The profile picture was the blue human shape that was the default when you didnt upload a single image. The status message was nk as well. Everything was unchanged. Is SunAh a ten-thousand-year outsider like me? T/N: Outsider is often used as a term for people who stick to themselves and avoid social groups in Korea. Now that I was going to contact them, I was slightly nervous. But I firmed my heart. Lets send a message to a cute girl from ss! I typed out a short and pressed send. Since Im bored, Ill send GyeongWon a message too. Since we were both guys, I sent him a slightly more casual . A momentter, a reply came from GyeongWon. I replied, Hes at cram school. It fits his image. I wonder why SunAh isnt responding. I wondered what SunAh spent her time doing. Then I remembered the copsing apartment building she lived in. She said she lives with her grandmother. What kind of environment does she live in? Did she have aputer at home? A TV? I was curious about what SunAh would do at home to kill time. It was after I sat on the bench for an uneventful twenty minutes that my cell phone rang. KakaoTalk~ T/N: when you get a message throughKakaoTalk, its ringtone is actually the words KakaoTalk. I checked my cell phone quickly and found that SunAh had responded. Ooooh! In my excitement, I was making a scene by waving my hands around. I got a KakaoTalk message from a girl! My heart felt itchy. My mouth couldnt stop smiling as I checked the message. I was sitting on the bench, smiling in a silly way as I looked at SunAhs message, when some kids passed by. It made me quickly change my expression. Ehem. SunAh, you cutie. hello. lol was too cute! I tried to calm myself and type a response on my keypad, but my hand was shaking too much. Why was I acting like that? Was the effects of an all-boys middle school and all-boys high school really that bad? Sometimes Iughed, or cringed to myself in embarrassment. Ah~ is this too short? Should I try sending a longer message? I was contemting by myself while giggling. Then I started kicking my feet. It was so exhrating! I felt a gaze on me, so I looked up to check. A cheese-colored cat was staring right at me. What you looking at, furball?! Meow. I raised my phone again and sent a message. After I waited five minutes, which felt like an hour, another KakaoTalk message came. Hmm. What did she mean? There was no way she was actually spacing out. Was it some method of talk only girls used? After that, how should I respond? I kept pushing my brain, but I wasnt sure. How was I supposed to respond to that message?! I was an idiot, so I didnt know much about that sort of thing. As I cringed and giggled in delighted worry, I identally drooled on myself. Thedy I met at the yground before saw that sight and rushed to me in surprise. Student! Youre ufortable somewhere, right? Where are your guardians? Ah fuck,dy! Just go! Impletely fine! As I thought, thatdy was really nosy.
[Your understanding of Choi JaOk has greatly increased by 20.]
After shooing thedy away, I quickly responded to SunAhs message. KakaoTalk~ The next response came quickly. Click, click, click. KakaoTalk~ Usually, SunAh mumbled and extended the end of her sentences, but in her KakaoTalk messages her speech was surprisingly normal. Is that obvious? But Im the opposite. When I spoke to SunAh face to face, I spoke veryfortably. But when messaging her through KakaoTalk, I was weirdly anxious and my heart fluttered. And then the messages stopped. I waited for about ten minutes, but there was no response. Hmmm, this flow isnt good. I was going to spend time just talking about daily life, but when the topic of being out of the house came up, did it be too heavy? The conversation had be a singr pattern. It might seem like I was being too whiny. SunAhsck of response continued. Should I try sending her another message with a different topic? But if I sent another message even though there wasnt a response, would it seem like I was too impatient? What should I do? I was uselessly immersed as I was pondering on what to send. Hmm, if I do it like this No, thats too much Like this? No, thats a bit Suddenly, I remembered the scene in front of the school store where I had grabbed her hand and she made a clearly troubled face. Of course, right after that time had turned back, so it technically never happened. Ah, I dont want to make a useless mistake. I just want to be friends with her naturally. I knew nothing about what girls thought about. How about I say this here or say this in this manner? Ugh. My head hurt. I was thinking so much that my brain burnt out. Some guys seemed able to hang out with girlsfortably, but why did I have so many thoughts? What is she thinking now? How should I behave? Those types of thoughts continued to swirl around in my mind and quickly tired me out. SunAh still hadnt responded. Haah Lets stop. Ill just sit herefortably. At first, it felt good messaging a girl. However, as there were too many things to think about, my brain felt numb. The disposition that the system exined I had, two-faced. Now that I thought about it a bit, I thought that maybe that exnation was just about puberty. Although I had a lot of thoughts about looking good in front of friends, after worrying about my friends leaving if I made a mistake, I would think too much and end up not making friends. It was a paradoxical situation. Im tired. Im really tired. This is why I cant make close friends. Even GyeongWon was like that. Because he had high pride, it would be difficult for me to be his friend easily. I would have needed to continuously prove to him that I was also an elite. Was there no such thing as a friend who wouldnt leave me, no matter how I acted? A friend who, even if I showed weakness, would justugh it off instead of looking down on me? A friend who I could trust? A friend who I didnt need to look good in front of, and to whom just being me was enough? That sort of friend? Then I could stop the tiresome worrying and spend my time rxing. That was when KakaoTalk~ Chapter 14: Fourth Ghost Story - Mom (2) Chapter 14: Fourth Ghost Story - Mom (2) Badump, badump. The apartment building SunAh lived in was right next to the school. Although it was a little embarrassing because I was wearing slippers, I still hurried while avoiding the peoples sight. Im going over to a female ssmates house to y? I am? After reaching the point where the school came into view, I could see that SunAh, who was way up front, hade out to pick me up. A cute girl was waiting outside to pick me up and invite me to her house. This was the first time in my several lives that this had happened to me. It was worth living a long life. Huuu, lets calm down, Lee Joon! Although I had just encountered a scary situation at home, social life was social life. At the time, I was in a school uniform with only slippers on and no backpack. I had to at least act normal. It was because we werent that close yet. Huh? Joon? You came quickly! SunAh was standing in front of the schools front gates when she discovered me and smiled. Yeah, I had nowhere to go and I happened to be walking around, so I came here quite quickly. Hearing this, SunAhughed again before she started to mumble. So you see Yeah? My house Its a big mess Ah, its fine! Its fine! I quickly waved my hands. We dont have to go to your house! I was also worrying that I was bothering you, and was wondering what to do. Haha. Actually, I was feeling that it was a shame that I couldnt go! Sob. Just youing out here for me like this is more than enough to make me thankful. Spending time chatting with you will make the time go by in a breeze. Instead of responding, SunAh pondered to herself for a bit beforeing to a decision, showing off a determined expression. No! Lets go to my house and sit around there. Its pretty cold outside R-really? Im really okay. You cane h You really dont have to go out of your way, for real. Then SunAh walked up to me and replied, her fists clenched tight. When I entered high school I wanted to fix my personality, so Aah, haha. Is that so~? Well, I think your personality is fine, though~. Its this way And somehow, I started following SunAhs lead. Hmm. So thats how it is. I was the only one overly excited about this situation. SunAh was purely worried about a friend who had nowhere to go, and in order to ovee her reserved personality, she had thought to invite a newly made friend over to her house. Why couldnt I also have had pure thoughts? My past self seemed so stupid, worrying about such things. I shook my head and followed behind SunAh. . . . When I saw the apartment building SunAh lived in, I began to wonder to myself again. People actually live in this ce? Of course, I was sure people did live there. It was just that I had thought that it was a world unrted to me. A ce like that was just a ce that I would pass by in life, something in the background. I had never thought too deeply about it. A small sentry box that seemed like it was once the security office was in a state of ruin, with all of the ss having been broken. The sidewalk blocks were all flipped around and weeds were growing knee high. The apartment building was about five to six stories high. The height was barely tall enough to call it a vi, but because it was uselessly wide it could be called an apartment building. If you considered that most apartment buildings nowadays were twenty to thirty stories tall, it was quite shabby inparison. Not to mention the outside walls of the building were covered in so much ivy that the building number couldnt be seen. Incredible. There were several suspicious and unknown marks scattered here and there. If I took a picture and posted it on the inte with the title Haunted house special: An abandoned apartment building in Korea, it would definitely start trending. To think my friend lived in a ce like that. I lost all words. Of course, my family wasnt too well off, either. We were strictly middle ss, but I had never had any connections to an original abandoned haunted house like this. This way Yeah. While following SunAh, who was walking step-by-step and clutching her bag strap, I could see a few elderly people that seemed a bit out of it sitting nkly on a moss covered bench. Yeah. With this, its worth considering whether you should bring your friend home or not. Despite all that, I was thankful to SunAh for inviting me to her home. There were no elevators in the building. As I followed SunAh up the stairs, I spoke as smoothly as I could. Thank you very much for inviting me SunAh. I will make sure to return the favor. Yeah SunAh dragged out the end of her sentence again, and I thought that she must be worrying whether or not her friend was disappointed. Fine. Todays objective was to not show any signs of disappointment, and to show that I was able tofortably hang out just like SunAh wanted! The moment I decided that, I saw things like earthen jars, rice sacks clogging the hallways, and an empty cart and a t ser ball blocking the stairs. Be careful Y-yeah. SunAhs house was at the very end of the hall. On her front door there were delivery booklets, locksmith service advertisement stickers, real estate ads, delivery service ads, and lots of other stuff attached to the door as either stickers, mas or posters. And next to all of that, there was a broken doorbell. I realized something as I saw SunAh take out a key and open the door. Nowadays, everyone uses a keypad lock. The reason that my random excuse about losing my keys worked was this As I walked into SunAhs house, I purposefully gave a greeting in a loud voice. Hello~! Theres no one here Haha, is that so~? I chuckled in embarrassment. What about your grandmother? Didnt you say you lived together? Yes. How did you know? Yesterday, when you werete, you said that it was because your grandmother didnt wake you up. Me? Did I say that? Oh right. I could sense that I had screwed up my timelines. After that conversation, I had died to theughing girl and time had turned back. Afterwards, we didnt speak about her grandmother. How confusing. Thankfully, SunAh only tilted her head in confusion and glossed over it. Grandma went to visit the hospital, so she wont be back until evening I see~. Haha, ah! Is that your room? I thought that speaking about her grandmothers hospital visit would make things depressing, so I quickly changed topics. Yeah, this is my room Wow~. Can I go in? SunAh nodded as she giggled. SunAhs room was really in. She had given up any girly articles, and did not even have a bed orputer. On an old desk there was an odd joke book that looked about ten years old, and a worn out middle school reference book. However, giving off the feeling that I thought there wasnt much there wouldnt have been proper manners! Especially not from a visiting friend. I quickly scanned the room to find something worth starting a conversation about, when I noticed something. Ah! Its a graduation album! Can I look through this? Hehe, go ahead. SunAhs middle school graduation album! I thoroughly searched through the album and found SunAhs middle school picture. A young looking face, round eyes. An expression that seemed like she has no confidence. It was no different from right now. Its identical. Wait, isnt that obvious? Since it was a photo from justst year. Youre right, hahaha How did you spend your days in middle school? * * * * * * SunAh suddenly stopped speaking. I noticed the change and quickly closed the album, grabbing the odd joke book from the desk. Maybe she was bullied. Lets pass over this quickly. Hahahaha. What is this book? How old is this book? Thats pretty funny. After seeing the worn out book, SunAh started giggling again. I started looking through the book. Let me see. What is the money grandfathers like called? Grandmoney. T/N: The Korean word for grandmother is halmoni. The joke was that grandpas like hal-money. Which witch is the tastiest witch? A sandwich. Hahaha. You know all of this. You must have read it a lot~ Pfft. I suddenly imagined the scene of a lonely SunAh, who had nothing better to do, reading the joke book to kill time. It suddenly made me feel sad. Damn. A bunch of things keeps dampening the mood! Lets gloss over this quickly, too. It seems I cant senselessly mention anything. We left the room, passing the cramped kitchen and entering the living room. Possibly because her grandmother used this room, there was an electric under-nket spread out and I could see an old-fashioned fan. Thankfully there was a TV, although it was an old CRT TV that was difficult to find these days. Lets watch TV, SunAh! I wonder what movies are ying~? The remote control was broken, so it was only after I had fiddled with the channel knob that I realized. SunAhs TV service didnt have the movie channel. Besides a few of the free-to-air channels, everything else only showed static. That was why she was silent when I mentioned movies just now. Ah, haha. KBS KBS Hometown Report was airing. T/N: Hometown Report is a show that has reporters go to various small towns or neighborhoods throughout the nation and introduce them. The other channel showed a home shopping show selling vacuum cleaners. Well fuck. How is nothing working out for me? Even just a graze was a critical hit. With nothing else we could do, we sat there with the Hometown Report on. The interview of an old grandfather who had served during the Vietnam War but got hemorrhoids began to drag on. After letting out a sigh, we turned off the TV. The only sound that could be heard in the house was the refrigerator running. SunAh and I were sitting silently on the electric under-nket. Thete afternoon sunlight shone into the poor household. While we were silently sitting there, SunAh spoke first. Our house is quite poor, right? And there is nothing fun to do How was I supposed to respond to that? I was drooling over what to do, so I decided to just truthfully ask what I was curious about. Hey, SunAh? What do you usually spend your time doing after school? Im just purely curious about this. I am, hmm Lets just be honest. I am curious about what you spend your time doing. What you do to have fun, what hobbies you have SunAh, who had only been staring at the nk TV screen until that point, turned her head to look at me. What you do with your time from after school until you go to sleep, what type of thoughts you have, what type of person you want to be, I just want to know. Im just curious about all that. Silence temporarily settled in. Then SunAh, who had been in a daze, raised her head slightly. She cleared her throat and had an expression of contemtion on her face. Yesterday I came home and got changed and just hung out around the neighborhood? Then I ate dinner and went straight to bed, I think Because I went to sleep too early, I woke up at dawn, and I couldnt get back to sleep I fell asleep again when morning came. Was that why she waste today? It might have been the same reason she waste the day before, as well. The day before What did I do? SunAh scrunched her brows as she tried to remember, before letting out a sigh. Sorry. I dont remember I nodded without a word. SunAh, who always had a lethargic expression. I thought she was just spending every day going with the flow, without any thoughts.
[Your understanding of Yoon SunAh has increased by 10.]
SunAh. Yeah? Even if our Ghost Story Club doesnt get epted, lets both join the same club. ! Although SunAh seemed surprised, she smiled as she nodded her head. Yup! Itd be great to do that! Lets definitely do that! Hahaha. Ahaha. My objective had been to avoid bothering the dirt spoon girl about her situation and to present afortable image, but I guess it was inevitable. However, as we both revealed our minds to each other, we had actually be morefortable with each other. Afterwards, as if I hade to my grandmothers house out in the sticks, I horsed around in SunAhs housedoing things like ying around with the nkets in the closet, or speaking about our memories as we looked at the Pokmon stickers on her fridge. *** Ahahaha, be safe on your way home! Today was a lot of fun! I also had a lot of fun! Thanks a lot, SunAh! Not at all. Ahaha. I waved my hands wildly as I said farewell to SunAh, who hade out to the apartment building entrance to see me off. Next time Ill buy you something good, so see you tomorrow! Yup, get home safely~! Goodbye~! I started thinking as I made my way home in a good mood. Either my mom or dad should havee home by now. That thing pretending to be Mom It should definitely be fine if I went inside with my parents, right? In the movies, ghosts usually appeared and surprised people when they were alone, and disappeared when they were together with their family. So if I went home together with my parents, the in house would be waiting for us as if nothing happened. Will that really happen? It wasnt a movie, but real life. The unusual happenings urring in my life As I thought about it again, I realized that it couldnt be exined by the ideological shape of a ghost. It was especially true when I thought about the three-hundred-people head explosion case or theughing girl in the manual ghost story. Those phenomena called ghost stories They did not hide away even if there was a crowd of people, instead showing off their influence. Does that mean, perhaps I did vaguely think that not much would happen if I was with my parents, but I could have been mistaken. Like the phenomena before, that thing could take the shape of mom and show up to threaten us. My parents are in danger. I quickly took out my phone and called mom. [Hello? Joon?] Mom was thankfully still on her way home on the bus. Then I called my dad. Beep- beep- Only the signal noises rang out. Beep- beep- Dad wasnt picking up. I picked up the pace as I headed home. Chapter 15: Fourth Ghost Story - Mom (3) Chapter 15: Fourth Ghost Story - Mom (3) > As I rushed home, it had somehow already be evening outside. When I reached the apartmentplex entrance, I could see Mom standing on the dark veranda from a distance. It was the same spot as before. What about Dad? Has Dad note home yet? When I reached the entrance to the apartment building, I could see my dad standing in front of the entrance in a daze. Dad! I ran to him in a hurry. Joon. Did you just get home? Dad, did anything happen to you? What do you mean? Dad feigned ignorance, pretending to be calm. But from what I could tell, it seemed like he had gone into the house first, met that thing pretending to be mom, and ran out. What other reason would he have for not going into the house and loitering around in front of the entrance? Dad! Theres something weird in the house. It pretends to be Mom and everything. ! Dad looked at me in surprise. Since when have you been able to see it? After school ended today, when I came home. I see. Dad let out a sigh and then spoke. For me, it started three days ago. ording to Dad, he started to see it three days agoor. rather, the night before the day of my entrance ceremony. He stated that it all started when he woke up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. He saw Mom doing a handstand in the middle of the dark living room. Honey, what are you doing in the middle of the night? All the other husbands alle by to pick up their spouses by car. Howe youre the only one that doesn''t, saying its too burdensome? After slowly saying those words, all while continuing her handstand, she had headed back to the veranda on her hands and disappeared. The next day, while he had been at work, a call hade from home. It was during the time when I was at the entrance ceremony and Mom was working at the mart, so no one should have been at home. Hello? Is only your mother a mom? I also want to go back to my parental home and see my parents He said that it was my moms voice. Hello? Honey? What are you saying all of a sudden? On your days off, hang up theundry or something Its not like youre the only one earning money Click- Beep- beep- beep- After she said those words, she hung up. He was surprised, but also felt that something was off, so he tried calling the house again. However, no one answered. He called Moms phone, but she of course replied that she was at work. Additionally, my dad was such an incredible lovebird that, even while living in a household with two ies, he was the type to try to do all of the household choresoften fondly bickering with Mom over who got to do what. He might have been my dad, but he was also a very family-oriented and earnest person, and he wasn''t someone who had heard suchints from my mom before. From my understanding, the rtionship between my paternal grandmother and Mom was normal, too. And today On his way back home from work, he was surprised to see Mom standing on the dark veranda and hurried home. Right before he opened the front door, he thought something seemed off. He checked through the peephole and he saw that thing standing on the other side of the door, mumbling to itself. He came running back down and ended up waiting there, which was where I found him. And so, for the past few days, I waited for your mom to get home and went inside with hereven though I got home first. I see. Now that I think about it, this week I remembered that the two always came home together, even though their workces were different and their jobs ended at different times. Because I had lived for three years beforeing back, I just passed it off as there having been a time in the past where they used toe home together. What should we do, Dad? Im not sure Haah My dad rubbed his forehead briefly beforeing to a decision. For now, lets go up to the house together. Its not like we can report this anywhere. Will it be alright? We cant put your mother in danger, either. Before your mom gets home, us guys should try to handle this somehow. If its two grown men, shouldnt we be able to handle this? I nodded my head and followed my father onto the elevator. That was right. It was our house. We cant continue to let the weird girl pretending to be Mom steal our ce and force us to sit around outside. After we got out of the elevator, Dad input the passcode to the front door. Beep~ I clenched my fists. I wasnt sure if that monstrous existence would be affected by my fists, but I was thinking that I might have to resort to violence. Creak- Dad opened the front door and went in first. I followed behind him and stood by the shoe rack. Just in case we needed to run away, we left the front door wide open. It was evening. The inside of the house waspletely dark, without a single ray of light other than the weak orange sensor lights on the shoe rack shining roughly on the living room. A weird noise could be hearding from the kitchen, located around the corner and through the living room. Chop- chop- chop- chop- The sound of a knife chopping something could be heard. Chop- chop- chop- chop- Dad. Dad turned around as he was about to enter the room after taking off his shoes. Take this. I handed dad the umbre that was ced next to the shoe rack. He epted the umbre without a word and nodded his head silently. Chop- chop- chop- chop- After dad took a slow step forward, he softly called out. Honey? Chop- chop- chop- chop- He gripped the umbre tighter as he tried again. Honey? Is that you, dear? I also took off my shoes and followed after my dad, wielding a random ss bottle as a weapon. Chop- chop- chop- chop- Afterwards, my dad turned the corner and checked the kitchen. His face morphed into an expression of astonishment. I rushed forward to see what was happening, looking into the kitchen. Astonishment washed over me, as well. Chop- chop- chop- chop- Mom was performing a handstand over the sink on one hand. Her feet were pressed against the ceiling and her other hand was gripping a kitchen knife. She was swinging the knife against the chopping board. Dads lips began to tremble as he shouted. D-disappear if youre a ghost! Leave if youre a person! Chop- chop- chop- chop- Mom continued to wordlessly swing her kitchen knife against the chopping board, as if she were cooking. Dad gripped his umbre with shaking hands as he shouted again. D-disappear if youre a ghost! Leave if youre a person! The moment that he held up the umbre, as if he was going to use it to attack her, the thing pretending to be my mom twisted her head in our direction. Why is it always one person who makes the mess and another who cleans it up?! Dad and I lifted our weapons. WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS MAKING A MESS?!!! WHYYYY!!!?????!!! The thing jumped off the sink while still upside down as she screamed, bolting towards us. LET ME BREATHE FOR ONCE!!!!! PLEASE!!!! You bitch! Why are you having a fit in someone elses house?! Leave! Dad took on an aggressive pose as he shouted back. Mom was hopping on one hand while upside down, her other hand swinging the kitchen knife towards my dads ankles. Dad opened the umbre and used it to block the kitchen knife. The kitchen knife pierced through the stic of the umbre but was thankfully blocked by the metal handle. YOU CAALLL YOURSEELLLFF A PERSON WHEN YOU DRINK SOO MUCH?!! You insane bitch! Leave our house immediately! Do you want to fight? Dad didnt lose out at shouting, but it was most likely a bluff. Although both of us didnt go out of our way to say it, we both knew that thing wasnt human. Despite knowing this, Dad was still fighting to protect our house and family. While Mom and Dad were causing a scene, I rushed around them to help out. If she were in a normal position, I would have aimed for her head. Since she was performing a handstand, I had no choice but to swing somewhere around her waist. Stop pretending to be my mom and fuck off, fucker! Smack! AAAAAACCCKKK!! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES A SMARTPHONE EMITS??!! Her head twisted around a hundred and eighty degrees and stared up at me from below. BAN JANGHUNS MOM SAYS THAT HE CAN SIT STILL AND FOCUS FOR OVER THREE HOURS. I SHOULD HAVE NEVER HAD A CHILD LIKE YOU! SHUT UP! When I kicked the ghosts head, she finally lost her bnce and fell over sideways. Crash- Dad and I caught our breath and quickly stepped back, adjusting our positions. Huff, huff Joon, are you okay? Yes, Im alright. How about you, Dad? Did you get stabbed? Other than a slight graze, Im unharmed. Huff huff. Mom started twisting around while still on the floor before slowly getting back up, but the way she did was not human. Her waist jerked up unnaturally and then slowly began to float midair. In that position, her arms were brought up and then she began to wiggle side to sideas if she were dancing. Her hair acted as if it was no longer affected by gravity, floating around in all directions. Honey, we cant live like this anymore. Lets all hang ourselves and die. J-Joon,e over here. As my dad broke out into a cold sweat, he told me to get behind him. Something doesnt seem right, Joon. Stay behind Dad. Yes I could also tell that the atmosphere had changed. Just before, although she did seem like a monster, it felt like we would be able to tackle this situation somehow. Now the atmosphere seemed different. Before, she had been shouting outints. Now, her voice seemed calm And weirdly, even more threatening. Moms wiggling sped up until it looked like she was having a seizure. After waving her hands like crazy, she suddenly let out a cough and wentpletely limp. * * * * * * Was she pretending that she had hung herself? That was roughly what she looked like. The thing pretending to be Mom was just hanging in the air, limp, before she slowly looked up and spoke. Mom asked all of the other mothers, but none of them mention that their children make life difficult for their parents like you. I no longer want to raise you, so get out of the house. I was triggered and shouted back. Stop talking bullshit. This is OUR house. Youre the one who has to- HEEEEYYYY!!!!!! She suddenly screamed and flew towards me, aiming to w at me with her fingernails. Joon! Run away! Dad pushed me away and tried to block Mom. The ghost pretending to be Mom choked my dad, just like that. Cough, gag! She was so strong that even my Dad, who was over one hundred fifty pounds, was lifted up into the air. Lets all die! Lets all hang ourselves and die! Gag, cough, Joon Run away! Father! At that moment, someone at the front door began to shout. Joons father!! Whats happening?! It was the mister living next door. Oh, oh my! What in the world?! His wife was standing next to him, positioned behind the front door. The couple next door had heard the ruckus we caused and came over to check on what was happening. The front door, which we had left open just in case, was something I became grateful for. Mister! Missus! Help us please!! How, how could this be?! Stop it! Joons mother! What are you doing?! The mister ran over and clung to the ghost moms arms, struggling to try to pull them off my dads throat. Cough, gag, cough. AlwaysdrinkingandyingaroundIcantliveinthishouseanymoreourfamilyalldecidedtohangourselvesanddiesopleasedontstopme. She mumbled expressionlessly as she continued to choke my dad. What do you mean, Joons mother?! When did Joons father ever drink or y around?! Please wake up, please! Damn, what is this strength? Mister grabbed the ghost moms arms and tried his hardest to pull them away, but they didnt budge. I quickly rushed to my room and searched my desk for a boxcutter. Then I brought it out and stabbed the girls hands with all my might. The blood sshed all over my face. Kyaah! Oh no! The missus behind the door screamed in surprise. I didnt care whether she screamed or not, stabbing the hand with all my might. Kyaaahh!!!! Do you also treat your teachers that way outside?!! Do you think your mom isughable?!! It was only now that the thing pretending to be my mom let go and began to squirm. Cough, huff! Keuk! Dad copsed and dry heaved a couple of times before catching his breath and shouting. Joon! Go hide next door with the missus and call the cops! D-Dad! But! I was thinking that it would be dangerous with only Dad and the mister, but then I heard some murmuring from behind me. By the front door, a lot of the neighbors hade by to check out the source of the chaos. What in the world is happening here? It must be a couple fighting. It seems a bit severe. A thought urred to me, after seeing all of those people. If there are this many people, then itll be safe! Yes, Dad! Ill call them right away! As I was about to take out my phone, my dad quickly shouted. Go next door and hide before you call the police! Hurry, Joon! Your safetyes first!! Dad! Yes, I understand. Please be safe! Because the ghost was taking on the shape of Mom, if Dad ran away as well, we wouldnt know what sort of weird things the neighbors would say. The only people who knew that the girl was actually an unrealistically strong ghost were Dad and I. Even in this situation, Dad was worried about my safety and wanted me to hide first. While the ghost was holding onto her injured arm and causing a scene, I rushed past the murmuring crowd and ran next door. Luckily, the door to the neighbors was open and the missus had followed me out. Although she had been unable to do much before because of her shock and surprise, after seeing the crowd that formed, she seemed to have regained her calm. So she calmly asked me about the situation. Joon, why is your mother suddenly like this? Your parents used to be so harmonious together Im sorry. Ill exinter. I locked the door and bolted it. Is there a need to go that far? After seeing me calmly use three locking mechanisms on a neighbors door, the missus asked the question, as if she were stunned. I ignored her and called the police. [Ah, you mean building 101, unit 502? A resident already reported the incident, and we have already dispatched people. Please wait there a bit longer.] As they had said, as soon as I got off the phone I could see that the police hade because of the bright blue lights seeping in through the windows. However, maybe because it was reported as a simple couples quarrel, only three officers could be seen. Will that be enough? Ring ring~ Ring ring~ I had been watching the police enter the building from the window when I heard my phone ring and saw that it was Mom. This time, it was my real Mom. Hello? Mom? Mom! Where are you? [Joon! Mom is in front of the apartment building! Is something going on? There are police officers saying that it isnt safe. They wont let me in!] Donte in, Mom! Right now, a robber has entered the house and is causing chaos! [A robber? They said it was a couples quarrel?] Its not! Its a robber! Its dangerous because hes wielding a weapon! Donte! [What in the world?! Are you alright? What about your dad?] Im hiding next door! Dad should be alright, hes with a lot of other people. [Y-yeah! I understand! You have to be careful!] When I ended the call, the missus next to me stared at me with an expression of visible confusion. Did you just get off of a call with your mom? But your mom was just over there Ding dong- Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Missus went to the inte first to check. When she looked, she made a surprised face. She started shaking as she looked at me, so I also went to check the inte. The inte showed an image of my dad with his eyes rolled back and his tongue sticking out. His face was unnaturally close to the inte camera. With shaking hands, I reached out for the nearby fire extinguisher. Dad? [Joon, its Dad. Open the door.] Liar. It was the voice of an adult female, intentionally imitating a low voice in an attempt to sound like a man. [I failed my business, was chased by debt collectors, and made your stomach hurt from only eating ramen. Arent you sick of life?] Dad, you never started your own business. And when did we ever eat ramen? [Now Im too tired, so I hung myself, along with your mom. You should also hang yourself and die. Quickly open the door.] Stop spouting bullshit and fuck off, you insane bitch! When I shouted, my body shaking, the screen showed my dad copsing. I could now see the hallway behind him, and all of the people that had been watching were floating in the air, struggling to escape. Their upper bodies couldnt be seen through the inte, but the struggling lower bodies were more than enough to tell that they were struggling because they had been strung up. I wasnt sure how, since there was nothing on the ceiling and I couldnt see the tops of their bodies through the inte, but many people were hanging there and coughing. What did you do to my dad, you fucking bitch?! As I shouted while crying, Moms face could be seen filling up the inte screen. [You little punk! How could you speak to your mother like that? You want to get in trouble? Nothing is going on here. Open the door quickly!] For a moment, I flinched at thepletely normal looking face and voice. Then I realized that there was no way it could be real. I was even more angry at myself for flinching and almost falling for the trick. I will kill you! Just stop it, you fucker! Even as I was spilling out tears and snot, I was so angry that I was looking for something that could be a weapon. A golf club used by the mister next door was in the living room. I grabbed the golf club, walked past the shivering missus and opened the front door. Beep- HOW WILL YOU GET MARRIED IF YOURE SO FAT?!! Shut the fuck up, you fucking bitch! As soon as I opened the door, I swung the club in the direction of the mom ghost, who was rushing towards me. The golf club cleanly hit her, square on the head. I could see her brain matter stter to the side. However, it didnt slow her down at all. She flew towards me and began to choke me. Itsbecauseofyourmoronicpersonalitythatyouhavenofriendsandyourealwaysalone.Howareyourgoingtolivewiththatrottenbrainofyours?Whatssodifficultaboutstudying?Doyouknowhowmuchyourmomissufferingoutthereworking?Youcanthandlesittingthereandstudyingsoyouonlyygamesalldayandyoumakeyourmomwanttohangherselfanddie Cough, gag cough. I used all my strength to struggle, but it was no use. The pressure was enough to make my eyes feel like they would explode. I lost consciousness as my tongue began to roll out.
[You are dead.] [You will restart at your previous checkpoint.] [Loading]
*** Ahahaha, be safe on your way home! Today was a lot of fun! SunAh had her back to the setting sun as she smiled at me. Behind her was the old apartment, and the setting sun showed that it was almost evening. Um SunAh stared at me, then she started speaking. Ill see you again tomorrow. Was the red I could see on her face because of the sunset? Seeing this dreamlike and lovely image, I slowly nodded and then spoke. Yeah, SunAh. Lets see each other again tomorrow. Chapter 16: Fourth Ghost Story - Mom (4) Chapter 16: Fourth Ghost Story - Mom (4) I gave GyeongWon a call as I quickened my pace home. [Hello?] Hey, GyeongWon. Did you finish with cram school? [Nope. I picked up because its break time. Whats up?] I wanted to ask you something. Are you okay on time? [I only have about five minutes left. What do you want?] Its about a ghost story where a certain existence pretends to be my mom. Do you know anything? [Ghost story?] GyeongWon paused, as if it was a ridiculous situation. [Thats what you were curious about? Right now?] Yeah. Sorry. If there is anything you remember, can you tell me now? [You sure are You have a lot of peculiar questions.] So how is it? Is there anything thates to mind? [Of course there is.] Although he liked to boast a lot, at least he answered questions straight. [Youre keeping up the airs that youre the club president of the Ghost Story Club now, huh? I like your attitude.] GyeongWon acted like he understood, before he quickly began to spit out the info. [Although there are innumerable stories involving ghosts pretending to be family members, if we exclude the individual encounters people im to have been in, of the mostmon standardized ghost stories going around the Mother Dilemma is definitely the most popr.] Mother Dilemma? [Its an urban legend that crossed over from the United States, so listen up.] [On a certain night, I was studying on the second floor. Suddenly, my mother shouted out to me from the first floor kitchen, telling me toe see something quickly. On my way to the stairs to go to where my mother was, I heard a startled voicee from my parents bedroom on the second floor. Dont go down to the kitchen! Mom also heard that voice! Which mom should I trust?] That was the Mother Dilemma ghost story? The fact that its a dilemma means that there is no answer, right? [Of course.] Damn. But it wasnt possible for there to be no answer. The ghost stories up to that point all had a solution. Following the rules set up by the stories the beings were based on, the ghosts showed great power. However, there definitely had to be a strategy or rule within the story that could be used against them. You said it was a famous ghost story, right? Is there anything that other people have theorized about it? [Theory, huh?] At that moment, I could hear the bell from over the phone. It seemed like break time for the cram school was over. [There are several theories out there. From deductions made based on the order that the moms called out, to deductions made from where the moms were located.] Although I would need to listen more to know for sure, I felt that those types of deductions wouldnt help me in my current situation. Any other theories? Is there no other hint within the story that could help with finding the real mother? [I have to go back to ss now.] Sorry, really sorry. Ill buy you something good to eat tomorrow. [Im not too interested in eating, but] GyeongWon let out a sigh and continued talking. [As a joke, they suggest saying something that would make your mom react violentlysuch as news of a pregnancy or failing gradesand try to use their reaction to differentiate between the two.] ! At that moment, a light bulb went off in my head. I had a sudden burst of intuition. That was it. I felt that if I started digging into that aspect, something good woulde from it. [Now I really have to go. If you have anything else youre curious about, please ask me next time] Okay, I get it. Thanks! GyeongWon, thank you so much! Work hard! [Okay. See you soon.] Beep- Soon, the sun began to set again and it turned to evening. In the distance, I could see the entrance to my apartmentplex. I began to think very hard. The Mother Dilemma ghost story What was important wasntrevealing which one was my real mom. Why was the mother on the first floor in the kitchen in the middle of the night? Also, why was the mother on the second floor calling out muchter, as they were about to walk down the stairs? If we dug into those questionable points endlessly, it would only end up with both sides looking increasingly suspicious. That would be falling into the trap that the ghost story had set up. Rather, the more fundamental method would be to make the fake mother reveal herself. The point of the ghost story was that someone was pretending to be the mother. Then, using that against them, we just needed to make it so that they could no longer pretend to be the mother. What method would work? I fell into deep thought. After stepping into the apartmentplex, I could see the entrance to my apartment building far ahead. I could also see that someone was standing on the veranda. What method could I use to prevent her from pretending to be my mom? I already tried insisting that it wasnt my mom, but it didnt work. What method would work? Give them something to react to, and then try to differentiate the two Ah! Is that it? I hastened my pace and headed towards the building entrance. I could see my dad lost in thought at the first floor entrance. I quietly got close behind him and spoke. Dad. ! Dad turned around in surprise and, after seeing that it was me, let out a sigh of relief. So it was you, Joon. Did you just get back home? You scared me, you punk. Theres something weird at home, Dad. Dads eyes grew round. What do you mean by weird? Someone keeps pretending to be Mom. ! Dad nodded his head quickly, to the point that you could see him drool. Me too, Joon! I also saw them. We should solve this together before Mom gets back, Dad. I have a good n. A good n? What do you mean? If I try exining it here, I dont think he would understand, anyway I could only show it to him when we met the fake mother face-to-face. Since Dad had good sense, he would be able to catch on quickly. Lets go up for now. Ill tell you about it after we get there. Okay, I get it. Im sure two grown men should be able to handle it somehow. Dad nodded and followed after me. This time, I was leading. All of a sudden, after getting on the elevator, I felt scared again. Will this really work? My will weakened. I turned my head and looked at my dad. He also looked a bit tense. I steeled my will again and looked forward. I have no choice but to try it out. I was suddenly reminded of the strong image my dad had left behind before I had died. [You bitch! Why are you throwing a fit in someone elses house?! Leave!] How scared had Dad really been? I clenched my fist tightly. This will work. I have to believe it. The elevator doors opened. I steeled my will and slowly walked up to our front door. Then I pressed the doorbell. Ding Dong~ Silence followed afterwards. I tried ringing the doorbell again. Ding Dong~ Respond, please Ding Dong~, Ding Dong~, Ding Dong~, Ding Dong~, Ding Dong~, Ding Dong~ I put some strength into my pointer finger and repeatedly pressed the doorbell. Then, at that moment Click- I could hear the sound of the inte activating. It meant that someone had pressed the inte button. I quietly began to recite. Open the door, daughter-inw. My dad stared at me with wide eyes. There was only silence on the other end of the inte. But as long as the button was held on the inte, they could definitely hear me. I calmly spoke again. Open the door, daughter-inw. It was quiet inside. In annoyance, I began to press the doorbell again. Ding Dong~, Ding Dong~, Ding Dong~, Ding Dong~, Ding Dong~, Ding Dong~ I CAME HERE KNOWING YOURE ALREADY HERE, SO OPEN THE DOOR!!!!!! ONLY YOU WOULD LEAVE A MOTHER-IN-LAW OVER SEVENTY WAITING AT THE DOOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As I was shouting and continuously pressing the doorbell, the door lock finally opened. Beep, beep, beep~ I quickly opened the front door and went in. Dad seemed a bit dazed as he followed behind me. There was no need to try to differentiate between the real and fake mothers in the Mother Dilemma in the first ce. It was over once you pressured the fake mother to the point that she was unable to continue pretending. The answer that I came up with was to throw her into a situation where she would have the worst reactions, over and over. Lets see wholl win, fucker. * * * * * * I continued to recall the lines of the mother-inws that I saw on many of the morning dramas on TV. It was night. The inside of the house waspletely dark, with only the orange sensor lights near the shoe rack revealing the living room. Around the corner towards the kitchen, Mom stuck out just her head and neck and stared at us. She began to spit out herints at us. How does someone like you, who is so bad at studying, walk in with their head up? Daughter-inw, at this point just teach me the passcode to the front door. I didnt lose out and spouted another line. Every time I press the bell, it feels like Iming to someone else''s home. I dont like that. Teach me the passcode to the front door. Mom looked around this way and that, before shouting out anotherint. How is it that there is nothing you are good at? If this Is it an issue that Im saying I want toe to my own house? I cut her off and shouted, as if I were annoyed. Mom stared straight at me. In order to not lose to her pressure, I stared right back at her. A stalemate of silence continued. As we continued the staring contest, Mom slowly looked down and began to avoid my gaze. Also, didnt you say you would do some chores? You never did. You are so indecisive, so indeci IS IT WRONG FOR ME TO SAY THAT I WANT TO COME TO MY OWN HOME?!!!!!!! THE PASSCODE!!!! IS IT TOO HARD FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND BECAUSE YOU ARE UNEDUCATED??!!! The soundless battle over the flow of momentum started again. After staring at each other for a while, Mom again looked around before slowly looking down. Then she responded. Mother-inw What Do you mean? Didnt I give birth to my son?! My sons house is my house! What else would it be??!!!! WHAT ARE YOU, TO HAVE SUCH SHALLOW THOUGHTS??!!!!!! She gave in! If you are the daughter-inw, you should have quicklye out to greet us and opened the door. Is it that you dont like it when Ie by? Is that it? Noo That isnt it What do you mean that isnt it, you bitch?! Werent you making a fuss, like youre extremely annoyed that I came over?! That isnt it Its a misunderstanding I was ovee with adrenaline as I began to channel the soul of the mother-inws from the morning dramas. I shout out even more firmly. You bitch, I got you now!!! Did you even know what today was when you stayed at home?!!!! What the hell are you doing??!!!! Ummm umm The thing that was pretending to be mompletely lost the will to fight and could only begin shifting her eyes around. What day Is it Mother-inw? Are you asking me this now?!!!!! What even are you?!!! Is that how your parents taught you??!!??!! I waspletely wrong about you this entire time!!!!!!! How can there be such a big difference in ss?! Seriously, what are you doing?! What will you do?! Mom stopped shifting her eyes and began to look at me again. Then she asked again. So what day is it today, Mother-inw? ! Fuck. What do I say to that? I was so engrossed in acting that I shouted whatever came to mind. Are you talking back to me right now? How can someone like you So. What day is it? Today. Mom slowly responded. My mind suddenly started to go nk. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. How do I respond? Do I say its a birthday? The flow was interrupted. Damn it. I couldnt remember my next lines! We were almost finished. We were right there! Fuck Then, at that moment Hey!!!! Today was the day that you promised to pick up my kid from daycare!!!!! Dad shouted, using a fake voice and pretending to be female. Sister-inw, is your memory really that bad?!! Or is it sooooo difficult for you to look after just one more child, to the point that you decided to ghost my kidpletely? ! I looked at Dad in surprise. Dad looked back at me with a knowing look and nodded firmly. The thing pretending to be Mom paused, then slowly returned to shifting her eyes around and speaking. Sister-inw how could you make such a request? Taking care of a child is so hard Hey!!! Are you insane?!!! Because of you, my kid was crying nonstop at the daycare center!!!!!!! Dads face wentpletely red as he shouted, still using the fake voice. I wantpensation for the emotional distress you caused me and my kid!!!!!! Hand over $500, immediately!!!!! Sister-inw, what is? The speed that she was shifting her eyes around became much faster. The flow of momentum had returned to us! Why are you requesting that I take care of your child? You could have asked a babysitter A babysitter? You really must be out of your mind. How could I trust my kid to someone else? Then why are you asking me? Sister-inw! Am I just someone else to you?!! Are we not family?!!! Are you just ignoring us when things are difficult, while you take a share when things are well?!! You were like that during the ancestral rites, as well! Che, youre such a sly fox. Sister-inw Please stop $500!! Thepensation for the emotional distress my kid and I went through, $500!! Cough the money up, or just leave this house immediately! Why do I have to leave this house? I quickly put myself back into the conversation. What do you mean, why?!!! Its because its my sons house, so its essentially our house, you bitch!!! Mother-inw What does that? Leave right now, you bitch!!! I dont even want to see your face!!! I dont want to leave, Mother-inw Dad took this opportunity to shout at the thing pretending to be Mom. Sister-inw!! Will you really be like this??!! Pay up the $500!!!! Or go fuck off to your parents house!!!!!!! Thats right, you bitch!! You were always asking to go visit your parents, over and over!! I bet inside you think this is a great chance, right?! I know it all!!! At that point, the ghost was darting her eyes about and unable to do anything in response. My dad joined in and began to shout. Return to your parents house, you bitch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Return to your parents house!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ugh ugh akk! We shouted louder and louder, demanding she leave our home. Return to your parents house!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Return to your parents house!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ugh ugh akk! Mom began to open her mouth wide. Return to your parents house, you bitch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Return to your parents house!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ugh, akk AAAAACCKK! Return to your parents hoooooooouse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Return to your parents hoooooooouse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ugh ugh akk! KYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! sh- Bright rays of light began to sh from the ghosts eyes, nose, and mouth. Cracks began to appear all over her body. Soon, light began to spill out from the cracks. KKKKKYYYYYYYAAAAAAAA!!!! The lights became brighter and brighter, to the point that I could no longer keep my eyes open from the brightness. KABOOOOOOMMMMM!!!! Fake Mom exploded and turned into powder. It fluttered throughout the house and then disappeared. And then, silence. The woman disappeared without a trace. The living room was dark, but it was still the same as it usually was. Dad and I lost all strength and just copsed on the spot. Huff, huff Haaah Within the dark house, the orange sensor lights vaguely illuminated two copsed men.
[You havee across and survived the B-rank Ghost Story - Mother Ghost Story.]
I was just sitting there, feeling exhaustion overwhelm me as I stared at the message window. Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. Bebeep~ The sound of the passcode being put in could be heard, followed by the front door opening. Creak~ Oh my! What in the world? It was Mom! Honey. Mom. Mom came in with a surprised expression on her face. Why are two grown men just sitting around in front of the door? Joon, hurry and get up! The floor is all dirty! Mom. Why are you like this? Did something happen? Mom! I missed you! Uwaaaaaaahhhh~! I shamefully began to cry, tears and snot running down my face as I went to hug Mom. Oh my! Look at this boy, really!! Momughed aloud before hugging me back. You were like this the other day, too! Did something happen? Youre making me embarrassed~! Mom, Mom waaaah, uwaaaaah! Dad also got up and slowly came up to us, shyly speaking up. Honey, I missed you. What? Why are you also being like this, dear? My gosh. Why are the men in this household suddenly acting like this?! Haha, hahaha. Uwaaaaaaah~! Its getting creepy now, stop it! Hahaha And that was how our family ended up hugging each other, right by our front door.
[You havee across and survived the B-rank Ghost Story - Mother Ghost Story.] [You have earned 15 Ghost Story Points.]
[You have exerted great wit and repelled the mother ghost!] [You have earned 70 Ghost Story Points.]
[You have earned sufficient Ghost Story Points! By spending Ghost Story Points, you can gain special abilities and speed up your growth!]
Chapter 17: Interlude - Ghost Story Club (1) Chapter 17: Interlude - Ghost Story Club (1) Stop it, please. A male student with a sporty haircut, covered in injuries, shouted as he pleaded with me. I beg of you I looked around the area. A devastated city. There were copsed buildings and pulverized asphalt strewn about. The skies were dyed red, as if it were an omen of disaster. Within the jungle of destroyed buildings, something enormous was standing, motionless. I squinted in an attempt to see it more clearly, but the words floating in front of me blocked my vision.
[The Demon King proposes a truce. Will you ept?]
I stared at the one male student. I could see a drop of sweat trickle down his cheek. As he looked back at me, he began to shake his head. Dont do this. Please. Sorry. I must have always been this kind of a bastard. I raised my hands and clicked the message. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! *** Poof-
[2019, Mar. 07 | Thursday, 06:53] [Lee Joon - Number of Attempts: 2, Progressing in Tutorial] [Ghost Story Points: 100] [Causality Rate: 7%]
  1. Status Window
  2. Manage Club (Locked)
  3. Statistics
  4. Settings
As I opened my eyes, I saw a familiar ceiling. I was in my bed, in my room. As I raised my body and sat on the bed in a daze, I could make out the sounds of Mom making breakfast in the kitchen. ck- ck- What was that dream just now? It was a bit different from the hectic nightmares I usually had. I tried hard to remember it. However, like all dreams tended to do, as my sleepiness disappeared, my memories of the dream scattered along with it. Huuuuu. Giving up on remembering the dream, I shook my head and stretched my arms. I have a lot of things I have to do. Today was the day that Id learn the results of my request to create the Ghost Story Club. If I got permission, the Manage Club menu on the main screen would most likely be unlocked. Id have more research ahead of me if that happened. Also, Ghost Story Points.
[Ghost Story Points: 100] [You have earned sufficient Ghost Story Points! By spending Ghost Story Points, you can gain special abilities and speed up your growth!]
Last time I gathered one hundred points, I unlocked the passive ability Goddess of Luck. Status Window. Poof-
Name: Lee Joon Age: 17 Title: Main Character Disposition: [Two-Faced] > Click to Expand Special Ability: 1. Goddess of Luck 2. None 3. None Quirk: Last Second Cramming.
Goddess of Luck. What kind of ability was that, again? Click Poof-
Rank: S-Rank Trigger Condition: Automatic Ability: After calcting the entire situation and determining the moment that you would receive the most benefit, arge amount of luck is instantaneously activated. This is a consumable skill that disappears once activated.
Hmmm I thought things over thoroughly, but I didnt think that there were any moments of incredible luck that happened to me. I supposed the fact that a consumable skill was still visible on the status window suggested that it had not yet been triggered. There were moments while I was chasing off the mother ghost that the timing was great, or the flow of momentum worked in my favor, but there werent any messages saying that the skill activated. I wonder how amazing this luck is supposed to be, that it wont trigger even in a life and death situation? In my current situation, where I wasnt even sure what my first ability did, spending another hundred points on a second ability seemed like a foolish decision. It felt like there would be a lot more options to spend the Ghost Story Points on once the Manage Club menu was unlocked. I could think more on it then. I turned off the screen and got out of bed, deciding to save my hundred points for now. *** I got to the ssroom and sat down. Soon, I spotted SunAh entering the ssroom in a rxed mannerand on time. Hello, SunAh. Yup! Hello What happened today? You came in on time. Instead of answering, SunAh began to giggle. It looks like shes in a great mood. SunAh smiled at me and continued to her seat. Usually, SunAh spent most of her time sleeping because she had nothing to do. Since that messed up her sleep cycle, she was alwayste to school. The reason that she was able to wake up on time today might have been because she spent the afternoon ying with me the day before. I felt great that I was able to help, but at the same time it made me feel a sense of responsibility. Its not like I can spend every afternoon with her. If I continued to spend time with her and get closer to her, I wondered whether SunAh would get too attached and seek only me out. What would our rtionship be like then? Well, that was too far into the future. I needed think about that when it happened. In the seat next to SunAh, her fair skinned partner, HaYoon, was reading a book as usual. She probably applied to a book club.
[Your understanding of In HaYoon has increased by 5.]
Brrrriiing- Good morning~ The homeroom teacher, DamIm, came in to start the homeroom with augh. He reminded us that the students who had not received their textbooks had to let the teachers know by the end of the day, that the students who had already modified their uniforms needed to restore them, and other messages along those lines. Also, you handed in the club applications yesterday. Those of you who have been contacted by your seniors, please finish joining the club quickly. For those of you who havent decided yet, tomorrow is the first club day. Please make your choices by the end of the day. That is all~ Then, right before he left, the homeroom teacher spoke to me. Joon, you should follow me out for a bit~ Yes. *** Okay. Have a seat. After arriving at the teachers lounge, the homeroom teacher shuffled through a pile of papers before picking out a sheet anding over. Hmm The Ghost Story Club. As I thought, hed called me out about that. It was time for me to hear the decision. Hmmm Hmmmmmmm DamIm was needlessly drawing things out. Hmmmmmm I couldnt wait any longer, and just asked him first. Uhh Did I get permission? Joony boy, did you think that such a ghostly club would get permission? Damn. It must have been a stretch to think it would work out. If you thought that it would, you would be correct. ? The homeroom teacher kept staring at the paper in his hands. If I thought that I would get permission, and I was correct, didnt that mean? Does that mean I got permission? Yes, your application was epted. ! Damn, DamIm! You punk! Why were you drawing things out?! But, because you were missing a member, it ended up being rejectedter. Sorry. ! Fuck! I thought that might happen. When creating a club, you needed at least four members. I had written down myself, SunAh, and GyeongWon, but I hadnt been able to find thest member. I had thought that it would all work out somehow, and just handed in the application This is quite unfortunate. What are you feeling right now? What do you mean, what am I feeling? I was feeling a tiny bit upset, of course. Arent you angry? Dont you feel like its unfair? Not particrly, no. I answered bluntly. Haha! What do you mean, no? I can practically hear the upset bleeding from your tone. Ohohoho~ DamIm began to chuckle. Fuck, could he tell? You were nning on a fresh start in your first semester of high school, as you made a new club with your friends, but since your ns are getting thwarted from the beginning Your feelings are a mess, right~? Ohohoho~! Did you decide on which club you will join? I dont know. I just spit out an answer. Why not? I wonder why you havent thought of a club to join yet~? There is no way that any of the students would want to join a weird club like that~! * * * * * * The slightly chuckling, rotund, middle-aged homeroom teacher started shaking his shoulders inughter, as if he could no longer hold it in. No way, no way~! It couldnt be that you were a hundred percent certain that your club would be epted, so you didnt bother considering what other clubs to join, right?! Uhahaha! The Ghost Story Club, a guaranteed eptance? What were you thinking?!! He beganughing so hard, he almost fell over. Fuck. Now that I was thinking about it, including how he behaved when he mentioned the bathroom ghost story, he might have been the type of person who lived off the enjoyment he got from teasing others.
[Your understanding of Park DamIm has greatly increased by 40.]
Uhaha, uha, uha, huuu. DamImughed his fill and began to rub his belly. Ah, its been a while since Iveughed that hard. Can I go now? DamIm began to stare at my grimacing face. How could you put in an application with a missing person, Joony boy? If you do that, wouldnt I have no choice but to slip in one person, who had not put any club on their application? ? A female student named JinHee did not write down any clubs on her application, and when I asked her about it, she stated she didnt want to attend any clubs. So, I secretly sneaked her into the Ghost Story Club. DamIm once again began to look at me with a kind face and nodded. I was just ying around with you. The Ghost Story Club was already given the green light. Really? Of course I was lying! Why would I do such a troublesome thing for you? Since were done here, please go back to your ssroom. Fuck! As I quickly stood up, clearly annoyed, DamIm began to explode inughter again. Look at his reactions, his reactions! Uhaha, stop being so funny please! Uhahahahaha! DamIm was clutching his stomach, the paper in his hand waving about. At the top of the sheet of paper, I could see the words Club Application Approval Form printed out. He was lying about lying. Heuk! Heuk! Im dying! So funny! Heuk! Ack! Stop! Please stop! Keuk DamIm was so out of breath fromughing that he was grabbing his chest, falling over backwards entirely this time. Damn it! Stopughing! If the application was approved, it was approved! Why are you making fun of me so much? DamIm replied from his position on the floor. This is my happiness. He had to be crazy. Uha, uhaha! Thanks so much, Joony boy! Thanks to you, it feels like I justughed enough for a lifetime! Here, this is the club approval form. This time Im not joking around~ The homeroom teacher handed over the paper in his hand as he continued to chuckle. It was an official document that acknowledged the Ghost Story Club as an official club of Nakseong High School. I was listed as the club president, and the other members were the three people: Yoon SunAh, Ahn GyeongWon, and Lee JinHee. On the line that said club teacher, an unfamiliar nameJang HwaEunwas written down. Suddenly, I could see and hear music, fireworks, and confetti made of 16bit graphics. Poof-
You have checked out the list of clubs within the school, but there were no clubs that caught your interest. You have decided that, since it came to this, you would make your own club.
  • Make a Ghost Story Club.
  • Reward: Manage Club Menu unlocked, 10 Ghost Story Points, Clubroom.
[You have cleared the quest.]
Bam, Babam, Bambambam, Bambabababam~~~~~~~
[Congrattions! You are now the Club President of the Ghost Story Club.]
[The Manage Club menu has been unlocked. Spend Ghost Story Points to nurture your club.]
[You have earned 10 Ghost Story Points.]
[You have earned a clubroom for your quest reward! The clubroom has been added to the school automatically.]
In addition to the confetti, several messages continuously popped up in front of me. Finally, finally! I finally created the Ghost Story Club! Afterwards, another very long message popped up.
This is the end of the tutorial. Once again, congrattions on your eptance at Nakseong High School, the school of secrets and mysteries. Uncover the shady secrets hidden within the school, or fight against the legends and ghost stories of the campus in order to earn points to unlock special abilities. Additionally, you must gatherrades to prevent the resurrection of the Demon King before graduation. The world is in your hands.
[2019, Mar. 07 | Thursday, 08:42] [Lee Joon - Number of Attempts: 2] [Ghost Story Points: 110] [Causality Rate: 8%]
As I was reading the message in delight, the homeroom teacher spoke up again. And this really is a special privilege, but even though your club was just form, the school unexpectedly decided to provide you with a clubroom. ! Although I knew it would happen because of the system, I didnt think it would happen so quickly. I was getting curious about the connection between the system and reality, so I tried asking a question to get more details. Uh, did you mean a clubroom? For us? Yes, for you youngsters. This morning, a student who was cleaning discovered that there was a room remaining on the fifth floor. It might be a bit cramped, but it would be perfect to use as a clubroom. Then homeroom teacher let out a sigh. Actually, I dont really understand I have been working in this school for the past ten years, but I never knew there was a room like that on the fifth floor It was as if it suddenly appeared this morning Seeing how serious he was without a hint ofughter, it couldnt be a joke. When he mentioned that he must haveughed enough for a lifetime, it might not have been a joke. Anyway! It was decided that, with such a timing, the newly discovered room should be given to a newly formed club. The teacher somehow decided to give the new clubroom to the Ghost Story Club. Congrattions. Ah, yes. Thank you. I was a little envious that a new student would get such a great privilege, so I tried ying a few tricks on you. Please dont take it to heart~ Ohoho~! That was true. Even if his tricks were a bit harsh, at the end of the day we were able to create our club because the homeroom teacher snuck in thest member of our club. The homeroom teacher saved our club. Its alright. Haha. Good things are good, after all. Right? Andughter is great for your health. As I seemed to have forgiven him, the homeroom teacher began to nod his head. How kind of you. I like it. Ohoho. *** After finishing my conversation with the homeroom teacher, I made my way down the hallway to return to my ssroom. However, I saw SunAh and GyeongWon waiting for me up ahead. Lee Joon! Joon! The two of them rushed over to me and asked me about what happened. What happened? Umm, did you get permission? SunAh and GyeongWon were looking at me with expectant eyes, reminding me of chicks waiting for the food the mommy bird would bring to the nest. Damn it. DamIm, you bastard! So this was what you felt like when you spoke to me! It was this feeling of being the only one to know of great news, as others waited to hear the news with high expectations. It was a bit too much of a waste to let them know of the good news immediately. The desire to y a trick began to sprout. I wanted to try stalling and twisting my words around! Uh, um. Joon? SunAh looked at me in worry, as I was silently staring at the ground. GyeongWon began to speak with a worried expression. No way I silently nodded my head, and then spoke in a sad manner. Youre right. Im sorry The club application was approved Haah so it was as I expected. Even though I did think it was a bit too much of a stretch for a new student to be able to make one, I was looking forward to it quite a bit GyeongWon scrunched his brows as he let out a sigh. SunAh also hung her head. And like that, silence fell over us three. Suddenly, GyeongWon looked confused. Wait What did you just say? Sorry. The club application was approved. You guys will be stuck with me for the next three years! I started to smile slightly as I repeated what I said. Not to mention, we obtained a clubroom on the fifth floor for free from the very start! ! Joon! Their expressions changed drastically. GyeongWon adjusted his sses and began to shake his head. Damn it, you bastard! I was tricked by your tone! Even as he said it, GyeongWon couldn''t help the smile beginning to form on his face. Joon! Is it true? Well be together from now on forev SunAh suddenly stopped there, and then happily asked a different question. Well be together from now on, for the next three years? Ah, of course! Now we will be moving around and working together in cohort for the next three years, looking for ghost stories! You idiot, President! GyeongWon adjusted his sses again as his smile grew. Stop acting cool by using weird words! You mean in concert! Hahaha! Was it in concert? Ha! Haha, haha! Puhahaha! Aha, hahahahahahahaha! And just like that, the Ghost Story Club members stood in the hallways before first period began,ughing away like crazy people. Except for one person. The only exception was the scary girl sleeping in the back row, who didnt even know that she was now associated with our club. Hahaha. Puhaha. Ahaha. Chapter 18: Interlude - Ghost Story Club (2) Chapter 18: Interlude - Ghost Story Club (2) Although the first official day for club activities wasnt until the next day, I was so curious about what our clubroom looked like that I couldnt sit still the rest of the day. After thest homeroom period ended, the three of us dashed towards the homeroom teacher. Where is the Ghost Story Clubs clubroom? DamIm stared at us with a stunned look on his face. Is there such a ghostly club like that in our school? As well as a clubroom? What do you? SunAh and GyeongWon had an expression on their faces that suggested that was different from what they had heard and began to look back and forth between me and DamIm. No way, Joony boy. You werent tricked by that fake document I printed out yesterday and handed you this morning, were you? I stared at him with a face of pure disgust. I get it, I get it. If you go up to the fifth floor, there will be a multipurpose room with a wooden door. That will be your clubroom from now on. Please keep it clean. Thank you. The rotund and balding middle-aged man had a sad expression on his face as he mumbled to himself. Are you no longer falling for my tricks, Joony boy? This teacher here is very sad. I coldly turned around and led SunAh and GyeongWon out of the ssroom. *** A sleep-inducing ray of afternoon sunlight illuminated the entire school. We ran up to the fifth floor as we passed the first years, who were busy leaving school for home, and the upperssmen, who were sadly busy studying. Quickly, quickly! Huuu, haaaa. Due to the excitement, I didnt even feel tired as I ran up the stairs two steps at a time. However, when we reached the door Its locked. SunAh stated as much in a dull manner. After we followed the homeroom teachers directions and went to the very end of the fifth-floor hallway, we saw the multipurpose room with a wooden door in a slightly iffy location. Above the door there was a panel that read Multipurpose Room 3. It looked like it had suddenly appeared, squeezed in between two ssrooms. It was in a location that was surprisingly difficult to justify. The immediate problem, however, was that the door was locked. No matter how much we twisted the doorknob, it only clicked a bit and did not open. Well. Although our club was approved, club activities dont start until tomorrow. We will probably receive the keys then. GyeongWon must have been disappointed, as he mumbled his exnation. The firmly shut wooden door had a small ss window at the top, which could have been used to peer inside. Even that was blocked off by a sheet of paper. What was within the room on the other side of the door? What exactly did the clubroom we would spend the next three years doing activities in look like? I spent all day thinking about this moment. To think the door was locked On that sleepy afternoon, the three of us were standing nkly in front of our clubroom door. I was about to cheer them up, after trying to hide my disappointment, by stating the room wouldnt be disappearing any time soon. Suddenly, a message window popped up over the doorknob.
[Do you want to open the clubroom?]
I quietly looked at SunAh and GyeongWon. As I expected, they couldnt see it. I put my finger over the doorknob and clicked on the message. Click.
[The clubroom is opening. Please wait.]
[Loading]
[4%]
[17%]
[25%]
SunAh and GyeongWon began to stare curiously at me as I fiddled with the doorknob.
[51%]
[73%]
[89%]
Dont be too disappointed, president. We just have toe back tomorrow. Its not like the clubroom will be going anywhere anyti-
[100%]
[The clubroom has opened.]
Click- At that moment, the lock opened with a click and the doorknob turned. GyeongWon was so surprised that he stopped speaking, his jaw dropping. I pretended to be calm. Umm, this doorknob Yeah. I think it was just a bit stuck. When I used some extra strength, it worked. Everyones anxiousness was heavy on the air. Badum, badum. m! In an instant, I shoved open the door. Creak- Ooooooh! Wow! It was a petite clubroom with a wonderfullyfortable atmosphere. The curtains were drawn closed over arge window. There was a wide table with four chairs. Next to the table was a standing whiteboard with wheels attached. The room was only about 71 square feet, so it was a bit cramped, but it had everything a club could need. That made it the perfect clubroom. Oh my, oh my. President, you really GyeongWon, who had naturally started calling me President instead of by name, began to smile. He was adjusting his sses as he shook his head. How did a new student like you manage to get a room like this?! And as soon as you made a whole new club! Really! Huhu! He was absolutely loving it. How am I supposed to express this? We are truly lucky, I guess. President! Huhu. In a small voice, he mumbled I really like this. I couldnt help but smile and nod back at him. SunAh was also admiring the room as she looked everywhere, over and over. Its really clean here! The desk, the chairs, everything here is new! Well, it wasnt much. I shrugged as if it wasnt much. Truthfully, I would have been happy as long as it wasnt some small storage room with rats running around. I had no idea that the system would provide such aplete, if basic, clubroom. In fact, even the wooden floors were sparkling brightly, proving that it waspletely new. Because the school itself had quite a few years on it, there were many signs of wear throughout the building. Nowhere in the school was as new or clean as the clubroom. Impressive. I, of course, could not help but admire the new room. I approached the windows and drew the curtains open to look outside. As I looked down, I could see the afternoon sunlight shine down on the courtyard as students toting their bags left the school. I saw the other two sitting down on the chairs and brushing their hands over the table. The sight made me a bit happy as I decided to take a look at the menu. Main Screen. Poof-
[2019 Mar. 07 | Thursday, 16:35] [Lee Joon - Number of Attempts: 2] [Ghost Story Points: 110] [Causality Rate: 8%]
  1. Status Window
  2. Manage Club > NEW! Click to Open
  3. Statistics
  4. Settings
As I expected, the Manage Club menu had unlocked. I clicked on it, wondering what would be in that menu. Poof-
[Ghost Story Club Lv.1]
  1. Club Status Window
  2. Manage Members
  3. Shop (LOCKED)
  4. Club Settings
Once I went into the Manage Club menu, I saw another four menu options appear. I decided to check out each one. * * * * * * Number One, Club Status Window. Poof-
[Ghost Story Club LV.1] [You may spend points to nurture your club] [Points until next level 0/100] [Ability] -None
That meant the club also had levels. That reminded me of the tycoon type games I used to y as a child. Games like Rollercoaster Tycoon and Zoo Tycoon, where you had to increase the levels of the attractions themselves. I wonder what changes when I level up the club? When I invested the points on myself, I was able to receive weird abilities. What would happen if I were to put points into the club itself? But it was the one hundred points that I had saved up! I decided that I should pour my points into this option, but that was forterwhen there were no prying eyes. I looked back at SunAh and GyeongWon. There was no telling what would change within the clubroom if the club were to level up. Although it was a bit unfortunate, since the club members were with me, I decided to push the leveling up to the next day. I went back to the Manage Club menu and opened the number two, the Manage Members menu. Poof-
Yoon SunAh [0/100] Ahn GyeongWon [0/100] Lee JinHee [0/100] Jang HwaEun [0/100]
Well, damn. I did think that the system was copying some kind of game system, but I didnt think it would be to that extent. It felt like managing a guild from some sort of online game. Lee JinHee is the scary girl who always sleeps in the back, and Jang HwaEun is Who was this person again? I suddenly recalled the homeroom teacher telling me that each club needed an advising teacher, so some leftover teacher was written down as the club teacher. The system must have just included the teacher as a club member. I tried clicking on SunAhs name. Poof-
Name: Yoon SunAh LV.1 [0/100] Age: 16 Title: Dirt Spoon Disposition: ??? > NEW! Click to Open Special Ability: None Quirk: ??? > NEW! Click to Reveal Understanding: 50/100 [Your understanding of the target character is too low. Please interact more with this character to obtain more information.]
Ah, so it brings me back here. After pressing her name, it brought me to the status window I had seen before. Previously, if the targets disappeared from my view I couldnt open the status window anymore, which made it a bit less useful. With the new menu, I could always check the status of my club members. The button that said NEW! next to SunAhs disposition caught my attention. It probably appeared because my understanding of SunAh increased by quite a lot. Now that I could check the status windows from anywhere, I thought that I should read this more thoroughly once I got home. I once again went back to the Mange Club menu.
[Ghost Story Club Lv.1]
  1. Club Status Window
  2. Manage Members
  3. Shop (LOCKED)
  4. Club Settings
Next, I tried pressing number threethe shop. Click-
[This function unlocks when the Club Level reaches Level 5.]
Level 5 How many points would I have to hoard to reach level 5? If each level took 100 points to increase one level, I would have to gather 400 points just so that I could use the shop function. When I survived the D-rank ghost storythe School Broadcast Ghost StoryI received 5 points. When I survived the C-rank ghost storyRed Tissue, Blue TissueI received 10 points. Finally, when I survived the B-rank ghost storiesthe Laughing Girl and the Mother GhostI received 15 points each. If I was able to repel the ghost as well, I received a bonus 70 points, as well. If I want to gather 400 points I have to defeat at least five more monsters like theughing girl? I couldnt help but sigh. It wasnt a sigh because I really wanted to unlock the shop. I sighed because I realized how much I would be forced to solve those ghost stories. I suddenly had the scary thought that my three years in high school would be mysterious, but also extremely long and arduous. I had to run the club, earn points, raise my level Which was all fine and dandyI was a normal high school student. I weed those game-like fantasies. If only they werentGhost Stories! If it werent for those weird stories, everything would have been fine. There was so much to discover in the system, and all the game-like elements made my heart pound. However, the thought of those monstersall of which eludedmon sense just by existingready to tear me apart, limb from limb, made me tremble in fear. With that in mind, I wanted to say no thanks to the system. The fact that I had to fight my way through monsters, despite the tycoon-type game system, made my heart grow heavy. If it were possible, I wanted to avoid those scary existences. Those were my true feelings. Haaaah. No one else would want to go down that harsh path, all while risking their safety. I suddenly thought of the three years I spent in another schoolin my past life, after Nakseong High had been closed down. I spent my time being normal. I studied like a normal student, yed games when I got home, and went out to exercise or y sports on my days off. I had a realistic goaluniversityand all I had to do wasplete my tasks within the time frame I was given. It was a time where I didnt need to stress about losing my life. It was a peaceful daily life. I wished that I had that life back. Hmm I did have the ability to go back in time when I died. Could I use that ability to live a morefortable life? You know, like winning the lottery or something. Ummm, Joon? At the sound of SunAh calling for me, I turned my head away from the window. SunAh and GyeongWon were sitting down on the chairs and staring at me. I, who had be the president of the Ghost Story Club, was standing by the window and looking right back at them. My fellow club members. To think that my life would follow such a path. What are we doing tomorrow during the club activities period? SunAh asked me her question in a quiet voice. GyeongWon also looked at me with a curious expression. Ah, right. Even if I avoided everything and ran away to live a different life, there was still an issue. The Demon King. That thing would awaken in three years, no matter what. Even if I lived afortable life, it would be for three years at best. There was no escape. I had no option but to try living this life, just like that. Although I did wish for a peacefulnormallife, there was no such thing as absolute safety in the world. Even in normal life, there were always special situations a person went through, and dangerous situations they wished to run away from, but were unavoidable. Tomorrow, each of us should think of and share the scary stories we know. That way, we can share information and establish each of our tastes and familiarity with ghost stories. Thats not bad for the first day, right? I had to try. Id live my life the way I needed to. Yeah, I got it! Ill definitely think of something! Huhu! Revealing all the ghost stories stored in my mind would take longer than a day And that was how the afternoon passed by. ***
Name: Ahn GyeongWon LV.1 [0/100] Age: 17 Title: Pro WikiWarrior Disposition: Exnation Character > NEW! Click to Open Special Ability: ??? Quirk: ??? > NEW! Click to Reveal Understanding: 70/100
Click
Disposition: Exnation Character
  • This character is overwhelmingly narcissistic. As the only child of a rich household, he has spent his life receiving an elite education, which led to his enjoyment of unting his status as well as his high pride.
  • He is especially confident and prideful about his knowledge. It is good to know that, if you use this aspect to stroke his ego a bit, he will answer your questions quite easily to show off how much he knows.
  • However, having lived a sheltered lifestyle as a nerd, when he meets a supernatural situation that goes beyond hismon sense, he will fall into a panic easily.
[Your understanding of Ahn GyeongWon has reached 50%. You can view information about his Quirk.]
[Opening information about Quirk.]
[Ahn GyeongWons Quirk is Denial of Reality]
Name: Lee JinHee LV.1 [0/100] Age: 17 Title: Backseat Delinquent Girl Disposition: ??? Special Ability: ??? Quirk: ??? Understanding: 0/100 [Your understanding of the target character is too low. Please interact more with this character to obtain more information.]
Name: Jang HwaEun LV.1 [0/100] Age: 34 Title: Old-Maid Teacher Disposition: ??? Special Ability: ??? Quirk: ??? Understanding: 0/100 [Your understanding of the target character is too low. Please interact more with this character to obtain more information.]
Name: Yoon SunAh LV.1 [0/100] Age: 16 Title: Dirt Spoon Disposition: ??? > NEW! Click to Open Special Ability: None Quirk: ??? > NEW! Click to Reveal Understanding: 50/100
Disposition: ??? - [Low Self-esteem]
  • This character has spent her childhood in a disadvantaged household, leading to an extremely low self-esteem. She is passive in all things and slow in decision making. She is just lethargically living through the reality she was given.
[Your understanding of Yoon SunAh has reached 50%. You can view information about her Quirk.]
[Opening information about Quirk.]
[Yoon SunAhs Quirk is Yandere.]
Chapter 19: Fifth Ghost Story - The Neverending Fourth Period (1) Chapter 19: Fifth Ghost Story - The Neverending Fourth Period (1) MiJin, who was an employee of the Nakseong High Administrative Office and a mother of a two-year-old, was dying of stress recently. The situation began on Monday, when the school went through a short ckout during the entrance ceremony. Using the ckout as an excuse, someone had willfully announced over the broadcast system that the entrance ceremony should be done out on the courtyard, so the administrative staff were forced to rush around with all the equipment to set up the ceremony from scratch again. After the staff had barely managed to put the entrance ceremony on track, the handouts distributed to the new students had some weird message about avoiding someughing girl snuck into it. The administrative staff rushed to recall all the handouts. If something like this is uploaded onto social media, the school will be in an uproar~! When the head teacher came into the administrative office and screamed bloody murder, MiJin felt as if her postpartum depression had returned. T/N: Postpartum depression is a severe case of postpartum blues,monly called baby blues. Be nice to new mothers. The only thing that our administrative office was at fault for was that we distributed the files we were given. Why were you angry at us?! And who was it who broadcasted that the entrance ceremony would be held outside in the courtyard?! Although she wanted to flip the table on all of them, she knew that the teachers were considered above the administrative office staff members in the school hierarchy at the end of the day. It kept making her crave a cigarette, despite quitting smoking during her pregnancy, due to the stress. March was already busy enough, what with the start of a new school year and handling personnel transfers. The strange urrences happening with such shitty timing were about to drive her insane. Thursday morning also had an unusual urrence. I think the phrase possessed by the devil could apply here. On the fifth floor of the school, an unused storage room was discovered. The discovery was made almost thirty-six years after the school was first built. This is crazy. No matter how much I think about it, it doesnt make sense. Possibly because even the teachers were dumbfounded, they did not issue aint at the time. But for the administrative office, who was supposed to take care of the facility, the discovery made their hearts drop. MiJin was so astounded that she and a colleague had skipped eating lunch altogether to find and check the old blueprints to the school building. Although MiJins mind was filled with imaginary scenes of some troll secretlying into the school to build another room, the storage room had been properly recorded. Unfortunately. It was called Multipurpose Room 3 on the blueprints. Seriously, nobody knew anything about this? The room had always been there, but people passing by thought that it was a room with some sort of purpose and just went on with their day, ignoring the rooms existence. For thirty-six years. That was the result that the administrative staff had to ept. After they told the teachers that they could use the room however they saw fit, they decided to take our hands off the matter. They heard a bitter that the room was given to some club to use as their clubroom. I wonder if I can use raising my child as an excuse to take another leave? As MiJin was leaving the school to go home, she felt like she was finally escaping the school and all the mysterious happenings within it. While crossing through the schoolyard, she turned back and looked at the Multipurpose Room 3 that had caused her such a headache that day. In that room, Lee Joon was looking through the window, deep in thought about the future of the club members and himself. We definitely locked the doors after we found it in the morning, so how did he? MiJin decided that it wasnt her problem anymore and gave it no more thought. ***
[2019 Mar. 08 | Thursday, 11:35] [Lee Joon - Number of Attempts: 2] [Ghost Story Points: 110] [Causality Rate: 8%]
Huuuu Why is time crawling by so slowly? It was Friday. When fourth period ended, it would be lunchtime, and after that it would be time for the first club activities period. Id been eagerly waiting for it! I started to jiggle my leg in anticipation as I waited in the ssroom for the lesson to end. The national history teacher, who wore a hanbok, was spending an unnecessary amount of time raging about the recent trend in the universities college exams, where they no longer reflect topics on national history. T/N: a hanbok is traditional Korean formal wear, usually worn during traditional celebrations. They are usually very colorful. Seeing people wear it in everyday life can be unusual. Through the small window on the ssroom door, I could see some of the other students that had gotten out of ss early rush towards the cafeteria. Also! Those Japanese bastards would settle down on our countrysnds and dampen the spirits of our T/N: Due to geopolitical and historical reasons, South Korea, Japan, and China have a cultural identity involving a strong dislike of each other. Fuck, just end the lesson already Ding Dong Ding Dong~ As soon as the bell rang, I joined many of the restless male students as they mmed the door open to rush to the cafeteria. The teacher''s upset expression suggested there was more to be said on the subject, but the students seemed to think that eating lunch was more important than national history. I dashed down the hall to try to get to the cafeteria quickly. SunAh and GyeongWon quickly followed behind me. Lets eat lunch quickly and go to the clubroom to hang out! Huhu. You have to keep up appearances, club president! GyeongWon replied while adjusting his sses. SunAh just smiled brightly in response. I looked into SunAhs eyes and nodded, and SunAh giggled a bit. The three of us began to speed down the hallway when someone ran by even quicker, bypassing us and entering the cafeteria first. It was our homeroom teacher. The three of us sat side-by-side as we ate, and we could see many delivery workers moving around through the cafeteria window. Fifth and sixth periods were Club Activity periods. As the club activities were fully independent and those periods were set aside for clubs by the school, many of the seniors seemed to have ordered food to their clubrooms via delivery rather than going down to the cafeteria. Possibly because she was a bit jealous, SunAh had stopped eating and was staring nkly at the delivery workers. Next time we should order food, too. Since we have our own clubroom and all. Yeah! After finishing our food, we met our homeroom teacher on our way out of the cafeteria. He was rubbing his belly. The homeroom teacher, after seeing us leave, came over and greeted us. Its Joony Boy and friends. Did you enjoy your lunch? Yes, we ate quite well. Haha. Thats good. Are you going to your clubroom immediately? Yes, that was what we were nning. Suddenly, the homeroom teacher put on a serious face and began to look both ways, as if checking to see if anyone else was nearby. After seeing that no one else could overhear, he spoke quietly to us. Then there is something that everyone here should know about. What weird thing was he going to say this time? In that clubroom there is something vicious lurking about. In order to get in there, you will probably need this. He then pulled our clubroom key out from his back pocket and handed it over to us, as if he were hiding it from view. I was going to give it to you during morning homeroom, but I had forgotten. Ohoho. With that, he walked away while rubbing his belly. Uh, we already opened the door yesterday SunAh mumbled to herself. But with this, we can lock the clubroom when we are not using it. There is nothing bad about receiving the key. I matched my words to GyeongWonsment. Since its possible that someone could steal from our clubroom, hes right. W-well, I guess that is true Since our homeroom teacher was setting the tone so seriously, I thought he was giving us something amazing. My gosh. Didnt you get that feeling, too? Yeah, me too. The sleep-inducing noon sunlight was peeking through the curtains in our clubroom slightly. The three of us were sitting in the chairs, sharing all our scary stories with each other. Some hiker was climbing a mountain when he had lost his way. Soon, it was nighttime, and he barely managed to find a cabin where he could rest. Within the cabin, there were many portraits of scary looking faces Still, he managed to go to sleep. But when he woke up, he discovered that there were no portraits Just a lot of windows. Hmm, I see. How was it? I nodded my head in response to SunAhs question. GyeongWon was next. They say that divers have several taboos that they keep to themselves. Besides some of the more obvious ones, such as never going into the ocean when its raining, they have one taboo in particr that is very unusual. If someone discovers a corpse in the water, if the corpse is uprightas if it were standing upthey must never touch the corpse. Hmm, I see. At least, thats what they say. It was SunAhs turn next. A bunch of friends went camping, and when looking through their pictures, there was one picture where they all were sleeping Its GyeongWons turn again. In a certain region of Seoul, if you turn through the radio channels, you can find one channel where a woman is endlessly mumbling to herself. However, no one has been able to interpret what that woman is actually saying There was a weird feeling from under the bed, so when she checked under it When they checked the evidence for the conspiracy theory of NASA faking the moonnding * * * * * * SunAh and GyeongWon continued to tell the ghost stories they knew. I tried my best to put each of the stories they told into my memory. SunAh usually told supernatural ghost stories, while GyeongWon tended to tell urban legends or conspiracy theories. Club president, are you not going to tell a story? I just answered honestly. Sorry, I actually dont know very many scary stories. Hmm, I was expecting that. GyeongWon responded as if he were deep in thought. That makes me want to ask Out of all the different clubs, why did you choose the Ghost Story club? Im genuinely curious. Im curious, too. The two stared at me straight on. You seem To be uninterested No, its not that I''m uninterested. Hmmm, how do I exin this? Well, I was the one to draw the two in. They probably thought there was some reason that I made such a weird club. I actually only made it because of a quest! Hmm. I pondered for a bit. I, who had be the center of this club, could not appear to be thoughtless. Even if it was a very small group, a leader must not appear weak. If I did not stand straight and lead, the members could easily lose interest and scatter. A leaders role was especially important in a gathering based on a specific small hobby, like ours. I put some strength into my voice and spoke. I might not know scary stories too well, but Ive gone through lots of weird things in my life. Weird things? When SunAh asked her question, I nodded. Yeah. Im part of the experiential group, so to speak. SunAhs eyes went round. Even GyeongWons expression showed curiosity when he heard those words. However, it was difficult for me to speak on it further. There was no way that they would be able to ept my words at that moment. Its a bit iffy for me to exin it now. I''ll tell you guys the specifics when the time is right. Sorry. I roughly sidestepped the topic and went to the main point. Anyway, that was why I made this club. I have been through a lot of weird shit. And I thought that if I researched more into these ghost stories, I would be able to get to the root of the problem, which led me to creating this club. I did try to suggest that I was doing it because of my experiences, but my response was lukewarm at best. GyeongWon was leaning on his chair with his arms crossed. So, in the end, you''re saying that you cant tell us? Sorry. And so, silence fell between the three of us. Suddenly, the atmosphere was ufortable. I tossed out some words to try and change the subject. Should we continue telling scary stories? Im good. I dont feel like it. GyeongWon spoke in a way that seemed to cross the line. Why not? The Club President, apparently, only wants to listen to the stories. Was he upset that I didnt tell him everything? But if I told him everything I went through, I would definitely be treated like an insane person. The Nakseong High School Serial Head Explosion incident. The Laughing Girl. The Mother Dilemma. I did feel sorry about it, but it was best that I remained silent about it. Are you upset because Im not talking about myself? Since I directly asked him about it, GyeongWon responded with a frown. Well, that is a part of it. But maybe you have a personal reason. If you dont want to talk about it, there is nothing I can do. I understand that you cant tell us now. Then what else is it? Whats making you upset? The bastard started to sigh. Club president, you see Like you said before, although I did get epted to a specialized high school, I came to this school instead on purpose. Like you mentioned, rather than going to a specialized school and being in the middle of the pack, I nned toe to this lesser school and be the top of my grade. Well, I already knew about that. But what did that have to do with the current atmosphere? You get it? I was going to rx a bit when it came to studying at school. Instead, I nned to go around doingpetitions and gaining other credentials worth putting into my rsum. Then, I would use that and the fact that I was top of my grade to jump into a top-ranking uni. We already talked about this. If I were to go with what I initially nned, even if I were to waste a year cleaning up after my seniors, I would have joined the Academics club and be its club president as a second year or third year. I could have included it in my rsum, but I ended up bing a member of the Ghost Story Club instead. Ill tell you the truth. I know more about ghost stories than you do, so wouldnt it be better if I were the club president? This young master was speaking in a provocative way, with his nose turned up. That was my initial thought. But making a new club as a new student is very difficult, and you were able to do it! Not to mention, you were even able to get us a clubroom as well! That was why I gave you credit and acknowledged you as the club president. Was that what made him upset? But now that I joined the club, its not that you dont know a lot of ghost stories, but you dont know them at all. Not to mention, the reason you created the club is iffy at best. Dont you think that feeling upset is normal at this point? I did feel that I would need to prove myself to get along with such a prideful guy, but to think it was to such an extent. He had done me a favor and joined as a member Like I thought, I didnt like the sound of that. Since I was a bit annoyed at that point, instead of trying to exin my way out of it, my words ended up being a bit sharp. As I said before, Im more of an experiential guy. You might be a lot better than me in terms of knowledge, but Im the type of guy who physically went through this shit. You cant put me down like this. Thats just something you imed on your own, club president. Its not like Ive seen you experience this so-called weird shit. As a member of the club, the only reason Ive acknowledged you as club president is because you were able to make the club and get us a clubroom as well. You got a problem? Yes. A lot of them, actually. The air between us was tense, and SunAh began to look nervous. Haaaah I let out a sigh and leaned back. Basically, I had to prove my worth as a club president for him to let it go. Although the way he speaks is fucking annoying, as long as I can prove my worth, hes ready to follow me and ept me as club president. However, I was actually being overvalued. The only good point about me was that I was good at using tricks and my wits. I would be more thankful if my cover werent blown. The three of us ended up sitting there ufortably. To think that the situation ended up like this. How did it evene to this? The root cause. The root cause of the conversation was because we had run out of stories to tell, and we had instead started to talk about what was going on in our heads. That meant We exchanged so many stories, but the fifth period hasnt ended yet? We looked around for a bit. The sleep-inducing sunlight was still peeking through the curtains in our clubroom. Does the bell not ring during the Club Activities period? Hmmm Who knows? After I heard that, I tried looking out the window. When I saw the grounds, I realized something was off. Hey, guys? Will youe take a look outside? Huh? SunAh came over first. Although GyeongWon still had his arms crossed and a disgruntled expression on his face, he slowly followed. What do you think? There was no one outside. Why is nobody out there? ? The ser club, or the basketball club, or even the walking club Someone should have been outside. Although the grounds didnt have to be packed full, there still should have been at least some people. Status Window. Status Window? Out of habit, I tried to open the status window to check the time. For some reason, it didnt show up. With no other option, I checked the time on my phone. Maybe We were so into telling the stories that so much time had passed and everyone else all went home? SunAh mumbled in a nervous manner. No. I think its the exact opposite. Huh? I showed the two of them my phonemore specifically, the time. Its not that time flew by too quickly. It didnt flow at all. [2019, March 8 | Friday, 11:35] Chapter 20: Fifth Ghost Story - The Neverending Fourth Period (2) Chapter 20: Fifth Ghost Story - The Neverending Fourth Period (2) The three of us silently left the clubroom and tried standing in the middle of the hallway on the fifth floor. Its quiet. Yeah, it is. Our school had a very simple floor n. First years were on the first floor, second years were on the second floor, and third years were on the third. The fourth floor had all the practical rooms gathered together, such as the sciencebs or the music practice rooms. The fifth floor had the reading room, a variety of clubrooms, and several multipurpose rooms. During the first Club Activities period, the fifth floor with all the clubrooms gathered together should have been as loud as possible. However, it was the exact opposite. Only silence existed in the hallway. Lets take a look around. Yeah. SunAh carefully tried peering into the windows of each clubroom, and GyeongWon also snooped around. It was as if we had never had an argument. The current weird situation made the three of us more cooperative. Is anyone there? I tried going to where the Dance Club was located and knocked on the door, but there was no sounding from the room. I dont think anyone is here. Lets try going downstairs. We tried going to the fourth floor. Its quiet over here, too. Did everyone go somewhere? Followed by the third floor, then the second floor. As I expected, no one was there. Finally, we arrived at the first floor. Lets try looking for the teachers. The moment we reached the first floor, we headed to the teachers office. We opened the door and entered. Is anyone here~? GyeongWon tried walking around. SunAh also hesitantly took a look around, but there was no one there. Silence. The three of us gathered by the office entrance. Umm Lets try going to our ss Yeah, lets try that. Although there wouldnt be much to gain from it, we decided to follow SunAhs suggestion and walked back towards our ssroom. If there is no one else in our ssroom, lets just pack our stuff and go home. If we do that, wouldnt we be called inter and get in trouble, club president? From the start, everyone else all went somewhere else. There is no need for us to stay in school. I wonder where everyone went A quiet school where the afternoon sun was shining brightly down. Normally, it would be a space filled with noisy and active high schoolers, so it being so quiet was actually quite nerve wracking. I think its my first time seeing the school so quiet. Yeah Its scary The three of us stuck right to each other as we walked to our ssroom. When we got to our ssroom, we could see a girl sitting in the ssroom. ! Wh-what?! Because we didnt even think that someone would be here, we were surprised. I tried calming the others down and took another look, realizing that it was a face I had seen before. A clear skinned female student. A slender face with long ck hair. A very polite youngdy, who seemed very well educated. SunAhs partner. In HaYoon. This girl was calmly reading her book in the empty ssroom. Did she not notice that we arrived? I poked SunAh with my finger. Shes your partner! Try speaking to her. SunAh looked at me as she began to sweat. There was no way that she hadn''t spoken with her partner at all, when it had already been almost a week since the school year started, right? I looked towards GyeongWon. He must have had no experience with girls since he just looked away and pretended not to see the situation at hand. Do I have to step up again? The afternoon sun illuminated our very empty ssroom. Within that ssroom, the calmly reading In HaYoon made for a scene that seemed almost mystical, making it exceedingly difficult to interrupt. Excuse me. The youngdy raised her head. Youre HaYoon Right? Yes, I am. Hello there. Do you need something? As if she had never been reading a book, HaYoon looked up immediately and greeted me politely. She had been the same thest time I spoke to her. Although she was very polite, she was so immediate with her responses that they seemed almost artificial. Uh, did Everyone go somewhere? Oh, its Club Activities period. They are probably in their own clubrooms. HaYoon responded very calmly. Did she not realize it yet? Um, that is We just came back down from our clubroom. Huh? Right now, there is no one in the school. HaYoon stared calmly at me. No, wait If I said that no one was there, she should have been surprised, or at least tried to check if I was telling the truth. Really? I nod my head to emphasize that I wasnt lying. Okay. HaYoon responded calmly. Haaaah, damn. I went to my seat and began to pack my bag. SunAh and GyeongWon looked at us first before they each returned to their seats and started to pack up. Were nning to go home. What will you do? HaYoon just sat there, looking at us. Then, after we packed our backpacks and shoe bags, we stood by the ssroom door. Ummm Before we left, SunAh hesitated for a bit, before looking back at her partner and slowly speaking out. Lets go together. HaYoon tilted her head and finally replied. Shall we? Yeah, lets At those words, HaYoon smiled brightly and began to pack her stuff. Alright. If my partner tells me to, I will. Like that, the four of us put our bags on our shoulders and awkwardly left the school. *** Really? You already have a clubroom? Yeah, haha. Somehow, we already got one. Thats impressive~ Why were you reading by yourself in the ssroom? I applied for the book club, but I was rejected. HaYoon replied as if it didnt bother her. Really? Was thepetition that harsh? I guess it was~ Was that why, during the Club Activities period, she was all by herself in the ssroom? She had been abandoned, without a club? If she has nowhere else to go, it wouldnt be bad for her to join our Ghost Story Club. A quiet courtyard. Only HaYoon and my voice echoed through it. SunAh and GyeongWon awkwardly followed behind us. Well, this is getting bothersome. I nudged GyeongWon a few times and tried to get him to say something. Ahem. He faked a cough once again, then began to speak like he was reading from a book. You dont catch the cold because youre cold. Actually, the cold virus doesnt exist in the north pole, so you cant catch a cold. The fuck was he saying? Fuck. Really? I didnt know~ But HaYoon smiled calmly and properly responded to his words. She actually replied to that morons trivia. That was praiseworthy and respectable. GyeongWon fake coughed again, his ears turning red, and said something else. Although most humans are right-handed, most pr bears are actually left-handed. Really? How interesting~ What hand do you use more? I-Im a righty. Im left-handed~ I-I see. * * * * * * As GyeongWon struggled just to spit out something to say, HaYoon calmly reacted to whatever bullshit GyeongWon said. As I no longer had to carry the burden of the current awkward situation, I approached SunAh and began to talk to her. SunAh had been feeling awkward, but since we had somewhat split into pairs, she seemed incredibly pleased to see me. SunAh, what do you think about no one being at school? Hmmm SunAh scrunched her brows in thought. Do you think everyone else left us behind and went home? Haha! It would be great if that were the case. I could onlyugh at SunAhs innocent answer. Soon we passed through the courtyard and ended up at the front gates. Of course, no one was in the security office. I guess we have to separate here. The four of us were looking at each other in front of the gates. Technically, it was too early for us to leave school normally. The streets themselves were really quiet. Although what happened today was really weird, we should go our separate ways here. I guess so SunAh replied to what I said with a slightly downtrodden tone. GyeongWon then spoke with an analyzing tone. Although I have no idea what happened today, going back home is the only feasible choice that we have. How curious. SunAh was staring at the floor. If I went back home, it would be fine for me since I could y games, watch tv, or just rest. However, if SunAh went home she would have absolutely nothing to do. I made my decision and decided to ask. Hey, SunAh? Yeah? Do you want to The moment that I was about to ask her if she wanted toe over WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWOOOOOOOOOOOOWEEEEEEEEEEEEEWOOOOOOOOO- The sound of sirens could be hearding from every direction. ? Whats that? Huh? The four of us were surprised and we began to look around in every direction. At that moment, a sound even louder than the sirens passed by us. WHOOOOOOOOSH- It was a ne. Its a fighter jet! GyeongWon was shouting. It did look drastically different from the normal passenger nes I was used to seeing. Five fighter jets were flying in formation, releasing smoke from their exhausts as they whooshed by us. Why is it flying so low? GyeongWon managed to shout over the noise from the sirens and the jets. No idea! I wonder whats happening! I plugged my ears and shouted back. From where we were standing, we couldnt see much because all the buildings were in the way. The rooftop! Lets get up to a rooftop somewhere to check out whats going on! Sure! Right after I said those words, we could hear the sound of a bomb dropping. BOOM, KABOOOOOOOOOM- And then another formation of jets passed the airspace above us. WHOOOOOOOSH WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH The ringing of the sirens, the whooshing of the jets, and the boom of the explosion from afar all reverberated and made my ears grow numb and ache. Even with this sudden change that should have confused us, we were looking for a suitable building to use as a vantage point to look around. Whiiiiish- Fierce winds began to whip out at us. It must have been because of the explosion. I tried to get into a random building nearby, but the door was locked. Lets go back to school! School? Back to our clubroom! We can see far away from our clubroom! Okay! GyeongWon replied by shouting. Booom! Kaboom!!!!! We could hear more explosions happening in the distance. The strong wind was hot, so it basically confirmed that the explosions were the source. Large amounts of dust and trash were being strewn about by the winds and forced me to start squinting. SunAh and HaYoons hair was whipping around everywhere. The two could not move quickly because they were forced to try to hold onto their hair and their skirts. GyeongWon and I basically pushed their backs to get them into the school building safely. Crash! Huuuu, huuuu. Haaaaaa, Huuuuu. After getting inside the school building, the winds and the loud noise became a bit more bearable. Are you alright? I could see sweat forming on HaYoons forehead. Cough, cough. SunAh began to dry cough as she tried to catch her breath. Now, lets hurry up the stairs. We checked up on each other to make sure we were fine, then began to climb up the stairs. As we made our way up to the fifth floor, we could hear the continuous sounds of bombs going off and fighter jets streaking past. Boom, boom. And mixed with these noises was something we heard for the first time. KUOOOOOOOO!!! It sounded like some giant being was shouting. Haaaaaa, haaaa. Huuuu, huuuuu. Boooom. Kaaboooooom. Whooooosh- Boooom, booooom. KUOOOOOOO!!! We scrambled up the stairs, and we didnt see anyone else the entire way up them. All of us just rushed into the clubroom and gathered at the window. It was a clear afternoon. The sunshine was bright, but the clear skies were full of streaking jets. And in between all the buildings, something was slightly visible. What is that over there? Something giant was standing between the buildings on two legs. It was huge No, ginormous. It wasrger than the apartment buildings,rger than a mountain. Fucking insane. GyeongWon cursed as he began to tremble. J-Joon SunAh was shaking like a leaf, moving to stand next to me. I silently held SunAhs hands. Through the window, we could see another group of jets sh by through the skies as they made loud noises. We could see a missile being fired, cutting through the skies towards the Demon King. BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!! There was a sudden sh of light, and the missile exploded. The explosion seemed different from the others. The sky was dyed red, and a mushroom-shaped cloud could be seen slowly erupting. They had fired a nuke at the Demon King. The white curtains attached to the top of the window began to p in the wind like crazy. The shockwave waspletely visible as it rushed towards the school. It looked like a cloud of smoke was approaching and it utterly demolished the buildings that it passed through. The shockwave from the nuke was approaching fast. J-Joon! SunAh grasped my hands tightly. GyeongWon was gasping for air as he backed away from the window. HaYoon was just staring nkly at the scene, her hair billowing. Joon! Joon!! The effects of the explosion wereing near us as SunAh began to scream. I held SunAhs hands tightly and looked at her. Joooon! CRAAAAASHHH!!!! CRUUUSHHHH!!! The building was utterly pulverized and disappeared, and our bodies seemed to melt away into dust. *** I slowly opened my eyes. Also! Those Japanese bastards would settle down on our countrysnds and dampen the spirits of our The hanbok-wearing National History teacher was shouting excitedly, to the point that spit sprayed out, when Japan was mentioned. Through the small window on the ssroom door, I could see some of the other students that had gotten out of ss early rush towards the cafeteria. In the seat next to mine, DukHun was continuously smirking in a way that irked me as he doodled some sort of character on the corner of his textbook. ! When I turned my head to look over to the next row, I could see SunAh staring at me with wide eyes. ? This time, I looked towards the front to where GyeongWon was sitting. He was also staring at me with cold sweat across his forehead. ! The three of us were just looking at each other, back and forth, trying to make out what had happened. HaYoon was just staring nkly towards the front, as I kind of expected by that point. Ding dong~ ding dong~ As soon as the bell rang, many of the restless male students mmed the door open to rush to the cafeteria. The teacher''s upset expression suggested there was more to be said on the subject, but the students seemed to think that eating lunch was more important than national history. While the ss was emptying out of the ssroom, the four of us were calmly waiting in the ssroom. Ummm Quite unexpectedly, SunAh was the first to say something. I nodded my head. Yeah. GyeongWon began to look down as he mumbled. How could this? How could this happen? That day, we returned to our fourth period together. Chapter 21: Fifth Ghost Story - The Neverending Fourth Period (3) Chapter 21: Fifth Ghost Story - The Neverending Fourth Period (3) Fourth period had ended, and the lunchtime bell had rung. While the students were noisily trying to escape from the ssrooms, the four of us were calmly sitting at our seats in ss. As I stared nkly, I could see students rushing down the hall to get food. In the middle of it all, one old man was visible, running even faster down the hall. It was DamIm. It was when the delivery workers began to pull up to the grounds that I finally broke the silence. Hey guys. SunAh and HaYoon turned to look at me. GyeongWon continued to stare at the floor and mumbled to himself. How could this happen? We should also leave for now. Regression. It might be the first time these children were going through something like this, but I was at the stage where I was already starting to get used to this. We should get up for now. Lets go eat already, quickly. I got SunAh, who was nibbling her nails, and HaYoon, who was staring nkly, to stand up. Then I patted GyeongWon on the back to get him to follow me to the cafeteria. In that sort of situation, if I tried to exin what had happened forcefully, they wouldnt be able toe to terms with it. I had to give them some normal stimuli, such as walking and eating, to get the first timers toe to their senses. As I headed towards the cafeteria, I softly mumbled to myself. Status Window. As expected, it didnt appear. What could have happened? Although it had only been a short week, I had gone through so many different incidents. I had developed a habit of subconsciously checking the time using my status window whenever I regressed. After waking up from death after each ridiculous urrence, I regained my mental state by checking the time. However, for the first time the status window didnt show up. Haaaa Really, whats going on? Although I had loudly boasted to GyeongWon that I was part of the experiential group of people, I had honestly been unable to identify the crux of this current situation. Even if I imed to know something, all that I knew was that time turns back when I die, and that the ghost stories areing to life. If they were to ask me about my views on this situation, all I could say is that this was a game where you learn as you rack up deaths. In this situation, why exactly did the Demon King appear? That monster wasnt supposed to be released for three more years. This is happening way too quickly. It doesnt make sense. Why did we regress together? And where did all the noisy people disappear to? The people that disappear Lets try checking that out in this timeline! *** The four of us arrived at the cafeteria, received our food, and began to eat. It was bean paste soup and deep-fried fish. It was probably supposed to be just fried fish, but because the cafeteriady had put in so much oil while cooking it, it was basically deep-fried. The strong smell of the bean paste soup and the deep-fried fish was mouthwatering enough that it seemed to help SunAh snap out of her shock. She picked up her utensils and began to eat. Clink- SunAh began to nibble on her fish. HaYoon also began to pick up her chopsticks and poke at her rice. On the other hand, GyeongWon continued to stare at the floor mumbling despite the food in front of him. After finishing our food, we met our homeroom teacher on our way out of the cafeteria. He was rubbing his belly. The homeroom teacher, after seeing us leave, came over and greeted us. Its Joony Boy and friends. Did you enjoy your lunch? Yes. I answered in a very cursory manner. Thats good. Are you going to your clubroom immediately? No, we were nning on staying in the ssroom. Because I was nning on checking out where the people disappeared to, I was going to stay in the ssroom. Hmm, is that so? Suddenly, the homeroom teacher put on a serious face and began to look both ways, as if checking to see if anyone else was nearby. After seeing that no one else could overhear, he spoke quietly to us. Still, once lunch is over, itll be Club Activity period. You will be going to the clubroom then, right? There is something that everyone here should know about. In that clubroom there is something vicious lurking about. In order to get in there, you will probably need this. The moment he tried to pull something out of his back pocket, I put my hands up to stop him. Ah, were alright. We already handled it. I then took my club members and led them away. Is that so? The homeroom hung his head with a sad expression. *** After I took a seat, the others naturally started to take their seats around me. K-kuso. Thats my seat, wheeze, over there, poro-poro. T/N: Kuso is Japanese for fuck or damn. Poro-poro is a Japanese onomatopoeia for tear drops. DukHun, who had just entered the ssroom, started to freak out when he saw that SunAh sitting in his seat. Ah, right. Wheeze. I had an interview for the Anime Club. Oops. TehePero. T/N: TehePero is that thing Anime characters do where theyugh, tehe, and then stick out their tongue, Pero. Due to the depressing aura around us, DukHun started looking at the ground, wheezed a bit, and then began to leave the ssroom carefully. Umm, Joon. What should we do now, exactly? SunAh cautiously asked a question first. HaYoon also looked in my direction. Only GyeongWon was unable to make heads or tails of what was happening. I coughed and told them my thoughts. I think, for now, it would be best to just watch how things y out. I slowly took my time, looking each kid straight in the eye. There are too many things we dont know. Where did all the students go? Why did the clock suddenly stop? SunAh nodded her head. We cante to a decision right away, so we must first observe the situation. Ha. Kuha! Kuhahaha! GyeongWon, who had his head down the entire time, suddenly began tough in a condescending way. What sort of bullshit are you spewing, club prez? What do you mean? This situation! Theres no way this is all real~! Ahn GyeongWons quirk, Denial of Reality. The guy jumped up from his seat and climbed on top of his desk. Ive always wanted to try this! Uhahahahahahaha! With that, GyeongWon began to jump from table to table, moving around all over the ssroom. The three of us began staring at with expressions of annoyance. Why are you guys just watching me~? Come join me~! Its not like this is real life! Ive always wanted to try jumping around like this~! Uhahahahahaha! GyeongWon continued to jump around, his face filled withughter. I was about to calm him down with a sigh, when suddenly Pop-! All the lights went out, and a loud popping sound could be heard. It was the sound of the entire school losing electricity. Although the sunlight still shone through the windows, because of the sudden change, GyeongWon was startled and he slipped off the desk and onto the floor. Crash-! Uaaaaargh! He happened to sy himself out right in front of HaYoon. She calmly held her hand out. It hurts, no? Ugh. GyeongWon epted her hand as he pulled himself off the floor, rubbing the area where he hadnded. At that moment, the broadcast system began to y out. [The broadcasting room would like to inform all students that the school is currently experiencing a ckout, so the electricity is not working. Because this leads to difficulties in activities, the Club Activities period will ur in the courtyard, and all students are to gather there. Once again, the broadcasting room would like to inform] ! As I jumped up in surprise, SunAh started to ask me a question. What happened? You cant go out! At my shout, everyone was uncertain. They slowly nodded their heads. GyeongWon began to approach me, still rubbing his sore spot as he asked. Why are you like this? Is there something youve caughtoooo, oooooo, ooooooo Suddenly GyeongWons head began to expand. ! Kyaaa! HaYoon wordlessly took a step away, and SunAh let out a scream. Oooooooooooooooo! Pop-! As GyeongWons head exploded, chunks of flesh began to rain down in the ssroom. Following that, SunAh and HaYoons heads also began to swell. Oooooooooh! I could also feel my head expanding, recalling that strange feeling from what seemed like so long ago. Pop-! *** Also! Those Japanese bastards would settle down on our countrysnds and dampen the spirits of our I silently stood up from my seat. Lets all boycott Japanese products, please?! Look into it more. Uh Huh? What is it? The teacher, who had been in the middle of a rant, looked at me in surprise. Uh, I need to go to the restroom Oh, uh. Sure, go ahead. As I left the ssroom through the door, I saw HaYoon and SunAh suddenly get up and follow me. Ill also be going to the bathroom~ Me Me too Uh, huh? Huh? What? They left the confused teacher behind and began to follow me into the hall. Have you caught on to something? HaYoon asked that as she looked me straight in the eyes. What makes you think that? When I responded with a question of my own, SunAh spoke up in her stead. Well Joon, youre SunAh pondered for a bit more before continuing. You''ve been very calm about this ever since the beginning, strangely so I nodded my head. You remember before, when I was talking about the reason I made the Ghost Story Club? When I said that I was one of the experiential people? I was talking about weird incidents like this. SunAhs eyes widened in shock. I see. Then, do you also know what we have to do now? Sorry. Im not sure yet. The little bit of hope that had shown up on SunAhs face disappeared immediately, and she returned to looking afraid. What I do know is that the Ghost Stories are continuing toe to life. In order to solve the situation were in, we need to find out which Ghost Story were all stuck in. And to do that, we need that bastard, Ahn GyeongWon. It went without saying that I didnt know anything, but SunAh and HaYoon didnt seem to know many ghost stories in depth, either. Even if I have to beat him up, I need to set his head straight. * * * * * * Murmur, murmur. Some of the students from the ss next door started to leave their ssroom. The bell would be ringing soon. Ding dong~ ding dong~ I spoke to the two girls. We need GyeongWon. If its that trivia stan, hell definitely know something. Okay! SunAh nodded her head. I opened the ssroom door again. Right there, in the middle of the ssroom, some girl was standing straight. She had on pale white makeup, and there was a silent, but very bright smile on her face. ! There were lots of students excited to go out and eat lunch. In the midst of all of them, that Laughing Girl had on a smile that seemed like it would rip her mouth open. Hey Ill go get him. HaYoon must have noticed that something weird was about to happen, so she slipped in quickly by herself to pull GyeongWon out of the ssroom. Behind me, the homeroom teacher, who was on his way to the cafeteria, noticed SunAh and me staring nkly. He came over and greeted us. Its Joony Boy and friends. Are you on your way to enjoy your lunch? Is that wrong? Will you be going to your clubroom immediately? I dont know. I didnt even look at him and just gave him a cursory answer. GyeongWon had started his staring at the floor and mumbling routine, while HaYoon was struggling to pull him up out of his seat and drag him out of the ssroom. The Laughing Girl continued to smile brightly in the middle of the room. Ahem. Well, anyway The homeroom teacher began to speak again, embarrassed by ourck of response. You will probably need this. Then he pulled our clubroom key out of his back pocket and handed it over to me, as if he was hiding it from view. I didnt bother looking at it and was about to put it away when I suddenly flinched. Whats this? It wasnt a key. It seemed like some sort of essory of a simr size, but it was surprisingly heavy. It was my first time seeing something like it. Ohoho. Use it well. And with that, he continued his run towards the cafeteria. This isnt real. This cant hurt me. This isnt real. This cant hurt HaYoon managed to drag GyeongWon over to us. He was stillpletely out of it. Hey, Ahn GyeongWon! I started to shout in his face. Get your shit straight! This is real life! I grabbed him and started to shake him around. You have toe up with something! Quickly! Come up with what? GyeongWon was mumbling as he was shaken around by me. We need to know which ghost story were all caught up in! What is causing time to repeat itself?! Ghost story? Thats right, fucker, its a ghost story! After shaking him once more for good measure, I shouted again. Why did the entire school disappear? Why did the clock stop? Why are we continuing to die? How would I know about that? DAMN IT!! KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Behind GyeongWon, I could see the Laughing Girl grip her boxcutter and slowly start to move around. The students started to scatter in surprise. The national history teacher walked up to the Laughing Girl and asked if she was a parent to one of the students. I grabbed GyeongWons cor and looked directly into his eyes. Please think about it. The entire student body disappeared. Time stopped. And we are continuing to repeat our death. Is there any ghost story simr to that? The bastard continued to sound deted. I dont know Theres no weird story like that. I closed my eyes and thought of something that might help. I took out the item that the homeroom teacher had handed me. I gave it to him so that he could take a look. What about this? What do you think about this? I might not know what it was, but if it was him, he might be able to think of something. What is this? I dont know either. GyeongWon started to look at me as if I were a moron. KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA The Laughing Girl slowly approached us as she began to swing her boxcutter. The scene of the national history teacher trying to stop the blood from squirting out from the neck was clearly visible. Tons of students were running away screaming, asionally bumping against our shoulders on their way out. Kayak-! Kyaak! Its an insane person! I AAAAAMMMMM NNNNNOOOOOOOOTTTT!!!!!! Whether I died there or I died running away, it was all still the same. I continued to grab GyeongWon by the cor and stared right into his eyes. Think of something. Please. Please. GyeongWon was staring nkly at the object I had received from the homeroom teacher, when suddenly ! His eyes widened. ! In my surprise I tightened my grip on his cor. Next to me, HaYoon and SunAh began to tremble excitedly. Did you think of something? Ohhh! Confidence returned to GyeongWons eyes. Huhu, huhuhu. He slowly began to startughing. So that was it. After adjusting his sses in his usual manner, his self-confidentughter returned. You were wrong from the beginning, club prez. What? GyeongWon smiled and started to shake his head. You were wrong from the very beginning, club prez. What does that mean? I brought him right up to my nose as I questioned him. As his body was on the skinny side, he was dragged up pretty easily and was forced to stand on his tiptoes. Kuhuhu. Fuck! What is it? Do you think this is a joke? Is this situation funny to you? Tell me! This time, you should think up the answer. What? The bastard tilted his head and let out a sigh. Youre the president of the Ghost Story Club. You should be able to think of the answer. ! KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA The Laughing Girl was right behind us, swinging away with her boxcutter. The fleeing students were jostling us more intensely now. Even in such a chaotic situation, we were standing there, my hands gripping his cor. J-Joon! You have to run away! SunAh was desperately pleading. GyeongWon continued to smirk condescendingly. Hey, you fucker, is this all a joke to you? Just tell us what it is! GyeongWon just continued to look at me with a smirk on his face. Prove yourself. Prove to me that you have the right to stand above me. The bastard adjusted his sses again, even as he was being held by the cor. Prove that this is worth me investing my next three years. Show me why I should help you. You You dont think this will end when you die, right? No, even I know that much. Kuhuhu Then why are you in such a hurry? That bastard, he was testing me. He was testing whether I should be the club president when he knew so much more than me. Whether it would be worth living as a member of the club for three years. He was telling me to prove my worth, then and there. Ill see you again. KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Swoosh- Slice. Kyaaaahhh!!! Jooooon!!! Nooooo! Chapter 22: Fifth Ghost Story - The Neverending Fourth Period (4) Chapter 22: Fifth Ghost Story - The Neverending Fourth Period (4) Also! Those Japanese bastards would settle down on our countrysnds and dampen the spirits of our forefathers! People are participating in the No Japan campaign! Lets all boycott Japanese products, please?! Look into it more T/N: The No Japan campaign was an organized boycott of Japanese goods that was started in the summer of 2019 by South Korean citizens. As the hanbok-wearing National History teacher shouted, overly excited to the point that spit was spraying out of their mouth, I was silently lost in thought. He told me to think of the solution this time What method will allow me to do this? Then again, I was the one to force him to think of a solution in the first ce. Fuuu. Whether or not the teacher saw me, I stretched and let out a sigh. Ahn GyeongWon. When I had the opportunity, I was going to punch you just once. But what can I do right now? I dont know any ghost stories. That was something that GyeongWon, who had been with me up to that point, would know very well. What did he hope to get by testing me, despite knowing that fact? Was it that the situation could be solved with normal logic? Also, he had said that I was wrong from the very beginning. All the assumptions that I had made so far were incorrect. I started to think back on what I had said about the situation so far. First, I said that the clock had stopped. Then, I said that the entire ss had disappeared. The ghost stories would appear randomly, and when we died, time would turn back to the beginning. What if I reversed everything, thinking of it in the opposite way? The clock didnt stop. The entire ss did not disappear, and time wasnt turning back when we died? How is this possible? None of it made sense. No, that wasnt the only thing that wasnt making sense. The Demon King would be revived in three years, at graduation. I should have survived when we were just sitting in that ssroom during the ckout. And just where did the Laughing Girl pop out from? Also, why was it that all four of us were regressing instead of just me alone? No, this isnt regression. Considering what GyeongWon had said, I tried to consider it from a different perspective. That was right. Although I wasn''t sure why or how, we werent regressing. What else did I say while I was grabbing that bastard by the cor? No way. I stood up on the spot. Lets break Nintendo Huh? What is it? Student? The teacher was startled by my sudden actions during his rant. The attention of all the students turned to me. Who is he? I think his name was Lee Joon? Why did he suddenly stand up? I dont know. The students continued murmuring. I didnt care what they were saying and walked between the desks up to the front, where GyeongWon sat. Excuse me, student? Student? Ignoring the teacher, I stopped right where GyeongWon was and started to talk to him, despite facing his back. So. This isnt reality, huh? Keke. GyeongWon started to chuckle softly as he continued to look forward. Then? What if it isnt reality? I took a deep breath and responded. This Its a dream. This teacher, too. The school, the students, all of it. Keke. Except for you, me, SunAh and HaYoon. All of us are just cast members within this dream. Can you prove it? Yeah. The bastard kept chucking, his back still facing me. Prove it. Ill prove it in a way that will force you to recognize me. Even if youpletely disregard everything I experienced before, I have abilities that you dont. Someone like you, who is the type to face everything with logic and reasoning, cant do what I can. Excuse me, student? The other students continue to whisper as they stared at me. Student? This isnt a dream. Just go and sit down. Ahem. The teacher made an embarrassed face as he spoke. No matter how much you hate studying, to im this is all a dream Huhu, my word Huh? Please be seated. The whispers continued. The other students began to look at me in an annoyed fashion. SunAh looked at me with surprise on her face. Next to her, HaYoon also seemed to be focusing on me. Stop just standing there and return to your seat. And calm down. We need to finish talking about Japan. Why do I have to go back to my seat when this is all a dream? Ill just do whatever I want, since this is a dream. Im saying it isnt a dream, so go back to your seat. The teacher is calmly trying to get me to return to my seat. I pretend to be shocked as I decide to y around a bit. Is that so? It isnt a dream? Yes, thats right. It isnt a dream. Im not sure why you thought it was, but please return to your seat. It really isnt a dream? Im telling you that it isnt. The other students went from whispering toughing at me. Look at him. What is this, hes so weird. Are you telling me the truth? It isnt a dream? You''re starting to annoy me! This isnt a dream, but reality! Reality! Please just sit! But what if it is a dream? I dont want to be studying in a dream! You punk! What will you do if this is reality, then? This is reality, so go back to your seat! Youre only insisting that this is reality because youre someone from within the dream!! Hey, you punk! Im saying it because Im real! Go back to your seat! I dont want to! Im just going to believe this is a dream! Go back to your seat! What is a seventeen-year-old doing, acting like a kid! This really isnt a dream, but reality? YEEEEEESSSS! THIS IS REALITY! You guarantee it? Yes, I can guarantee it. Really? I cross my heart and hope to die! This isnt a dream but reality! Then what time is it? Isnt it obviously thirty-six thousand five hundred eighty oclock?!!!!!! What time is it? Twenty-eight thousand nine hundred thirty-six oclock! I can tell you that as many times as you want. I see. Then can you tell me the date and year as well? I apparently have a bad memory. Of course I can! The teacher started to shout, to the point that redness began to spread across the entirety of the face. Its the zero six seventy-nine hundredth day of the hundred twenty-fourth month of the thirty-one thousand five hundred twenty-third year!!!! Suddenly, silence filled the entire room. HaYoon then raised her hand and spoke with a clear voice. Instructor, your numbers are weird. Then the teacher began to look far into the distance. Is that so? I guess I was caught. Tap, tap, tap. Swing. The teacher just packed up the textbook and left without a word. SunAh looked at the open ssroom door with a dumbfounded expression. Whew. I let out a sigh and moved to the seat next to GyeongWon. You. Move it. Okay. The ss president moved away with a neutral expression. This good enough for you? Club Prez GyeongWon smiled with a satisfied expression. I see you use your wits well. HaYoon and SunAh got up as well and headed over to where we were seated. HaYoon proceeded to motion for the two students seated behind GyeongWon and me to get lost. The two nkly moved away, leaving the seats for the girls. GyeongWon and I turned our chairs around so that we could all talk together. The other students continued to stare nkly at the four of us. Uhhh, what exactly happened? I didnt quite get it SunAh was feeling very conscious of the other students staring, to the point that she was sweating bullets. I tried to exin it to SunAh very clearly, by slowly making her think of what had happened. SunAh, do you remember when we first noticed that something was off? That was While we were swapping scary stories in the clubroom, we looked at the clock and saw that it had stopped I nodded. And how did we get to that clubroom? SunAh tilted her head, thinking my question was weird. After we ate, it was Club Activities period So didnt we just go upstairs? Nope. ? If we went up because it was Club Activities period, theres something thats off. SunAh took some time to ponder on it but did not seem able to figure it out. Making a curious expression, she asked. A weird point? What is it? The other members. Other members? Ah! Having realized what I meant, her eyes widened. JinHee! Right. I nodded and mentioned someone else. Not to mention our club teacher, Instructor Jang HwaEun. That was right. Although we hadnt met yet, that person was officially written in as the advisor for our club. For our first club meeting, she was definitely supposed to show up and check up on what we were doing. Also, JinHee. Even if she was secretly added to our roster, other than those with special exceptionslike HaYoonshe should have shown up for club activities. However, neither of them had shown up. We originally hadnt noticed, as the three of us had spent thest week together bing friends. But with the official start of club activities, JinHee and Instructor HwaEun not showing up was definitely unusual. Its like a dream within a dream. * * * * * * I tried to exin it in a simple manner. Did you see the movie Inception? No. Its a movie where the main concept is about dreams within dreams. So, you didnt see it Then, have you ever had sleep paralysis before? Yeah, I have a couple of times In that case, have you ever had a dream where you thought you had already woken up, only to realize you were still dreaming? Dreaming in a dream? SunAh looked up while thinking, then she replied. Several times No, very often. Ive had cases where I woke up, washed my face Even brushed my teeth. But it was all a dream And while I was rushing to get prepared, it was a dream again After telling us that, SunAh began to blush red. Because her sleep cycle was such a mess, to the alwayste SunAh, that must have been amon urrence. What we are going through right now is like that. Every time we wake up from a dream, we are returning to the starting point. The easiest way of waking up from a dream is by dying in one. ? We died multiple times, thinking that we had gone back in time after each death, but that wasnt true. We were actually waking up from each dream after death, and dreaming the same dream all over again. ! SunAhs jaw dropped. We werent regressing. The definitive proof was my system.
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I vaguely remembered seeing that screen before each regression whenever I died. However, it didnt show up at all this time, even though I had died several times. A dream? Together? How in the world does that happen? Sorry. Im not too sure about that. I shrugged my shoulders and looked at GyeongWon. GyeongWon nodded his head, as if he were satisfied. Huhu. Club Prez, nice exnation. Then, as if he had received the baton, he adjusted his sses in preparation for finishing the exnation. Seeing the clock stop and the weird actions of the teacher earlier, those are called RCs. RCs? Its short for Reality Check. It refers to moments used to check if your situation is real. As the exnation characters true instincts began to surface, I could almost see his sses begin to shine. As the brain goes to sleep, various aspects of it begin to rest. Among them, situational awareness is by far the most inurate. No matter how reasonable things seem while youre dreaming, when you think back on your dream after waking, none of it makes any reasonable sense. So? The aspect where this shows up most often is numbers. Using numbers, you can check whether what you are going through is a dream or reality. GyeongWon proceeded to take his phone out of his pocket. Now, what time is it? The phones clock showed the time as 11:35. 11:35 As expected, time has stopped. Its not that time stopped. This time, try checking it continuously. GyeongWon covered only the numbers and then showed it again. ! The clock showed 12:28. And that wasnt all. 05:73. 13:24. 75:52. Every time I looked away and checked the time again, the numbers changed. You get it? While you are asleep, the brain bes especially weak against numbers. While the emotional flow feels very simr between dreams and reality, anything mathematical bes very inurate within dreams. How in the world does this happen? As if she couldnt believe what was happening, she kept blinking her eyes while checking the clock. 11:35 was probably thest time that someone saw before entering the dream. Because that time is in someones memory, its the first thing to show up when you check the clock. If you continuously check it, the numbers begin to change. How interesting. Thats why you often find that you cant remember your family members phone numbers or remember the passcode to the entrance in your house while youre dreaming. Wow! SunAh listened to the exnation with a lot of interest. What Club Prez did to chase away the teacher just now was to use this RC. Quite impressive, actually. I cant help but acknowledge it. So Joon knew about this too After GyeongWon stated this happily, SunAh began to look at me with a respectful gaze. HaYoon also looked in my direction with her hand on her chin. I sheepishly replied to the attention. Well, it wasnt much. Whats really important is what well be doing from here on out. Yes, that is the issue. GyeongWon then let out a sigh. What should we do, Club Prez? What? At GyeongWons words, all the attention turned to me. What was that? Why was he asking me? Why are you asking me? You knew ahead of time that it was a dream. You tested me, saying I should find out on my own. Didnt you also know the method of escaping? Well, you see He let out another sigh. All of the ghost stories involving dreams within dreams that I know of only have endings where they just happen to escape. Huh? At our shocked expressions, GyeongWon began to touch his sses. While wandering through nightmares, I woke up. All the endings were something along those lines. You bastard. I really started to get pissed. He was testing me even though he didnt know the answer himself! And you were telling me to find it out on my own. I apologize, Club Prez. My sense of pride acted out on its own. Thats not how you make an apology. I started to roll up my sleeves. Take off your sses and clench your jaw. ! After gathering his determination, he simply took off his sses and closed his eyes. Here Ie! Joon! Even before SunAh could stop me, I sent my hand flying towards the bastard. Swoosh- Flick-! Ow! After flinching, GyeongWon started to rub his forehead with a confused look on his face. He must have thought I would actually hit him hard. Lets stop testing each other and get along, GyeongWon. Were friends. The young master was looking at me calmly. Azy but witty person would always be above a nerd without life experience in terms of aptitude, so I was sure I wouldnt lose. But if we kept fighting like that, there was no way that our group could work together properly. It would be best to put an end to this here. Lets shake hands and end this. Here. As I had put my hand out, he calmly stared at me before slowly bringing out his right hand and shaking mine. There, its over. Continue where you left off. Why did you think that I would know the answer? Yeah. So, the reason Although he had been staring nkly, the moment it was time for him to exin he put on his sses and began to speak up, as if he had gotten his head back on straight. I thought that, if it were Club Prez, you would know what to do. Thats because of all the questions that Club Prez has asked me so far. The way in which you think outside of the box when you ask those questions, that was what made me think you would figure out the answer. ? Questions? Was that it? During the Broadcast Announcement ghost story and the Mother Dilemma, as well as with the Laughing Gilthough he wouldnt remember that oneI asked him many different questions about ghost stories. I mean, I was someone who had no understanding of the horror genre. Im the type of person who simply takes in any given information, then uses that information and some reasoning to try and work things out. That was why, when Club Prez asked questions about some of the missing parts to the ghost stories, I was really flustered. Unlike people like me, who only ept the information given as-is, I think that Club Prez is able to think about that same information from a fresh perspective that others cant even dream about. I was hoping that you would be able to use this type of thinking to find the answer. After regaining his pace, he adjusted his sses, coincidentally making the light reflect off them so that it looked like his sses had lit up. Although he had very high pride, once he acknowledged someone, he would very quickly ept them. The information we need is all there. We know the identity, situation, and story itself for this ghost story. Using those ingredients, I was hoping that you would mix them into a proper solution. It may be a bit of pressure, but I think you can do it. Think very hard. Me? I think you can do it! I have this feeling you can. So that was what he thought after investigating the information? If its me, I can do it, huh? I swallowed and looked up as I began to consider. SunAh was looking at me with an expectant expression. HaYoon was also looking at me with interest. What he suggested was my unique perspective was probably the things I came up with using my natural wits. Being praised so suddenly like that made me feel a little embarrassed. However, he wasnt wrong. In a situation like this, where we knew everything we needed to, we no longer needed more information. At that point, we needed someone who could take the given information and mix, match, and twist it to find a solution. And hes saying that Im the one ying that part. Hmm. What should I do? A repeating dream. How do we wake up? Dying isnt the answer. Even if we were to die, we would be waking up in another dream. Also, making a mess of things wouldnt work, either. Wed already run around a lot, experienced a lot of shock, and were even cut apart in the dreams, but we had yet to wake up. There is only one solution. I do have one thing that I came up with. What is it? SunAh was the one to ask, curious about the answer. The three of them were looking at me. I think we have to start thinking backwards. Chapter 23: Fifth Ghost Story - The Neverending Fourth Period (5) Chapter 23: Fifth Ghost Story - The Neverending Fourth Period (5) Backwards? GyeongWon was looking at me oddly. What are you doing backwards? SunAh also was looking at me in a confused manner. I gave a fake cough and began to exin. From what we know, what is usually the most surefire method to wake up from a dream? Dying within the dream. GyeongWon answered me instantly, as if it was the easiest question in the world. Right. No matter what dream it is, you usually wake up if you die. Humans tended to wake up when faced with death. It could be called instinct, one that allowed people to be more alert to try and avoid death. That was the reason that, no matter how severe the nightmare was, people wake up if they die in their dreams. But in this special case, a dream within a dream, that method doesnt apply at all. Even if your mind bes more alert, you only wake up from the firstyer of the dream. When you wake up from your first dream, you are still within a dream. The situation then continues to repeat. SunAh started to nod, showing she had understood up to this point. If SunAh understands, that means all of us are on the same page now, right? I decided to start telling them what my n was. So, what I meant by thinking backwards was this. Even if we try to wake up, well only wake up in another dream. Maybe the answer is for us to do the opposite? The opposite? Falling asleep within the dream. ! SunAhs eyes widened in surprise. In ghost stories like this, the endings all involve waking up somehow without any reason. It could be that the people involved were so exhausted trying to get out that they subconsciously fell back asleep. They fell back asleep? GyeongWon tilted his head, as if he was unable toprehend that reasoning. Im not sure what that would do If you go to sleep, wont it just reset to the beginning? To the teacher ranting No. Its different. I strongly opposed his thinking. This is the ce we go every time we wake up. The starting point, of sorts. If we were to fall asleep here, we could go oneyer deeper into unconsciousness. ! As if a lightbulb went off, GyeongWon jerked his head back up and started to nod. I I get it! A dream within a dream! Right. No matter how many times you wake up, you are in a dream within a dream. With that in mind, you might be better off going deeper into the dream instead. We would be trying to escape the repeating cycle by trying to get to a differentyer in the dream first. Since waking up has no meaning here, lets try going to sleep and into a deeperyer for now! Yeah. I nodded my head. Of course, we would have to get there first to know what we would end up seeing there. Still, rather than running around in circles, it would be better to take a step forward by heading into a deeper area. Then Uh, do we have to prepare nkets and pillows and just Try to go to sleep? I tried to calm GyeongWon, who seemed overly excited about the prospect of escape. But there is still one problem with this method. A problem ? He turned to look at me with a bit of seriousness. He may have forgotten, due to his excitement, but there were dozens of students surrounding ussilently staring at the four of us. And besides that, there were probably nightmarish ghosts and monsters trying to kill us. Trying to fall asleep in a ce like this is probably impossible unless youre some sort of Buddha. What What about the clubroom, Joon? SunAh asked, sounding as if she were ufortable with the attention of all the surrounding students. If its there, it might be a bit morefortable for us to fall asleep I think itll still be difficult. It was after the point that we had seen the Demon King from the clubroom window. Everything we could see around us was all within the space of the dream. None of the locations were real, it was just a mental area. No matter where we hid, it wouldnt matter. The nightmares would definitelye find us and kill us. I see. It would definitely be difficult to justy down and try to sleep in a situation like this. And its not like we can find sleeping pills within a dream, either. GyeongWon was nodding away as if he understood everything. Thats right. I was thinking that we need to find a method to instantly go unconscious. How For example, making each other faint. Ummm GyeongWon started to think as he fixed his sses. What do you think? It wouldnt be bad if we faint, right? Since we would be going unconscious without having to try to fall asleep in such a stressful situation. Prez, sorry to interrupt, but GyeongWon made an apologetic expression as he shot down my idea. People dont dream when they faint What? Its exactly as I said. He maintained his apologetic expression. What Prez wants is for all of us to fall asleep and go into a deeperyer of dreaming, right? But if a person faints, they dont dream. I had a dumbfounded expression on my face. Is that so? Yeah. Why not? I didnt get it. If you lost consciousness, wasnt it all the same? Fainting and sleeping are different, club prez. GyeongWon started to exin further. Fainting is a phenomenon that urs when blood flow to the brain is lost. However, sleep is a natural bodily activity that urs when the muscles rx. Dreams ur because of activity in the brain, so if you faint due to the loss of blood flow, your brain wont be working. That prevents any dreams from urring. Thats why you cant dream when you faint, club prez Then what happens if we make each other faint here? Then wed just be unconscious. Nothing would really happen. Is that so? I made a disappointed face. Then what do we do? I wonder In the distance, I could hear the vague sound of my mother looking for me. With a rotten brain like that, you need an identical kid of your own to know what Ive been through There was no way that we could fall asleep in a desperate situation like this. However, making each other faint wouldnt work, either. We were looking at each other with very serious expressions. Even as we tried toe up with ideas, time was flowing by. If we die, we reset. Fainting wont work, but we had to fall asleep. There had to be There had to be a way There is a way. A clear voice echoed through the room. It was HaYoon. If we use shortness of breath to lower our oxygen concentration, we can induce sleep. Get up, all of you. Wh-what? She immediately stood up and walked to the back of the ssroom. We quickly got up and followed her. Wh-what are we doing? Well, I HaYoon approached the supply closet at the back of the ssroom, opening the door and motioning with her head for us to enter. Get in there. ? We were all confused, just standing in front of the supply closet. Soon, GyeongWon started to nod his head in understanding. Low oxygen concentration caused by shortness of breath I-I see. What? GyeongWon turned around and started to quickly exin it to SunAh and me. You know how there tends to be a lot of traffic idents on the highways due to people falling asleep at the wheel, right club prez? Yeah, and.? That was quite the widespread fact. idents caused by sleepy drivers. One of the possible reasons for the sleepiness induced during driving is theck of oxygen within the sealed area of the car. Ack of oxygen. If you lose consciousness due to ack of oxygen Its definitely not fainting, and much closer to sleep, club prez! ! When we turned back to look at HaYoon, she looked like she wanted to know why we were wasting her time. She motioned for us to hurry up and get in. Ill block the gaps in the door frame with tape. Hurry up and get in. As we just looked at each other, GyeongWon finally made a move and got into the closet. With all the brooms, mops, and rags in there, there wasnt much room. He tried pushing it all to one side. Haaaa, haaa. He was barely able to squeeze into one side of the closet. If we emptied itpletely, we might be able to squeeze in another person. Take everything out. We can put another person inside. I could hear my mom getting closer as she started shouting. You suck at studying so much, yet your personality is crap. You are lucky your parents can at least provide for you, ungrateful bastard Take it all out. Here We started to take all the cleaning supplies out of the closet to make room. With that, we were able to secure enough space for someone small to get in. SunAh would fit best. SunAh, you should go in. J-Joon SunAh looked at me with a worried expression. I nodded my head as if to calm her down. Itll be alright. I can find another method. Okay Although she hesitated a bit, SunAh proceeded into the supply closet. Ugh, ah GyeongWon and SunAh managed to squeeze into the small space, crouching in the dark and cramped closet. GyeongWon turned towards me and started to give a final exnation. Club prez. Whats important is that, although you should be able to breathe, there must be a low level of oxygen. If you think of a way while thinking of m! HaYoon ignored all of that and just mmed the door closed without even giving us an opportunity to say goodbye. Go find some tape. It should be on one of the shelves behind the podium. O-okay I hurried to the podium and started looking for the tape. The students sitting in the ssroom turned their heads to follow me with their eyes. Is it here? I checked the podium but there was no tape, only the attendance list. The. Tape. Is. Right. Here. At that moment, the ss president, who had been standing next to his desk ever since I had kicked him out of it, took the tape from his desk and handed it to me. I. Was. Using. It. So. It. Was. In. My. Desk. It was a voice with no intonation. I just epted the tape from the nk faced ss president. Umm, thanks. Then I started running to the back of the ssroom. Here! After I put my arms out to hand over the tape, HaYoon snatched it from me. I immediately heard the sound of the tape being pulled. Shepletely covered the gaps in the door. Haaaaa Haaaa J-Joon I could hear SunAhs voice from within the closet. I tried to calm her down. Its all right. Everything will work out. O-okay Would this be enough to cause sleep, instead of just making them faint? The only way for me to know for sure was to try it out myself. Now what do we do? I asked HaYoon as I looked at her. HaYoon met my gaze. Only one of us has to go. We need someone to stay behind and take the sleeping people out. I-I see. If we kept the sleeping people within the sealed space, they would end up dying. We needed someone to take the sleeping people out once they fell asleep. That one person Has to stay here Staying there alone would probably be difficult. Well for now, since there doesnt seem to be a seble space here, we should head to the ss next door and use the supply closet there Duck. This bastard!! Just like your father, where are you crawling off to?!!!!!! The moment my mom passed by the hallway, screaming, HaYoon forced my head down with her hands. ! Pit-pat- pit-pat The sound of my mom running started to get further away. Not too far from the ssroom, we could hear chaosas if she had started searching the ssroom next door for me. The ssroom grew silent again as HaYoon and I crouched down together. The only sound we could hear was the rough breathing from the closet that had GyeongWon and SunAh sealed within. Haaaaa, haaa Huuuu, huuuu Leaving the ssroom now was an act akin to suicide. HaYoon continued to look directly into my eyes as she crouched. Then, her long eyshes started to bat as she spoke to me. Ill be the one to stay behind. You should get ready. R-ready? She crawled on all fours over to her locker. After opening the locker door, she took out a pink recorder and came back. W-will you be okay? The person staying behind will The person staying behind had to take out GyeongWon and SunAh so that they did not die, and also continue avoiding the monsters as long as they could. We had no idea how the situation would be twisted if we were to die while asleep on a deeper level. HaYoon put her finger to my lips and whispered. Its okay. Now sit here. HaYoon spoke, her tone suggesting that nothing important was happening, almost as if she had picked up someone elses fallen pencil and was giving it back. She held up her recorder as if she were ready. Just breathe in the air Im sending through this recorder. Using her slender fingers, she covered up all the holes in the recorder. Um, hey She put her light pink lips on the one end of the recorder and shoved the other end towards my face. As I saw the approaching pink colored recorder, I couldn''t help but swallow. U-using something like this seems Breathe out all of the air in your lungs first. She started to rush me, trying to get me to follow her directions. I ended up closing my eyes. Well, it was good that someone was willing to stay behind. Who would want to y hide and seek with monsters all by themselves? Huuub! I put the other end of the recorder into my mouth. We were looking at each other with the recorder between us, as if we were ying the pocky game. T/N: The pocky game is a game where a couple takes a single stick of pocky and each nibbles at the end until their lips get real close. The couple with the shortest stick at the end wins. Its a couple game because it can end up with the two kissing. Awkward silence settled between us. Huuuuu. Warm air came from the recorder. I breathed in that warm air. Huuuup Then I took my mouth off the recorder to breathe out the air I had just taken in. Huuu At that point it was more like I was breathing carbon dioxide than oxygen. Then I put the recorder back in my mouth. Huuuu Huuup Once again, HaYoon began to breathe air into the recorder for me to take in, and I would take that air straight to my lungs. Huuuuu I would then breathe out again. We then both put our lips to the recorder again. Huuuu Huuuup I could feel my lungs start to crave oxygen. My cheeks began to flush red. I wasnt sure if it was because I wascking oxygen or if it was because I had been looking at my very beautiful ssmate the entire time, breathing in her air. It was almost like I was in a daze. Huuuuuu Cough, cough Dont take a breath. As I was taking in more carbon dioxide, I started coughing. A very clear, beautiful voice issued a warning. Even as I coughed, I nodded to show that I understood. Cough, cough Even if coughing out the air was fine, I couldn''t breathe in fresh air, full of amazing oxygen. A-again I barely spit out that word and put my lips on the recorder again. HaYoon began to slyly smile. ? Huuuuuu Why is she smiling? But because of theck of oxygen, my thought process wasnt very clear, and I wasnt able to tell what exactly was going on. HaYoons warm air traveled down the recorder again. I continued to suck up that air as the blush on my cheeks refused to go away. I continued to grow more dazed due to theck of oxygen, and my thinking seemed to stop altogether. Where am I? Why does my head hurt? Why is my mom looking for me? Why is this beautiful girl giving me air to breathe? I must be her balloon. Oh. So, Im a balloon? Huuuu Huuup I continued to take in the air from the recorder. Because I had no idea what was going on, and I didnt really have anywhere else to look, I was looking straight into her eyes. She was looking straight back at me. I continued to breathe in that sensuous air, thoughts no longer going through my mind. She was smiling, in contrast to the dumb expression on my face. My face waspletely red at that point. Her face had a bewitching expression on it. Unable to respond, I continued breathing that intoxicating air. Why do you continue to smile like that? I think I had tried to ask that question, but Im uncertain if I ever did. The recorder was still in my mouth. Huuu. Uuuu. Huuuup. Uuuuu. The strange atmosphere only served to make her smile more alluring. As the single thought came, I couldnt stave off the approaching sleepiness. At some point I think I copsed, drooling, as sleep grasped my mind. Huuu. Uuugh. Huuu. Please stop it. Stop breathing As HaYoon made me breathe in her air, sleep continued to strangle my mind tighter and tighter. Then, suddenly, HaYoon removed the recorder and gave me the most charming smile. Pervert. Ehe. I was basically asleep and drooling like an idiot, but I might have given a smile of my own. I was so sleepy, and I couldnt seem to move anymore. The world was spinning, and then my eyes closed, no longer able to open at all. Although I couldnt see her anymore, I could still hear her bewitching giggles. I couldnt tell if she wasughing at me or the situation, but I didnt care. I was taking deep breaths and I embraced the sleep grasping at me. Huuuu. Huuuu. Huuuu. Pervert. * * * * * * Did you understand? My point is that the belief that hamburgers are unhealthy is a false rumor. Rather, it can be said to be a perfectlyplete food, with the perfect ratio of carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Why would bread, lettuce, tomato, and beef be bad for your health? Within an idle fast-food joint, GyeongWon, a rich young master who imed to be elite was showing off his knowledgegained from the inteon hamburgers. Its unhealthy because of artificial coloring and other additives? Saying that means youre ignorant. In the past, once the fake news that MSG is bad for your health became popr, the owners of the mass mediapanies only continued to instigate these topicshowarethelightsoninthisstorewhenitsackoutand when you exclude the french fries and c, hamburgers are actually healthy food products. You get it? I was letting the words flow in through one ear and out through the other, and just roughly replied that I understood. I had the feeling that something really great had happened to me, but I wasnt sure what it was exactly. Next to me, SunAh was fixing her makeup. Watching a female friend fix her makeup was quite the stimting experience for a guy in puberty. I ate my burger as I continued to watch the young-looking SunAhs face be much more beautiful as she did her makeup. The easiest target for mass media to mess around with is the food industry. While broadcasts im to be suing thepanies, how much did they actually do? Other than being a bother for others? Whats even more disappointing is that the masses are all convinced by the media, and WAAAAAAAIIIIIIIITTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When I suddenly got up, shouting, the two also started in surprise. Kyaaak! What is it? What happened all of a sudden? I caught and then spoke. This is a dream guys. Get your head on straight. Oh, right!! SunAhs bright red lips parted in surprise, her lipstick still in her hand. Agh! That was right! I remember now! We were trying to go into a deeper state of the dream GyeongWon began to look around. Since dreams tend to start in the middle of something, I almost got tricked! But where is this ce? Its a fast-food restaurant. The one in front of ShinLim Station. At my response, the two continued to look around in confusion. I see. Ive never been here before, but to think I would dream about it. Its also my first timeing here. I had an inkling about it before, but I thought that those dreams had my nightmares mixed into them. We kept meeting the monsters from the ghost stories I had gone through. And this fast-food restaurant, which only I had ever been to Im not sure why But this must be my own nightmare. Ummm But, hey. Uh, why am I Putting on makeup? SunAh mumbled as she looked at the lipstick in her hands. I could only remain silent at her question. As it was my dream, it could only be that I had noticed SunAhs charm, albeit subconsciously. What do you think we should do now? Should we try going in a bit deeper? GyeongWon asked the question that mattered as he continued to look around. I dont think this ce has anything of importance here Yeah. I think we should try again. I nodded. We can only go in deeper, to try and find a way out. Hmm As I thought. GyeongWon crossed his arms in thought. This ce was actually the dream within a dream. If we were to wake up from here, we would probably end up back in the ssroom with HaYoon. If we were to wake up continuously in that ssroom, we would only start over from the beginning there. However, this ce was one level deeper. What would happen if we were to go to sleep again and go another level deeper? What would be waiting for us there? This time, Ill stay behind. Club prez and SunAh should get ready to go in deeper. ! GyeongWon got up as he continued to cross his arms. Why? You know more than me, so I should be staying behind SunAh was flustered as she spoke up, but GyeongWon just smiled. Huhu, thats not true. I dont think there will be much more that I can find out, even if we go in deeper. Then he confidently headed towards the kitchen in the fast-food joint. We hurried behind him. Im not the type that can react to things on the spot. I think my exnation of the situation previously is the most I can do at this point, and this right here will end my role. I think you two should be the ones to go deeper. More importantly, club prez. Dont you think SunAh is unable to hurt other people? I think I should be holding things off here. Yourepletely correct. I do agree with that. SunAh started puffing out her cheeks as she looked at the two of us. SunAh is too kind. Haha. Correct answer. Hahaha. Hmph! SunAh jokingly acted as if she were upset. Huhu. Anyway, if the next stop is another dream, then you must send the club president to the nextyer, Yoon SunAh. Take care of him! SunAh nodded, a trustworthy expression on her face. Now that I thought about it, I thought it was the first time I had seen the two of them actually have a conversation. Okay, here. When I open this gas pipe, breathe in the gas thats released. With therge amount of carbon dioxide here, you should be knocked out quickly. Ill move you guys out as soon as you guys go to sleep. Okay! Luckily, because it was a dream, there were no employees within the fast-food restaurant. Okay, here I go! Club prez, go and solve this situation! As if he had summoned a Pokmon or something, he opened the gas pipe. Got it! You just wait here while munching on some fries! I shall! After facing GyeongWon for a bit, I nodded before sticking my head into the gas. It was a weird moment, one where I felt that we had bonded as bros. Huuuuup! Ack! Cough, cough *** When I opened my eyes, I was lined up with the students out in the schoolyard. Ooh. This ce is I saw that SunAh was right next to me, and she had just gotten up while grabbing her head. The students near us were looking at the two of us. I helped steady SunAh and began to look around. This ce is the schoolyard Why is everyone here? And then, at that moment Ah, to the newly admitted students of Nakseong Highschool, who I love, I wee you. First, I congratte you all for your eptance into the main school. I am this schools headmaster FUCK! It was the entrance ceremony!! SunAh!! RUN!! H-huh?! I just grabbed SunAhs hand and dashed towards the gates. Behind us, we could hear some of the students scream as popping noises started. Haaa Ha Heuk, haaaaaaa We were the very first to start running. Since we were matching our pace as we ran, the athletics students soon passed by us. We could see a girl with dyed blonde hair and an unfriendly expression dash past us. Ah, thats Lee JinHee, who was smuggled into our club somehow So, she always passed me while we were running. Since I didnt know her face, I never realized. Just like in the past, I could see the security guard try to stop some of the students. Its time that I cause chaos! I shouted so that all the nearby students could hear me. The front gates are locked shut! I shouted again, to the point my voice went hoarse. The front gates are locked! The guard has the key! Uaaaahhh! Mister! Open the gates! Quickly! Open the gates quickly-! Aaack-! As heads exploded in the surrounding area, the students lost all reason. Their survival instincts had kicked in, so they all mored about handling the security guard first. The security guard has the key! We have to catch him first! Originally, the students had ignored the guards as much as they could as they flopped around and tried to climb over the gates. The guard was still strong for his age, smacking away some of the students as he shouted, but that wouldnt amount to much in front ofrger numbers. What are you guys doing, you crazy bitches? Why are you gathering around and stirring up shit? Go bring the teachers, the teachers! Security guard, you bitch! Open the gates! Fuck! Open the gates! Open the gates, you crazy bastard! Just like in the past, I used the gap I created by setting up the students and the guards into a fight. I had easily passed by the guard when SunAh slipped away from me and ran in the direction of the security guard. SunAh! SunAh seemed to have a fire burning in her eyes as she ran. As SunAh joined in as the students rushed to try to empty the guards pockets, the guard began to huddle into a ball to try to hide the key. SunAh then seemed to pull something out of her pocket. The security guard could be heard screaming in loudly pain. Kuuuuaaaaaaahhhhhhh!! The shouting guard was iling his arms around, allowing SunAh to empty his pockets and run back to me with the key. Haaa, haaaa, here. S-SunAh As she was breathing hard, SunAh handed me a very bloody key. I had only shouted about the key to create chaos, but SunAh had misunderstood and rushed to grab the key for me! So, what did SunAh use to Well, having the key did make it physically less taxing to get past the gates. You did great, SunAh! Thanks! Heok, heok, ehehe. Even as she was short of breath due to the running, SunAh couldnt help but smile after hearing mepliment her work. Using the bloodstained key, I unlocked the padlock on the front gates and began to push it open. Uaaackk! Fuck, what is this! Some of the students who were already on the front gates shouted in surprise as they swung towards the opening gates. On top of the gates, I could see the punk from the fourth stall in the boys bathroom and GyeongWons seat partner. Now that I look at them, I recognize a lot of the students here. I continued to push the gate and, once it was fully open, I once again grabbed SunAhs hand to start running. Heok, heok, heok. Heck, heck. We ran a long way. We passed several buildings, and we soon ended up near the subway station, where there were many people. It was only after we arrived that I stopped running and began to catch my breath. I then let go of SunAhs hand. Heok, heok, heok. Heck, heck. It was only after we had spent a significant amount of time panting and breathing hard that we were able to normalize our breathing. Here It should be fine over here probably. Yeah Heck, heck In a past life, I had survived after running this far. Although things could be different since this was a dream, since we were still fine after waiting so long to catch our breath, I thought we would be fine. I could feel the passersby sneaking nces at us, as we were sweating hard. Heck, heck Oh, this ce was here? SunAh finally looked up and mumbled something as she wiped off her sweat. Oh, youre right! I agreed with her. We happened to be next to the fast-food restaurant, the one near ShinLim station. Ring~ We entered the store, where there were several guests noisily chatting and eating, and busy employees scurrying about. It was quite obvious, but GyeongWon wasnt there. Of course, he isnt here Yeah, since we left him behind. This space was oneyer deeper than where we had left GyeongWon. Although it was the same location, it was obvious he wasnt going to be there. Haaa, lets sit down for now. We went up to the second floor and chose a random empty table to sit at. Ummm, Joon Yeah? You know SunAh hesitated for a bit before continuing. Once all this ends Lets alle here together and eat a hamburger I couldnt help butugh. Ahaha! Yeah, let''s definitely do that! Here, promise. As I acted a bit silly and put out my pinky finger, SunAh also began to giggle. Now that I thought about it, it could be said that it was already my third time there with the club members. However, I had never been to that fast food joint with the club members in reality. Promise! We must do it! Yeah. Promise! Suddenly, my mood became very joyful. Yeah, a debriefing of sorts. We needed something like that for club activities, right? Its quite interesting. What is? The fact that in a situation like this, I have a friend I canugh together with. SunAhs cheeks blushed red. Thete morning sun bled through the window. We could see an ambnce rushing by on the street in the direction of the school. Someone must have called them. I lived a normal life once. There wasnt much that I really liked. Its an excessive thing. The fact that Im continuously being given chances. Joon I wonder, did she understand the meaning of those words? All SunAh could do was quietly mumble my name. I stretched out my hands over the table to her. SunAh just stared at my hand. Then, after hesitating a bit, she did the same with her hands. She held onto mine. Lets go back to reality. Together. SunAhs soft hands flinched slightly. Now, SunAh had to make me go to sleep. I firmly gripped her hand and then patted it with my other hand. Please take good care of me, SunAh. Although she was shaking initially, she reaffirmed her mind and then nodded. Yeah! Chapter 24: Fifth Ghost Story - The Neverending Fourth Period (6) Chapter 24: Fifth Ghost Story - The Neverending Fourth Period (6) Pbbbbbbt pbbbbbbt pbbbbbt. Huuub huuuub huuub Within the quiet fast-food joint, SunAh was trying to give me air using a straw. Pbbbbbbt Huuuub SunAhs face turned red as she tried to force the air into me through the straw. However, I was unable to handle it. I ended up letting the air out and taking in a breath of fresh air. Puuuhaaaaa ? SunAh looked at me as I took the straw out of my mouth. Her face was flushed red from all of her hard work. Joon, what happened? N-no, it''s just that She probably wouldnt like it if I said that her face looked funny, right? I picked up the straw and started to exin. I think This straw is too thin. Its very difficult to send in air through it. Yeah" SunAhs breath was fast, showing that she agreed that it was too difficult despite not actually voicing it. However, there were employees working in the fast-food restaurant, so we wouldnt be able to use the gas pipe. There doesnt seem to be a nice, sealed space to use either" Something bigger. Wasnt there something I could use to breathe in SunAhs air that was a bit bigger? Joon, what do you think about using this paper cup?" SunAh was pointing at the paper cup sitting on our table. Lets see" I picked it up and began to examine it. This is just a regr sized cup. It was too short. We might even end up kissing by ident. Isnt there arge cup somewhere? Maybe in the rubbish bin? Just wait here. Ill go ask for a new one. I stopped SunAh, who was about to go search through the rubbish bin, and went down to the first floor where the front counter was. We were going to put our mouths on it, so it should at least be new. Excuse me. Im sorry to ask, but can I get arge cup, please? A part-timer girl who looked only a bit older than me had been in the middle of preparing a delivery, so she mmed the cup on the counter as if she were a bit annoyed. How rude. I brought the cup back up to the second floor. Well just make a hole on the bottom here and you just have to breathe out air for me to breathe in. With that, the cup would be wider and have arger cross-section than the straw from before. Huuuu" Huuuuub" Huuuuuuu" Huuuuuuub" I did my best to ignore SunAhs adorable puffed up cheeks as she pushed the air into the cup. Huuuu Uuub! Cough, cough! As she was breathing into the cup, she suddenly started coughing. Cough, cough. I cleaned off the saliva covering my face. Are you alright? Cough haaaa, this is hard. SunAh wiped away the sweat on her forehead. I also wiped my mouth and started exining the method to her one more time. Do you get it? Your role is to breathe in fresh air and blow out the air into the cup. There is no need to overthink things and make itplicated. Uh, yeah" The point was that I was supposed to breathe in carbon dioxide until I was knocked out. Then, lets try again. Okay! Once again, we put our lips to the cup between us. I could feel the other customers ncing at us from time to time. Huuu, huuuu, huuuuu Huuuub, huuuuub, huuuuub" SunAh was a lot tougher than she seemed. As she was pushing out her breath, it was so strong that it was forced into my mouth. I almost coughed several times because of how strong it was. Huuuuuu, huuuuuu" Ooof ooook" Paaaack-! Cough! Cough! This time, I started to cough hard. It was because SunAh was pushing in the air as hard as she could. Cough, cough! J-Joon" SunAh was acting all flustered because she felt sorry. HaYoon had been very delicate and tactful when she did it. My head started to hurt from all of the coughing. Cough, cough Can you do it a bit more gently?" S-sorry" SunAh looked at me with a very sad expression. Suddenly, someone spoke to the two of us. Excuse me? Customers? After catching my breath, I looked over and saw the rude part-timer girl standing there. Are you alright? The other guests were whispering as they looked at the red-faced SunAh and I. I guess if a pair of uniform wearing students were to jam their faces into a cup, it would be quite attention grabbing. Customer? SunAh stared at the part timer girl with a scared expression. I started to wave my hand as I got up. Cough Yes, Im alright. Im doing fine, so please leave now. Im sorry, but I think you should leave the premises. The part-timer girl announced this with an ufortable expression on her face. Some of the other guests are ufortable with your actions" Fine, fine. Ill be on my way out after packing my shit. You can go now. I replied as annoyance was mixed into my tone. Damn it, why is this dream so unnecessarily realistic? The part-timer girl grimaced as she started to go back down to the first floor. SunAh, lets head to the bathroom and finish up what we started. Yeah" The restrooms were in the corner of the second floor. As I was needlessly considering whether to go into the mens room or womens room, I led the way as SunAh followed behind me. Well, theres no reason for me to go out of my way to choose the womens room, right? I opened the door and entered one of the stalls. SunAh looked around first before entering the mens room. Come into the stall. Once we were both in the same stall, I locked the stall door. There. Now no one should bother us. Yeah. As if to get the hesitant SunAh to focus, I looked into her eyes and started to exin. You know how being sealed in a space with little oxygen can make you sleepy, right? Yeah. That phenomenon urs because of theck of oxygen, and right now we are trying to replicate that. As there was no suitable space to seal me into, we were trying to use the paper cup to force me to be overwhelmed with carbon dioxide. One of the issues, however, was that the paper cup was smaller than a breath of air, so sometimes SunAh would push in too much air. The two of us were crouched in the cramped stall about to start again. Okay, lets start. We put our mouths to the paper cup and started our breathing again. Huuu" Huuup! Huuuu" Huuuup! Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. The pacing of the breathing was much more stable than before. If we kept this up, it seemed like we would seed. Huuu" Huuup! Huuuu" Huuuup! And so, as my consciousness was starting to fade away, the mens room suddenly opened and we could hear some noise. Those students from before went here. Both the girl and the boy entered together. Excuse me, customers? Excuse me? Customers! The part-timer had brought some other employees as well to enter the mens restroom. Soon, they reached our stall. Open the door! What are you two even doing in there? Come out! They started knocking on the door. As the other employees were whispering, I could hear one of them going into the stall next to ours. ! SunAh looked around in embarrassment, before returning to breathing into the cup, breathing at a much faster pace. Huuu Huuu" Huuup Huuup" My mind was slowly getting hazier, and my consciousness seemed to flee. Huuu Huuu" Huuup Huuup" While we continued our joint breathing, the door continued to be hammered on. Excuse me! Come out from there! Come out! Knock knock! Knock knock knock! In the meantime, one of the male employees had climbed up the toilet to look at us over the stall wall. Ugh, Ill go up the wall. Huuu Huuu" Huuup Huuup" Oi! You students! The male employee was looking down at us from over the wall. What weird thing are the two of you doing? Hurry up ande out! From the door, we could hear a coin fiddling with the lock. Click, click. Huuu Huuu" Huuup Huuup" Huuu Huuu" Huuup Huuup" Huuu Huuu" Huuup Huuup" Huuu Huuu" Huuup Huuup" Come out! Quickly! The employees managed to open the door and started to grab SunAh to attempt to drag her out. SunAh endured the pulling and tried to continue to send me air. With thest bit of air, I finally felt myself ck out. * * * * * * Badump. Badump. Lets open my eyes. Oh, I couldnt open them. Badump. Badump. I couldnt seem to put any strength into my eyelids. What was that feeling? Where was I? It was incrediblyfortable. It felt like my body was floating. Badump. Badump. #[emailprotected]&$^" It was my moms voice. My moms voice was echoing throughout the area. &%^@#@" No way, was this ce was it back when my mom was still expecting? Before I was born? I was feeling very dazed as I tried to connect the dots. The dreams I dreamt weren''tpletely random. The nightmares I had gone through were all in reverse order. In that first dream, where all of us were stuck, I was dreaming about the fourth period ss that day. After SunAh, GyeongWon, and I went oneyer deeper, we were within the dream at the fast-food joint, which I had dreamt about after defeating the Laughing Girl. Anotheryer in and SunAh and I had gone through the serial explosion case, which was actually three years ago for me. Considering how we continuously went back in time for eachyer, I had gone back in time almost twenty yearsto before I was born. Did the nightmare have some kind of meaning, perhaps about all the traumatic stress Id gone through being bad enough to cause a rebirth? Was that why the nightmare I hade into this time was the worst one of them all? Back to before I was born? Badump. Badump. The world was so stressful. However, the ce I was in was reallyfortable. I thought I should just live there forever just living off the nutrients provided by Mom. I didnt have to think too hard I could justze around. I just had to float here. Badump. Badump. Badump. . . . Badump. Badump. Suddenly, I thought of SunAhs face. She was probably freaking out in the restroom in the fast-food restaurant, trying to protect my sleeping body. SunAh should just chill a bit, it was just a dream. . . . Badump. GyeongWon was probably in theyer of dreams above us waiting for me while eating fries. Badump. I wondered if HaYoon was doing well, running away from the monsters. . . . I think something strange happened while I was with HaYoon What was it exactly? Ah, I was toozy to try to remember it. . . . Badump. My consciousness was alert again for the first time in a while. I was steadily getting a sense of foreboding. Had I rested there for way too long? A moment was probably fine, but if a day, or a month, or a year or maybe even ten years were used up in that dream? Would the other members be able to endure? Badump. Badump. I understood. The ghost story was the type to confine its victims within a dream and to carve away at their consciousness. Badump. But how did I fall asleep into a furtheryer from there? I thought just one moreyer would do the trick. What could I do when I was all alone? Badump. Badump. . . . I needed to get the umbilical cord wrapped around me. Even though my awareness was hazy, I slowly squirmed around within the amniotic fluid. I kept spinning around, trying to find something that I could grab. After I discovered the umbilical cord, I kept spinning around until I got it wrapped around my throat. Badump. Badump. Thats it. I could feel myselfcking oxygen. I tried to loosen the umbilical cord so that it wouldnt kill me. The ufortable feeling continued. As I continued, I could feel my consciousness fade once again. It was already to the point that I was unborn, so how much further into the past could I go? Badump. Badump. I thought my awareness was being sucked away somewhere else. Phhhhuuuut-! *** " Why" " " But" " " I give permission for this, so it is alright. " . . . Huuuuuuuugh! As I opened my eyes, I could see that I had returned to the restroom in the fast-food joint. SunAh was looking at me with a worried expression. Nearby, the staff had called 911 and I could feel that the atmosphere seemed busy. J-Joon are you okay? Huuup Huuup. What was it again? Who was it that I had met? I dont remember. The only thing was I thought that I had met someone I had missed for the first time in a while. We had talked about something important. I needed to remember it. But as I became more aware of my surroundings after waking from the dream, the dream itself became increasingly unclear. That was right. I was waking up. SunAh. Yeah? I could feel a part of my consciousness begin to squirm. All of the parts of my brain that had been asleep during the dream were starting to wake up. I grabbed SunAhs hands and shouted. SunAh! Lets go back home! Yeah! SunAh nodded vigorously. And concurrently, the floor began to copse. *** Club prez! We were in the fast-food joint again. However, this time we were on the first floor. Arrgh GyeongWon. As I put my hand to my forehead and tried to get up, GyeongWon rushed over. Did you seed? Yeah I seeded. Next to me, SunAh had also gotten up and looked around her with a confused expression. Once GyeongWon heard that I had seeded, he spoke after checking out my mood. Prez, as I was waiting here, I thought about it really hard. I finally remembered what we were doing in the real world before falling through here. Really? What was it? I shouted out in surprise. That was right! What the hell were we even doing in the real world? What were the four of us doing to fall asleep together like this? GyeongWon adjusted his sses and began tough before responding. Even if I tell you, you wouldnt believe me. You can find out after we wake up. Huh? What is it? Youre making me curious! As heughed, GyeongWon shook his head. Dont worry, it wasnt something bad. You might feel quite bbergasted though. SunAh approached as she started touching her head. GyeongWon turned to look at SunAh and nodded in approval. Great work, Yoon SunAh. Ehe. At that moment, we felt the restaurant shake before the ceiling began to copse. *** Mom has been telling you toe to church so many times, but why are you still? Hmmm As I got up and pressed on my temples, I could see that we were in the ssroom. However, there was nobody else in the room and it waspletely quiet. From the hallway, far away, I could hear theints of the ghost pretending to be my mom. Ow, my head. GyeongWon and SunAh woke up, holding their heads. I couldnt see HaYoon anywhere. It seemed like she was somewhere else. As the walls began to shake again, it seemed like the world was about to fall apart again. At the same time, I could feel my awareness being dragged somewhere from above. I then had a sudden worrying thought. I spat out my concern to the two right away. Umm, GyeongWon, SunAh. Maybe is this just my own dream, and you two are just parts of my dream as well? What happens if thats the case? What if everything Id done so far was just a one man show? The concern that brought me had suddenly surfaced and I started to get scared. From within the falling rubble, GyeongWon adjusted his sses again. Well, you better hope that isnt the case, prez. Next to me, SunAh giggled silently as she looked at me. Ill see you in a bit, Joon" The ceiling copsed on top of us, and I could feel myself waking up for thest time. Chapter 25: Fifth Ghost Story - The Neverending Fourth Period (7) Chapter 25: Fifth Ghost Story - The Neverending Fourth Period (7)
[2019, Mar. 08 | Friday, 11:35] [Lee Joon - Number of Attempts: 2] [Ghost Story Points: 110] [Causality Rate: 8%]
Huuuu Why is time crawling by so slowly? It was Friday. After fourth period was lunch, and after that it would be time for the first club activities period. Id been eagerly waiting for it! I started to jiggle my leg in anticipation as I waited for the lesson to end. The national history teacherwho wore a hanbokwas spending an unnecessary amount of time raging about the recent trend in the universities exams, where they no longer reflect topics on national history. Through the small window on the ssroom door, I could see that some of the other students had gotten out of ss early and were rushing towards the cafeteria. Also! Those Japanese bastards would settle down on our countrysnds and dampen the spirits of our Fuck, just end the lesson already Ding Dong Ding Dong~ As soon as the bell rang, I joined many of the restless male students as they mmed the door open to rush to the cafeteria. The teacher''s upset expression suggested there was more to be said on the subject, but the students seemed to think that eating lunch was more important than national history. I dashed down the hall to try to get to the cafeteria quickly. SunAh and GyeongWon quickly followed behind me. Lets eat lunch quickly and go to the clubroom to hang out! Huhu. You have to keep up appearances, club president! GyeongWon replied while adjusting his sses. SunAh just smiled brightly in response. I looked into SunAhs eyes and nodded, making SunAh giggled a bit. The three of us began to speed down the hallway when someone ran by even quicker, bypassing us and entering the cafeteria first. It was our homeroom teacher. The three of us sat side-by-side as we ate, and we could see many delivery workers moving around through the cafeteria window. The fifth and sixth periods were Club Activity periods. As the club activities were fully independent and those periods were set aside for clubs by the school, many of the seniors seemed to have ordered food to their clubrooms via delivery rather than going down to the cafeteria. Possibly because she was a bit jealous, SunAh had stopped eating and was staring nkly at the delivery workers. Next time we should order food, too. Since we have our own clubroom and all. Yeah! As the three of us were leaving the cafeteria to head to the main building, a message suddenly popped up in front of my eyes.
[S-rank Special Ability: Goddess of Luck is preparing to trigger.] [The System is currently adjusting reality.]
? The message window disappeared just as quickly as it popped up. I looked around in confusion, but I didnt notice anything different. I just shrugged and entered the main building. Wow! What is this line? As soon as we entered the main building, we could see a long and winding line of students. What was so important that such a long line would form even during lunch? It looks like all of these students are here for the interview with the book club. GyeongWon replied after adjusting his sses. After we followed the line to its starting point, we could see it started from the library. Unlike most normal clubs, the book club was in charge of running the library as well, making it popr for those wanting authority. Even after graduation, if you were on close terms with the head librarian you could use the library at any time. Purchasing new books every month was also one of the book clubs duties, so members could add books to the purchase list the way they wanted. Because there were so many benefits to being a part of the book club, there were many people waiting for interviews even though it was right before the Club Activities Period started. Those fools. They should have joined our Ghost Story Club instead. I mumbled under my breath as we passed by. The twoughed when they heard me. We would have to get famous first, since we dont have any achievements yet. Lets slowly nurture our club, prez. Then, arge male student called out to us after seeing us pass by. Uh umm Lee Joon? Yeah? The bundle of weight was my partner, Oh DukHun. You know the club you made before is there still room? Although he was waiting in line for the book club, he was looking around as he asked me about seat avability. GyeongWon and SunAh were surprised by this situation and started to check out DukHun. Although I was wondering what this was about, I nodded and answered honestly. Yeah, theres still room. Why? Is there a way I could still join? The Ghost Story Club? DukHun nodded vigorously. Didnt you say that you were going to join the anime club? DukHun replied hesitantly. Things didnt go well there Did he get rejected? I did think that the anime club would be a perfect fit for him. No wonder he was waiting for an interview with the book club. Oh well. I answered him in a refreshing manner. Of course you can join. Do you want to? Y-yokatta~! T/N: yokatta is Japanese for thats great. DukHun shouted in joy. The students around him began to re at DukHun. Ill be joining, Mr. President~! Dont add the Mr., it makes me feel like apany president. Our club was a newly made club. At that point, when gaining just one more member made a huge difference, there was no reason to stop a person from joining the club. Ill add your name to the roster and give it to the teacher, so you can head straight to the fifth floor once Club Activities Period starts. Hai~! Wakarimashita~! T/N: Hai means yes and wakarimashita means I understand in Japanese. Whenever this guy speaks, I feel like a jtl X.x Just as DukHun was about to run down the hall after leaving the line, HaYoonwho had just finished her interviewwas leaving the room. Crash-!! Uwaaaaah! Sumimasen~!! T/N: Sumimasen means sorry in Japanese. The massive DukHun had crashed into the slender HaYoon. HaYoon was smothered by fat so quickly that she was pushed away before she could even scream. It was at that moment Poof-
[S-rank Special Ability: Goddess of Luck has triggered.]
* * * * * * The books that HaYoon held were flying in the air. Oh. OH. I tried to catch some of the books flying through the air, but the moment I put my body forward, my center of mass was unbnced. Possibly because the student in charge of cleaning that day was overzealous, the floor was much more slippery than usual. Oh no. Ack! As I slipped onto my stomach, I could feel my feet rise into the air and hit something. Ack! GyeongWon let out a cry of pain. Pow- Kyaaak! As GyeongWon was knocked over by my foot, he identally headbutted SunAh and her scream echoed through the hall. Ack! Ugh! Crash- Crash- Kyaaak Pow- Crash- The four of us performed a pstickedy scene that would have been perfectly in ce in some trite oldic. With exaggerated motions, the four of us all copsed. Somehow, I managed to remain conscious, but even that was fleeting after SunAhs shoe somehow covered my mouth and smothered me. D-daijoubu desuka?! T/N: Daijoubu means alright in Japanese, and desuka means are you in Japanese. GyeongWon was being smothered by his own sleeves and HaYoon was being smothered by her hair. While DukHun was running around at this egregious ident, he slowly disappeared from my fading sight.
[S-rank Special Ability: Goddess of Luck has been consumed. The ability has disappeared.]
. . .
[You havee across and survived the B-rank Ghost Story - Dream within Dreams.] [You have earned 15 Ghost Story Points.]
[You have exerted great wit and instead repelled the Dream within Dreams!] [You have earned 70 Ghost Story Points.]
[You receive 10% Bonus Points for each Club Member who contributed.] [Contributing Club Members: Ahn GyeongWon, Yoon SunAh.]
[The 17 Bonus Points will be added to the 85 Ghost Story Points gained.] [Current Ghost Story Points: 110 +85 +17]
Bam badam~
[Current Ghost Story Points: 212]
[You have earned sufficient Ghost Story Points! By spending Ghost Story Points, you can gain special abilities and speed up your growth or unlock the abilities of your club members! You can also increase the abilities of the club and upgrade your clubroom!]
*** My gosh I couldnt help butugh at myself as I kept my eyes closed. After waking up from the dream within a dream within a dream within a dream, my consciousness felt crazy. Still, I could feel the memories rushing back to me. I could remember everything. So, this was what had happened in reality. When GyeongWon had said that I wouldnt believe him, he was absolutely right. Urrrrgghh. As I slowly opened my eyes again, I could see the ceiling of the schoole into view. As I got up again, I could hear the others waking up as well. Next to me were GyeongWon and SunAh. Ahem. Huh? This ce is HaYoon was also awake, and she was looking around soundlessly. This ce is in the school. Yeah, it''s the hallway. Yeah It was the school hallway on the first floor of the main building. In front of us, there was a line of students standing in front of the library. Farther down the hallway, I could see that DukHun was running to find a teacher. We quietly gave each other looks, trying to confirm the situation. No way. GyeongWon started mumbling to himself, as if he were bbergasted. Did we just copse? I think we did. HaYoon replied as if she were exhausted. It had felt like we had spent an eternity in those dreams, but to think that only ten seconds had passed. If we had spent an hour copsed like this, we might have spent months within the dreams. Joon SunAh was also mumbling as she looked at me. I nodded as I looked right back at her. d to see you, SunAh. Hehe *** Is this your clubroom? A young, female teacher was just standing in front of a random clubroom door, shouting in a powerful voice. No, teacher. Its this way. Aha. The teacher turned towards our clubroom door and walked over. Why is it in such a weird location? Rather, was there a room like this here? It was a face that I had seen a couple of times. I saw her during the entrance ceremony once. And in the bathroom once. Anyway, nice to meet you! I will be your advising teacher, Jang HwaEun. If you have anything you need for your club activities, feel free toe to me. Something like driving you guys around for any outdoor activities, for example~! But for this to be a Ghost Story Club, how peculiar. Thedy in her early thirties, exuding healthy charm, introduced herself as she chuckled to herself. Her Title stated she was an Old-Maid Teacher. I wonder if its true?
[Your understanding of Jang HwaEun has increased by 10.]
I guess I knew the answer to that. Wheeze, wheeze. The anime club was a trap. The delinquents just called their club that and would just beat up anyone who showed up to join (ToT). I see. Well, please take care of us DukHun. Even though the day wasnt even that hot, DukHun was already sweating buckets. Next to him was a female student who looked to be in a bad mood. JinHee was crossing her legs with a frown on her face. Your name was JinHee, right? Although you were dragged in here against your will, please take care of us. Yeah. JinHee answered curtly and cut me off. Next to her was HaYoon, who we had been able to convince to join us since she had been rejected from the book club. She was gracefully sitting in her seat with her hands ced on her knees. As there were not enough chairs, SunAh and GyeongWon were standing next to me. I had written Ghost Story Clubs First Club Activity Period: Self Introduction on the whiteboard, and we had been going around introducing ourselves, all six members. Ahn GyeongWon, who lived to be called smart. Yoon SunAh, the poor student whocked self-esteem. In HaYoon, who seemed to hide something beneath her politeness. Oh DukHun, the ultimate anime stan who was in charge of the clubs mass. Lee JinHee, the vicious and charismatic delinquent girl. Teacher Jang HwaEun, the beautiful woman in her thirties who enjoyed sexually harassing the students. And me. Although I had beenbeled as two-faced due to puberty, the only thing that I was actually good at was using my wits and tricks. The club president, Lee Joon. Wee to the Ghost Story Club. Im d that all of you joined. Chapter 26: Intermission - Club Level Up! Chapter 26: Intermission - Club Level Up! I was surprised that Teacher Jang HwaEun came from a shaman household. I think we will hear quite a lot of interesting stories from her from now on. I think JinHee is impressive. Shes the same age as us but shes already working part-time jobs No wonder shes always sleeping at school. After school ended, we went to the fast-food joint next to the station near the school. Just as I had promised in the dreams, the three of us hade back to the restaurant in real life. We bought our hamburgers and were sitting next to the window on the second floor. Although HaYoon had also gone through the Dream Within Dreams with us, when the ending bell rang she disappeared from the ssroom as if she had to leave quickly, so only the three of us were able to go. I get it. So prez has had several encounters simr to the phenomenon from before. I guess that does make you a part of the experiential group. Youre right. And that was why I decided to create the club. Hmmm Next time, I wish to hear about the stuff club prez has been through in detail Joon, ummm SunAh suddenly interrupted us and started to motion with her head in a certain direction. I looked at where she was motioning to and saw the part-timer girl sweeping the floor with a broom. Oh, its the girl we saw in the dream. As I responded, SunAh nodded as she started to nibble on her hamburger again. Theres no way that this is a dream as well, right? Haha, stop saying scary things, prez. GyeongWon waved his hands in denial as he chuckled. One of the things to determine if that is true was the totem that club prez had handed to me in that dream. Totem? What is that? Did I give you something like that? GyeongWon nodded as he pulled out his cell phone. It was the newest smartphone released by Clover Industries and marked with a . Besides numbers and other mathematical cues, you can use other things, like bnce, as a random check. Items used to do these random checks are called totems. Look here. He ced his phone on the table and proceeded to spin it. In a dream, once something starts spinning, its very rare to have it stop. It has to do with the fact that the subconscious has a tendency to keep things connected and going, rather than stopping things at a suitable time. The cell phone couldnt ovee friction and came to a stop after a few spins. No need to worry, you two. Were in reality right now, huhu. I let out a sigh of relief as SunAh let out a smile. Then, do you think that the part-timer over there showed up in my dreams because I saw her when Ist visited the restaurant and my subconscious remembered? Things getplicated if you start digging into the past. Just eat your burger, prez. Haha, true. . . . Take care~ Enjoy your weekend~ Huhu, see you next week. Bye, Joon Thanks for the meal I covered the bill. I had promised both of them that I would buy them something good to eat. I had promised SunAh during the episode with the Laughing Girl, and I had promised GyeongWon when I needed help with the Mother Dilemma. The cause of this phenomenon was the skill Goddess of Luck, which activated and made the four of us faint at the same time. Luck, huh? Hmmm As I took a shortcut, I started to speak to myself. The four of us went through several collisions in order to lose consciousness all at the same time. And right then, the Dream Within Dreams ghost story urred. While it had been a very improbable situation, to call it the Goddess of Luck Usually in online games, a skill you obtained was yours to keep permanently. However, the S-rank skill I obtained, Goddess of Luck, had activated once and then disappeared. Is to keep things bnced? To call what had just happened the results of a S-ranked consumable skill wasnt very convincing. Luck, fortune What exactly is the fortune in this? The points I received while solving this ghost story were the same as before. I had earned the same exact amount that I would earn from defeating a B-rank Ghost Story. What did I gain from this situation? Hmmm what could be called a great fortune? Did I gain anything else besides points? Members? SunAh, GyeongWon, and JinHee were originally club members. Teacher Jang HwaEun was originally our advisor. The two new members we gained today because of the incident were DukHun and HaYoon. Well, we could ignore DukHun. In HaYoon. HaYoon The type of quiet female student that every ss has. Was bringing HaYoon into the Ghost Story Club really that great of a fortune? She did exude mysterious elegance, but looks definitely werent the reason it was fortunate, right? I suddenly had the idea to check HaYoons status window. Manage Club. Manage Members. In HaYoon status window. Since HaYoon was now a member, I could check her status window from anywhere. Poof-!!
Status Window Name: In HaYoon LV.1 [0/100] Age: 17 Title: Wife Material Disposition: ??? >NEW!! Click to Expand Special Ability: None Quirk: ??? Understanding: 5/100 [Your understanding of the target character is too low. Please interact more with this character to obtain more information.]
Something is off. My understanding of her was way too low. I had been through life and death situations with her, yet I know so little about her. I tried clicking HaYoons disposition. Poof-
Disposition: ??? -Likes books.
Thats it? What happened to her personality being calm, or her being very quiet usually? What about her being polite? Also, I think something unusual had happened, but what was it? Anyway, I tried thinking up several different images I had of HaYoon, but that didnt reflect on the understanding of HaYoon in the status window. In the case of GyeongWon and SunAh, the understanding had increased drastically even if I made rough guesses about their personalities. Haaa, damn. I dont know. Nothing is working. Ill leave it forter. I decided to put the stuff on HaYoon on hold for now and started to think about what I had earned from the incident this time all over again. Members, members huh Maybe Ah! Thats it! With that happening, I was able topletely reveal the monstrous incidents that I had been through so far to the members. I could reveal the Broadcast Announcement, the Laughing Girl, the Mother Dilemma, and even the Demon King. From the first time meeting those monsters to the point where they died, this incident had let them experience the same things that I had experienced. Even the situation where every time I died, I regressed, was reproduced to a certain extent. Of course, it wasnt a real regression. Rather, it was the restarting of a dream. But from the perspective of the person stuck, it was very simr to the regression Id been through. All of those situations had been very fortunate for me when I exined what I had been through. My word! I couldnt help but hit my head in surprise. The four of us colliding heads and knocking ourselves out was not the fortune to be expected from the Goddess of Luck. It was the timing at which the Dream Within Dreams happened when we were knocked out, and having it replicate everything I had been through. That was the fortune presented by the special ability! It could be said that the Dream Within Dreams had done its work before leaving! Although I would still have to slowly exin everything to my club members, because they understood what I had been through so far, they were in a position to ept what I exined. This was an amazing prospect for me. It could have been that I would be forced to work my way through all of these ghost stories by myself for the next three years as the club members just hung out on the sidelines in the dark. Now, that situation waspletely impossible. I would not have to fight by myself. If something unusual happened, I could gather the club members and work on it together. I had made friends that I could share those monstrous incidents with. Wow, this is fucking amazing. Haha. I smacked my forehead again for good measure. It really was S-ranked good fortune. As I was walking and feeling content, I ended up passing by the school. On the map, my house, the school, and the station were in that order in a straight line. As I had been on my way home from the fast-food restaurant, I naturally ended up passing by the school again. Seeing the school building, I suddenly remembered something I had nned to do. Thats right! The points! I had been nning to use all of the points I had stocked up to level up the Ghost Story Club, but I had to do it when there would be no one looking. It had been a while since school ended, so now would be the perfect time. After crossing through the empty schoolyard and climbing stairs to the fifth floor, I headed to the clubroom. It was very quiet within the school. The only noise that could be heard was a couple of third year seniors studying on their own for after school studies. No one will see, right? I carefully opened the clubroom door and entered. I could see the sun starting to set through the window. The table, the chairs, and the whiteboard were right in front of me. The cozy clubroom had something rxing about it. Though, I do wish it was a little bit more spacious. Due to HaYoon and DukHun suddenly joining, the room was a bit cramped for all six of us to be there at once. No, if we consider that the teacher is also considered a member of the club, itll be seven people total. Somehow, we managed to make the room work during Club Activities Period before. Anyway, Manage Club! Poof-
[Ghost Story Club Lv.1] Club Status Window Manage Members Shop (LOCKED) Club Settings
One. Club Status Window. Poof-
[Ghost Story Club LV.1] [You may spend points to nurture your club] [Points until next level up 0/100] [Ability] -None
Good. Shall we start leveling up? After I pressed the button with my fingers, a question popped up.
[Current Ghost Story Points: 212] [You may spend points to level up your club. Will you proceed?]
Yes!
[Club Level Up willmence.]
At that instant, a sound effect that reminded me of leveling up in video games sounded out as numbers filled my vision.
[Ghost Story Points until next level up 17/100]
Ooooooomm~
[28/100]
[52/100]
[75/100]
[87/100]
[99/100]
Babum! And finally, the points finished filling up.
[100/100]
Bam Bam Bam Bum~ * * * * * *
[The club has leveled up!]
[Ghost Story Club LV.1 LV.2]
[Each time the Ghost Story Club levels up, you may distribute one ability point. Please choose an ability. Current avable ability points: (1)] [Ghost Story Acquisition Skill LV. 0] [Manpower Capacity LV.0] [Space Expansion LV.0]
Oho! I started to ponder as I looked at the three options I could choose from. It was hard to tell exactly what the ghost story acquisition skill and manpower capacity did from just those words. As for space expansion, it seemed pretty self-exnatory. It should mean that the clubroom will berger in size, right? I should probably choose this one first. If we included our teacher, the club consisted of seven members. Proceeding with club activities in our current cramped room was a bit of a stretch. Both mentally and physically, this clubroom would be the heart of the club. That was why it was important to prioritize the space, so that it was wide enough for all of the club members. Without hesitation, I clicked on space expansion.
[The Space Expansion ability has been added to the club.] [Ghost Story Club LV.2] [Points until next level up 0/100] [Ability] - Space Expansion LV.0 -> LV.1
Bam Bum~ [The clubroom expansion will begin soon. In order to begin, please leave the room and close the door.] Loading? Was such a thing really necessary? I briefly looked around the clubroom. I could see the wide windows and white curtains as the sunset peeked in. A table with four chairs with a whiteboard on wheels. In order topare the expanded clubroom to the current one, I tried to engrave this image into my mind as I left the room. Bam- As I closed the door, a message popped up.
[The clubroom is reloading. Please wait a moment.]
0%
12%
35%
There was an unusual sound, like machinery,ing from the clubroom as it began reloading. I grew curious about what was happening inside so I tried to look in through the window on the door, but the window was blurred, and I couldnt see through it. Ring~
100%
[The clubroom has been created.]
I opened the door and could not help but be surprised. Oh my god. The clubroom had be about twice asrge. The furniture has been moved around, too. As the room had be wider, it would make the most sense that the tables and white board would be located off to one side. However, the furniture was moved around so that it was in the middle of the room. The window on the wall remained the same size, but since the wall had increased in size, there was now an empty wall on either side of the window. As the window was now in the middle of the wall, I could not help but wonder how exactly it worked. Also, the number of chairs increased to match the number of club members. There are two more chairs than before! The system clearly had the ability to control and adjust reality! My heart began to pound. I needed to learn how to use the system properly. If I can use the abilities of the system properly, fighting those weird ghosts and monsters will be much more realistic! As I gained a bit of confidence, I checked my system window. Poof-
Status Window Name: Lee Joon Age: 17 Title: Main Character Disposition: [Two-Faced] > Click to Expand Special Ability: 1. None 2. None 3. None Quirk: Last Second Cramming.
As I expected The special ability I had, Goddess of Luck, had disappeared. As it said in the description, the Goddess of Luck ability was a consumable skill that would disappear after activating once. Just leaving the ability spot nk now makes me feel a bit empty. Since Ive invested about half of my points on the club, I should use the remaining half on obtaining a skill. I pressed the first nk spot under special abilities. Poof-
[Currently, the first ability is empty. You may use 100 points to open an ability.] [Open Ability (100) / Go Back]
Open Ability. Click.
[Spending 100 Ghost Story Points. You unlocked your first ability.]
Then, a 16-bit melody began to y, just likest time. Several words spun past the first slot, as if it were a slot machine once again. Tada Tan, Dada Tan~ Spin.
V [letic Sense - Member of Society - Lip Reading - Joint Regression - ]
Spin.
V [r of Society - Lip Reading - Joint Regression - Fast Walking - ]
Spin. Just like the first time, I could see all sorts of abilities pass by. I tried my best to look at all of the words zipping by, trying to memorize the names of the abilities. I thought that it would be best if I could get a sense of what sort of abilities were avable to me. I had tried taking a picture of the status window using my phone, but of course it did not actually show up. Looking at the window with my eyes and trying to memorize it was the best I could do. Fast walking Lip reading Identity forgery Joint regression Joint regression especially caught my eye. Does that mean someone would regress along with me? That would be amazing. I hope I can get that ability. That my fellow club members had regressed with me this time was only because it was the Dreams Within Dreams ghost story. It was a unique case that would most likely not happen again. However, this was reality. If I died, only I would regress. If I obtained the joint regression ability, however, I would be able to regress with my club members, which would help with solving cases faster. Tada Tan, Dada Tan~ [You obtained Special Ability: Lip Reading.] However, despite my hopes, the arrownded on a different ability. Well, Rome wasnt built in a day. It could take several tries. I put aside my slight disappointment and clicked to learn more about the ability I had obtained. Click Rank: B-Rank Trigger Condition: Automatic Ability: You can read the lips of another person to understand what that person is saying. Although I couldnt say the ability was amazing, if there was a situation where I would need to try to spy on someone, the ability would be useful for understanding what was being said. Whew~ I finished spending all of the points and sat down in one of the seats as I let out a sigh. I was tired. Although it had been a dream, I had died several times over. Still, I managed to go through a situation with my ssmates and got them to understand what I was going through, expanded the clubroom, and received Lip Reading as an ability. Because I had received those things, the suffering I went through was worth it. It would have been perfect if there were a sofa right here. As I imagined what it would be like to take a nap in the clubroom on a sofa, I started to head out. *** Oooh! Joony boy! Why are you still here thiste? I was crossing through the courtyard to get to the front gates when someone greeted me. It was DamIm, that racoon-like, rotund old man. I was checking up on the clubroom before I went home. Oho, is that so? How enviable. My homeroom teacher rubbed his belly as heughed. It would be great if us teachers also had a ce to rest like that~ Ohoho. Isnt there the teachers lounge? Thats a ce for the popr insider teachers to hang out, Joony boy. A rotund, middle-aged man like me has no business there. To think that teachers also had an insider crowd and outsider crowd. I wasnt sure if what he said was true or not, but I couldn''t help butugh. Well, I guess it wouldnt only be among just the teachers. Any group within society would probably have something simr. Ahem, Joony boy. I wanted to ask My homeroom teacher suddenly turned very serious as he looked around to check for any listeners. Did you use the item I gave you well? Item? My mind drew a nk before I understood what he was talking about. Ah you mean the clubroom key? Haha. Of course! I used it well. No, not that. I meant something else. You know, that. That? Ohoho, ohoho. I started staring at DamIm without a word. Im talking about the totem, the totem. You used it well, right? Ohoho. And leaving me behind as I made a shocked face, my homeroom teacher began to walk away as he happily hummed some popr song. Every. Body. Four! In! Ce! Ss! O. E. O. U. Eish. Ei~ Oh Yeah~ I was just standing there by the front gates, staring at my homeroom teachers back. I was unable to process what had happened. Chapter 27: Sixth Ghost Story - CSAT Banned Songs (1) Chapter 27: Sixth Ghost Story - CSAT Banned Songs (1)
Main Screen [2019, Mar. 10 | Sunday, 16:20] [Lee Joon - Number of Attempts: 2] [Ghost Story Points: 12] [Causality Rate: 9%]
Click. As soon as I clicked my mouse, my character fired its rifle. [Bang!] The enemy hiding in the trees jumped up in surprise. [Plop!] However, it was useless against my headshot. This weapon has the fastest muzzle speed here~ The only thing that went faster was probably the weekend. It was already Sunday. I had spent all of Saturday sleeping and ying on theputer. Sunday, as well. I got up at noon and spent all day eating snacks as I yed games. It was alreadyte into the afternoon. My mother went to the temple, so she wasnt home on Sundays. Since my dad loitered around in the living roomzily, no one could stop me from spending all of Sunday ying games. I spent my weekdays at school with tons of questions on my mind, but there was no use in wondering about the answers on my own. At the end of the day, I had to face the questions head-on in order to discover any information. That was why I spent the weekend just ying and sleeping, relieving the stress from the past week. I soon grew bored of the shooting game, so I started rolling around on the bed. However, my mom got back from the temple and entered my room. Joon~ Come with Mom to go grocery shopping~ Noooo~ Dont wanna I wanna stay at hooooome~ Come on out~ I cant hold all the bags alone. Okay? Mom started to coax me as I hugged the nkets and rolled around, trying to get me to follow her to get groceries. Because it was Mom, I got up and started to get dressed. Afterwards, I went out into the living room. Huhuhu, enjoy the trip. Dad waszing on the sofa in only his undershirt and boxers. What are you talking about? You have to drive us there, silly! Soon enough, our family made our way to the nearby Clover Mart to shop for groceries. Seeing the endless meandering line for the registers, I slipped off to the electronics section and was looking at the newest models of TVs when I saw a familiar face. GyeongWon! Oh, its Prez! GyeongWons parents were also standing by his side. Both his parents wore sses, and they had the same aura as university professors. I see that the sses were hereditary.
[Your understanding of Ahn GyeongWon has increased by 10.]
I see. This must be your friend. Nice to meet you~ Yes, well met. However, it felt like GyeongWons father wasnt very pleased to see me. He adjusted his sses as he began to judge me based on my appearance. I could feel the appraising gaze from his eyes. Is he a friend from the same ss? Haha. How did you two get to know each other? Then, GyeongWon replied in my stead. He is in my ss, and he is also the president of our club. Club? At that moment, GyeongWons father pushed up his sses again, and light seemed to sh off it. Which club? Its the gho- When GyeongWon was about to respond, I interrupted him and quickly responded. Its the Folklore Ghost Story Research Club. Folklore Ghost Story? Yes. I nodded my head and calmly spoke. It is a club that researches the traditional folklore that was passed down throughout Korea. Oho. I see. Folklore! His father began to nod in approval. I could immediately tell that he was the strict and stubborn type. Because Ive added the words traditional to the club, he was loving it. I see you are researching our old traditions. What a great idea! Haha. Thank you. But I hear that you are the president His sses shed once again. Once again, I used my wits to respond. I am the president of the club. But it is only the acting president. Our club has a club chairman, and the president works beneath him. Aha, that means I nodded my head. GyeongWon is the club chairman. GyeongWon began to look at me with admiration. Haha, just like I thought! There is no way our smart GyeongWon would ever work under someone else! GyeongWons father began to chuckle in approval. You rascal! If you became the chairman of your club, you should have told your father about it! Haha. Sorry, it was a bit hectic because it was still the first week of school GyeongWon tried to brush it off, and he gave me a look of mixed admiration and apology. He quietly spoke to himself afterwards, but at that moment a message popped up. Poof-
[Special Ability: Lip Reading has activated.] [Prez, hes amazing, just as I expected.]
Oho Well, it wasnt really anything amazing. However, as it was something he wasnt used to doing, he must have looked at it positively. Lip reading So, this is how its used. The system had stated that I received a skill, but as nothing seemed to have changed, I had been quite curious about it. Now I could see that the system would automatically read lips and then show me the words in a message. It was nice meeting you. GyeongWon, Ill see you tomorrow~ Yeah. See you, prez. I then turned around and walked away. Although my pride was scratched a bit, I wouldnt be meeting GyeongWons father often anyway. Rather, having done this favor for GyeongWon meant that he was in my debt. I would say it was an overall win. My dad was waiting for me, so we met up and began to head back towards Mom. As we were walking, Dad asked me a question. Uh, Joon. That club, you mentioned ghost stories Is it because of that weird thing from before? Yes, thats right. I nodded. He was asking while remembering the Mother Dilemma from a few days ago. I thought there was a need to find out more about such phenomena, so I made the club. Is that so? Im sorry that Dad doesnt know much about those things. Still, if there is anything you need,e ask me anytime. I will definitely help you. Thanks, haha. A bit further up, Mom was struggling with putting some stuff into the cart. Where did you disappear to, really~? Hahaha, sorry honey. Our son saw a friend, so I had to wait for him to haul his ass over~ *** And Sunday passed by, just like that. Monday had arrived. Theziness of the weekend had extended into the morning, so I was dozing off in the ss until lunch time. It was only once lunch came around that I became alert and gathered with the members at the cafeteria. SunAh, over there. Yeah GyeongWon, SunAh, and I carefully walked through the hectic cafeteria with our trays of food. Sit over here. Okay. Once we sat down, another person joined us. Without us realizing, HaYoon had smoothly followed us and sat down with us. Hello. Hello~ After greeting each other, we began to hurriedly eat the spicy pork that came out for lunch. Suddenly, to the side there was the loud sound of people singing. Every. Body. Four! In! Ce! Ss! O. E. O. U. Eish. Ei~ Oh Yeah~ Hahahaha. Kekeke. They were students in the same grade that were thewless type. The delinquents were sting music from their phones as they noisilyughed and ate. I could see the guys that looked like good-for-nothings and the girls with makeup caked on their faces all giggling amongst themselves. Kakakaka. It had only been a week since the school year started, but thosewless students were already grouping up together. As I admired those punks cohesion, I secretly stared at the frivolously crossed legs of the girls. SunAh scrunched her brows as she scowled in their direction. They have no manners. Yeah. Theyre noisy As SunAh agreed to thement, she puffed her cheeks. Lets eat quickly and head over to the clubroom. Lets do that. After hearing the word clubroom, SunAhs mood grew much better and she started to smile. Now that I think about it, its been a while since Ive heard that song. I suddenly began to reminisce about my past life. It was right about now that a neer idol girl groups debut song became a hit sensation that shook the country. It was an exciting song with an addictive melody, and simple repetitive lyrics. It was the type of music that would easily get stuck in ones head, the type to be a CSAT banned song. T/N: In Korea, their SAT equivalent is the CSAT. Since the examinations only ur once a year, they put that much more emphasis on doing well. During the examination period, (November to December) specific VERY catchy songs, or earworms, are infamous for ruining test takers. These songs are often called CSAT banned songs in Korea. Imagine Despacito being stuck in your head as you take an exam. I remember being in the hospital during this time, as it was right after the Serial Head Explosion incident. I was irritated that the song woulde on so often as I changed channels on the TV. Oh Yeah Eish-ei Dum! Atom! Cadavri~sh It was a chorus full of weird, overused filler words. It reminded me of the old song Abracadabra by the Brown Eyed Girls. T/N: Real song by real girl group. Look it up. The lyrics were full of unintelligible chanting that reminded you of a magic spell, but once it wasbined with a catchy melody, people seemed to love it to death. Rishi Zedney Bruh Maz~ Oh~ Z Wait, were the lyrics supposed to be like this? As this was something that happened over three years ago from my perspective, my memory was a bit hazy. Although it seemed a bit strange, I let it go because I couldnt remember it. * * * * * * Hmmm Something feels really off SunAh tilted her head. Was our clubroom Always thisrge? After stepping into the clubroom, SunAh began to look around for a sign. It feels the same to me. GyeongWon answered as if nothing had changed, and he just took a seat in a chair. Ahn GyeongWon. Although he had a lot of information in his brain, was he the type that didnt notice much about his surroundings? Well, that was better for me. Nooo I feel like it definitely became roomier SunAh looked towards me as she tilted her head again. Although she was looking at me for a response, I could only keep silent and plead the fifth. I also think its the same? HaYoon smiled as she replied from behind me. At those words, SunAh mumbled to herself. And the number of chairs seemed to have increased She then took a seat while making a bewildered face. Sorry, SunAh. I hadnt revealed everything to the club members yet. Through the Dream Within Dreams incident, they dide to know that I had gone through many weird phenomena. However, they did not know anything about the fact I hade back three years in time, nor did they know about the system. SunAh must be able to sense the change in size because she lived in a cramped ce for such a long time.
[Your understanding of Yoon SunAh has increased by 10.]
Yaaawn~ I should take a nap here until lunchtime is over. GyeongWon let out a yawn as he put his head down on the table. The influence of the weekend must still be lingering. HaYoon took out a book to read and SunAh began to read her partners book over her shoulder. Guys, wouldnt it be perfect if there was a sofa right here? I spoke up as I took a seat near the window. During any down time, we could use it to take a nap or something. Huhu, Prez should go out and buy one with your money. GyeongWon answered with his head still on the table. I opened the club menu of the status window and looked at the shop option.
[Ghost Story Club Lv.2] Club Status Window Manage Members Shop (LOCKED) Club Settings
Lets see here. Click.
Shop (LOCKED) [This function unlocks when the Club Level reaches Level 5.]
As I thought. Even if I clicked it, I couldnt get in. It would be best if I could at least check what kind of function this tab has. I hoped that, just as the name suggested, I could purchase expensive furniture that students couldnt normally afford by paying using Ghost Story Points instead of money. Then I could expand the room a bit more and put in a television here, and a bed there. While I was at it, I could put in aputer as well, so that I could y a few games after school ended! I spent the rest of lunch period daydreaming what it would be like to furnish the clubroom as my own personal getaway. It was something like a mans dream. *** And like that, four days zipped by until it was the second Club Activities Period.
Main Screen [2019, Mar. 15 | Friday, 10:05] [LeeJoon - Number of Attempts: 2] [Ghost Story Points: 12] [Causality Rate: 9%]
If the first week after the new school year was a chaotic mess, this week was surprisingly peaceful. To think that nothing would happen. Compared to the timesst week where I couldnt even pass a day without getting ripped apart, this week was almost heavenly. Right now, during the third period, we had music ss. We brought the most popr textbook to that ss, the music textbook. It was the most popr because of how thin it was. Wheeze, wheeze. Why is it that in Korea, we must move ssrooms between each subject? TwT. What gives? Your favorite country, Japan, does the same shit. Kuso. T/N: Kuso is Japanese for crap/fuck/shit. DukHun was sweating profusely as he climbed up to the fourth floor. Just like other schools, although we usually stayed in the same ssroom for most lessons, for sses with special ssrooms we would have to move to that room. Science ss had to be held in the scienceb, music ss had the music room. Gym ss had to be held in the courtyard, and dance ss had to be held in the dance studio, etc. Now, one octave higher! Aaaaaaaaah, aaaaaahh~ Aaaaaaaaah, aaaaaahh~ We all followed the music teachers directions as she yed the piano and had us clear our throats. She was a woman in her mid-fifties, and she seemed to have the same special feature of all musicians, unnecessary sensitivity. I roughly copied the group as we cleared our voices, but my mind was on the clubroom. If you consider the teacher as well, we are actually missing a chair. We have seven all together but there are only six chairs. I guess the system is trying to tell the president to lead the club standing up. While I waspletely engrossed in my thoughts, the teacher suddenly stopped the piano ying and started to shout out. Quiet! Quiet! Whos making those weird noises? Was it me? I flinched thinking that I was bullshitting my way through the singing a bit too much, but that wasnt it. Oooh Oh yeah From somewhere within the quiet ssroom, the recent hit song could be heard. Who left their phone on? Hurry up and turn it off! The music teacher shouted sharply. A dumb-looking student looked surprised as he took out his phone and fumbled with it, trying to turn it off. Huuu, why does this damned school not take away the students phones during ss? Damn. After it grew quiet again, the music teacher let out a sigh and began to y the piano again. Aaaaaaaaah, aaaaaahh~ Aaaaaaaaah, aaaaaahh~ From my understanding, the school used to collect students phones like the other schools justst year. However,st year one of the cell phone storage boxes for a certain ss went missing. After that, the policy was abolished. A full ss of thirty students all had their phones go missing. Considering that the cost of phones these days go for over a thousand dors, at least thirty thousand dors worth of phones had disappeared at once. The teachers were of the opinion that students shouldnt have ess to their phones during ss. The parents agreed, and so the collection policy had been implemented. But once therge number of phones went missing at once, the parents began to demand reparations for the missing phones. As a result of that incident, the school no longer collected the students phones. At the end of the day, things were made morefortable for us students. However, those results were not created because of us. Instead, thepromise was made by adults due to money. Tsk. It really shows that students have no power here. All we do is get pushed around by adults. I should hurry up and defeat the demon king and graduate. While I was deep in thought, someone suddenly shouted. Whos using their phone again! Huh?! The music teacher smashed her hand against the piano as she shouted once again. All of the students began to look around at each other in confusion. Some of the students looked a bit annoyed. What crazy bastard is looking at their phone? Cant they read the atmosphere? Do they really want to use it when she just ranted about it? The ss looked around for the culprit asints stacked up. I also looked around to see which idiot would repeat the mistake when I realized something. Its quiet, though? There was no sounding from within the music room. Next to me, DukHun was also wheezing as he made a Nani?! expression. T/N: Nani means what in Japanese. Why arent you turning it off? I said to turn it off! The music teacher continued to shout. Her actions were starting toe off as hysterical. The students grew quiet and slowly started to eye each other with awkward expressions. This, this! O.E.O.U. oh yeah, something, something. Cant you hear that too? It keeps ying! The teacher began to hold her hand against her ear and searched for the source of the sound. I can hear it! Where is it?! She got up from the piano tform and headed towards the students. Is it here? No, I think its here? Which punk is doing this?! A quiet music room. The students were silent. And in this scene, a hysterical music teacher was going from desk to desk searching for the source of the music only she could hear. I think its over here. She stopped in front of HaYoons desk. The students silently looked over as they awaited her fate. Right next to HaYoon, SunAh also looked over at her partner in concern. Here! Its here! Hey, youtake out your phone! The teacher started to poke at HaYoons skirt with her conductors baton, demanding that she take out the phone. With a peaceful expression, HaYoon took out her phone and handed it to the teacher. It was this! This was where the sound came from, huh? The teacher snatched HaYoons pink phone and put it against her ears, but soon started to scowl. Thats right, the phone was silent. How could it be possible that the music wasing out from that phone when the room had been silent except for the teachers ravings? Thats not it? Is it near here? The teacher hysterically tossed the phone back to HaYoon and started moving, searching for the source of the music again. Cant you guys hear it too? You guys should be able to hear it! The thing going O. E. O. U, o. e. o. u, and whatnot! Just like that, she ended up in front of SunAh this time. HEY! YOU! The music teacher shouted loudly. Take out your phone! SunAh started shaking as she put her hands into her pocket. She then took out her cheap cell phone and handed it to the teacher. The phone was one of the free models avable at discount stores. The teacher once again put the phone against her ear and scowled after realizing that wasnt the source either. This isnt it? I was certain it came from here. The teacher hysterically started to tap the phone and put it against her ear again. In front of this crazy teacher, SunAh could only stare at the floor as she trembled. Hey, you! Once the teacher shouted out at her again, SunAh looked up at her with a fearful expression. The sound definitely came from here! Why did you turn it off? N-no Thats not true SunAh was trembling as she shook her head in denial. I heard it! The music definitely came from here! When did you turn it off, huh?! She started to rant as veins popped up on her neck. Huh? Huh? See! See, look here! Again! Again! Again! I can hear it again now! SunAh continued to shake her head while trembling. Again!!! I can hear it again!!!! Again!!!! I hear it!!!!! I got you!!!!!! Whats your name!!!!!! SunAh was shaking her head and was on the verge of tears. At that moment, a very clear voice could be heard. Teacher, I cant hear anything like music at all. HaYoon, who had been sitting one seat over, responded to the teachers ranting. What? Its silent. I think you heard it incorrectly. The teacher was about to say something but shut her mouth. HaYoons clear voice and exact pronunciation gave off an indisputable aura that she could not argue against. The teacher tapped at the phone another time and put it against her ears, before putting the phone on SunAhs desk and walking back towards the piano. SunAh couldnt even think of putting the phone back into her pocket, as she was still trembling. Thats not it I definitely heard that music again. The teacher began to mumble to herself as she stood in front of the piano. Its going like O. E. O. U. oh yeah, eish ei O. E. O. U cant you guys hear it too? She began to look in our general direction with unfocused eyes. I can hear it even now O. E. O. U. eish ei O. E. O. U. I can still hear it. I''ve been hearing this since yesterday I could hear itst night I could hear it this morning even if Im still, I hear it I could hear it in the bathroom I could hear it during ss O. E. O. U. O. E. O. U. ei ei eish ei rishi zedney bruh maz Is it English is it Spanish We could only stare at the teacher with horrified expressions. Pop music these days its quite weird What kind of foreignnguage is this? Its all mixed up and everything They should just sing it in Korea its weird its so weird I can still hear it O. E. O. U. O. E. O. U. eish ei dum atom eish ei oh yeah oh yeah. We could hear the students swallowing their saliva. O.E.O.U. eishiei dumatom cadavrishi zedney bruh maz ohzi O.E.O.U. eishiei duma I can definitely hear this, cant you guys hear it? tom cadavrishi zedney bruh maz ohzi yo, listen up here''s a story about a little guy that lives in a blue world and all day and all night and everything he sees is just blue like him inside and outside Oh this is so weird! This is so weird! blue his house with a blue little window and a blue corvette and everything is blue for him and himself and everybody around cause he ain''t got nobody to listen to I can definitely hear this, but cant you guys hear it too? I''m blue Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di This is so weird! Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di I''m blue Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di How is nobody else hearing this? Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di I have a blue house with a blue window blue is the color of all that I wear blue are the streets and all the trees are too I have a girlfriend and This is madness! she is so blue blue are the people here that walk around blue like my corvette its in and outside blue are the words I say and what I think blue are the feelings that live inside me Help! I think I need some help! I''m blue Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di SEND HELP Da ba dee da ba di I''m blue Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di I have a blue house with a blue window blue is the color of all that I wear blue are the streets and all the trees are too I have a girlfriend and she is so blue blue are the people here that walk around blue like my corvette, it''s in and How is it that no one else can hear this but me? outside blue are the words I say and what I think blue are the feelings that live inside me I''m blue Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di I''m blue Im not blue, but I am in need of help! Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di yo, listen up here''s a story about a little guy that lives in a blue world and all day and all night and everything he sees is just blue like him inside and outside Oh this is so weird! This is so weird! blue his house with a blue little window and a blue corvette and everything is blue for him and himself and everybody around cause he ain''t got nobody to listen to I can definitely hear this, but cant you guys hear it too? I''m blue Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di This is so weird! Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di I''m blue Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di How is nobody else hearing this? Da ba dee da ba di HELP! Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di I have a blue house with a blue window blue is the color of all that I wear blue are the streets and all the trees are too I have a girlfriend and This is madness! she is so blue blue are the people here that walk around blue like my corvette its in and outside blue are the words I say and what I think blue are the feelings that live inside me Help! I think I need some help! I''m blue Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di I''m blue Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di This is feeling really weird. Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di I have a blue house with a blue window blue is the color of all that I wear blue are the streets and all the trees are too I have a girlfriend and she is so blue blue are the people here that walk around blue like my corvette, I wish I had a corvette. it''s in and outside blue are the words I say and what I think blue are the feelings that live inside me I''m blue Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Is no one going to help me? Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Come on, I cant be the only one who is hearing this! Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di I''m blue Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di No? Its just me? O.E.O.U. eishiei dumatom cadavrishi zedney bruh maz ohzi O.E.O.U. eishiei dumatom cadavrishi zedney bruh maz oh. As we sat there sweating, we could only hope that ss would end soon. Chapter 28: Sixth Ghost Story - CSAT Banned Songs (2) Chapter 28: Sixth Ghost Story - CSAT Banned Songs (2) Finally, the hour that felt like days ended. Dingdong Dingdong~ Our ss of thirty didnt dy at all, rushing out the door of the music room once the bell rang. I was also part of that crowd, and once I made it to the hallway I dashed to where SunAh stood. SunAh, are you alright? Yeah SunAh still had a fearful look on her face. Such a weird teacher, am I right? SunAh silently nodded her head. Since were already on the fourth floor, lets go rest in the clubroom for now. Okay We were on the fourth floor, and the clubroom was on the fifth. In order to get SunAh to rx, it wasnt a bad idea to go up and rest for a bit. Behind us, I could see GyeongWon and HaYoon naturally following us. Atama itten janai~? Is there something wrong with that teachers head OwO~? T/N: atama itten janai is Japanese for Isnt that person crazy? DukHun followed us, sweating as he did. The five of us entered the clubroom and plopped onto our chairs, letting out sighs. Although we couldnt stay long since our break was only ten minutes long, it was still a time for rxation and relief. We had been anxious the entire ss, as if we were sitting on pin cushions, because the music teacher was just mindlessly mumbling those lyrics. After being in a safe space like our clubroom, I could feel myself rxing again. Kuso, it seems like the clubroom got a bitrger OwO~? Youre just imagining things. But for real, what was that teacher? It was actually a bit scary SunAh was mumbling to herself, but soon she looked up and spoke. Thanks for helping me, HaYoon. No problem. HaYoon replied as if it took no effort. Although the two were partners in ss, they didnt seem close at all originally. It seemed like it was only now that the two finally started speaking to each other. I tried to console the crouching SunAh a bit more. She might have a mental disability. Yeah Dont worry too much. Im sure something will be done about this soon. Shell probably be told to go on break for a bit or something. I mean, over thirty students saw what she was doing for over an hour. I bet the phones in the teachers lounge will be busy because of the parents. I can see that happening. GyeongWon, who had butted himself into the conversation, mentioned a good point. I yed along. However, it seemed like he suddenly had something to say. Um, Prez? I was about to mention something. Huh? Whats up? I just happened to think of something, since we are the Ghost Story Club and all. GyeongWon adjusted his sses. That song. It seems like it isnt only a couple of people who are addicted to that song. Its that popr? No, no, I mean actually addicted. The guys sses began to sh. Do you remember the songs that were popr in the past, such as Ring Ding Dong, UR Man, or Jin Jin Ja Ra? The songs that were so catchy that once you heard them, they stuck to your brain and refused to disappear? We often call them CSAT banned songs. Of course I remember. I was still in elementary school back then, but everyone was singing those songs. The current popr song, Oh Yeah, is currently going through a simr phenomenonbut is actually much worse in severity. The current situation GyeongWon was exining didnt seem like a normal urrence. This Fourincess girl groups debut single, Oh Yeah, was a bright and cheery song. The chorus started with Oh Yeah~ and was extremely catchy. Of course it was a well-loved song amongst the listeners. The song was currently number one on the billboard charts and, because of that single, the very new girl group Fourincess was able to jump from no-name idols to a famous girl group in one go. Up to that point it is consistent with my memories, but what happens next seems off to me. The problem was that the song was too popr, almost beyond imagination. From convenience stores, supermarkets, restaurants, makeup emporiums and the like, wherever I went, that song would be ying. A famous brand had already hired the girl group to star in theirmercial, where the lyrics were changed to promote their product. The song was shaking the nation. All sorts of YouTubers were either remixing the song or dancing and singing covers to it. Tons of unrted images started using that song as background music. It was taking the inte by storm. It was even said that for some of the people that heard this song too many times, they could hear the song even though it wasnt ying, as if it had been imnted directly into their ears. Its a phenomenon called an earworm, and it urs when an addictive melody gets stuck in your head and continues to y out in your mind. In severe cases, I hear that you can even start hallucinating the sounds. I also had experiences where amercial jingle would be stuck in my head when I needed to focus, but this had been happening at a national scale. Then, do you think that the situation with our music teacher was an extreme case of this earworm? I think it would be safe to think that. Since shes old, people in music tend to be oversensitive. I carefully considered what GyeongWon had just exined, then asked my fellow members about it. Is there anyone who is listening to this song often? SunAh and DukHun shook their heads. Ive never heard it before It isnt my genre of music UwU~. Since SunAh was poor and often just stayed at home, there was no avenue for her to listen to this music. DukHun was a weeb that only listened to Japanese anime music, he probably wouldnt listen to Korean Girl Groups. How about you, HaYoon? I dont listen to that type of music either. And GyeongWon? I have heard it before but Im not really the type to enjoy music in the first ce. Ive only heard it being used as background music in some YouTube videos. Good. With a sincere expression, I made a request to the club members. Starting right now, I think it will be best if we all avoid listening to that song. Why? SunAh asked because she was curious. Its just this feeling I have. After I stated that, everyone except DukHun nodded with a meaningful expression. As SunAh, GyeongWon, and HaYoon had been with me in the Dream within Dreams ghost story, they were more open to this type of situation. Lets go down now. Break period is almost over. Okay Wheeze, wheeze, do I have to go down to the first floor again T.T? There were three reasons that I warned them to be wary of the song. First, this song was not popr to that extent in my previous life. It did have its sparks of life, but as a catchy song with a good hook, it was short lived at best. Second, the lyrics to the song were slightly different. While I didnt remember the specifics, I knew that the lyrics in my past life were full of fillersnot that weird foreignnguage mumbo jumbo. Third, it was the information that GyeongWon provided stating that the music would not leave ones ears. As a result, my warning to the club members was very urate. ***
MAIN SCREEN [2019, Mar. 22 | Friday, 07:05] [Lee Joon - Number of Attempts: 2] [Ghost Story Points: 12] [Causality Rate: 9%]
A weekter, it was Friday again. As I was preparing to go to school and eating breakfast with my parents, the news yed on our TV. [This is your morning news at 7. Do you know the idol girl group Fourincesss song Oh Yeah? It is the hit song that is shaking the nation with its catchiness. The problem is, this songs catchiness is so severe that some people are iming difficulty living their daily lives because of this song.] [Today, on the 22nd, the city of Seouls mayor office has put out an executive order to ban allmercials using this song Oh Yeah as the background and put all shows ying this song on indefinite hiatus. If the broadcast stations do not remove this song from their shows, it seems like it will be difficult for their programs to proceed on schedule.] [The Fourincesss agency is in chaos as they try to exin their side of the situation. This is the first time in history that a song has been banned in the media for being too addictive and catchy] Joon, you should be careful as well. Mom is also stressed because that song is continuously stuck in my head. Huuu~ Mom let out a sigh as she deboned her fish. Because our household was a dual-ie household, Mom worked part-time as a mart cashier. She seemed to be having a difficult time because she had to listen to that song all day as she worked. I nodded my head as I headed off for school. It had been exactly a week since the music teachers weird outburst. The world had changed quite a bit in that time. Oh Yeah Oh Yeah At the crosswalk in front of our school, between the rushing cars, there was one specific noisy truck that caught my eye. O.E.O.U. Oh Yeah eishiei dum! atom! Cadavri~shi Arge truck with external speakers attached dashed down the street, sting the music. In order to drown out that song the best I could, I began to hum a different song to myself. Yeah, of course it wouldnt be that easy~ The world that would just ept me~ Some of the students that were waiting for the traffic lights began to re at the truck. Recently, there had been more and more people that were acting like that truck driver, tantly sting the music as if to spread it to more people. Some people would sing Fourincesss single Oh Yeah aloud tantly as they walked, some would y the song on their phone at max volume on the subways. Even at home, someone within my apartment building would st the song from their TV as if to get everyone within the building addicted. Man, the world is going crazy! I headed to the school as I mumbled to myself. Now~ Everyone knows that everything is chaotic because of some song? Our ss shouldnt listen to that and focus on studying. Ohoho~ During morning homeroom, Teacher DamIm warned us while giving his weirdugh. However, despite his warning, an incident urred before lunch. Ah, fuck! Just turn off the music, my gosh! It was third period, and it was music ss again. However, the music teacher was at the hospital, so we were given self-study time instead. A sensitive-looking male student suddenly got up while shouting. Wh-who is it?! Who keeps turning on the music?! Fuck! I cant concentrate! The student kept looking at the rest of us, slightly deranged. As all of us were quietly staring at the guy, the broad-shouldered handsome guy sitting next to GyeongWon got up and looked at the male student. Hey, get yourself together, man. It was a tough and manly voice. He was voted as the ss president by andslide, ss president Ban JangHun. T/N: his name Ban JangHun is a y on words, as he is the ss president or BanJang in Korean, and he is handsome, which is Hun Nam in Korean. Its noisy and all. They keep ying that music Huh? The sensitive guy continued to shake as he looked around the quiet ssroom. Wh-who is it? The teacher said today not to listen to that music! Please just turn it off! Please The ss president looked at the sensitive boy and spoke again. Hey, I said to get your shit together. The ss presidents wide shoulders and bulging muscles could barely be contained by the school uniform. If a ss president with such a manly appearance came up to warn a person, most would have reacted at least a little. However, the sensitive boy just continued to look around anxiously. Please just turn that music off, please! I didn''t get a wink of sleepst night because of that song! Hey! I said to stop with that bu- And at the same moment that JangHun shouted [The broadcasting room would like to inform all students that, since this is an important announcement, they should listen closely.] Suddenly, the broadcasting system let out an announcement. From the voice, it sounded like a male upperssman. [Once again, the broadcasting room would like to inform all students that, since this is an important announcement, they should listen closely. I will now begin. O.E.O.U. Oh Yeah eishiei] And suddenly, the sound of that song began to y everywhere over the announcement broadcast. The sound of female idols singing to bright, catchy music filled the school. And finally, the chorus to that song. [Dum! Atom! Cadavri~shi Oh Yeah] At first, I was so dumbfounded that I thought I was just hearing things. However, after seeing the expressions on the other students, I knew it was real. [Once again, the broadcasting room would like to inform all students that since this is a really important announcement, they should listen closely. I will now begin. O.E.O.U. Oh Yeah eishiei Dum! Atom! Cadavri~shi Oh Yeah O.E.O.U. Oh Yeah eishiei Dum! Atom! Cadavri~shi ] KYAAAAAAAAAAAK!!!! * * * * * * At that moment, the sensitive boy took out a paper cutter from his pencil case and began to swing it wildly at anyone near him. Turn it off~!! Please! Please, just turn that music off~! [O.E.O.U. Oh Yeah] sh- sh- Shut the fuck uuuuup!!! Kyaaa! Omg wtf? He must be, like, crazy. The students near him scattered like flies in their surprise. DukHun, who had his earbuds in and was jamming to his anime music, looked at the disturbance with round eyes. However, the chaos did not end there. Uha- Uhaha! Uhahahahahahahahahaha~! A male student in the very back startedughing as he got up and flipped his desk over. Uhaha~! Uhahahuhaha~! And just like that, the student began to stomp through the ss, flipping any desks he came across. Crash-! Hey! What the fuck are you doing? Some one stop that fucker! Uhahaha! Uhaha~! [Now listen well. O.E.O.U. Oh Yeah] Turn it oooofffff~! Turn off that soooonggg~~!! Kyaaa! Run away! Uhahaha~! Uhaha~! Crash-! Crash-! Tumble! Stomp! The ssroom was in absolute chaos. As the sensitive boy swung his paper cutter, the surrounding students ran away. As that was happening, theughing student was flipping tables wherever he went. Even the jacked ss president was unable to do much in that situation, as he was quite startled by what was happening. DukHun! I tapped the stunned DukHuns body and got him to pay attention to me. Uun~? Get to the clubroom and hide, quickly! Yoshi! We quickly got up and headed towards the ssroom door. Hey! Calm down! And put that down, you bitch! Turn it ooooofff~! Pleeeaase just turn the music oooooooffff~! The sensitive student continued to swing his paper cutter around. The ss president tried to bring order to the ssroom but was unable to do much. [How was the song? Just in case there was a student who didnt hear it, we will y it another time, so please listen well! O.E.O.U. Oh Yeah eishiei Dum! Atom! ] I passed through the fallen students and went over to SunAh and HaYoon. SunAh was frozen on the spot, while HaYoon just watched the spectacle with apletely neutral expression. Hey gals! To the clubroom! Y-yeah! The school-wide broadcast announcement continued to y the song. I could see some of our other ssmates slowly go insane, some of them started pulling their hair out or hopped onto a desk and started to p their arms. As the screams increased drastically, SunAh, HaYoon, and DukHun opened the ssroom door and headed out. I noticed that GyeongWon had seen us and was following us out. As I was about to leave the ssroom, I suddenly turned around and looked at the very back of the ssroom, where I could see JinHee with a sleepy look, as if she had just woken up. This girl was also a member of our club, so we couldnt just ditch her here and run away. JinHee! She looked at me with a frown. Lets go to our clubroom! Quickly! Although she had an annoyed expression, as if she wanted to sleep a little longer, she surprisingly got up and followed me out without making a fuss. After leaving the ssroom together, I couldnt see the others. They had probably headed to the clubroom ahead of us. The hallways were an absolute mess. The other ssrooms must have had students going crazy as well. Many of the students were looking back into their ssrooms with worry, while some of the students were even acting crazy out here. [This announcement is very important, so please continue to listen in.] That fucking bastard! Hes so fucking loud! JinHee started to curse,pletely ticked off. With no care about the chaos of the students, the announcement once again began to y the Fourincess song. Oh Yeah The pretty voices of the girl group spread throughout the hallways. JinHee and I increased our pace as we found the staircase to go up. On the second floor, we could see the teachers banging away at the broadcast room door. What impudent student is causing this mess?! Hurry up and open that door! One of the teachers tried kicking the door open, but it seemed like the person inside had secured the door well, as it did not budge. As we climbed up to the fifth floor, it was chaotic everywhere. Aaahhh! This bitch bit my arm! Oh Yeah! Oh Yeah! Oh Yeah~! Get the fuck away from me! Get the fuck away from me, you fuckers! Huuuu, huuu! As I ran up the four flights of stairs to the fifth floor, my stamina was running low. JinHee seemedpletely fine, so she ran a little ahead of me and opened the clubroom door. Joon! SunAh got up from her seat as she looked at me with a worried expression. I see you all got here safely. Yeah Are you alright? Im good. If you exclude the difficulty of running up the stairs. After closing the door to the clubroom, the loud noise of the broadcasts and the chaos grew quiet. I started to catch my breath as I stood there. JinHee chose a chair and sat down. Hmmm, lets see here. Then, I suddenly felt the gazes of the club members looking at me. Whats this all of a sudden? Ah, the ce I had stood was right in front of the whiteboard. The five club members were all sitting. The image reminded me of a club president giving instructions to his club members. SunAh, GyeongWon, HaYoon, DukHun, and JinHee. Those five were sitting down and staring at me, the club president. Was it time for me to start assessing the situation? Ahem. I coughed and pretended to clear my throat. It was eleven in the morning. Originally, we were supposed to meet like this after lunch during the Club Activities Period. Somehow, we had all ended up here earlier instead. The expectant stares of the club members began to burn. I was always the guy that found it morefortable alone, so I would usually keep people at arms length. As I thought, I felt awkward trying to lead people. Well, with the situation the way it is, I have no other choice. I picked up a dry-erase marker and moved closer to the whiteboard. Will all of you look this way? We still had another two hours until the Club Activities Period started. The Ghost Story Club assembled a bit early today. Chapter 29: Sixth Ghost Story - CSAT Banned Songs (3) Chapter 29: Sixth Ghost Story - CSAT Banned Songs (3) As you guys can all see from the chaos, that song is definitely the cause. You all remember the weird behavior of the music teacherst week, right? The club members all nodded. And that sensitive-looking kid and the guy flipping desks. This is just a guess on my part, but I think sensitive or mentally weak people are being affected a lot more than others. Is there anyone here who keeps hearing that song in their head? On the fifth floor, there were only clubrooms, the dance studio, and multipurpose rooms. Therefore, except for in really special situations, the broadcast announcements didnt reach up there. Despite all of the havoc urring, it was actually quiet. If someone could hear the song, that person was likely to be affected by the song. JinHee raised her hand. That song is stuck in your head? Yeah. JinHee answered curtly. Do you usually listen to a lot of music? While I work part-time, yeah. Oh, right. JinHee did mention that she worked part-time after school. Was it a fast-food restaurant? I started to be a bit nervous as I asked. Do you perhaps feel like Weird? Or like you want to shout or something? Nope, I dont. JinHee answered very clearly. Or do you feel like flipping tables or something? Nope. Then something like wanting to sing? Nope. Or do you feel like dancing? Hey, stop asking stupid questions. Okay, got it. Just onest question, do you feel like hitting someone or JinHee brought up her fist. Want me to hit you? I flinched and took a step back. No, Im okay, JinHee. You dont have to hit me. I emphasized this another time. Its fine if you dont hit me. Please dont hit me. Okay. SunAh looked at me as if I was pathetic. I ignored her stare and moved onto my conclusion. I think JinHee is fine because her mental strength is high. It seems safe here for now, so lets wait here until the situation settles down. Haaa My gosh. What in the world is happening? Scary The members must have been scared, because they were murmuring to themselves. Sasuga. This is why I say that the pop music of Korea is an issue. All they do is repeat the same meaningless phrases or just pine for love. They should include lyrics full of hopes, dreams, mamoru Oh. T/N: Sasuga means as expected in Japanese. (Sasuga, Ainz-Sama). Mamoru means to protect in Japanese. After noticing JinHees re, DukHun immediately shut his mouth. At that moment Guys! Urgent news! Urgent newws~! We could suddenly hear the sound of a male student shouting from down the hallway. Looking through the small window on the door, I could see an upperssman running through the hallway with a cellphone in his hand. Fourincess made a song and its very exciting! Quickly try listening! Guys! Hide so that he cant see you! I quickly turned off the lights and whispered the warning to the other members. The members quickly ducked and stuck to the wall on the side with the door so that they wouldnt be visible through the window. The upperssman was running down the hall, phone in hand, as if he was a part of the torch ry in the Olympics. He dashed down the hallway with the phone sting the chaos-inducing song, all the way to the front of our clubroom door. We held our breath as weid low on the floor. Huh, how weird. I could have sworn the lights were on before~. We continued toy low, trying to remain out of sight. [Oh Yeah Oh Yeah] The low-quality speaker on the phone noisily sted music. The upperssman idled in front of our door for a bit before moving towards the stairs and going down. Guys! Urgent news! Urgent newws~! Whew. Everyone must be crazy. After the upperssman left, we let out a sigh of relief and got back up. I think it would be best to keep the lights off. DukHun, can you grab the curtains? And just in case, lets cover the window on the door with a piece of paper so that people cant peek in. At my suggestion, SunAh took out her National History textbook for fourth period and ripped out a page. She then stuck that page to cover the small door window. I could vaguely make out the image of the national history teacher ranting that a nation that forgets its history will have no future. Oh! Maybe this is a dream This is real. GyeongWon couldnt believe this was happening, so he started using his hands to cover the clock on his phone and taking it off repeatedly. What is this? Why is this happening ()? Itll be lunchtime soon, so we need to eat. DukHun let out hisints as he clutched his stomach. SunAh continued to look at me anxiously. The only people who seemed fine with this situation were HaYoon and JinHee. HaYoon just continued to stand there peacefully, and JinHee just continued to tap her foot with an annoyed expression, as if the whole situation just pissed her off. Why did we hide before? I could have just beat the living shit out of him instead. The other members grew conscious of JinHee. Although it was reassuring that this scary person was on our side, she still made some of us a bit anxious. Um, HaYoon. What do you think we should do? Huh? When I suddenly asked for her opinion, HaYoon narrowed her eyes. In this situation right now, what do you think we should do? Ahahaha, why ask me? HaYoon tried tough it off. Because you seemed very calm I was actually having difficulty deciding how to lead these five people through the havoc happening within the school. I hoped that it would all work out if we just hid here. However, that had never worked out, not since I first saw the system. Although we had all been running away, somehow it had be a gathering of the Ghost Story Club. Naturally, the club president would be required to lead the club. Haa why is it me I would be more thankful if the always-calm HaYoon or the charismatic JinHee led the club instead. Ill follow what you say, Joon. You are the club president, after all. But HaYoonpletely pulverized my dream and handed all responsibility back to me with a bright smile. I crossed my arms and began pondering what to do before deciding to ask GyeongWon for some help. Hey GyeongWon, can you think of any ghost story that is simr to our situation now? 11:20 AM. Wh-what? What did you say? GyeongWon was surprised by my question as he performed a Reality Check. A ghost story. Is there anything this reminds you of? Gh-ghost story? GyeongWon was flustered and quickly adjusted his sses. As expected, you are thinking that a ghost story could be rted to this incident likest time, club Prez? Yup. Besides that, I cant think of anything else. I-I guess that is true. Probably For DukHun and JinHee, who had experienced a mysterious incident for the first time, the question might have been confusing. But for SunAh, HaYoon, GyeongWon, and me, we had been through the Dream Within Dreams together, so it was not apletely foreign urrence. Hmm Mmm GyeongWon seemed to be going through his memory as he fiddled with his sses but ended up just letting out a sigh. Sorry, prez. Nothinges to mind. But didnt you exin a lot about the CSAT banned songsst time? That wasnt a ghost story but rather a scientific phenomenon. They do also call it the earworm, and it urs when an extremely catchy song gets stuck in your brain, causing you to continuously sing or hum it. It only mentions how annoying it can get, but it isnt at the level of a ghost story. Hmm I see. Thats quite iffy. I couldnt help but tilt my head. If that smarty didnt have any stories to tell about it, that would mean that a ghost story for the present phenomenon really didnt exist. Or it could be like that time in the Dream Within Dreams where we didnt understand the main point. For now, if there are any ghost stories about songs or music, would you all be willing to share it? So suddenly? * * * * * * DukHun was puzzled. I calmly started exining to him. Because the situation can get dangerous, we need to remain here. Lets share scary stories with each other while we wait. We may end uping up with a solution. Although you might not get it right now, this is currently the best that we can do. Slowly, I made eye contact with each person. The original members, SunAh and GyeongWon, both nodded their heads to indicate that they were alright with the idea. JinHee seemed to be confused, as she was frowning. DukHun seemed to be rather enjoying the idea. To think we get to do a Requiem from the Darkness ~UwU. T/N: Requiem from the Darkness is some anime about telling ghost stories. He was really getting into the idea. We just happened to have the lights off, and we just happened to be in a secluded and quiet room. It was the perfect time and ce to share scary stories with each other. A small and cozy clubroom with its lights turned off. Only a sliver of the noon sunlight was able to pass through the curtains, offering minimal light. We moved the desks and chairs to the corner of the room and sat cross-legged in a circle at the center of the room. It was a slightly spooky atmosphere, one where sharing scary stories would somewhat work out. It definitely wasnt your slice of life school life. We started sharing our scary stories with music as the overarching theme. SunAh started first, whispering her story. They say that if you see a ghost in your recording studio the song will be a smash hit Thats why, if you ask the sessful singers they all mention a run in with a ghost I think I heard about that. I had heard something simr to that on a talk show with celebrity guests. It was quite themon story. They often say that while recording, the ghost often sings along with them Is that so? Yeah Next was GyeongWon. They say that the song Jang Nara sang in 2003, Is That True?, has the voice of a ghost recorded in it. In the middle of the song, apletely different female voice suddenly pops in, asking Do your ears hurt?. Even now, if you listen to the song, you can still hear that voice. Really? I asked in surprise. The other members also looked at GyeongWon with intense curiosity. Yeah. For real. You can even check it right now on your phone. L-lets try listening to it now ~OwO~! DukHun took out his phone. Who has a lot of data? Ill just do it. GyeongWon took out his own phone and searched up the song and began ying it. What will I do if I regret itter, after I sent you off without a word~ Right after Jang Nara finished her chorus. [Do your ears hurt?] Kyaaa! SunAh let out a small scream of surprise. We could all hear it pretty clearly. It was the sound of a woman asking if our ears hurt. How is that kind of thing still on the official track? When I asked my question in a dumbfounded manner, GyeongWon nodded his head. The official stance of the recordpany was that it was actually the sound of an electric guitar, but whether thats true or not, well I dont y the guitar, so I dont know for sure. Was this a D-rank or C-rank ghost story that I had to face as well? But 2003 was already sixteen-years-ago. It was way before the weird game system had barged into my life. Did that mean that ghost stories were a lot closer to peoples lives than I had originally thought? How interesting. JinHee spat out her opinion. We were all suddenly silent. We were all a bit conscious of JinHee. Under her cardigan, which was not allowed by the school, was a tight school uniform. She had a very pointed but neat face and dyed hair. She had fierce eyes and just enough make up to avoid being called out for it at school. She looked just like a hard-to-approach female delinquent. To think, that type of girl was hanging out with normal students like us and sharing ghost stories. If the other delinquents were to see that, they might startughing at her. If she didnt make such fierce expressions, she would be really pretty. Or does her eyes just naturally look fierce? [Your understanding of Lee JinHee has increased by 10.] What? When JinHee curtly responded to the members stares, we all sheepishly started to look away. I thought that with that much charisma, she may be able to defeat ghosts with just a re. Its my turn next, UwU~! DukHun shouted out, slightly spitting a bit. This story urred when I went to the theaters to see the movie edition of the ''s, OwO~ What is ''s? When I interrupted his first sentence as he was about to start telling his story, the excited DukHun ended up letting out a sigh. Yare yare. Its the idol group from Love Live!. The fuck was Love Live!? T/N: Love Live! is an idol anime. Nico Nico Nii originates from there. Anyway, this happened when I went to the movie theaters. DukHun coughed and started his story again. DukHuns story continued for a long time. Most of it was the details of the movie he saw, which I really didnt want to know about. DukHun seemed to have this natural ability to make his listeners ufortable. And so, I was cheering after seeing Kotoris chicken drumstick! When suddenly, a pair behind me started up a whispered conversation ()! Finally, the story seemed to be transitioning into the ghost part of the ghost story. Uhuh, and? That isnt the right manners for a movie theater! Whisper, whisper. The two of them kept talking to each other! At that moment I felt something like should I kill them? But I ended up too into the story of some moe girls So. @#%@#$ !*^% And after Honaka finished her solo! She made her starting pose and they all jumped up together! Suteki~~~! Subarashi desu ne~! And. And then! Again! Again! Again! DukHun smashed the floor with his hands. Again, they were starting a conversation right behind me! Im not that nice of a person. I have a baaad temper. If they had one more conversation, I wouldn''t stop until I beat them up. Or that was what I was thinking to myself at the time. I am the type of person to save my energy if I can, after all. Yeah, and so @^@#$ And so, it was the final climax! One~ Two~ Love Liiiiiiiive~~~! But then! Mata! Mata! Mata! The two of them were whispering again! Haha. I was so patient with them, but that is how they repaid me? I put on a wicked smile and turned around. I was going to give them a piece of my mind, probably starting with eat shit or something like that. But then! BUT THEEEEEEEN! There were definitely two of them having a conversation! But when I turned around!!!! Hontou ni sugoi yabai arigatou!! ! There was only one person behind me ( l|l)/. This FUCKER! What would you know, you fucking otaku ass bitch! JinHee was holding all of her anger in, but she ended up exploding on DukHun. She started to beat him severely. He was probably talking to himself! TALKING TO HIMSELF! You stupid fucking ass mother fucking bitch! Pow, pow, bam, pow, pow. Su sumimasen! Sumimasen~~! Die, fucker! Most of us that were annoyed before ended up exploding inughter at the sight. Pfft Puhahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Aha, ahaha, ahahaha. Stop beating him up so much, JinHee! Ahaha. Squeeee! Squeee! You might kill him! Puhahahaha! GyeongWon and I were just tantly on our backsughing our asses off, and SunAh was hitting the floor as her shoulders shook fromughter. Even HaYoon couldnt stop her giggling as she tried to cover her mouth with her hands. K-kuso~~~~ Nan desuka~~ Maybe because of all his fat, he didnt actually look like he was actually hurt. Shut up, FUCKER! Pow- Pow- Pow- Puhahahaha Ahahaha Kek Puhuhut We were all rolling on the floorughing. Knock. Knock. Knock. Suddenly, someone knocked on the clubroom door. Chapter 30: Sixth Ghost Story - CSAT Banned Songs (4) Chapter 30: Sixth Ghost Story - CSAT Banned Songs (4) { Trigger Warning: This chapter has depictions of [Lewd behavior from a teacher to a student]. Readers Please be Advised. } Knock. Knock. Knock. Someone was quietly knocking on our clubroom door. ! We had beenughing so hard, but we all stopped breathing in surprise. Knock. Knock. Knock. Once again, the person knocked on our door. I slowly turned around. I looked at the small, blocked off window on the door. It was covered with a page from SunAhs textbook. Because the light from the hallway could filter through the page, I was able to see the silhouette of a person through the paper. From the looks of the dark silhouette, it was a long-haired person. Knock. Knock. Knock. We all tried to stay silent as we covered our mouths with our hands, but it was useless. We had been caughtughing out loud. With no other options, I slowly walked to our clubroom door. Who is it? Im your teacher. Teacher? It was a voice that I heard before. SunAh quietly whispered to me. Teacher HwaEun Now that she mentioned it, this was in fact the voice of the advising teacher of the Ghost Story Club, Jang HwaEun. And whats the asion for this visit? The silhouette seemed to put her face closer to the window. And then she whispered. Will me? What did you say? The voice was so small that I couldnt hear it properly. I put my ear closer to the window to try to hear her better. Will you open the door for me.? Huuu- At the teachers quiet but sensual whispering, my ears felt stimted. Eeek! Goosebumps rose over my entire body, but it felt surprisingly good. Did they call this ASMR? Although it seemed toe out of the blue, I had almost momentarily lost all strength in my legs. I once again resolutely asked the silhouette outside the door. Why? Is it dangerous outside? It could be that teacher HwaEun had also lost her mind due to the music, so we could not simply open the door for her. We had to thoroughly check her out. er er. What? Teacher HwaEun started to whisper again. Why was she talking so softly? Although it was suspicious, with all of the insane people outside, being careful like this wasnt too farfetched. What did you say? When I cupped my ear, I could barely make out what she was saying. Closer even closer You want me to put my ear even closer? As I put my ears right against the paper against the ss Huuu~ Suddenly, the teacher blew a bit of breath at the window. Eeek! Goosebumps. My arms and legs lost all strength, but a feeling of ecstasy started to spread throughout my body. Although the air didnt actually enter my ear, just the sound of it was enough to stimte my senses. ? The club members, who had no idea what was happening, looked at me curiously as I suddenly lost all of the strength in my limbs. I grew conscious of the club members looks and straightened my posture. Then I spoke back. What is happening outside? Why are you trying toe in here? Come put your ears here The teacher slowly whispered. I had mixed feelings about having to discover whether the teacher was sound of mind, while also partially enjoying what was happening. Thus, I put my ear against the window again. There was a brief moment of silence, and then. Huuuu~ Heeek! Again, I felt that shocking sensation. It was an ecstatic feeling that made me want to curl my entire body up. I tried to hide my growing smile as I asked. Uh, teacher. Are you, umm alright? You know, mentally? The members probably didnt hear what the teacher had said so far. They only had expressions of worry and concern on their faces. Of course Im fine will you quickly open the door for me? The teacher began to speak in a very quiet, slow, sensuous voice. I could feel my breathing get slightly rougher as I asked her once again. How will you prove it? The fact that youre normal? And then, the teacher once again began to whisper something. With a bit of anticipation, I put my earpletely against the paper and window again. I could feel the cold sensation of the ss through the ripped page of SunAhs textbook. I could also hear the teachers silent murmuring. If you let me in I will blow into your ears alright? It was a very tempting voice. Here Huuuuu~ Heeeeek! A slightughter of ecstasy seeped out from my inner self. Here Huuuuuu~ Now, the other ear put the other ear Ill make it feel good I was taking note of the other members faces as I turned around. Ah- I cant hear what the teacher is saying. I should try using my other ear? Here, Huuuuu~ Eeeek, heeek! It feels good Right? Huuuuu~ After realizing that SunAh was looking at me funny, my heart dropped and I wiped the slight smile from my face. Uh teacher. I cant hear you Can you say that again Ohuhu If you open the door, I will do it for you again I can even sing for you close to your ears It was a very soothing voice, as she were singing a luby to get a baby to sleep. I quite enjoyed this soothing voice. So will you open the door for me? Please? It was a voice that could make men act foolish. Now that I thought about it, the teacher had also used this voicest time in the restrooms. I heard that the teacher was from a shaman household, but she must be the type to easily be possessed by ghosts from ghost stories. And if she is being possessed by ghost stories, she must be a bit touched in the head in a weird way. And while that thought popped up as I was feeling a bit ecstatic, suddenly. Poof- [Your understanding of Jang HwaEun has increased by 20.] I was barely able to get my head on straight due to the message popping up. Please leave, teacher. I dont think youre sane. I faked a serious voice, as if I had never been mesmerized, and I took my head off of the window. As I did, the page of SunAhs textbook stuck onto my cheeks and came off of the door window. ! The club members suddenly looked shocked. I wondered what had happened and looked out the window, only to be surprised as well. Will you open the door? I also want to enter Teacher. I asked in a faked calm manner. Why is your back to the door? When the paper came off of the door window, we could see the upper body of the teacher through the window. She had her back to the door. Knock. Knock. Knock. Jang HwaEun knocked on the door once again. With her back still to the door, she used the back of her hand to knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Joon I could hear SunAh mumble as she trembled. It had sounded as if she was whispering as she had put her face close to the door, but now that was impossible. What had happened was a supernatural situation. I had to chase her away immediately. I tried to force myself to sound calm, and then spoke again to the teacher. Please leave, teacher. Because its cramped in here, theres no room for you. It seems spacious let me in as well Jang HwaEun mumbled with her back still to the door. No, it''s cramped in here. Please go. It looks wider to me, especiallypared to before And how would you know that if you are looking the other way? Teacher is definitely acting weird. Please leave. It definitely looks more spacious than before I think I can fit inside. I started to stutter, trying to hide the fact that the clubroom went through expansion from the club members. Im telling you it isnt. Its just like before. How does a room getrger? Its not like we went through construction. No It definitely gotrger about twice asrge Ah, fuck! Im telling you its not! I started to shout whatever came to mind. Its really cramped in here! Find somewhere else to hide! It looks roomy let me in as well Teacher, you cante in because you are too fat! When she heard that, Teacher HwaEun jolted and her body began to tremble. What did you say? I swallowed. It seemed like she still reacted to the word fat, even though she was possessed. It could be expressed that Teacher HwaEun was a beautiful woman, full of adult charm. Amongst those of her age, she must be overwhelmingly popr. But in the eyes of someone in their teens,pared to the slender types like HaYoon or the small types like SunAh, she was definitelyrger. If we twisted that to say that she was fat, it was definitely something that could hurt her feelings.
[Your understanding of Jang HwaEun has increased by 10.]
Teacher wentpletely silent. After the moment of silence, she began to knock again. Knock. Knock. Knock. She was still knocking with her back to the door. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Ah~ I said theres no room! No room! No room! No rooooooooom! Just go! Really, please, just go! Please! When I shouted out to the teacher as if annoyed, the teacher began to mumble again. It looks wider thanst time Let this teacher in as well Damn. If things continued, there would be no end to it. I steeled my heart and dared to say this again. Teacher cante in because youre too fat! What did you say! Teacher HwaEun began to tremble again. There is no way I made another blunt attack on the teacher, who was mumbling due to shock. Its true! Look at HaYoon here! How slim she is! If you want toe into our clubroom, you have to at least be that slim! L-lies Come back after youve lost some weight! Then Ill open the door for you! Teacher HwaEun started to mumble that this was all bullshit before slowly leaving my sight. How could this be
[You havee across and survived the D-rank Ghost Story - Ghost Possessed Person.] [You have earned 5 Ghost Story Points.]
I finally let out a sigh after I checked that the teacher waspletely gone. Whew. Ehu~ what is truly happening ~UwU GyeongWon and DukHun seemed to have finally lost their tension, but the responses from the female club members were not as positive. JinHee was ring at me with a scornful look, and SunAh also stared at me with narrowed eyes. Only HaYoon had an expression as if nothing was wrong. Umm I tried my best to change the atmosphere, but it didnt work out at all. There was no other way. Fucking bullshit. JinHee retorted coldly. * * * * * * Grumble- It was already one oclock, way past lunchtime. We were still silently sitting around in the clubroom. How long do we have to stay here~ DukHun let out aint as he grabbed his stomach. However, there was nothing we could do. From the window of the clubroom, we could see the schoolyard. It was filled with students that fainted from the violence they suffered, or lunatics affected by the song that were looking for more victims. We could even hear asional screams from the floor below resounding throughout the hallway. When the situation first started, we could see police cars and ambnces pass by with their sirens ring. Now, however, all of that had gone and there was only silence in the streets. When we checked the inte on our phones, the only news was that violence had urred throughout the city, and they were asking us to stay hidden in a safe ce. Social media andmunity forums were full of posts that typed out random lyrics from the song, usually full of errors. Everyone is crazy. I couldnt help but let out a sigh. Yes, mom. Im hidden very well. Yes I could see GyeongWon carefully contacting his parents to make sure they were safe. I had contacted Mom and Dad, but they did not pick up their phones. Knock, knock, knock. Once again, when we heard the knocking noises, we could see that the teacher was right outside the door. I came back after losing some weight She was still mumbling as usual, her back to the door. I let out ament with a voice mixed with annoyance. What kind of B.S. is that?! How do you lose weight within an hour?! I, uh didnt eat lunch Everyone looked around at each other with awkward expressions. What should we do? I feel so sorry for the teacher SunAh spoke with a voice full of worry, but GyeongWon replied in opposition. But its dangerous to let her in. What will happen if she causes a scene or starts singing like the people from before? I took a moment to consider the situation before speaking out. Lets let her in. What? The club members looked at me in surprise. I started to exin carefully. Before, I thought that this chaos wouldntst very long. Now that Ive looked on the inte, this situation is a national crisis. Not only here, but all of Seoul No, all of Korea was affected by the song and is in a state of paralysis. We get it. GyeongWon nodded. Everyone in the clubroom had already checked their smartphones and could confirm that much easily. This situation will only get worse from here on out. If people from within the government somehow get infected, no matter where we stay hidden, they can start ying that song through emergency broadcasts to spread it even further. At that point, we wont know if we can maintain our sanity. Uh huh. Everyone had serious expressions. Even if we wait here longer, there is nothing we can do. So, lets let the teacher in. So why does that lead to us letting her in? Shes infected by the song. Whether we question her or beat her up, we should try to get some information out of this situation. Thats what Im saying. ! If we were topare the song to a virus, the situation could not be solved by just avoiding the virus. We had to study the patients infected with the virus in order to discover a cure, or to find some other method of solving this situation. And the cause of the situation was definitely a ghost story. As for the patients, or the people addicted to this song, we did not need a professional background to properly study them. We could probably glean something from studying what was happening with the teacher. Did that make sense? The members seemed to consent to the idea, as they slowly began to nod. If the teacher starts to act out, Ill leave it to you, JinHee. Me? Yeah. I think youre the best at fighting here. Pfft. Although sheughed, her expression suggested that she understood. Everyone agrees, right? Then Ill open the door. Wheeze, doki doki. I slowly walked up to the door to our clubroom. Teacher, we will let you in. No singing, alright? But Im good at singing Ah, youre being noisy. Creak- I undid the lock and opened the door for her. With her still facing away, she walked backwards into the clubroom. Once she came in, we could finally see her beautiful face again, but her eyes were all white. Click. I once again locked the door to the clubroom, and once the teacher was in the middle of the room, she suddenly began to sing. Oh Oh Yeah O.E.O. U~ Eish Fuck, I said not to. Really Within the clubroom, with the lights turned off. In the middle of some students, the beautiful English teacher in her thirties, Jang HwaEun, was dancing some weird dance while singing a song. Tom~ Atom~ Oh Yeah~~ Just like I requested, JinHee began to crack her knuckles to get ready to pin down the teacher, when she coldly stated something. Teach, youre tone deaf. Puhaha! Pfft! The members started tough. Whether or not we were listening, Teacher HwaEun continued to p her arms and sway her hips, even adding a couple of slick steps as she continued her sad song. Every. Body. Four! In! Ce! Ss! O. E. O. U. Eish. Ei~ Oh Yeah~ As he saw the teacher wiggle her body around, GyeongWon couldnt help butugh even more. Its great that the teacher is tone deaf. I cant tell what the melody is at all! Chapter 31: Sixth Ghost Story - CSAT Banned Songs (5) Chapter 31: Sixth Ghost Story - CSAT Banned Songs (5) Like we had originally discussed, we tried our hardest to try to learn something from the teachers condition, but nomunication was possible with the teacher as she just continued to sing. Teacher, please focus. Why are you continuing to sing that song? Tom! Atom! Does that song continue to y out in your head? How do you feel about it? O.E.O. U~ Eish Ei~ Damn it. Communication was impossible. The teacher continued to p her arms and wave her hips in a weird dance. Every. Body. Four! In! Ce! Ss! This is getting too embarrassing to continue watching. GyeongWon let out a sigh. What should we do, Prez? Do we really have to beat up a teacher? Morally, its questionable With the situation as is, we have to try something. Haaa Oh Yeah~ Oh Yeah~ Leaving the white eyed teacher engrossed in her moves, I unwillingly asked the club members. Who wants to p the teacher across the face? Maybe that will get her toe to her senses Before I could even finish my words, HaYoon just calmly walked up to the teacher, grabbed her by the cor and began pping her with all her power. p-! p-! Kyaaaaak! The teacher started to scream. HaYoon didnt even flinch and let out a breath onto her beautiful palms before smacking the teacher across the cheek another time. p-! p-! Kyaaaaak! The teacher was forced over to the floor. It seemed that, despite her slender body, HaYoons hands were quite heavy. JinHee also looked at her with wide eyes, the expression seeming to say, not bad!. The teacher squirmed around on the floor for a bit, almost as if she were swimming. Then Poof-
[Your club member has exerted great wit and instead repelled the Ghost Possessed Person!]
[You have earned 25 Ghost Story Points.]
[You receive 10% Bonus Points for each Club Member who contributed.]
[Contributing Club Members (6): Ahn GyeongWon, Oh DukHun, Yoon SunAh, Lee JinHee, In HaYoon, Jang HwaEun.]
[The 60% Bonus Points of 15 will be added in addition to the 25 Ghost Story Points gained.]
[Current Ghost Story Points: 12 + 25 + 15]
Bam badam~ [Current Ghost Story Points: 52] Hmmm! To think we inadvertently repelled a random ghost story. Does that mean that the check point is now saved to this moment? Although I had been momentarily stunned, it was something for me to checkter on. Kyaah! Wh-where am I? The teacher, who had been rolling around on the floor, finally came to her senses and got up while clutching her face. HaYoon replied in a matter-of-fact way. The clubroom, Teacher HwaEun. C-clubroom? Why am I here? and why do my cheeks hurt so much? We began to tell her the story from beginning to end. I see. What in the world is happening?! My gosh! The teacher began to speak in a loud way. Now Im starting to remember a bit. The teachers managed to unlock the broadcast room door and subdue the evildoing student, right? But that time, there seemed to be chaos in the teachers lounge! Her words were especially charged with high tension. That was the norm for Teacher Jang HwaEun. From the headmaster to the head of staff, they were all naked and walking around doing handstands! The student body president was flipping the desks around as he sang as well It seemed that, as she ran away, she was infected somewhere and ended up in front of the clubroom. This clubroom was on the fifth floor, which usually had very low foot traffic among the students. To add to that, it was at the very end of the hallway in a very iffy location. Finding the clubroom would be difficult unless youd already been there before. That was why we were safe there during the chaotic mess that urred, and other than the one student that came by because he saw the lights were on, only Teacher Jang HwaEun could find this ce. What do you think we should do from now on? What? The teacher seemed a bit flustered at my question. However, if she was a teacher, she had the duty to lead the lost students and find the way. I had tossed over my responsibilities to lead the club members as the club president over to the higher authority of the teacher. D-do I have to decide that? You are the teacher. I responded as if it were obvious that she should be leading us. The club members also slowly began to nod in agreement. I-I see. Of course. Im an adult Although the teacher was flustered, it seemed like she agreed. Hmmm She scrunched up her brows as she considered her options, her face pretty with her makeup on. Just wait a moment. Yes, of course. Lets see now Hmmm Whew. The fact that I didnt have to be in that position was a relief, and I couldnt help but let out a sigh of relief. That was it! Life should be like that! Being in a position of responsibility was really burdensome and annoying! The look of the club members waiting for my decision The overwhelming expectations they had, thinking that the club president must have a good idea Not to mention, like with GyeongWon before, I had to continuously show the people I was leading that I was worthy of being in charge. Once I tossed that heavy burden to the higher power of the teacher, it felt as if I''d let go of my baggageas if Id been set free. Teacher, please handle things from now on. Muhahaha! So that was why they sometimes said that being an employee was morefortable than being an executive. After thinking things over for a long time, the teacher let out a sigh and asked a question. Then, should we start out by getting something to eat? What? The club members shouted in surprise. Well, we need to eat to live, kids. * * * * * * We didnt know it, but on the fourth floor there was a blocked hallway that led to the cafeteria. The school was divided into three parts: the main building, the cafeteria, and the gymnasium that doubled as an auditorium. The three buildings were shaped in a formation, and in the middle was the courtyard. In the cafeteria, the freshmen were on the first floor, the second years were on the second floor, and the third years used the third floor. It was a very simple set up that was also used in the main building, and each floor had a hallway that connected that floor to its corresponding floor in the cafeteria. As a result, the freshmen would take sses on the first floor, and once it was lunch time, would walk down that first floor hallway into the first floor of the cafeteria to eat. Likewise, the second years would study on the second floor and walk down the second-floor hallway to the second floor of the cafeteria, and the same followed for the third years on the third floor. Using that method, there was no need for the different grades to intermingle and the hallways connecting the two spaces increased convenience drastically. As for the fourth floor The fourth floor of the cafeteria is used by the cooks to cook food. When the school was being built, just like the other floors, the fourth floor of the cafeteria and the fourth floor of the main building were connected via a hallway. However, since the students shouldnt use it, they just ended up blocking it off. The teacher calmly exined it to us. That was something that we newly admitted students would not know about, so it was a solution that could only be proposed by a teacher. This is the fifth floor, at the end of the hall, and by chance we also happen to be in the direction of the cafeteria. We just have to take the staircase next to the clubroom down one floor and quickly open the door to the hallway. Its a done deal. The path is short and safe. Are we really going there in order to eat food? Thats one reason. The incident urred before lunch time. Since the cafeteria should have been empty, it should be safer than in the main building. But, if we use the fourth-floor hallway to move to the cafeteria, wont we end up going to the fourth floor of the cafeteria where the food is cooked? The first, second, and third floors may not have students, but the lunchdies would probably be there The school wide announcement can only be heard in the main building. That song should not have spread to the cafeteria. Aha! We understood what she was trying to say. Even if the lunchdies were there, they would be unaffected, and there was arge chance that they had already run away. Lets change locations to the cafeteria! While the clubroom seemed safe because it was in an awkward location, it was still within the main building. We did not know when some crazy people woulde up and try to force us to listen to the music. It would definitely be safer over there than here. And we get to eat while were at it. Since the incident started at around eleven oclock, the lunchdies should have been in the middle of cooking some delicious food. Our appetites were acting up. Isnt this killing two birds with one stone~UwU, wheeze. Im hungry. So, for now, we will head to a safe ce and eat before deciding on a course of action. I think that is a good ce to start, teacher. Right? Sounds good, right? It also just happened to be that the days menu was spicy stir-fried pork. As long as we got there safely, all of the nine hundred peoples worth of stir-fried pork was ours. Is everyone ready? Unfortunately, there wasnt anything we could use as weapons here. All we had within the clubroom were the table, chairs, and the whiteboard. Carrying those heavy things around quietly would be impossible. It would be preferable to sneak around quickly empty-handed. Then, here we go kids. Just follow this teacher. The teacher quietly opened the clubroom door. As the door opened, the bright sunlight from the other side of the hallways poured into the clubroom. That a thirty-four-year-old adult was leading us was a surprisingly reassuring thought. I put my trust in the teacher and followed her out of the clubroom. For now, no one could be seen in the fifth-floor hallway. This way. She quietly directed us and we followed the teacher down the stairs slowly. Before I went down myself, I peered down and it seemed quiet. Lets go down. We tried our best to silence the sound of our footsteps as we traveled, but someones slippers were making noises. p~ p~ SunAhs old slippers were making noise whenever she took a step. SunAh, take them off and carry them as we walk. SunAhs face turned red in embarrassment as she took her slippers off and followed behind us in her socks, carrying her slippers. We got to the fourth floor. Teacher HwaEun was first to peek out from the stairwell corner. After taking a peek, she pulled her head back as if startled. She turned to us and put her finger to her lips and motioned for us to be quiet. After we waited tensely for a bit, the teacher stuck her head out again. Then she motioned to us to follow her. After following the teacher to the end of the fourth-floor hallway, we could see wooden nks roughly covering a door. So thats the path that leads to the cafeteria. Between the nks we could see a wooden door, but as the nks were roughly ced, it looked like we could just open the door and squeeze through. Even if that didnt work out, the nks looked flimsy enough that we could break through them. Follow me! Once again, Teacher HwaEun gave us direction and the six of us followed behind her. We could vaguely hear sounds of students from the floor below us mumbling some song. After standing in front of the wooden door, the teacher checked to see if all six of us were there before carefully opening the door. Suddenly Teacher! GyeongWon quietly pointed something out. At the far end of the fourth-floor hallway, a male student was standing there calmly, looking at the six of us. We had stopped, as we were opening the door. We waited for a moment, but when he didnt show much sign of movement, the teacher began to open the door again. Just ignore him and go in! This way! As we followed her directions and one-by-one began to enter the door, the male student began to quickly walk towards us. ! There was no issue with closing the door and running away, but the nks blocking the way were weak. If we just went to the cafeteria this way, he could easily break his way through the nks. If that happened, the other students would hear the noise and join in. Damn it. I quickly stood in front of the other members. J-Joon! SunAh called out in worry. I stood there facing the studenting towards us. Without a word, I slowly brought my arms up. p, p. I started to move my body. I could feel my club members confused gazes on my back. I continued pping my arms and slowly started to wave my hips along in a very weird groove. After seeing this, the student began to nod his head and started to walk back to where he had been. ! H-hes going! Whew. I let out a sigh of relief and walked back towards the club members. I saw the weird moves that the crazy people addicted to the song tended to make. Just in case, I tried copying it and it seemed to work. Prez, youre the best! GyeongWon smiled and gave me a thumbs up. After sending that student away, I stepped in through the door and I could see the dusty hallway. Cough, cough. One of the members began to cough. After going through the passageway towards the cafeteria, we came across another wooden door. Click, click. No way, is it locked? SunAh began to mumble in concern. Click, click, click. The teacher continued to wrestle with the doorknob. I silently took out a card from my wallet. Teacher, use this. Aha. If the door was the same as the side we just entered through, it should also be secured in a simr manner. If that were the case, it could easily be opened by slipping the card into the crack and flipping the locking mechanism. Creak- It opened! Teacher HwaEun looked at me with narrowed eyes. You were also quite slick before. You seem to think quickly. Its my only strong point. Ohoho. Now, lets go in. After entering the fourth floor of the cafeteria, we locked the wooden door behind us. Afterwards, we also locked the steel door to the entrance of the kitchen area itself. Now, the area was apletely safe area, and no one else could get in. We were able to rx a bit, and we started to look around. Mmm~ It smells delicious! Teacher HwaEun started to sniff around, looking for food. Luckily, no one else is here. Yeah On the counter, the fully prepared food was waiting for students inrge food containers. The gas stove was off, and there were no signs of a mess. It seemed like all of the lunchdies had watched the situation unfold and run away. Here, this is it! Kids, the pork is over here! Oh my~ it smells so good~ Teacher HwaEun opened one of the food containers and called out to us. We all grabbed trays and utensils and rushed over. The container, which could hold over five gallons of food, was filled to the brim with delicious smelling spicy stir-fried pork. Wow~! This is amazing! Fuck, this crazy, hehe. It seems so tasty Wheeze~! Ohoho! Supah Lucky~ Daze~ Nine hundred peoples worth of food, zenbu getto daze~~! We filled our trays with pork and side dishes, to the point that we could explode from eating all of the food. Some of us thought that it wasnt enough and grabbed another tray just to fill with meat. Kids, over here! Its the nutritionists office. Lets eat in here. The nutritionists office was in the cafeteria kitchen. In there, the song definitely wouldnt be audible, as there were twoyers of walls. It was a great ce to enjoy the food safely. We all entered the office and locked the door before enjoying our food. Wow! The fat to meat ratio on this pork is absolutely stunning Wheeze- eating rice together is great. Itadakimasu! Oh my~! Someone go out and bring another tray full of meat! Ohoho It was ate lunch. We spent our time in the nutritionists office eating spicy stir-fried pork and finally getting to rx a bit. Hahaha. Ohoho. I was wondering about the dance that Prez was dancing beforewas that perhaps the moves for the Fourincess song? Hmm. I also think thats the case. Lets check YouTubeter for the video. Of course, after the sound is muted. Chapter 32: Sixth Ghost Story - CSAT Banned Songs (6) Chapter 32: Sixth Ghost Story - CSAT Banned Songs (6) This is it, Pres. Luckily, YouTube still works. We gathered around theptop in the nutritionists office and watched the Fourincesss video. It was the recording of the music program that yed every Friday evening. The members of Fourincess were dancing on the screen as they sang their new single Oh Yeah. Theyre pretty. As expected of idols, they were very pretty. Although the girl group Fourincess were just newbie idols at that point in time, from my memories of the past life, they would be a girl group that hit the peak of poprity within Koreas pop music rankings. The average age of the girl group was simr to mine, and most of the members of Fourincess were either the same age as me, or a year younger and in middle school. Other than the leader, everyone was in their teens. It might have been because of that fact that, although most idols had an otherworldly feel to them, many of the test takers in Korea saw the group and felt as if they were probably students too and the girl group was more rtable. Its true. The moves that they do here are simr to the actions the crazy people in our school make. Yeah The funny dances that the infected people were doing was the dance routine for Fourincesss new song. On theptop screen, the five charismatic girls were dressed up as they made sharp movements for their dance. It was obvious, but of course we turned the volume off. There is nothing unusual about it. Thats what I thought. After that, the video moved on to the problematic hook portion of the song. A beautiful girl with shy makeup was singing passionately as she danced. I did hear their music endlessly in my past life, but this is the first time Ive seen their face so closely. Now that I thought about it, I listened to the melody to the point of annoyance in myst life, and I still remembered it. However, I waspletely fine. Is the issue not in the melody, but in the lyrics? The difference between the past lifes Oh Yeah and this lifes Oh Yeah was probably the lyrics. Though, I had not focused on this lifes version of the song. As I thought deeply about these points, I looked back at the screen. So, the owner of the voice looked like this. Shes pretty. The voice that sang this part sounded very innocent, but here, she looks strong-willed. As I thought deeply, I tried to rekindle my memories. However, as I had never been too into idols, I definitely did not know too much about the members. I wasnt even able to recognize one of the members. After all, no matter how legendary Girls Generation is, if you were to grab a random passerby and ask to name all of the members, they could probably remember half of them at best. T/N: Girls Generation, also known as SNSD, is a South Korean Girl Group originally made up of 9 members that first debuted in 2007. You may have heard of one of their singles, Gee. The girl idols continued to dance on the screen, their mouths silently mouthing the words to their song. The Ghost Story Club was watching them move very closely, hoping to find any sort of clue or hint. Although I had to admit, all of us staring so seriously at the girl groups video was a funny image. Uh watching this without any music on is a bit scary SunAh mumbled her thoughts. I kind of agreed. It was especially true with that one member, the one that was in charge of singing the unintelligible hook portion of the song. With the music, it would look like an exciting dance belonging to a catchy song. Without the music, the dance looked like the awkward twisting of a corpse. But then, I thought I noticed something. Um there is something thats been bothering me. What is it? This dance that the people infected by the song do. Yeah. If you look at it closely, isnt it the reverse of this? Hmm is that so? The club members tilted their heads in confusion. Teacher, could you turn back to the beginning of the video? Got it. The teacher clicked on the mouse to return back to the start of the clip. We all focused on it again. Its true. The addicted people all make upward motions as if to flip tables, but in the original dance, the girl group makes a downward motion with both hands. I can see it And as we continued to stare into the video clip. Argh, I cant think. JinHee stretched her arms and got up out of her seat. Tsumaranai~ DukHun also got up and moved to a chair away from theptop. Possibly because we were all looking at the screen for too long, SunAh was rubbing her face with her hands and GyeongWon had taken off his sses, wiping the lenses on some fabric. Huuu Yeah. The dance is reversed, right? Besides that, we didnt catch anything else, right? Instead of this, lets try watching something else. The teacher put on a different video of Fourincesss performance, but it was basically the same. Other than the different locations, the five members performed the same dance to the same song. Everyone was getting tired, as we werent getting anywhere. Suddenly, I got the feeling that one of the members lips wasnt syncing with the others during parts of the song. Whats this? The youngest-looking members lips vaguely looked to be different from the other members. This should be the part where they all sing together in the chorus I focused onto that members lips to try to get some clues, when suddenly.
[Special Ability Lip Reading has activated.] [Someone, please! Help me!]
! In my surprise, I checked out the lips of the other members of the girl group. [Every. Body. Four! In! Ce! Ss! O. E. O. U. Eish. Ei~ Oh Yeah~] The other members of the idol group were singing the song lyrics as usual. However, that youngest member continued to request help throughout the song. [Anyone, if you can notice this, please!] [Help me! Anyone!] [You have to, because youre a fan.] tter, tter. Behind me, I could hear DukHun bringing more food over on the trays, preparing to eat some more. DukHun, would you bring some more for me too, please? The teacher, who had been looking at the monitor alongside me, shouted back. It seemed like this person also had quite the appetite. *** Soon, it was three oclock in the afternoon. Everyone else had gotten tired looking at the videos and gave up, so only the teacher and I were on theptop. GyeongWon was dozing off in the corner with his arms crossed. The teacher was only with me because I had been concentrating on the videospletely. The only one to truly not give up was me. Joon, are you fine with using theptop by yourself? I think I need to get some rest at this point. Ah, of course. Please just find the most recent video of them for me. Huuu, sure. Here. Of their official videos, the teacher clicked on the most recently uploaded video. It was a clip uploaded that very morning where the members had made a greeting. [2019 Greetings before the Performing Live! From Fourincess (Views: 420,000) (7 Hours ago)] It was a short clip promoting a performance at six in the evening. Within that clip, I focused on the youngest members lips. [If youre a fan, please.] Just like I thought, she was pleading. What did she want? How would I be able to help? [Until the live concert, I will be in the dressing room, so pleasee and find me!] Dressing room! With those words, the idol members finished their greetings and headed into the building. Then the video ended. Which building is it? I wasnt able to see that far. Still, from what I could guess, it would be one of the buildings of the broadcasting station that would broadcast their concert live tonight. However, such arge broadcasting station would have several buildings connected together, and there would be more than one or two dressing rooms within all those buildings. I had to check exactly which building those idol members had entered. I turned the clip back to the beginning. With the street as a background, therge van that celebrities tended to use drove up. Then the doors to the van opened. The camera focused on the scene of members of Fourincess getting out. The girls lined up in front of the fans and bowed. After a short greeting asking the fans toe join them at the live concert, Fourincess headed into a certain building. Unfortunately, before the building could be seen, the camera focused on the backs of the Fourincess members before ending the video. Which building is it? Once again, I started the clip from the beginning. Therge van. The members of Fourincess got off. Then, facing the fans, the idols bowed to the crowd. This is it. Its this building. I could see the rough shape of the building off of the reflection on the van. It was a building with a veryrge dome shape. I seared it into my memories. Within this dome shaped building, the Fourincess members would be in the dressing room untilter in the evening. Can you all focus on me for a bit? I spoke out to all of the members on the verge of dozing off. *** Prez, did you find something? Using the table in the office as the center, everyone looked at me. I, who was at the end of this table, got up and started my exnation. As you may all know, this horrible situation was caused by a new song made by the girl group Fourincess. If you repeatedly hear this song, it will get embedded in your mind and eventually drive you insane. Everyone nodded their heads. This was something we all knew. However, before I go any deeper about that song, there is one thing I want to ask GyeongWon. Huh? Are there any ghost stories involving a possessed person and doing something backwards? Backwards? GyeongWon tilted his head. A possessed person? Does this have something to do with this situation? Most likely. Of course, this wasnt something I came up with by myself. Before, when HaYoon smacked the teachers cheek, a message had popped up. At that time, the system had definitely said that HaYoon had repelled a Ghost possessed person. But what sort of ghost story would be called ghost possessed person? Although I just happened to earn some sweet Ghost Story Points, I did not actually know what this ghost possessed person was. After all, I am aplete noob when ites to ghost stories. However, the teacher had been possessed and had continued to face backwards when she walked into the room. Also, the infected people had been performing the dance moves in reverse. There definitely had to be some sort of corrtion. Hmm Prez. Exin again what sort of ghost story youre looking for? What exactly do you mean by backwards? GyeongWon asked as he adjusted his sses again. Truthfully, even I was a bit hazy on what sort of ghost story I was looking for, but I thought that we could key into the teachers behavior when she was possessed. Well maybe something like walking backwards, speaking while facing the other way, or something like that. Backwards? Hmmm Do you have anything that pops up in your mind? Ghost backwards, facing away hmm. GyeongWon took a moment to think, and as if he had thought of something, his sses suddenly shed. Prez, are you thinking of upside down as the keyword? Upside down? He started to nod away as he adjusted his sses. Umm, if its about being upside down, there is one story I can think of. Tell me if this makes sense. *** A couple went to visit a shaman for fortune telling. The shaman looked into the womans fortune very sincerely, but for the man, she was very negligent. In fact, on the couples way out, she did not even take any money. She stated she was returning the fortune telling fee. The couple started to go back home, grumbling to themselves about how such a shaman could exist. On their way back, an ident urred and the man died. After the funeral, the woman was suddenly reminded of the shamans behavior, so she went to visit the shaman again. Excuse me, Ive been here before I just wanted to ask a question The shaman didnt listen to what the woman said and interrupted her. Did you finish holding the funeral? H-how did you know about that? That time, when I gave the money back, it was to pay for the ferry on his way to the afterlife. Does that mean you knew ahead of time? About what would happen to my boyfriend? Thats right. Shamans like me, we see people that are to die soon and be ghosts a bit differently. Im talking about that time you and your boyfriend walked in. He walked in doing a handstand. * * * * * * This is the end of the story. How is it, Prez? Does this help? I thought it through carefully. Is there no other story? Well, there are more stories where the ghosts act upside down, such as running around while doing a handstand and what not, but they are all simr. Ghost. Backwards. I thought that those two words were the real keywords to this situation. I engraved both words to my mind as I once again asked GyeongWon a question. Why is it that the other infected didnt move backwards the way Teacher HwaEun did, despite both of them being affected by the song? No, there were some of them acting that way. Teacher HwaEun put her finger to her lips as she tried to remember. In the teachers lounge, I remember some of the teachers moving around while performing handstands. Hmm. That first student that started acting crazy, wasnt he swinging the paper cutter behind him instead of in front of him~ OwO? Yeah, he was attacking the people behind him. DukHun began to think about the actions of some of the other students. As I thought about it, he was right. The sensitive boy that the ss president confronted had swung the paper cutter in a weird manner. I quickly followed up with another question. Then what about the other people? Its not like all of them were behaving backwards. Some of the people just went around spreading the song on their phones. Not sure the theory seems to be a bit of a stretch. GyeongWon tilted his head. I wonder if backwards really has a connection to this situation? There has to be a corrtion. I stood firm on my theory. For now, lets look forward while assuming there is a corrtion. Lets start with the premise that when you get infected by the music, you start doing something backwards. That phenomenon definitely couldnt be exined bymon sense and affected causality. Although my theory might have been a bit of a stretch, even a minuscule clue was something we should look into, as we had no other options. Can anyone think of something? I asked, but everyone just shook their heads. As I thought it over, I started to mumble to myself as I reorganized what we knew. When you get infected by the music, you start doing something backwards. However, some of the students dont seem to do anything backwards. Then that means There cant be any exceptions. It was the very premise we were starting with! That means that those students only seem to be doing things normally, but are actually doing something backwards? At my rhetorical question, the other members tilted their heads in thought. So, they are doing something backwards? What would that be? Everyone was thinking deeply about it. After a moment of silent thinking, JinHee suddenly tossed out her thoughts. Maybe its the song lyrics? What? When everyone turned to look at JinHee in surprise, her expression turned cool, and she repeated what she said. The song lyrics. Theyre really weird and don''t really make sense. Hmm, thats true. GyeongWon nodded in agreement. I looked up those weird lyrics while we were waiting, and I dont think theyre foreign words. Really? Yeah, really. Even on the inte, there were manyments asking whatnguage the lyrics were in. Even some of the foreigners were asking. It might be that there is something hidden in the lyrics. I quickly ordered the teacher. Teacher! Quickly look up the lyrics and write down the hook portion on some paper! Uh, huh? Yeah, got it! The teacher was startled when the student suddenly gave her an order, but because of the situation, she quickly went to theptop and began to handle the task. To think I was ordering around someone much older than me. I did feel a little bit weird, possibly even a bit guilty. Here. HwaEun put the piece of paper in the middle of the table so that everyone could see. Lets see. [Everybody. Fourincesss Oh Yeah O.E.O.U. eishieidum atomcadav rishizedneybruhmaz ohzi] Those were the official lyrics of the weird hook portion of the song. Everyone tried reading it, but we only looked confused. We have to try reading this backward? Zioh Zmabruh NeyDZeShiRi Vadacatoma Even backwards, this makes no sense UwU As SunAh mumbled the lyrics backwards, DukHun had let out hisint. Hmmm There definitely had to be some sort of clue here. After all, those lyrics didnt exist in my past life. I continued to squeeze my brain for any ideas. Songs backwards no, reverse?! As GyeongWon had been mumbling, he suddenly pped his hand and jumped up. Ah! Thats it! Prez, it might be! What is it? Did you find it? Everyone looked in GyeongWons direction. There are so many ghost stories about music, so I couldnt think of it, but nowthat onees to mind! That one? Its called backmasking! Here, just listen to this. Then youll understand faster. Back-what? GyeongWon took out his phone to share something with the confused club members. He opened a music streaming app and searched for a song. This isnt that p-problematic song, right? OwO~ DukHun started to cover his ears in fright, but GyeongWon shook his head in denial. Naw, this is a really old song. Its the hook to some old rock artists song, but listen to this for now. Then Ill exin. From GyeongWon''stest model phone, the noisy hook of a rock song began to sound. Why wont my young heart change, wandering through these youthful days, why am I only hoping someone else would change me Did you all listen? When GyeongWon asked, everyone just nodded. Oh my! Its Seo TaeJis song! How nostalgic. Seo TaeJi? Its my first time hearing of it. Wow, Seo TaeJi? How ancien- SHUT IT! It seemed that only thedy in her thirties knew the song. Huhuhu. GyeongWon quietly chuckled as he messed around on the app again. This time, try listening to it in reverse. Then, GyeongWon turned the music on again. Need more blood, Im hungry, want more blood. Hand me the child or it wont be fun KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At that moment, the teacher jumped and started screaming. Ah FUCK!! That scared the shit out of me!! You scared us, teach! I thought my ears were going to fall off! Rather than the song, we were more surprised by Teacher HwaEun screaming. The thirty-four-year-old smiled awkwardly as she expressed her apologies for acting unfit her age. S-sorry kids I was scared. Haaaaa We all focused on GyeongWon again. How does this work? Its a technique called backmasking. GyeongWon adjusted his sses again as he prepared to exin further. Basically, by ying the music in reverse, you can find hidden messages sometimeswhether its coincidental or intentional. What in the world? Actually, the one with Seo TaeJis song was a coincidental one, which is why the pronunciation is weird and off. But in some of our more recent music, such as Big Bangs Lets Not Fall in Love, they do use this method to hide messages for the fans. I see. This new song by Fourincess, Oh Yeah, may be hiding a message in their nonsensical hook by using this method. I see, by using this method! Thats right. Its not simply reading the lyrics backwards. This is about having the very phics of the sounds in the song being put in reverse. Thats how we can discover its true meaning. Everyone nodded in understanding at GyeongWons exnation, but it was difficult to mask the unease within everyones eyes. But doesnt that mean in order to check the message, we have to y the song? Even if it is ying in reverse, I think it will be dangerous to listen to the song. Actually, there is no reason you have to listen to it in reverse. At my point, the lovable bastard confidently stated the solution as if he had already known we would be wary. He then took the paper where the teacher had written the lyrics down. We just have to romanize the lyrics to the actual pronunciations of words. We have to romanize it? Yes. Basically, using the true Korean pronunciation of the words instead of the written version, we transpose the phics of Korean into the English alphabet so that a foreigner can easily read it. Some of the club members didnt seem to understand what was happening, as they had just nodded mechanically in response. I decided to add onto GyeongWons exnation. Okay, so basically, Korean pronunciation, bam, into English alphabet. Yeah. So, the Korean hello would be written out as annyeong using the alphabet. T/N: So, in trantion this is very difficult to show. Korean word for hello is . This word is pronounced and would be romanized to annyeong. I see. It was simr to the English writing we see under the subway stations. So, the city of Seoul would be Seoul and Sillim Station would be Sillim. Now, Ill be taking the songs hook and romanizing it into the English alphabet. On the piece of paper, GyeongWon began to write down the phics of the song lyrics. Oyoessioeyhtum etimkadablisigeadnoebmas oej Now, I just have to reverse this starting from the end. That way, we can tell how the phics of this would work when the song is reversed without having to actually listen to the song. Ah, so thats how we do it. Once again, he started to write down some English words on the piece of paper. This time, however, it was reversed. Oyoessioeyhtum etimkadablisigeadnoebmas oej Jeo sambeondaegisilbadakmite muthyeoisseoyo T/N: The author took some creative liberties with his romanization. Now, we just have to read this out and change it back to Korean. Gosh my arms hurt. Possibly because he was rushed with how excited he was, GyeongWon seemed to have strained his wrists. He began to stretch them out. SunAh, who was right next to him, faced down and began to try to read the English into Korean. Jeo Sam Beon??Oh, Sam bun? She seemed to be struggling with transposing the English back to Korean. Hmm. Here, Ill try drawing a line where each phic syble should be divided up. I took the pen and started to divide the English letters up. Jeo / sam / beon / dae / gi / sil / ba / dak / mi / te / mut / hyeo / is / seo / yo I / am / bur / eed / un / der / the / thir / duh / wai / ting / room. I am buried under the third waiting room. Chapter 33: Sixth Ghost Story - CSAT Banned Songs (7) Chapter 33: Sixth Ghost Story - CSAT Banned Songs (7) { Trigger warning: This chapter has depictions of [Violence]. Readers Please be Advised. } [I am buried under the third waiting room.] The moment we understood the meaning of the phrase, chills ran down our spine as the room wentpletely silent. Carefully, everyone in the room began to look around at each other. No one had any intention of speaking up first. The intense difort that sentence caused had silenced everyone. Ummm After a while, DukHun wassurprisinglythe first to speak up. Theres something that I just thought of, OwO~ Everyone gave him a look that suggested he continued talking. Does anyone know about Sadako? T/N: Sadako is the antagonist ghost from Ring. The Western adaptations changed her name to Samara Morgan, ording to the wiki. DukHun asked us as cold sweat began to form on his neck. Sadako. I vaguely remembered hearing something about that. Is it that girl ghost thates out on the television with that well thing? Yeah, that! DukHun quickly nodded at my answer. I wasnt sure where it originated, but I remembered seeingmercials and videos on the inte parodying the scene. The television would depict a well, and from within the well a girl would crawl out, eventually crawling out of the television set into reality. Oh, I know that. Its that ghost from the Japanese horror movie, The Ring. Once GyeongWon chimed in, DukHun got to his exnation. I will exin for the people who dont know about it, UwU~. This is the plot for the horror movie, The Ring. There is a video tape possessed by a ghost, which kills the people who see the video. However, to avoid death, you can spread that video to someone else. Basically, in the movie, this cursed film ends up spreading like a virus all over As expected of DukHun, he seemed to be an expert on Japanese pop culture. Luckily, I was able to catch what he was leading towards. The video with the ghost is spreading like a virus. Then, if we rece the video with a song, it will be simr to our situation right now. Thats it, OwO~! Thats it! It seemed like most of us understood what he meant, but I reorganized it for SunAh and JinHee, who still looked confused. This song that has been causing this chaos, its most likely that it is cursed by a ghost. A cursed song! If we suppose that the story where people possessed by the ghost do things in reverse, the way that the song affects people and makes them do things in reverse all makes sense. It was especially true for the message hidden in the reversed song. I was willing to bet that whatever made those lyrics was not human. DukHun, for that movie, how did they stop the curse from spreading? How did the movie end? Ahem. DukHun started to think back. The curse started from the vengeful ghost, who shows up in the video. She died unfairly and was buried at the bottom of the well that shows up in the video, OwO. In order to put the ghost to rest, they found the actual location of the well and gave her a proper burial. Then that means that we just have to find whoever was buried under the third waiting room and give them a proper burial to end this? Of course, the whoever was clearly not a living person. We had to find the body that was buried under the third waiting room. Yup. It seems like everything clicks in ce. It definitely seems unrealistic, but considering the flow of whats happening, it makes the most sense. The third waiting room Everyone nodded in agreement with my hypothesis, which originated from DukHuns observation. After all, if we just waited where we were, there was nothing we could do. We had to get to that ce. The third waiting room. But where is the third waiting room, anyway? Its not like there is only one third waiting room in Korea. I spoke up positively as the conversation started to back in the direction of hopelessness. For that, we have to ask the folks who originally spread this song. Whos that? Everyones eyes widened. Fourincess. ! That was right. It was the new idol group causing waves throughout Korea, Fourincess. They were the original singers of the song. If it was them, they might know something about the abnormal phenomenon. Okay, so listen up. Although Im not sure where the third waiting room would be, I do know where the creators of the song, Fourincess will be right now. How do you know that I responded to the question of the teacher. I saw a tweet on one of the members social media. Tonight, they have a live concert in one of the broadcastpanys music programs. The stage for that is in a dome building, and they are in one of the dressing rooms in that building. I-is that so? Actually, I had obtained that information through lip reading, but there was no need to unnecessarily exin that. Everyone knows what we have to do now, right? Gear up. Wh-what? The club members were growing restless. Go to the kitchen and bring anything that could be used as a weapon. Quickly. Wait, Prez! What are you suddenly? We have to hurry, before this situation gets worse. Its already past three in the afternoon. The sun might set soon. Hmmm. The club members were restless at the news that we were suddenly leaving the school. However, we had rested well enough. Since we were certain about our destination, they decided to follow the n. Soon, we will be face-to-face with Fourincess. . . . A little bitter, SunAh was holding onto arge frying pan and twirling it around. HaYoon was holding a kitchen knife in each hand,paring the two. Soon, each of us had chosen various kitchen utensils like pots and pans to use as weapons. Logically speaking, a ded weapon like as a knife or cleaver would make the best weapons, but only HaYoon had chosen such a weapon. After all, a reasonable person would have a disinclination to stab someone else, so most of us had chosen blunt weapons, pots, pans, or brooms. Teacher, you have the keys, right? If youve all decided on a weapon, meet up at the door. In front of the locked steel door on the fourth floor of the cafeteria, I gave the club members another briefing. Girl group, song, broadcasting station, music program, dressing room, third waiting room, curse, corpse Theres a great chance that all of these things are rted to each other. Thats why were heading to meet Fourincess, the source of it all, to question them. Got it! Were resolved to do this! The members all nodded. Resolution, huh? I wondered if they truly understood what they were fighting against. I then told them something they would not be able to handle. Starting from now on, only those of you who can ept what I say should pay attention. I have the ability to go back in time. ? The faces of all of the members that had been preparing to leave the school changed from resolution to awkward embarrassment. Wh-what did you say?? What? Those members who went through the Dream Within Dreams together with me, do you remember how every time we died, we went back in time to the start of the dream? The three members nodded. Ive been through the same exact experience a couple of times. Do you understand that? Even if we get out of school and find the solution to this weird phenomenon, I have no ns on solving it right away. I took in a deep breath and stated my resolution, whether or not they could ept it. After finding the solution to this phenomenon, Im going to go back in time to before this chaos started. Then, I will cut off this situation at its roots to prevent this chaos from ever starting. Thats what Im nning. Wh-what? The teacher, JinHee, and DukHun were making expressions of pure confusion. However, while GyeongWon and SunAh were slightly startled, they nodded their heads. That was something I had resolved to do once I couldnt contact my parents and saw the state of what was happening outside. From what I had experienced so far, every time I had solved a case, a new checkpoint would be established. If I went ahead and solved this phenomenon as it was, that would mean that my checkpoint, the ce I would end up the next time I died, would be fixed to after this urrence. That would mean that my life would continue on with my parents having died and the nation a chaotic mess! I would never be able to call that a win. It would be the same as saving the game after having made a mistake. Do you get what Im saying? Its fine if you dont. Just remember this: if there are any members that fall behind as we flee, we are not going back for them. Dont even look back. Its fine to use violence against anyone standing in our way. Teacher HwaEun froze when she heard what I was suggesting. Im going to be turning back time anyway. Whoever dies doesnt matter. The only thing that matters is our destination. Only think of barging forward with that goal. In the next hour, we need to finish everything up. No one should hesitate or stop. They might not have understood exactly what was happening, but because of my life-or-death resolution, everyone seemed swayed to my pace. They all slowly nodded. After the exnation, we will open this door and rush down to the first floor. From there, we will head to the parking garage next to the cafeteria where the Teacher''s car is parked. We will be using that to leave through the front gates. Roger! Unfortunately, the front gate is currently closed. While the car is stopped in front of the gate, someone will have to get that gate open. That is our first hurdle. Understood? With tense expressions, everyone gripped their weapons tighter. During the time we are trying to get the gates open, we have no idea what could happen. The person who leaves to open the gates might not be able to join back with the rest of the group. Even if that is the case, we are leaving them behind. After that, its a straight sprint to ChungDam neighborhood in the city center, where the broadcastpany is located. After parking at the lot next to the dome-shaped building, we will go and find the dressing room. End of exnation. Is everyone ready? I could see GyeongWons hands shaking as he gripped his frying pan even tighter. Im opening the door. Be ready! Without giving the members the opportunity to hesitate, I opened the steel door. Creak- As soon as the door opened, the truck driver that delivered the ingredients to the cafeteria could be seen. He must have been unable to escape the school before being infected. He had been silently staring out the window before he swung his head in our direction at the sound of the door. Fuck! The moment he was about to open his mouth and start singing Yaaaaah!! I quickly flung arge ss bowl at him. Crash! The bowl smashed into the drivers face and shattered into pieces. Before he could do anything more, the impact sent him smashing into the floor and he rolled around. In order to prevent any of the members from hesitating to hurt the others, I had shown them an example first. Now, follow me! I stood at the front again and hurriedly led them down the stairs. Because it would be impossible for the seven of us to sneak down all those stairs undetected, we prioritized speed over stealth. Third floor. Second floor. Although there had been a couple of students in the cafeteria on each floor, because we had gone down the stairs so quickly, they didnt seem to notice. Once we got to the first floor, we saw the familiar face of a male senior. Guys! Urgent news, urgent ne- Shut the fuck up! With a shout, JinHee jumped from the top of the staircase and smashed a frying pan onto the top of his head. Tung-! With the refreshing ringing of the pan, the senior copsed onto the floor. This way! I parked my car here! With the teacher leading the way, we ran out into the parking garage. We looked around the outside of the parking garage as we followed behind her. There were a few students already outside, and we could see that they were running towards us, having discovered our group. * * * * * * Lets split up! Well block the entrance to the parking garage! The few of us who could fight, JinHee, DukHun, and me, were defending the entrance to the garage, while the rest would help Teacher HwaEun search for her car. Turn off that musiiiiiiic~ It keeps ringiiiiiiing~ One male student was the first to arrive and started to swing a paper cutter behind his back. Fucking moron. Of course, his uracy was zero. I dodged to the side and kicked behind his knees. Pow- Kyak-! After the guy copsed, DukHun stomped on his head with his heavy legs, literally pulverizing him. Useyagare~! Crunch. With over 220 pounds smashing down onto his head, after the student convulsed a bit, he stopped moving. Oh my god~ sister~! You have to listen to this sooooong~! After that, a pretty female upperssman came running over with her cellphone out, blouse undone. The noisy melody of the hook of the song was ringing from the phone. Urgh! Damn it. JinHee made an expression that was slightly nk before immediately regaining her poise. Sister~! JinHee took a step towards the girl running towards us, leapt into the air, andnded a spinning kick. Pow- With the added momentum of her running, the girls neck twisted backward and she copsed under the power of the clean kick. Crash. Damare~!! DukHun rushed over to the phone still noisily sting the music and stomped on it until it stopped ying. Vroom, vroom- From behind, we could hear the sounds of a car. Once we turned around, we could see Teacher HwaEuns car slowly moving toward us, a couple of infected teachers clinging to the side and tapping on the windows. Teacher Jang! Listen to this soooong! I hear its the newest faaad! Kyaaaah! Kyaaaah! From within the car, the sound of scared students could be heard. Teacher Jang, even you can get married if you keep up with this fad! Quickly! Try listening to it! JinHee! JinHee nodded in response to my shout, and with a mutual understanding, she ran towards the car. Teacher Jang HwaEun!!!! Kyaaaaah! HaYoon started to stab the hands of the teacher hanging onto the back seat window of the car as JinHee swung her frying pan at the heads of the infected teachers. Stab, stab. Tong, tung-! Uuaaack!! Youngdy! How old are you?! And you dare to attack your elder? The teachers all copsed, some gripping their hands while others gripping their heads. Using this opportunity, DukHun and I ran and pushed those teachers away from the car. Shove-! Aaaah! Afterwards, we immediately tried to get into the car. Damn! Theres no room! DukHun, get in the front seat! Hai! Teacher HwaEun was in the drivers seat and DukHun was in the passenger seat. In the back, SunAh, GyeongWon, HaYoon, JinHee, and I were all squeezed in. A total of five people. Having been thest one into the car, I somehow ended up squishing SunAh due to theck of space. Eek, Joon! Sorry, SunAh! Once we get out of here, lets swap seats! I tried my best to support my weight by hanging onto the headrests of the front seats, and the teacher stepped on the gas. Were all in, right? Im going right through to the front gates! As she elerated, all of our bodies jerked back Kyaaaah! Uwaaaaah! Crash-! The car holding the seven of us smashed through the barricade and sped out of the garage. Hey! Listen to this song! Up ahead, the infected students and teachers began to run in our direction. Despite all of the chaotic swerving of the car, I managed to notice that someone was opening up the front gates. Teacher! The front gates! Somebody is opening them up! I think we can just go through them directly! What? Oh, its true! Teacher HwaEun turned the wheel to head towards the front gates, but because of how suddenly the situation had changed and the speed of the car, the angle wasnt quite right. I cant get the right angle! Im going to have to make another round! Hold on tight! Passing by the students running around like some sort of zombie horde, the car drifted in a circle around the schoolyard, leaving behind a cloud of sand and dust. Urrrgh! Eeek! As the car swerved and drifted, those of us in the back seat were subject to utter chaos. Seatbelts! Seatbelts! Although I shouted about wearing seatbelts, no one was in the situation to actually put them on. Ack! GyeongWon had his face smash into the headrest in front of him. Kyaaaah! The teacher started to scream as she finished her turn and rushed forward. Some of the students were running in our direction, right in front of us. Soon, I heard them go over the hood, over the top, and onto the other side of the car. Crash! Bam! Tumble tumble! Plop! Aaaaaagh!!! The windshield had some cracks, but it luckily wasnt bad enough that we couldnt see. Its a hit and run! Its a hit and run! If you listen to this song, Ill forgive you! The students and teachers continued to chase after our car. Were going! Hold on tight! The car set a straight course towards the front gates and elerated a bit more. Vroom! Vroooooom! Our bodies were forced back and SunAh was pinned under me again. Keuk, kek! Sorry! We could see that next to the gates, the security guard was waving his hands frantically. It must have been him who opened the gates. He had probably hidden in the security booth and opened the gates when he saw a car trying to escape, hoping to jump in as well. Lets gooooo! We rushed past the security booth. Vroom- Bop- We zoomed past the gate and over a speed bump, making the car jump into the air. Uaaaaaaaah! And after a brief moment of weightlessness Crash! The carnded on the road and almost felt like it would break. We were finally out of the school! However, the scene in front of us and the view of the city was clearly not normal. There were broken windows all over, and garbage and rubble were strewn about. Some of the broken windows even had smoke escaping outside. Seoul was clearly a mess. Vroom-! Vroom-! Again, Teacher HwaEun stepped on the pedal and elerated down the road. T-teacher! You do know the way there, right? Leave it all to meeeeeee! We were fucked. This person was clearly not in her right mind. Kids, hold onnnnn! Us kids ended up screaming as the car proceeded to race down the city streets. *** In the middle of the street, a crowd of people listening to the new song came into view. They were gathered around a noisy amp, ying the song loudly. Crash! Boom! Crash! A carpletely crushed the amp as it drove past, dragging along some of the electrical wires for a little while. You punks! That was a ten-thousand-dor amp I could hear someone wailing from outside the car. Still, we never slowed down and continued from ShinLim Station to Seoul University Station. T-teacher! Please slow down a bit! Kyaaaaaaaak~! Trash flew past us, and we barely missed several people. The scenery outside the window continuously changed. In front of us! An obstacle! One of us shouted. Teacher HwaEun swerved in a rush, and the car continued on the sidewalk, smashing through mailboxes and street signs. Teacher! Slow down! Kyaaaaaak~! As she screamed loudly, the teacher stomped down on the gas pedal harder. A thirty-four-year-old old-maid did not believe in brakes. Boom- Crash. Some of the citizens on the sidewalk crashed into the car and were flung aside like dolls. Teacher! I think some of the people we just crashed into were normal! Its okaaaaay! The sidewalk is more spaciouuuuuus!!! Ahaha, hahahaha. Even in this chaotic situation, someone wasughing. When I looked around to see who it was, I saw that it was HaYoon giggling. Teacher, youre so funny. Ahahaha. Even as she gripped the handle over the door with all her strength, her face turned red from all of herughter. SunAh was still behind me, but she had her eyes mped shut as she hugged my waist and shivered. DukHun, who was in the front seat, couldnt ovee the sense of speed and ended up gripping his seat belt as tightly as he could. Even JinHee seemed to be slightly fearful for her life as she grabbed onto the handle above the door and shifted her eyes around back and forth. GyeongWon seemed to have fainted a while back, as his body just swayed back and forth following the movements of the car. The car soon dashed past a cemetery and turned onto the Han River roadside. Wheeeeeew. Haaaa, haaaa Vroom~ Luckily, the Han River roadside was empty. The road was quite spacious and there were very few things that could act as obstacles. Although we did asionally see middle-aged people carrying radios as they chased fleeing teenagers along the jogging trail nearby, it was still a rtively peaceful path. Haaa, haaa. The teacher seemed to have calmed down as well. She started to slow down slightly as she drove. Creeeaaaak- Soon, we arrived in the ChungDam neighborhood. The broadcastpany building loomed ahead. A car on the verge of disrepair slowly pulled up in front of the building. Despite the car having been parked, not a single one of us moved from our seats. We sat there looking around nkly. Originally, it should have taken thirty minutes to get here, but it really felt like it only took us ten minutes instead. Everyone had nk expressions, their hair turned into birds nests. Teacher HwaEun, who had been quietly holding onto the steering wheel, turned around. H-hey kids We arrived. After I powerlessly lifted my head and looked out the window, I could see a dome shaped building. Chapter 34: Sixth Ghost Story - CSAT Banned Songs (8) Chapter 34: Sixth Ghost Story - CSAT Banned Songs (8) G-great Lets get out quickly. With my legs shaking, I managed to open the car door and get out first. I could vaguely smell the sour scent of urineing from somewhere. With that crazy ride, I guess someone couldnt help it. Wait, was it me? I looked down at my pants. Luckily, I was fine. I tried to coax the club members out of the car one by one, but I could see that GyeongWon was copsed in his seat. GyeongWon. GyeongWon? He waspletely limp, and his pants had a dark spot on the front. GyeongWon had fainted. What should we do? SunAh asked with a concerned expression. After considering the options a bit, I decided to bring GyeongWon along by carrying him. I had stated that, if it were a rough situation, we were to leave people behind Luckily, things were still quiet. GyeongWon is useful because he knows a lot. Its better if we bring him along for now. I looked over at DukHun. Unlike the rest of us, who had been cramped into the backseat, he had traveledfortably in the passenger seat. Once I gave him a look, he started kuso-ing as he went to drag GyeongWon out of the car. Even if he was three hundred pounds of water and fat, he was still plenty strong enough to pick up and carry the lean GyeongWon. Teacher, are you noting? Possibly because she couldnt put any strength into her legs, she continued to sit there behind the wheels while her hands were trembling slightly. I-Ill be waiting here With her having driven all the way here, smashing through people and barriers, Teacher HwaEun had done more than enough to fulfill her role. I quietly nodded and led the other club members away. The first floor of the broadcastpany was a very wide hall. This was a famous music broadcastpany. Fourincess had first debuted here, andter on this was the epicenter of all of the chaos. As it had been where the phenomenon first started, I had thought that it would be more chaotic. Maybe because everyone had already spread out in order to spread the song, there were only a few employees sprinkled amongst the corpses that we could see from afar. Luckily, the hall was quite spacious. We moved as carefully as we could in order to avoid meeting people. We were avoiding all of the broken ss to avoid making sounds. Around the corner we could see some elevators, so we headed in that direction. Wee to the Broadcast Station! As we turned the corner, we discovered two female staff members. They started to rush towards us in high heels. Aack! JinHee stepped in front of us and punched the first staff member in the chest. She then subdued the woman before twisting around and kicking the otherdy in the neck, breaking it. Pow, pow. Crumple- Its dangerous! Please back up! Hearing the noise, a male bodyguard dressed in a suit ran towards us. Not listening to the song is dangerous! FUCK! The bodyguard ran up with explosive speed and tackled JinHee, sending them both tumbling on the floor. Crash- F-fuck this shit! We tried kicking and hitting the man as he was on the floor, but he didnt budge because of all of his muscles. J-JinHee! Hurry up and get out of here you morons! Run! As JinHee struggled against the man, she shouted at us. Sorry! We had to leave JinHee behind as we scrambled to escape the scene. Some of the employees had rushed over when they heard all the noise, but luckily they ran in JinHees location. Trample- trample- We ran to the elevators and hid inside. DukHun, in here. Wheeze. Possibly because it took a lot of damage during the chaotic situation, the elevator was working in a very unstable manner. [Going Do- Going Do- Going Do-] The elevator was repeating the same phrase over and over, and the lights were flickering rapidly, making the small area even scarier to stay in. Wheeze, wheeze. [Beeeeeeep- The capacity limit has- next one- next one - capacity limit has been - next - next one- ] Once DukHun got on the elevator while carrying GyeongWon, the elevator capacity limit warning began to ring. Damn. It was only the five of us. Normally, the elevator should have easily carried all of us and then some. It must have been a lot more damaged than I originally thought. I tried ignoring it and pressed the close door button, but that didnt work. What should we do? Our only options were to kick someone out or to split up. However, just crossing the hall to get this far was close to a miracle already. Splitting from the group would surely be a death sentence. As we were all looking around at each other, HaYoon suddenly stepped off of the elevator. [Doors Closing.] See you soon, Joon. ! Through the gaps of the closing doors, I could see HaYoon smiling brightly as she waved. Uh, um uh nk. The elevator didnt even give me the opportunity to say goodbye, closing the doors. Then, in a scary and unsafe way, it began to move. Although the doors were already closed and she couldnt hear, SunAh quietly mumbled in her direction. Thanks, HaYoon And then, a bitter Uh, guys? Yeah? We could only hear the whirring of the elevator as I quietly asked them a question. What floor are we going to right now? Suddenly, the three of us looked at each other, confused. Isnt the elevator moving because someone pressed a floor to go to? I didnt press anything OwO GyeongWon was still knocked out. SunAh had a look that already showed she had no idea how the elevator was moving either. I was also just standing still I looked up at the number to see what floor we were on, but possibly because it was broken, the number was distorted. After we stood there for a while, I asked another question. Is this elevator even moving? W-well, it did start moving before and hasnt stopped since We did feel the shift when it first started moving, and if we didnt feel anything else, did that mean it was still moving? What the fuck? Its been like five minutes at least Wheeze, wheeze. DukHun must have been tired as he finally ced GyeongWon onto the ground. Whew, Im exhausted UwU Wheeze. He wiped off his sweat with his sleeve. SunAh started to fidget nervously and pointed something out. J-Joon look at that number. SunAh pointed at the disy over the door, and I could see that the distorted numbers had settled on a specific number. [44] Somethings weird. Yeah Its scary I tried to reassure the shaking SunAh, and soon another five minutes or so passed. Puuu- huuu puuu- huuu Haaaa, haaaa, haaaa. Huuuu huuu. U-uuum We were all syed out in the elevator. Are you guys also having difficulty breathing? When I asked, the other two nodded in agreement. GyeongWon was still knocked out. More time passed. I could definitely feel theck of air. I was on the verge of asphyxiation. There was no way that I would die in such a stupid way, right? Teacher HwaEun, JinHee, and HaYoon had all risked their lives and sacrificed themselves! We were almost at the end! All we had left to do was to find the dressing room! Haaaa, haaaaa * * * * * * I started to get back up, shaking. I then started to kick the elevator door. Bang, bang! Open! Open you shitty fucking door! The elevator began to shake dangerously. However, the thick steel doors didnt even budge. Haaaaa, huuuuu I tried to put my fingers in between the doors to try and wedge them open, but these elevators were drastically different from the normal elevators in my apartment building. We were sealed in the airtight elevator in arge broadcast station. Haaaa, haaa. Haaak, haaak. More time passed. The decreasing oxygen levels made my chest feel like it was tightening. I could try breathing inrge amounts of air, but my chest was still feeling ufortableas if I was just breathing in my own carbon dioxide. It seemed like there was no more oxygen. Haaak, haaaak. Haaaa, haaa. Does anything feel like it will open? No, nothing Sorry SunAh had been on my shoulders, hitting the panels on the ceiling in hopes that something would open. Unfortunately, she couldnt find anything. Haaaak, haaak. Puuu- huuu puuu- huuu Haaaaa, huuuuu. More time passed. The three of us were just syed out on the elevator floor, clutching our chests. Puuu- huuu puuu- huuu As DukHunsrge body moved up and down, he was taking in air three times as much as a normal human would. DukHuns impact on our decreasing oxygen was probably the biggest. Haaak, haaak. However, there was nothing we could do. And it wasnt like DukHun was the one that stopped the elevator. In the end, the only difference was whether we died sooner orter. H-how did we get into this stupid situation? Why was this situation so As my consciousness began to get hazier, I started iling my legs in frustration. Huuuufff, huff Puuuu- huuu I looked towards SunAh. She was clutching her chest, breathing heavily, her facepletely red. Huuuuff, puff Huaaaa, huuuu For some reason, SunAhs face didnt seem red because she was having difficulty breathing. I thought it looked more like she was angry. She was trembling very slightly. Puuuuu-huuuuu. Puuuu-huuuu Puuuuu, huuuuu Haaaa- haaak. SunAhs res started to feel like they could burn someone. Why was she so angry? J-Joon. SunAh started muttering with her teeth clenched. Joon As I expected, she was ming me. There was no other way. I was the one that had led these kids to their ultimate deaths. After all, people didnt tend to think about the root of the problem, instead expecting someone else to take responsibility or even shifting the me. Suddenly DONT STEAL JOONS OXYGEN!!! SunAh jumped up from where she had been leaning and dashed to where DukHun was, both of her hands aiming for his throat. Mmmph! Mmmmph! As the veins around his neck fat began to grow darker, his body started iling, trying to get more air. Aaaargh! Aaaaaaargh! Mmph! Mmmmph. SunAh continued to choke the life out of him as she red down at him. Although she only seemed like she would be a third of DukHuns mass, SunAh gripped his neck with monstrous strength from some unknown origin. Uaaah uhhh. S-SunAh s-stop it I powerlessly crawled over and tried to stop her, but her arms didnt budge. Uaaaaah! AAAAAH! Mmmmmph mmmph She was so outraged that not even a speck of her normally timid image could be seen. She had the strength of a monster. S-SunAh dont do this DukHuns iling arms smacked GyeongWons face. Eurgh. That sound must have finally signaled GyeongWons revival, as he was finally starting to move. Where is this ce? Uaaaah. Uhhh G-GyeongWon Uaaah P-prez! Whats going on? The a-airtight seal of the e-ele v-vator ahhh Wh-what? He jumped in surprise as he saw me crawling while clutching my chest. E-elevator?! Oh, I got it! So, this is inside the broadcast station building! Uaaaahhhh Uhhhh I felt like I couldnt breathe any longer, so as I looked up at GyeongWon, I let my head drop back onto the floor. Right next to us, SunAh was still suffocating DukHun in a rage. It seemed like no one was in their right mind due to theck of oxygen. I-I c-cant b-b-b-b-brea- You cant breathe?! Theres no way thats true. Uaaaaaaaah As I was about to lose consciousness, I could vaguely hear the words GyeongWon had started to shout. The fact that elevators are sealed air-tight is just an urban legend! My heartbeat went up drastically. What was this guy saying, when I could clearly feel how difficult it was to breathe. There was no more air. I could feel my lungs physically craving oxygen. Prez! Get your head on straight! No elevators avable to civilians are sealed airtight! Thats a scientific fact! All elevators have venttion that allows air to travel freely in and out! It''s the exact opposite of airtight, so get yourself together! At that instant, I could feel the walls of an assumption I had madee crashing down. Poof-
[You havee across and survived the C-rank Ghost Story - Elevator Asphyxiation Hoax] [You have earned 10 Ghost Story Points.]
Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuph! I could feel the fresh oxygen rush into my lungs and my cells screaming for joy. Huu, haaa, huuuu, haaaaa, huuuu, haaa! I breathed in and out deeply and tried to catch my breath. The elevator suddenly jolted and the 44th floorbel was gone, reced with the numbers for the third floor. Huu, haa, huu, haa! Wh-what exactly happened? Its a mistaken assumption ghost story! You know, those ghost stories where someone trapped in an unplugged freezer freezes to death? Oh my gosh! SunAh! What about SunAh?! We looked around and found SunAh and DukHun in a corner of the elevator. We tried to shake them awake. SunAh! Wake up! Once I turned her body face up, I could see that her extremely scary face had disappeared and she had returned to being adorable. Her eyes were closed, and she looked like a sleeping baby chick. I put my ear to her mouth to listen in. Haa, haa. Fortunately, she was still breathing. SunAh, SunAh. J-Joon Once I shook her a bit, she started to wake up. SunAh Im so d. Then I hurried over to where DukHunid. He wasnt breathing. I thought hard to try and remember the first aid I learned in school before. As I looked at his blue face, I put my hands on the center of his chest and started to do chestpressions. After a few reps, he finally started breathing again. Cough, cough. DukHun! Are you alright? Although he had started breathing again, he did not open his eyes. He must have been unconscious. G-get up, SunAh. Do you think you can walk? Lets get out of here. Y-yeah I quickly led SunAh and GyeongWon out of the elevator. We dragged DukHun out as well and leaned him against the wall near the elevator entrance. Its so weird, no matter how much I think about it. The current situation was definitely weird. Normally, a new ghost story would pop up only after the previous ghost story was resolved. However, we had a D-rank and a C-rank ghost story, the Ghost Possessed Person and the Elevator Asphyxiation Hoax, show up. This was almost like Something was attacking us on purpose. This way! Yeah! As we carefully looked around us, we could confirm that we were on the third floor. We went up to arge guide map near the stairs that had information on each floor, but unfortunately there was nothingbeled as a dressing room. I had just guessed that the dressing room mentioned in the hidden message in the song would be in the broadcast building, but I guess that was wrong. I had been nning to visit the dressing room first Prez, here! GyeongWon pointed at a corner of the third-floor map. [Dressing Room] Dressing Room! The floor we got off the elevator on just happened to have the dressing room. I had used the lip-reading skill to find out from the youngest member of Fourincess that they would be on standby here in the dressing room just that morning. The origin of the phenomenon, the girl group, Fourincess. They were on the same floor as us. Lets see, dressing room, dressing room I think we just have to turn the corner over there. Okay, lets go. The three of us carefully snuck over, pressing against the walls. We could see a few people at the far end of the hallway, near the emergency exit, moving around while doing handstands. Guys, let''s go around this way so that we wont get caught. Yeah. *** Y-young miss! How in the world How did you get here? M-my apologies. Since this area is dangerous It would be best to hide Th-then, Ill be going first The President of the broadcastingpany had run away after ending the conversation, but not long after that he was captured and dragged away by other people. Chapter 35: Sixth Ghost Story - CSAT Banned Songs (9) Chapter 35: Sixth Ghost Story - CSAT Banned Songs (9) <[Suicide]. Readers Please be Advised>> The dressing room is over here. We were moving very slowly down the hallway, crouching down to stay as hidden as possible. Once we spotted the panel identifying the door to the dressing room, we approached. Click, click. The door was locked. However, we could hear some movement from inside the room. Someone is inside. Do you think its Fourincess? Try asking them to open the door, Prez. Knock, knock. Once I knocked on the door, more noise could be heard from within the room. Not long after, a young girls voice floated through the door. [Whos there?] How was I supposed to respond there? The President of the Ghost Story Club? That is As I stood there with a nk expression, stumbling over my words, SunAh came up to the door and answered instead of me. You guys are Fourincess right? We came to save you. So From the other side of the door, we could hear muffled discussions. Then they asked us again. [Please prove that you arent infected.] Uh, hmm I wonder. How should we prove that were fine? [Please tell us who you are and where youre from.] Were students from a nearby school. [Students?] Chatter, chatter. [Which school?] Nakseong High School. [Why did a studente to the broadcast station?] I heard there was a music program being recorded in the broadcast station this evening with live audiences [You came here to watch in the audience?] Yes. I chose to just go with the flow of the conversation. After a bit more muffled discussion, we could hear the lock click as they unlocked the door. [Come in.] Thank you. I gave the club members a brief nce before slowly opening the door to the dressing room and stepping inside. After we stepped into the room, we could see five girls with tense expressions, each wielding a cane or a stand as a weapon. The girls had on shy makeup, short skirts, tight shirts, and ribbons that entuated their slender bodiestypical but gorgeous stage costumes. Once any guys saw theirrge eyes and thin jawlines, an increase in heart rate would be unavoidable. The five beautiful girls were right on the thin line between adult and teen. I momentarily lost all words, as a Wow, beautiful echoed within my mind. The current generations number one girl group was standing right in front of my eyes. Excuse me With flutteringshes, one of the members started speaking. Once I heard her voice, I finally woke from my thoughts. Are you the singer of this song, Fourincess? The girls slowly nodded. Do you have an idea why this sort of phenomenon has happened? Seeing me get straight to the point, the members of Fourincess fell silent for a bit, giving each other looks. Didnt you say you came here to save us? One of the members responded a bit defensively. I shook my head in response. Did you all see the news on the inte? Yes. Right now, there is no ce in South Korea that is safe. The members started to give each other looks. Then why did youe here? We came to determine the root of the problem. I was nning on figuring out the cause and resolving the situation. A bold member, one who had just been watching before, replied with a sharp voice. Whore you to im that youll resolve this situation? Who is the leader of your group? You came here without knowing that? With an expression that suggested she was taken aback, the bold girl put her hands on her hips. Im the leader. What are you curious about? Everything rted to this unusual phenomenon. You girls were the ones to sing this song. My gosh, really. The leader was taken aback again, and even clicked her tongue. She started to whisper with her members again, then gave me a re. Although Im not sure what sort of investigative game youre ying, I will answer your questions to the best of my ability. But if you arent here to help us, please stop bothering us and leave after we finish with the questions. The bold and beautiful leader put her foot down. What if they arent the culprits? Although I was temporarily flustered, I steeled my heart and started to ask the questions I needed answered. The people that listened to your song became addicted and turned into zombies, then spread that song to others. Is there something about the song and this phenomenon that catches your attention as the original singers? I dont know. Were also panicking. All we did was receive the new song from our agency and work our hardest in our group activities. Did she really not know anything? In that case, it would be better to dig into the song instead of asking about Fourincess themselves. You said that the agency gave you the song, right? Who were the songwriters? They were adultsfamous songwriters appointed by the agency. We did meet them a few times during the recording process, but we dont really know much about them. However, theyre not suspicious people. The leader replied in a very straightforward manner. She was, at most, a year or two older than mebut having a beautiful and confident older girl speaking to me in such a straightforward manner had slowed my momentum a bit. However, I had to ovee that and continue my questions. Everyone that listened to this new song went crazy, but you girlswho should have heard this song the mostare allpletely fine. Do you know why that is? Is that something we have to exin? She started to re at me again because of my interrogative tone. At my behavior, some of the members looked scared while others red at me alongside their leader. Yes. This is something you have to exin. At my adamant insistence, the leader began to pout and reluctantly replied. I dont know. It may be that in trying to spread the song, it is actually most effective if we act normal. ! What she said made a lot of sense. Next to me, GyeongWon nodded as well. If someones objective was to spread the song, it would be most effective for Fourincess themselves to be sound of mind. That way they would be able to travel from venue to venue and perform. Is there really nothing else you know? Yes. Did you ever get a weird feeling as you sang? Not at all. It felt like I hit a wall. I had thought that these people would know something about this. As I thought over the situation, I returned to asking questions about the songwriters. Before, you said that the songwriters werent suspicious people. How did youe to think that? They were the first people to go insane. In what way? Theposerined that the song wouldnt get out of his head. He killed himself by stabbing out his eardrums. The lyric writers family discovered him typing away, writing the lyrics in reverse to the point that his fingers were ttened, so he was sent to a mental hospital. As I imagined the horrifying urrences, I grew speechless. The Fourincess leader replied to all of my inquiries sharply, as she didnt like that I was interrogating her. She seemed to have enjoyed a bit of vengeance when she saw our shocked faces as we heard of the gruesome ends the songwriters faced. Everything happened yesterday. Our manager went crazy the moment he got into the broadcastingpany building this morning. When he began to kneel and begged us to stop singing the song, security was forced to drag him away. In the promotion video, the girls and the manager left the van and entered the building. The manager must have turned right after that video. Haaa What else should I ask her about? I briefly turned to look at GyeongWon and SunAh. They both had grave expressions on their faces, but it seemed like they still didnt know what to do. I faced the group leader, who was tapping her foot as she waited. I guess there was no avoiding asking the question. The hook portion of the lyrics. Did you know that if you y it in reverse there is a hidden message? What? Suddenly the leaders eyes widened in surprise. Her eyes looked like something that could be seen on animation characters. I held back the urge to ask if someones eyes really could get that big, then asked the question again. Did you not know? She had an expression that suggested she didnt know at all. Then that hook lyric, was that something the lyric writer created as well? Th-thats * * * * * * She was noticeably flustered, and she turned to her other members to quietly discuss something. After a bit, the leaderhaving reached a consensus with the groupturned back to me and asked me a question as she shot me another re. Arent you asking questions too one-sidedly? We also have things we are curious about. How did you know where we were? Please answer that, then we will reply. How did we know that, of the numerous rooms within this building, they would be hiding in the dressing room? Its fair to be curious about that. To be honest, there wasnt a reason to not tell the truth. I looked for the girl that looked the youngest. She was a middle school member that was one year younger than us. Hidden between the older members, she was trembling. I wanted to call her by her name, but because I had been so uninterested in idols in both of my lives, I didnt know their names. Although it might have seemed rude, I had no other choice than to use my fingers to point her out. The youngest member over there mouthed a request toe and help her in the video today. ! At that moment, the youngest member made a face of surprise and seemed much brighter. Surprised, the other girl group members looked at the youngest. As GyeongWon and SunAh also didnt know that fact, they also looked at me in shock. Is that true? As one of the members asked the youngest member in a soothing tone, she smiled brightly and nodded. Y-you noticed! As I hoped I was waiting for you! If you were a fan at least a single person woulde My gosh. Were you waiting for some Prince Charming? Youre driving me crazy The leader flicked her hair back, making her long luscious locks flow back over her shoulders. Her wariness of me seemed to rx very slightly as she started to speak. I understand. I was the one that asked, but the answer was a bit surprising So, about that hook. We did receive it from the lyric writer, but to be honest, he didnte up with it himself. Then where did he get it? There is a rumor that somewhere within this building, if you are walking alone, you can hear the mumblings of a girl. The lyric writer was workingte at night when he heard the mumbling and, because he liked how catchy it was, he wrote it as a part of the hook. And then she shrugged her shoulders. Or at least, thats what I heard from someone else. Was the location he walked past the third waiting room? Oh my! Thats right! How did you know? GyeongWon, SunAh and I started to look at each other. As we thought, we were in the right ce. Would you be able to lead us there? No. Its too dangerous. She cut us off right away. The third waiting room is in the middle of the fifth floor. All of the rooms on that floor are waiting rooms, and because of the live broadcast scheduled for today, its packed full of singers. However, none of them have left that floor. No one has left that floor Because all of the singers there are singing our song, it would be too dangerous. Was the new song by Fourincess some great equalizer of the music industry or something? I think we have to go there in order to solve something. Why? Is there something in that specific waiting room? Umm. To be honest, even I wasnt certain. Although ying the lyrics in reverse revealed that someone was buried there, there was no way for me to know who it was. However, if I just stayed here, the situation would not change. The third waiting room, I believe there may be a clue to resolving this entire issue over there. Instead, I just pushed forward with my insistence. What clue? And whats your reasoning? That is well, the lyrics I hesitated for a moment. The fifth floor was packed with singers. Breaking through the fifth floor and getting to the third waiting room was akin to suicide. Even if the lyrics were suspicious, would I really be able to handle a life-or-death situation like that? What about the lyrics? Well, either way, we cant go with you. Its too dangerous. Well wait here until the military shows up to resolve the situation. Still, we told you the location, so isnt that enough? Although it might have seemed cold of her, just as I was the president of the Ghost Story Club, she was the leader ofFourincess. Her decisions were made with the safety and best interest of her group in mind. In fact, if you looked at things objectively, my decision to rush over while leaving behind members was cruel and unusual. But logic doesnt solve this situation now. With such abnormal incidents happening, we need to use abnormal methods. In order to resolve the situation, we needed to fight tooth and nail to get to the third waiting room and confront whoever was buried there face to face. Even if we were both leaders, the difference between us was just that. Even if I had to use up my members, even if it would be an iplete way to resolve the situation, I was willing to go through with it to do so. She would rather prioritize the safety of her members and remain hidden instead. Of course, there is the caveat that I can turn back time while, I assume, she cant. Although I was with Ghost Story Club members, the only remaining members were the three of us: SunAh, GyeongWon, and me. However, if I were to seed in persuading the leader to join us, we would be adding five more people to our group. Obviously, having eight people go up would be much more advantageous than just three. What should I do? I need to try everything possible to get them toe with us. I began to feel especially thankful to all of my club members for following me despite mycking exnations and reasoning for going there. After solving this case, I think I need to spot them for another round of hamburgers. J-Joon Even if its just us, we should go. As I stood there pondering, SunAh started to pull on my sleeve and spoke as if we had no other options. Yeah, prez. It seems we have no choice. Maybe we can stop by in front of the elevator again and try waking up DukHun? I quietly looked at each member of Fourincess. Nothing will change even if you re at us. Now, please leave. Five very cute and beautiful girls. As I carefully observed each member, I suddenly noticed something. Are you going to leave or what? If you want to hide, you can use the room next to ours. Its empty. We will be using this dressing room. Maybe because I was wordlessly standing here, the leader started to get fed up and stopped using formalnguage. However, my eyes were fixated on the youngest member. She was trying to tell me something. [] Is it that you want to stay here with us? Huh? Please wait for a moment. My eyes were still fixed to the youngest members soft pink lips. [Did. You. Not. ice. It. Yet?] [Please. You. Are. A. Fan.] She was quietly mouthing her words so that the other members wouldnt notice. It was the same words that she spoke in the videos. What was the true message that she was trying to get across? What was she asking me to notice? As I wouldnt take my eyes off of the youngest girls lips, the leader followed my gaze and, after discovering what I was looking at, smirked slightly. Oh, so you fell for our DaSom. You love-struck fool. DaSom suddenly jolted and kept her mouth shut. Why? Was it something that she had to keep a secret from the other members? Why? Uh, Joon SunAh started to get anxious as she restarted pulling on my sleeves. Lets just leave quickly just us [Did. You. Not. ice. It. Yet?] [Four. in. cess.] I got it. So that was what happened. I understood what you meant. Everything will be fine. I nodded so that the youngest member could see. She had a look of relief on her face as she closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, they had a look of anticipation as they looked into mine. As all of the individual clues began to fit together in my mind, things slowly started to make sense. It was like the puzzle pieces were all falling into ce. We were at a point where I could tell the general idea of what the picture would be. Of course, there were still a few pieces missing. For example, why was that person buried there? That was a question we wouldnt find the answer to in the current chaotic world. It was probably something I would only find out after I confirmed the initial cause, turned back time, and then solved the situation fully. Even then, it would probably be through the news after the police made the investigation. Who are you, and why were you buried there? I had thought that I would have to get to the third waiting room and rip out the floorboards myself to understand the truth, but now I was thinking that it would be simpler to discover the truth here and now. And instead of wasting words trying to coax the leader to join us, it might help us get the leader to join quickly. Is our DaSom so pretty? You cant seem to take your eyes off of her. The leader made another jab at me. Yes, she is way too beautiful. SunAh looked at me with a horrified expression. GyeongWon also looked at me as if to ask, What are you doing?. Oh my. The leader did pause for a moment at my response, but soon she mischievously narrowed her eyes. Then will you stand outside by the door and guard us from the outside? Then you can act as the brave knight protecting us beautiful princesses. How is it? Should I? To my response, she winked while exuding a lively charm. Yes, please do so. Now, hurry up and go outside. Take your friends with you. But I have no intention of doing that. I slowly started to look at the members again. Rather than guarding the door from whoever wants to get in, I think I need to guard the door from whoever wants to leave. What? Chapter 36: Sixth Ghost Story - CSAT Banned Songs (10) Chapter 36: Sixth Ghost Story - CSAT Banned Songs (10) Within the dressing room in the broadcast station building. The leader of the girl group Fourincess and I, the president of the Ghost Story Club, were ring at each other. I said all we need to do is guard the door from whoever wants to leave. The leaders expression grew darker. What does that even mean? Instead of replying, I turned my head partially towards SunAh and called out to her. SunAh. Yeah? Guard the exit. Dont let anyone leave. ! With a determined expression, SunAh nodded and moved in front of the door. Once she was standing in front of the door, she put her hand into her pocket and slipped out a pink box cutter, gripping it tightly in her hands. I was speechless for a moment, but I turned back around towards Fourincess and stared hard. One of your members is not a person. What did you say? The five girls stared at me in surprise. One of you is a ghost. I will now try to single you out. Are you insane? The leader seemed unable to endure it any longer and gripped the prop-use cane even tighter. Girls, grab your weapons! Hes a weirdo, just as I suspected! They each grabbed whatever was near them, but couldnt stop trembling. The leader did step forward boldly, but because she was still scared of us, I could see her hands trembling slightly. Y-youre going to pretend to catch a ghost as you secretly do lewd things to us What the fuck is that bullshit?! At that moment, I was so flustered that I shouted. Im just trying to check a few things, so please cooperate with me! The girls quietly looked at each other. Exin what you were trying to do, first. Okay. Please listen to me. I let out a sigh and started my exnation. Have you ever heard of this story? My friend with the boxcutter over there told me about it today. I heard that if you see a ghost in the recording booth while recording, that album bes a hit. I heard its a famous story among singers. Is that true? As they held onto their weapons, the girls calmly looked amongst each other again. Yes, its a famous story. Since the older members didnt answer, DaSomthe youngest memberreplied in their stead. The leader red at her briefly, as if to ask why she was ying along, but she soon let out a sigh. Yeah, its famous. Not just among singers, but even some of the other famous celebrities have personal ghost encounters. Just like I thought. So? What about it? If that is true, then your song bing such a huge hit isnt actually too weird. It wasnt that you saw a ghost. A ghost is even traveling around and performing with you guys. And so how does that make us ghosts? Just one of you. Only a single one of you. She was about to retort, but instead bit her lip and just looked away. It seemed like she was dumbfounded by how I was so confidently stating something so bizarre. Say everything you want to say. Continue. I nodded, turned around, and asked GyeongWon. GyeongWon, how many members does 4Minute have? F-Four Minute? As I had been basically speaking with the leader one on one, he seemed flustered by my sudden question. However, he adjusted his sses and answered. Well, they have four members. What about Fromis 9? Uh, its nine people I think How about Gugudan? GOT7? Uh, hmm. If I were to guess from their names, nine people and seven people? T/N: 4Minute, Fromis 9, Gugudan, and GOT7 are all real K-pop groups. Gugudan trantes to Nine by nine multiplication table, so thats where the ninees from. I turned back to the leader and motioned to confirm if he was right. So, is he right? As they were idols themselves, they would know much more about those groups than us. She just calmly nodded her head. Then how many members does your girl group have? The leader flinched before quietly replying. Five people. Instead of saying anything I just nodded. The girl group used the name Fourincess. It was clear what the meaning behind the name was. It came from the number (Four) and the word (Princess), as that was the concept they were going for. The leader paused as if she was thinking over what she wanted to say, before replyingalbeit much less confidently. S-so what? Fourincess would have to mean four people, but since we have five members, one of us is a ghost? Dont be stupid. Weve been performing together for over a month! Then that means that the ghost has been with you all for over a month. The timing aligns perfectly with when you first announced your new track. You keep trying to push us with this name thing The leader tried to retort, but she kept stuttering and couldnt finish the sentence. Wh-while working actively, you can sometimes gain members and lose members You guys are apletely new girl group, but that happened already? From what I know, you all debuted this year. The girl group leader put her hands on her hips as she tried to respond, but she couldnt think of anything to say. Silence settled in the dressing room. After pondering for a bit, she turned around and started pointing out each member as she listed out names. DaSom, BoRam, SaeRyun Excluding herself, she tried naming every member as she counted off. After confirming there were no discrepancies, she turned to re at me again. I am this groups leader. I remember who is who and the personalities of each girl. There is no way that I am mistaken. Its you guys who made the mistake. Is that so? I nonchntly replied as I looked at the girls. The Fourincess leader, Cha JiWon. It was definitely their side that were mistaken. Just as the system could distort reality and create a clubroom that never existed, the ghost stories could fabricate reality and had the power to shake up human cognition. Just as I had almost died of asphyxiation in the elevator due to a misunderstanding, the girls were being tricked as well. Then, please try exining why the groups name is Fourincess. Hey! Will you keep pushing us over a name? The leader was throwing a tantrum while making a noticeably flustered expression. There was probably some reason from the higher ups! You cant keep iming one of us is a ghost when its always been like this! iming one of us is a ghost makes you guys abnormal! But why are you so flustered? Flinch. Isnt it because, when I mentioned the name Fourincess, you suddenly remembered that you originally started with four membersand yet, at a certain point you dont remember, you suddenly had five people? Is that fact continuously on your mind now? D-dont be stupid. Her pretty face had morous makeup on for the performance. However, a drop of cold sweat trickled down from her forehead. Unnie, you can stop Indeed, we were originally four people. From the back, the youngest member stepped out and confirmed our suspicions with a resolute voice. DaSom At a certain point, I started to feel that things were weird. Why was there suddenly an extra person? It felt weird But no matter how much I tried to remember, I wasnt able to Who was it that slipped in? Which members were the original members At that moment, the atmosphere in the room grew cold. Everyone was slowly taking in the truth. There was one imposter among us. One of us was not a human. That was why I continued pleading, hoping that someone would notice We were growing more and more popr, and our schedule was growing busier and busier. However, someone that was pretending to be human had casually slipped in, and that scared me so much DaSom began to tremble in fear. After a moment of silence, the leader turned back to me and asked me a question with a resigned tone. T-tell me what you are nning to do, first. I wonder Im just mentioning this ahead of time, but for the past month the five of us here went through many difficulties together, from tough schedules to arduous tours. However, none of us has acted in a suspicious way. That was the main problem. I had also observed all of the members very closely, but not a single one of them acted suspiciously. All five of them were just very beautiful girls. Step, step. As a test, I tried aggressively walking forwards toward the girls. All five of them flinched and backed up. Using the piece of information that the ghost does something backwards, I tried making them walk backwards, but nothing special came up. What should I do I pondered for a bit, then turned to look at my club members. SunAh was still wielding the boxcutter as she guarded the door, and GyeongWon was looking at me earnestly. The point of view Prez needs is right here. When I gave him a look that asked for advice, GyeongWon suddenly spoke up. Youre equipped with everything you need to know. You know which ghost story is involved, and you know the background and the original cause of this incident. Now the only thing you need to do is reveal who the ghost is, Prez. One of them is not a human, but its up to you on how you will differentiate the ghost. I believe in you, Prez. I responded to the nodding GyeongWon with a look, and turned back around to look at the Fourincess members. Will all of you please do a handstand? What? * * * * * * I asked if you could do a handstand. For you girls, who can dance for long periods of time, it shouldnt be difficult to do one. Right away, please. The five girls briefly gave each other looks. Are you saying that when you know we are wearing skirts? How will that let you differentiate? Ghosts do things backwards from the way humans do them. They either behave backwards, or say things in reverse. Thats what Im looking for. Backwards? R-really? Actually, the handstand was something I just tossed out there. I was nning on having everyone do random things until something sticks out. It can be something like making you crawl while doing a back bridge, rehearsing the multiplication table in reverse order, or doing a backwards cartwheel. It really doesnt matter. The leader began to tremble greatly. Th-this bastard, hes going to force us to do random things without any real reasoning, hes going to throw shit at a wall and hope something sticks? Are you talking back to me? Yeah, I am! The pretty and angry girl shouted at me. I calmly spoke back to her. Then you must have talked back because you are the ghost. No wonder you were screaming back at me from the beginning If youre going to cooperate, you should cooperate silently. Why do you have so manyints?! I already know youre trying to do lewd things to us!!! Stop with the bullshit, you crazy bitch!!!! CRAZY BITCH?!!!!! The leader ran at me and grabbed my hair. I responded by grabbing her long, silky, ck hair as well. Youre the ghost, right? I got you now, you bitch!! Die! Die!! The leaders of both groups were pulling on each others hair while screaming. Unnie! Stop! Rein it in!! Prez! Stop this!! After the situation calmed down, Koreas number one girl group was forced to listen to mymands and go through an intense boot camp. Everyone, together. p. p p p p p p p p. The five girls pped while making reluctant faces. Great. No problems here. Lets now have you do ten reps of squats. Dont forget to count off. One, two Wait! Stop! Oi, you! Why are you doing the reverse of everyone else? Everyone is squatting down while you alone are back up! I got you know! SunAh, kill her!! SunAh began to dash towards the girl. Its not that Im doing it in reverse but that Im just off beat, you fucking moron! Lets try it again! Fine, again! One, two Hmm, I see no issues here. Sorry for the misunderstanding. Well make you bend forwards and look down as you spin in ce. Now go, spin, spin. Agh, huff, puff Ah, Im so fucking dizzy, fuck She sells seashells by the seashore. The shells she sells are surely seashells. So, if she sells shells on the seashore, she sells seashore shells, Im sure. She shells seashells sell shore sells she sell seashores what the fuck? Wrong. Again. She sells seashells by the seashore And as time kept passing, the five girls were exhausted and dripping with sweat. The dressing room was full of their tired breathing. Y-you should stop now Right? Isnt this more than enough? The leader was pleading as she had copsed on the floor. I felt a bit sorry. I didnt think I would fail to find the ghost after going so far. But I brushed aside the tiny seedling of guilt and made another request. Im really sorry, but I really think you guys should do handstands. Th-this fucking bitch really I said, were wearing skirts! Unnie, its okay, were wearing tight shorts underneath anyway, remember? From the side, the DaSom tried to appease the leader. Im sorry. Just the handstand. This will be thest thing I request. If we cant find the ghost after this, you can beat me to death literally. After hearing that, even as she was breathing heavily, the leader started to grin. Fine, this is thest thing we do. If theres nothing to see after this, I will really beat your ass to death. You will die. At my hands. Ill go first. Even though DaSom was breathing heavily because she was exhausted, she got up and walked towards the wall. As the MVP that had noticed something was off early on, I could feel that she was actively trying to solve the situation and taking this seriously. The middle school girl got close to the wall and, after bending over, kicked off the floor and put her feet against the wall to perform a handstand. Her skirt did flip over, but only her ck tight shorts were revealed. DaSom maintained her handstand without any signs of difficulty. As expected of a girl group member that practiced dancing every day, she could maintain that posture without any problems. Thats enough. Nothing seems wrong. Thank you. Huu! While exhaling a bit, she got back on her feet. Now, Unnies! Pretty please? The girl group members were mumblingints, but with the urging of their youngest member, they also got up and walked towards the wall. Yaa! Another member kicked off the floor and did a handstand. Her figure, especially her hips, made a fine and flexible S- line. Thats enough, you cane down now. Huu. She let out a sigh as she plopped back onto her feet. Now there were three members left, including the leader. Everyone started to look at the leader. It was as if we were all saying, even the youngest did it, shouldnt the leader that represents this girl group step up now?. This will be able to differentiate the ghosts from people? She didnt move from her spot as she crossed her arms. We need to try to know for sure. It may be bothersome, but please help us out. At my insistence, the leader began to frown. Eventually, she got up and slowly walked toward the wall. You can do it. She was still hesitating. Unnie, hurry up Fight! You can do it! The other members started to cheer her on. Ugh With her eyes squeezed shut, she continued to dawdle in front of the wall. I tried inciting her. As I expected, it was you. Even though you are wearing tight shorts underneath, you kept avoiding doing the handstand. The way you were so against it had me concerned. That must also have been the reason you were so Thats not it, you bastard! Stop thinking whatever you want! With my antagonizing, she shouted back at me. Then she took a ready stance. Okay, Im going to do it look at it very closely you bastard. I could see the leaders longshes tremble slightly as a droplet of cold sweat trickled down her cheek. Eiii! With an unnecessarily exaggerated shout, the leader of Koreas number one girl group, the most popr Fourincess, did a handstand. After, her skirt couldnt ovee gravity and flipped over. It revealed her innocent pink underwear with a cute bunny on it, which contrasted greatly with her usual bold and outgoing image. The leader''s face turned bright red as she squeezed her eyes shut. Her arms began to tremble greatly. I quietly nodded. Great sess. Isnt that enough!!! FUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!! Her angelic face continued to blush red as she spit out demonic curses and got back up. You fucking bitch, you fucker FUCK you bastard, Fuck, fuck Asshole fucking bitch ass mother fucker Unnie Her face waspletely red and trembling with anger. Right behind her, DaSom was worriedly mumbling to her to try and calm her. Next! Both of you are going together now! At the leaders shouting, the remaining two members shuffled towards the wall. Start! Yes maam! It may be that they were used to it when practicing their choreographed dances, but at the leaders order, they naturally responded and performed their handstands. Immediately, the two were against the wall, upside down without losing their bnce. Hehe~! How is it now?! Theres nothing wrong, right! With a slightly unhinged voice, the leader put her hands on her hips and lightly licked her lips. What followed was a re of pure vengeance and wickedughter. Seeeeee~! Everyone is normaaaaaaal~! Be prepared to face my wrath, moron!!! She ran towards me, her nails raised and ready to scratch. Iyaaaaaaah! Die, bitch! She was right in front of me, ready to scratch my face to ribbons. ? But as I waspletely still and not even looking at her, she paused. It wasnt just me. No one was trying to hold back the overexcited leader, and no one was paying attention to her at all. ? Realizing that everyone was being too quiet, she started to look around. Feeling that the atmosphere was unusual, she realized that all of us were looking in one direction. She could tell that our gazes were fixated on one thing. Of the two girls doing handstands, our gazes all focused on one of the girls. SunAh, GyeongWon, me, DaSom, and the remaining members were all staring. It was clear that we were nervous as we looked at that one girl. What is it? Why are you all being weird? The leader felt the weird atmosphere and looked a little confused. She looked in the direction of the girls. What is it? Both of them are doing the handstand like you asked. Whats wr- She roughly looked at them and finally noticed something off. She froze, swallowing her words in surprise. ! Six pairs of eyes were wordlessly looking at one of the two girls. There was a bizarre tension building up inside the dressing room. Um uh Is there something wrong? As the situation grew weirder, one of the girls performing the handstand nervously asked that question. Since she couldnt see right next to her while doing a handstand, she probably didnt notice. Um, my hands are getting tired. Can I get down, now? I slowly nodded my head. Yeah, you can stop now. Come over to this side, quickly. Okay. Huuup! She exhaled as she got back onto her feet. Then she started to brush her silky, messed up hair before looking around. ? Noticing that everyone was wary of something, she tilted her head in confusion. She started to straighten out her clothes. Why are you all acting like that? Bo-BoRam Ce this way, quickly When she heard the leaders scared voice, she casually sauntered over and joined our group of people. Whats wrong? After joining us, she turned aroundfinally able to see the girl that was doing a handstand alone. ? For a moment, as if she didnt understand, she squinted her eyes. And then it hit her. She froze, then flinched in surprise. Wh-what the? After finally realizing her misconception, the leader suppressed her fear and tried talking to the girl. Wh-what was your name again? A-and, uh She held down her trembling arms and tried to finish her question. However, she couldnt finish her words and ended up falling silent. We were all staring at the girl doing a handstand. Since she was upside down, her facial features should have been upside down as well. However, they werent. While her entire body was upside down in a handstand, only her face was right side upas if it were affixed in that position, casually staring right back at us. Chapter 37: Sixth ghost story – CSAT Banned Song (11) Chapter 37: Sixth ghost story ¨C CSAT Banned Song (11) The dressing room was filled with tremendous tension and silence. The leader mustered up her courage and slowly approached the girl still doing a handstand. ¡°Hey, you over there.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go!¡± The members shouted from behind. The leader calmly looked back and told them. ¡°It¡¯s alright, guys. She has been practising with us for a month. It¡¯ll be alright.¡± The leader slowly approached the girl doing a handstand. ¡°Hey, you¡­ what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the ghost, right? Where and when did you join us¡­¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll help you. Can you speak?¡± Whish. The girl gently lowered her legs, swinging them back on the ground. Her movement was unnatural, as if her body was as light as a feather, floating above the ground. Even when her body was turning, her face was fixed in front of her, stuck at the same position like ame CGI animation. ¡°Are you the cause of this riot? Why are you doing this?¡± The leader asked again gently, like a nursery teacherforting a child. The girl ghost stood still before whispering silently. [¡°Four¡±] [¡°In¡±] [¡°Ce¡±] [¡°Ss¡±] ¡°¡¤¡¤Fourincess? Yes, we¡¯re Fourincess. We¡¯re your friends, you don¡¯t have to hide anything. Tell me everything, okay?¡± [¡°I¡±] [¡°I¡±] [¡°Dol¡±] ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤What? Huh?¡± The girl shifted her gaze towards us. Whoosh. Her figure was slowly getting blurred. Feeling the immeasurable regret pouring over, the leader pressed again. ¡°Idol? You meant you¡¯re an idol, right? What happened to you?¡± The girl stood still with a sad smile stered on her small pretty face. Her figure was getting more and more transparent, like a video slowlying to its end. She was disappearing. ¡°Hey! I¡¯m asking you, I¡¯m your leader! You have to tell me!¡± The girl muttered onest thing before disappearingpletely. With a gentle breeze, the girl vanished like a wisp of smoke. Just before her body disappearedpletely, the girl let out a whisper. It was also at this moment when the system announced. [¡°Goo¡±] [¡° ¡±] [¡° ¡±] [¡° ¡±] And then messages started to appear in front of me. [You havee across and survived an E-rank ghost story ¨C Trainee idol buried under the ground.] [The ghost has let go of her regret and attachment to this world and ascended to the Afterlife.] However, the system didn¡¯t announce any points. ¡®No points?¡¯ The dressing room was filled with silence once again. The girl haspletely disappeared, but the members of Fourincess were still staring at the ce where the ghost stood. I was also lost in thought. I had expected that a message that I had solved the ghost story would pop up but nothing happened. The system was also silent. So the ghost story was resolved? But I had a hunch that it was not. The message that just popped up only announced that I have survived an E-rank ghost story, and that the ghost had already gone to the Afterlife after letting go of her attachment to this world. However, there weren¡¯t any messages announcing if the ghost story about the song had been resolved or not. ¡®¡­.I see.¡¯ Although the ghost had disappeared, the ghost story was still intact and causing havoc in the world. The ghost of the girl was a trainee idol who had been murdered, but after living her life as an idol for a month, she had let go of her grudges and was sent to the Afterlife. I had told the leader about a ghost story earlier that had been circting in this broadcasting studio for some time. There had been a rumour that while walking alone somewhere in this broadcasting studio, the voice of a woman could be heard, muttering the lyrics of a song. The lyricist came across itst month when he had visited the studio on business. However, I couldn¡¯t figure out why the song that drove people crazy with its ghostly lyrics still existed, even though the ghost of the girl had already let go of her grudges and disappeared. The song with the ghostly lyrics uttered by the ghost that drove people crazy. And the ghost story about the song was still there. It seemed that there were still some things to be done to solve the ghost story about the crazy song. The lyrics of the hook part of the song were originally written with the grudges of a trainee idol who had been murdered, and so the ghost story was also rted to the song. I looked around the dressing room slowly. The four girls of Fourincess, who have slowlye to the terms of epting the bizarre situation, were looking at each other, hoping that someone could exin the situation to them. ¡°Ugh, ah, ahem, uh¡­¡± They look back at me slowly at the sound of my cough. One of the members had her mouth opened in surprise, one looked sad, and two seemed still in shock. Their expressions were nk as if they didn¡¯t understand the situation yet. ¡°Would you please listen to me for a moment? Let me exin everything.¡± After seeing that their eyes had focused on me, I collected my words. ¡°You may not know but not long ago, a girl was killed by someone and buried under the studio¡¯s third waiting room.¡± ¡°She had probably been one of the trainees who hade to the studio to audition to be an idol and hadn¡¯t made her debut yet. Before anyone could know or investigate the matter, a ghost story had already been circting in the studio.¡± ¡°Ghost story¡­.¡± One of the members murmured. ¡°Yes, you¡¯ve heard of it too, right? ording to my conclusion and the rumours that you have heard, the story is like this; when you walk around the third waiting room of this studio, you could suddenly hear the voice of a woman muttering quietly.¡± The four girls looked at each other with uncertainty. Their eyes focused back on me, while their brains were searching their memories. ¡°And the person who actually experienced the ghostly phenomena was the lyricist of your newly released song. What happened after that, you all know about it better.¡± ¡°The lyricist took inspiration from the ghostly murmur and turned them into lyrics and added them into the original song¡¯s hook part. Just as he expected, your new song was a huge hit from the moment it was released.¡± ¡°Everyone in this field believes that if their work originates from any kind of paranormal phenomena, then they would be widely popr without any hitch. But your new song went beyond encountering a ghost, even though you only sang one sentence that the ghost had said.¡± And even without the music, the effect was still the same¡­ As the youngest member shook, another member next to her held her hand tightly. ¡°If you sing the lyrics of the song normally, there doesn¡¯t seem to be any problems. However, if you sing the exact same sentence backwards, the meaning changes. The sentence bes, ¡®I¡¯m buried under the floor of the third waiting room¡¯.¡± ¡°Oh, my God¡­ The members shook in disbelief. Their horrified expressions were proof that they didn¡¯t know there could be such a meaning of a sentence which they sang over hundreds of times in a month. ¡°The ghost of the girl who died unfairly was constantly mentioning the third waiting room where she was buried. And it was this line that rified the fact and at the same time caused people to lose their mind. As a result, this song became the ¡®Cursed Song¡¯ because of the trainee who had been murdered.¡± ¡°If you know the horror movie ¡®The Ring¡¯ from Japan, you will be able to understand it better. Just like in the movie where a ghost would kill anyone who watched the cursed movie, a cursed song containing the grudge of a dead girl was made.¡± ¡°C, Cursed Song¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ve sung the song so many times¡­¡± The members looked at each other, their faces turning white. I nodded my head in agreement. ¡°Her raspy murmurs, that had been turned into lyrics, was how this cursed song came to be. The song contained the grievance of the dead girl. Addictive melody and people¡¯s enthusiastic response created terrifying synergy, which made the cursed song gain strength and possess the listener to spread the song further. Not only did it control the listeners¡¯ consciousness, but it was also able to bring out the soul of the trainee to whom the original lyrics belonged.¡± ¡°Soul, of the girl¡­¡± ¡°Yes, the girl who was with you until just now.¡± The members looked back at each other with dizzying expressions before opening their mouths. ¡°Well,e to think of it¡­ the girl, she never ate anything or even slept¡­¡­¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t even know her name and didn¡¯t bother to think about it either. We don¡¯t even know what kind of person she was or when she joined us ¡­.¡± ¡°How could we not notice her until now? Oh, my god¡­¡± The four girls began toment. ¡°I feel like I was possessed, how can we be mistaken otherwise¡­ yes, it would be better to to put it that way. Even people who seemed normal at first nce, were actually under the control of the cursed song.¡± ¡°How could that be¡­.¡± The four girls were surprised at their own hypothesis. ¡°So, is it all over now? The ghost just disappeared.¡± The member, who did a handstand with the ghost just now, asked me with an earnest look. But I shook my head. ¡°Look out the window.¡± Perhaps because of the speciality of the dressing room, the window of the room had dark blindfolds, barely illuminating the room with sulight. The youngest member looked outside before shaking her head with a dark expression It could be said that the city was still a mess. ¡°I have once read a book about exorcism¡­¡± Gyeongwon, who had only been standing still in the back so far, finally started speaking in a low voice toward the members. ¡°There are many reasons why ghosts wander around this world. If they have any lingering desires, they won¡¯t be able to go to the Afterlife until or unless they let go of those desires. Even if their resentment isn¡¯t necessarily solved, anything that can appease them can also help them let go of their desires.¡± ¡°Anything that can appease them?¡± Gyeongwon nodded his head. Unlike his usual prideful tone he would use to talk to his friends and others of the same age, he exined it carefully using formal speech like a young master of a prominent family. ¡°The exorcists say that things the ghosts liked in their life, or things that they wanted, anything that can appease them can be used to soothe their resentment. Although I don¡¯t know why, it seems that the ghost of the girl was satisfied living her life as an idol with you for a month. That¡¯s why she could let go of her desire and disappear¡­¡± ¡°In other words, her regret or desire that she had was lifted even though we didn¡¯t solve the grudges. However, her letting go of her resentment and resolving the grudges in the lyrics are two separate matters¡­¡± The song was written by the lyricist¡¯s willingness and spread by people. ¡°Well, then how do we resolve her grudges? What do we have to do?¡± The leader asked with a determined expression. Gyeongwon replied, pushing his sses at the bridge of his nose. ¡°If you want to resolve the resentment of the girl who was murdered unjustly¡­ Wouldn¡¯t that mean that we have to catch the criminal as well? And considering the fact of the lyrics where it mentions that her body has been buried under the floor of the third waiting room, I think we should take out the dead body and bury it in a better ce¡­¡± I nodded at his words, showing my approval. Finishing the exnation and leaving the ce should be done first. ¡°How about this? Rather than being stuck in this room waiting for the military to dispatch, you shoulde with us to the third waiting room. No matter if it¡¯s military or police, it¡¯s impossible to resolve the situation without resolving the case itself. There¡¯s only one way open for us now.¡± ¡°Third waiting room¡­¡± The leader murmured with a pale face. She pondered for a while before making up her mind. The moment she was about to open her mouth. Knock, knock, knock. Someone knocked at the door of the dressing room. Sunah, who had been guarding the door of the dressing room, jumped up in surprise and raised the boxcutter in hand. Knock, knock, knock. ¡°Girls, are you inside!¡± A man shouted from over the door. ¡°Huh?¡± The members tilted their heads, trying to remember to whom the voice belonged. ¡°Who is it?¡± When I asked quietly, the leader answered. ¡°This should be our agent who went on a rampage this morning and was taken away by the studio officials.¡± ¡°Agent. Hmm¡­¡­¡± Knock, knock, knock. ¡°Girls, are you inside!¡± The man tirelessly knocked on the door again. The leader slowly approached while being on guard. Then she asked quietly toward the closed door. ¡°Mr. Agent?¡± ¡°Girls, I¡¯m here to guide you!¡± A roaring voice returned as the answer of her quietly asked question. ¡°Guide us where?¡± ¡°You have to go to the third waiting room, now!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You have friends waiting for you!¡± The members looked at each other with uncertainty. ¡°I don¡¯t think he has returned to normal yet. What should we do?¡± ¡°What else? Kick him away. It¡¯s clear as day that it¡¯s a trap.¡± At my suggestion, the leader spoke to the door again. ¡°We can go there by ourselves. Mr. Agent, you can go do your own business.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll call someone else!¡± Then a series of footsteps leaving the threshold could be heard. ¡°What?¡± But a momentter. Knock, knock, knock. Someone else knocked on the door of the closed dressing room again. ¡°Who is this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Pyo Yongil! I¡¯m here to guide you!¡± Everyone in the room was surprised at the unexpected appearance of the unexpected person. Pyo Yongil, the top-ss singer in Korea and a legend who was praised for his achievement and titled as the so-called King of the Music Industry. No one else in Korea could ovee his position as the unparalleled King of the Music Industry. [T/N: The name Pyo Yongil refers to Cho Yong-pil, a South Korean singer-songwriter who is considered one of the most influential figures in South Korean popr music. His nickname is ¡®King of pop-music¡¯. Source: Wikipedia] Such a person was right outside the door! ¡°Se, senior! Senior would guide us?¡± Cha Jiwon, the leader of Fourincess, was astonished. Although she could be considered famous, as a member of one of the best girl idol groups, not to mention her poprity would soar in the future. But at that point, she was just a leader of a small new idol group. She was clearly taken aback by the appearance of a well-known figure, who was far more experienced and famous than her. ¡°I¡¯ve been ordered to take you to the third waiting room!¡± Once again, a loud voice boomed from beyond the door. ¡°Third waiting room¡­¡± Even if we didn¡¯t take his poprity in consideration, his seniority was way more than the girls of Fourincess. However, he was speaking formally. Although he was obviously much more experienced and well-known than the members of Fourincess, he was speaking politely to them, as if speaking to his superior. [T/N: The formal speech of Koreannguage has been lost in trantion.] ¡°Your friends are waiting for you!¡± ¡°What should we do?¡± The leader looked at me with great hesitation. ¡°There seems to be no end to this. Even if we send this person away, someone else wille.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Pondering hard, I voiced my thoughts. ¡°Let¡¯s open the door and hope that it¡¯s not a trap. We will have to go to the third waiting room anyway.¡± At my suggestion, the leader nodded and cautiously approached the door. Sunah, who was still standing in front of the door guarding it, stepped aside. The leader unlocked the door and slowly turned the doorknob. When the door opened, the figure of a man could be seen. The tremendous sense of pressure at the appearance of the King of the Music Industry of Korea was no joke. An unknown aura from a person, who has reached the level of the pro enveloped us. The members of Fourincess greeted him with a 90-degree bow, even though they had a feeling that he wasn¡¯t in his right mind. ¡°Hello! We¡¯re members of the girl group, Fourincess! We are really d to meet you!¡± The members all shouted together, like singing a chorus. It was said that the entertainment industry put a lot of emphasis on seniority. But the man shouted again in a louder voice, not even pretending to hear their greetings. ¡°I¡¯ve been ordered to take you to the third waiting room! Pleasee this way!¡± The girls lifted their heads up. It was only when they saw the empty nk eyes of Pyo Yongil and the movement of his feet did theye to their senses. Step, step. The man took a backward step, his front facing us. Just as I thought, he has also been infected by the song. ¡°I¡¯ve been ordered to take you to the third waiting room! Pleasee this way. Everyone!¡± King Pyo Yongil walked backwards slowly to the hallway beforemanding us to follow him. Seeing no other choice, we looked at each other before deciding to follow him out the dressing room. Following Pyo Yongil, the members of Ghost Story Club and the members of Fourincess left the dressing room in an orderly manner. As we turned the corner of the hallway and stood in front of the emergency exit stairs, we could see some people who were doing a handstand ncing at us. But surprisingly, they looked away before heading the other way. ¡°Oh, they¡¯re not attacking us.¡± ¡°Hmmm.¡± I asked Gyeongwon, who was standing behind me quietly. ¡°Hey, Gyeongwon. What do you think is going on here?¡± ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Gyeongwon followed the movement of the possessed people strewn about. His sses shed, as if he understood the situation. On the way up the stairs, we could hear the sound of a loud chorusing from upstairs. The sound wasing from the third waiting room on the 5th floor. It seemed the ¡®friends¡¯ that The King of the Music Industry meant were the singers and celebrities who were singing a chorus in that waiting room. No wonder there weren¡¯t many people around even after all the chaos. It seemed they were just singing there like a fanatic all the time. ¡°This way!¡± King of Music Industry, Pyo Yongil stopped at the entrance of the fifth floor and politely gathered his hands and bowed his head like a butler serving his master. Through the closed emergency door, the sound of the singers singing the new hit song of Fourincess with all their might could be heard. They were singing as if their lives depended on it. Their sounds echoing throughout the whole building, booming around the walls and shaking the building as if it was about to copse. Although we were standing on the other side of the closed door, their voices together were so loud that our ears began to tingle. They were singing different parts of the song each in their own way, creating a hriously noisy melody that you couldn¡¯t possibly consider a sing-along. ¡°Joon¡­¡± Sunah held my hand tightly in fear. The four girls of Fourincess huddled together while shuddering in horror. ¡°¡­.It¡¯ll be okay, probably.¡± I opened the emergency door with a determined heart. Creak. The moment the door opened, the loud chorus stopped. All eyes fell onto us. Singers and celebrities standing in the narrow corridors of the fifth floor could be seen on the other side of the door. Some were old, some young. I could recognise some famous faces that I had only seen on TV, and there were some faces I was seeing for the first time. However, all of them had simrity in one aspect¨C they were all wearing colourful stage costumes and dresses. And at least one part of their bodies, such as arms or legs, were bent backward, as their nk eyes stared ahead without focus. Suddenly, the people who were standing there began to move. It seemed they were making a way for us to pass. Step, step, step, step. People at the edge of the crowd stuck themselves on the wall. They were pressed and almost crushed by the people in front of them, trying to split the crowd in between and making a path as if the Red Sea was being divided. However, the whole process was surprisingly quiet. Except for the sound of their busy footsteps, no sound of hesitation or unwillingness could be heard as they squeezed and pressed each other to make a path. Since they were the one who heard the song most, they seemed to have be puppets rather than possessed. Step, step. After a while, the crowd split into two parts, making enough space in between for us to pass. It was as if a red carpet was spread in front of us, leading us towards the stage. We walked carefully along the path between the crowd with an anxious heart and soon reached our destination. [Third waiting room] We¡¯ve reached the third waiting room, crossing a path made by hundreds of people with a strange silence. Seven of us stood at the door and held our breath for a moment. ¡°This is it. The root of all the problems.¡± I heard Gyeongwon muttering in the back. ¡°The song that has been spread like an infectious disease, we¡¯ve been led to the root of it, the mother virus.¡± Although I wasn¡¯t sure if we were truly on the right track, I nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s open the door.¡± I spoke before slowly turning the doorknob of the third waiting room. Click. In the third waiting room. A middle-aged man was sitting in a chair. His whole body was tied up. The room inside was neat, coloured with a deep ck matte colour. The ce was perfect for the cast of the show to wait while changing their makeup. However, the man tied up in a chair in the middle of the room was disharmonious within the neat room. ¡°So¡­ I did it, I did¡­¡± The man was constantly muttering something. The guy must have been out of his mind, too. As I entered the room and looked around, the tiles of one corner of the room were seen lifted up. It could be seen at first nce. I slowly moved towards the fine tiles in the corner. When I peeked inside, I could see the body of a girl buried in cement. Originally, the body should have been buried firmly out of sight, but perhaps someone just recently dug it up and revealed it, it could be seen at first nce. Although the body was difficult to recognize because it had already begun to rot, at first nce, I could feel that the body belonged to the ghost of the girl who had been with the members of Fourincess. It was definitely the dead body of the trainee who had been murdered. I stood up slowly and made my way to the man tied up in the chair. ¡°Debut, I could have helped her debut. I coaxed her so well.¡± The man tied to the chair was still muttering gibberish. I moved the face of the man to the members of Fourincess. ¡°Do you know this man?¡± The leader nodded. ¡°Yes, he¡¯s the Chairman of this broadcasting studio.¡± ¡°The Chairman¡­.¡± ¡°When I came to the studio for the first time for my audition, he was there. I saw him secretly peeking at my legs.¡± The man didn¡¯t seem to notice us at all and kept mumbling to himself. ¡°The agency, I told her, was going to help her debut¡­¡± When I listened carefully to what the man was saying, I could understand the context roughly. ¡°I think this man killed the girl.¡± He used his position as the Chairman of the broadcasting studio and snooped in at the time of audition. He tried to tempt a trainee, giving her false hope to help her debut if she listened to him. But when the trainee refused, he got angry and murdered her. Perhaps we were standing at the crime scene, exactly the ce where the murder had taken ce. Because there were many eyes around the broadcasting studio, it was difficult to get the body out. So he just called a mason and buried the body under the floor. The whole incident happenedst month. It was also before the entrance ceremony, the starting point where I kept going after dying for the first few times. Now it seems even if I go back, I won¡¯t be able to resolve the situation. ¡°I could make her debut¡­ I coaxed her so well.¡± Haaa. Leaving behind the man still mumbling gibberish, I went back to the dead body. Sitting on my knees, I stared at the pretty face of the girl. The man buried the body too well, although it began to rot, no bugs could be seen on the body. In my past life, the poor trainee was buried under the cement for three years. ¡°Someone informed me that my friend is waiting for me here, so I came.¡± ¡°You gave me all the hints, you also got everything ready. You told me where you were buried¡­¡± The smell of the body was terrible because of the dposition. But the thin face of the girl at first nce was very beautiful. If she were alive, she¡¯d have been a beautiful woman. I could be so sure because I¡¯ve already seen her appearance in the dressing room. She was probably about the same age as I was. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I won¡¯t be able to save you even if I go back.¡± ¡°Do you want me to send him to prison? For his whole life?¡± ¡°But it¡¯s going to be difficult. The people who should enforce thew are all out of their minds.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you were so dedicated. You danced, sang and worked so hard.¡± ¡°How was it? How did you feel when you became the top idol in Korea? Did you feel better?¡± Knowing the dead body wouldn¡¯t be responding to me, I got back on my feet and headed for the man. ¡°I need proof that he killed this girl.¡± The overweight middle-aged man mumbled, his eyes rolling everywhere. ¡°Semen. My semen¡­¡± p! The leader finally couldn¡¯t hold back anymore and pped the man in the face. ¡°Dirty punk!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± As the leader of Fourincess began to beat the man, other members began to cry. Not for the man of course, but for the girl who had been murdered by the man. I quietly called out to the youngest member. ¡°I need your cell phone number.¡± ¡°My number?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Although my sudden request made her embarrassed, she told me her number right away. I recited the number in my heart and ordered Gyeongwon before leaving the waiting room. ¡°Please keep an eye on the dead body, don¡¯t let anyone touch it. I have something to do.¡± ¡°Are you going to turn back time now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then, Prez, I have a favour to ask of you.¡± When I indicated to him to continue with a raised brow, Gyeongwon said, pushing his sses. ¡°The first phone I bought was AMOLED Clover¡¯s featured phone. If you can convince me of this fact, I may be able to help you.¡± ¡°¡­.Do you expect me to believe that?¡± ¡°Perhaps. I¡¯m sure you believe me.¡± He nodded again. ¡°It¡¯s a request, Prez.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± As I left the waiting room, I saw the people of the Music Industry who were standing motionlessly, were on their knees. The pros of the Music Industry were weing the newly born Queens of pop. T/N: If you notice any misspellings, grammar mistakes and awkward sentences, please feel free to point them out. And if you like my work, consider supporting me on Kofi. Chapter 38: Sixth Ghost Story – CSAT Banned Song (12) Chapter 38: Sixth Ghost Story ¨C CSAT Banned Song (12) I had already nned what I was going to do after turning back time. The first thing that I had to do after going back was to contact the youngest member of Fourincess, Dasom, who was the first one to be aware of the mysterious phenomenon from the beginning. Hence, I had taken her contact number. Now I knew the location where the body of the dead girl was buried. Also, the criminal had confessed the way to get appropriate evidence. As I mumbled the information in my heart to memorize, I looked down from the roof of the broadcasting studio where I stood. I had to jump from somewhere really high to make sure I was dead. I stared at the ruined city, preparing myself for my imminent death, when I heard the soft whisper of a voice I was very familiar with. ¡°¡­Joon.¡± A girl with a small built, who looked younger than her age, wearing a school uniform, was standing at the entrance of the roof, peeking inside with a worried expression. ¡°Sunah, why did you follow me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re standing there, why¡­¡± ¡°Are you going back now¡­¡± As expected, she knew. Before long, Sunah stepped forward with hesitating steps. It seemed she had something to say but couldn¡¯t understand how to convey her message. A ruined city was stretched in front of us. Smoke coiled up from the always bustling city. From time to time, sounds of panicked scream could be heard amidst the destroyed city, which was once filled withughter. But for some reason, standing on top of a high rooftop and looking at the sun setting on the far West, painting the sky red, I felt the atmosphere was rather peaceful. Sunah approached me slowly and peered over the wall where I stood, ready to jump and end my life to turn back time. The wind from the high ce blew Sunah¡¯s ck hair, framing her small face. Suddenly, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Gyeongwon was protecting the body well. I was worried that there could be a variable If I suddenly pulled the body out. It could temper with the ghost stories which I¡¯ve experienced so far. The truth was, I still didn¡¯t know exactly where the checkpoint was being updated. Would it be at the end of every ghost story, when I seeded in resolving a case? Or would it be at the start of one of the previous ghost stories? ¡°Haa¡­¡± I let out a sigh, not knowing the answer. It seemed I had new troubles to worry about. Well, for now I should make sure no one touches the body. Other than Gyeongwon, there were other members of Ghost Story Club and members of Fourincess, who were also in the waiting room. They would guard the dead body for sure. Therefore, I decided to think positively. Before going back in time, I thought that it would be great to have a moment of heart-to-heart talk with Sunah, who had been apanying me through all the hardships. ¡°You did a great job today, Sunah.¡± However, Sunah only held onto the railing and looked down at the city in the distance, and was silent. After standing silently for a long time, Sunah opened her mouth quietly. ¡°You want to jump from here to turn back time, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Sunah slowly looked at me with a sad look on her face. ¡°I feel like we¡¯re leaving you alone¡­¡± Oh. Did shee after me because she was worried about that? I sighed quietly. ¡°No, I¡¯m just trying to turn back time.¡± Although I said that, I had been worried too. Because even if I wanted them to help me, it was impossible for them to apany me in my mission to go back in time since none of them had the power to do so, except me. A day. We went through an unforgettable event together, even if it was for a short time, I felt as if an eternity had passed. Through the hardships that we faced and overcame, our bond must have be stronger. Perhaps we began to understand each other better than before, perhaps our friendship had be deeper and stronger, and perhaps it may change in the future. But, it was inevitable that I had to turn back to that time, I had to make everything better as it was. Before the mysterious phenomenon that happened to me, no one had any inclination of the idea that they could be connected to ghostly stories. ¡°Sorry, Sunah. But you, we can¡¯t live in a world like this.¡± ¡°A lot of people died. Probably my parents, too. The school, as well as the country itself, won¡¯t be able to function without the authorities.¡± ¡°It would only be painful to live in such a devastated world.¡± ¡°Although I think everything would be okay as long as we¡¯re with our loved ones¡­¡± I was at a loss for words. I had a vague idea why Sunah had followed me to the rooftop. Even if she had enough reasoning, I had no intention of ying along with them. Honestly, I don¡¯t think even my ancestors would have been able to convince me from jumping off the roof. As long as the memories we had together stayed. I would have no problem. I reasoned with myself, a battle between my mind and heart had already urred even before she came. I came to the rooftop determined to do as I had nned. Although I knew there was a chance someone woulde to stop me, I still decided to follow my decision. Sunah and I stood facing the golden setting sun at the top of the rooftop. After a brief moment of silence, I opened my mouth. ¡°Sorry. I have to go back now.¡± ¡°Is there anything I can do for you?¡± Sunah hesitated for a moment before asking with a lonely look on her face. Probably something came to her mind, realization dawned on her face and she hurriedly opened her mouth. It seemed she also had a favour to ask. ¡°Tell me everything when you go back¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I had nned to do, but I don¡¯t know if the past you will believe me¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll believe you. For sure.¡± Sunah replied with certainty. I, too, nodded with a serious look. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll tell you everything.¡± ¡°Haha.¡± Sunah suddenlyughed. ¡°Joon, I hate you¡­¡± Something unexpected came out of Sunah¡¯s mouth. She still seemed upset, but her expression was a little more rxed than before. It seemed she realized that she couldn¡¯t stop me, so she was letting her heart ease for now. I gently approached Sunah¡¯s side and looked down the railing. ¡°Wow. It¡¯s really high.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Luxury buildings stered with colourful marble and ss of the ChungDam neighbourhood were seen clearly from there. The setting sun shone on the buildings, nketing them with the majestic colours of red and golden, giving them an ethereal look. Peep! Peep! Peeeeep! All of a sudden, the sound of a car¡¯s horn sted from below. When I peered over, I could see the half-broken car of Teacher Hwaeun. The car was surrounded by many people. ¡°It¡¯s the teacher!¡± The people around were surrounding the car of the teacher, as if she were some sort of celebrity. For some reason, the scene was quite enjoyable as we watched it with a rxed mind. Peeep! Bam. The horn died down, and the door of the car opened as Teacher Hwaeun stepped out and ran away. The people in the broadcasting studio ran after the teacher. ¡°Teacher has be a celebrity.¡± ¡°Haha.¡± Sunah covered her mouth, but even so she couldn¡¯t stop theughter that slipped between her fingers. Perhaps she felt guilty forughing at the moment of disaster, or perhaps she just wanted to let her heart out. The smiling face soon turned into a sharp expression. ¡°Joon, you¡¯re such a bad friend.¡± Once again, the cold wind of the afternoon blew our hair away. Sunah¡¯s ck hair flew back and forth, curling around her face and sticking to her slightly red cheeks. ¡°I¡¯m jealous of the Yoon Sunah who will be there when you go back¡­¡± ¡°But that¡¯s you. Both of you are the same person.¡± ¡°But it feels like someone else¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s you no matter how you think. You don¡¯t have to be jealous.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Sunah hummed, I couldn¡¯t understand if she agreed with me or not. Come to think of it, I had something to ask her. I couldn¡¯t bring it up before because I was worried that it would lead to an irreversible effect on my friendship with Sunah. However, since I was going to turn back time anyway, I wanted to know this one thing. ¡°Sunah, do you know what the word ¡®Yandere¡¯ means?¡± ¡°Yandere?¡± Sunah tilted her head in confusion. ¡°Yes, Yandere.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Sunah¡¯s fine eyebrows frowned cutely. But soon she shook her head, showing that she didn¡¯t know. ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°Have you never heard of it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I heard it from Dukhun. He said it¡¯s a Japanese word.¡± ¡°Japanese¡­¡± ¡°It means obsessing over something or someone.¡± ¡°In some cases, Yandere people even try to kill those whom they love.¡± Sunah leaned her face against the railing and looked at the forest of buildings without saying a word, a look of mncholy stered on her small face. ¡°Why would they do such a thing¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. What do you think?¡± I also leaned my arm against the railing, wondering along with Sunah. ¡°I can¡¯t believe there are actually people like that.¡± ¡°Yes, they seem weird.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what people say.¡± In the distance, I could see Teacher Hwaeun. She was running barefoot, it seemed she had thrown her high heels away while running. I turned my head from the dizzying height and stared at Sunah¡¯s side profile. ¡°Why do you think they want to hurt someone they love?¡± Sunah gave me a puzzled look. ¡°Why¡­¡± I collected my voice and asked again. Although I didn¡¯t know if knowing about it would be helpful, I wanted to make sure that my next life would be more peaceful if I know at least one thing about my friend. ¡°If you know anything, tell me about it Sunah, okay?¡± ¡°Um¡­ why are you asking me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just asking everyone.¡± ¡°Well, um¡­¡± Sunah began to ponder. And then she spouted out things that weren¡¯t difficult to understand but ept. ¡°Maybe, they¡¯re afraid that someday, the person they love will disappear or will be taken away. Maybe that¡¯s why?¡± At that moment, a sudden message popped out from the system. Pop. [Your understanding of the character Yoon Sunah has increased by 10] ¡°Hmm!¡± So she was right. Yandere people try to kill their loved ones because they¡¯re afraid they¡¯ll lose them! I got a satisfactory answer. Although I didn¡¯t understand the reason fully, if a yandere person herself said it, then it must be true. When I looked down, I saw that the infected people had finally caught the teacher. ¡°Teacher Hwaeun is finally caught.¡± ¡°¡­.Ah.¡± Some people grabbed the teacher¡¯s hands so that they could put a radio or something like that next to her ears. Teacher Hwaeun struggled desperately, trying to shake the people off. But soon her desperate struggle died down and gradually, the struggle changed into choreography. Eventually, she began to dance and sway her hips just like before in the clubroom. ¡°Teacher looks happy.¡± ¡°Joon, you really¡­¡± Sunah opened her mouth again. ¡°Well, I should get going.¡± I had taken enough rest. Rather than wasting time, I should do what I had nned. I swung my legs over the railing and peered over. There wasn¡¯t much space to stand properly on the other side of the railing. I barely stood with my feet bent and my hands behind my back, holding the railing firmly. ¡°What?¡± As I held the railing with my hand behind and supported my body, I suddenly felt a chill running down my spine. At thest moment of ending my life and turning back time, I was quite scared. Perhaps because the uncertainty has taken over my reasonings, I started to have second thoughts on jumping down. ¡®Oh, fuck. It¡¯s not right¡­¡¯ The cold wind blew over, chilling me to the bone. As if my mind had be clear, I sobered up instantly. Looking down at the ground below, I could clearly feel the distance. Unlike when I looked at the distantndscape, my legs shook with the wind. ¡®Oh? Why is it so scary?¡¯ If my foot slipped even a little, I would fall down. Well, that¡¯s what I had nned to do. I needed to jump down. But my legs became soft the moment I was about to take off my foot. To calm my heart, I talked to Sunah, who was still looking at me. ¡°Su-Sunah. ¡°Do you want to jump with me?¡± Sunah looked at me as if she was dumbfounded. The sudden request of jumping down together probably surprised her. Knowing that I had just requested something ridiculous, I quickly assured her. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll jump alone.¡± ¡°Yes, goodbye¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m really jumping.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Aah!¡± ¡°¡­.you should jump at once.¡± Damn it. I knew well that I¡¯m a scaredy cat who couldn¡¯t even have the guts to face exams, let alone master the courage to jump down. Jumping from so high without anybody¡­¡­. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me! Oh my! You¡¯re not jumping not because you¡¯re not ready but because you¡¯re scared!!¡± Sunah leaned her body on the railing and burst intoughter. ¡°I¡¯m ready. I¡¯m very much ready.¡± Even when I was saying this, my body shook. The hands outstretched behind couldn¡¯t help but curl, bringing me closer to the railing. I took a deep breath and said to myself once again. ¡°I¡¯m going to jump now¡­¡± Slip. Before I knew, one of my feet slipped and my body leaned forward faster than I thought. ¡°Mom, help me Aaaaaaaaah!!!¡± In a hurry, rather than letting the railing go, I lifted myself up and grasped it more firmly, holding it with all my strength. I couldn¡¯t jump again. ¡°Su-Sunah¡­¡± ¡°Scared?¡± Sunah asked me smiling, a teasing tone mixed in her words. ¡°Help me¡­¡± Her smile suddenly reminded me of thedy ghost, Laughing Girl from the ¡®Manual Ghost Story¡¯, the one whoughed in an unusual manner. At that time, I was scared to go alone, so I took Sunah with me to guard my back. ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡± Sunah, smiling happily, immediately swung her legs over the railing. ¡°Aren¡¯t you scared, Sunah?¡± ¡°Not really¡­¡± Sunah is so reliable! Soon after, Sunah came over, smiled bashfully and supported herself just like me and stood next to me. ¡°Since Joon wants to¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s die together, Joon.¡± Sunah¡¯s mouth gently went up. ¡°No one can take you away from me¡­¡± ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!¡± I let out a scream. ¡°You finally showed your true colours!¡± ¡°Wha¡­¡± I scrambled sideways, trying to get to the corner on the railing. ¡°There¡¯s a Yandere, save me!¡± Sunah chased me with a bashful smile as I hurriedly walked sideways, following my steps. ¡°She will kill me, cut me into pieces and eat me up! Help!¡± Sunah burst outughing instead of chasing me. ¡°Hahaha! You¡¯re joking¡­ What are you talking about! Hahaha¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to lock me in the fridge!¡± ¡°Aha, hahaha.¡± Sunah pulled back one of her hands and wiped away the tears that fell fromughing too much. ¡°Ahaha, really, stupid¡­ hold still.¡± Soon, Sunah slowly stepped sideways and began to cling to me. Since I had stopped moving sideways, she caught up to me soon. She crawled behind me with her legs raised over my thigh, and began to adjust herself on my back as if she was on a piggyback ride. When I stretched my hands, her body tilted along with me as if she was lying on top of me. ¡°Su-Sunah¡­what?¡± Sunah¡¯s soft chest pressed on my back, and her ck curly hair tickled my nose. The smell of Sunah¡¯s body made me feel dizzy for a moment. ¡°If I don¡¯t push you like this, you won¡¯t be able to jump off¡­¡± ¡°Well, I admit it, I¡¯m a coward.¡± I could feel Sunah smiling from the back bashfully. ¡°Okay. On the count of three, I¡¯ll push you and you¡¯ll jump! Now, three¡­ ¡­¡± ¡°Two!¡± Whoosh. Even before the counting was finished, Sunah pushed the railing with her feet as hard as she could. At the sudden force behind me, my hands slipped from the railing before I couldprehend and gravity instantly took us in its embrace. ¡°Aaah, aaaahh!¡± I screamed as hard as I could, iling my limbs in the air. I probably looked like a clown with my hands and feet pping all around like a baby bird learning it¡¯s first flight, but I couldn¡¯t help it. The feeling of weightlessness stayed for a moment, before gravity did its magic and our bodies soon tumbled down. ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!¡± ¡°Kyaaaaa!¡± I screamed frantically. Beside me, Sunah had her eyes closed tightly while screaming along with me. ¡°Help me!¡± I swung my hands arbitrarily, but as soon as something or someone reached my arms, I caught it and hugged the person tightly. ¡°Kyaaaaah!¡± ¡°SUNAH, save me!¡± ¡°We are supposed to die¡­.really¡­.¡± ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!¡± We fell for a long time, hugging each other in the air. Thump! Then, with a sudden strong shock breaking through my body, I died. [You¡¯re dead.] [You¡¯ll start again from the previous checkpoint.] [Loading¡­] If you like my work, consider supporting me on Buymeacoffe. Chapter 39: Sixth Ghost Story – CSAT Banned Song (13) Chapter 39: Sixth Ghost Story ¨C CSAT Banned Song (13) [You havee across and survived an A-rank ghost story ¨C Song of Resentment.] [You have earned 40 Ghost Story Points.] [You¡¯ve used your wits and tricks to resolve the resentment of the ghost!] [You¡¯ve earned 200 Ghost Story Points.] [Each contributing member gets 10% bonus points.] [Contributing members (all members): Ahn Gyeongwon, Oh Dukhun, Yoon Sunah, Lee Jinhee, In Hayoon, Jang Hwaeun] [You have a total of 240 points. You¡¯ve earned additional 60% bonus point: 144 points] [Current Ghost Story Points: 52 +240 + 144] Ping~ [Current Ghost Story Points: 436] [You¡¯ve earned enough Ghost Story Points! Use the Ghost Story Points to unlock special abilities for you and your members! You can also expand the functions of the club and upgrade the facilities!] [2019, March 15 | Sunday, 10:05] [Lee Joon: Number of Attempts ¨C 2] [Ghost Story Points: 436] [Causality Rate: 10%] ¡°Quiet! Quiet! Who¡¯s making a noise?¡± The music teacher stopped the piano before shouting. The students looked around in bewilderment, trying to find out where the sound wasing from. Oh yeah ? Oh yeah ? In the quiet music room, I could hear the new popr song of Fourincess ring from somewhere. ¡°Who turned on their phone? Turn it off right now!¡± When the teacher shouted in a clear voice, a student with an embarrassed look checked his phone in a hurry and turned off the music. ¡°Phew, why does this school allow cell phones to students?¡± After confirming that the room had be quiet, the music teacher began to y the piano again with an annoying sigh. ¡°Aaaaaa~¡± I stared at the message that popped up in front of me, announcing that I had survived an A-rank ghost story and smiled. ¡®So it was an A-rank ghost story¡­¡¯ It was the top ranked ghost story I¡¯ve encountered so far. Before the A-rank ghost story, the stories that urred had only happened inside the school premises, or only a few people had encountered it. Compared to those, the influence of the ghost story of ¡®Song of Resentment¡¯ was strong enough to shake the whole country. And I had to go through quite a lot of trouble to resolve it. Previously, I could solve the ghost stories just by using some tricks on the spot. However, this time I had to go directly to the ce where the ghost story took ce and investigate all the incidents and also the background story rted to it to resolve the matter. When I came back to the past, it was the day before the ghost story of ¡®Song of Resentment¡¯ started to spread like wildfire and all hell broke loose. Just as I had nned, I sent a long text in the morning yesterday, shortly after returning to the past, to the number of the youngest member of Fourincess. [Hello, I¡¯m contacting you after noticing you mouthing an SOS message on a TV show. The reason for the ghostly phenomenon surrounding Fourincess urred because of the resentment of a trainee idol who had been murdered in your broadcasting studio. If you ask all the members to do a handstand, you¡¯d find out that one of the members of your group is a ghost. If you go to the third waiting room on the fifth floor, you¡¯ll find a body buried in the cement. The murderer is the Chairman of the broadcasting studio. The motive and evidence¡­] I didn¡¯t bother to reveal my identity to them directly because it would create unnecessary trouble for me. However, I knew the youngest member would follow my instructions written in the text. She was the only one who noticed one extra member in their group. In that sense, she would actively want to solve the mystery even if others opposed. I thought she might have reported it to the police after gathering the evidence because news about their broadcasting studio had been circting around the inte. There had been a flood of news of the incident on the inte. It spread everywhere so quickly that I was surprised at the efficiency and enthusiasm of the people about the incident. [A dead body of a supposedly missing trainee idol had been found in a waiting room of a broadcasting studio.] [The body belonged to a teenage girl and it had been found in the broadcasting studio building in ChungDam neighbourhood.] Since the name of the criminal and evidence were all provided, the police¡¯s investigationwork caught the man in a day. And today when I was sitting in the music ssroom, the system announced the message saying that the ghost story was sessfully resolved. The moment the message suddenly appeared in the music ss, I understood that the man had been arrested and taken into custody already. Getting the body out of the third waiting room and sending the man to prison. These two must have been the conditions for resolving the resentment rted to the song. It was only a matter of time before the police conducted a DNA test and the criminal would be found guilty. ¡°Who turned on their phone again? Ah!¡± Disrupting my thoughts, the music teacher stopped ying the piano and shouted again. The students again looked at each other in bewilderment. Some people were annoyed as they murmured among themselves, ¡°Who is this idiot to turn on their phone not knowing the atmosphere?¡± But the music room was just quiet. Except for the vague murmur of the students, there wasn¡¯t any sound of music or anything of the sort that could be heard. ¡°Huh?¡± The teacher also listened carefully, and soon she tilted her head. As the realization dawned upon her, she found out that the room was silent. ¡°¡­.I must have heard it wrong. I¡¯m sorry~ Let¡¯s start it again! Aaaa~¡± ¡°Aaaaaaa~¡± * * * After school ended, I took the members of my Ghost Story Club to the fast food restaurant in front of ShinLim Station, exactly where we went after solving the ghost story Dreams Within Dreams. I had hoped that everyone would tag along and I could treat them to a hamburger. However, Dukhun inly rejected, saying that he would like to go home and watch anime. And Jinhee turned down my offer coldly, saying she had work to do. Also, the teacher said it wasn¡¯t appropriate for her to get a treat from a student. In the end, there were only Gyeongwon, Sunah and Hayoon. Also me. The four of us were together once again. ¡°What did you say? Oh!¡± Gyeongwon shouted with his mouth wide open before biting into the double cheese hamburger. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it! It¡¯s actually the Chairman!¡± Sunah also showed a look of astonishment at my story, her eyes wide open. ¡°How absurd¡­¡± Hayoon was the only one who didn¡¯t seem to show much reaction. She only picked up the french fries with her thin fingers and put them into her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth. As proof, I¡¯ll ask Gyeongwon, the first mobile phone you bought was AMOLED Clover¡¯s feature phone, right?¡± At my question, the young master gave me a ridiculous look. ¡°¡­.Suddenly spouting nonsense, you expect me to believe that?¡± Then he shook his head, as if he couldn¡¯t believe it and bit into the hamburger. Bloody hell, you bespectacled guy. He said this would be enough to make him believe me. ¡°No matter what you say Joon¡­ It¡¯s a little¡­¡± Sunah sipped on her coke with a bewildered look on her face. ¡°What about you, Hayoon? Do you believe me?¡± ¡°What?¡± When I asked Hayoon, sheughed it off, dipping her french fries in ketchup. ¡°Why ask me, ahaha.¡± ¡°Well, out of all three of you, you are the only one who¡¯s not showing much reaction.¡± ¡°Um¡­ Haha. I don¡¯t know what to say.¡± Hayoonughed again, shrugging it off briefly. ¡°As expected, you don¡¯t believe me either.¡± ¡°Huhu.¡± Gyeongwon shook his head again, as if he couldn¡¯t believe I was trying to make them believe something that they thought was absurd. Sunah just stared at me with a ss of coke in hand and Hayoon smiled brightly as if the situation had nothing to do with her. I let out a tired sigh. ¡°Eat as much as you want. I was the one who sacrificed my life anyway.¡± ¡°Then, Prez, I¡¯ll have another shake.¡± ¡°Do whatever you want.¡± Gyeongwon stood up and went to the counter to ce an additional order of milkshake. Ring~ Suddenly, the phone in my pocket vibrated, announcing that a text message hade. When I pulled my phone out and looked at the screen, I couldn¡¯t help the astonishment that washed over me. The message was from the youngest member of Fourincess. [Can we talk on the phone please?] A middle schooler who was a year younger than us. Moreover, it was Dasom, the youngest member of Fourincess. I replied the message, agreeing on her request. A short momentter, I got a call from the same number. ¡°Hello?¡± When Sunah and Hayoon saw me picking up the phone, they nced at me with curious eyes, wondering who it could be. As I mouthed ¡®Four. In. Ce. Ss¡¯, they opened their eyes wide in surprise. [I¡¯m really sorry for contacting you all of a sudden. But I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what your message could imply.¡­ But I did what you instructed. Everything worked out well¡­ I called to thank you¡­] ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± [Yes¡­] There was a moment of silence over the phone. I had a hunch that she might be curious about my identity and how I got the information over the matter. Just as I had expected, the youngest member opened her mouth again as she asked. [Your voice¡­ Are you someone younger than me?] ¡°Well, I¡¯m a high school student.¡± [Oh, my. Really?] Dasom, the youngest member of Fourincess asked with astonishmentced in her voice. [I had thought you were some kind of legendary and experienced old exorcist! Well, I thought you have some kind of extraordinary vision¡­ That¡¯s why I did everything you instructed¡­] ¡°Haha. Exorcist.¡± I couldn¡¯t help butugh. Come to think of it, my job was definitely simr to those exorcists. I mean, just like the exorcists, I also had to deal with ghosts on a daily basis and resolve the ghost stories to save my life as well as others¡¯. ¡°Well, my job is something simr. I¡¯m d it worked out well anyway.¡± [After reading your instructions, I was wondering how I could convince the members to listen to me. We were practising our dance steps at that time so all of us were together.] The youngest member of Fourincess, Dasom said that ording to my instructions, she requested her group members to do a handstand, as one of the additional dance moves in their original choreography. And just as I said, she found out that one of the member¡¯s face couldn¡¯t be turned upside down as if it was stuck in that position. When the ghost got caught, just like what happened in the dressing room back then, the ghost of the girl disappeared, letting go of her grudges and attachment to this world. She said that the incident shocked the members so much that she had a hard time exining the whole incident, who was that girl and what happened to her, also about the dead body buried in the third waiting room of the broadcasting studio. Which was the reason it took a day to pursue the members of Fourincess to report the matter to the police. Of course, the police wouldn¡¯t just take someone into custody without concrete evidence. So they hit upon a n and said to the police that they had witnessed the murder. They made up the testimony and reported the location of the dead body to the police. When the people from the police came and dug the floor of third waiting room, they found the dead body without much problems. After checking out the surveince camera and other things, they concluded that the murderer was most likely the Chairman of the broadcasting studio. [Well, I¡¯m a bit curious¡­] After saying the whole matter, she asked in a cautious voice. [Do you live in Seoul by any chance?] ¡°Yes, I live in ShinLim neighbourhood.¡± [Oh! That¡¯s quite close. Our program will start at 6pm. We¡¯ll get you a front seat in the program. So if you¡¯re free, you cane and watch our performance.] ¡°Really?¡± Come to think of it, before I turned back time, the live performance wasn¡¯t able to be aired because the song caused chaos in the whole country. Even if it was for a short moment! ¡°Thank you so much!¡± I can¡¯t believe we can see the performance of a famous girl group in person! Even though I didn¡¯t have the hobby to chase around idols, I would still appreciate a front seat at the concert given for free! [Yes, our schedule is packed for today so we wouldn¡¯t be able to meet with you. This small favour is the only thing we can do for you¡­ but next time, I¡¯ll surely treat you to a meal!] ¡°No, no, no, you don¡¯t have to treat me to a meal. You must be busy¡­¡± I leaned forward on the table and signalled at my phone to the two girls sitting opposite me who didn¡¯t know what I was talking about. Sunah, who was munching on her burger stopped chewing and looked at me with questioning eyes. [Then I¡¯ll meet you for sure next time!] ¡°Yes, good luck!¡± The two girls, who saw me hanging up the phone with a faint smile, stared at me in bewilderment. Soon, Gyeongwon came back with his milkshake and sat down with a sigh. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about it, Prez. Although what you said was ridiculous enough to not believe, but I can¡¯t help but believe. The phone was released as a limited edition, but it broke down the day after I bought it. So I exchanged it for a different model.¡± ¡°Huhu.¡± ¡°No matter how much I think about it, there¡¯s no way Prez could figure it out on his own¡­ It could only be known to you if I tell you.¡± Gyeongwon bit the straw as he sipped his milkshake and shook his head. ¡°How can this happen¡­ My god.¡± ¡°Things happen I guess, haha.¡± Sunah and Hayoon also nodded their heads as Iughed. Both of them must have believed me as they saw me talking with the youngest member of Fourincess earlier. It was impossible for me to have the number of a recently famous idol if she hadn¡¯t given it to me on her own ord. Not to mention, Gyeongwon¡¯s words that it was also impossible for me to know what kind of phone he had bought for the first time. It could only be possible if I had turn back time after knowing the information from their own selves in the future. Dukhun, Jinhee, and Teacher Hwaeun also worked hard with us. However¡­ I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t tell you guys yet. It was hard to convince even the three of them, who had already experienced ghost stories together with me once. But the others¡¯ had no idea that the ghost stories existed or wasing to existence. Therefore, if I try to exin everything to them, they would definitely think I had some sort of mental illness. ¡°Are you sure you guys don¡¯t want to go with me? I heard Fourincess are the most popr girl group nowadays and they¡¯re offering us front seats for free.¡± ¡°Nah. I have to go to the cram school.¡± ¡°Sunah, what about you?¡± ¡°It would be noisy¡­ I don¡¯t like it¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± As expected, all the members of Ghost Story Club were ¡®introvert¡¯. As I was sighing with a bitter face, Hayoon asked me. ¡°Joon, did you forget to ask me?¡± ¡°Uh, yeah. That¡¯s right.¡± I don¡¯t know why, but I felt awkward to ask Hayoon. Even the thought of being alone with her was awkward to me. ¡°So¡­ Will you go with me?¡± ¡°Haha.¡± At my humble request, Hayoon covered her mouth andughed. ¡°Are you asking me out? But I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m busy today.¡± After parting with the members in front of ShinLim Station, I took a bus to the broadcasting station in ChungDam neighbourhood instead of going home. It was a littlete when I arrived. I was barely able to enter the broadcasting studio after pushing through all the fans of Fourincess. ¡°Wow~ Wow~¡± Finally, I reached therge hall where the concert would be taking ce. The crowd of people passed each other, swinging their LED sticks and banners before heading towards their designated seats. ¡°Ugh! You stepped on my foot!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry.¡± The crowd had a lot of people, so it was inevitable if someone got stepped on their foot. Just as the youngest member Dasom had said, an empty seat was seen at the front. Before the performance began, the official music video of the Fourincess began to y on the big screen. People present began to shout and cheer even though it wasn¡¯t the main performance. ¡®Haa. It¡¯s crazy. I should just watch the performance of Fourincess¡¯ new song and go home. Fuck it.¡¯ When I managed to finally sit down after pushing through the wave of crowd, the host of the show stepped on the stage and announced the start of the program. Shortly after the host left, the four girls of Fourincess took their appearance on the stage. As the song began, the shing of the stage lights, flying coloured papers and banners, and the sound of the cheer of the people, all enveloped the small ce instantly. ¡°Wow! Cha Jiwon! Cha Jiwon!¡± ¡°Dasom! Dasom!¡± Fans shouted the name of their favourite idols among the group. Therge amplifier that resonated on the stage made me feel as if my ears were going to bleed. The wave of the sound was not only hitting my eardrums but shaking me to the bone. I felt like I was going to go deaf if I continued to stay there for a long time. I didn¡¯t have the tolerance of such a high decibel, so I tried to cover my ears for a moment. But realizing that I was basically in a concert where I should listen to the song, and it would look disrespectful if I cover my ears, I removed my hands and tried to endure the sound of the performance. People began to scream louder when the first part of the song went by and the music of the upbeat hook part began. Then everyone shouted in a chorus. ¡°Everybody! Four! In! Cess!¡± ¡°Oh yeah~ Oh yeah~¡± The ghostly lyrics that made the song a living virus disappeared forever. The lyrics right now were just ordinary sentences. It was exactly how I remembered the song to be in my previous life, the life where I finished my highschool and the Demon King was revived. When the chorus of the hook part started again after the first part, the youngest member of the group, Dasom, suddenly jumped out to the front and began dancing excitedly, surprising everyone. ¡°Wow! Wow!¡± ¡°Dasom! Dasom!¡± The fans cheered loudly, not caring if her steps were right or not. However, I could see some fans showing a puzzled look. Perhaps they were thinking why did the youngest member suddenly jump forward and begin to dance even though it wasn¡¯t her turn and the steps weren¡¯t recorded in the original choreography. The other members of Fourincess also seemed surprised. But soon they masked their surprises and began to dance around Dasom, regrouping again. The way Dasom was dancing seemed a bit bizarre. Her body was twisting and turning like a snake, as if there weren¡¯t any bones in her body. But whenbined with the exciting song, it only seemed like excellent choreography. As she brushed her hair, a few drops of sweat sshed through her short brown hair, glistening on her skin at the reflecting light of the stage. She danced with the rhythm, while looking around as if she was looking for someone in the crowd. Stopping right in front of me, she smiled broadly and waved toward me, as if she had found a long lost friend. Then her lips moved, not syncing with the lyrics. [Thank] [You] [So] [Much] When the leader, Cha Jiwon quickly approached her and hit her on the shoulder as if it was a dance step, the youngest member looked back at her in surprise before rejoining the group. Even though I knew she couldn¡¯t see me, I nodded my head. Then I got up and left the concert hall slowly. People pped and cheered loudly behind me as the performance wasing to its end. As I left the ce with a smile, I couldn¡¯t help but think how unfit I was in such a crowded ce. I guess crowded ces just don¡¯t suit me. ¡ó??? ¡ó?¡ó¡ó ?¡ó?¡ó ???¡ó ??¡ó ?¡ó¡ó Rebirth T/N: If you like my work, consider supporting me on Buymeacoffe Chapter 40: Interlude – Q&A Session With Dukhun Chapter 40: Interlude ¨C Q&A Session With Dukhun [2019, March 18 | Monday, 06:35] [Lee Joon: Number of Attempts ¨C 2] [Ghost Story Points: 436] [Causality Rate: 10%] After a pleasant weekend, it was Monday morning again. Fortunately, I had a good night¡¯s sleep. Perhaps because I had a night of sound rest, I woke up earlier than usual feeling refreshed. Although it was Monday morning, I felt more energetic than usual. ¡®Huhu, I still can¡¯t decide.¡¯ Lying on the bed in my room, I agonized to myself. The 400 points that I had earned after resolving the A-rank ghost story for the first time, I wanted to invest them on something useful. However, I couldn¡¯t decide where I should use the point to make it a perfect investment. ¡®Where should I use it? I don¡¯t want to have any regrets after all is said and done.¡¯ As I stared at the points hovering over me, I had considered all the opinions I had in my mind, such as using the points to gain new abilities, or enabling new abilities for club members, or raising the level of the club. If I use the points on myself, my top priority would be to gain the ability ¡®Joint Regression¡¯. However, only a great stroke of luck could help me gain the ability at the first try. I had memorised some of the skills that seemed useful when I used the points before to gain abilities. The one that caught my eyes instantly was ¡®Joint Regression¡¯. As one can decipher from the name, it was a kind of ability that would enable me to regress back in time with someone. In the A-rank ghost story, all the members of the club helped me resolve the incident. We all overcame the crisis by fighting to death together. But in the end, I was the only one who could remember the whole incident while others didn¡¯t even know about it. At first, I thought as long as we could beat the ghost story and save the world, I would have no problem. As long as everyone was safe and sound, I was okay with remembering and being burdened with all the memories alone. But, what if it happened like that every time from then on? What if the ghost stories be stronger like the A-rank ghost story where I would need others¡¯ help to resolve it? We would all have to struggle together to get to the bottom of it and ovee the obstacles. But in the end, it would be me who was the only one who could go back in time to resolve it. For me, it could never be a win. The gap between my ability and the abilities of my members was getting bigger and bigger. It was a battle that I had to fight for three long years. I had to handle all the ghost stories alone even if my members helped me more or less. However, it was an ordeal that no one could handle alone. Especially for someone like me, whose only quirk was to use his wits and tricks at the time of extreme necessity. I didn¡¯t know what others¡¯ thought. But if I wanted to win, I would need to bring all of them together into this mess and grow stronger together. Obviously I felt guilty for that, but¡­ I felt sorry for dragging my friends who were nothing but ordinary and led a peaceful life. But it wasn¡¯t like I wanted to solve these ghost stories and want to be the President of a ghostly club either. ¡®To save the world and maintain its peace, it would be okay to drag them into the mess in the name of self-defence, right? Even if it endangers their life, it¡¯s okay as long as they grow strong, right?¡¯ As Iid in my bed early in the morning and thought about all the possibilities, my mind went back to the ¡®Joint Regression¡¯ ability. It would be best to ovee the ghostly stories together without everyone dying in the end or the world being ruined. But would things turn out the way I was thinking? At least once. If we could return the time back together just once, it would have been much easier to convince them the next time such an urrence happens. Or, just as people invest in cash games online for better profit, I could just invest in my members to enable their abilities and pray that they would grow stronger and help me in my future adventures. But it was too dangerous for them. Not only were the points valuable, I couldn¡¯t let them risk their lives in any way. Not to mention, I had earned all the points by sacrificing my life. No matter how desperate I was for enabling new abilities for either me or my members, I couldn¡¯t leave everything on the hand of luck. Since that was the case, I could invest the points after the Ghost Story Club and raise the club level. ¡®The System Store!¡¯ I didn¡¯t know what they sell there, but the system had this function called Store that would open when the club level reached LV.5. Unlike the ability ¡®Joint Regression¡¯, which I may or may not be able to gain from the lottery, there were a lot of advantages in unlocking the Store. I could open the Store if I invest the points to level up the club. Currently, the level of the club was LV.2. Even if I use up 300 points to raise the club level to LV.5, there would still be 100 points left. ¡®And with that 100 points, I might be able to buy something from the store.¡¯ After considering all the options, it seemed investing in the club was simply the safest decision with no chance of losing money, I mean points. However, there were also some disadvantages in the n. I didn¡¯t think raising the club level would help me in any way for the next ghost story. Using all the points in the club meant enabling new features in the club. The benefits that followed were additional functions such as increasing the space of the clubroom and adding more furniture. On the other hand, if I decide to invest the points on me to gain new abilities, it would be somewhat risky knowing that I had no hand in the lottery¡¯s decision. However, that new ability would be able to help me right away in the time of danger that I may or may not encounter in the next ghost story. ¡®Huhu, what do I do?¡¯ I had no intention of wasting my hard earned points. If I invest in my ability, I would need to use almost all the points until I encounter the next ghost story and earn them back. And if I invest after the club, I would again need to use almost all the points and open the store which I was unsure of if it had anything useful. Everything depended on luck. ¡®My head hurts. I wish there was someone who knew well about games and could give me some advice.¡¯ * * * A whileter in school. Lunch time. ¡°Games? I think Dukhun probably knows about them better than us.¡± ¡°That guy?¡± Gyeongwon calmly replied, seeing me showing a surprised look. ¡°Howe you don¡¯t know that even though he¡¯s your deskmate? That¡¯s what all otakus do or watch every day. All the anime and games have somewhat simr plots of going to a fantasy world and bing stronger.¡± ¡°Ooho.¡± Come to think of it, I noticed that most of the anime that Dukhun watched had simr settings. They were a bit like fantasy games, such as fighting with monsters and gaining strength. ¡°Thank you. But why don¡¯t you y games?¡± ¡°I¡¯m busy studying.¡± The young master replied with a proud smile. Seeing him so happy at his answer, I couldn¡¯t help but think he was a nerd through and through. After chatting with him for a while, I went back to my desk and asked Dukhun. ¡°Kuso, you thought I was only watching anime where beautiful girls wiggle their bodies? Are you sure you aren¡¯t talking about your old days?¡± ¡°Uh, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Just ask whatever you want to ask. This great master, with the blessing of Goddess Konosuba, would answer all your questions about fantasy games that. I. Know.¡± Who is Goddess Konosuba? [T/N: KonoSuba: God¡¯s Blessing on This Wonderful World!, often referred to simply as KonoSuba, is a Japanese light novel series written by Natsume Akatsuki and illustrated by Kurone Mishima. There¡¯s an anime adaptation of the novel with the simr name. Source: Wikipedia] I shook my head, trying to shake the unnecessary questions and asked what I was curious about. ¡°Then listen carefully. There¡¯s this game that I¡¯m ying these days.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the name?¡± ¡°Well, the name¡­ I don¡¯t know. Actually, I can¡¯t remember. Maybe because it was written in anothernguage so I didn¡¯t bother to read.¡± ¡°Is it an indie game?¡± ¡°Indie? Well, it seems so. Anyway.¡± [T/N: An indie game, abbreviation for ¡®independent video game¡¯, is a video game typically created by individuals or smaller development teams without the financial and technical support of arge game publisher, in contrast to most ¡°AAA¡± (triple-A) games. Source: Wikipedia] I coughed briefly before I began my exnation. ¡°In the game, I would get a lot of points if I sessfully defeated the enemies.¡± ¡°You mean score?¡± ¡°Uh, score. I mean, in the game they¡¯re called points.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­then maybe they meant experience, not points.¡± Dukhun tilted his head as he wondered, rubbing his chin. However, I continued my exnation without caring what he was wondering about. ¡°But I couldn¡¯t understand where to use those points. I can use them on myself to strengthen my ability or unlock new abilities. On the other hand, I can also use them to unlock a new feature of the game which is the game store.¡± ¡°OwO~. Why are you thinking so hard about that? Joon-kun, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve yed a lot of games.¡± ¡°No, I do y a lot¡­¡± The truth was, I¡¯ve only yed online games such as League of Legends or shooting games before. Therefore, I didn¡¯t know much about games with fantasy settings except for some basics. ¡°Kuso, you shouldn¡¯t think too much about it. Of course you should use the points to unlock the new feature of the game.¡± Dukhun said in a confident way. ¡®Huuu, new feature!¡¯ ¡°Why? Why should I use the points to unlock the new feature?¡± ¡°Yare yare.¡± Dukhun shook his head as if he had caught me pretending to know about games. Hurry up and tell me you hunk of meat. I¡¯m so curious, huhu. ¡°It¡¯s because when you¡¯re at the early levels, it¡¯s better to increase your options rather than just focusing on the possibilities of growing your strength.¡± Increase my options. ¡°Hmm.¡± As I pondered, I couldn¡¯t help but admit that it certainly seemed the most reasonable option to unlock the Store function. As Dukhun had said, rather than only looking around myself andmenting on my options, I should think outside of the box and unlock new features to discover all the new things. It would be a wise move to think of other options again after discovering all the new features and then decide where to invest the points in the long run. ¡°I see. It certainly helped me a lot, thank you!¡± ¡°OwO~ for this master, it was a simple matter. Do you have any more questions?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but can I ask why do you talk like that?¡± The big body flinched for a moment before he started to scowl. ¡°I¡¯ve answered everything I knew.¡± Just as I had expected, he got angry. ¡°Sorry, but you¡¯re bothering me.¡± But why is he upset over such a simple question? ¡°I have a few more questions, can you also answer them? I¡¯ll ask only two more.¡± ¡°OwO~ what a brazen deskmate I got there.¡± Turning his head back at me, he nodded. ¡°Shoot.¡± Since he had decided to listen to me, I thought that I should ask about everything that I had been curious about. I started to think about how to ask him step by step. At first, I had only encountered low level ghost stories. But thest ghost story was a high level A-rank ghost story. The low rank ghost stories were easier to solvepared to the A-rank ghost story where I had to go through a lot of hassle. Even if I don¡¯t know much about why It was happening, I could clearly understand that It was different from usual. It felt like something or someone was attacking me deliberately. ¡®No, it wasn¡¯t just then!¡¯ My whole life was a bit simr. In my previous life, I spent three years at another school without encountering a single ghost story. Except for the revival of the Demon King at the night before the graduation ceremony, I led a life as smooth as butter, without facing any problems. However, this life of mine waspletely different from my previous life. ¡®Where should I begin to exin this?¡¯ I organized the information in my head for a while before starting to exin. ¡°The game that I¡¯m ying starts with a tutorial.¡± Dukhun nodded quietly, indicating that he was listening. ¡°But there was a time when I didn¡¯t finish the tutorial and escaped to another area. At that time, I yed the game quietly and easily without much problems. But now that I¡¯ve started the game again, I¡¯ve finished the tutorial and I¡¯ve started to do the quests properly. But for some reason, some enemies that I didn¡¯t encounter thest time I yed the game started to appear. It¡¯s as if someone was deliberately interrupting me from finishing my quests.¡± ¡°Um? Interrupting?¡± Dukhun frowned his eyebrows. Although I tried to exin as best as I could, because I¡¯ve hidden many details, the exnation seemed a bit vague. ¡°Tell me in detail.¡± ¡°So¡­ the enemies just show up at an unexpected moment. Their appearance is sudden. Even if I don¡¯t go look for them or attack them, they would pop out of nowhere.¡± ¡°Yare yare.¡± Then, the big mass of meat sighed heavily with an exaggerated gesture. ¡°Do you know who is the final boss?¡± ¡°When I yed it for the first time, I think it was the Demon King¡­¡± ¡°Then that makes sense. The Demon King is trying to get rid of the Hero.¡± I couldn¡¯t help the puzzlement that washed over me at his answer. ¡°He, a hero?¡± When I asked again with a surprised look, Dukhun looked at my expression with narrowed eyes and simply said. ¡°If the Demon King is the final boss and you have to defeat him, then of course you are a hero.¡± ¡°Well, I see.¡± Come to think of it, his exnation made sense. No, it was quite obvious. I was just too blind to not notice it. If there is a game whose goal is to defeat the Demon King, it is natural that the main character would be called a hero. This fact was known by me through the arcade games that I used to enjoy in the past. The only online game I yed was Nazo, which was a puzzle type game. It would be perfectly natural if such a plot was the setting of a game as background story. But when it happened in real life and also with my own life, I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be alive to enter college after oveing all the hurdles. ¡®But I¡¯m a hero!¡¯ However, that one word somehow made my heart pound like a child, excited for being called a hero by others. ¡®I see. So the Demon King is the one who is attacking me.¡¯ The reason why nothing happened in my previous life except for the head explosion of Nakseong High. Perhaps because I had no intention nor the ability to stop the Demon King. Therefore, the Demon King didn¡¯t attack me either. Because I didn¡¯t interfere in his n and revival in any way, the Demon King was able to be revived smoothly when the right opportunity arrived. But in this life, I was forcefully thrown into the world of ghost stories and fought with the ghosts to prevent the Demon King from reviving, just like it happens in any game. Not to mention, I also had a game-like system to apany me and help me get stronger. Because of this, the Demon King was also trying to get rid of me somehow. If Ipare everything to a game¡­ the ghost stories could be considered monsters, my enemies in the game whom I had to defeat anyhow. ¡®¡­I see. So that¡¯s what is happening.¡¯ The reason why I had encountered more than five bizarre phenomena in a short span of time was understandable. ¡°Oh! Just as I expected. Dukhun is the best!¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± The big fe snorted with his nose raising high. ¡°Can I ask you onest question?¡± ¡°Hai hai. I¡¯m listening.¡± He looked like he wanted me to tell everything just so that he could unt his knowledge about games and get apliment from me. This time again, I started exining the facts by substituting them into the game. ¡°You know, how it happens in games, if you die fighting the enemy, you can go back to the point right before you meet the enemy and try again. But the weird thing is, in this game, if you meet the final boss and lose, you don¡¯t go right before you start fighting with the boss. Rather, you¡¯re taken at the starting point of the game.¡± It was this thing that I found the strangest. If I encounter a ghost story and die without being able to solve it, I would be taken just before the ghost story took ce. But in my previous life, why was I taken to the entrance ceremony after dying? ¡°¡­2nd round?¡± The big guy folded his arms and asked before looking at me with raised brows. I was dumbfounded at the sudden gesture so I couldn¡¯t help but stutter a little. ¡°Uh. I mean, why do I go back to the starting point when I can¡¯t defeat the Demon King? I¡¯m curious about this.¡± ¡°OwO~ really? But what¡¯s the matter with that though?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it weird? Of course, if I go back to the time before I started to fight the boss, it seems reasonable. But every time I lose, I¡¯m taken to the starting point to start all over again. Isn¡¯t it normal if it¡¯s the former?¡± ¡°Baka. It¡¯s because that¡¯s the ending.¡± [T/N: ¡®Baka¡¯ is a Japanese word which means ¡®Stupid¡¯.] The ending? ¡°Losing to the boss itself is also considered an option. It means that you have reached a bad ending and have to start from the beginning.¡± ¡°It could also mean you¡¯ve entered a ¡®New Chapter¡¯.¡± Strangely enough, the big guy knew about these things very well. Perhaps it was because he had often tried ying otome games where you have to help beautiful girls to reach a happy ending, and they also have a lot of options and side stories, he had surprisingly good knowledge about various kinds of endings. ¡°New, new chapter? Tell me more about it.¡± ¡°Huhu.¡± The break time wasing to an end. Dukhun shook his head in regret and replied. Perhaps he was a little annoyed that I ate up all his free time that he could use to watch anime. ¡°That¡¯s all I can say. It must be ¡®2nd Round¡¯. It means you have to use the experience and points of the previous round and start the game all over again. The end.¡± After saying that, he put on his earphones and began to watch the anime called Konosuba. When I peeked over, I could see a girl with long blue hair rolling in the screen. ¡®New Chapter¡­ 2nd round¡­¡¯ I liked to y games, but I¡¯ve only yed a few online games so far. I didn¡¯t know if there was a definite ending in a game, or that I could chose my ending. I was clueless about the settings of these kinds of games. As a result, more questions naturally arose. Did he mean not defeating the final boss could lead me to a good ending? Did he mean that some gamers could make that choice and lose on purpose? How the hell could it help them? Why the hell does it even matter? ¡°Huu.¡± I shook my head with a tired sigh. I had to ask more questions to get more information. Whish. I forcibly snatched Dukhun¡¯s earphones from his fat ear. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m really sorry, but I have one more thing to ask. Why is losing to the boss considered an option?¡± Just as I had thought, Dukhun got angry at once. ¡°No! How dare you disturb my anime time!¡± His anger was reasonable but I needed answers. Even if he beat me up, I wouldn¡¯t have stopped pestering him until he answered all my questions. ¡°I¡¯ll buy bread for you from the school cafeteria. So tell me.¡± Perhaps surprised by my sudden offer, Dukhun¡¯s round jawline trembled. ¡°You¡¯re offering to buy bread for me?¡± ¡°Only for today. In exchange for answering my question.¡± ¡°Ahem.¡± Suddenly, he began to giggle joyfully, like a teenage girl in love and began to mumble. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that in my 17 years of life, me, who has always been the one delivering bread to other people, was finally being offered bread from a ssmate? Hai¨C this chapter has finally appeared in my life~ This kind of thing happens-¡± ¡°Answer.¡± Who knew what the guy was mumbling about. Not understanding a thing he was saying, I couldn¡¯t help but ask in a stern tone, stopping his daydreaming. ¡°To reach a good ending.¡± ¡°¡­.I see. Thank you.¡± Again, his answer was a bit confusing which I couldn¡¯t understand right away. But there was something I had understood from the information he gave. The Demon King. A giant monster that was sleeping under the school. The monstrous creature. The final boss. The Demon King. It wasn¡¯t just buried under the school. It was also constantly attacking me, interrupting my smooth life by sending various obstacles on my way. I had been standing on top of the sleeping Demon King, and also made a base called Ghost Story Club. An invisible fight for blood was unfolding secretly between me and the Demon King within the school. If you like my work, consider supporting me on Buymeacoffe. Chapter 41: Interlude – Levelling Up The Club To LV.5 Chapter 41: Interlude ¨C Levelling Up The Club To LV.5 ¡°Bye bye.¡± ¡°See you again tomorrow.¡± In the afternoon, after parting from the members of my club at the school entrance, I went back inside the school. I had only pretended to go home but the truth was, I had intended to go to the club. After listening to Dukhun¡¯s advice, I nned to use the points to raise the level of the club for now. And because of that, I needed to be alone in the club while I would be updating it. ¡®It would be a hassle to exin everything if they know.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t exin the bizarre urrences that had been happening to me for thest month nor could I exin from where I got the game-like system to them. The same goes for Sunah, Gyeongwon and Hayoon, who had epted some of the mysterious phenomena that happened to us to some degree. Even if they had epted the incidents, they must have thought that it was only a coincidence, so they had no idea about this game-like system. I would have to tell them sooner orter. But for now, until I understand the purpose of the system and the mysterious phenomena, I couldn¡¯t tell them lest I get them in trouble. Therefore, I was heading to the clubroom alone. I was nning to update the clubroom when there would be no one around and no one to disturb me. The school was very quiet unlike the all buzzing school time. Except for a few seniors preparing forte-night study and the teachers to observe them, no one could be seen or heard around. Before my regression, the school where I studied before the Demon King revived was forceful to the students regarding self-study. Compared to that, the authorities of Nakseong High School seemed morex, so there weren¡¯t many students in the self-study session. In Nakseong High School, there weren¡¯t many students who were interested inte night study in school. They would rather attend cram schools, like Gyeongwon, than staying at school tillte night. ording to them, the reading atmosphere of cram schools was much better than the school. Of course, the students would need their parents¡¯ consent to skip the self-study session that had been organized by the school authority. Therefore, the seniors who could not reach an agreement with their parents had to attend the self-study session and study tillte at night. ¡®That¡¯s terrible. I¡¯ll surely lose it if it¡¯s done to me.¡¯ I had already taken the college entrance exam in my previous life and graduated from high school. There was no way anyone could force me to go through the torturous study session again. I had still been holding out for a month because it was the new semester. But it was not in my character to study like a nerd. I didn¡¯t have the confidence to prepare or sit for the boring standardized test in this life again. Thinking how nice it would be if the system had the ability to alter the reality when I skip sses so that I wouldn¡¯t need to attend them, I went up the stairs to the clubroom. Creak- As I opened the door to the clubroom, the view of the far away city where the sun was setting could be seen through the window. However, I couldn¡¯t help but frown seeing the wide open window, holding the scenery of the evening sun. ¡®Who left the window open?¡¯ I entered the clubroom and closed the window before looking around the semi-dark room slowly. The table, chairs, and the whiteboard. It was a simple but cozy space for our Ghost Story Club. ¡°No one is watching, right?¡± Before I started, I poked my head out into the hallway and looked both ways. Since the clubroom was on the 5th floor and at an odd angle, there wasn¡¯t anyone around at that time. Fortunately, it was quiet and devoid of any human beings. ¡°Club Status Window!¡± Pop. [Ghost Story Club LV.2] ¡¶Club Status Window Club Management Manage Members Store (LOCKED) Club Setting¡· ¡°Number one. Club Management.¡± Pop. [Ghost Story Club LV.2] [You may spend Ghost Story Points to nurture your club] [Points until next level up: 0/100] [Ability: Space Expansion LV.1] Thest time when I raised the level of the club, I had done it as a test to see how the system works. At that time, I had chosen to expand the space and increase the size of the room. Other abilities that I could have been selected other than Space Expansion were probably ¡®Ghost Story Acquisition Skill¡¯ and ¡®Manpower Capacity¡¯. The names of the abilities were so confusing that I couldn¡¯tprehend what kind of abilities they were simply by name. For that reason, I had decided to try out those skills as well as leveling up the club. ¡°Today, I¡¯ll raise the level of the club, unlock the store and try those skills one by one.¡± I remember that I was able to raise my ability level by one each time the level of the club went up. ¡°Now, level up!¡± I put my finger on the ¡®Level Up¡¯ button floating in the air in front of my eyes and pressed it down. Then, the points began to decrease and were added to the ¡®Level Up¡¯ panel in front of my eyes. [Points until next level up: 19¡­ 28¡­ 52¡­ 75¡­ 99¡­100/100] Ding! Ping~? [The club has levelled up!] [Ghost Story Club LV.2 -> LV.3] [Current avable ability points: (1)] ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go all the way to level 5! I¡¯m going to unlock the Store today!¡± As I was continuously pressing the ¡®Level Up¡¯ button, the points began to disappear with the speed of light until I reached level 5. [Points until next level up¡­] 36¡­ 57¡­ 83¡­ 100/100] Ding!! Ping~? [The club has levelled up!] [Ghost Story Club LV.3 -> LV.4] [Current avable ability points: (2)] ¡°Good! Let¡¯s go!¡± Although the system was a lot like a game-like system, it took a lot of effort and time to gather the points and raise one level. Compared to the usual online MMORPG games where I could level up by jumping a few dozen steps in a day with no-go, it was a bit frustrating. Therefore, as the level increased continuously as time passed, I felt the thrilling pleasure and excitement of waiting to try something new rushing through my body. [Points until next level up: 36¡­ 57¡­ 83¡­100/100] Ping~? [The club has levelled up!] [Ghost Story Club LV.4 -> LV.5] [Current avable ability points: (3)] At that moment, a holographic firecracker effect exploded in front of my eyes, and a message appeared. [Congrattions! Your club has reached level 5!] [You have unlocked the Store!] [Ghost Story Club LV.5] ¡¶Club Status Window Club Management Manage Members Store < NEW!! Click to open Club Setting¡· [Current avable ability points: (3)] [Each time the Ghost Story Club levels up, you may distribute one ability point to your members. Please choose an ability. Current avable ability points: (3)] ? Ghost Story Acquisition Skill LV.0 ? Manpower Capacity LV.0 ? Space Expansion LV.1 ¡°Huu, it¡¯s finally done.¡± Finally, I had managed to unlock the store. Also, as the level increased, three ability points were given to distribute among the club members. ¡°Status Window. Status Window¡­ Hmm.¡± I tried to go back to Club Management and open the Store function to take a look, but the screen hovering in front of me didn¡¯t change ording to my will at all. ¡°Is the system trying to indicate that I have to distribute the ability first?¡± It was behaving like a typical old ssical game where you have to perform the activities presented by the system to move on to the next window panel. ¡°Three¡­ Let¡¯s see.¡± Since there were three ability points that were given and I could choose three different abilities. Then it would be fair to use all the three points one by one and choose all the three different abilities. ¡°But Space Expansion¡­¡± Previously, when I had gotten my hand on the clubroom for the first time, it was too small and narrow for all the members to amodate. Therefore, even when I expanded the room a bit, I didn¡¯t get caught. However, the room was much more spacious now and the expansion would also double by size. If I expanded the room again, it would be too obvious. ¡°Hmm?¡± I thought about it for a while, but as I made up my mind, I couldn¡¯t help but feel it was a good opportunity. Sooner orter, I had to exin everything to them anyway. It didn¡¯t matter how they would ept, but since I¡¯ve decided to drag them into the mess with me, I would have to exin everything to them. The club room suddenly expanded overnight! It could be used as an evidence that I could use when I would be exining the game-like system to themter. So far, I had been hiding about the existence of the system because I was worried about the reactions of the members. But thinking about it now, I didn¡¯t think hiding the facts from them was helping me or anyone. Why should I keep it a secret from them when we would be fighting with the Demon King and bringing peace to the world? There would certainlye a day when I would have to share the information of all this strange incidents with the members. I didn¡¯t know if it would be tomorrow or next month, but for then, I had decided to gamble and see the oue. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll unlock all the three abilities one by one.¡± Click. [The Space Expansion ability has been added to the club.] [The Ghost Story Acquisition Skill has been added to the club.] [The Manpower Capacity ability has been added to the club] Apart from the existing ability of Space Expansion, two other abilities had been added to my club. [Ability: ? Space Expansion LV.1 -> LV.2 ? Ghost Story Acquisition Skill LV.0 -> LV.1 ? Manpower Capacity LV.0 -> LV.1] All the three abilities were added at the same time. Now, I could choose which ability to use. Again, like several inte pop-ups, another window popped up in front of me, ovepping the previous window. The message that surfaced was about enabling Space Expansion ability. [LV.1 -> LV.2] [The clubroom expansion will begin soon. In order for it to begin, please leave the room and close the door.] ¡°Do I have to go out like this every time? Can¡¯t I just stay inside?¡± Just as usual, the system was unresponsive. It seemed it had no intention to answer my grumbling. Come to think of it, I never knew how the Space Expansion ability worked and what happens to the clubroom during loading. ¡°I¡¯m curious.¡± To know how the Space Expansion ability worked, I thought I should leave my phone inside and record the process with my phone. ¡°Let¡¯s see.¡± I carefully put my phone on the desk and opened the clubroom to leave. But thinking about something, I couldn¡¯t help but go back. ¡°The angle is not right. I should put it in the corner of the floor for a better view.¡± The moment I closed the door of the clubroom again and headed to the table to take my phone. [The clubroom is reloading. Please wait for a moment.] ¡°Huh?¡± The clubroom expansion began although I was still in the room. It seemed that the system was practically blind, and opening and closing the door was the trigger to start the loading. ¡°I was curious anyway. This is great.¡± Well, it was not that I was gonna die or anything. As I stood inside the clubroom, it began to load. I stood close to the door with my arms folded and began to observe the loading. For a moment, nothing happened. But soon the floor began to tremble violently as if a high frequency earthquake had hit. Whish- As if the entire room had be an elevator, I could feel the entire space was being moved somewhere along with the continuous vibration. The scenery outside the window changed rapidly as the feeling of weightlessness washed over me for a moment. I felt like the room was ascending then descending from somewhere as my body was thrown left and right. Whish. Whoosh. 0%. 8%. My ears began to hurt as the feeling of ascension stayed for a long time. Seeing no other way, I held my palms over my ears and swallowed dry saliva. 13%. 21%. Click. ¡°Ugh, what is it?¡± All of a sudden, all light had been removed from the room as sunlightpletely disappeared from outside the window. The inside of the room was plunged into pitch darkness. I fumbled my hand around in a panic and tried to turn on the light. Click. The room was once again filled with bright light. Only then did I notice how the clubroom was changing and ¡®Loading¡¯. Crack, Crick, Crack, Creeck. I watched with extreme astonishment as the tiles stood up from their positions like dominos and were turned into new tiles in the blink of an eye before going back to their previous positions. All the walls were divided into squares, and one by one, they began to stretch on both sides as the room expanded. 35%. 47%. The bizarre scene made me remember the movie called Transformers. Like the gears of the cars flipped and folded and the cars transformed into robots, the room was going through a simr transformation. The table dived down into the tiles of the still changing floor. However, a short timeter, it burst up into the space and was set in what was thought to be the centre of the newly expanded clubroom. Smack! ¡°Oh, fuck!¡± I approached the table and stood at the edge of it to take a look. But then I was struck by the corner of the table and thrown to the floor. As I rolled on the floor, the whiteboard fell from its position and hit me directly on the top of my head. Smack! ¡°Ah! Fuck it!¡± Is this why the system asked me to go outside? It seemed the system was being considered for its user. And I, the idiot, threw the consideration out the door andnded myself in a difficult position. 55%. 63%. After gathering myself, I staggered to my feet and approached the window. I looked out the window while the room was still loading. Before the loading started, I remember that the sunlight suddenly disappeared out the window and everything was plunged into darkness. It bothered me why it became dark all of a sudden. Not to mention, the feeling of weightlessness as if the entire room was ascending was also suspicious. Was the entire space moving somewhere? Before the loading was finished, I wanted to check the ce where I was. ¡°What the hell is this? It¡¯s dark.¡± I looked out through the closed window, avoiding the tiles that were floating up and turning into new tiles. However, there was nothing but pitch darkness out the window. In that darkness, I could see something glistening in the distance. They were sparkling and twinkling like a thousand fireflies. ¡°Stars?¡± But it was definitely afternoon when I entered the clubroom. I had clearly seen the sun setting in the West. Then what the hell was I seeing outside? I rubbed my eyes and looked out again. Where am I? Where was the club room being moved and loaded? ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Then, I saw something shiny far beyond the corner of the window. But I couldn¡¯t decipher the shape properly because the angle wasn¡¯t right. Thinking that I could see it well if I stuck my head out, I tried opening the window. But the tightly closed window didn¡¯t move. 84%. 91%. Seeing no choice, I pushed my face to the ss on the window until my cheeks were smashed against it. Only then I could see clearly what that sparkling thing was. It was a neb, a collection of very strange-looking stars shaping a neb. ¡°The outer space?¡± The nebs depicted in science textbooks passed in my mind. From the majestic Pirs of Creation to the enigmatic Horsehead neb and so on¡­ A collection of interster matter, each adorned in diverse shapes, drifted through the profound darkness of space, radiating their bright glow. They were shining like a beautiful creation of the universe that glows in the vast darkness. Am I with the presence of vast cosmos? But the shape of the neb was quite strange. ¡°Oh, is it upside down?¡± As I turned my head sideways, squishing my cheeks against the ss while trying to discern the shape of the neb, the whole appearance was finally revealed to my eyes. ¡®¡­ The Demon King.¡¯ In the middle of the dark, vast space. The molecr cloud of the neb, which had an unimaginable size, was in the shape of the Demon King, gleaming among the vast cosmos. 100%. Swish. Before I could decipher the reason why the neb had the shape of the Demon King, thendscape out the window changed in an instant. All of a sudden, bright light burst into the room, making me frown and close my eyes at the sudden appearance of light. As I slowly opened my eyes, I could see the yground of my school over the window as usual. The afternoon sun was still setting on the West, glowing everything in a warm orange light. After the loading was done, the clubroom had returned to its original space. Plop. I almost crashed down in a nearby chair. What the hell was that? That thing among the cosmos¡­ Was that a living thing? Why did the neb have such a strange shape? And where was that ce just now? Was it the universe? The outer space of our dimension? If there had been a neb of that shape, it would have already been in the magazine, raging a storm among the scientists. But so far, I haven¡¯t heard anything about it. Was that ce in outer space, somewhere far where humans couldn¡¯t reach with our level of science and couldn¡¯t observe therefore? ¡°Huu.¡± Again, I had witnessed something beyond myprehension. The sudden appearance of that Demon-King-shaped neb was enough to tell me I had much more things to figure out about the bizarre situations and there were many things I didn¡¯t know. I shook my head and looked around the room slowly. As I looked around, I couldn¡¯t help but notice that the clubroom had definitely gotten wider than before. In the past, it was about the size of a small studio, but now it was about the size of a living room of an apartment. There was enough space for two groups to sit around each other and discuss. One group of people could sit at a side and have a meeting at the table, while the other group could watch TV and rx on a sofa on the other side. We just had to put a partition in between and it would be perfect. [LV.0 -> LV.1] A message flickered in front of my eyes as if urging me to click it quickly. ¡°Haaa. Yeah, yeah, I get it. Click.¡± Then, another bunch of messages popped out in front of me one after another. [The Ghost Story Acquisition Skill has been added to the club] [From now on, members will be facing ghost stories individually and help you collect and bring the ghost stories to you with their abilities on a regr basis.] [Distributing C-rank ghost story¡­] ¡°What? No! Stop!¡± [A C-rank ghost story has been added to Jang Hwaeun ¨C Psychology Test] Thud. The Ghost Story Acquisition Skill was literally the ability to collect Ghost Story Points with just a different name. I understood it only after the system announced what it was. Obviously, the ghost stories weren¡¯t the ordinary ghost stories that we hear from others but the kind of ghost stories that I had been fighting with for thest month. ¡°How did thise to be¡­¡± Although it was me who had done most of the work with the help of other members, I still had to be close to death¡¯s door at least 10 times in a month. But from now on, not only me, the other members of my club would be also facing the same life and death situations individually. ¡°How can this happen¡­ you son of a bitch!¡± Even knowing that the system wouldn¡¯t reply, I couldn¡¯t help but curse it out loud. Letting out a tired sigh, I began to focus on other messages. Desperately hoping that the other messages would be at least a little bit useful. [LV.0 -> LV.1] [The Manpower Capacity ability has been been added to the club.] [As the level of the club rises, the system would search for and add the best person with an extraordinary talent as extra manpower for the club. Current Manpower Capacity Points: (1)] [The person searched and added by the system as extra manpower are not considered as a member of the club. However, they are people who would work with the Ghost Story Club as a partner and assist you outside of school.] [Searching for extra manpower¡­Please wait¡­] ¡°Oho!¡± Manpower Capacity! It seemed like another ability that I could use in case of emergency. Compared to the Space Expansion ability that expanded the size of the room and the Ghost Story Acquisition Skill that would perhaps drive my members to death¡¯s door more often than I like, this ability was much more helpful. After all, thest ghost story that I faced, the ¡®Song of Resentment¡¯ made me realize that I would be needing the help from outsiders in the future. [The search for extra manpower isplete.] [Detective Bak Gangwon has been added as extra manpower for the Ghost Story Club.] ¡°Detective!¡± A detective is on our side! That seemed like a very good news. Not only did I have to face life and death situations every time I encountered a ghost story, I also had to go through many absurd situations. Now that a detective was on our side, it would be easier to gather information from the police or any other sources, which would make my work easier. After reading all the messages, I sat in a good mood, deciding that I would wait to meet with the detective. However, even as I sat idly waiting for a while, nothing really happened. Hmm. ¡°Where¡¯s the detective?¡± Send me the detective right now you fucking bastard. Again, the system was unresponsive to my unholy words. Seeing that nothing was happening, I couldprehend that the detective would be brought in front of me in time. It seemed that although the system could alter reality, it didn¡¯t have much grasp over humans¡¯ destiny. Perhaps just as I got the clubroom out of nowhere, something unexpected would happen which would lead me to the detective. ¡°Haa, alright, alright. It¡¯s time for me to go home anyway.¡± All that was left was to check the store! I stood up and began to stretch my sore muscles when my eyesnded on the small window on the door and my movement immediately stopped. As I approached the door with narrowed eyes, I realized that someone was standing outside, staring straight inside. The person had her face pressed against the small window, staring through it like a creep. And it was none other than Teacher Hwaeun. ¡®From when?¡¯ Teacher Hwaeun stared through the window inside the club without blinking or moving. I couldn¡¯t help but freeze at her sudden appearance. My head began to run at the speed of light as my heart began to pound like it would burst out of my chest any moment. Did I do anything suspicious? I quickly fumbled through my memory as the question arose. From an outsider¡¯s view, I had been poking my fingers in the air. Although I knew I had been clicking the button of the system since it was visible to me, for others, it was invisible. It was a relief that she couldn¡¯t see anything while the clubroom was loading and expanding as I remember I couldn¡¯t do so as well. ¡®As long as I don¡¯t get caught doing anything in the room that seemed suspicious, I don¡¯t think it will be hard to exin the situation.¡¯ As I fumbled through my memory, checking all the things I¡¯ve done so far, I realized that there wasn¡¯t anything that I did that looked particrly suspicious. Nodding to myself, I approached the small window and naturally greeted the teacher. ¡°Hello teacher! I was surprised to see you! What are you doing there?¡± However, Teacher Hwaeun still didn¡¯t reply and continued to stare inside with her eyes wide open. If you like my work, consider supporting me on Buymeacoffe. Chapter 42: Seventh Ghost Story – Psychology Test (1) Chapter 42: Seventh Ghost Story ¨C Psychology Test (1) ¡°¡­Uh, Teacher?¡± Teacher Jang Hwaeun was still as unresponsive as ever, with her eyes wide open like a gargoyle. If someone who didn¡¯t know her saw this, showing only her face through the window, they would have thought it was just a portrait of a creepy woman who had a habit of ogling at younger boys hanging. ¡°¡­No way.¡± I opened the door carefully. However, the teacher was still standing still without moving an inch or even blinking her eyes. Is the teacher possessed by a ghost story again? Suddenly, the ghost story that Sunah told me during the first Club Activity session came to mind. ¡°Some hiker was climbing a mountain when he got lost in his way. Soon, it was nighttime and he barely managed to find a cabin where he could rest. Within the cabin, there were many portraits of scary looking faces¡­ Still he managed to go to sleep. But when he woke up, he discovered that there were no portraits,¡­ Just a lot of windows.¡± That was the only ghost story I could remember where it was mentioned someone seeing portraits at the window. Was Teacher pretending to be a portrait? ¡°I can¡¯t believe it.¡± I opened my bag, took out one of my textbooks, and tapped Teacher¡¯s shoulder with it. However, Teacher Hwaeun was standing still even then with her eyes wide open. ¡°Teacher?¡± ¡°Teacher was just possessed by a ghost and pretending to be a portrait, right?¡± Do I need to p her like Hayoon did in the past to make here back to her senses? Giving it a thought, I realised that it was the best solution to resolve the situation. So I rolled up the textbook and smacked the teacher on the head with it. Smack! ¡°Go away.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ping~ [You havee across and survived a D-rank ghost story ¨C Portrait on the Window.] [You have earned 5 Ghost Story Points.] [You¡¯ve used your wits and skill to repel the ghost pretending to be a portrait!] [You have earned 20 Ghost Story Points.] Teacher Hwaeun finally moved and turned her body with a nk look. Then she trudged to the other side of the corridor on the fifth floor and entered the Study Room. ¡°Was she appointed as a director of the self-study session to observe the students studying tillte night?¡± The fifth floor was the ce where there were various club rooms and multipurpose rooms located. Among them was a ssroom called the Study Room, which was made to help the top students studyte at night for better results without any distractions. Students who rank in top 30 in the whole school would be selected as Elite Students. They were the privileged ones who would be able to study in the Study Room during the self-study session instead of in the ssroom. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll just have a look.¡¯ Thinking that it would be better to make sure if the teacher was fine, I walked along the corridor where the teacher went and peered into the Study Room. Inside the room, there were separate desks with partitions in between two desks where many seniors were studying, their heads buried in the books. Standing in front of a desk in the middle of the Study Room, I could see Teacher Jang Hwaeun supervising the students. When her eyesnded on me, she waved her hands with a weing smile and approached the door before opening it. ¡°It¡¯s Joon! You haven¡¯t gone home yet?¡± ¡°Yes, I had something to do in the clubroom for a while.¡± As if nothing had happened, the teacher talked as fine as usual in a high-pitched voice. As expected, she didn¡¯t remember that she had been possessed by a ghost just now. ¡°Good for you! I wanted to go find you to give something, but I forgot. So I thought I should leave it in the clubroom.¡± ¡°You wanted to leave something in the clubroom?¡± ¡°Yes. Here, take this.¡± Then Teacher Hwaeun handed me a file that had been pinned down with a stapler. [Psychological riddles that only a psychopath can solve] The first line caught my eyes with its bizarre content. ¡°This¡­¡± ¡°I confiscated it from some of the third year students who had been reading it and giggling among themselves rather than studying. But the content was interesting so I thought it would be better for your club.¡± Oh, so the teacher went to the clubroom to give me this. But when she looked inside, she was possessed by the portrait ghost? For a moment, I couldn¡¯t help but feel sympathetic towards Teacher Hwaeun. With her being possessed more frequently than I could count, I wondered how she was leading her everyday life. ¡°Thank you, Teacher. I also think these psychological riddles are interesting.¡± ¡°Huhu, solving them is fun, right? I only skimmed through it and I¡¯m already hooked.¡± ¡°But, it seems the file only contains riddles, no solution for the riddles.¡± ¡°Really? Hmm.¡± Teacher Hwaeun frowned her fine brows. ¡°Well, I warned the students earlier to hand them over. When they didn¡¯t I had to forcefully confiscate it. Perhaps they hid the file containing the solution of the riddles.¡± ¡°Haha, both the Teacher and the seniors are so entric.¡± ¡°How about you try solving it first? I¡¯ll see if I can confiscate the file containing the solution.¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Teacher Hwaeunughed out loud as if she had heard some bad jokes. She was twice as old as we were, but she was still unmarried. Perhaps that was why she hadn¡¯t lost her humour and could get along well with students. Teacher Hwaeun gave off an aura more like an older sister rather than a teacher. ¡°You don¡¯t have to, I¡¯ll try to solve them. But still thank you!¡± ¡°Okay, okay~¡± Teacher answered coolly, like an older sister promising to bring snacks for her younger siblings and headed inside the Study Room. I also walked slowly back to my clubroom on the other side of the hallway. ¡®Hmm, this file seems like a collection of scary riddles that I just gained as the level of the club went up. Could it be the C-rank ghost story that had just been triggered?¡¯ As I looked through the first page, I saw that the file contained some riddles that could be used to test someone¡¯s psychology by letting them solve the questions written on it. However, if the riddles were actually the C-rank ghost story, then it would definitely lead me to another ghostly phenomenon. ¡°Should I solve this by myself?¡± The existence of the ghost stories was certainly too much for me to deal with alone. But even so, just as the system deres before announcing I¡¯ve earned points, I had indeed used my wits and skill to survive and resolve the ghost stories so far. I even survived an A-rank ghost story, although I had to go through quite a lot of trouble for that. How dangerous could a C-rank ghost story be? As I searched through my memory, I found that the C-rank ghost stories that I had encountered so far were Red Tissue, Blue Tissue in the restroom and Elevator Asphyxiation. ¡®Both of them were dangerous.¡¯ The difficulty of solving the ghost stories wasn¡¯t hard. However, I almost died both times. Wasn¡¯t that enough reason for me to not solve the riddles by myself? As I thought so, it suddenly urred to me that the more members there would be to help me fight the ghost stories, the more bonus points I would receive. Of course, I could be assured that since Teacher Jang Hwaeun handed me the file just now from the Study Room, where she had already skimmed through it, I wouldn¡¯t face any problems if I try to solve them now. Even if she waspletely ignorant about the existence of ghost stories, in case of an emergency, she could help me. However, she was someone who got possessed by ghosts more frequently than I could count, so relying on her would be a bad decision. I needed someone who could not only help me solve the riddles but also help me in case we encounter any ghost stories. ¡°Gyeongwon must have gone to cram school by now. I don¡¯t have Hayoon¡¯s number. I wonder what is Sunah doing?¡± Sunah didn¡¯t have any friends with whom she could spend her time, and she didn¡¯t have aputer at home either. I remembered her saying she would always pass her time spacing out after school. Therefore, when she returned to her home, she would either watch news on the TV or take a short walk around. Because she had nothing else to do, she would go to bed early and had to wake up early too, which disrupted her sleeping schedule, making herte to school more than once a week. Fortunately, the Jugong Apartment Complex, where Sunah lived, was right next to the school. Sunah was the best candidate who not only had free time, lived by close, knew about ghost stories and was someone ready to help me anytime. After contemting and nodding to myself, I called Sunah, looking out the window of the clubroom. Ddu-ddu-ddu-ddu-ddu-ddu Click. [Hello¡­ Hum.] It seemed like she was sleeping. Her voice sounded cracked and her pronunciation was vague. ¡°Hello, Sunah. I¡¯m Joon.¡± [Joon¡­?] ¡°Yes. Were you sleeping?¡± [Yes] ¡°Sorry for waking you up. Can I talk to you?¡± [It¡¯s okay¡­] ¡°I¡¯m in school right now. I was doing something in the clubroom but I think I¡¯m about to encounter a ghost story again.¡± [Huh?] ¡°Can youe and help me?¡± [I¡¯ll be right away!] Sunah, whom I was imagining rubbing her sleepy eyes like a hamster, seemed energetic on the phone in an instant. ¡®Okay. As long as Sunahes, I¡¯ll be fine with whatever happens. Let¡¯s see.¡¯ While I was waiting, I sat in the clubroom and began to read the file. [Psychological riddles that only a psychopath can solve] *This psychological test was conducted by Robert Bundy, a famous American psychological counsellor, in 1971. The test was designed to distinguish between psychopaths and ordinary people. While reading, it¡¯s better if you could imagine yourself in that situation as if you were one of the characters of the riddles. Your answers must be quick, without thinking too much on the answer. The answers must be from your intuition and instincts rather than your thoughts. Below are the riddles that would help you find out psychopaths. 1. There were two sisters who were twins. One day, they went to a funeral together where they met a wonderful man and immediately, both the sisters fell in love at first sight. But not soon after, one of the sisters killed the other sister. Why did one sister kill her sister? 2. You stumbled upon an empty room all alone. There, you found a mirror. When you looked into the mirror, you realized that you didn¡¯t like how your reflection looks in the mirror. Why don¡¯t you like your reflection? 3. On Christmas Eve, Santa gave a ser ball and a bicycle to a little boy. However, even after getting such wonderful gifts, the boy looked rather unhappy and sad. Why was the boy sad? 4. In the middle of the night, you went up the rooftop to get some fresh air. As you were looking at the scenery, you suddenly felt the presence of something passing behind you. What was it that passed by? 5. You woke up in the middle of the night hearing some weird noises and went to the balcony to check. When you looked down, you saw a man holding a knife with another man lying in a pool of blood at his feet. Suddenly, the man holding a knife looked up and stared straight at you. Then with a creepy smile, he raised his index finger and began to move his finger up and down. Why was he moving his finger? 6. At five in the morning, you suddenly feel the need to go to your kitchen. Why? 7. All of a sudden, you hear the sound of your doorbell ringing. Someone was outside. When you asked through the inte who it was, the person replied that he was a passerby and he¡¯s in urgent need of using the toilet. So he requested you to open the door. What would you do? 8. Inside a dark house, a killer is roaming with a sharp knife, filled with murderous intentions towards you. What is the best ce for you to hide? * * * I finished reading the spooky riddles one by one and couldn¡¯t help but shiver. What the hell was with those questions? As I was thinking about the answers of the riddles, thinking what could be the best solutions for the situations described in the questions, Teacher Hwaeun opened the door of the clubroom and entered swiftly. ¡°What do you think? Have you tried answering the questions?¡± ¡°Oh, yes. I tried solving the riddles but my answers seemedcking. I¡¯m curious about the answer. What about Teacher Hwaeun? Weren¡¯t you supposed to observe the seniors studying?¡± ¡°Well, the students are taking a break. Besides, I have been assigned to supervise the freshmen so they won¡¯t be holding me for long. However, I can¡¯t help but notice your clubroom seems to have gotten more spacious than before.¡± Teacher Hwaeun looked around curiously, holding a file which I thought could be containing the answers of the riddles. The first time when the clubroom got wider she didn¡¯t notice. However, I had expanded the clubroom twice now, it would be impossible for her not to notice. The size of the room had be thrice the size of the previous tiny clubroom. Now, even I couldn¡¯t pretend not to know. ¡°I know. I was surprised, too. It suddenly got wider, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, how weird.¡± Fortunately, the teacher shrugged it off quickly, only muttering how cold it was inside and took the seat opposite me before handing me the file. ¡°Okay. You must have read the questions well, right? Let¡¯s start solving them now.¡± Chapter 43: Seventh Ghost Story – Psychology Test (2) Chapter 43: Seventh Ghost Story ¨C Psychology Test (2) Teacher Jang Hwaeun licked her finger before turning over the first page. The file which she was holding contained the answers of the riddles. It seemed Teacher Hwaeun had confiscated the answers as well from the senior. For a moment, I couldn¡¯t help but feel pity for the senior. ¡°Well, first question.¡± [There were two sisters who were twins. One day, they went to a funeral together where they met a wonderful man, and immediately, both the sisters fell in love at first sight. But not soon after, one of the sisters killed the other sister. Why did one sister kill the other sister?] ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know the answer.¡± I had thought about it for a while. But no matter how much I thought, I could onlye up with a normal answer. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it have been because of jealousy? Since both the sisters liked the same guy, she must have thought her sister would take him away so she killed her sister.¡± Certainly, the reason shouldn¡¯t be enough justification to kill one¡¯s family member. However, we were talking about a psychopath here so it could be a possible reason. For a moment, I couldn¡¯t help but get worried. I didn¡¯t know why but my answer seemed to be simr to what a psychopath would say. However, Teacher Hwaeun let out a relieved smile while shaking her head. ¡°That¡¯s what an ordinary person would say.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes. Usually, if it¡¯s ordinary people, they would take the feelings of the two sisters into consideration in their answer. For them, killing someone for jealousy or fighting over a person seems logical enough to kill someone. However, for psychopaths, they don¡¯t take other people¡¯s feelings in consideration, and only value their own desire before judgement and logic. If it was a psychopath, he would have said, she killed her sister so that she could hold another funeral to see the man again. And this is also the answer to the riddle.¡± At the teacher¡¯s exnation, I lost my words for a moment. I couldn¡¯t have thought of the reason that one could kill her sister just to see the man again. Although, no reason could be justified to kill someone but still, to kill one¡¯s sister just so that she could see the person she loved seemed a bit illogical to me. ¡°It certainly is the most abnormal answer.¡± ¡°Right?¡± Teacher Hwaeun let out a giggle before exining further. ¡°For normal people, they would get jealous if someone likes the person they like and would fight over them. These emotions are pretty normal toe out in this situation. However, psychopaths could say such an abnormal answer because theyck those feelings. To them, only their purpose exists, and in the sister¡¯s case, her purpose was to see the man again.¡± ¡°I see. But it¡¯s suspicious that Teacher can exin such a difficult thing so easily¡­¡± ¡°Hey! That¡¯s just my opinion!¡± ¡°Really?¡± As I jumped up to see the answer sheet Teacher was holding to see if her exnation truly matched the answer, or was she just lying, Teaching Hwaeun quickly hid the sheet behind her in panic. ¡°No peeking!¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Since she wasn¡¯t letting me see it, I just shrugged my shoulders and sat back down. ¡°I was just trying to be sure if Teacher is a normal person or not. I¡¯m d that you are.¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right about me being a normal person. But I think you¡¯ll be in trouble if you can solve the second question!¡± Teacher eximed vigorously before moving onto the second riddle. [You stumbled upon an empty room all alone. There, you found a mirror. When you looked into the mirror, you realized that you didn¡¯t like how your reflection looks in the mirror. Why don¡¯t you like your own reflection?] After thinking for a while, I answered what I thought seemed most logical to me. ¡°Because I¡¯m ugly?¡± ¡°No. The real answer is because the mirror is dirty!¡± Teacher Hwaeun giggled excitedly as the answer sheet swaggered in her hand. After giggling for a while, the teacher stared at me without saying anything. Her eager eyes seemed to urge me to ask her about the answer but I had no intention of knowing the reason for such an absurd answer. So I kept quiet. However, in the end, unable to stand the eagerness in her eyes, I sighed before asking as if I was curious. ¡°Dirty¡­ Hmm. I have to admit that I didn¡¯t think of such an answer. But I also have to admit that it¡¯s not quite an abnormal answer either. I wonder why the answer is considered psychopathic.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the thing!¡± Teacher eximed as soon as I finished speaking as if she had been waiting. ¡°It¡¯s because psychopaths have a tendency of ming others for the cause of the problem!¡± Then, Teacher Hwaeun exined passionately, as if she hadn¡¯t seen the solution of the riddles at all and the answers came from her own judgement. Her enthusiastic appearance made me think of Gyeongwon for a moment. ¡°Ordinary people will answer something simr like they think they are ugly, or they are fat, or their skin is bad. For ordinary people, the cause of the problem of not liking their reflection lies in their appearance. However, psychopaths have a tendency to shift the me onto others. That¡¯s why to them, they didn¡¯t like the reflection not because they are ugly, but because the mirror is dirty, or the lighting in the room is bad.¡± ¡°I see. That makes sense.¡± Teacher Hwaeun folded her arms before asking curiously. ¡°Isn¡¯t it fun?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ But I think you should tell the students to study rather than gossiping here with me. You¡¯re the one who confiscated the file so that the seniors can¡¯t read it. But now you¡¯re here reading it and enjoying it as if it¡¯s not a problem at all.¡± Suddenly, Teacher Hwaeun burst intoughter at my statement. ¡°Hahaha. That¡¯s why it¡¯s more fun. Besides, what¡¯s fun is fun! Now, onto the third question!¡± [On Christmas Eve, Santa gave a ser ball and a bicycle to a little boy. However, even after getting such wonderful gifts, the boy looked rather unhappy and sad. Why was the boy sad?] As I stared at the Teacher with curious eyes, Teacher Hwaeun eximed enthusiastically. ¡°Because the boy has no legs!¡± ¡°Oh, my God.¡± I could have never imagined it. Without legs, no matter if it was a ball or a bicycle, the boy wouldn¡¯t be able to y, so it was understandable why he was sad. It was evident that the Santa in the story was not only creepy but also evil, one that took pleasure from other people¡¯s unhappiness. ¡°I thought that maybe the boy didn¡¯t like the present.¡± ¡°Right? Right? You didn¡¯t even think that the Santa was evil, did you?¡± I nodded as I recalled that there was someone like the evil Santa who liked to y mean jokes on students in the school. Our homeroom teacher, Damim, the rotund man with a belly that he would asionally scratch suddenly popped up in my head at the ce of evil Santa. Perhaps because Damim¡¯s appearance was simr to that of a rotund, fat Santa, I could imagine him clothed in a Santa costume to trick young boys. I could even imagine him rolling on the floor andughing at the little boy after giving him a ser ball and a bicycle as presents. ¡°Now, fourth question!¡± [In the middle of the night, you went up to the rooftop to get some fresh air. As you were looking at the scenery, you suddenly felt the presence of something passing behind you. What was it that passed by?] ¡°I¡¯d have to have a rooftop in my house first to answer this question, wouldn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Well, since you live in an apartment, you have a rooftop.¡± ¡°Yes, I do. But, I¡¯ve never been there¡­¡± ¡°So? What do you think was the thing that passed behind your back?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± A dark rooftop, in the middle of the night, something passed by suddenly. Shouldn¡¯t it be a ghost even without much thought? ¡°Ghosts.¡± ¡°Normal answer!¡± ¡°Then, what¡¯s the correct answer?¡± ¡°Now, listen.¡± Teacher Hwaeun coughed like an elderly about to give some serious advice before exining. ¡°If you stand at your rooftops in the middle of the night, you would surely feel creepy even if nothing passes by, or if it is just wind. Therefore, normal people would answer either it¡¯s a ghost or a person. However, because psychopathsck emotions like happiness and sadness, they don¡¯t understand the feeling of fear if someone or something did pass by behind them. So they would say it¡¯s an animal, or it¡¯s just wind passing by. There¡¯s even a chance they would make reasoning out of thin air.¡± ¡°I see.¡± As expected, the answer wasn¡¯t what I thought. All the correct answers were written in the answer sheet, which were far from normal. ¡°Now, fifth question.¡± [You woke up in the middle of the night hearing some weird noises and went to the balcony to check. When you looked down, you saw a man holding a knife with another man lying in a pool of blood at his feet. Suddenly, the man holding a knife looked up and stared straight at you. Then, with a creepy smile, he raised his index finger and began to move his finger up and down. Why was he moving his finger?] ¡°Well, he was pointing his finger to threaten me?¡± At my unsure answer, Teacher Hwaeun gave me a narrowed stare, as if she was displeased with something. ¡°You¡¯re purposely saying normal answers, right?¡± Suddenly hearing such a suspicious question, I couldn¡¯t help but snap back at her. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I was just saying what I thought.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll let it go this time. The answer is the man was counting which floor you live on.¡± After saying that, the Teacher suddenly burst into a fit of giggles. ¡°I live on the 19th floor. Don¡¯t you think the murderer would get confused counting all the floors? What about you?¡± ¡°I live on the 7th floor, so I think I¡¯ll be caught very easily, haha.¡± As Iughed awkwardly, Teacher moved onto the 6th question. [At five in the morning, you suddenly feel the need to go to your kitchen. Why?] Kitchen. Kitchen. Hmm. ¡°Maybe I saw something weird so I need to report it to the police. But I left my phone in the kitchen so I went there to retrieve it?¡± The teacher again stared at me with narrowed eyes. ¡°Have you ever tried solving these kinds of riddles?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s my first time.¡± ¡°Then why!¡± Smack! Suddenly, Teacher Hwaeun knocked down her palm on the desk with the answer sheet in hand. ¡°Why are you only picking normal answers!¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m a normal person!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t acknowledge it! Change your answer. Say something else!¡± ¡°Haaa, fine. Why would I suddenly go to the kitchen? Because I want to defend myself, so I went there to pick up a kitchen knife or something as a self-defence weapon?¡± Even after my careful answer, The Teacher shook her head with a disappointed look. ¡°The answer is because you¡¯re hungry.¡± ¡°What?¡± I didn¡¯t even think such an answer could exist. ¡°As I¡¯ve said earlier, psychopathsck emotion such as the feeling of happiness and sadness. Because they alsock the feeling of fear, they don¡¯t understand if a situation is dangerous or not, or if it¡¯s appropriate to do such a task sote at night. Therefore, they would answer that they¡¯ll go to the kitchen because they¡¯re hungry.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Now, we¡¯re almost at the end. Seventh question!¡± [All of a sudden, you hear the sound of your doorbell ringing. Someone was outside. When you asked through the inte who it was, the person replied that he was a passerby and he¡¯s in urgent need of using the toilet. So he requested you to open the door. What would you do?] ¡°Since I live on the 7th floor, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll let the person in. I mean, I live on the 7th floor. If he was in such a hurry, why did hee up to the 7th floor when he could just ask someone who lives lower?¡± ¡°What!!!!!!!!!¡± Suddenly, Teacher Hwaeun sprang up from her seat, pping the desk loudly. ¡°What did you just say!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What you just answered! That one!¡± ¡°That is what a psychopath would say!!!¡± ¡°Teacher, you¡¯re too loud. Please be quiet, seriously!!!! I¡¯m going to go deaf!!!¡± ¡°Psycho!!!¡± Teacher Hwaeun didn¡¯t listen to my request at all and began to run around the clubroom, screaming ¡®psycho!¡¯ as if she had truly caught one. This woman, doesn¡¯t she know when to stop? ¡°Stop running around and sit down! Even a normal person can answer that!¡± ¡°Huuhuu. I see.¡± At my shout, Teacher stopped running and stuck out her tongue as if she was being funny with an apologetic expression. ¡°However, the entrance of all the apartment buildings these days has a secret passcode to enter through the security door, right? You have to punch the passcode to enter.¡± ¡°Yes, I also have it in the apartmentplex where I live.¡± ¡°If someone manages to get through that, then isn¡¯t it normal that I would be suspicious?¡± ¡°Hmmm.¡± Teacher Hwaeun thought for a while before letting out a disappointed sigh. Come to think of it, this is the first time I¡¯ve talked to Teacher Jang Hwaeun face-to-face without any awkwardness. I had talked to her before only twice, thrice actually if I take the time Song of Resentment in consideration. Those three times, she seemed like an ordinary teacher, except the time in the bathroom of Red Tissue, Blue Tissue, when she had been possessed by a ghost. It seemed Teacher Hwaeun was a very energetic person. ¡°When ites to passcodes, they¡¯re set quite easy ones like ¡®5678¡¯.¡± ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t that too easy?¡± ¡°It is but the number gets a bit confusing if it¡¯s too long.¡± ¡°And as long as you¡¯re a resident, you¡¯ll look suspicious if you make even one mistake.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the problem.¡± ¡°Okay. Last question!¡± [Inside a dark house, a killer is roaming with a sharp knife, filled with murderous intentions towards you. What is the best ce for you to hide?] ¡°If it¡¯s ordinary people, they would think under the bed or in the closet. However, even if psychopaths hide, they would hide in ces where they can attack from. Like behind the doors.¡± ¡°Oh, my God, I didn¡¯t even think about that. Even if he hides, he thinks of how to attack the killer.¡± ¡°It¡¯s so scary that you got goosebumps, right?¡± Click. Just as we were discussing thest riddle, the door of the clubroom opened and Sunah, who was wearing in clothes, entered. ¡°Oh, hello¡­¡± ¡°Sunah! What¡¯s up? Why did youe to school again?¡± ¡°I called her. Sunah happened to be free so I invited her toe.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. Now, you should try it too. Sit here.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Sunah hesitated a little before sitting next to the Teacher awkwardly. ¡°Teacher will ask you questions now and you have to answer the first thing thates to your mind. It can be anything so feel free to answer, okay?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°First question! There were two sisters who were twins. One day, they went to a funeral together where they met a wonderful man and immediately, both the sisters fell in love at first sight. But not soon after, one of the sisters killed the other sister. Why did one sister kill her other sister?¡± ¡°It was because she wanted to hold another funeral to see the man again¡­¡± After taking a boisterous psychopathy test of Sunah, Teacher Hwaeun stretched and yawned as if she had a pleasant time before heading back to the Study Room. Probably I was swayed by the Teacher¡¯s energy, I couldn¡¯t let down my guard at all while she was there. After Teacher left, I felt like all my tension was swept away as I dropped back in my chair. ¡°Haa, I feel like my energy has been sucked away.¡± ¡°Hey, Joon¡­ The clubroom. Don¡¯t you think it expanded again¡­¡± ¡°You must be seeing things.¡± For the rest of the time, I sat in the clubroom with Sunah and chatted. Before I knew it, the sun was already beginning to set and it was almost evening. ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s true! You pushed me from the rooftop at that time!¡± ¡°Joon, stop. This is so funny.¡± ¡°Bye~ See you tomorrow.¡± ¡°Well, good-bye¡­¡± When it was time to part, Sunah had a sad look on her face even though she was smiling. I felt sorry for her, but I couldn¡¯t do anything. It¡¯s not like I could take her home with me. Soon it was evening. It was time for me to go home and prepare for tomorrow. ¡°See you again tomorrow.¡± After parting with Sunah, I suddenly realized that the reason why I called Sunah didn¡¯t happen at all. The situation I was fearing that I may encounter a C-rank ghost storypletely slipped out of my mind. However, after thinking for a while, I realized nothing particrly strange had happened. ¡°Everything seems okay.¡± Perhaps because it was a C-rank ghost story, it would take some time for it to appear. But even so, why did nothing happen at all? ¡°Did their strategy change now that I understood their n mostly?¡± Even after thinking for a long while, I couldn¡¯t figure out anything particr. ¡°Forget it. There¡¯s no reason to waste my time thinking about it.¡± Before leaving the clubroom, I took a picture of the riddles with my phone to show it to Gyeongwon. He might figure out something. [Hi, Gyeongwon. I got these psychological riddles from Teacher Hwaeun today. It¡¯s a psychopathy test. Do you think they could be rted to any ghost stories?] [Attached picture.] I had no idea why or what I was asking Gyeongwon, or exactly what kind of information I needed. However, I decided to let it go as long as it was useful information. Gyeongwon was a smart guy. He would read it and try to decipher the meaning it could contain before figuring out which ghost story it connected to. Isn¡¯t this what friends are for! Llaa~ With such a light heart, I went back home and went to bed early after dinner. By the time I fell asleep, no reply still came from Gyeongwon, probably because he was still in the cram school. However, I fell into a peaceful slumber not knowing what would happen that night. Chapter 44: Seventh Ghost Story – Psychology Test (3) Chapter 44: Seventh Ghost Story ¨C Psychology Test (3) At the rooftop of the broadcasting studio, from where the evening sun shining far in the West, enveloping the surrounding with golden hue could be seen. Sunah and I were leaning against the railing and looking at the scenery in the far, the sky that stretched beyond horizon. ¡°Sunah is Yandere.¡± ¡°Yande¡­re?¡± ¡°Yes, Sunah is Yandere.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± At my statement, Sunah made a confused expression as if she couldn¡¯t understand what and why I was suddenly saying this. ¡°You were hiding a box cutter in your pocket¡­ and now pretending as if you don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°I, I got caught¡­¡± Before I couldprehend, Sunah took out a pink boxcutter from her pocket and slowly approached me. ¡°Joo, Joon¡­ From now on, Joon will be living in my refrigerator¡­¡± sh. sh. ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh¡­¡± * * * ¡°Uh, what?¡± When I opened my eyes with a startle, it was still midnight. I was in my bed, inside my room. The bluish light emitted by the full moon outside seeped through the curtain and fell into the room, making the dark room partly visible to my eyes. ¡°What time is it?¡± As usual, I checked the time by opening the Status Window. [2019, March 19 | Tuesday, 02:07] [Lee Joon ¨C Number of Attempts: 2] [Ghost Story Points: 136] [Causality: 10%] It was past 2 a.m. I still had five more hours before waking up. ¡®That¡¯s a plus.¡¯ Everytime I woke up in the middle of the night and saw that I still had a long time to sleep before waking up, I felt like I had achieved something great. In a good mood, I fell back to sleep again. ¡°Sunah is Yandere.¡± ¡°Sunah is Yandere.¡± ¡°I, I got caught¡­ Joon will live in my refrigerator¡­¡± sh. sh. ¡°Uh, what?¡± As I opened my eyes once again, it was still midnight. I was still in my bed, inside my room. The bluish light emitted by the full moon outside seeped through the curtain and fell into the room, making the dark room partly visible to my eyes. ¡°What time is it?¡± As usual, I checked the time by opening the Status Window. [2019, March 19 | Tuesday, 02:07] [Lee Joon ¨C Number of Attempts: 2] [Ghost Story Points: 136] [Causality: 10%] It was past 2 a.m. ¡®Huh, I can still sleep for five more hours before waking up.¡¯ Everytime I woke up in the middle of the night and saw that I still had a long time to sleep before waking up, I felt like I had achieved something great. ¡°Sunah is Yandere~¡± ¡°Yandere?¡± ¡°Sunah is Yandere.¡± ¡°I got caught, Joon¡­¡± sh. sh. ¡°¡­.Mmm.¡± Once again I woke up, and it was still midnight. The full moon was glowing outside, enveloping the room with its unearthly bluish glow. ¡®What is it? It¡¯s still dark¡­ I think I slept for a long time.¡¯ Was it because I kept tossing and turning while sleeping? I felt like I had slept for a long time, but I still feel sluggish, as if I had run a marathon. I felt tired, as if my fatigue was not relieved at all. I opened the Status Window to check the time. Pop. [2019, March 19 | Tuesday, 02:07] [Lee Joon ¨C Number of attempts: 2] [Ghost Story Points: 136] [Causality: 10%] ¡°Huh, not even a minute passed. I just fell asleep and woke up.¡± Although I wanted to wait a little before falling back asleep, I couldn¡¯t beat the sudden rush of sleepiness and fell back to sleep. ¡°Sunah is Yandere.¡± ¡°Hey, I think I had the same dream earlier¡­¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± We were standing at the roof of the broadcasting studio. The sun was setting in the far West, painting the sky beyond the horizon red. A destroyed city could be seen under the reddish sky. Sunah, who was standing beside me with a boxcutter in hand, looked at me with confusion. ¡°Is it a dream?¡± As I learned from Gyeongwon in the ghost story of Dreams Within Dreams, I did a reality check to know if I was dreaming or not. I started doing the number of actions that he described to distinguish dreams from reality. I twisted my arms and fingers in an odd angle but I still didn¡¯t feel any pain, and they were perfectly fine. After that I covered my nose, but I could still breathe just fine. ¡°Joon, what are you doing¡­¡± ¡°I see. So, this is¡­ Haa, this is a dream.¡± I twisted my arms and fingers, easily bending them without feeling any pain. And I could breath even after covering my nosepletely. This proved one thing. ¡°I¡¯ve had the same dream three times already.¡± The Sunah in my dream tilted her head in confusion. ¡°I see.¡± That exined it. I nodded to myself and concluded. ¡°However, even if I wake up every time after the dream, time doesn¡¯t seem to pass and I keep having the same dream.¡± ¡°This is a dream. Sunah, you¡¯re not a real person either. You¡¯re just a fake person created by my subconscious mind.¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m a fake?¡± Sunah mumbled with a nk expression. ¡°Yeah. Anyway, I¡¯ll have to wake up as quickly as possible and check things again. Sunah, will you stab me like you did before?¡± The easiest way to wake up from a dream was- To die right away. In the dream, I¡¯ve been killed by Sunah. After waking up, I checked the time and fell asleep again. But I kept repeating the same dream again and again, and I also kept waking up repeatedly. And strangely enough, no time seemed to have passed in the process. ¡°Come on, quickly. Kill me!¡± I stretched my arm out and stuck my neck out to Sunah. However, Sunah flinched and stepped back. ¡°What are you doing? I want you to kill me!¡± ¡°How can I kill Joon?¡± Sunah shook before asking. ¡°You did a good job earlier!¡± ¡°But I never did that¡­¡± That¡¯s right. Sunah couldn¡¯t remember killing me because the dream had started from the beginning again. Although it was the same dream, because I kept waking up and repeating the dream, the Sunah in the dream was also a new one everytime. ¡°Is it even possible?¡± Perhaps because I was in a dream, but I felt like my brain wasn¡¯t working. I didn¡¯t know what was happening but I had to make Sunah kill me. ¡°You stabbed me well earlier! You have to help me to wake me up quickly. Stab me!¡± ¡°You can jump from the roof¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s scary!¡± ¡°I, I don¡¯t want to¡­ I can¡¯t do that.¡± Sunah flinched back like a scared hamster and stepped back several steps. She was still holding the pink boxcutter, I wonder what was stopping her from stabbing me with that like she did in my previous dreams. ¡°This¡­. won¡¯t do.¡± I guess I have no choice but to jump off the rooftop. Slip. Once again, I stood on the railing of the broadcasting studio with my shaking legs. Even though I had jumped from the same ce before to solve a ghost story, I still couldn¡¯t gain the courage to jump down unhesitatingly. However, I had to do this even if I felt extremely scared. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes tightly and jumped from the rooftop. ¡°Ahhhhhh!!!!!¡± ¡°Ahhhhuh?¡± I thought I screamed as hard as I could, but when I woke up, I was just panting. When I opened my eyes, it was still the middle of the night. I was on my bed, inside my room. The full moon was glowing outside, enveloping the room with its unearthly bluish glow. I felt like I had slept for a long time, but I still feel sluggish as if I had run a marathon. I felt tired as if my fatigue was not relieved at all. I opened the Status Window with sleepy eyes and checked the time. [2019, March 19 | Tuesday, 02:17] [Lee Joon ¨C Number of Attempts: 2] [Ghost Story Points: 136] [Causality: 10%] Before when I checked the time, it was 2:07 a.m. but now it seemed 10 more minutes had passed. What does that mean? I was so sleepy that I couldn¡¯tprehend what was happening to me. I tried to shake my head to shake away the sleepiness, but it didn¡¯t work at all. Everytime I woke up from the dream, the time was the same as before, as if it had not passed at all. Then, I fell asleep again and the same dream reurred. However, the fatigue that should have gone never went away. Rather, I felt more and more tired each time I woke up. Where was this fatigueing from? My body. My body was getting heavier and heavier by the second. I needed to get rid of this heaviness. Finding and eliminating the source of this feeling of heaviness was the only way to recover from this fatigue. However, I couldn¡¯t think straight with my mind feeling foggy. Zzz. I sat up in my bed and kept thinking what I should do. Even so, I fell asleep while sitting but my consciousness was quite aware of my surroundings. My head tilted sideways as I dozed off. Suddenly, I heard a strange sound of someone movinging from the living room as I was dozing off. My eyes opened with a flutter at the sound. Creak- Tap. When I strained my ears to hear, everything was quiet again. Did I hear it wrong? Tap. Tap. No. Someone was there. I could hear footsteps approaching my room over the closed door of my bedroom. The sound of the socks rubbing on the floor as someone walked. The footsteps were approaching slowly, one step at a time, as if afraid they would be caught if the sound was a bit harsh. From the carefully stepped footsteps, I was sure that it definitely wasn¡¯t one of my parents. Who would walk so cautiously in their own house? Someone was in my house. Slip. Slip. The sound of the footsteps were getting closer. ¡®If I try to lock the door now, I¡¯ll be caught because of the sound of the door locking.¡¯ I moved cautiously and arranged the nket carefully on the bed. I made the nket in a way as if someone was sleeping under it. After stuffing one of my pillows underneath, I carefully slipped from the bed. Creak- Slip. Stop. Just as I finished arranging the nket, the footsteps stopped right outside my door. As slowly and silently as possible, I went on my knees and slipped under the bed. Click. Slowly, the owner of the footsteps turned the doorknob. At the same time, I also held my breath and crawled more under the bed so that my figure won¡¯t be visible. Click. Creak- Just before the door opened fully, I managed to pull my legs closer and curl my body under the bed, hidingpletely. The door openedpletely, revealing a figure almost invisible in the darkness. From my position in the narrow field of vision from under the bed, I could only see the person¡¯s ankles. The person was wearing a long trench coat. I could only see the end of the long coat dragging on the floor from my position. Sneak. The person in the long coat slowly entered the room. Then, they stopped right in front of the bed. The feet of the strange person, wearing ck socks, stopped right in front of my face. Slowly, I covered my mouth and nose with my hands, so that the sound of my heavy breathing wouldn¡¯t leak out. Instead of breathing through my nose in fear that the burr would hear it, I opened my mouth wide and began to breathe in slowly. Stab! Suddenly, the burr jumped on my bed. Stab, sh. Then, he began to stab mercilessly on the nket that I had carefullyid behind. Stab, sh. Above my head, the bed was shaking as the person kept stabbing. Lying underneath it, I closed my eyes tightly as the bed rocked at each stab. The strange person was stabbing the pile of nkets and pillows that I had put earlier, not knowing that there was no one underneath them. The burr stabbed the nkets for a long time before stopping and slowlying down from the bed. Then, he left my room like that, and didn¡¯t even bother to close the door. ¡°Haa, haaa.¡± Only then did I exhale and collect by breathing with a surprised heart. Creak- Click. Then, I heard the sound of the door of the master bedroom opening and closing as I was collecting my bearings. ¡°Who is it?¡± Before I couldprehend what was happening, I heard a voiceing from my parents¡¯ room. Stab. Stab. The sound of shuffling and something falling was heard. Then soon, everything became quiet again. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ Don¡¯t tell me, my parents.¡± Before long, the sound of footsteps passing through the living room was heard again. The burr strode through the living room and towards the front door. Then the sound of the front door opening and closing was heard. Click. As soon as the sound of the door lock was heard. I scrambled out from under the bed and headed for the master bedroom. ¡°Oh, Mom and Dad!¡± I stormed through the half-opened door of the master bedroom. ¡°Oh my God, oh my God.¡± Through the half open door, I could see the mangled and bleeding body of my parents, dying with their eyes open. My Mom¡¯s body was lying in bed, and my Dad¡¯s body was lying halfway on the floor. The moonlight that seeped through the curtains lit up their dying faces. ¡°Haa, haaa.¡± No, no, no, no. ¡°Mom, Dad¡­ Mom, Dad¡­¡± I broke down in front of my parents¡¯ corpse, mumbling on the verge of insanity. ¡°Oh my God¡­ Oh my God, no¡­ this isn¡¯t happening¡­ Haa.¡± The feeling of about to lose my mind slowly gripped my sanity and reasoning. I felt like my head was spinning and I couldn¡¯t think straight. Everything felt distant and vague. Creak- Suddenly, I heard the sound of the front door opening behind my back. When I turned around, the burr from before was standing in front of the door. ¡°Foolish boy, I was only pretending to be gone.¡± The bloody knife in the man¡¯s hand shone at the pale moonlight as an unnatural voice slipped through the mask. ¡°I didn¡¯t have the right number of victims. I knew you were under the bed.¡± ¡°Huu, huuu.¡± As the man approached, I slowly stepped back. But I couldn¡¯t hold the harsh words that slipped from my mouth. ¡°Bitch, you punk. You killed my parents.¡± However, the man approached me with the knife in hand, gleaming in the dark. ¡°Question No. 9; You sneaked inside a house and murdered a couple whom you had a grudge against. But then, you found their child hiding under the bed who had nothing to do with your purpose. Without remorse, you killed the child too. Why?¡± ¡°Huu, huuu.¡± The unnatural voice, without any emotion or ups and downs seeped under the mask. I couldn¡¯tprehend if the person was a man or woman only by the voice because he was also wearing sunsses and a hat along with the long trench coat, hiding his appearancepletely. ¡°An ordinary person would answer because he was afraid that the child would report him to the police. But a psychopath would say something different.¡± ¡°Bitch, you bitch.¡± I looked around in a hurry and tried to find something to use as a weapon. Groping in the dark, I tried to find something that I could use against the man. But unfortunately, I had backed inside my parents¡¯ room, just beside their bed and could only find pillows and nkets. As I stared at the man in horror, the man reached to me in a sh and plunged the knife in my stomach without hesitation. ¡°Hahahaha!¡± The unpleasant foreign feeling of something digging deep into my skin, and the cold metal touch inside my stomach, along with the unbearable pain made, my head spin. ¡°The psychopath would say, so that the child could reunite with his parents in the afterlife.¡± [You¡¯re dead.] [Starting from the previous checkpoint.] [Loading¡­] ¡°Suhah is a Yandere¡­¡± Hold on. I was once again standing at the roof of the broadcasting studio. Sunah, who was standing beside me, holding a boxcutter. ¡°Joon, what¡¯s wrong?¡± She looked up at me with confusion as I stopped mid-sentence. I see. So that was what happened. For the past few times that I had repeated the same dream, I had been dying while sleeping. The checkpoint of that time was updated to 2 a.m. At that time, I had been sleeping and dreaming of Sunah killing me. Then at 2:07 a.m., I died in my dream as Sunah stabbed me and I woke up from my dream. Then, I checked the time through the Status Window before falling asleep again. At 2:17 a.m., just 10 minutes after I fell asleep, thinking that I had 5 hours left to sleep. A burr or robber of some sort broke into our apartment and killed me while I was asleep. Then I went back to 2 a.m. again, repeating the same process as well as the same dream. Therefore, although my mind went back to 20 minutes before, my body was still asleep. So even though I kept repeating the same dream, I felt tired each time the process was repeated again. ¡°¡­. Phew. Sunah, it was nice to see you again.¡± Saying that, I hopped on the railing of the roof without hesitation. ¡°Joo, Joon¡­ Where are you going? Joon!¡± ¡°There¡¯s a bastard I must teach a lesson. Bye.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go! Don¡¯t go, Joon!¡± As Sunah screamed desperately behind me, I closed my eyes and jumped down from the roof again. ¡°Aaaahhhhh!!!!!¡± If you like my work, consider supporting me on Buymeacoffe. Chapter 45: Seventh Ghost Story – Psychology Test (4) Chapter 45: Seventh Ghost Story ¨C Psychology Test (4) Thud- [2019, March 19 | Tuesday, 02:00] [Lee Joon ¨C Number of Attempts: 2] [Ghost Story Points: 136] [Causality Rate: 10%] Just as I opened my eyes and checked the Status Window for time, I realized that I had woken up seven minutes earlier than before being stabbed by that psycho. It must have been because I jumped from the rooftop as soon as the dream started without wasting any time. When I woke up, it was 2 a.m. Seven minutes earlier than when I woke up dreaming of Sunah killing me. Without wasting my time on thinking or nning, I immediately jumped off the bed and left my room. The whole apartment was dark as the lights were turned off. Only the thin pale moonlight was pouring from the gaps of the curtains, outlining everything around and making them partly visible. ¡®He¡¯s not still here.¡¯ I looked around for any sign of movement or sound. However, everything in the house was as quiet as a mouse. So that burr hasn¡¯t broken in yet? Just as the thought passed my head, I hurried to the front door. The front door was closed, but not locked. Probably Mom or Dad returned homete in the evening and identally put one digit less in the door lock in a hurry. Therefore, although the door lock had closed the door, it didn¡¯t lock the door. As I stared at the unlocked door. I saw a sign of movement right in front of the door from outside. Tap. Before the person from outside could open the door, I ran to the front door and hovered my fingers on the keypad. Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. At the same moment, I could feel someone jiggling the doorknob, pulling it and trying to open with all their might. Click. Click. However, I locked the door just in time. I stopped the burr from breaking in. By locking the door with the correct password. Knock, knock, knock. Just as a sigh of relief was about to leave my mouth, the sound of knocking was heard. Someone was knocking on the front door. Knock, knock, knock. What should I do? No matter how strong the psycho was created by the power of the ghost story¡­ the door was tightly locked with modern technology. There was no way he could pick up the lock ande in. I was safe inside the house. ¡®Then why?¡¯ Knock, knock, knock. I quietly approached the door and lowered my voice for fear of my parents waking up before opening my mouth and asking quietly. ¡°Who is this?¡± From the other side of the door, the sound of a voice without any emotion was heard. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve just been passing by. But suddenly, I needed to use the bathroom. Could you please help me?¡± ¡°At 2 a.m.?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Is it very urgent?¡± ¡°I¡¯m in a bit of a hurry.¡± ¡°Number 1 or number 2?¡± ¡°Both of them.¡± ¡°If you want to use the bathroom, you have to pay for it.¡± ¡°Oh, is that so? How much do I have to pay?¡± Could it be that he noticed that I was ying with him? For a moment, I freaked out not understanding what I should do to avoid the situation. But before I could say anything more. Tap, tap, tap. I heard the sound of the person walking away from the door. Could it be he was escaping because I caught his motive? ¡°This punk is really¡­¡± Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. I slowly opened the front door a crack and peeked in the hallway. Perhaps the burr also heard the sound of the door opening, he looked back in surprise from where he was standing. He was standing quite far away from our apartment and looking back at me. ¡°Hey, you idiot.¡± ¡°Did you think I¡¯ll open the door for you, you son of a bitch?¡± The burr strode back to me with heavy steps, clearly showing his anger. ¡°No, so please go away~¡± Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. Before the burr could reach the door again, I quickly closed the front door and locked it back again. Knock, knock, knock. Then the sound of knocking was heard once again. ¡°What now?¡± Perhaps the burr heard me but didn¡¯t want to answer, or perhaps he didn¡¯t hear me, no response came from him. A momentter. Tap, tap, tap. I could hear the sound of footsteps moving away from the door again. I waited for a while before quietly opening the front door again. Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. ¡°Did you think I was gone, you little rat?¡± To my astonishment, the burr was hiding right beside the door. The moment I opened the door and peeked my head out, he jumped on me and tried to stab me with a knife. With a fast reflex, I quickly stepped back and avoided the fast approaching de. The hand of the burr holding a sharp knife stuck through the gap of the door. However, he was unable toe inside further, but tried to get in forcefully, floundering his limbs inside. ¡°I knew you would be outside. That¡¯s why I hung the safety chain before opening the door, idiot.¡± ¡°You¡­ you bitch.¡± The burr fumbled with his limbs, trying to get inside with his feet with the shoes off. It seemed he only pretended to go away, and the footsteps were made deliberately to deceive me. Afterward, when I was waiting to be certain he truly went away, he took off his shoes and tiptoed back again before hiding beside the door barefooted, silently but quickly. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± ¡°Keep your voice down, you bitch. I¡¯ll call the police if you wake up my parents.¡± The man in the mask looked at me with cold eyes. ¡°Safety chain¡­ How can you trust this? It won¡¯t take me even a second to unhook it.¡± Then, the man quickly brought out a long, thin stick made of steel and stuck it inside the hole of the safety chain before fumbling through it. However, he was unable to unhook the safety chain. Click! Click! ¡°This is a double safety chain.¡± ¡°I heard on TV that a single safety chain doesn¡¯t work these days. So my parents changed it to a double one.¡± ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± The masked burr stood outside nkly for a while, then sent a nasty re at me before turning back and walking away. Tap, tap, tap. ¡°Are you leaving? For real?¡± ¡°You punk. I¡¯m going to go to jail if I make too much of a ruckus here.¡± ¡°Take off your mask, you idiot¡­ is he really gone this time?¡± It seemed the burr was really gone. ¡®Do you think I will let you go, you bitch?¡¯ The burr, who tried to break into my house in the middle of the night just to kill me and my family without any reason. There was no way in hell I had any intention of letting him go. He stabbed me to death and also dared to kill my parents. But if I tried to fight him one-on-one, I had a high chance of losing. He was a psychopath with a weapon and no hesitation of using it on people. Even if I think with my toes, it was logical to call the police rather than attempting to solve the problem on my own. However¡­. It wasn¡¯t a coincidence that the burr showed up today specifically to my house. ¡®That psychopathy test.¡¯ When the clubroom level rose, the system had gained the ability to distribute ghost stories among my club members through the ¡®Ghost Story Acquisition Skill¡¯. And at that same time, a C-rank ghost story was triggered. The psychopath must have jumped out of it. Then, perhaps it would be possible to solve the ghost story by using the same tricks as before, rather than engaging in a physical fight against the psycho without a weapon. However, to solve the ghost story, I must know exactly what kind of ghost story this was about. I didn¡¯t remember doing anything particr except for taking the psychopathy test. I didn¡¯t have any knowledge about the reason and the content of the ghost story itself. ¡°¡­. Gyeongwon!¡± Because of nervousness and tension, I had almost forgotten that I took a picture of the psychopathy test and sent it to Gyeongwon. However, because I fell asleep early today, I didn¡¯t know whether he had replied or not. Without wasting a single second, I hurried to my room and picked up my phone. Just as I had expected, I got a long reply from Gyeongwon while I was asleep. I quickly opened the KakaoTalk app in a hurry and checked the messages. [Sorry for thete reply, today the cram school had some extra sessions.] [Prez, the riddles you sent me didn¡¯t seem like riddles to me. The questions written there seemed too odd to me, so I did some research. Turns out, it wasn¡¯t a psychopath test to find out psychopaths at all.] The riddles weren¡¯t a psychopathy test to find out psychopaths? What did that mean? I thought hard about it as I checked the next KakaoTalk message. [Robert Bundy, the psychologist who created this test, was originally a serial killer.] [T/N: Theodore Robert Bundy was an American serial killer who kidnapped, raped and murdered dozens of young women and girls during the 1970s.] [He studied psychology at the University of Washington in the U.S. While studying there, he would cleverly ask questions to the subjects rted to their addresses under the name of tests. Then, he would conduct some sort of psychology tests on the patients who woulde to him, and also the people around him to select the right victim.] [Take a closer look at the questions. If you ask someone to solve the riddles, you would be able to gain a lot of information regarding the person, such as the floor number where they live.] [This psychology test was created by a psychopath to choose his victim.] So this was a psychology test created by a psychopath. To put it simply, the C-rank ghost story I was experiencing was rted to the psychology test. And if I was not wrong, the original story must have been a bit like this. ¡º One day, a teacher of yours handed over a psychology test to you that separates the true psychopaths from ordinary people. Without thinking much, you decided to take the test because your teacher urged you to. However, you didn¡¯t know that the person who conducted the test was a psychopath himself! In the end, you became the victim of the psychopath. ¡» ¡°Huu.¡± If the story was like this, then I already had a n of my next task. I had to solve and answer the questions like how a psychopath would. If I was able to answer all the questions sessfully, I would be able to change the plot of the story. If that happens, then the contents of the ghost story would change as follows. ¡º One day, a teacher of yours handed over a psychology test to you that separates the true psychopaths from ordinary people. Without thinking much, you decided to take the test because your teacher urged you to. However, you didn¡¯t know that the person who conducted the test was a psychopath himself! However, you were able to use your wits and answer the questions like a psychopath. As a result, you were able to survive the deathly situation. ¡» ¡­. Would it work? First, I had to try to answer the question like a psychopath. If I was sessful changing the plot of the story, then I would be able to rise from the victim¡¯s position to an equal footing with the psychopath. Even though I used my intelligence to its fullest, I was barely able to save myself from the psychopath and was in a dangerous position. Perhaps it was because I was considered the victim in the story. Both the system and the ghost stories have the power to change people¡¯s perceptions and manipte situations and realities. ¡®¡­ Alright. Let¡¯s do this.¡¯ As I strengthened my resolve, I rushed to the bathroom and faced the mirror in the dark. [You stumbled upon an empty room all alone. There, you found a mirror. When you looked into the mirror, you realized that you didn¡¯t like how your reflection looks in the mirror. Why don¡¯t you like your reflection?] ¡°Because the mirror is dirty. It¡¯s all because of the mirror.¡± I replied, looking straight at my reflection in the mirror with a look of determination. Thump. Thump. Something¡­ I began to feel something. Because of the sudden appearance of the burr, my nervous system was on edge all this time. However, the moment I answered like a psychopath, my head cooled down on its own, like an ice bag was ced on top of my head. ¡°Next. What was the next riddle?¡± Just as the next riddle passed my mind, I swiftly went to the nearest window and opened it before looking down. Slid. Just as I had expected, the strange man from earlier was standing just below our apartment, looking up at me from the ground. Perhaps he was determined to hurt me and unwilling to go away just like this. As our eyes met, the burr pointed his finger at me threateningly before waving it up and down. [You woke up in the middle of the night hearing some weird noises and went to the balcony to check. When you looked down, you saw a man holding a knife, with another man lying in a pool of blood at his feet. Suddenly, the man holding a knife looked up and stared straight at you. Then, with a creepy smile, he raised his index finger and began to move his finger up and down. Why was he moving his finger?] ¡°He¡¯s counting the number of floors I reside in.¡± Just as I finished muttering, my head felt lighter again, and my heart began to thump slower. I could feel something changing inside me, gradually taking over my reasoning and way of thinking. Shaking my head from the unfamiliar feeling, I quickly headed to the kitchen. [At five in the morning, you suddenly feel the need to go to your kitchen. Why?] ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡± I opened the refrigerator and quickly took a slice of cheese from the packet that my dad had bought as a side dish and stuffed it in my mouth. Gradually but surely, all the emotions of fear and anxiety of danger were gone. What remained only was the extreme desire for revenge. To alter the plot of the ghost story, I had answered the questions like a psychopath. And for that reason, my reasoning began to change from an ordinary person to a psychopath¡¯s as the mind of a psychopath slowly began to assimte into me. Because, only a psychopath would answer like that. ¡°Huuu.¡± I could feel my muscles tightening up as the feeling of revenge rose. The cool feeling of losing one¡¯s reasoning began to fluctuate in my mind as the dark emotions tried to take over my consciousness. However, I desperately shook my head, trying not to lose myself to those desires. Swallowing the cheese that I just put in my mouth, I began to reflect on the goal I had set in mind. I quickly and quietly left the apartment and headed to the elevator through the hallway. After getting off the top floor by elevator, I ran up to thest floor to the rooftop. Creak- Removing all the cleaning supplies that were kept in front of the door, I opened the door to the roof. Then I quickly approached the edge, overlooking the night scenery in the distance. [In the middle of the night, you went up to the rooftop to get some fresh air. As you were looking at the scenery, you suddenly felt the presence of something passing behind you. What was it that passed by?] A psychopath would answer it was an animal or something like that. However, an animal seemed too odd to me, since they can¡¯t pop out of nowhere. So I changed the answer a bit and thought about it differently. ¡°Woman. A woman walked past.¡± After muttering the answer to myself, standing at the edge of the roof under the dark sky, I slowly turned around. Then, the figure of Hayoon was revealed in front of my vision. ¡°Hello, Joon.¡± I was so surprised for a moment that my head became nk, and I couldn¡¯tprehend if I was still experiencing the ghost story or if everything was just my imagination. The ghost stories that I previously encountered never made any sense to me, but this ghost story was even more out of my normal way of thinking. ¡°Why are you¡­¡± Tap, tap. Hayoon, who had been standing under the moonlight, smiled casually and approached me. ¡°It¡¯s very high up here, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°¡­. What.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Hayoon peered over down the railing, her body dangerously leaning over the edges with her thin neck stuck out. A few strands of ck hair fell over her eyes and scattered next to the thin neckline. ¡°Look over there. It¡¯s Teacher Hwaeun.¡± ¡°Teach¡­ Teacher?¡± Feeling curious, I also slowly approached Hayoon¡¯s side and looked down where she was pointing. I was standing much higher than when I looked down from our apartment, so the outlines of the things down were a bit vague under the dark sky with pale moonlight scattered everywhere. However, I could still see the figure of that psycho in a trench coat loitering around the apartmentplex. ¡°Teacher Hwaeun?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡± Of course, I didn¡¯t know. There was only one way I could be sure of. ¡°¡­. Status Window.¡± As I murmured the words, looking down at the burr. Pop. ¡¶STATUS WINDOW Name: Jang Hwaeun LV.1 [0/100] Age: 34 Title: Old-Maid Teacher Disposition: Hyperactive Special ability: ??? Quirk: ??? Understanding: 40/100¡· It. It was truly Teacher Hwaeun. It. It can¡¯t be! [Your understanding of Jang Hwaeun has increased by 10.] [Your understanding of Jang Hwaeun has reached 50%. You can now view information about her Quirk.] [Opening information about Quirk.] [Jang Hwaeun¡¯s Quirk is ¡®Possession¡¯.] ¡°Possession? Fuck! It seems my ability to perceive things is greater than I imagined. I figured it out a long time ago!¡± Hayoon stared at me, shouting andughing hysterically. ¡°Damn it, why¡­¡± Huup! Huu. My breathing turned heavier as my body shook wildly in a fit of rage. In the afternoon when Ist saw Teacher, she was chatting and joking with me so naturally, as if she wasn¡¯t a psychopath who took pleasure in tormenting and killing people. Hayoonughed at me, who was still having a hard time epting the situation. ¡°Cheer up~¡± Her long eyshes fluttered as she smiled thinly. Seeing my ssmate, who always carried a mysterious atmosphere around her, standing on the rooftop of my apartment made me feel like nothing was real. ¡°Hey, but¡­ why are you here all of a sudden¡­¡± At my question, Hayoon just giggled andughed instead of answering me. ¡°Isn¡¯t it bothering?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Teacher Hwaeun.¡± Hayoon giggled again, hiding her mouth with her thin, long fingers. Her appearance now looked so different from her usual appearance. She seemed like she was having fun as she giggled andughed continuously, showing her happy emotions. ¡°She killed your parents. Aren¡¯t you angry?¡± ¡°How do you know that¡­¡± ¡°Kill her. Until you feel better.¡± The words that left her pretty lips weren¡¯t something the usual Hayoon would have said. However, her simple words stimted my dark desires instantly. Teacher Hwaeun was a psycho, who behaved like a good person in the daytime but killed my parents. She had no motive to do it, but she still killed them just for fun. Wasn¡¯t it alright if I tortured her to death? Hayoon began to giggle hysterically, as she saw my face turning more and more red with madness. ¡°Make a bloody mess of her, Joon. So that she won¡¯t be possessed ever again.¡± ¡°¡­. Stop, stop for a moment.¡± ¡°Torture her, murder her so mercilessly that she won¡¯t ever think of killing anyone again, Joon!¡± ¡°Be, be quiet! Stop, please stop for a moment, please stop¡­¡± Hick. I mped my hand over Hayoon¡¯s mouth, stopping her from speaking further. My head was getting more and more warmer as my vision turned fuzzy. Something inside me stirred when I heard those filthy words. The feeling of bloodlust. Ways to torture Teacher. My body began to shake just at the imagination, I could hardly calm down the excitement inside me. As if all my senses were urging me tomit the crime because they knew it was going to be very, very exciting. However, I knew that those desires were nothing but dangerous. So I quickly shook my head, shaking those thoughts away desperately. ¡°Stop. Stop. Just for a moment, please stop¡­.¡± I could feel my mind changing to that of a psycho as I answered the questions like a psychopath. But her encouraging words made my desire boil even more, as if I didn¡¯t calm them down, I would surely do something that I would regret. ¡°You¡­ be quiet, stop¡­¡± ¡°Are you worried about something? You can just turn back timeter.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Everything will be okay once you turn back time. So go kill her, Joon. Haha.¡± Hayoonughed out loud, hitting her knees as if she heard something very hrious. ¡°Kill them, kill whoever you don¡¯t like. Is there anyone who gets on your nerves? Choke them to death. Stab them, kick them, punch them. Torture them to your heart content, relieve all your anger and frustration on them. Dump your stress. Pour your darkest desires everywhere! Everything will be all right once you turned back time, anyway!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to have a little bit of fun while saving the world? Joon is a Hero! Haha. No one can escape from you! Go and destroy everything. Turn everything to ashes until you feel like you¡¯ve gone crazy¡­¡± ¡°Shut up! Shut up!¡± On the dark rooftop. Under the pale moonlight, Hayoon¡¯s appearance of pouring out lowly words seemed more mysterious and beautiful than usual. ¡°Who are you? Who are you?¡± At my desperate question, Hayoon justughed instead of answering. ¡°Status Window.¡± There was no response. ¡°Status Window!¡± ¡°Haha. Joon, Joon.¡± Again, there was no response. Just as I had expected, the Hayoon in front of me was an illusion. Just like the Sunah in my subconscious mind. Sunah in my dream was an existence created by my subconsciousness. And Hayoon in front of me, was also an illusion created by the ghost story. None of them were real. [In the middle of the night, you went up to the rooftop to get some fresh air. As you were looking at the scenery, you suddenly felt the presence of something passing behind you. What was it that passed by?] While responding to that question, I unconsciously thought of Hayoon, whom I thought was the closest to the image of a woman I knew, and she popped out in reality. No wonder psychopaths would answer it was an animal. Even if it was impossible for it to be an animal, at least they wouldn¡¯t pop out in reality and bother me unlike real people. ¡°Get out of here.¡± ¡°Joon, Joon. Haha.¡± ¡°Get out of here!¡± Why was sheughing so much? What was so funny? Hayoon¡¯s face turned red because of how hard she wasughing. Not being able to handle the situation anymore, I left the fake Hayoon on the rooftop and hurried back home. If you like my work, consider supporting me on Buymeacoffe. Extra chapters will be posted for every support! Chapter 46: Seventh Ghost Story – Psychology Test (5) Chapter 46: Seventh Ghost Story ¨C Psychology Test (5) After going through the heap of messy things and cleaning supplies kept in front of the door of the roof, I ran to the topmost floor just below the roof. I was thinking about using the elevator like before, but suddenly, something shed in my mind that made me stop in my tracks. If I wasn¡¯t wrong, she must have not given up on killing me, and was just waiting for an opportunity. ¡®Teacher hasn¡¯t left the premises yet and has been loitering around the first floor. If I use the elevator now, wouldn¡¯t she notice the elevator moving?¡¯ The LED light that indicates which floor the elevator is going would light up when the elevator moves. If that happened, Teacher, who was pacing around the first floor, would notice it ande to check it. ¡®Let¡¯s do this.¡¯ As such trouble arose, I headed to the emergency exit stairs in the hallway rather than to the elevator. Sensors in the dark staircase sensed my movement and turned on the light of the emergency exit stairs. Just as I looked down through the gap of the stairs leading downstairs to see which floor I was on. I suddenly saw numerous lights on the floors below turning on and then going off. It seemed someone was climbing the emergency exit stairs from below, and the sensor turned on the lights detecting their movements. ¡®The 7th floor?¡¯ The lights turned off on the 7th floor where my apartment was. Which meant it was no one other than Teacher Hwaeun who was climbing the stairs. Instead of using the elevator, Teacher creeped up through the emergency exit stairs and was lying around my apartment to ambush me. The sensor detected her movement and that was why the lights turned on just now. Perhaps she stopped moving so the lights turned off again. Likewise, the top floor where I stood also had the lights turned on. As soon as I moved and descended the stairs slowly, the lights were turned off again and only the dark staircase remained, illuminated by the thin strand of moonlighting through the gap of the emergency exit door. I was looking below through the gap of the stairs and agonizing about the situation. My head began to feel dizzy at the distant height so I couldn¡¯t help but look away. ¡®¡­what am I going to do now?¡¯ I was on the top floor of the apartment building. Teacher was waiting for me on the 7th floor. If I used the elevator to go down, Teacher would notice it right away and press the 7th floor button of the elevator and catch me off guard. Even if I used the stairs to go down, the sensor would detect my movement and turn on the light one after another. And if that happened, Teacher would notice the moment I reached the 8th floor. She would raise her guard and chase me upstairs. What should I do? [Inside a dark house, a killer is roaming with a sharp knife, filled with murderous intentions towards you. What is the best ce for you to hide?] ¡­Perhaps I should create such a situation and hide in a position from where I could attack Teacher. * * * ¡®He¡¯s here.¡¯ Jang Hwaeun thought so with her shoulders raised and guard high up. The LED lights on the elevator that shows the number of floors it is on or passing were moving slowly. Just a moment ago, the number showed that it was on the top floor. However, not long after, it began to move slowly and descend downstairs. 18¡­ 14¡­ 11¡­ Ding~ She couldn¡¯t help but frown and wonder why it stopped for a while on the 11th floor. But before she could think too much into it, the elevator began to move again. Hwaeun quickly pressed the button on the 7th floor and waited for the elevator to reach there. 10¡­ 9¡­ 8¡­ He should have stayed inside his apartment and hid there forever. Why did he suddenly go up to the rooftop? She wondered about the matter but because she wasn¡¯t too curious knowing the reason, it flew past her mind quickly. The only thing that mattered to her was to teach her student, Lee Joon, a lesson for mocking her earlier. ¡®I¡¯ll kill you.¡¯ She couldn¡¯t remember why and how she, a teacher herself, came to kill her student in the middle of the night. However, the strange excitement that was brewing inside her made her stop thinking of a reason. Happiness writhed inside her, as if she was someone who enjoyed torturing and scaring people. She was already 34 but still unmarried. The fact was enough to make her depressed for days. The fellow teachers and staff of the same faculty as hers were able to join different clubs that were popr, like volleyball or football clubs, and gather followers. Except for her, who was stuck with a bunch of useless brats. There was also the anger of not being able to continue the family business in the family that has been handed down from generation to generation due tock of ability. The frustration of handling a bunch of rude brats everyday because of her profession. The constant depression and stress of having such a miserable life. She used to vent those feelings by being overly cheerful or hyperactive with the people around her. However, it lost its effect to cool her down. All those intense emotions were exploding at Lee Joon, the high schooler who was 17 years younger than her. ¡®I want to torture him!¡¯ Jang Hwaeun had a terrible wish. She wished to see that teenage brat, who was still on his early stage of being an adult, lying with his face down at the feet of hers, an adult woman, with tears and a runny nose. She wanted to see him crawling on all four and begging for mercy. Only that could help her vent her pent up emotions. Hwaeun began to lose herself in her dark fantasy, as she licked her knife. That was how she thought the image of a murderer would be from the countless movies she had seen. In reality, with the crumpled mask on her face, she looked like a third-rateedian of a very badedy show. The moonlighting through the window of the apartment hallway reflected the figure of her as a cheap viin. Ding~ Finally, the elevator reached the 7th floor. Hwaeun, who had been hiding to stop the sensors from detecting her movement, stopped creeping. She swiftly ran to the elevator to greet Lee Joon with a knife in hand. ¡®Nice to meet you! Your Teacher is here to kill you!¡¯ The anticipation of killing and stabbing him was boiling all over her body. She raised her knife as the anger inside her turned into excitement and her body shuddered in delight. The door of the elevator opened. Slid. Swoosh! Hwaeun rushed inside the elevator with the knife raised high and smiling like a maniac. However, the elevator was empty. Only the button of the first floor was shining red in the dark as if someone had already pressed it. ¡®Where did he go?¡¯ As she was looking around the narrow elevator with a puzzled expression. Thud, thud- The sound of heavy footsteps, running through the emergency exit stairs was heard from the other side of the hallway. Jang Hwaeun gasped in surprise and ran back to the stairs. As she looked down through the cracks in the stairs, she could see the sensors being turned on one by one for each floor. He was rushing down the stairs! hehe. Heh, heh, heh. Adrenaline dominated the 34-years old-maid, Hwaeun¡¯s whole body. She was so excited that she didn¡¯t even notice she was drooling. Without thinking much, she rushed down the stairs with the intention of hunting down her prey. ¡®He¡¯s running away! Lee Joon is running away!¡¯ She wanted to join a sports club full of handsome high school boys, like the basketball club, or the ser club. However, she was forced to join a strange Ghost Story Club that popped up out of nowhere. She obviously didn¡¯t like it. Hwaeun hurriedly followed Lee Joon down the stairs, skipping two or three steps at one go. Thud, thud, thud. 4th floor. 3rd floor. 2nd floor. Soon, she reached the 1st floor and heard an ominous sound. Slid. [Door closing.] Just as she turned the corner of the 1st floor stairs leading to the 2nd floor, she saw Lee Joon jumping into the closing elevator. ¡®Stop right there!¡¯ Hwaeun jumped from the stairs and ran to the elevator, but the door closed smoothly before she could reach it. Ding- [Ascending.] Wee-ing-ing- ¡°Haa, haa.¡± I have to go after him! Without thinking much, she began to rush up the stairs again from the first floor. However, it was impossible to keep up with the speed of a machine-operated elevator. Not to mention, she had already exhausted most of her stamina by running after him. ¡®He has nned this from the beginning!¡¯ Lee Joon had sent down an empty elevator all the way through the apartment by pressing the button of the 1st floor. This is why when she pressed the 7th floor button, the elevator was empty. While Hwaeun was puzzled by the empty elevator that stopped on the 7th floor, he took this chance and quickly rushed down the emergency exit stairs. By the time she chased him down, the elevator had already arrived on the 1st floor. The timing was just perfect. Upon arriving on the 1st floor, Lee Joon immediately jumped inside the elevator. The n was risky with a high chance of failing even with a dy of three seconds. However, everything seemed to be working in Lee Joon¡¯s favour and he seeded in fooling her and escaping from her clutches. ¡®No! Don¡¯t go! Teacher will teach you English!¡¯ Hwaeun screamed inwardly as she reached the 7th floor, huffing and sweating a bucket. However, she was only greeted with the dark hallway of the apartment where the lights were turned off. No sound of anyone running or walking was heard, everything waspletely silent. ¡®Haa, haa.¡¯ Certainly, the elevator had arrived a long time ago. Lee Joon also entered his apartment. ¡®I¡¯mte.¡¯ The feeling of frustration and depression engulfed her whole being, as if she had lost a lottery ticket which she was sure would win. Slowly, she approached Lee Joon¡¯s apartment with tears in her eyes. Tap, tap. The door was tightly shut. This¡­ How could this happen? She almost got him¡­ He was right in front of her¡­ Sob, sob. Feeling the frustration sweeping over, Hwaeun couldn¡¯t help but cry. However, while she was wiping her tears, she suddenly discovered something incredible. The door wasn¡¯t locked! At first sight, it seemed to be locked but it was only closed. Happiness rushed inside her as she hurriedly opened the door. However, when she tried to rush in, she noticed that the door could only be opened half. It seemed the foolish brat only hooked the safety chain and forgot to lock the door by mistake. ¡°Oh, oh¡­ oh!¡± Remembering that she still had that maic stick, she quickly brought it out with a pleasant mood. As if the world was finally moving in her favour. The half-hung safety chain opened easily with a pleasant sound. It opened! Ahahaha. Hihihi. Ahahaha. Hihihi. Hwaeun, wearing a stocking mask andughing like a maniac, looked like a viin from a children¡¯s cartoon. Especially one with bad animation. Hihi, hihi. Ahihihi. Just as she gently opened the door with a giddy mood and silly smile. Tung! Thud. Lee Joon, who was hiding right behind the door, hit her with the frying pan in hand. Before she couldprehend what was happening, Jang Hwaeun¡¯s eyes rolled in the back of her skull and her body tumbled down to the floor. * * * ¡°Teacher.¡± The moment her eyes opened, Jang Hwaeun realized that she was lying on the hallway of the apartment building. The figure of Lee Joon standing in front of her ying with her knife entered her dizzy vision. ¡°Why did youe to my house, Teacher?¡± ¡°Joony Boy?¡± Hwaeun rolled her eyes, pretending to be puzzled. As if it wasn¡¯t her who chased him like crazy to murder him just a moment ago. ¡°Where are we?¡± However, the answer that came back was as cold as ice. ¡°Are you asking because you really have no idea?¡± Hwaeun stared at the boy half her age in front of her and asked another question, without answering the question asked by him. ¡°You¡­ is that a knife?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Why are you ying with such a dangerous thing? Put it down.¡± ¡°This knife belongs to the Teacher. Doesn¡¯t Teacher Hwaeun remember?¡± ¡°Mine?¡± Hwaeun showed a puzzled look, as if she couldn¡¯t understand what was happening. But inside, she was thinking hard of how to get out of the situation. Of course, she remembered everything. She had been possessed by things like this many times before and had done many strange things. And every time she went back to her normal self, she forgot everything. However, perhaps she was still possessed, she could remember everything that happened so far with a clear memory. But, Lee Joon didn¡¯t know that. Which meant she could pretend to forget everything and trick him into believing that with her pretty words. ¡°Why am I here? Umm.¡± Jang Hwaeun tried to get up. But Lee Joon¡¯s threat made her stop. ¡°Stay still, if you don¡¯t want to be stabbed.¡± ¡°You.¡± Biting her lips, she red at Lee Joon. ¡°I¡¯m your Teacher. What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± ¡°Just answer my questions obediently then I¡¯ll let you go.¡± ¡°Answer me, why did Teacher suddenlye to my house in the middle of the night. If you don¡¯t answer, I¡¯ll stab you with this knife.¡± He was bluffing. Lee Joon, whom she knew well, was just a child who wouldn¡¯t dare to do such a thing. It was true that she didn¡¯t get the chance to know him well. However, she was sure that Lee Joon was just an ordinary student who somehow managed to make a strange Ghost Story Club. His temperament was also mild. Evaluating Lee Joon¡¯s personality in her head, Hwaeun opened her mouth again. ¡°Don¡¯t joke around with your Teacher. Why don¡¯t you help me up? Hmm?¡± Hwaeun intentionally made her voice extra sweet when asking for help. ¡°Ah, my head is spinning¡­ Hmm? Ohh. Can you help your Teacher stand up? ¡± Lee Joon nkly stretched his hand to Hwaeun as if he truly intended to help her. ¡°Hurry up, Joon¡­ Hmm?¡± Pretending to be one of those poor women who are deprived of a normal life, she used her not-so-good social skills to distract him. It was a piece of cake for her to seduce a high school boy. ¡°J, Joon¡­ hurry up.¡± Swish- Stab! ¡°Aaahh!¡± Without blinking, Lee Joon stabbed her hand with the knife. ¡°It, it hurts.¡± A drop of blood trickled down her long thin finger. ¡°What, what kind of behaviour is this?¡± ¡°Speak formally.¡± Something was unusual. The aura around him was different. No, it was not just the aura. A strange dark energy was emanating from him. As if she was truly speaking to a psychopath. The aura around him was screaming of danger. His temperament also changed. He didn¡¯t look dangerous just because he took her knife away. No, something more sinister could be felt from him. His mental state. Seemed to change for the situation. And the air around him, felt ominous. The whole situation was turned upside down by Lee Joon. It was as if everything about him had changed after doing that psychology test. Now, it was him attacking her. Now, the victim was Hwaeun. ¡°Joo, Joon?¡± ¡°Get on your knees.¡± ¡°All right, I¡¯m kneeling.¡± At the irresistible strange pressure, Hwaeun hastily knelt in front of her student. ¡°Answer me. Why are you here?¡± ¡°That, that.¡± Hwaeun rolled her eyes everywhere awkwardly. Although she had been caught and cornered, she was still trying to think of a trick of how to trick Lee Joon. ¡°I just thought of you suddenly¡­¡± ¡°If you say useless things one more time, I¡¯m going to stab you for real.¡± Lee Joon raised the knife as he threatened coldly. A drop of cold sweat trickled down from Hwaeun¡¯s forehead. ¡°That¡­ that¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I remember now. I came here because¡­ su, suddenly, I felt like I should meet you¡­ I had that feeling¡­¡± ¡°You felt like?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Why did you suddenly feel like that?¡± ¡°That¡­ That¡­¡± Hwaeun began to wring her wrists as she spoke, shaking and barely making some excuses. ¡°I just suddenly felt this irresistible¡­ intense¡­ a feeling of foreboding¡­¡± ¡°Suddenly?¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± ¡°You make me speechless.¡± Lee Joon said, twisting the knife dangerously over his fingers. Hwaeun gulped down her dry saliva as she waited for him to speak, kneeling like a damn dog. Her heart was pounding like a drum, as if it would burst out of her chest at any moment. Soon, Lee Joon opened his mouth again as if he remembered something. ¡°Do you remember meeting me in the men¡¯s bathroom in school?¡± ¡°Men, men¡¯s bathroom?¡± ¡°Red tissue, blue tissue. You crawled on all fours saying such weird things. Don¡¯t you remember?¡± Jang Hwaeun tried hard to remember such memories. Now that she thought of it, she felt like she remembered doing that once. ¡°Yes, yes¡­ I remember¡­ it was in the men¡¯s bathroom.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Why did you do that?¡± Why did she do that? Jang Hwaeun rolled her head again, trying to remember the reason why she did that. However, nothing came to her mind. ¡°I don¡¯t know why¡­¡± ¡°Okay, it happened a long time ago so you may not remember. Then let me ask you about yesterday.¡± ¡°Yes, yesterday¡­¡± ¡°Yesterday afternoon, you were told to supervise the students in the Study Room but came to my club for some reason. You tried peeking inside the clubroom through the small window on the door. Do you remember?¡± ¡°Yes, yes ¡­ I remember.¡± Hwaeun, who was kneeling in front of Lee Joon, nodded her head hurriedly, fearing herck of response might anger him. Now that she had been caught, she had no choice but to be honest. ¡°What happened to you yesterday? Do you remember why you did that?¡± Jang Hwaeun didn¡¯t remember. She remembered the act itself, but she didn¡¯t know why she did that. Sweats began to trickle down her face behind the mask. She swallowed dry saliva before managing to answer somehow. ¡°That, that¡­ I just thought I should do that¡­ I had a strong feeling¡­¡± Lee Joon shot a cold stare at her. ¡°Teacher, you said you were from a shaman¡¯s family, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lee Joon asked, remembering that she had said so while introducing herself during the first Club Activity session. ¡°Could it be that your weird behaviour is rted to that?¡± ¡°People who get possessed by ghosts are said to do weird things. Perhaps your situation is simr to that.¡± ¡°Is, is that so?¡± ¡°Seems so.¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t you answering? Tell me.¡± ¡°What? What?¡± ¡°People who get possessed by ghosts are said to do strange things. Is your situation simr to that?¡± ¡°Yes, yes. You are right¡­ my situation is certainly simr to that.¡± Hwaeun nodded her head in a hurry. However, perhaps it wasn¡¯t the answer he wanted, Lee Jun stared at her coldly again. ¡°Why are you so stupid? You said you were from a family of shamans. Exin how your strange behaviour is connected to that.¡± ¡°Oh, yes, yes. What I mean is.¡± Hwaeun tried to exin, waving her hands. ¡°I¡¯m originally from a family of shamans, but¡­ I don¡¯t have the talent to exorcise¡­ This is why I chose teaching as my profession as a civil servant¡­¡± With exaggerated gestures, she tried to exin everything as best as she could. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know much about exorcism¡­ When I was young, I was taught a bit of basics butter, I gave up. Seeing myck of talent, no one at home persuaded me either.¡± ¡°Okay. Next question. Whenever you behave strangely, do you remember them when youe back to your senses?¡± ¡°I, I don¡¯t remember anything when Ie back to my senses¡­ I just feel like I had a weird dream, or I just imagined the whole thing¡­¡± ¡°So right now, you could remember things because you¡¯re not in your right mind yet?¡± Realizing that she almost blew her cover, Hwaeun freaked out and began to make excuses. ¡°No! I¡¯m in my right mind right now!¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡± ¡°I can tell that just by looking at you.¡± ¡®How did he find out?¡¯ Jang Hwaeun flinched, as the feeling of surprise washed over her. ¡°I¡¯ll let it slide just this one time. But if you lie one more time¡­ you know what will happen, right?¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± It was true. Hwaeun was still possessed by the ghost story. Even though she was kneeling in front of Lee Joon, she was thinking of ways and trying to find the opportunity of how to attack him. Lee Jun could guess so because the system had still not announced that the ghost story had been resolved. Which meant only one thing; Jang Hwaeun was still possessed. Soon, another question left his mouth. ¡°You left your home in the middle of the night dressed up like that. Not to mention, you were also carrying a knife. Was there no one in your family who thought it was strange?¡± ¡°I live alone¡­¡± ¡°So, Teacher lives alone?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°When we were solving the psychology test back in the clubroom. Were you possessed then?¡± ¡°No, I was in my right mind at that time.¡± ¡°Then when did you start feeling this ¡®strong foreboding¡¯ that told you that you shoulde to my house?¡± ¡°Well, probably after dinner¡­¡± ¡°What did you have for dinner?¡± ¡°Chicken¡­¡± ¡°Chicken of which brand?¡± Hwaeun scratched her head, trying hard to remember which brand of chicken it was. But because she was too nervous, her head wasn¡¯t working well. ¡°The, the cheapest one.¡± ¡°How was it cooked?¡± ¡°Half fried with seasoning¡­¡± ¡°You lied again.¡± Hwaeun¡¯s face, which was covered by a stocking mask, quickly turned pale. ¡°I bought two chickens from a nearby restaurant. One fried and one seasoned.¡± Jang Hwaeun answered as she trembled like a rattle. ¡°I, I didn¡¯t mean to lie to you. I¡¯m telling the truth. I usually buy half fried¡­ and half seasoned.¡± ¡°Were you done eating?¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°The two chickens. Did you eat them all by yourself?¡± Hwaeun answered, with her face turning a bright shade of red behind the mask. ¡°¡­Yes¡­¡± If you like my work, consider supporting me on Buymeacoffe. Extra chapters will be released for every support! Chapter 47: Seventh Ghost Story – Psychology Test (6) Chapter 47: Seventh Ghost Story ¨C Psychology Test (6) ¡°I can¡¯t believe you ate both the chickens by yourself. Stand up.¡± Is he finally letting me go! Hwaeun gasped as she stood up in anticipation. However¡­ ¡°Sit down again.¡± ¡°Stand up.¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± ¡°Sit down.¡± ¡°Haah, haah.¡± ¡°Stand up. Sit down. Stand up. Sit down.¡± In the middle of the night, inside the hallway of the apartment building which was illuminated by the bluish pale moonlight. Jang Hwaeun started doing sit-ups at her student¡¯smand. ¡°Stop. Turn around.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Do 10 push-ups.¡± ¡°Hi, hiss.¡± Lying on her stomach, Hwaeun struggled desperately, like a fish out of water, to push her body up using her arms. But her arms gave up only after two pushups and refused to budge anymore. ¡°Haah, huuh.¡± ¡°What? You don¡¯t exercise usually? I thought that in sports clubs, like ser and volleyball club, teachers and students work out together.¡± ¡°I, I wasn¡¯t assigned to those clubs¡­¡± Hwaeun, who was lying face down on the ground and panting, mumbled lowly. Seeing her sorry state, Lee Joon sighed andmanded her to get up. ¡°Get back on your feet.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Jump 50 times with open arms.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t jump too heavily lest you wake up the residents. And don¡¯t jump more than 3 times at once. Start.¡± ¡°Ye, yes.¡± Jump, jump. ¡°One, two¡­ four, five¡­ seven, eight¡­¡± ¡°Thirty one¡­ thirty three.¡± ¡°You counted wrong. Start again.¡± ¡°Ha, one, two¡­¡± Wearing the heavy trench coat and jumping like a monkey, Hwaeun began to sweat like rain inside the long coat. ¡°Haah, fifty¡­¡± ¡°Good. Turn around.¡± ¡°Yes¡­hick, hick.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that the two chickens you ate today are digested now.¡± ¡®No way¡¯, Jang Hwaeun thought inwardly. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything unnecessary after getting out of here and go straight home. Go.¡± ¡°Ye¡­ Yes!¡± Without wasting a single moment, Hwaeun ran towards emergency exit stairs in a hurry and climbed down the stairs so quickly as if she was being chased by a psychopath. Lee Jun stood in his ce and watched her running away. When her figure vanished, he quietly sighed to himself and entered his apartment. Looking down the balcony, he saw his teacher gasping for breath and running out the apartmentplex. ¡°Huu.¡± Just as the sigh left his mouth, the sound of notification was heard in his head as messages from the system popped up in front of him. [You havee across and survived a C-rank ghost story ¨C Psychology Test.] [You have earned 10 Ghost Story Points.] [Current Ghost Story Points: 136] However, he couldn¡¯t help but frown at the message. Why was there no message showing him that he had solved the ghost story? He made her tired out like that, but it seemed she was still possessed by the ghost story. Perhaps he should have pped her hard just as Hayoon did. But he didn¡¯t want to hurt his own teacher, even though she literally became a psychopath after being possessed by the ghost story and tried to kill him. Probably because he also yed the role of a psycho, his brain had be a bit slow. ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter now that I have kicked her out. Everything should be fine now. She wille back to her senses once she goes back to her home anyway.¡¯ Thinking so, Lee Joon went back to his room andid down in bed. He was too tired being chased by a psychopath and almost getting killed, so sleep greeted him instantly the moment his head touched the pillow. Forgetting that there was one more person who had taken the psychology test by the same entric teacher. * * * ¡°Sunah, someone is outside¡­ Sunah¡­¡± From the living room, Sunah¡¯s grandmother was calling her. ¡°There¡¯s no one, Grandma¡­ go to sleep.¡± Sunah, who finally could have a good night¡¯s sleep in a long time, thanks to Lee Joon for spending the afternoon in the clubroom with her after school and helping her spend her energy, rubbed her sleepy eyes and left the room. ¡°Someone is outside¡­ Someone came¡­¡± The old woman kept mumbling the same thing again and again while lying on the electric mat in the living room. When Sunah looked at where she was looking, she realized that her grandmother¡¯s head was turned toward the balcony, not the front door. Feeling curious, Sunah approached the balcony and looked down, following where her grandmother was staring nkly. As she looked down, she was surprised to see there was someone really standing there, just as her grandmother said. Wearing a long trench coat. And a hat. Face covered with a stocking mask. The strange man stood under the poor light emanating from streetlights of the old apartmentplex. Suddenly, the man looked up and pointed his finger at her as their eyes met. ¡®He¡¯s counting the floors!¡¯ Remembering the psychopathy test she had taken in the afternoon, Sunah realized that the man wasn¡¯t an ordinary person and more likely threatening her. Thinking that way, Sunah quickly entered her room and took out a pink boxcutter from the pocket of her school uniform. The boxcutter was something that her parents, who had been taken away by the cult leader, left for her. Her grandmother was barely alive now, with her broken spirit and sick body. But this pink boxcutter. Sunah always carried it in her pocket. Like people with anxiety, who like to bite their pen, or twist their hair around their finger, or twiddle with their thumbs to calm them down. Sunah also liked to fidget with the boxcutter whenever she felt anxious about someone trying to take something precious from her. At those times, she would put her hands into her pocket and touch the boxcutter to calm her anxiety. If she felt too nervous or anxious in any situation, she would do that to feel calm. Otherwise, she didn¡¯t know what she would do if she lost control over her nerves. ¡®I won¡¯t let you take her away.¡¯ A sick and unresponsive grandmother, but she was still the only blood left for her. She was the most important person in her life. Thud, thud. Sunah¡¯s ears perked up at the sound of strange footsteps climbing the stairs and stomping down the hallway. She knew that the strange person wasing to her house. The apartment building was old, so the walls weren¡¯t sound proofed. That¡¯s why, whenever anyone walked down the hallway or climbed the stairs, the sound was heard as close as if it was right in front of her. Sunah waited as she slowly walked to the front door, preparing herself to greet the strange man behind the front door. Her eyes suddenlynded on the reflection of the old mirror hanging on the front door. The reflection inside the mirror was familiar but so unfamiliar to her. A child-like face with still existing baby fat, holding a pink boxcutter in hand. ¡®¡­. I don¡¯t like it.¡¯ Compared to Hayoon, her desk partner, with a slim jawline and a slender face, she felt like her face looked somewhat chubby and stretched. It was not only the appearance. Compared to a normal girl of her age, she felt her mindset was somewhat distorted. As if she couldn¡¯t see herself as a normal girl with her twisted personality. Sunah¡¯s eyes zed. She didn¡¯t think it was her fault. Girls like Hayoon must have lived afortable life with everything she wanted. Living with her parents in a big house because she was rich. A gold spoon. A gold spoon. A dirt spoon. A dirt spoon. Sunah shot a deadly re at the strange man over the door who was about to knock. If eyes could burn, her zing eyes filled with anger would have already burnt the person to crisp. Knock, knock, knock. ¡°Sorry for bothering sote at night, but I urgently need to use the bathroom¡­¡± Swish. * * * ¡°Teacher.¡± Hwaeun, who found herself once again lying in the hallway of an old apartment building, tried to stand up in puzzlement. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Her head searched desperately for an excuse for her being there. But her head only became dizzy the more she thought. Lying her head against the front door, she agonized over everything. This time, she made sure her appearance was fully covered and the disguise was more than perfect. But how did she get caught again? ¡°I¡¯m not your teacher.¡± ¡°Lies.¡± Sunah scoffed coldly. ¡°Earlier¡­ In the afternoon¡­ In the clubroom¡­ Joon and you were alone¡­ What were you talking about?¡± Is that what she¡¯s worried about now? Hwaeun, pretending to be innocent, asked a question as if she was dumbfounded while looking for an opportunity to attack Sunah. ¡°Why do you want to know what we talked about?¡± ¡°Tell me, quickly¡­¡± Sunah slowly brought the boxcutter down to Hwaeun¡¯s neck in a threatening way. A cold sweat trickled down her forehead behind the mask. ¡®I got caught again.¡¯ Why? She was sure that her appearance was that of a standard psychopath, who liked to torture their victims and y with their lives like toys. However, she was suppressed by a useless brat, who was half her age once again. ¡°Tell me quickly¡­¡± Sunah threatened once again, bringing the boxcutter closer to Hwaeun¡¯s neck and pressing it down. ¡°Su, Sunah? Calm down, put down the knife for now.¡± However, Sunahpletely ignored her plea and pressed the boxcutter more on her Adam¡¯s apple. Just a little bit of force and it would be enough to cut the fine skin on her neck. ¡°Oo, okay. I¡¯ll tell you¡­ We were just solving the psychopathy test¡­ the one I tested you too.¡± ¡°¡­Why did you go to Joon? And why are you dressed like this in the middle of the night?¡± ¡°I, I was assigned to supervise the students in the Study Room at that time, but I wanted to give the psychopathy test to Joon. I¡¯m dressed like this now because I wanted to teach those students a lesson who made fun of me. Umm? Can I go now? I told you everything¡­¡± After listening to her exnation, Sunah slowly removed the boxcutter from her neck. However, before Hwaeun could let out a sigh of relief, she asked again with a terrible smile. ¡°Why did you go to Joon in the middle of the night¡­?¡± ¡°What? What?¡± Feeling flustered, Hwaeun could only repeat ¡®what¡¯ without answering anything. ¡°Your clothes smell like Joon¡­¡­¡± What a crazy person! Hwaeun looked around the hallway in a hurry to find a way to escape. The thought of attacking Sunah had already escaped her mind. There was no way in hell she could hurt someone who was a literal psycho, unlike her who only pretended to be. On her left side was the wall of the apartment building. She must go to the right side where the emergency exit stairs were located to leave the apartment. ¡°I, I see. It was nice to see you, Sunah. Bye.¡± Without letting Sunah to say anything, Hwaeun hastily stood up and ran towards the way of the emergency stairs. However, before she could take one step, her legs collided with something and she fell down to the ground. The next moment, someone grasped the cor or her trench coat and pulled her up. The enraged face of Sunah entered her vision as soon as she was pulled up. Crunch. ¡°Answer me, Teacher¡­. Why did you go meet Joon in the middle of the night?¡± The feeling of extreme fear began to grasp Hwaeun all over. Why! Why! Why was she being treated like this by some brats today! Something inside her snapped as she finally couldn¡¯t stand the anger of being beaten again and again by some children and asked angrily. ¡°Are you crazy? If you don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, then why did youe out with a boxcutter in the middle of the night? And why are you even asking me about Joon?¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll answer you.¡± Sunah smiled eerily as she spoke. ¡°What do a guy and a girl do meetingte at night? Something that a child like me won¡¯t understand or be able to do. You must have had a lot of fun with Joon.¡± The more Sunah spoke, the eerier her smile became as the corners of her mouth slowly rose weirdly. Then letting out a giggle she said. ¡°Teacher¡­ you need to be severely scolded by me¡­¡± * * * [A member of your Ghost Story Club used their incredible intelligence and repelled the ghost of the psychopath!] [You have earned 50 Ghost Story Points.] [10% bonus points for each contributing member.] [Contributing member: Yoon Sunah] [You have earned an additional 10% bonus points: 60 points] [Current Ghost Story Points: 130 + 60 + 6] [Current Ghost Story Points: 202] As the sun rose, the ghost that possessed Hwaeun dissipated on its own. Hwaeun, who woke up, found herself lying among the piles of garbage. Just as it happened many times before, she forgot everything that happened the previous night. ¡°Wh, where am I?¡± The heap of garbage was situated at the corner of an old apartmentplex where residents secretly threw away trash. Hwaeun slowly rose up, holding her dizzying head. ¡°Trench coat? What¡­¡± Looking around and at herself, she was surprised to find herself in such an old neighbourhood that she never crossed paths before. ¡°Crazy, how much did I drink yesterday?¡± Thest thing she remembered was eating two chickens she bought and drinking beer as she watched some shows on Netflix and giggled to herself. However, the memory of which film she was watching was vague as she couldn¡¯t remember anything. She thought it was probably because she drank a lot of beer. However, she could vaguely remember having a nightmare where she was being chased around by scary children all night. ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s hot.¡± Removing the stocking mask from her face, she threw it away on the heap of garbage, as well as the trench coat she was wearing. Could it be because she had such a scary nightmare? She found that her trousers were wet. She thought that because she sweated too much, her trousers got wet. But as she took off the trench coat, a foul stench tickled her nose and she immediately understood the origin of the wet stains. Covering her bottom, she looked around in a hurry. Fortunately, there were no signs of people around, so she was saved from further embarrassment. ¡®If people found out a teacher like me got drunk and wandered around a garbage heap like a homeless person, I would never find a husband.¡¯ Throwing the trench coat and the mask, she tidied up her appearance as best as she could before disappearing in the rising sun of the morning. Before someone could found her sorry state, she scrambled her way to find her home. * * * [A member of your Ghost Story Club used their incredible intelligence and repelled the ghost of a psychopath!] [You have earned 50 Ghost Story Points.] [Bonus 10% points for each contributing member.] [Contributing member: Yoon Sunah] What the hell is this? The moment I opened my eyes in the morning, countless messages from the system popped up in front of my eyes, telling me that Sunah had resolved the ghost story. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me.¡¯ That crazy teacher went to Sunah even after being punished by me like that. Now that I thought about it, it seemed usible since I wasn¡¯t the only one who took that psychology test. Sunah also participated after me. ¡°¡­Oh, my God. Sunah is a ¡®real¡¯ psychopath.¡± Unlike me, who had experience in handling ghost stories, Sunah was¡­ I wish she hadn¡¯t hurt Teacher too much. How ironic it was that I was worried about Teacher Hwaeun when I should be worried about Sunah, who was half her age. Anyway, the psychopath¡¯s untimely appearance the previous night hade to an end. If you like my work, consider supporting me on Buymeacoffe. Extra chapters will be posted for each support! You can also be a member and read advance chapters. Chapter 48: Interlude – [Year: 202_?, May 11th? |Thurs-Monday, 03:â–¡0] Chapter 48: Interlude ¨C [Year: 202_?, May 11th? |Thurs-Monday, 03:¡õ0] [Year: 202_?, May 11th? | Thurs-Monday, 03:¡õ0] [Lee? Joon: Number of Attempts ¨C 1] [Ghost story. 2nd day] [Ca?? Sual¡­ity Rate: 83%] ¡°Captain.¡± ¡°Gyeongwon.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t gone to sleep yet?¡± ¡°Huammm.¡± Letting out a tired yawn, I stopped organizing the map and rubbed my sleepy eyes. As a habit, I checked the watch on my wrist. ¡°¡­It¡¯s already 3 a.m. Is Jinhee back?¡± ¡°She came back just now.¡± ¡°What did she say?¡± ¡°Just as Captain predicted. The light we saw in the middle of the fake 63rd building was a trap. There were no survivors inside.¡± ¡°Just as I thought¡­¡± ¡°The bodies of the three members who entered first were fused together with the building. It¡¯s as if the thing has a mind of its own. I can¡¯t help but get an ominous premonition¡­¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll take care of it. She has done a great job.¡± Sweeping down the hair from my forehead in exhaustion, I asked. ¡°What about Jinhee? Is she okay?¡± Gyeongwon nodded his head. ¡°She¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Thank God. She did a great job, really.¡± ¡°Captain, you should go and shut your eyes for a moment. I¡¯ll finish drawing the map.¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± A map of the Seoul Metropolitan Government Area, highlighting the subway lines, was lying on the desk. I had been marking the ces where people were or had encountered ghost stories, the dangerous ces that civilians should avoid, and the location of the shelters of survivors where supplies would be provided. I was trying to modify the map as well, trying to depict a future where everyone would be wiped out and there are no survivors left. Currently, I was in the process of periodically modifying the maps and making multiple copies to distribute among my team members. ¡°Here. I wasparing the previous map with the current copy for thest time, focusing around Noryangjin Station. You can start from here. I think there¡¯s been a mistake. It seems different¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°In particr, the fast food restaurant in front of ShinLim Station¡­ Perhaps something really has changed. I have written the exnation of what could be changed, so read it carefully.¡± ¡°I get it, I get it, I get it. You should really go and sleep before you truly be crazy.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I got up from my seat and left the office. Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I stepped into the hallway. After the expedition, the crew that was just sent out to an operation, returned from the operation safely. They took the elevator from the ground floor and came down to the underground base of the facility, took off their diamond-printed protective gear and began to go about their everyday life. The quiet environment became lively at once. As I went down the hallway, I met Jinhee afar, leading the team in front. As our eyes met, we both nodded at each other before she disappeared at the turn of the hallway, and I headed for the Surveince Room. ¡°Captain, why are you still awake?¡± Dukhun greeted me as I entered the Surveince Room. He had a bucket of ramen with salted fish at hand, which he slurped as he sweated and wheezed as usual. ¡°Is everything okay?¡± ¡°Yup. Except for the loss of three more members, everything seems fine.¡± ¡°I want to see the footage just before the three members died from the body camera that was set on their protective gears.¡± ¡°Everything is recorded anyway. You can watch it anytime you want. Do you want me to y it now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Dukhun gulped another spoonful of ramen before pressing on the keyboard. Three monitors from the dozens of surveince monitors hanging around the room were converted to the footage of the body camera of the three dead members. Two, out of the three monitors, showed the images of the three members entering the fake 63rd building. However, in the other one, the image of a woman with a bright smiling face was shown. The face of hers, raising her head andughing like a maniac was covering the whole screen. ¡°Eek, one video is already corrupted.¡± Dukhun quickly deleted the video of the crazilyughing woman. The world was slowly being corrupted with madness and ghost stories after the resurrection of the Demon King. In the remaining two videos of normally functioning body camera, members were seen roaming around the interior of the fake 63rd building. Watching the situation in the body camera, I felt like I was present in the scene. The interior of the building was too unnatural to call a building. The walls of the building were sticky and gooey, as if it was the inside of the stomach of an organism. Weird liquid was flowing everywhere. [Here it is. Stand by.] In the video, Jinhee¡¯s voice leading the crew was heard. [Following my countdown, we will kick the door open. 3, 2, 1. Enter.] Creak- I watched as Daewon¡¯s right foot kicked the door dripping with suspicious sticky liquid open. As soon as they entered through the door, the video began to shake around and static began to appear. [Eh? What?] [Oh my god, fuck!] The bizarre fluorescent colours on the screen made the video blurry. Mixing with the scene in the footage, the screen looked colourful for a moment. And suddenly, something hit the camera and the screen went dark. The camera dropped on the floor and gradually sank in the weird liquid. Before going off darkpletely, it took onest close-up shot. Under the sticky liquid, I could see human organs. ¡°Huup.¡± Not being able to watch such a disgusting scene any longer, I turned my head away from the monitor as Dukhun turned the footage off. Slurp. Nom, nom. As a man with a big stomach, he ate ramen casually even after watching such a grotesque video. It was this reason why I assigned this guy in charge of the Surveince Room. In this era, with nothing staying still, not progressing, being renewed, updated¨Cbe it printing, videos, images, or anything else¨Cwe must be careful in everything to ensure our minds do not get corrupted. I turned my head to the monitors and watched the footage of a surveince camera nearby. The camera was among the numerous cameras set around the fake 63rd building. Through the darkness of the night, I could see tworge buildings, standing side by side at the back of the ruined city. One was a building with the number 63. And the other was a simr build and number. However, it was a fake structure of the real 63rd building, made by a ghost story. I had predicted that it wasn¡¯t a building, but rather a living thing. On top of the building, I could see a giant dragon flying over the carcass of human corpses among the dark clouds. ¡°Goodnight. I¡¯ll go to bed now.¡± ¡°Slurp, goodnight.¡± I left the Surveince Room and headed to my sleeping quarter before murmuring quietly. ¡°Status Window.¡± Pop. [Year: 203_? May? 11th, Tues-Sunday, 3:¡õ0] [Lee? Joon ¨C Number of Attempts: 1] [Ghost Story: 2nd day] [Ca? Sua¡­lity Rate: 83%] Dukhun once told me. That there exists people who were crazy enough to keep ying a game even after reaching a bad ending. I couldn¡¯t believe it back then. ¡°Huu.¡± Since the resurrection of the Demon King, it has be increasingly difficult to read the messages of the Status Window. The words were unrecognizable, with split endings and middles. Not only was it difficult to understand the messages, most of the functions of the system were not working. I went to bed, wondering about how many years¡­ no, how many more days I could survive. ? * * * ¡°Joon, Joon, Joon!¡± ¡°Eu, eurm? Wha, what is it¡­ who is this, this? Oh, Sunah.¡± I woke up drooling at Sunah¡¯s call. Rising my head from the desk, I stretched my arms as Sunah began to speak. ¡°During the 4th period, there would be a Career session instead of Korean History ss¡­ Wake up¡­¡­¡± ¡°Eu, eurm, eu¡­ That¡¯s right.¡± I wiped off my saliva before checking the time through the Status Window out of habit. [2019, March 22 | Friday, 10:57 a.m.] [Lee Joon: Number of Attempts ¨C 2] [Ghost Story Point: 202] [Causality Rate: 11%] ¡®Oh no, we¡¯ve got only three minutes.¡¯ Rubbing my eyes, I stood up from my seat. Everyone in the ss has already left the ssroom. Sunah and I were the only ones left in the quiet ssroom. ¡°Oh, why have they held a Career session for no reason? I¡¯m nning on making a living by winning a lottery anyway.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go quickly¡­¡± Sunah urged me, who was stomping his feet and grumbling. Seeing no choice, I headed to the auditorium while rubbing my eyes. The gym was on the left side of the main building. When there is an event or Career session like today, it is also used as an auditorium. By the time I entered the threshold, it was already packed full with students of the whole school. ¡°Be quiet! Quiet everyone!¡± A scary-looking teacher of senior grades stood on the stage and kept yelling in the microphone for everyone to be quiet. ¡°Where¡¯s our ss?¡± ¡°Over there¡­¡± Squeezing between hundreds of frantic students and teachers loitering around, I stood on my tip-toes and saw the round belly of our homeroom teacher, Damim, sticking out in the distance. ¡°There¡¯s Teacher Damim! Let¡¯s go over there.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Sunah followed me through the crowd of the students with an anxious face, huffing and puffing along the way. ¡°Prez, you finally came. You were sleeping so soundly that I couldn¡¯t dare to wake you up and left without you.¡± ¡°Okay. Thanks for your care.¡± I passed by Gyeongwon, who was suddenly showing consideration for me for no reason, and squeezed into the empty seat next to him before sitting down. My legs bent ufortably under the folding chair as I sat down. While I was adjusting my position on the chair, a teacher, who was in charge of hosting the event, stood on the tform. ¡°The Career session of Nakseong High School is starting now. Please be seated in your respective seats.¡± ¡°Those who came here today to share their wonderful journey to sess have worked hard in their respective fields, and also as members of society for more than 10 years. We all know today is a weekday, right? However, they have still blessed us with their presence at Nakseong High School to help our students in their careers. Even though it is weekday, they took their precious time off just for us. Therefore, let¡¯s listen to their stories without being distracted. Hey, the student on the second row! Put down your phone right now! You punk there, one, two, three! In the third row, you! Yes, you punk! I just requested everyone to not get distracted and focus. Don¡¯t doze off, you punk!¡± At the sharp yelling of the teacher on stage, the Korean history teacher was surprised and ran to the second row in a hurry. It must have been someone from our ss. Zzz Poke. ¡°Ahh!¡± I muted the sound of the noisy surrounding from the Audio option of the Settings of Status Window to have a moment of peace and quiet. However, perhaps I had lowered the volume too much, I dozed off quietly without me knowing. Suddenly, Gyeongwon poked me with his elbow, startling me awake from my slumber. When I looked up in surprise, I could see my homeroom teacher staring at me from a distance. As I rubbed my eyes and looked at the stage, I saw a bear-like scary-looking man holding the microphone and speaking. ¡®Heurm. I couldn¡¯t sleep wellst night because of the psychopath thingy I did and had to wake up early in the morning today. Please, let me get some sleep, please¡­¡¯ Knowing that I would fall asleep again if I kept the volume too low, I opened the Audio option and turned the sound back to normal. The voice of the man slowly entered my ears as the volume went up. ¡°What¡¯s interesting is that in the case of dead bodies, who hanged themselves ormitted suicide in any way, there were traces of semen¡­¡± Suddenly, the man looked at me. Before I could look away, our eyes met. Then, he winked at me and continued with his exnation. Was it just me? He didn¡¯t actually just winked at me out of the hundreds of students, did he? * * * During lunch time. ¡°Rock, paper, scissors. Sunah won.¡± ¡°Sunah, pick one!¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± Instead of going back to the main building, we were thinking of choosing the lunch menu through the food delivery app. ¡°I want to eat chicken¡­¡± ¡°Okay. Which vour?¡± ¡°The one with shredded cheese¡­¡± The next period was Club Activity session where we would be doing our own club activities. That was why, instead of going straight to the cafeteria, we nned to order food directly to our clubroom through the delivery service. ¡°Let¡¯s decide who will go to get the food from the first floor with rock-paper-scissors. Loser will have to get the food from the first floor.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Since the school allowed students to order food and deliver them to the respective ce during the Club Activity period, many students, especially the seniors would order food from the cafeteria and bring them over to the main building. However, delivery workers weren¡¯t allowed to go in and out of the building at will. One of us had to wait near the yground on the first floor and pick up the food. ¡°Rock, paper, scissor! Rock, paper, scissor!¡± I lost. Sunah and Gyeongwon giggled as I stomped out the clubroom and went to the first floor for our chicken. When I came downstairs, I saw many students already had their food at hand. ¡®They must have ordered in advance through their phone during ss times. They¡¯re really brave.¡¯ The delivery drivers entered the yground on motorcycles and handed heavy paper bags of food to students waiting on the first floor of the main building. At the entrance far away, the security guard could be seen strolling around the main gate, looking dissatisfied as he red at the students gathered around the delivery workers. From the perspective of someone older, the scene was annoying. Perhaps he also thought we were just being spoiled rotten. The gap between the two generations was big. But, what could we do since the school gave permission? A momentter. ¡°Now, it¡¯s turn for the chicken with shredded cheese. Here¡¯s the food you ordered. Where are the people from the Ghost Story Club?¡± ¡°Oh, here I am!¡± I took the chicken from the delivery man at the entrance of the main building. A few of my seniors stared at me hearing the strange name of my Ghost Story Club. As I was about to go back after receiving the food, I ran into Hayoon who was walking to the cafeteria. ¡°Joon.¡± ¡°Oh, hello.¡± As we greeted, Hayoon eyed the bags of chicken in my hand. I ordered chicken for only three members. I had nned to order food with Sunah and Gyeongwon without thinking of my other members. However, after thinking about it, I btedly realized that other members might feel left out if they saw me ordering for only three of us. Although I was just a student, I was the president of the club and had the duty to look after them. ¡°This chicken, it¡¯s¡­¡± As I began to mumble, Hayoon stared at me. It was as if her eyes were asking ¡®Why didn¡¯t you invite me?¡¯ ¡°I, I¡¯m sorry¡­ It just so happened that.¡± ¡°I hate you.¡± Hayoon said with pursed lips. Fortunately, her tone seemed friendly, as if she was just teasing me. She didn¡¯t seem really angry or upset. ¡°Hey, Hayoon¡­ Do you want to eat chicken together?¡± ¡°Now it¡¯ste, Joon.¡± Hayoon refused in a friendly tone and then headed to the cafeteria. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m really sorry¡­¡± It happened because I didn¡¯t have any way to contact the members of my club. If we had a group chat, I could have asked them if they would like to have lunch together in the clubroom. ¡°Hayoon, wait!¡± Hayoon, who was about to enter the cafeteria, stopped and looked back at my call. ¡°Can, can I have your number?¡± ¡°What?¡± Hayoon suddenly gave me a nk stare. ¡°Your number. I think we should have a group chat.¡± Suddenly, a smile bloomed on her face as she took out her phone. ¡°You want my number?¡± ¡°Yeah, so that¡­¡± ¡°Sunah will be upset if she finds out.¡± At her teasing tone, my heart thumped for a moment. ¡°No, what are you talking about? That¡¯s not what I mean. I want your number because I want to open a group chat.¡± ¡°Hahaha.¡± Hayoon smiled with thin eyes as if teasing me. ¡°It seems Joon likes me very much.¡±, ¡°That, that¡¯s not it¡­¡± ¡°You want my number, don¡¯t you? Well, what should I do? I need to think about it.¡± Tilting her head, she pretended to think hard as she made fun of me with a smile on her face. Seeing her smiling face, I felt that I shouldn¡¯t open my mouth anymore, lest I make a fool of myself than I already did. The more I say something, the more I feel like I was just making excuses to get her number. ¡®Hang on, this situation. I think I¡¯ve been in a simr situation once¡­¡¯ When was it? As I thought about it, I felt like I¡¯ve been teased like before. However, I couldn¡¯t remember when it was. It was like when you wake up from a bizarre dream, you can¡¯t remember the content because of fuzzy memory. ¡®¡­ Was it a dream?¡¯ Oh, right. It was in my dream. ¡°Joon. You are a pervert.¡± Now I remembered. It was during the ghost story, Dreams Within Dreams, when Hayoon had to blow in my mouth through a recorder to pass me out forck of oxygen. As realization dawned on me, I opened my eyes wide and looked at the girl in front of me. Hayoon snatched my phone from my hand with a smile, and soon entered her number before giving it back. ¡°How can you do that, Joon? I¡¯m hurt.¡± ¡°Abo, about the Chi, chicken? Sorry, I¡¯m so sorry about that¡­ If we go together now¡­¡± Before I could say anything further, Hayoon cut me off and said something that made me freeze on the spot. ¡°How can you leave a pretty girl like me alone on the rooftop? Joon is not a gentleman.¡± Then she turned gracefully and walked away. I stood stupidly with my phone in one hand and chicken in the other. Only when Hayoon walked far away did Ie to my senses and mumbled btedly. ¡°Status Window.¡± Pop. ¡¶STATUS WINDOW Name: In Hayoon LV.1 [0/100] Age: 17 Title: Wife Material Disposition: ??? Click to reveal Special Ability: None Quirk: ??? Understanding: 5/100¡· [Your understanding of the target character is too low. Please interact more with this target character to obtain more information.] If you like my work, consider supporting me on Buymeacoffe. Extra chapters will be posted for each support! You can also be a member a read advance chapters. Chapter 49: Interlude – Detective Chapter 49: Interlude ¨C Detective ¡¶STATUS WINDOW Name: In Hayoon LV.1 [0/100] Age: 17 Title: Wife Material Disposition: ??? Click to reveal Special Ability: None Quirk: ??? Understanding: 5/100¡· [Your understanding of the target character is too low. Please interact more with this character to obtain more information.] Holding the bag of chicken in one hand, I went up to the fifth floor, my mind wandering everywhere. ¡®That girl, what¡¯s up with her?¡¯ Aside from her strange personality, what else was she hiding¡­ Hayoon¡¯s level of understanding was the same as thest time I checked. Compared to Sunah and Gyeongwon, whose understanding had reached 50%, Hayoon¡¯s understanding was too low. Which was the reason why I couldn¡¯t obtain more information about her. ¡®Why is her title so peculiar?¡¯ Her title Wife Material was quite peculiar. As I began to wonder about the title, I couldn¡¯t help but remember the titles of the people around me, especially my club members and teachers. Firstly, there was my title, which was The Main Character. Sunah¡¯s title was Dirt Spoon. Gyeongwon¡¯s title was Pro WikiWarior. Jinhee¡¯s title was Backseat Delinquent Girl. Teacher Hwaeun¡¯s title was Old-Maid Teacher. Dukhun¡¯s title was Otaku. If I thought about the list of titles carefully, it seemed the titles of the people around me indicated their overall characteristics in one word. The titles must represent the personality of a respective character. ¡®¡­. but, what does Wife Material mean?¡¯ Before I knew more about her, I thought she was just a quiet, polite and kind girl, who gets along with others well. However, after what she said at the entrance of the main building, my impression of her changedpletely. ¡®But, why is her title Wife Material?¡¯ Even afterpleting several missions by the system, I still couldn¡¯t understand how exactly it worked. The messages that popped up during the tutorial session and also before creating the Ghost Story Club indicated that the system was interrupting reality and creating situations in its way. However, I still couldn¡¯t interpret what those messages could convey. As I walked up the stairs with a look of contemtion on my face, I reached the fifth floor before I knew it. Seeing the door of the clubrooming into view, I shook my head to shake away the unnecessary thoughts. Since I knew that it was pointless thinking about it now, I decided to ponder about itter. Although, I wasn¡¯t sure if she would tell me, I thought the quickest way to know about the title would be asking her straight the next time we meet. For now, I just wanted to have fun eating chicken with the my members. Slid. ¡°Your chicken is here~¡± As I opened the door and announced the arrival of the chicken in a joking manner, like a delivery man, to light up the atmosphere. ¡°¡­. Prez.¡± ¡°¡­. Joon.¡± Except for Sunah and Gyeongwon, who wore a somewhat distressed expression on their faces as they looked at me. There was another person in the clubroom. Wearing a gray coat. A broad shoulder. It was a middle-aged man, who emitted a dangerous aura just with his presence alone. He was looking down the window with his back turned and hands behind his back. ¡®That¡¯s my position.¡¯ The middle-aged man was standing motionlessly by the window. I raised my brows, asking Gyeongwon and Sunah silently what was happening. But they both shook their heads with a stiff expression, as if they themselves were unable toprehend what was going on. ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave the chicken here.¡± As I was about to escape the clubroom from the unusual atmosphere after putting down the chicken. ¡°So, you¡¯re Joon.¡± The man slowly turned his head and looked at me. His face, which was as scary as a bear, had a neat beard. I remembered that the face belonged to the same man who nodded at me from the stage during the Career session. It was also him, who was lecturing about criminal cases on the stage. Could it be that he is a cop? ¡°I¡¯m a detective.¡± Detective. Desperation took me over as I thought inwardly. Why did a detectivee to me? Only one possibility came to mind in the situation. [The search for extra manpower isplete.] [Detective Pak Gangwon has been added as extra manpower for the Ghost Story Club.] His appearance here must be rted to the system prompt that came up when I raised the level of the club and ¡®Manpower Capacity¡¯ ability was unlocked. At that time, the system announced that a detective had been added as a subordinate of our Ghost Story Club. Perhaps, he came to meet me for that matter. ¡°¡­.What happened?¡± Thinking that he must be the one that system assigned, I suddenly became curious. The system might have fabricated the situation and somehow brought the detective here. However, it was still a mystery to me for a detective toe to meet me. No matter how much I thought, I couldn¡¯t fathom what would make a detectivee to meet a high schooler like me. What did the system even do for the detective to be my ally? ¡°I ordered chicken today from the school cafeteria. You can have some if you want, Sir.¡± Instead of answering my polite request, the detective looked at the bag of chicken in my hand with narrowed eyes. It was embarrassing to hold the bag to him like that while he was scrutinizing it as if he was afraid a bomb was stuffed inside. Therefore, seeing no response from him, I slowly put the bag of chicken down on my desk. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± When I asked him for the second time, the detective slowly looked at me with calm eyes before asking. ¡°Why do you think I came here?¡± To be my assistant? This was what I wanted to say, but it was something that only I was aware of, so I said something else which he wouldn¡¯t be suspicious of. ¡°I don¡¯t know. What could be the reason¡­¡± ¡°What do you think could bring a detective to you?¡± The bearded man looked at me with a condescending smile. ¡°Since you may have fallen asleep during the lecture earlier and missed the introduction, let me introduce myself again. I¡¯m a member of the Metropolitan Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. In simpler terms, I¡¯m a crime investigation officer.¡± Crime investigation officer. Is he that kind of investigation officer from movies who catches murderers and fights gangsters? ¡°Are you still unable to figure out why I came here?¡± ¡°Yes. I can¡¯t figure out why you¡¯re here.¡± The detective gazed straight into my eyes. I didn¡¯t notice it earlier but seeing him up close, I felt like I¡¯ve seen this person somewhere before. He seemed quite familiar, as if I had even talked with him. Neither today or yesterday, but long long ago in time. ¡°I¡¯m here for a murder case. Sit down.¡± The three of us were stunned speechless at the detective¡¯s calm statement. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about the chicken getting cold. I¡¯ll order more for you.¡± ¡°Sit down.¡± At the stern voice and appearance, I could feel myself cowering in fear. Although it was expected, he had a rather intimidating atmosphere. However, I felt like he was still holding some of his sternness back. Perhaps because he understood that his opponents were students. He was afraid that if he came out too intimidating, we might get too afraid to speak. Thinking like that, I couldn¡¯t help but imagine how scary his appearance must be in front of criminals. ¡®Murder case.¡¯ What was going on? Feeling nervousness gripping my whole being, I sat down slowly. The detective looked at me calmly for a while before opening his mouth. ¡°Not long ago, the president of a broadcasting studio was arrested by the police on charges of murdering a trainee idol and burying the corpse at the broadcasting studio.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The detective observed my expression quietly. ¡°So you know about the incident.¡± ¡°¡­.It¡¯s on the news everywhere.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean.¡± Is this what a criminal feels like when he is interrogated by a detective? For some reason, I felt as if I was being pressured to spill out everything. ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°Know what?¡± ¡°That someone was murdered and buried in that broadcasting studio. How did you know?¡± A tone of interrogation. Certainly, I was sure he was just asking questions, but his appearance and voice were so stern and scary that I felt like I was being interrogated. The atmosphere in the clubroom sank in an instant. With nervousness gripping my whole body, I opened my mouth slowly. ¡°I saw it on the news.¡± ¡°Before that, before the news was broadcasted. You know what I¡¯m talking about.¡± He figured everything out. Huuu. ¡°Did the youngest member of Fourincess tell you that?¡± The detective lightly nodded his head instead of answering. Dasom, the youngest member of girl group Fourincess, was still a middle schooler. I remember she contacted me after the incident of Song of Resentment was over and I returned back to the past. I didn¡¯t know what happened after that, but it seemed the detective found out the information from her. ¡°What did she say?¡± ¡°Before that, I¡¯d like to hear an answer from you.¡± The detective said, staring at me intently. ¡°How did you know? That someone was murdered and buried there.¡± Keeping my expression as neutral as possible, I began to think hard. What position was I in? The Chairman of the broadcasting studio, who murdered someone secretly and buried them in the floor, was caught thanks to me. In a way, I knew that I was the one who provided the necessary information. However, I wasn¡¯t someone who witnessed the murder with my own eyes. Therefore, it was quite impossible for me, who was aplete stranger, to know what happened when the people working there didn¡¯t even get the wind of it. In movies, when such a situation urs, the first person on whom the investigation is conducted is the one who provided the information firsthand. The person is generally suspected to be an aplice when the investigation is conducted. Was I being suspected? So the detective came to the school to investigate me? I nced at the detective briefly, who was silently waiting for my answer. Reversing my thought process, I started thinking from the detective¡¯s perspective. It¡¯s been more than a week since the incident urred. The criminal was already caught and taken into custody. There was no reason for the detective to conduct an investigation on me now. And the reason this person came here in the first ce was because of the Career session. I was scared because of the extreme atmosphere, but maybe there was no need to be intimidated? ¡°You¡¯re not suspecting me, right?¡± The detective sat quietly, not responding to my question. If he hade all the way here with doubts, then certainly he had done his research on me. He must have had all of my background information, such as my parents¡¯ names and profession. Since that was the case, there was nothing to be intimidated by. Because I was really an ordinary high school student. I was in a position that had no contact with the Chairman of the broadcasting studio or anything like that. As I reached a conclusion, I thought all I had to do was answer everything confidently without any hesitation. ¡°Have you read the message I sent to the youngest member of Fourincess?¡± The detective let out a smile at the question. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve read it. That¡¯s the reason why I came here.¡± His tone had slightly softened. In addition to the murder case, the message that I sent to the youngest member of Fourincess was full of strange stories about ghosts and other supernatural things. Now that I think of it, I remembered when and where I talked to this person before. It was after the incident of the 300 heads explosion of Nakseong High School in my previous life. He was the same tall, scary-looking, bearded detective, who visited me at the hospital after the incident. That guy and this man were the same person. The aura around him at that time was quite harsher and sterner than now. But because I really didn¡¯t know anything rted to that incident, he just asked a few questions and left. Did the youngest member of Fourincess think of me as an exorcist? In that case, wouldn¡¯t it be okay to push ahead with the concept? ¡°Then this discussion will be over quickly. As I¡¯ve written in the text message I sent to the youngest member of Fourincess, I¡¯m gifted with a ¡®vision¡¯. I could see the ghost of the dead trainee. It was the ghost who hinted me where she was buried.¡± It was true to some extent. It was true that I met the ghost of the trainee idol who disappeared quietly after the murderer was caught. ¡°Are you satisfied?¡± ¡°Your words were mixed up with reasonable truths and lies.¡± I opened my eyes wide, surprised as the detective just sat still and stared at me. Could it be that the detective could tell whether a person is lying or not just by looking at them? However, I wasn¡¯t caught. In the first ce, the truth behind this incident was the game-like system and my continuous regression after each death. It was something that ordinary people would never be able to figure out. The detective, among other ordinary people, just had keen sense, that¡¯s all. He just made that judgement based on my facial expression, tone of voice, and movement of pupils. Ping- [Your understanding of Pak Gangwon has increased by 10.] Just as I thought that, a message popped up in front of me. ¡®¡­I guess I was right.¡¯ ¡°Is there anything floating in front of you?¡± The detective, catching my pupils moving momentarily, asked with suspicionced in his voice. Even though I knew he couldn¡¯t see the message, I flinched back. ¡°What are you talking about? Speak properly.¡± ¡°¡­.You really can see things. I have never met anyone like you in my life. I guess people learn new things as they live longer.¡± The detective nodded to himself, as if he seemed to understand something, and stood up. Then, he trudged to me. ¡°You seem like a smart fellow, so I¡¯ll exin things to you straight. The investigation is over, so don¡¯t worry about the matter. You know better that it¡¯s irrelevant.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°The testimonies of the members of Fourincess were contradictory and suspicious, so I personally looked into it further. And, when I found out that you were the one who provided the information, I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about it. It was also at this moment when I was invited toe to this school. You don¡¯t have to be afraid at my sudden appearance.¡± I wasn¡¯t really afraid. Sweeping my pounding heart, I consoled myself. ¡°So you have vision, Huhu¡­ Vision¡­¡± The detective smiled and reached into the top pocket of his coat and took out something. ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t believe in things like this. However, I know you¡¯re not lying, Joon.¡± After saying that, he patted me on the shoulder and gave me his business card. ¡°My phone number is written on the card. Next time, when your extraordinary ¡®vision¡¯ is triggered, please contact me.¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll see you again. I have ordered your lunch.¡± Saying that, the detective trudged to the door and left the club room. What do you mean, you ordered lunch for us? The chicken that I brought was what we ordered before. The answer was revealed through a delivery worker of the school who appeared in our clubroom a whileter. ¡°Is this the Ghost Story Club? Your chicken is here. Normally, it¡¯s not possible for us to deliver food inside the main building. But because you guys had paid a huge extra fee while ordering, someone had toe. But please remember you can¡¯t keep doing this. Even if we receive a lot of money, if the administrative office of the school catches us, we¡¯ll be in big trouble.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry.¡± As I abruptly apologized, the delivery worker left a huge bag of chicken on the desk. It was so big that he couldn¡¯t even seem to hold it in both hands. ¡°Oh, my God, how many chickens are here?¡± ¡°Wow.¡± The serious atmosphere from earlier was instantly relieved upon seeing the chicken. Fried, marinated, soy sauce, Korean fried chicken, snow cheese, onion, green onion¡­ In addition to a variety of chicken, there were side menu dishes including cheese balls, seasoned potatoes, onion rings, and fried snow crab. As I stood there, nkly staring at the disy of the food, so much that the desk was about to explode, the rest of the club members soon gathered to prepare for the Club Activity session. ¡°Wow, Fuck! What¡¯s this?¡± Jinhee shouted in surprise. ¡°Aw, awesome.¡± Dukhun appeared drooling. ¡°Joon, you ordered a lot.¡± Hayoon eximed with her usual calm expression. ¡°Guys! What¡¯s going on! Oh my god!¡± Teacher Hwaeun came running and screaming. Thanks to the huge amount of food, we spent the whole Club Activity session eating chicken. However, even after eating our fill, there was still a lot of food left. As we rolled on the floor with bloated stomachs, only Dukhun and Teacher stuffed their mouths until the end. Thest piece of chicken was eaten by Jang Hwaeun. ¡°Delicious!¡± ¡°Kuso.¡± Teacher, she had a healthy body. But perhaps she was quite pretty, I didn¡¯t know she could eat this much. * * * After school, I had someone I needed to question, so I quietly made a phone call. [Hello?] ¡°Hello.¡± [It¡¯s been a while¡­ How have you been?] ¡°Not good. A detective just came today and interrogated me.¡± [Oh, oh my God¡­] Dasom, the youngest member of Fourincess, whispered in a voice as small as a mouse. [I, I¡¯m sorry. The detective was persistent, he kept asking me questions¡­. I kept saying that I didn¡¯t know, but it didn¡¯t work¡­ But he¡¯s the only one! No one knows, not even the police. I promise I¡¯ll keep it to myself¡­] ¡°When will your show finish?¡± [May, maybe I¡¯ll be free before the next show in summer. I promise to make an appointment with you and treat you, which I couldn¡¯t dost time! I¡¯m so sorry! I have to go now¡­ I¡¯m hanging up. I¡¯m sorry!] Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. ¡°Haa.¡± I breathed a tired sigh. I wonder what kind of treat she would be giving to her benefactor. ¡®Oh well, she¡¯s still a middle schooler and also very busy. I guess it can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ Looking up at the darkening sky quietly, I couldn¡¯t help but think, there were still three more months left before summer. T/N: I may or may not connect the future chapters on NU. If you wanna know about the regr updates, please join our discord. And if you like my work, consider supporting me on /angrybird Chapter 50: Eighth Ghost Story – Doomed Midterm Exam (1) Chapter 50: Eighth Ghost Story ¨C Doomed Midterm Exam (1) Thest month, which was March, put a heavy toll on my mental state. On March 4th, the incident with the school¡¯s broadcasting announcement, where people¡¯s heads exploded the moment they followed the instructions announced by the broadcast. On March 5th, the appearance of a crazy woman, who climbed over the school wall and sliced off the necks of the students whileughing hysterically. On March 6th, the appearance of a strange being in my apartment, pretending to be my mother. On March 8th, during the first Club Activity session, I was trapped in a maze of endless dreams with my club members. From March 15th to 22nd, the whole country was shaken by the melody of a song sung with deepest resentment. Then, a peaceful weekter on March 19th, I yed gymnastics under the moonlit night with my teacher, who was possessed by a ghost story. ¡®It¡¯s been a really exhausting month.¡¯ However, looking back at everything that I overcame, I couldn¡¯t help butugh. At that time, I was so stressed out figuring out what was happening and how to resolve the situation that I used my wits to its utmost and acted upon whatever came to mind at that time. Now thinking about all that,ughter bubbled up my throat. I defeated a ghost that was pretending to be my mother by pretending to be its mother-inw? ¡°Hahaha.¡± Unbelievable. What made mee up with such a solution? At the time, I was so desperate to avoid the situation that I acted upon any solutions that came to mind. But the more I thought about it, the more I began to wonder, ¡®How did Ie up with that?¡¯ It also made me question to myself in worry, ¡®Will I be able to ovee this well in the future?¡¯ After all, one¡¯s wit doesn¡¯t alwayse in handy when needed. Relying simply on my wits and using tricks to resolve a situation isn¡¯t always the solution. However, looking back, I realized that all the hurdles that I overcame, I was never alone. There was always someone by my side. Sunah, Gyeongwon, Hayoon, Jinhee, Dukhun¡­¡­ ¡®Teacher Hwaeun.¡¯ Well, except Teacher Hwaeun. That woman was a bit¡­ It seemed she had suffered more than making me suffer. ¡°Ahem.¡± I cleared my throat. Anyway, it was time to turn off the game. ¡°I had fun. Really.¡± * * * I exited the game I had been ying on theputer before turning it off. Since the midterm exam was right around the corner, I had to study. * * * [2019, April 22 | Monday, 08:47] [Lee Joon: Number of Attempts ¨C 2] [Ghost Story Point: 202] [Causality Rate: 11%] Surprisingly, even as a month passed after encountering the ghost story, Psychology Test, nothing else happened. My life went by as uninterrupted as before when all the ghostly phenomena started. ¡°Okay~ Tomorrow is the beginning of your first midterm exam as a first year of high school! Hope you don¡¯t be fooled by the strange rumours that your grades for the first semester of your freshman year will not be reflected on yourter grades. Please prepare diligently for the exam. Good luck then.¡± During the homeroom ss. Damim, our homeroom teacher, cheered us on for the uing midterm exam, as we were stressing out for it for quite a bit, before leaving the ssroom with a smile. The past month had truly been a blissful moment of peace. My daily schedule only consisted of going to school as usual and ying games at home. The days passed by so readily that I couldn¡¯t help but begin to wonder if it was all right to idle away my days like that. My parents hardly put any restrictions on me, neither did they pressure me for good grades. Therefore, I wasn¡¯t forced to attend any cram school. Because of that, all my leisure time was spent rolling on the bed and ying video games all day. As a result, the Ghost Story Club, whose job was supposed to unearth the mystery behind ghost stories and urban legends, became a ce for ceremonious and friendly socializing. Before, when one after another ghost stories urred, we had no choice but united together as a team to fight the monsters. We were even forced to run around different ces, going as far as a broadcasting studio just to appease the resentment of a vengeful ghost. However, now the members only gathered to either chat or take a nap. Even so, if there was one thing that I felt fortunate about the past month was that everyone of the club had be a lot closer to each other. * * * 5th floor of Nakseong High School. Clubroom of Ghost Story Club. It was azy afternoon. ¡°Zzz.¡± Jinhee, lining up four chairs side by side in the corner of the clubroom, made a makeshift bed and was taking a nap. It seemed she feltfortable to sleep in the clubroom this way rather than sleeping face down on the desk in ss. ¡°Wheeze, wheeze.¡± Dukhun, who just stole two chairs from the hallway, entered the clubroom holding the chairs with both hands while wheezing along the way. I guess because he saw Jinhee using most of the chairs in the clubroom as a makeshift bed, he went to get chairs from other clubrooms for everyone to sit. ¡°Wait a minute, Dukhun. Let me enter.¡± Hayoon entered the clubroom, passing by Dukhun, who was dragging two chairs behind. ¡°Oh, thank you. As expected, there is no one like Dukhun.¡± ¡°Thank you, Dukhun.¡± ¡°Wheeze, wheeze¡­ It¡¯s no big deal, whatever.¡± Even though we were showing our gratitude andplimenting him, Dukhun only wiped his sweat with a neutral expression. Thanks to the extra chairs he stole, we were able to sit down. As soon as he sat down, Dukhun quickly took out his phone and put on earphones to watch anime. ¡°Joon, how is your preparation for the exam going?¡± Sunah asked as she put down her textbooks. Perhaps she didn¡¯t have money to buy exercise books, there were only text books apanying her side of the table. ¡°Haa. Just going okay. Hey, Sunah, would you like to try this exercise book?¡± ¡°Th¡­ thank you¡­¡± The exercise book that I gave her was devoid of any scratches or pen marks. It looked as clean as new. I bought this from the bookstore solely on purpose for Sunah. ¡°You¡­ is it okay for you¡­ ?¡± ¡°I solved all the questions.¡± ¡°Really? It looks clean¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m someone who doesn¡¯t like to mark or write on the exercise book. I just open it and solve the questions in the notebook.¡± ¡°I see¡­ thank you¡­.¡± Sunah looked at the exercise book with great hesitation before picking it up. Certainly, I lied to her. The truth was, I didn¡¯t even nce at the book, let alone study. I had already brewed a perfect n in mind. After checking the question papers in the midterm exam, I was thinking aboutmitting suicide and turning the time back. Although there was a 100% chance I would fail in the exam, I was confident of having an excellent grade after turning back time. ¡°¡­.Prez.¡± Gyeongwon, who was sitting next to me, watched me handing the exercise book to Sunah before speaking. ¡°You would be in trouble if you give the book away to Sunah. You must know that the grades of the freshman year in high school are also included in yourter grades.¡± ¡°Uh-huh. I¡¯m quite confident in my grades.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Pushing the sses up, Gyeongwon eximed with a mocking surprise. ¡°No way, are you nning to memorize the question papers, and then turn back time to study ordingly after going back to the past? You¡¯re not nning on that, are you?¡± ¡°If you do something like that, I will personally kick you out of the club.¡± Gyeongwon warned coldly. This guy¡­. Most of the members of my Ghost Story Club knew that I could turn back time, since I shared the incident with the girl group Fourincess with them. The only people who werepletely unaware about the fact were Jinhee, who was sleeping in the corner, and Dukhun, who had his earphones on and was busy watching anime. However, I believe they were also quite aware about the matter to a certain extent. As I sat there unresponsive, Sunah gave me a questionable stare, as if silently asking if I truly nned to do that or not. ¡°Well, um¡­ Ah, haha.¡± Under the scruitizing stare of Gyeongwon and questionable nce of Sunah, Iughed with embarrassment. ¡°You haven¡¯t turned back time already, have you?¡± ¡°¡­ No, man. Take it easy.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll trust you.¡± Yes. Turning back time would only benefit me, not others. If I turn back time for a small reason, it was equivalent to not giving any worth to the time we spent together. It was as if our time spent together had no meaning. It was like telling them that their time and memories don¡¯t have any value to me. From my perspective, it was nothing mentionable. But for them, it must be extremely scary. A week in which I lived my best life was erased by someone else¡¯s choice. I would forget everything wonderful that happened. Even myself. Such a thing was already quite uneptable even to myself. It would have been better if the members didn¡¯t know this ability of mine, or if I did it secretly without them being aware. However, in a situation where my intention could be seen as clear as a day, such an act was quite disappointing for the members. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m studying properly. I have never had any intention of using such a dirty trick of turning back time.¡± ¡°Hoo, really? Then, try solving this problem.¡± As if he couldn¡¯t trust my words, Gyeongwon pointed at a question of the English passage as he handed it over. I scanned the question with my eyes for a moment before answering. ¡°The answer is the 3rd one.¡± Gyeongwon showed a surprised look. ¡°You were really studying. Sorry for not trusting you earlier.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± The truth was, I was able to answer the question immediately thanks to the 3 years I spent in my previous life. Theoretically, I had already graduated from high school, so I could solve most of the questions without much hassle. ¡®Now that I think about it, I think there¡¯s no need for me to do something as treacherous as turning back time for such a simple matter, right?¡¯ Most of the topics of freshman year of high school were things that I had already learned and even given exams. Certainly, the fact that now I was in a different school remained. However, even if the school is different, there wouldn¡¯t be any particr changes with the questions here at Nakseong High School. Not to mention, nationwide joint exams, such as CSAT or college entrance examination, would definitely have the same questions as my previous life. As long as I study properly and exercise the topics I had learnt before ordingly, I could surely score above average. It was hard to watch my friends study hard by themselves while I already had the upper hand which they weren¡¯t even aware of. However, it was even more disturbing tomit suicide and turn back time just for the sake of better grades. ¡®Haa. Then, I should stop whining and study honestly. My grades have always been good anyway.¡¯ That night, I was sitting in front of the desk in my room with a new exercise book open as I was focused on watching some videos on YouTube. ¡°Wow, is this Faker¡¯s true strength? It¡¯s truly a fight between the strongest yers in the world¡­¡± The Faker is a real-life legend¡­ [T/N: Lee Sang-hyeok, better known as Faker, is a South Korean professional League of Legends yer for T1. Source: Wikipedia] After ying and watching videos on my phone, I checked the time and realized it was 1 a.m. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s already 1 o¡¯clock¡­ I should turn off the phone and study properly now.¡± As I checked the group of our newly opened Ghost Story Club for thest time before starting studying, I saw that Dukhun had left a KakaoTalk message in the evening. ¡°Hmm, what¡¯s this?¡± [Oh Dukhun: What do you think about this video of a stray cat following a woman to her house?] A link was attached with the message. ¡°Hmm¡­ A stray cat following a woman to her house?¡± As my interest piqued, I clicked on the link, which took me to YouTube. In the video, a woman was seen walking on the road going home after a day of hard work when a stray cat began to follow her. As she opened the door and entered her house, the cat slipped through the closing door just before it closed fully. ¡°Cats truly are foolish creatures.¡± As I giggled and watched a stray cat entering the home of an unknown person, the clock struck 2 a.m in the meantime. ¡°Wow, I really need to stop scrolling and study now! I wonder if everyone in the club is studying well.¡± Thinking of my members, I sent onest emoticon to the Ghost Story Club¡¯s group chat room before deciding to put down the phone for now. ??(? ? ??? ??? ??? ? ?)?? However, just as I was about to exit the chatroom, a red mark, which indicates the number of readers, lit up by 1. ¡°Ohh. Who is it?¡± I waited for a while, but no one responded. As I pondered who it could be, I thought perhaps it was Jinhee. Jinhee usually didn¡¯t respond no matter how much we chatted about in the group chat room. Even so, a red mark would always lit up whenever we sent a message, which meant she read almost all the messages. ¡°So it was true that Jinhee works many part time jobs. It seems she¡¯s working hard even the day before the exam.¡± She definitely didn¡¯t seem the type of students who would stay up until this hour studying. Jinhee mentioned before that she worked part-time at a fast food restaurant, which seemed open for some reason even sote at night. As I thought about it, I realized the reason why Jinhee would be seen frequently napping at school during the day. Perhaps because she had to stay upte every night, which deprived her of her sleep, to work. If she could schedule her work properly and sleep in the afternoon, while workingte at night, it could keep a moderate bnce between her work and school life. ¡°Is that okay for a minor like her?¡± KakaoTalk~ ¡°Oh. Who is it?¡± [Yoon Sunah: ??(? ? ??? ??? ??? ? ?)??] It was Sunah. It seemed Sunah was also awake untilte at night. ¡°Pfft.¡± As Iughed at the unexpected situation, Gyeongwon sent a message. [Ahn Gyeongwon: You two aren¡¯t sleeping yet?] [Lee Joon: Been studying for the test, haha] [Yoon Sunah: (?©b?o?©b?;.] [Ahn Gyeongwon: What¡¯s with the emoticon?] [Yoon Sunah: (?ÈË?*?¡ä???£à?)???*??+ ?¡±¹ã. ?] [Lee Joon: I£¨ ¡¤¡¾ ¡¤£©] 1 £¨¡¤?-£© J £¨£¨¡¤ ¨C ¡¤£©] £¨£¨ ¡¤¡¾¡¤ )] ] [Yoon Sunah: [OÈý¡±?.] £ÝJ 1°Ë?Èý¡¢¡¯?? J 1¡º,¡¤¹ã ?? J] [Ahn Gyeongwon: What do they supposed to mean lol] KakaoTalk~ [In Hayoon: (???????)?¡ª?¡î] [T/N: The emoticons used in the original text are a bit confusing. So I¡¯ve changed a few and kept some of them as they were. Let me know if they still look confusing to you.] ¡°Hick.¡± I was startled by the sudden KakaoTalk message of Hayoon, who suddenly decided to join the group. For some reason, whenever I was around her, I always get flustered. Hayoon usually seemed like a quiet and calm person, one who gets along well with everyone else, including the members of Ghost Story Club. Except me. [Lee Joon: Gonna go to sleep, haha. Goodnight everyone] [Ahn Gyeongwon: Goodnight.] [Yoon Sunah: Goodnight~] Turning off the phone, Iy down on the bed with a sigh. ¡®I should sleep as quickly as possible.¡¯ Since I had exams tomorrow, I decided to fall asleep early and not waste any more time. At the end of the day, my ultimate goal was to stop the resurrection of the Demon King. In order to achieve that, I needed to grow the club stronger than it was. Not to mention, if that were to happen, I would be busy investigating various ghost stories and paranormal phenomenons around with the members. Only by achieving good grades would I be able to have the permission of my parents to move afar freely. If I could show my parents that I was doing my best in school, not only they wouldn¡¯t interfere in my investigation, they may also increase my monthly allowance. ¡°¡­Right. I wonder why it¡¯s so peaceful this month.¡± Lying down in bed, waiting for sleep to consume my consciousness, I began to organize my thoughts. As I began to ponder on the sudden peacefulness of the month, I suddenly realized something. The goal of the Demon King was to prevent both me and my club from growing stronger. If I think about it from the Demon King¡¯s perspective, simply sending ghosts and monsters to my way wasn¡¯t the best solution to kill or stop the hero. If the hero bes stronger by killing monsters and gaining experience points, he or she may be a bigger threat to him in the future. Since there was no effective way to kill or stop the hero, it wasn¡¯t the best solution to sacrifice precious troops and help me grow stronger. Rather, it would be better to yield for now and let me drop my guard down and slowly benguished. The Demon King had all the time in the world anyway. A group of knights steeped in peace, is the shortest way to a bad ending. ¡®Now I understand. It seems having a peaceful month wasn¡¯t a good thing.¡¯ For the first month of the semester, the four of us, Sunah, Gyeongwon, Hayoon, and I, had to fight against a torrent of ghost stories. Thanks to this, now I know tons of information about supernatural phenomena, and how to repel thempared to when my knowledge was null about such things. Although it was a short period of time, I was able to gain a lot of points and grow a lot stronger, both mentally and practically. However, I also had to ept the fact that my sense had dulled a lot by spending a month only attending school without experiencing any strange incidents. If Ipare the facts that three yearster, the Demon King would be resurrected and the world would be destroyed to how we were struggling to study for exams now, it was a bit hrious. The time was so tight on my part that even if I quit school right away and ran around to resolve ghost stories and fight monsters to collect points, it wouldn¡¯t be enough. ¡°Now I understand why the club has such a strange ability called ¡®Ghost Story Acquisition Skill¡¯.¡± In many RPG games, the confrontation between the hero and the Demon King wasn¡¯t mostly focused on defence. Rather, offence was more important. This is also the reason why the subordinates of the hero would go to dungeons and clear them up while also wandering around and looting from random mobs. A month of this peace. It was nothing but wasted time for me. ¡®Ghost Story Acquisition Skill.¡¯ The ability to collect Ghost Story Points by the members, which was also connected to the club. It would have been better if a ghost story showed up now. However, there was no news about such things. Perhaps because I was still at LV.1 so the buffer period seemed too long for me? I fell asleep with a peaceful mind and the intention of starting my ¡®adventure¡¯ of ghost stories hunting again once the midterm exams were over. Fortunately or unfortunately, an incident urred the next day. T/N: Don¡¯t forget to support me on Kofi if you like my work. Your support means a lot to me. (?¨R?¨Œ?¨Q?) Love reading yourments (? ??¡ã? ???? ??¡ã?) Chapter 51: Eighth Ghost Story – Doomed Midterm Exam (2) Chapter 51: Eighth Ghost Story ¨C Doomed Midterm Exam (2) [2019, April 23 | Tuesday, 09:00] [Lee Joon ¨C Number of Attempts ¨C 2] [Ghost Story Point: 202] [Causality Rate: 11%] The next day, at 9 o¡¯clock in the morning. The first day of midterm exams had begun. Starting from that day, which was Tuesday, I had to take a total of eight exams for three days, which would be continued on Wednesday and Thursday. ¡®The first exam is Math.¡¯ My grades in Math weren¡¯t that good. If it was Science or Korean History, having excellent grades was easier since all I had to do was memorize the key topics a day before and answer ordingly. However, in the case of Math, one needs to have the ability and skill to solve applied problems. During the homeroom ss, our homeroom teacher, Damim, encouraged us as best as he could before the exam started. After a while, the invigtor came with the questions and the exam finally began. ¡®Oh, fuck. It¡¯s harder than I thought.¡¯ The thought crossed my mind as I received the question paper and finished solving the problems about halfway through. I thought since I returned to three years in the past after taking the college entrance examination, I would be able to easily solve the questions of the midterm exam of the first semester of my freshman year. However, as my eyes skimmed through the question paper, I realized they weren¡¯t that easy. Holding onto the studies of the three years of my past life as a life-line, I immediately skimmed through all the problems and solved the ones I could solve first. As I was scribbling down problems that needed application using methods unknown to me, time was up. ¡°You are not allowed to fill up the OMR sheet after time is up. It¡¯s considered cheating.¡± Soon, a student behind me came to collect the OMR sheet. With a heart filled with regret and disappointment, I also handed the sheet over to him. After the first exam was over, it was time for a break. Since there wasn¡¯t enough time to prepare for the next test, the students in the ss gathered together and began to discuss how the previous test had just gone by. Me, Sunah, and Dukhun naturally gathered around Gyeongwon¡¯s seat. ¡°What? Why are you guys suddenlying to me?¡± ¡°Among us, aren¡¯t you the best at studying?¡± ¡°How was the test, Gyeongwon? I think the Math test was a bit difficult.¡± Gyeongwon nodded at my urgent question as Imented. ¡°It¡¯s true that it was difficult. I think the teacher failed to have a bnce between the difficulty level of the problems.¡± ¡°Huu, as expected.¡± Sunah seemed to be relieved hearing Gyeongwon¡¯s hypothesis and patted her chest. Looking at everyone¡¯s expression, I thought they all had simr opinions. Hayoon was quietly preparing for the next test, and Jinhee was napping away as usual. Second test was English. As the break ended and the bell for the next test rang, the atmosphere in the ssroom quieted down again. In the silence of the students who were quietly preparing for the next test, the ssroom door opened and a sonorous voice suddenly rang out. Slid. ¡°Hello, students~!¡± Teacher Jang Hwaeun. Unlike the previous invigtor, who came in quietly while paying attention to the students who were likely to be sensitive and nervous due to the exam, the greeting was quite energetic. Lowering our heads, we all simultaneously pretended to ignore the unexpected happy face as the teacher gave us a quick nce. ¡°Now is the time for the English test; hope you¡¯re aware that cheating is strictly prohibited!¡± As I thought about it, I realized it was my first time meeting Teacher Hwaeun as a teacher outside the club. Teacher Hwaeun was in charge of English ss for higher grades than us. Therefore, she had little interaction with the first years. ¡®If it¡¯s about English, hehe.¡¯ My English grades were quite good. Since It wasn¡¯t a subject that required application like Math, and it was a field where knowledge would inevitably umte the more you studied, I had little trouble solving the questions. With leisurely speed, I answered the question paper brimming with confidence. However, an unexpected enemy, called Grammar, ambushed me at thest moment. I had studied the subject for three more years in the past already, therefore,prehension of passages was a piece of cake for me. Perhaps it was the reason why I never bothered to pay much attention to the parts that required grammar, such as verbs, nouns and pronouns. Therefore, I couldn¡¯tprehend how to answer the questions after seeing them for the first time in a long time. ¡®Hmm, since the answer to the previous problem, and the one before that were number 5, I guess the correct answer should be number 5 again, right?¡¯ ¡°How was the test? I think English was also quite difficult.¡± ¡°Prez, why don¡¯t you stop whining like a child and start preparing for the next test?¡± As soon as it was time to take a break, I ran to Gyeongwon with the members,menting how hard the test had been. In response, Gyeongwon only gave me a side eye filled with contempt. ¡°Yes, it was difficult.¡± Sunah giggled as she agreed. Thest test of the first day of midterms was, Science. During the midterm exam period, instead of regr sses, students were usually only responsible for taking tests on about three subjects a day and they could return home before lunch. As soon as I finish the integrated science test I was taking, I could leave school right away. ¡®It¡¯s a piece of cake!¡¯ Tests were important, but I was more thrilled to be able to finish them early. Slid- Surprisingly, the science teacher, who was responsible for teaching science to the first years, came in person to supervise the test. The teacher always had an expressionless face along with blunt speech. He didn¡¯t have much interaction with the students either. His daily period only consisted of just attending sses and leaving. With a somewhat expressionless mien as usual, the science teacher silently began handing out question papers without even greeting the students. ¡®Science will be over in only 10 minutes.¡¯ It was true. Compared to Math, which could only be solved with skill no matter how much you know the concept, Science tends to lean somewhat more towards memorizing. Even in my past life, I had always ranked top in Science. Therefore, I began to solve the problems with more confidence than I had in English. 2nd, 4th, 1st, 3rd¡­ . ¡®Good. With this pace, I can solve all the problems early and even sleep for 30 minutes.¡¯ As my head suddenly turned sideways, I saw that Jinhee was already sleeping. It certainly wasn¡¯t because she was better than me in Science. She just loved to sleep. ¡®3rd, 2nd, 4th, 5th¡­¡¯ As I quickly filled out the OMR sheet, I already reached thest problem. ¡®Good. Excellent speed!¡¯ Raising my pen, I nced at thest question. [36] If you remember this problem until the age of 20, you will receive a sudden phone call at the year you turn 20 and be asked for the answer to the question. A blind man was stranded on a deserted ind with his wife. At the brink of starvation, the man¡¯s wife managed to catch a seagull and feed it to her husband. After that, the two waited for rescue. Before long, a rescue ship arrived a few dayster. However, the man¡¯s wife unfortunately died of starvation. As the man grieved alone, he was rescued from the ind. Stepping into civilization, he remembered the meat of the seagull his wife had cooked for him and visited a seagull restaurant to reminisce about the memory of theirst moment. However, just after taking a bite of the meat, the manmitted suicide by stabbing himself in the neck with the fork in hand. Why did the man suddenlymit suicide? What is this? For a moment, I thought I had seen something wrong. Rubbing my eyes, I read the problem again. [36. If you remember this problem until the age of 20¡­] I didn¡¯t see anything wrong. At the end of the question paper, instead of a question rted to science, an unusual ghost story was written on it. There wasn¡¯t even an OMR circle to fill it. Feeling confused, I quietly looked around. Some students who havepleted their exams were seenparing their question papers to their OMR sheet back and forth, checking them again from the beginning to see if they had made any mistakes or skipped any questions. There was no student who had his head tilted with a confused expression like me. ¡°¡­Teacher, here.¡± I cautiously raised my hand and called the teacher. Noticing me, the teacher slowly sauntered over. Nodding his head, he asked what was wrong. When I pointed to thest problem on the test question with my hand, the teacher nced at it briefly before responding. ¡°Leave it nk.¡± After spatting out this simplemand, he turned around and walked away. What the hell was going on? Was it printed incorrectly? ¡®That can¡¯t be possible.¡¯ As something clicked in my mind, I chuckled to myself. ¡®It¡¯s been a month. Quite a long time passed.¡¯ Ding~ dong~ Dang~ dong ? The first day of midterm exam had finallye to its end. I submitted my OMR sheet to the teacher as the bell rang. As soon as the teacher left, I quickly went to Gyeongwon¡¯s seat. Soon, Sunah and Dukhun also followed. Hayoon, who had been busy preparing for the test, decided to join us this time. It seemed she wanted to discuss the tests andpare grades along with us. For the first time in a while, Jinhee wasn¡¯t sleeping. But she had a mncholy expression on her face as she nkly stared ahead sitting in the back. ¡°Guys, there was a strange question on my question paper. What about yours?¡± ¡°Strange question?¡± The members tilted their heads at the sudden inquiry. I quickly snatched the question paper that Sunah was holding andpared it with my question paper. Her question paper was as usual. When I checked the others¡¯, their question paper also seemed to be perfectly normal. Thest question describing a ghost story of a manmitting suicide, was only written on my question paper. ¡°Hey guys, would you like to take a look at my question paper?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The members gathered around to look at my question paper. But soon, their expressions fell. ¡°This is¡­.¡± ¡°So many wrong answers.¡± ¡°Joon didn¡¯t study.¡± ¡°It¡¯s incredible how many wrong answers there are.¡± I jumped in embarrassment. ¡°No, not the answers! Look at thest question! Last question!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see, 36th number question? All of our question papers have 35 questions. Hmm. If you remember this problem until the age of 20, you will receive a sudden phone call at the year you turn 20 and be asked for the answer to the question¡­¡± Gyeongwon suddenly stopped reading and tilted his head before opening his mouth. ¡°It seems like a ghost story.¡± Ghost story. The members murmured around me. ¡°Ghost story?¡± ¡°What kind of ghost story is it?¡± ¡°Does anythinge to your mind?¡± As everyone began to ask each other about simr ghost stories, Dukhun stepped in and interrupted. ¡°That¡¯s a Japanese ghost story. It originated from Japan.¡± ¡°Japanese ghost story?¡± ¡°The ghost story named ¡®Dolphin Legs¡¯ is a Japanese ghost story which is a bit like this: if you remember the word ¡®Dolphin Legs¡¯ until the age of 20, you will receive a sudden phone call at the age you turn 20 and asked a question ¡®Do dolphins have legs?¡¯ If you answer incorrectly, you will die.¡± ¡°Ghost story¡­¡± As I murmured, Gyeongwon also nodded beside me. ¡°I remember that too. There is also another ghost story simr to this called ¡®Purple Mirror.¡¯¡± ¡°Purple mirror?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simr to the ¡®Dolphin Legs¡¯ from before. The story is like this: if you remember the word ¡®Purple Mirror¡¯ until you be an adult, you will be as gloomy as the colour purple. However, I remember that it was a type of ghost story that took advantage of the psychology of a person remembering the word in more detail the more one tries to forget it.¡± Hearing them mentioning the ghost stories, I wanted to ask why such a creepy story was written on my question paper, but soon I shook my head. No, it wasn¡¯t exactly a question. Perhaps because the past month went by like a breeze, it took me a moment to realize that I had been attacked by another ghost story. It was also no surprise that ghost stories attacked me at such a strange time since it had been awhile. Gyeongwon and Dukhun, who exined the situation to some extent, looked at each other proudly, as if they had done something extraordinary. ¡°Huhu, by the way, Dukhun, I didn¡¯t know you also know ghost stories?¡± ¡°Ah, if it¡¯s rted to Japan then¨C I. Know. Everything.¡± A ghost story which originated from Japan. ¡°So what do you guys think the answer to this problem is?¡± ¡°The reason why the manmitted suicide.¡± As I asked expectantly, the two suddenly closed their mouths. ¡°Although I have heard about the story once before, I can¡¯t quite remember the answer.¡± Gyeongwon tilted his head as he pondered. Slid. ¡°The answer sheet is out~¡± As we were busy chatting, the representative of our ss, a handsome guy with broad shoulders, entered the ssroom holding the answer sheet and began writing the answers inrge letters on the ckboard. As soon as the answers were written, students around began noisilyparing their worksheets with each other. Just amidst the bustling environment, someone¡¯s mobile phone rang eerily. [¡¤¡¤¡¤ ?¡­ .] Just like in the movie Call Me, where an ominous melody rings from a music box, the ringtone rang loudly among the chattering students as if holding a devastating omen. [T/N: Call Me is a 1988 American erotic thriller film about a woman who strikes up a rtionship with a stranger over the phone, and in the process bes entangled in a murder. Source: Wikipedia] Whose phone was ringing? [ ¡­.. ?¡­ .] When I looked around carefully, I realized that the sound wasing from my pocket. ¡°What?¡± I had my phone turned off the whole time because of the exam. Why was it ringing? Not to mention, the ringtone wasn¡¯t even my original caller tune. Shakily, I took the phone out of my pocket and quietly looked at the LCD screen. [Restricted Caller ID] [ ¡­ ?¡­ .] The eerie melody gradually grew louder as time passed. ¡°¡­ Guys.¡± The first one to notice my unusual expression was Gyeongwon. ¡°What are you going to do, Prez? Are you going to pick up the call?¡± Sunah also looked at me with a nervous expression. Amidst the noisy ssroom, where students were busy correcting their answers, an eerie melody rang ominously. Perhaps the ringtone was distracting them, some students looked at me with annoyed eyes, as if asking why I wasn¡¯t answering the call quickly. ¡°I¡¯ll answer the call. Please stay with me.¡± The members nodded simultaneously, as if it was obvious. [ ¡­¡­ ?¡­ .] Dud. cing my shaking fingers on the reception button on my phone¡¯s screen, I clicked on it gently. And then slowly put the phone to my ear. For a moment, only silence greeted me from the other side. [Why did the manmit suicide?] Before I couldprehend what was going on, a strangely modted voice turned into a mechanical sound came from the other end of the phone. I waited for a while, however, the man didn¡¯t say anything else. And, amidst the eerie silence. [One] [Two] [Three] [Four] [Five] The mechanical sound suddenly started counting. I hurriedly looked at the members, finally realizing that I needed to give an answer immediately. ¡°Does anyone know the correct answer?¡± Perhaps noticing my pale and anxious face, othersprehended how serious the matter was as their faces also turned anxious. Gyeongwon hurriedly turned his phone on and searched on the Inte. At that moment, Sunah also opened her mouth to say something. [Time¡¯s up.] Hick-! Just as the voice finished speaking, I felt a tremor running through my whole body and my throat being constricted. It was as if my chest was being squeezed hard. And then, I felt a strong shock pulsing in my heart. Huu. I copsed on the floor, clenching my eyes shut and clutching my chest. Sunah and Gyeongwon were surprised as they supported me. ¡°Joon! Joon!¡± ¡°Prez! What¡¯s going on!¡± As my consciousness slowly disappeared, I could only make the scene of my members creating a hassle with pale faces. ¡°Prez! Prez¡­¡± ¡°Joon¡­ Ah¡­¡± [You are dead.] [Restarting from the previous checkpoint.] [Loading¡­] *** 5th floor of Nakseong High School. Clubroom of Ghost Story Club. It was azy afternoon. ¡°Zzz.¡± Jinhee, lining up four chairs side by side in the corner of the clubroom, made a makeshift bed and was taking a nap. ¡°Wheeze, wheeze.¡± Dukhun, who just stole two chairs from the hallway, entered the clubroom dragging the chairs with both hands while wheezing along the way. ¡°Wait a minute, Dukhun. Let me enter.¡± Hayoon entered the clubroom, passing by Dukhun, who was dragging two chairs behind. And. ¡°Joon, how is your preparation for the exam going?¡± Sunah asked me, who was watching everything with wide eyes and stiff body. Instead of answering, I just looked at Sunah nkly while standing there dumbly. A momentter, I opened my mouth while looking around. ¡°Hey, guys.¡± All the members of the Ghost Story Club quietly raised their heads. ¡°Just now, I died¡­¡± T/N: I may not be able to post any new chapters in the uing month because of my exams. Check out my Buymeacoffe page for advance /angrybird Chapter 52: Eighth Ghost Story – Doomed Midterm Exam (3) Chapter 52: Eighth Ghost Story ¨C Doomed Midterm Exam (3) The day before the midterm exam, during lunch time. I exined what I had just experienced to the members gathered in the clubroom. ¡°What!¡± After hearing what had urred to me, Gyeongwon eximed loudly in astonishment. ¡°How can that happen?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. I just died like that and came back.¡± Even though I confirmed for the second time, he only shook his head in disbelief. However, among the others, Sunah looked at me with a serious expression before saying quietly. ¡°I believe you, Joon¡­¡± Oh oh! At her serious promation, I was suddenly moved to tears. ¡°Thank you for trusting me, Sunah!¡± ¡°Hehehe.¡± Sunah blushed as she giggled. ¡°Actually, I think I know the answer¡­¡± ¡°Really?¡± As Sunah whispered in my ears, my eyes grew wide. I was dumbfounded by the answer, but there was definitely nothing else that could be considered logically correct. As I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how Sunah could know the answer, she added in a whisper. ¡°I think I would do the same if it were me¡­¡± ¡­I see. Clearing my throat, I looked around at the members and asked again. ¡°What about you guys? Do you believe what I just said?¡± Hayoon quietly nodded her head. Gyeongwon only sighed to himself, as if he had no choice but to ept it. The four of us were able to ept the fact of my regression quickly because we had once experienced a simr situation in a ghost story, Dreams Within Dreams. There was also the ghost story Song of Resentment, where an ominous song infected whoever listened to it, which we also experienced together. ¡®Of course, in the case of the Song of Resentment, only I remember the whole incident.¡¯ Except for the four of us, there were also Dukhun and Jinhee, who showed a dumbfounded look as this was their first time being involved in such a strange phenomenon. Soon, Dukhun crossed his fat arms and let out a voice full ofints. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it. However, the ghost story you mentioned earlier, isn¡¯t that a Japanese ghost story?¡± ¡°Oh, right. You also said that previously!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit like ¡®Purple Mirror¡¯¡­¡± At that moment, Gyeongwon intervened from the side. ¡°Oh Dukhun. I think you¡¯re also familiar with this story. You know, the Purple Mirror-¡± ¡°Oi oi- fuck you. Stop right now.¡± Before Gyeongwon could exin further, Dukhun held out his hand to stop Gyeongwon from speaking and shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re being too greedy trying to monopolize the exnation. This is my ¡®domain¡¯.¡± ¡°Hehe. Suppressing my instinct to exin things is a bit troublesome¡­ I apologize for that.¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s okay. You¡¯re very good at exining. That¡¯s your ¡®talent¡¯ after all.¡± ¡°Is that so? Hehehe.¡± ¡°Kukkukkuk.¡± ¡°You too.¡± ¡°Oi oi.¡± ¡°You two bastards, stand up.¡± ¡°Stan¡­ding~~~ up!¡± ¡°Kudos standing upppp!¡± [T/N: ¡®Kudos¡¯ is a Japanese word which means,pliment, honour, glory etc. It can also mean standing like in this case.] Jinhee, who was awake and listening to our discussion quietly, spoke coldly. At that moment, the two stood up at lightning speed. ¡°You two, go to the window and lower your head to the floor.¡± ¡°Lower your head, right now!¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡± The two of them walked around the desk with a huff and went towards the window. With unwilling eyes, they lowered their bodies on the ground and touched the floor with their heads, like the map of Wonsan city. [T/N: Wonsan, previously known as Wonsanjin (Ԫɽ½ò), Port Lazarev, and Genzan (Ԫɽ), is a port city and naval base located in Kangwon Province, North Korea, along the eastern side of the Korean Penins, on the Sea of Japan and the provincial capital. The map of Wonsan looks like a bowing figure. Source: Wikipedia] Jinhee stood up silently, and with her hands in her skirt¡¯s pockets, walked over to the two, and climbed on Dukhun¡¯srge back. Her head resting just below Dukhun¡¯s neck. Then, with a swift motion, she draped her legs over to Gyeongwon¡¯s hips, who was in a simr position to Dukhun before nodding her to me, as if signaling for me to continue. ¡°Thank you, Jinhee.¡± Over the course of a month, the members of the club became quite close to each other. There were also several minor changes in greetings and interactions. One of those was what Jinhee did just now. Whenever I was unable to suppress the bbering mouths of Gyeongwon and Dukhun, who were busy boasting about their talents, Jinhee would always step in and beat them up to calm the mood. ¡°What were you two talking about? ording to you two, if I remember this story until the age of 20, I¡¯ll receive a sudden phone call. Logically speaking, it¡¯s a ghost story, right?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right, Prez¡­ however, the main problem is¡­ It¡¯s my first time hearing it¡­ what I told was basically the gist of it.¡± ¡°But it was said in the ghost story that I would receive the phone call only when I turn 20. Then why did I get a phone call just the moment after hearing it¡­¡± While quietly muttering the question, something suddenly clicked in my mind and everything became as clear as water. Come to think of it, I was twenty years old, technically. Although my current age is 17, if I add the 3 years from my previous life, I am now exactly 20! Was that why I got a call the day I heard the story? Because I was already 20 years old. ¡°Pr¡­ Prez? Why aren¡¯t you saying anything¡­ doesn¡¯t it ring a bell, even something small?¡± Gyeongwon asked while lying face down. Certainly, their hypothesis helped me a lot, but I couldn¡¯t tell them the truth yet. Although we encountered and fought ghost stories together, and even went back to the past, I couldn¡¯t just go ahead and tell them that I ended up living for a whopping 3 more years than them. Not to mention, they don¡¯t even have any knowledge about the game-like system and Status Window, which were key information. ¡®¡­It would be difficult to exin that to Jinhee and Dukhun, those two areplete beginners.¡¯ However, If I ever get a chance someday. I¡¯d love to share my secret with all of my members, but not now. Coming to a conclusion, I turned around. ¡°No, it¡¯s just¡­ I was wondering why I got the phone call when I was still 17 years old.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ well¡­ now that I think about it.¡± Even when Gyeongwon and Dukhun had their heads touching the floor, they enthusiastically exchanged opinions. ¡°This¡­ No, if you think about it another way¡­¡± ¡°No, rather than that¡­ What I think is¡­ it¡¯s a little different¡­¡± Jinhee, who was sitting on top of them quietly with her arms crossed, yawned. After a while. Gyeongwon and Dukhun finally stopped discussing and started exining while shaking along the way. ¡°This is our opinion¡­ The most famous of these types of stories are ¡®Purple Mirror¡¯ and ¡®Dolphin Legs¡¯¡­ In the case of the ¡®Purple Mirror¡¯ and ¡®Dolphin Legs¡¯, which both originated from Japan¡­ The age could be different depending on the region where the ghost story was spreaded¡­ It could be either 15 or 20, or any other age¡­ As long as the concept is killing the listener¡­ Well, I don¡¯t think you need to worry about age¡­¡± ¡°That¡­ That¡¯s right¡­¡± ¡°Anyway¡­ The key problem is Prez¡­ I think I only read some of the elements somewhere, but don¡¯t know the actual answer¡­ This is our first time hearing something like this¡­ The truth is, we don¡¯t know for sure¡­ I don¡¯t think you need to worry too much about the details¡­ for now¡­¡± I nodded quietly to the two, who were responding while shaking under the weight of Jinhee. ¡°¡­ I see. As expected, our members are the best.¡± The next day, I attended the midterm exams once again. Since these were the questions I had solved once before, I quickly solved the problems, checked the answers and waited patiently for the test time to end. 1st period; Math passed. 2nd period; English passed. ¡°Jinhee, are you sleeping again?¡± As Teacher Jang Hwaeun asked suddenly, Jinhee raised her head slowly. ¡°You can sleep after revising your answers. Come on,e on.¡± Reluctantly, Jinhee started checking her OMR sheet at teacher¡¯s urging. Soon, it was time for the third test of the day: Science. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you writing?¡± Since I had already solved the questions once before I died, I answered all the questions quickly and wasted the rest of the time by looking around. Seeing me fidgeting on my seat, the science teacher came and asked me what I was doing. ¡°I solved everything.¡± ¡°I think you skipped some of the questions.¡± Certainly, there wasn¡¯t any single trace of solving any problems on my question paper since I knew the answers anyway. I didn¡¯t even need to nce at the question paper. ¡°Don¡¯t fool around and solve them properly.¡± Just like before, the teacher just spatted out those words like amand and walked away. But his eyes continue to be directed at me. ¡®¡­ Such a suspicious guy.¡¯ Having no choice, I had to direct my attention to the question paper. Just as I expected. [36] If you remember this problem until the age of 20, you will receive a sudden phone call at the year you turn 20 and be asked for the answer to the question. A blind man was stranded on a deserted ind with his wife. At the brink of starvation, the man¡¯s wife managed to catch a seagull and fed it to her husband. After that, the two waited for rescue. Before long, a rescue ship arrived a few dayster. However, the man¡¯s wife unfortunately died of starvation. As the man grieved alone, he was rescued from the ind. Stepping into civilization, he remembered the meat of the seagull his wife had cooked for him and visited a seagull restaurant to reminisce about the memory of theirst moment. However, just after taking a bite of the meat, the manmitted suicide by stabbing himself in the neck with the fork in hand. Why did the man suddenlymit suicide? Just like before, the strange story was written in thest part of the question paper. Why was this strange story written only on my exam paper? ¡®Hmm.¡¯ The strange phenomenons that started happening around me, which I defined as ghost stories¡­ Not to mention, the game-like system which Dukhun exined before using the RPG game as an example, one thing was obviously clear; I was being attacked continuously by the Demon King. From my perspective as I experienced those incidents, it felt as if they were happening naturally. For example, in the case of the ghost story, Mother Dilemma, that strange being didn¡¯t just crawl out of the school nor did it enter our apartment by opening the front door. However, it was as if the thing was created at some point inside the house. The Song of Resentment, that infected whoever listened to it, wasn¡¯t neither written with the curse of resentment nor was itposed by the Demon King, who was residing under the school. Someone murdered a person and buried her on the floor, and a few dayster, another person just ¡®idently¡¯ stumbled upon the lyrics,posed it in a song, and spread that resentment on TV. ¡®These strange phenomenons are called ghost stories. However, I have no idea how these stories operate. But, it¡¯s clear that the Demon King is trying to attack me in some unique ways.¡¯ However, even if we don¡¯t take that into consideration, the ghost stories that kept uring to me had elements in them which clearly existed in the world from the beginning. The Psychology Test that I encountered before didn¡¯t appear just out of thin air. The file that contained the questions to the psychology test, which teacher Jang Hwaeun confiscated from senior students, who were wasting their time in the Study Room rather than studying, was nothing but an ordinary file. However, the fundamental entity of the psychopath existed from the very beginning. ¡®Then what about this question paper?¡¯ Until now, I simply thought that the question paper, which appeared to be fine, turned into a ghost story because I was involved. If I didn¡¯t encounter it, it would have deformed on its own. However, was that really the case? As the question arose, I couldn¡¯t help but doubt. Which came first? The ghost story or this question? Did this question magically appear on the question paper because I was involved in ghost stories? Or was it because I saw this question written on the question paper that I triggered the ghost story? ¡®Let¡¯s examine both possibilities.¡¯ If I concluded that the former came first, there was nothing to think about. The Demon King attacked me with a ghost story. And because of that, this strange question appeared on my question paper. The end. ¡®But if it¡¯s thetter.¡¯ What if this ghost story was written on the question paper first, and I just triggered it by reading it? Thisst question was written only on my question paper. What if someone wrote it down on purpose for me to read? ¡®There is only one person who can do that.¡¯ It was the science teacher, who was supervising the test right now. He created the questions by himself and also distributed the question papers himself. It wouldn¡¯t be that difficult for him to create a separate question paper that contained a ghost story written on it and distribute it solely to me. Assuming that, another question arose. ¡®Why?¡¯ The science teacher. Why was this person trying to kill me? And that also using ghost stories. Ding~ dong~ Dang~ dong ? The bell for thest test rang, indicating the end of the first day of the midterm exam. However, I still couldn¡¯t reach a conclusion. The science teacher was bluntly collecting OMR sheets from students and organizing them one by one. ¡®Maybe I¡¯m just overthinking it.¡¯ A middle-aged man who only exchanged a few words with the students. What if I was just framing him as a very bad person? As I quietly stared at the teacher¡¯s face, a thought suddenly passed through my mind. ¡®Why did he warn only me to take the test properly?¡¯ Jinhee, who was always sleeping in the backseat, should have been the one being scolded for not taking the test properly, not me. Just as Teacher Hwaeun urged her, he should have urged her too. At least I solved all the questions unlike Jinhee, who was sleeping on her stomach the whole time or just zoning out. Not to mention, wasn¡¯t he the famous science teacher, who was known for not interacting with students on a regr basis? Was he afraid that I wouldn¡¯t read thest question, which was a ghost story? Other than that, I couldn¡¯t think of any other reason. As I was immersed in thoughts, the teacher soon left the ssroom, and the students also began to move around in their seats noisily. Gyeongwon, Dukhun, Sunah, and Hayoon also quickly gathered around me. ¡°How was it? Did you have that strange question again this time?¡± I jumped up from my seat, stopping the members who were trying to take a peek at my question paper. ¡°The science teacher. I¡¯m suspicious of him.¡± ¡°What?¡± The members all stared at me confused. However, Gyeongwon immediately answered, shing his sses. ¡°As expected, while taking the test I was also wondering who could do something like this. And the only answer that came to mind was the science teacher who was supervising us.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go tail him!¡± ¡°Su, suddenly?¡± Sunah asked in confusion, unable to keep up with me who was already leaving the ssroom with hurrying steps. ¡°I will get a call soon. I don¡¯t know if he is the one behind the strange question but I want to check for now. I¡¯ll tail the science teacher and see what he¡¯s doing.¡± ¡°Let, let¡¯s go together!¡± The five of us left the crowded ssroom. Except for Jinhee, who was sitting in the backseat and staring ahead indifferently. Fortunately, the science teacher seemed to be not moving too quickly and had just turned the corner. When we left the ssroom, he was heading up the stairs. ¡°Let¡¯s follow him by keeping a safe distance. Just enough so that he won¡¯t notice us and we don¡¯t miss him.¡± Slowly, we increased our distance and followed the teacher with me leading the way. Stumble. ¡°We are too many people following one person.¡± ¡°We must be careful.¡± The scene of all of us huddled together like this in the school and following the teacher was hrious. ¡°Shh.¡± While going around the stairs, I peeked out my head through the gaps of the stairs so as not to miss him. The ce we arrived at was the 4th floor. ¡°As expected, the teacher is going into the Science Lab.¡± The 4th floor was the home to facilities for teaching purposes. Including a Science Lab, there was a Music Room and Computer Lab. Stopping at the floor, the science teacher walked down the quiet hallway and headed towards the science room. ¡°Did he enter the office?¡± In the Science Lab , in addition to the space where students conducted various experiments, there was another room in the corner that was used as a materials space and as an office for the science teacher. Compared to ordinary teachers, who had their own designated seats in the teacher¡¯s office, teachers of some subjects, such as science or music, spent more time in dedicated spaces. ¡°It¡¯s not worth following him like this. We can¡¯t see what he¡¯s doing.¡± ¡°Fuck it.¡± Suddenly, the sound of someone cursing from behind was heard. As we turned around, we saw Jinhee standing with her arms crossed. ¡°You just have to go ahead.¡± Jinhee walked across the group of us, who were huddled together, and stood in front of the Science Lab before opening the sliding door. Slid- At the same time. [ ¡­ ?¡­ ] Just like in the movie Call Me, where an ominous melody rings from a music box, the ringtone rang loudly among the chattering students as if holding a devastating omen. It wasing from my cell phone. ¡°Are you going to answer the phone, Prez?¡± ¡°Fuck, wait a minute.¡± I tried pressing the ignore button and turning off the phone or turning it silent, but the ringing didn¡¯t stop. Rather, it rang louder and louder. ¡°We are going to get caught.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll just answer it, hehe.¡± Since I knew the answer to the question anyway, there was nothing to worry about. Dud. ¡°Hello?¡± [Why did the manmit suicide?] A man¡¯s voice, modted into mechanical sound was heard through the cell phone. And at the same time, Jinhee entered the Science Lab with thundering steps and opened the door to the office with a bang. Bang- [What, what! Who are you!] A distorted male voice shouting urgently was heard from inside the phone. With curiosity bubbling inside, I also stuck my head into the Science Lab and looked into the office. Then I saw Jinhee nodding her head in pride at me, catching the science teacher, who was standing there awkwardly while holding a cell phone. ¡°What are you doing here? This is not a ce where students can venture as they wish! Get out!¡± ¡°What the¡­.¡± Was it really this person? Not wasting another moment, we all quickly rushed into the Science Lab. ¡°Guys, we must stop him from escaping.¡± Sunah locked the entrance to the Science Lab from the inside and Dukhun blocked the office door. ¡°Y-you can¡¯te in here! Get out now!¡± ¡°Be quiet. I know you were the one who put that strange question on my question paper.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± The science teacher was surprised. But after a while, an eerie smile suddenly bloomed on his face. ¡®Eek.¡¯ Come to think of it, I forgot that there was a 5 second countdown after the question was asked. Quickly, I opened my mouth and answered him. ¡°The answer to the question is; the seagull meat that he ate in the restaurant tastes different from the seagull meat that the man ate on the deserted ind. Because the meat that he ate on the deserted ind was his wife¡¯s flesh.¡± The man was blind. His wife sacrificed herself and cooked her own flesh to keep the man from starving to death. Since the man was blind, he believed it was seagull meat, just as his wife said, and survived alone without knowing the truth. It was nothing but a bitter story, where the man ended up eating real seagull meat and only found out the truth that the taste waspletely different. The science teacher¡¯s expression hardened again as if I had guessed the correct answer. No words left his mouth. His expression was always stoic, but it looked even more terrifying at the moment. ¡®As expected, what Sunah said was the correct answer.¡¯ Then, I asked a question to the frozen man. ¡°Why did you write the ghost story on my question paper? What is the reason?¡± ¡°Answer me.¡± The teacher stayed still for a moment, then once again moved his forever stoic face and revealed an eerie smile. ¡°European Union¡­ Of course, the reason I wrote the ghost story on the test paper was to kill you. Is it really that hard to understand?¡± ¡°Yes? What kind of bullshit is this? Tell me why you tried to kill me.¡± ¡°One.¡± ¡°Two.¡± ¡°¡­Fuck you, does this sound like a joke to you? Are you looking down on me because you¡¯re an adult? Answer me!¡± ¡°Three.¡± ¡°Is this guy for real!¡± Gyeongwon quickly stopped me as I was about to rush towards the science teacher, who was suddenly counting down, in panic and urgency. However, the science teacher onlyughed when he saw that. ¡°Four.¡± Smack! Suddenly, Jinhee stepped forward and punched the wrinkled face of the science teacher squarely. ¡°Ugh-!¡± The power of a high school girl¡¯s fist is unbelievable. Thud. The teacher¡¯s nose was crushed by the well-ced direct punch. And at the same time, his sses shattered and flew into the air. The teacher staggered and fell towards the wooden shelf. ss equipment used in ss poured out on top of him. Looking at the scene, Jinhee revealed a satisfied smile. ¡°I always wanted to beat up these so-called teachers.¡± Just as she finished speaking. Huup-! ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Time was up once again. I couldn¡¯tprehend what was happening ¡­ I felt like my heart was being squeezed hard. Opening my eyes wide and clutching my chest, I fell forward. ¡°Prez! Prez¡­¡± The members were shocked as they supported me. Sunah, who was guarding the entrance, also ran towards me. Looking at the situation, she quickly took out a boxcutter, and ran to the unconscious science teacher. ¡°What did you do to our Joon-¡± In the background, I could only make the scene of the members holding me in panic, not understanding what to do. Sunah was busy threatening and pping the unconscious teacher. My vision slowly became blurred. [You are dead.] [Restarting from the previous checkpoint.] [Loading¡­] *** 5th floor of Nakseong High School. Ghost Story Clubroom. Azy lunch time. Jinhee was sleeping, Dukhun was stealing chairs, Hayoon was entering the clubroom, Gyeongwon was studying. And Sunah came to talk to me. ¡°Joon, how is your preparation for exams going?¡± Instead of answering, I looked around and opened my mouth. ¡°Hey, guys.¡± All eyes focused on me as I said. ¡°I just died once again¡­¡± T/N: Thanks for being patient! Two more chapters are released for being so understanding. However, I¡¯m a bit sick so the updates may be slower. Enjoy the chapter~ Chapter 53: Eighth Ghost Story – Doomed Midterm Exam (4) Chapter 53: Eighth Ghost Story ¨C Doomed Midterm Exam (4) A scene simr to before was recreated again. Gyeongwon and Dukhun enthusiastically exchange opinions based on my story. Sunah and Hayoon just stared at me. Jinhee furrowed her eyebrows as if she couldn¡¯t quite understand the situation. As I watched the scene unfolding before me while waiting quietly, it urred to me that Dukhun was adapting better than I had expected him to. Like Jinhee, his knowledge about encountering ghost stories were as nk as a nk piece of paper. It was his first time getting entangled with a ghost story personally. However, his expression was rather enthusiastic and impatient, as if he couldn¡¯t wait to solve the mystery and be a hero. ¡®Could it be he¡¯s taking everything like a role y? Well, he¡¯s a guy who likes to watch anime and y games all the time, so it¡¯s possible.¡¯ ¡°Prez, hear us out.¡± As if the discussion between the two had reached a conclusion, Gyeongwon shed his sses before opening his mouth. ¡°There are two key pieces of information which are bothering me that are rted to the death of Prez. Even though you answered correctly in the first timeline, why were you being asked questions again? And how does the science teacher know about the existence of ghost stories?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± As I began to ponder on the matter, Gyeongwon began to organize the situation on my behalf. ¡°But in a way, those two situations aren¡¯t directly rted to the ghost story. Since there isn¡¯t a way for us to know the reason behind why Prez died, it¡¯s better to leave it aside for now. What we need to focus on more than that is the ghost story itself.¡± ¡°The ghost story itself?¡± Gyeongwon nodded his head at my words. That strange story written on the question paper. Didn¡¯t they already know what type of ghost story it was from its origins to the answer? Could it be that there was more into the situation than I thought? ¡°Did we, in your previous timeline, exin that ghost story?¡± ¡°Uh-huh. You exined properly.¡± At my simple and clear answer, Dukhun and Gyeongwon looked at each other with puzzled expressions, as if they couldn¡¯t understand what I was saying. ¡°How did we exin it? We don¡¯t have any knowledge about the ghost story.¡± ¡°You know.¡± As I answered, I became the one who was confused. In the previous timeline, weren¡¯t the two of them boasted proudly that they knew the ghost story? ¡°But, as long as I remember, you two clearly exined everything? You said this ghost story originated from Japan. The ghost story was like, if you remember a certain word by the age of 20, your life would be as gloomy as the colour purple or something like that.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Gyeongwon listened to me quietly before asking. ¡°Of course I know that much. However, did we exin thest question on Prez¡¯s question paper? Did we exin the story itself?¡± ¡°Of course you exined¡­¡± My words trailed off as I suddenly realized something. ¡®They didn¡¯t exin it!¡¯ These two were only busy boasting about their knowledge. That was why Jinhee forced them to kneel down. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right, Prez¡­ however, the main problem is¡­ It¡¯s my first time hearing it¡­ what I told was basically the gist of it.¡± ¡°This is our opinion¡­ The most famous of these types of stories are ¡®Purple Mirror¡¯ and ¡®Dolphin Legs¡¯¡­ In the case of the ¡®Purple Mirror¡¯ and ¡®Dolphin Legs¡¯, which both originated from Japan¡­ The age could be different depending on the region where the ghost story was spreaded¡­ It could be either 15 or 20, or any other age¡­ As long as the concept is killing the listener¡­ Well, I don¡¯t think you need to worry about age¡­ for now¡­¡± That was not all. Even during the time before that, when I first showed them the question and died, these guys were just fooling around and only told me which ghost stories it was simr to, which were ¡®Dolphin Legs¡¯ and ¡®Purple Mirror¡¯, and that was it. In fact, we were unable to share our opinions on the issue itself. I quietly recalled the memories and answered them while pondering to myself. ¡°You didn¡¯t. Now, that I think about it, I don¡¯t think you exined the story itself.¡± ¡°Also.¡± The two nodded their heads quickly before continuing. ¡°Thest question written on the Prez¡¯s science question paper was quite strange. I think I read about some parts of the story from one ghost story and other parts from another story. It¡¯s my first time hearing a simr ghost story where you¡¯d die if you didn¡¯t answer correctly.¡± ¡°Do you understand, Lee Joon?¡± Dukhun asked as Gyeongwon finished, leaning over the desk with hisrge body. ¡°It¡¯s a ghost story we¡¯ve heard for the ¡®first time¡¯.¡± It was the first time these two had heard of such a ghost story. Could something like that exist in this world? ¡°No, wait a minute! I don¡¯t understand at all. I¡¯m sure you guys mentioned things like ¡®Dolphin Legs¡¯ and ¡®Purple Mirror¡¯, didn¡¯t you? Then what about that?¡± ¡°They are indeed simr, however, those two stories are different from the question written in Prez¡¯s question paper and also the one you¡¯ve encountered. I think it will be easier to understand if I write it down one by one and exin it.¡± Gyeongwon stood up from his seat and walked to the whiteboard. Then, after stopping right in front of it, he raised his sses and smiled at me. ¡°Don¡¯t be disheartened, Prez. There is no ghost story in this world that we don¡¯t know about.¡± At those words, Dukhun proudly crossed his arms and chuckled. ¡°So, what would you think if you encounter a ghost story that we know nothing about or have never heard of? That¡¯s right, Prez.¡± Opening the lid of the ck marker, he shone his sses as he said. ¡°Because it¡¯s a ghost story that doesn¡¯t exist in this world.¡± At those words, the other members looked at each other with puzzled expressions. ¡°No?¡± ¡°Yes, Prez. There is no such ghost story in this world which you have encountered. Thest question which was written in Prez¡¯s question paper was like the ¡®modified version of past questions¡¯, whichbines elements of various ghost stories.¡± As he exined, he started writing something on the whiteboard. 1. Ghost story that could turn you gloomy if you remember it long enough (Dolphin Legs, Purple Mirror) 2. The deserted ind problem (ghost story of the seagull) ¡°What do you do when you encounter a modified question in order to solve it correctly? After all, the best way to solve the question would be to consider the original questions before it was modified, right? Now, remember these two keywords I just wrote down.¡± ¡°Oi, fuck you.¡± Dukhun interrupted and pointed out with his arms crossed. ¡°There are three. ¡± At those words, Gyeongwon made an expression of ¡®oops¡¯ and then wrote one more word next to the two keywords. 3. Curse ¡°Now, please remember these three keywords I just wrote down. Like the science teacher who stays in his office and is indifferent to his students, it is a modified version of the past questions that shows no consideration for the person solving it.¡± After saying that, Gyeongwon began to write down the details of each ghost story. ¡°I¡¯ll even write down the original ghost stories for those who are hearing them for the first time. Please read through them first.¡± At those words, Sunah stuck out her head and squinted her eyes to read the writings on the board. 1. Ghost story that could turn you gloomy if you remember it long enough (Dolphin Legs, Purple Mirror) ¨C If you remember the words ¡®Dolphin Legs¡¯ or ¡®Purple Mirror¡¯ until the age of 20, you will have a gloomy life. Depending on the region where the story was spreaded, there is a backstory which was; if you remember the word ¡®Dolphin Legs¡¯ until the age of 20, you will receive a sudden phone call asking, ¡®Do dolphins have legs?¡¯ 2. The deserted ind problem (ghost story of the seagull) -A story about a couple who were stranded on an uninhabited ind and only the husband survived after eating the meat of a seabird (or seagull). But it turned out to be his wife¡¯s human flesh. After learning the truth, the manmitted suicide. ¡°It¡¯s so fuckingplicated, fuck.¡± When Jinhee let out a word ofint, Gyeongwon sighed and muttered. ¡°Isn¡¯t it because you don¡¯t usually study?¡± At the quietly muttering words, Jinhee narrowed her eyes with an expression of ¡®What the fuck did you say?¡¯ However, the person holding the microphone was a nerd. Even if Jinhee seemed unable to understand the situation, she couldn¡¯tin much. ¡°I wrote two ghost stories. Does everyone understand the situation now?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not that difficult to understand.¡± In response to my answer, Gyeongwon nodded his head and continued his exnation. ¡°The ghost story that Prez encountered was aposition of these two ghost stories. Look Carefully.¡± After saying that, Gyeongwon immediately started writing words here and there with the marker pen he was holding in his hand. Then, he began to underline certain words. First, if you remember the ghost story until the age of 20, you will receive a sudden phone call. Second, the content of the seagull ghost story. ¡°If I used the words of these two ghost stories appropriately, I will have a new ghost story, which Prez encountered.¡± [36] If you remember this problem until the age of 20, you will receive a sudden phone call in the year you turn 20 and be asked for an answer to the question. A blind man was stranded on a deserted ind with his wife. The man took a bite of the seagull meat and the next moment,mitted suicide by stabbing himself in the neck with the fork in hand. Why did the manmit suicide? ¡°¡­ I understand. Thest question on my question paper was not an original ghost story, but rather the science teacher had stitched together two existing ghost stories and made apletely new ghost story. Is this it? But what about-¡± ¡°Oi, fuck you, Joon.¡± Dukhun interrupted again. Crossing his arms, he pointed out something. ¡°There are three.¡± At those words, I made an expression that said, ¡®oops¡¯, and looked at the third keyword. 3. Curse ¡°Dukhun is right, Prez. There are a total of two ghost stories that can be found in the story. However, when you think about the strange behavior the science teacher showed afterwards¡­ Ultimately, the problem is that it may actually be a story close to a form of curse.¡± Curse! ¡°A curse¡­ What is that?¡± ¡°A kind of story that will kill the other person after he reads it? We thought that this could be expressed as ¡®putting a curse¡¯ on the other person. So we tried to reconstruct the story with our focus on the curse.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, President. In fact, all you saw was part of the ghost story the science teacher made up. The original story, which the teacher was holding, was reconstructed by Gyeongwon and I by weaving it back into a ghost story in reverse order.¡± Gyeongwon once again wrote something in the nk space on the whiteboard. ¡°Yes, Prez. If you read this now, everything will make sense. This is the ghost story that the science teacher had made, which he ultimately concocted by using two different ghost stories and used to kill Prez in the previous two timelines.¡± Is there someone you want to curse? Here is a curse that can kill a person without them or anyone knowing. You just have to meet a few conditions, and you can easily kill your opponent no matter where they are. First, tell the other person the following ghost story. ¡°If you remember this problem until the age of 20, you will suddenly receive a sudden phone call in the year you turn 20 and be asked for an answer to the question. A blind man was stranded on a deserted ind with his wife. ¡­.The man took a bite of his meat and the next moment,mitted suicide by stabbing himself in the neck with the fork in hand.¡± Did the other person tell you a ghost story? Then, the year the other person turns 20, you will call them and ask why did the manmitt suicide. If the other person does not remember the story but answers this question incorrectly, the curse is sessful. However, please be aware that if the other person gives a correct answer, the curse will return back to you. ¡°This is a ghost story the teacher made up¡­¡± As I muttered quietly, Gyeongwon nodded. ¡°The curse usually expressed through the media is that the conditions are strict and the risks are high in case of failure. It¡¯s just a guess we wrote down but considering all the facts, it¡¯s probably a sure bet. That¡¯s it. I wrote down everything based on the death of Prez.¡± ¡°Then the reason why I was asked the question again even though I answered correctly¡­¡± ¡°Actually, Prez was exchanging questions and answers with the teacher without realizing it. Recall the conversation again.¡± ¡°You wrote a strange ghost story on my question paper. What is the reason?¡± ¡°European Union¡­ Of course, the reason I wrote a ghost story on the question paper was to kill you. Is it really that hard to understand?¡± I asked the teacher, ¡®What is the reason?¡¯ and the teacher answered with ¡®European Union¡¯. And then, the teacher asked me another question, ¡®Is it really that hard to understand?¡¯ At that time, I didn¡¯t answer and died. ¡°I see. It became a format where we took turns exchanging questions and answers.¡± I roughly understood the situation, but it was still tooplicated for me. ¡°Why on earth did he do such a troublesome thing?¡± He split the parts of the ghost story, put them together, refined them into a curse, and casted it on me. Why? Why do something soplicated just to kill me? ¡°Actually, we don¡¯t know that either.¡± At this point, Gyeongwon could not help but shake his head. ¡°No, rather, is it possible tobine and use ghost stories like that in the first ce? This actually works?¡± ¡°It was effective. Prez died because of this after all.¡± ¡°Whoa.¡± I held my forehead and sighed. ¡°Cheer up, Joon¡­¡± ¡°Okay. Thank you, Sunah.¡± ¡°Anyway, Prez. Themon belief is that if the curse fails, the caster would be the one paying the price. In this case, the positions of the caster and the target seem to be reversed once the curse fails. The result is a situation where both parties exchange questions and answers.¡± ¡°I see. Then, if I answer the first question correctly and then ask a nonsensical question on my turn, I can immediately reverse my role.¡± ¡°Kukkukkuk¡­ Hitoo Norowa-¡± Suddenly, Jinhee stomped over and hit Dukhun on the head. Smack! ¡°Hey you fucking bastard, use Korean!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­ I was going to say the proverb, ¡®He who wants to curse, prepare two graves¡¯¡­¡± [T/N: Well, you can understand the meaning of the proverb by itself. If you want to dig a hole for someone, be prepared to be dragged into it.] Dukhun suddenly became obedient. ¡°Do you understand, Prez? I still don¡¯t know why that person wants to kill you in such a cumbersome way. But we figured out pretty much what it was about.¡± ¡°Okay, thank you. Gyeongwon, Dukhun. You both did a good job.¡± I took over the baton. Now, it was my turn to make a decision. I have found out how the science teacher was trying to kill me and how to reverse the role. But, how do I exactly do that? Should I quietly wait for the question and then immediately counterattack and pass the curse on? Or¡­ I shared the conclusion I reached after much thought. ¡°Guys. Let¡¯s take turns by asking and answering questions with the teacher.¡± ¡°What?¡± Sunah looked worried. ¡°Why would you do something so dangerous¡­¡± ¡°If I pick up the phone and say the correct answer and then hang up, or if it¡¯s my turn and I fire back with an absurd question that the science teacher can¡¯t answer, the situation will of course be resolved. But that doesn¡¯t solve the problem.¡± Yes. This person, the science teacher. Why was he trying to kill me in the first ce? And why use such aplicated method? How did hee to understand and use the phenomenon of ghost stories? Are ghost stories that kind of phenomenon where cutting and pasting them together makes it effective? Loads of thoughts started pouring in my mind. These were questions that would be buried in the ground if the science teacher were killed by a heart attack by me answering correctly. I couldn¡¯t do that. We must dig up as much information as we can to find out the reason. Slowly looking at the members one by one, I spoke with a serious expression. ¡°Hey, guys. Would you like to die in my ce?¡± T/N: If you like my work, consider supporting me on /angrybird. Or be a member and read advance chapters. Chapter 54: Eighth Ghost Story – Doomed Midterm Exam (5) Chapter 54: Eighth Ghost Story ¨C Doomed Midterm Exam (5) The members looked at me with an absurd expression. ¡°This¡­ time. When I go back¡­¡± Not being able to bear the awkwardness, I cleared my throat. ¡°¡­ Honestly, there are probably some people among us who don¡¯t believe me. The job is just simple. If I get a phone callter from the teacher, all you have to do is ept it instead of me.¡± ¡°Okay? It¡¯s not difficult, right? When the calles, just answer it, and you¡¯re done. Since there¡¯s also the danger of having a heart attack¡­ Only those people who believe in me can ept.¡± ¡°¡­haa.¡± Gyeongwon sighed at my continuous persuasion. ¡°And the n is that after learning the questions and answers, Prez will memorize everything and go back.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Your shamelessness knows no limits. However, Prez.¡± Adjusting his sses, Gyeongwon dered. ¡°I¡¯m in.¡± Sunah also nodded along. ¡°Me too, Joon. I¡¯ll help you too¡­¡± ¡°¡­Thank you, Sunah.¡± ¡°I¡¯m willing too.¡± When Hayoon responded in a calm voice, Dukhun flinched and sighed before saying. ¡°Yare yare¡­ Well, as long as it¡¯s just answering the phone. Let¡¯s do this.¡± Jinhee stayed still with her hands in her skirt¡¯s pockets. Then, turning her head, she said with a sigh, ¡°I am in too.¡± Although her reaction was indifferent most of the time, it was certain that Jinhee would follow our decision wholeheartedly when the time came. Brimming with confidence, I nodded to my members. ¡°Thank you so much for helping me, guys.¡± * * * The next day. During the first midterm exam, Math. I reviewed the n once again in my mind while roughly taking the exam. The members would answer the phone call on my behalf and participate in a quiz session with the science teacher. From there, the science teacher would re-pose another problem to avoid the curse returning back to him. Then, we would ask questions that would somehow elicit information from him, whether the answer was correct or not. If Gyeongwon died without getting the right answer, Sunah would take over the baton and repeat the situation again. ¡®Huu. I wonder if it will work out.¡¯ I was the one who was being targeted by the science teacher¡¯s curse. The members were 17 years old and not yet 20 years old. The first problem was whether it was possible for the 17-years-old members to receive and bear the curse through the phone call. ¡®¡­Since Gyeongwon also participated in it willingly, it should be okay, right?¡¯ In ghost stories rted to curses, it was shown as normal for others to carry the burden of a curse on someone else¡¯s behalf. The second thing that bothered me was. Even if we ask questions to the science teacher, the game ends the moment a member dies without being able to answer the science teacher¡¯s question. The picture I had in mind was that I want to continue to dig up information by exchanging questions with each other like the ping-pong game. However, as soon as the other person dies, it is determined that the curse is unsessful. Therefore, if the science teacher hung up the phone not being able to answer our questions, all my strategy would be for naught. Dukhun answered that it was possible, but the reason was somewhat absurd. ¡°If you change from an individual game to a team game, the situation would turn into a ry format. Isn¡¯t it natural for that to happen?¡± ¡®When you put it that way, it¡¯s like passing a bomb at a family gathering.¡¯ A scene where people frantically exchanged questions and answers while passing a bomb to refrain themselves from being blown up by it appeared in my mind. A death game of quiz that doesn¡¯t stop until all the people on one side are wiped out. The science teacher would have to spit out all the information even if he were to be a person who doesn¡¯t talk much. Finally, the second exam, English arrived. While teacher Jang Hwaeun was wandering around the ssroom with a bored expression and tapping the floor with her foot, I was concentrating on the system window in the air. ¡ºCongrattions on your eptance at Nakseong High School, the school full of secrets and mysteries. Uncover the shady secrets hidden within the school, and fight against the legends and ghost stories of the campus in order to earn points to unlock special abilities. Additionally, you must gatherrades to prevent the resurrection of the Demon King before graduation. The world is in your hands.¡» It had been a long time since I saw this message. Come to think of it, the science teacher didn¡¯t seem to be the first person aware of ghost stories. Except for Teacher Jang Hwaeun, who seemed to be unaware and suffering instead, there was one more person. ¡®Damim.¡¯ [T/N: Fun fact; the name Damim simply means ¡®homeroom teacher¡¯.] A terrible dark secret was hidden in the school. Until now, I vaguely thought that all the strange phenomena around me were rted to the Demon King and the ghost stories. However, the reality was, there were some terrible secrets hidden in the school. Soon after, it was time for the third exam, Science. In the quiet ssroom where students were focused on taking the test. The only sounds one could hear were the footsteps of the science teacher as he walked around while supervising, and the sound of the students scribbling on their question papers. As I was checking my n once again and wondering about various things, the science teacher came up to me and asked. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you solving the problems?¡± I sighed in frustration and answered. ¡°Haa. I solved everything.¡± ¡°I think you missed some questions.¡± ¡°Stop bothering me and go away.¡± At that moment, the sound of some students gasping in surprise in the quiet ssroom could be heard. The always blunt face of the science teacher distorted for the first time. ¡°¡­What did you just say?¡± ¡°I told you to stop bothering me like a fool and go away.¡± The teacher¡¯s stoic expression gradually wrinkled. ¡°You, follow me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to. I have to finish my test.¡± Certainly, I was referring to none other than the cursed midterm question on my question paper. The science teacher looked sternly at my shameless expression before speaking again. ¡°Then stop fooling around and solve the questions.¡± ¡°Actually, I suddenly feel skeptical about studying.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Why should I study and get admitted to a good university? Those worries suddenly urred to me and I can¡¯t concentrate on the test.¡± The atmosphere in the exam hall sank in an instant, to the point it was difficult to breathe. Perhaps everyone was thinking what kind of absurd question this was. The science teacher surprisingly didn¡¯t reprimand me or anything. It was as if his sole purpose of existence was to trick me into reading the ghost story. ¡°Why are you suddenly having such worries?¡± ¡°Because we¡¯re in the middle of a test, of course.¡± ¡°I am very worried that once the test is over, I will have to prepare for and take 10 more tests like this in the future.¡± The science teacher just listened without replying. Sighing to myself, I pretended to contemte as if I was disaffected with the worry of the future. ¡°If only this problem was resolved, I think I could take my exam without any worries.¡± Standing in front of me with his imposing figure, the science teacher stared at me for a long time. Finally, he raised one eyebrow with a stern expression and spoke. ¡°If you can¡¯t get admitted to a good university, you won¡¯t be sessful in life.¡± In response to that, I heard someone snickering from somewhere in the back. When I looked over, I saw Hayoon covering her mouth with her hand and giggling. I also smiled secretly and nodded. ¡°Teacher¡¯s inspirational words really encouraged me. I will try to do well on the test.¡± ¡°Okay. Work hard.¡± Nodding his head, the science teacher turned around, holding his nose high, as if he had achieved something great by giving useful advice to a child. However, his eyes were looking sideways to see if I really read the question paper or not. I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle to myself and pretended to open the back page of the question and read it as he wanted. Only then did the science teacher nod his head as if relieved and began walking around the ssroom again. ¡®It seems all the teachers in the world are like that.¡¯ People such as himself exists everywhere. Even if it wasn¡¯t because of the ghost story, or the strangeness of the school, there were countless people like him around. When students need assistance, adults like him approach students with the pretense of teaching and assisting them for the topics they hold no interest in, such as college entrance examination or being sessful in life. Stretching leisurely, I yawned loudly. The teacher who tried to kill me, his student three times. I must give him back what he deserved with interest. Ding~ dong~ Dang~ dong ? Six members of the Ghost Story Club stood up as soon as the bell rang. ¡°Quickly!¡± ¡°Huu, huu.¡± In an instant, we all rushed out of the ssroom door. Teachers and students looked at us with surprised expressions on their faces as we ran down the hallway. We even passed by the science teacher, who was heading to his office to call me as he finished his supervision, and rushed up the stairs. Finally, we reached the 5th floor where our clubroom was. ¡°Huh, huh¡­ So damn high¡­¡± The only one who looked fine was Jinhee, who seemed to have an excellent physique trained through exercise. Then, we quickly lined up around the table. Just at that moment. [¡­..?¡­] An ominous melody slowly rang from my phone soon. Taking it out of my pocket, I put my phone in the center of the table. The members¡¯ attention was immediately drawn to the cell phone that was ringing ominously. ¡°Prez, since I¡¯m the most knowledgeable one among all of us, I think I should be the-¡± ¡°Wait.¡± I stopped Gyeongwon from reaching out to the phone. [¡­ ?¡­] Inside the clubroom, where thenguid afternoon sunlight shone through the white curtains. Outside, the sound of of students making noise in excitement that the first day of midterm exam was over could be faintly hearding through the door and beyond the window. In the midst of such an ordinary school scene. The six of us were huddled together in the clubroom, looking at my cell phone from where an uncanny tune was ring. [¡­?¡­] ¡°Joon, won¡¯t you answer it¡­?¡± Sunah asked, not understanding why I wasn¡¯t doing anything. What would happen if I didn¡¯t answer the phone like this? That definitely wouldn¡¯t be a good ending. [ ¡­ ?¡­ ] However, the secrets hidden in this school. And the people who were already aware of ghost stories. If that was the case. Crossing my arms, I looked up slowly to a certain person and said coldly. ¡°In Hayoon, you¡¯ll be the first one taking the call.¡± Hayoon raised her head and stared at me with her usual calm expression. The members also looked at each other in puzzlement at my sudden change in attitude. [¡­¡­ ?¡­¡­] The sound of the ringtone was gradually increasing in volume, as if warning that if I didn¡¯t answer it quickly, I would be in a big trouble. I spoke firmly again. ¡°In Hayoon, you must take it.¡± Hayoon was staring at me nkly. Sunah and Gyeongwon gave me questioning stare, as if asking, ¡®Why are you doing this?¡¯ But I just ignored their stares and red at Hayoon with a stern expression. ¡°Answer it. Hurry.¡± Yes. In Hayoon. You are the most suspicious person. Chapter 55: Eighth Ghost Story – Doomed Midterm Exam (6) Chapter 55: Eighth Ghost Story ¨C Doomed Midterm Exam (6) Wee Justin as my newest member! ?????? [2019, April 23 | Tuesday, 12:13] [Lee Joon ¨C Number of Attempts: 2] [Ghost Story Point: 202] [Causality Rate: 11%] [¡­¡­?¡­ ] In the afternoon, inside the clubroom of Ghost Story Club. An uncanny ringtone was ring. ¡°Pick it up. Hurry.¡± Hayoon finally lowered her head at my urgent call, reached out her slender hand to my phone and picked it up. And then, she answered quietly. ¡°Hello?¡± [¡­¡­] Perhaps he didn¡¯t expect to hear a woman¡¯s voice all of a sudden, the science teacher was silent for a moment. [¡­Is this Lee Joon¡¯s phone?] ¡°It is.¡± The silence stretched longer at the calm answer. The scene of the science teacher, who was just below our clubroom, rolling his head in confusion appeared in my mind. [Are you Lee Joon himself?] ¡°Yes. Who are you?¡± Hayoon lowered her voice slightly, making it appear a bit heavier and answered calmly as if she was me. After another moment of tilted silence over the phone, a question was asked. [Why did the manmit suicide?] ¡°Because he found out that the seagull meat the man ate on the deserted ind was actually his wife¡¯s human flesh.¡± [¡­] Without showing even a bit of surprise or hesitation, Hayoon calmly answered the same answer that I had given previously. Silence echoed beyond the cell phone. I lowered my voice and whispered amand to Hayoon. ¡°Ask why he wants to kill me.¡± The science teacher initially gave an odd answer to the question, ¡®What is the reason?¡¯, which I couldn¡¯t quiteprehend. However,ter it suddenly urred to me that maybe it was because I misrepresented the question. Hayoon quietly looked at me with a gaze I couldn¡¯tprehend. ¡®What are you doing?¡¯ At her unresponsive attitude, I nodded my head and urged her to ask the question silently. Hayoon finally asked what I told her to into her cell phone calmly. ¡°Tell me why you are trying to kill Lee Joon.¡± [¡­!] For a moment, the sound of the ever unresponsive man on the other end of the phone gasping in surprise was heard. Thud, thud. Something heavy moving on the other side could be heard this time. [Huff, huff, haa¡­ ] It seemed the science teacher was rushing somewhere, perhaps to get help on his behalf, as the sound of his rough breathing was heard through the phone. I signaled to Hayoon again. ¡®Count.¡¯ Hayoon nodded. ¡°One. Two. Three¡­¡± The pronunciation was clear, with a voice without any ups and downs, as if the announcer weren¡¯t counting numbers but singing a soothing melody. ¡°Four. Five¡­¡± [For a moment! Just wait for a moment~!] A scream echoed beyond the cell phone. [Lee Joon is the representation of the word arrogance! I hate selfish people like him! So I tried to kill Lee Joon!] What? This time, the feeling of embarrassment and surprise hovered over the clubroom. ¡®Am I an asshole now?¡¯ The members looked at each other with dumbfounded faces. It looked like someone needed to exin things before it could lead to misunderstanding. However, no one was opening their mouths, as they had no idea what to say in this kind of situation. Hayoon, who was holding on to my cell phone, only had her eyebrows slightly furrowed. [Huff, huff. Is it that hard to understand?] A question was suddenly thrown at us. ¡®It¡¯s our turn!¡¯ What did he say? He said if you pronounce the word egoism, it bes the name Lee Joon! This was why he tried to kill me! ¡®What kind of idiot is he to recognize this bullshit as the correct answer?¡¯ [Huff¡­.huff¡­.haa, huu.] Hayoon looked at me as if asking what she should say now. However, I had no choice but to remain silent, because I myself couldn¡¯t understand what should be the answer to such a question. [Three¡­ four¡­ huff, huff.] The sound of his rushing footsteps andboured breathing was still flowing through the phone. [Five¡­ Huff, haa.] ¡°¡­ Troublesome. The correct answer is you tried to kill Lee Joon because he is troublesome to you, which is not hard to understand at all.¡± Hayoon tried toe up with a random answer. However. [Five.] At that moment, Hayoon¡¯s always calm expression distorted for the first time as she grabbed her chest. ¡°Ugh¡­ Haa¡­ Ugh.¡± Thud. Her eyes opened wide as her body began to convulse. It seemed the curse would work on anyone participating in the game. Foaming through the mouth with saliva, her head was slowly lowered to the desk. Tuk. Then, her head bumped on the desk as she finally copsed. ¡°Ha, Hayoon!¡± Gyeongwon and Sunah grabbed Hayoon¡¯s shoulders and shook her. Jinhee and Dukhun also stood up with surprised expressions. [Teachers! Teachers! Please help me, huff, huff.] At that moment, the science teacher¡¯s urgent cry reverberated through the cell phone. The voices of several people shouting and moving at the same time came through the other side. ¡°Hey!¡± Gyeongwon snatched the phone from Hayoonn¡¯s fallen hand and shouted at it. ¡°What are you guys doing! Who are you!¡± Amotion was heard through the cell phone as someone shouted. [¡­What! Whose turn is it now!] [One of the people of their side died because of the question I asked, and now it¡¯s their turn!] [Fuck you! Quickly turn on the speaker of the phone!] Is it our turn to ask a question now? As I looked at Gyeongwon, who was sweating a bucket while holding the cell phone, something urred to me. ¡®¡­no way.¡¯ Something terrible shed in my mind. The seagull ghost story, which was abination of two ghost stories, was a ghost story itself. It had its own element of mystery. Could it¡­ really be called a normal quiz game? In the first ce, the fact that it was a quiz question cited in general social knowledge in a Q & A session leaves no room for interpretation. Even when giving a light quiz using an interlude on a radio broadcast, questions are given with clear answers that do not require room for interpretation, such as the author of a book or the title of a song. However, this ghost story of seagull meat. It had a different propensity from general quiz questions. If I were to ssify this strange question into categories, what should I name it? Logical question? Question rted to IQ? Previously, when I asked the reason for his desire to kill me, the science teacher replied European Union (EU). However, this time, the reason was changed to his favorability of myself, because he thought Lee Joon was selfish. Fuck. Quickly, I grabbed the ck marker and wrote down the information that I just envisioned on the whiteboard while looking at Gyeongwon, who was sweating profusely holding the cell phone. They had sharp senses. Although, the members were all startled. ¡®They must have realized how fucked up it was¡­¡¯ The reason the science teacher screamed so desperately and barely answered was not because he was trying to hide his true intention. He did that because he was trying to squeeze out an absurd answer. Whether it was the show Golden Bell, midterm exam, a radio quiz question, or college entrance examination, the format of the question once decided does not change in the next round. [T/N: Star Golden Bell, was a South Korean variety show broadcast on KBS. The show consisted of mini-games, which have certain prize amounts. The winning celebrity is given the opportunity to ring the bell by correctly answering a riddle. If he or she is correct, the money is donated in the winner¡¯s name. Source: Wikipedia] If the format of the questions in Golden Bell is set to general knowledge, the quiz game must contain questions rted to general knowledge. And if it is midterm exam, there must be questions about the topics that the students learned in the first semester. If it¡¯s a Korean test, there will be questions rted to Koreannguage. If it¡¯s a science test, there will be science questions. And in the case of this ghost story, since it started with the seagull ghost story, something that didn¡¯t exist in the first ce, this quiz game of life and death ultimately became a game of ¡®absurd¡¯ questions if I ssified it. Gyeongwon nodded, realizing where the situation was headed and tried hard to think of a question. However, even after racking his brain for a while, he couldn¡¯t think of a proper question. Biting his lips, he asked on the phone. ¡°Why is it surprising to y the game rock-paper-scissors in front of a mirror?¡± Then, amotion broke out beyond the phone. ¡®This person, he¡¯s not alone!¡¯ Apparently, the reason why the sound of his rushing footsteps andboured breathing were heard a moment ago was because the science teacher was heading to his fellow teachers for help. People, who were not only on his side, who could also understand the strange situation and help him. [¡­Because when you look into the mirror, you notice that your reflection is also ying rock-paper-scissors! Fellow teachers! Anything thates to mind, say it quickly!] The teachers were panicking. I didn¡¯t know who they were, however, there were people among the faculty and staff who were with him. There was a force within this school plotting to kill me! ¡°One! Two! Three! Four!¡± [We won! We just have to answer correctly to win¡­ Or we will lose¡­] The science teacher screamed once again, and then the next question was thrown at us. [Next question! Next question quickly¡­ okay. I found one! Whose profession is to make a living by deceiving others?] Someone whose job is defrauding others! Isn¡¯t it a scammer? While I was thinking about it, the countdown had already started. [One! Two! Three! Four!] Gyeongwon¡¯s face turned pale as he looked at me helplessly. I also gave him a helpless stare while sweating. At that moment, Sunah shouted into the phone instead. ¡°A person whose job is to deceive others is a scammer! A scammer!¡± [Five! Time out!] ¡°Ugh!¡± Gyeongwon fell down, clutching his chest. Thud. ¡®We gave the correct answer, then why!¡¯ In the midst of confusion and panic, I slowly understood the rules of the game. This was a typical ry-type game. One person from the opposing team and one from our team would go head-to-head. Just because someone else gave a correct answer for the one participating in the game directly didn¡¯t mean it was recognized as the correct answer. The person holding the cell phone must give the correct answer. As Hayoon and Gyeongwon both fell down, we also started panicking. In the midst of panic, Sunah quickly grabbed the phone. [¡­¡­] Silence enveloped the other side for a moment, as if they could feel someone was holding the phone. We waited a while longer, but didn¡¯t hear anything. They seem to be waiting for our question. Gyeongwon¡¯s death seemed to hover over us, it felt as if the table had turned back to us. I quickly nodded my head to Sunah, signaling her to pose a question. Sunah also nodded her head before opening her mouth. ¡°Wh, what kind of money is Grandpa¡¯s favorite?¡± [¡­!] Once again, panic rose on the other side of the phone. The sound of heated discussion with each other could also be heard. As they were busy panicking, I shouted to Jinhee and Dukhun. ¡°Jinhee! Dukhun! Go down to the teacher¡¯s office right now and find out who these people are!¡± Dukhun jumped up with a surprised face and Jinhee bit her lip. ¡°The people who are with the science teacher right now! They¡¯re all part of the same team! We have to find out who they are!¡± ¡°I get it!¡± At my urgentmand, Dukhun and Jinhee left the clubroom with hurried footsteps. Originally, I was nning to find out these people¡¯s intentions by asking questions that would make them spit out valuable information. However, when the format of asking questions was nothing but absurd, I couldn¡¯t expect a proper answer. Since there were people lurking in the shadows within the school, including the science teacher, who wanted to kill me. I had to see at least their faces before I die. And there was no better timing than catching them now! ¡°One¡­ two¡­ three¡­¡± Soon, Sunah started chanting the countdown. The voices of the teachers shouting urgently again kepting through the phone. [Inte! Quickly! Search on the inte¡­] ¡°Four¡­ five¡­¡± The science teacher immediately shouted urgently. [Grandma! Because it means discount ¡®Money¡¯!!] [T/N: This is a word y. The word ¡®hal¡¯ (?) means ¡®discount¡¯ and ¡®meoni¡¯ (??) means ¡®money¡¯. Apparently, ¡®halmeoni¡¯ (???) together means ¡®grandma¡¯.] ¡°¡­ Correct answer.¡± [Okay, next question! Who is the poorest king in the world?] ¡°One with the lowest sry. Which one is the hottest phone in the world¡­?¡± [T/N: Another word y. The word ¡®wang-eun¡¯ (??) means ¡®king¡¯. Simrly, the word ¡®imgeum¡¯ (??) can mean ¡®sry¡¯ as well as ¡®king¡¯.] [¡­Teacher Lee! What is the hottest phone in the world! Hurry!] Sunah¡¯s response was quick and blunt, without any hesitation. However, the teachers on the other end of the phone began shouting as another question was thrown at them. At that time, Gyeongwon¡¯s phone, which was lying down beside him, lit up. Dukhun had made a video call on his phone. ¡®Hmm. The hottest phone in the world¡­ let¡¯s answer the call for now.¡¯ With that in mind, I picked up Gyeongwon¡¯s cell phone and received the call. [Hello? President! These people are gathered in the broadcasting room right now! Check all the faces!] ¡°Thank you, Dukhun!¡± Teachers of various faculty, gathered inside the broadcasting room and shouting at each other appeared on the screen. I stared at the screen of Gyeongwon¡¯stest cell phone and tried to memorize each of those people¡¯s faces. I needed to give them back tenfold of what they had done to me and my members. ¡°One¡­ two¡­ three¡­¡± [Hottest phone! What is the answer! Please! Teacher Lee! Hurry!] ¡°Four¡­ five¡­¡± [Damn it! If you don¡¯t know the answer, search it up quickly! Hurry up!] ¡°Time is over.¡± [Ugh¡­!] Thud. Through the phone, the sound of the science teacher finally falling down along with a groan was heard. In the video call made by Dukhun, teachers could be seen muttering in confusion seeing such arge crowd in front of the broadcasting room. [What are you people doing crowding in the broadcasting room?] [Don¡¯t worry about what we¡¯re doing and go!] Murmur. Looking closely, I realized that not everyone present there was involved in the game. Some teachers were asking what was going on and some were trying to hide the situation by telling them to just go on their way without paying attention. ¡®Who is my friend and who is my foe!¡¯ My eyes stared at the cramped LCD screen of Gyeongwon¡¯s phone desperately. Soon, someone picked up the phone and resumed the game with Sunah. Since the science teacher was unable toe up with a question and had already fallen down, it was their turn to pose a question. [¡­? Who just came out of the crematorium?] ¡°Japanese people. What is the name of the high school where Second Lee goes?¡± [T/N: *Cough* *cough* pardon me if I¡¯m wrong but I believe the answer to this question is easy to understand. The author was indicating the rise of Japan after the World War II.] Sunah answered the questions as quickly as a machine and then immediately counterattacked with another question. The teacher who answered the phone seemed dumbfounded for a moment. It seemed he couldn¡¯t grasp the situation that his time of flying to heaven woulde so soon. In desperation, he shouted urgently. [What? ¡¤¡¤¡¤No, Second Lee! Who¡¯s this Second Lee! Who can answer it quickly¡­] ¡°One¡­ two¡­ three¡­ four¡­ five¡­ Time¡¯s up.¡± [Ugh! Ugh.] Thud. The sound of the opponent falling was heard once again. [Next! Someone please pick up the phone! Where is the PE teacher¡­] [Hello! What does a cannibal think seeing Usain Bolt?] ¡°Fastfood. What if the milk is sore?¡± [T/N: Another funny but easy to understand riddle. Usain Bolt is known to be the fastest human being on earth. He¡¯s ¡®fast¡¯, and in the eyes of a cannibal, ¡®food¡¯. Thus the answer, ¡®fastfood¡¯.] [Milk! What¡¯s wrong with milk! Fuck you! Does anyone know? Vice Principal! Where is the Vice Principal! Please help me quickly! What if milk is sore! Why is milk sore? Ugh.] ¡°Time is over.¡± Sunah muttered coldly. Thud. Once again, the sound of an opponent falling down was heard. I could hear the voices of teachers yelling and passing their phone to each other over the phone. [Teacher Yoon! You can¡¯t do this to me! You¡¯ve borrowed money from me before¡­] [What the fuck! You¡¯re speaking bullshit even before your death! Teacher Choi! You take it!] [Fuck it, it doesn¡¯t matter anymore, so pick it up quickly, you bastards! Otherwise, we¡¯ll all be dragged down into the mess!] [Hey you bitch, then take it if you want! Vice Principal You dragged us into it! You should be the one receiving it¡­] ¡®Yoon Sunah, you¡¯re amazing!¡¯ Thinking about that, I suddenly realized why Sunah was unbeatable in the game. Because it was one of her hobbies to read old humor books she had at home. As if she was grateful, Sunah blushed and giggled at my gesture of silent support. Chapter 56: Eighth Ghost Story – Doomed Midterm Exam (7) Chapter 56: Eighth Ghost Story ¨C Doomed Midterm Exam (7) The voices of teachers gathered in the broadcasting room and shouting flowed through the small screen of Gyeongwon¡¯s phone. Soon, a broadcasting announcement rang out in the main building of the school. [Emergency! This is an emergency broadcast! We hope that the following teachers wille to the broadcasting room as soon as possible! Oh Junkoo, Yoon Dukhee, Choi Gangchan, Park Damim¡­] At the same time when the broadcast was being transmitted, the scene of some teachers and Jinhee were seen fighting in the video call that Dukhun was transmitting. [Hey, what are you guys doing! Turn off the camera! Fuck, put down your phone!] [Oh, what are you doing! Why are you using your phone when it¡¯s time to go home!] [Why are you guys filming here! Turn off the camera right now!] Seeing the aggressive reaction of the teachers in the video call, I urgently shouted to Dukhun. ¡°Dukhun! That¡¯s enough for now, take Jinhee and return to the clubroom quickly!¡± [This is an emergency broadcast! Oh Junkoo, Yoon Dukhee, Choi Gangchan, Park Damim! Come to the broadcasting room right now!] ¡°Hurry! Hurry up to the clubroom, both of you!¡± [We¡¯reing right away, President!] [Hurry up! Right now!] ¡°Hurry up!!¡± [Oh Junkoo, Yoon Dukhee, Choi Gangchan, Park Damim!] Teachers vs students! A situation, where both sides were calling for theirrades, unfolded before our eyes. The death-looming quiz game was gradually gaining speed. ¡°Time¡¯s up.¡± [Ugh¡­.] A thud was heard once again. It seemed the teachers were unable to keep up with Sunah¡¯s absurd riddles, so someone was told to search on their phone on the Inte. However, since most of the teachers were quite aged, they weren¡¯t as agile as us youngsters, who were veteran Inte users. Therefore, there was no way for them to do such a simple task in less than 5 seconds. Another question was asked from their side. However, Sunah answered as quick as a machine, almost like an invertebrate reflex and then counterattacked with another question. ¡°What animal do you feel sorry for everyday?¡± [Animal I feel sorry everyday?! I feel sorry for my colleagues everyday! They are nothing but a bunch of idiots! What the hell does it mean! Who knows!] [Goat? Dog? Tiger?] ¡°Five¡­ four¡­ three¡­ two¡­ one¡­ goodbye.¡± [Ugh!] Thud. [¡­Hello? How long does it take to export oil?] ¡°Five days. Which is the most boring middle school in the world?¡± [T/N: Another riddle with word y. The word ¡®oil¡¯ (??) means ¡®oil¡¯ in Korean. But if you break the word into ¡®oh¡¯ (?) and ¡®il¡¯ (?), it bes, ¡®five days¡¯.] [What? Boring middle school? Holy shit! Boring middle school! Hurry! Search it up, search¡­ You bastard¡­] Thud. [¡­Hello! Hello! Ah, which is the world¡¯s fastest-] While Sunah was quickly decreasing the numbers of teachers, Jinhee and Dukhun arrived at the clubroom out of breath. ¡°Huff¡­ Huff!¡± ¡°Good job! Quickly, sit next to Sunah and wait for your turn!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I understand!¡± Even before starting the game, I had no intention of winning this time in this timeline anyway. I just hoped that the members would buy me enough time while I remember at least one more name and face among the teachers who were desperate to kill me. Writing down the names I heard being broadcasted just a while ago with hurrying speed, my mind began to run wild. I also started to match the names and the faces which I saw through the video call Dukhun transmitted and tried to memorize the faces. It had been less than two months since I entered this school, therefore, there were tons of names and faces I was seeing for the first time. [This is an emergency broadcast! Park Damim! Where is Park Damim? Anyone who has seen Teacher Park Damim, please let him know that he¡¯s expected toe to the broadcasting room as soon as possible! It¡¯s an emergency!] Meanwhile, another announcement was made loudly throughout the school. The names of the teachers had narrowed down from multiple to one, Damim. The image of my homeroom teacher, leisurely strolling the hallway while rubbing his belly, shed through my mind at the moment. [Which one is the dirtiest room in the world?] ¡°Bathroom. What kind of house is there that even a carpenter can¡¯t fix?¡± [Ugh¡­ Carpenter! The carpenter¡­] ¡°Time¡¯s up.¡± Thud. [Hello! Name of the world¡¯s toughest yer¡­] While Sunah was stalling time as the sole proprietor of the deathly game on her own, I was memorizing the names of the teachers while briefly exining the situation to Dukhun and Jinhee. ¡°All you have to do is ask absurd questions and answer their absurd questions with absurdity, got it?¡± ¡°Well, yes¡­ President! I have something to tell you. Principal! He¡¯s on our side! He was so surprised that he wanted to burst into the broadcasting room, asking what was happening!¡± ¡°I see, thank you.¡± The information made me feel a little relieved. I had no idea of the identity of these people trying to kill me, or their motive of doing so. However, it seemed that the terrible force which wanted to kill me hadn¡¯tpletely engulfed the school. The Principal, who was the most authoritative person in the school, was still on the students¡¯ side. [Wh¡­what is the opposite of smile?] ¡°The current price. What happens if Strawberry loses her job?¡± [T/N: Not sure about this one¡­. In the original text, ¡®???¡¯ (miso) means ¡®of smile¡¯ and ¡®???¡¯ (danggiso) means ¡®the current price¡¯. Please correct me if I¡¯m wrong] [Strawberry lost her job! Who can answer faster¡­] ¡°Five, four.¡± [Oh, search it up! okay! What? strawberry¡­ What?] ¡°Three, two¡­¡± [I hate strawberries! The correct answer is, I hate strawberries!] [Teacher! It¡¯s not that you hate strawberries, it¡¯s strawberry syrup! Simr pronunciation again!] [What? What?] [Hey, fuck, are your ears blocked! It¡¯s syrup! Syrup!] [T/N: Not sure about this one either¡­. Korean word ¡®???¡¯ means work. And both the words ¡®???¡¯ and ¡®?¡¯ means ¡®job¡¯. Which means the answer could be ¡®??¡¯ (syrup).] ¡°Time¡¯s up.¡± [Strawberry syrup¡­. Ugh¡­] Thud. As Sunah beat another teacher, sending his way to heaven,motion rose on the other side again. Finally, someone answered the phone. [¡­] For a moment, the atmosphere was engulfed in deathly silence. The environment turned unusual in an instant. [¡­Ho. Ho. Ho.] Has he finally appeared? Park Damim. ¡°When does a person weigh the most?¡± Sunah, who still didn¡¯t hesitate just because her opponent changed, responded with a quick question. [Hohohoho. Is this Sunha¡¯s voice? Asking a question without even saying hello¡­ This teacher is sad¡­ .] ¡°Five¡­ four¡­ three¡­¡± [Well, isn¡¯t it when the person grows up? Ho, ho¡­] [Now, answer my question.] With a somewhat leisurely attitude, Damim threw his question as if he didn¡¯t care. [What do you call the act of putting a hairy stick in and out of your mouth and spitting out the white liquid it secretes?] Sunah looked dumbfounded for a moment. The question that he asked was certainly different from the absurd questions that had been randomly exchanged up until now. [Five, four, three¡­] Sunah, with a worried look, soon answered with hesitation. ¡°¡­Brushing teeth.¡± [That¡¯s the correct answer!] ¡®Ohhoho¡¯ The homeroom teacherughed as if he was having fun and appreciated the answer. ¡°¡­What happens if the almond dies?¡± [Diamond. A middle-aged manughed and pped wildly while watching a video of his wedding after a couple¡¯s fight. What is the reason?] Sunah frowned again. [Five, four, three, two¡­ ¡­ .] ¡°¡­.The wedding video was yed in reverse!¡± [Correct answer!] I see. If the wedding video is yed in reverse, it would be like everyone in the video, including the groom, would be walking backwards and leaving the wedding hall. [Is Joon next to you? Joony Boy, please never get married.] ¡°¡­why?¡± [If you don¡¯t want to get married, don¡¯t.] Twisting her fingers, Sunah began to think about the next question. ¡°¡­.what is 1 plus 1?¡± [Adding one to one. That¡¯s too easy. Now, a female student went to a bookstore.] Defeating the homeroom teacher. Wouldn¡¯t be easy either. Even if both were to ask absurd questions, he was an adult and way more older than Sunah, a teenager. Not only had he mastered adult humor, he was also talented in more shady adult puns. No matter how many books rted to humor Suna had read, she clearly seemed to have a hard time with quizzes that were way beyond her age. ¡°Sunah, cheer up!¡± Memorizing the names of the nearly 20 teachers written on the whiteboard, I quietly cheered Sunah on. Sunah was sweating as the questions of Damim poured upon her without even giving her time to respond to my encouragement. She could barely continue the game as the questions were getting more and more difficult for her to answer. [¡­In front of a store there was written ¡®This is fucking dangerous!¡¯ What does it actually mean?] ¡°¡­ This is digital. What does the ice be if it dies?¡± [T/N: Word y again. ¡®??¡¯ means ¡®hair/hairy¡¯ but it could also mean ¡®unsafe/dangerous¡¯ if used informally. ¡®?????¡¯ means digital. Which means ¡®this is dangerous¡¯ has simr pronunciation to ¡®this is digital¡¯.] [Diving. A man from Busan came to Seoul through the subway. In the train, he saw a couple shouting, ¡®We are going to win!¡¯¡­] [T/N: Word y. ¡®?¡¯ means ¡®ice¡¯ and ¡®??¡¯ means ¡®die¡¯. Diving (daibing) ¡®???¡¯ means ¡®dead ice¡¯ if pronounced separately.] ¡°Look, they¡¯re also Japanese. How did the man practicing kendo die?¡± [He was stabbed to death. One day, a god appeared and dered that he would allow any woman to sleep with him once in exchange of a wish. However, men lined up to serve him in exchange for fulfilling their wishes.] High-level adult humor. Sunah listened quietly while sweating. [The first man in line made a wish for his wife, who passed away 10 years ago. Then, the men standing in line, filled with appreciation for the man, couldn¡¯t help but weep as they apuded.] [What did the second man, who was also weeping for the first man, wish for?] Sunah looked clearly surprised. Perhaps it was her first time hearing such a riddle. She seems to be desperately trying to think of an answer, pulling her hair out. But her face was gradually turning white, unable to find any answer. Feeling helpless, Sunah slowly raised her head and looked at me. Even while I was frantically memorizing the names of the teachers, I looked back at her. [Five¡­ four¡­ three.] ¡°¡­Joon.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Sunah.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Joon¡­¡± [Two, one, the end!] Sunah copsed, clutching her chest with a painful expression. I quickly ran over and hugged Sunah. ¡°It¡¯s okay, you¡¯ve worked really. Thank you for your hard work. Thank you, Sunah. See youter. I¡¯ll tell you everything once I go back. Thank you.¡± The girl¡¯s mouth gently turned up at those words even though she was dying. ¡°Right¡­ wheeze¡­¡± Dukhun took the phone from her hand at a loss. [Who is it? Who wheezes like this? Is this Dukhun? Ho, ho, ho. I think you should pass the phone if you¡¯re not confident.] ¡°Oooh¡­ Sumimasen!¡± [T/N: ¡®Sumimasen¡¯ is a Japanese word which means ¡®sorry, excuse me, pardon me¡¯ etc.] Then, Dukhun passed the phone to Jinhee, whose expression was even scarier than usual. She took the phone with an irritated expression. It seemed that if one of the parties involved didn¡¯t raise a question even after losing, they were allowed to pass over the phone to someone else in the same team. ¡°Fuck you.¡± [¡­Are you Jinhee?] ¡°Why doesn¡¯t the homeroom teacher shove some red chilli up his ass?¡± [¡­] For the first time, Damim couldn¡¯t respond. After a while, it was Jinhee who copsed. ¡°Ouch!¡± Thud. It seemed if the question that was asked couldn¡¯t be recognized as absurd, then the one asking the question would pay the price. In the end, the phone went back to Dukhun¡¯s hands. Even amidst the death of my members, I waspletely absorbed in memorizing the names of the teachers and their faces. Oh Junkoo, Yoon Dukhee, Choi Gangchan, Park Damim, Lee Jigoom, Sun Pyeonghwa, Yoon Junkook¡­ After exchanging several questions and answers with Damim, Dukhun also finally copsed, clutching his chest. ¡°Ugh.¡± Thud. Done. I had finally memorized everything. Quickly reaching to Dukhun, who had copsed on his seat, I picked up the phone this time. ¡°Hello.¡± Damimughed ¡®ohoho¡¯, like an old man who had a good impression of me before asking. [Is it Joon? How was your test today?] ¡°Homeroom teacher, I didn¡¯t know you were also with them.¡± [Hoho! Howe you figured it out only today~!] The rotund manughed heartily, as if mocking my intelligence. Then, he abruptly stopped and spoke softly into the phone. [But you know, you should be thankful that the Ghost Story Club exists because of me, right?] ¡°I appreciate that. I¡¯ll probably be grateful in the future.¡± [Hmm~? In the future? But you¡¯re going to die now~] I see. So the teachers didn¡¯t know that I could go back in time. The reason why they desperately yed this death quiz game, to the point of killing their own colleagues and sacrificing their lives because they thought they needed to win only once. What on earth were they thinking wanting to kill someone like this¡­? What was the reason? Was it rted to the Demon King? ¡®If I ask him now, there¡¯s no way he¡¯ll give me a straight answer.¡¯ Therefore, I had no choice but to wait patiently, take my time dealing with each person one by one and find out the truth before the resurrection of the Demon King. After going back, the first person I had to dispose of was the science teacher. I had already nned how to dispose of him quietly, without making too much of a mess. Without anyone realizing it, I had to do the job cleanly, not giving them any chance of counterattacking, lest the others of hisrades know. At the same time, I also had to make sure not to involve the police. I didn¡¯t want the police¡¯s investigation to reach me. Not only would it be a live broadcast of the world of ghost stories to the members, who were most likely untrusting of me, I could use this opportunity to prove the existence of ghost stories to Jinhee and Dukhun, which would help them have a better understanding of the supernatural world. ¡°Now, here is my question. Can you guess the word that can make Yoon Sunah cry?¡± [¡­yes?] ¡°Five, four¡­¡± [No, wait! Wait! What do you mean! Word that can make Yoon Sunah cry!] ¡°Three¡­¡± [Wait! Wait! Damn~!!!] ¡°Two¡­¡± [That¡¯s bullshit! That¡¯s bullshit!! That can¡¯t be a question-] ¡°One.¡± [¡­!] ¡°Time¡¯s up. The correct answer is dirt spoon. Because she was raised as a dirt spoon.¡± [This person¡­ Huuu¡­ It can¡¯t be¡­ Uugh-! Uuuuuuugghhh!!] Thud. With a groan, the sound of Damim falling was heard. At the same time, a buzzing sound, that indicated someone else picking the phone, was heard through the phone again. The person who picked up the phone sounded like a strict middle-aged woman. [¡­.hello.] The Vice Principal. Excluding the Principal, who had reached the age of retirement this year, the Vice Principal was the second most authoritative figure in the school, and perhaps the person who held the most power in this school. With the homeroom teacher dying, there would have been no one to step forward anymore. Could it be since the Vice Principal was the only one alive to pick up the phone, she was the leader of the group wanting to kill me? [I will pose a question now.] ¡°I don¡¯t wanna answer it, fuck you.¡± [¡­What did you say? What did you say just now?] ¡°I won¡¯t answer.¡± Silence engulfed as the other party was quietly contemting what my intention was. ¡°Hello? I don¡¯t wanna answer, so get the hell out of there and leave me alone.¡± [¡­Who are you to decide that?] ¡°Your mother.¡± [What!] An enraged voice sounded from the other side of the phone, as if she was gritting her teeth in anger. [Where did you learn such vulgar words? A bastard with no brain on his head!] ¡°This old bitch is noisy.¡± [You rotten bastard! You spoiled punk! Tell me the definition of reflection statement in English? Tell me!] ¡°Nuh-uh, I won¡¯t answer, you idiot~¡± I put down the phone, which was ring the enraged voice of the Vice Principal, and stood up leisurely with my arms crossed. The afternoon sunlight illuminated the five figures lying down on the desk in the clubroom of Ghost Story Club. Hayoon was lying face down on the desk, her long ck hair spilling around. Gyeongwon was lying down next to her in a simr position, his eyes closed and his sses off. And Dukhun, who just died, was lying on the floor with his face up. It seemed he was unable to bear his weight and fell backwards. Jinhee was lying on her side. And. I approached Sunah, whose body was leaning backwards on the chair. Quietly stroking her head, I stared at her face, which was as still as a doll with her eyes closed. ¡°You really worked hard, Sunah. Really.¡± Then I pulled out a chair and sat down next to Sunah. Soon, the countdown of answering the question would end and I too, would die of a heart attack. I tilted Sunah¡¯s head sideways, making her lean on me so that we could stay together before dying. ¡°Let¡¯s go back. Let¡¯s go back and punish all the people who bullied us.¡± Whispering the words like a mantra, I looked around the quiet clubroom,where only corpses were lying. The surrounding was abruptly quiet as it was already time for the students to go home. After a while. Hick-!! A strong impact was felt on my chest, but I managed to hold my body without losing my posture. My heart pounded heavily a few times, as if having a seizure, and soon I lost consciousness. [You are dead.] [Restarting from the previous checkpoint.] [Loading¡­.] * * * ¡°Huum.¡± Hayoon, who had been lying down on the desk until now, finally raised her head. ¡°Of course, it has to be a question.¡± At that moment, the teachers, who heard Hayoon¡¯s voice through Lee Joon¡¯s phone, which was still turned on, responded in a hurry. [Young Miss! Are you okay? Where are you!] [Are you by any chance on the 5th floor? We areing for you, stay where you are! Young Miss! Young Miss-] ¡°Shut up.¡± Hayoon pressed the end button on the screen with her thin finger, ending the call. How many seconds were left until loading was finished and the world resetted? Quietly looking around the club room, she began to reflect on the fact that the teachers, who were merely present in the school to assist her, had no way of knowing. In the quiet space where five corpsesy still. She found Lee Joon¡¯s body and slowly approached. ¡°¡­.Joon is such a bad person.¡± Even while dying, he was clinging to Sunah, like two friendly lovebirds. Hayoon quietly bent her knees and stared at Lee Joon¡¯s face, who had his eyes closed. He was an amusing fe. He was the type of person who would live a quiet secluded life, but strangely enough, when the time arrived, he boldly stepped forward and dered to be the head of a strange club. Although some of his behaviors seemed shallow and shady, he had the sensibility of a child in certain aspects. He seemed quick to decide while on edge, and use his brain the fullest in tough situations. However, in certain areas, he seemed inexperienced and sloppy. Although he behaved as if he was excellent in certain things, sometimes, he would also leave a work halfway, or fulfil it half-heartedly as if not interested. ¡®What are you thinking, Joon?¡¯ Master or Lee Joon. She had been debating which would be more rewarding, following the whims of the Master or Lee Joon, until now. However, at the moment, she had definitely decided. ¡°Joon, I will be by your side.¡± Someone whom she wanted to tease more in the future just to see his reaction. Hayoon whispered the promise in his ear. After loading, the world would be slowly prepared to return to yesterday. Certainly, she would lose all her current memories. But she was curious. How many times would this two-faced man bait himself and make the same choice? T/N: Hello readers. Recently I¡¯ve opened a new Kofi ount since I deleted my Buymeacoffe due to some¡­. circumstances. So if you like my work, consider supporting me on Kofi. Chapter 57: Eighth Ghost Story – Doomed Midterm Exam (8) Chapter 57: Eighth Ghost Story ¨C Doomed Midterm Exam (8) The day before the midterm exam. Lunch time. Clubroom. ¡°Joon, how¡¯s your preparation for the test-¡± The moment I returned to the past, I quickly went to the whiteboard and grabbed the ck marker pen. Then frantically, I began to scribble the names of the 20 teachers I memorized beforehand on the white board. Oh Junkoo. Yoon Dukhee. Choi Gangchan. Park Damim. Lee Jigum. Sun Pyeonghwa. Yoon Junkook. ¡°What..?¡± ¡°Huu.¡± Only after writing down thest name did I let out the breath I had been holding. Fortunately, I didn¡¯t miss a single thing and was able to pour out everything I memorized. ¡°Guys, sit down.¡± ¡°Whaaaat! How could that happen?¡± Gyeongwon showed a surprised expression once again. ¡°I believe Joon¡­¡± Sunah also said she believed in me once again. And once again, Jinhee and Dukhun looked like they didn¡¯t know how to react. Hayoon had an expressionless face as always. After roughly exining everything, I picked up my phone and called someone. Gyeongwon was staring at me, who was waiting for the call to be picked up, and eventually couldn¡¯t bear the curiosity anymore and asked. ¡°Who are you calling?¡± ¡°Someone you know.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± The members looked puzzled. ¡°There was someone who asked me to contact them if something like this happens.¡± Soon, the gruff voice of the said person was heard through the phone. [It¡¯s been a while.] While talking on the phone with that person, I began thinking about the time I confronted the teacher in the Science Lab. Jinhee punched the teacher, and then I copsed from heart attack. During that timeline, I lost and died while exchanging questions and answers because I was unaware about the rules of the deathly game. ¡®Obviously, the curse was established even though questions were exchanged in person rather than over the phone.¡¯ I thought carefully about the reason. Perhaps the phone acted like a trigger to finally activate the curse. This was the year I turned 20, and we were in a situation where we both knew about the existence of ghost stories and asked questions. All conditions were already in ce. The phone served as the final condition and media that triggered the curse. Therefore, the questions and answers may not necessarily have to be exchanged over the phone. If what I thought was correct, then the science teacher. He made a big mistake. * * * The next day. ¡®4th seat in division 2, fourth seat in division 2¡­¡¯ The science teacher entered the ssroom, repeating the name and seating arrangement of the student named Lee Joon, whom he had heard a lot about beforehand. ¡®Is that him?¡¯ Lee Joon was quietly examining his pencil case and preparing for the Science test. Certainly, as a science teacher, he may havee to this ss a few times. However, that student named Lee Joon didn¡¯t have an appearance that was particrly memorable to him as he carried out his duties as a teacher in a dull manner. ¡®I can¡¯t make any mistakes.¡¯ The science question papers consisted of a total of three sheets. The teacher slowly handed out one sheet at a time to the students sitting at the front in each division, while following the distribution of how the students in Lee Joon¡¯s division passed the question papers with his eyes. When handing out question papers to the students, he made sure that they were arranged in an order so that the question paper with the ghost story written on it would go to Lee Joon. ¡®No problem at all.¡¯ Fortunately, the students passed thest page of the question papers the same way he had arranged them to be. Like the previous two divisions, everyone received a question paper without any suddenmotion. The question paper with the ghost story written on it arrived safely to Lee Joon. Afterpleting the supervision of the exam smoothly, he leisurely went up to the Science Lab on the 4th floor. Normally, teachers who finished supervising would immediately go to the Vice Principal¡¯s office and collect the answer sheets, but he was entrusted with a more important task. ¡°Let¡¯s go together! Together¡­!¡± The students from the ssroom which he had just supervised came rushing to him and went up the stairs ahead of him. Among them was Lee Joon, whom he was trying to kill. ¡®Are they members of that funny club?¡¯ There was no guilt. Even before epting the teachings of Tai Sheng, the Master of the cult, the position of a teacher was nothing more than a means of making money for him. Slid- The science teacher opened the door to the empty Science Lab and went into his private space, which doubled as a materials room and his office. Putting down the OMR answer sheets he had brought with him on the desk, he once again reviewed the instructions he was given from the Master. He wasmanded to give a special printed question paper containing a certain ghost story to the student named Lee Joon whom he would be supervising today. And as soon as the test was over, he would go to a deserted ce where no one was watching and call the student to ask for the answer to the story. He was revising the solution he had in mind in case Lee Joon gave the correct answer, if he had Lee Joon¡¯s phone number, and whether the app that would modte his voice was working properly. ¡®In this way, I should seed¡­ in this way.¡¯ There was no question as to why they wanted to kill the student in such aplicated way. However, he just strictly obeyed the orders given. ¡®¡­Did I miss anything?¡¯ The science teacher carefully checked the instructions once again. Doing the task carefully, he showed a very attentive attitude that he had never shown to the students he taught before. Soon, the science teacher finished the inspection and quietly took out his cell phone. Then slowly, he dialed Lee Joon¡¯s number. The number matched with the contact information in his phone that was saved in advance. Checking the number a few more times in case he typed the wrong number, he pressed the call button. And the ominous ringtone sounded through the phone. [¡­?¡­] The uncanny melody was like the the sound of a music box resonating from the movie Call Me. It was a terrible enough sound to set as a caller tune. [ ¡­.?¡­] ¡®¡­ He set something like this as a caller tune. Kids these days want nothing but to stand out, so they can¡¯t control themselves.¡¯ As he was frowning and criticizing today¡¯s generation, he didn¡¯t notice that the reason he was able to hear the melody was because the curse¡¯s trigger was activated, not because it was Lee Joon¡¯s caller tune. Soon the sound stopped, and someone answered the phone. [Hello, who¡¯s this?] A low, heavy voice reverberated through the phone. Did that student Lee Joon have such a heavy voice at such a young age? He thought about it carefully, but since he never paid attention to any students, he had no way of knowing what Lee Joon sounded like. [Who is this speaking?] As there was no answer, the man on the phone asked who he was again. No. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn¡¯tprehend how a student could have such a manly voice. The science teacher, wondering if he had dialed the wrong number, took the phone off his ear and checked the number again. ¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯ The moment he put the phone to his ear once again, the question he was supposed to ask Lee Joon appeared in his mind, however, he was instead asked a question. [Are you by any chance rted to the student named Lee Joon?] The man on the phone beat him in asking question. The science teacher was surprised, but he calmly opened his mouth. ¡°¡­Hello.¡± [Yes. Please answer.] ¡°Isn¡¯t this Lee Joon¡¯s phone number?¡± [You¡¯re right. Excuse me, but do you know the student named Lee Joon?] Dud. The science teacher quickly hung up the phone. He didn¡¯t know who it was, but someone other than Lee Joon answered the phone. Then there was no need for him to discuss the ghost story with the person and leave behind something that could be tracked by. ¡®¡­I guess I should try calling again in a while.¡¯ With that in mind, he began organizing the students¡¯ OMR sheets. He wanted to take a peak on the answer sheet of the soon-to-be-dead guy named Lee Joon to see whether he did well in the test or not. However, this time, the ominous melody rang out from his own phone, breaking the peaceful silence. [¡­?¡­] The gloomy melody that resonated through a music box like the ringtone from the movie Call Me. It wasn¡¯t his caller tune then why? The science teacher, who couldn¡¯t help but frown at the unnatural ringtone soon became startled seeing the name of the caller. [Lee Joon] He thought about it for a while, but then decided to answer it. ¡®¡­what.¡¯ Pressing the ept button, he slowly put the phone to his ear. [Hello. This is Detective Pak Gangwon from the Metropolitan Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. Don¡¯t hang up. The tracking has started.] Detective! Although he always had a dry and blunt expression, he still couldn¡¯t help but be shocked by the sudden appearance of a detective. ¡®¡­detective?¡¯ [Hello. Are you there?] ¡®Why would someone like that pick Lee Joon¡¯s phone instead¡­?¡¯ He was so surprised for a moment that he couldn¡¯t answer, but as the surprise faded away, he felt his heart sinking. However, soon he came back to his senses. No, it was okay. Nobody knew. Yes, no one knew. Even though he couldn¡¯tprehend what was going on, he desperately repeated to himself that everything was okay and answered the phone. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± [That is what I¡¯m wondering too. Why did you call me from this phone number? That¡¯s also hiding the number?] After hesitating for a moment, the science teacher decided to just hang up once again. He couldn¡¯t understand where the situation was heading, but he knew continuing this conversation wouldn¡¯t do him any good. Let¡¯s call him againter after I finish grading the students. Hoping that Lee Joon would receive it. Just as he was about to hang up the phone. [Please answer me. If you want to hang up, know that it wouldn¡¯t do you any good. Your location has already been tracked, let¡¯s see¡­ the ce is inside Nakseong High School in the ShinLim Neighborhood.] The science teacher¡¯s pupils dted. As he twitched his lips and searched for something to answer, his heart began to beat rapidly. ¡®They really found out the location?¡¯ If this was true, there would be more scenarios to consider. However, it wasn¡¯t the time to panic and make decisions on a whim. Ignoring all doubts, he decided to finish the job right away. ¡°¡­.I am a school teacher. Could you please call the student Lee Joon?¡± [Please tell me first why you are calling.] ¡°¡­I just have something to say to him.¡± It was just a very trivial question. He just wanted to ask why that blind manmitted suicide after eating seagull meat. ¡®Hurry up and hang up, damn it.¡¯ The moment Lee Joon received the call, the game was over. [Please don¡¯t hang up¡­ The news I¡¯m about to give you might be a bit difficult for you to ept.] ¡°¡­Why?¡± [He has died.] For the second time, the science teacher¡¯s pupils dted greatly. The detective¡¯s calm voice rang through the phone. [An ident urred and we were conducting an on-site investigation, when the victim¡¯s cell phone rang, I answered it instead. Excuse me, but could you tell me your name and identity?] ¡°Dead, dead¡­¡± The teacher swallowed his dry saliva. What happened? Did he seed? He was going to kill him anyway, but he died on his own? No, he didn¡¯t seed. Master had clearly voiced his wish for the student Lee Joon to die in a specific way. If the intention was to simply kill him, there was no reason to give suchplicated instructions. [Hello. Hello.] He should figure out the reason. Why did Lee Joon die? Gulp. If he died in an ident, rather than the specific way Master had instructed him, it would be considered a failure of his mission. The Master¡¯s orders were absolute. What kind of harsh punishment awaits the person who fails to follow the instructions? Tremor began to appear in his body in fear as he desperately shook his head. Haaa. [Hello. You¡¯re being very suspicious right now. You called the victim¡¯s cell phone by restricting caller ID and even altering the voice. If you don¡¯t answer me this time, I¡¯ll have no choice but toe find you. Are you in the school right now?] With an ¡®Oops¡¯, the teacher quickly turned off the voice modtion app on his cell phone. ¡°Haa¡­ Hmm. sorry. I actually caught a cold. It¡¯s not like I modted my voice.¡± [Please, tell us how you are rted to the victim.] The science teacher nervously fidgeted with the students¡¯ OMR sheets he had brought with him as he answered. ¡°I am a science teacher at Nakseong High School.¡± [Ah, so you are a school teacher? What did you call him for¡­?] ¡°That, Joon¡­ Because he has always been close to me. I called to ask if he did well on the test.¡± [Is that so?] ¡°That¡¯s why, I just called him¡­ I¡¯m a bit surprised by the way. You¡¯re not joking, right?¡± [No. Did you have a close rtionship with the student?] ¡°No, not close. We were not that close. We would asionally ask about each others¡¯ wellbeing.¡± The science teacher, who felt that there was nothing good about being too involved in a situation he was unaware of, drew a reasonable line. As soon as the detective was about to say something, he took the initiative and asked what he was curious about all along. ¡°Anyway, what¡¯s going on? Joon, this student, died?¡± [You said it wasn¡¯t a close rtionship. Well, it¡¯s a bit hard to exin now. Since you are a faculty member, please check with the schoolter.] The science teacher hastily began to make excuses to the detective who was about to hang up the phone. ¡°No, it¡¯s true we do not have a close rtionship¡­¡± Rubbing his eyes, the science teacher pondered as sweat trickled down his eyebrows. He must have been so nervous that he started sweating. Instructions from the Master, everything was prepared by the Master for this purpose. He was told that all he had to do was make a phone call, but he couldn¡¯t do that and Lee Joon died first for the wrong reason. If he told other teachers¡­ In particr, he had no choice but to be nervous because he had to confirm the cause of his death and prepare at least one excuse before the Master found out. And he just prayed earnestly that the cause of the sudden death of the student named Lee Joon was a natural disaster that he could not have prevented. [¡­.You two don¡¯t have a close rtionship, right? When I asked you earlier a few seconds ago, you said that you only asionally ask about his wellbeing, and that your rtionship is nothing special-] ¡°Oh my. Are you just taking what I said because I¡¯m speaking in Gyeongsang dialect?¡± [T/N: Gyeongsang was one of the Eight Provinces of Joseon Korea. Gyeongsang was located in southeastern Korea.Thenguage used in Gyeongsang province is the Yeongnam dialect of Korean, also called the Gyeongsang dialect, and the intonation and vocabry is different from the standard Seoul dialect. Source: Wikipedia] The science teacher interrupted the detective and began to force a sad voice out of his dry emotions. ¡°Can¡¯t you tell just by the fact that I called him to ask if he did well on the test? If we really didn¡¯t have a good rtionship, I wouldn¡¯t have even contacted him!¡± [¡­I guess so. I was rude.] ¡°Joon, our Joon¡­ What on earth happened? He was a student I really cared about¡­¡± The pitch of his voice as he forced himself to express his emotions was very awkward. [Excuse me, but how close were you two?] ¡°We were close, very close! He was like a son to me¡­ Well¡­ Joony, whenever he would see me, he would run past all his friends to greet me¡­¡± [¡­] ¡°Teacher~! I¡¯m his teacher~! And whenever he woulde running to me, he would give me a hug¡­ The young man was so smart¡­ His expression was so pure and bright¡­ this is such a¡­ He was a very good student, but how¡­¡± [He¡¯s just a freshman and haven¡¯t even finished his first midterm exams yet. But you already know that he was good at studying?] ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying, I¡¯m telling the truth! I know because I saw how attentive he¡¯s in the ssroom! He always did his homework well and always sat in the front seat¡­ How¡­¡± [Front seat? ording to the students¡¯ testimony, he sat in the middle of the ssroom.] ¡°I¡­ I mean in the Science Lab! In the Science Lab!¡± Instead of acting sad, the teacher somehow sounded angry. ¡°Well, during science ss, instead of in the ss, students have to move to another ss! That¡¯s why I said this student sat at the front in the Science Lab! The Science Lab! Please listen carefully!¡± [Ahem, I was rude again. But why is your number shown as a restricted caller ID?] ¡°Oh my, Joon¡­¡± The teacher ignored the detective¡¯s words and raised his voice, grimacing his face as hard as he could like a wrinkled eggnt. ¡°What happened to our kind Joon¡­ oh my¡­¡± The science teacher who pped his knees lightly and cried dryly in a soulless voice. ¡°Why, how did it happen¡­ oh¡­¡± ¡°Joon is like a son to me¡­ Why is our good Joon¡­¡± Calling out the name of a student he had shown no interest in before, he cried with a dry voice. The sound of someone snickering in the background and trying to suppress theirughter was heard beside the voice of the detective from the other end of the phone. However, he was so absorbed in acting that he couldn¡¯t hear it. ¡°Heaven is so cruel¡­ Taking such a kind Joon¡­ oh my¡­ oh my¡­¡± [¡­] ¡°You should have taken me with you, Grim Reaper. Instead of him¡­ you could have taken this old guy. Why did our good Joon have to die first¡­ Oh my¡­¡± [¡­] ¡°I am sad¡­ Now I have to live with the memories of Joon buried in my heart¡­ As a teacher, what could be sadder than this? Oh my, oh my¡­ So why on earth did he die, oh¡­¡± [¡­All right. I¡¯ll tell you.] Finally! The teacher immediately changed his expression to his usual blunt self and devoted all his attention to the phone. [This is what happened. Actually, do you know? My friend, do you know that a man was once caught in a shipwreck a long time ago? At that time, just before starving to death, he barely caught a seagull and ate it to survive. Yearster, the man remembered the seagull meat from back then and went to a seagull restaurant. However, after taking a bite of the seagull meat, the man was shocked. Why was the man surprised?] The teacher was dumbfounded when he heard it for a moment. Soon his face slowly started turning blue, his skin turned red, and he shouted into the phone in his hand. ¡°Stop talking bullshit, you fucking shit! You damn bastard! You¡¯re kidding me!¡± [You will surely regret it if you hang up now.] ¡°Crazy bastard making fun of people¡­!¡± The science teacher was trembling all over. Thinking about it, he just left the ssroom he was supervising for less than 20 minutes. However, because a detective answered the phone all of a sudden, he couldn¡¯t even think properly because his mind was spinning to make an excuse. There was no way Lee Joon could have died inside the school in that short period of time. ¡°What kind of bastard-¡± As he was speaking, he suddenly stopped. Not just ¡®some¡¯ asshole. The phone call that he just received clearly came from Lee Joon¡¯s number. A ray of cold sweat trickled down his forehead again as he opened his mouth. ¡®What if¡­¡¯ [¡­] ¡®It, It can¡¯t be¡­ no way.¡¯ Did I get caught? Cold sweat began to trickle down like a waterfall over the old wrinkled face of the teacher. Not only did he turn off the voice modtion and introduce himself as a science teacher of Nakseong High School, revealing his identity, and ended up acting absurdly. Everything was discovered- ¡®Oh, no¡­ it¡¯s actually good!¡¯ The science teacher desperately tried to sort out the situation in his turbulent mind. If everything up until now had been yed out just to catch him, it would have been fortunate. ¡®Lee Joon! He¡¯s still alive!¡¯ He didn¡¯t know which one of those kids was imitating the adult¡¯s voice, but he could guess they did this to reveal his true identity! Rolling his head inwardly with desperation, his heart was once again filled with venom. Clearly, he revealed his identity on his own. But now, none of that matters. The important thing was that it was still possible to kill Lee Joon using the ghost story. ¡°Joo, Joony?¡± Drenched in sweat, he gently called out in a slow, trembling, pretentious voice. ¡°Are, are you there by any chance?¡± The science teacher¡¯s trembling eyes vaguely draw a half-moon shape. The corners of his mouth rose strangely. ¡°Well, you are there, right? Y, you were listening to everything from the side, right? huh?¡± Earlier, he heard someone else¡¯s suppressing voice next to the detective. It was clearly Lee Joon. If he came up with this trick to lure him to reveal his identity, he would definitely be listening to everything from the side. ¡°Right, right? You know, you¡¯re there. You¡¯re all listening¡­ right?¡± The science teacher¡¯s hands were shaking. [¡­Haaa.] Sure enough, someone next to the detective could be heard sighing pathetically at him. Unlike the detective¡¯s low tone, it was a faint sighing sound that had just reached adulthood. At that moment, the science teacher¡¯s eyes twinkled and sparkled. ¡°Lee Joon! You¡¯re caught!¡± ¡°You¡¯re next to the person!¡± If he could hide his identity, it would have been best for him to keep it hidden before asking the question. However, now even if he was pushed relentlessly to reveal his identity, he had nothing to lose. As a teacher, writing a ghost story to a student¡¯s question paper, and thenter calling the said question was a very suspicious action even from his perspective. However, there was no legal problem with the heart attack that Lee Joon would sufferter. ¡®Oh, it¡¯s not toote! It¡¯s still possible! Right now! right now!!¡¯ The teacher didn¡¯t even give the other person time to hang up the phone, and immediately made sure that even Lee Joom, who was eavesdropping on the other end of the phone, could hear. He grabbed the phone with the force as if shoving it down his throat and screamed at the top of his lungs. ¡°Why did the man die!¡± [¡­!] ¡°Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Time¡¯s uuuuppp~!¡± The person on the other end of the phone suddenly took a sharp breath. [Ugh, ugh!] Then, along with the sound of someone falling down, a panickedmotion was heard. Heard! Heard! Heard! Heard! You heard it~ You heard it, Joon! The teacher couldn¡¯t control theughter that bubbled up from underneath the cold exterior. ¡°Puahaha, Joon! I thought you left this teacher behind! Uha, uhhahahaha¡­ Is there something I could say¡­ Really¡­ hehehe.¡± The emotional rollercoaster which started with anxiety, then anger, embarrassment, forced tears, and then ecstasy. The science teacher who went through extremes of emotion for a short period of time. Finally, for the first time in his life, he fell into madness. He burst outughing. ¡°Keke, hahahaha, hehehe, haha¡­¡± The students, who thought he was just an ipetent man, saw his crazy, true face for the first time. ¡°Ah~ tsk tsk tsk. Damn, you caught me off guard hard. ¡®Joon is like my son!¡¯ Fuck you, as a student, you made fun of a heavenly teacher like me! Uhhaha¡­ hehe. This bastard, son of a bitch¡­ how surprised this teacher was! Something as small as a rock dared to make fun of adults! In my day, you couldn¡¯t even step on my shadow! You damn brat!¡± ¡°Really, really, really. Khahaha. I really can¡¯t stopughing, Jooonnnn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡± The science teacher burst intoughter, holding the chest of his discolored shirt, which waspletely wet from sweating too much earlier. ¡°100 points! You got 100 points on the midterm exam! This teacher will give you 100 points on your Science test! Haha, hahaha.¡± On the other side of the phone, Lee Joon¡¯s breathless gasps could be heard. [Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.] ¡°Khahahahaha. Haha.¡± Not being able to hold back hisughter, the science teacher began banging on the desk. Due to the vibration, the pile of students¡¯ OMR sheets on the desk spilled out, and Lee Joon¡¯s answer sheet reached the back of his hand. ¡°You son of a bitch, someone as ipetent as Joon is really good at messing around, this teacher admits that! I admit it, this teacher, hahaha¡­ 100 points for theugh, 100 points for you, hahaha.¡± [Uuggghhhhh] As the sound of Lee Joon gasping for breath was transmitted through the phone, heughed wildly, then picked up Lee Joon¡¯s OMR sheet and started waving it in front of his eyes. ¡°It seems like you did well, the teacher will fix everything with a correction pen! The test score is 100 points! Die in peace, Joon! Haha¡­¡± 36. Because it tasted different from the seagull meat that the man ate on the uninhabited ind. The meat he ate on the deserted ind belonged to his wife. ¡°Kekeke, hahaha¡­ The love story of a crazy person, stupid¡­ Huhu¡­¡± 36. Because it tasted different from the seagull meat that the man ate on the uninhabited ind. The meat he ate on the deserted ind belonged to his wife. ¡°Hahaha¡­hehe¡­¡± 36. Because it tasted different from the seagull meat that the man ate on the uninhabited ind. The meat he ate on the deserted ind belonged to his wife. 36. Because it tasted different from the seagull meat¡­ The meat tasted different¡­ On Lee Joon¡¯s OMR answer sheet, there was stuff written all over the subjective columns that should have been empty. Rubbing his eyes, the teacher couldn¡¯t help but look at the OMR sheet again. 36. Because it tasted different from the seagull meat that the man ate on the uninhabited ind. The meat he ate on the deserted ind belonged to his wife. What was that? This was something he had seen a lot somewhere. In the enclosed space. The science teacher¡¯s head started spinning. Yes. That was the answer to the problem he posed to Lee Joon. [36] If you remember this problem until the age you turn 20, you will receive a sudden phone call¡­ Why did the manmit suicide? Thest part of this problem that ended in question form. There, Lee Joon wrote down his answers on his OMR sheet and handed it to the teacher himself, who had written the test. [Did you have a goodugh?] The detective asked silently. [Then answer my question quickly. Why was the man surprised when he took a bite of a piece of seagull meat?] At that moment, Lee Joon¡¯s voice was heard next to the detective¡¯s voice. [Five.] [Four.] [Three.] Lee Joon coldly started the countdown. ¡°¡­Hey, no. for a moment¡­ Wait¡­¡± [Two.] ¡°What are you doing now¡­¡± [One.] It was his turn to answer? Why? Although the teacher didn¡¯t understand what he meant, he suddenly sensed a strange atmosphere that sent a chill down his spine and quickly answered. ¡°Why was, the man, surprised? That¡¯s because he found out that the seagull meat he ate when he was on a deserted ind was his wife¡¯s flesh¡­¡± [Hehehe¡­ What bullshit. You didn¡¯t even listen to Joon¡¯s problem properly. Joon, did you say something?] Immediately, the older man chuckled andughed. ¡°What? what¡­ No, why am I being asked questions in the first ce¡­¡± [Huh? You wanted to talk to Joon, right? Yes, here you go.] [Teacher.] ¡°Joon, Joon.¡± Lee Joon¡¯s voice, transmitting from the phone, sounded so alive and well. The science teacher started shaking as if he had encountered the Grim Reaper. ¡°But¡­You¡¯re alive.¡± [I have to live. I was loved by my teacher like this.] ¡°Yeah¡­yeah.¡± His whole body was shaking like an aspen tree. With trembling lips, he barely spoke to the phone ¡°Uh¡­what happened to the question?¡± [You don¡¯t know?] The male student on the other end of the phone answered whileughing. [It¡¯s a variation of the previous exam. A modified ghost story.] Inhaling a sharp breath, the teacher¡¯s pupils dted as he kept shaking, like an earthquake was happening in his body. He still didn¡¯t seem to understand anything about what was happening. [Is there anything you want to say for thest time?] The science teacher swallowed his saliva. ¡°¡­ Joon.¡± ¡°Can I just meet you at least once?¡± [Fuck you.] [Time¡¯s over.] Hick. ¡°Ugh¡­!!¡± As soon as Lee Joon coldly dered that time was over, the science teacher felt a strong shock in his heart and clutched his chest with both hands. The detective¡¯s deep voice rang out from his old cell phone that had fallen. [The correct answer is because he was confusing the test of the seagull meat of the restaurant to the one he ate on the ind. LOL¡­ Why did the seagull taste like pork? He thought that he was eating seagull meat, but he actually went to the wrong restaurant. That¡¯s why he was surprised after taking a bite¡­ Indeed, it¡¯s an absurd story¡­ Is there anything else you want to say to Joon? hmm? hello? hello?] Inside the office of Science Lab. The science teacher was lying on the floor and convulsing. Soon the call was hung up and amotion rose outside. Someone suddenly rushed down the stairs from the 5th floor and entered the Science Lab on the 4th floor. Slid. ¡°¡­ Oh my, God.¡± Six students from the Ghost Story Club entered the materials room in the Science Lab and gasped in surprise. The detective, who was holding Lee Joon¡¯s cell phone in his hand, was also surprised. That was thest thing the science teacher saw before death took him over. ¡°¡­Damn. He¡¯s already dead.¡± ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Detective.¡± ¡°Hey, he tried to trick you, but I never thought people could die from something like this¡­¡± ¡°Do you believe it now?¡± ¡°A bit. Was it really something that couldn¡¯t be resolved in some other way?¡± ¡°No. This is already the fourth time. This person must have had his reason for trying to kill me desperately.¡± ¡°Haaa. I understand that.¡± ¡°Detective, although you look very scary, I¡¯m surprised you listened to my request.¡± ¡°You silly guy, no matter what I look like, I¡¯m on the side of justice. I don¡¯t want innocent people dying in front of my eyes.¡± ¡°Sorry. But I really couldn¡¯t help it. You couldn¡¯t turn off or reject a ringing phone after it¡¯s already been cursed. Even if I answered at that moment, he would have tried to counterattack in some way.¡± ¡°¡­ So that¡¯s why you returned the question back to him. Talk about being self-sufficient. Haa¡­ I understand. I¡¯ll take care of this from here. You children can go back to the ssroom lest it causes any unnecessary suspicion.¡± ¡°All right.¡± ¡°You will hear for sure what happenedter, so just wait till then. Hello? Uh, I¡¯m Detective Pak. An incident urred here in Nakseong High School. A teacher died from a heart attack. It seems like it¡¯s a chronic illness. Uh, call an ambnce. No, there¡¯s no need to rush¡­¡± T/N: Hello readers. Recently I¡¯ve opened a Kofi ount. So if you like my work, consider supporting me on Kofi. Chapter 58: Interlude – Situation Summarization (1) Chapter 58: Interlude ¨C Situation Summarization (1) T/N: Thank you Justin for the Kofis! All locked chapters will be unlocked as per promise + 2 more unlock chapters will be posted! Happy reading~ [You¡¯vee across and survived a C-rank ghost story ¨C Cursed Question Paper.] [You have obtained 10 Ghost Story Points.] [You¡¯ve used your excellent wit and seeded in returning the curse to the caster!] [You have obtained 50 Ghost Story Points.] [Additional 10% bonus points for each contributing members.] [Contributing Members (5 members): Ahn Gyeongwon, Oh Dukhun, Yoon Sunah, Lee Jinhee, In Hayoon] [You¡¯ve earned additional 50% bonus, 30 points.] [Current Ghost Story Point: 202 +60 +30] Ding~ [Current Ghost Story Point: 292] The science teacher¡¯s ending was as expected. While the detective took care of cleaning up the Science Lab, we went down to the ssroom on the first floor as the bell to the end of schooltime rang. There, we saw Damim, our homeroom teacher joking with others as always while an ambnce entered the yground and drove to the main building. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll exin everything.¡± We each packed our bags and belongings before heading up to the clubroom on the 5th floor. ¡°Hey, Joon¡­ What about Teacher Jang Hwaeun?¡± ¡°That person is excluded for now.¡± I answered firmly. In terms of the number of times people tried to kill me by being possessed by ghost stories, Teacher Jang Hwaeun was at the top. Not to mention, she wasn¡¯t on the list of names I had memorized. Which meant there was a possibility she wasn¡¯t a part of the same faction hiding inside the school trying to kill me. Even so, the risk of revealing my secrets to her was too great to brush aside. ¡®¡­In Hayoon.¡¯ What about Hayoon? First of all, she didn¡¯t behave particrly suspicious in the previous time period when we encountered a ghost story together. The six of us climbed the stairs in silence in a somewhat serious atmosphere. I, who was leading ahead, turned aside slightly and looked down at Hayoon below, who was climbing behind me. With her ck hair spilled behind, she was climbing the stairs with a nonchnt look on her face. Could I trust her enough to reveal my secrets? Certainly, I didn¡¯t suspect her enough but that didn¡¯t mean she was without some suspicious aspects. However, she was the same Hayoon, who had sacrificed herself several times to save us. In the ghost story of Dreams Within Dreams, she voluntarily stayed in the first dream and let others escape. And even with the incident of Fourincess, she willingly got down off the elevator so we could proceed further. And the most important aspect was, I was connected with Hayoon in the first ce because of the S-rank special ability, Goddess of Luck. ¡®¡­Let¡¯s trust her for now. I can ask her my doubtster when we¡¯ll be alone.¡¯ With that, I decided to trust the judgement of the system which I concluded operated beyond my perception rather than my own shallow calctions. The time to exin everything had finallye. ¡°You guys came?¡± Perhaps the detective was able to roughly wrap up the investigation, he reached the clubroom before us and was standing by the window. When we entered, he turned around and greeted us. ¡°Yes. Guys, sit down.¡± All the members sat down around the table in silence. The detective also sat down in the empty chair, which would have originally belonged to Teacher Jang Hwaeun. ¡°So, please exin to me how this all happened.¡± Sighing, I stood in front of the whiteboard and looked at the members before opening my mouth. ¡°When I met the science teacher face-to-face for the first time, he talked to me in person and exchanged questions and answers, not over the phone but through direct conversation. From there, I learned that once the game starts, there is no need to continue it over the phone.¡± For example, whether we exchanged questions and answers via KakaoTalk or through letters, the consequences would have been somewhat simr once the game was triggered. This means that once the trigger, which was an eerie melody that rang through the phone the first time, was activated, the method had nothing to do with the game. ¡°I wrote the answer on the OMR sheet in advance and handed it to him in person. He personally received it and carried it with him. He must have kept it right under his nose the entire time he was on the phone with me without knowing that I had already answered the question.¡± When the science teacher collected the answer himself, it was clearly recognized as it was ¡®the answer sheet that Lee Joon had submitted to the question he had posed.¡¯ Midterm exam: OMR sheet. The problem with the ghost story: The answer. These two elements became the keyposition that waspletely symmetrical to each other, and as a result, the answers to the teacher¡¯s questions were processed in the same way as I had written them down on paper. He must have even held up my answer sheet and waved it around in front of him. Therefore, he could never im that it was invalid. It was all thanks to what the science teacher said when I pretended to die. I even had seeded in thoroughly eliciting many emotional reactions from him after my pretended death. By thoroughly showing his real face to the members and the detective, I seeded in convincing the members of my club, who had been up till now blindly following me, thinking it was just a fun game for them as freshmen in highschool, about the existence of ghost stories. ¡°¡­ But I guess that¡¯s not what you¡¯re curious about.¡± ¡°Yes. We aren¡¯t curious about what happened during that face-to-face confrontation.¡± The detective spoke while resting his chin on his hands. ¡°Everything. From beginning to end. Starting with what a ghost story is, and how do you know about them.¡± Gyeongwon and Sunah looked at me nervously. Hayoon quietly stared at me. Dukhun for the first time, looked a little serious. Jinhee had her brows furrowed. It was finally time to exin the truth to everyone. My secret that even the members, with whom I shared simr incidents to some extent before, didn¡¯t know. Truth regarding the game-like systems and my regression. ¡°¡­I think it would probably be quicker to show you an example.¡± I opened the Status Window. Pop. ¡¶MAIN SCREEN [2019, April 23 | Tuesday, 12:52] [Lee Joon ¨C Number of Attempts: 2] [Ghost Story Point: 292] [Causality Rate: 12%] Status Window Manage Club Statistics Settings¡· ¡®Manage Club.¡¯ Pop. [Ghost Story Club LV.5] ¡¶Club Status Window Manage Member Shop Club Settings¡· I finally opened the shop menu which I had been saving for. ¡®Shop.¡¯ Pop. [Wee to the Shop.] [You can spend your points to purchase various items necessary for the operations of the club at the lowest price at the shop.] [Not only that, you can also purchase various policies and facilities that can affect the management of the school directly.] [Wise consumption is the easiest way to victory. Wish you all the best.] Swish. [Apparel/ Appearance/ Merchandise/ Food/ Products/ Furnishings/ Lifespan/ Health/ Hire/ Technology/ Home Appliances/ Computer/ Sports/ Leisure/ Vehicle/ Books/ Tickets/ Travel/ E-coupons/ School Facilities] Multiple categories listed endlessly appeared before my eyes. Certainly, it wasn¡¯t my first time opening the Shop option. After unlocking the Shopst month, I opened it asionally to explore its features. ¡®Let¡¯s see. The clubroom just happened to need a sofa.¡¯ Among the many categories, I clicked on Furnishings. Pop. [Furnishings] [Furniture/ Lighting/ Interior / Living Room/ Bathroom/ Storage/ Kitchenware/ Bedding/ Curtain] ¡®Furniture again.¡¯ Pop. Once again, endless categories of simr things popped up. Built-in cabs, wardrobes, mirrors, chests of drawers, sofas, tables, bookshelves, etc. I clicked on the sofa among them. Pop. Finally, the list of actual products, which I had been searching for, popped out of the category hell. [Movable King-sized 3-person Sofa ¨C cushion free ¨C 28 ghost story points] [Discounted Square-shaped Wooden Sofa ¨C Couch + 2 free cushions ¨C 20 ghost story points] [Best Western Natural Leather King-sized 4-person Sofa (Red) ¨C 34 Ghost Story Points] [Top Natural Bear Leather 4-person Sofa ¨C 66 Ghost Story Points] The names of the products shown in the screen hovering before me were written with full description and promotional phrases like deliveries, making it seem like they were actually crafted from some shop. There was even a simple photo attached next to the name, so it was easy to understand what kind of item it was. ¡®There are so many.¡¯ I felt dizzy as I looked at the big, endless screen hovering before me, almost covering the whole clubroom. Waving my hand, I quickly shrunk the screen so that it wouldn¡¯t hinder my vision. My gaze fell through the zoomed-out screen. The members, as well as the detective, were looking at me with strange eyes as I pointed my finger and waved my hand in the air. ¡°Hmm. Let¡¯s see¡­ It has to be big enough to amodate four people, so even if one person sleeps, the others can sit next to them and rest, right?¡± Choosing a moderately expensive one among the four-person sofas, I clicked on the screen. [Western Bonita Stripe Fabric 4-person Sofa ¨C 59 Ghost Story Points] 750 mm by width. 2,890 mm by length. The sofa was over 2 meters long. I looked around the clubroom to see if there was enough space, but I was worried for no reason. The clubroom had already been expanded twice. It wasrge enough to be about the size of an ordinary living room. ¡®The price¡­ 59 ghost story points? If I converted it to real money, it would be 590,000 won. This is quite expensive, right?¡¯ For the past month, I had been studying the Status Window by myself andparing the prices of products in the Shop and actual products on the Inte. It seemed that 1 ghost story point was approximately equivalent to 10,000 won. ¡®Let¡¯s have fun.¡¯ ¡°Jinhee.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Jinhee looked at me with a question mark above her head. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of buying a sofa. There are gray and blue ones. Which one would you like to choose?¡± Jinhee¡¯s expression turned nk for a moment. ¡°¡­Well, wouldn¡¯t gray be just fine?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± [Western Bonita Stripe Fabric 4-person Sofa ¨C 59 Ghost Story Points] [Warning! Products purchased with points cannot be returned, exchanged, or refunded.] [Would you like toplete the purchase?] Click. ¡°Congrattions, Jinhee. You don¡¯t have to sleep on a hard chair anymore.¡± [Purchase has beenpleted.] Swish-! Something moving in the hallway was heard in the clubroom at that moment. The members all turned their eyes toward the hallway where the sound came from. I nodded in satisfaction before smiling. ¡°The delivery has arrived.¡± ¡°Wh, what is going on¡­¡± Gyeongwon muttered with a puzzled expression. When we peeked into the hallway, we saw a long sofa over 2 meters long, ced there. ¡°Uh, why is this thing here¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s ours. Let¡¯s move it into the clubroom.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± Nudging the dazed members, who were muttering in astonishment, I had them bring the sofa inside. ¡°Detective, use your strength a bit. Pull it from the front.¡± ¡°Haissssshhhh!¡± The door of the clubroom was narrower than expected, so the members had to tilt the sofa on a side and adjust the angle before pushing in. ¡°Girls who are inside! Make some space by removing the whiteboard and desk! For now, we have to set those aside!¡± Sunah and Hayoon groaned and whined as they pushed the desk, chairs and the whiteboard into a corner. Jinhee was pulling the sofa from the front, pulling it shoulder to shoulder with the detective. ¡°One, two! One, two!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that heavy since many people are carrying it. Rather, it¡¯s the narrow door, huuu.¡± After pushing and pulling for a while, we finally managed to carry the sofa into the clubroom before letting out a deep breath of relief. ¡°Uh~ it¡¯s hot!¡± The detective took off his coat and pped his clothes while loosening his tie with his hand. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet! We have put it on the wall over there!¡± ¡°Oh my gosh, you guys should do that! I was fully immersed listening to the exnation and suddenly this disaster happened!¡± ¡°Pfft.¡± The serious atmosphere eased up a bit as we worked together. Only after pushing the sofa to the wall were the members able to wipe their sweat. Among us, Jinhee looked at the sofa with a particrly satisfied and excited expression. ¡°You can sit down, Jinhee.¡± Laughing at my suggestion, Jinhee ran over and jumped on the sofa. Boing. ¡°Ah, fuck, it¡¯s good!¡± ¡°Mm-hmm!¡± As Jinhee sweared loudly, indicating her happiness, the detective looked at her with disapproval. But Jinhee only giggled before lying down on the sofa and scratching her thighs. ¡°Dukhun, you bastard,e sit next to your Noona!¡± [T/N: ¡®Noona¡¯ is a Korean word which means ¡®Sister¡¯ in a respectful way.] ¡°Ku¡­ Kusso.¡± As Jinhee, who was lying down on her side and giggling happily pointed at Dukhun with her foot, he walked to her obediently. It seemed Jinhee is usually a very capricious person. [Your understanding of the character Lee Jinhee has increased by 10.] ¡°Jinhee, skirt¡­¡± Sunah muttered shyly, but Jinhee just giggled and rolled around on the sofa. Her already short skirt was rolled up to the thighs which made Sunah quite embarrassed. ¡°Huu, so, Prez. What on earth is happening?¡± Gyeongwon took a breath before asking me. Although it seemed he didn¡¯t put much effort into it because hecked strength, it still seemed it was quite difficult for him as well. ¡°Now before I exin it, I have shown an example to you guys. So that when I exin it to you, you may believe it.¡± ¡°Ahem.¡± I watched as everyone sat down after wiping their sweat and stared at me. ¡°Hmm.¡± Standing in front of the whiteboard, I began the exnation of the strange phenomenon surrounding me. ¡°I don¡¯t know if some of you have noticed it or not but our clubroom has expanded twice the size it was before.¡± Since the detective was there, I started to exin it from the very beginning in a respectful manner. Sunah nodded enthusiastically when I mentioned the clubroom getting bigger, however, Gyeongwon looked confused. Jinhee, who was lying down on the sofa, saw the puzzled look on Gyeongwon¡¯s face and couldn¡¯t help but mock. ¡°Won¡¯t it only be an idiot to not notice such a thing?¡± ¡°¡­ What? Everyone noticed?¡± Dukhun crossed his fat arms before sighing exaggeratedly. ¡°Yare yare. I couldn¡¯t bear to mention it at that moment thinking it was only my illusion. But it seems what I thought was an illusion was actually true. I thought I started seeing things because of weight loss.¡± ¡°¡­Well, even though the clubroom expanded doesn¡¯t mean people actually came and did the work. Just as the sofa appeared out of thin air, some strange things have been happening to me that transcends human perception.¡± ¡°Strange things?¡± ¡°It started three years ago, during my high school entrance ceremony.¡± After hearing those words, the members began to calcte in their heads for a moment, perhaps trying to grasp my age or questioning if they heard me right. ¡°¡­It must be during the middle school entrance ceremony.¡± ¡°No, it was the high school entrance ceremony.¡± I corrected it again when Gyeongwon tried to correct me. ¡°What I said is correct.¡± ¡°¡­But, Prez, aren¡¯t you still a first year?¡± Ignoring his question, I proceeded with the exnation. ¡°During the entrance ceremony, something that looked like a game-like system window suddenly appeared before my eyes. I call it ¡®Status Window¡¯. It looks a bit like this¡­¡± I grabbed the marker pen, which was automatically added to the clubroom when it was first created and started drawing. With the Status Window open in front of me, I copied the shapes and letters exactly as they were. ¡°It looks like this.¡± [2019, April 23 | Tuesday, 12:52] [Lee Joon ¨C Number of Attempts: 2] [Ghost Story Point: 292] [Causality Rate: 12%] ¡¶Status Window Manage Club Statistics Settings¡· ¡°Hoo.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± All of the members, including the detective, glowed their eyes. Dukhun, who was the most knowledgeable about games among us, had the most glowing expression than everyone. ¡°Status Window¡­¡± ¡°Status Window.¡± I nodded to him. ¡°This game-like system, which suddenly appeared to me on the day of my entrance ceremony, told me to solve various ghost stories and earn points because ording to it, a supernatural being called the Demon King would be resurrected three yearster. As I¡¯ve mentioned earlier, strange phenomena that could only be described as ghost stories began to ur to me after that. There are probably members here who have already gone through the same experience as me.¡± Those who had, nodded. ¡°Just how the science teacher just died, the phenomena were somewhat simr. That person tried to put a curse on me using a ghost story. But that didn¡¯t work, and the curse returned to him and he died.¡± ¡°Hum.¡± The detective clicked his tongue before asking. ¡°I have a question. The word ¡®ghost story¡¯ that you keep mentioning, does it have the same definition as we know in the dictionary?¡± ¡°Yes, it does. A creepy or scary story. Urban legend. ult. Strange rumors. Conspiracy theory¡­¡± I nodded as I mentioned a few examples. ¡°For me, these are the things that materialize and happen.¡± The detective clicked his tongue once again with a ¡®hmm¡¯. ¡°Of course, these things don¡¯t happen only to me. Once a ghost story is materialized, it not only has physical power but also has a real impact on the world.¡± ¡°Another question. The science teacher. Why did he try to kill you, and how does he know these things?¡± ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know that either. But the system told me that this school has a hidden secret. I think it probably has something to do with it.¡± ¡°A hidden secret¡­¡± The detective rubbed his beard with a thoughtful look on his face. ¡°Yes, a hidden secret. But I foolishly¡­ ignored the system¡¯s warning during my first time and spent my time living a normal life. Studying, taking the CSAT exam¡­ And in February 2022, the Demon King was finally resurrected.¡± ¡°2022¡­?¡± The members tilted their heads as if they couldn¡¯t understand. Knowing they would be able to understand once I finished the exnation, I continued. ¡°Yes. Hell unfolded in the world after the resurrection of the Demon King, and I, too, died in an iprehensible way less than a dayter.¡± ¡°Prez, a question.¡± This time, it was Gyeongwon who raised his hand. ¡°Yes, please ask.¡± ¡°How did you die?¡± Umm¡­ How do I exin this? ¡°I can only describe it as¡­ it was truly bizarre and terrifying. It was like a nightmare.¡± ¡°What was the reason?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯ll exinter. It¡¯s just that my death is very disturbing to me and doesn¡¯t matter much to the exnation I¡¯m giving now. I think it will get tooplicated if I tell you that now.¡± ¡°Okay, sorry. Continue.¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± I waved my hand, indicating it didn¡¯t matter to me. However, this time, it was Dukhun who intervened. ¡°What?¡± ¡°That¡­¡± Dukhun began to wiggle as he spoke as if he was embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯m hungry¡­¡± ¡°Oh, me too.¡± ¡°I¡¯m hungry too¡­¡± When he mentioned it, we realized that it was already well past 1 o¡¯clock. Since it was the time of midterm exams, the cafeteria was closed because exams are usuallypleted quickly. Because of that, we haven¡¯t had lunch yet. I was immersed in trying to resolve the ghost story and then watched my science teacher dying in front of my eyes, so the thought of having lunch flew past my mind. Everyone was also hungry since they haven¡¯t eaten anything until now. Since the exnation was going to be long, it would be hard to take everything in with an empty stomach. ¡°We can¡¯t go out and eat somewhere while discussing the matter. The information is not only strange but also highly sensitive, so it¡¯s better to talk about it here in the clubroom before having lunch.¡± ¡°Then I guess we can order takeouts.¡± At Gyeongwon¡¯s words, the eyes of the members instantly turned to the detective, who was the only adult present. The detective, under the watchful eyes of the members, quietly picked up his phone and called a nearby Chinese restaurant. ¡°Hello. I¡¯m calling from Nakseong High School. We¡¯re on the fifth floor. I¡¯d like to order 7 bowls of ck bean noodles¡­¡± ¡°I want to eat chicken¡­¡± When Sunah muttered quietly, the detective looked very embarrassed for a moment which looked quite strange for someone of his size. ¡°What? Chi, chicken? I don¡¯t know if there are any restaurants that sell chicken around. How about recing it with sweet and sour pork or kkanpunggi? Uh, please bring some sweet and sour pork and the dried pork kimchi.¡± [T/N: Kkanpunggi or Spicy Garlic Fried Chicken is a kind of Korean Chinese cuisine, also known as Sino¨CKorean cuisine, which is a hybrid cuisine developed by the ethnic Chinese in Korea.] ¡°Sauce, separately¡­¡± ¡°Yes? Sauce? Ah, I understand.¡± If it¡¯s about work or dealing with criminals, the detective had sharp intuition and a strict attitude. However, he was the type of person who gets flustered in front of innocent students like this. [Your understanding of the character Pak Gangwon has increased by 10.] ¡°No sauce on the sweet and sour pork. No, no, bring it here separately, don¡¯t pour it on the meat. Don¡¯t pour it, but bring it separately. If I find the sauce on the meat I¡¯m going toin.¡± Jinhee, who was still lying down on the sofa, couldn¡¯t help but let out a sarcasticment at the flustered detective. ¡°Who orders takeouts through calls these days? Everyone uses food delivery apps.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be sarcastic, children.¡± The detective nervously puts down his phone before muttering to himself. ¡°It¡¯s not like I normally have this vulnerable image¡­¡± The extraordinary aura he disyed when we first met was really only half of his usual image which he had no choice but to suppress in front of young students. The detective let out a resigned sigh as if the image he painstakingly built was hurt. T/N: I¡¯ve opened a new Kofi ount recently. So if you like my work, consider supporting me on Kofi. Chapter 59: Interlude – Situation Summarization (2) Chapter 59: Interlude ¨C Situation Summarization (2) Soon, a delivery man arrived, carrying the food directly to the clubroom. Perhaps because everyone had left school and the school was empty, they were able to enter the main building without being noticed by the security guard. ¡°Thanks for the food, Detective~¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, enjoy the meal. I have a feeling that I will continue interacting with you all in the future.¡± The table was soon piled up with ck bean sauce noodles, grilled dumplings, sweet and sour pork, and Kkanpunggi. ¡°Joon,e sit with us. You can exin everything while eating.¡± ¡°It looks delicious. I should just sit down and eat.¡± Since the detective urged me, I also stopped exining and sat down before picking up my chopsticks. ¡°Should have ordered spicy seafood noodles. The whole table is full with ck bean noodles.¡± The detective¡¯s eyebrows scrunched at Jinhee¡¯s grumbling. ¡°Do you smoke, Jinhee?¡± As if her great secret had been revealed, Jinhee flinched. ¡°I can tell by the way you pick up your chopsticks, dear. So eat quietly.¡± After ourte meal, I exined everything else that I had experienced up till then. From the first broadcasting announcement ghost story to theughing girl, the fake mother, and the countless dreams ghost story, everything. ¡°I¡¯m d I didn¡¯t hear it before lunch.¡± Gyeongwon¡¯s face turned pale as he heard the cruel contents. ¡°There is also something called ¡®Ghost Story Points¡¯. You can use them to do and purchase a lot of things.¡± After a brief biography of my previous life along with my current one, I exined the operation of the system as best as I could. I also exined all the various abilities that I could attain from the system by fighting ghost stories and acquiring ghost story points. By the time my exnation of the system ended, I looked the time through the Status Window and it was already 5 o¡¯clock. ¡°So Prez had lived three more years than us¡­¡± Gyeongwon muttered in contemtion. I didn¡¯t think it was something to contemte so hard about but I guessed it was important for them. We had been getting along quite well so far, but perhaps knowing that I was actually 20 years old, it bothered them somewhat. ¡°¡­.Well, I hope you don¡¯t feel burdened to treat me like someone older than you because of my age. I would be grateful if you treat me asfortably as you have so far.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not something like that¡­ I think it¡¯s unfair that you took the college entrance examination so you know all the answers.¡± Hayoon, who was sitting next to him, pinched Gyeongwon¡¯s thigh at the unnecessary remark. I nodded quietly. ¡°Don¡¯t think like that, take it realistically. In three years, the Demon King will be resurrected and the world will be destroyed. College entrance examination is something that is a more insignificant matter than that.¡± ¡°I agree. We must protect the world first.¡± Dukhun nodded his head strongly. He behaved as if it was his priority to save the world. However, I felt like he was having fun being able to partake in it. Perhaps because it made him feel like he was an anime character. [Your understanding of the character Oh Dukhun has increased by 10.] ¡°So, the reason this sofa suddenly appeared just now was because you used those points?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right.¡± I nodded to the detective. ¡°But these points can be used in much more necessary situations. It would be a waste to use them for something as insignificant as this.¡± ¡°Is the sofa very expensive?¡± ¡°We could buy it with real money. It was a waste because many surreal things can be done with the points that you can¡¯t do with money.¡± ¡°Then it certainly is wasteful.¡± ¡°Acquiring abilities, expanding the club¡¯s functions¡­¡± The detective looked at the whiteboard with a thoughtful expression as I was exining the prospective usage of the points and then asked with curiosity. ¡°What is this Causality Rate?¡± Causality Rate. Thinking about it, I also couldn¡¯t help but wonder, what is it actually? ¡°I¡¯m curious too, Prez. It¡¯s written over there in the Status Window that you drew on the board, but you haven¡¯t mentioned it even once since you began exining.¡± ¡°¡­Well, actually, I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°Hmm. Well, every time a ghost story is solved, it just goes up bit by bit¡­¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The members all tilted their heads as they pondered while looking at the Status Window which I had drawn on the whiteboard. ¡°Does anythinge to your mind, Dukhun?¡± As I asked Dukhun, who was also wondering what the Causality Rate could mean, he scratched his chin. When ites to game system elements, he was probably the only one who could think of something faster than all the other members. ¡°Causality, causality¡­ Hmm.¡± Dukhun showed a thoughtful look. ¡°If the number increases as the game progresses, the only thing thates to mind immediately is the percentage ofpletion or progress of the game bypleting each level¡­¡± ¡°Completion? Progress?¡± ¡°Usually in games where there is only one yer, a percentage level like that is disyed to show how much progress is left until reaching the ending. If you¡¯re halfway through the game, it will show you¡¯vepleted 50 percent of the game.¡± ¡°But in this case, the ending period is definitely set. It¡¯s February 2022, the date when the Demon King is resurrected.¡± ¡°¡­Well, if that¡¯s the case. Then¡­¡± Dukhun looked worried. What I said was right. The point at which this life-like game would end is clearly set. February 15, 2022. The graduation day. On that day, whether or not the resurrection of the Demon King could be prevented would be the only deciding factor in the ending. ¡°Perhaps we should think outside of the games¡¯ scenario and rather think about it through the concept of the word itself?¡± This time, Gyeongwon, who was well-versed in general knowledge among everyone present, voiced his opinion. ¡°Through the concept of the word?¡± ¡°Mmhm.¡± Gyeongwon shone his sses as he nodded. ¡°Can I use the whiteboard?¡± ¡°Do whatever you want but hurry up.¡± Getting up from his seat, Gyeongwon approached me with steady steps. He took the marker from my hand before starting writing something on the whiteboard. Causality Rate. Cause and effect (Òò¹ûÂÉ). ¡°¡­What is this?¡± ¡°I have written the word Causality Rate in Chinese characters. The character Yin (Òò) means cause, Gu¨¯ (¹û) means result or consequence, and L¨¸ means (ÂÉ)w.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°If you divide the word character by character, it simply means ¡®Thew of cause and effect¡¯. It is originally a word used mostly in physics or philosophy.¡± ¡°¡­This is my first time hearing it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a word that people use considerably in everyday life.¡± At those words, the detective who was quietly watching opened his mouth. ¡°I believe it would be better if you exin in detail what the concept is about and continue with the exnation.¡± ¡°¡­All right.¡± Perhaps his momentum was hindered which made him embarrassed, Gyeongwon cleared his throat and started exining. ¡°Do you all know the saying, ¡®There is no smoke without fire¡¯?¡± ¡°We do.¡± ¡°The concept that I¡¯m talking about is simr to that. There must always be a cause or reason for everything. The concept of cause and effect are expressed in one word which is called causality.¡± ¡°Why is such a difficult word used to express the concept? At Sunah¡¯s innocent question, Gyeongwon looked troubled. ¡°I think the person who first used the word just wanted to appear knowledgeable. It¡¯s a word that¡¯s rarely used in everyday conversation, so I hope you understand that it¡¯s just a concept. What¡¯s more important than that right now is¡­¡± As he trailed off, Gyeongwon erased what he wrote on the whiteboard and added some new characters there before continuing his exnation. ¡°The Causality Rate that appears in Prez¡¯s Status Window, I believe it¡¯s more of a proportional rate (ÂÊ), not thew of cause and effect (ÂÉ).¡± [T/N: Chinesenguage has many words with the same character or pronunciation but with different meanings. (ÂÊ) is L¨¸ which means ¡®ratio¡¯ or ¡®proportional rate¡¯. (ÂÉ) has also simr pronunciation, L¨¸, but it means ¡®thew¡¯.] ¡°Proportional rate?¡± ¡°The increasing number next to the Causality Rate in the Status Window. It¡¯s being disyed as a percentage.¡± He began to write down the meaning under the newly written Chinese characters as he exined. Proportional rate of cause and effect (Òò¹ûÂÊ). Cause (Òò). Result or consequence (¹û). Proportional rate (ÂÊ). ¡°Although the word I¡¯ve written doesn¡¯t exist originally, I just guessed that the Causality Rate shown in the Status Window could be simr to this. When we break down the word character by character, it means, ¡®Proportional rate of cause and effect¡¯.¡± Proportion¡­ that certainly seemed so. This thing called Causality Rate shown in the Status Window. I couldn¡¯tprehend what it represented, however, I could guess that it was definitely showing a ratio of something in percentage. So Gyeongwon just used a different word and tried to express thew (ÂÉ) of cause and effect into the proportional rate (ÂÊ) between the two terms? ¡°However, I hope you all understand that this is just my own interpretation. The actions of Prez so far must have been working as a trigger for some oue, and that is steadily building up, which is being shown through the Status Window as Causality Rate.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°In other words, the results of certain causes are gradually umting toward one particr result. Currently, the causality rate is 12%, so we can say that results about 12 out of 100 causes have been umted.¡± ¡°¡­Could you give me an example?¡± Seeing the confused look on Sunah¡¯s face, I couldn¡¯t help but ask Gyeongwon again. ¡°Hmm. For example, Prez.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°If you were to jump out of the window right now, what would be your chances of survival?¡± ¡°¡­Well.¡± We were on the 5th floor. If I were to jump from such a height, it was guaranteed to result in at least half of my body being crippled. However, since the height wasn¡¯t enough to kill a person instantly, the chances of my death weren¡¯t 100%. ¡°¡­Do you think you can survive with a chance of 20%?¡± ¡°What if we put a mattress on the ground before you jump?¡± ¡°However, it must still be dangerous because we¡¯re 5 stories high. Hmm.¡± While I was pondering about different methods to increase the chances of my survival, the detective voiced out a possible problem in my stead. ¡°Even if a mattress is prepared before you jump down, you still have a 90% chance of survival. Unless yound on your head and break your neck.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Gyeongwon nodded his head as he proposed another method. ¡°So what if we not only put a mattress on the ground but also give you a parachute before you jump?¡± ¡°¡­Then there is a 99% chance that I will survive.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Gyeongwon nodded with certainty as he shed his sses. ¡°The proportional rate is that if you jump from the 5th floor to the bare ground without any protective measures, you have a high probability of dying. However, if you change the conditions even a bit, such as changing the bare ground with a mattress or jumping down while carrying a parachute, the probability changes.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°This concept is what I call the proportional rate of cause and effect. I suppose that Causality Rate might be such a concept. To put it simply, it¡¯s based on probability. The probability that a certain oue, which is set to ur, will ur anyhow.¡± After Gyeongwon¡¯s example, the concept seemed clearer than before. Probability was perhaps just a slightly different way to express the same thing. ¡°The most important thing is, Prez.¡± Gyeongwon shed his sses as he called me. ¡°The percentage shown in your Status Window, the ¡®Causality Rate¡¯, what incident¡¯s causality rate is it expressing?¡± ¡°What, incident¡¯s, causality¡­¡± ¡°What is certain is that something is bound to happen if it reaches 100 percent. Not to mention, it¡¯s being umted separately from the revival of the Demon King.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The Demon King who would be resurrected when the right time approaches. However, regardless of that time, the Causality Rate is being umted every time a ghost story is exterminated. What consequence is it leading me by umting the results of the causes? ¡°I think I have roughly exined everything to you that I knew.¡± ¡°Can you exin a bit more?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Gyeongwon showed a thoughtful look, however, shook his head in the end. ¡°I don¡¯t think I know anything more than what I¡¯ve shared.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°¡­Nevertheless, there¡¯s a few things I also want to ask you all about.¡± The members tilted their heads at the sudden curiosity. I also had a few things I wanted to ask someone for advice about these iprehensible situations, but I couldn¡¯t get the chance to do so because of the exnation I¡¯ve been doing up till now. ¡°What is it! Ask me anything you want, President!¡± Dukhun banged his fat arms on the desk as he let out a loud promation. The other members also listened with serious expressions on their faces. ¡°Okay. First of all, the word ¡®Number of Attempts¡¯, what do you think it is about?¡± ¡°Hoo¡­¡± Since we went back to games¡¯ elements, Dukhun was the first to open his mouth. ¡°It seems it¡¯s indicating the number of times you¡¯re trying to y the game. Usually, in video games, it is shown as ¡®2nd round¡¯ when the yer reaches the ending once and attempts to y it again to reach a better oue.¡± ¡°So it refers to the number of times I¡¯ve started from the beginning.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes? I guess that could be possible, too?¡± Although it was an answer I had heard before, thinking about it again, I still felt astonished. Wouldn¡¯t it be boring to y a game that follows the same story every time from the very beginning instead ofpeting against other people? ¡°It is said that among single-yer games such as Dark Souls, or Roguelike, it ismon for some enthusiasts to intentionally start over from the beginning after watching the ending. Sometimes they do it just for fun, and sometimes they do it to see the true ending.¡± ¡­For someone like me who had only yed LOL or PUBG, this was something I never knew or understood. ¡°How many times did it appear in your previous life?¡± ¡°In my previous life¡­¡± Even after pondering over it hard, I still couldn¡¯t remember it. Thinking about it, in my previous life, I couldn¡¯t even open the Status Window after running away from the Quest Tutorial and reaching a bad ending. ¡°¡­.I never checked the Status Window in my previous life. I just lived an ordinary life before dying.¡± ¡°A Status Window popped up in front of you and you lead an ordinary life? Oi oi, even jokes are better-¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I wanted to do that either. After I ran away from school, the Quest Tutorial that popped up didn¡¯t work, and the Status Window turned gray as if locked. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°So a death ending.¡± In response to my answer, Dukhun quietly grabbed his chin and pondered. ¡°If the Status Window says this is your 2nd attempt to hinder the revival of the Demon King, it¡¯s confirmed that your previous life must be the 1st attempt. Since you reached the ending once and started everything from the beginning for the 2nd time, the number of attempts has increased¡­ However, since you couldn¡¯t confirm if it truly was your 1st time in your previous life then, hmm.¡± Dukhun frowned as he kept mumbling. ¡°I cannot be sure whether this 2nd attempt shown in the Status Window has the same meaning as the term used in games. Not to mention, the terms Causality Rate and Ghost Story Points are not something that are used in regr games.¡± The elements of the system seemed to have the sensibility of single-yer games at first nce. However, it has many different aspects, so it was quite impossible for anyone to be sure about its elements. ¡°In addition to simply meaning that this is your 2nd attempt at trying to reach a good ending, it can also be used to mean that you have inherited the baton from someone in a situation where you had no choice. And It seems you can attempt to reach a good ending at least a few times¡­¡± ¡°¡­I think these are the terms I¡¯ve heard people using in ry games.¡± ¡°Anyway, it still looks like the indication of what it can be is unknown as to what it actually means. Let¡¯s think about that for another time and move on to the next topic.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After summarizing the concept of Number of Attempts as best as I could, I moved on to the next topic. ¡°Well. Then the next thing I was curious about was what happened during the time when I fought the Laughing Girl.¡± ¡°It happened a few weeks ago.¡± The reason why I mentioned the Laughing Girl ghost story wasn¡¯t because of the ghost story itself, but rather what happened before that. The seat assignment that happened that day when I was trying to repel the ghost story of the Laughing Girl in the manual ghost story was what bothered me the most. Up till now, I had always been curious about why even when I randomly selected a number, and that was also several times, I was still seated next to Dukhun every time. ¡°You damn Otaku, you didn¡¯t do something shady, did you? So that you could sit together with him.¡± ¡°Masaka!¡± When Jinhee mocked Dukhun, he showed an angry expression. ¡°Didn¡¯t I clearly say I¡¯m not interested in BL elements!¡± ¡°Maybe the homeroom teacher did something¡­¡± Sunah tilted her head and also expressed her opinion. ¡°Hmm, homeroom teacher?¡± It was a possibility. After all, it was the homeroom teacher who ordered the drawing of cards to allocate seats to the students. ¡°¡­But even so, I don¡¯t understand what the homeroom teacher¡¯s intention was in having me seated beside Dukhun. What good is there for him by having me seated with this guy?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Wheeze, wheeze.¡± Dukhun nodded in agreement. ¡°Besides, I was the one who chose the card in the end. There couldn¡¯t be any way for him to manipte the incident.¡± ¡°Prez, maybe¡­¡± Gyeongwon opened his mouth with wide eyes as if something just clicked in his head. ¡°If you think about the connection of your sitting arrangement with the word Causality Rate¡­ I think what happened back then was something like the opposite of the Butterfly Effect¡­¡± ¡°Butterfly Effect?¡± I¡¯ve heard of this term. I think I had also seen it a few times on the Inte. ¡°The concept of Butterfly Effect is that even the pping of a butterfly¡¯s wings on the other side of the world can cause a storm here.¡± The members tilted their heads in curiosity at Gyeongwon¡¯s exnation. ¡°Is that possible?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a metaphor, a metaphor. It could be interpreted as a very small action can start and lead to unexpected results.¡± ¡°Hmm, I see. Then if you¡¯re talking about the opposite; The opposite concept of the Butterfly Effect should be the Causality Rate shown in the President¡¯s Status Window.¡± The concept of the Butterfly Effect, in which trivial actions can lead topletely unpredictable chaos. And the opposite concept to that is the Causality Rate, which means, ¡®what is bound to happen will definitely happen¡¯. ¡°¡­.That¡¯s right. They seem the exact opposite concept of each other.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± If the Butterfly Effect is a theory where it says how a small change in choice can bring about enormous, unpredictable results, then Causality Rate is the opposite concept that states that a certain result will definitely ur even if certain conditions are exceeded or/and excluded. ¡°Even when Prez drew the seat assignment card randomly without thinking, you still ended up being assigned to the same seat as the first time. Whether you talked to Sunah or not, the two of you still ended up going to the cafeteria together before you even knew it.¡± Gyeongwon adjusted his sses and pointed out the main causes of what happened that day. ¡°It¡¯s not just that. I remembered it while listening carefully to Prez¡¯s story. Simr things happened during the incident with Fourincess and even what happened just now.¡± ¡°¡­.What? During Fourincess?¡± Was there something that I forgot? ¡°During the incident with Fourincess, when Prez returned back in time, a simr situation to the time of that cursed song was recreated in the music room. A male student yed a new song on his phone and the music teacher became angry because of that.¡± ¡°¡­.That¡¯s right. Although the music teacher couldn¡¯t hear the song, the same mistake was made immediately after I returned back to the past.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Gyeongwon nodded. ¡°The same goes for the incident that happened just now. No matter how many times you came back in time, Sunah asked you if your preparations for the exam were going well. At least once, she should have noticed something was wrong with your expression and reacted differently.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s also true.¡± As Gyeongwon urately pointed out the parts that I had overlooked without notice using logic, things began to make a bit more sense. ¡°I think that the situations around you are ultimately rted to the Causality Rate. Sunah had already thought and decided in her mind that she had to ask you that. To make it simpler, we could say that ¡®the causality rate of Sunah asking you about your exam preparations¡¯ was 100%.¡± ¡°Causality rate¡­¡± Certainly, as Gyeongwon mentioned, there were many times when people¡¯s behavior patterns were quite simr no matter what they did. ¡°Maybe, Prez. This world itself is driven by ¡®Causality Rate¡¯ rather than ¡®Butterfly Effect¡¯. No matter how many times you choose something different or small actions of yours change, what is bound to happen will happen in the end. And it¡¯s not only about this school. The world itself.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± This whole concept was not onlyplex but also enormous. The story about the order of this world, which we deduced from the game-like system. ¡°¡­Even so.¡± After thinking about it carefully for a while, a question arose in my mind. ¡°This whole concept seems like a prettyplex thing, but¡­ How will it benefit me knowing about this now?¡± Yes. The concept of Causality Rate is, what is bound to happen will happen in the end. Although it seemed important, how and why would it actually benefit me? ¡°It means a lot, kid.¡± The detective, who had been sitting quietly until now, spoke up. ¡°Tell me who will be the new President by March 2022.¡± President! The sudden turn of question made me startled for a moment. ¡°Things at the national level, such as the presidential election, are events of such great consequence that they do not change even if you, a student, act a little differently. You can probably interpret it like that the chances of the future president being the same person as your previous life is 100%.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. I guess that will happen.¡± ¡°Joon died in February¡­¡± Sunah¡¯s mumbling was suddenly heard. The election for the new president is in March, but I died in February. ¡°Even if you died before that, you probably know the political atmosphere of that time, right?¡± The detective began urging me to answer. I recalled the memory carefully before opening my mouth. ¡°First of all, the election for the new president was held early in 2021, not in 2022. It took ce when I was in my third year of high school.¡± ¡°¡­What? Elections ur every 5 years. Why on earth it was a year early-¡± ¡°It was an emergency election. The current president got involved in an ident and went missing.¡± Detective¡¯s expression turned serious in an instant. ¡°So who will be the new president?¡± ¡°As long as I remember, it is an old man with gray hair. There has been a lot of talk about him being the leader of some cult. He took advantage of the chaotic time and somehow managed to get elected.¡± ¡°What is his name, and also the name of the cult?¡± The detective tilted his head when I told him the name of the cult and the name of the president. ¡°Dogma of Void and Tai Sheng¡­ This is my first time hearing both the name of the person and the cult. As a detective, I have been in charge of a lot of important cases, so I have regr contact with the political world¡­¡± [T/N: Tai Shang Lao Jun is known by many names and holds many respected titles. He is one of the Three Pure Ones (ÈýÇå s¨¡n q¨©ng) and is believed to be the founder of Daoism. In order to bring his teachings to earth, he is said to have been reincarnated many times across history. Source: Wikipedia] ¡°That was the first time I heard it too. In fact, there was a lot of controversy regarding his position, but he was elected in the end. Everything was as usual after the election till the revival of the Demon King in February 2022.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± As the exnation wasing to an end, everyone began asking questions about many things. ¡°Oi, are you kidding me! You haven¡¯t heard of Death Stranding produced by Hideo Kojima!?¡± [T/N: Death stranding is a video game whichter has been adapted into an anime.] ¡°I don¡¯t know, man. I¡¯ll try yingter.¡± ¡°Has the Clover Corporation released their new folding phone? Did you buy any folding phone?¡± ¡°¡­.I¡­ Only two days left before the next exam. I have to go home and study.¡± ¡°Write down everything you remember about serial murders or homicide cases before you leave.¡± ¡°I¡¯m human too! I just want to go home!¡± ¡°Fuck you, what will the minimum sry be next year?¡± As the detective asked me about incidents and topics rted to criminal cases and political news, Dukhun only asked about Japanese games and animation. Jinhee asked me which lottery number will win in the future, but since I didn¡¯t know it myself, I couldn¡¯t answer. Hayoon just listened to their bbering with a curious look on her face. However, I was more concerned that Sunah¡¯s expression was turning paler as time passed. Since we managed to finish the exnation by early evening, we just exchanged some opinions before leaving the clubroom. We left the main building and walked to the yground. ¡°So. Three yearster, a strange being called the Demon King will be resurrected and this world will be destroyed. Until then, we need to grow stronger by fighting as many ghost stories as possible.¡± ¡°¡­.Prez. You lied to me when you said you created the club to help me get a better score in the college entrance exam.¡± Gyeongwon muttered in a regretful tone. ¡°¡­Sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to arbitrarily drag you in. It¡¯s not that I have any choice either.¡± ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s true too¡­¡± Under the evening sun that began to tilt in the far west, I slowly began to reveal the truth, hoping they would ept it. ¡°At first, I just thought about running away. I did though, but¡­ It didn¡¯t work out like the way I wanted. I ran away from the curse of the system for three years, but eventually, I was dragged back here. Now, even if I run away like there¡¯s no tomorrow, I know I¡¯ll always be brought back.¡± ¡°I was pushed and driven harshly, so I had no choice but to start anew¡­ Now that so much time has passed, I started thinking a little differently.¡± As the sunpletely set, the school became dark. The members of our Ghost Story Club gathered in the middle of the yground. I clenched my fist and held it out to my members as I delivered my passionate speech. ¡°This is not something we should do because it is just or moral. We are doing this because there is no other way for us to survive. I have to do it, even if I don¡¯t want to. I¡¯m sorry that I dragged you all into it without asking you. How many times have I watched you guys dying? Even so¡­ will you guys help me?¡± ¡°¡­.Joon.¡± ¡°I could never do it alone. I can¡¯t even think about doing it alone. If you guys are with me¡­ I think I can act brave and take the lead.¡± ¡°¡­. Prez.¡± ¡°I will work harder. I¡¯ll carry a little more burden than all of you. So will you help me out? Would you like to join in my endeavours of defeating the Demon King?¡± Someone¡¯s soft hand was gently ced on the back of my hand, which I quietly held out. ¡°Joon, there¡¯s no reason for which you should have to deal with something like this alone¡­¡± ¡°¡­.Sunah.¡± Sunah smiled softly as she encouraged me. ¡°Let¡¯s do this together. I will help you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Soon, Gyeongwon also shook his head and held out his hand as if he couldn¡¯t help it. ¡°Although I think it is unreasonable, I guess it can¡¯t be helped now that I¡¯m already dragged into it. Well, it would be useless to ask you why you did this. You¡¯re not even the one who did this.¡± ¡°Gyeongwon¡­¡± ¡°I will help you. There is no way after all. Let¡¯s do this.¡± A slender woman¡¯s hand with transparent skin was ced on top of Gyeongwon¡¯s hand. ¡°¡­.Hayoon. Are you sure?¡± The mysterious but pretty girl let out a slight smile. ¡°You¡¯re curious how I will get through everything in the future?¡± [Your understanding of the character In Hayoon has increased by 5.] So she¡¯s serious. I gave her a toothy grin. ¡°Okay. Feel free to watch.¡± Dukhun¡¯s thick hands came up next. ¡°Oi, let¡¯s save the world.¡± ¡°Pfft, okay, we will see.¡± A brief silence followed, and Jinhee finally couldn¡¯t hold our gazes and ced her hand, adorned with many minor scars, on top of Hayoon. ¡°You guys are too childish¡­¡± ¡°Thank you. For joining me in this childish adventure.¡± As the six members of the Ghost Story Club joined hands, a message appeared before my eyes. Pop. [You have received a quest.] A Quest. It was a word I hadn¡¯t seen in a long time. ¡ºCongrattions! You¡¯ve finally managed to share your secret with your teammates! Your journey to prevent the resurrection of the Demon King has finally started. Therefore, strong camaraderie in the party is essential. Starting today, you begin to try to understand more about your members.¡» [You have received a quest.] ¡¶Quest ¨C Camaraderie¡· ¡¶Raise the understanding of one member of your club from 0 to 100. Reward: Education Competency Ability unlocked.¡· ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go, ghost story club, fighting!¡± ¡°Fighting!¡± In the middle of the dark yground, we stood in a circle, joined our hands and shouted. Suddenly, Jinhee jumped into the center of the circle and began screaming. ¡°Ahhhh, fuck! It¡¯s as cringy as dog shit!¡± ¡°Hahaha.¡± ¡°Pfft.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t spit on me!¡± Jinhee pped Gyeongwon, who wasughing heartily, on the head and ran towards the front gate. ¡°Fuck, this so so fucking childish!¡± ¡°Oi oi! Where are you going! We must protect the Earth!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going home, fuck you!¡± As if Dukhun had finally discovered her weakness, he began chasing after Jinhee, singing a cheesy animation theme song. ¡°Members of the ghost story club! Let¡¯s save the world! Victory is always ours~?¡± ¡°Huhaha.¡± We couldn¡¯t help butugh seeing that. Between theughter, I could hear the detective muttering from behind as he lit a cigarette andughed along with us. ¡°Are you filming a children¡¯s movie? You guys are really¡­¡± Puffing out a ring of smoke, he muttered as he watched us racing towards the main gate. ¡°Makes me remember when I was young.¡± ?¡ó??¡ó¡ó??¡ó?????¡ó¡ó¡ó?¡ó¡ó?¡ó T/N: Hello readers, I¡¯ve recently opened a new Kofi ount. So if you like my work, consider supporting me on Kofi. Chapter 60: Ninth Ghost Story – Corner Game (1) Chapter 60: Ninth Ghost Story ¨C Corner Game (1) ¡°It seems like I have to start exercising if I want to survive the bizarre situation. I¡¯m aging fast.¡± ¡°Haha, that¡¯s right. When I was young, I was very healthy. Even doing nothing but lying around, I would barely get sick.¡± In a ser court near ShinLim Neighborhood. After finishing grading the exam papers of the students, teachers and other staff of Nakseong High School gathered together to y ser. They should have just left for home after doing their part of work, but for some reason, they gathered at the ser field and chatted while kicking the ball. The discussion among them also seemed far from ordinary. ¡°Anyway, I never thought that science teacher would go that far¡­ It¡¯s surprising.¡± ¡°Master¡¯s instructions are clear. From now on, you must never harm that student named Lee Joon.¡± The Vice Principal, a strict-looking middle-aged woman wearing sses, sat on the side in a bench and warned softly to the teachers ying ser. ¡°You are free to recruit people around him or form rtionships for surveince purposes like you do now. However, Master has clearly stated that he will never, ever tolerate any harm done to Lee Joon. Even if an unavoidable situation arises, be sure to report it to the person in charge and wait for instructions before taking action.¡± ¡°Master¡¯s intention is such a mystery. In the previous instructions, you clearly told me that Master said to kill him using ghost stories¡­.¡± ¡°Master must have something in mind at that time. Tsk!¡± As the teachers were exchanging their opinions and throwing the ball to each other, the homeroom teacher of Lee Joon, Damim, easily caught the flying ball on his stomach. ¡°20 years old. An age gap of 3 years. I think that might have something to do with the change of Master¡¯s n.¡± The Vice Principal¡¯s expression turned sharp at that joking im. ¡°Spection is prohibited, Damim. Be careful.¡± ¡°Hohoho¡­ I was rude. Tsk!¡± Letting out augh that was nothing but creepy, Damim passed the ball back to his colleagues. * * * [2019, April 26 | Friday, 10:12] [Lee Joon ¨C Number of Attempts: 2] [Ghost Story Point: 233] [Causality Rate: 12%] The midterm exam was finally over. After sessfully getting through the hectic first day of dealing with the science teacher andpleting exams on Wednesday and Thursday. Finally Friday arrived. Starting today, normal sses would be held as usual. ¡°Students, lift your spirit! Stop worrying about the midterm exams now that it¡¯s over¡­ with just a blink, you¡¯ll see the final exam is already knocking at the door! The student sleeping in the back row! Wake up!¡± When Choi Gangchan, the teacher who was responsible for taking Physics ss for the first years, shouted at Jinhee, who was seated in the back row and napping away as usual, she raised her head sleepily. ¡®Choi Gangchan¡­¡¯ This person was also included on the list of people who were desperate to kill me. After staring at him quietly for a while, I sneakily took out the book of ghost story that I had hidden under my textbook and began to read it. ¡®¡­ Let¡¯s see. During one of thosete nights when I was trying to sleep in my room, a sudden sound startled me. However, there was no one in my room but me¡­ After listening quietly for a while, I discovered that the sound wasing from a book which I had picked up from the library and brought home to read.¡¯ While I instructed my members to gather as much information as they could regarding ghost stories and urban legends, I too, devoted myself to studying various ghost stories by reading scary books to build my own knowledge. Bang! Bang! ¡°Dimensional extension lines are lines that extend the outline of a dimension to form!¡± The teacher tapped the ckboard loudly as he emphasized the content on the board that would be of no use either in college entrance examination or in real life. ¡®Fuck, I can¡¯t concentrate.¡¯ Atst, lunch time arrived. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the clubroom, fuck!¡± Jinhee seemed to be in a good mood these days. She was the first to leave the ssroom while smiling brightly. ¡°What the. Why do you need to curse out loud even when you¡¯re going to the clubroom?¡± Gyeongwon followed behind, grumbling to himself at Jinhee¡¯s cursing for a simple reason. ¡°Joon, what are you going to order today¡­?¡± Sunah smiled bashfully as she followed me from behind. Ordering food from the school cafeteria to the clubroom every Friday during Club Activity session had almost be a tradition among us. However, I was still a high school student who depended on his parents, so it was a bit troublesome for me to bear the financial burden of ordering takeouts for everyone every Friday. Thanks to Jinhee, who worked part-time jobs unlike me, she would sometimes give us a treat every once in a while if she was in a good mood. And after the incident with the strange being pretending to be my mother that both me and my dad encountered, my monthly allowance had increased a little by my dad. So I could somehow support spoiling my members this way. I would always pay for Sunah¡¯s meal on her behalf. Although she seemed grateful for that, she would also show an apologetic look every time I did so. ¡°Let me see how much money I have left¡­¡± As I walked up the stairs, I took out my wallet and realized that I only had 3,000 won left in it. ¡®Ah! I bought a lot of things to prepare for today¡¯s Club Activity session. We have an important session today after all.¡¯ Should I borrow some money from Gyeongwon? ¡°The points¡­ Maybe we can buy food with them?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Looking at my expression, Sunah seemed to immediately realize what the situation was. So she carefully voiced her opinion to use the ghost story points. ¡°With points?¡± I had never thought of it. Buying food with points and delivering them to our clubroom¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but be curious at the careful suggestion. ¡®Let¡¯s see, 1 ghost story point is equivalent to 10,000 won¡­ If I just spend 10 points, the clubroom will be full with food.¡¯ Currently, I have 233 points. Even up till now, I haven¡¯t really decided where to spend it. Therefore, I decided to save it until the perfect opportunity arose. After careful consideration, I decided that since I had some money to spare, which I could use in the future for future club activities, I should save it. Rather, I should check whether it was possible to buy food from the system store or not. ¡°Okay. It¡¯s the day after the midterm exam, so let¡¯s celebrate today!¡± Sunah smiled as if she liked the suggestion. Dukhun climbed the stairs with his hands in his pockets and earphones plugged in his ears without a care in the world. Hayoon slipped between Sunah and me and quietly headed to the clubroom without uttering a word. As I searched in the system store for what I could order, I realized that ordering ¡®real¡¯ food through the system store was impossible. This store window was somewhat simr to an online grocery store. While searching for chicken, only products that could be eaten after cooking or heating it up with a microwave, such as frozen chicken, were found. However, it was impossible to purchase the service of a restaurant from the Shop menu. ¡®Well, the grocery store doesn¡¯t deliver freshly fried chicken by courier.¡¯ Even so, I had decided to test to see whether I could buy food from the Shop or not. So I ordered bread, snacks, and fruits after discussing with the members. Since they had no problem having snacks during lunch time, I ordered them ording to their likings. ¡°No one is watching, right?¡± The moment the purchase was finished, the food that I ordered through the Shop popped up out of thin air in front of the clubroom door. Looking left and right, we hurriedly took them inside lest someone saw this bizarre scene. ¡°It would have been better if things were delivered inside the clubroom.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s because of the concept of delivery.¡± Waffles, roll cakes, chocte and other snacks were piled up like a mountain on the table of the clubroom¡­ ¡°Field ration! I¡¯ve always wondered what it tastes like.¡± ¡°OWO~ Me too.¡± [T/N: Field ration is a type of prepackaged military ration designed to be easily and quickly prepared and consumed in the field. Source: Wikipedia] Gyeongwon and Dukhun picked up heated field rations that can be eaten right away without having to cook or microwave them. ¡°Wow, cream bread¡­¡± Sunah chose various types of breads. Hayoon took a few packets of expensive chocte and unwrapped them before taking a bite. And Jinhee began chewing on a type of snack that looked like dried squid. Our lunch consisted of only snacks and no meals. But we were able to fill our stomach with the snacks since I bought more than enough. Finally, at 1 p.m., lunch time was over and the 5th period started. As the Club Activity session began, Teacher Jang Hwaeun, the person in charge of the Ghost Story Club, opened the door and entered. ¡°Did you guys have lunch here again? Get some venttion! Really.¡± She quickly sauntered towards the window and pulled back the curtain. Bright afternoon sunlight immediately poured in the clubroom, almost blinding our eyes. ¡°Keeeeeeek!¡± Jinhee, who was lying quietly on the sofa and taking a nap as usual, received full onught of sunlight and screamed in surprise. ¡°Behaving like the children of darkness! Sitting here in a dark clubroom¡­ Open the windows and let some sunlight in!¡± Finally, the 6 members gathered around the table and me, the President, took my position in front of the whiteboard. This Club Activity session, our goal was to ¡®find ghost stories¡¯ and unveil the secret behind them. ¡°Okay. The Club Activity session is starting. Apud everyone~¡± p, p, p. The members respond to Jinhee¡¯s words, although unwillingly. Reluctantly, I also followed suit. Expressing my gratitude to Jinhee with a slightly embarrassed face, I began the session. ¡°Hmm. Thank you, Jinhee.¡± Before, Jinhee used to always sleep face down in the ssroom. After I bought the sofa, she started sleeping in the clubroom whenever she had time. Strangely enough, her attitude towards other members began to improve and so was her temper. ¡°The next Club Activity session will include gathering various scary rumours, ghost stories and urban legends floating around on the Inte and finding out if those strange phenomena actually ur. The topic of each Club Activity session will be changed every week.¡± This was something agreed upon in advance with the approval of the members. Now that I have sessfully shown the members about the existence of the ghost stories and they also got to learn about the game-like system as well as the three-year time limit, we decided to gather information regarding supernatural phenomena rather than just waiting for them to happen. ¡°For now, the topic we will explore today is ¡®Rothstein¡¯s Corridor¡¯.¡± ¡°Einstein?¡± ¡°Those who don¡¯t know, stay seated patiently. Gyeongwon, I¡¯d like to hear the materials you have prepared.¡± Soon after, Gyeongwon stood at the whiteboard instead of me and started reading the prepared materials. ¡°First, let me tell you a ghost story.¡± Five mountain hikers were climbing a snow covered mountain. However, a sudden snow storm hit and they found themselves at a disadvantage. Even after wandering around all over the mountains, they couldn¡¯t find their way back. Soon it became dark and they had to find a shelter to survive the night. Eventually, as the sun set, one of the hikers couldn¡¯t survive the harsh and cold weather and died. The four hikers had no choice but to carry the dead body before they finally managed to find a dpidated wooden cabin under a cliff. They took shelter in the cabin to protect themselves from the harsh weather. cing the dead body of their friend in the middle, the four people sat down in the four corners of the small ¡®squared¡¯ shaped cabin. ¡°If they fall asleep, they¡¯ll freeze to death. That¡¯s why, they thought of keeping themselves moving by changing their position one by one and going to the next corner to wake up the person seated there.¡± The person who moved to the next corner would wake up the person seated there and take that person¡¯s position. The person whose position was taken would now move to the next corner and wake up the person seated there before taking that position¡­. Like this, four people keep spinning around as if ying tag. Once they woke up the person sitting in the corner next to them, they could sleep for a few minutes until their turn came again. This way, the four hikers slept but still managed to get through the night on the snowy mountain. Eventually, dawn broke and the day arrived with bright sunlight. It was only when the mountain hikers, who stopped circling after hearing the sound of a rescue helicopter in the distance, did they realize something and broke into cold sweats. What they were doing up until now. It was impossible with 4 people. ¡°¡­This is the ghost story which is also called ¡®Corner Game¡¯.¡± ¡°How is it impossible with four people¡­?¡± Sunah asked as if she was curious. ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, it is impossible. If you draw the picture of the four people sitting in their corner position and starting the game from the beginning, you will realize that it makes absolutely no sense at all. Look Carefully.¡± Gyeongwon began to draw something on the whiteboard as he exined |o o| |o o| ¡°There were four of them in the beginning, right? From here, if one person moves to the next corner.¡± | o| | oo o| ¡°The drawing is unrecognizable.¡± Gyeongwon¡¯s hand, drawing on the whiteboard, paused for a moment in response to Hayoon¡¯s sharp evaluation. With ears turning red, he cleared his throat and continued his exnation as if he wasn¡¯t embarrassed. ¡°Then wake up the person before taking the position. And the person who has been removed from his position goes to the corner next to him and wakes up the person sleeping there.¡± | o| |o oo| ¡°Repeat again.¡± | oo| |o o| ¡°Now, here¡¯s the problem. Where will thest person, whose position was taken, go?¡± ¡°He is heading straight into an empty corner. This is why, to y this game, at least 5 people are needed. It seems possible with four people, especially when you first hear about it. You may mistakenly think that because there are four corners, four people are enough. It¡¯s a ghost story that explores the loopholes in such thinking.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Sunah reacted in an understanding manner. ¡°The main point of this ghost story is that, if you keep rotating around the four corners of a dark square room like this, an unidentified person gets mixed up and the cycle continues endlessly.¡± ¡°That¡¯s interesting. I understand where the name Corner Game is derived from. But why is it named Rothstein¡¯s Corridor?¡± ¡°It was named after the person who first yed this game before this ghost story came to be.¡± In response to Teacher Hwaeun¡¯s question, Gyeongwon raised his sses before replying. ¡°The beginning of this corner game was an experiment conducted at Hingis Castle by a British nobleman named Lord Rothstein. After hearing a rumor that this act would bring about an unidentified person into existence, Lord Rothstein chose the darkest corridor in his castle and ced four people there to conduct the experiment.¡± ¡°What a brave man.¡± ¡°The end result was just as it was described in the ghost story. Even after the fourth person moved from his position, the order of rotating around each corner continued without a problem. The people on whom the experiment was conducted fainted from shock when realization dawned over them. That¡¯s why this corner game is sometimes called ¡®Rothstein¡¯s Corridor¡¯.¡± The members quietly nodded their heads in understanding. ¡°Good job, Gyeongwon.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± After sending Gyeongwon back to his seat, I stood in front of the whiteboard and looked down at the members before starting. ¡°Did everyone understand what the story was about?¡± ¡°We did.¡± ¡°The Club Activity session is the 5th and 6th period. In this 5th period, we will listen to further exnation of this story and gather the materials to conduct the experiment on ourselves. And after a short break, starting from 6th period, we will block the windows of the clubroom and try this game ourselves.¡± The members again nodded their heads. It would be best if this strange phenomenon actually urred to us when we would be ying this game. ¡®All I have to do is just solve it and get points.¡¯ However, even if the strange phenomenon didn¡¯t ur, it would still help us in finding out how this ghost story functions. A lot of strange phenomena have happened to me until now. At those times, I was unaware and reluctant to face them but still somehow managed to resolve them and survive. However, this time, we would be the one chasing the ghost stories, to find out whether the ghost stories circling around on the Inte simplye into existence if the conditions were met, or whether there was more to it than meets the eyes. T/N: Hello readers. Recently, I opened a new Kofi ount after deleting my Buymeacoffe ount due to some¡­. circumstances. So if you like my work, consider supporting me on Kofi. Chapter 61: Ninth Ghost Story – Corner Game (2) Chapter 61: Ninth Ghost Story ¨C Corner Game (2) ¡°Hello, ma¡¯am. Do you have any empty snack boxes?¡± 5th period, during CA (Club Activity) time. Gyeongwon and I went to the cafeteria to get some paper boxes. To y the corner game, we had to make sure that the clubroom waspletely enshrouded in darkness with zero light leaking in. Therefore, we thought of using the boxes to put on the window to block the light from leaking in. Fortunately, thedy on the counter generously lended us some. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ five of them should be enough, right, Prez?¡± ¡°We have to make sure no light is leaking in and block the part from where it could leakpletely, so let¡¯s take some more.¡± * * * Slid- ¡°Good job!¡± As soon as we entered, Teacher Hwaeun greeted us with her usual hyperactive energy. I and Gyeongwon wiped our sweat after putting down the paper boxes we had brought with us into the clubroom. After that, the girl members of the club immediately began to cut the boxes with a boxcutter and attached them to the window. ¡°More tape please, it¡¯s bing loose here.¡± Screeech, snip. ¡°All done, huuu. After all the work, I believe no light will leak in. Turn off the light.¡± Click. ¡°I think it worked.¡± Except for the lighting from the corridor outside through the ss window on the clubroom door, the room waspletely dark. ¡°Sunah, can you block the window on the door? We have to test if it works or not.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± At my request, Sunah lifted the cushion on the sofa and attached it to the window, trying to cover it properly. Finally, the clubroom becamepletely dark. ¡°How is it? Can anyone see anything?¡± ¡°No. I can¡¯t see anything.¡± ¡°Good. Let¡¯s stay in the dark like this for a while. Once we get used to the dark, we should be partially able to see things. But if we can¡¯t see anything even after our eyes have adjusted to the dark, we can call it a sess.¡± Needless to say, our goal was to create an atmosphere devoid of any light. To y the corner game, we had to make sure the surrounding was enshrouded inplete darkness. If we could see things after our eyes had adjusted to the dark, we would definitely notice If something did go wrong. Therefore, it was necessary to create an environment ofplete darkness where we couldn¡¯t see anything. The condition of this ghost story was that we must create the illusion of ¡®ying the game¡¯. ¡®¡­ Although that is a huge leap of logic based on the ghost stories that are floating around.¡¯ Everyone held their breath in anticipation as they waited for their eyes to adjust in the darkness. About a minuteter. I suddenly felt someone start groping my body. Pat, pat. ¡°Ahh! Who the hell!¡± In panic, my fist reflexively thrusted forward and hit someone. A secondter my fist hit the person, he screamed and I realized who it was. ¡°Keuuk!¡± ¡°¡­.Dukhun?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­ I was trying to move to the wall.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m more sorry for hitting you.¡± After the briefmotion, a few minutes passed in silence again. ¡°So what now? Can anyone tell who is who?¡± As I threw the question in the dark, members around answered in murmurs. ¡°No. I can¡¯t see anything.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t either.¡± ¡°Me too¡­¡± ¡°Perfect. Sunah, go turn on the light!¡± Click. ¡°Uuuggghhh.¡± ¡°Too bright.¡± Everyone closed their eyes at the sudden brightness and frowned in displeasure. ¡°We have finally seeded in creating a perfect dark environment for the game. Let¡¯s y the game right away!¡± * * * After a brief break, 6th period began. Since the corner game was rted to the corners of a room, we had to move the desk, sofa, and whiteboard to the center of the clubroom. We would have to walk along the wall to the corners so we had to make sure that nothing would get in the way. ¡°Huu, setup isplete!¡± ¡°Okay, everyone gather around.¡± At my call, seven people gathered near the entrance to the clubroom. ¡°Only four people can y this game, however, there are seven of us in total. I¡¯m sorry but about the three of us, except me, will have to go outside and wait until the game is over.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s decide with Dedenchi.¡± The game Dedenchi is a children¡¯s game for splitting sides. Depending on which region¡¯s children are ying, the game named ¡®Dedenchi¡¯ could also be called ¡®Turn over, turn over¡¯. [T/N: ¡°Dedenchi¡± is a children¡¯s game yed widely in many parts of Asia, mostly in Southern and Eastern parts. The term is most likely derived from the Japanese word ÊÖÌìµØ (tetenchi, ¤Æ¤Æ¤ó¤Á), where te (ÊÖ) means hand in Japanese, and tenchi (ÌìµØ) literally means ¡°heaven and earth¡±. It could also often be used to mean ¡°to turn over¡±. For more information, click here: https://namu.wiki/w/%ED%8E%B8%EA%B0%80%EB%A5%B4%EA%B8%B0] ording to the game¡¯s rules, the members all diligently turned their palms over and over until the ratio of the people participating in the game became ¡®4:3¡¯. ¡°Dedenchi. Dedenchi.¡± ¡°Ah, I lost.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s decided. Me, Gyeongwon, In Hayoon, and Lee Jinhee would stay and y the game. Sunah, Dukhun and Teacher Hwaeun must leave the clubroom.¡± ¡°Huuu.¡± ¡°Take our cell phones, MP3 yers, PMPs, and any other things that could disrupt psychic phenomena with you outside. We should take off our shoes too. It may make noise when we walk, so let¡¯s take them off.¡± ¡°Even our shoes¡­¡± ¡°We have to make sure everything is perfect.¡± I wasn¡¯t as bothered as other members since I knew the members waiting outside would protect our things anyway. The four of us, who would be staying inside and ying the game, handed our phones and whatever devices we had to Sunah and others, who would be waiting outside. I could hear someone grumbling, seemingly dissatisfied with the decision. As Sunah, Dukhun and Teacher Hwaeun left, only the four of us remained in the clubroom. We took our position in the corners. ¡°Who will switch off the light?¡± ¡°I¡¯m close so I can do it.¡± When Gyeongwon asked, Hayoon, who was sitting in the corner that was closer to the door, answered as she got up and approached the switch. Just as she touched the switch of the light, I opened my mouth. ¡°Okay. You all know the rules of the game, right?¡± Before starting the game, I exined what we were about to do once again to the three of them. ¡°The first and most necessary condition for this ghost story is that we must be under the illusion that the game has no problem ying with only four people. However, since we all know the story already, if something paranormal were to happen, we would notice it immediately. So, to stop us from panicking and to create the appropriate illusion properly, we will first change our position a few times after turning the light off.¡± Knowing the rules and oue of the game would do us no good as long as we knew what was going to happen and how it was going to end. Therefore, before starting the game, we nned to circle around the room about 10 times and change our position after turning the lights off. After that, we would be moving from one corner onto the next. Then, after circling about 10 times, when our position would be changed, we would finally start the game. One person then would randomly start the game at my signal. ¡°After turning the light off, keep moving along the corner. Until you are confused where you are in the dark.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°We would start the game after circling around a few times. One person among us would move to the next corner, and touch the person there.¡± Jinhee, Hayoon, and Gyeongwon, who were standing in their corners, nodded. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get started. Turn off the light.¡± Click. As soon as Hayoon turned the light off, the inside of the clubroom becamepletely dark. As if a ck curtain was thrown over our heads, even an inch in front of me could not be seen or distinguished. The extreme darkness was evidence that the hard work we put to stop any light from leaking in with the help of paper boxes was sessful. Tick, tick. As everything was enveloped in darkness inside the clubroom, only silence was heard. Amidst the deathly silence, we started walking slowly around the corner. Step, steps. ¡®It became wider than I thought.¡¯ Perhaps it was because my senses became more sensitive because of the dark? Or was it because the clubroom has been upgraded twice? Whichever was the reason, I couldn¡¯t help but feel as if it was taking longer than usual to reach the next corner. In the pin drop silence, only the sound of socks rubbing against the floor could be heard. After circling around a few times, I was unable to tell which corner I was standing. ¡®Perfect. At this rate, we all must have been confused for circling around like this.¡¯ As a signal to start the game, I knocked on the wall. Knock. Knock. Footsteps of others suddenly came to a halt. The game has finally begun. ¡®Who is moving?¡¯ The dark room was only filled with quiet silence. The first person was walking very carefully, almost making no sound. Rustling. The movement halted, and then the sound of clothes rustling, as if someone was getting up was heard. ¡®¡­Must be the second runner.¡¯ Although we were all wearing socks, I could still hear the sound of the footsteps of the second person quite audibly. ¡®Seeing how this person is making noises carelessly, this must be Jinhee.¡¯ If that was the case, then the first runner, who moved carefully barely making a sound was more likely to be Hayoon. Although the sound of sock scratching on the floor wasn¡¯t that loud, the careless movement indicated it was probably Jinhee. After moving for a while, she reached the next corner and touched the person there. As soon as she stopped moving, the third runner got up with a rustling sound and started moving. ¡®This must be Gyeongwon.¡¯ The steps that I thought were Gyeongwon moving seemed to be walking for a long time again. Perhaps because all the lights were turned off, it was taking them time moving along the wall. Not to mention, the clubroom had been expanded twice already, so the space has be slightlyrger. Probably this was the reason why it took them time to reach every corner. Even so, it was taking longer to move from one corner to the next than I thought. Soon, I heard rustling sound in the darkness in front of me. As my thoughts scattered, someone in the dark tapped my shoulder. Tap. ¡®It¡¯s finally my turn.¡¯ Although I knew none of us could see it, I nodded and started moving to the next corner. ¡®I think it was originally the corner where Hayoon stayed.¡¯ So the person who started to move first was Hayoon, and I was thest one. However, since Hayoon started first and moved to the next corner, the space was probably empty now. For some reason, I felt like we were ying baseball. And I was returning home from third base. I moved slowly toward thest corner, leaning on the wall. Rustle, rustle. The surrounding was so dark that I couldn¡¯t even see an inch ahead. Although the desk, whiteboard and sofa have been moved, if I move carelessly, I may bump into them. So I stayed as close to the wall as possible and moved slowly, one step at a time. Perhaps because of the darkness, and the expansion of the clubroom twice which made it bigger than it was, I walked quite a long while. However, I still felt like there was still a long way to go? In the pitch ck darkness, all my senses seemed to have grown more sensitive. The corner that seemed just a few steps away with the light on now felt so far away. Tuk. Eventually, as I fumbled and stretched out my hand, my hand felt something. What I touched was the wall. I arrived safely at the next corner without anything paranormal happening. ¡®Hmm.¡¯ I fumbled my hands around in case I could feel something. Although I knew I couldn¡¯t see anything in the darkness, I still tried to squint my eyes and look around. However, all I could feel were walls blocking me on both sides as my gaze returned to me. I had reached the corner which waspletely empty. ¡®I guess, a simple experiment like this can¡¯t bring the ghost story into reality¡­? Well, that could be the case. If ghost stories could be materialized and made appear through experiments like these by high school students. Then this world would have turned chaotic a long time ago. Gone would be the normal world if that were to happen. Then it could mean only two things; either the Demon King sends ghost stories to kill me, or the system materlizes them randomly. Then, should I just wait for either of those two things to happen? ¡®Huuu. But the science teacher seemed to use ghost stories as he pleased. Then, why isn¡¯t it working for us¡­.¡¯ So should we just give up and end this session? ¡­.No. We have put a lot of effort into creating the dark environment. Not to mention, the members were also anticipating and excited for something to happen. Since we havee this far, why not try a little more? What if now I move to the next corner? What would happen then? ¡®Hayoon will be surprised.¡¯ ¡­No, I don¡¯t think that girl knows what being surprised means. She seems too calm and collected to be bothered by a simple prank as sneaking up to her. However, I couldn¡¯t help but be curious. She always had a lukewarm attitude towards others. Along with her kind, quiet and calm expression, she seemed like someone out of this world. I could never figure out what was going on in her mind. So I couldn¡¯t help but wonder, If I surprise Hayoon like this, how will she react? ¡®Let¡¯s give it a try.¡¯ Based on Hayoon¡¯s personality, which I concluded after spending some time with her over a month, I didn¡¯t think she would be angry or upset about anything. Sneak. With that thought in mind, I approached Hayoon in the dark. My movements were much more careful than before. ¡®I can¡¯t even make a sound.¡¯ Although since I was wearing socks that barely made a sound against the floor, I still took extra precaution of not making a sound in case Hayoon noticed someone was approaching her. As I moved like a thief like this holding my breath, I fumbled my hands forward. Tuk. However, my fumbling hand touched something cold and hard. ¡®The wall.¡¯ I reached forward again. But only nk wall was what touched my skin once again. ¡®¡­.What?¡¯ Leaning my back in the corner, I reached out and fumbled in every direction around me. Hoping that I would touch something humanoid and not the empty air or the cold hard wall. However, nothing could be felt in my hands as I was standing in the corner. But which corner was I? If I head back the way I came from, I would reach the corner where I was just now. This ce where I was now should have been the corner where Hayoon was. However, it was devoid of any human being. What is happening? What happened? ¡®¡­Did she notice me approaching?¡¯ Although I made sure to not make a sound, perhaps Hayoon noticed I was approaching her. So she quietly moved to the side, or rather to the next corner. ¡®Her senses are sharp.¡¯ Thinking about it in the quiet darkness, I couldn¡¯t remember Hayoon to be the stupid type of person. Rather, she was the kind of person who had extraordinary knowledge about certain things and liked to tease people. ¡®Hmm. I think I should try one more time.¡¯ Feeling a bit disappointed, I decided to move to the next corner. With that thought in mind, I started walking sideways, holding the wall with one hand. If things were how I thought them to be, then Hayoon should be in the middle of approaching the next corner, where Jinhee was staying. Sneak, rustle. Just like before, I began walking in the dark holding the wall toward the next corner, which for some reason seemed even further than before. As I continued walking around and fumbling my hands in the dark, my hands finally hit something. ¡®Gotcha!¡¯ A wall. I reached a nk wall again. This didn¡¯t make sense. Even if Hayoon cleverly hid somewhere, where was Jinhee? No, maybe I was mistaken. Perhaps Hayoon, just like me, was continuing this game without consulting with anyone. Now we¡¯re just circling around the corner and ying tag with each other. ¡®¡­.As expected, In Hayoon. You¡¯re a tough opponent to handle.¡¯ All right then! Let¡¯s y tag in the dark! Since I understood her motive, I didn¡¯t bother to hide my steps this time and quickly walked to the next corner. However, an empty wall greeted me again. ¡®Faster.¡¯ My dignity as the president of the club was at stake here. If I were to be surprised by being touched by Gyeongwon, who was probably running behind me, there would be no bigger embarrassment than this. I would have to use the little bit of intelligence I have. In Hayoon, just wait for me! Rustle, rustle. I moved quickly in the dark, groping the wall around. Slid. Slid. To the next corner and then to the next. nk wall. nk wall. Rustle, rustle. nk wall again. Slid. Another nk wall. Rustle. This time too, a nk wall. After circling around the corners a few more times, I suddenly started realizing that something was wrong. Even after walking so fast, almost running, I couldn¡¯t touch or hear the sound of my other members moving. The strange dark atmosphere made me open my mouth. ¡°¡­Guys?¡± ¡°¡­.Hey guys?¡± Silence. ¡°¡­I think we should stop now. Someone turn on the light.¡± Silence. ¡°¡­.I said we¡¯re ending the game. Hey, guys?¡± ¡°In Hayoon. Lee Jinhee. Please answer me.¡± ¡°¡­. Gyeongwon? Gyeongwon, answer me. Gyeongwon?¡± However, all that replied to my urgent call was silence, and nothing more. T/N: If you like my work, consider supporting me on Kofi. Chapter 62: Ninth Ghost Story – Corner Game (3) Chapter 62: Ninth Ghost Story ¨C Corner Game (3) ¡°Gyeongwon?¡­ Hayoon?¡± I mumbled as I slowly started walking again, holding onto the wall as my only guide. However, no voice answered my call. The whole room was as quiet as a mouse. What¡­. What¡¯s going on? As my breathing turned heavy, I turned around and started walking in the opposite direction of the direction I was circling until now. My footsteps frenzied, like a person who lost his way in the desert. However, a nk wall. An empty wall greeted me once again. An empty corner, and a cold cement wall. ¡°¡­.Huuu, huuu.¡± As I kept spinning around, desperately trying to find any source of sce in the dark, my breathing became heavier by the second as my nerves became taut with fear and anxiety. Stopping abruptly, I tried to catch my breath again. What on earth is going on? Where has everyone gone? Was I wandering alone in a ce with no one around? The situation suddenly made me remember a memory when I was young. I was ying a game of hide-and-seek, and it was my turn to seek everyone. I closed my eyes and counted down the seconds, and by the time I realized why I couldn¡¯t find anyone, everyone already went home. I couldn¡¯t help but think the situation was somewhat simr to that time, I thought it was just a simple game we were ying together. However, it turned out that I was all alone, with no idea where my friends had gone. The feeling of fear and emptiness rose at once in the pitch ck darkness at the thought. ¡°Door¡­ door¡­¡± I have to get out here first. Let¡¯s go out and then think about what to do. Perhaps because I was moving along the wall, I couldn¡¯t find the members. There was a possibility that the members were hiding in the middle of the room, and I didn¡¯t know that. And the silence. Something was different about it. The terrible feeling that I was all alone gripped me like a snake. ¡°Huuu, huuu.¡± Because I circled around the room many times, I had no idea where I was right now. So I began to fumble around the wall looking for the door. One step¡­ Two steps¡­ ¡®¡­.Not here.¡¯ What touched my hands was a smooth cement wall with nothing on it. ¡®Next, next wall.¡¯ As I slowly circled the room again, my mind began to run wild with thoughts. They should have been with me in the room. We all were circling around the room together. And Gyeongwon. He even touched me on the shoulder. But why wasn¡¯t there no one? ¡°Huuu, huuu.¡± My head began to spin for wandering around in the dark too much. I reached the corner right next to me while catching my breath. Tak. The wall didn¡¯t even feel familiar. It was nothing but a cold cement wall. ¡°Next, next wall.¡± I grabbed the wall and stumbled to the next corner. Step, step. The thought of concealing my footsteps had gone out of my head a long time ago. I didn¡¯t even care if I was making too much noise, all I wanted was out of that ce. For the sake of my sanity, I needed to get out of there as quickly as possible. Leaning against the wall, I walked sideways, fumbling for the door. Step, step. As I frantically walked along the wall looking for the door, my body suddenly bumped into something. Smack. Raising my hand, I touched the thing which I bumped into. It was a nk wall. I hit an empty wall again. ¡°No, this can¡¯t be¡­¡± Fear and astonishment washed over me for a moment. But as I began to think about it, I couldn¡¯t find it surprising. There were a total of four sides of the wall. I had fumbled around three sides of the wall so far. The door must be on the next wall. On the next wall. But¡­.. nk wall. ¡°It can¡¯t be, it can¡¯t be¡­¡± Leaning on the wall, I walked sideways and began to look for the door frantically. Searching for a ce where I thought could be the way out of there. However, all I felt was nothing but cold cement. Impossible, this is simply impossible. I continued to circle the room again and again, never leaving the side of the wall. Tuk. The room, connected by cold cement walls with nothing in them, took me once again to an empty corner. ¡°Huuu, huuuh.¡± Only then did realization dawned over me. It wasn¡¯t only the door which was missing, I couldn¡¯t even find the window even after circling around the room for so many times. The clubroom had a total of four walls, and only two of them were empty cement walls. One side contained the entrance door, while another side, which was opposite to the door, had a window. Then, something¡¯s wrong¡­ Opposite side. Maybe I should go to the other side. We had put paper boxes on the window. The wall of the door and window would certainly feel different, so there was no way I would get confused. Again, I should search, again. ¡°Huff, huff.¡± One step. Two steps. Three steps. After walking about twenty steps in the narrow pace, I arrived at an empty corner before I knew it. ¡°N, next¡­next wall¡­¡± Again, again¡­ Circling around the room. Again. Again. Panic rose inside me as I kept spinning around in the dark for a few more times, and I finally realized the truth. There were no windows or doors. All there were was empty cement walls. Impossible. Was this actually our clubroom? Touching the wall with one hand, I stretched out my other hand as much as I could, searching and fumbling in the dark in case I could catch anything. I felt like a fish out of water. It was as if I would really lose my sanity if I lost the wall that supported where I was. Attaching my left hand on the wall firmly, I began waving my other hand in front of me in the darkness. The desk, whiteboard, and sofa had been pushed into the center of the room. I thought I could barely maintain my senses if something familiar touched my hand. Wave. My waving hand in the air, couldn¡¯t touch anything familiar. However, something caught my outstretched foot. Surprised, I tried tapping it with my foot. Whatever it was, it was a bit further away, over 1 meter from the wall. Something was lying on the floor there. What was it? It was quite soft to the touch. But the table and whiteboard were made of hard materials. Then, was it the sofa? But the sofa was made of leather, and the thing that touched my foot felt different than the rough fabric. Tap, tap. Feeling curious, I touched the thing again with my foot. After poking the thing with my foot for a while, I came to the conclusion that it probably wasn¡¯t the sofa. The only thing in this club room that had a soft texture was the leather sofa, however, what touched my foot felt certainly different than that. The bottom of the sofa should be hard. But the object which I poked right now didn¡¯t have the texture of hardness. What should I do? Maybe I should examine it. Although I was scared, I decided to think rationally. I¡¯ve already circled around the room more than I could count and searched everywhere on the walls. However, nothing came in my hand. I had no other way in this quiet darkness than to move forward. Quietly lowering my posture, Iid down on my stomach. I couldn¡¯t just jump on the object, not to mention it was dark all around, therefore, I moved carefully. Even while going to check the object, I didn¡¯t leave the side of the wall. For some reason, I felt like I would lose my only sce of sanity forever if I left the wallpletely. Pressing my feet against the wall, I spread my arms out as far as I could and began to search for the object that touched my foot. Based on the perceived distance, this much arm length should be enough to reach the object. Eventually, I caught the object in my hand. And after poking it for a while, realization and shock ran through my body. ¡®It¡¯s a body!¡¯ What I was poking with my hand seemed to be the thin arm of someone, and the rough fabric that touched my hand was the school uniform. Who is it? Gyeongwon? In Hayoon? Lee Jinhee? Although Gyeongwon was a boy, he was quite thin and had a small physiquepared to other boys of his age. Therefore, I couldn¡¯tprehend who exactly it was just by touching the person. He wasn¡¯t the only one with me. Even though the person was lying down, I felt relief washing over me just at their mere presence. Perhaps the person just passed out, and I didn¡¯t realize that. I tried to shake the person awake, but there was no response. I called their names but still found no answer. Not receiving any response, I began to slowly run my hand up on the person¡¯s back and searched for their head. Perhaps I could tell who it was by touching their hair. If the person had long hair, it should be a girl, either Hayoon or Jinhee. Jinhee had her hair dyed, so her hair should be a little rough to touch. As I kept wondering who it could be and began touching their back, my hand, which had been tracing up for the person¡¯s head, suddenly ended up on the floor. Some sticky warm liquid touched my hand on the floor. Above the shoulders, there was no head. ¡°Huh, huh.¡± The shock that ran through my body made me step back in instinct. My body clung to the wall, almost wanting to climb it and hold it as close as possible. ¡°Huff, huff.¡± I frantically wiped my wet hands on the cement wall while shivering. My body shook with so much intensity as if I was going to faint at the feel of the sticky blood. What the fuck? What the fuck, what the fuck¡­ At the sudden change of situation, I felt like I was going crazy with fear. I tried to think of a way to barely escape this situation, but nothing useful appeared in my mind. Should Imit suicide? I thought it would be much better tomit suicide than to tremble in the current iprehensible situation. Committing suicide meant I could go back in time. After that, I could quickly think of a solution with the help of everyone. ¡°Huff, huff.¡± I want to escape. From the dark room where only corpses were lying. Gasp. ¡®¡­But how do Imit suicide?¡¯ That was the problem. I didn¡¯t have a way of dying. I barely killed myselfst time with the help of Sunah. If she hadn¡¯t pushed me from the rooftop of the broadcasting studio, I would have never been able to gain the courage to do so. However, there was no one or nothing here with me. I didn¡¯t have any means of weapon to cut my wrist, or a window from where I could jump out of. I didn¡¯t want to bash my head against the wall until I died. In movies, there are sometimes scenes where people die by biting their tongue or hitting their head against the wall. However, I was just an ordinary high school student. I couldn¡¯t even think of doing something crazy like that. Banging my head against the wall until death ovees me? Even the thought of it sounded crazy to me. It not only requires an enormous amount of will but also courage. Not to mention, it was perhaps the least easiest way to die. If I hit my head, passed out, and woke up again, who knew what kind of terrible situation I would find myself in. I should think of something else and hold off on that method. What do I do? How do Imit suicide? ¡°Yes, Status Window.¡± Pop. [2019, April 26 | Friday, 14:37] [Lee Joon ¨C Number of Attempts: 2] [Ghost Story Points: 225] [Causality Rate: 12%] To get rid of this fear and anxiety, I opened the Status Window. Fortunately, the Status Window didn¡¯t seem to be affected by whatever was happening and appeared clearly even in the dark as if engraved in my eyes. Seeing it suddenly in the dark, I felt a little more at ease. ¡°Haa. Haa.¡± Status window. Status window. It was like the only light of hope that helped me calm down my dizzy mind every time I returned after my regression. A window with clear measure that shows the current date and time even in any confusion. ¡°Huu¡­ huuup.¡± I took a deep breath again. Status window. Status window. In this darkness where there was no light, no sound, and nothing to judge the situation, the Status Window was the only ray of light for me. ¡°Huu. Huu.¡± [2019, April 26 | Friday, 14:37] [Lee Joon ¨C Number of Attempts: 2] [Ghost Story Points: 225] [Causality Rate: 12%] Quietly looking at the Status Window, I began to run my mind. As I began to process the information normally, I understood that the current situation was most probably the result of ghost stories being intertwined anding into existence. However, the question was, which ghost story was I involved in now? In the story of Corner Game, there was no mention of people having their heads cut off and being locked in darkness. Something was definitely different, but I couldn¡¯tprehend what was. What was different? ¡®¡­.Gyeongwon. If only he were alive now.¡¯ Regret poured over me, but soon I shook my head. Gyeongwon was already dead. I would ask him for necessary information after returning back in time. However, to do that, I had to get out of the current predicament first. I should try to figure out what urred thatnded me in such a situation. One of them was when and how the members died. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to wander around in the dark amidst the corpses lying everywhere, but I had to¡­ Besides the corpse lying in front of me right now, the rest of the members were probably lying dead somewhere in this room. Gyeongwon, Hayoon, Jinhee, the members who yed the Corner Game with me in the clubroom. And me. My intuition was telling me that I was the only one alive. ¡®When, Why on earth¡­¡¯ I slowly began to trace back on the things we did when we first started ying the Corner Game. Hayoon was probably the one who moved silently at first. The next careless step seemed to be Jinhee. The person who hit my shoulder after that was clearly Gyeongwon. As I thought back, thinking how they could be killed. Everyone should have been alive before it was my turn to change corners. They could have definitely not died before that. And after arriving at thest corner, I decided to move to Hayoon¡¯s corner to surprise her. ¡®¡­Everyone died in that short period of time?¡¯ Beheaded? It only took me a few seconds to arrive at the corner where Hayoon was staying. What on earth happened in that short period of time? Who and how did they cut off the heads of three people in this pitch-ck darkness so easily and swiftly, without making a single sound? ¡°The headless woman floated in the darkness, giggling at her poor prey. The headless woman floated in the darkness, giggling at her poor prey.¡± In the pitch ck darkness where nothing could be heard except the beating of my heart, the sound of a little girl¡¯s voice rhyming in a sing-song voice was heard all of a sudden. Fuck, fuck. What the hell is this? ¡°Huuuh, huuuh.¡± Without a second thought, I stood up and began to frantically walk away from the voice, leaning my weight leaning against the wall. ¡°The headless woman floated in the darkness, giggling at her poor prey as she chased him around.¡± ¡°Huuuh, huuuh.¡± However, the voice, like the call of death, followed me from behind in the darkness. I was in a state of panic, and all I could think was getting away from that voice anyhow. However, even after running through the darkness for a long while. I didn¡¯t stumble upon any corners. No, it wasn¡¯t that the corners evaporated in thin air and I couldn¡¯t find them. But rather, I wasn¡¯t standing on the ground anymore, leaning against the wall. Before I couldprehend what was happening, I started losing all feelings below my neck. My attempt to escape, wanting to run away was merely my illusion and nothing else. ¡®My head is severed.¡¯ Just as the thought entered my mind, I felt my vision turning fuzzy. It was because my head, which had been severed from my body, fell from the air where it was hovering and began rolling around on the floor. Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud! At the same time, the sound of someone running around the dark clubroom entered my ears. While my head bounced around like a rubber ball, that footsteps pounded in the darkness frantically, like a lost person desperately searching for a way out. ¡°I, Lee Joon, President of the ghost story club, had my head severed by a headless woman. And my headless body was upied.¡± With the woman¡¯s head resting on my severed body, it ran around the clubroom frantically. That voice singing the eerie melody was using my own vocal cord and muttering a ghostly message. And that was the only thing that entered my fuzzy hearing before I lost all consciousness. [You are dead.] [Restarting from the previous checkpoint.] [Loading¡­¡­] Perhaps It was the first and only time when I was so ecstatic hearing the system delivering the message of my death. T/N: If you like my work, consider supporting me on Kofi. Chapter 63: Ninth Ghost Story – Corner Game (4) Chapter 63: Ninth Ghost Story ¨C Corner Game (4) As I came to my senses, I realized I was standing in the clubroom. Looking around, I saw Jinhee, Gyeongwon, and Hayoon were each taking their ces in the corners as the game was about to start. ¡°Who will switch off the light?¡± ¡°I¡¯m close so I can do it.¡± The moment Hayoon, who was sitting in the corner near the entrance, put her hand on the switch in response to Gyeongwon¡¯s question and was about to turn the light off. ¡°Don¡¯t Aaaaaaaaaahhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡± At my sudden exmation, the members all looked at me in surprise. ¡°Don¡¯t turn off the light.¡± Hayoon, whose hand was still hovering above the switch of the light, gave me a nk stare. ¡°Put your hands down. You shouldn¡¯t turn off the light.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Something scary is going to happen.¡± I thought that was enough to stop her from turning the light off. However, Hayoon, who had been staring nkly at me, soon tilted her head. ¡°Where are your manners, Joony.¡± The corners of her lips rose slightly as she asked me with a somewhat coquettish look. At her stubborn attitude, the corners of my lips twitched as I pointed my finger at Hayoon and was momentarily at a loss for words. ¡°Please Hayoon, put your hand down. You need to put your hand down so that we can talk¡­.¡± Instead of answering, Hayoon just smiled brightly before asking. ¡°Is there nothing more you have to say?¡± I swallowed hard and whispered in a voice so that Sunah, who was outside, couldn¡¯t hear. ¡°Beautiful Hayoon, please¡­¡± ¡°Why do you think I¡¯m beautiful?¡± Hayoon, with her long ck hair fluttering behind, asked as she lightly tapped her fingers on the switch. Swallowing hard for the second time, I spouted out words at a rapid pace as if I was worried that if my members heard the nonsense I spouted, I would be teased to death. ¡°P, pretty skin¡­ Since the first time I saw you¡­ I thought your clear skin was so pretty.¡± ¡°You have long eyshes and thin fingers¡­¡± As if she was delighted to hear me praising her, she giggled. ¡°Am I as pretty as Sunah?¡± Gyeongwon and Jinhee, who had already taken their ces in the corners and were witnessing the bizarre situation, looked at me with bewildered expressions, clearly indicating they couldn¡¯t understand what we were talking about. However, Hayoon just covered her mouth andughed, as if she was happy seeing me momentarily speechless. ¡°Joony is hrious.¡± With that, she finally put her hand down from the switch. I let out a sigh of relief inwardly as I quickly ran to the door and opened it, letting the light from the hallway enter the clubroom, brightening it a little. Slid- ¡°Huuu.¡± Only then was I able to breathe properly. ¡°Joon?¡± Sunah, and the rest of the club members, who were waiting outside in the hallway, looked at me with bewildered expressions. ¡°Everyone,e in, quickly. We have to stop the game.¡± ¡°Why? Did you encounter any ghosts? Then, isn¡¯t that a good thing? That¡¯s what we nned to do from the beginning!¡± Gyeongwon responded as if he was surprised by my reason. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Thinking about it carefully, I realized what he said was true. From the beginning, the reason why we decided to y the corner game as an act of summoning ghost stories was to exorcise them. Shouldn¡¯t I be d if I did encounter something? ¡°Right? That was the original purpose for going through so much hassle. What are you saying now¡­.¡± That¡¯s right. That was what we nned to do. However, the ghost story. It was too scary. ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m scared to do it! Trust me.¡± Gyeongwon shook his head with a sigh as if he couldn¡¯t believe I was the one who was saying it. The rest of the members looked at me as if they were dumbfounded. ¡°No, listen to me! That¡¯s not the only reason. After turning off the light and circling around the room a few times, something would happen to you guys and you would die. You have to observe your opponent if you want to catch them. But I just blinked once and my neck was cut off¡­¡± ¡°But you have been handling things quite well so far¡­¡± Sunah muttered quietly. ¡°I¡¯ll stay with you, Joon¡­ It¡¯s okay.¡± Mmhmmm! ¡°Hey, since we¡¯re all together, everything¡¯s gonna be fine. Why are you giving up already?¡± Dukhun tried to encourage me, delivering lines that sounded like some cheesy lines from some cringy boy¡¯sic. ¡°¡­.Joony is more of a scaredy cat than I thought. He even has illusions.¡± Teacher Hwaeun gave me a sympathetic look. ¡°Idiot. What¡¯s so scary about encountering some foolish ghosts¡­¡± Jinhee spat as if she didn¡¯t expect me to behave like that and shook her head in disbelief. ¡°You guys don¡¯t know anything. You haven¡¯t experienced it yourself. It was really fucking scary.¡± ¡­. Although it felt like I wasining, after wandering alone in the dark for so long and having my head cut off without me realizing, I felt relieved receiving such loving criticism from my friends. Suddenly, I felt newbound hope in my heart. ¡°Let¡¯s do this, Joon¡­¡± ¡°You can do it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be scared.¡± My hands naturally gained strength. In thest ghost story, where I had to hold onto the phone ying a ridiculous riddle game with the science teacher. I revealed the secret rted to my identity and rebirth as well as the system to everyone and convinced them of the strange phenomena after returning back to time. And I thought it was an excellent choice. Now these guys are myrades, teammates, subordinates¡­ We have be close friends, who shared experiences that no one can ever understand, and have the same goal that we were all trying to reach. Hardening my heart, I soon made up my mind and nodded. ¡°¡­.Okay. Then let¡¯s fight. Let¡¯s find a way together.¡± ¡°Okay, boss! First, exin the situation from the beginning again.¡± ¡°This is what happened. When Hayoon first turned off the light, I couldn¡¯t see anything and it was pitch ck. With the ticking of clock, time passed by and all I could hear was the sound of socks scraping against the floor in the silence. After waiting for a long time, it was my turn¡­¡± I tried to exin the situation again while trying to imagine the scene in my head as much as possible. However, after I hadpleted exining, Dukhun, who had been listening quietly, asked with a puzzled expression. ¡°Um, but¡­ is there a clock in our clubroom?¡± ¡°¡­.A clock?¡± Everyone looked bewildered. ¡°Nope. But why?¡± ¡°Then why did you mention the ticking sound of a clock?¡± ¡°Ticking sound of clock?¡± I asked back with the same puzzled tone and expression. ¡°Did I mention that?¡± ¡°You did.¡± ¡°Yeah. You did¡­¡± Sunah, who was beside me, nodded along, confirming my doubt. For a moment, I became flustered and started exining from the beginning. ¡°Wait a minute, wait a minute. So Hayoon turned off the light first, right? And I couldn¡¯t see anything in the pitch ck darkness. It was so quiet that all I could hear was the sound of socks scraping against the floor. And then, with the ticking of the clock, time flowed by¡­¡± ¡°That expression of time ticking by. Did you just use it as a metaphor or did you actually hear it yourself?¡± I stood there for a moment, speechless, before slowly whispering. ¡°¡­.I think I heard it.¡± As soon as Hayoon turned the light off, I heard the ticking sound of the clock in the pin drop silence where nothing else could be heard. Gyeongwon, who had a thoughtful look on his face, soon shed his sses as he said after a while. ¡°I don¡¯t know what it has to do with the corner game we were going to y, but a ghost story that is rted to the sound of a clock ticking ising to mind at your mention of hearing a ticking sound. I can tell the story if you would like to hear.¡± ¡°Oh, go ahead!¡± Late one night, I was sleeping in my studio when I woke up to the sound of the clock ticking rather loudly. The sound of the clock ticking, which I usually didn¡¯t pay attention to, was particrly annoying at that time. I kept tossing and turning in bed at the irritating sound when I realized something. There was no clock in my room. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I jumped up from the bed, and at the same time the sound of the clock ticking stopped. People sometimes say ghosts can imitate the sound of a clock ticking. ¡°The sound of the clock ticking¡­¡± As I remembered the situation, it was certainly quite bothersome. However, I couldn¡¯t understand why it was rted to the corner game, as well as our heads being decapitated? Gyeongwon continued his exnation while raising his sses. ¡°If I think about it again from the beginning, this corner game that we wanted to y didn¡¯t seem like your ordinary game. Perhaps it¡¯s a form of ¡®spiritmunication¡¯.¡± ¡°Spirimunication?¡± ¡°Yes. A ritual to summon a spirit.¡± A ritual to summon a spirit! ¡°Think carefully about the ghost story of this corner game from the beginning. If you circle around the four corners of a dark room, an unidentified person appears. Do you remember?¡± ¡°Yes. I remember it well.¡± ¡°Then, it could also be exined like this; to summon a spirit, you have to circle around the corners of a square room.¡± That¡¯s right. When I listened to it for the first time, I only thought it was just a typical ghost story. However, when we tried to put it into action, it seemed something entirely different than other ghost stories. It was like those stories where people say, ¡®If you perform this act, a ghost will appear!¡¯ which can also be reced with ¡®If you perform this act, you can summon a ghost.¡¯ This corner game. Perhaps it was a secret method or ritual to summon a ghost or a spirit. ¡°Last time, it was a curse¡­ This time, it¡¯s spiritmunication¡­ ¡° ¡°Yes. The Rothstein Corridor we¡¯re trying to do just now, although it¡¯s known to be a game, it¡¯s actually a method to call spirits even though we haven¡¯t drawn any kind of magic circle.¡± ¡°¡­.It does seem kind of like that.¡± cing a candle in the middle of the magic circle, ultists spin around in the darkness and perform a satanic ritual, which was extremely simr to what we nned to do to y the corner game. ¡°This story, I think it could be taken as a kind of ¡®Spiritmunication¡¯ to summon an unknown spirit .¡± It was a valid opinion. ¡°Then why did the door suddenly disappear?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± At that moment, Dukhun stepped forward and answered for me. ¡°If you take it in terms of the game, when you enter a new stage, you usually have to kill all the monsters on that stage to open the passage for the next level.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Crossing my arms, I got lost in thought as I tapped my arms with my fingers. After thinking for a while, I asked Gyeongwon again. ¡°But what exactly is spiritmunication? It¡¯s not a word I¡¯vee across often.¡± ¡°Spiritmunication. This is¡­ a general term to call rituals that can summon a ghost. Let me give you a popr example on that.¡± shing his sses, Gyeongwon asked all of us. ¡°Have you guys heard of Pen Spirit?¡± ¡°Yeah. We have.¡± Everyone nodded at this. Pen Spirit, a popr ritual among teenagers where several students hold a ballpoint pen in one hand and try to summon a ghost. It was quite popr among the youngsters so it was impossible for us to not know about this. ¡°Pen Spirit?¡± However, Sunah, who perhaps didn¡¯t have any friends during her middle school tilted her head in confusion. ¡°Hmm. Well, it¡¯s like the name of a game to summon a ghost. Just know that for now.¡± Sunah nodded quietly. I tried to organize my thoughts before asking Gyeongwon. ¡°So, even though it wasn¡¯t mentioned in the ghost story, you want to say that the corner game we are trying to y is a kind of spiritmunication, a ritual to summon a ghost, right?¡± ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s right.¡± Gyeongwon nodded and added to his exnation. ¡°However, in spiritmunication, although there are many ways to summon ghosts or spirits, it is unknown what type of ghosts would be summoned in the end. There are ghosts that just y along normally and continue to y the game like mentioned in the story¡­¡± ¡°¡­.But, There are also vengeful ghosts that like to decapitate the heads of the casters as soon as they are summoned.¡± Based on my experience just now, Gyeongwon muttered. ¡°¡­.The quality is quite bad.¡± I sighed involuntarily. ¡°But why did that happen? It¡¯s a bit different from the story. ¡± ¡°¡­Well.¡± Everyone tilted their heads at the questions that came to mind one after another. ¡°Okay. We should separate the topics before discussing. In the story about the ghost imitating the sound of a clock ticking, there was no mention of people¡¯s heads being decapitated, right?¡± Gyeongwon had a thoughtful look on his face at my question. He seemed to be contemting how to tie together the various scattered logics and present a logical exnation. ¡°There certainly isn¡¯t such a story. But it¡¯s so out of the blue¡­ How should I organize this confusing information?¡± ¡°Hmm. I¡¯ll write it down on the whiteboard first.¡± With that, I approached the whiteboard and wrote down the three strange phenomena that had just urred to us at the very top of the whiteboard. 1. Corner Game (Rothstein¡¯s Corridor) 2. A ghost story about a ghost imitating the ticking sound of a clock. 3. A ghost with only its head floating around. (???) I pointed to the third term and asked the members. ¡°Does anyone know what kind of ghost story this could be? In the darkness, a little girl¡¯s voice suddenly warned me that a woman¡¯s head was floating in the air¡­¡± ¡°Eek.¡± Jinhee and Teacher Hwaeun flinched as if they were creeped out by the information. ¡°It¡¯s so freaking scary, Joony.¡± ¡°¡­.I¡¯m talking about something that actually happened. I was scared too.¡± Nevertheless, Teacher Hwaeun should still be unaware about the strange phenomena that had happened to me. Since she was someone who often got caught up in ghost stories, I didn¡¯t want to risk letting her know about the secret of my rebirth thinking that it would be dangerous if the secret about my regression was revealed. And yet, teacher Jang Hwaeun was hanging out with us. I was worried that she might think it was strange to hear about someone¡¯s head being decapitated and dying, so Iid down a little groundwork. ¡°¡­Teacher. We¡¯re all just ying roles, you know? Based on the ghost stories, we¡¯re just role-ying.¡± ¡°What? Aren¡¯t ghosts really going to appear?¡± However, Teacher Hwaeun jumped as if she couldn¡¯t believe she was not going to witness a ghost. Surely, I didn¡¯t think she was seriously following our conversation. ¡°¡­ No, well. You can take it however you want. I¡¯ll just continue for now.¡± I looked around at the members before asking again. ¡°What do you think? A ghost that floats around with only its head, decapitates your head, and takes your body. Is any ghost story simr to thating to your mind?¡± In response to my question, Dukhun suddenly stood up and approached me. ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of information President wants, but what you have written on the whiteboard, could it be¡­ something like this?¡± Snatching the marker from my hand with his thick hand, he began to re-write the terms I wrote. 1. Corner Game (Rostein¡¯s Corridor) -> Spiritmunication 2. A ghost that imitates ticking sound of a clock -> only imitates the sound and does nothing 3. The voice of a little girl -> warns about the situation 4. A ghost with only its head floating around -> decapitates your head and takes your body I was speechless for a moment. ¡°That ghost with its head floating, it used your voice to speak after taking over President¡¯s body, right? Then I guess the voice that warned you that your head would be blown off must have been from another ghost.¡± ¡°¡­.Yes.¡± Looking at it this way, I thought I could understand the whole picture a little bit. ¡®If I reconstruct the situation like this, this is likely what has happened.¡¯ With the light of the clubroom going out, the corner game began. While we were getting ready by circling around the clubroom a few times, a ghost that imitates the sound of clock ticking had already appeared. The game began, and as the members¡¯ turn went by, soon it was my turn and Gyeongwon tapped me on the shoulder. And then I move to thest corner, and after confirming that it¡¯s empty, I move to the next corner to catch Hayoon. While I was busy thinking of ying a silly prank, my friends silently got their throats cut off in the darkness. And then the little girl¡¯s voice was heard. ¡°The headless woman floated in the darkness, giggling at her poor prey. The headless woman floated in the darkness, giggling at her poor prey.¡± And then as I tried to run away, the girl continued to warn me about the situation. And finally, I heard my voice after my head was cut off. ¡°I, Lee Joon, President of the ghost story club, was beheaded by a headless female ghost. And my headless body was upied.¡± The line that resonated through my voice at the end didn¡¯t seem like the voice of a little girl, but rather a mature woman. Which meant the female ghost used my voice to utter those words after upying my body. ¡°I see. So, there were three ghosts in total¡­¡± 1. Corner Game (¡®Rothstein¡¯s Corridor) -> Spiritmunication 2. A ghost that imitates ticking sound of a clock -> only imitates the sound and does nothing 3. The voice of a little girl -> warns about the situation 4. A ghost with only its head floating around -> decapitates your head and takes your body We summoned three ghosts with spiritmunication in that short amount of time. ¡°This is our first time doing it, but we have summoned a lot.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± A group of chuunibyou teenagers¡¯ first attempt at spiritmunication, and three spirits responded. ¡®Is this world full of ghosts?¡¯ I thought of the characteristics of the three ghosts once again before opening my mouth. ¡°¡­.But after looking closely, I think the only ghost we should watch out for is the headless ghost?¡± Gyeongwon also looked at them carefully and raised his chin with a look that said, ¡®This shit can¡¯t be true.¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s true, Prez. One ghost just imitates the sound of the clock and the other warns you about the situation all of a sudden. They don¡¯t seem to have any intention of attacking.¡± I quietly looked through the list before quietly calling out to the members. ¡°Guys.¡± Get ready. ¡°We are gonna do an experiment.¡± T/N: If you like my work, consider supporting me on Kofi. Chapter 64: Ninth Ghost Story – Corner Game (5) Chapter 64: Ninth Ghost Story ¨C Corner Game (5) T/N: Two more unlocked chapters. Enjoy! After a brief moment. The corner game started again. Thump. The light was switched off, the door was shut, and darkness enveloped the clubroompletely. Tick, tock. In the silence where only the ticking of the clock resonated, the first runner of the corner game soon began to move slowly. Peep-peep-peep-peep-peep-peep-peep- Thump. The first runner, who started the game, moved slowly and reached the next corner before touching the person there. Then, the person there began to move to the next corner as the second runner. Peep-peep-peep-peep-peep-peep-peep- Thump. The third runner in line began to move to the third corner after getting touched by the second runner. Peep-peep-peep-peep-peep-peep-peep- Thump. Finally, thest runner was touched by the third runner. Thest runner slowly began to move to the first corner, which had long been emptied. Peep-peep-peep-peep-peep-peep-peep- Thest runner returned to the corner from where the game first started. That corner was now empty because the first person who had been staying there had already moved to the next corner. Thest runner slowly approached the corner and hit the empty wall. Thump. The game finally reached its end. Silence stretched for a moment after that. The participants, who were ying the game just now, had their heads decapitated in the darkness without a sound. Snap. Snap. However, the person in thest corner stayed still without panicking even a bit. Snap. Soon, everyone, except for thest runner standing still in the corner was beheaded. Thest survivor was still waiting quietly in the darkness. All of a sudden, a girl¡¯s voice echoed in the pitch ck darkness. ¡°The female ghost with only its head floated in the darkness, giggling at her poor prey. The female ghost with only its head floated in the darkness, giggling at her poor prey.¡± A little girl¡¯s voice babbled happily as she sang in a rhythmic way. Despite those ominous words, the person standing in the dark corner stayed still in their ce without moving a little. ¡°The female ghost with only its head floated in the darkness, giggling at her poor prey. The female ghost with only its head floated in the darkness, giggling at her poor prey.¡± Soon, the sound of thest person having his head decapitated was heard in the darkness. ¡°And she beheaded him.¡± Snap- After a while. The sound of someone frantically running around the clubroom was heard. The person ran around everywhere crazily, stumbling into the things that had been pushed into the middle. The ghostly woman with only her head hovering in the air. She decapitated the head of thest runner and upied the headless body. Using her vocal cords, the ghost finally spoke up. [Hello, my lovely friends. What kind of games would you like to y today? Anything is fun when you¡¯re with the h-dancing duck!] However, what came out through the mechanical voice was an automated self introduction. At that sound, we, who had been hiding under the desk until now, slowly poked our heads out. ¡°It¡¯s really working.¡± I nodded at Jinhee¡¯s words while fiddling with the remote control next to her. She muttered lowly while holding a baseball bat in her hand. *** ¡°The most important thing isn¡¯t that we have to catch the female ghost, but everyone has to survive and clear the game.¡± Aftering back in time and exining everything that unfolded during the corner game in the previous timeline, we decided to y the game once again. Therefore, while preparing for the spiritmunication in the 6th period, we reviewed the n again. ¡°It would be a problem if the checkpoint is set to a different timeline. Understood?¡± I emphasized that point and pped the whiteboard loudly as I exined. The members all nodded. ¡°If I turn the time back a few times, we might discover a way to catch that ghost somehow. But!¡± I pped the whiteboard loudly once again as I emphasized each information. ¡°If even one person dies while clearing the game, all our preparation will be for naught. However, everyone dies in silence without even making a sound as soon as the game starts. So we have toe up with a thorough n before starting the game.¡± ¡°I understand, stop hitting the whiteboard, Prez.¡± Gyeongwon raised his sses as he said in an annoyed tone. Letting out an embarrassed cough, I continued. ¡°Anyway, we have to think of a thorough n. We can y the corner game and summon the ghosts with the help of spiritmunication as much as we want as I¡¯ve said before. But if all the members participating in the game die¡­¡± ¡°How about someone else ying the game instead of us?¡± Sunah offered her opinion with hesitation. ¡°Someone else ying instead of us¡­¡± If that were to happen, those people would be beheaded by that ghost and die. I could understand Sunah¡¯s way of thinking, however, I couldn¡¯t act on that. ¡°Why would someone do such a dangerous thing for us?¡± Sunah showed a dispirited look as Dukhun crossed his arms and snorted as he asked. However, something clicked in my mind at Sunah¡¯s words. ¡®Instead¡­ instead.¡¯ Without wasting any time, I told the members what I had just nned. ¡°How about we use a doll, or a robot to do it for us?¡± ¡°Doll?¡± The members tilted their heads in puzzlement. ¡°There are toys or dolls that walk on two feet and can be controlled by a remote control. We can buy four of those and put them in the corners so that they can move from corner to corner instead of us¡­¡± I exined with wide eyes while gesturing excitedly with my hands. The idea was amusing to the members, so a few of them burst intoughter. ¡°Using dolls¡­ hrious¡­¡± ¡°But, didn¡¯t you say we can¡¯t have electronic devices? That¡¯s why you took all the cell phones away earlier.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true.¡± When Jinhee raised a question, Gyeongwon quietly folded his arms before answering. ¡°It¡¯s true that the general rule for rituals to summon ghosts, which ismonly known as spiritmunication, is to not have any electronic devices, including cell phones, around.¡± ¡°Is there a reason for that?¡± ¡°¡­Well, there are many reasons, but the biggest one is that it hampers the creation of an atmosphere of fear.¡± ¡°So creating an atmosphere of fear is important for spiritmunication?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± I expressed my doubts to Gyeongwon who was firmly nodding. ¡°But why are dolls and toys an exception? They not only walk on two feet, but they also run on batteries. They should be considered electronic devices, too.¡± ¡°Well, the reason is a bit ambiguous¡­ a ghost story rted to that ising to mind right now.¡± ¡°What is the ghost story about?¡± ¡°Has anyone heard of ¡®HANS¡¯?¡± ¡°HANS?¡± [T/N: HANS is the abbreviated form of Hide and Never Seek, a Korean horror drama about a girl who goes missing while ying a ghostly game of hide-and-never-seek, and a horror junkie who searches for the truth while livestreaming to his fans. The drama is based on the ghost story, hide-and-never-seek.] I raised my hand as the members tilted their heads in confusion. ¡°I think I¡¯ve read about it. Isn¡¯t it about ying hide-and-seek alone?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Prez. I guess you¡¯ve been studying a bittely.¡± ¡°A little.¡± ¡°To be precise, it¡¯s an abbreviated form of hide-and-never-seek. HANS. This is also a kind of spiritmunication. If you¡¯re curious about the content, search it on the Inte or ask meter. For now, I¡¯ll just get to the conclusion since the solution is urgent.¡± Gyeongwon shone his sses as he spoke. ¡°Dolls are an exception in spiritmunication. Since dolls are often used in spiritmunication or various curse rituals. I think that¡¯s why even if they have a little electronic equipment, it won¡¯t have a big effect on summoning ghosts.¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± ¡°The ghost story we encountered just now. The science teacher tried to kill Prez using a curse but he used an electronic device, which is a phone, to do that. Even in those curse-rted ghost stories, dolls sometimes appear. I think this is because dolls are probably an exception.¡± After listening to Gyeongwon¡¯s words and thinking about it carefully, I felt it was definitely true. If you think of curses, the image that usuallyes to mind is. The picture of someone hammering nails into a straw doll. ¡°That¡¯s right. Come to think of it, there seem to be a lot of ghost stories featuring dolls as cursed objects.¡± ¡°Right?¡± Everyone nodded with an expression of understanding. ¡°But where can we buy such dolls in this situation¡­¡± ¡°I can just use the system store.¡± Quickly opening the Shop window, I went to the ¡®Sports/ Toys¡¯ category. ¡°Let¡¯s see. Moving dolls, moving dolls¡­¡± [Clover Enterprise¡¯s Reliable and Safe Toddler Toys ¨C Automated Animal Doll H-Dancing Duck ¨C 2 points] ¡°Wow, it¡¯s cheap.¡± 2 points with a free remote control. The toy not only can move around but you can also make it dance using the remote control. ¡®¡­Clover. There¡¯s nothing these people don¡¯t make.¡¯ ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s buy it!¡± Without hesitation, I ordered four toy ducks using a total of 8 points. Soon, we heard the sound of something falling down in the hallway. ¡°Let¡¯s go and pick them up quickly.¡± Squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak- [The end of the human era has arrived~] ¡°Good. It works perfectly fine.¡± In front of my eyes, duck-shaped dolls the size of my knees were running around the clubroom, each making a squeaking sound while delivering previously recorded messages. ¡°They¡¯re cute.¡± Sunah smiled as she tried to pat the head of one of the ducks, but it quickly ran away. [A rolling stone gathers no moss~] [T/N: ¡®A rolling stone gathers no moss¡¯, is an idiom which means someone or something that does not know how settle down or stay in one ce.] ¡°Perfect. Now that I¡¯ve got the dolls.¡± The club members gathered around the desk again and sat down. ¡°Is there anything else we need to prepare?¡± ¡°First, I think we need to decide who will stay.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Even if we use the dolls to y the game, there has to be someone who will have to stay to operate the dolls and catch the ghosts.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Who would be better off staying? Since the ghost story was quite dangerous itself, I would definitely have to stay but it would be better to have one or two people, who are courageous and can stay with me to help. ¡°First of all, as the president, I will have to stay without any question. I don¡¯t want you guys to be dragged into the mess but it will be really helpful if someone else volunteers to participate¡­¡± As my words trailed off, my eyesnded at Jinhee. ¡°What?¡± The three ghosts we were about to face. A ghost that can imitate the ticking sound of a clock, the ghost of a little girl that rys the situation, and the most dangerous ghost with only a head. Since we only have fragmentary information, it was impossible toe up with a thorough n. For now, we just thought of catching them. Since we were fighting against a dangerous entity, who would be better other than Jinhee? ¡°But even if we put the dolls in each corner, where will the people, who will be operating the dolls and monitoring the situation, hide?¡± When I voiced out a possible problem that could hinder us, Gyeongwon answered as a matter of fact. ¡°In the middle.¡± ¡°What if our presence in the middle affects the ritual?¡± ¡°In the ghost story where mountain hikers got lost and one of them died, they put the dead body in the middle. And in the Rothstein Corridor, the word corridor means hallway. Which means they performed the ritual in an open space, not in an enclosed room. Therefore, I believe your presence in the middle wouldn¡¯t affect the ritual.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s fortunate.¡± I nodded in satisfaction before looking at Jinhee. ¡°Jinhee, do you wanna beat up some ghosts?¡± ¡°¡­I have to stay?¡± Soon, Jinhee and I packed our things and crawled under the desk together. Since the ghost with only its head floated in the air, I concluded it wouldn¡¯t bother peeping under the desk. ¡°Would only a baseball bat work? How about a chainsaw or a methrower¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how to use them.¡± While I and Jinhee were preparing our equipment, the club members left the clubroom one by one, not before giving us, who were hiding under the desk, words of encouragement. ¡°Joon, be careful¡­¡± ¡°Thank you, Sunah.¡± ¡°Fighting, both of you.¡± ¡°Thank you, Dukhun.¡± ¡°Good luck.¡± ¡°Yeah, Hayoon.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are thinking and what will happen, but please shout for our help if any problem arises, okay?¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Gyeongwon was thest to leave. But before leaving, he left more advice for us while pushing his sses. ¡°I have one more thing to tell you. Ghosts usually take the appearance of the moment they died. Therefore, even if a ghost looks young, it could actually be a vengeful spirit from decades ago. For now, the only dangerous one seemed to be the ghost with its head floating around. However, don¡¯t let your guard down around that little ghost girl.¡± ¡°Thanks for the advice. Please switch the light off when you leave.¡± ¡°Okay. Hope I¡¯ll see you again alive and well.¡± Click. Turning off the light, Gyeongwon gave us onest look before leaving and closing the door. As soon as the door closed, the clubroom waspletely enshrouded in darkness. Tick, tock. ¡°¡­.it has started.¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± In the silence, where there should be no sound, the sound of a clock ticking loudly resonated in the whole clubroom. Without wasting any time, I started operating the remote control to move the duck dolls that were ced in the four corners. As I pushed the levers on the remote control, one duck toy in one of the corners began to move unsteadily. Peep-peep-peep-peep-peep-peep- * * * [Hello, my lovely friends. What kind of games would you like to y today? Anything is fun when you¡¯re with the h-dancing duck!] The female ghost upied the body of the toy duck but ended up introducing itself in a mechanical voice while beeping in the dark. Hearing such a funny introduction from a ghost, Jinhee, who was kneeling beside me, burst outughing. ¡°How funny. And we thought it was gonna be extremely dangerous.¡± ¡°Here, a glow stick.¡± While looking for a tool that could be used as a substitute for an electronic device to emit light, I got a glow stick from the Shop. I handed it to Jinhee who was kneeling beside me. Tak. The moment she bent the stick, the chemicals inside the glow stick burst and began to emit a bluish light. ¡°A glow stick is shining, a glow stick is shining.¡± Even the small movement was ryed by the little ghost girl. Tick, tock. Tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock. Besides the voice of the little ghost girl, the sound of a clock ticking and a duck doll moving around frantically was also heard in the darkness. ¡°Oh, man, it¡¯s so noisy.¡± Although it was pitch ck, a lot ofmotion was happening around the clubroom. Grumbling to herself, Jinhee waved the glow stick around. ¡°¡­.There¡¯s a total of three of them.¡± There were three ghosts in the enclosed clubroom. The first ghost we saw was of the little girl who had been rying the situation. She didn¡¯t seem much older, perhaps the age of around elementary school children. A yellowish short-sleeved T-shirt with some English words written in the middle adorned her small frame. Her eyes looking at us glowed with excitement as if she was d to see us. Fortunately, she didn¡¯t look as scary as we thought. Rather, with a little bit of baby fat on her face, she looked quite cute, except for the fact that her clothes looked a little old and worn out. ¡°¡­What kind of clothes are those? They look strange.¡± As I asked while looking closely at the clothes worn by the little girl, Jinhee answered coolly. ¡°It¡¯s a baseball uniform.¡± The clothes must have belonged to the little girl and it was also the cloth she had while dying. But perhaps she had been dead for a long time, the color seemed to have faded and looked worn out. ¡°We can¡¯t judge the little girl based on her appearance. Just as Gyeongwon said, they may look young on the outside, but actually be quite vicious. We should be careful.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Move it to the left. Shine the glow stick in the direction where the ticking sound of a clock ising from.¡± Following my order, Jinhee extended the glow stick to the left. There, we saw a little boy standing there who looked younger than the little ghost girl. He seemed to be about the age to enter kindergarten. When we shined the light on the little boy, he closed his mouth tightly and stared at us expressionlessly for a while. But soon, he pursed his lips and began to make the ticking sound of a clock. Tick, tock. ¡°Wow, it sounds so freaking simr.¡± Jinhee eximed in admiration. ¡°Jinhee, shine it on the back this time. This is where the female ghost should be.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t shine directly on it, that thing is scary. Slowly¡­¡± ¡°Shut up, idiot.¡± Although she called me an idiot, Jinhee still listened to my order and shined the glow stick behind us. There, the decapitated female ghost, which was our main target, was revealed. Squeak-Squeak-Squeak-Squeak. A duck doll about the size of a person¡¯s knee. On top of the doll¡¯s neck, instead of a duck¡¯s head, a woman¡¯s head with disheveled hair was attached. Squeak-Squeak-Squeak-Squeak. The duck doll was facing the wall and couldn¡¯t turn around without the help of the remote control. So it was just standing still, making a squeaking sound. ¡°Hey. Turn it around with the remote. Let me see its face.¡± Even though so many days have passed and we had been interacting with each other quite well, Jinhee still called me with ¡®hey¡¯ and ¡®you¡¯ rather than my name. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Quickly picking up the remote control, I pushed the levers and began to operate it. The duck doll slowly began to turn around, and the face of the female ghost with only its head, slowly began to appear. ¡°Oh, the face is freaking scary¡­¡± Disheveled hair, swollen face, white eyes. And a mouth that had been split open all the way to the ears in a happy smile. [Be careful of myser eyes! Shootingser light!] The LED shlights on the doll¡¯s body turned on with a click, and the ghost¡¯s white eyes shone with red light, as if shooting us withsers. [This is a mischievous h-dancing duck!] Every time the head of the ghost moved its lips, the recorded automated dialogues on the doll were yed instead, adding to the bizarreness. I tried reading the movements of the ghost¡¯s lips with the Lip Reading ability, but all I got was meaningless mutterings about cutting off someone¡¯s neck and upying the body. The grotesque ghost with only its head attached to a toy duck¡¯s body began to walk toward us, moving its flippers in a clumsy manner. Waddle, waddle. [I want to y with my friends!] Jinhee smiled darkly, not seemingly scared of the bizarre appearance of the duck, and lifted the baseball bat over her shoulder. ¡°Stop talking nonsense and dance your h.¡± ?¡ó?¡ó????¡ó???¡ó??¡ó?? ????¡ó??¡ó??¡ó?? ??¡ó???¡ó?¡ó¡ó?¡ó??¡ó ?¡ó¡ó?¡ó T/N: If you like my work, consider supporting me on Kofi. Chapter 65: Ninth Ghost Story – Corner Game (6) Chapter 65: Ninth Ghost Story ¨C Corner Game (6) Squeak-Squeak-Squeak-Squeak-Squeak¨C A grotesque monster with a ghost¡¯s head attached to the body of a duck doll frantically walked toward us. Jinhee stared at it indifferently and kicked it away when it got close. Squeak- [Ouch! It¡¯s wrong to hit your friends!] The doll with the head of the ghost attached on its neck, rolled away in the distance as it spoke in a mechanic voice. It seemed Jinhee¡¯s words that she wasn¡¯t afraid of anything weren¡¯t only an empty boast. ¡®Come to think of it, during the incident with Fourincess, Jinhee was perfectly fine for a long time even after listening to the song many times in the ce she works¡­¡¯ Perhaps she was mentally extremely strong. ¡°Bunting. It¡¯s a bunting. What a shame.¡± [T/N: In the game of baseball, bunting is an act by the batter of hitting the ball fairly slowly and only a short distance, to put it into a position that causes difficulties for the fielders (the yers on the opposite team whose turn it is to throw and catch the ball), and helps the batter¡¯s own team to score.] The little ghost girl put her hands on her chest with a regretful expression. ¡°That¡¯s amazing. Ghosts really do exist.¡± Jinhee muttered, holding the glow stick in her left hand and the baseball bat in her right, while staring at the ghost girl with a surprised expression over her shoulders. ¡®Ghost?¡¯ My mouth that opened to let out a remark stopped as I remembered something. Since they were ghosts, it means that they were originally people, living breathing people just like us. Then, is the Demon King a kind of ghost as well? [Fun- Creek¨C H- Click¨C Exciting. Anything is fun? Fun- Creek¡­ Fun- Click¡­] The body of the duck that had been kicked by Jinhee, was struggling on the floor, trying its hardest to get up. The head attached to the neck rolled side by side, such a bizarre scene made me think of the movie Frankenstein. The creepy image of the duck doll with a human head on its body looked more like a monster than a ghost. It seemed like a creature of someone¡¯s crazy imagination. However, since Jinhee¡¯s understanding of this situation was still low, I didn¡¯t bother to ask her to attack it instantly. I thought it would only make things more troublesome than helping her. ¡®¡­I¡¯ll have to ask Gyeongwon once I¡¯m done with this mess.¡¯ Thud. The head of the female ghost was kicked by Jinhee once again. This time, it hit the wall and rolled on the floor. Perhaps it finally understood that it couldn¡¯t move its body without the help of the remote. So it began to move its hair like tentacles and tried to separate its head from the toy¡¯s body. [Gaaaah¡­] As I had predicted before, it couldn¡¯t speak when it wasn¡¯t attached to a body and only had its head. After detaching itself, the head slowly rose into the air, making a groaning sound. It soon turned to us andughed loudly. ¡°I think it¡¯s pissed.¡± Jinhee snickered as she gave it a provoking re. Before we couldprehend, the head suddenly flew towards us with a snapping sound. Bang! Jinhee was quick to respond. With a grunt, she hit the side of the head with the baseball bat like lightning and made it fly away far. ¡°Ah! A direct hit! A direct hit!¡± The ghost girl screamed excitedly at the cool disy of strength and cheered loudly. I was also astonished at the scene that unfolded before my eyes. Jinhee¡¯s strength and instincts were truly animalistic. [Grrrrrrr.] The head of the ghost let out a strange, deting groan as it flew through the air. Just before hitting the wall, it found its bnce in the air and floated up before ring hatefully at Jinhee. ¡°How many times do I have to hit it?¡± ¡°¡­.I don¡¯t know. You¡¯re thinking of hitting it again?¡± [Grrrrrrr¡­] Swish. The ghost with only its head opened its mouth wide before rushing at Jinhee again. The speed of rushing towards her was twice as fast as it was before. ¡°Jinhee, watch out for the hair! That thing¡¯s hair is very sharp!¡± ¡°I know!¡± Just as I warned Jinhee, the hair of the ghost stretched out towards her, aiming for her neck. However, Jinhee ran straight at the ghost in response. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous Jinhee!¡± She¡¯s heading straight for the ghost! However, I was worried for no reason. Swish. Bending her waist backwards just when the head of the ghost reached her, she narrowly avoided it. ¡°Safe!¡± Swish- While Jinhee slid on the floor bending her knees, the little ghost girl shouted excitedly from the other corner of the clubroom. ¡°She dodged the head in time! Safe!¡± It seemed that the ghost girl was taking the current fight as if witnessing a baseball match. Jinhee bent her waist once again, leisurely dodging the head floating in the air towards her before turning her body around. Before the head of the ghost could get its bnce, she hit the back of the ghost¡¯s head with the baseball bat once again. Baaaaang! [Grrrrrrrr!] The head of the ghost began to spin in the air like a baseball ball going for a homerun. ¡°It¡¯s troublesome to use the bat and hit the head with one hand. Hey, catch it.¡± Jinhee threw the glow stick she was holding into the air before grabbing the bat with both hands. ¡°Uh, uh.¡± In a panic, I pped both of my hands to catch the glow stick flying towards me in a shaky posture. However, thanks to my poor athletic ability and bad eyes-to-hand coordination, it bounced off my hands. The glow stick, which I couldn¡¯t catch, bounced off towards the direction of the ghost girl who was rying the situation like a baseballmentary. Clench! The ghost girl caught the glow stick with both hands before shouting with a determined and excited expression. ¡°The! Strongest! Korean! Team!¡± [Grrrrrrrr-] The head of the ghost regained its bnce in the air as if it was not affected by gravity. After finding its bnce in the air, it red hatefully at Jinhee as it took its stance for attacking. [Grrrrrrrr-] It charged forward again, waving its hair around frantically like tentacles. ¡°Huh, shit!¡± This time, it flew downward, above the ground but lower than the waist. Therefore, Jinhee couldn¡¯t duck down to dodge. ¡°Ah! It¡¯s flying down! Flying down! Flying down!¡± Seeing no way, Jinhee had no choice but to turn around and run away. Thud, thud. ¡°Huuuh, huff, huff.¡± Steadying her breathing like a professional athlete, Jinhee ran around the enclosed clubroom, turning in every direction in every corner of the clubroom. [Grrrrrrr-] ¡°It¡¯s chasing fast! It¡¯s fast, but you can do it!¡± Seeing Jinhee changing directions several times to dodge it, the ghost suddenly increased its speed as if it was angry and rushed forward with full speed. Swish! As if she had been waiting for this exact moment, Jinhee also increased her speed and ran towards the sofa in front of her. Thud, thud. Stepping on the sofa, Jinhee jumped upwards before doing a big backflip. Swoosh- [Grrrrrrrr-] Because it was flying down, the head of the ghost hit the sofa squarely while Jinhee dodged the ghost in the dark with a backflip. Thud. Soon, Jinheended safely behind the head of the ghost that looked disoriented after hitting the sofa hard. Bending her knees with her hands touching the floor for bnce, she took the standard pose of a superhero. Bang! ¡°Ah! As I¡¯ve said many times! The Korean professional baseball team has reached the 8 million mark, and now we¡¯ve reached the era of spectators! This is the first time that we¡¯re seeing such a spectacr match in a long time!¡± Jinhee swung the baseball in her hands once again, aiming for another homerun. [Grrrrrrrr!] ¡°Jinhee, you¡¯re awesome!¡± I also spread my arms and started cheering beside the ghost girl, who had been doing so from the very beginning. ¡°The strongest Korean team!¡± ¡°Jinhee is the strongest!¡± The head of the ghost was disorganised after hitting the sofa and couldn¡¯t regain its bnce for a moment. Taking the time it was trying toe to its senses, Jinhee swung her bat and sent it flying towards the ceiling. Baaaaang-! ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s go!¡± [Grrrrrrrr.] The head, that was stuck on the ceiling, red at Jinhee resentfully before taking its position to fly down. ¡°It only has a head, but it¡¯s still so strong.¡± Wiping the sweat off her forehead, Jinhee picked up the cushion on the sofa, before throwing it at the head that was rushing towards her. Smack. The sharp hair ripped the cushion into pieces, and the cotton inside scattered throughout the dark clubroom. Through the darkness, I saw Jinhee swinging the baseball bat at hand and hitting the head for another homerun. Baang-! [Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah-] ¡°Awesome!¡± When I jumped and cheered loudly, the ghost girl beside me also jumped up excitedly. ¡°Awesome game!¡± ¡°Lee Jinhee, fighting!¡± Jinhee, who was wiping her sweat after hitting another homerun and panting, red at me. ¡°Oi, stop cheering. Have you lost your mind?¡± ¡°Uh, sorry.¡± At the strong distaste, I immediately put my hands down and stood up straight. However, the ghost girl didn¡¯t seem to hear her and swung the glow stick as she jumped around the clubroom andmented at every movement like doing a livementary. ¡°As you can see, the fight is happening in an enclosed space. The situation is very disadvantageous for the yer. But the yer is strong in her resilience and fighting with all she has got!¡± In the meantime, the head of the ghost, that had been once again sent flying away, opened its eyes wide and took the stance to attack again. The moment the ghost was about to attack, something clicked in my mind and I hurriedly shouted at Jinhee. ¡°Jinhee, hit the front side of the head!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Jinhee stepped sideways as the head flew towards her and leisurely dodged it as she threw a question at me. ¡°Front side?¡± ¡°Yeah, the front side!¡± Until now, Jinhee had been hitting the back or side of the head where the hair was gathered. I thought the reason the ghost was still able to attack her after being hit by a baseball bat and sent away flying like a homerun was because those tentacle-like hairs protected the impact. ¡°It will be hard to hit the front side. Unless it got stuck somewhere.¡± I grabbed the remote before dering. ¡°Just make it fly down one more time! I¡¯ll make it get stuck!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Grabbing the bat tightly, Jinhee stepped forward again, facing the ghost. The ghost girl smiled brightly as if she was d to see her determined expression. ¡°She¡¯s determined to do this. Even though she is facing a ghost with only a head, her courage and determination as she fought without even blinking an eye is really amazing, she¡¯s so cool. She¡¯s really so cool¡­¡± [Grrrrrrr-] The head flew towards her again with tremendous speed while groaning along the way. Having already done all the moves she could do, such as sliding down on the floor, backflipping upward, and throwing an obstacle, Jinhee couldn¡¯t understand what else she should do. ¡°Front¡­ Fuck, huff.¡± [Gaaaaah.] Not finding any solution, she quickly started running toward the opposite wall. The head of the ghost chased after her at a frightening speed, murderous intention dripping from it as it rushed forward. [Grrrrrrrrr.] ¡°Huff, huff.¡± ¡°Although it won¡¯t help telling this, the enclosed space is too narrow for the yer to proceed for a smooth game. If this space was spherical, that head would have already won. This is why the shape of the field is important.¡± [Gaaaaak.] ¡°Hiyah!¡± Jinhee ran straight toward a nk wall. Using the speed and recession she gained, she kicked the wall and jumped up. ¡°Oh no!¡± Is she trying to do another backflip? However, the head of the ghost already suffered this trick before, I didn¡¯t think it could be fooled once again. Just as I thought, the ghost didn¡¯t stop and flew upwards to Jinhee, who had jumped up! [Grrrrrrrr!] However, using the wall, Jinhee, who had jumped up suddenly twisted her waist in the air and performed a double side kick. Jinhee¡¯s bare feet, flying straight into the air, mmed on the head from the front. Smack! [Geaaaah.] ¡°A clean shot!¡± It was indeed a clean shot. However, instead of weapons, what she used was her bare feet wearing only socks, not even shoes. She didn¡¯t even have any protective gear and was wearing a school uniform and a skirt. The ghost seemed to be going crazy in anger, as it began to wave its sharp tentacles-like hair everywhere, cutting through Jinhee¡¯s stockings. ¡°Aaahh!¡± Jinhee frowned in pain. But the kick she just threw at it from the front seemed to do some damage as the head looked disoriented for a moment before tumbling down on the floor. [Grrrrrrrr¡­.] The swollen face rolled on the ground with its hair spreaded around. Quickly pushing the levers of the remote control, I moved the duck doll that had its head beheaded toward the ghostly head that was rolling on the floor. Squeak-Squeak-Squeak-Squeak-Squeak. The duck doll walked towards the ghost with only its body. The doll¡¯s head was stuffed with cotton and was designed cutely for the children, and the core mechanical devices that operate its movements were all inside its stomach. Therefore, although it lost its head, it could still move properly even in its current state. It was a perfect n. [Grrrrrrr.] I made the duck doll approach the ghostly head, which was rolling around on the floor. I thought it would be a hassle to get the head attached to the doll¡¯s body, but the doll¡¯s body was pulled toward the head and slowly merged together as if they were mas. [I¡¯m small and cute, so you can take me anywhere you want~] The moment the head opened its mouth, an automated message resonated through the clubroom. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t let it go!¡± Jinhee shouted at me and grabbed the bat with both hands before taking her stance. In a panic, I quickly pressed the button to make it dance h. Squeak. A cheerful melody rang out, as the duck doll began to p its wings and shook its butt. The head of the ghost also had no choice but to move along the body and dance. [Let¡¯s dance together every day!] The ghost head desperately tried to move and detached itself, but themands from the remote control and themands from the head ovepped. In confusion, it could only stay in its ce and shook its body and butt. ¡°Direct hit!¡± Baaang¡ª! ¡°Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!¡± The baseball bat in Jinhee¡¯s hand hit the ghost straight to the face! Boom~! At just one single hit, the ghost head exploded like a bomb as flesh and blood scattered everywhere. [You havee across and survived a B-rank ghost story ¨C Resentful Head Ghost.] [You have earned 15 Ghost Story Points.] [Your member have disyed extraordinary strength and seeded in defeating the Resentful Head Ghost!] [You have earned 70 Ghost Story Points.] [You will receive 10% bonus points for each contributing member.] [Contributing member (1 member): Lee Jinhee] [You¡¯ve earned 85 ghost story points.] [You have received an additional 10% bonus point, 8 points.] [Current Ghost Story Points: 217 + 85 + 8] Ding~ [Current Ghost Story Points: 310] ¡°Yes, we did it! Yes~ Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go¡­ everything is over.¡± The little ghost girl next to me, who had been jumping up and down and doing a livementary of the whole situation began to fade away. ¡°19 years, it¡¯s been 19 years since I left this world and waited to see my favorite team win¡­ Now that I¡¯ve witnessed such an excellent performance, I feel like my dream has been aplished¡­¡± The English letters on the girl¡¯s white uniform, ¡®Eagles¡¯, slowly began to fade as well. ¡°Not trying to be rude but¡­.. seeing a young highschool girl such as yourself fighting against a scary ghost¡­ is amazing¡­.. really amazing¡­¡± [You havee across and survived a D-rank ghost story ¨C Fangirl of Korean Team.] [You have earned 5 Ghost Story Points.] [Your member has shown a spectacr performance and seeded in making the Ghost Fangirl pleased!] [You have earned 20 Ghost Story Points.] [You will receive 10% bonus points for each contributing member.] [Contributing member (1 member): Lee Jinhee] [You have earned an additional 10% bonus point, 2 points.] [Current Ghost Story Points: 310 + 25 + 2] Ding~ [Current Ghost Story Points: 337] The Korean baseball teamst won in 1999. Which means the little fangirl has been waiting for 19 years since then. ¡°¡­I hope you go to a good ce.¡± Soon, the girl disappeared and the glow stick fell to the ground. Jinhee approached the glow stick and picked it up. ¡°Thest one?¡± In the clubroom where only silence flowed after two out of the three ghosts disappeared. We slowly looked around. ¡°Here he is.¡± The little boy was hiding behind the sofa, crouching on his knees. He was really young, a little bigger than the duck doll. Without hesitation, Jinhee walked briskly towards the boy. ¡°How old are you?¡± The little boy who had been quiet up till now slowly opened his mouth. ¡°Tick, tock.¡± ¡°This guy.¡± Annoyed but frustrated, Jinhee lightly patted the little ghost boy on the head with the glow stick. ¡°Is that all you can say?¡± ¡°Tick.¡± [You havee across and survived a D-rank ghost story ¨C Clock Imitator.] [You have earned 5 Ghost Story Points.] [Your member has shown incredible skill and seeded in repelling the imitator ghost!] [You have earned 20 Ghost Story Points.] [You will receive 10% bonus point for each contributing member.] [Contributing member (1 member): Lee Jinhee] [You have received an additional 10% bonus point, 2 points.] [Current Ghost Story Points: 337 + 25 + 2] Ding~ [Current Ghost Story Points: 364] After all the ghosts were repelled sessfully, light slowly began to leak in from somewhere into the clubroom. ¡°Look over there.¡± The door and window, which disappeared during the game, reappeared in the enclosed room that had been nothing but apletely sealed space. The empty paper boxes that we put on the window perhaps weren¡¯t stuck properly, so the corner became slightly loose before falling downpletely, letting the bright afternoon light shine in the dark clubroom. ¡°The door appeared.¡± ¡°Huuu. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve run around this much.¡± ¡°You worked hard, Jinhee.¡± ¡°You did too.¡± T/N: If you like my work, consider supporting me on Kofi. Chapter 66: Interlude – Teacher Jang Hwaeun Chapter 66: Interlude ¨C Teacher Jang Hwaeun Before I could even approach the door to the clubroom and open it, it opened up from outside with a bang as someone entered in a hurry. ¡°Joon!¡± At the sudden light that poured inside from the hallway, both Jinhee and I couldn¡¯t help but frown. We had been inside the dark clubroom for a long time so the sudden light hurt our eyes. Sunah quickly ran over with worried eyes and scanned me from top to bottom before asking. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m okay. I¡¯m not hurt.¡± ¡°Thank goodness.¡± The rest of the club members, who were told to wait outside, also rushed in. ¡°It¡¯s so dark here, really.¡± Teacher Hwaeun also entered the clubroom and switched on the light. ¡°Prez, are you okay?¡± ¡°Uh, uh, I¡¯m okay.¡± As everyone only focused on my well-being, I couldn¡¯t help but feel embarrassed. Coughing to hide the embarrassment, I attempted to direct their eyes away from me. ¡°Uh, um. Actually, Jinhee was the one who defeated the ghosts. From the beginning to the end, she did all the work. So don¡¯t only focus on me.¡± At those words, everyone¡¯s gaze slowly turned to Jinhee. However, since everyone didn¡¯t have a good impression of Jinhee, not to mention their interactions were also minimal and more awkward than newly made friends, they all hesitated to open their mouths. ¡°Thank you for working hard, Jinhee.¡± Hayoon was the first one to express her gratitude to Jinhee. Then, surprisingly, Dukhun approached her hesitantly as he tried to let out some encouraging words. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m d you¡¯re not hurt¡­¡± However, Jinhee snorted and handed him the baseball bat. ¡°It seems Dukhun¡¯s courage has increased a lot. He has the guts to worry about his Noona now.¡± ¡°Ku, so¡­ ¡° With that, Jinhee coolly turned around, approached the sofa before lying down to rest. I coughed once again to dissipate the awkward moment that flowed after she left before asking Gyeongwon. ¡°So, did you notice anything suspicious from outside? We had been making a lot of mess inside.¡± ¡°That¡­¡± Raising his sses, Gyeongwon made a puzzled expression as he said. ¡°The door¡­ it suddenly disappeared.¡± Just as I expected. Before long, I gathered all my members in the middle of the clubroom that had been turned into a mess from upside down, and listened to Gyeongwon¡¯s brief exnation of the situation. ¡°Not long after we left the clubroom, the door suddenly disappeared in the blink of an eye.¡± ¡°Disappearedpletely?¡± ¡°Yeah. No trace at all. Only the smooth cement wall that contained the door remained. As soon as it disappeared, Sunah desperately began knocking on the wall, did you hear it?¡± We probably just started ying the corner game with the dolls when the door disappeared. ¡°¡­ No. We didn¡¯t hear any sound from outside.¡± ¡°Since there was nothing we could do, we had no choice but to wait outside. Just waiting for about 20 minutes, the door suddenly appeared again and Sunah rushed in.¡± ¡°¡­.So that¡¯s what had happened.¡± Huuu. I let out an exhausted sigh. But Teacher Hwaeun. She must have witnessed everything. For the first time not being possessed by a ghost story, she experienced a strange phenomenon. ¡®¡­.What should I do?¡¯ While I was agonizing over a solution, Teacher Jang Hwaeun was standing silently behind the students with her arms linked behind. She was someone who was easily influenced by supernatural phenomena and got possessed by ghosts more than often. Because of that reason, I had excluded her before when I exined everything to my members, fearing that aspect of her could be a threat to us. ¡®¡­Even so, it¡¯s not like I can exclude her forever, since I¡¯d be studying in this school for three more years.¡¯ It was during this CA session that I realized something. Despite my willingness or unwillingness, Teacher Hwaeun had to be included with us as long as she was a member of the Ghost Story Club. Since that was the case, it was quite difficult to do CA activities without letting her know the truth. It wouldn¡¯t be long since she figured out the truth anyway. ¡®¡­.What would I gain if I were to take the risk of revealing everything to her and bringing her to my side?¡¯ Aside from the fact that she had a constitution that was easily influenced by supernatural phenomena and possessed by ghost stories, she was the only adult and teacher among our club members. Now that it has been revealed that my enemies were not only the Demon King and ghost stories, but also a suspicious group within the school that was trying to kill me, it seemed unnecessary to just leave Teacher Jang Hwaeun alone like this. ¡®I need her.¡¯ No matter how much I ponder, I didn¡¯t think she was someone from that suspicious force. Considering her actions so far, she definitely couldn¡¯t be entangled with that group. ¡®¡­I guess I would just need to watch out for that damned possession.¡¯ Nevertheless, I had to exin why the door disappeared right before their eyes. Since she had witnessed such a strange phenomenon, it was inevitable. In the end, I had no choice but to tell my secret to the teacher. ¡°Teacher. There¡¯s something I need to tell you.¡± ¡°Please exin everything to me. You guys are acting a bit strange, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°¡­Yes. What do you want to know, Teacher?¡± Unlike her usual cheerful personality, a serious expression was stered on Teacher Jang Hwaeun¡¯s face as she looked at me. ¡°You guys have been doing something suspicious behind my back.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°So, what was that you were doing? Care to exin?¡± I sighed for the second time as I opened my mouth. ¡°Let¡¯s remove the paper boxes that we had stered from the window and rearrange the desk and everything back to their original state first. Then I¡¯ll exin everything.¡± Soon, Sunah and Hayoon began to take off the boxes from the window, while Gyeongwon and the teacher moved the whiteboard and desk back to their original ces. Dukhun went to move the sofa, but since Jinhee was lying down on it, he urged her to get up. However, Jinhee just stuck out her foot out and poked Dukhun¡¯s stomach instead of getting up, showing her capricious personality. Sitting around the desk, I roughly exined to the teacher about what had happened so far. However, I didn¡¯t dare mention the part about her being possessed and trying to kill me. I felt like she wouldn¡¯t be able to ept the fact if she knew. Going to one of her student¡¯s houses at night carrying a knife without even her being aware. It would have been quite hard to make her believe. ¡®¡­Should I reveal the incident of Red Tissue, Blue Tissue?¡¯ ¡°Some kind of invisible panel, which I like to call Status Window, suddenly appeared before my eyes one day. And then, strange phenomena which were known as ghost stories began toe alive¡­¡± Teacher Hwaeun listened to the whole exnation with a surprisingly serious expression. ¡°¡­.This is what happened.¡± I wonder if she would believe me? Although I had finished exining most of the things, Teacher Hwaeun still didn¡¯t show any particr expression. Holding her chin with one hand, she had a somewhat nk look on her face, as if deep in thought. ¡®¡­.I¡¯m getting nervous.¡¯ Just as I had thought, exining and convincing an ordinary person about such strange incidents was stressful. Obviously, I hadn¡¯t forgotten my members who believed me without much of a fuss. Even so, the feeling that they must have thought I was a strange person wouldn¡¯t go away. It was like trying to persuade an atheist to go to a church, or believe in god. Finally, what seemed like eternityter, Teacher Hwaeun took her hand off her chin, as if she hade to a conclusion and leaned back in her chair before opening her mouth slowly. ¡°Well, what should I say¡­¡± Crossing her arms over her chest, she turned silent once again. For the next few minutes, she only changed her posture, from holding her chin to crossing her arms. But her mouth remained shut, as if she was still pondering on how to react. Even the members looked nervous and hesitant at the silence. ¡°¡­If Teacher doesn¡¯t believe me even though you just witnessed the door disappearing in front of your eyes, I can show a few other things to prove that I¡¯m telling the truth.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°That¡­ I also have some strange abilities.¡± ¡°Um, that¡¯s okay.¡± Teacher Hwaeun waved her hand and refused with a slightly tired expression. ¡°I¡¯ve encountered many strange things since I was young. I¡¯m from a family of shamans after all. However, though I had grown up in such an environment, I¡¯m still a bit surprised because this is the first time hearing such things.¡± ¡­.Well. I could understand why the strange phenomena that I was experiencing right now were considered unique to her,pared to other religious or ult experiences. Game-like system, ghosts, Status Window, ghost stories, leveling up, abilities, regression. And the Demon King. Strange elements that seemedpletely ipatible and inexplicable to ordinary people were all intertwined as they were bing alive. ¡°Then, Teacher, I guess I can assume you¡¯ve epted it for now. Therefore, I would like to ask you something.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± I had to know if this person was truly on our side or not. ¡°There are a group of people within the school that are trying to kill me. Do you know anything about that?¡± At the carefully asked question, Teacher Hwaeun showed an astonished expression. Seeing her expression, I concluded she wasn¡¯t aware of the fact and exined everything rted to that. So far, she only had a serious expression on her face as she listened to my exnation. However, perhaps the information was too shocking for her to digest, she had no choice but to open her mouth. ¡°So that¡¯s why the science teacher died? And your homeroom teacher and Vice Principal are in cahoots? No, wait. Why are these people¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to figure it out somehow.¡± Teacher began to mutter something absentmindedly. Then, her eyes opened wide as if something had urred to her. ¡°Most of those people you mentioned, Joon, they are the members of the faculty and staff of the ser club.¡± ¡°¡­.Ser club?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Teacher nodded in affirmation. From her exnation, it seemed like our school had a club where the faculty and staff could get together to y ser. Most of the teachers¡¯ names that I found out during the incident in midterms were teachers who belonged to that club. ¡°Have you ever yed ser with them?¡± ¡°That¡­¡± The teacher furrowed her eyebrows at the question. ¡°As far as I know, they don¡¯t invite anyone to y?¡± ¡°So you have never been invited?¡± ¡°Yeah, I mean, no. I just know that the members of that club would get together on weekends after school and y ser¡­.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Crossing my arms, I thought something for a while before opening my mouth. ¡°Can you join that club?¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Teacher Hwaeun showed a surprised look. Even the club members looked at me in surprise. ¡°Isn¡¯t that too dangerous, Prez? They¡¯re people who can kill students without blinking an eye¡­¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you demanding too much¡­¡± Gyeongwon and Dukhun tried to reason, but I shook my head firmly. ¡°Since we are studying in this school, we will be meeting those people sooner orter in the next three years, whether we are willing or not. Rather than living in fear of being attacked at any moment, it might be better to attack them first to find out their weaknesses.¡± ¡°Um, but Joon. Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t want to join because what you¡¯re saying is ridiculous, but that club isn¡¯t a ce where anyone can join randomly¡­¡± Teacher Hwaeun also tried to deter my suggestion. ¡°Only teachers or staff, who have been at this school for a while, can join this club.¡­ But I just joined the schoolst year, so¡­¡± ¡°Just tell them that you want to join. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll work out.¡± ¡°T, that¡­¡± Teacher showed a struggling expression. Well, among friends, it is natural to form their own social gatherings to pass their time. Obviously, one can¡¯t just barge into a friend circle and tell them she wants to join them. Especially if that social gathering only consists of a few people who have been colleagues for a long time in the workce. For an adult to infiltrate such a circle without being invited, it sure is embarrassing. ¡®A pretty 34-year-old single female teacher who can eat two chickens at one go is trying to join a club because she likes to y ser.¡¯ Sounds interesting. ¡°Is it really necessary for me to join there? Your reasoning sounds strange¡­¡± ¡°I have told you before, if you don¡¯t believe what I¡¯m saying, I can show you evidence.¡± ¡°No, well¡­ It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you¡­¡± Perhaps it was not only her pride as an adult to go into a gathering where she wasn¡¯t invited, but also the aspect that people of that club were suspicious was what made her hesitant. Without anyone telling, I knew well enough that my suggestion was definitely an embarrassing and rude request. ¡°Joo, Joon¡­¡± Sunah, who mostly went along with whatever I suggested, also gave me an anxious look at my stubborn attitude. However, there was a reason why I was suggesting this. Teacher Jang Hwaeun. A pretty female English teacher in her mid-30s with her womanly charm. She was mainly scheduled to teach the upperssmen, and because of that, she had zero interactions with freshmen students. From some rumors that I had heard, it was said that she was quite popr among the students because of her cheerful and easy-going personality. I even heard that she had received confessions from a few male students. However, either her knowledge in English or her womanly charm, nothing woulde in handy if she were to infiltrate a club where the members were involved in suspicious activities. What was most important to me was the role she could y in the three-year journey to defeat the Demon King. I even told her information rted to my regression and the game-like system, and I absolutely in no position want my enemies to know about it. Therefore, I had zero intention of ying the good student card quietly. ¡®If she wants to be on my side, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, she must do her part. It¡¯s not like I became the president because I wanted to.¡¯ ¡°Please try to join the ser club, Teacher. Infiltrate their secret.¡± ¡°You want me to be a spy¡­.¡± Teacher Hwaeun was both a teacher and someone who worked in this school. She was the only one who could fulfil the role of a spy perfectly. ¡°¡­.You are asking so suddenly. At least give me time to think-¡± ¡°The teachers of this school are trying to harm us. But I can¡¯t even report it to the police because I don¡¯t have any evidence.¡± With as much sincerity as I could master, I begged the teacher earnestly. Judging by her expression when I mentioned my parents during the entrance ceremony, I knew that she was at least someone with a strong sense of professionalism as a teacher. ¡°Please help us, teacher. Please protect your students.¡± At my sincere words, I could see her eyes shaking slightly. ¡°You¡¯re the perfect example of a ¡®teacher¡¯ who not only teaches but also protects her students.¡± Perhaps my little y truly moved her, because soon, the attending teacher of the Ghost Story Club, Jang Hwaeun, flinched before sighing helplessly. ¡°¡­ However, Joon. You are wrong about that. If someone were to harm the students, even if it was a teacher, I should try to protect you as an adult. I¡¯m sorry that I can¡¯t promise you that I can do this but.¡± ¡°¡­ No. I know it¡¯s a difficult request, so-¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try it.¡± Clenching her fists, Teacher Jang Hwaeun dered in a determined voice. ¡°I¡¯ll infiltrate that club and find evidence or information that you can use to report to the police!¡± ¡°Thank you, Teacher!¡± The members, who hadn¡¯t uttered a single word since the start of the conversation and had been witnessing everything tensely until now finally let out a sigh as if they were relieved. ¡°¡­.You¡¯re great, Teacher.¡± ¡°Thank you, Teacher!¡± ¡°I respect you!¡± Then, Hayoon slowly started pping and everyone else also followed suit. p, p, p, p, p, p, p. The heavy atmosphere that had been lingering in the clubroom slowly eased up. ¡°Oh. How embarrassing.¡± p, p, p, p. Blushing, Teacher Hwaeun turned away her head. ¡°Guys, p loudly!¡± ¡°Pheeeeew-!¡± When I encouraged for a louder response, Gyeongwon blew a whistle with his mouth. ¡°p! p!¡± ¡°Teacher, you¡¯re the best!¡± ¡°You¡¯re so cool!!¡± ¡°I think I¡¯m going to fall in love with you!¡± p, p, p, p, p. Teacher Hwaeun¡¯s face gradually turned a deep shade of red. Eventually, not being able to handle it any longer, she mmed the desk whileughing happily. ¡°Stop it, stop it! That¡¯s enough!¡± ¡°Everyone! Jang Hwaeun! Jang Hwaeun!¡± ¡°Jang Hwaeun! Jang Hwaeun!¡± Pheeeeee. p, p, p, p, p, p, p. Whee~ Whee~ ¡°Jang Hwaeun! Jang Hwaeun! Jang Hwaeun!¡± ¡°What is up with you children! I¡¯m telling you to stop!¡± ¡°Jang Hwaeun! Jang Hwaeun! Jang Hwaeun¡­.¡± Even after a long time, when the atmosphere reached its peak, the apuse did not subside. As expected from excited high school students, their excitement to do something new could never be suppressed. ¡°Jang Hwaeun! Jang Hwaeun! Jang Hwaeun!¡± As Dukhun was closest to her and was the most enthusiastic one, Teacher Hwaeunughed as she hit him on the shoulder. Screaming loudly, Dukhun held his shoulder that was about to be fractured by the teacher¡¯s punch. ¡°Ah! Don¡¯t hit me! I was just pping!¡± p, p, p, p. Unable to resist our passion, the teacher stood up and started doing her usual h dance. The scene was so hrious that the members all burst outughing, some even fell backwards, unable to hold their weight and control theirughter. Teacher Hwaeun was as entric as ever. ¡°Puhahaha.¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± ¡°Hahaha.¡± ¡°Yalujyanaika~ Nakanaka yalujyanaika~¡± [T/N: This is Japanese but written in Korean. It means ¡°Not bad at all. You¡¯re pretty good.¡± Here how it is written in Japanese: ¤ä¤ë¤¸¤ã¤Ê¤¤¤«¡£¤Ê¤«¤Ê¤«¤ä¤ë¤¸¤ã¤Ê¤¤¤«] ¡°Teacher, is this Japanese you¡¯re speaking?¡± ¡°Ahahaha. Please help.¡± In such a noisy atmosphere, our CA session ended in a harmonious environment. T/N: If you like my work, consider supporting me on Kofi. Chapter 67: Interlude – C-rank Special Ability: Life Design Chapter 67: Interlude ¨C C-rank Special Ability: Life Design After our exciting CA period ended, we all went back down to the ssroom for the closing ceremony. ¡°Did everyone have a good time?¡± The homeroom teacher entered the ssroom, smiling as usual and asking us how our CA session was. In the meantime, I zoned out of everyone¡¯s chatter and was quietly pondering about where to invest my points. [Current Ghost Story Points: 364] This system was simr to a Daiso store, where everything was sold on 100 points or multiples of 100. [T/N: Daiso Industries Co. Ltd is arge franchise of 100-yen shops founded in Japan. It has locations in 25 countries and regions worldwide. Daiso stores sell items priced at multiples of 100 yen, such as 200, 300, 400 and 500 yen. Source: Wikipedia] Currently, I have over 300 points. Which means I could spend them however and wherever I want. ¡®Should I try getting a new special ability? It has been a long time since I had one, hasn¡¯t it?¡¯ Having a special ability was simr to unlocking a skill in an RPG game. As I thought about it, it had been a while since I got the ability of Lip Reading. Although so much time has passed, I still haven¡¯t gotten a new ability yet since I was busy fighting ghost stories and exining things to my members. It was fortunate that I was able to defeat so many ghost and ghost stories, thanks to my witty senses and the help of my club members. However, it would be foolish of me to think that I would be fortunate like this every time in the future. This system, which works beyond human perception, seemed like it wouldn¡¯t deceive me if I can spend the points on the right things. ¡®Alright, I¡¯ve decided. I¡¯m gonna use 100 points to get a new ability.¡¯ But then, what should I do with the remaining points? Perhaps it would be better to invest in new functions and try to see how to use them. Dukhun had advised mest time, rather than spending them on unnecessary things, it would be better to use them to improve my own ability or try unlocking new features of the system. ¡®What features are there that have I not tried yet?¡¯ Pondering for a while, two things appeared in my mind. First is, I haven¡¯t levelled up the club members. Second is, the school facilities section of the system store. ¡®I have no idea what use either of them have.¡¯ What kind of changes would ur if I were to level up the members? Would they suddenly be extremely strong? ¡®Muahahaha! I¡¯ve be incredibly strong! Look!¡¯ As the image of Gyeongwon with big, strong muscles and incredible strength showing off to me suddenly appeared in my mind, I ended upughing. ¡®The second thing that I haven¡¯t tried yet is the school facilities in the store¡­ hmm.¡¯ As soon as I opened the Shop menu, countless categories popped up before my eyes. At first nce, the categories all looked quite simr to the categories in an ordinary convenient store. However, at the very end of the categories, there was this strange section called ¡®School Facilities.¡¯ ording to my observation when I briefly scanned it before, various items or what could be said facilities rted to the school directly were listed there. From small facilities like installing vending machines and upgrading the cafeteria torge facilities like building swimming pools and dormitories. ¡®But it costs so many points. Not to mention, they aren¡¯t that useful for defeating ghost stories either.¡¯ Those were items that cost thousands of points. I wouldn¡¯t expect less from such big facilities being installed on less points. Moreover, purchasing school facilities on arge scale would also raise suspicion among students as well as teachers. For now, I thought of excluding the option and focusing on the important thing. ¡°When you get older, you will also have trouble urinating¡­¡± Ignoring the homeroom teacher, who was standing at the podium and speaking of who knows what, I quietly opened the Status Window. ¡®Okay, let¡¯s get a new ability first!¡¯ ¡¶MAIN SCREEN [2019, April 26 | Friday, 15:24] [Lee Joon ¨C Number of Attempts: 2] [Ghost Story Points: 364] [Causality Rate: 13%] Status Window Manage Club Statistics Settings¡· Pop. ¡¶STATUS WINDOW Name: Lee Joon Age: 17 Title: Main Character Disposition: [Two-faced] Special Ability: 1. Lip Reading [B-rank] 2. None 3. None Quirk: Last Second Cramming¡· With a sh as if lightning had struck, a window, which I hadn¡¯t seen in a long time appeared as soon as I clicked the second ¡®None¡¯ option. Pop. [Currently, the second ability slot is empty. You may use 100 points to unlock an ability.] [Unlock ability (100)/ Go Back] ¡®Okay, click.¡¯ [Spending 100 Ghost Story Points. You have unlocked your second ability.] Then, just as it happened during the time when I was unlocking my first ability, a 16-bit cheerful melody began to resonate. Several words began to sh past across the second slot while the music was ying. ? Tada tan, Dada tan~? [¡­y ¨C Life Design ¨C Identity Forgery ¨C Lip Reading ¨C Jo¡­] Swish. [¡­Forgery ¨C Lip Reading ¨C Joint Regression ¨C Fast Walking ¡­] ¡®I already have the Lip Reading ability, but it still could be seen on the list again.¡¯ What would happen if I acquired the same ability again? Would the skill just be upgraded? For a moment, I couldn¡¯t help but be curious. ? Tada tan, Dada tan~? [¡­ip Reading ¨C Joint regression ¨C Fast Walking ¨C Detachment¡­] Before long, the speed slowed down noticeably. Unlike before when I was unlocking ability for the first time, I stared at the panel with a slightly rxed mind. When I saw the slot spinning for the first time, I desperately hoped that I could gain a useful ability that wouldn¡¯t make me feel I was just scammed unconditionally. The desperation of that time was reasonable, since it was my first time getting an ability. Not to mention, at that time I was mostly alone and didn¡¯t have anyone in particr to rely on. Now that I havee so far in this life-like game, as well as solved several cases and defeated ghost stories with my club members. I wasn¡¯t as anxious as before looking at the tempting abilities. ? Tada tan, Dada tan~? Swish, swish. Certainly, that didn¡¯t mean I didn¡¯t want to have a good ability. No matter what, a good ability alwayses in handy solving a ghost story easily and efficiently. However, unlike before, I wouldn¡¯t be too disappointed even if it was just an ability that has no use or only a little bit useful, like the Lip Reading ability. And the reason was I already had two incredible abilities, which were the ability to go back in time andpetent club members. I would be d as long as this special ability gave me a sense of security and strength. ? Tada tan, Dada tan~? Soon, the spinning stopped and only the cheerful melody which only I could hear remained. [¡­Regression ¨C Life Design ¨C Identity Forgery ¨C Lip-reading ¨C ¡­ ] [You have obtained Special Ability: Life Design.] ¡¶LIFE DESIGN Rank: C-rank Trigger Condition: Automatic Ability: After calcting the entire situation, simple advice that will help you lead a hassle free and smooth life is given. However, avoid having your hopes high.¡· While I was bewildered at the strange ability and wondering, ¡®What do I do with this?¡¯, the ability was activated automatically. [B-rank Special Ability: Life Design has triggered.] [Lift one of your feet and put them down after 5 seconds.] As I blinked in puzzlement at the message that suddenly popped up, time was already passing. ¡®¡­5 seconds? Right now?¡¯ Ting- At the same time the sound of something metallic falling on the floor came from somewhere, I lifted one of my feet slightly before dropping them down. The moment my feet touched the floor, the feeling of something underneath my shoes travelled through my legs to my whole body. ¡°Uh, my coin¡­ my coin¡­¡± A male student sitting in the row beside me quickly lowered his head and began searching for something, the coin to be precise. ¡®No way¡­¡¯ I sat still while the male student was searching desperately around him for his coin. Waiting until he gave up, I bent down slightly, pretending to pick up a ballpoint pen while making sure no was watching. Something definitely slipped under my foot. And It was none other than a 100 won coin. ¡°My coin¡­ Where did it go?¡± ¡®¡­Oh my.¡¯ Amazed, I realized what just happened. The male student identally dropped the coin and it rolled to my seat. And unknowingly, I must have caught it with my foot. Although the system told me to not get my hopes high, I still felt it was a great ability. Finally, what seemed like forever, the closing ceremony ended. The six members of our Ghost Story Club packed their bags and left the ssroom. We all ran down the stairs and to the yground. ¡°They are running around a lot these days.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡± From the pretty to the ugly, and the rich to the poor. Our group was an amalgamation of students of various backgrounds. Just as we had model students, as well as thest in ss, we also had those who were popr or outcasts. While we ran down the hallway, some students and ssmates nced at us with curious eyes, perhaps thinking our friend circle was truly peculiar. ¡°¡­The members of the ser club.¡± At Sunah¡¯s words, we all stopped running and turned around to where she was staring. Some of the teachers were seen crowded together in the parking lot far away. Leaning to their vehicles, they were greeting each other and chatting harmoniously, as if they were having an after-work meeting. [B-rank Special Ability: Lip Reading has triggered.] [¡°He said he would join right after the appointment is over.¡±] [¡°We¡¯ll have to help him out a lot. Children nowadays are very mischievous.¡±] [¡°They¡¯ll definitely be asking him to tell them about his first love or something.¡±] What flowed between them was a casual conversation between colleagues rted to work. At first nce, they looked like a typical group of teachers, having fun in their own way. ¡®So the members of Ghost Story Club have to fight against the members of Ser Club?¡¯ As we crossed the yground at a moderate pace, some teachers among the ser club members nced at us. I didn¡¯t know about the others, but both Gyeongwon and I stared back at them with zero hesitation. The members of the ser club only smiled in return and went back to exchange pleasantries among themselves. With the sun shining in the far west, enveloping everything in a deep golden hue, we finally arrived at the main gate and gathered around for a moment. ¡°Everyone has worked hard. From midterms to strange incidents. This week has taken a great toll on us.¡± ¡°The President also worked hard.¡± ¡°Everyone worked hard.¡± Just like an ordinary group of friends, we exchanged pleasantries before going our separate ways to our homes. ¡°Have a good weekend¡­¡± ¡°Okay. If anythinges up in the meantime, contact me in the group chat.¡± ¡°Bye~¡± It only took me 20 minutes of walking to reach our apartment. I was thinking of going straight home. But my throat suddenly felt dry, so I entered a nearby convenience store near our apartment building. Ting~? ¡°Wee.¡± The part-time worker at the front desk greeted me absentmindedly as the doorbell rang. ¡°Oh, a new product.¡± Approaching the beverage corner, I saw an expensive looking beverage can standing there. Feeling curious, I picked it up. [Light and refreshing with low calories! Ultra Monster¡¯s explosive energy drink!] A new energy drink from Clover Co., Ultra Monster. 3,100 won. The drink was much more expensive than regr energy drinks. ¡®¡­Hmm. But can this energy drink really make me sleepless and energetic?¡¯ The poster of a red-eyed rabbit eating a four-leaf clover was stered on the drink¡¯s body, exaggerating the drink¡¯s characteristic of containing a lot of caffeine. Tomorrow was the weekend anyway. It wouldn¡¯t be a problem if I drink it and stay up all night. ¡®The midterm is over and it¡¯s the weekend tomorrow, I was nning to y games all night.¡¯ I was curious how it tasted. So I thought of trying this. Before, I¡¯ve only had popr energy drinks like Hot Six and Red Bull. It was my first time drinking a real and strong energy drink from Clover Co. Without thinking much, I picked up the drink and headed to the counter. The part-time worker absentmindedly picked up the can and began scanning the barcode in the scanner. I opened my wallet to take out money and pay for the drink. However, just then I realized that I didn¡¯t have enough cash to buy it. ¡®One, two¡­¡¯ I only had 3,000 won in my pocket. Pondering over it, I remembered using points to buy snacks during lunch because I didn¡¯t have enough money. ¡®How much was the drink again?¡¯ 3,100 won. Something clicked in my mind and I quickly added the 100 won coin which I had picked up in the ssroom earlier and handed it to the part-time worker. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± Ting~? The cheerful bell rang behind me as I opened the ss door and left the store. For a moment, I sighed in relief at being able to pay right away without being embarrassed in front of the part-time worker. Opening the lid, I took a sip of the drink as I thought, ¡®The ability isn¡¯tpletely useless.¡¯ T/N: If you like my work, consider supporting me on Kofi. Chapter 68: Tenth Ghost Story – Minecraft’s Herobrine (1) Chapter 68: Tenth Ghost Story ¨C Minecraft¡¯s Herobrine (1) [2019, April 27 | Saturday, 02:13] [Lee Joon: Number of Attempts ¨C 2] [Ghost Story Points: 264] [Causality Rate: 13%] ¡®Wow, the effect is really incredible¡­¡¯ Before I knew, the night passed, and it was already 2 a.m. In a dark room where only the source of light was the bluish light emitting from theputer¡¯s screen. I sat there holding the mouse, ying my night away without feeling even a wink of drowsiness. ¡®The new energy drink is crazy.¡¯ Clover¡¯s new product, Ultra Monster energy drink, which I bought during the day for 3,100 won was ying its effect on me. Judging by my pounding heart and clear head, without a hint of tiredness, the effect was beyond amazing. Thanks to the energy drink that holds up to its name, even after midnight passed and dawn approached, I couldn¡¯t fall asleep and was diligently ying video games. ¡®I must defend the base properly, please.¡¯ Creek- ¡°Dear son, are you still ying games? Stop ying and go to sleep.¡± My mother, who must have woken up for some reason, rubbed her eyes sleepily as she said in a worried voice. ¡°It¡¯s the weekend after exams. Can I y a little more?¡± ¡°Okay, since¡­ You worked hard on your midterms¡­ my son is the best¡­ then, work hard ying games.¡± Yawning sleepily, my mother went back to the master bedroom. Perhaps she woke up to drink water or use the restroom, when she noticed the monitor light leaking through the cracks of the door of my room and came to check on me. ¡®This is exactly the reason why I turned the lights off, I thought this might happen. The living room is dark, so the weak light emitting from the monitor is easy to notice.¡¯ For me, the weekend after exams was a special day. It was the day I could y games to my heart¡¯s content, without the hassle of giving excuses to my parents or feeling guilty. However, if my parents saw me staying up all night and ying games without sleeping, they would probably get worried about my health. ¡®Next time, I should put some weather strips in the cracks of the door.¡¯ After the momentary interval, I continued to sweep through the battlefield for another few hours. Eventually, around 4 a. m., l turned off theputer and went to bed. ¡®Damn, my heart is still pounding like crazy. Will I be able to sleep at all?¡¯ Zzz *** When I opened my eyes the next day, the room was filled with bright sunlight along with the chirping of birdsing out the window. After tossing and turning in bednguidly for a while, I opened the Status Window and checked the time. It was already 2 a.m., well past lunchtime. ¡°Huaaam.¡± I was surprised that I could sleep for 10 hours after having that energy drink. Perhaps because the midterms and two ghost stories that I had to deal with right after the midterms in a row that week took a toll on my body. Even after drinking such a powerful energy drink, I couldn¡¯t ovee the umted fatigue. Getting up from the bed, I stretched my body and headed to the living room. My father, wearing only a tank top and shorts and watching TV on the sofa, was seen in the living room. ¡°Good morning, Dad.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been five hours since your Dad woke up, you punk.¡± ¡°Yes, haha.¡± Most of the time, my father always had a neat and gentlemanly appearance, like your typical office worker in a suit. However, on the weekends, he puts all his energy into doing nothing but beingzy, while wearing this stretched-out and old running top and a pair of shorts. Swoosh¡­ After taking a quick shower, I was getting ready to go out when my father lifted his head from where he was lying down and called me. ¡°You just woke up, where are you going without even eating?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to an inte cafe. Tell Mom I¡¯m going out.¡± ¡°Your Mom went to the shrine. Why bother going to an inte cafe when you have a perfectly functioningputer at home?¡± ¡°It¡¯s more fun to y at an inte cafe than at home.¡± The truth is, I was going to an inte cafe for their advanced gaming PC. Those cafes have better specs with a 144Hz monitor. To have a change of pace, it was necessary to y games in another ce. Moreover, with the advanced gaming PC and exclusive benefits of an inte cafe, I could use various characters which were unavable in an ordinaryputer. ¡°Oh, man, I¡¯m envious seeing you so engrossed in something.¡± Snorting loudly, my dad snickered as if my reasoning was hrious. It is said that when people get older, they need strength and mental capacity to indulge in hobbies. But because I¡¯m still a bright high school student, I don¡¯t get tired of sitting down and ying games for 10 hours a day. ¡°All right then.¡± Saying so, my father took his wallet and quickly handed me a ten-thousand won bill. ¡°Since you¡¯re going out, buy a Babamba brand¡¯s chestnut ice-cream for me.¡± ¡°Okay, I will buy one.¡± ¡°You can keep the change. You¡¯ve studied hard for your midterms.¡± ¡°Haha, thanks Dad, you¡¯re the best.¡± Grinning from ear to ear, I quickly epted the bill with both hands. For the past few months, since both of us encountered that fake Mom¡¯s ghost story, my dad had been giving me pocket money like this. He would casually hand me a bill as if he¡¯s ordering me to run an errand, however, he would also tell me to keep the change. Needless to say, the change would always be more than the cost of the actual products which he sent me to buy. Before long, I crossed our neighborhood and was walking down the busy area near ShinLim Station. Probably because it was the weekend, but the already narrow sidewalks on both sides of the streets were crowded with people. The area of ShinLim Station is known as one of the ¡®Top 10¡¯ busiest areas in Seoul, so the crowd was expected. Everything from movie theaters to karaoke, escape rooms, VR stores and inte cafes, there was nothing this area didn¡¯t have. Friends who like to hang around would often gather here to have fun. ¡®Wow, man¡­ there are so many elementary school kids.¡¯ ncing around the newly opened inte cafe with great specs, I realized that they were full with people. Having no other choice, I also checked the building beside it, however, that ce was not only full but also had a long line of people waiting outside. Inside, I could see many people around my age or younger mming their keyboards and screaming at the top of their lungs. ¡®Where on earth do elementary school kids get their money toe to an expensive inte cafe like this?¡¯ As Imented to myself, I crossed the street and went up to the inte cafe in the building opposite of where I was standing. Before I could climb up the stairs, I saw a few couples of people climbing down with frowns on their faces,ining how all the seats were taken by other kids. Since I knew I wouldn¡¯t find any seats there either, I immediately gave up and turned around. ¡®Gaming in an inte cafe should be made illegal for middle school and elementary school students.¡¯ I wandered around the busy streets near the station as I grumbled to myself. In the end, even after searching for a long while, I couldn¡¯t find any inte cafe with empty seats in the center of the downtown area. Pondering for a while, I walked towards the outskirts of the area and entered an inte cafe in a slightly unfamiliar location. However, as soon as I stepped inside the threshold, a familiar but huge figure caught my eye. ¡°¡­.Is it Dukhun?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Dukhun, who was sitting in the waiting lounge at the fully packed inte cafe, idly ying on his phone, looked up at my call. ¡°President? What are you doing here?¡± ¡°To y games in the inte cafe, obviously. But it seems there are no seats here either.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I think middle school and elementary school students should be banned from entering inte cafes.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t agree more.¡± Sitting down on the chair beside Dukhun, I also decided to wait with him. Bang, bang! An ill-mannered elementary brat pped on the keyboard as he started swearing loudly. ¡°Ahhh~! The Malphite destroyed my character. That Yasuo is no good~!¡± [T/N: Malphite and Yasuo are two famous characters of League of Legends. Apologize if my information is wrong.] Bang, bang! ¡°Ah, what the hell are you going on about, Genji! You can¡¯t do shit!¡± ¡°So noisy¡­¡± Suppressing the urge to sigh, I shook my head with an annoyed expression. ¡°Hey, let¡¯s get the hell out of here¡­ It doesn¡¯t seem like those elementary brats are gonna leave anytime soon.¡± ¡°Kuso.¡± Even as lunchtime passed, people upying theputers showed no signs of getting up, as if they were hellbound on ying until dinnertime. The few seats that were empty for a few seconds filled up quickly with the people who had arrived before us and been waiting. As I left the door of the inte cafe,pletely annoyed and wondering what else I should do at this hour if not y games. Pop. [C-rank Special Ability: Life Design has triggered.] [Head to the Leon Inte Cafe within 23 minutes.] ¡®Hmm!¡¯ The Leon Inte Cafe was near the neighborhood where I lived. Perhaps there were more empty spots in the local inte cafe than in the downtown area. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to go to the nearby inte cafe. Their specs are not good.¡± ¡°What games do you y that you¡¯re looking for good specs?¡± ¡°Me? I y Battlegrounds and LOL. What about you?¡± [T/N: PUBG: Battlegrounds (previously known as yerUnknown¡¯s Battlegrounds) is a battle royale game developed by PUBG Studios and published by Krafton. For more information, click here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/PUBG:_Battlegrounds] ¡°Dungeon and Fighter.¡± [T/N: Dungeon & Fighter, sometimes abbreviated to DNF, is a series of video games created by Neople, a subsidiary of Nexon. For more information, click here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeon_%26_Fighter] Dungeon and Fighter, it¡¯s a game for dedicated gamers! ¡°I¡¯m surprised to hear there are still people who y it. Then you don¡¯t have to worry about going to an inte cafe with poor specs. It¡¯s an old game anyway.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter where I y. Do you know a ce?¡± ¡°There¡¯s one in front of my apartment. There should be plenty of seats since the specs aren¡¯t that advanced.¡± ¡°Guide me, master.¡± Hmm, if the local inte cafes have crappyputers, I guess I can only y LOL. Finding no better alternative, I headed back to my neighbourhood with Dukhun on my toes. We were standing at the crosswalk that leads away from the downtown area and back to the apartmentplex where I lived. While waiting for the green light, a motorcycle suddenly stopped in front of us and a woman, in tight jackets and jeans, greeted us. ¡°Oi, short time no see.¡± The stylish older sister was wearing a helmet and riding clothes. The leather clothes that clung tightly to her body made us embarrassed to look at her directly. Poking to Dukhun¡¯s side, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder. ¡°Do you know her?¡± ¡°¡­.? I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°Short time no see, you fucking bastards.¡± ¡°¡­.Jinhee?¡± The woman whom we thought was a stylish older sister wearing a helmet, justughed and then quickly took off after receiving the signal. ¡°¡­That¡¯s Jinhee.¡± ¡°Shit.¡± As we kept circling around the town, we ended up meeting all our friends. ¡®Riding a motorcycle¡­ This is the signature habit of bullies.¡¯ Leaving the bustling downtown area, we entered the apartmentplex where I live. ¡°The environment is way morefortable here.¡± ¡°Wheeze, wheeze. There were really too many people.¡± Entering a narrow alley full of illegal parking, I entered a small, four-story building that didn¡¯t even have an elevator. After climbing the dark stairs, we arrived at the second floor. Finally, after wandering around for a long time, we found an inte cafe that had some empty spots. ¡°Oh, there are some empty seats. Just as I thought.¡± Since it was a ce that was behind thetest trends, and didn¡¯t have advanced gamingputers, there were plenty of empty seats even on a weekend afternoon. The atmosphere inside the cafe was also a bit more calm than the bustling downtown area full of hyperactive students. ¡°The specs are pretty bad. But ying here is better because there are no elementary brats screaming at the top of their lungs, trying to break the keyboards.¡± People present could only be seen ying Sudden Attack or LOL. [T/N: Sudden Attack (Korean: ????) is a free-to-y multiyer first-person shooter online game developed by the South Koreanpany GameHi. For more information, click here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudden_Attack] Most of the people present were middle-aged men, ying some old games like Starcraft or Go-Stop. The old local inte cafe truly was old. [T/N: StarCraft is a military science fiction media franchise created by Chris Metzen and James Phinney and owned by Blizzard Entertainment. For more information, click here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/StarCraft] [T/N: Go-Stop, also called Godori (the winning move in the game) is a Korean fishing card game yed with a Hwatu (Korean) deck. For more information, click here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go-Stop] ¡°I¡¯m surprised the seats are taken care of by machines.¡± Perhaps it was a way to prevent scams, the money for eachputer were calcted while the seats were maintained by advanced machines like in modern inte cafes. Taking out two one thousand won bills from my wallet, I put them in the machine. I was thinking of ying only two hours before going home. ¡°Wheeze, wheeze.¡± On the other hand, Dukhun seemed to be nning to stay there for a while. Under my surprised eyes, he put inside a ten-thousand won bill. ¡°Where did you get so much money from? You can y for 11 hours with ten thousand won.¡± ¡°I saved up some money by selling some in-game items.¡± It seemed Dukhun was not only a much more professional gamer than me, but also someone who earns pocket money by trading items. After putting our money in, we sat down side by side, I for two hours and Dukhun for eleven hours. ¡°Where¡¯s the button to turn it on?¡± ¡°Is this it¡­¡± Why is it always so hard to find the power button on theputer in an inte cafe? While theputer was turning on, I opened my phone and checked the group chat to see if anyone had sent any messages. [Yoon Sunah: Did you all have lunch?] The KakaoTalk message came when I was wandering around the busy street. Although the number of people who read the message was almost everyone, no one bothered to reply. ¡°Guys, really¡­ at least some of you should have replied.¡± As expected of our club members, they were a bunch of people who have strong individualistic tendencies and paid little attention to other people¡¯s personal life. They were busy enjoying their weekends in their own way. Shaking my head inwardly, I left a KakaoTalk message in the group chat, replying to Sunah¡¯s inquiry. [Lee Joon: Just woke up. Am in an inte cafe with Dukhun, lol] As if she was waiting for someone to message, Sunah¡¯s reply flew right in. [Yoon Sunah: Wow, which inte cafe?] [Lee Joon: Leon Inte Cafe. It¡¯s around the Jugong Apartmentplex] [Yoon Sunah: You two must be having fun¡­.] Knowing well enough that Sunah was alone at home being bored to death, I took a screenshot of the location and uploaded it to the KakaoTalk chatroom. [Lee Joon: [Attached photo]] [Lee Joon: We¡¯re going to be here for a while. If you¡¯re bored, you cane over] [Yoon Sunah: I¡¯ming] While I was chatting with Sunah, Dukhun went and bought a cup of ramen and a bottle of water before taking the seat beside me. As the delicious smell of ramen wafted over my nose, the realization that I was hungry dawned over me. Therefore, I also got up and went to the counter to buy some food. ¡°Even other inte cafes have grilled pork belly these days. But this ce is still in the old times.¡± The menu was extremely limited. Seeing no other choice, I bought some quail eggs, bread, and a drink and headed back to my seat. By the time I returned, Dukhun was already slurping down the ramen at his seat. ¡°Huuu¡­ this inte cafe is really living under the rock.¡± Muttering to myself, I opened the paper bag and took out the bread. ¡®Brings back memories.¡¯ This local inte cafe had a calm atmosphere, it made people who were staying there forget the flow of time. ying in the inte cafe with the headset on, I almost forgot what time it was or how old I was. Because I was concentrating too hard on the game, I had to suddenly take off my headset as I asked myself, ¡®Um. Where am I?¡¯ ¡®What was I doing beforeing here?¡¯ As I pondered to myself, I took a bite of the quail egg and the bread, savoring the taste of bread and egg as I once again concentrated ying LoL, forgetting my existence once again. In the slightly dark local inte cafe, along with the sound effects of various games that softly echoed around and drifted to my ears, I started to immerse myself in the game. [Don¡¯t letcency blind you!] ¡°Ah~ If you could just hold out a little longer, I could handle it all, so why are you getting pushed back? Don¡¯t you know that fighting near the turret evens the numbers without me? Just hold out for two more minutes, please.¡± As I was too engrossed ying games, I suddenly felt the presence of someone peeking from behind me. ¡®Who is bothering me while I¡¯m ying?¡¯ When I looked back, it was Sunah standing behind with an anxious look on her face. ¡°Oh, Sunah. Sit down, sit down!¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Sunah sat down on the empty seat to my left as she looked at the monitor curiously. The game soon ended as I yed with full concentration. Only after finishing my game did I stretch my arms before turning my chair to greet Sunah ¡°Hello¡­ Sunah, d to see you.¡± ¡°Yeah, me too¡­¡± Sunah, who was wearing a pink T-shirt, smiled and greeted me back as I yawned loudly. ¡°Have you had lunch?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I was so bored waiting for you. Would you mind ying a game with me?¡± Sunah agreed with a nod and slight smile. I put two more notes of 2,000 won in the slot and got Sunah theputer beside me. The game we chose to y together was KartRider. [T/N: Crazyracing KartRider is an online multiyer racing game developed by Nexon. For more information, click here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crazyracing_Kartrider] ¡°No, you¡¯re blocking my path!¡± ¡°Oh, hahaha¡­. Sorry¡­.¡± Since Sunah didn¡¯t have anyputer at home and never yed any video games before, she didn¡¯t know how to y games. The game we were ying, KartRider, was a game I often enjoyed ying in the past. But since my preference changed over time and my interest tilted towards RPG games, I got bored after ying it for about an hour. The next hour I just taught Sunah how to y Overwatch. [T/N: Overwatch was a 2016 team-based multiyer first-person shooter game by Blizzard Entertainment. For more information, click here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overwatch_(video_game)] ¡°You have to move the mouse like this.¡± ¡°Joon, it¡¯s so hard¡­¡± ¡°But a lot of girls y this. Here, if you click this, a shield will appear.¡± ¡°Uhm¡­¡± In my previous life, during the year of 2022, the sequels to Overwatch were mostly yed by youngsters. However, perhaps it was just the first version of the game in 2019, there were many things missing. I made Sunah choose Reinhardt and instructed her to stand still while holding a shield, and then I chose the character Genji and ran around while throwing spears at the enemy. While I was doing so, Dukhun stopped ying and looked at me with a look of interest. ¡°It seems like you¡¯re the only one having fun.¡± Eventually, seeing Sunah unable to y at all, I told her to turn on KartRider again and started ying with her. Just at that moment, a sudden message appeared in front of me. Pop. [The Ghost Story Acquisition Skill has activated.] [Starting the collection of B-rank ghost stories¡­] ?¡ó¡ó¡ó?¡ó?¡ó¡ó¡ó???¡ó¡ó?¡ó¡ó?¡ó?¡ó??¡ó??¡ó??¡ó???¡ó?¡ó?¡ó?¡ó?¡ó T/N: Herobrine is an urban legend and creepypasta from the video game Minecraft, originating from an anonymous post on the imageboard website 4chan in 2010. He is depicted as a version of the Minecraft character Steve, but with solid white eyes thatck pupils. For more information, click here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herobrine I apologize if any of the information rted to games is wrong. I don¡¯t y video games so I may becking in that aspect. Please feel free to point out any mistakes that fall in your eyes. Thank you ?? Chapter 69: Tenth Ghost Story – Minecraft’s Herobrine (2) Chapter 69: Tenth Ghost Story ¨C Minecraft¡¯s Herobrine (2) ¡®¡­Ghost story.¡¯ [The Ghost Story Acquisition Skill has activated.] [Collecting B-rank ghost stories¡­] Crash! My KartRider character, whose concentration was momentarily lost because I was surprised by the sudden message, crashed into the wall. ¡°Joon lost¡­¡± Sunah giggled beside me as her character in the game diligently moved forward, leaving my character behind. ¡®¡­Ghost Story Acquisition Skill.¡¯ It was the message I¡¯d seen in a long time. It had been about a month since the psychopathy test when I added this skill to the club and as a result, Sunah had to encounter the same ghost story as me. ¡®The buffer period is too long.¡¯ As soon as the collection of ghost stories was over, another message popped up in front of my view. The message showed which ghost story had been collected and who had collected it. Pop. [A B-rank ghost story has been added to Ahn Gyeongwon ¨C Legend of Herobrine.] ¡®¡­Herobrine? Ahn Gyeongwon?¡¯ ¡°Wow~ I won¡­¡± Sunahughed heartily as she looked at her character who had crossed the finish line sessfully. ¡°¡­.Yeah, I lost. Yoon Sunah is amazing.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Ting~? Before I couldprehend the system message properly, the door to the inte cafe opened and Gyeongwon, in a casual jacket, entered, looking around. ¡°Gyeongwon! Over here, over here¡­¡± At Sunah¡¯s excited call, Gyeongwon, who was looking here and there, shifted his gaze to us before approaching our way. Looking at us, he let out a snicker. ¡°So Dukhun, Prez, and Sunah are all gathered here. How many hours have you been ying?¡± ¡°Only for two hours now. It hasn¡¯t been that long we¡¯ve been ying. Did youe to y games too?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡± Gyeongwon looked around as he replied. ¡°I went out for a family gathering with my parents and was on my way home. I saw in the group chat that you guys were here. So I stopped by.¡± ¡°I see. If you have time, let¡¯s y a round together.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just look around. I¡¯m not that good at ying video games.¡± ¡°Really? You¡¯ve never yed video games before?¡± ¡°I used to, but I don¡¯t really like it these days.¡± ¡°I see.¡± He doesn¡¯t y games? That sounds impossible. Gyeongwon was a rare species among us hyperactive teenagers. ¡°As for gaming, I just asionally look through YouTube clips. And even then, I don¡¯t do so because I¡¯m interested in the games themselves, but rather because I want to learn about inte memes and such.¡± I was amazed again. ¡®This guy pursues his thirst for knowledge even in such an entertaining field.¡¯ But if a high school boy doesn¡¯t y games at all, what on earth does he do to have fun in his free time? As someone like me who doesn¡¯t have any other hobbies except for ying games, I was quite curious. Is it really fun to just read books and browse the inte at home to gain more knowledge? ¡°More importantly, Prez, I found something interesting on the way here.¡± Gyeongwon pushed his sses as he said with a smile. ¡°Have you guys ever yed a game called MineCraft?¡± MineCraft. It is a popr game created by a gaming studio under Clover Co. Ltd that has been popr all over the world for about 10 years. The name of the game was abination of two words; Mine, which means my or my own and Craft from crafting. It is a 3D sandbox adventure game where all the elements in the game are made of hexahedral cubes. With the cubes, you can create your own world by breaking orbining them. The game was quite popr, however, it is a paid game and you have to buy it to y. Since it was no fun ying alone without friends, I have never yed it. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t yed it. Isn¡¯t it the game where you build houses or things with blocks?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Smiling, Gyeongwon shed his sses before opening his mouth again. ¡°A strange rumor has been going around the inte recently. Some ghost stories rted to the pirated version of that game are making a sensation all over the world.¡± ¡°Pirated version?¡± ¡°It means illegal version.¡± Pulling a seat from a nearby desk, he sat downfortably as he replied. Since the inte cafe was half empty because of its remote location, no one seemed to pay any attention. ¡°It¡¯s a version that was made from the official version of the game by hacking. They unlocked the security code, and spread it on the inte. Anyone can y the game now by simply downloading it without having to insert a CD or enter an activation code.¡± ¡®Pirated version.¡¯ Does it mean like it was stolen or robbed? ¡°Are you talking about the Legend of Herobrine?¡± I just learned that phrase myself with the help of the system. The reason I asked him was to check if the name of the person who collected the ghost story and the contents of the system matched. ¡°That¡¯s right. I guess Prez has heard of it too.¡± Just as I expected, Gyeongwon smiled once again, pushing his sses. ¡°It seems that hackers have broken through the security code of this game and even unlocked something that ¡®should not have been unlocked¡¯.¡± ¡°Something that ¡®should not have been unlocked¡¯?¡± ¡°It is a dangerous secret that the people of Clover Co. and its developers have hidden for so many years. Hackers just messed around with the code and released it on the inte.¡± ¡°Secret.¡± For a moment, my interest was piqued. ¡°What is the secret?¡± ¡°I have actually no idea what the secret could be. But, it¡¯s certain that strange phenomena will ur if one is to y the pirated version of the game. There have been rumors of many people going crazy or disappearing after ying this illegal version.¡± ¡°It¡¯s so scary. And yet the files are still floating around on the inte? Even if we don¡¯t take the ghost stories into consideration, it¡¯s an illegal version. No one is doing anything about it?¡± ¡°No. I guess some weirdos change their IPs and spread it around onmunity forums on purpose.¡± ¡°Where can I get it?¡± ¡°It gets deleted periodically, but it can still be found everywhere, from Naver blogs to DC. I think if you search now, the link to download will appear right away.¡± ¡°What about the specs? Will it be okay to run it on theputers of an inte cafe such as this? This ce is filled with crappyputers.¡± As if he was dumbfounded, Gyeongwon stared at me. ¡°¡­You want to y it right now?¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± ¡°This is a ghost story. And you still want to y it?¡± ¡°¡­Didn¡¯t you tell me for that purpose?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡± Gyeongwon tried to exin with shaking eyes. Since the system said that the ghost story was added to Gyeongwon, I thought he wanted to y the game. Perhaps it truly wasn¡¯t his intention, he found it on the inte and thought it was interesting so he just wanted to share it with us. ¡°I got ahead of myself. It¡¯s dangerous anyway.¡± ¡°No, well¡­ If Prez wants to try it, he should¡­¡± Although he had a face that said he would follow my instructions, his expression was a bit stiff as he said so. Something urred to me and I turned my head and nced at Dukhun and Sunah. Dukhun was typing something on the keyboard while staring at the monitor absentmindedly. Sunah was just listening to our discussion with a slightly nk expression. ¡®Hmm. They don¡¯t look very enthusiastic.¡¯ It was my fault to think that these guys would naturally follow me together to hunt down ghost stories. It was just yesterday when we promised to work hard together and get stronger. However, from my perspective, eradicating ghost stories everyday and anytime I wanted was normal. From their perspective,ing across strange phenomena wasn¡¯t something to be excited about. Today, we gathered in the inte cafe not to solve ghost stories but to have a pleasant moment together. While everyone was immersed in the moment, suddenly wanting to solve a ghost story was being insensitive of me. They must have felt burdened by my enthusiasm. ¡®¡­ Well. Although we want to save the world, we won¡¯t be paid for this noble work. Moreover, we¡¯re just a bunch of high school students. It would be strange for them to follow along with everything I say.¡¯ On top of that, this week was tough enough with midterms, the crazy science teacher, and a head ghost. When realization finally dawned over me, I hurried to cate him. ¡°Sorry for rushing you guys. It¡¯s been a tough week, you know.¡± ¡°No, well¡­¡± Gyeongwon hesitated a bit before changing his stance. ¡°Actually, I understand why Prez said so. The world will be destroyed in 3 years, so how can we befortable? ¡°No. We should rest when it¡¯s time to rest.¡± I waved my hand in a dismissive manner, indicating it was fine. ¡°Let¡¯s just y games and have fun today. We have CA sessions every Friday anyway. There¡¯s no need to push ourselves just because we¡¯re determined to do something.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­.¡± Gyeongwon nodded awkwardly as he crossed and uncrossed his arms. ¡°If Prez says so¡­¡± ¡°We should continue our discussion. If you don¡¯t have the time now, let¡¯s do it some other time.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After that, Gyeongwon began telling us all the rumors and legends rted to MineCraft which were trending on the Inte. ¡´Minecraft Ghost Stories¡µ On the surface, it may look like a game featured for children because of the hexahedral cube graphics, however, once you dig deeper, you¡¯ll find that MineCraft is a game that implements realistic elements quite deeply. It¡¯s a game that features the elements of ¡®day/night¡¯, change of weather, hundreds of crafting ideas, characters feeling hunger and food consumption. Even the ability to build viges and cities, giving it infinite freedom. Since it¡¯s a game that fundamentally emphasizes exploration and survival, there are quite a few ghost stories that were based on users¡¯ imaginations about unknown areas in the game. The three most iconic ones are said to be the following. ¢Ù Herobrine It¡¯s a legend about an NPC that looks exactly like a yer on the server. Sometimes, when users create a local server and y the game, strangely enough, some structures that they didn¡¯t build are found all over the game world. Structures that could never have been created naturally, but must have been built by a game character. Those structures were the evidence of ¡®Another entity except the yer.¡¯ While such legends were circting on the inte and making an uproar, a BJ followed the traces for a long time, hoping to find something interesting for his gaming video content. [T/N: ¡°BJ ??¡± (BJ seobeo) is likely referring to ¡°BJ server.¡± In Korean inte culture, ¡°BJ¡± stands for ¡°Broadcast Jockey,¡± which is a term used for online streamers who broadcast live content, simr to ¡°streamers¡± in Western contexts. ¡°??¡± (seobeo) means ¡°server.¡±] The BJ, who followed the traces, followed it around a long path, eventually circling arge rounding path and returning to the same ce. However, once he reached the ce from where he started, arge writing in blood reading, ¡®Wee to Hell¡¯ appeared there. Later, when he edited the recording of the tracking process to upload it to YouTube, he found a mysterious character who looked exactly like him, a.k.a ¡®Herobrine¡¯, observing the yer from afar along the path. ¢Ú Netherworld This legend revolves around the Underworld map added in thetest version. Opening the dimensional gate to the Underworld using an item was possible by which, you can enter and exit this Underworld freely. But if you exit the game and revert it to the old version after entering the Underworld, a strange phenomenon urs. The Underworld map was added only in thetest version, not in the old version. However, if you force it to run and revert back to the old version after entering the Underworld, the existence of the Underworld, which couldn¡¯t exist in the old version, appears perfectly. The Underworld of the old version, which shouldn¡¯t have appeared, looked simr to the Underworld of the new version, but with a more sinister atmosphere, broken graphics and unidentifiable howls. If you still continue ying in this state, it is said that the true Netherworld will appear. ¢Û Edge of the World A yer can freely enter the world of MineCraft by connecting to a server and explore the world and build structures ording to their liking. However, that doesn¡¯t mean the world is infinite in size. Even if the world seems vast and endless, since it¡¯s a game, such a view appears in the eyes of the yers due to the system¡¯s performance. A yer who had reached the edge said that he couldn¡¯t go any further because he was blocked by a transparent wall. Countless unidentified buildings and bizarre ecosystem could be seen beyond the transparent wall, which was thought to be the edge of the world. yers call the world that continues beyond the limit of the map, the inessible world, the Far Away Land. ¡°The other legends can be roughly summarized into these three major ones. I don¡¯t have ess to more details. I didn¡¯t y the game, I just watched some videos on YouTube on the way here.¡± Gyeongwon wiped his sses as he finished his exnation. ¡®So he found it on YouTube on the way here¡­¡¯ Perhaps it must have been around that time when the Ghost Story Acquisition Skill was activated and that message popped up. ¡°Sounds fun.¡± ¡°Right?¡± The pretty girl who was standing next to Gyeongwon and listening to our discussion voiced out her opinion in which Gyeongwon nodded in return. ¡°How about we all y together now?¡± ¡°Right now?¡± Gyeongwon was slightly flustered by the girl¡¯s offer and couldn¡¯t understand what to say. But Dukhun seemed to agree as he muttered without even looking our way. ¡°I agree. It¡¯s embarrassing to see a bunch of teenagers not being able to y video games. Although I don¡¯t like MineCraft, it¡¯s easy to y and doesn¡¯t have many difficult quests, so everyone will be able to adapt quickly¡­ Moreover, it¡¯s a perfect game to y together with a group of friends like us.¡± Staring straight ahead at the monitor, he continued to y Dungeon & Fighter while saying so. ¡°Do we have to buy the game?¡± The pretty girl asked again and Dukhun shook his head, his gaze still stuck at the monitor. ¡°Oh, you heard them discussing, didn¡¯t you? They were talking about the pirated version the whole time. So we will download them illegally.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yup. As Gyeongwon said, it could be found anywhere.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The pretty girl nodded in understanding. I suddenly wondered if we could y together since it would be the illegal version and we wouldn¡¯t need to be online. ¡°But if it¡¯s illegal, doesn¡¯t it mean we will have a hard time contacting the server? It would be better if we can y together.¡± ¡°Local server is just fine. So as long as theputers are connected together, like the ones in this inte cafe, we can y together.¡± Local server. The concept waspletely unfamiliar to me, who had only yed real online games. It seemed like there would be no problem in connecting to one server and ying together. ¡°But I¡¯m ying it for the first time.¡± ¡°Who among us know how to install the game and contact to a server?¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve done it a few times.¡± Dukhun boasted proudly, his eyes still fixed eyes on the monitor. ¡°Even though it¡¯s been a few years since I¡¯ve done this¡­ Well, I don¡¯t think there¡¯ll be a problem.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The pretty girl with flowing ck hair answered with a nod. ¡°Um, but¡­Who are you?¡± T/N: If you like my work, consider supporting me on Kofi. Chapter 70: Tenth Ghost Story – Minecraft’s Herobrine (3) Chapter 70: Tenth Ghost Story ¨C Minecraft¡¯s Herobrine (3) T/N: This is the end of the mass release of unlocked chapters. We¡¯ll be going back to our previous schedule. We were so immersed in the discussion that we weren¡¯t even aware when the pretty girl sneaked in between us and started chatting along as if she was our acquaintance. At my inquiry, both Gyeongwon and Dukhun turned around to face the girl. The girl with long ck flowing hair and curled eyshes stood there calmly. A hint of makeup could be on the transparent skin. Contrary to Sunah, with a girly but cute temperament created by her fluffy short hair and red cheeks, the girl¡¯s pretty jawline and slender neckline showed an unknown feminine charm. She truly was a heavenly gorgeous girl. And the moment I realized who it was, my heart couldn¡¯t help but pound at her beautiful appearance. The pretty girl standing there was none other than Hayoon. ¡°Hello, Joon.¡± Gyeongwon, who just turned his head to look at her, froze instantly as if turned into a statue. Even Dukhun, who was only interested in 2D girls, flinched as if blinded by her beauty. ¡®¡­She¡¯s so damn pretty.¡¯ The only people who I thought could bepared to her were the five members of the idol girl group, Fourincess, whom I metst time. ¡®Oh, no¡­ she doesn¡¯t exude that cheerful atmosphere either¡­¡¯ The temperamental aura she seemed to express was simr to those ¡®precious daughter of a noble family¡¯ or ¡®only daughter of an aristocratic family¡¯, written in novels. ¡°¡­Ha, Hayoon. Oh, hello.¡± Noticing my flustered expression, she showed a slight smile, waving her hand. My heart almost stopped at the simple gesture. It seemed that the sses were only there to enhance her beauty, she lookedpletely different without the sses. ¡°Are you all going to y the game? MineCraft?¡± ¡°Uh, yeah¡­ that¡¯s what I thought at first.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m gonna go top up my time.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± While we were too astonished to make a sound, Hayoon walked elegantly to the machine at the counter to top up her time, her long ck hair fluttering behind. After she left, Dukhun finally turned his head with a ¡®hmm¡¯ and focused on the game again. However, Gyeongwon was still frozen in his ce, seemingly unable to ovee the shock. ¡°¡­.Joon.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. Sunah.¡± ¡°How¡­how do you y that game?¡± ¡°MineCraft? I¡¯ve never yed it before, so I¡¯ve no idea. When Dukhun finishes ying Dungeon & Fighter, I¡¯ll ask him to install it. Let¡¯s all learn together.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Although I tried to answer nonchntly, pretending to be calm, I was also unable to ovee the momentary shock. My heart still pounded heavily behind the ribcage. ¡®Ugh¡­ crazy. She looks so damn pretty without sses and with light makeup.¡¯ Her sudden appearance truly shook me to the core. Mumble, mumble. A momentter, the members of the Ghost Story Club sat side by side, each facing aputer screen. From the left, Hayoon, Sunah, me, Dukhun, and Gyeongwon sat chronologically. The five of us sat in a row, with me, the president of the club in the middle. The male and female members were seated on either of my side, creating a harmonious sitting arrangement. ¡°You have to do it like this¡­¡± Dukhun, who finished ying his game, started to download the pirated version of the game to each of ourputers. Meanwhile, I took out my phone and called Jinhee. Compared to us, who were always buried in our own little corner and didn¡¯t exude much of our presence either in school or in the ssroom, Jinhee always seemed to emit an immense presence from the back of the ssroom. Although I was calling to invite her to y with us, I never expected her to be someone who likes to interact or hangout with acquaintances from school. But since all the members of Ghost Story Club were together, I thought it would be unfair to not invite her over. I just wanted to politely invite her since I thought it seemed unfair to leave her out. However, I had no intention to appear forceful to her toe here and y with us, I was too scared of her to do so. [Now I¡¯m~ a mayfly~ living day by day? still lost tomorrow¡­ oooh, oh, oh] The song ¡®Mayfly¡¯ by MC and the MAX was heard the moment the call was connected. This song was rather popr among teenagers, and after the music passed by, a rather blunt but familiar voice answered the phone. [T/N: M.C The MAX (Korean: ?? ? ??) is a South Korean rock band. They debuted in 2000 as a 4-member band under the name Moon Child.] [Hello?] ¡°Oh, Jinhee. Are you free?¡± [Who?] ¡°I¡¯m Joon. Club president.¡± [Ah.] Before I could say more, the sound of a girl¡¯s voice, who most probably was beside Jinhee, transmitted from the other side of the phone, asking who had called her. [A friend. Wait a minute¡­.] Friend! Jinhee thinks of me as a friend? [I¡¯m free. What do you need?] ¡°Oh, that¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s just all of us are hanging out in an inte cafe.¡± [¡­.] ¡°Would you like to¡­e and join us?¡± As I asked, I could hear my voice trembling. [Inte cafe?] However, the voice that was heard from the other side, asked back in bewilderment, as if she couldn¡¯tprehend if I had called her just to tell that. [What are you guys doing there?] ¡°Uh, we¡¯re about to y MineCraft together here¡­¡± [What? What¡¯s that?] ¡°It¡¯s a game where you can build houses and stuff¡­ It¡¯s like ying Lego¡­ you¡¯ll understand it better if you y it¡­¡± [¡­.] ¡°We can explore¡­ create weapons, defeat monsters, make blocks¡­¡± [¡­.] ¡°And the weather in the game also changes. And the constant cycle of day and night are also present¡­¡± As I kept bbering, I realized my voice was getting constricted the more I continued talking. I started feeling anxious, as if I was trying to make excuses to the most grumpy teacher in the school. The image of a girl with dyed blonde hair, wearing a short skirt and jacket, sleeping face down in the back of the school every day, suddenly appeared in my mind. And the scene that I saw today, riding a motorcycle, smoking, and hanging around with people who look like your typical social bullies, even her persona was set in my mind as a bully. And I was calling such an eminent figure in a local run-down inte cafe to y games? ¡°I mean¡­ we¡¯re all here gathered together, so I just wanted to invite you¡­ If you have time then-¡± [I¡¯ll call you back on my way.] ¡°Oh! Oh, oh, okay! Thanks!¡± Dood. Dood. As soon as she finished speaking, she hung up as if she had something more important to do. ¡°Is sheing?¡± ¡°Yeah. She¡¯sing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s unexpected.¡± Gyeongwon answered indifferently, fiddling with the mouse, not particrly showing if he was astonished. Before long, the pirated version of MineCraft was installed and we all started ourputers. As soon as the desktop appeared, the window program passed by. ¡°How do I make it full screen?¡± ¡°Are you not familiar with desktopputers? Look at the top of the window screen.¡± Simr to Sunah, Hayoon also didn¡¯t seem to be familiar withputers and ying games, so she was sitting gracefully in her seat beside Sunah, who was fiddling with her mouse. As a result, Dukhun had to run between the four of us to check things and teach us how to do certain actions with the mouse. ¡°Here, Fullscreen, if I click this, will I have fullscreen?¡± ¡°Stop asking and start the game. I have yed a few rounds with my online friends before. You¡¯d learn things as you y.¡± So Dukhun even had online friends. After fiddling around with the screen for a while, I adjusted the screen to my liking before returning to the desktop and starting the game. A screen popped up as soon as I started the game, asking me to set a name. Without hesitation, I typed my original name, Lee Joon, and clicked ¡®Set¡¯. [Hello, Lee Joon.] ¡°Okay. Have you guys all entered? I¡¯ll make a server.¡± Dukhun returned to his seat as he finished exining things to others and asked. Writing down a fewplicatedmands while referring to a video he saw on YouTube about making a server, he urged us to click on the panel that popped us on our window. Soon, a local server was added to the server menu which was previously nk and the game started uploading. [MINECRAFT SERVER: 1/5] [Lee Joon: Crimson World (Beginners Only)] ¡°This server is quite popr.¡± Gyeongwon, who was seated beside me, snickered as if he understood the reason. ¡°No, why is my name¡­¡± As I grumbled to myself, Dukhun only chuckled and showed a satisfied look as if he was pleased to have created a server in my name. [MINECRAFT SERVER: 2/5] [Lee Joon: Crimson World (Beginners Only)] [MINECRAFT SERVER: 3/5] [Lee Joon: Crimson World (Beginners Only)] The number beside the server increased one by one, implying that the members all were being connected to the server. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s start.¡± With that, I also pressed connect. [MINECRAFT SERVER: 5/5] [Lee Joon: Crimson World (Beginners Only)] [MINECRAFT SERVER: Full] [Lee Joon: Crimson World (Beginners Only)] [Loading¡­.] On azy afternoon weekend that we achieved after the hectic midterms. The members of the Ghost Story Club gathered at a local inte cafe, spending a pleasant moment by ying games on theputer. [Select World] After the loading was over and we all sessfully connected to the server, a nk screen appeared with nothing on it. Obviously, all of us, except Dukhun, stared at the letters that appeared at the middle of the screen in puzzlement. The letters in the middle of the screen spelled [Select World], indicating our next step. ¡°Wait. I¡¯m doing it.¡± As the only one who had yed this game before, Dukhun once again started fiddling around, his fingers flying on the keyboard as he typed hurriedly. Soon, the words which appeared in the middle of the screen changed to [Create New World], before [Lee Joon: 1st Round] appeared. [Create New World: Lee Joon: 1st Round] ¡°No, why did you use my name again¡­¡± ¡°Because you are the club president.¡± [Loading¡­.] Before long, the dark screen lit up as the game started. The world that appeared on the screen was as we expected, filled with blocks of hexahedral cubes. Each and every object was created of countless blocks, adding to the bizarreness. As we looked around, the head of green grass and small puddles were seen scattered all around. It seemed we hadnded on a marsh. ¡°Wow, although I expected it, I¡¯m still a bit surprised¡­ The graphics are a bit weird. They seem worse than Sudden Attack.¡± ¡°It was done on purpose, President. I think that¡¯s probably the game¡¯s concept that the developers intended. To imagine our own creation.¡± The games I had yed before, like Battleground and Overwatch, had excellent graphics along with likeable characters and powerful weapons. However, seeing a world only made of blocks, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little disappointed. But even so, the overall concept had an atmosphere of creating pleasant memories, so I thought it wasn¡¯t that bad. ¡°Let¡¯s see. You have to press W, A, S, D kyes to move around. Use the spacebar to jump¡­¡± The method of operating the movements of the characters inside were simr to a typical FPS game like Sudden Attack. ¡°If you click here, the tiles will break. All right then, let¡¯s all follow along. Walk forward.¡± ¡°Walk forward¡­.¡± For some odd reason, Dukhun seemed to have his time teaching everyone things, perhaps the feeling of teaching people stuff which you are so passionate about made him so enthusiastic about the matter. Sunah, as always, followed Dukhun¡¯s instructions with a devoted expression, as if her life depended on it and started leading her character just behind Dukhun¡¯s character. Unlike others, I had yed first-person perspective games before, so I was quite familiar with the movements and instructions on how to y such games. Therefore, I simply skipped the introduction and just started walking around on my own, attempting to explore our surroundings. ¡®Excluding Dukhun, I¡¯m probably the only one who¡¯s yed the most games here¡­ Hmm.¡¯ Swoosh. Thud! Thud. ¡°¡­Huh.¡± My character, which was running around at my guidance, suddenly fell into a hole while I was absentmindedly lost in thought. As soon as I fell into the hole, my health bar, which was full a moment ago, turned less than half in an instant. ¡®What the, why is there a hole in a ce like this? Seriously.¡¯ I looked around for help, however, everyone else was busy learning how to operate the joystick and the movements of their characters, and none of them seemed to be aware of my predicament. ¡®Damn it, I¡¯m the president. How can I fall into a hole like an idiot? I¡¯m gonna lose my dignity.¡¯ Thinking that I should get out of the hole as soon as possible and pretend as if nothing had happened, I looked around and started breaking the wall to get the blocks from them and make a stair. However, as I had no equipment with me and had to do it empty handed, the speed which I was doing the process was incredibly slow. ¡°You have to move the mouse like this here.¡± ¡°Aha.¡± In the end, after fumbling alone for a while, I still couldn¡¯t get out of the hole. Seeing no other choice, I called out to Dukhun, who was already busy running around left and right, exining things to every one of the members. ¡°Hey, Dukhun¡­¡± ¡°I fell into a hole. Please help¡­¡± ¡°Oi. President.¡± Taking a deep breath as if he was annoyed, Dukhun approached me and started lecturing. ¡°You wandered around without listening to my exnation. And now you are asking for help¡­¡± ¡°¡­Well, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any way out of there. You should just restart the game¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Sorry¡­.¡± [Lee Joon: 2nd Round] In the end, I had to re-enter the world. As I restarted the game, the number next to my name automatically increased. ¡°This time, don¡¯t wander around on your own and stay still.¡± After the loading was finished, I found my character underwater this time. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t it let me start from somewhere more normal?¡± I swam up to the surface of the water before looking around. An endless forest made of blocks stretched before my vision. The ce where I started from this time was a small pond. ¡°Follow my instructions everyone. Gather around.¡± A male character ran past me after those words. ¡®Is it Gyeongwon? I¡¯m gonna follow him.¡¯ Not wanting to wait for Dukhun¡¯s instructions, I decided to follow the character. As I reached a clearing, I saw a group of characters who looked exactly the same, jumping around in a disoriented manner. Except for the character, which appeared bigger than the ones gathered around and had more fluent movements, the other characters, including Gyeongwon which I just followed looked exactly alike. ¡°So everyone chose the same character except Dukhun?¡± ¡°We must have done it by default.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t even distinguish you guys.¡± ¡°Keep your character still then you will see each other¡¯s name above their head.¡± Soon, a character suddenly jumped in front of me and stood still before jumping around again. I tried to check the name, however, the character kept jumping around so wildly that I couldn¡¯t even read the first letter. ¡°Who the hell is it!¡± Unable to hold the frustration, I hit the character hard. At the gesture, Sunah, who was on my left, started giggling. ¡°Don¡¯t hit me, Joon¡­¡± ¡°So it was you, Sunah, you idiot! You¡¯re blocking my path¡­ aish, aish.¡± ¡°Oh, stop fooling around. As soon as the sun sets, monsters will start appearing. We must hurry up and build a shelter.¡± Arge character, most probably Dukhun, brushed past me, indicating me to follow him. ¡°After we finish building a shelter, I¡¯ll exin how we can hunt down the ghost stories.¡± At Dukhun¡¯s dissuasion, we stopped jumping around and followed him to arge clearing in an attempt to build a shelter. ¡°Come this way, this way¡­¡± Among us, Dukhun appeared to be the only one who was serious in building a shelter. Since it was everyone¡¯s first time ying the game, they were unfamiliar with how to control and operate their characters. Therefore, let alone build a shelter, their characters only kept jumping around, or falling down. Among the characters of us who were crazily running around, therge character of Dukhun was the only one diligently working. ¡®¡­Is he trying to build a wall with that?¡¯ With bewilderment, I watched Dukhun¡¯s character digging up the ground, separating the blocks and trying to build a sturdy wall that would help him be protected from the monsters. ¡°We should help Dukhun. Tell us what we can do to help you, Dukhun.¡± ¡°Kuso, I don¡¯t remember well either¡­ We should just dig up the ground for starters and try to build a thick wall. Scary monsters will appear at night, a safe shelter is a must to be protected from them and to discuss future strategy.¡± The blocks around were stacked in a heap, and since we had no equipment either, it seemed the only way we could build a shelter was bybining the blocks. Unlike in other games where you have to gather the equipment first and leave the rest to the game system, we had to build a wall there from scratch, just like in real life. A rough exnation was given by Dukhun. After that he went back to dig up the ground and separate the blocks tobine them and build a wall all by himself. ¡®I would have already started ordering them around if it were me.¡¯ Probably because it was his first time attempting to lead a group of people and teach them things, he seemed to prefer to just exin things roughly and do most of the task by himself. However, a wise leader never carries heavy burdens alone. Rather, he draws out and measures the abilities of his subordinates and uses their assistance for a better oue. ¡°Everyone, gather around. We should help too.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± While Dukhun¡¯s character was digging the ground frantically and separating the blocks, I gathered the rest of the members around and startedmanding them. ¡°We can get blocks by breaking the soil apart. To make a heap, click the right button of the mouse. For now, just follow what Dukhun is doing and stack the blocks.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Eventually, under mymand, the members stopped jumping around and dispersed, digging the ground with all seriousness. While we were busy digging the ground, out of the corner of my eyes, I saw someone¡¯s character diligently breaking the wall which Dukhun had worked so hard to build. Squinting my eyes, I read the character¡¯s name and realized it was Sunah. ¡°Sunah, that¡¯s the wall we just built. Don¡¯t break it. Follow my instructions.¡± ¡°Okay¡­.¡± T/N: Extremely sorry for thete update. This chapter was supposed to be updated on 30th June. But I fell sick again and also got very busy with real life work. Pray that I can update the next chapter as soon as possible. Thank you for you understanding ???? Chapter 71: Tenth Ghost Story – Minecraft’s Herobrine Chapter 71: Tenth Ghost Story ¨C Minecraft¡¯s Herobrine ¡°Okay. I think we¡¯re almost done.¡± As we all worked hard toplete building the walls of the shelter, which would provide us safety from the monsters that would appear at night, night had befallen us. ording to the game¡¯s day/night cycle, a day had already passed. ¡°It¡¯s dark.¡± ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Taking out various items and equipment from his inventory, which also looked like a bunch of hexagonal blocks, Dukhunbined them and made a few torches. After that, he went around the corners of the shelter and hung them on the wall. As light was added in the dark space, the surrounding brightened a little. Finishing all the work, Dukhun exhaled a deep breath of relief. ¡°You did a great job, Dukhun.¡± ¡°Thank you for working hard.¡± At the sincere gratitude andpliment of the members, he coughed in embarrassment before opening his mouth. ¡°As I¡¯ve said earlier, I¡¯ve only yed the game a few times with my online friends a few years ago. So I¡¯ve no idea what to do next.¡± ¡°But since you¡¯re the only one who ys most games among us, how about you continue to guide us?¡± ¡°Ah, ah, I guess I¡¯ll do so.¡± Before long, all of us huddled together, sitting around a circle. We had our focus fixed on therge character of Dukhun. ¡°Talking so loudly like this in an inte cafe is embarrassing. Everyone, put on your headsets. From now on, I¡¯ll be exining things through the microphone.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± At his instructions, the members fumbled around their seats, finding their headsets and putting it on. Since some of them, like Sunah and Hayoon, never yed before, they had a bit of trouble adjusting the sound on their microphones. ¡°Hello, hello, can you hear me?¡± ¡°I can hear you.¡± ¡°Everyone, gather around.¡± The character of Dukhun seemed to suddenly gain a voice as he instructed us through the microphone. However, we all knew that in reality, we were sitting right next to each other so we didn¡¯t really need to gather. But since we all were connected to the game and our characters were representing us, we gathered around Dukhun¡¯srge character like a bunch of baby chickens. ¡°Let me remind you of the first thing for which we started ying the game. Our purpose is not to enjoy the game but to find ghost stories. Currently, I¡¯m thinking of how to use some cheat keys by watching some videos on the inte.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s an excellent idea.¡± ¡°But, if we want to search for the ghost stories which Ahn Gyeongwon mentioned earlier, just know that it¡¯ll take a long time even if we use cheats.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Among all of us, I was the only one (except Dukhun) whose character was standing still as I answered through the microphone. The characters of other club members either stood crookedly or started jumping up and down as they answered. It seemed they still weren¡¯t able to control the function properly. ¡°Alright then. Which ghost story do you want to start with first, President?¡± ¢Ù Legend of Herobrine ¢Ú Ghost story of Netherworld ¢Û The Edge of the World ¡°Hmm.¡± Remembering the three ghost stories that Gyeongwon mentioned earlier, I started pondering on which one to start with first. After thinking for a while, I realized that each ghost story was going to take an incredible amount of time just to find them let alone solve them. As Dukhun had said earlier, it truly is going to take a while. The first ghost story was the legend of Herobrine, which was rted to the mysterious appearance and doing of an NPC that exists in the game. His existence was literally an unknown being. We had no idea how and where it would appeare, how to search for it or if it truly existed. If we really want to solve the ghost story, we would have needed to search through the vast world of the game. In the ghost stories mentioned by Gyeongwon, he was said to build strange structures for no reason particrly, leaving traces of his existence as if he was calling for them. However, we had just started ying the game and still were in the beginners section. It would be a huge trouble for us to search for his traces now. Moreover, we weren¡¯t familiar with the game¡¯s environment and structures. We would not be able to distinguish which structure was originally built in the game or which structure was built by him. It was going to take an awful amount of time just to chase his traces. Therefore, I decided to put it aside for now and focus on the other two ghost stories. The second ghost story was the appearance of ¡®Netherworld¡¯ and the third one was ¡®Edge of the World¡¯. In the case of these two ghost stories, we had definite locations and methods. ¡°Netherworld or the Edge of the World, is it possible to use teleportation skill for either of them?¡± ¡°Let me check¡­ I think it¡¯s possible to use the teleportation cheat.¡± Staring at his phone¡¯s screen, where perhaps he was searching for cheat keys on the inte, Dukhun answered affirmatively. ¡°The coordinates of where you are now and the coordinates of where you want to go. If we know the coordinates of both our current ce and our destination, it¡¯s possible to use it.¡± ¡°Hmm, then.¡± To make the Netherworld appear, we must revert back to the old version after entering the Underworld. This ghost story had a specific location and method which we couldn¡¯t ignore. However, finding the pirated version was already hard enough. It would be even more difficult to find the old version. Considering the pros and cons, I decided to go for the Edge of the World. ¡°How about we go to the Edge of the World first?¡± A world that stretched beyond the map of the world, a different world situated beyond the border. ¡°Okay. But it¡¯s not possible to go beyond the boundary line because I can¡¯t input coordinates of a ce that exists outside the limit of the map. However, we can teleport right in front of the edge. After reaching the ce, we will be blocked by a transparent wall, so you¡¯ll have to find a way and go around and around again until you find a hole or something simr to pass through the transparent wall. Is that okay?¡± ¡°Well, I believe it¡¯s way better than chasing the traces of a ghost NPC that we don¡¯t even know exists, right?¡± ¡°Ah, as the President wishes.¡± Leaning back on his chair, that somehow held hisrge body, he asked everyone. ¡°Everyone. Do we have an ¡®agreement¡¯?¡± ¡°Before you guys agree, let me be clear, this is dangerous. Even I, who has fought countless battles of life and death, are getting anxious with sweaty palms. So if there¡¯s anyone who¡¯s unwilling, this is the best and only opportunity to say ¡®I quit¡¯.¡± Perhaps they felt awkward and embarrassed to speak on the microphone, so they answered by moving their characters. But because they were also inexperienced in controlling the functions, their characters stood up and sat down again, as if agreeing to Dukhun¡¯s words. ¡°Does that mean you all agree?¡± ¡°We have no other choice. Agree.¡± ¡°Me too¡­¡± ¡°Agree.¡± ¡°Yare, yare¡­ there¡¯s no way to back down now, is there? Then I think it would be better to start making preparations.¡± Saying that, therge character of Dukhun started drawing a square on the wall of the shelter, which we just built using mud. ¡°Basically, the world of MineCraft is square shaped like this. Since there are five of us, I think it would be better to split up and each go east, west, south, and north.¡± ¡°But even if four people go east, west, south, and north, one more person will be left.¡± ¡°Yoon Sunah seemed to be the only one extremely bad at controls. I believe it¡¯s better if she apanies someone.¡± It seemed Dukhun was like a typical highschool boy who is awkward around girls and had no immunity against them. Each time he called a girl¡¯sst name, he would always include their first name. [T/N: In case anyone is unaware, Koreans also put their family name before their own name, just like Chinese and Japanese.] Hearing those words, Hayoon, who had been quiet until now suddenly turned her head and proposed calmly. ¡°She can go with me. We girls will stay together.¡± At those words, Sunah¡¯s body stiffened as she stayed quiet. Even the expression on her face hardened. At the proposal offered with friendliness, a strange atmosphere, which we couldn¡¯tprehend, seemed to flow amidst the silence. ¡°Do you want to go with Hayoon? What do you say?¡± However, even after Dukhun¡¯s urging, Sunah kept her mouth shut and bowed her head. Her lips seemed to quiver as she stayed still despite someone asking her. In the end, seeing her not answering, I took off my headset and asked quietly. ¡°Sunah, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Just¡­¡± Sunah showed a hesitant expression, avoiding looking at me. It seemed there were a lot of things she wanted to say but was unable to express them. Beside her, Hayoon stared at us with her usual calm and expressionless face. These two were not only deskmates but also members of the same club. Then why does there seem to be a distance between them? ¡®¡­Now that I think about it, I¡¯ve never seen them together except for when they¡¯re in the ssroom and have to sit beside each other. Not to mention, I haven¡¯t ever seen them talking either.¡¯ At Sunah¡¯s hesitation, Hayoon opened her mouth, staring at Sunah¡¯s frozen expression. ¡°You don¡¯t want to?¡± As if she had turned into a statue, Sunah¡¯s expression further hardened. Sensing that the atmosphere between the two were bing strange as time passed by, I quickly stepped forward, offering my opinion instead. ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t want to, you cane with me. We¡¯re sitting beside each other anyway.¡± Only then did Sunah quietly nodded as if relieved. For a moment, Hayoon stared nkly at Sunah¡¯s side profile, as if she couldn¡¯tprehend for a moment that she was rejected by her own deskmate. Then slowly, she turned her head and fixed her gaze on the monitor again. ¡®What? Why?¡¯ Although I knew Sunah was introverted by nature and had a timid personality, she always seemed tomunicate well with me. However, I was astonished at her sudden change of behaviors, which I couldn¡¯tprehend for any reason. ¡®No matter how much she wanted to tag along with me, her behavior just now was extremely dissatisfying.¡¯ A friend right next to her was offering her to stay together quite nicely, but she just simply ignored her, throwing away the consideration of that person. ¡®Is Hayoon okay?¡¯ Out of the corner of my eyes, I sneakily nced at Hayoon¡¯s expression. Hayoon¡¯s face had the same calm expression, as if what had urred now has nothing to do with her. She didn¡¯t seem to pay any attention if there were people who disliked her or didn¡¯t like herpany. Perhaps because she was mentally strong, such incidents seemed to have no effect on her. However, no matter how mature Hayoon was or how timid Sunah was, rejecting the friendly offer of a friend was being extremely rude of her (Sunah). Was it because of her low self-esteem? Orck ofmunication skill? Or her disposition of being a yandere? ¡­. Doesn¡¯t matter what the reason had been, I couldn¡¯t ept her behavior just now. ¡®I¡¯ll have to make sure to have a chat with her regarding this next time.¡¯ ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going to put in the coordinates. Everyone, stand in a line in front of my character.¡± If we were to go by foot, it would have taken over 800 hours to reach the edge of the world. Therefore, to save both time and energy, it was an excellent strategy to use the teleportation skill. While we lined up, Dukhun prepared the teleportation array to activate the cheat. ¡°Here, stand here.¡± At his constant urging, the four of us made a line in front of Dukhun¡¯srge, fat character. ¡°Who¡¯s in front of me now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Okay, four-eyes. Go north and get Kim Il-Sung¡¯s head.¡± [T/N: Kim Il-Sung was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he led as Supreme Leader from the country¡¯s establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. Afterwards, he was seeded by his son Kim Jong Il and was dered Eternal President.] Swish. ¡°Next?¡± ¡°Me.¡± ¡°The prettiest girl in the city, In Hayoon. Go explore the vast west.¡± Swish. ¡°President and Yoon Sunah. Is there anywhere specific you want to go?¡± ¡°¡­.Anywhere.¡± ¡°Oi. You just answered what I asked. Then go south.¡± Swish. ¡°¡­And I¡¯ll go east to find Yutkuri.¡± [T/N: Yutkuri is an inte fan character originating from the East Project, which is a series of fangames. The word originally meant ¡®slowly¡¯, ¡®leisurely¡¯, etc. it is a word that refers to unidentified characters that are often seen on East Project- rted bulletin boards, videos, and secondary creations.] Swish. As thest teleportation array was activated and Dukhun¡¯srge character disappeared, the once crowded shelter became empty. With Dukhun gone, the members of the Ghost Story Club scattered to the east, west, south, and north, searching for the edge of the world. Whish, whish, humm, humm. ¡®¡­Are we in a summer forest?¡¯ As soon as we opened our eyes, a forest full of lush green trees stretched beyond the horizon with cicadas chirping loudly appeared in our vision. Green and brown hexagonal tiles indicated that we were in a vast wood. ¡°Sunah? Where are you?¡± ¡°Here¡­¡± At my call, Sunah¡¯s character walked up from behind me. [Admin (Oh Dukhun): Mic testing. Mic testing.] All of a sudden, a message appeared in front of us from Dukhun, the admin of the server and floated up to the top of the screen. [Admin (Oh Dukhun): I didn¡¯t send you guys directly at the border fearing that you guys could get stuck on the transparent wall or return to the original ce from where I sent you. The ces I¡¯ve sent you are just a bit further away from the border. Walk straight in the direction you justnded.] [Admin (Oh Dukhun): And of course, if any of you finds something, let others know.] ¡°Okay.¡± Since the ce Inded was the southernmost end, I guess I should just walk south. ¡°Let¡¯s see, the direction is¡­¡± As I started walking, I checked the ¡®S¡¯ written on the minimap hovering in front of me, which indicates South, and started walking straight in that direction. Behind me, Sunah¡¯s character tagged along. Mmmm, hummm. While walking, I couldn¡¯t help but look around the tall trees, enveloping our shadows. A few rays of sunlight poked through the thick leaves that was blocking the sky above and shone on the ground, creating a picturesque view. ¡°The graphics don¡¯t look that bad now that I take a closer look.¡± ¡°Yeah, it really feels like I¡¯m in a forest¡­¡± Seeing all the hexagonal blocks the first time, my impression of the game was extremely low. I was someone who is used to seeing high-level graphics on other games that I yed. However, the environmental elements like sunlight, water, and shadows, all surprisingly created a life-like experience. Except for the hexagonal tiles indicating the ground, the other natural elements were implemented quite realistically. The sight that stretched before our vision, created bybining the impressionability of the old generation and the technology of the current generation, was truly praiseworthy. ¡®The art of this world is vast. Even with the strangebination of hexagonal blocks and natural elements, the background that appears is quite splendid.¡¯ At the sight before me, I couldn¡¯t help but exim in admiration. Crunch, crunch. We walked down above the hexagonal tiles to the path leading south. Our feet stepped on the fallen leaves, creating a pleasant sound as we both walked in silence. Bump. ¡°¡­Huh.¡± However, our characters suddenly bumped onto something when we tried to walk forward. The path through the endless trees could still be seen in front, it was clearly visible in front of our eyes. But our characters couldn¡¯t walk forward at all, as if they were being blocked by a transparent wall. ¡°I can¡¯t move forward.¡± ¡°Me too¡­¡± Even if I pressed the forward arrow key as hard as I could, I couldn¡¯t move forward even an inch. Beside me, Sunah tried to jump forward and somehow cross the transparent wall. However, she ended up bumping onto the wall strongly and bounced back. Both of us stood there nkly as we stared at the vast green forest just beyond the wall. ¡°I guess this is it. We¡¯ve reached the edge of the world.¡± ¡°Yeah ¡± Amidst the world made of hexagonal blocks. There stood a transparent wall, separating the yers from crossing the border and exploring the world beyond. We had reached to that border, the southern edge of the world. [Admin (Oh Dukhun): Have you all arrived?] ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ve arrived.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± [Admin (Oh Dukhun): Walk along the transparent wall using the border as your guide until you find a hole of some sort. Stay vignt. Look beyond the transparent wall. If you discover something strange, let us know.] ¡°Okay.¡± It seemed Dukhun was telling us to follow along the transparent wall. If we moved along the wall, we might discover a loophole in the game program somewhere which we could use to get through. However, since there was a chance of us failing with this strategy, we decided to observe the scenery beyond the edge of the world. We might discover something strange or suspicious just as it was mentioned in the ghost story. ¡®It doesn¡¯t seem like an efficient solution. I guess it¡¯s gonna take a lot of time.¡¯ As I pondered on a more effective method, Sunah and I walked along the border, through the endless vast forest surrounding us. ¡°Did you notice anything different?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s all the same¡­¡± Even after we walked for a while, nothing particrly unusual entered our eyes so far. Along the narrow path that seemed to stretch endlessly, we could only see more and more trees around us, enveloping us like a fortress. ¡°¡­The sun is already setting?¡± Before we knew it, the color of the sunlight shining through the leaves had turned slightly red. The afternoon sun tilted to the west, bathing the surrounding in an otherworldly orange light. As I thought, the sun was setting beyond the forest. ¡°It seems the proverb, ¡®the sun sets early in the mountains¡¯ is true.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s a forest¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± [Admin (Oh Dukhun): Night is approaching. Big carnivorous spiders and zombies might start appearing. So carry a torch everyone.] Torch! ¡°Zombies¡­¡± At the mention of zombies, Sunah showed a frightened expression. As realization dawned over me, I figured that I should have taken one of the torches that Dukhun had created and randomly ced on the shelter. ¡°Do you know how to make it?¡± ¡°Wait a minute. I think I¡¯ll know the method once I look through the process.¡± Opening my inventory window, I looked through the process and materials that listed the crafting methods for various items and started searching for the method of crafting a torch. ¡°Let¡¯s see. First, we need wood.¡± ¡°Here!¡± With a loud exmation, Sunah hit the piece of wood lying on her feet before picking it up. Then, the piece of wood suddenly disappeared and a brown wooden tile, probably the wood she collected appeared on the inventory. [You have obtained the wood.] ¡°Okay, so the first step is¡­¡± After processing the wood I obtained, I crafted a wooden crowbar, and shared the item with Sunah. ¡°This crowbar will help you mine coal.¡± ¡°Coal?¡± ¡°Yeah. After digging up the coal, we need to rub it on a stick to make a torch.¡± ¡°Where are we gonna get the coal?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± While pondering for the way to get some coal, I turned my head slightly and looked at others¡¯ monitors to see how the other members were preparing for the night. Dukhun was wandering through a desert, a ce where the sun doesn¡¯t seem to ever set so he didn¡¯t need to prepare for the night. Gyeongwon had somehow crafted a wooden boat and was crossing a vast sea. He also didn¡¯t seem to need a torch. Hayoon seemed to enter a cave in a snowy mountain. As she walked, several torches hanging on the walls came into view. They seemed to have probably formed naturally. ¡®Everyone¡¯s busy with their own way. But we¡¯re in a forest, so we need to get coal¡­¡¯ Although the survival element itself was created by a system, it had some features quite simr to reality. With my witty sense, I could somehowprehend that it would be difficult to get coal in a forest. ¡®Hmm, I don¡¯t want to bother Dukhun to use a cheat key again¡­¡¯ I¡¯ve already bothered him enough. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can find it anywhere, Sunah. Let¡¯s just keep walking for now. Since there are two of us, we can probably defeat a few monsters even if they attack.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Chapter 72: Tenth Ghost Story – Minecraft’s Herobrine (5) Chapter 72: Tenth Ghost Story ¨C Minecraft¡¯s Herobrine (5) As we continued to walk through the endless forest, the sun soon began to set on the west horizon and evening approached. The surroundings quickly became dark as the once green forest turned eerie. ¡°It¡¯s already so dark. I can¡¯t see anything ahead.¡± Although we had been using the transparent wall as our guide, we couldn¡¯t see anything beyond it because of the darkness around. The boundary line which was our exploration objective, seemed to disappearpletely, unless we bumped onto it. ¡°In movies, I saw people creating sparks to make a fire by rubbing two pieces of wood together.¡± While trying to imagine the process of creating fire which I saw in movies, I rubbed the piece of wood that Sunah had been holding with the one in my hand that I had picked up on our way. However, even after rubbing for a while, not even a single spark was visible. Sunah, who had been watching my desperate attempt to create fire, soon looked around. As if she discovered something, she suddenly opened her mouth. ¡°Joon, I can see a cave over there¡­¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Looking in the direction Sunah was pointing, a miniature hill, as tall as our shoulders, came into view. Buried between the tall trees around us, it was barely visible with its apex poked out through the trees. I would have surely missed it if Sunah hadn¡¯t pointed it out. A very small cave was seen just at the foot of the hill. We would need to bend our knees to peak inside or get in. The cave suddenly made me remember the small round houses of hobbits shown in the movie ¡®Lord of the Rings¡¯. [T/N: Lord of the Rings, one of the most popr fantasy movies, circling around a young boy and a magical ring which he inherited from his old uncle. In the movie, the hobbits are shown to live in circr caves made underneath small mounts.] ¡°Do any animals live inside? Let¡¯s try to get in.¡± Perhaps if we could venture inside, we might get our hands on some useful items. ¡°A rabbit!¡± As we approached the tiny cave-like hole, a small block shaped rabbit suddenly jumped out of it. Seeing us, it quickly ran away as if frightened from our presence. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s cute¡­¡± Sunah bent down to pet it. But the startled rabbit quickly slipped between her legs and ran away. In front of our astonished eyes, the rabbit swiftly hopped past the transparent wall, without being blocked by it. It soon disappeared amidst the thick trees. ¡°What? It seems mobs can pass through the wall.¡± As I took another look, I realized that trees simr to this side were also seen growing on the other side and along the border. If it wasn¡¯t for the presence of the transparent wall, there would have been no differences between the scenery on both sides. Could it be that this transparent wall, which supposedly marks the edge of the world, only blocks yers from crossing? With the rabbit disappearing behind the woods, I quickly bent down and began to search inside the hole the rabbit had escaped from. ¡°Do you see anything, Joon?¡± ¡°The hole is too narrow, I can¡¯t see much inside. I guess I¡¯ll have to bend down and go in. Could you keep a watch on the perimeter?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± As soon as I finished speaking and was about to get into the hole, arge spider, with a usual block shaped body, suddenly began approaching us out of nowhere. At the sight of the spider, which was muchrger in size than the ones we were used to seeing, Sunah flinched back before throwing a rock at it. ¡°There¡¯s nothing inside.¡± The inside of the hole was extremely narrow and nothing particrly special caught my eyes. However, the walls felt rough to the touch, as if they were made of some sort of stone. I carefully looked around, in case I missed something. At that time, a stone suddenly fell in front of me and at the same time, a message hovered before me. [You have obtained coal.] ¡®So coal is found here?¡¯ As expected, since coal was necessary to create fire and the most basic material for that purpose in the game, the system appeared to havepromised with reality and somehow made it easier to obtain it. The other natural elements were implemented quite realistically, however, the gathering of coal seemed to have beenpromised so that a yer could get it by just mining rocks. ¡°Okay. Fire!¡± Whish. As Ibined the coal, which I just obtained with the wooden stick at hand, a me immediately burst out, lightening up the surrounding in an orange glow. The giant spider, that had been slowly approaching from afar also noticed the me at my hand and quickly backed away. ¡°Here, you can take this one.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Quickly and efficiently, I crafted another torch and equipped one for Sunah and one for me. After that, we resumed our walk through the dark forest again. ¡°Quite some time seems to have passed.¡± ¡°Grandma must be very worried¡­¡± Under the full moon, which also had a hexagonal shape, we walked side by side, searching for a way to cross the transparent wall. For a moment, I felt a bit ufortable to be in the woods, walking beside a friend. As a student, I rarely ever stayed outside during the night, not to mention never in the woods alone without my parents. But since there was a reason for me to be out in the woods sote at night, I had to continue this journey as far as I could. Swish, swish. ¡°Ah, the sun is rising.¡± Before long, the surrounding of the forest started to brighten again. The night had already passed and dawn arrived with the beginning of a new day. Time seemed to pass much faster in the game than in reality. [Admin (Oh Dukhun): Has anyone found anything?] ¡°Not yet.¡± Forgot about finding anything, all I could see was vast, endless, rows of trees stretched before me and hexagonal ground beneath my feet. ¡®How long do we have to walk?¡¯ The temperature of the forest seemed to turn a bit cooler because of dawn. Seeing nothing but rows of trees in front of us, I decided to climb up a tree to ensure how vast the forest was. ¡°Sunah, let¡¯s craft adder and climb up one of the trees. We need to take a look around to see how far we have to walk.¡± ¡°Joon, here. Make thedder around this tree¡­¡± Soon, we started digging the soil just like before when we made our shelter and started building the steps of thedder. ¡°Huuu.¡± We began to make the steps as we climbed up to the top of the tree with thedder. Such a feat of building stairs as you climbed up the steps could only be done in games. After reaching the top, I cleared away the lush leaves and branches before poking my head out between them. ¡°Huuu, Hoo.¡± Finally, for what seemed like eternity, I breathed in the fresh air that didn¡¯t smell like the forest. The pleasant greeny smell of the forest that I had the opportunity of smelling felt quite nice at first. Since I was born and raised in the city, I didn¡¯t get many chances to be in the woods. But because I had been breathing in it for a long time, the smell soon overcame my sense of smell and my head started to hurt. ¡°Let me see. How far do we still have to walk?¡± From above the peak of the tall trees, the whole forest seemed to be glowing under the morning sun. Fortunately, as my gaze got lost in the horizon, I saw the rows of trees ending and a vastnd covered by lush green grass appearing just at the end of it. ¡°Wow, the view is pretty.¡± ¡°I want to see it too¡­¡± Sunah had been following me up the stairs so she was behind me. As she voiced her wish to view the scenery, I put a few blocks beside the step I was standing on and made a small tform for her to stand on. Clearing away the leaves and the branches in front of her, she also poked out her head through them. The forest that seemed to be glowing, and the horizon of the endless grasnd in the distance. For us, children who were born and raised in the forest of buildings of Seoul, it was a breathtaking sight to behold. Even though 70 percent of the country was covered with enormous mountains, the sight before us was something we never had the opportunity to witness before. ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°Pretty, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Side by side, we nkly stared at the magnificent scenery in front of us. Something urred to me, so I slowly opened my mouth, my eyes still stuck at the faraway horizon. ¡°Why did you reject going with Hayoon earlier?¡± At the carefully but suddenly asked question, Sunah flinched for a moment. Then, she slowly whispered with a weary expression. ¡°Because I felt overwhelmed¡­¡± I nodded quietly. Hayoon, a beautiful girl from a rich family who was born with a diamond spoon, and Sunah, a timid girl who was born dirt poor. I couldprehend the differences between them and their awkward interactions, however, I had no idea how tofort her. Therefore, for a long while, we just continued looking at the horizon, enjoying the morning breeze that caressed our faces. Breaking the silence, I muttered softly. ¡°Let¡¯s try to give our best, Sunah.¡± At those words, Sunah puffed her cheeks with a determined expression and nodded strongly. ¡°Yeah¡­ If we just walk a little faster, I think we can reach the end of this jungle.¡± Soon, we climbed down the stairs and resumed our journey once again. The rows of trees wereing to an end, and soon we reached a ce where the densely packed trees had already be sparsely spaced. The forest of trees that had been blocking the sky was about to end. The moment we reached the end of the dense trees, a brilliant light poured in from the end of the forest in the distance. ¡°Sunah, run! We¡¯re gonna reach the end soon!¡± ¡°Huff, huff!¡± Although there was no reason for us to hurry, we started running like a bunch of excited children running for the ice cream truck. Trees on both sides passed by quickly and soon became our background. ¡°Huff, huff.¡± ¡°Haah, hah.¡± ¡°Huuuh-!¡± Thump. Finally, we reached the end of the forest and stepped into the ins. The endless pastures appeared before our eyes with its full glory. ¡°Whoa!¡± Sunah, who followed me from behind, wiped off the sweat on her forehead. ¡°Where is it, where is the transparent wall?¡± After crossing through the forest for a whole day and night, we reached a vast open meadow. However, because of our running, we lost track of the boundary which we had been using as our guide so far. In order to not lose our purpose, we resumed walking towards the south again. The transparent wall, separating two worlds, soon appeared before our vision. We sat down on the grass at the boundary line, leaning on the transparent wall. ¡°Huuu, let¡¯s take a short break here. I¡¯m exhausted after all the running.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Sunah also copsed next to me, probably because the march through the forest was hard for her as well after the continuous walking the previous night. ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± On our way through the forest, I collected some mushrooms which surprisingly could be obtained easily. Opening the inventory, I took them out just in case. ¡°Do you think these are edible?¡± Instead of answering, Sunah stared nkly at the mushrooms. cing the few mushrooms in my hand on the ground, I used the torch to roast them. ¡°Uh, fuck.¡± The me soon spreaded on the green grass. Lest the fire spread in the whole meadow, I quickly began stepping into it quite hard. The warmth of the fire surrounded my feet but I endured it somehow and continued to step on it. After sessfully putting away the fire, I started roasting mushrooms again. Soon, a delicious smell wafted to our nose. ¡°Smells delicious¡­¡± My mouth started to water at the delicious smell and I swallowed my saliva. But I didn¡¯t forget my role and served the first mushroom to Sunah. ¡°Try it, Sunah.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Nom, nom. Nom, nom. [5 minutes left before the prepaid time.] Oh. For a moment, I stared nkly in front of me, perplexed at the sudden message that entered my ears out of nowhere. Beside me, Sunah was munching on her mushrooms heartily. [5 minutes left before the prepaid time.] A robotic female voice once again called out. As if struck by lightning, realization dawned over me and I came to my senses. We shouldn¡¯t be feeling hungry in a game. The person eating the mushrooms should be the character of Sunah and me, not our own self. Forget about eating, we shouldn¡¯t even feel hungry because we were ying the game, but did not exist inside the game. Suddenly, I felt a sh of consciousness entering my head. In a hurry, I took off my headset. As if I had been pulled out from a long lucid dream, the game screen on the monitor came into view. The short-haired female character of Sunah was pretending to munch on a bunch of hexagonal mushrooms beside my character. The noise of the inte cafe noise slowly reached my ears. ¡°Ah~ What an idiot.¡± [En Taro Adun. My Life for Aiur.] [T/N: En Taro Adun is one of the most famous characters of StarCraft, a real-time strategy video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment for Microsoft Windows. Aiur is his homnd.] ¡°Who ordered Shin Ramyun?¡± [T/N: Shin Ramyun is a brand of instant noodle (including cup ramyeon) that has been produced by the South Korean foodpany Nongshim since 1 October 1986. It is now exported to over 100 countries, and is the best-selling instant noodle brand in South Korea. Source: Wikipedia] ¡°Here!¡± [Half. Half. Half. Call. Call. Die.] The sound of part-time workers bustling around and carrying cups of ramen. People chatting with each other. And people ying StarCraft absentmindedly. I nced beside me. Sunah was nkly staring at her game character eating mushrooms. Her eyes appeared to be out of focus. ¡°Sunah?¡± ¡°Sunah, Sunah.¡± As I shook her shoulders and called her, her eyes finally regained focus. Turning her head, she gave me a confused stare. ¡°Joon¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah, me. Are you okay?¡± Sunah stared nkly at me for a moment, as if she couldn¡¯tprehend how she could be in an inte cafe bustling with people and not in an endless meadow eating mushrooms, she slowly came to her senses. ¡°Yeah¡­ I guess I was too engrossed in the game¡­ Why did you call me?¡± ¡°Our prepaid time is up. I¡¯m going to recharge it.¡± ¡°Yeah,e back soon¡­¡± I stood up from my seat, and nced at the other members around me, who were all staring affixed on their screen. They were all engrossed so much in the adventure of the edge of the world that they seemed to forget reality. Shaking my head, I pushed the chair back. ¡°I¡¯ll recharge yours too while I¡¯m at it. Can you wait a moment?¡± ¡°Yeah, okay¡­¡± What the hell just happened? If I felt hungry, it should be solved as long as I ate something in real life. However, why was it that I felt eating a few mushrooms in the game could solve my hunger? While walking to the counter, I pondered hard about it. ¡®¡­So this is the kind of ghost story it is. If that¡¯s the case, solving it is going to be a lot of hassle.¡¯ It seems calling Jinhee and inviting her over was the right decision. In the game, Sunah wiped away her sweat after running as if it was normal to sweat and huff and puff in a game. Such an action was something that a character made of block graphics would or could never do. It was Sunah¡¯s habit to wipe away her sweat in reality if she is tired, and such a thing was noticed by me pretty early. Not to mention, she even mentioned her grandma, worried that if she didn¡¯t go back in time, her grandma would be worried. Such words must have left her mouth because of the sense of reality that was left in her while ying and the passing of time in the game. The illusion of breathing fresh air when I stuck my head out through the trees after walking around in the forest. The urge to have some food in the game because I felt hungry. The delicious smell of roasted mushrooms that wafted to my nose. The warmth of the fire which I felt while putting away the fire. ¡°Huuu.¡± While thinking of all this, I took a deep breath as I recharged my, as well as Sunah¡¯s time with the prepaid card. At some point, we weren¡¯t even aware when the game and reality ovepped. We became so engrossed in the game that the environment and life inside the game became our new reality, without us knowing. ¡®Then¡­ If we n ahead like this, it might work¡­¡¯ Something extremely useful appeared in my mind after all the thinking. Nodding to myself as if ensuring, I went back to my seat and began to call the members. ¡°Guys, guys.¡± The members were so absorbed in ying the game that they didn¡¯t bother to respond when I called them. Only Sunah, who was waiting for me, turned to look at me. ¡°Dukhun, wake up. Hey.¡± ¡°Umm?¡± Dukhun had his gaze fixed on the monitor as his hand moved and absentmindedly manipted his character. Because of the headset, he couldn¡¯t hear my call. His head was buried deep in his shoulders, like a turtle hiding its neck. When I shook him on the side, he sat up straight and blinked several times, puzzled by the sudden interruption. ¡°Gyeongwon, Gyeongwon.¡± The character of Gyeongwon was fishing in the hand-made boat which was most probably crafted by him. When I shook him, he shrugged me off with an annoyed expression. ¡°Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m busy catching fish here! The currency here is strong, which means I can make more money here than getting a job after graduation!¡± ¡°Stop talking nonsense and wake up.¡± Does that mean he¡¯s considering bing a gamer? ¡°Hayoon? In Hayoon.¡± Hayoon was also absentmindedly wandering through the snowy mountains. It seemed her character had been dozing off in a corner of a dark cave. ¡°It¡¯s cold¡­ ¡± ¡°Hayoon,e to your senses.¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± When I shook her delicate shoulders, she finally raised her head. Blinking slowly, she remained still for a moment, as if trying toprehend if she truly was sitting in afortable chair and not on the cold hard ground. ¡°Let¡¯s go wash our faces before starting the next round. Everyone, stand up.¡± With that, I took the members and headed to the bathroom. A whileter. After washing their faces, all of the members seemed toe to their senses. Some of them shook their heads, as if they still couldn¡¯t get over the dizzying feeling of the game bing reality. Their consciousness mostly appeared hazy as they slowly regained control over their mind. ¡°What happened? I felt like we were too immersed¡­¡± Gyeongwon muttered as he rubbed his sore arms, trying to dissipate the feeling of exhaust. ¡°I feel exhausted from rowing the boat.¡± Although he said so, we knew it was nothing but an illusion. He was just pressing the buttons on the keyboard. ¡°Oh, how refreshing!¡± Gulping down the bottle of water he had just bought, Dukhun eximed loudly. Perhaps because he had wandered around the desert for a long time, his throat felt perched up. Finally, after all the members came to their senses, we gathered in a circle in front of the bathroom. ¡°President, do you have any idea why this happened?¡± Certainly, I had a vague inclination, however, I have no intention to let them know. It wasn¡¯t because I wanted to put them into danger. I was worried that knowing about the reason might disturb their immersion in the game, especially for members who were still unaware of the fact and haven¡¯t noticed yet. ¡°I have made a few strategies. Would you guys like to listen?¡± ¡°What are they?¡± ¡°First of all, I¡¯m thinking of building a house.¡± ¡°A house?¡± As all the members showed a puzzled expression. I slowly nodded and dered. ¡°I believe I have found a way to cross the edge of the world.¡± T/N: I believe the quality of the trantion has dropped down a lot. Readers, please rate the trantion so that I can be sure and improve the quality. Hopefully. Thank you for reading ???? Chapter 73: Tenth Ghost Story – Minecraft’s Herobrine (6) Chapter 73: Tenth Ghost Story ¨C Minecraft¡¯s Herobrine (6) I exined the n to the members, and after that, we went back to our respective seats in the inte cafe. Before starting myputer, I sent Jinhee the location to the inte cafe and the number of my seat via KakaoTalk in advance. Since we would be too engrossed in the game, there was a high chance that I wouldn¡¯t be able to check my phone even if she called. Lastly, I exined the rules that the club members had to be strictly followed once again. ¡°No taking off the headset. You must speak only through the microphone or server chat. Please hold off on going to the toilet for about an hour. You have to bepletely focused for the next hour to seed in this n.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Well, we understand.¡± The members nodded their heads, following my words. ¡°Okay, Dukhun. This time, use the teleportation cheat to transport all the members to the south where I am.¡± ¡°Okay. Everyone, I¡¯m going to put in the coordinates so stand still at your original location. All it was going to change are tiles.¡± [Admin (Oh Dukhun): /tp 12550820 140 0] Soon, Dukhun input theplex numbers that contain the coordinates of the ces where the members were located to where they would be transported. Swish, swish. In front of me, the grass tiles were switched with the ce where members were originally located. I watched as sand, snow, and seawater poured out from the air one by one as the members appeared. All the members were sessfully teleported to the south where Sunah and I had been wandering. ¡°One, two, three, four. Including me five. Okay, everyone¡¯s here.¡± At the end of the southern border, in the middle of the grassy field that stretched beyond the horizon. The members of Ghost Story Club all gathered together. Dukhun looked around the ce he just appeared. Seeing the burnt grass in front of us, he said curiously. ¡°You were eating roasted mushrooms? But you can eat berries from the forest.¡± ¡°We can also collect berries?¡± I was amazed at the sudden discovery. It seemed we could do many things in this game that we perhaps couldn¡¯t do in real life. Slowly looking around at everyone, I asked Dukhun. ¡°Can Imand from now on?¡± ¡°As you wish. You¡¯re the original captain.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Dukhun agreed readily, perhaps understanding that I was more experienced in catching ghost stories than him even though he had yed the game before. He knew that although I was still inexperienced at controlling some functions and game mechanisms, I was slowly getting used to the concept of this game world and started seeing things in a different way. Therefore, before the start of our n, I briefly took back the right tomand I had left to Dukhun. ¡°So? What now?¡± Gyeongwon asked as he touched the transparent wall with curiosity. As usual, he was also blocked by the transparent wall to cross the border. ¡°We¡¯re going to build a house beside the border. Together.¡± ¡°A house?¡± The members all showed puzzled expressions, tilting their heads in wonder. ¡°Yeah, a house. However, this house isn¡¯t going to be just some mud walls like Dukhun and the rest of us created after starting the game. We¡¯re going to build a properly decorated two-story brick house.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The members stared at me in bewilderment as if they couldn¡¯t understand what I was saying. ¡°Instead, the entrance door to the house would be right next to the border. So that whenever we open the door from inside the house, it¡¯ll open right through the transparent wall.¡± ¡°¡­.Will it really work?¡± Gyeongwon asked in a doubtful voice and looked at Dukhun for opinion. Since Dukhun had yed the game before and was most knowledgeable regarding games, he thought it was right to ask him. However, Dukhun¡¯s fat character only shrugged his shoulders as if he had no clue regarding this. ¡°The President discovered something although it was his first time ying today. Even I, who yed the game before, haven¡¯t found it. I believe he knows what he¡¯s doing so you can rest assured for now.¡± ¡°Are you sure? But how will it work?¡± As Gyeongwon again asked in curiosity, Dukhun just waved his hand. ¡°I think it¡¯ll work. So let¡¯s get started preparing for work right away.¡± ¡°Okay. But, if we attached the door to the border, how are we going to get inside thepleted house?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to get in through the window or make some other way. Or maybe we should build the house from the inside.¡± ¡°Well, then it should not be a problem, but¡­¡± Each of the members¡¯ faces held extreme curiosity. However, exining more than this would ruin their focus in the game. ¡°For now, we should start building the house. I¡¯ll exin the rest of the things after the house is finished.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± In the end, Gyeongwon let out a defeated sigh and shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Well, since Prez is telling us to do it, I¡¯ll assume he has thought it through. Let¡¯s get started.¡± Soon, we carefully looked around the transparent wall, searching for a ce that would be perfect for our house and drew up a rough blueprint. ¡°As I¡¯ve said before, this is going to be a proper house made of bricks, not just some dirt walls to mark the territory. It¡¯s going to be a house that we¡¯ll build with all our heart and souls, using excellent materials and decorating it thoroughly.¡± At my request, Dukhun started searching for videos on YouTube uploaded by BJs on how to build houses and how much it was going to cost to build it. There was also the matter of time. ¡°Since the President wants to build a proper house, it¡¯s going to take some time. Even if there are five of us, we¡¯ll have to bake bricks, and search for the building materials. It¡¯s going to take an awful amount of work and time. How much time do you have in mind?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± When I checked the time, it was a little past 4 PM in real time. No matter how engrossed I wanted them to be in the game, I had to make sure each of them went back to their home by dinner time. I had to finish building the house by 5 o¡¯clock and attempt to cross the edge of the world by 6. If everything went ording to my n, I could even explore the world beyond the boundary for about two hours until dinner. Pondering on it for a while, I opened my mouth. ¡°We can¡¯t invest more than an hour in the house, and it can¡¯t be an unbelievablyrge house. It¡¯ll be a house with moderate size with a little bit of pleasant interior design. It¡¯ll have a fence around it, a second floor, and some furniture to put in. That should be all for the interior.¡± ¡°Hmm, putting in a lot of interior design will take about an hour¡­¡± Dukhun muttered as he looked through the blueprints on the inte beside a separate window on the monitor. Then, he moved his character and marked several ces on the ground with sticks as he exined. ¡°If you want to build a house in just an hour, then it¡¯ll be at most this big. I believe a house this size should be good enough.¡± ¡°Okay. Then let¡¯s get started without wasting any time. We¡¯ll have to make a lot of bricks first.¡± ¡°Hmm, to make bricks¡­.¡± Both Dukhun and I started looking through the crafting method in the inventory window. After searching for a while, we found that we would need to bake y to make bricks. ¡°We have to bake y to get them. But where are we going to get y?¡± ¡°We will have to search for some sort of water bodies.¡± ¡°Water bodies¡­¡± Raising my head, I looked around the ce we were gathered around. Currently, we were in a grassy field with a huge pasture. There was no water source nearby. ¡°We can use cheat keys, right?¡± ¡°No cheat keys from now on.¡± Before anyone could object, I nailed the point down hard on them. ¡°Let¡¯s build a house as if we¡¯re making it in real life and use the original game elements.¡± ¡°Okay, we understand.¡± After a rough nning was done, we divided the roles between us through Dedenchi. Dukhun and Hayoon were sent to go find any water sources nearby to get y. Meanwhile, we started preparing the ground where our house would be standing. ¡°It feels like we¡¯re going to search for an oasis in the desert.¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t in a desert. If we look around for a while, we¡¯ll surely find something.¡± ¡°Tch. We should prepare some weapons before we go.¡± It appeared to be that Dukhun had collected some valuable things while travelling alone in the desert. He soon brought out some ores and other equipment from his inventory before starting tobine and grind them to make weapons. Handing a crossbow to Hayoon, he slung an axe at his side. ¡°Be careful on your way. And promise to not use any kind of cheat keys.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Although he agreed readily, Dukhun grumbled, not liking the idea of not using cheat keys as he left to search for y. Behind hisrge figure, Hayoon¡¯s small character followed holding a crossbow. ¡°Okay. We have a lot to prepare before Dukhun and Hayoone back after gathering all the y. Let¡¯s hurry.¡± Thump, thump, cang. Sunah diligently began to dig the ground with a pickaxe, while Gyeongwon started to hit some rocks nearby with a sledgehammer. We would need a lot of materials to make a house, however, there was only grass and mud around here. Therefore, I told members to dig the ground to obtain various minerals and break rocks to make a furnace. ¡°Huff, huff.¡± ¡°Alright. We must gather some pebbles and rocks to make a furnace.¡± As I watched the members getting busy, I checked the n which I made beforehand in my mind once again. What I wanted was a small elegant brick house, nothing too extravagant. In the first ce, there was not much difference whether we built the house using cheat keys or manually. The reason I engaged the members in building the house was to make them focus more on the game, to the point that they would think only about the game and nothing else. ¡°Joon!¡± My train of thoughts stopped at the sound of Sunah calling me from the deep hole she just dug, her small figure jumping up and down. ¡°I can¡¯t dig any more here! The mud keeps pouring out.¡± ¡°Good job. Come up, now.¡± ¡°Help me get out¡­¡± While digging, she must have been too engrossed in the job that she didn¡¯t realize when the hole got very deep. And since she still was inexperienced in building stuff such as stairs, she needed others¡¯ help to get out of the hole. ¡°Gyeongwon, please make some stairs for Sunah toe up.¡± ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Gyeongwon had been breaking rocks for the furnace nearby. At mymand, he gathered up his sledgehammer and jumped down to the hole where Sunah was. Thump- ¡°Eww, mud.¡± ¡°Be careful.¡± It seemed the ground below in the hole had a humid atmosphere and was full of mud. No wonder Sunah said it was impossible to dig more. Soon, Gyeongwonbined the piled up dirt and made a stair for both of them to climb up. ¡°Huuu, huuu.¡± Unlike Sunah, who still seemed unfamiliar with game functions, Gyeongwon seemed to have adapted quickly. Thanks to his big brain, which not only was useful in exiningplicated situations, but also getting familiar with new environments. Meanwhile, I was fully immersed in making the blueprint of the house with the help of crafting methods. ¡°President, I dug the ground here and collected pebbles.¡± ¡°Okay. Now let¡¯s make a furnace to bake y with it.¡± Dukhun and Hayoon had been sent to collect y from nearby water sources. To make bricks, y was the fundamental element. ording to the crafting recipe, we would need to bake y in a furnace to get bricks, which we would be using to build our house. ¡°So, we need tobine the pebbles and rocks like this¡­¡± I opened my inventory and followed the method of crafting a furnace with pebbles and rocks. After adding the amount of pebbles mentioned in the crafting recipe, a furnace appeared with a click as if someone just did magic. The furnace looked like the ones you¡¯d see in cksmith shops in a fantasy game. Satisfied, I lit the furnace with the torch that I was holding, and soon, it started to burn brightly. ¡°Oi- President-¡± Each of us were busy with tasks given to us. As I was busy preparing the equipment to build the house like a construction site, I heard the voice of Dukhun calling me from far away. When I looked over, I saw him approaching with a big vehicle that looked like a cart, filled with y. Behind him, Hayoon walked beside the cart as if guarding it. In an instant, we threw down our tools and rushed over to him. ¡°Huff, huff.¡± The cart was not only big but also quite heavy with arge heap of y, as tall as a small mount stacked on it. The five of us pushed and pulled with all our might while grunting, and brought the cart full of y to the construction site. Just at that moment. Tring~? ¡°Oh, I got a call.¡± Gyeongwon flinched at the sudden sound of his phone while he waspletely engrossed in the game. Immediately, he dug into his pocket to take out his cell phone and received the call in a hurry, as if a secondter could put him into grave danger. ¡°Yes, Mom. I think it might be a littlete to go back. Yes¡­ I¡¯m just hanging out with my friends¡­¡± Without him telling, I could tell who it was just by his cowering back and apologetic voice. It seemed although his parents weren¡¯t in front of him, he was naturally fearful of them. While he was talking on the phone, I also opened my phone and checked KakaoTalk for any new messages. A short reply of ¡®yes¡¯ had arrived from Jinhee. And as soon as Gyeongwon hung up the phone, I instructed the members. ¡°From now on, can you all put your phones on silent mode? We need to focus more on the game. Unless it¡¯s extremely important, please don¡¯t pick up your phone. We¡¯re very close to witnessing something strange.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The members swiftly turned off their phones with their eyes stuck on the monitor as if they had a few more extra eyes. Although I knew I was going overboard, by instructing them to not go to the toilet or even use their phones in case of emergency without exining anything to them, it was a necessary step. I needed to eliminate all the elements of distraction as soon as possible that could distract us from the game. ¡°Wheeze, wheeze.¡± Back in the game, Dukhun scooped a handful of y and began shaping them into a rectangle before putting them into the furnace. Once the brick was baked thoroughly, he pulled out the freshly baked brick before putting in another raw one. As we had been ying for a while with full concentration, the appearance of all of us had already changed a lot. We no longer looked like the block-shaped small characters that we chose before starting the game. All of our game characters hadpletely transformed into our own real selves, as if our real selves were the original dwellers of the game. ¡°Okay. Put the bricks down here.¡± ¡°Hick!¡± At mymand, Dukhun put down therge heap of bricks that he just finished baking with a grunt in front of my feet. ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard, Dukhun. Have some water and take a rest for a while.¡± ¡°Thank you. Hoo.¡± Though I knew he shouldn¡¯t be feeling thirsty or tired, no matter how long or hard he worked since we were in a game, I watched as Dukhun gulped down arge ss of water inside the game. Wiping off the sweats dripping down his face, he sat down on the grass to take a break. He leaned his back against the wall of the house that had only beenid out on the ground a moment ago, and took a deep breath. ¡°By the way, President. I suddenly remembered something about the indie game that I mentioned to you before.¡± ¡°Indie game?¡± ¡°Um. Previously, you asked me for some advice while concealing the truth about the system with an indie game because you didn¡¯t know where to spend your points.¡± ¡°Oh, that one.¡± About a month ago, after solving the A-rank ghost story, Song of Resentment, that shook the whole country, I earned a ton of points. At that time, I couldn¡¯t decide where to spend all the points that I umted. Therefore, I remembered asking Dukhun for advice while hiding the truth of the system with the information of a video game as if I was ying the game recently. ¡°You have been asking me where and how to spend the Ghost Story Points, and also the usage of the system in a roundabout way, right?¡± ¡°Yes. I indeed hid the truth in that way and asked the questions in a roundabout way. I couldn¡¯t exin the whole situation back then, so I thought concealing the fact then should be the right decision.¡± ¡°Hmm, just as I thought.¡± Dukhun began pondering on something as beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. A cool breeze passed by from beyond the horizon, caressing our tired body. ¡°Why? Is there something bothering you?¡± ¡°A little.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°How should I put it¡­ If I remember correctly, I think I exined the situation that the President asked based on the perspective of an RPG game. Am I right¡­¡± ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s right.¡± At that time, to exin the situation properly, he mentioned things like ¡®monsters¡¯, ¡®experience points¡¯, etc. ¡°But now that I know the context to some extent, I can¡¯t help but be a bit concerned about the way the President is getting stronger. The way you gain strength doesn¡¯t match the heroes of typical RPG games.¡± ¡°The way I get stronger?¡± ¡°Um, how should I put this¡­¡± Scratching his chin, he began to exin more. ¡°In RPG games, the important element for the hero is to ultimately grow stronger than the viin or his enemy. However, the way the President is gaining abilities isn¡¯t like those heroes. Because in the end, no matter how much you struggle, you can only gain at most a few special abilities.¡± ¡°¡­Well, that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°The main character, which is you, has limited options and methods to grow stronger. And this is the fact that has been bothering me for a while.¡± Hmm, while listening to his exnation and giving it some thoughts, I realized that he wasn¡¯t wrong. Truth to be told, I also tried to apply the concept of Demon King as the viin to a typical fantasy game and consider myself as the Hero, the main character who would be defeating the Demon King. However, thinking back on it, I realized that many things were missing that didn¡¯t seem like fitting with the concept. In reality, I wasn¡¯t someone with a heroic personality. No matter what I do, how many ghost stories I solve or monsters I fight with, in the end, I couldn¡¯t improve my stats at all. Even if I spent points to be stronger and gain abilities, all I gained were temporary abilities like Goddess of Luck or almost useless abilities like Lip Reading. Could I really consider such strange abilities as growing stronger? Would the growth story of a hero, who sets out on an adventure to defeat the final boss, the Demon King, be thisme? ¡°Your ability is too limitedpared to the heroes of typical RPG games. Something isn¡¯t adding up¡­¡± The cool breeze of the horizon had dried up the sweat on Dukhun¡¯s body but he was still lost in thought. ¡°Your stamina didn¡¯t improve, you have no mana, strength, intelligence, or agility¡­ Those elements are key factors in growing stronger. Moreover, even the abilities that you gain are just strange gimmicks. There are no abilities that enhance your physical quality¡­¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± That was undeniably true. If Ipared the growth of mine to the heroes of RPG games, it was too clear that I was far morecking than those heroes. If we look at the systematic differences between me at the entrance ceremony and the me of now, the only difference was that I¡¯ve acquired two special abilities, Lip Reading and Life Design. Unfortunately, that was the only changing factor in my growth. ¡°Although I can gain special ability slots, that¡¯s also limited. At most, I can gain three special abilities. It¡¯s clear that I haven¡¯t had any systematic growth other than this.¡± ¡°Sodesune¡­¡± [T/N:Sodesune (¥½¥Ç¥¹¥Í) is a Japanese word which means, ¡®I see¡¯.] In the distance, I could see Sunah shaping the y into bricks and poking the bricks that were put inside the furnace, to see if they were baked properly. The heat of the furnace made her sweat all over, which she wiped away while working. She nced at the two of us who were still sitting there, but Dukhun didn¡¯t bother to nce at her and continued with the exnation. ¡°You already have two special abilities¡­ That means that if you gain one more skill, your quota of growth will be full.¡­¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± Even if there were a lot of abilities, I couldn¡¯t gain more than three abilities since that was the limit set by the system. My growth was too limited and I could only have 3 abilities. There was nothing special in me that could distinguish me from other people as a special individual. Whether it be the items, abilities, or achievements I gain. 3 abilities. That was the limit to how strong the hero Lee Joon could be. ¡°Why is that¡­ Hmm.¡± Dukhun looked at the green grass beneath him and pondered deeply. He had a focused look on his face. His jaw twitching every once in a while, a habit I noticed he seemed to have whenever he had a lot in his mind. Like him, I also felt like wanting to know the truth. Therefore, while the rest of the members diligently worked to build the house, I stayed beside Dukhun who was deep in thought. ¡°¡­.Maybe, President.¡± After a while, Dukhun slowly opened his mouth. He carefully said, tilting his head although he seemed unsure of what he just uttered. ¡°Maybe Ipletely misunderstood the concept?¡± Chapter 74: Tenth Ghost Story – Minecraft’s Herobrine (7) Chapter 74: Tenth Ghost Story ¨C Minecraft¡¯s Herobrine (7) ¡°You misunderstood the concept?¡± ¡°Yes, I perhaps mistook the concept of the game-like system. This game-like system seems to have the settings of simtion games¡­ or some kind of tycoon-like, or business simtion game. In my opinion, like the MineCraft we¡¯re ying right now.¡± [T/N: Business simtion games, also known as economic simtion games or tycoon games, are games that focus on the management of economic processes, usually in the form of a business. Source: Wikipedia] Simtion. Tycoon. ¡°Exin in detail.¡± ¡°Listen carefully, President.¡± Spreading both of his hands in an exaggerated manner, Dukhun began to exin enthusiastically. ¡°The system does have elements to help you grow stronger, however, such feats are limited as an individual warrior. The only way you can spend the points on you is through gaining abilities, and even they are limited although those are the points you worked hard to gain.¡± ¡°¡­.That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°On the other hand, as the club president, you have already raised the club¡¯s level to LV.5. And it has been confirmed that you can raise the club¡¯s level further and umte more growth, right?¡± ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± 3 special abilities and 300 points are the limit of my own abilities. From then onward, gaining more abilities doesn¡¯t make me stronger. It only allows me to match differentbinations for each situation based on the three slots. On the other hand, the level of the club would steadily increase as I invest more points into it. So far, the system hasn¡¯t announced any limitations for the growth of the club, or how much I can update the club. ¡°If we consider all the facts, Lee Joon is indeed the hero who will defeat the Demon King. However, the system limits your abilities so that you can¡¯t be a warrior with extraordinary abilities who does everything by himself. Doesn¡¯t it seem like the system wants you to have the role of a ¡®leader¡¯ rather than a powerful hero?¡± ¡°¡­Hmm. I think now I understand what you meant when you said you misunderstood the concept.¡± At the discussion, I suddenly couldn¡¯t help but remember a game I used to y called RollerCoaster Tycoon. [T/N: RollerCoaster Tycoon is a series of construction and management simtion games about building and managing an amusement park. Source: Wikipedia] In this case, it should be Ghost Story Club Tycoon. Straightening his posture, Dukhun began to slowly analyze the situations we went through before and unravel what he had organized. ¡°This is why I think, this game-like system that suddenly appeared to President, it definitely doesn¡¯t seem to have the sensibility of game concept of the current generation, but-¡± ¡°Wait a minute.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but interrupt Dukhun who was exining things rapidly. ¡°What is the game concept of the current generation?¡± ¡°Without a doubt, the games of the current generation revolve around the concept of being OP (Overpowered).¡± Dukhun clenched his thick fists as he eximed. ¡°The hero ovees all the hurdles in his way and bes strong by himself. He steps on the people who are thorn in his eyes and only gathers allies who are loyal to him. That¡¯s the kind of game concept which is trending these days.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Hearing it from Dukhun, I suddenly felt the game concept of today¡¯s generation was indeed like that. ¡°And the name of the final boss, the Demon King, also sounds toome. Such characters don¡¯t appear in the current fantasy world games.¡± ¡°So Demon King isn¡¯t featured as the final boss these days? Even in fantasy setting games?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Dukhun nodded firmly. Giving it a bit of thought, I realized he wasn¡¯t entirely wrong. I never gave this thing much thought because I thought the concept was familiar to me. However, I also hadn¡¯t encountered any recent games with a character like Demon King. ¡°Characters like Demon King arepletely treated as cowshit these days. The current trend is ¡®ancient beings who can destroy three thousand worlds with one sneeze¡¯. Such majestic characters are considered the final boss.¡± ¡°Hahaha.¡± Iughed at the exaggerated description of strength. ¡°How is it possible to destroy worlds like that? Are you joking?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± Dukhun said with a serious expression, putting shame on my amused self. Power bnce between the hero and the opposite party seemed to be an inherent problem in games with this genre. ¡°However, the President¡¯s game-like system ispletely different from that. It has no simrity with the trend of the current generation. Rather, it has the feel of being very, very old-fashioned.¡± ¡°How old?¡± ¡°The 90s.¡± ¡°¡­ Before I was even born.¡± I was born in 2003. ¡°Is there a reason you think it¡¯s very old-fashioned? Aside from it having simtion or tycoon game elements?¡± ¡°Of course. Try to remember the message that appeared in front of you on the day of the entrance ceremony.¡± ¡°Wait a minute. I need to bring the panel in front of me to remember it properly.¡± Pop. ¡ºCongrattions on your eptance at Nakseong Highschool, the school of secrets and mysteries. Uncover the shaddy secrets hidden within the school, and fight against urban legends and ghost stories of the campus in order to earn points and unlock special abilities. Additionally, you must gatherrades to prevent the resurrection of the Demon King¡¯s before graduation. The world is in your hands.¡» The message, which I had seen many times, both in my previous life and this life since the entrance ceremony, once again appeared before me. As I read the whole thing carefully once again, I wondered if there was still more to look into. ¡°When you read the message carefully, doesn¡¯t it say to gather allies andrades to fight the final boss?¡± ¡°Yeah. But why so?¡± ¡°You still don¡¯t seem to understand. The very act of telling you to gather allies is the concept of old-fashioned games.¡± Dukhun leaned his fat body towards me with sparkling eyes. ¡°As I have said earlier, it is trendy nowadays for the main character to be OP and defeat all his enemies all by himself, squashing people beneath his feet like bugs. It looks like the President hasn¡¯t heard the ng word ¡®kill before they be the protagonist¡¯.¡± [T/N: Not too sure but, ¡°?? ?¡± seems like a shortened or a coined term that stands for ¡°???? ?? ?? ????!¡± which trantes to ¡®Let¡¯s kill the characters before they be heroes!¡¯ ¡°?? ?¡± is an abbreviation or ng derived from this longer phrase, used humorously or colloquially to convey the idea of eliminating potential hindrances (like characters that could take the spotlight away from the protagonist) early on in the story.] ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°Kill the obstacles before they hinder the hero and be the protagonist!¡± Kill the obstacles before they hinder the hero. ¡°In every fantasy setting stories, the author mercilessly erases the existence of the characters who could hinder the plot in any way and only create situations that would help the protagonists grow on their own. With that, they not only create an OP character but also eliminate the amount of screen time for other insignificant characters. That¡¯s what they¡¯re called ¡®God. Like. Character¡¯.¡± I was speechless for a moment. I felt like I had caught a glimpse of the exceptional world of otakus, who are immersed in their delusions and stuck in their imagination, which ordinary people like me couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°This game-like system encourages you to gatherpanions from the beginning¡­ not to mention, it considers you a hero and the Demon King your opponent? That¡¯s really, really a concept which existed a very long time ago. For example¡­¡± Dukhun pondered for a while before opening his mouth. ¡°¡­A Japanese game called Final Fantasy which was released in 1987. The game had the story about a hero saving the world. And the hero also starts his journey with threepanions.¡± [T/N: Final Fantasy is a fantasy anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi which is owned, developed, and published by Square Enix (formerly Square). The first game in the series was released in 1987, with 16 numbered main entries having been released to date. Source: Wikipedia] 1987. That was 32 years ago. ¡°That¡­.is a long time ago.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Most of the games where you have to gatherpanions and y with friends are from that generation. Such games deeply implement the old sentiment of ¡®sticking together¡¯.¡± While we were discussing, Gyeongwon, who was passing by with a cart behind him suddenly stopped beside us and asked. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you guys working?¡± ¡°Ah, Gyeongwon-kun. Chottomate. We¡¯re having an important conversation.¡± [T/N: Chottomate (¥Á¥ç¥È¥Þ¥Æ) is a Japanese word which means, ¡®wait a moment¡¯.] ¡°Hmph.¡± Although he didn¡¯t say anything, Gyeongwon began grumbling as he passed us by. I had originally thought of resting just for a bit but it seemed like I had rested for too long. So I slowly got up from my sitting position as I asked Dukhun. ¡°So? Now I understand that the system had an old-fashioned concept. But will knowing it benefit me?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Dukhun nodded affirmatively as if it was obvious. ¡°It¡¯s very important to understand the method of the President getting stronger. You can¡¯t grow stronger by your own abilities, but by the assistance of people around you, and by improving their abilities. What do you think that means?¡± ¡°¡­.Well?¡± ¡°You need to defeat the Demon King. I¡¯m not sure how you¡¯re gonna do that but I believe this task should require a lot of people.¡± People! ¡°Gathering allies, creating a club, recruiting subordinates¡­ Even the expansion of the clubroom, which the President thought was useless, is a concept of expanding the ¡®territory¡¯. Do you understand?¡± ¡°The system is the one that is guiding you in the direction which will help you gather most people in the most efficient way. Why? Because ording to the concept of the previous generation, a warrior never wins alone. He needs to form his ¡®hero party¡¯ and defeat the enemies along with his subordinates.¡± ¡°Hero¡­ party¡­¡± ¡°The Ghost Story Club is your ¡®guild¡¯, which you have to lead with utmost sincerity. Such a concept and ssic sensibility only existed in the old days. Moreover, you must upy the ¡®territory¡¯ which is the school, ghost stories are the ¡®monster¡¯ you fight, and the ¡®evil force¡¯ you have to guard against should be the teachers. Ultimately, preventing the resurrection of the Demon King and reaching the ¡®happy ending¡¯. All of this would have to be done by ¡®The warrior¡¯, who will also save the world. And the person is none other than Lee Joon, the guild master.¡± The conclusion that was only possible by Dukhun as he epassed countless game knowledge sounded absurd to me. Although I still had my doubts, my head naturally nodded in gratitude at the thought-provoking opinion. ¡°I think I understand the concept a bit now. Thank you.¡± ¡°You are wee, we should go back to work now.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ending our discussion, we slowly headed towards the rest of the members who had been working diligently while we chatted. We had already nted the foundation of the house. Our two-story brick house was almost at the verge ofpletion. Hayoon¡¯s character, which looked more cute than her usual elegant appearance, was crouching down and piling up the bricks. When we approached her, she nced at us. ¡°Did you two have fun talking?¡± However, her tone was as calm as usual even while inquiring us. Feeling apologetic, I answered with a stammering voice. ¡°Yeah, well¡­ we did. Sorry for beingte. Get some rest. We¡¯ll do the rest of the work.¡± As soon as I finished speaking, Gyeongwon, who had been pulling a cart full of building materials, stopped next to Dukhun and asked. ¡°Are you finally done talking?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll do the rest, so you can ¡®rest¡¯.¡± ¡°I was going to do that even if you didn¡¯t say, anyway. Here.¡± Leaning against the brick wall that we just built, Hayoon tilted her head and began drinking some water. Gyeongwon passed the cart to Dukhun, like passing the baton in a ry game before sitting in a simr position to Hayoon. I left the members there and headed to where Sunah was baking y to make bricks. ¡°Joon¡­¡± Sunah¡¯s small round face was covered with soot from the furnace. She nced at me, who approached her, with her soot covered face and hopeful eyes. ¡°Sorry, Sunah. I was having an important conversation with Dukhun so I waste.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s okay¡­¡± Sweat dripped down her ckened face at the heat from the furnace. It seemed like baking y, although looks like an easy job, was harder than searching for building materials. ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s hot.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it from now on. Go get some rest.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Squinting her eyes, she tried to wipe off the soot from her face as she headed to a nearby shaded area. I took the ce where she sat in front of the furnace and began baking again. While my hands were busy shaping and baking y, my mind was lost in thought. ¡®It wouldn¡¯t make much of a difference even if I spent all the points on myself now.¡¯ With my current abilities, it was an easy feat for me to solve more ghost stories than the one I currently had in mind. And after solving more ghost stories, I could get a new special ability. However, even after facing countless hurdles together, I had never thought of levelling up the members till now. ¡®I¡¯ve decided.¡¯ The members¡¯ were slowly losing enthusiasm to join my dangerous mission whenever I wanted. The continuous toll of ghost stories and their everyday lives must have made them exhausted to the core. Therefore, after solving the current ghost story, I¡¯ve decided to use the 200 or so points I had saved for not knowing where to use them, on my subordinates who had experienced countless life and death situations with me and assisted me in solving ghost stories without much questions. As work progressed, we set up the foundation byying bricks on the floor. To make the beams, we cut down trees from the nearby forest. With additional woods, we processed them beforeying them down to create a wooden floor. ¡°Be careful!¡± ¡°Shit.¡± Although we were building a two-story house, since it was a sandbox game to begin with, all we had to do wasbine the blocks and tiles together and the structure of various things would appear on their own. It certainly was much easier than constructing a house in real-life. However, because we had to start from scratch, like gathering materials from the ground and making bricks, it still was a considerable amount of work to us. In particr, lifting materials up to the second floor was most difficult because the stairs couldn¡¯t hold heavy things. Therefore, we even crafted a primitive pulley using wood and rope to lift up the heavy equipment. ¡°It¡¯s the window. Pull.¡± ¡°Haish!¡± As Gyeongwon and I pulled the rope from below, the window that was tied up to the end of the rope began rising to the second floor along the rope. ¡°Shit.¡± Dukhun, who was standing on the second floor, grabbed the window we just raised and began setting it up. Sunah was putting sses on the window frame and Hayoon was busy installing the railing on the stairs outside. ¡°Okay, done.¡± ¡°Whew.¡± Finally, after a day of hard work, a small two-story brick house with stairs leading outside, ending at the border of the southern part of the world, waspleted. As I requested, the door was attached to the transparent wall that was the border of the world. Since the entrance was at the other side of the transparent wall, we could only see the boring back of the house standing from our position. ¡°Too bad that we can¡¯t see the front side of the house, even though we¡¯ve finally finished building.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± At the fact that they couldn¡¯t view the house from the front because of the transparent wall, the members muttered with a slightly disappointed look. I encouraged them as I patted Dukhun and Gyeongwon on the shoulders. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll be crossing the border in a while. So we can see the front side of the house soon.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± After saying that, I went into the living room through the window at the back of the house. ¡°Everyone,e inside, hurry.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°It looks cozy.¡± ¡°Seems prettyfortable for something that was built in a hurry.¡± The interior, which was built in a hurry but with utmost care, appeared to be like an old house that you would only see in foreign movies. The furnace which we used to bake y and make bricks was also dragged inside. After a bit of modification, we changed its shape a bit and installed it as the firece to keep the house warm. ¡°The house looks like it came straight out of the Three Little Pigs storybook.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ a brick house with a firece built by thest pig¡­¡± The members entered the house one by one through the window and began muttering things as they looked around. Some simple furniture, like a bookshelf, was built by Sunah and ced inside. A small picture frame stood on top of the bookshelf. Such decor truly made it feel like someone actually lived in the house. ¡°Hayoon, please spread the mat. Let¡¯s all sit down and rest for a moment.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Perhaps because the house was built on a grassy field with pastures, when we were doing the construction, a flock of sheep passed by us. At that time, we captured a few sheeps and got wool from them. With the obtained wool, a white woollen carpet was made. Hayoon took it out from the corner where she kept it after making it and spreaded it in the middle of the living room. ¡°Huuu, thank you.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take a break.¡± ¡°Haaa.¡± We all gathered near the firece and warmed ourselves by the fire. After a long day of strenuous work, the members all appeared exhausted. As they all sat beside the fire warming their exhausted bodies, they started to feel drowsy. ¡°I feel sleepy after working hard for so long.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± We worked hard the entire afternoon. Now we were sitting in the living room of the Western-style brick house we made and warming ourselves by the fire. A pleasant silence passed by as the members all remained quiet, resting for a while. When I was convinced that the members had enough rest, I slowly opened my mouth amidst the sound of crackling of the wood in the firece. ¡°Where do you think we are right now?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The members, some of whom had their eyes closed, looked at me curiously. Sunah seemed like she almost fell asleep. Raising her head, she began wondering for an answer. ¡°Well, inside the brick house we just built.¡± Gyeongwon, the guy who always carried an air of being a young master of a rich family answered while sitting cross legged on the floor. His gentlemanly appearance seemed nowhere to be found as he answered in a matter of fact tone. ¡°Where is that brick house?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± He raised his head as he pondered. Something seemed to shed in his eyes but in the end, he only fixed his posture and crossed his arms as he answered once again. ¡°Well, at the southern end of a huge grassy field.¡± Instead of answering, I nodded. Holding both my hands near the fire, I was also quietly warming my body like the rest of the members. Surprisingly, the me was warm. ¡°Then where is that huge grassy field?¡± ¡°Well.¡± Gyeongwon shrugged before answering. ¡°Since the name of the world is ¡®Lee Joon-2nd Round,¡¯ I guess it¡¯s and somewhere in that world.¡± ¡°Where is that world?¡± ¡°In MineCraft.¡± ¡°Where is it?¡± Gyeongwon slowly opened his eyes wide as if realization finally struck on him. The endless green grasnd was visible beyond the living room window. ¡°On theputer. In an inte cafe¡­¡± With a start, he stood up with a nk expression and hurriedly looked around at the unfamiliar view. ¡°¡­What? Computer?¡± Dukhun also looked around and tilted his head with a puzzled look. ¡°Huh?¡± Sunah blinked slowly and wiped away the drool at the corner of her lips. However, only Hayoon¡¯s expression remained unchanged. It seemed she was already aware of the fact this whole time. ¡°Shit.¡± While the members were slowlying to realization, I got up from my seat and slowly started walking to the entrance. ¡°Prez, Prez. What¡¯s going on¡­¡± Creak- Creak- The unfinished wooden floor creaked at every step I took. If it was in real life, the construction workers would have checked the house¡¯s sturdiness and cleaned it thoroughly before letting people move in. However, we had built our house on a whim, so construction materials were scattered at every corner of the house. Leaving a trail of footprints on the dusty floor, I stood in front of the entrance. ¡°Prez, Prez?¡± Instead of answering, I slowly grabbed the roughly made doorknob, crafted by amateur hands and pushed the door open. Creak- The wooden door opened wide at the light push. Lights from outside poured in as soon as the door was opened, dazzling our eyes, almost leaving us blind. ¡°How¡­¡± Gyeongwon blinked with a nk look on his face. ¡°It was supposed to be blocked by the transparent wall¡­then how¡­¡± ¡°Joon?¡± The puzzled members slowly followed me and gathered in front of the door. To answer their doubtful hearts, I quietly nodded. ¡°Congrattions on sessfully crossing the border and entering the game world.¡± After I finished speaking, Gyeongwon looked down at his arms, legs, and body with a surprised expression. He seemed unable to believe that he truly was living, breathing in a game world. ¡°Uh, when¡­?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Rather than answering him, I raised my chin and signalled him forward. ¡°Beyond the edge of the world.¡± Beneath the dazzling light that shone on our bodies through the wide open door. The members all followed me and took one step at a time, crossing the border, toward the light with nk faces. With myrades behind, I quietly headed to the other side of the transparent wall, to the Far Away Land. #include¡´stdio.h¡µ int main (void) puts (¡°Wee to Far Away Land!¡±)£» return 0£» HEIID Far Away Land! T/N: If you like my work, consider supporting me on Kofi. Chapter 75: Tenth Ghost Story – Minecraft’s Herobrine (8) Chapter 75: Tenth Ghost Story ¨C Minecraft¡¯s Herobrine (8) HEIID Far Away Land! [Warning: Beware of system overload. This is a restricted area which hasn¡¯t been coded by the developers.] Before we could step out of the house and cross the border, a huge window containing a warning message appeared in front of our eyes. For a moment, I stared at the message nkly, puzzled if the message that appeared was from the System Window, or was it from the MineCraft game system. The font of the message was definitely different from the messages of the System Window which I was used to seeing. Moreover, it also contained a different meaning from the usual warning of the System Window, and all the other members could also see it. And a momentter, the message disappeared from our eyes, who were staring at it nkly. Creak, creak. When we opened the door and stepped out, the same view of the endless meadow stretched beyond the horizon appeared before our vision. All we could see was endless green grass and the horizon in the distance, with the blue sky spreading above our heads. However, the scene in front of us felt different from before. The surrounding was extremely quiet. No sound of birds or other animals could be heard. Except for the asional sound of the five of us walking, only silence that was deafening was enveloping us from around. The absence of sound made us feel like the scene before us was truly artificially created, not the real world we imagined it to be. Step, step. Without making much noise, we silently stepped on the green grass and walked forward. We walked a few steps in silence, then as if we promised ourselves in our heart, we all slowly turned around. Finally, the front of the house we worked so hard to build, entered our vision. Amidst the endless dichotomy of the blue sky above our heads and green pasture beneath our feet, the house we built with baked red brick, stood like a painting. Green, red, blue. These three colors dazzled our eyes. Among the background created by the three colors, we stood on the borderline of an unknown world. What would be happening from now on? Although none of us voiced the doubt that raised its head in our heart, we probably were wondering the same thing. Or perhaps because of the atmosphere that overwhelmed our thoughts, we couldn¡¯t utter a single syble. ¡°Joon¡­¡± After what seemed like eternity, Sunah opened her mouth first with a slightly worried look. Perhaps the voice of Sunah must have made the club memberse to their senses again. Slowly, one by one, they all started to look at me with gazes filled with questions. ¡°Haaa, Prez.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Exin how this all happened¡­¡± ¡°First of all, I¡¯m sorry for not exining to you anything in advance. But if you guys knew the truth, this method wouldn¡¯t have worked.¡± ¡°Haaa.¡± Sighing again, Gyeongwon raised his sses as if he had given up reasoning with me. ¡°What? What do you mean?¡± Dukhun appeared to be bewildered, as if he couldn¡¯tprehend the meaning of my words. He sometimes showed surprising insight while exiningplicated situations, especially situations rted to video games using his umted knowledge as an otaku. However, he didn¡¯t seem to be the type of intelligent person who understood a situation just by a few hints. ¡°Gather around. I¡¯ll exin everything.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m not sure but I believe the President knew everything but didn¡¯t bother to exin.¡± ¡°Yeah. Sorry.¡± Dukhun nodded in an understanding manner. As everyone¡¯s attention was focused on me, I started exining everything from the beginning. ¡°This illegal version of MineCraft that hackers cracked and leaked on the social tforms is true to its rumor. People say that those hackers unlocked things that shouldn¡¯t be unlocked while disabling security.¡± ¡°Yeah. So what?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what was the thing that hackers unlocked, but it seems to have a significant impact on the people who are too engrossed in this game.¡± ¡°Too engrossed?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The members listened to my exnation with a thoughtful expression while standing side by side. ¡°Do you remember the rumor where people who yed the illegal version of the game disappeared or became mentally ill? I think they were probably sucked into the game while being so immersed that to them, the game world ovepped with reality. Just as what is happening to us now.¡± ¡°Oh my god.¡± Gyeongwon eximed loudly as if he was dumbfounded. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you tell us? Because you were afraid that if we started paying attention and bing conscious, we wouldn¡¯t be too immersed in the game?¡± ¡°Exactly. That¡¯s why I suggested we build a house.¡± The reason for which I suggested to them to build a house was simple. The more they became engrossed in the game, the more they would forget about reality and their consciousness would ovep with the world of the game. It was the best way to maximize their focus on the game in the shortest amount of time. And just as I had expected, the members were deeply immersed ying the game while decorating and assembling things here and there. At some point, we all were sucked inside the game world. ¡°¡­Then how were we able to cross the border? We were originally being blocked by a transparent wall.¡± ¡°That¡¯s, um¡­¡± At the question, I pondered over the various online games I¡¯ve yed so far and thought for a moment about how to exin so that they would understand easily. ¡°For those who have yed games, have you guys sometimes seen that NPCs can enter some ces but yers can¡¯t?¡± ¡°It¡¯s normal.¡± Dukhun answered as he stroked his chin. ¡°NPCs can freely enter their own houses in the vige, but yers can¡¯t¡­ That¡¯s pretty normal in games. Without any doubt, it¡¯s just a trick that the developers purposely use on areas they haven¡¯t coded.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I think it¡¯s the same here in this world beyond the edge.¡± All eyes focused on me as if they were intrigued. ¡°We are currently beyond the edge of the world map. A world that the developers haven¡¯t coded or created. So originally, yers would never be able to cross the border and enter this world.¡± ¡°But why us?¡± ¡°Listen.¡± I continued my exnation with a serious expression while drawing the shape of the boundary line with the gesture of my hands. ¡°The edge of the world is blocked for the yers from crossing by a transparent wall. However, we could clearly see a path, the grass, and the sky beyond it, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Sunah and I even saw an NPC rabbit running away after seeing us and actually crossing the transparent wall without being blocked by it. Not to mention, the grasses and trees growing at both sides of the borders were simr.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°In other words, the programmers probably closed off the end of the edge of the world to preventputer errors that would ur if the yers crossed the border and entered the uncoded world. However, in the case of NPCs, because of the presence of the system, they aren¡¯t blocked by the transparent wall as they are considered in-game elements. And that¡¯s-¡± ¡°-Because that¡¯s what looks natural in the eyes of the yers.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Dukhun answered on my behalf, resting his hand on his chin. I nodded affirmatively. ¡°Sodesune¡­ A loophole in the system that can never be avoided in a game. You¡¯re digging into that gap.¡± Correct. A trick developers often use in games. In order to reduce resources and the time to code for a broader world, they purposely don¡¯t code ces that yers can enter. ¡®If they were to code for all of that, in the case of an international game set in a different world, theputer specifications wouldn¡¯t be enough.¡¯ The principle of developing a game is to create such trivial things only as the background of the game. Instead, they focus more on implementing the ces that can actually be visited and entered by the yers necessary for their adventure. However, even if yers are restricted from entering certain areas, that doesn¡¯t mean that NPCs can¡¯t enter those areas that serve as the background. Even in an empty space where nothing has been created, yers can see NPCs opening doors as if a door indeed exist there and go in. And after a certain time has passed, they naturally appear through that empty space, and so on. By using this trick, developers show the yers the limitations of the game world and help them mark areas which are unnecessary for their quests. And this game, MineCraft, is also the same. Even if the terrain beyond the transparent wall was a ce which we couldn¡¯t venture into, showing it right in front of us was the detriment to the concept of a game that aims for infinite freedom. Therefore, to create the illusion of an infinite world, the developers made a dazzling view just beyond the border, blocked the yers from crossing with a transparent wall, but set it so that NPCs could cross it freely. In this way, they sessfully implemented the concept of a vast, endless world. ¡°That, that means¡­ we¡¯re now¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I confidently nodded to Gyeongwon whose face was turning pale by the second. ¡°After sessfully crossing the border, we¡¯re no longer the external elements called ¡®yers¡¯ who enjoy the game from outside, but ¡®NPCs¡¯ that exist inside the game.¡± ¡°Sodesune¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible¡­¡± Dukhun and Sunah showed an expression of amazement. However, Gyeongwon¡¯s face had turned white. ¡°What, what the hell¡­¡± His face changed rapidly as if he was panicking. ¡°Son of a¡­ This punk¡­¡± Suddenly, he walked over and grabbed my cor. ¡°S, such a dangerous thing¡­ you should have consulted with me in advance¡­ you could have asked me¡­ Damn it.¡± ¡°Sorry. Like I said before, I thought if I told you the truth before, you wouldn¡¯t have¡­¡± ¡°E¡­ Even if I was willing to participate¡­ You could have just asked¡­¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you when we first started ying that we were gonna look for ghost stories?¡± ¡°Really¡­ I didn¡¯t know it would really happen¡­ This¡­ This kind of thing¡­ You dragged me in without saying anything¡­?¡± Grabbing my cor weakly, he shook it as if he had no strength. ¡°Uh¡­ What are you going to do now? This¡­ If I knew things were gonna turn up like this, I wouldn¡¯t havee¡­¡± This guy. I had no idea how tofort a person who seemed like have lost his sanity while shaking my cor. Not only did I feel apologetic, I also felt ufortable. And top of all, I felt a little frustrated at his unreasonable attitude. ¡°I understand that you must have made a n beforeing here but¡­ How are you going to get back¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Of course I had nned it through beforeing here. However, I didn¡¯t think it was a surefire way to put Gyeongwon¡¯s anxious heart at ease. His expression eventually copsed as if he had lost everything. ¡°I just went out to eat with my parents¡­ I thought it would be good to share the rumors with you, then¡­¡± ¡°¡­you should have consulted with a doctor, a doctor. Some people might not be mentally prepared¡­. Uh, right? R, right?¡± Gyeongwon always boasted about his knowledge in every situation, be it either the preparation of college entrance exams or in other fields. Surprisingly, among us, he was the weakest one mentally when dealing with sudden unrealistic developments. He also didn¡¯t seem enthusiastic when he exined the ghost story earlier. It was as if he just wanted to assist me with the information but had no intention in participating. Even Hayoon appeared out of nowhere and showed interest in chasing the ghost story, although she also wasn¡¯t aware that things would turn out like this. I never thought he would be so anxious by the sudden development. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°How could this happen¡­ How could¡­¡± Slowly lowering his hands from my cor, he looked down with a dispirited look on his face. Perhaps because it was already the third ghost story he had encountered this week, this made him mentally exhausted. ¡°Gyeongwon¡­¡± Sunah called out to Gyeongwon, who sat down on the grass with a worried expression. Dukhun had an indifferent face as if he couldn¡¯t understand why Gyeongwon was making a fuss and behaving as if the world had copsed. I stared at Gyeongwon who was continuously ming me after sitting down with a dejected look. At that time, Hayoon, who had been quiet until now suddenly stepped forward and said in a clear voice. ¡°You came here out of your own volition, so there¡¯s nothing we can do. Get up.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± A bright but firm tone. Gyeongwon finally stood up with a pained expression under Hayoon¡¯s piercing gaze. Because of the rising anxiety, he was wobbling on his feet so Dukhun quickly stepped forward and supported him. ¡°You must think of a way to get us out alive, President¡­!¡± He began to reprimand me. His emotions were getting intense because of anxiety. ¡°You dragged me in, so you have to take responsibility! Don¡¯t say such nonsense like you¡¯ll solve everything after you turn back time!¡± ¡°¡­.Haa.¡± Nothing was in my hand. These guys¡­ Had to follow me wherever I wanted to drag them to. He wasn¡¯t a fellow NPC with a strong sense of justice and mental maturity. He was just an ordinary highschool student who lives in South Korea with an entric personality. ¡°¡­.I¡¯m sorry for dragging you in without a proper exnation. But it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have a n. I also have some good news to tell you.¡± ¡°What? Tell me.¡± Hope seemed to enter Gyeongwon¡¯s eyes, who was being supported by Dukhun. ¡°I¡¯ve contacted Jinhee toe to the inte cafe. I even sent her the number of my seat in advance. I think once she arrives, she can just shake us awake.¡± ¡°¡­What is the guarantee that we¡¯ll be still sitting in our seats in reality by the time she arrives?¡± Even in his almost broken state, he questioned me in a sharp tone. ¡°You don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible to have meaningful interaction like this just by sitting and fiddling with the keyboard. Huh? Huh? Huh?¡± Clenching and unclenching his fists several times, he showed an enraged expression. ¡°What if my body itself got sucked really into the game? Huh?¡± ¡°What are you going to do if we¡¯re all stuck in this weird ce and die because of you!!!¡± ¡°Be quiet. Don¡¯t be ridiculous and be quiet.¡± At Gyeongwon¡¯s outbursts, Hayoon cut off in a cold tone. ¡°Don¡¯t whine like a child, I don¡¯t want to see youin like aplete idiot. Joon has no obligation to take responsibility for all of that.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Gyeongwon furrowed his eyebrows and red at Hayoon. But Hayoon, in response to his re, raised her crossbow as if she didn¡¯t care what anyone thought and poured out her opinions. ¡°Do you think Joon is going through all this trouble so that he can have afortable life? If you want to have the life of a king, go figure out a way to do it yourself. Don¡¯t whine like a child and fill my earbuds with your ridiculous statements. It¡¯s the same whether he dies now and time goes back or he dies on the graduation day three years ago. Everything is the same.¡± At Hayoon¡¯s sudden remarks, we all were at a loss for a moment. ¡°What-¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Without even looking at Gyeongwon¡¯s face, who seemed like wanted to retort, she suddenly turned around. Then carrying the crossbow that Dukhun had crafted for her earlier, Hayoon started walking. ¡°Oi, I¡¯ll get going.¡± Dukhun patted Gyeongwon on the shoulder as ifforting him. Then he followed Hayoon behind, carrying his axe next to him. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry, Gyeongwon. I have nothing to say tofort you.¡± I apologized to him onest time before slowly turning around and started walking, following the two who were walking ahead. ¡°Joon¡­¡± Sunah seemed torn between staying with Gyeongwon, who was standing still like a statue or leaving with me. Then, she also started following us, not before throwing a pitiful look at Gyeongwon. And Gyeongwon stood in his position nkly. Not wanting to stay in a strange ce alone, he also moved his feet and slowly began to follow us. ¡°Wait, wait for me¡­¡± The world beyond the border was so quiet that one couldn¡¯t hear the sound of birds or the wind passing, justplete, endless silence. The vast green pasture before and blue sky unnaturally divide the background into two different colors. It was more than obvious that we were in a game world, butpared to our existence in the game with our own real self, the surroundings appeared to be extremely artificial. Entering the Far Away Land, we continued to walk forward. ¡°That hill, it¡¯s the default wallpaper of the Windows XP desktop we were ying on.¡± ¡°I remember that one.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± Dukhun and I were walking in the middle of the group, discussing the various strange structures that appeared out of nowhere. Hayoon was walking at the front, carrying her crossbow. Sunah was following behind. And Gyeongwon was walking about 10 meters behind us, slightly behind the group with his head bowed dejectedly. ¡®There¡¯s probably about an hour left until dinner time in reality.¡¯ Suddenly, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if the Status Window would appear here. So I quietly called out to the system in my mind, hoping for it to actually show up. ¡®Status Window.¡¯ Po- Just as I thought, it couldn¡¯t appear here in the game world. I could feel like something was hovering before my vision, but I couldn¡¯t see anything in front of me. ¡®Could it be that it popped up in front of my real self sitting in the inte cafe?¡¯ I was puzzled at the thought, but soon I gathered myposure. Even if the Status Window did appear there, I didn¡¯t think I could do anything using it except for checking the time. However, since it has be a habit of mine to check the time through the Status Window, I called out to it habitually. The situation was like losing the smartphone you always carry with you, but you feel anxious without its presence. The Status Window has be like a rosary to me that a priest always carries out of habit. ¡®Let¡¯s see¡­ It¡¯s probably around 5:30 ording to my guess.¡¯ I quietly calcte the time in my mind. ¡®It should be okay as long as I can send the members home before dinner time. So, we¡¯ll just explore the surroundings for about 30 minutes and then try to go back in 30 minutes¡­¡¯ I thought like those online games, I shouldn¡¯t attempt to get out of the game from an unnatural location, lest any errors ur. Since we had entered a world beyond the original game world, I thought to disconnect only after returning to the original game world until Jinhee woke us up. Step. Step. The endless horizon began to change as we approached slowly. The vast pasture ended and trees once again began to appear on both sides of the trail. The terrain became slightly bumpy and undting. While walking on the uneven path, a sudden thought urred. There was a high chance that this artificial world could be sphere shaped like our Earth, and not a tnd. ¡°Even though the horizon beyond could be seen, the terrain doesn¡¯t seem to bepletely t. The ground is somewhat inclined. Look. That tree standing over the edge of the field of vision. As you get closer to the top, you can see the rest of the way down.¡± ¡°Wheeze, wheeze.¡± ¡°As scientific evidence that the Earth is round, shipsing from across the ocean are visible from above the mast.¡± ¡°I understand, so you don¡¯t have to exin everything to me.¡± Dukhun waved his hand as if he was annoyed and continued to climb up the sloppy road while wheezing. The path gradually became steeper, and soon we were walking over a steep uphill trail. On the uneven and inclined hilly path, we walked for a while. Suddenly, Hayoon, who was leading at the front stopped walking as if she saw something shocking. The expression on her face hardened like a statue. Then Dukhun, who quickly approached Hayoon and stood beside her, also flinched at the view in front. ¡°¡­What the hell?¡± Looking down from the hill to somewhere below, he muttered with an astonished expression. I also quickly approached them, wondering why their expression was so strange as if they saw a ghost. ¡°What? What is it?¡± Reaching the top of the hill, I looked slightly below. And my heart sank at the view that entered my vision. That thing, it shouldn¡¯t be there. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Joon¡­?¡± Sunah, who was following me from behind, also climbed to the top of the hill and tried to catch her breath. However, her breath hitched at the thing that appeared before her eyes and she froze in surprise. ¡°Uh, that¡­ Why is it here¡­¡± ¡°¡­What is it?¡± Gyeongwon was walking at the very end of the group. Seeing us standing still as if we had witnessed something terrible, he asked curiously. I couldn¡¯t open my mouth at the shock that went through me. So I just answered with a gesture of my head, indicating to him toe up and see by himself. He eventually reached us with plodding steps. A strange expression of iprehension appeared on his face at the view, much like us. ¡°Why is that here¡­?¡± There, the two-story cozy brick house that we built with hand-made red bricks stood like a painting. Chapter 76: Tenth Ghost Story – Minecraft’s Herobrine (9) Chapter 76: Tenth Ghost Story ¨C Minecraft¡¯s Herobrine (9) Under the vast blue sky, in the middle of the endless green pastures. A two-story brick house was standing alone. The appearance was the same as we thought before, as if it stepped straight out of a fairytale. However, it seemed to carry an ominous aura to us, because it was a kind of existence that shouldn¡¯t have appeared there. ¡°¡­Did we take the right path? Maybe we just went around the same path because we were confused about the direction-¡± ¡°There was no hill like this one anywhere around.¡± At Gyeongwon¡¯s doubt, Hayoon answered in a clear voice. I nodded affirmatively and opened my mouth. ¡°That includes the forest as well. At that time when we were building the house, the forest where Sunah and I wandered through was nearby. However, now there¡¯s no forest around, only the house we built.¡± ¡°It looks creepy¡­ I don¡¯t understand.¡± Sunah shivered looking at the house that looked eerily peaceful. ¡°What should we do, President? Should we approach it and take a look?¡± I nodded once again at Dukhun¡¯s question. ¡°It¡¯s strange that the house suddenly appeared here, but we have to check it out. That¡¯s why we crossed the border to begin with.¡± ¡°Hmm, can¡¯t be helped then. Then you can have this.¡± Saying that, Dukhun handed me the axe hanging on his side. It was something he had crafted when he and Hayoon were going to search for y on nearby water sources earlier. ¡°I think you can use it better than me. Maybe because I¡¯ve be an NPC, swinging a weapon feels like I¡¯m swinging it in real life, not in a game. I can¡¯t bear to identally hurt someone since I¡¯m already so big and fat.¡± ¡°¡­.Okay. Thank you.¡± At his earnest tone, I took the axe from Dukhun and stuffed it into my waistband. Now that we werepletely in the game, all of our doings and movements have the feel of reality. The ability to call up menus had been taken away from us. Neither do we have the ability to break andbine the blocks to craft items. We couldn¡¯t even use our inventory, so all I could do was stuff the axe handle into my waistband. ¡®But this is my first time handling an axe.¡¯ Could it be Dukhun thought I was better at physical activities than him? We quietly looked down at the house from the top of the hill for a moment. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± Then, we started walking again, this time with me in the lead. We climbed down the hill and went around it before the view of the house once again entered our vision. Then, we slowly began approaching the brick house that was quietly radiating its presence in the vast pasture. ¡°As expected, it looks the same¡­¡± Sunah, the one who decorated the house wholeheartedly from inside out, now trembled at the mere presence. The two-story brick house with stairs leading the second floor. Where construction materials were scattered everywhere around the house. Without any doubt, this was exactly the house we had built. However, at the same time, it didn¡¯t appear familiar to us as if this wasn¡¯t the ce we built it. We walked around the house and looked through every nook and cranny, searching for more simrity that strengthened that fact that it was indeed the house we ourselves constructed. Suddenly, Dukhun called out to us as something entered his eyes. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s the pulley. The one we used to lift things.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The primitive pulley we crafted using ropes and wooden beams, which used to lift materials up and down the second floor, was also lying there the way we left it. At that time, we could still use game elements as yers, so we justbined the items ording to the production method and it was made in no time. But now looking at it again from the perspective of an NPC who entered the game, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how we managed to make something like this so easily. ¡°What should we do¡­¡± ¡°There should be a window in the back. Let¡¯s take a look inside first.¡± Thinking that we should also check the inside of the house, we walked to the backyard of the house. We looked inside by leaning over the window, but the view inside was as we left it a while ago. It was still the ordinary living room where we had been resting before crossing the border. However, the firece was still burning, as if someone had lit it up. ¡°The carpet that Hayoonid down and the firece built from the furnace ¡­ everything in the house looks exactly the same.¡± ¡°¡­What should we do now, Prez?¡± Gyeongwon asked me briefly. At the carefully asked question, I sighed. ¡°There is no choice then. Let¡¯s get inside.¡± We all went around the house and gathered in front of the entrance door, with me leading at the front. I had already confirmed through the window that no one was inside, however, I couldn¡¯t push away the ominous atmosphere that this house was emitting, as if a beast was waiting silently for its prey. ¡°Let¡¯s open the door.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± When I pulled the doorknob, Hayoon aimed the crossbow in her hand at the closed door. Squeak¨C The wooden door opened with a creaking noise. Gyeongwon gulped before urging me with a nervous expression. ¡°We should go in, Prez.¡± ¡°¡­Just a moment.¡± I was about to step in, but my feet stopped when my eyesnded at the dusty floor at the entrance. ¡°There are footprints.¡± The construction of the house had just beenpleted, so building materials and dust were scattered everywhere. On the dusty floor, footprints leading outside could be seen. Creak. Thinking of leaving the suspicious footprints, I led the way ahead as I pulled the axe from my waistband. The other members carried some kind of construction materials like wood or bricks as weapons. I slowly stepped into the living room where the footprints wereing from. ¡°No one¡­ is there¡­¡± Crackle. Crackle. The only sound we could hear was the crackling of the wood in the firece. We had checked through the window earlier, so there was no one inside the living room. Thud. Thud. Thud. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps was heard from the second floor. The five of us instinctively raised our heads and looked up at the ceiling. Creak. Creak. Thud. ¡°¡­.Let¡¯s go up.¡± Gripping the handle of the axe tightly with both hands, I quickly but quietly headed back to the front door. ¡°Follow me, quietly.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The five of us quietly went out the front door again and climbed the wooden stairs that were set outside, leading to the second floor, with steady steps. After reaching the second floor, I, who was leading at front, kicked the door open as I shouted. ¡°Who¡¯s there!¡± Bang! Silence. No one was there. ¡°President, the window!¡± The window just opposite us was wide open. I quickly ran to the window and peered outside. Only the endless ins with green grass stretched over the horizon entered my vision. ¡°It seems whoever was here jumped out the window.¡± ¡°Everyone, scatter around and search for the person!¡± I quickly turned my head toward the members and gave them instructions. ¡°Only the vast pasture is around. There¡¯s no ce to hide! You guys go back down to the first floor and look around the house. Hayoon and I will watch from the windows on the second floor.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s hurry!¡± The members, led by Dukhun, rushed down the stairs again. Hayoon walked briskly on the other side and opened the window before aiming her crossbow. ¡°Do you see anything, Hayoon?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Me too. Nothing but rows of green grass.¡± Thud- From the second floor, I could hear the members running around the house, searching for the suspicious person downstairs. I was busy looking through the windows, when suddenly, I heard a rustling sound from behind. Turning around, I saw Sunah poking her head through the doorway of the second floor, looking at me with a hesitant expression. ¡°Joon¡­¡± ¡°Sunah. I told you to go down and search with the others.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Sunah began mumbling. ¡°Ha, Hayoon. She should alsoe down with us to search¡­¡± At the carefully stated opinion, a frown appeared on Hayoon¡¯s pretty face as she turned around. I raised my hand in panic, trying to appease Sunah. ¡°Sunah, please go down. Hayoon can shoot anything she finds with her crossbow here.¡± ¡°Then Joo, Joon doesn¡¯t need to be here.¡± ¡°I need to look for the person through the window.¡± Sunah shifted her gaze anxiously but didn¡¯t budge from her ce. ¡°She alone can¡¯t search the surroundings, I need one more person to watch over and she alone is enough. Go down, quickly.¡± However, even after all the reasoning, she didn¡¯t move from her position and opened her mouth again. ¡°Then I¡¯ll stay here too¡­¡± ¡°Haa.¡± Closing my eyes, I let out a tired sigh. ¡°I¡¯ll look at the remaining window over there. Is that okay?¡± Saying so, Sunah hesitantly approached one of the remaining windows. At the sight of her approaching, Hayoon lifted her chin slightly and said coldly. ¡°Please try to understand the situation. Don¡¯t be unnecessarily jealous.¡± For a moment, Sunah only flinched with eyes opened wide. Then slowly, her face turned bright red. She quickly turned around and walked briskly toward Hayoon. ¡°What, what did you say?¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± ¡°W-what did you just say¡­¡± Sunah began trembling as she asked again. ng- Instead of answering, Hayoon quietly raised her crossbow and aimed at Sunah. ¡°Don¡¯t be jealous.¡± ¡°This bitch¡­¡± Sunah, who shook like a leaf with extreme anger suddenly ran towards me, as if she couldn¡¯t beat such provocative words anymore. ¡°Joo¡­¡± Kang-! Just at that moment, an arrow flew towards her with a cheerful metallic sound. The arrow quickly crossed the short distance and hit Sunah squarely on the forehead. ¡°Ugh-¡± Unable to ovee the momentum of her steps, Sunah slipped over and fell to the ground with a thud. Her head, where an arrow was deeply stuck, rolled back. In front of my eyes, Sunah¡¯s lifeless bodyy down. ¡°W-what!¡± Quickly oveing the momentary shock, I ran to her in a hurry. ¡°S, Sunah? Are you okay?¡± ¡°Everything¡¯s fine. It¡¯s fake.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Hayoon calmly answered while taking out another arrow from her waistband. ¡°The real Sunah can¡¯t even dare to look me in the eye, let alone curse me.¡± With swift movement, she reloaded the crossbow by putting in another arrow. Her expression remained as calm as usual as if nothing had happened. She rather got busy with her crossbow, pulling the bow several times to check if it was working properly. Soon, amotion was heard outside. The three members who were sent downstairs to search for the suspicious person hurriedly came up to the second floor again. ¡°President! We looked around everywhere but found nothing. Did you find anything- hiik!¡± Gyeongwon let out a startled scream at the body thaty before them, his words ending abruptly. ¡°Gasp!¡± Sunah, who came behind her, also let out a gasp at the scene. ¡°W-who is that¡­ ¡­?¡± Putting both of her hands over her mouth, Sunah asked with a horrified expression, her eyes opened wide. ¡°It¡¯s you.¡± With a bewildered look on their faces at my answer, they approached the body and began poking it. ¡°Holy shit¡­ It¡¯s really Yoon Sunah.¡± ¡°How is it possible that another you is lying here?¡± ¡°I, well¡­¡± Sunah made a puzzled expression at the question. Dukhun raised the blunt object he was holding at Sunah and demanded answers. ¡°Oi, exin it quickly. It¡¯s definitely you no matter which way I look from. Don¡¯t say shit like you don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°I, I don¡¯t know¡­ how am I supposed to know how another me is lying there¡­?¡± Sunah became flustered at his questioning. I quickly cleared my throat to gather their attention and refrain them from fighting among themselves. Then I slowly began exining what had just urred. ¡°¡­Something that has the appearance of Sunah.¡± We went back down to the living room on the first floor, leaving the corpse of the fake Sunah lying motionlessly on the second floor. Just like before, we sat quietly on the carpet, warming ourselves by the firewood. Each of the members appeared to be dazed and lost in thought at the sudden unexpected situations that kept urring one after another. ¡°A person who looks like Sunah, inside the house that is simr to the one we constructed¡­ in the Far Away Land¡­ hmmm.¡± Gyeongwon muttered to himself as he wondered. ¡°What do you think? Do you have any ideas for this strange urrence?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve no idea.¡± Gyeongwon tilted his head as he replied, pondering on my questions. Understanding the urgency of the situation, he seemed to forget about his ill-feelings towards me before and began cooperating with everyone for the time being. ¡°Nothinges to mind, but Prez. It seems certain that we need toe up with preventive measures. Also, something could imitate our appearances-¡± ¡°Wait.¡± At that moment, I stood up suddenly at the sound of slightmotioning from outside and made a gesture for them to be quiet. ¡°Listen.¡± ¡°Listen what?¡± The members looked around with an anxious face as they strained their ears to listen. In the living room of a brick house that looked like it stepped out of a fairytale, only the sound of crackling wood could be heard. However, we soon started hearing some noise from outside. [As expected, it looks the same¡­] [Hey, it¡¯s the pulley. The one we used to lift things.] [It really is.] People muttering to themselves as they looked around. Hearing those voices, I felt lightning shing in my head as realization dawned over me and quickly whispered in a sharp voice. ¡°Guys, hide under the window!¡± Quickly, we hurried over andid down under the window. [What should we do¡­] [There should be a window in the back. Let¡¯s take a look inside first.] Soon, we heard footstepsing towards the house, and someone peering inside the living room from out the window while muttering. Since we were lying under the window and had our heads lowered, all we could see was the person¡¯s shadow falling on the floor. [The carpet that Hayoonid down and the firece made from the furnace¡­ everything in the house looks exactly the same.] Soon, the sound of someone walking beside the person who was peering inside was heard. [¡­What should we do now, Prez?] Surprisingly, it was Gyeongwon¡¯s voice. We, who were lying down under the window and had our mouths shut, slowly looked at Gyeongwon right next to us. However, he only had a look of iprehension and puzzlement as if he himself couldn¡¯t understand what was happening. [There is no choice then. Let¡¯s get inside.] The voice of my own speaking was heard at that time before slowly moving away from the window. As soon as they left, I crawled to the center of the group and whispered in a low voice. ¡°It¡¯s us. We¡¯reing again.¡± The members nodded anxiously. ¡°President, what should we do now? Should we escape through the window before they barge in through the door?¡± ¡°No.¡± I shook my head firmly. ¡°As I¡¯ve said before, only endless pastures are around. There¡¯s no ce to hide. We¡¯ll be discovered soon and chased down for no reason.¡± ¡°Then?¡± ¡°¡­We¡¯ll meet them head on. Whether we talk peacefully or fight, we have no choice but to collide.¡± ¡°¡­We understand.¡± With rising anxiety and fear, the members nodded. With that resolve, we quickly stood up and waited near the entrance. T/N: If you like my work, consider supporting me on Kofi. Chapter 77: Tenth Ghost Story – Minecraft’s Herobrine (10) Chapter 77: Tenth Ghost Story ¨C Minecraft¡¯s Herobrine (10) Crackle, crackle. A deafening silence flowed through the living room. Amidst the silence, except for the crackling of the wood in the firece, no other sound could be heard. In front of the wooden door, the members of Ghost Story Club were standing in a threatening pose. I, the President, stood at the front with the axe raised above my head. On my right, Hayoon had her crossbow aimed at the closed door. And the other members stood behind me, each of them holding misceneous objects as a weapon. Even our breathing seemed to have stopped at the nerve-wracking situation. In the silence that was neitherforting nor rewarding to us, time flowed by. Eventually, after a few minutes, Gyeongwon, who was standing behind me, approached me on the left and whispered in a sotto voice. ¡°Why aren¡¯t theying in?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Let¡¯s wait for a few more moments.¡± While maintaining our stance of attacking the moment we encountered those people, we waited for a few more minutes, trepidation rising in our hearts. However, not even a fly entered through the door. Even the noise of those unknown beings copying our conversation couldn¡¯t be heard. Everything just turned quiet all of a sudden, as if those voices we heard were just our auditory illusion. Only the crackling sound of a burning firewood entered our ears in the pin-drop silence. In the end, feeling a bit impatient, I stepped toward the door, my movement cautious. ¡°I¡¯ll go out. Cover me.¡± ¡°Be careful.¡± Stepping onto the wooden floor, I walked to the door, being extremely careful not to make a single creaking sound. Then, with the speed of a snail, I pushed the door open, holding the doorknob. The wooden door opened soundlessly, a result of my extreme cautiousness to not make a sound. ¡°No one seems around.¡± Poking my head through the small opening, I looked around everywhere my eyes could venture, attempting to perhaps get a glimpse of the intruders. However, as far as my vision stretched, only the endless green pasture and the small hill which we climbed and found our house were all I could see. As the evening began to approach, the sky had darkened a bit. But the vast greennd in front of the house still appeared to be the same. ¡°No one? But we definitely heard some noise just now¡­¡± Gyeongwon muttered as beads of sweat trickled down his forehead in anxiety and uncertainty. I opened the door fully, and let my eyes wander through every corner of the vast pasture, then nodded to the members, indicating them toe forward and take a look. At the corner of my vision, the tip of Hayoon¡¯s arrow appeared, still aimed at nothing particrly. ¡°Let me take a look¡­¡± Hayoon approached the door beside me, her steps cautious and calcting. In a simr manner to mine, she also poked her head through the door and looked around. And just as I had expected, nothing out of the ordinary entered her eyes either. Taking a step back, I was about to close the door and turn around to enter the house and instruct some things to the members. However, before I could cross the threshold, my gaze collided with the eyes of the members of the Ghost Story Club, hiding in a row right behind the open wooden door. With their eyes wide open as if astonished, the five of them stared at me. Mirroring their expression, my own eyes opened wide, as if they were about to pop out of my socket at the sudden appearance of us. To be honest, rather than their appearance, it was the way all of them were stuck on the wall that astonished me the most. Hayoon seemed to have an extraordinary sixth sense as she immediately sensed something was wrong and swiftly twisted her body towards the back of the wooden door. Her step, which was about to retract into the house, quickly passed the doorframe as she aimed the crossbow she was holding behind the door where my gaze was stuck. ng. ¡°We have appeared again.¡± ¡°What should we do, Prez? Should we kill ourselves with the ss of the window before they barge in through the door?¡± ¡°As I¡¯ve said before, only endless pastures are around. There¡¯s no ce to hide. We¡¯ll be discovered soon and chased down to be eaten like meat.¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t theying in?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Let¡¯s wait for a few more moments. I¡¯ll go out. Cover me.¡± The people, or rather the beings copying our movements began to converse among themselves. However, their words came out faster than us, ordinary people, and seemed more like meaningless muttering without intonation. Hayoon clenched her teeth and fired the crossbow she was aiming at those strange beings. ng! Thump. The arrow flew through the air and hit the neck of the fake Hayoon, who was also stuck to the wall with the fakes of us. However, even after an arrow pierced its neck, the fake Hayoon didn¡¯t move an inch. ¡°President! What¡¯s going on!¡± The members, who had been standing behind me, saw me and Hayoon standing still and staring behind the wooden door, and immediately realized that something was wrong. Quickly approaching us, they asked in a loud voice. ¡°Sunah, go down and search with the others, why are you bothering me? Hayoon, please shoot an arrow at Sunah¡¯s head with your crossbow.¡± ¡°Okay Hayoon. Let¡¯s go down and search together. Don¡¯t behave like a fox and seduce my Joon.¡± ¡°Try to understand the situation. Don¡¯t be jealous unnecessarily. It¡¯s okay. The real Sunah is a coward and a beggar who doesn¡¯t even have money to go to an inte cafe.¡± Without hesitation, I quickly raised the axe at hand and took a threatening stance. While I took my stance, Hayoon bit her lips and took another arrow from her waistband. However, before she could aim and shoot, the fake Gyeongwon suddenly opened its mouth. ¡°You have to think of a way to get us out alive, Prez. You have to take responsibility for using us like this. For using us like your puppets. You use the Ghost Story Points for your ownfort and luxury even though we all fought with our lives on the line and earned them. You eat whatever you want while starving us and making us work like dogs. Don¡¯t say shit like turning the time back.¡± ¡°Shut up! What the hell are you guys!¡± I swung my axe in the air threateningly as I demanded strongly. ¡°What are you! Tell me!¡± The members all rushed to me from the living room, trying to figure out who I was threatening and asking. At the same time the members approached me, the fake members, who were stuck to the wall, all stretched out their arms forward. As if they were puppets, their legs bent in an odd angle as they separated themselves from the wall of the house. And before I couldprehend what was happening ande to my senses from witnessing something so bizarre, the fake members jumped out of the wall and started running. Their movements aligned as their arms and legs moved in perfect sync. Kang-! Without wasting any time, Hayoon¡¯s arrow flew through the air andnded on therge back of the fake Dukhun who was also running away. However, just as the fake Hayoon didn¡¯t show any reaction when the arrow hit its neck, the fake Dukhun also didn¡¯t stop and continued running. ¡°P, P! Prez! Who are they!¡± ¡°Catch them! We must catch them!¡± I hurriedly followed the fake members who were running away and chased after them. But their speed was incredible and soon there was a big gap between us. It was as if the developers had input themands into the characters all at once. The five fake members all ran in a harmonious sync without a single error, each of their steps in a perfect coordination. ¡°Huff, huff.¡± ¡°Haaa, huff.¡± Eventually, we couldn¡¯t chase them down and copsed in the middle of the in. Those fakes were ridiculously fast, it was impossible to chase them with our human speed. We watched as the fake members of the Ghost Story Club ran and quickly became dots beyond the horizon before disappearing into the distance. ¡°We missed them, huff, huff.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go back¡­ Haa¡­ Haa¡­¡± * * * ¡°The house is exactly the same as the one we built. And those things also look simr to us¡­¡± We returned to the house and stood in front of the front door as I muttered. Suddenly, I remembered the body of the fake Sunah which should be lying on the second floor and decided to check on it. ¡°Guys, let¡¯s go to the second floor first before we go in.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Sunah tilted her head with a confused expression. ¡°There was also a fake Sunah among those who ran away earlier. It shouldn¡¯t have appeared since Hayoon had already caught the fake Sunah and shot it with an arrow when we first searched the house.¡± ¡°¡­.Hmm, I see. Then let¡¯s go check it out.¡± After the members all agreed, we climbed the wooden stairs, leading to the second floor, nervously. Carefully opening the wooden door, we peeked inside before stepping in. The body of the fake Sunah was still lying on the floor with an arrow lodged in its head. ¡°It¡¯s sickening¡­¡± Sunah turned her head away as if she felt sick witnessing her own body lying on the floor with an arrow stuck in its head. ¡°What do you think this possibly implies?¡± Quietly examining the body, I asked the members. ¡°One fake was already killed, but another fake appeared¡­¡± ¡°There might not be just one fake, but many more.¡± Gyeongwon muttered with a thoughtful look as he stroked his chin. ¡°Could it be that they¡¯re our ¡®replica¡¯?¡± Dukhun also muttered beside him. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening¡­ but the house, and us. It seems like we¡¯re all being replicated.¡± ¡°It might be dangerous to explore any further, Prez. Let¡¯s go back.¡± Gyeongwon suggested with a solemn look. ¡°I¡¯m not saying this because I¡¯m scared like before. I¡¯m saying this because I think we¡¯ve stepped into a pretty dangerous situation which may affect us in reality.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah, I think so too.¡± Is he finally admitting that he panicked and acted like a jerk after entering the Far Away Land because he was scared? However, I had no intention of going back since no useful information was found so far. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the first floor for now. It¡¯s a bit disgusting to keep talking next to a corpse.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Soon, we went back down to the first floor and entered the house once again. Gathering in the living room, we took our seat around the firece. I took a deep breath before opening my mouth. ¡°But I¡¯m sorry, in my opinion, we should continue exploring this ce a bit more.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± This time, Gyeongwon showed a thoughtful look instead of being angry. ¡°Can you tell me why?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± I cleared my throat as I started exining. ¡°For now, we haven¡¯t found out anything, nor eliminated anything. Since we came all this way, if we go back now empty handed, our efforts will have been in vain.¡± Just for this ghost story, we started ying the game from scratch, learned how to control our characters and searched for the edge of the world, and even worked hard to build a house in the end¡­ Although there were times when our thoughts and opinions didn¡¯t align, we still came a long way. Going back now is just akin to throwing all our efforts into vain. All that would greet us was just an empty inte cafe. ¡°We have worked so hard, so it¡¯ll be a shame to give up and go back. There has never been a time when it wasn¡¯t dangerous to go back.¡± ¡°But.¡± Slowly looking at the expressions of the members, who looked a bit hesitant, I opened my mouth again. ¡°However, that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m just asking you to meaninglessly sacrifice yourself.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­.¡± ¡°The world will face a catastrophe in 3 years, so it¡¯s imperative for you to follow me in the fight. Besides, won¡¯t the time turn back if I die anyway? I think it¡¯ll be horrible to live the same life and go through the same experience again.¡± Perhaps because I had lived a life before and also died many times, death doesn¡¯t seem to faze me. However, for the members, it was their first time encountering such phenomena as they fight, risking their lives. ¡°None of you have to ept that kind of obligation.¡± The members silently agreed, as if they had been thinking about this all along, even if they hadn¡¯t expressed it outwardly. I nodded in satisfaction as I realized they understood it as well. It seemed I sessfully avoided the trouble of them rebelling. ¡°Instead, I think I should reward each of you for your contribution.¡± ¡°Reward? What reward?¡± I nodded. ¡°The points we¡¯ll be getting after resolving this ghost story, I promise to spend all of them on you.¡± The members showed a surprised look at my deration. ¡°Even if I have to convert it into money, it¡¯ll be several hundred thousand won per person. Not to mention, the system also has a function where I can spend points to raise your level. I don¡¯t know how it works, but I think you¡¯ll definitely gain some kind of skill with it.¡± ¡°Hoo.¡± Dukhun stroked his chin as if he was intrigued by the offer. ¡°Can we get all the skills that the President has, like the Lip Reading one?¡± ¡°¡­I guess I¡¯ll have to try it to find out. I haven¡¯t leveled any of you up yet.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Dukhun slowly nodded. At my deration of a possible reward, the atmosphere around the members slowly began to change. For the first time in a while, they seemed a bit enthusiastic. The members all were interested in the offer. ¡°Of course, as I¡¯ve mentioned earlier, you can either receive money or a skill as a reward instead of leveling up. 1 point is worth about 10,000 won.¡± ¡°Hmm, not bad.¡± Dukhun showed extreme interest. It seemed Hayoon also didn¡¯t expect it. Although her expression didn¡¯t change, she crossed her arms and nodded at the unexpected amount. Since all of their attention was on the reward, I decided to suggest a much better offer to the guys. If they¡¯re offered a big reward right after a small reward, which fell on them like a big pie from the sky, the effect will be twice as great as the original expectation. It was human nature to be enthusiastic about bigger rewards than the ones they originally received. ¡°And on graduation day, after we all save the world from the Demon King, I¡¯ll reward you guys something bigger. I will use the power of the system and help you guys win a lottery of 1 billion won.¡± ¡°For real?¡± At the sudden and unexpected offer, the expression of the members changed rapidly. As if they were asking, did I hear something wrong? The expressions of the members who had been tallying the rewards of hundreds of thousands of won until just now slowly hardened. ¡°Of course, assuming that we sessfully defeat the Demon King and achieve a happy ending.¡± ¡°¡­.Prez.¡± Gyeongwon asked with his eyes open and jaw trembling. ¡°You are not kidding, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Although I replied affirmatively, I shrugged nonchntly. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be possible?¡± The expression on everyone¡¯s face gradually changed as realization dawned over them. ¡°Oi, oi. Are you serious¡­!¡± ¡°Joon¡­ Can you really do it¡­?¡± ¡°Oh my god.¡± I nodded while looking at the excited members. ¡°I believe it¡¯s possible. I can turn back time anyway. So I can see which lottery, bitcoin, or stocks will win in the future.¡± ¡°Eeeeeeeeeee!¡± Dukhun suddenly let out a loud scream, not being able to contain his excitement. ¡°That¡¯s craaaazyyyy! I believe you!¡± Starting with Dukhun¡¯s brain-splitting and ear deafening scream, the excited atmosphere gradually heightened. ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve thought about that a lot, but I couldn¡¯t say it because I was afraid it would be too obvious. Who would have thought the President would mention it first.¡± ¡°Joon¡­¡± Sunah¡¯s eyes were practically shining. ¡°Tondemoyattojanaika! I¡¯m gonna follow you everywhere from now on!¡± [T/N: Tondemoyattojanaika (¥È¥ó¥Ç¥â¥ä¥Ã¥È¥¶¥Ê¥¤¥«) is Japanese which means ¡®it¡¯s unbelievable¡¯, ¡®it¡¯s incredible¡¯, etc.] As Dukhun¡¯s enthusiasm began to sour, he began to jump in his seat. I made a gesture to calm him down and try to gather mypusure in the heated atmosphere. ¡°Three yearster, it¡¯s what I¡¯ll do three yearster. I don¡¯t n on doing the lottery thing right now. Besides, ording to the currentw, minors can¡¯t buy lottery tickets or receive winnings. It¡¯s against the Juvenile Protection Act.¡± ¡°From Prez¡¯s exnation, it seems you have thought it through.¡± Smiling, I waved my hand at Gyeongwon who gave an expression as it f he had figured out what I was thinking. ¡°Why don¡¯t we ask the detective or the teacher, Joon? They could buy us a lottery ticket right now¡­¡± ¡°No. Although we all have been through a lot of hurdles and witnessed many life and death situations, but in the end, we¡¯ve only known each other for a little over a month. I can¡¯t trust you with such arge sum of money yet. And like I said before, it¡¯s not that I can¡¯t, it¡¯s that I don¡¯t n on doing it right now.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you n on doing it now?¡± ¡°Because we don¡¯t need money right now.¡± In a convincing voice, I tried to reason them. From my very first regression, I had been thinking and nning this. All I needed was neatly organize the information in my head before delivering them to the members. T/N: In case the readers are confused, the door to the house opens to outside, not inside. And the stairs leading to second floor is also on the outside, not inside. And If you like my work, consider supporting me on Kofi. Chapter 78: Tenth Ghost Story – Minecraft’s Herobrine (11) Chapter 78: Tenth Ghost Story ¨C Minecraft¡¯s Herobrine (11) ¡°Listen. Even parents and siblings who have lived together for decades can have a fallout because of money, so if moneyes up between us who are fighting to protect this world, who knows what we will do. Of course, I don¡¯t think any of us are inhuman enough to hurt each other, but what if someone from us takes the money and runs away?¡± ¡°Hmmm.¡± ¡°For example, what if Teacher Jang Hwaeun suddenly gets possessed by a ghost story, steals all the money and runs away?¡± The scenario was quite possible. The image of Teacher Jang Hwaeun,ughing like a mean viin with a stocking mask on her face as she steals the money appeared in our minds as if it was bound to happen. ¡°With some tricks, even minors can buy lottery tickets. We can ask our parents to buy lottery tickets for us and tell them that we got the numbers from a precognitive dream where our ancestors told us the numbers. However, what if your parents decide to move to a better ce because of the sudden richness? What if they decide to go on a family trip with the money during the vacation when we¡¯ll have to chase down ghost stories? What if your money-grubbing rtivese to bother you, asking for money?¡± ¡°We shouldn¡¯t only aim for money as a reward for solving the ghost stories. After all, defeating the ghost stories isn¡¯t something that can be done with money. Even the celebrities got infected during the incident of Fourincess, although they had money. And the Chairman of the broadcasting studio was caught even though he had a lot of money. This makes one thing clear, even if you have a mountain of money, it¡¯s useless unless you¡¯re mature enough to know where and how to use them. We¡¯re stuck at school until graduation, so we don¡¯t have time to indulge ourselves.¡± ¡°Still, we can have just a little¡­¡± The club members nced at each other with reluctance. ¡°You seem to have thought it through, President. Huuu.¡± Dukhun shook his head with a sigh as if he was feeling helpless. But Gyeongwon seemed to have his own opinion and began to pester me. ¡°But Prez, it¡¯s not bad to have money now, right? We will definitely find a way if we think hard enough¡­¡± ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t know but there¡¯s a ghost story about winning a lottery.¡± At my sudden mention of a ghost story, Gyeongwon showed a puzzled expression. ¡°The story centers around what will happen if you win the lottery. Welfare organizations start calling you and asking you to donate to them. Even hooligans start making a scene in front of your door.¡± ¡°¡­ Ah, that one.¡± Gyeongwon nodded as he remembered the story. ¡°It¡¯s a famous story. But it¡¯s just a rumor-¡± ¡°Not for us.¡± I held out my hand, stopping Gyeongwon who was about to say more. ¡°Those kinds of groundless rumors, superstitions, ghost stories, conspiracy theories. For us, they all be real.¡± In short, winning the lottery itself can be a trap that might entangle us with more trouble and hassle. It might also lead us tomit crimes which we obviously don¡¯t want to partake in. Perhaps he finally got the message, Gyeongwon nodded with a regretful expression. While we were busy discussing winning lotteries and earning billions of won, Hayoon was the only one who was quiet. ¡°If one day we stumble upon a situation where we have to pour money like water, then that¡¯s the time we¡¯re gonna implement the n. But for now, let¡¯s just focus on the goal in front of us. If the Demon King is resurrected, whether we¡¯re the president of a bigpany or a millionaire, our life is over.¡± ¡°Okay, Prez. Then can I ask you one favor?¡± ¡°What?¡± Raising his sses, Gyeongwon asked with his eyes shining brightly. ¡°1 billion won seems a bit less. So we want 2 billion won. 2 billion won per person.¡± The members became shocked at his sudden demand. ¡°T, that much¡­¡± ¡°Um, that¡¯s a bit too much¡­ ¡­ Dukhun and Sunah stuttered, unable to wrap their heads around so much money. However, contrary to their astonishment, I nodded coolly. ¡°Deal. No, scratch that, let¡¯s just double it to 4 billion won per person.¡± ¡°4 billion won?¡± This time, the members gaped at me. ¡°Then in total¡­ Since there are 7 of us, 28 billion won? Is that possible, Joon¡­?¡± ¡°Definitely possible. We can just buy all the lottery tickets, bitcoins, and stocks of Korea with paper money. There¡¯s a chance that the ability to turn back time might disappear after we defeat the Demon King and reach a happy ending, so let¡¯s prepare in advance starting from the winter break of our third year.¡± ¡°Okayeeeeeeeeee!¡± Gyeongwon muttered to himself saying, ¡®This is it,¡¯ and pushed his sses with trembling hands. ¡°From now on, I will work as hard as I can! I¡¯m sorry for showing you a pitiful appearance a little while ago, everyone. I apologize. Can you please forgive me-¡± ¡°Oi, you.¡± Dukhun cut him off as he ced a heavy hand on Gyeongwon¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I already did.¡± At those words, Gyeongwon flinched as if he couldn¡¯t believe it and then lowered his head. ¡°I¡­ What on earth was I¡­ my¡­! I behaved like that to the friends who believed in me¡­ I¡­¡± ¡°Turned your back, you piece of shit.¡± Dukhun reprimanded him harshly whileforting him. ¡°It¡¯s okay for a man to cry when everything is over.¡± ¡°W, who is crying¡­¡± Although he said that, Gyeongwon secretly wiped his eyes as he turned around. ¡°Cheer up, Kakarrot. You¡¯re our No. 1!¡± [T/N: Kakarrot is Saiyan name of Son Goku, the main character of the Dragon Ball series.] ¡°Everyone believed in me¡­ but I¡­¡± ¡°Forgive me, Sasuke. This perhaps is the end between us¡­¡± [T/N: Sasuke is one of the main characters (perhaps the antagonist?) of the anime series Naruto.] Taking advantage of Gyeongwon¡¯s overly emotional state, Dukhun casually spit out famous dialogues from animes he¡¯s always wanted to say. Soon, Sunah walked towards me, not before throwing a look of contempt to the pair. Even Sunah could make that kind of expression. ¡°When is Jinheeing¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just wish she¡¯de sooner.¡± Perhaps it was the first time I missed Lee Jinhee so much, although she was basically a bully. A whileter. We were still gathered around in the living room on the first floor. After briefly discussing where and how to spend the money we would be gaining in the future, the conversation became a bit dull among us. The sky outside continued to darken as night began to approach. In the quiet environment, the crackling of fire burning was the only sound we could hear. ¡°I suddenly realized something.¡± Basking in the me quietly for a moment, Gyeongwon slowly opened his mouth. ¡°Among the fakes that ran away earlier, Jinhee wasn¡¯t there, right?¡± I tried to remember the figures that ran away, and thought about it carefully before answering. ¡°Yeah. She wasn¡¯t there.¡± ¡°As expected.¡± As if he had thought about it, he soon started exining. ¡°It seems that something is constantly self-replicating here in this Far Away Land, beyond the edge of the world.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± I had also had a simr hypothesis. The house that stood there was exactly the same as the one we built. The fake Sunah that suddenly appeared. And the replica of the members of the Ghost Story Club. ¡°The reason Jinhee wasn¡¯t among the group earlier is probably because she didn¡¯t y and enter this game.¡± ¡°Like copy and paste? We¡¯re still human beings, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, but inside the game and beyond the border, we¡¯re treated as NPCs. Well, looking at our replicated selves, it doesn¡¯t seem like they even have the ability to move properly, let alone think¡­¡± ¡°But who would do something like this¡­¡± At Sunah¡¯s question, Dukhun answered while turning the firewood with a poker. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like someone is doing it on purpose.¡± ¡°Then?¡± He turned the firewood over a few times, let out a deep sigh as he pondered. ¡°Ah, if I were to exin, it¡¯d take too long. Must I exin it in detail?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Time is all we have left.¡± ¡°Shoganaina. Then I¡¯ll share my opinion for now.¡± [T/N: Shoganaina (¥·¥ç¥¬¥Ê¥¤¥Ê) in Japanese trantes to ¡°It can¡¯t be helped¡± or ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do about it.¡± It¡¯s an informal way to express resignation or eptance of a situation that cannot be changed.] Carefully putting down the poker in hand, he turned to us and began exining. ¡°Is anyone familiar with the word ¡®Roguelike¡¯?¡± ¡°¡­.Roguelike?¡± I pondered on the term carefully, trying to remember where I had heard about it. But nothing came to mind since it was the first time I heard it. I looked at Sunah and Hayoon for opinion but they appeared to be not familiar with the term either. ¡°Sorry, this is the first time I¡¯ve heard of it.¡± Then, Gyeongwon, who was also pondering on the term, opened his mouth and exined in a familiar manner. ¡°It¡¯s a term used for a special type of game, Prez. Just like the tags action, adventure, and racing, there is a genre called ¡®Roguelike¡¯.¡± ¡°Hmm. Gyeongwon, I thought you said you don¡¯t y games.¡± ¡°No. I saw it on Namuwiki.¡± [T/N: Namuwiki is the Korean version of Wikipedia.] I see. ¡°So what kind of genre is it? I can¡¯t tell just by the name.¡± ¡°Hmm. To put it in one sentence, ¡®games where you explore randomly generated dungeons¡¯ are called the Roguelike genre.¡± Themon concepts of Roguelike that Dukhun exined were as follows. The hero begins his adventure on the first floor of a dungeon. At the lowest level of the said dungeon is where the Demon King resides in a deep slumber. The yer begins his journey underground, clearing one level at a time. Each level of the dungeon holds unique threats that increase every time he clears a level. Monsters, traps, and countless threats attack the hero as the hero continues his journey to the lowest level of the dungeon. Amidst the journey, if the hero bes hungry, he has to eat food. And if the hero dies in any level, then he has to start over from the very first level. Because of the repeated process and the difficulty level increasing at each level, these kinds of games are hard to y and win. Even if the hero starts from the first level of the same dungeon in a new round, the structures of the traps and other elements arepletely different. Moreover, the ghosts of the previously dead warrior characters which died in the dungeon in the previous rounds also appear on the way to the new journey and attempt to hinder the yer of the current round. It was themon concept of Roguelike games, where you have to ovee all the hurdles and clear the levels of the dungeon one by one. Then, you must reach the lowest floor where Demon King resides and kill him to win the game. ¡°¡­That¡¯s all. I tried to exin it in a way so that the President, who is the only one who yed online games, could understand.¡± ¡°Yeah. I understand. But what does that have to do with the current situation?¡± ¡°There are a fewmon elements between this game called MineCraft and the roguelike genre¡­ Although from the outside, they seem likepletely different categories, but they share some simr characteristics.¡± Dukhun picked up the poker again and began poking the firewood as he continued with his exnation. ¡°Simr characteristics?¡± ¡°Mmhm, can you guess?¡± ¡°Well.¡± For a while, I pondered deeply about the two games. However, nothing wasing to mind. The genre which is called Roguelike. ording to the exnation, it was like an RPG game where the yer has to explore randomly generated dungeons. And the MineCraft we were ying is like¡­ an architectural simtion game? Aren¡¯t theypletely different? ¡°I don¡¯t understand. The two games arepletely different. I don¡¯t think they have anything inmon¡­¡± If I were to find simr characteristics, it would be that both are yed on a PC with a keyboard and mouse. ¡°Prez, then I¡¯ll exin what I understood from Dukhun¡¯s exnation¡­¡± Pushing his sses, this time Gyeongwon started exining. ¡°The simrities between Roguelike and MineCraft is the limitless freedom. The freedom to interact with other in-game elements, the characteristics of intentionally implementing ssic graphics, the characteristics of searching for resources, and the survival element of having to consume food.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°However, I don¡¯t know if these are the many elements that Dukhun was talking about.¡± ¡°Oh, shit. You forgot one. Although you mentioned most of the things.¡± Dukhun interrupted while poking the burning firewood. ¡°The key characteristic of the roguelike genre is randomly generated dungeons.¡± ¡°Aha.¡± As if realization dawned over him, Gyeongwon nodded with a smile. However, me, who should be the one understanding the exnation, was still bewildered. Feeling frustrated, I ended up throwing one of my shoes at Dukhun¡¯srge back. Thud. ¡°Ow.¡± ¡°Exin it in simpler terms so that Sunah and others, who haven¡¯t yed a game ever in her life, can understand.¡± ¡°Okay. Then, listen carefully.¡± Dukhun cleared his throat as he started. ¡°The unique and key characteristic of the Roguelike genre is randomly generated dungeons. Programmers call it ¡®procedural level generation¡¯. It¡¯s actually the game system, and every time the yer starts a new round, the dungeon structure ispletely and randomly recreated.¡± ¡°Yeah. I understand that much.¡± ¡°In other words, the developers only coded the basic principles of how the game works, and theputer randomly creates the dungeon structure, traps, monsters items, and NPCs.¡± From his exnation, it was easy to understand. It appeared to be that unlike ordinary RPG games, where the maps of the worlds are fixed, and it doesn¡¯t matter how many times the yer dies and starts a new round, with the help of the program, this Roguelike genre would randomly generate the map once a new round starts. ¡°Now, back to the MineCraft ghost stories we were discussing before starting the game. When we first started our journey to find the edge of the world, we used the teleportation cheat, right? Do you know why it was possible to use the cheat key?¡± ¡°Why¡­¡± Why was it possible to use the teleportation cheat? Thinking about it carefully, I quickly answered what I thought. ¡°Because it takes a lot of time to walk to the edge of the world? About 80 hours?¡± ¡°Yup, that¡¯s right. That means that the map of this game world is incrediblyrge.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°However, who created such arge map? The creator? The programmer?¡± With my limited knowledge, I pondered on the question deeply. However, even after thinking for a long time, I felt like it wasn¡¯t the correct answer. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I think they¡¯re too inefficient to do so.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Finally putting down the poker, Dukhun slowly turned to us with a serious expression. ¡°This game, MineCraft, also uses the system called ¡®procedural level generation.¡¯ When we first started ying, the President fell into a hole and couldn¡¯t get out. So I had to create a new world map.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah. I remember.¡± ¡°The world back then when we first started ying and the current world we¡¯re in after restarting the game are different. Do you understand?¡± Changing his position, he sat crossed legs as he exined more. ¡°Just like in the Roguelike genre where a new dungeon is generated every time the yer starts a new round, this game also recreates a new world every time a yer starts a new round. Why? It¡¯s inefficient for people to create such arge map by hand or by coding one by one. And since the game¡¯s concept itself is about crafting and exploring, yers also want a new experience every time.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± At his exnation, I began to trace back to my memories and realized that during the first round, I was standing in an open field but when I started the second round, I was drowning in a pond. If the developers had carefully coded the game and the world map, there was no way a yer would start in such an odd location. ¡®Which means theputer created the world randomly.¡¯ ¡°Do you understand, Lee Joon? The three ghost stories that Ahn Gyeongwon mentioned at the beginning are all connected.¡± Dukhun patted his fat thighs as if he had reached a conclusion. ¡°Both the edge of the world and the Far Away Land are ultimately ces that exist outside the game. They¡¯re the areas which the programmers didn¡¯t create themselves. However, they still exist as a part of the game world. What does it mean?¡± Although the question was thrown at me, Gyeongwon nodded as he answered on my behalf. ¡°This is done with the help ofputer¡¯s ¡®random variable generation¡¯.¡± ¡°Random variable generation?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simr to the procedural level generation and creating random elements which I exined earlier.¡± Dukhun nodded and said as he agreed to Gyeongwon¡¯s answer. Stare. I wanted to know more about the terms they used to exin the situation so I stared at him with an expression of intrigued. But Dukhun just nodded at me, who was asking him to exin more with shining eyes. Nod. Dukhun nodded once again. Silence stretched between us as one stared and the other nodded. The sky outside haspletely darkened as night dawned on us. The crackling sound of firewood burning was practically loud in the darkened silence. Stare. Nod. Dukhun nodded as I stared. With a puzzled expression, I opened my mouth. ¡°¡­That¡¯s the end?¡± ¡°You are done exining?¡± ¡°Ah, Atari-mae. I¡¯m done.¡± [T/N: Atarimae (¥¢¥¿¥ê¥Þ¥¨) is Japanese which means ¡®obviously¡¯, ¡®of course¡¯ etc.] With a self-satisfied smile, Dukhun nodded to himself. Then realizing something, he flinched as he asked. ¡°You guys, did you still¡­ not understand?¡± ¡°Huuu. I didn¡¯t understand a single word you just exined.¡± ¡°Huuu.¡± Shaking his head with a regretful look, he started once again. ¡°So the procedural-¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, you exined enough. Thank you, Dukhun. We¡¯ll hear the rest from Gyeongwon.¡± I patted his thick shoulder as to show my appreciation for his hard work and cut him off. ¡°Finally, you chose wisely, Prez.¡± Gyeongwon pushed his sses as he praised my choice. His eyes sparkled when the members¡¯ attention shifted from Dukhun to him. ¡°So, the question is, what¡¯s beyond the creative world that humans have created?¡± Feeling intrigue creeping in, the members leaned forward as they listened to his exnation. Their expression turned solemn as they listened more intently than before. Perhaps they were impressed by how he exined manyplicated situations before, they expected him to exin the current situation better than anyone. T/N: If you like my work, consider supporting me on Kofi. Chapter 79: Tenth Ghost Story – Minecraft’s Herobrine (12) Chapter 79: Tenth Ghost Story ¨C Minecraft¡¯s Herobrine (12) ¡°Suppose you¡¯ve drawn a picture on a piece of paper. Then what remains outside and around that picture?¡± ¡°¡­Only nk paper.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. This time, imagine someone built a sand castle on the beach. Then what is outside that sand castle?¡± ¡°Only sand.¡± ¡°The house we worked so hard to build earlier. What remains outside and around the house now?¡± Sunah thought hard before mustering up the courage and answering. ¡°Construction materials¡­ the pulley¡­ leftover bricks and trash¡­¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Pushing up the sses, Gyeongwon smiled as he began exining more. ¡°Outside of a creation, the elements that form the basis of that creation remain. The simr concept could be used outside in this world of game, the Far Away Land. Beyond the area created by the programmer, only the essence that bes the game¡¯sponents remains and is constantly repeated.¡± ¡°¡­.I see.¡± ¡°When this game starts generating the map, theputer randomly blends somemon elements. Sky, ground, water, trees, NPCs¨C these elements are randomly implemented while creating the world map. In the areas which are designated by the developers, those mixed elements are appropriately controlled and function as the game¡¯s overall elements. However, what happens beyond the space not coded or created by the developers?¡± Gyeongwon shrugged his shoulders lightly. ¡°We¡¯re witnessing the consequences if that were to happen. Outside of the area not coded by humans, in this Far Away Land, those elements surpass their limits and create a world where they repeat themselves in a frenzy. The random variable generation unfolds in this uncontroble world endlessly. Houses,nd, NPCs¡­¡± At Gyeongwon¡¯s diligent exnation, we nodded in an understanding manner. ¡°I can guarantee that if we explore further from here, we¡¯ll only stumble upon the same scenery. The house, trees, hills, and us, randomly copied by theputer¡¯s meaningless random variable generation, are the only thing that would await us.¡± ¡°¡­.Haaa.¡± I let out a weary sigh. ¡°Then that means there wasn¡¯t any reason for this house to exist, it was just randomly created.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then why did you mention the Roguelike genre earlier?¡± ¡°To exin the concept of random variable generation of this game more clearly.¡± ¡°Right¡­.¡± I sighed again. ¡°So the house and everything was just randomly generated without any definite reason. I expected to unearth some great, hidden secret¡­¡± We stepped into a nonexistent realm by crossing the border of the edge of the world. Before stepping into this hidden realm, I expected some great conspiracy and secret to be hidden. However, now I learned that it was all just meaningless copy and paste created by some sort of random variable generation. With a slightly deted expression, I couldn¡¯t help but shake my head. I had no idea about the danger level of this ghost story, however, if it was a world created by theputer¡¯s random variable generation, there was no way we could defeat it while being inside the said world. ¡°Do you understand now, Prez? Dukhun¡¯s exnation that the three ghost stories are connected is also rted to that. I think ¡®Herobrine¡¯ was probably some gamer who got sucked into the game world like us and was unable to leave this game. This is why we were able to cross the border and step into the Far Away Land¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­.Then, what about the third ghost story, the one about the Netherworld? If you reach the underground and change the version, a ce called Netherworld appears-¡± ¡°That¡¯s also quite simr to this ¡®Far Away Land¡¯. In the end, we¡¯ll still have to go beyond the area set by the game to reach that ce.¡± Gyeongwon shrugged again before frowning. ¡°I think they named it Netherworld because the elements must have been endlessly copied and spread out in a horrible state.¡± ¡°Huuu. I see.¡± I sighed for the third time, my expression a mix of disappointment and sadness. ¡°So there¡¯s nothing we can do out of the three ghost stories? If the opponent is the game world itself¡­ It¡¯s not something we can see or touch. It¡¯s just some space coded by invisible numbers. How do we resolve it?¡± ¡°What if we delete the game¡­?¡± When Sunah voiced out her opinion with a curious expression, Dukhun shook his head. ¡°Actually, I deleted and reinstalled it a few times while installing it earlier, but since there¡¯s nothing in this game that makes it out of the ordinary, nothing changes unless you delete all the illegal versions of the game floating on the inte¡­ just deleting one file on yourputer wouldn¡¯t change anything.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡± ¡°But don¡¯t be too dispirited so soon. We can still get points as long as we survive.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true.¡± I answered in a dejected voice. ¡°But the points earned just by encountering and surviving a ghost story are pretty cheap. Like¡­ a fifth of the whole? That¡¯s really too little.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lose heart, Prez.¡± Gyeongwon tried tofort me with a cheerful expression, despite my tone and face that looked like a wilted eggnt. ¡°Still, I think this adventure was quite fun. It helped us getting closer to each other and gave us a reasonable motivation to work hard for the next three years.¡± ¡°That 4 billion won?¡­ Yeah, well. The offer was not bad. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll lose our enthusiasm in the future anymore.¡± Even if the members were motivated for their personal gain, like earning some easy money or levelling up, at least it was better than losing their enthusiasmpletely. Although there was a heavy responsibility of saving the world ced on our heads, I didn¡¯t want them to fight the battle being reluctant. ¡°But when will Jinheee¡­?¡± I coughed in vain at Sunah¡¯s question, who had been nkly staring at me for quite some time. ¡°Ahem, that¡­ Actually, she didn¡¯t say when she¡¯ll be arriving.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Sunah replied in a slightly lethargic voice. She had been eagerly waiting for Jinhee to arrive in the inte cafe. Perhaps just like others, she was also anxious to go home as soon as possible. ¡°Well, should we head back then?¡± I slowly got up from my seat as I asked. ¡°You guys must be eager to go home too. It must be evening in real life.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Gyeongwon tilted his head at those words. ¡°I think we probably still have some time left, Prez. The flow of time in the game and in real life are different.¡± ¡°¡­ Really?¡± Dukhun nodded in agreement as I sat down again. ¡°As far as I know, it¡¯s 72 times faster. So¡­¡± Folding his thick fingers one by one, Dukhun calcted for a while before saying. ¡°A day here is 20 minutes in reality.¡± ¡°¡­.20 minutes? I wonder how much time has passed in real time ording to the game.¡± ¡°Hmm. Since about half a day has passed in the game, then it must have been about 10 minutes in reality.¡± 10 minutes. At those words, we looked at each other. ¡°We have a lot of time left before going back.¡± ¡°What should we do then?¡± After thinking it over, I voiced my opinion of heading back again. ¡°It¡¯s a little early, but I think we should still head back. After all, we couldn¡¯t find anything noteworthy here nor unearth any hidden secret. Even the terrain that we¡¯re seeing is just randomly ¡®copied¡¯ scenery created by theputer¡¯s program without any meaning.¡± ¡°¡­But if we want to end the game, we have to logout from somewhere safe.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I nodded at Dukhun¡¯s words. ¡°That¡¯s why we should head back to the border and the original game world map.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s getting dark¡­¡± Sunah muttered worriedly, gazing out the window. ¡°¡­You¡¯re right. It¡¯s getting dark.¡± All of us looked out the window at the approaching dusk. By now, the outside was gradually being enshrouded in darkness. When we entered this house, which ording to Dukhun and Gyeongwon was a replica of the house we built, it was already a bit dark outside. I guess too much time passed while we were engrossed in the exnation. ¡°Should we really head back now?¡± ¡°Um¡­ wait a moment.¡± My thoughts of heading back suddenly faced an unexpected worry. Was it okay to leave this ce when it was pitch ck outside and I couldn¡¯t see even an inch ahead of me? To find the right way, we would need the sun. However, we had nopass, and since we entered a realm beyond the game world, we couldn¡¯t craft one either. ¡°Since we have time left, it wouldn¡¯t be bad to just stay in this house for the night and leave.¡± ¡°Yeah, Joon. What if when we¡¯re out in the dark, and the fakes get mixed with us like before¡­¡± ¡°¡­.It¡¯ll be hard to tell them apart.¡± Their point was reasonable. So I nodded and reached the conclusion. ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll leave when the sun¡¯s up. We can observe our surroundings better during the day and can notice if someone approaches us from afar. The risk of being attacked is also reduced. On top of that, we can also use the sun to find the correct direction.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do that.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± The members nodded their heads in agreement at my decision. Crackle. Crackle. Silence descended once again in the small and cozy living room. The lighting from the firece flickered softly with a crackling sound, enveloping the room in a shadowy environment. Amidst the silence, we leaned against the wall and sat with our knees bent. It was how we thought of spending the night. Although just a few minutes had passed, we felt like an hour had passed. With our eyes half-lidded, almost at the verge of slumber, we warmed ourselves with the warmth of me by the firece. However, a sudden noise broke our drowsiness, startling us awake. Sunah, who had her face buried in her knees, also blinked in confusion and raised her head. The sound was faint. And Thud. Thud. Looking up at the ceiling from where we perceived the noise to being from, we heard the sound once again. Thud. ¡°¡­.Prez.¡± ¡°I heard it.¡± I nodded toward Gyeongwon, who was calling me quietly. Upstairs to the second floor, the only thing that should remain was the fake Sunah¡¯s corpse. We clearly confirmed beforehand that she died earlier, but why was there a sound? Creak- Creak. Creak. Creak. Before we couldprehend what the sound was about, we heard the wooden door on the second floor opening. And the footsteps of someoneing down the stairs outside. ¡°¡­Get up, everyone.¡± ¡°Whatever it is, it¡¯sing this way.¡± Creak. Creak. The members stood up at mymand, each holding a tense expression on their faces. Picking up the wooden stick, iron bars, and pokers, they armed themselves. Creak. Creak. Thud. The sound of the footsteps stopped right outside the door. ¡°¡­.There¡¯s no lock on the door. The moment whoever it is tries to open the door, I¡¯ll kick it open right away.¡± ¡°O, okay¡­¡± After saying that, I quietly walked to the door with the members and patiently waited for the person to barge in. Creak¨C The moment the person on the other side of the door pulled the doorknob. I kicked the door with all my might. Bang-! The wooden door mmed open with a loud noise, ripping off its hinges. Boom! ¡°Geuuuuu.¡± The person who was on the other side was thrown onto the floor as the door was kicked open. ¡°Huuh!¡± Thump¨C Before the person, who was rolling around in the darkness could stand up, I jumped over and stomped on her stomach to subdue her. ¡°Geuu, geuuuuu¡­¡± As I searched in the darkness to see the person¡¯s face, I realized that it was the fake Sunah, with an arrow still stuck in its forehead. ¡°T, this is¡­¡± ¡°How is it alive?¡± ¡°Shit, it looks like a corpse¡­ but it¡¯s moving.¡± Dried bloodstains, empty eyes, visible veins on its face. This wasn¡¯t normal. Other members crowded around the fake Sunah, who was squirming its body beneath my feet that was pressed onto its stomach, to prevent it from slipping out through the front door. Just as I was wondering what kind of nightmarish situation this was. ¡°Eh, yikes¡­!¡± Sunah, who appeared behind everyone and saw the scene, suddenly raised the wooden stick in her hand and hit the fake one with all her might with both hands. Whack¨C As if hammering a protruding nail, the arrow that Hayoon had driven in was embedded even deeper into the fake¡¯s head and the corpse finally stopped moving. ¡°L-Let¡¯s kill it first¡­¡± Catching her breath as if she had run a marathon, Sunah suggested as she wiped away her sweat. ¡°¡­Good job, Sunah.¡± Hiding my inner fear, I nkly praised Sunah. ¡°Even if it¡¯s a game, how can a corpse be alive and move like this?¡± ¡°Hmmm.¡± Dukhun carefully examining the fake Sunah¡¯s body, but soon he flinched back before eximing loudly. ¡°So, Souka! No way!¡± [T/N: Souka (¤½¤¦¤«) is a Japanese word which can mean ¡®I see¡¯ or ¡®I understand¡¯. It is often used to show acknowledgment or realization of something that was just exined or revealed.] ¡°What is it?¡± Dukhun¡¯s face turned pale as beads of cold sweat dripped down his face. ¡°We have to run away right now! There are countless of these guysing for us!¡± ¡°What? Why so suddenly?¡± ¡°Oh, maybe you guys forgot or I forgot to mention it but one of the monsters in the MineCraft is called ¡®zombie¡¯. And this corpse has the exact appearance as that! A zombie that turned into a monster at night!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a monster of the night!¡± Pacing back and forth anxiously, Dukhun kept rambling on. ¡°Monsters appear at night in this game, remember!? That¡¯s why I told you to carry a torch before!¡± ¡°Yeah, I remember!¡± When Sunah and I were wandering around the southern part of the game world at night, I remembered Dukhun instructing us to carry a torch and be careful of monsters. I also remembered that we crafted two torches from the coal we found in a rabbit hole. ¡°The monsters that appear at night aren¡¯t ordinary monsters that were there in the original version of the game. They¡¯re just randomly scattered around everywhere by theputer!¡± ¡°¡­.So?¡± ¡°Listen carefully, President.¡± With extreme seriousness, Dukhun began exining. ¡°This ce, the Far Away Land, is a space that had neither been coded nor created by the developers. It¡¯s a ce where theputer¡¯s random variable generation is the sole creator and all the elements lose their limits and run wild! Unlike the mobs and monsters which were generated appropriately in the original game world, this ce must be filled with countless monsters that are replicas of us being duplicated right now!¡± ¡°That¡¯s crazy!¡± I quickly motioned for my club members to follow my instructions. ¡°There¡¯s nothing you guys left behind, right? Then let¡¯s get out of here right now!¡± * * * Under the sky that had darkened to the fullest,id a vast pasture where nothing could be seen even an inch ahead. There was no moon glowing in the dark sky either, making it difficult to navigate the correct way. And to top it all, droplets of rain started to pour down. ¡°Huuu, huuu.¡± ¡°Gasp, gasp.¡± Our steps fell quickly while our breathingboured. Including me, none of the members exercised ever in their lives. The walk back to the border was only 30-minute, but at the urgency of the situation, we couldn¡¯t help but run. The five of us moved quickly, our senses heightened to the peak. ¡°Huuu, huuu.¡± ¡°Are we, are we going the right way?¡± ¡°Damn¡­.¡± The worst prospect of the situation was we werepletely inside the game. We couldn¡¯t even use the minimap to navigate our way. All we had around us was a dark horizon above us and the dark in beneath our feet. Being surrounded by the endless darkness, there wasn¡¯t any way to find the exact direction. ¡°We have no choice but to believe that we were going in a straight line¡­ Huuu, huuu.¡± We silently but quickly walked forward, stepping on the grass green grass that has also turned dark in the profound darkness. [Prez! Prez¡­. Don¡¯t leave me behind¡­Prez] From afar, the voice of Gyeongwon crying out to me was heard. ¡°Ignore it. Huff, we should only focus on moving forward. Huu, huu.¡± Droplets of rain that started to fall one by one soon turned into a drizzle and began to soak our clothes. ¡°Gasp, gasp.¡± The dark endless in was still stretched before us. Our steps continued to move us forward. [Joon! Where are you, Joon¡­!] [President, you son of a bitch! Once I find you, I¡¯ll kill you.] Another scream was heard from afar. And it wasn¡¯t the voice of just one person. Different words, ovepping with the same voice, were also heard. ¡°Huuu, huuu.¡± As we were moving forward without uttering a single word. Jump- A small object suddenly jumped out and blocked the path between thewns that had be muddy from the rain. ¡°Wait!¡± The members all stopped at my exmation. ¡°¡­.Sorry, it¡¯s just a rabbit.¡± ¡°Huu, I thought it¡¯s them¡­.¡± I was startled when something suddenly jumped out of the dark, however, as I looked over, I realized it was just a small rabbit. ¡®Doesn¡¯t it seem like the one that ran away after seeing Sunah and me in the forest before?¡¯ The rabbit that blocked my path, shook its plump body a few times before looking up at me. It had two heads. Two heads attached to one body. Quietly gazing at me with its four red beady eyes, the rabbit then jumped forward and ran far away. [Joon¡­ Joon¡­¡­.] [Oi! Where are you¡­ Let¡¯s watch an anime together¡­] ¡°¡­.Let¡¯s move again.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± We resumed our walk, sweeping through the ominous atmosphere created by the darkness and heavy rain. Pitter. Patter. The rain started to pour more heavily, making it unable to see forward. As if that weren¡¯t enough, the ground beneath our feet had turned muddy, making it difficult to walk. ¡°Haa, haaa. Are we there yet?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± The sound of the rain pouring hard even made it difficult for us to hear each other. Wiping the water dripping down our faces and almost blocking our sight, we continued moving forward. At that moment, a ray of light appeared in the darkness far away. ¡°Look over there, there¡¯s a light!¡± ¡°Finally!¡± A small blink of light was seen far away. The light was most probably emitting from the fire of the firece we built. The firewood, still burning in the firece of the living room of the brick house built at the border of the world, created a light as faint as our hope. ¡°Hurry, hurry up!¡± ¡°Hoo, hoo.¡± Boom- Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap. The pouring rain soon turned into a raging storm. The ground had turned so muddy that even our ankles were buried deep as we tried to walk forward. Mud clung to our socks, taking even one step was difficult. We barely made it through the sloppy ground and finally arrived near the light. ¡°Oh, as expected! We reached home!¡± ¡°Hoo, hoo¡­ We¡¯ve arrived!¡± The weather had suddenly taken a drastic change, to the point where it was hard to even keep our eyes open amidst the wind and rain. We braved the heavy rain and headed toward the house standing tall at the edge of our vision. ¡°Hurry, hurry!¡± ¡°Huff, huff.¡± We hurriedly move forward, enduring the pouring rain from above us and mud beneath our feet. Step- Thump. My feet, reaching the threshold of the house suddenly stopped. At my sudden pause, the members who had beening in a line behind me all bumped into my back. ¡°What, what¡¯s wrong? Prez? Let¡¯s go in quickly!¡± ¡°Huff, huff¡­ Joon?¡± The front door of the house looked like it was forcefully opened with its hinges ripped off. And inside, the corpse of the fake Sunah, with an arrow stuck in its head, was lying there. ¡°W, what the hell¡­¡± ¡°What the hell is this¡­.¡± The members, seeing me showing no sign of moving, followed my gaze that was stuck at the corpse of the fake Sunah and muttered nkly at the sight. Without saying anything, I walked briskly to the front door. ¡°P, P!¡± The members came chasing me in a hurry. Soon, we entered the living room through the broken door and gathered around. At the predicament we found ourselves in, I bit my lip. ¡°What is this¡­¡± The members held their breath as their eyesnded on the object of my predicament. The words that were written inrge letters on the living room wall in crimson. Wee to Hell. T/N: If you like my work, consider supporting me on Kofi. Chapter 80: Tenth Ghost Story – Minecraft’s Herobrine (13) Chapter 80: Tenth Ghost Story ¨C Minecraft¡¯s Herobrine (13) For a moment, only silence flowed amidst the sound of the raging storm outside the house. None of us could figure out what the writings could mean or why it appeared there. Then, someone slowly opened their mouth, breaking the intense silence. ¡°¡­It¡¯s the Ring Wandering phenomenon, Prez.¡± Barely gathering his breath, Gyeongwon muttered slowly. The walk through the mud and rain had exhausted him as well as everyone. He took a few deep breaths before starting to exin. ¡°It¡¯s a mountaineering term, but it refers to a phenomenon where you think you¡¯re going in a straight line at night or in bad weather, however, you¡¯re actually wandering around the same ce in a circle.¡± ¡°Wandering around in a circle.¡± Biting my lip, I closed my eyes and began contemting. The legend of Herobrine. Apparently, the legend was about following the traces of an unknown NPC and wandering around in a circle and returning back to the same ce. If those conditions met properly, we¡¯d reach Hell. ¡°We¡­ We returned to the same ce?¡± Dukhun, who barely managed to gather his breathing, asked in a flustered tone. ¡°We walked so hard!¡± ¡°Or, this could be another of those replicated houses.¡± Gyeongwon muttered once again with a serious expression, cing his hand on his forehead. I shook my head and answered. ¡°¡­.Either way, it¡¯s clear that we¡¯re lost.¡± ¡°Uh, what should we do now, Joon?¡± Sunah asked with a worried expression. At the question desperately hoping for an answer, I couldn¡¯t help but close my eyes tightly. We were trapped in the game world. The only one who could get us out was Jinhee. But the flow of time in the game was different from reality. We had no idea when she¡¯d arrive in the inte cafe. Even if she were to disconnect the connection from outside, there was no telling what kind of impact it would have if we forcefully logged out from a strange space. It was imperative for us to go back to the original world map before logging out in a safe zone. However, we had already lost our way. To make matters worse, we have just unknowingly fulfilled the conditions and triggered the ¡®Legend of Herobrine¡¯ ghost story. Although I didn¡¯t know what kind of ghost story it was, something terrible was definitely going to happen now. All the three ghost stories were intertwined and entangled in the worst possible way. ¡°I¡¯ve decided. I¡¯m going to kill myself and go back in time.¡± ¡°Wait a minute! Wait a minute, Prez!¡± Before the thought of killing myself could proceed further, Gyeongwon hurriedly walked over to me and put a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Think about it again. There¡¯s no guarantee that you¡¯ll go back in time even if you die here.¡± ¡°¡­.Why?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening in the inte cafe in reality right now.¡± Gyeongwon stopped for a moment to catch his breath before continuing his exnation with an urgent expression. ¡°Although we somehow found ourselves inside the game, we have no idea if it¡¯s our real bodies that were sucked into the game or only our consciousness that entered¡­¡± ¡°¡­.That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°What if, Prez?¡± A bead of cold sweat dropped down his face as he pushed up his sses. ¡°What if your real body is in reality in the inte cafe, and it¡¯s your consciousness that is inside the game?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°What if your attempt to kill yourself and die here doesn¡¯t kill your body but only your consciousness? If that were to happen, won¡¯t we, in reality, be vegetative?¡± ¡°Listen. I heard that many people who yed this illegal version went crazy. What if that¡¯s the result of them dying in the game? Wouldn¡¯t that be dangerous if we recognize that as the system¡¯s death and attempt to turn back time?¡± Beads of sweat soaked with rainwater ran down his forehead. Wiping away the sweat and rainwater from his forehead with trembling hands, Gyeongwon continued his exnation. ¡°The only times you¡¯ve died so far, Prez, were when you were physically hit or injured heavily in a way. If your consciousness dies, is it possible to go back in time?¡± A groan spilled my mouth as I clenched my fists in frustration. His reasoning was certainly something to ponder deeply about. ¡°If that were to happen, we would be vegetative for three years. And then three yearster, the Demon King will be resurrected¡­ and we¡¯ll go back to the entrance ceremony¡­¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± I mmed my hand hard on the wall of the living room where words were written in blood. An unknown emotion, as if someone was gripping my heart and squeezing it hard, rose from somewhere deep inside. Fear. Guilt. Terror. My mind was in a mess at the crisis I brought upon ourselves. The crisis that I¡¯d never be able to reverse, even if I died. Before stepping into it, my heart was free from any tremor. However, now I felt like I was stuck in a mud pit and couldn¡¯t get out. ¡°Huu, huu.¡± Shaking my head, I held my forehead, and leaned against the wall with my other hand. My heart slowly filling with despair. It was as if I was staring up at a wall, as tall as a mountain and as thick as a rock. I thought there would be, should be a way out somehow even if it was dangerous. And if no way was found, I could just die. Is this how it is¡­? How did things end up like this? What the heck? ¡°Hey¡­¡± The members approached me with worried faces. I waved my hands at them, indicating I didn¡¯t need their condolences. ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m¡­¡± ¡°Joon¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, guys.¡± Even looking at them in the eyes was hard for me at that moment. I couldn¡¯t dare face them after putting their lives in jeopardy. ¡°I thought everything would work out just like it always has. If we continued pushing forward¡­ wouldn¡¯t we find a way out somehow just like before?¡± ¡°Even if there was no way¡­ I thought I could continue pushing forward alone by turning back time as many times as possible.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m sorry. For dragging you into a strange ce like this¡­ in this situation¡­¡­¡± ¡°Joon¡­¡± Sunah approached me hesitantly with a sad expression. Then, standing next to me, who had his head lowered in shame and guilt, she slowly wrapped her arms around me in a warm embrace without saying a word. ¡°Wait.¡± Just at that moment, Hayoon indicated to look out the only window in the living room. ¡°Someone¡¯s here.¡± They are here already? The members, on whom the atmosphere also took a heavy toll, turned around to look through the window. Sunah also looked back with an anxious expression. The grip of her thin arms around my body tightened in fear. Beyond the window, on the endless vast pasture painted by darkness. A storm was raging. Lightning shed through the sky from where rain was pouring endlessly and wind was blowing fiercely. Thump, thump, thump. A silhouette of something wriggling could be seen under the light that momentarily shed by. It was as big as a small mound and also quite tall. The silhouette swayed under the pouring rain as it approached quickly. ¡°¡­.Not good.¡± ¡°Damn.¡± When the lightning finally stopped, the in turned dark again. However, the silhouette was still moving forward quickly. It wasing our way. ¡°¡­Haa.¡± Thump, thump, thump, thump. Soon, the sound of someone running heavily on the ground was heard through the rain. In an instant, we quickly grabbed our weapons and took a stance. ¡°Oi, President! Don¡¯t behave like the four-eyes aftering all the way here!¡± Wiping the sweats dropping down his forehead, he gripped the poker tightly with both hands. ¡°Get yourself together! We have no choice but to fight now!¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right¡­!¡± Gyeongwon also held the iron bar in his hands tightly and spoke up, his thin form shivering, however. ¡°Let¡¯s hold on, no matter what! Until Jinheees!¡± Hayoon also raised her crossbow with a stoic expression and stood guard toward the window. Sunah looked back at me, who still had a disprited look on his face. Looking at my foul expression, she whispered softly in my ear. ¡°Joon. I¡¯ll protect you. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump. As soon as she finished speaking, the heavy footsteps of someone quickly running over were heard. The ground shook heavily at each step. ¡°¡­They¡¯reing!¡± Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud- The thing that was running at full speed from outside jumped with all its might and flew through the window. Thump-Cang-! [Let¡¯s see how sturdy this ss made by humans iiiiisssss!!!!!!] At the heavy weight put against the window, the window immediately broke apart and shards of ss flew everywhere. Wind mixed with rain rushed into the living room. Thud, thud. Therge figure, which was apparently the fake Dukhun, rolled on the floor along with the shards of ss. ¡°Hit him! Hit him!¡± ¡°Hick!¡± Before the bastard could even get up, each of the members struck it down as hard as they could with their weapons. Thwack, thwack. Droplets of rain and mud sttered around everytime itsrge body was hit. [How dare you hit your cute Senpaaaiii!!!!!!!!!] ¡°Ahh!¡± The fake Oh Dukhun, who was struggling on the floor, suddenly stretched one of its arms forward with a roar and grabbed the iron bar that Gyeongwon was holding. With the other hand, it grabbed the wooden stick that Sunah had in her hands. Then it stretched out its hand for the third time and grabbed Hayoon¡¯s ankle, who had her feet raised and was kicking it. Pulling her ankle, it tripped her and then using thest hand, it pushed himself up to its feet. In the dark we werete to notice but it had four arms. ¡°Nooo! How dare you imitate me!¡± The real Dukhun was enraged by the fact that the fake Dukhun had subdued the other members. In a frenzy, he hit it with a poker. Thwack- Thwack- Thwack- Thwack- ¡°Stop talking shit about me!!¡± [What¡¯re you doing! I-] [T/N: Everything the fake Dukhun said was a mixture of Japanese and Korean. So I¡¯ve directly changed them without keeping them in the original terms.] ¡°What the heck!!¡± Oh Dukhun, who used his brute strength to support the lump of flesh that weighed nearly 0.15 tons, struck the body even harder. ¡°I¡¯ll only cry when I see my coffin oohhhh!!!!!¡± Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack. Using all the strength of his fatty arms, he struck the thick head of the fake Dukhun a few more times. Soon, the thing, which was waving its four arms like a cockroach, stopped moving and fell limp. ¡°Huu, huu, huu.¡± ¡°Huff, huff.¡± [Joon.] As we were grasping to catch our breath, the sound of someone calling out to me out the window was heard again. The members quickly turned around, holding their weapons in their hands. [I¡¯ve been to ces you can¡¯t even imagine. Hell is just a word.] Kang-! At that moment, an arrow flew through the air from the crossbow at Hayoon¡¯s hands, creating a cheerful metallic sound. The arrow flew straight across the living room and hit the fake Hayoon¡¯s forehead. Puk- The fake immediately copsed onto the muddy ground, without even making a sound. ¡°Hoo, hoo.¡± ¡°Huff, huff.¡± The members tried to catch their breath. Thump. Thump. Thump. However, the sound of someone running through the mud was heard again. Our heads snapped toward the entrance. Through the wooden front door with its hinges ripped off, the silhouette of someone running through the wind and rain was seen rushing to us from far away. Thump. Thump. Thump. ¡°Get ready! Get ready¡­¡± Gyeongwon¡¯s desperate shouts echoed in vain, and the thing that was running at full speed suddenly changed direction. Before we couldprehend, the thing straight shot to the stairs, climbing to the second floor. Creak. Thud. Thump. The sound of someone¡¯s feet stomping, as if they were kicking off the mud, resonated loudly from the ceiling. ¡°Damn, are they trying to find a hole on the second floor or something¡­¡± ¡°Here ites! One more!¡± When I turned my head again at Dukhun¡¯s shout and looked out the window, I heard a loud noiseing from far away. A huge lightning bolt shed and lit up the sky. It struck the middle of the meadow far away, sending sparks and me flying even amidst the pounding storm. At the same time the surrounding lit up with the lightning, countless figures moving through the rain and mud were visible. There were endless rows of them. ¡°Get ready.¡± Dukhun clenched his teeth and took a stance. I also pulled out the axe on my waist and held it tightly with both hands. Hoo, hoo. ¡°I¡¯ll survive. I¡¯ll definitely survive!¡± I muttered to myself, as if encouraging me with a vain hope, ignoring my pounding heart. [Joon, Joon, Joon¡­.] [Prez, Prez, Prez¡­..] They wereing. All the members of the Ghost Story Club wereing. T/N: If you like my work, consider supporting me on Kofi.You can also read advance chapters by supporting me~ Chapter 81: Tenth Ghost Story – Minecraft’s Herobrine (14) Chapter 81: Tenth Ghost Story ¨C Minecraft¡¯s Herobrine (14) Bam-! [Joon, I don¡¯t have money. Buy a chicken for me.] The fake Sunah ran towards me with all its might, kicking the front door which was barely hanging from the hinges. ¡°Aahh!¡± Without hesitation, I swung my axe at it. But the fake Sunah dodged it by slightly changing direction and suddenly jumped at me. [I want money, Aaaah!] ¡°Eeek!¡± At that moment, the real Sunah, who was beside me, swung the wooden stick in hand with all her might. Swish! The wooden stick flew past my hair with a cracking sound. At the narrow distance between us, the stick hit the fake Sunah squarely in the face. Smack- Thud. ¡°Haa, haa, Sunah, thank you!¡± ¡°Here theye! Here theye again!¡± Soon, another Dukhun, perceivably a fake, rushed from outside, wading through the mud. [Where is Watashi¡¯s happiness in that!] [T/N: ¡®Watashi¡¯ is a Japanese word which means ¡®My¡¯, ¡®My own¡¯ etc.] Tukang-! But before it could pass the threshold, it was hit in the head by an arrow fired by Hayoon. Its huge body fell back in the back as its head got buried in the mud, sttering them around. Thump. [You guys! You guys are terrible at studying so why bother fighting!] ¡°When did I ever say that!¡± A fake Gyeongwon tried to climb up through the window, eximing loudly. However, it was hit by the iron rod held in Gyeongwon¡¯s hands, almost knocking it out. Thwack, thwack. Another fake Hayoon rushed through the front door while I was momentarily distracted. I could vaguely see a figure running up to the second floor from behind, which was the reason for my distraction. Kang! The fake Hayoon slightly twisted its head to dodge the arrow fired by the real Hayoon. Turning her head around, she startedughing wildly. Whish. While Hayoon was busy reloading another bunch of arrows, the fake Hayoon rushed inside, its back hair shing past us. Then, it jumped into the center of the living room before we could stop it. ¡°Kuso kyaro!¡± [T/N: Kuso yar¨­ (¥¯¥½Ò°ÀÉ) is Japanese which means ¡®You piece of shit¡¯, ¡®Bastard¡¯ etc. The ¡®k¡¯ pronounced before ¡®yaro¡¯ was most probably done in a panic.] Swish. Just like before, the fake Hayoon stepped aside and swiftly dodge the poker swung by Dukhun. Amidst our surprised eyes, it rushed towards Gyeongwon, who was still wrestling with his replica at the window. mp- thump! ¡°Ahhh! What the hell is this!¡± Gyeongwon let out a surprised scream at the sudden weight that appeared behind his back. He yelped in shock when someone grabbed him from behind while he was wrestling with his fake self. ¡°Take it off! Take it off!¡± At his scream, Sunah rushed to him with the wooden stick and began hitting the fake Hayoon who was hanging from Gyeongwon¡¯s back. The two of them, Gyeongwon and fake Hayoon, were tangled together. Gyeongwon was still struggling to stop the fake Gyeongwon from entering through the window while the fake Hayoon was hanging from his back like a ko. I wanted to help him but if I swung the axe rashly, Gyeongwon might get hurt. Instead, I grabbed the fake Hayoon¡¯s by its hair and tried to pull it off of Gyeongwon¡¯s back. ¡°Get off!¡± ¡°Ahhhhh! Aahhhh!¡± However, its grip on Gyeongwon¡¯s waist was strong as if it was stuck to him with glue. Wrapping its arms and legs strongly on his neck and waist, it suddenly bit Gyeongwon behind the neck. Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! ¡°Aaaaahh! Aaahhh-¡± ¡°Move!¡± As we hastily stepped back at the sound of Hayoon¡¯s shout, an arrow flew with a cheerful metallic sound and struck squarely on the fake¡¯s side of the head. Puk- Plop. Finally, the fake Hayoon lost the strength on its limbs and slowly fell down. While we were momentarily distracted by the sudden death, although a fake, the fake Gyeongwon took the opportunity to attempt to climb through the window again. [Those who are worse in study than me should stand behind.] ¡°You punk, get the hell out of here!!¡± Enraged, I swung the axe in my hand and struck the arm of the fake who was halfway inside through the window. Just at one hit, it fell down backwards in the mud, without being able to scream. [The Ghost Story Club is nothing but a fucking shit!] This time, it was my own replica that rushed inside. The moment I turned around, it jumped on me. I fell back at the sudden and unexpected weight and we both rolled around on the floor. ¡°This stinky bastard!¡± [This bastard!] Roll, roll. We both rolled around for a few feet before stopping. Fortunately, I quickly gained the upper hand over the fake and immediately began hitting the fake Lee Joon in the face. ¡°Go away! Go far away!¡± Smack. Smack. [Wait! Please wait!] Not being able to handle the constant onught of my fists falling on him, the fake Lee Joon shouted, begging me to stop hitting it. [Gyeongwon! Help me!] ¡°I¡¯ming, Prez!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled! It¡¯s the fake one, I¡¯m the real Joon!¡± Not knowing if he got my message, Gyeongwon strode to where I and the fake Joon were wrestling, holding an iron rod in hand. ¡°I know! I know which Prez is real!¡± Although that was what he said, he raised his hands and swung the iron rod at me. ¡°You¡¯re a fake too!¡± Smack! I quickly raised my arm, trying to shield myself from the iing rod. My head was covered by my arms, but the moment the rod fell on my arms, a bolt of tremendous pain shot through my body. ¡°Yeaaaa!¡± Fortunately, Sunah was quick to notice themotion here and immediately approached us. She swung the wooden stick in her hands mercilessly at the back of the fake Gyeongwon. The fake Gyeongwon was instantly blown away with blood dripping down its nose. I looked towards the window and realized that our Gyeongwon was still struggling to stop the fakes of ours from climbing through the window. He was swinging the iron rod in his hands in a threatening manner, attempting to somehow scare the fakes away. He didn¡¯t seem to have given any attention to this side. ¡°Huff, huff¡­. Joon. Are you okay¡­.?¡± [Yeah, I¡¯m okay.] ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m okay¡­. this bastard!!¡± Before I could answer Sunah¡¯s question, the fake Joon who was lying beneath me answered instead of me as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Looking at Sunah¡¯s face which was turning paler by second, for not being able to distinguish who was real and who was fake, I couldprehend that a fierce psychological battle to determine what should be done was urring inside her head. So I quickly picked up the axe that had fallen beside me in our struggle and unhesitatingly swung it, aiming at the fake¡¯s neck. ¡°Die you dirty punk!¡± Puk- [Keuk-] In the instant, the fake Joon copsed with blood gushing from his neck. ¡°Joo, Joon¡­.?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the real one, you asshole. Don¡¯t you dare to take my ce.¡± My eyes red at the fake me lying down in a pool of blood as I wiped the sweats on my forehead, panting lightly. None of our bodies were suitable for such strenuous activities, so a little struggle exhausted me easily. Sunah nodded to herself, as if relieved that the one who died was truly the fake Joon, and the real one was still alive. Then, she quickly turned around and went to help others. [Oi-oi. I am the President-] Another monster, this one had my face stered on Dukhun¡¯srge body, staggered in. Without hesitation, both Gyeongwon and Sunah swung the blunt weapons in their hands and instantly knocked him out. [Joon, take me with you.] Crawl- [I won¡¯t cause any trouble, so please take me with you.] A fake Sunah, with six legs, came crawling to me like a humanoid spider. Hayoon shot an arrow at it whichnded squarely on its head. ¡°Huff, huff, In Hayoon, that¡¯s a 100% hit¡­¡± ¡°Gyeongwon, is your nape okay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Prez¡­ I just identally scratched it with my fingernails because it itches.¡± Gyeongwon showed us where he was bit earlier by a fake Hayoon. The skin of his bare nape had extreme redness as if blood was going to pour out any moment. It looked particrly hideous and painful against his pale skin. Although the wound didn¡¯t seem deep, I could tell It must be hurting immensely. ¡°Herees another bunch! Again!¡± ¡°Joon, get behind me!¡± As another wave of fakes surged in, the members hurriedly took their stance. Sunah immediately stood before me and blocked my path while urging me to stay behind. Understanding that the current situation was against our favor, I quickly gave urgent instructions. ¡°Second floor! Let¡¯s go to the second floor! There are two entrances for them here, so we¡¯re ambushed easily! Once we get to the second floor, we only have to block one door!¡± ¡°Yeah! But the second floor must have already been taken over!¡± We all saw, or rather heard, something running up to the second floor earlier, before the chaos of other fakes ensued. Who knew why, but we hadn¡¯t heard a single sound from that person who went to the second floor even after a long time. Although the ground floor was a mess with us running and shouting, the second floor was too quiet. ¡°Damn it, we have no other choice! It¡¯ste, but we have to secure the second floor to suppress them!¡± ¡°Understood!¡± As soon as the instruction was over, the members rushed out the front door, with me in the front. Creak, creak. ¡°Kyaaaaak!¡± As I was about to climb the stairs through the mud, I heard Sunah screaming behind. My eyes immediately snapped to her direction. Looking down, the fake Dukhun with my face stered on, was holding her ankle, who was climbing behind me. [Gaaaaaahhh.] ¡°Aaaahhh!¡± I swung my axe at the fake Dukhun that was holding Sunah¡¯s ankle. Only then did it lose its strength and loosened its hold on Sunah. ¡°Huff, huff, what, what the hell¡­. I thought I already killed it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a zombie, President! After they die, they be zombies and will trouble us again!¡± ¡°What the fuck.¡± As long as the night stretches, monsters, who were none other than but our own replica, woulde into existence in an infinite loop. ording to the original game rules, corpses will turn into zombies. Which meant we had to kill one monster twice. In such a hopeless predicament, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if it was possible for us to survive. ¡°Climb up! We gotta climb up first!¡± ¡°Huff, huff.¡± The rain was still pouring down hard, as if it had no intention of stopping. We climbed the stairs in a line, our footsteps frenzied. [Rich, we¡¯re gonna be so rich.] Another fake was seen rushing towards us from below, sshing the mud around. ¡°Kyaaaa!¡± Kang-! Hayoon¡¯s arrow slipped through the air once again, hitting the fake Gyeongwon that was trying to climb the stairs behind us. Puk- However, it was pitch dark all around, not to mention, it was also pouring heavily. The rain and the darkness limited her visibility, so this time the arrownded on the fake¡¯s shoulder. [Ahhhh¡­ Call the police, the police.] ¡°Shut up!¡± Annoyed, Ahn Gyeongwon swung the iron rod in his hands at his own replica, pushing it down the stairs. [Ahhhh¡­ I¡¯m going to sue you¡­¡­.] The fake Gyeongwon rolled down the stairs, not before throwing a harmless threat at us. In the end, his neck snapped at one of the steps and he fell face down in the mud. ¡°Hurry, hurry!¡± ¡°Gasp, gasp.¡± Pitter, patter. Boom, boom. Lightning shed, wind blew heavily, rain poured down. We climbed the stairs in one breath and opened the wooden door on the second floor. Creak- bang! ¡°Get in! Get in!¡± ¡°Huff, huff.¡± Since there was no firece or any source of lights inside, it waspletely dark. Hastily, we got inside the room on the second floor and closed the door. ¡°Huff, huff.¡± ¡°Huff, huff.¡± We tried to catch our breath, the sprint had took a lot of our energy. [Oi! Where did you all go! I told you I bought some bread!] [Joon¡­ Don¡¯t leave me¡­ Joon¡­] The voices of the fakes, desperately searching for us from below, were heard. ¡°Huff, huff¡­ But, why is it so quiet here? Didn¡¯t a few of them climb to the second floor earlier?¡± ¡°I, I don¡¯t know¡­ It¡¯s so dark that I can¡¯t see anything¡­¡± Boom, boom. Lightning struck outside at that time, brightening the dark in, as well as the room. Boom, boom. At the momentary light that shed by, a strange creature, sitting at the centre of the room, was revealed. The creature, with the body and faces of the five of us, stared at us with 10 eyes, not even seeming to breathe. sh- We stared at the monster, silently, without being able to form any coherent words. Slosh. Slosh. The monster, with many pieces of flesh mixed together, crawled towards us, dragging its heavy body. Boom, boom. The thunder shed again with another sh of lightning, brightening the room once again and revealing the creature. Among the five heads it had haphazardly strewn around the body, I could see the mouth of the face that looked like mine opening wide. [Hello, guys.] [Do you know what this space refers to?] Slosh. Slosh. My eyes had finally adjusted to the darkness. Now I could see the silhouette of the horrible monster without needing the help of the sh of lightning. [Ah, can I exin that? It¡¯s my duty after all.] Among the lumps of flesh, Gyeongwon¡¯s sses sparkled as it opened the mouth. [Okay, Gyeongwon. Please exin.] [This space, Prez, without any doubt, is different from the rest of the game world. Needless to say, it¡¯s a space beyond the edge of the world, the ¡®Far Away Land¡¯.] [Oi oi, I know that much.] Under our horrified eyes, the five heads mushed together began chatting amongst themselves. [A space where only random variables created by procedural level generation, beyond the developer¡¯s control, run wild. Doesn¡¯t it sound like the description of true hell that replicates everything?] [Hehe. That¡¯s not all, listen carefully.] Gyeongwon¡¯s head smirked as he lifted the sses. [This game wasn¡¯t created simply to entertain people and sell it. Behind the guise of the game lies the conspiracy of Clover Corporation¡¯s scientific experiment.] [Really? You aren¡¯t joking, right?] [Hehe, Prez¡­ Joke about a huge conspiracy woven by a multinational corporation that transcends nations? That¡¯s already a well-known fact. You may be surprised to hear that the story is pretty old.] [Oh, I see¡­¡­] My head, nodding among the mush of flesh as if in agreement with Gyeongwon¡¯s words, was seen through the dark. [You all know that a few years ago, a famous Korean Go yer lost to Clover Corporation¡¯s AI, right?] [Of course. It was a very famous fact. It was even covered in the news.] [What do you think it means for arge corporation that has to hide its source all the way down to the very bottom to disclose its technology so openly, Prez? Anyone could steal such advanced technology. Truth to be told, the mass usage of AI started happening after that.] [Hmm, really? I¡¯ve never thought about the mindset of arge corporation¡­.] [Actually, that kind of technology was alreadypleted 10 years ago.] [10 years ago¡­?] My face, amidst the amalgamation of flesh, showed a surprised look. [Yes. 10 years ago.] Gyeongwon¡¯s head amidst the flesh smirked, pushing up the sses. [Clover Corporation, which was far ahead from anypany. There were rumors that they were developing technology by torturing aliens. Most certainly, the new products they were releasing to the world were technologies that had already beenpleted a long time ago.] [But if that technology waspleted long ago, they could just sell them quickly and make money! Why would they hide that?] [They weren¡¯t in a hurry to earn profit. They were apany unrivaled by any other technologicalpany. There wasn¡¯t anypany second to them in the field of technology. The world is developing too suddenly, so as to not surprise people and make them suspicious of them, they slowly release their technology.] [Oh, oh my goodness.] My face, in the midst of the mixture of others, showed a surprised expression again, but Sunah showed a look of bewilderment. [Joon¡­ I don¡¯t understand¡­¡­.] [Gyeongwon, I think Sunah doesn¡¯t understand. Can you exin it a little more easily?] [Oh, I¡¯m sorry. You don¡¯t need to feel bothered if you didn¡¯t understand what I exined. The important part starts now.] Gyeongwon¡¯s sses shone in the darkness as he pushed them up. [This game is a simtion world that recreates a virtual universe using advanced artificial intelligence. But modernputer specifications can¡¯t operate it, so theypromised the specifications by setting the graphics to hexahedron cubes as the minimum unit.] [A virtual universe.] [Hundreds of millions of yers around the world are ying this simtion game on behalf of Clover Corporation and providing research data.] [Oh, but how can such an advanced technology run on a regrputer?] [It¡¯s possible because highly advanced AI processes the calctions on your behalf. The graphics are rotten, too, just for that reason.] [¡­Well, we can¡¯t judge it by the graphics of 2019.] [However, a problem soon arose. This virtual universe had a gravitational pull by its very creation, and it was pulling the consciousness of the yers into the game.] The squishy creatures was seated in the center of the room and continued to chat amongst the mashed up heads. [10 years ago, the first researcher, whose consciousness was pulled into the game world during the development phase, was none other than Herobrine.] [I see¡­ The first person whose consciousness was pulled into the game world¡­.] [The developers quickly started researching the reason behind the problem, and soon discovered that the force that was pulling people¡¯s consciousness came from beyond the edge of the game world. Just as matter generates gravity simply by existing, this world also generates a force simply by existing.] [¡­.This is where we are now.] [The programmers rewrote the code to define a safe space that could be controlled within the game as the map of the world. They installed a transparent wall, ensuring that no one could ever cross it and go beyond it. After that, the problem of people¡¯s consciousness being sucked into the game world disappeared, and became a mere rumor circting on the inte and around the world.] The head of Dukhun, among the mass of flesh, grimaced andined after hearing its words. [Oi, oi, the problem didn¡¯t go away! Aren¡¯t we trapped in the game like this now!] [That¡¯s exactly what I mentioned when exining those rumors beforeing here. The rumor about hackers breaking into the game¡¯s security and unlocking something that ¡®should not be unlocked¡¯ was actually true.] Gyeongwon among the mash of flesh continued its exnation while leisurely raising its sses. [The transparent wall which was created to stop the people from venturing into the world beyond the border was done with advanced technology and experienced first-ss programmers. But the third-rate hackers tried to break the security by breaking the code and ended up unlocking the parts that they shouldn¡¯t have unlocked.] [The illegal version we¡¯re ying¡­.] [That¡¯s right. The hackers realizedte that they had unlocked something dangerous and attempted to quickly recode the transparent wall back, to block the entrance to the edge of the world. However, they were just third-rate hackers without an ounce of experience or advanced technology. The force flowing out from beyond the edge of the world wasn¡¯t blocked by their transparent wall at all.] [And they released the files on the inte in that state¡­.] [That¡¯s right.] [They¡¯re total scumbags.] Gyeongwon¡¯s head in the lump of flesh let out a smile of satisfaction when it saw the members were understanding its exnation well. [Then here¡¯s the problem. Herobrine, the first person whose consciousness was trapped in the game in the very beginning. What happened to him?] [Hmm, I wonder?] All the members¡¯ on the mass of flesh showed worried looks. [Maybe he couldn¡¯t escape and is still trapped here?] [Correct answer.] Hands of the creature twitched as if wanting to p. [We are well aware that only when we logout from the original game world will the consciousness return to its original owner. There are no particr side effects. The problem is the ce where you exit from the game and the extent of time you stay in the game.] [ce and time.] [As I¡¯ve mentioned earlier, Herobrine, he was a researcher in the middle of the development stage. When he was helping with the research, the wall at the edge of the world hadn¡¯t been built yet at that time. He wandered around the world for a long time and ended up in the wrong ce.] [So you¡¯re saying he got stuck in a strange ce like us. How long did he stay there?] Hayoon¡¯s face among the other faces on the creature, which had been silent in response to my face¡¯s question, answered instead. [Isn¡¯t the time flow of the game world different from reality?] [Yes, that¡¯s right. A day in the game is 20 minutes in reality. After Herobrine was sucked in, all the scientists of Clover Corporation were mobilized to try and solve the problem. But unfortunately, it took several months.] [Several months equal to¡­.] [About 20 years in this ce.] [Oh, my god¡­.] The faces of the members attached to the body of the creature all showed a horrified expression. [He had already been killed by monsters in the game a long time ago. But his consciousness and personality were constantly being replicated and divided within the program, to the point where even the smallest piece of his consciousness was split and absorbed here.] [It¡¯s horrible¡­.] [This is the end result of someone who gets sucked here.] The creature, which had been curled up on the ground, slowly stood up. Its body was twice the size of ours, and Gyeongwon¡¯s face stered onto the creature almost touched the ceiling. Five mouths of the creature moved together. [Reason never existed in this world. After splitting, duplicating, and then reuniting, and repeating that endlessly, all that remains is a jumbled personality, a monster with iprehensible consciousness.] [After repeating endlessly, all that remains is a jumbled personality, a monster with iprehensible consciousness.] [Repeating endlessly, remains a jumbled personality.] [A jumbled personality.] [Jumbled jumbled jumbled jumbled jumbled.] [Joon¡­.] The faces that had been moving their lips in a sync as if in a trance, slowly shifted their attention to us. [Joon¡­ Come here, let¡¯s be one¡­¡­] Sunah¡¯s face whispered quietly while looking at me. [So that no one can separate us¡­] And the monster slowly crawled toward us. * * * Dud, dud, dud. ¡®F*ck, why isn¡¯t he answering my phone?¡¯ Jinhee¡¯s old motorcycle, which she bought secondhand from someone she knew, parked in front of the building of the inte cafe with a harsh sound. Lifting the windshield of her tinted motorcycle helmet, she tried to call Lee Joon. However, her expression soon turned into annoyance at his unresponsive behavior. ¡®I should just smoke a cigarette and get in.¡¯ With a rough gesture, she parked the motorcycle near the entrance, took out a lighter from the front pocket of her rider jacket, and lit up a cigarette. ¡°Phew.¡± Evening was approaching above the peaceful neighborhood of the inte cafe. The smoke from Jinhee¡¯s cigarette coiled up above to the neon sign, mixing and dispersing, creating a haze. T/N: In case the readers are confused, some countries in Asia consider the first floor as the second floor. It¡¯s like the ground floor is first floor and first floor is considered second floor. If you like my work, consider supporting me on Kofi. Chapter 82: Tenth Ghost Story – Minecraft’s Herobrine (15) Chapter 82: Tenth Ghost Story ¨C Minecraft¡¯s Herobrine (15) ¡°Ugh, Fuck!¡± The movement of the creature was enough to set us into a panic. We desperately tried to open the wooden door on the second floor to escape the mass of crawling flesh. However, after struggling for a while, we felt that someone was pushing the door with the same amount of force we were employing from the outside, preventing us from opening it. ¡°What the heck! Who is out there!¡± [Ahahaha. Who else if not us?] [Hahahaha.] Beyond the door, the sound of crazyughter of the fakes of us flowed inside. It seemed it was none other than our replicas which were working together to block the door from the outside, preventing us from opening it. [Come here, Joon¡­ It feels so nice being here¡­ Let¡¯s be one¡­.] [I¡¯ll be the happiest person, we¡¯ll be united together. Ahahaha¡­.] The creature slowly crawled towards us, calling me in a soothing voice. ¡°Damn it! Jump out the window!¡± Pushing the backs of the members who were struggling against the door towards the window, I loudly instructed. ¡°Won¡¯t we break our legs!¡± ¡°Better than being here, hurry!¡± We walked backwards and approached the window closest to us, in an attempt to escape through that. ¡°Aah, aah!¡± Gyeongwon was the first to jump out. With a shrill scream, he fell to the ground that had turned muddy because of the rain. Thump. ¡°Aah¡­ Ugh¡­ Hey, guys! It doesn¡¯t hurt at all because the ground is muddy! Everyone, jump!¡± Quickly regaining hisposure, he shouted at us who were still on the second floor, encouraging us to hurry. It didn¡¯t seem like it was him who was screaming a while ago while jumping. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt, hurry!¡± ¡°Aaah!¡± Next, Dukhun jumped out in a hurry. ¡°Kimi wa is the one who¡¯s going to die here, not me!!¡± [T/N: Kimi wa (¥­¥ß¤Ï) is Japanese which means ¡®you are¡¯.] Thump- ¡°Joon! Go first¡­¡± Sunah began pushing me through the window, urging me to jump down. ¡°Okay,e quickly!¡± Without wasting a single second, I jumped right away and fell into the mud, sshing them around. Ssh! I quickly wiped the mud that sshed all over my face with the back of my hand, and stood up, looking up at the second floor and quickly moved away. [Where are you guys going? Are you mocking me again because I watch anime?] ¡°Kyaaaaah¡­¡± I watched as Sunah jumped down after me with Hayoon following suit. Both of themnded safely on the mud. Thump, thump. ¡°Is everyone okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re okay!¡± [Oii-] The creature, amalgamation of the five of us, called out to us from the second floor as it desperately tried to squeeze itsrge body and haphazardly strewn limbs through the window. [Prez! Let¡¯s get together quickly! Men being together is quite popr these days!] [Jooooon¡­ Kiyaaaaaaaaaa.] The corpses of the fakes that we killed earlier were still on the ground floor. As soon as those zombie-like creatures saw us, they rushed at us, screaming and groaning like starved beasts. ¡°Fuck, Fuck!¡± Without hesitation, I quickly chopped one of them down with the axe and kicked the stomach of another corpse that rushed at me. sh. Smack. [Geueuheuh.] I had never held a deadly weapon ever in my life, and it was my first time not only carrying one but also using it. Each swing felt like it was real, the feeling waspletely different from the feeling in a game. I was feeling really, really nauseous and disgusted. ¡°Yaaaaaaaaaa!¡± The fake me, which I had killed earlier by shing its neck, ran at Gyeongwon, crawling on all fours. In response, Gyeongwon swung the iron rod in his hands while screaming loudly. ¡°Aaah! Aaah!¡± [Geeeuuu. Geeeeeuu.] Dukhun and Sunah, each of them swung their weapons and fought frantically. Hayoon leaned against the wall to reload her crossbow before shooting at the fakes that were running toward her. Kang- kang- Perhaps because they were our replicas, they were in no way physically stronger than us and we had equal strength. And since we were carrying weapons, we were able to subdue them easily and protect ourselves from them. However, there were just too many of them. Their numbers were far greater than us, which put us into a disadvantageous situation. I began fearing that we may lose our stamina soon. [Let¡¯s be one, ahhhhh¡­ Let¡¯s unite, ahhh¡­] The creature finally managed to squeeze through the second floor¡¯s window and was about to jump down. sh- Boom, boom. Just at that moment, in a serendipitous situation, lightning struck the creature right before our eyes. We watched in shock as the creature¡¯s body exploded instantly. Boom! ¡°Ugh, Fuck!¡± Ssh, stter. In an instant, the surrounding was filled with blood and flesh, some evennded on my face. Just as I was about to wipe it away. Slide- ¡°What, what the hell!¡± The house suddenly began tilting sideways. A fake Sunah with two heads that was rushing through the front door lost its bnce and began to roll around. ¡°The house is tilting! Everyone, be careful!¡± The corpses of the fakes began to slide down on the floor and gather on top of each other, creating a huge lump toward one wall. ¡°It¡¯s mud! The soil has turned into loose mud so the house is sinking!¡± ¡°What the fuck! Go back up to the second floor!¡± Dadadadada- We hurriedly reached the staircase and began climbing to the second floor once again. Some fakes rushed up to us, running on the nted wall, whom we quickly managed to knock down and barely secured the door to the ground floor. ¡°Go up! Go up!¡± ¡°Get your bnce right! You piece of shit!!¡± With the help of the pouring rain and raging wind. The ground had turnedpletely muddy, almost into a swamp. ¡°Get up! Get up! Get up!¡± ¡°Go!¡± We urged each other to rush to the second floor while shouting. [You guys-] Thwack- A fake began fumbling its limbs in the mud, as if swimming, and almost reached us. I quickly swung my axe at the fake and chopped its head off like chopping wood. ¡°Get up! Get up!¡± ¡°Aah!¡± However, our advance was greatly impacted because the house hadpletely tilted towards the ground, almost at the verge of copsing. The stairs had be so steep that they almost looked likedders. With extreme difficulty, we managed to climb up to the second floor. ¡°Uh¡­ what should we do now! Should we enter the room on the second floor?¡± ¡°No! Go up to the roof, to the roof!¡± ¡°¡­I understand!¡± Gyeongwon, who was in the front, climbed up the railing of the stairs, grabbed the edge of the roof, and lifted his legs up while struggling. Hyeung. Hyeung. ¡°I¡¯ll push you! Hurry!!¡± Hiiick. While Hayoon, who was behind Gyeongwon, was pushing him to get on the roof, we were busy stabbing the monsters which were trying to climb up the stairs with our weapons. [Guys, guys.] [Let¡¯s get together, let¡¯s get together.] ¡°Get up! Get up quickly!!¡± My muscles ached from overworking them. Fatigue was slowly gripping us. But I ignored the severe muscle pain in my shoulders, and swung my axe and chopped each of the fakes down. Sunah and Dukhun also beat down the ones that were trying to climb to the second floor using the railings with their weapons. ¡°I¡¯m up! Hurry up!¡± Gyeongwon finally managed to get on the roof. Shouting for us, he leaned down and urged the members to grab his hands. Members who were behind him were pulled to the roof. ¡°Hurry up!¡± ¡°Fuck!¡± Hayoon was the closest to him and also agile. She grabbed his hands and climbed to the roof with Sunah following behind. After everyone got to the roof, only Dukhun and I remained, who were blocking the fakes from reaching the stairs. ¡°Huu, huu.¡± The ground floor of our brick house, which had tilted dangerously towards the ground, was already buried in the mud. ¡°Dukhun! Have you climbed up yet? Have you?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! I can¡¯t climb up! President, you go up first!¡± Dukhun struggled to climb to the roof with his thick legs. However, because of his fat muscle andck of motor skills, he could only struggle desperately without being able to climb up. The members from above tried their best to pull him up, but he was just too heavy. ¡°Go up first, Lee Joon! Hurry up!!¡± ¡°Fuck, I¡¯ll push you from behind! I can get up on my own anyway!¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do! Just go first!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do it! Hurry up!¡± While I was frantically shouting, urging him to climb up to the roof quickly, Dukhun suddenly halted his struggle and put his hand on my shoulder. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s okay, so go first.¡± Raindrops flowed down heavily on Dukhun¡¯s tightly shut lips as he said with a determined expression. ¡°Just go.¡± ¡°Fuck¡­ Fuck¡­¡± Without giving me any time to refuse, Dukhun got down on his knees and bent his back with his palms opened in front. He was serious about helping me climb first. ¡°Come on.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± I stepped on his opened palms and gripped the railing to climb up. At that moment. Boing- Dukhun suddenly jumped high, with me, who had just put his feet on his palms. The sudden power that bounced us both high was unbelievable. ¡°Wow, whoaaaaah!!!¡± I failed my arms in the air, my body floating in the sudden absence of gravity. ¡°What, what¡¯s happening!¡± ¡°Whoaah!¡± Both of us were bouncing in the air as if we had no control over our limbs. Our bodies bounced in the air for a while with us iling our limbs around in panic. Suddenly, the force that was hovering our bodies in the air disappeared and I mmed face first into the roof. ¡°Kwaaaaak!¡± ¡°Joon! Grab my hand!¡± The house had tilted dangerously to the side which made my unbnced body slid down from the roof. Sunah quickly jumped towards me and barely managed to grab my hand. After struggling and bouncing around in the air, the five of us eventually made it onto the roof. ¡°What, what was that just now? Dukhun, how did you jump so high?¡± ¡°I, I don¡¯t know! It happened suddenly¡­!¡± Before he could exin more, he suddenly started sitting down and standing up repeatedly. ¡°Why are you behaving like this all of a sudden?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know! My body is moving on its own!¡± When Dukhun was standing up and sitting down without any reason, this time, Sunah suddenly raised her arms and started iling around. ¡°Huh, what?¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I, I don¡¯t know¡­¡± She repeated the iprehensible behavior, then slowly started walking backward and forward again. ¡°What is happening? What is happening all of a sudden?¡± The wind was raging with the rain pouring harshly down on us. The mud was sinking our house and we were isted on the roof. The situation couldn¡¯t be worse. While I was trying toprehend the members¡¯ sudden inexplicable behaviour, something extremely tall, almost reaching the sky was seen far beyond the horizon. Under the rising moonlight that began to peak through the heavy rain and cloudy sky, the thin and tall tower-like thing was approaching us from afar. ¡°Okay, no time to fool around! Stand properly!¡± ¡°No! We really aren¡¯t doing this willingly, our bodies are moving around on their own!¡± Under the stormy environment and almost invisible moonlight, I barely distinguished the silhouette of the tall thing. It was a huge tower, created by the fakes of ours, standing on top of each other. [Gyaaaaaa.] It looked like the status shown in the old fairytale Town Musicians of Bremen. [T/N: The ¡°Town Musicians of Bremen¡± (German: Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten) is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in Grimms¡¯ Fairy Tales in 1819. For more information, click here.] A tall tower which was created by the monsters with our faces by climbing up onto each other¡¯s shoulders and standing together almost reached the sky. It slowly started approaching us, wading through the mud. [Gaaaaaaa.] ¡°Damn it.¡± The roof was sinking. And a tower of monsters was approaching us, twisting their bodies. At that moment. Following Sunah and Dukhun who had lost control over their bodies, Gyeongwon started spinning around. Suddenly, as if something clicked in his mind, he shouted with urgency. ¡°It¡¯s Jinhee! Jinhee!¡± ¡°What?¡­.Ah! That¡¯s right!¡± Their sudden iprehensible behaviour suddenly made me remember their behaviour when we first started ying the game. When Dukhun was giving instructions to the members. I remembered that at that time, the members were having a hard time controlling the keyboard and their characters. Their characters were also behaving in the same manner as now. ¡°Someone is manipting the keyboard from outside!¡± ¡°Jinheeee ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lee Jinhee, yes yes yeeeeesssss!!!!!!!!!!!!¡± However, we were currently in the Far Away Land, so we couldn¡¯t just ask her to disconnect the connection. We were d that at least she could help us to some extent. But we were so desperate and anxious at that time that we just started screaming and discussing among ourselves. ¡°What should we do? What should we ask Jinhee to do?¡± ¡°Cheat key!¡± Gyeongwon shouted excitedly. ¡°Lee Jinhee! If you¡¯re listening! Use the cheat key on us quickly!¡± ¡°Jinhee!¡± Sunah also began shouting toward the stormy sky. ¡°Jinhee¡­¡­! Use the cheat key!¡± ¡°Cheat key!¡± Following them, I also looked up and shouted. ¡°Lee Jinhee! If you can hear me, hurry! Use the cheat key!¡± ¡°Jinhee!¡± ¡°Jinhee, hurry up! Hurry!¡± ¡°Lee Jinheeeeeeee!!¡± When we were shouting toward the stormy sky like a bunch of lunatics. [Admin (Oh Dukhun): Power overload] A speech bubble with English words appeared above Dukhun¡¯s head. ¡°What¡­ what is it?¡± ¡°What?¡± At everyone¡¯s sudden gaze zeroing on him, Dukhun flinched. ¡°Above your head! A speech bubble!¡± ¡°A speech bubble?¡± [Admin (Oh Dukhun): show me the money ck sheep wall the gathering] Inexplicable English messages started appearing one after another. ¡°What? What does it mean?¡± ¡°This, this is¡­¡± Dukhun tilted his head up and looked at the speech bubble floating above his head. Soon, his expression brightened. ¡°Cheat¡­ cheat key! From invincibility to infinite money! And infinite stamina!¡± ¡°Wow¡­ wooow!¡± Soon, Gyeongwon suddenly fumbled with his neck and shouted at me. ¡°Prez! Look here! The wounds are gone!¡± ¡°Oh, me too, me too!¡± The wounds we had here and there from the fierce fight. When I looked again, they were all gone. On top of that, the condition of our skin had improved. The aching pain in our muscles that had been building up and the fatigue that had been gripping us from continuously swinging our weapons had also subsided. ¡°This is worth a try!¡± ¡°Fuck, Lee Jinhee is the best! I really love you!¡± ¡°Jinhee! Thank you!¡± As if we got a confident boost. But. [Gaaaaaaaa¡­.] Slid¨C The tower created by the creatures was still wading through the mud and approaching us, and the roof was at the verge of sinkingpletely. ¡°What, what the hell!¡± ¡°Ugh! Everyone, hold on to the floor!¡± Now, the roof was almostpletely submerged in mud. There were only a few steps left to step on. ¡°Oi, Lee Joon! Even if we use the invincibility cheat, we can¡¯t do anything if the house sinks! We can¡¯t escape in this way!¡± ¡°Then what should I do? How about using teleportation cheat?¡± ¡°Using teleportation cheat is impossible unless we know our current coordinates! You have to input the coordinates of both your current location and the ce you want to teleport. But the Far Away Land is outside the game world, so there¡¯s no coordinates!¡± ¡°Then what should I do? What other cheats can we use here?¡± ¡°Aah¡­ Um¡­.¡± Dukhun desperately racked his brain for a solution in the urgent situation. ¡°What if we¡­ ask Jinhee to change the weather or the day and night?¡± ¡°That won¡¯t make the current mud disappear! Wait a minute!¡± I asked Dukhun cautiously but he immediately declined with a shout. Perhaps he was too flustered, his expression seemed like he was snarling at me. ¡°Do you know any more cheat keys we can use for the current situation?¡± ¡°There are! But why?¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s ask her to summon anything that we can ride to escape!! A car or a ne!¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing like that in this game!¡± The storm didn¡¯t stop raging even for a bit, under the pouring rain and sinking rooftop, we barely managed to continue our conversation, shouting at each other. ¡°Then what do we have, fuck! Anything we can ride!¡± ¡°We can use boats and gliders!¡± ¡°What would you use those for in this situation, fuck!¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Do you have bombs?¡± ¡°Yeah, we have dynamite!¡± ¡°Something stronger!¡± ¡°There¡¯s nuclear bombs!¡± I got confirmation from Dukhun, and desperately cried out to the sky without thinking for a moment that it could be dangerous. ¡°Lee Jinhee! Give me a nuclear bomb and a glider!¡± Dukhun showed a bewildered expression. ¡°Why a nuclear bomb!¡± ¡°If we can detonate a bomb, the clouds will evaporate and the temperature will rise. We can solve both the weather and the mud problem!¡± ¡°What! President, have you gone crazy!?¡± Gyeongwon shouted from the side in anger while listening to our discussion. ¡°Using that will put us in a dangerous position!¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll use the invincibility cheat! When the power of the nuclear bomb blows us away, we can use a glider to escape!¡± ¡°Crazy!¡± Although unconvinced, Dukhun finally nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a fucking idiot idea, but let¡¯s do it right now!¡± Then he looked up at the sky and shouted. ¡°Lee Jinhee, give us a nuclear bomb and a glider!¡± ¡°Lee Jinhee, give us a nuclear bomb and a glider!!¡± The members looked bewildered for a moment since they had no idea what was going on. However, they also cupped their mouths and shouted towards the stormy sky. ¡°Lee Jinhee, give us a nuclear bomb and a glider!¡± ¡°Lee Jinhee, give us a nuclear bomb and a glider!¡± Even Sunah raised her hands and voice and shouted loudly. ¡°Lee Jinhee, give us a nuclear bomb and a glider!¡± ¡°Lee Jinhee, give us a nuclear bomb and a glider!¡± * * * ¡°Who are you?¡± Inside the almost empty inte cafe where only a few people were mingling around, sitting in their respective seats, the five members of the Ghost Story Club had their eyes closed, as if they were unconscious. In front of theputer of Dukhun, a tall but strange man with a wide hat which was pulled down to the maximum to cover his face, was leaning down and typing something on the keyboard. Hearing Jinhee¡¯s voice behind, he paused before slowly turning around. Jinhee had just entered the inte cafe after finishing her cigarette. However, as soon as she approached the seat numbers which were previously sent by Lee Joon, she noticed someone leaning towards the keyboards of the members and typing something. As she stared at the unidentified person silently, the man took his hands off the keyboard. He pulled down the wide hat even lower, concealing his facepletely, and slowly moved away as if escaping. Thump- The man brushed past Jinhee, bumping onto her shoulders and left the inte cafe without saying a word. Ting, Ting. He left, leaving only the sound of the bells resonating around the quiet and calm inte cafe through the ss door. Jinhee frowned for a moment but soon approached the location where the unidentified figure was standing. Dukhun¡¯s body deeply buried in his seat with his eyes closed entered her vision. ¡°¡­.Hey, are you sleeping?¡± She patted his cheek, but he stayed unmoving and didn¡¯t respond at all. ¡°What are you guys doing?¡± She looked at the other members seated in their seats with their eyes closed, seemingly unconscious. Sound ofmotion leaked out of the headphones the members were wearing. Looking at their monitors, she saw that several thin and small characters were shouting frantically at the screen. But the surprising thing was they all looked exactly like the members. [Admin (Oh Dukhun): Lee Jinhee, give us a nuclear bomb and a glider!] [Lee Joon: Lee Jinhee give us a nuclear bomb and a glider!] [Yoon Sunah: Lee Jinhee, give us a nuclear bomb and a glider!] [Ahn Gyeongwon: Lee Jinhee, give us a nuclear bomb and a glider!] Jinhee looked at the messages with a confused look, not quite understanding the situation. But she still typed on the keyboard with the eagle search method, one letter at a time. [T/N: The Eagle Search Method, or Adler Search System is a ng term for an untrained type of typing on a typewriter orputer keyboard. The writer uses one or two fingers to search for the desired letters on the keyboard. The name alludes both to the eagle¡¯s circling search for its prey and to the Adler typewriterpany, which has been producing typewriters since 1898.] [Admin (Oh Dukhun): Cheat key? What¡¯s cheat key and how do I use them?] [Ahn Gyeongwon: What are you talking about? You were doing fine just now! Inte! Search the Inte and do it quickly!] A frown appeared on Jinhee¡¯s already moody appearance at the unknown situation. Although unwilling, she opened a new desktop window and began searching on the inte as instructed by Gyeongwon. No, she was about to. The pointer of the mouse only circled around the icons of Chrome, Edge, and Explorer in an awkward motion. ¡°Fuck, what is this¡­¡± Finally, she managed to click onto one of the icons with annoyance and opened the search bar. ¡°MineCraft¡­ how to¡­¡± Click, click, click. The speed of Jinhee typing on the keyboard was extremely slow. She typed cautiously in fear of clicking the wrong letter, using the eagle search method. It was clear that she certainly had no experience withputers. T/N: This chapter and the previous one were so hard¡­.. Also, has the trantion quality improved or worsened? And if you like my work, consider supporting me on Kofi. Chapter 83: Tenth Ghost Story – Minecraft’s Herobrine (15) Chapter 83: Tenth Ghost Story ¨C Minecraft¡¯s Herobrine (15) Boom, boom. Sparks of lightning ran across the stormy night sky once again. The giant human tower approached us through the mud, dancing and wriggling like a twisted serpent. ¡°Ha¡­ not just one or two but¡­!¡± More and more behind. There were several human towers behind the one approaching us, each created with our replicas. The towers rose through the mud in a twisted manner, like a cluster of tornadoes swirling above the sea. Countless replicas waddled through the mud and continued their advance. ¡°What the hell is Jinhee doing!¡± ¡°Time flow is different here, remember. We have to wait, Prez!¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± The roof had sunk almostpletely into the mud. There wasn¡¯t any ce for us to step on so the five of us were pressed together. Thest wooden nk where we huddled together was so narrow that we were struggling to keep our bnce on the edge, pressing our bodies against each other. ¡°They¡¯reing! They¡¯reing!¡± ¡°What!¡± I instantly looked up at Gyeongwon¡¯s urgent shout. With panicked eyes, I saw one of the towers had already reached us. The replicas that were at the top of the tower leaned over towards us, attempting to grab one of us. [Gaaaaaaaaa-] ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°Aaaghhh!¡± Before we couldprehend, the replicas began to fall one after another like pieces of blocks. It copsed straight down, aiming right at the ce we were on. ¡°Jump! Jump to both sides!¡± ¡°Eeeaaaaah!¡± st- As we jumped to both sides, the towerpletely copsed on the narrow nk, shattering it to pieces. We dodged aside before any of the replicas could grab us. [Gaaa- Gaaa-] The members of the Ghost Story Club were separated from each other because of the human towers surrounding us. We fumbled our limbs in the mud, trying our best to stay afloat. ¡°Huff, huff!¡± ¡°Joon! Grab this!¡± Sunah swam toward arge wooden nk floating above the mud and pushed it towards me. ¡°T-thank you!¡± ¡°Pull your body up¡­!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± I grabbed the edges of the nk with both arms and pulled half of my body on top of it. Holding my body, I barely kept my bnce on the wooden nk to avoid sinking in the mud. [Gueeeek- Gueeeek-] The endless string of human towers surrounded us, swimming across the mud. Far ahead behind one of the towers I could see Gyeongwon, Dukhun and Hayoon floating in the mud, barely holding their bodies from sinking. ¡°Is everyone okay?¡± ¡°We¡¯re fine! We¡¯re fine!¡± ¡°Huuu, huuu.¡± Jinhee, please hurry¡­ *** ¡°Hey,e over here for a moment.¡± ¡°Uh, us¡­?¡± Two elementary school students, who were about to leave the inte cafe after finishing a game in a good mood, stared at Jinhee, who called them to go over, with question marks above their heads. When the scary-looking older sister suddenly called out to them, they halted with a surprised expression. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Fuck,e here quickly.¡± ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡± The elementary school students looked at therge owner of the PC lying on the floor and hesitantly approached Jinhee. Therge owner, who was lying beside the seat, was none other than Dukhun. Jinhee had moved him there and taken his ce in front of hisputer. ¡°You guys know how to y MineCraft.¡± ¡°Ma, MineCraft?¡± ¡°Mmhm.¡± The elementary students moved their gazes at the monitor screen showing the graphics of MineCraft with a puzzled expression. They were trying toprehend what was the reason for the older sister with scary appearance called them to y MineCraft for. ¡°¡­Yes, we know. We were just leaving after ying that.¡± ¡°Thene here and help me out.¡± The two students gave each other an unsure stare. Whatever the reason was, they were d that the older sister wasn¡¯t asking them for money or robbing them. So they lowered their guard and rxed a bit as they approached the seat where Jinhee sat. ¡°What do we have to do?¡± ¡°Summon some nuclear bombs and gliders with cheat keys.¡± ¡°Yes, just a moment¡­¡± The elementary school students passed by Dukhun, who had taken an incredible amount of space on the cold floor with his belly sticking out. Approaching the monitor screen, they skillfully typed on the keyboard and summoned the items Jinhee instructed. ¡°¡­Uh. Where is this?¡± ¡°The coordinates aren¡¯t even showing up¡­¡± They muttered among themselves, confused at the fact that the MineCraft they were seeing on the screen looked different than the one they yed. Soon, several items were seen falling inside the screen. ¡°Here. I summoned some items with infinite durability. Do you need anything else?¡± While asking so, the elementary student couldn¡¯t help but nce at Jinhee shyly. Although she looked a bit scary because of her mean mien, her tight leather jacket,plementing her figure was beautiful. And the fact that she had been ying the game they liked to y also filled their little hearts with curiosity and interest. ¡®¡®Hmm.¡¯¡¯ Jinhee crossed her legs as she made herselffortable, quietly staring at the monitor. ¡°Then, summon any items you think are needed to y this game. Some cheat items if possible.¡± ¡°Yes, wait a minute¡­¡± Tap- tap- * * * ¡°Look up! Look up!¡± Suddenly, Gyeongwon shouted at us from afar. ¡°Items! Items!¡± ¡°Hurry up and grab them!¡± Various items suddenly started pouring down from the air along with the heavy rain. Weapons, armor, shoes, diamonds, logs¡­ ¡°Joon! A boat!¡± ¡°Huff! Alright!¡± Amidst our surprised eyes, a wooden boat appeared out of thin air and sshed down in the mud. Before it could get swept away by the heavy rain and raging storm, Sunah quickly swam over and grasped it firmly ¡°Huff, huff.¡± Slosh, slosh. I also fumbled my limbs and waded through the mud, barely managing to reach out and grab onto the boat. Although in my mind I was moving my arms as if swimming, the mud was thick which made my lower body stuck inside, so I was just floundering. ¡°Joon, hurry¡­¡± Watching me struggling to get onto the boat, Sunah swam over to me and got behind before pushing my butt from behind. With her help, I managed to get onto the boat, grabbing the edges and pushing my body up. ¡°Thank you, Sunah. Come on, hold my hand ande up!¡± ¡°Yeah¡­!¡± I reached out and pulled Sunah up onto the boat. We both began looking around for a piece of wood which we could use as a makeshift oar. I grabbed a piece of wood floating nearby and pushed the mud hard with it. ¡°Over there!¡± ¡°Yeah¡­!¡± We rowed hard in the direction of the items pouring down from thin air. Ssh, ssh. If it was my previous stamina, rowing in the mud like this would have been impossible. However, thanks to the invincibility cheat, even after pushing my muscles to the extreme, they still felt stout and no tiredness greeted me. We quickly reached our desired location using our surprisingly tenacious stamina. ¡°Okay! I got it!¡± My hand caught one of the items pouring down with the rain. ¡°But what is this!¡± Since it was dark with asional lightning shing by, I caught something without knowing what it was. The item felt long and thin with a handle at one end. I fumbled with the item and soon found a button in the middle of the handle. As soon as I pressed the button, a sh of light ignited above the handle and slowly climbed up, lighting the whole thing. Shiiiiing. It was a lightsaber. ¡°Aahh! Aaaghhhh!!¡± A human tower, perhaps attracted by the light in the midst of pitch ck darkness, stood tall and separated me from others as it waddled in the mud. Beyond that, from where the rest of the members were, I could hear Gyeongwon screaming at the top of his lungs. [Is your family wealthy? Compared to our family, it¡¯s nothing but a den of beggars.] ¡°Go away! Go away!¡± A fake Hayoon was grabbing him from behind, desperately trying to pull him into the mud. The other members around was holding wooden nks, trying their best to keep their body afloat. Therefore, even after hearing Gyeongwon¡¯s scream for help, they weren¡¯t able to approach him to help. ¡°Sunah! Let¡¯s go help quickly!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Sunah grabbed a shovel that was shining even in the dark because it was crafted of diamond and began pushing the mud with it like an oar. With her help, the speed of the boat increased in no time. Perhaps because of the invincibility cheat, none of us felt tired even after putting so much strain on our muscles. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± [Gaaaaaaa-] The human tower that separated me from other members soon blocked our boats approaching. It started twisting around our boat, making it difficult to pass through and help my members. ¡°Hwaaaaap!¡± Shiiiing. Enraged, I put down the wooden board I was using as an oar and grabbed the lightsaber. Standing at the bow of the boat, I swung it with all my might, hitting the human tower exactly in the middle. [Guoooo-] Ssh, ssh. [Joon, Joon.] [Prez, Prez.] The replicas that fell from the tower began fumbling their limbs in the mud, sshing them around and rushed towards us. I swung the lightsaber in hand again and cut a few of them as if cutting soft tofu and headed towards our destination. ¡°Charge!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± I hit the middle of another human tower, splitting it into two and advanced to the rest of the members. Stab. [Gyaaaah¡­.] I finally reached Gyeongwon and stabbed the fake Hayoon, who was stuck on his back and trying to drown him into the mud with the lightsaber. The fake Hayoon was easily neutralized, and after getting rid of it, I urged them to get on the boat. ¡°This way! Get on!¡± ¡°Haaa, haaa¡­¡± Gyeongwon quickly climbed on the boat, with Dukhun and Hayoon following suit. ¡°Haa, haa.¡± The constant rain and wind, along with the replicas who were attacking us, fighting with everything had taken a huge toll on our bodies. Even Hayoon, who always had a calm expression, looked exhausted from the continuous mud fight in the rain. Her long ck hair was covered in mud, dishevelled from the fight with the fakes. But her transparent skin contrasted with the dark mud seemed to increase her eerie charm even more. ¡°Where is the nuclear bomb? I think I saw someone grabbing it earlier!¡± ¡°Hey¡­ here¡­!¡± Dukhun handed me the nuclear bomb the size of a basketball while gasping for breath. ¡°How do you detonate it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, just throw it!!¡± ¡°Fuck it¡­¡± Poof- ¡°Another item!¡± We looked up just in time to see another item, more precisely a giant glider, appearing in the sky and falling down. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s so big¡­¡± ¡°It looks like everyone has to ride it at once!¡± The glidernded near the boat, its body tilting into the mud and almost sinking. But the members quickly jumped toward it, barely managing to reach out and grab it. [Money money money money.] [Ghost story, ghost story, ghost story.] In the meantime, I hastily swung my lightsaber and cut apart a few of the ones that had been swarming around the boat. With quick movement, we set up the glider on the boat. [Guoooooo¡­ gaaaaa¡­.] Ssh, ssh. While we were busy setting the glider, a giant creature that looked way more frightening than before howled in the distance. The eye of the storm seemed to be raging around it as lightning shed by. ¡°Huff, huff.¡± It waa huge¡­ really huge. It was like a whole mountain was moving. [Preeeesiiiideeeentttt.] A giant monster, with thousands of replicas mped together, howled loudly in the distance. At the same time, the little guys swimming around the boat also attempted to climb on the boat. [Prez, Prez, Prez, Prez, Prez.] [Joon, Joon, Joon.] ¡°You juggling bastards! There¡¯s no end to them, fuck!¡± ¡°Ignore them! Just hurry up and throw the bomb, Prez!¡± As instructed, I ignored the replicas swarming around us and clinging to the boat, and grabbed the nuclear bomb. Holding it tightly, I spun around in my ce, like an Olympic athlete doing a shot put, and threw it far away with all my might. ¡°Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! Eat this you fucking shit!!!!¡± Swiiiish- As soon as I threw it into the air, as if that was the trigger, the jet engine behind the bomb activated on its own. A huge me erupted from its retractive hole and it advanced forward on its own. In an instant, it disappeared from its ce with the speed of light, only leaving a thin after line of the burning me. The rocket flew through the darkened sky covered in thick clouds and toward the huge creature in the distance. [President President President President] [Joon Joon Joon Joon Joon.] While we were cutting down the replicas surrounding us, a huge sh of light rose from the moving mountain in the distance. At the same time, the cloud spreaded out in a circr pattern from its center and quickly evaporated as if disappearing into nothingness. ¡°President! Hold on tight President!¡± ¡°Yeeaahh!¡± The glider was quiterge, with a 3m long body spreading on both sides of the boat. It had a pretty simple structure, consisting of only wings and a few frames to glide through the air. The five of us on the boat stood in a line, holding onto the huge bar of the handle at the front of the glider and took our stance. ¡°It¡¯sing! It¡¯sing¡­¡± ¡°Hold on tight!¡± We watched as me erupted along with a dazzling mushroom cloud in the dark sky. It rose to the sky in the distance, creating a huge vortex of wind. [ President President President¡­ Gwaaaaaaaak-] [Joon Joon Joon¡­ Gwaaaaak-] The replicas surrounding us and close to the explosion couldn¡¯t withstand the heat. Their bodies soon turned to ash and flew away with the iing wind. The huge moving mountain made of our replicas crumbled under the explosion of the nuclear bomb. ¡°Hold on tight!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± The scorching heat soon reached us, who were standing on the boat. me engulfed the boat beneath us as soon as the heat touched it. ¡°It¡¯sing!!¡± ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaak!!¡± The shockwave swept away all the mud in its way and approached us with breathnecking speed. Booooooom- Kwaaaaaaaang- The wind eventually reached us. The power of the shockwave blowing us away was so strong that we couldn¡¯t even open our mouth to scream. A huge gust of powerful hot wind blew us away into the air, making the glider dance unstably in the sky. We were afraid as it began to sway uncontrobly, not understanding if it was going to rise above or tumble down on the ground. Swish, swish, swish- The glider turned over in a circle with us hanging from it. We barely managed our grip on the handle as the glider did another somersaults in the air before floating away. Our bodies swung around in the air in shock, but fortunately no one lost their grip. We iled helplessly in the air, like a bunch of clothes pping from a wire. Clenching our teeth, we put our weight on the handle of the glider and leaned on it, holding the handle with all our strength. Whiiiing-whiiiinnngg- Soon, the shockwave passed by, and only a warm wind from far away continued to blow past our ears. The glider finally found its axis in the air and stabilized its position, gliding through the sky gently. ¡°Huff, huff.¡± ¡°Huff, huff.¡± After what seemed like forever, a sigh of relief left out mouths. Haa, haa. Our bodies, lining up beside each other holding on to the handle flew through the dark but clear sky relying on one glider. This would be an impossible sight in reality, but thanks to the cheat key, we flew all the way. The strength holding onto the handle with abnormal strength never loosened for a second. ¡°Joon, look over there¡­¡± I turned around at the sound of Sunah¡¯s voice calling me, pointing into the distance. The huge mushroom cloud had already quieting down, only a coil of smoke rising to the sky was visible instead of me. The sun was rising from the distant meadow, brightening the surrounding. ¡°Dawn¡­ It¡¯s over¡­¡± Perhaps because the eruption had cleared up the cloudy sky. The mud covered meadow had returned to normal, stretching out endlessly. Above the vast meadow, the sun was rising brilliantly, shining the dark sky. T/N: I wonder why the fake Hayoons seem hellbound on killing Gyeongwon ?? Support me or be a member to read advance chapters! Chapter 84: Tenth Ghost Story – Minecraft’s Herobrine (16) Chapter 84: Tenth Ghost Story ¨C Minecraft¡¯s Herobrine (16) ¡°Over there! Over there!¡± The glider flew through the sky that was slowly brightening as dawn approached, with the five of us dangling from the handle. From above, a few replicas of the house scattered here and there entered our eyes. Although they appeared to be identical to the one we built looking down from a high ce, we could distinguish them byparing it to the original terrain and the border of the edge of the world. ¡°That forest over there. Isn¡¯t that where Prez and Sunah wandered after teleporting?¡± ¡°Thatke in the distance looks like where In Hayoon and I went to get y¡­¡± ¡°Then that house standing over there must be the house we originally built. Let¡¯snd!¡± We all put pressure on the handle, tilting the glider to hover down. Soon, the glidernded gently on the ground and our feet touched the now dried mud. ¡°It¡¯s all dry. It¡¯s okay.¡± The brown mud covering the ground. The green grass rising above it. The blue sky spreading above our heads and beyond the horizon. And the two-story red brick house standing in front as if stepped out of a fairytale. On the vast endless meadow, the warm light of dawn shone down, along with the cool morning breeze that brushed past our exhausted bodies. We took a breath on the cool breeze, standing amidst the scenery of brown, green, blue, red, and various other vibrant colors. ¡°Hoooo¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ve arrived atst¡­ It¡¯s all over.¡± The feeling was simr to returning home after a long summer vacation. Unlike the excitement at the beginning of the trip, when we were expecting to explore something new, we returned exhausted. We felt so beaten up as if we got off the bus riding for a long journey with our friends, and walked silently without saying anything. Our feet halted in front of the wooden door, which was the only entrance to our brick house. Our mouths sealed, not knowing what to say anymore after the exciting adventure. For a moment, we only stared nkly at each other, then suddenly, burst outughing. ¡°You¡¯ve all worked hard.¡± ¡°Joon, you too¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Although that was what we said, we stared at the wooden front door of the house we built, straddling two different worlds on both sides. There was no sign of the wooden door with its hinges ripped off, no fake Sunah lying down with an arrow stuck in her forehead, or replicas of ours trying to merge our bodies tiresomely. It was just a brick house standing peacefully at the border, just as it was when it was first built. It felt like we were back to our cozy home, after wandering around a strange ce. ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± I approached the door slowly and pulled the wooden doorknob. Creak¨C The door opened with a creak, I stepped inside the house, passing the wooden doorframe. Step. ¡°¡­The end.¡± With this one single step, I finally entered the original world of the game from the other bizarre world beyond the edge of the world. ¡°Come in, everyone.¡± ¡°Haaa.¡± Sunah was second to enter the house, passing the threshold with an exhausted expression. Gyeongwon raised his leg excessively high, as if passing an invisible obstacle on the wooden doorframe and entered after Sunah. Dukhun entered next while wiping the sweat on his forehead. And finally, Hayoon enteredst, with her hands sped behind her back and walking gracefully as usual. ¡°Huuu¡­ Let¡¯s sit down.¡± We soon slumped down on the living room carpet, woven by the wool of the sheep we captured before crossing the border, and faced the firece that had long be cold. Amidst the silence, a speech bubble appeared above Dukhun¡¯s head a whileter. [Admin (Oh Dukhun): Are you guys done?] ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re done. Just open the menu and logout.¡± [Admin (Oh Dukhun): ??] Under our surprised eyes, Dukhun¡¯s body began glowing in a faint blue light. Poof. And soon after, hisrge body disappeared before our eyes, leaving only a few waves of energy behind. Shiiiiing¨C Next, my body began shining blue simrly to Dukhun. Knowing my time had arrived, I looked at the members. ¡°I¡¯m leaving, see you guyster.¡± Sunah smiled brightly as if biding me farewell. Gyeongwon and Hayoon also nodded their heads in parting greetings. Shiiiiing- Poof. ¡°Uh¡­ uhm.¡± My eyes felt heavy as I opened them, as if I had a very deep sleep. My head felt dizzy for a moment, sleep seemed to still collude with my mind as if I waspletely in aa. My shoulders were leaning ufortably on the seat of the inte cafe. Because of the ufortable position, my neck and back were sore. The white monitor desktop entered my vision as soon as I opened my eyes. ¡®¡­What time is it?¡¯ The clock disyed in the corner of the desktop told me that it was just past 6 p.m. Suddenly, I felt two pairs of eyes on me. When I turned my head, I saw two elementary school boys staring nkly at me, curiosityced in their expressions. At that moment. [Special ability ¡®Life Design¡¯ has triggered.] [Lower your head immediately.] My mind was already in a half asleep state so my head was lowered as if it was about to fall. But seeing the prompt, I lowered my head even more. ¡°Oni-chan hayaku okinai to jigoku shichau yo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡± [T/N: Oni-chan hayaku okinai to jigoku shichau yo (¹í¤Á¤ã¤ó¡¢Ô礯Æ𤭤ơ£µØªz¤¬Ê¼¤Þ¤ë¤è) is Japanese. Meaning of the whole sentence is: Oni-chan, hurry up and wake up. Hell is about to begin.] Suddenly, the unconscious body of Dukhun lying on the marble floor of the inte cafe sat up with a start, swinging his arms around. Whack¨C A thick fist flew past my head that was lowered in ordance with the system¡¯s prompt andnded on the seat behind. At the sudden violence, the elementary students were surprised and they frantically ran away. ¡°Huh, huh, where¡­ where¡­?¡± Dukhun opened his eyes, slowlying to his senses after a long sleep. He looked around with a bewildered expression, trying to discern his location. ¡°The ceiling looks familiar¡­¡± ¡°Wake up.¡± Jinhee was standing next to Hayoon and typing on her keyboard, helping Hayoon to log out of the game and disconnecting the character connection. She nced at Hayoon, who seemed to absentmindedly muttering something and urged. Hayoon¡¯s cheek, with her eyes closed like a sleeping princess was pressed against Jinhee¡¯s elbow as she roughly manipted the mouse. ¡°¡­.Joon.¡± Sunah also opened her eyes in the meantime, seated beside Hayoon¡¯s seat. ¡°Sunah.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard.¡± Sunah smiled shyly at my sincere praise. Just as everyone woke up from the deep slumber, message began to pop up in my mind one by one. [You havee across and survived a B-rank ghost story ¨C Legend of Herobrine.] [You have earned 15 Ghost Story Points.] [You¡¯ve received 10% bonus points for each contributing member.] [Contributing member (5 members): Ahn Gyeongwon, Oh Dukhun, Yoon Sunah, Lee Jinhee, In Hayoon.] [You¡¯ve received an additional 50% bonus point on the total 15 points, 8 points.] [Current Ghost Story Point: 264 +15 +8] [Current Ghost Story Points: 287] [You havee across and survived an A-rank ghost story ¨C The Far Away Land.] [You have earned 40 Ghost Story Points.] [You have explored the world beyond the edge of the game world and used your wits and skill to sessfully discover its origin!] [You have earned 200 Ghost Story Points.] [You¡¯ve received 10% bonus points for each contributing member.] [Contributing members (5 members): Ahn Gyeongwon, Oh Dukhun, Yoon Sunah, Lee Jinhee, In Hayoon.] [You¡¯ve received an additional 50% bonus point on the total 240 points, 120 points.] [Current Ghost Story Points: 287 +240 + 120] Ding~ [Current Ghost Story Points: 647] [Your understanding of the character Yoon Sunah has increased by 10.] [Your understanding of the character Ahn Gyeongwon has increased by 20.] [Your understanding of the character Oh Dukhun has increased by 20.] [Your understanding of the character In Hayoon has increased by 5.] ¡®¡­.There¡¯s no mention of defeating Herobrine.¡¯ Well, the consciousness of Herobrine, the first person to be pulled into the game, had already been torn apart into several pieces and merged with the system a long time ago. It would be impossible to eradicate the character Herobrine. Only when we deleted all the illegal version files in the world would it could be resolved. ¡°Ugh¡­ I feel so tired¡­..¡± While I was nkly staring at the system window, where several messages popped up one after another, the members all woke up. They stretched their limbs that were crouched up for a long time. ¡°Ugh¡­ heeeuuummm.¡± ¡°Ah, we should just get up. Okay.¡± The bones of their unmoving limbs let out satisfied cracks as they stretched before helping each other stand up. Since our prepaid time for theputers were almost up, we left the building of the inte cafe and stood in front of the main entrance. Gyeongwon raised one of his stiff shoulders and rotated up and down, making a few pop sounds appear at the movement. ¡°Uuuggghhh¡­. My body aches, Prez.¡± ¡°Stop your whining when you¡¯re just stretching.¡± I cut him off with an annoyed expression, he kept calling for me, ¡®Prez this, Prez that¡¯ whenever his mouth opened. I was sick of listening to the words ¡®President¡¯ and ¡®Joon¡¯ so many times today. I felt like my ears were about to get calluses. ¡°By the way Jinhee, it wasn¡¯t you who entered the cheat codes the first time, right?¡± ¡°Oh, yes. It was someone else.¡± Jinhee puffed up smokes from the cigarette in her hand as she answered, her bodynguidly leaning against the wall. The sight of her casually smoking while speaking felt very natural to us, as it was aligned with her persona, so none of us bothered to point it out. ¡°Was it a woman or a man?¡± ¡°¡­A man.¡± Flickering the ash on the tip of the cigarette with her fingertips, she added. ¡°I couldn¡¯t get a good look. But he had heavy dark circles under his eyes.¡± ¡°¡­ Hmm.¡± ¡°Who could it be¡­?¡± I pondered on it carefully, trying to figure out who it could be but nothing appeared in my mind. ¡°Anyway, everyone worked really hard today, so you all must be tired. Let¡¯s settle the paymentter and go home for now.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± The members nodded with tired expressions. ¡°Payment?¡± Jinhee asked as she threw away the cigarette at hand before stepping on it. ¡°Mmhm. The Ghost Story Points. I decided spend the points I earned this time on everyone.¡± ¡°¡­.Really?¡± ¡°I received about 600 points this time. Which means I can level-up each of you for one level or pay you 1 million won.¡± ¡°Oh, 1 million won.¡± Jinhee¡¯s attention also shifted to the money as she smirked and put her hands in her pockets. I nodded in affirmative. ¡°Yeah¡­ if you don¡¯t want to level-up, you can take the points in cash. You can think about which one you want over the weekend. We¡¯ll discuss it again in school on Monday. For today, let¡¯s just part ways now and go home.¡± ¡°Go home¡­..¡± Sunah agreed wholeheartedly while rubbing her tired eyes. Vroom- Vroom- ¡°You boys will walk home.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ Joon, sorry! See you at school!¡± ¡°Bye!¡± ¡°Kyaaaah¡­¡± The motorbike of Jinhee came alive with a loud noise as she started the engine. ck smoke immediately poofed out from behind the bike as it swiftly moved forward, creating a gust of wind. Sunah and Hayoon, who were seated at the backseat of the bike, held onto their clothes and closed their eyes tightly. The few of us left behind the coil of ck smoke had a shabby appearance, like abandoned duck eggs on Nakdong River. [T/N: The Nakdong River is the longest river in South Korea, stretching about 510 kilometers (317 miles). It originates in the Taebaek Mountains and flows southward through the southeastern part of the country, eventually emptying into the South Sea (also known as the East Sea).] ¡°The apartmentplex I live is right in front, so I¡¯m gonna walk there. What about you guys?¡± When I asked Dukhun and Gyeongwon, Dukhun mumbled with a hesitant expression. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not thatte, so I guess I¡¯ll just take the bus.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go together in a taxi.¡± ¡°Arigatou.¡± Gyeongwon took out his wallet and went out onto the street to catch a taxi with Dukhun tailing behind. I also bid them farewell and turned back to go home. ¡®Oh no, Babamba ice cream.¡¯ I quickly changed the direction from the front of the apartmentplex¡¯s entrance ss door and headed to the convenience store in the shopping district. ¡®¡­Hmm. Dad, Mom and me, ¡®2+1¡¯. Then I should buy three, for me and my parents.¡¯ Entering the convenience store, I quickly picked up three Babamba ice cream and headed to the checkout counter. The weekend part-timer on the counter scanned the barcode with an indifferent expression. ¡°2,000 won. Do you need a bag?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± I finished my ice cream shopping and went back to the apartmentplex and got into the elevator before pressing the number to my desired floor. The vague sound of the familiar TV show entered my ears as soon as I stood in front of the entrance door of our apartment. When I opened the door and went in, a familiar sight greeted me once again. The back of my father still lying on the living room sofa and watching TV was seen as I entered the living room. ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± ¡°Yes, haha¡­ I bought three Babamba ice creams for us.¡± ¡°Good job. Keep the change.¡± ¡°Thank you, Dad, you¡¯re the best.¡± My mother, who was preparing food in the kitchen, poked her head out hearing my voice. ¡°My son, are you back? You didn¡¯t even answer my phone.¡± ¡°I was wearing headset¡­ sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, you came back earlier than expected. I thought you were going toe home after ying all night since it was the weekend after your midterms.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ I¡¯m just tired¡­¡± ¡°Dinner¡¯s ready. Come quickly.¡± As soon as I heard that, I ran excitedly to the table. However, the table was empty with nothing there. ¡°Set up the food bowls and chopsticks. Your father won¡¯t move his butt from the sofa no matter how many times I call him.¡± As if to defend himself, my father¡¯s voice came rumbling from the living room far away. ¡°I¡¯ve done all the dishes¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m joking, haha. Come and eat.¡± ¡°Good.¡± My father finally stood up from the sofa and came over at those words. However, looking at the empty table, he tilted his head with a confused expression. ¡°Where¡¯s the food?¡± ¡°Set the tes.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been fooled.¡± As he said that, he already had a Babamba ice cream in his mouth. ¡°No, you! Why are you eating ice cream before dinner!¡± ¡°Am I a kid? An adult can eat whatever he wants whenever he wants.¡± ¡°Joony is learning from you!¡± I put down the tes andughed in disbelief at my Mom¡¯sment. Does my Mom still think I¡¯m an elementary school student? ¡°Joony isn¡¯t a kid anymore to learn such things. Right, Joony~?¡± My Dad teased my Mom with a ice cream stick in his mouth. The ice cream was already gone in his stomach while he spoke. I ended upughing louder than usual. Perhaps after the extremely stressful situation of entering the game and encountering many dangerous situations, the sight of my parents bickering with each other appeared to be amusing in my eyes. ¡°Oh my, do whatever you want. I don¡¯t care anymore.¡± ¡°Are you angry? Hmm? Joon, your Mom is angry.¡± ¡°Pfft haha.¡± * * * ? [Year 2026? Mon Tue Sun Thurs?11th, 03: + Lee] [Lee? Joon: Number of Attempts ¨C 1] [Ghost Story: 2nd ¡õ] [Causality?? Rate: 83%] ng- The elevator standing on the ground level started descending with a rumbling noise. It wasing down to the basement where I was. In front of the elevator door in the basement, I stood with my arms crossed, waiting for my crew members. ng. Creeeek- Soon, the elevator arrived at the basement. The door opened, and Jinhee with few of other crew members were seen inside. They were carrying a ck box, pushing aside the double and triple iron bars, they got down from the elevator. ¡°We¡¯ve safely collected it, Captain.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I raised my hand to stop the others who were about to move along the passage together. ¡°The Crew Captain and I¡¯ll handle things from here. It¡¯s quite dangerous.¡± ¡°Yes! Understood!¡± With a respectful salute, the others moved away and headed for the equipment room to take off their protective gear. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± We walked through the empty corridor and soon arrived at the Research Lab. The space was specifically designed and built for engineering major students. Various wires and cables were strwen all over, entertwining in a tangled mess. As soon as we entered, the sight of Gyeongwon typing on a keyboard in front of a big monitor was seen. Several other researchers along with him were bustling inside, setting some things. Hearing us entering, they turned around and greeted us. ¡°Is that it?¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Jinhee soon put the ck box that she had been carrying next to him. After that, she unlocked the box, and opened the lid. The main body of aputer, more precisely a motherboard, was lying inside the box. ¡°It¡¯s inside the hard disk of this motherboard, to be exact.¡± ¡°Okay. Who¡¯s going in?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± I calmly walked over to theputer and sat down the seat in front. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll have it connected.¡± Soon, Gyeongwon connected the motherboard we had brought to theputer and turned it on. His fingers flew on the keyboard as if searching for something. ¡°Found it.¡± Paat¨C The earliest version of Clover Corporation¡¯s mega-hit game, MyCraft, soon appeared on the monitor in front of me. [MyCraft ¨C Pre Pilot] (WARNING X WORK IN PROGRESS, DOES NOT REPRESENT THE FINAL LOOK OF THE GAME.) Before we knew, a strange being called the Demon King was resurrected, plunging the world into a great chaos. At that time, the Clover Corporation activated a hidden code functioning as a virus, which they had instilled in all the electronic products they had produced so far. Because of that, everything from home appliances to cars, software, and even toys made by Clover Corporation stopped workingpletely. Such a breakdown only elerated the demise of the world. This game called MyCraft was deleted from all over the inte and disappeared from the world. To obtain the file of the game, we had no choice but to desperately search through the residences of the developers involved, and the headquarters building of the Clover Corporation. Eventually, thest game file from a researcher¡¯s backup main unit was sessfully obtained and taken into our hands. The images floating on the monitor in front of me was the earliest development version of the said game. The motherboard was obtained by Jinhee and her crew members after searching through the addresses of Clover programmers¡¯ homes in the ruined city. There was something suspicious about this game that we absolutely had to check. [SEVER: Ghost Story Club] [1/1] [SEVER: Ghost Story Club] [FULL] ¡°I made a server. It¡¯s connecting.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± [Loading¡­.] ¡°This can be dangerous. So everyone turn off the lights and go outside.¡± Since this file held the earliest version of the game, there was no transparent wall inside. I was afraid that some kind of invisible force might flow out from beyond the virtual world and harm the people. ¡°We¡¯ll be back in 10 minutes. Be careful, Captain.¡± ¡°Okay, everyone go out.¡± Click. Soon, all the lights were switched off and everyone left theb one by one. Jinhee and Gyeongwon, with the other researchers waited outside after leaving. Theb had been turned into a dark void, without any sound or light. The only light that apanied me was the monitor screen shinning dazzlingly bright. ¡°Huuu.¡± Suddenly, the situation of me sitting in this dark space made me remember a memory of my younger self. When I used to y games secretly in a dark roomte at night. Light from the monitor at that time also shone like this, hurting my eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡± I rxed my shoulders and picked up the VR headset in front of me. I was well aware of the danger for staying connected to the game for an extended period of time. Therefore, I nned to check only what I needed and quickly exit. Perhaps this could get me too engrossed in the game. Shii-ing¨C Soon, the scene of the game appeared on the screen of the VR headset, covering my whole vision without any gaps. [Select World] [Create New World, Lee Joon-1] [Loading¡­.] Pop. A forest of hexahedral cubes soon appeared before my eyes. As soon as Inded inside the game, I quickly used the cheat key to teleport to the southern end. My objective was to find the location of the transparent wall. ¡°Is this it?¡± A green pasture that stretched out endlessly. And the blue sky above. For me, who lived in a world ruined beyond repair, with countless strange phenomena encroached everyday, the sight was new. I moved the character near the ce where the transparent wall was supposed to be. Thanks to the VR headset, my consciousness soon entered the game before I knew it. ¡®I need to walk straight from here.¡¯ I crossed the boundary line of the edge of world, without being blocked by the transparent wall, and headed toward the horizon. Thump, thump. My feet moved for a long time through the grasnd that stretched endlessly beyond the edge of the world. After walking for about 30 minutes, a small hill appeared on my way. I passed over the small and finally stopped in front of arge crater that seemed like could fit several mountains. ¡°¡­.As expected.¡± I crossed my arms and muttered to myself as I looked down at the sunken terrain. An enormous crater was stretched before my vision, as if a nuclear bomb was detonated. Perhaps it had been so long, the crater had started growing moss and grass around the edges. Animals crawling around the slopes and eating weeds were also seen. The depth of the crater was tremendous, which indicated that it could not have been formed naturally. It was definitely evidence of a huge explosion that urred there a long time ago. ¡®Somehow.¡¯ Since I had checked what I needed to, I just turned my head again and went back the way I came, my mind wandering around. Events that urred in different time periods, however, the crater created from the massive nuclear explosion looked unbelievably identical. That pointed out to a lot of things. ¡°Huuu.¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I soon ended the connection and took off the VR headset. Gyeongwon and Jinhee asked me with worried expressions as soon as I took it off. I gestured them that it was okay and stood up. ¡°I checked everything. Delete it.¡± ¡°¡­.What? But why? It¡¯s thest file left on Earth.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I figured out everything I needed to know. And¡­¡± I looked at the monitor as I said. ¡°Let him rest now.¡± ¡°¡­.Okay.¡± Gyeongwon soon approached theputer and started typing on his keyboard, deleting the game. A message appeared before my eyes as soon as the game was deleted. Pop. [Legend ¡õ survived X cast? Energy 3W Hero? Herobrine? Co ¡ì ss? 4A!? Storye? Ghost vfi] [Ghost?? Story kF points 5 earned?¡õ¡õ have? All-] Although the system window appeared to be broken, I understood that it was most probably conveying a message saying that we had defeated the ¡®B-rank ghost story ¨C Legend of Herobrine¡¯. His broken consciousness, that was trapped inside the game world, now no longer existed on Earth. We quietly turned off the lights in theboratory and left the dark space. ¡ô?¡ô¡ô?¡ô?¡ô?¡ô¡ô?¡ô??¡ô ?¡ô??¡ô???¡ô¡ô??¡ô??? ¡ô??¡ô¡ô¡ô?¡ô?¡ô? ?¡ô?¡ô¡ô¡ô??¡ô¡ô¡ô Conclusion: Everyone has their own role. T/N: In case the readers are confused, this MineCraft in the novel is different than the original MineCraft people y. The ¡®mine¡¯ in this MineCraft of the novel is a possessive pronoun, which means ¡®my own¡¯ not themon noun ¡®mine¡¯, a ce from where we get minerals. Some of you may have already discovered that even the ying methods of this MineCraft of the novel are way different than the original MineCraft we y. If you hadn¡¯t noticed, I used ¡®MineCraft¡¯ in the MC¡¯s current life (2nd attempt) but ¡®MyCraft¡¯ in the MC¡¯s previous life (1st attempt). It¡¯s because that¡¯s exactly what was written in the original text. For better understanding: MineCraft: ?????? MyCraft: ?????? As you can see, the two words are a bit different from each other (3rd character). To express the difference, I had to use two different pronouns in two different timelines. Hope it clears the confusion! Chapter 85: Interlude – Benefits Summarization Chapter 85: Interlude ¨C Benefits Summarization [2019, April 28 | Sunday, 23:37] [Lee Joon: Number of Attempts ¨C 2] [Ghost Story Points: 647] [Causality Rate: 14%] ¡°Hmm¡­ That¡¯s about it.¡± The next day after solving two exciting ghost stories with the club members at the neighborhood inte cafe was Sunday. It was evening outside, I was lying face down on my bed, quietly looking at the messy information written in my diary. The weekend already passed like this, with mezing around. The diary at hand was something I bought a long time ago, when I was young. I don¡¯t remember where I had bought it from but it had been sitting on the bookshelf all this time, never being used by me. I needed to organize a lot of information in my head. Writing in a notebook or diary makes it easier to organize things rather than typing on aputer. That was why I would sometimes take it out and use it like today. I had written down various notes and about the events, questions, and information rted to the system in the diary. Information that I was able to gather so far was organized there. Currently, I was looking at a title written at the top middle spot of a nk page. [April 27, List of Benefits for Solving MineCraft Ghost Stories on Saturday.] After fighting with countless strange beings and encountering various life and death situations the past few months, I realized one thing for sure. ¡®There must be extraordinary rewards for working hard.¡¯ ¡°There must be, there must be.¡± I muttered to myself as if I was making a promise. Certainly, it was given that reality is different from my expectations and things wouldn¡¯t always work out in my favor. However, with this phrase, I wanted to remind myself to never lose determination. Even if things didn¡¯t work out like the way I expected, I would force myself to make it happen. I had to reward myself after working hard. And if the system didn¡¯t reward me, then I¡¯d spend the points to indulge myself, the only way I can be rewarded for my hard work. This thought had been wandering in my mind desperately these days. Just as some people relieve stress by consuming food, I believe my current psychology has be simr to that. I must gain some kind of benefit from every strange incident that I encounter. I must. I wasn¡¯t someone who could keep his interest in a particr thing for a long time to begin with, nor did I like to be persistent over something. I couldn¡¯t get out of the predicament even if I wanted to, however, I couldn¡¯t continue this fight without being rewarded either. Why? ¡®Because it¡¯s hard.¡¯ This was the only reason I promised 4 billion won to the members. Fighting this way was hard. After ourst discussion about sharing the points, we reached a conclusion that I¡¯d give them a huge reward at the end of the 3 years after defeating the Demon King. But I believe I should also reward them with small gifts every once in a while to keep them motivated. The thing about regression that Gyeongwon mentioned yesterday. I realized for the first time the difference between the death of a body and the death of consciousness. ¡®It¡¯s true that I can regress as many times as I want even if I die. But will my mindst until then?¡¯ Although the chances of entering into another game and my consciousness dying was extremely rare, it couldn¡¯t be ignoredpletely. And even if I didn¡¯t be a vegetative person because of that, there was a high chance that my mind could lose all reason at any moment. What if the continuous regression breaks my sanity and I end up being depressed? What if I can¡¯t stand the extreme stress and be schizophrenic or mad? Can the problem of losing one¡¯s mind be resolved through regression? I shook my head. No. If one loses his sanity, that¡¯s the end. In order to prevent that, it was imperative to discover various measures to keep my sanity at bay. From now on, protecting my mental health is the first and foremost duty in my list of properlypensating for my efforts. ¡®Mental healthes first!¡¯ I nodded with strong resolve. In other words, I needed to protect my mental health. There was nothing more important to me than it now. Before, I have never given any thoughts for such things in my life, so it felt a bit strange to consciously try to protect my mental health like this. ¡®I should eat a lot of delicious food and have breaks for myself often.¡¯ After deciding what to do to keep my mind less stressful, I finally started writing down yesterday¡¯s earnings in my diary. Fortunately, the reward for this time¡¯s ghost stories was as heavy as they were dangerous, so I was very happy. [April 27, List of Benefits After Solving MineCraft Ghost Stories on Saturday.] ¡®Whatever the reason is, pointse first, right?¡¯ Yesterday, I solved two ghost stories, one A-rank and another B-rank, both at the same time. Thanks to that, I was able to earn 383 points this weekend. On top of that, I didn¡¯t need to die and turn back time. And everyone was also safe and sound. ¡®¡­ A-rank. Hmm¡­¡¯ This was the second time I had encountered an A-rank ghost story after the Song of Resentment. The difficulty level was undeniable for sure but was it necessary for it to be rated A-rank? I pondered about it deeply. Compared to thest time with the incident of Fourincess, this A-rank ghost story wasn¡¯t actually that dangerous or influential. The huge towers created by our replicas that looked no better than monsters, and that huge creature that was an amalgamation of our replicas were definitely terror-stricken. Moreover, the raging storm and pouring rain along with the sinking mud, and the tremendous nuclear explosions, were nothing but exaggeration of real-life incidents which was only possible because we were in a game. At most, it was an exciting adventure that happened inside the local inte cafe, I¡¯d give it that credit. However, when Ipared it to the grudge-possessed idol and the song that infected people, almost destroying the country of Korea itself, it could be considered rather trivial. ¡®But that was possible because the developers of Clover Corporation blocked the strange forceing from beyond the edge of the world.¡¯ If the transparent wall hadn¡¯t existed and this game had the ability to really pull the consciousness of the yers into the game because there weren¡¯t any preventive measures, it certainly would have led to a huge incident that would have involved the whole world. ¡®What was it exactly that I had to resolve? The message that popped up at that time must have been¡­¡¯ I searched through my memories and wrote down the message that popped up after I solved the ghost stories in my diary. [You have explored the world beyond the edge of the game world and used your wits and skill to sessfully discover its origin!] ¡®¡­.So I only needed to uncover its origin. Hmm.¡¯ I was lucky. The monstrous creature which was a cotion of our replicas had the consciousness of Herobrine, the first person to be pulled inside the game and trapped there,bined with them. And the fact was discovered by the meaningless chattering of the replicas in the creature. ¡®Herobrine.¡¯ B-rank ghost story ¨C Legend of Herobrine. Even during that time and now, I realized that there was no message saying that I defeated that being. But in a way, it was understandable. Because truthfully, that person had long died in the game world, and his consciousness has merged into the game system. Unless we deleted all the files that carried the illegal version of MineCraft installed in hundreds of millions ofputers around the world, it waspletely impossible to get rid of Herobrine. ¡®Anyway,bined with the 383 points, I earned a lot this time.¡¯ I finished pondering on the points and moved on to the next topic. ¡®The next important thing is, how do I motivate the members?¡¯ We were just 17-year-old minors living our ordinary lives. Suddenly dumping the huge responsibility of saving the world and defeating countless strange beings, while encountering bizarre phenomena onto our shoulders, even an adult would rather run away than take such a heavy burden. ¡®4 billion for their hard work. And I also have to distribute the points.¡¯ After 3 years of hard work, we would be getting 4 billion. The proposal of such a huge sum of money was not because they were highschool students and needed money for motivation. It was because they knew anyone withmon sense would snatch such an opportunity away in a heartbeat. ¡®Although I promised to give them 4 billion after 3 years, I have to make at least 10 billion for myself.¡¯ Because we deserved it. Certainly, there was also the problem that one single person can¡¯t win that many lotteries. However, since I had the ability to turn back time, there were various other ways to earn money besides winning lotteries. ¡®With 10 billion, I can buy a big house¡­ and open an inte cafe near the house with all the amazing specs¡­¡¯ Hehe. The corners of my mouth rose at my own imagination. 4 billion. That much money was more than enough to motivate them. Now I wouldn¡¯t have to feel guilty for dragging my members into this dangerous adventure or pushing them into a corner anymore. In fact, there would be some people who would like this kind of deal, right? ¡®They would definitely be motivated right now.¡¯ If I somehow manage to survive until I turn 20 and reach the happy ending, then only a smooth life awaits me. Now I needed to level-up my members that I promised to do on Monday. ¡®I was thinking about experimenting with them to see how it functions. I¡¯m d I was able to offer it first as a favor.¡¯ Hmmhmmm. With a smile, I moved on to the next topic. ¡®The next benefit I gained. My understanding of the members suddenly increased all at once.¡¯ As soon as I woke up after logging out of the game and returned to reality, messages shed before my eyes. [Your understanding of the character Yoon Sunah has increased by 10.] [Your understanding of the character Ahn Gyeongwon has increased by 20.] [Your understanding of the character Oh Dukhun has increased by 20.] [Your understanding of the character In Hayoon has increased by 5.] ¡®I wonder why? Maybe because we went through difficult events together¡­¡¯ It was true that we went through tough times in the game world together, and we also fell into such situations before, but the understanding didn¡¯t increase that much at that time. Then why did the understanding suddenly increase this time? ¡®¡­ Is it because of those replicas? The replicas of the members created by theputer¡¯s random variables generation program. Those replicas might not be able to act ormunicate properly, but they didn¡¯t act out of their characters either. The way they rushed towards us, their movements, speech patterns, and words that they said, although delivered in a strange way but those were obviously what we would do. ¡®I wonder if it was because the program extracted the behaviours from the depths of the members¡¯ consciousness.¡¯ Whatever the reason might be, I was grateful that my replica didn¡¯t go around spouting nonsense. ¡°Anyway, this is roughly what I gained from this incident.¡± 1. A lot of points. 2. Perfect motivation for the members. 3. Increase of understanding. ¡°Understanding, hmm.¡± Now that I remember it, it had been such a hectic week that I forgot to pay attention, but I think I received a quest to increase the understanding of at least one of my members. ¡°Let¡¯s check now, quest window.¡± Pop. ¡¶Quest ¨C Camaraderie¡· ¡ºCongrattions! You have finally managed to share your secret with your teammates! Your journey to prevent the resurrection of the Demon King has finally started. Therefore, strong camaraderie in the party is essential. Starting today, you begin to try to understand more about your members.¡» ¡¶Raise the understanding of one member of your club from 0 to 100. Reward: Education Competency Ability.¡· ¡®School¡¯s Education Competency Ability¡­¡¯ I had only seen the word ability used in the Club Status Window. The three abilities of the Ghost Story Club which I unlocked were, Space Expansion, Ghost Story Acquisition Skill, and Manpower Capacity. ¡®Would a new ability called Education Competency be added in the club?¡¯ Education Competency Ability. What could it be? If the ability meant I could directly intervene in the school¡¯s overall activity, I decided that I should try shortening the school time and decrease the number of sses to 4 periods every day. ¡®To do that, I have to raise the understanding level of one of my members to 100? Hmm. Let¡¯s see who¡¯s understanding is the highest.¡¯ I was lying on my chest, with my face buried in the pillow. I opened the Status Windows of the members in that position, and started writing down the understanding level of each of them in the diary. Ahn Gyeongwon: 85 Yoon Sunah: 65 Oh Dukhun: 50 Jang Hwaeun: 50 Lee Jinhee: 35 In Hayoon: 15 ¡°¡­What a surprise, Gyeongwon¡¯s understanding is the highest?¡± I muttered to myself while looking at the number I had written in the diary. I couldn¡¯t help but check the Status Window again to see if I saw right, but the unexpected result remained unchanged. ¡®I thought Sunah¡¯s understanding would be the highest¡­¡¯ She was the only person who spent most of her time with me. If there was one person with whom Imunicated daily and had emotional exchanges, it would undoubtedly be Sunah. Then why was Ahn Gyeongwon¡¯s understanding the highest? As I wondered about it quietly, I soon realized that I knew nothing about Sunah¡¯s past. All I knew was that she was poor and had an introverted personality. I had no idea why her parents weren¡¯t around, why she only lived with her grandmother, and how she developed that kind of personality. ¡°I really¡­ I need to reflect on myself.¡± I felt guilty. Sunah always paid her utmost attention to me and tried to help me to the best of her ability. While she was being such a wonderful friend, I was being a scumbag for not making any effort to learn about her. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely ask her next time we have a meal together¡­ Ahem¡­¡± My mind soon wandered off to how I should delve into this sensitive topic and try to know about her so that wouldn¡¯t make her feel ufortable. While thinking so, I had almost forgotten that I was thinking why Gyeongwon¡¯s understanding level was so high. ¡°This kid. He grew up like a greenhouse nt.¡± This time, I was unlucky. Gyeongwon grew up in a family where they value education and reputation over anything. He grew up only studying and didn¡¯t have any particr background or trauma to dig into. His past was as clear as water so there was no need to dig further. ¡°I wondered why such a brat who always acts so smart bes so anxious when ites to real activities in solving cases. Good thing he wasn¡¯t a victim of any major trauma. Tsk tsk.¡± [Your understanding of the character Ahn Gyeongwon has increased by 5.] ¡°Wow.¡± Understanding about him has increased again. This time, I opened Gyeongwon¡¯s Status Window. Pop. ¡¶Status Window Name: Ahn Gyeongwon LV.1 [0/100] Age: 17 Title: Pro WikiWarrior Disposition: Exnation Character Special Ability: None Quirk: Denial of reality Understanding: 90/100¡· ¡®¡­ What¡¯ll happen when I reach the understanding level to 100? All the question marks that indicated myck of knowledge about his character disappeared from Ahn Gyeongwon¡¯s Status Window. And the description of his Disposition that exins his personality when I clicked on it also became longer. That was why I suddenly couldn¡¯t help but wonder what would happen if I raise my understanding of him to 100. ¡®Since it¡¯s just that my understanding of his personality is increasing, it¡¯s more like I¡¯m being more aware of his character, which is unknowingly affecting me rather than his personality changing, right?¡¯ Would I get additional points? Or would I suddenly gain the ability to read his true feelings? I racked my brain, but I couldn¡¯t figure out what exactly would happen if the understanding level reached 100. Keeping aside the quest reward I would be getting, I was more curious what would happen if the understanding reached 100. The quest was a one-time task and it would disappear once I sessfullypleted it. But I wanted to know the consequences of the character itself if I did manage to raise the understanding of one or all the other members to 100. ¡®I don¡¯t expect anything great, but I hope I can get a useful reward.¡¯ I closed Gyeongwon¡¯s window then finally opened Hayoon¡¯s Status Window. The most curious and mysterious girl among our club members. ¡®She is also so damn beautiful¡­ How can she be so pretty? That¡¯s crazy, really. Pop. ¡¶Status Window Name: In Hayoon LV.1 [0/100] Age: 17 Title: Wife Material Disposition: ??? NEW! Click to expand Special Ability: None Quirk: ??? Understanding: 15/100¡· ¡®NEW in Disposition? Let¡¯s see what¡¯s written.¡¯ Pop. Disposition: ??? ¨C She likes to read books. She¡¯s also very smart. Her family is very well-off. She has witnessed many horrible things that even couldn¡¯t bepared to hell. The disposition of her character matched to what her replicas had said to some extent. ¡°She is still a mysterious person.¡± After staring at the Status Window for a while, I shook my head and closed the diary. ¡®Since this quest only told me to raise the understanding level of one of the members, I think it would be faster if I target Gyeongwon.¡¯ Gyeongwon¡¯s understanding level had already reached 90. I needed to increase only 10 more and the quest would beplete. Night had approached by the time I finished thinking about this and that. I put down the diary and turned off the lights before lying down on the bed. Now my mind was busy making strategies on various ways to increase Gyeongwon¡¯s understanding. ¡®How do I raise it? Is there something about him that I don¡¯t know yet¡­ Hmm¡­¡¯ Perhaps I should try pping him in the face and asking? Or should we all go to visit his house together? My eyes closed on their own as my mind was thinking about various ways to raise his understanding. Sleep greeted me in this state before I knew it. * * * ¡°Don¡¯t do this please.¡± A boy with a sporty haircut and a scarred face was looking earnestly at me as he pleaded. ¡°Please¡­.¡± I looked around. A ruined city. The rubble of copsed buildings and asphalt was strewn everywhere. The sky was dyed an ominous red, as if rain of blood was about to pour down at any moment. Amidst the piles of destroyed buildings, a creature so huge that I had to crane my neck upward but still couldn¡¯t see its face was standing motionlessly. I squinted my eyes to see more clearly, but instead of the creature¡¯s face, words hovering in the air blocked my vision. [The Demon King proposes a truce. Do you ept?] ¡®This dream again. What is this?¡¯ My eyesnded back again on the male student with a sporty haircut. He had a face I had never seen before. His attire was tattered, with holes and ripped off edges here and there. It was hard to recognize the origin of the clothes on his body, but it appeared to be a school uniform. Beads of cold sweat ran down the side of the boy¡¯s cheek. He was desperately shaking his head while looking at me with a pleading gaze. ¡°Don¡¯t do this, please¡­¡± I opened my mouth, thinking I should ask about his identity first. But the words that left my mouth weren¡¯t something I wanted to say, and they poured out regardless of my will. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I guess I have always been this kind of bastard.¡± ¡°Nooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!¡± Pop. ??4? Sagittarius? Sagittarius ???S4 us4 gitt (Sa) 440 moves ( 4 moves Chapter 86: Interlude – Points Distribution (1) Chapter 86: Interlude ¨C Points Distribution (1) Zzz Ring~?? The new hit song by a popr indie-band ¡®Busker Busker¡¯, was ring from someone¡¯s phone. The song was about a man and a woman going to a karaoke to have some fun, and it had been set as the caller tune. But the person whom the phone belonged to was peacefully slumbering away before the ring ringing noise woke her up. [T/N: The original text was ¡®Beosjaga Beosjaga¡¯ (???? ????) which can be understood as a yful variation of ¡®Busker Busker¡¯, a well-known South Korean indie band.] Dud. ¡°Hello¡­?¡± [Why are you talking with that kind of voice? Could it be you just woke up?] ¡°Mom¡­¡± [Isn¡¯t it Monday today? Why aren¡¯t you at school?] ¡°I will go now¡­¡± [Oh my, I can¡¯t believe you!] ¡°It¡¯s still okay¡­ I can go on time¡­¡± [Wake up, you idiot! You¡¯re going to bete!] ¡°Ugh¡­ I hate Mondays so much¡­¡­¡± Scratch, scratch. ¡°Should I just call off sick and not go¡­¡± [But you have to go anyway, you idiot¡­] The voice of her mother, sighing helplessly as if her daughter was pathetic, rose a few octaves as she said. [Because you¡¯re the teacher¡­.] Hwaeun rolled down on the bed and stumbled to the floor with the nket wrapped around her, her mind in a state of confusion at the rude awakening. Weeeeeing¨C With swift movement, she washed her hair, cleaned her face, and finished brushing her teeth in 10 minutes. As someone who takes great care for her appearance, she quickly finished applying skin lotion, basic makeup, and BB cream, and even drew her eyebrows in another 10 minutes at a ghostly speed. While she was drying her hair with a hair dryer, her cell phone rang again. ??~ Bbeep- ¡°Ah~ Mom! I¡¯m getting ready for work, I¡¯m busy!¡± [I called to see if you have fallen asleep again, you idiot.] ¡°I woke up when you called!¡± [Year, yeah, drive carefully.] ¡°How old am I for you to wake me up with a phone call~ Mom, really.¡± [If you feel it¡¯s unfair, get married.] Hwaeun threw her cell phone on the bed when the sound of her mother¡¯s voice started nagging her. As long as the phone was far away, she wouldn¡¯t hear anything. [Hello? #¡±%$#] ¡°Yeah, I love you too~¡± The sound of the call being disconnected was soon heard, as if the person on the other side had already given up. Hwaeun quickly straightened her curled up hair with a straightener and confirmed that her attire was perfect. After getting ready, she nced at the clock and realized that she had gotten ready 5 minutes earlier. Not wasting any minutes, she quickly set an rm and leaned back on the chair to have a shut eye. Hwaeun wanted to take a nap for five minutes while leaning on the chair. Getting up so early in the morning makes her sluggish, so she sometimes shuts her eyes for a few moments like this after getting ready to recharge herself for the morning. She was worried that her hair would be ruined so she sat on the chair rather than lying down. Zzz. Therge chair she bought was a gaming seat, also known as the gaming chair, found in many inte cafes. She doesn¡¯t y games sitting on it, but she heard from people that these chairs are superfortable so she bought one. [No money! No money! No!! No!! Aaaahh!!!!] The rm went off after exactly five minutes. With a defeated sigh, she got up from her sleep. Hwaeun put on her coat and packed her bag. Then she took the keys and headed out the front door. The moment her feet stepped out the front door, her expression transformed into a sophisticated, professional and mature office worker. She walked with confident steps, as if it wasn¡¯t her who had been sleeping in messy pyjamas just a moment ago. Soon, Hwaeun arrived at school and entered the main office on the second floor. ¡°Hello~ I¡¯ll be in your care from now on. I am the newly appointed teacher, Ms. Hanari. Please take care of me¡­¡± When she entered the office, a different sight than everyday greeted her. The sight of a short and young female teacher, who was recently appointed as a recement for the science teacher who died of a heart attack, walking around the office and greeting people entered Hwaeun¡¯s vision. Hwaeun took advantage of the hustle and bustle to hurriedly open the door and creeping in. ¡°Nice to meet you. Hope you¡¯re doing fine. I see you¡¯ve been assigned to a good ss for your first assignment.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be in your care¡­¡± ¡°The same goes for us as well. But you¡¯ll definitely have a hard time taking sses. The children are very mischievous.¡± All the teachers were currently focused on the new female teacher. Taking advantage of their inattention, she sneaked up to her seat. Fortunately, the presence of the new and inexperienced female teacher who had just arrived drew their attention. No one bothered to pay any attention to Hwaeun which she was thankful for. Hwaeun sessfully reached her seat safely and sat down on the chair while putting her bag down. The middle-aged Language teacher behind pulled her chair as soon as she sat down. The Language teacher leaned over and whispered to Hwaeun, who was catching her breath. ¡°I heard she applied for the job right after you were hired. But her application has been hanging around till now. After what happened to the science teacher, she is hired in his ce.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ I see¡­¡± Hwaeun responded with an awkward smile. Regardless of herck of enthusiasm, the Language teacher whispered with a serious expression. ¡°She¡¯s 24, just 24. She has a long life ahead.¡± ¡°She¡¯s really young, ahaha.¡± The Language teacher was a typical middle-aged woman who likes to gossip. Whenever there was a topic of gossip, she would start bbering, not caring if the other party wanted to know it or not. Hwaeun could only respond with a refreshing smile. ¡°She was taken in ce of the science teacher, that¡¯s quite impressive. Doesn¡¯t that mean she¡¯ll be assigned to the first year students?¡± ¡°Yes. But she¡¯s really unfortunate for arriving here right after the midterms. No matter what, the progress of the students cannot be disrupted even if it¡¯s tough for her.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, haha.¡± While the middle-aged coworker was whispering things to her with utmost seriousness, as if what she was saying was not just trivial matters but top-ss secret, Ms. Hanari approached their desks. She had finished greeting everyone around and was heading to her desk. Her seat was arranged just in front of Hwaeun. She was about to sit down when she noticed Hwaeun sitting opposite her and realized she hadn¡¯t greeted Hwaeun yet. So she quickly got up again to greet her. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m the newly appointed teacher Ms. Hanari. I look forward to working with you¡­¡± ¡°Yes~ please, the same goes with us!¡± Hwaeun responded with a bright smile. ¡°Are you having trouble adjusting to the new environment? All the teachers here are very kind. If you face any inconveniences, reach out to us.¡± ¡°Thank you¡­¡­!¡± Teacher Hanari bowed to Hwaeun, brimming with unnecessary energy. Even her movement told her she was a typical rookie. ¡®You have a long way to go.¡¯ Hwaeun greeted her with a smile, but sighed inside. When she said the teachers were all kind, she wasn¡¯t lying. The teachers were indeed very generous. However, it wasn¡¯t the teachers of the school who was her, the newly appointed young female teacher¡¯s enemy. Rather, it was the mischievous students whom she had been assigned to teach. ¡®I hope she doesn¡¯t cry on her first day.¡¯ Hwaeun shook her head, recalling her first time as a teacher. She checked her own schedule and realized that she had ss in the first period. So she stood up from her seat and began preparing for the ss. ¡®¡­24, she¡¯s 10 years younger than me.¡¯ Hwaeun peeked her head over the partition that divided the desk into two. Her gazended on Teacher Hanari at the opposite side. Even the way she was hurriedly organizing her desk was full of freshness. ¡®She¡¯s a total chick, a chick.¡¯ Compared to Hwaeun¡¯s tall stature and mature personality, Teacher Hanari had a small stature along with a refreshing personality. Both were totally opposite of each other. She seemed like she could perfectly blend in with the students if she just wore a school uniform. ¡®Whatever, she¡¯s much better than that gloomy old man who was always blunt and unspoken.¡¯ With that thought, Hwaeun skipped out of the teachers¡¯ office, feeling as if she just got a cute younger sister, and was determined to treat her well. * * * [2019, April 29 | Monday, 08:52] [Lee Joon: Number of Attempts ¨C 2] [Ghost Story Points: 647] [Causality Rate: 14%] ¡°ZZz¡­¡± Finally, the boring ss of the homeroom teacher ended. As soon as the ss was finished, I leaned down on my desk to sleep, not being able to ovee the Monday blues anymore. ¡°Joon, Joon, Joon, Joon, Joon, Joon, Joon, Joon.¡± ¡°Kyaaaaaaaah!¡± In my half asleep state, I heard someone whispering the traumatic word, which was none other than my own name, in my ear. My body jumped up from my seat in reflex. When I turned around, it was Hayoon who was calling me. She was covering her mouth with her hand and giggling seeing my startled self. ¡°¡­.Haa, Hayoon. Hello¡­¡± ¡°Hello~¡± She waved her fingers as she greeted me. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re not wearing your sses today either¡­¡± ¡°You noticed?¡± ¡°Ah, no¡­ what¡­¡± Feeling a bit embarrassed, I couldn¡¯t meet her eyes and looked away. Her charm was too much for my poor heart. Before knowing about her, I just thought she was a pretty girl and that was about it. However, after seeing Hayoon without her sses, I started to worry about little things whenever we had a conversation. For example, was my posture okay while we were having a conversation? I rather felt my limbs were hanging awkwardly. Even my voice sounded a little hoarse, so I would sometimes clear my throat by coughing in vain. Or sometimes I would just get flustered and end upughing awkwardly during the conversation. It wasn¡¯t only me, but other boys of the ss were also ncing at Hayoon. ¡°¡­ Was there a girl that pretty in our ss?¡± ¡°What was her name¡­¡± Hayoon chuckled and opened her lips, seemingly not bothered by their stare. ¡°The midterm results are out, aren¡¯t you going to check them?¡± ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± Now that she mentioned it, I realized after looking around that most of the students weren¡¯t present in the ss. The ss seemed strangely deserted even though the first period was about to start. Everyone must have gone to check their grades. ¡°Let¡¯s go check, quickly!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sunah, who had been watching us from the desk beside us, also got up and followed us. ¡°Prez, you¡¯re here. You were sleeping so soundly that I didn¡¯t feel like waking you up and just came here.¡± ¡°Okay. Thank you for your concern.¡± The notice board was situated next to the first-floor teachers¡¯ office. Rows of students were headed toward the notice board and gathering around. Since Gyeongwon arrived there first, I called and asked him. ¡°So what about your grades?¡± ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Gyeongwon smiled as he pushed up his sses. ¡°I came 4th in the whole school.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ for real?¡± ¡°Your grades are worse than mine.¡± ¡°Uh. Okay.¡± I answered carelessly and pushed through the crowd of students to check the rankings on the notice board. The names of the first-year students were densely written on arge piece of paper. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ ¡° [Midterm Exam Rankings of 1st Semester, 1st Year.] 1st ce, Ban Janghoon 2nd ce, Lee Cheerin 3rd ce, Han Abom 4th ce, Ahn Gyeongwon ¡®He really got 4th ce.¡¯ As expected, Gyeongwon was really good at studying. I nodded to myself in affirmation. ¡®Next¡­¡¯ I looked down to find a familiar names, when my eyes caught Hayoon¡¯s name. 12th ce, In Hayoon ¡®¡­ She¡¯s also good, as expected.¡¯ But I must say that was not what I expected. I expected Hayoon to do better but it seemed her position was lower than expected? However, if Ipared her grades to my own, who was always stuck between 40th to 50th position, 12th was much higher. It was a level I could never reach in my previous life. If she could maintain the grades till her third year, her admission to one of Seoul¡¯s renowned colleges is confirmed. No doubt about that. But when Ipared the grades to her usual smart, intelligent, and mysterious temperament, I felt it was a bit unexpected. ¡®I thought Hayoon would be in the top ten. Hmm.¡¯ I began searching for another familiar name. But just looking down a few numbers, I was astonished at the name that caught my eyes. 15th ce Lee Joon. ¡®15th ce¡­? Really?¡¯ I was dumbfounded. I checked again to make sure if it was indeed my name, but it was truly my name just beside the 15th ce. There was no way I would be confused since my name was unique with one single character and was very simr to a foreign name. Both the ranking and the name were correct in their ces. ¡®¡­. 15th ce. Wow.¡¯ It was the best result I¡¯ve ever gotten in my life. ¡®Does it mean I did really well?¡¯ Of course it meant I did really well. Whoa. 15th ce? Me? Hmm? A strange feeling of excitement bubbled up inside me. I couldn¡¯t stop the corners of my mouth going up as I thought. ¡®I¡¯m really such a good student?¡¯ My life in the highschool that started all over after 3 years of failure. If I couldn¡¯t achieve a good result, even I myself would have thought it was pathetic. However, in all honesty, I hadn¡¯t studied that well this time to achieve such a good result. On top of that, I couldn¡¯t pay much attention to the exam because I was so busy regressing over and over again and was also distracted by the science teacher¡¯s curse. ¡®I¡¯m in 15th ce just like that?¡¯ ¡°Haha, I was worried for no reason. I thought I¡¯d lose to the President.¡± Gyeongwonughed beside me as if he was also pleased with my result. ¡°I¡¯m the big brain of the club after all. I won¡¯t be able to show my face if I lose to Prez.¡± At his self-praised words, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder why he was thinking of me as apetitor. Perhaps the bluff I had I enlisted in him to make him join the club still working? ¡°Ahem. I used to be in the top ten too. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t be able to get 15th ce.¡± ¡°I know. You must have a difficult time because of the crazy science teacher.¡± Gyeongwon agreed as if it was obvious. ¡°I think it¡¯s amazing that you still managed to get the 15th ce even after suffering from multiple regression and heart attacks during the exam period.¡± ¡°¡­Well, I¡¯m d you understand.¡± It didn¡¯t seem like he was making excuses for me, but rather he genuinely thought it was an impressive feat to achieve such a result after dying so many times during the midterms. Perhaps he didn¡¯t remember that I had mentioned going back to the past after seeing the midterms question papers before. And since I had regressed many times, it just became a thing of the past. I didn¡¯t know if it was because he grew up sheltered by his parents that he didn¡¯t be like the cheeky me. But he had a part which was so innocent as if it wasn¡¯t tainted by society. ¡°But I won¡¯t let my guard down, Prez. Do your best at the finals. Let¡¯s try topete like real men who aim for admission in a good college.¡± ¡°Ahem.¡± Why was he trying to make me hispetitor? Instead of answering, I coughed in vain and began looking at the notice board again. ¡®Let¡¯s see how the rest of the members did¡­¡¯ After passing by my grades, I had to look down quite a bit. 74th ce Oh Dukhun. ¡®Hmm. Dukhun is doing pretty well too.¡¯ Perhaps because he naturally had a fat ass. [T/N: Having ¡®fat ass¡¯ or ¡®heavy ass¡¯ is not a widely used Korean ng but it can imply that the person iszy or inactive.] Considering that there are about 300 students in the first year in the entire school, 74th ce is still a decent score. It automatically puts him in the top 30%. It was about the same as my grades in my previous life when most of my time would be spent ying around, and taking the test without studying. ¡®¡­.What about Sunah?¡¯ Sunah¡¯s name entered my eyes after going down quite a bit. 163rd ce Yoon Sunah ¡®This is also surprising.¡¯ I¡¯ve only seen Sunah taking notes diligently during studies and nothing else. Not to mention, she even studied properly during exam periods. ¡®Is she the type that studies hard but doesn¡¯t get good grades¡­?¡¯ It seems this girl had many pitiful aspects. As I thought about it, I remembered that Sunah was the only one who had trouble following Gyeongwon¡¯s exnations everytime when she usually went around solving ghost stories. Gyeongwon was an expert in exining. While exining something, he would mostly focus on the key points so that even people without knowledge of the field could understand them. However, even so, Sunah sometimes showed expressions of not understanding and had difficulty following them. ¡®¡­Sunah doesn¡¯t seem like a smart person. She seems rather dull.¡¯ Pop. [Your understanding of the character Yoon Sunah has increased by 5.] I looked at the remaining names, but the list only had the top 200 students. Perhaps to save the student¡¯s dignity, they didn¡¯t list those who failed or did very poorly in the midterms. As one could guess, Jinhee¡¯s name wasn¡¯t on the list. With this, thezy Monday passed. After school was over, we took our bags and other necessary things and headed to the clubroom. Now the time to distribute the points has finally arrived. ¡°What about Teacher Jang Hwaeun? Shouldn¡¯t we call her?¡± ¡°The ghost story the day before yesterday was solved by only us. So we¡¯re going to distribute it only among ourselves. And today is the day.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Although they agreed, the members looked a little sorry for leaving the teacher like this again. However, they also understood the fact that they were the one who solved the ghost story with their life on the line. So although they felt sorry, they seemed to tacitly agree that they didn¡¯t want the pie to be divided up. ¡°So? Have you all thought about it?¡± I sat at the chair at the head of the desk and looked at the five members. ¡°100 points per person. Level up or receive 1 million won worth of money. Choose.¡± The members looked at each other with questioning gazes. Perhaps they also felt the pressure of exchanging millions of won in the school. Since they were all just highschool students, it was indeed a matter of great anxiety. ¡°Don¡¯t think too hard.¡± I tried to lighten the mood and gestured to them to think rationally. ¡°It¡¯s a reward. A reward for working hard. You don¡¯t have to feel guilty about receiving money. You all fought with your lives on the line.¡± ¡°¡­.That¡¯s right.¡± Gyeongwon nodded and crossed his arms. ¡°I agree with that part. We deserve to enjoy this much. But¡­¡± He frowned with a tilted head. ¡°What I¡¯m worried about is that our intentions may change because of money¡­¡± ¡°Me too¡­.¡± Sunah also cautiously agreed with a face as if she had been waiting to say that. ¡°I¡¯m worried that we might get greedy because of this¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Although I was excited to think we can get 2 billion won per person and even promised to work hard, something keeps bugging me. I feel like I¡¯m doing something bad.¡± Hmm! I clenched my fists, touched by these guys¡¯ innocence. As expected, they were just 17-year-old highschool students, their thoughts were as innocent and pure as babies. They were already feeling burdened by the thought of receiving such arge sum of money. And they also felt bad for receiving the reward as if they were receiving payment for theirbor. Their innocence was something which wasn¡¯t still tainted by time and greed. ¡°I understand, I¡¯ve thought a lot about that too. But.¡± I nodded, slowly trying to persuade them by bringing up realistic conditions. ¡°These three years that we have to fight for. It will be too long and hard to endure with just friendship, morality, and a sense of justice. Moreover, if we need to continue club activities at this pace almost everyday, there is no guarantee that your grades won¡¯t fall.¡± ¡°¡­.That¡¯s right too.¡± ¡°To fight with ghost stories, it¡¯s natural that you won¡¯t have enough time to invest in studying. Not to mention, situations may arise when you have to skip sses and bunk school to solve the ghost stories. Even if you think it¡¯s fine since we¡¯re just in the first year, the college entrance exams are right around the corner in our third year. With so much pressure on our shoulders, can you guarantee that you will be able to do the activities with just friendship and a sense of justice?¡± Everyone remained silent. ¡°I can¡¯tmit suicide every 10 exam periods and return back in time to hand out cheat sheets so that our grades won¡¯t fall. And on top of that, we also have our parents to take care of. We¡¯ll need to make excuses to our parents when we do club activities before the college entrance exams. But during the college entrance exam, we can¡¯t begging behind in our studies. Or someone from the teachers or our ssmates mayin in our names.¡± ¡°¡­. Right.¡± ¡°There are a lot of other realistic problems we¡¯ll face in the future. That¡¯s why I think distributing the points is important.¡± As if they finally understood the reason, the members slowly nodded their heads. ¡°The 4 billion I promised to pay you guys is still 3 years away. There are many other hassles we will naturally face within that time period. The only reason I¡¯m thinking of distributing the points is to help you prepare psychologically. So that you can prevent yourself from giving up. I can¡¯t take care of your family affairs, but these small rewards will help you both mentally and practically.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Gyeongwon nodded after hearing the exnation. ¡°Come to think of it, adults also create small gatherings where they exchange money or small gifts. They also get together like this to discuss their future ns.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I think those things are also items to maintain the solidarity and peace in a gathering.¡± Gyeongwon, who was gradually starting to understand the reason, began to assuring others that there was no need to feel guilty. ¡°It¡¯s natural to receivepensation for working hard in the first ce. Don¡¯t be fooled by the media where they say good deeds like saving the world shouldn¡¯t be rewarded. There should be a reward for every hard work. That¡¯s how you can endure any situation.¡± ¡°¡­.Well, I understand now.¡± ¡°Then hurry up and do it, you idiot.¡± Other members also nodded along with Gyeongwon¡¯s words. As everyone agreed to receive the reward, Jinhee urged to do the work quickly with an annoyed expression. ¡°Okay. Then let¡¯s get back to the main point. Has everyone decided what they¡¯d like to have?¡± ¡°Of course! We spent the weekend having fun thinking about it~¡± Dukhun giggled and answered. ¡°Okay. Just in case someone feels embarrassed, you can send me a KakaoTalk message with your choice. I¡¯ll take a look.¡± If everyone wanted to show a good moral impression, they¡¯d think that levelling up in order to ovee the world¡¯s crisis was the right choice. In contrast, if they chose to receive money, it mighte off as a selfish act of taking care of one¡¯s own interests. However, even so, I hoped that the guys could freely choose what they really wanted. In particr, I was worried about Sunah, who was most likely to choose money due to her family¡¯s circumstances. But if everyone showed intention of levelling up, she might change her opinion and instead choose to level up. That was why I instructed them to let me know what they chose via KakaoTalk in advance. Soon, the club members picked up their phones and started typing their choices. My phone vibrated in session several times. I slowly checked the guys¡¯ answers and became a bit surprised at the result. ¡®¡­.What a surprise, most of them chose money?¡¯ Only two chose to level up. I nodded after checking. ¡°Okay. I think there won¡¯t be any problems. Then, let¡¯s start the distribution right away.¡± You can also read advance chapters by supporting me~ Chapter 87: Interlude – Points Distribution (2) Chapter 87: Interlude ¨C Points Distribution (2) [Current Ghost Story Points: 647] ¡°First is Dukhun. You requested for an action figure and a VR yStation set. Right?¡± ¡°Haiis~!¡± Dukhun enthusiastically held out his cell phone to show me the images of the products he wanted. His eager appearance was enough to understand he had been waiting for such an opportunity. His phone screen showed the picture of the products from an online shop. ¡°Where should I look? Dora Bunny? Hmm¡­¡± I also opened the menu bar in the Status Window and went into the Shop menu. After that, I began searching for the exact same products shown in his phone screen. [FREEing No Game No Life Stephanie Dora Bunny Ver. (1/4) Scale ¨C 38 Points] [yStation4 PRO VR 3 Set + Beat Saber Code Included New Model 3rd Generation ¨C 42 points] ¡°Okay. I¡¯m buying it. Go to the hallway.¡± ¡°It ttekkimasu-!¡± [T/N: The phrase ¡°? ????¡± (it ttekkimasu) seems like a Japanese phrase ¡°¤¤¤Ã¤Æ¤­¤Þ¤¹¡± (ittekimasu), which trantes to ¡°I¡¯m off¡± or ¡°I¡¯m going¡± in English. It is used when someone is leaving the house or going out.] Dukhun ran to the hallway with excited steps. [Current Ghost Story Points: 647] Poof. [Current Ghost Story Points: 567] A momentter, he returned to the clubroom holding two big packages with beautiful wrapping in his hand. ¡°Wheeze, wheeze! Thank you so much¡­!¡± He thanked me excitedly while wheezing. ¡°I used 80 points on you. You still have 20 points left.¡± ¡°The President can have the remaining points! This is enough for me!¡± ¡°All right then. I¡¯m d you¡¯re happy.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but let out a smile seeing him holding the packages gleefully. ¡°But that¡¯s unexpected of you. I thought if it were you, Dukhun, you would naturally choose to level up.¡± ¡°Hmm? Why?¡± ¡°Well, because you seemed like the only one who¡¯s interested in this kind of game-like situation most.¡± ¡°¡­.Hmm.¡± Listening to my reasoning, Dukhun nodded with an expression of understanding. ¡°That¡¯s why I thought you would also want to level-up like those in games.¡± ¡°What you¡¯re saying seems to make sense.¡± He crossed his arms and said with a serious expression. ¡°But there are times when a man¡¯s obsession is more important than his life.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± I responded half-heartedly and quickly flipped through the messages. I clicked on Jinhee¡¯s KakaoTalk messages for the next distribution. ¡°Next is Jinhee. These are¡­ a lot of things.¡± In response to my dumbfounded self, Jinhee arrogantly shoved her hands in her pockets while snickering. ¡°You can¡¯t buy all of it?¡± ¡°I can.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s cool for me.¡± ¡°Wait a moment.¡± The things Jinhee mostly ordered were some motorcycle gears, branded sleepwears, expensive liquor, a few cartons of cigarettes¡­ and simr things¡­ In addition to them, there was a list of some cosmetics from an expensive brand Chanel and a few sets of clothes. Such a list of items could be considered quite luxurious for an ordinary highschool student. [T/N: ¡®Chanel¡¯ is a Korean luxury fashion brand.] ¡®Manicure vouchers? How does she even know all this stuff and where did she get the time to write them down?¡¯ I guess I would never understand the deep and profound tastes of the world of a delinquent girl. ¡°Can you carry them all at home?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just leave some of them here if I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°¡­ I would request you to not leave the packs of cigarettes or the bottles of liquor behind. Take away the things that could get us into trouble with you.¡± Jinhee soon went out to the hallway and waited for her desired items to appear. A few momentster, her figure carrying a bunch of bags and giggling happily as she looked inside the bags entered the clubroom. [Current Ghost Story Points: 567] Poof. [Current Ghost Story Points: 467] ¡°I need to take a nap before going to work. I¡¯ll be leaving then. Thanks.¡± ¡°Okay, you¡¯re wee.¡± With the remaining one point, she ordered a basket and stuffed all of her items she got inside it. Then she skipped out of the clubroom in a pleasant mood carrying the basket. ¡®She spent all the 100 points meticulously. Next is¡­¡¯ I looked at Sunah. ¡°Sunah asked for gift cards. Please go out to the hallway.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Sunah stood up from her seat, looking somewhat embarrassed as she went out to the hallway. Perhaps she felt embarrassed for having chosen gift cards rather than some specific stuff or level up. I had a hunch that she would be choosing things like this, that was why I called her outst from all the members who chose items because I was afraid she would feel embarrassed. As expected, Gyeongwon and Hayoon had chosen to level up. ¡®She didn¡¯t need to feel embarrassed¡­¡¯ Rather, I felt guilty for not being able to help her morepared to how much she had helped me in the past. Soon after, Sunah quickly returned to the clubroom. The thick stack of gift cards stuffed in an envelope were hidden inside her skirt pocket. [Current Ghost Story Points: 467] Poof. [Current Ghost Story Points: 367] ¡®Gift cards of Clover Corporation worth 1 million won¡­¡¯ Gift cards had various uses while shopping. They could be used at various affiliated stores such as department stores, marts, hotels, restaurants, and outlets owned by Clover Corporation. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if she was thinking of using them for daily living expenses. After Sunah sat down with a slightly flushed face, I turned to Gyeongwon and Hayoon. ¡°You two chose to level up.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The two nodded with indifferent expressions. Sunah shrank further in her seat, embarrassment written all over her face. Suddenly, seeing those two made me realize one thing. Both Gyeongwon and Hayoon, who had chosen to level up, possessed onemon element: they were both from wealthy families. They could have whatever they wanted with their parents¡¯ money. Therefore, to them, money wasn¡¯t significant in this situation which also made them ignore material possessions as well. The irony of wealth. When choices stumble upon them in life, children of wealthy families do not chase after money. They can freely choose what appears valuable to them without having the pressure ofck of wealth. Such a life also helps them to not be obsessed with material things. Such an attitude ultimately leads them to the pinnacle of sess in the long run, and their life stories be glorified as tales of genius who overcame adversity through their own efforts, iming that their parents¡¯ wealth was of no great significance and that they seeded through their own abilities. And thus the inheritance of wealth continues. ¡®It¡¯s really unfair.¡¯ To think that they have a life where they can pursue and achieve whatever they wish just because their parents have a lot of money. Certainly, neither Gyeongwon nor Hayoon had done anything wrong. It¡¯s just they could simply ignore money and choose what they wanted because they had a choice. The worth of 1 million won or stuff equivalent to that probably didn¡¯t worth much in their eyes. Perhaps they even get such a measly amount as their pocket money. While Sunah was hiding the gift cards with a flushed face as if she hadmitted a felony. The rich young master and youngdy were staring at me with indifferent expressions, as if they couldn¡¯t care less about money. In that contrasting situation, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a surge of emotion inside me. ¡°¡­.All three of you, stand up.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The three of them looked at me with a bewildered expression. ¡°Gyeongwon, Hayoon, and also Sunah. Stand up.¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± ¡°Quick.¡± The three of them nced at each other before standing up with hesitation. Dukhun, who had been busy admiring the new action figure he had just got, also stared at us with an imaginary question mark above his head. ¡°I¡¯ll use some of the points on Sunah to level her up. You three will level up at the same time.¡± ¡°¡­.What?¡± Sunah was startled in an instant. ¡°No, Joon! It¡¯s okay! You already gave me my share¡­¡± She tried to deny it with a flustered face. However, I ignored her request and silently opened the Status Window before going to the members¡¯ screen. ¡°Sunah has been helping me from the beginning. Even during the incident of the Psychology Test, she herself also solved the ghost story alone and earned points.¡± Sunah¡¯s already flushed face burned brighter at the mention of the night of the Psychology Test. ¡°Ho¡­ how did you¡­¡± Her flustered and restless expression soon turned into confusion. I also quickly reached out and cleared up the misunderstanding. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I didn¡¯t stalk you or something. When I opened my eyes the next day after solving the ghost story, the system announced that you also solved the ghost story individually.¡± ¡°Ah, aha¡­ I see¡­¡± Only then did Sunah¡¯s Yandere self calmed down. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m going to use my points on Sunah to level her up. Any objections?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like she¡¯s taking our share of points. You¡¯re using her own points¡­¡± Gyeongwon nodded affirmatively, not seeming to care much. Hayoon also remained silent, not showing any interest. ¡°Okay. Thank you for understanding. Then, get it started.¡± After saying that, I opened the Status Window for the three of them at the same time. Pop. ¡¶STATUS WINDOW Name: Ahn Gyeongwon LV.1 [0/100] Age: 17 Title: Pro WikiWarrior Disposition: Exnation Character Special Ability: None Quirk: Denial of Reality Understanding: 90/100¡· ¡¶STATUS WINDOW Name: In Hayoon LV.1 [0/100] Age: 17 Title: Wife Material Disposition: ??? Special Ability: None Quirk: ??? Understanding: 15/100¡· ¡¶STATUS WINDOW Name: Yoon Sunah LV.1 [0/100] Age: 16 Title: Dirt Spoon Disposition: Low Self-Esteem Special Ability: None Quirk: Yandere Understanding: 70/100¡· As soon as I clicked on the level up button next to the members¡¯ names, a message popped up. [Would you like to spend points (100) to raise the level of the members?] [Yes/No] I tapped ¡®Yes¡¯ and started the process of raising the levels of all three members at the same time. Ding¨C [Current Ghost Story Points: 367] Ding- Ding- Ding- [Current Ghost Story Points: 267] [Current Ghost Story Points: 167] [Current Ghost Story Points: 67] [Congrattions! Your club member Ahn Gyeongwon has leveled up by 1 -> 2.] [Congrattions! Your club member In Hayoon has leveled up by 1 -> 2.] [Congrattions! Your club member Yoon Sunah has leveled up by 1 -> 2.] Poof. [The prime step of advancement is to have a mentor!] [The club members who have leveled up would be assigned to a suitable mentor for the development of their special abilities through a special mentorship event.] [This mentorship event would be held regardless of the club members¡¯ wishes.] [After the event ends, members will acquire special abilities corresponding to their respective roles.] [Your role during this time: Watch the members struggling through at a leisurely pace!] Hmm! The sudden message that appeared surprised me for a moment. I was about to open my mouth to exin the messages that appeared before my eyes to the members. However, the words in my mouth were stuck at the ringing of the cellphones of the members. [Ring ring-] Sunah¡¯s default ringtone. [D-d-D-d-D-d-] The EDM ringtone of Gyeongwon. ? And the pleasant melody of pianoing from Hayoon¡¯s phone mixed with the previous two¡¯s. ¡°What?¡± The three of them took out their phones with puzzled expressions. ¡°Hello¡­? Teacher¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, Dad. Yes.¡± While each of them received different calls and whispered into their phones, Dukhun and I only silently watched them with questioning expressions. Soon, the call ended, and all three of them put their phones down at the same time. ¡°Prez, my Dad suddenly called for some reason, so I must leave.¡± ¡°Okay, go ahead. Be sure to tell me what happenedter. It seems this sudden phone call from your Dad is rted to your leveling up.¡± ¡°Okay. Everyone, take care.¡± ¡°Sayonara~¡± Dukhun vigorously waved his arms at his departing friend. Hayoon also followed him. She grabbed her bag before greeting us. ¡°I¡¯ll have to leave as well. I¡¯ll call you after I reach home. See you all tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay. Be, be careful~¡± Waving my hand like an idiot, I sent Hayoon off. After the two rich people left, only me, Sunah and Dukhun were left in the empty clubroom. Sunah was blindly staring at me due to the sudden change of circumstances. ¡°Sunah, you just got a call. Who was it?¡± ¡°Teacher Jang Hwaeun¡­ She¡¯sing up.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Teacher says because she¡¯s bored¡­¡± Sure enough, soon the sound of brisk and lively footsteps climbing the stairs could be heard from the hallway stairs. The footsteps soon approached us. Slid. ¡°Hello, guys~! You guys are still here even at this hour?¡± Teacher Jang Hwaeun opened the door to the clubroom and entered whileughing. ¡°The club room is sofortable. I wish there was more rooms like this at school~¡± She plopped down on the sofa and began bbering on her own not caring whether we were listening or not. ¡°Isn¡¯t Teacher part of our Ghost Story Club? Which means you cane and rest whenever you want.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t give me lip service, children. If I were to join you guys while you¡¯re having fun, you guys would be the only ones feeling awkward.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t deny.¡± At my honest response, the Teacherughed loudly. ¡°What about the rest of the kids? Why are there only the three of you? I can understand if Sunah and Joon are together, but even Dukhun being here seems a bit of a strangebination.¡± Dukhun¡¯s eyes shed sharply at those words. ¡°Excuse me, Teacher. What¡¯s wrong with me being here?¡± ¡°You¡¯re holding an action figure!¡± ¡°Shit¡­!¡± Surprised at being caught red-handed, Dukhun hurriedly hid the bunny girl figure under the desk. ¡°Ahaha.¡± ¡°Pfft haha.¡± The sudden appearance of the Teacher brightened the atmosphere easily. Even Sunah couldn¡¯t help but smile timidly at the pleasant moment. ¡°How long are you guys nning on staying here?¡± ¡°We were about to leave. We had something to discuss, but are finished already.¡± ¡°You guys are not leaving because I¡¯m here, are you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not wrong either.¡± The smile on the Teacher¡¯s face turned a bit dark as she rubbed her fist. ¡°Wait until you reach the second semester. If you get caught dilly-dallying in my ss, you¡¯ll be dead.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t joke, Teacher. I¡¯m the perfect example of a model student in the ssroom.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really funny.¡± After saying that, she suddenly stared intently at Sunah as she crossed her legsfortably. ¡°Are you also leaving, Sunah?¡± ¡°Me¡­?¡± Sunah became flustered when suddenly her name was called. ¡°Do you have anything to do?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Then will you stay here and chat with your Teacher for a moment?¡± Sunah briefly nced at me, as if asking for my permission. When I raised my eyebrows and nodded to her, she also nodded back to the Teacher. ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Okay. Then, boys, leave quickly.¡± ¡°What are you talking about all of a sudden? I¡¯m curious too. Can¡¯t we chat together?¡± At my curious request, the Teacher suddenly took out a whip from who knows where and banged it on the desk. ¡°This is just between girls! Boys, leave quickly!¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I understand.¡± Our limbs moved quickly and we packed our bags and other necessary stuff. Dukhun put the action figure in his bag and swiftly left the clubroom holding the game console with both hands. ¡°Joon, bye. See you tomorrow¡­¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll contact youter.¡± We left the clubroom, leaving only Sunah and Teacher Jang Hwaeun inside. [Lee Joon: Hayoon, you¡¯re assigned to a mentor after you leveled up today. If anything happens, please let me know.] I sent another KakaoTalk message to Gyeongwon with the same content. Gyeongwon replied with an ¡®I understand¡¯. However, no reply was returned from Hayoon even though it was shown that she had gotten the message and even read it. ¡®Did I just get ignored?¡¯ ¡°Wheeze, wheeze¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it heavy? Should I help?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ It¡¯s such an expensive item, I¡¯m hesitant to let someone else carry it¡­¡± The afternoon sun was setting in the west, enveloping therge school ground in a warm light. I and Dukhun were crossing the empty yground, with him carrying the yStation box in one and holding the VR box in the other. ¡°You should call a taxi, taxi. You have too much stuff.¡± ¡°Then please¡­¡± Since he wasn¡¯t letting me carry the boxes, I had no choice but to go to the nearby street and hail a taxi instead. The taxi soon arrived and Dukhun got on while struggling to push his boxes inside. And after closing the door, he pulled down the window and gave me a big smile. ¡°1 million won for a day of hard work is a huge gain. Call me whenever you need me, President.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll call you again if I need you. Have fun ying the game.¡± ¡°Ba-bye. See you tomorrow~¡± ¡°Bye~¡± I waved to my deskmate and saw him off in the taxi. After that, I also headed toward my home, the big red sun setting in the background as a beautiful scenery. ¡®Today was fun.¡¯ We had a lot of fun today. I had a good grade, had fun with my friends, and even sessfully finished distributing the Ghost Story Points. It was a truly pleasant and memorable day. ??¡ô?¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô?¡ô?????? ¡ô???¡ô? Interpretation: Performance You can also read advance chapters by supporting me~ Chapter 88: Eleventh Ghost Story – The Forgotten Friend (1) Chapter 88: Eleventh Ghost Story ¨C The Forgotten Friend (1) Thanks a lot S for the Kofi! One extra chapter will be posted as promised! There¡¯s a story about doing something very trivial that one would think is absolutely impossible to misremember. ¢Ù Dukhun once mentioned having many online friends with whom he had been ying games for a long time. Originally, they met through forming a guild in an online game (probably Dungeon & Fighter). There were about four people in that group who had been members for a long time. Although their meeting started with Dungeon & Fighter, as they created a group chat and continued to hang out together, their rtionship improved and they soon became like best of friends. They also started ying other games, such as MineCraft, together and became close friends online. ording to Dukhun, these were his closest inte buddies. One day, while they were ying the game diligently as usual through voice chat, Dukhun noticed that one member in particr was unusually quiet. He thought that something might be bothering the silent member so he was quiet. However, the following day, and the day after that, the member remained silent. In the end, curiosity got the best of him so he cautiously asked why the particr member had been so quiettely. However, the other members became confused and started scolding him, asking what he was talking about. They said that the silent member had a congenital condition that caused him to have a vocal impediment, so he had never used a microphone in the first ce. Surprised, Dukhun further argued, saying that they were the one who were talking nonsense. Just recently, they were raiding together and having conversations. However, all he got in response were baffled replies, with no one understanding what he meant. Dukhun, who even remembered talking one-on-one with that silent member, quickly opened his call log. However, instead of the phone records, he only found countless text messages. The conversations that he thought he had with the member over phone calls were written in text instead, filling up the screen. In reality, he had never actually heard that member¡¯s voice. Such a discovery only puzzled Dukhun further. He never used text messages tomunicate at all, except for receiving codes for game authentication. Otherwise, he would mostly rely on KakaoTalk for text conversations. After spending several years together, he wondered how he could have been under the illusion that he had heard the member¡¯s voice all this time. He also puzzled over the fact why he had mistakenly remembered their text conversations as if they had talked over phone calls. And even if it was a mistake, he wondered why he had used text messages for conversation with that particr member, instead of KakaoTalk. Despite all the suspicious aspects, it seemed that the group was still continuing their gaming as usual. Dukhun¡¯s gaming friends were still seamlessly interacting with each other online without facing any problem. And the silent member with a voice disorder still never used the microphone. ¢Ú ¡°Do you guys perhaps know about the existence of 200 won coin?¡± ¡°200 won coin?¡± In the clubroom during lunchtime. Gyeongwon asked, and Sunah showed a bewildered expression in response. ¡°There is such a coin¡­?¡± ¡°There is.¡± Gyeongwon affirmed firmly. ¡°In my memory.¡± When I asked what they were talking about, he replied that he remembered using a 200 won coin when he was young. He recalled going to a stationery store with his mother to buy school supplies during elementary school. When he saw a toy w machine there and expressed his desire to try it, his mother gave him a 200 won coin. ording to his memory, a 200 won coin was slightly smaller than a 500 won coin but a bitrger than a 100 won coin. The w machine was designed to require two 100 won coins to work. However, he even remembered in detail the the w machine worked immediately when he inserted the 200 won coin. He also remembered that after that day, whenever he found a 200 won coin while sorting coins at home, he would set it aside and collect it separately. In a TV entertainment show, there was an exnation thatmemorative coins from a specific year can be expensive. For example, it was mentioned that among 200 won coins, those minted in 1984 have special value.¡­. ¡°Aren¡¯t you confusing it for something like a children¡¯s piggy bank? There could be toy coins too.¡± ¡°Absolutely not.¡± Gyeongwon tapped his chest as if frustrated. ¡°If it was a toy coin, I wouldn¡¯t remember buying things with it at the supermarket. I also remember running errands with several 200 won coins as part of my parents¡¯ economic education session.¡± ¡°It could be considered somewhat rare, but still not extremely rare. Perhapsparable to the old 10 won coins in terms of rarity? Although most coins have changed to smaller sizes now, we still asionallye across the old 10 won coins. It was that level of rarity. I remember it all clearly.¡± ¡°¡­.So? Do you really have them?¡± ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t have them¡­.¡± Gyeongwon lowered his head dejectedly, his expression clouded. ¡°As I reached the upper grades of elementary school, do you think I¡¯d be able to focus on a coin after busily focusing on studies and attending a cram school after that? I even rarely went outside or used coins. I had forgotten about them for a while, but one day the thought of, ¡®Come to think of it, I haven¡¯t seen ely¡¯ suddenly appeared in my mind. ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°So I asked my Mom if she had any 200 won coin, but she rather scolded me saying there was no such a thing in the world and I was talking nonsense¡­ I also experienced a simr situation and heard the the same thing.¡± Upon hearing him, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if I could find a 200 won coin anywhere in the world. ¡°Even when I recalled memories of the w toy machine or errands from back then when she handed me the coins, she couldn¡¯t remember. Perhaps because it was quite a long time ago, and shepletely couldn¡¯t remember the events since she wasn¡¯t involved directly.¡± Then he took out his phone discreetly and showed it to me. ¡°But, look at this. I¡¯m not the only one.¡± What Gyeongwon showed me was the search results for 200 won coins on the Inte. [There was a 200 won coin. I remember it clearly. 200 won was written on the coin¡­ I used to buy snacks with it.] [I remember that back in the old days, Cheetos used to cost 200 won, and I used to use it to buy snacks conveniently. However, at some point, it disappeared¡­ Actually, I¡¯m curious about it too. x-x] [Was there really no 200 won coin? I vividly remember using 200 won for a long time¡­ Was it just a childhood imagination???] Besides that, there were buzzing discussions amongizens about having used a 200 won coin when they were young. ¡°It seems there are more people who say they saw it than I thought.¡± I was also puzzled by the revtion. Was there really such a coin? But it doesn¡¯t seem like there was one? Because I don¡¯t recall using such a coin like that ever in my life. Gyeongwon sighed after seeing my confused expression. ¡°The Prez is right. There exists no such a coin.¡± [2019, April 30 | Tuesday, 12:32] [Lee Joon: Number of Attempts ¨C 2] [Ghost Story Points: 67] [Causality Rate: 14%] ¡°Although it was issued asmemorative coins, a 200 won coin never existed in everyday use. I guess it was probably this mystery that led me to expand my interests from just detective stories to also exploring urban legends and ghost stories.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± We swiftly finished our lunch and took a break in the clubroom. We were discussing the misconceptions about small but absolutely infallible things that happened in our childhood. ¡°What do you mean they don¡¯t exist, idiot. They do.¡± Jinhee, who had been resting on the sofa at that moment, responded while lying down. It seemed she heard our conversation. ¡°¡­What?¡± We, who were sitting around the desk and discussing, looked back at her with questioning gazes. ¡°200 won coins exist. When I was young, I used to y with them like crazy with the neighborhood older boys.¡± ¡°ying with coins?¡± Sunah turned around and asked me, wanting to know what it was. ¡°That¡­ is a kind of gambling children y with coins. It¡¯s a bad habit. Anyway, children sometimes y things like that.¡± I left a vague reply to Sunah and turned to Jinhee before asking again. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re mistaken? I was about to conclude that this doesn¡¯t exist and move on to the next topic instead.¡± ¡°¡­How could they not exist? I still have piles of them at home.¡± ¡°What?¡± This time, we were all startled by those words. Even Dukhun, who was deeply engrossed in watching anime, was also surprised seeing our surprised expression and he took off his headphones and looked around. ¡°What? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°¡­.Jinhee says she has 200 won coins at her house.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Dukhun raised his eyebrows and began thinking deeply about something. Then he snickered and put his headphones back on. ¡°3 weeks of falsehood.¡± [T/N: ¡°?? 3 ??¡± or ¡°3 weeks of falsehood¡± is a Korean ng expression. It¡¯s a shortened form of ¡°??? ??? 3? ?? ????,¡± which means to spread a rumor or falsehood for three weeks. It implies that someone is engaging in deceit or exaggeration over a period of time.] Whack- A cushion flew from the sofa and bounced away after hitting the back of Dukhun¡¯s head. ¡°Say clearly what you want to say.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­ you guys don¡¯t know the meaning?¡± Dukhun smiled smugly with an indifferent expression. ¡°It seems people around me are all ipetent. It means ¡®lies¡¯.¡± ¡°Ahhhhhhh!¡± Jinhee immediately got up from her lying position on the sofa and rushed to Dukhun while screaming. She grabbed the back of his thick neck from behind and began shaking and choking him. ¡°Someone kill this little bastard!¡± ¡°Co¡­ cough¡­ sor¡­ sorry.¡± Dukhun fell backwards and began iling his arms. Then, Hayoon with a yful smile, patted his belly that was facing up and tried to imitate his tone of speaking. ¡°Oi oi, Dukhun-kun. Where did your fighting spirit just now, go?¡± ¡°Cough¡­ cough.¡± Dukhun¡¯s face turned bright red with his veins bulging. It seemed being beaten by Jinhee has embarrassed him. ¡®¡­.This is the first time I¡¯ve seen Hayoon being yful.¡¯ No, if I thought about it carefully¡­ she had always been quite yful, although subtle. I shook my head. I¡¯d really like to know who on earth first developed that kind of speaking tone. ¡®It sounds like shit.¡¯ ¡°But do you really have 200 won coins in your house?¡± ¡°I do.¡± Jin-hee, who, despite beating Dukhun who weighed more than 0.15 tons, responded with apletely unfazed expression as if it was no bother. ¡°Then after your reach home, can you take some pictures and send them to me? I¡¯m curious.¡± ¡°Too troublesome. You guys should juste along.¡± At the unexpected offer, we subtly nced at each other, gauging the situation. ording to us, going over to someone¡¯s house is more of a hassle. ¡°Would that be okay? You need to go to your part-time work¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯d fine. You guys will be staying for a bit anyway.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± I nodded enthusiastically. When I asked the other members for their opinions with a nce, they all showed expressions of understanding. ¡°Thank you! Then let¡¯s all go to Jinhee¡¯s house after school today!¡± ¡°That¡¯ll be fun¡­¡± Sunah said with a slight smile. I had been nning to visit each member¡¯s home at least once to increase the understanding level, but somehow, it ended up starting with Jinhee. That afternoon, during the end of the day homeroom period. ¡°As I¡¯ve gotten older, I discovered that I have problem with urination¡­¡± ¡°Pfft haha.¡± After the homeroom teacher said what he wanted to say and some of the responsive studentsughed, the period finally ended. We grabbed our bags and left the ssroom. ¡°Let¡¯s go~¡± ¡°Everyone¡¯s here?¡± The six of us rushed out of the hallway. Teacher Hwaeun, who wasing down the stairs, was surprised seeing us all together. ¡°Where are you children going?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going home since school is over.¡± ¡°Everyone can go out and have fun except this poor teacher!¡± She grumbled, seemingly annoyed. ¡°We¡¯re just stopping by briefly at Jinhee¡¯s house to check if there¡¯s a 200 won coin at her house.¡± ¡°200 won coin?¡± Teacher Jang Hwaeun made a bewildered expression. ¡°Does Teacher want toe with us?¡± ¡°No, I have more important things to do.¡± She sighed deeply as she denied. ¡°Then see you guyster. Bye~¡± ¡°Goodbye~¡± The teacher winked at Sunah and then briskly walked down the hallway. Soon, we stood side by side at the main entrance and took out our shoes from the lockers before putting them on. ¡°By the way, Sunah, what did you talk about with the Teacher yesterday?¡± ¡°Huh? Um¡­¡± Sunah made a visibly flustered expression. She put her particrly smaller feet into her old pink sneakers and slowly stood up, answering. ¡°I¡¯ll tell youter¡­¡± ¡°Okay, I understand.¡± Chapter 89: Eleventh Ghost Story – The Forgotten Friend (2) Chapter 89: Eleventh Ghost Story ¨C The Forgotten Friend (2) ¡°ShinLim Station, 48th Street, Daesung Apartment Complex, 3rd floor. Find me there.¡± Leaving only those words behind, Jinhee¡¯s motorcycle, which was carrying Sunah and Hayoon behind, disappeared into the distance, raising coils of ck smoke. ¡°Ahaha.¡± ¡°Jinhee, is so¡­¡± The crowds of highschool girls,ughing and chatting among themselves, faded away into the distance along with the sound of the engine. Only the male members of the Ghost Story Club, who had once again be abandoned duck eggs in the Nakdong River, remained rooted in their ce. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Along with a boring, bespectacled nerd and a big otaku tagging behind, I followed down the path and into an alley with a slow, shuffling gait. ¡°So, what¡¯s up Gyeongwon? Yesterday, as soon as I leveled you up, your cell phone started ringing. Who was it?¡± ¡°Oh, about that.¡± Gyeongwon exined, lifting the shoulder strap of the bag that had fallen off his small shoulder. ¡°My parents¡¯ called me. They hired a new private tutor for me. I don¡¯t have time for a private tutor because of the cram school I was already attending. So they called to ask me if I was willing to quit my cram school and get private tutoring.¡± ¡°Private tutoring?¡± ¡°Yeah. In my case, I¡¯m the type that can do well on his own without having to be tied down to a cram school, and since I actually proved it by getting 4th ce in the entire school on my first highschool test, I think they thought that private tutoring would be better for me than a cram school where a group of students take sessions together.¡± Gyeongwon exined calmly. ¡°¡­.That¡¯s unexpected. I thought you¡¯d be struggling with multiple cram school sessions and private tutoring like the rich kids in movies.¡± ¡°Oh my.¡± He snickered at myment. ¡°Are you talking about something like the Spartan learning method? That¡¯s ament made without understanding. You need to rest when needed in order to study for a long time.¡± [T/N: The ¡°Spartan learning method¡± refers to a rigorous and intense approach to education or training, inspired by the discipline and harsh training methods of ancient Sparta.] ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Gyeongwon¡¯s parents, whom I saw when we ran into each other at the grocery store before. At first, they gave off a very strict and old-fashioned impression. I thought they were the type to always push Gyeongwon hard to have good grades, given that he always said he was at the cram school in the evenings whenever I contacted him. But it seems they actually have a well-rounded educational philosophy. ¡°That new private tutor. Do you think he¡¯s the mentor the system mentioned and assigned you to?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Gyeongwon tilted his head as he said. ¡°I haven¡¯t met him yet either. But apparently, my parents mentioned him having a perfect score on the CSATst year.¡± ¡°A perfect score on the CSAT?¡± ¡°Yeah. This year, he entered Seoul National University¡¯s Social Science Department as a freshman and part of the new batch of 2019. My father contacted him through his connection. And since he lives in a dormitory nearby, he agreed to it.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± As long as I know, ShinLim Station is two subway stops here from the Seoul National University Station. Considering that most high-paying private tutoring students are often found in Gangnam, especially Daichidong, which is known as the hub of private education, ShinLim Station is quite close byparison. [T/N: Gangnam is a district in Seoul, South Korea. It gained international fame through the song ¡°Gangnam Style¡± by Psy. Daichidong is a neighborhood in Gangnam District. Both ces are notable for its concentration of private academies and tutoring services, making it a key area for high-quality educational support in Seoul. Source: Wikipedia] ¡®Sunah¡¯s mentor is Teacher Jang Hwaeun¡­ Gyeongwon¡¯s mentor is a high-paying private tutor who got a perfect score on the college entrance exam¡­¡¯ I thought about it carefully, but I couldn¡¯t guess what kind of result it would lead to. ¡®How does gaining abilities through leveling up rte to those people?¡¯ [Your role during this time: Watch the members struggling through at a leisurely pace!] ¡°¡­.Huu.¡± I shook my head. I couldn¡¯t find an answer no matter how much I thought about it. So I decided to watch everything by the side leisurely for now as per the system¡¯s advice. ¡°Daesung Apartment Complex¡­ It should be this.¡± Dukhun went straight inside. We also checked the name on the front gate before entering. ¡°This should be right. Jinhee¡¯s motorcycle is here too.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go in, Prez.¡± The path was an extremely narrow alley where only one car could pass through. The illegal vehicles parking here and there made it impossible to move through in a straight line. It was an alley with tall buildings standing close side by side, making the path narrow enough for buses or other big vehicles impossible to pass. We had to walk for a while to reach our destination. Eventually, after finding the building where Jinhee lived, we walked up the stairs to the third floor. A wide open door entered our vision as soon as we reached the third floor. It was as if the door was open to invite us in, so we walked towards it. ¡°Oh~ You guys are here. I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t find them.¡± Shit. ¡°I¡¯m sure I clearly put them here? But now that I checked them again, they¡¯re all 100 won coins.¡± Jinhee said in a t tone while casually rummaging through the desk. ¡°I¡¯ll look for some more. Take a break.¡± ¡°¡­.Okay.¡± We turned around and entered the room beside it which appeared to be the living room. Jinhee¡¯s house was aplete mess. It was a two-room apartment with each room attached together. The sink of the kitchen was full of dirty dishes. Adidas pants, T-shirts, underwear, and other things strewn about carelessly in front of the washing machine¡­. Sunah, with a flushed face, nudged a pair of bras lying on the floor with her foot to one side. ¡°Have you fought a war here¡­¡± Dukhun, with a look of disbelief, stood in the living room with a dumbfounded expression and surveyed the surroundings. A desk full of cosmetics, nutritional supplements, and tumblers. Shopping bags from unknown brands were piled up in the corner. Boxes and bags of countless delivery foods apanied them beside. Hayoon covered her nose and asked Jinhee. ¡°Do you live here alone? No one says anything?¡± ¡°I live with my sister.¡± Jinhee, who was rummaging around in her room, answered loudly. ¡®I heard that girls¡¯ rooms are usually messier¡­ but it¡¯s really beyond imagination.¡¯ However, Sunah¡¯s room was very clean although the apartment building was old and a bit worn. Perhaps it was mostly due to Jinhee¡¯s indifferent personality. ¡°Sorry, there aren¡¯t any.¡± Jinhee came out of the room, panting for breath. ¡°¡­.There were?¡± ¡°Yeah. Huuu.¡± She strode straight through the pile of trash and fell t on the living room sofa. ¡°There definitely were. This is strange.¡± ¡°¡­.When did you collect them?¡± ¡°When I was in elementary school¡­¡± Jinhee counted on her fingers as she replied. Gyeongwon shook his head helplessly and answered for her. ¡°It has been more than 6 years.¡± ¡°Oh my God.¡± I resisted the urge to groan. It wasn¡¯t something she checked evenst month. She dragged us all the way here to her home to show us something she had collected most probably 6 years ago. With that amount of time, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if it had disappeared along the way even if she did collect some. Especially in a house that¡¯s so messy and disorganized like this. ¡°How can this be! I walked for 20 minutes!¡± Dukhun got angry and began to grumble. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry~ I¡¯m sorry~ I¡¯m sorry~¡± Jinhee rolled her feet on the sofa while lying down, not seemingly sorry. Lee Jinhee, with a rather careless and impractical personality, is an extreme mood-driven type and a school bully. [Your understanding of the character Lee Jinhee has increased by 5.] ¡°Ugh¡­ That¡¯s okay. If it¡¯s not here, it can¡¯t be helped. Is there anything else? Something interesting you can show us.¡± ¡°Something interesting?¡± I nced around the living room that looked like a battlefield. ¡°There might be a relic hidden there.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± Jinhee crossed her legs while lying down on the sofa with her stockings on and thought deeply. ¡°Should I show you the diary that my friend in the front seat used to write when I was in middle school?¡± Why do you even have that? ¡°Or theic book I borrowed from my friend sitting behind me.¡± Dukhun, who was already angry foring so far for no reason, snorted as he said. ¡°It must be that you stole it, not borrowed it.¡± We looked at each other, shook our heads, and changed the subject again. ¡°Then tell us a scary story.¡± ¡°A scary story?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, Prez. Jinhee seems to be the type to have been in a lot of mishaps.¡± At that, Jinhee, yfully wiggling her feet, thought deeply. ¡°Hmm¡­ a scary story¡­ an ident.¡± ¡°¡­.Hmm?¡± With a sudden ¡®ah!¡¯ she shot up from the sofa. ¡°Fuck, I remembered it now that you mentioned it.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Jinhee started with a rare serious expression. ¡°I had a friend I yed with when I was a kid. She was a really naughty kid. She used to get into a lot of idents.¡± ¡°More than you?¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Maintaining the serious expression, she nodded. ¡°She was a total psycho. I¡¯ve seen her hurting animals andughing like a maniac.¡± ¡°¡­.I see.¡± When Jinhee said the kid was naughty, I wasn¡¯t sure how naughty she had been. I thought it could be that she was the kind of mentally unstable kid that you find in every school. ¡°Was she autistic?¡± ¡°No. She¡¯s usually fine. She actually acts really nice, usually.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Certainly, Jinhee has a bold and intimidating personality, but that was just a kind of school violence-type of intimidation. She definitely didn¡¯t appear to be a psychopath who enjoys bullying animals or something. ¡°But here¡¯s the strange thing.¡± Jinhee sitting cross-legged on the sofa, straightened her posture. ¡°We all had a group of friends with whom we used to hang out together when we were kids, right? I also had one, about five people. We would skip school all the time and go y around the train tracks. But now, strangely, no one remembers her.¡± ¡°¡­.Wow.¡± Gyeongwon pushed up his sses with sparkling eyes. ¡°A childhood friend that no one remembers¡­.¡± ¡°That sounds interesting.¡± Everyone gathered closer with an expression of interest. Just as I was about to sit down to slowly focus on the story with an expression of interest. ¡°¡­.I, I¡¯ll stay standing up. I think a cockroach might jump out from somewhere.¡± ¡°Oh, me too.¡± ¡°Me, me too¡­¡± The club members who almost sat down following me without thinking, muttered to themselves. I stood up again and focused more on listening to the story. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ I was in the 4th grade of elementary school, so when I was 11¡­¡± Jinhee, sitting down on the sofa while we were all standing, began exining with a serious expression. As if recalling the old memories that were at the verge of forgotten, her gaze moved up to the sky. ¢Û After their parents divorced, Jinhee and her older sister moved to an appointmentplex near the ShinLim Station with her father. It was a story about her deskmate who was particrly kind to her from the very first day at the elementary school she transferred to- ¡°-Wait. Which elementary school?¡± ¡°¡­.Undang Elementary School.¡± I interrupted Jinhee, who was about to start her story, and asked instead. ¡°Undang Elementary School on Bongcheon street?¡± ¡°Uh-huh. Why?¡± ¡°No, I just wondered where the story took ce. Since we all live in ShinLim, I thought we might know each other.¡± ¡°What was the name of your elementary school?¡± ¡°Seoul Southern Elementary School.¡± Our conversation suddenly diverged to something different as we chatted. ¡°Seoul Southern? I don¡¯t know a school like that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s right nearby¡­ you don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°Mmhm.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ Sorry for interrupting you. Please continue your story.¡± ¡°Ahem.¡± After her parents got divorced, she and her sister followed her father to this apartment building near ShinLim Station¡­ ¡°¡­.But don¡¯t we have anyone here from the same school? The six of us live in ShinLim after all.¡± Perhaps due to herck of focus or because her train of thought was interrupted, Jinhee looked around and asked. But the club members shook their heads. ¡°No one? Where have you alle from?¡± ¡°I moved here in middle school, so I don¡¯t know much.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± Gyeongwon and Dukhun, who had moved here at the same time, answered. ¡°I went to ShinLim Elementary School¡­¡± Sunah answered hesitantly. ¡°Hayoon, what about you?¡± Suddenly confronted with my question, Hayoon, who had been standing with her arms crossed, maintained a moment of silence before soon opening her mouth to answer. ¡°I went to a private elementary school. It¡¯s a little far away, so you wouldn¡¯t know even if you heard.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t move here?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve lived here since I was young.¡± ¡°I see.¡± [Your understanding of the character In Hayoon has increased by 5.] Ah, understanding has also increased. ¡°Let¡¯s continue with the story.¡± ¡°Okay, fuck, no one interrupts. I¡¯ll start.¡± Jinhee coughed in vain as she started. ¡°But I¡¯m thirsty.¡± ¡°Oh,e on¡­¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Jinhee chuckled at the members grumbling before starting her story again. Chapter 90: Eleventh Ghost Story – The Forgotten Friend (3) Chapter 90: Eleventh Ghost Story ¨C The Forgotten Friend (3) WARNING: This chapter contains descriptions of animal abuse. Readers, please be advised. There¡¯s a story about doing something very trivial that one would think is absolutely impossible to misremember. ¢Û Jinhee and her older sister moved to an apartmentplex near ShinLim Station with their father after their parents divorced. It was a story about her deskmate who was particrly kind to her from the very first day at the elementary school she transferred to. Jinhee¡¯s deskmate, despite her having a somewhat indifferent and blunt personality, always treated her generously. She would help her in homework, take care of her supplies and talk to her in a friendly manner, regardless of her personality. ¡°I remember her name too. It was Kim Eunjung.¡± ¡°¡­.That¡¯s amon name.¡± However, despite her seemingly friendly appearance, her ssmates seemed to avoid Jinhee¡¯s deskmate Eunjung for some reason. About a month after transferring, True to her wild and unruly personality, Jinhee quickly befriended the students who sat at the back of her ss. And before long, skipping ss and going out to y with her friends became her daily routine. ¡°When we were very young, we used to group together and call ourselves something like the ¡®Seven Princesses.¡¯ There were some boys too, but I quickly became recognized as a key member of the group.¡± Now, the nickname princess seemed quite childish, but when thinking back to my elementary school days, the feeling of being a princess was quitemon among girls. And the girls who were given the title princess were mostly school bullies. ¡°But elementary school students only had 4 periods. You still had a lot of free time to y, so why did you skip school¡­ ¡° ¡°I don¡¯t know. I guess I just wanted to do that back then.¡± The homeroom teacher was also quite a rather brusque type, so he didn¡¯t pay much attention to the students. At the time, it happened that students from troubled family backgrounds, like herself, were grouped together in the same ss, making it truly fitting for them to band together and engage in mischief. Jinhee recalled that during recess, she would climb over the fence and mingle with the delinquent boys at a nearby stationery store to y games. The guidance counselor would wander around the streets, frantically searching for the students who weren¡¯t attending sses even though ss was in full swing. ¡°The homeroom teacher didn¡¯t pay much attention, and since he was busy with ss, the counselor in the school would usuallye looking for us. Later on, the owner of the stationery store started calling the school whenever he saw us.¡± ¡°We even once got caught stealing pens and mechanical pencils¡­¡± In short, she used to get into a lot of mischief with other elementary school kids. She also mentioned that she grew up fighting a lot with the middle school delinquents who looked down on the elementary school kids wandering the streets. Despite often skipping school and wandering around the street causing mishaps, whenever she did end up sitting in the ssroom, her partner, Kim Eunjung, always made sure to remind her of the next ss schedule. ¡°She would also worry about where I got hurt, and if I came in during ss after being caught by the teacher, she would always have the textbook for that period open and ready for me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s kind of heartwarming¡­¡± Sunahmented on the story with a slightly moved expression. At the time, Jinhee used to think of her as an annoying kid who fussed and made unnecessary small talk. However, she also had a positive impression about her partner. Then one day, after the school was over, the so-called princesses¡¯ group came to Jin-hee¡¯s seat While discussing where to hang out and what to do, they decided to check out the newly opened Olive Young. [T/N: Olive Young is a popr South Korean retail chain that specializes in health and beauty products, including cosmetics, skincare, and wellness items. It¡¯s known for offering a wide range of products from various brands in one ce.] She mentioned that, noticing her partner, Eunjung looking bored while sitting in her seat, she once insisted on taking her along with him. ¡°That must have been really scary¡­ A normally kind partner mixed in with a gang of troublemakers¡­.¡± ¡°Be quiet. She wasn¡¯t a good kid to begin with. Just listen.¡± Jinhee coughed again and started talking seriously. ¡°After browsing through some cosmetic stores, we ended up hanging at a park together with some older boys we met before.¡± *** ¡°Jinhee, look at this!¡± ¡°Wow, f*ck.¡± Jinhee received the four-leaf clover handed to her by her deskmate with admiration as she smiled. ¡°How did you find it?¡± Her partner, Kim Eunjung, only just smiled brightly instead of answering. Her face was slender, if she could keep her mouth shut, she would have looked pretty. But she alwaysughed widely like an idiot, makingughing lines appear on her face. ¡®She doesn¡¯t seem to be the brightest type, but she is kind.¡¯ Thinking that she couldn¡¯t be too friendly to her just because they yed together once, Jinhee started searching through the grass. ¡°Hey, there¡¯s a lizard here!¡± Soon, other boys called them from a distance through the bushes. ¡°Really?¡± Jinhee stuffed the four-leaf clover in her pocket and stood up. Then grabbing the hand of her partner Eunjung who was hesitating whether to follow her or not, they hurried to the group. ¡°Wow, there really is one. I thought we would never see one in the city.¡± Since ying in the bustling city required money, Jinhee along with her friends, despite being from Seoul, behaved like kids from the countryside, often running around outside the city area to y. And since 70 percent of thend in South Korea was made up of mountains, there were many grassy fields around the suburban areas. Even in Seoul, if you look closely, you¡¯ll find that surprisingly there are more grassy areas where kids can y and get dirty. ¡°Give it to me. Let me touch it.¡± ¡°Here.¡± A few mischievous boys, holding the squirming body of a lizard, held it out to Jinhee who looked at it as if impressed. Jinhee naturally grabbed it with a mischievous smile. ¡°Do you want to touch it too?¡± Then she he held it out to her partner, who was staring at them with curious eyes. Her open-mouthed stare, as she looked at the lizard with wide eyes, gave her a somewhat clueless andcking in intelligence appearance. ¡°Here, touch it.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± When Jinhee recklessly pushed it forward, Eunjung, unable to resist, ended upughing and moved to hold the lizard¡¯s tail from Jinhee¡¯s palm. ¡°Hey! Hold the the body, not the tail-¡± ¡°Aah!¡± Before Jinhee could finish her urgent shout, the lizard quickly shed off its tail and ran away. The severed tail, with drops of blood pouring from the cut area, began iling in Eunjung¡¯s palm. ¡°You should have grabbed the body, it ran away.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± However, ignoring Jinhee¡¯s scolding tone, Eunjunng nkly stared at the severed tail as it danced freely on her open palm with utter fascination. ¡°It ran away because of you, idiot!¡± One of the boys in the group grumbled and scolded her loudly. However, Eunjung¡¯s curious eyes were fixed on the tail fluttering around on her palm as if she didn¡¯t hear him. ¡°Isn¡¯t it gross?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± She answered clumsily to Jinhee¡¯s casual question as if she was possessed. ¡°Stop staring and let¡¯s go. Drop it from your hand.¡± Following the boys who had already turned their attention to other pranks, Jinhee quickly grabbed Eunjung¡¯s hand and hurriedly moved along. The next morning, at the school. By the time the morning assembly was over, it was already 9 o¡¯clock. Jinhee sneakily entered the school through the deserted main gate. She noticed her partner, Eunjung, was waiting for her at the pir next to the entrance for some reason. ¡°Jinhee!¡± ¡°Why are you here?¡± Her partner, still with a big smile stered on her face like a fool, approached her. ¡°Look!¡± Eunjung spread her hand and held out the things in her palm. The severed lizard tail from yesterday was lying in her open palm, still and dried of blood. ¡°Do you have more of these?¡± ¡°Where can I get them?¡± From that day on, Jinhee¡¯s partner Eunjung started to join the group on her own without Jinhee even asking her to. Jinhee¡¯s friends, who were as indifferent as her, also didn¡¯t pay much attention to her and let her tag along. At first, she followed without showing any sign ofint, but as she started making strange demands, Jinhee eventually became annoyed. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to catch a lizard today?¡± ¡°Oh. I¡¯m going to look at the tints.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to catch a lizard today?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to hang out with my middle school friends.¡± ¡°Today¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to their house and binge-watch some music shows. Don¡¯t follow me.¡± ¡°Hey, your partner is following you again.¡± That day too, as usual, Jinhee swiftly avoided the end-of-the-day homeroom period and was about to leave the yground as soon as ss ended. She nced behind at her friend¡¯s gesture and saw her partner, Eunjung, running towards them from the distance. ¡°Lee Jinhee, you¡¯ve been too friendly with her, that¡¯s why she¡¯s acting this way.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Soon, Eunjung halted in front of them and opened her mouth, gasping for breath. ¡°Today¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to karaoke.¡± In the end, Eunjung followed them as usual. She couldn¡¯t fit in with their wild personality, so she stayed quietly in the corner of the karaoke room. At this point, Jinhee¡¯s group began to feel ufortable with her partner following them around like a maniac and asking the same thing over and over again. ¡°Today¡­¡± ¡°Hey, f*ck.¡± The next day, one of the more wild temperamental girls in the group ended up getting extremely annoyed and yelling at Eunjung, who had followed them. ¡°If you¡¯re not going to y with us, then get lost. Don¡¯te and ruin the mood.¡± ¡°Then when are you going to find lizards?¡± ¡°We are not going. We¡¯re not going to do that anymore.¡± ¡°¡­Then do you want to go and pet the rabbits? The teacher said the cage door is open today!¡± Oblivious to the situation, Eunjung cheerfully made suggestions to the intimidating ¡®princesses¡¯. ¡°We don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°Hey, you idiot.¡± In the end, the girl¡¯s boyfriend approached her with a threatening re. ¡°Are youcking in the head? We don¡¯t want to y with you anymore, so get lost. Just because we¡¯ve hung out a few times don¡¯t think we¡¯ve be friends-¡± ¡°Stop it, that¡¯s enough. Hey, I¡¯ll go with you just for today.¡± In the end, Jinhee stepped forward to mediate the situation, and instead of hanging out with the group for just one day, she went with Eunjung to catch lizards. ¡°I¡¯ll y with you just for today, so don¡¯t follow me anymore.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The two soon arrived at a nearby grassy field to catch lizards. Eunjung jumped onto a nearby bush and started crawling on all fours like a mad person, looking for the lizards. ¡°Hey, be careful¡­¡± ¡°Heh, heh.¡± Soon, Eunjung came back full of something strange in her hands and showed it to Jinhee. When she opened her palm, more than ten lizard tails, each one iling and separated from the body, was seen wiggling on her palm. ¡°Jinhee, look at this!¡± ¡°E.¡± Seeing those creatures wriggling and sttering a few drops of blood around her palms, Jinhee eventually swatted Eunjung¡¯s arm forcefully with a look of pure disgust. ¡°Fuck, crazy! Why are you obsessed with such weird things?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Lizard tails all fell to the ground. ¡°If you keep doing this strange thing, don¡¯t follow me around and ask me to y with you!¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t do such weird things. Do you understand?¡± ¡°¡­.Why?¡± Kim Eunjung, asked her with a nk expression. She nced at the fallen tails on the ground, still wiggling like worms. ¡°Why can¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s wrong!¡± If it were now, she would have hit her in the head and exined why it was wrong. But at that time, they were just in the 4th grade of elementary school. Considering Jinhee¡¯s personality, she also didn¡¯t know how to exin things other than yelling and turning away. That day too, she left Eunjung behind just like that. The day after that day, Jinhee slept in until lunch and then went to school for the meal. As soon as she stepped inside the school¡¯s premises, she was reportedly dragged to the counselling office due to an urgent call from the school counsellor. Her confused self was straight pushed into the counseling room. Jinhee wondered if she was going to be scolded again for skipping ss, but surprisingly, the young female counsellor, who spoke with a calm demeanor, gently took her hand and started talking about her deskmate, Eunjung. ¡°Jinhui, before you transferred here and sat in that spot, many of the kids avoided Eunjung, so she was always alone. Eunjung is¡­ quite a troubled child. You understand what I mean, right?¡± ¡°¡¤?¡¤A little.¡± ¡°Today, when you weren¡¯t here, Eunjung opened her bag to get ready for the morning sses, and suddenly dozens of lizards jumped out, causing chaos in the ssroom. She said you helped her catch them yesterday. Is that true?¡± ¡°She just followed me.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The affectionate counselor took a deep breath and held Jinhee¡¯s hand tightly as she continued. ¡°I understand. But if Eunjung follows you again to y, can you please stop her? Normally, her schedule includesing here for counselling right after her sses.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± Perhaps the teacher had been aware of Eunjung¡¯s antics long before and had often counselled her. ¡°And if you see her hurting animals again¡­ will you let me know the first thing? Please.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, Jinhee never needed to report Eunjung¡¯s strange behaviour to the teacher. A few days after Jinhee¡¯s group stopped including Eunjung hanging out with them to y, all the rabbits raised at school were ughtered. *** ¡°Your school used to raise rabbits?¡± ¡°The government had set up a program at the school to let elementary students interact with animals. But overnight, all of the rabbits were found dead. The school was in chaos, even the police came, ransacking the enclosure and everything.¡± Jinhee began coughing as she spoke, her throat seemingly dry. ¡°You should stop smoking.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Dukhun shook his head but still went to the refrigerator and brought out a bottle of water. ¡°Thank you.¡± Emptying the 500ml bottle of water in one go, Jinhee wiped her mouth and started her story again. ¡°But what really surprised me was that the next day, they found a bloody kitchen knife on my desk.¡± ¡°I see. Eunjung must have put it on your desk.¡± People suspected that the kitchen knife, which was a long sashimi knife to be exact, was used to ughter the rabbits. The young counselor held Jinhee¡¯s hand and let out a series of sighs. ¡°No one suspects you, Jinhee. Naturally, the children also believe that Eunjung must have been responsible.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good for me.¡± The teacher shook her head as she held her forehead. She looked exhausted, clearly worn out by the troublemaker students at school. ¡°I think a more experienced teacher should have taken this position¡­ and now, it has ended up like this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve been ying around and worrying you all the time.¡± At Jinhee¡¯s sincere words, the counselor let out a slight smile while rubbing her forehead. ¡°Jinhee, you¡¯ve grown up now. You even know how to console your teacher.¡± Jinhee grinned, but the teacher soon pped the hand she was holding. ¡°I know it¡¯s all lip service, you little brat. Just do well at school.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Eunjung¡­¡± She let out another sigh as she finished saying what she had been hesitating to say. ¡°Eunjung will transfer to an alternative school next week. Her parents have agreed to it.¡± ¡°The education officers mighte as early as Monday to inquire about Eunjung and ask you some questions, so don¡¯t be too surprised.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not surprised.¡± Then the counselorughed again and yfully pped Jinhee¡¯s hand. ¡°Maybe being a bit surprised will help you stay engaged and do well at school.¡± ¡°Haaa.¡± ¡°Okay. Go in.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ?¡ô??¡ô¡ô??¡ô¡ô??¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô ??¡ô?¡ô¡ô Interpretation: Empathy Chapter 91: Eleventh Ghost Story – The Forgotten Friend (4) Chapter 91: Eleventh Ghost Story ¨C The Forgotten Friend (4) WARNING: This chapter contains descriptions of extremely gory and disgusting contents. Readers, please be advised. After finishing the consultation with the teacher, Jinhee joined the group which had been waiting for her and headed out on the way home from school. Even that day, her partner Eunjung followed her without fail. ¡°Hey, your partner is following you again.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother.¡± ¡°How can you not bother when she¡¯s tantly following you?¡± The kids turned around and muttered. However, Jinhee still ignored their grumbling and asked instead. ¡°So where are we going today?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go to my boyfriend¡¯s house. He said he found some interesting videos.¡± ¡°What kind of boring movie are you talking about¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a movie. He said the videos are really interesting.¡± As expected of these reckless elementary school kids, they were already dating at such a young age. One of the kids¡¯ boyfriends said his parents were out so the house was empty. So he invited the group to watch funny videos. The delinquent and troublemaker kids from Undang Elementary School headed there in a group. And then they ended up watching a very inhumane and disturbing video that was too much for their fourth-grade mentality to handle. ¡°Hey, Lee Jinhee. Your partner followed you here.¡± Before entering the house, Jinhee looked back at one of the boy¡¯s gestures and saw that her deskmate, Eunjung, had followed them there. ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± ¡°Haaa.¡± Jinhee shook her head helplessly. She regretted including Eunjung in their group for no reason and ying with her. But even so, thinking about the fact that she would soon transfer to a special alternative school, she somehow felt sorry for her and decided to change her mind. ¡°Let¡¯s y with her today. She¡¯s transferring to an alternative school next week.¡± ¡°Alternative school? What mischief did she do?¡± ¡°Kids who can¡¯t learn from a normal school go to alternative schools.¡± Jinhee tried to exin with a smile, but the other kids still showed signs of hesitation. ¡°But that¡¯s a school that only mentally ill people attend.¡± ¡°I¡¯m scared. What if she suddenlyes to our house and starts chasing us with a knife?¡± ¡°Right, right.¡± The girls in the group, although they were only in elementary school, had heavy makeup on their faces. The boys, with theirrge builds and mean expressions, could be mistaken for middle school students. However, they said they were all afraid of Jinhee¡¯s partner, who was way smaller than them. ¡°You idiots, you guys are cowards.¡± Eventually, Jinhee approached Eunjung, who was peeking out from afar, and asked her toe along. ¡°Don¡¯t do or say useless things. Also, don¡¯t you dare steal anything.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Eunjung nodded with a bright smile and followed her with enthusiasm. ¡°Why did you put a kitchen knife on my desk?¡± ¡°Hehe¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­¡± *** ¡°This is it.¡± ¡°Hey, crazy¡­¡± The interesting videos that the kids mentioned were just some bizarre videos of trends that were popr at the time. From a video of an old man suddenly vomiting into the toilet and other simr stuff, they were full of disgusting contents. ¡°Fuck, did you call me to just show this¡­¡± Jinhee frowned and wondered what was funny in the videos. But the other kidsughed loudly and pped their hands as they found it amusing, and enjoyed themselves. Then they yed some ¡®jump scare¡¯ videos where ghosts suddenly popped up, teasing each other by saying ¡®You were scared, you were scared,¡¯ while watching each other¡¯s reactions. Jinhee, watching the videos indifferently, subtly checked Eunjung¡¯s expression just in case, but fortunately, she showed no signs of enjoyment. Rather, her face looked very pale. As if she was just as disgusted as Jinhee was. ¡°Hey, this is the real deal. It¡¯s going to get serious from now on.¡± The boy to whom theputer belonged made a confident expression as if he was about to pull out a secret card. He then moved the mouse and clicked on a hidden folder. ¡°It¡¯s something I¡¯ve hidden away carefully so that my family doesn¡¯t find out. If you have a weak stomach, better leave on your own.¡± ¡°Does anyone here have a weak heart and wants to leave?¡± The troublemakers nced at each other as if gauging their reaction then began giggling again. Since they were all just simple-minded boys and girls, regardless of gender, they had the tendency to show interest towards sensitive and stimting videos without hesitation. ¡®Sensitive thing¡­.?¡¯ Jinhee had an ominous feeling, but she thought that it was perhaps another disgusting video and decided to leave it to that. Click. [Diving ident in Lebanon] The video started with a man doing warm-up exercises on a bungee jumping tform. A series of iprehensible foreign words were exchanged as it was a foreign video. Soon, the man jumped enthusiastically from the bungee jumping tform. At that moment, a clown who had been hiding among the people rushed up to the tform with a saw. Laughing maniacally, he dramatically began cutting the rope. The stunned people around screamed in panic as the man who jumped from the tform fell heavily onto the concrete floor. The cameraman and others hurriedly rushed down to the ground. The cameraman zoomed in on the man, who was still breathing despite his horrific injuries. While in the corner of the screen, the clown stood in the distance andughed maniacally as the video ended. ¡°Ugh, fuck¡­¡± As soon as the video ended, a girl ran to the bathroom and started vomiting. The gory video showed in explicit details the inside of the skull with blood pouring around. The atmosphere suddenly turned cold as if they had neverughed or chatted before. ¡°¡­ Hey, this is not right.¡± The troublemaker elementary school students, who considered themselves adults, were so shocked by the horrific scene that they were all left speechless. ¡°Fuck¡­ This is disgusting.¡± Eventually, one of the most aggressive boys in the group couldn¡¯t help but start swearing. Even the other kids, who had acted tough and pretended to be unfazed by the increasingly extreme videos, eventually started ming the owner of theputer one by one. ¡°This is too much¡­¡± ¡°Ah, yikes. I think I¡¯m going to vomit.¡± The atmosphere suddenly turned gloomy. But it turned out that the person who was the owner of theputer was also shocked. ¡°S-sorry¡­ I only heard rumors about the video and saved it to watch with you. I didn¡¯t know it would be this much¡­¡± ¡°Oh, really¡­ Wait a minute. I¡¯m going to go check if she is alright.¡± While some of them had gone out to check if the girl vomiting in the toilet was alright, the rest got up from their seats and went to the kitchen to get some water. Eunjung, who had been quiet until now, seized the opportunity when they weren¡¯t present and quickly grabbed the keyboard. She started ying the video and began rewinding the key parts. ¡°Hey, what are you doing¡­ Ugh.¡± Eunjung carefully examined the screen where the cracked skull of the man was showing. She zoomed onto the horrible scene and stared at it nkly. Jinhee, who had been approaching to stop her, simply turned her head away from the disy of such a cruel feast of images. However, Eunjung rewinded the videos again and again with clumsy movement. She repeatedly zoomed in and focused on the scene where the clown cut the man¡¯s rope. Swish swish swish. Swish swish swish. The clown, exuding a genuine demonic madness rather than a human, cut the rope in an exaggerating pose. Eunjung, with her eyes wide open as if her pupils were about to pop out, was intensely focused on that scene. Jinhee sensed the unusual atmosphere around her partner and didn¡¯t dare to hastily approach her. When the other kids soon came back after taking care of their business and tried to restore the atmosphere, Eunjung quickly moved away from the monitor and sat quietly next to Jinhee, as if she had never touched the keyboard. And after that, they all left for their home. The two walked together in silence as they were headed in the same direction. Before parting ways at the fork in the road, Eunjung suddenly called Jinhee to a stop. ¡°Jinhee, look at this.¡± Eunjung ran in front of Jinhee and stood at the mouth of the alley, preventing Jinhee from stepping in. ¡°Swish, swish. Swish, swish.¡± In the alley of the neighborhood, with the sunset behind her as if creating a halo around her mad self, Eunjung enthusiastically imitated the movement of the clown in the video. ¡°Swish, swish. Swish, swish.¡± Eunjung, with the same exaggersted movements like the clown, pretended to cut something as if she were acting in a y. ¡°Swish, swish. Swish, swish.¡± The setting sun behind her created a light behind her, casting long shadows on Eunjung¡¯s bizarre behavior. ¡°Swish, swish. Swish, swish.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m leaving.¡± Jinhee left her partner behind who seemed like had lost her sanity and tried to move around her. However, sensing she had moved far, Eunjung rushed to her and blocked her path again, then began repeating the same exaggerated movements more loudly. ¡°Jinhee. Swish, swish. Swish, swish.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do that.¡± Jinhee simply bumped on her shoulder and began walking on her own way. However, Eunjung once again rushed to her and blocked her way. ¡°Huff, huff. Swish, swish. Swish, swish.¡± Her expression showedplete immersion in her action as she performed the bizarre y, even sticking out her tongue like a dog. ¡°Swish, swish. Swish, swish.¡± ¡°Like this, Jinhee. Swish, swish. Swish, swish.¡± After a while, Eunjung suddenly paused her movements, then raised her eyes and stared at Jinhee quietly. ¡°¡­Jinhee.¡± ¡°Am I weird?¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Jinhee answered nonchntly, without hesitation. ¡°You¡¯re transferring to a different school. Don¡¯t cause trouble there and have a good time.¡± Eunjung, with the orange sunset behind her, stared intently at Jinhee with herrge eyes and then cautiously nodded her head. ¡°¡­.Okay.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going.¡± Jinhee stepped forward to leave. But Eunjung followed her again, peeking her head over Jinhee¡¯s shoulder, and said. ¡°You too, have a good time at school. Stop skipping sses.¡± ¡°As if.¡± Jinhee snickered, wondering who was worrying about whom and went on her merry way. Thus, the two parted ways in the neighborhood alley, with the sun setting behind them. The next day, an ident urred in a nearby apartment building. Someone cut all the ropes of workers hanging from the upper floors to paint the exterior, causing three of them to fall to their deaths. * * * ¡°That¡¯s the end of the story. After the weekend, when I went to school, Eunjung was packing her things with a nk expression. The education officers arrived and took me to the counseling room to ask various questions about Eunjung. They wanted to know if she truly needed to be sent to an alternative school and how serious the situation was¡­.¡± ¡°When I returned to the ssroom, no one was sitting next to me since my deskmate had already packed up and left. Thest thing I saw was Eunjung leaving the yground with the education officers from a distance.¡± ¡°¡­.Haaa.¡± I asked after thinking about the story deeply. ¡°Those workers who died. Do you think your partner was the one who killed them?¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± ¡°¡­.For real? What were the results of the police investigation?¡± ¡°They said they couldn¡¯t catch the culprit. There was no evidence.¡± ¡°Sh, shouldn¡¯t you have reported it?¡± Dukhun asked while sweating profusely. ¡°Your deskmate killed them¡­¡± ¡°Where is the evidence?¡± Jinhee shrugged nonchntly. ¡°Should I say that I¡¯m assuming she¡¯s the murderer because she watched a brutal video the day before?¡± ¡°¡­.That truly is a bit hard to exin.¡± ¡°Still, during the counseling, I worked hard to exin her symptoms to the education officers. I heard she was safely sent to an alternative school, so I thought that was the end of it. But what¡¯s really strange is¡­.¡± Jinhee showed a serious expression again as she exined. ¡°Even after she transferred schools, I continued hanging out with the same group. But, when I suddenly mentioned about her one day while we were hanging out, no one remembered her.¡± ¡°¡­ Really?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Jinhee nodded with a firm expression. ¡°Two months ago, before the high school entrance ceremony, we met up as a get together. When I brought up the story of my old ssmate who used to sit beside me when I first transferred to that school, they all looked puzzled. Even when I told them about the times we yed together, they just shrugged their shoulders and said they didn¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°And when I mentioned the story of dozens of lizards jumping out of her bag in the ssroom and creating chaos, they said that incident never happened.¡± ¡°¡­.Hmm.¡± I wondered what exactly urred. The story of a strange friend from school suddenly took a bizarre turn. ¡°When I mentioned the incident of the rabbits being ughtered in the enclosure, fortunately, they remembered that. However, they said that the rabbits weren¡¯t stabbed to death, but rather that a nearby cat crawled in and bit them all to death.¡± ¡°What about when you all visited the friend¡¯s house and watched the video together?¡± ¡°They remembered that too, but of course, they forgot about Eunjung.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Since they were young at that time and it was a long time ago, there was a possibility that they could have remembered it incorrectly. However, the problem was it wasn¡¯t just one or two people, it was all of the people in the group. How could they not remember the child who was the center of such a strange incident? ¡°Could it be that Jinhee yed with ghosts or something?¡± Jinheeughed loudly at my question as if finding it amusing. ¡°It really did happen. But I don¡¯t understand why everyone insists it didn¡¯t happen and is under such a nonsensical illusion.¡± ¡°Since she was transferred at that time, she wouldn¡¯t be in the graduation album¡­ Hmm¡­¡± Jinhee seemed to be the only one certain, but she also didn¡¯t seem to have any intention to prove it. ¡®That¡¯s a bit strange.¡¯ Our thoughtful gazes eventually turned to Gyeongwon. ¡°What about you? Does anythinge to mind?¡± ¡°Well.¡± Gyeongwon also tilted his head with a thoughtful expression. ¡°First of all, there are quite a few ghost stories about childhood friends forgotten by others. For example¡­¡± He crossed his arms while exining. ¡°I clearly remember hanging out often with a friend called A, but when I asked my friendster, they said there wasn¡¯t anyone named A, and it was actually a friend called B. Or, there was a crazy woman who was infamous in the neighborhood, but when I asked about her after growing up, no one else remembered her at all. Hmm.¡± ¡°There are also many opposite cases. For instance, someone I thought was just an acquaintance turned out to be a close friend when I looked through old photo albums. Or being shocked to see a friend from elementary school, whom I was sure had died, appearing at a reunion, and no one else seemed to remember the obituary.¡± ¡°Creepy¡­.¡± ¡°Specifically, it¡¯s a social phenomenon called the Mand Effect.¡± [T/N: The Mand Effect is a phenomenon where arge group of people remember something differently from how it actually urred. The term was coined by Fiona Broome after she discovered that she, along with many others, incorrectly remembered Nelson Mand dying in prison during the 1980s, even though he actually passed away in 2013.] Gyeongwon pushed up his sses. The strange phenomenon even has a name. ¡°The clear discrepancies between the memories of people around me and my own, with even the details of the conflicting memories being vividly distinct is an universal truth. The point of these ghost stories is the confusion whiches from the fact that no matter how much wepare our memories, it¡¯s impossible to determine who is mistaken and who is correct.¡± The members nodded their heads in understanding. If I was in her shoes, this simple mystery would have been very frustrating to me. ¡°It¡¯s not just a ghost story, it¡¯s my own experience.¡± Jinhee grumbled as if it was a big deal. ¡°It really happened. I remember everything about Eunjung.¡± ¡°I know, I know. We were just discussing what type of category it would fall into if we considered it a ghost story.¡± I quickly exined and calmed down the moody Jinhee. ¡°So? What about that teacher? Doesn¡¯t she remember her either?¡± To my curious question, Jinhee made a thoughtful expression. ¡°I haven¡¯t met the teacher since I graduated from elementary school¡­¡± ¡°I think the fastest way to solve this ghost story would be to contact her and inquire.¡± Gyeongwon looked down at Jinhee, who was sitting on the sofa. ¡°She was the teacher who was counseling Eunjung. She shouldn¡¯t be forgetting about her unless she has dementia.¡± ¡°¡­.Well, I guess so.¡± ¡°Do you have her contact information?¡± ¡°No.¡± Gyeongwon let out a helpless sigh and shook his head at those words. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you don¡¯t have your own teacher¡¯s contact information.¡± ¡°She was just a guidance counselor.¡± ¡°I know. They mean the same thing, look it up in the dictionary.¡± Sunah sneaked up next to me before whispering. ¡°Joon¡­ What is a guidance counselor¡­?¡± How do I exin it to her in the simplest way? ¡°¡­.It means a teacher who guides you personally, like a mentor.¡± ¡°I see¡­.¡± Both of us nodded our heads. Chapter 92: Eleventh Ghost Story – The Forgotten Friend (5) Chapter 92: Eleventh Ghost Story ¨C The Forgotten Friend (5) ¡°What do you say? If it¡¯s not troublesome, maybe it would be okay to go and ask the teacher.¡± I wanted to know more about the ghost story and resolve it if possible, so I asked Jinhee for her opinion. ¡°Hmm. Is that really necessary to do that¡­¡± ¡°Does that teacher still work at that school?¡± ¡°Yeah. She still works at that school. One of the kids I used to hang out with often came by a few weeks ago and said so.¡± ¡°Then I guess you can ask him for your teacher¡¯s contact information.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t. He¡¯s currently at a juvenile detention center.¡± Jinhee answered nonchntly, she seemed to be pondering whether she should get involved in the matter or not. Then Dukhun stepped in and urged her once more. ¡°It could be that your teacher is also involved in the ghost story. If we contact her and manage to sessfully solve it, we¡¯d get points and also resolve this frustrating situation. Killing two birds with one stone.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I used to be such a bother to the teacher when I was at school, so it feels a bit awkward to go meet her again.¡± Judging by her embarrassed expression, she must have a guilty conscience for what she did during her young days. ¡°But you¡¯re attending a highschool and even doing a part-time job to earn money now. I think she¡¯ll be happy to hear about your recent situation.¡± ¡°¡­.Is that so?¡± ¡°Obviously. A teacher feels blessed when her studentse to visit her.¡± Jinhee finally nodded quietly to my persuasion. ¡°Then should we go tomorrow?¡± ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go together!¡± After that, we promised to visit the elementary school Jinhee graduated from together after school tomorrow and left her house. ¡°Bye.¡± ¡°Jinhee, work hard at your part-time job~¡± ¡°Uh-huh~¡± Jinhee wore her slippers and came down to see us off. Everyone greeted her and headed for their homes. Those who wanted to walk home headed there by foot. And those who wanted to take the bus, got into the bus. Everyone went their separate ways like this. Since we were going in the same direction, Gyeongwon took the Gwanak 05 vige bus with me. Beeeeeeeepp- Amidst the crowd of passengers who were trying to go to their respective destinations in the rush hour, we struggled to hold our bnce. Even on the bus filled with people, Gyeongwon was holding his phone with one hand and was diligently searching for something. ¡°What have you been looking for?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ No matter how much I think about it, it seems like a ghost story. I¡¯m looking for some information.¡± On the speedy bus that was swaying from left to right, Gyeongwon¡¯s gaze was fixed on his smartphone. ¡°Strange phenomenon? What is this¡­ Huh-¡± ¡°Be careful.¡± The bus suddenly pulled over, so I quickly grabbed Gyeongwon¡¯s bag to help him stabilize his staggering body so he wouldn¡¯t fall. Come to think of it, I was curious about something as well, so I asked Gyeongwon in a sotto voice, who was focused on his phone. ¡°¡­.What do you think?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°This strange phenomenon.¡± I spoke quietly so that the other passengers on the bus wouldn¡¯t hear. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it seem like we¡¯re experiencing too many strange phenomena nowadays?¡± ¡°¡­.That¡¯s right.¡± Gyeongwon put his phone in his pocket and nodded. ¡°You must have noticed it as well and was concerned. It¡¯s been quite frequent.¡± ¡°What do you think? Is it really the Demon King who is doing this?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Inside the swaying bus, his gaze was set out at the setting sun through the window, lost in thought. Seeing Gyeongwon pondering so deeply, I mentioned a few of the odd things I had noticed before. ¡°Last time, in the corner game, it turned out to be a form of spiritmunication. To be honest, I thought it was ridiculous that we seeded in summoning three ghosts at once just at the first try. And we just heard the rumors about MineCraft this weekend, but they were all jumbled together to the point where it felt intentional¡­¡± Gyeongwon¡¯s expression turned solemn. He just nodded instead of answering. Beeeep, screech. ¡°Let me get off please~¡± An olddy pushed through us and passed by. The bus started once again. Standing by the window, we watched the alleys passing by as the bus drove downhill. ¡°ording to my observation so far, Prez.¡± Gyeongwon slowly opened his mouth. ¡°Strange forces inside the school, and Clover Corporation outside the school¡­ Organizations rted to ghost stories have existed from the beginning, but I think it¡¯s the work of the Demon King to bring them together and get us involved.¡± ¡°¡­Hmm.¡± The sunseting in through the window shone on Gyeongwon¡¯s sses, making them sparkle like diamonds. ¡°Beneath the yground, something is lying in wait, watching us closely. Watching our every move. And whenever we stumble upon a situation that could be linked to ghost stories, it intertwines everything and plots to kill us.¡± ¡°The Demon King¡­¡± I also nodded slowly. Even if I were the Demon King, if my targets were performing spiritmunication on their own, I would¡¯ve immediately intervened and sent ghosts to kill them. ¡®¡­ In that case, it makes sense that we¡¯d encounter ghost stories as soon as we set out to find them.¡¯ ¡°But we have to be careful, Prez.¡± Gyeongwon muttered with a serious expression, pushing up his sses. ¡°There were some ghost stories that were definitely sent by the Demon King, but there were also a few that weren¡¯t.¡± ¡°¡­. You¡¯re right.¡± ¡°The ghost stories that you encountered during the first week of the entrance ceremony and shared with us. And also in the cases of Fourincess and Corner Game, it was definitely the Demon King who sent them or made them up when the situation arose. There was no connection to outside forces, neither the teachers got involved. However¡­¡± As my stop was approaching soon, I slowly prepared to get off. But I still listened carefully to his exnation. ¡°The curse that the science teacher put on you but died instead. That happened without any sort of involvement from the Demon King. It was the teachers, who were ordinary humans, who decided to perform such an act from the beginning to the end.¡± ¡°¡­.I think so too.¡± ¡°And the incident that happened this weekend, where our consciousnesses were pulled into the game was also quite simr. The Demon King may have used some tricks to make the ghost story be true, since the game already had the potential to be a nuisance before we even began ying. However, the game, which is a ghost story itself, was already made 10 years ago. Do you understand what that means?¡± I nodded with a serious expression as if I understood. Certainly, even though the system has collected them, those ghost stories were originally legends that existed in this world. ¡°The Demon King, the school, and the Clover Corporation. These three separate enemies are intertwined and working together to harm us.¡± And judging by the fact that the Demon King has no qualms about killing teachers, ironically, they don¡¯t seem to be on the same side. From now on, I fear how these three beings will be intertwined and entangled with each other. And amidst the chaos, will our little Ghost Story Club be able to protect itself. * * * By the time I returned home, it was already evening. Perhaps my mother was grilling fish, the savory aroma of grilled fish filled the hallway. ¡°I¡¯m home~¡± ¡°Did you hang out with your friends?¡± My mother¡¯s voice greeted me from the kitchen. ¡°Yes, haha. I was with the club members.¡± ¡°Okay~ Wash your hands ande eat, dear.¡± ¡°Okay~¡± After putting down my bag and changing from my school uniform intofortable clothes, I went to the bathroom to wash my hands. When I came out and went to the kitchen, I saw my mother grilling fish and my father cing the dishes on the table. ¡°Mom and Dad prepared the meal, so Joony should do the dishes.¡± ¡°Yes, will do.¡± Our family of three soon sat down at the table for dinner. While piercing the fish with chopsticks, my father looked at me and cautiously asked. ¡°So, Joon.¡± Cough, he cleared his throat before asking. ¡°How were your midterm grades?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right!¡± The announcement itself was made yesterday, which was Monday, but I had been busy calcting the points for the club members so I forgot to tell them. Therefore, listening to my father¡¯s cautious enquiry, I smiled and confidently said. ¡°I got 15th ce in the whole school.¡± ¡°What! 15th!¡± My father put down his chopsticks with an expression of astonishment. ¡°Order chicken!¡± Chicken? ¡°Honey! We are already eating, Ho ho.¡± ¡°Ah? Then let¡¯s all finish dinner and go for a drive together! Dad will drive!¡± ¡°You are really! Ho ho.¡± My parents were excited to hear my grades. I thought back to my past life and realized the reason. My grades were around 40th to 50th ce during highschool because I worked hard for college entrance exams. However, in middle school, I was more rxed and wandered around the 100th ce, thinking it didn¡¯t matter as long as I went to a good highschool and got a good subject. From my perspective as a highschool graduate student, my grades wereparatively better than my middle school grades. And it wasn¡¯t an incredibly surprising result. However, from the perspective of my parents, who only remembered me as a middle school student and saw me having average grades, it was a big increase for a child to suddenly rank 15th from straight 100th position. In the end, after the dinner, our family hurriedly put on our coats and left the house together. ¡°How can we have fun on such a nice day like this, Joon! We¡¯ve already had dinner, so we can¡¯t go to a restaurant or something. Should we go see a movie together? Or should we drive along the bridge and get some dessert?¡± My father was so happy that he kept smiling and chatting even while driving. ¡°Haha. But that¡¯s really surprising, Joon. I didn¡¯t really expect much because I only saw you ying around. But I guess you studied hard secretly.¡± My mother was also noticeably happy. It was a really harmonious atmosphere. In the end, they dragged me to the nearby Clover Departmental store, where they almost insisted on buying something for me. I managed to convince them out of it and reached an agreement to increase my allowance instead, and then we returned home. Fearing that future club activities would cost a lot of money, I thought it was better instead. ¡°But I must say, you did surprisingly well. We¡¯ve only seen you study so hard when you used topete with Eunjung for better grades in elementary school.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Eunjung. Your deskmate, Kim Eunjung. Don¡¯t you remember?¡± ¡°¡­.I don¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°She was a friend of yours, you used to study with her back then, and then the both of you ended up assigned in the same ss. You bothpeted hard, even calling each other rivals. You don¡¯t remember?¡± ¡°This brat, he even forgot his own deskmate and friend he was so close with. Even though she transferred to another school, she must be crying from afar. Poor kid.¡± ¡°Haha. That could be true, honey. Even when I look at my elementary school album, I can¡¯t remember anyone¡¯s face anymore.¡± ¡°You¡¯re in your 40s! Joony is only 17¡­¡± When I got home, I hurriedly went into my room and opened the group chat. Even before I sent a message, the KakaoTalk chatroom was already chaotic. [Yoon Sunah: My grandmother said that a friend named Eunjung stopped by my house while I was gone and left some drinks¡­] [Ahn Gyeongwon: My parents suddenly asked me if I remembered a girl named Eunjung who used to attend a gifted children¡¯s program with me when I was young.] [Oh Dukhun: Oi, are you guys joking?] [Ahn Gyeongwon: What about you, Dukhun?] [Oh Dukhun: I¡¯m fine¡­] I also hurriedly typed a quick message into the KakaoTalk chatroom. [Lee Joon: My parents just suddenly asked me if I remembered a girl named Eunjung who used to be my deskmate during my elementary days. They even said we were assigned in the same ssroom, but she transferred to another school before graduation.] [Yoon Sunah: Whoa] [Oh Dukhun: *Goosebumps*] [Ahn Gyeongwon: !!!!] [Lee Joon: What about you, Hayoon and Jinhee? Did anything weird happen?] No replies came from Hayoon because she didn¡¯t even read the message. Even Jinhee¡¯s side was quiet, probably because she was busy working her part-time job. [Ahn Gyeongwon: What should we do now, Prez?] [Yoon Sunah: Scary.] [Oh Dukhun: Are you serious?] Soon, I quickly started giving instructions to the members. [Lee Joon: Ask them for more details about that friend Eunjung from when you were young. Find out what she looked like and what her personality was like. Also, check the graduation album or any other photos to see if you can find a picture of her.] [Ahn Gyeongwon: Okay] [Yoon Sunah: I understand.] [Oh Dukhun: Ah, it has begun.] [Lee Joon: Dukhun, you too, stop ying around and look for more information about her. It¡¯s strange that some of us have rted childhood with her and some are exceptions.] [Oh Dukhun: Okay. ] I also hurried into the master bedroom and asked my parents, who were changing their clothes, about Eunjung. ¡ô¡ô?????????¡ô¡ô?? ??¡ô¡ô???¡ô¡ô?¡ô¡ô¡ô ?¡ô¡ô?¡ô¡ô Interpretation: Year 2022 Chapter 93: Eleventh Ghost Story – The Forgotten Friend (6) Chapter 93: Eleventh Ghost Story ¨C The Forgotten Friend (6) ¡°Eunjung? You really don¡¯t remember her?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± When my Mom asked me with wide eyes, my Dad passed by chuckling. ¡°You two used to y and study together so often. What a surprise that you can¡¯t remember her.¡± ¡°Do you have any pictures?¡± ¡°Of course! You two used to hang out so often.¡± My Mom responded as if it were only natural, and soon took out a photo album from the closet. It was an album containing important moments from my life, such as pictures of my first birthday celebration or family outings, capturing memories from childhood to the present. Since my parents, including me, started using smartphones, they stopped using the film camera to take pictures. So the album was old, only containing pictures up to my elementary school graduation. ¡°Here! Here you two.¡± Mom searched through the album from my elementary school days and soon took out a few photos. I approached her and stared at the photos intently. Indeed, there stood a girl beside me in the pictures whom I had no idea about. A picture taken at Sports Day, where we were wearing gym clothes. A picture of the two of us sitting in front of a cake at a birthday party. A picture taken at a park, which seemed to be from a family outing. ¡®¡­.She¡¯s cute.¡¯ Though she looked small and delicate, she hadrge, bright eyes and a pure and innocent appearance. She also had a cheerful smile on her face in every photo. ¡°How about now? Do you remember her?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± I nodded my head vaguely, no matter what, I couldn¡¯t deny it any further. ¡°But which school did she transfer to?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that either¡­ I only remember that her whole family moved together. Don¡¯t you have her contact number?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t have her number¡­¡± Although I said that, I couldn¡¯t help but check my phone and open the contacts list, just in case. Among the few entries in my modest contact list, prominently upying the top spot in the ¡®K¡¯ section was a new number. [Kim Eunjung: 010-4444-4444] Crazy. This is. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m going to wash up and prepare for bed.¡± ¡°I think your Dad is in the bathroom?¡± ¡°Then¡­ whatever, I¡¯ll go to my room first. I¡¯m tired.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± I left their room before I could start reminiscing about the past memories while looking through the album after a long time. But Mom, looking somewhat downcast, began sorting the photos, as if she felt a bit disappointed that I was going away. However, even though I felt a bit guilty, I had more important things to worry about right now. Hurrying into my room, I closed the door and quickly checked the group chat. It seemed Hayoon, Jinhee, and Dukhun were already engaged in a lively discussion, perhaps they had also just checked the matter. [Oh Dukhun: I noticed a new, unfamiliar ID ¡®?¡¯ in the friends list, which I discovered was one of the game members I used to y with over the years. The other group members said she used to y with us but after she had moved abroad for school, she hadn¡¯t been able to log in for the past few years.] [Ahn Gyeongwon: ¡®?¡¯???] [Oh Dukhun: Probably the sound when pronouncing ¡®KEJ¡¯ in English? The initials of Kim Eunjung =i=] [Lee Jinhee: Eunjung? You guys are not joking, are you?] [In Hayoon: I also enquired about it. Turns out, I used to have a friend with the same name, Eunjung, who used toe over often when we were kids, but she had a habit of stealing things. Every time she came over, my PMP, pens, and other items would go missing.] ¡°Everyone is saying something different.¡± I took a picture of the photo in the album that my mother showed me with my phone¡¯s camera and sent it to them. Jinhee, who usually spaces out during this kind of discussion, confirmed that it was the face of her childhood friend. [Lee Jinhee: It¡¯s so weird. Whenever I¡¯m with you guys, strange things just keep happening.] [Ahn Gyeongwon: 010-4444-4444? It¡¯s in my contacts too. What should I do?] [Lee Joon: a number containing only the digit 4 can¡¯t be a valid number. We shouldn¡¯t contact it for now and consider itter.] [T/N: in Korean, the number ¡®4¡¯ (?, ¡®sa¡¯) can have a negative connotation because it sounds simr to the word for ¡®death¡¯ (?, ¡®sa¡¯). Due to this association, some people avoid using the number 4, especially in contexts like building floors or room numbers, where it might be considered unlucky.] Wepiled the gathered information and discussed the matter in the group chat room untilte at night. To some, Eunjung was a quiet friend who didn¡¯t talk much, and to others, she was a diligent model student. To some, she was a mischievous and irritating friend, while to others, she was a troubling child with a tendency to steal. Although each member said something different about her personality, there was onemon point in everyone¡¯s story: she was a close friend and that she transferred schools before graduation. [Lee Joon: Phew;; Okay, it¡¯s 12 already. Let¡¯s stop here for now and discuss the rest when we meet tomorrow.] [Ahn Gyeongwon: Right. It¡¯ll be much quicker to discuss it in person rather than through messages.] [Lee Jinhee: I¡¯m jealous, you guys are already going to bed.] [Yoon Sunah: See you guys tomorrow~] [In Hayoon: Sleep well, everyone.] [Oh Dukhun: Oyasumi~ (it means ¡®good night¡¯ in Japanese lol] [Yoon Sunah: Dukhun seems to be in a good mood¡­.] [Lee Jinhee: Dukhun, you bastard, don¡¯t go to sleep. Reply when I message you, it¡¯s boring to workte at night.] [Lee Jinhee: if you sleep, I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re dead tomorrow.] [Oh Dukhun: what a violent person~] * * * [2019, May 1 | Wednesday, 07:45] [Lee Joon: Number of Attempts ¨C 2] [Ghost Story Points: 67] [Causality Rate: 14%] While I was walking to school, I suddenly got a call from Gyeongwon. [Prez, Prez¡­ I think you should hurry up to school¡­.] ¡°Why?¡± [Kim Eunjung is in our ss¡­] I ran through the yground in a hurry and arrived at the ssroom, panting. Gyeongwon and Hayoon, who had arrived at school early like model students, raised their hands and waved at me from the teacher¡¯s desk. ¡°Here, the attendance book.¡± Gyeongwon handed over our ss¡¯s attendance book. On the current page, the name ¡®Kim Eunjung¡¯ was written as attendance number 4. ¡°I arrived early and had nothing to do, so I decided to open it just in case, and it was written there¡­¡± Gyeongwon exined in a trembling voice, he seemed to be frightened by the unexpected development. Hayoon, who was standing next to the teacher¡¯s desk, suddenly looked at me and asked. ¡°What¡¯s your thought, Joon?¡± ¡°¡­What? She smiled brightly. ¡°About the current situation.¡± What would I even think or do in this situation? We just stumbled upon another ghost story. ¡°It seems like we¡¯re involved in another ghost story.¡± ¡°Yeah. So what are you nning to do?¡± Hayoon again asked me curiously. Several male students sitting in the ss nce at Hayoon. Her presence seemed to have increased significantly after she stopped wearing her sses. ¡°¡­.Well. Uh, we should think of a way to resolve it?¡± Then, Hayoon suddenly leaned in closer and asked again. ¡°How?¡± For a moment, my face flushed red and I instinctively averted my gaze. She was being so unnecessarily pushy today. ¡°Well, we should think about the method together¡­¡± ¡°Nothing ising to your mind right now?¡± She tilted her head with a probing gaze. A few strands of ck hair flowed down her clean jawline. The corners of her lips slightly turned up. ¡°¡­.Well, yeah. Nothing ising to mind right now.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°For now, let¡¯s just wait and see how things turn up¡­ Since I don¡¯t know any other way¡­¡± ¡°Then, please share with me the method once you find out.¡± She leaned forward again and whispered quietly. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± Then, she chuckled softly and soon returned to her seat. What the hell? Why is she being like that? ¡®But she¡¯s pretty.¡¯ Trying to calm my pounding heart, I turned my head to Gyeongwon. He was looking at me expressionlessly. ¡®What are you looking at, you idiot.¡¯ After a while, Dukhun leisurely entered the ssroom and put down his bag. ¡°Hello, Dukhun.¡± ¡°Good morning.¡± Following that, the middle-aged, balding man with a protruding belly, who was none other than our homeroom teacher, entered through the front door. At the same time, Sunah and Jinhee hurriedly entered through the back door, barely avoiding beingte. ¡°Sunah is almostte again today. This teacher is slowly getting used to it.¡± Perhaps the homeroom teacher was afraid of Jinhee, so he refrained from teasing her. Jinhee also remained unspoken. He quickly went to the podium and looked around the ssroom. ¡°May, the month of Family Celebration, has already begun. This means it has already been two months since you all started at this school. Time really seems to fly. Today is Labourer Day, but I wonder why I am still working.¡± [T/N: In South Korea, May is often referred to as the ¡°Month of Family¡± (??? ?, Gajeong-ui Dal) due to its numerous family-oriented holidays. It includes Children¡¯s Day on May 5th, Parents¡¯ Day on May 8th, and sometimes the celebration of family and gratitude in general. May Day is considered Labourer Day in South Korea.] Roughly saying whatever he wanted to say, he opened the attendance book on the podium. I hurriedly looked around the ssroom, but I couldn¡¯t see anyone who resembled Kim Eunjung. I also began to wonder how the homeroom teacher would react to the name Kim Eunjung, who was number 4 in attendance. With a pleased expression, the homeroom teacher looked around the ssroom while holding the attendance book open. ¡°The 15th of May is Teacher¡¯s Day, I hope everyone visits or contacts your teachers whom you have a favorable impression of on that day. I¡¯ve been in the teaching profession for almost 30 years, and I still remember a student. He had a hobby of smoking marijuana in the back of the ssroom every day¡­¡­¡± Just hurry up and call the attendance. ¡°¡­and one day, he started doing tumbling in the teachers¡¯ office. Haha, that guy was really something¡­ Even now, thinking back, he was truly an unusual student. A few days after that, he suddenly got hit by a truck and died on the spot, though¡­¡­¡± Stop your unnecessary bbering. ¡°Alright, then, I should start calling the attendance. Kang Junkoo.¡± ¡°Present.¡± Finally. I sat up straight. ¡°Kae Yoonjung.¡± ¡°Present.¡± ¡°Kim Bobae.¡± ¡°Present.¡± ¡°Kim Eunjung.¡± No one answered. The homeroom teacher immediately raised his head and looked around. ¡°Kim Eunjung?¡± Dukhun, Sunah, and Jinhee, who had just arrived and were unaware of the situation, were surprised by the name. They also began to look around with the teacher. ¡°Has Kim Eunjung arrived?¡± ¡°She has.¡± Someone answered, and the homeroom teacher walked to the window and looked out at the yground. ¡°I guess she¡¯ste. She¡¯s running ap on the yground over there.¡± All eyes of the six members of our Ghost Story Club turned to the yground outside the window at those words. My seat was by the window. I quickly scanned the yground with my face pressed against the ss of the window. However, for some reason, too many students were running around the yground and tangled up together. I couldn¡¯t distinguish who was who. Is she there? Among those students? ¡°Prez, have you seen her?¡± Dukhun tapped me on the shoulder and asked with a serious face. I scanned the people on the yground for a moment but soon shook my head. ¡°No, I can¡¯t understand who among those is her.¡± ¡°Me too¡­.¡± ¡°Since Children¡¯s Day falls on a Sunday, next Monday has been made a substitute holiday, right? I think that¡¯s a nice system. Anyway, let¡¯s stay positive and make the day useful.¡± The homeroom teacher gave a brief remark and left the ssroom. As soon as he left, the six members of our Ghost Story Club hurriedly headed for the hallway. ¡°Since she¡¯ste, we¡¯ll wait here. When shees to the ssroom, we can catch her right away.¡± Like this, members of the Ghost Story Club stood in the hallway with a tense atmosphere. Other students passed by us, trying to figure out what exactly happened for which we were standing there. However, even as time passed and it neared the start of the first period, no one hade into the ssroom. Then, we were noticed by the math teacher who wasing in for ss. ¡°What are you guys doing standing in the hallway?¡± ¡°Go into the ssroom. The ss is about to start.¡± The young unmarried math teacher, Oh Junkho. He was also one of those people working with the unknown dark force at school. ¡°Yes.¡± In the end, we couldn¡¯t confirm anything and had to go back into the ss. ¡°The equation of the tangent to a circle given the slope is¡­.¡± Although the ss had started, our gazes wandered around, unable to focus on the ckboard. We were only focused on looking for an empty seat. Soon, Dukhun, sitting beside me, poked me with a pencil. When I turned around with a questioning gaze, he started writing something in the corner of his textbook. [The seat next to Lee Jinhee] At those words, I hurriedly turned around and looked in the direction of Jinhee. She had her head propped up as she pursed her lips with a bored expression. The seat next to her was empty. ¡®Huh.¡¯ My head tilted in wonder for a moment. The seat next to Jinhee. Who sat there originally? In the seat directly in front of the teacher¡¯s desk, Gyeongwon and our ss¡¯s model student, Ban Janghoon, were seated together. Me and Dukhun¡¯s desks were by the window. Hayoon and Sunah were paired up against the wall. ¡®What about Jinhee in the backmost seat?¡¯ Who was Jinhee¡¯s deskmate? I tried to recall it carefully, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn¡¯t remember. I quickly scribbled on Dukhun¡¯s textbook. [Lee Jinhee¡¯s deskmate. Do you remember who it was?] Dukhun thought for a moment and soon shook his head before writing down. [No, I don¡¯t remember. I just saw an empty seat beside her and told you.] Soon after, it was break time. We all gathered at Jinhee¡¯s seat. ¡°What, what is it?¡± Jinhee was surprised by the sudden appearance of the club members rushing toward her. ¡°Jinhee, who is your deskmate?¡± ¡°¡­.What?¡± Only then did she nced at the empty seat beside her and flinched. With mouth open wide as if dumbfounded, she nkly stared at us, unable to utter a coherent word. ¡®¡­.She doesn¡¯t know.¡¯ I moved next to Jinhee and quietly examined the empty desk beside her. No bag or whatsoever could be seen hanging on the empty desk. However, the drawer was full of things. ¡°There are books inside.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take it out and check them, Prez.¡± We take out a bunch of textbooks stuffed inside the desk¡¯s drawer. As we had expected, there was [Kim Eunjung, ss 3, Grade 1] written on them all. ¡°¡­When did this get here?¡± Gyeongwon flipped through the textbooks while sweating profusely. Just then, the ss President, who was passing by, saw us rummaging through someone else¡¯s desk and approached us to inquire. ¡°What are you guys doing?¡± ¡°I think Eunjung¡¯s textbook and mine have been swapped. I¡¯m looking through them.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± When I nodded affirmatively, the ss President nodded back at my quick response and left without any suspicion. Gyeongwon seemed to be impressed at my quick witted response and stared at me with an expression of admiration. ¡°Wait a minute, ss President!¡± But I suddenly called out to the ss President as he was about to leave the back door. ¡°But¡­ this is Eunjung¡¯s seat.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Do you know where she¡¯s gone?¡± ¡°She went to the bathroom.¡± He replied as if it was obvious. I bit my lip and asked again. ¡°Did you see it yourself?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Have you really seen her going to the bathroom?¡± But we didn¡¯t. The handsome ss President answered while slightly lifting his head as if wondering why we were asking something so obvious. ¡°Of course. As soon as you guys went to your seats, she passed by and went out through the back door.¡± Chapter 94: Eleventh Ghost Story – The Forgotten Friend (7) Chapter 94: Eleventh Ghost Story ¨C The Forgotten Friend (7) With an anxious environment hovering around us, we stood in the hallway waiting for Eunjung, who had gone to the bathroom. As time passed and the start of the second period approached, no unfamiliar faces were seen entering the ssroom. Eventually, we caught the attention of our homeroom teacher, who hade to teach Korean Language, his own subject. ¡°Members of the Ghost Story Club. Let¡¯s stop the meeting and go in.¡± ¡°Are you children waiting here to greet me? Hoho¡­ I¡¯m so happy.¡± Eventually, we started the second period without meeting Kim Eunjung. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you again after seeing you this morning. I think I see you children more often than my family.¡± Hoho, the homeroom teacherughed heartily before starting the ss. I looked around the back seats, but as expected, the seat next to Jinhee was still devoid of any owner. ¡°Teacher?¡± ¡°Hmm? Who called me?¡± I carefully raised my hand to gauge out a reaction. ¡°Eunjung isn¡¯t in the ssroom.¡± Then, the homeroom teacher squinted his eyes and scanned the back row, before looking around with a bewildered expression. ¡°That¡¯s true. Does anyone know where Eunjung went?¡± ¡°She¡¯s sick and went to the infirmary.¡± Cheerin, the female Vice ss President sitting in the middle row, answered in ce, and the homeroom teacher nodded in understanding. ¡°Even in this wonderful season of spring, there are sick youths. When I was young¡­¡± Murmur, murmur. Soon the second period ended, and the six of us hurriedly left the ssroom and ran to the infirmary. ¡°Hurry, hurry!!¡± ¡°Huff, huff.¡± The infirmary was located on the far right corner of the first floor, right next to the east entrance. We hurriedly ran there. Knock, creak- ¡°¡­ No one is here.¡± The usual characteristics of an infirmary doctor: never found when you need them. I quickly went inside and inspected the beds, lifting the curtains covering the partitions one by one. ¡°Here. It looks like someone was lying here just now.¡± Then, we found one of the partition beds was a bit messy with the lights turned on. Next to the bed, Jinhee found the students¡¯ attendance record on the nurse¡¯s desk and opened it. ¡°Kim Eunjung¡¯s name is written here.¡± ¡°Where, where.¡± Jinhee pointed to a ce in the record book with familiarity. ¡°Right here, Kim Eunjung. She came in during the first and second periods because she had a cold and rested for a bit¡­¡± On the longbook was neatly written in block letters were the name ¡®Kim Eunjung,¡¯ the time she arrived, and the reason she was there for. ¡°Then if we go back to the ssroom, we can catch her there¡­!¡± ¡°No.¡± I stopped Sunah, who was about to leave the infirmary and sprint back to the ssroom and shook my head. ¡°Even if we go back to the ssroom now, she probably won¡¯t be there.¡± ¡°¡­Why¡¯?¡± Sunah¡¯s steps leaving the infirmary halted as she turned around with a curious expression. I sighed and tapped the entry log. ¡°We didn¡¯t miss Kim Eunjung. That¡¯d be ridiculous. There was no way out for her to slip away under all of our careful eyes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It does seem ridiculous.¡± Gyeongwon nodded along, showing his agreement. ¡°We all stayed in our positions and watched closely. No matter how much I think about it, it¡¯s strange to have missed her.¡± ¡°Then?¡± ¡°Well.¡± To the members who were bewildered as to how to ept this strange development, I proposed a bold hypothesis. ¡°It seems like reality is being manipted.¡± ¡°What?¡± The members showed a surprised look. ¡°¡­.Are you sure? Reality Maniption?¡± Whether that word matched his ¡®chuunibyou¡¯, middle schooler syndrome sensibility, Dukhun muttered like reciting a line from a script. ¡°¡­Maniption of reality?¡± ¡°Yeah. Every time we recognize Kim Eunjung¡¯s existence and follow her traces, reality is being manipted to give us a suitable excuse¡­ That¡¯s what I think.¡± ¡°Crazy.¡± Jinhee muttered with a dumbfounded expression. But it was not surprising. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be surprised about. We all already experienced this yesterday. Like the memories with Kim Eunjung that appeared in the album, or the manipted memories of our parents¡­¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true¡­¡± However, for some odd reason unknown to us, we couldn¡¯t grasp Kim Eunjung for now. I slowly started exining that to the members. ¡°Gyeongwon¡¯s words earlier were right. We all kept our positions and monitored the ssroom without missing a thing. It doesn¡¯t make sense that we would miss her or anything. It would be more urate to say that the memories of the students in the ss are being manipted at every moment.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s a possibility, Prez.¡± ¡°Even if we go back to the ssroom now, Kim Eunjung will probably not be there for a good reason.¡± ¡°¡­.Then how can we catch her?¡± Sunah asked with a worried expression. Truth to be told, I was also worried. If we leave things running wild like this, things might get messed up. It was imperative that we catch her before something strange urs but how do we even do that? ¡°Gyeongwon, anythinging to mind?¡± ¡°Well.¡± Gyeongwon also showed an unsure expression ¡°Like any ghost stories or something simr to this situation thates to your mind.¡± ¡°What I said yesterday was all I know about this kind of ghost story¡­¡± The ghost story about a childhood friend that no one remembers, that he organized after listening to Jinhee¡¯s story yesterday. But in this case¡­ With the current development, it would be better to rename it to the ghost story about a friend that ¡®only I¡¯ can¡¯t remember. If a suspicious girl I don¡¯t remember at all suddenly came up to me, iming to have been a friend since childhood. How should I deal with that? She even seemed to be a psycho who enjoys killing animals and even has a few screws missing. What would happen if a person with that kind of personality tries to unt their familiarity and blend into everyday life? What if all the evidence points to us being friends? I took a moment to collect my thoughts and began instructing the members. ¡°First of all, we don¡¯t have enough information about her. The real Kim Eunjung before we got involved in the ghost story. We need to find out if she really existed or not.¡± That¡¯s right. Kim Eunjung, Jinhee¡¯s elementary school friend. Was she truly a real person? If she was somewhere alive and well, what could be her connection to the ghost story that we were encountering? ¡°That¡¯s probably hard to find out unless we go to that elementary school and ask¡­¡± I nodded to Gyeongwon, who trailed off with uncertainty. We were nning to visit her after school today anyway. We needed to hold on until then. ¡°That being said, we can¡¯t just sit by idly and let things unfold like this the whole day, so it would be best to find out what kind of person Kim Eunjung is in the memories of the students in our ss. It¡¯s better to know at least one more thing about her than nothing at all.¡± ¡°But, President¡­¡± Dukhun called with a serious expression. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better if the six of us spread out around the school? We could hide in ces like the staff room, the infirmary, the bathrooms, and so on. If we cover all possible spots and search around, she might not be able to escape or make excuses.¡± ¡°Were you even listening to what Prez said? Even if you do that, you still can¡¯t catch her, you idiot. There¡¯s no real person with this name, no real person.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s right.¡± Fortunately, Gyeongwon scolded him instead as he crossed his arms. ¡°Even if we searched the entire school to make sure she can¡¯t escape, there¡¯d still be new excuses for her to not be at her seats. Like she was feeling very sick and left early to go home.¡± ¡°Wow, this is so frustrating, F*ck¡­ It¡¯s like she¡¯s right in front of us.¡± Jinhee, who is usually impatient, immediately started rubbing her fists with a frustrated expression. But that¡¯s just how it is when you forget your friends. For now, only excuses were floating around, with no one knowing exactly how she, Eunjung, looked like. After the third period Social Studies ss ended, the members of the Ghost Story Club roamed around the ssroom, asking about Eunjung. ¡°She has got a bit of curl? Not like an olddy perm, just slightly curly? Yeah¡­ Her haires down to about her armpits. But why are you asking? Oh, we were going to draw a caricature, but she wasn¡¯t in her seat.¡± ¡°Is she nice? Really? How¡¯s she at studying? Just average¡­¡± While asking the students in the ss, we were giving them all sorts of strange reasons. Our ss Vice President, Cheerin, with her cat-like eyes, watched the members wandering around, crossed her arms, and snapped at them. ¡°You guys are awfully interested in Eunjung today.¡± Then, our ss¡¯s handsome President, Janghoon, passed by smiling as he said. ¡°They are in the same club, you know.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Janghoon, perhaps dealing with prostatitis, headed to the bathroom again and exited through the back door. [Your understanding of the character Ban Janghoon has increased by 5.] ¡°Wait a minute!¡± When I called him over again, he looked at me in a puzzled manner. ¡°What do you need?¡± ¡°¡­.Nothing.¡± I hastily turned around and quietly opened the Status Window. ¡®Status window.¡¯ Pop. [2019, May 1 | Wednesday, 10:53] [Lee Joon: Number of Attempts ¨C 2] [Ghost Story Points: 67] [Causality Rate: 14%] ¢Ù Status window ¢Ú Manage Club ¢Û Statistics ¢Ü Settings ¡®Manage Club.¡¯ Pop. [Ghost Club LV.5] ¢Ù Club Status Window ¢Ú Manage Members ¢Û Shop ¢Ü Club Settings ¡®Manage members .¡¯ Paat- No way. No way. The name that first appeared in my vision, as if trying to meet my expectations. Kim Eunjung LV.1 [0/100] Oh Dukhun LV.1 [0/100] Yoon Sunah LV.2 [0/200] Ahn Gyeongwon LV.2 [0/200] Lee Jinhee LV.1 [0/100] In Hayoon LV.2 [0/200] Jang Hwaeun LV.1 [0/100] Crazy. Our club member? ¡®F*ck, what the hell is going on¡­¡¯ I opened Kim Eunjung¡¯s Status Window with a hazy mind. ¡®Kim Eunjung, Status Window.¡¯ Pop. ¡¶STATUS WINDOW Name: Kim Eunjung LV.1 [0/100] Age: ?? Title: Twisted? Heart Disposition: Equivalent X Imitation? Special Ability: Reaper Quirk: ¡õ¡õSoul Understanding: 3.141592-/100¡· I told the members while bathing in cold sweat. ¡°Hey, guys. I¡¯m going to the Principal¡¯s office for a bit. I have something to check.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Dukhun gave a vague nod and continued his investigation. ¡°What does she look like? Tell me again.¡± ¡°Big eyes, always smiling¡­ Her hair¡­ Should I say it¡¯s curly? It¡¯s slightly wavy¡­ But why are you asking when you just saw her this morning-¡± While the other members were busy asking their ssmates about Kim Eunjung, I quickly rushed to the Principal¡¯s office. Because there was someone I absolutely had to talk to about her. ¡°Are you talking about Eunjung?¡± Our homeroom teacher, who was found on the first floor inside the Principal¡¯s office, turned his head while digging his ears. ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t remember when she joined our club, before I applied for the club or after that.¡± ¡°Why does that matter?¡± ¡°I need to know¡­¡± The middle-aged bald man with a rotund belly, our homeroom teacher, Park Damim. He was the one who epted the application for the Ghost Story Club and even helped me assign the members. ¡®It¡¯s best to ask this person.¡¯ ¡°¡­.You¡¯re unnecessarily curious about that.¡± ¡°Please.¡± I begged the homeroom teacher again, who muttered incredulously. I certainly didn¡¯t forget the fact that this person was also in a cahoot with the unknown force in the school trying to kill me. However, on the surface, they appear to be fulfilling their role as a teacher and leading a normal adult life in society. How did Kim Eunjung be a member of our club? That wasn¡¯t something I couldn¡¯t ask as a student, and it wasn¡¯t something I couldn¡¯t exin either because he was working with the evil force. ¡°Please.¡± I requested firmly. ¡°I want you to tell me what you remember.¡± ¡°Well, okay. Let me see¡­¡± The homeroom teacher quietly looked at the calendar. Looking back, it seemed like everything happened in March, about two months ago. ¡°Hmm, hmm.¡± The homeroom teacher, who had been staring at the calendar as if trying to recall, eventually folded his hands over the protruding belly and leaned back in their chair before answering. ¡°So it must have been the first week after the entrance ceremony? Joony submitted his application to me with one less member¡¯s name.¡± ¡°Yes, I remember that. What happened next?¡± ¡°Then, I secretly assigned Jinhee¡¯s name as the remaining member¡­¡± Up to this point, our memories appear to be aligned. ¡°And right before the first CA session on Friday, you put Hayoon and Dukhun¡¯s name, who had been rejected from the other club¡¯s interview, into your club, right?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Hayoon had been rejected from the Library Club, and Dukhun had been rejected from the Anime Club. And after encountering the ghost story Dreams Within Dreams together, I assigned both of them into our club. That was how the original 7 members, including teacher Jang Hwaeun, came to be. ¡°So what about Eunjung? When did she join?¡± ¡°Hmm? Eunjung? That¡¯s right¡­? Let¡¯s see. When was that¡­¡± The homeroom teacher suddenly trembled in surprise as if he just realized something. ¡°Th-this is unbelievable! H-how could this happen¡­ Ah,e to think of it, Eunjung¡­¡± Then, soon after, heposed his expression again. ¡°I remembered. Now that I think about it, Eunjeong transferred right after.¡± ¡°¡­.Transfer?¡± The homeroom teacher nodded calmly. ¡°I also forgot it because it was the beginning of the semester. Eunjung is a transfer student. Since she transferred midway, she ended up joining the Ghost Story Club since it wasposed with the students of the same ss.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± So that¡¯s how it happened. My best friend from elementary school, Kim Eunjung, who transferred when we were young. Now that she was transferred to our school, and even be ingrained in everyone¡¯s memories. ¡°¡­I understand for now. Thank you.¡± ¡°Hoho.¡± The bell rang, announcing the end of the break time. I enquired what I wanted to rify and was about to leave with a curtsey goodbye to prepare for the next ss. ¡°Joony Boy.¡± ¡°¡­.Yes?¡± My homeroom teacher suddenly called me. ¡°It seems like you¡¯ve gotten involved in something strange again.¡± Chapter 95: Eleventh Ghost Story – The Forgotten Friend (8) Chapter 95: Eleventh Ghost Story ¨C The Forgotten Friend (8) ¡°It seems like you¡¯ve gotten involved in something strange again.¡± The homeroom teacher said with a rxed expression. How should I react to his statement? During the incident with the science teacher, we excitedly exchanged questions and fought with each other, but that was before the time reset. What kind of rtionship do I have with this person now? After thinking for a moment, I quietly nodded. ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°Hoho.¡± The homeroom teacher smiled as if he had known it. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten involved in something strange, again.¡± ¡°As expected, I knew it.¡± He rubbed his round belly as he said with certainty. I thought it was fine. The only connection I have with this person in the current timeline is the brief involvement during the incident of Dreams Within Dreams. Although there were still some lingering awkward feelings between us, it was still a situation where it wouldn¡¯t be strange to act as if we had an ordinary student and homeroom teacher rtionship. Soon, the homeroom teacher, who had been smiling and patting his belly, opened his mouth. ¡°Then, would you like to have some advice from me?¡± ¡°¡­What kind of advice?¡± ¡°Advice rted to the members of the Ghost Story Club.¡± The homeroom teacher showed a kind expression. ¡°Don¡¯t just rely on your friends and try to resolve everything among the students.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Teacher Jang Hwaeun, I¡¯m talking about her.¡± He spoke with a gentle tone and warm expression that showed his years of experience. ¡°Ask her for help. She¡¯s a veteran teacher with 10 years of experience before she became an English teacher.¡± ¡°Joony may not know since you¡¯re still a student, but single women with a career are often verypetent individuals. It¡¯smon for them to focus on personal development during their free time.¡± So he considered her single because that was her choice. It seemed he was under such a misconception but for the time being, I decided to stay quiet. ¡°Teacher Jang Hwaeun is no exception. She already has plenty of time to spare, and because of her natural enthusiastic personality, she is well-known among the staff for taking on various tasks. She frequently attends training sessions and has obtained many education-rted certifications¡­¡± I see, she¡¯s a highlypetent person. ¡°It might be a good decision to seek her advice.¡± The homeroom teacher, sitting on the chair with his belly sticking out, looked up at me with a kind smile. I hesitated at the unexpectedly generous advice, but soon nodded quietly. ¡°Thank you for the advice, Teacher.¡± ¡°Hoho, it¡¯s fine. Go to ss quickly.¡± Soon, the 4th period, Korean History ss, started. I entered through the back door and hurriedly went to my seat, avoiding the eyes of the teacher, who was writing the day¡¯s topic on the ckboard. ¡°I hope everyone¡¯s present.¡± ¡®¡­.Teacher Jang Hwaeun.¡¯ I nced back and looked at the seat next to Jinhee. No was seated on the desk next to Jinhee, but the textbook was spread out on the desk, as if someone had put it there intentionally. And the chair, slightly askew from the desk, looked as if someone had just been sitting in it. Jinhee sitting next to it was looking at the empty desk with aplicated expression on her face. ¡®¡­Huu.¡¯ I turned my head to the ckboard and thought about the homeroom teacher¡¯s advice. Although I had no idea of his intention to give me proper advice, what he said was certainly true. From what I could infer from Jinhee about her childhood friend Eunjung, she seemed to have some mental issues. The teachers must have learned how to deal with such special children in college before starting working as a teacher. But this Nakseong High School seemed like a school filled with psychopaths andcking trustworthy and proper teachers. Among them, teacher Jang Hwaeun, who was a veteran teacher with 10 years of experience, was definitely on our side. She has an enthusiastic personality with a mindset of understanding the youngsters. She even attends training sessions rted to the education of students frequently. She was the perfect person for this case. ¡®I should have asked her sooner.¡¯ Because of the sudden unexpected situation, it slipped off my mind. After thinking for a while, I decided to gather all the seven members of our Ghost Story Club, including the Teacher, together during lunch. ¡°I think the kids I¡¯m assigned to are excluding me while hanging out together¡­ what a sad life.¡± [¡­.] ¡°Yesterday, after school, the kids got together and went out to y again. But they didn¡¯t invite me¡­¡± [Then¡­ doesn¡¯t that mean you¡¯re being intentionally left out?] ¡°Right.¡± [Then, why don¡¯t you bully back those kids?] ¡°Mom!¡± Hwaeun softly yelled into her phone. ¡°You call that advice?¡± [If you don¡¯t want my advice, do whatever you want, you idiot. You are the teacher after all¡­.] While leaving the cafeteria building, Hwaeun grumbled on the phone to her mother. At the same time, the members of the Ghost Story Club, whom she was justining about, run towards her. ¡°Teacher! Teacher!¡± ¡°Oh, Mom. I¡¯m hanging up, sorry!¡± Hwaeun quickly hung up and greeted them brightly. ¡°Hi~ It¡¯s Joon and his friends! What¡¯s up?¡± [2019, May 1 | Wednesday, 12:37] [Lee Joon: Number of Attempts ¨C 2] [Ghost Story Points: 67] [Causality Rate: 14%] After a quick lunch break, we gathered together in the clubroom on the 5th floor. Using the remaining lunchtime, we told Teacher Jang Hwaeun the story up to that point. The Teacher became silent after listening to the story. She soon leaned her shoulders on the chair and interlocked her fingers. ¡°¡­But your Teacher clearly remembers. Eunjung was part of our club from the beginning. She also went out with you all yesterday.¡± My gaze naturally turned to Gyeongwon. ¡°Why the difference in the situation, Gyeongwon?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Gyeongwon showed a thoughtful look. Even though we were in the same Ghost Story Club, why don¡¯t the students remember Eunjung, but the Teacher does? ¡°¡­ Perhaps the difference is whether or not you knew about this story when the ghost story actually urred.¡± ¡°I think so too.¡± Dukhun folded his arms and nodded. ¡°We already heard the story yesterday through Lee Jinhee, so our memories couldn¡¯t be manipted. But the teachers and our parents didn¡¯t know anything about Kim Eunjung, so their memories were manipted in a way that they think it¡¯s normal to know her.¡± ¡°You want to say my memories are manipted?¡± The teacher showed a shocked expression by Dukhun¡¯s exnation. I nodded firmly. ¡°Yes. Even right now, reality is being manipted in real time.¡± ¡°How is that possible¡­¡± I held out both hands to calm the Teacher who seemed still confused. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, go around the school right now and look for Kim Eunjung. There¡¯s no such student with that name.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why that doesn¡¯t make more sense!¡± Teacher Jang Hwaeun stood up abruptly as she eximed. ¡°Because Eunjung is sitting here with us right now!¡± The eyes of all the members¡¯ instantly turned to the ce where the Teacher pointed. A rectangr table, with enough seats for a total of eight people, including one at the head and the other at the foot, to sit. In the middle, an empty chair was sticking out unnaturally. I was seated at the head of the desk and Teacher Hwaeun was sitting at the foot. Three people could sit on either side of the long desk. The empty chair was situated between Sunah and Gyeongwon, who was sitting next to me. ¡°Right over there¡­ Huh? Where did she go?¡± The Teacher pointed to the empty chair with a nk expression. ¡°She was just here¡­¡± I resisted the urge to groan and looked at the members. The Teacher being mistaken could be understandable since her memories have been manipted. But why did we, who were fully aware of the ghost story, ended up sitting in such a strange arrangement in the first ce? It wasn¡¯t like Sunah and Gyeongwon never interacted with each other. There was no way for them to leave a seat between them empty. It was like. They naturally left the seat empty because they assumed someone would definitely sit in that seat. ¡®¡­.It¡¯s getting more serious than it looks.¡¯ The worst-case scenario would be if, at some point, we ended up recognizing Kim Eunjung as a friend, with all our previous memories being manipted. What if we fall into the delusion too, unable to hold on until school ends 4 hourster? Instead of going to Jinhee¡¯s elementary school to uncover the truth, we would be heading straight home, smiling like fools. Thinking that the unidentified person was our friend. If we by any chance move on to the next ghost story with our corrupted memories and a checkpoint is set there, it would be impossible to turn back. ¡°¡­.We have to hurry. It feels like we are gradually bing part of this distortion too.¡± I abruptly stood up from my seat. ¡°B, but we can¡¯t leave school right now. We decided to hold on until we go to Jinhee¡¯s elementary school after school and find out what¡¯s really happening about this Kim Eunjung, right? What should we do right now¡­¡± Gyeongwon and the members were anxious. I bit my lips. ¡°We can¡¯t wait any longer. Let¡¯s call that elementary school right now.¡± ¡°Right now?¡± ¡°Jinhee, take out your phone.¡± I urgently instructed Jinhee to find the phone number of the Undang Elementary School administration office online and make the call. ¡°¡­.Hello? Yes, I¡¯m a graduate from your school. Could you please connect me to Counselor Ryu Jinah? Oh, really? Then when¡­ Yes.¡± Jinhee quickly hung up the phone in a sullen mood. ¡°They said she¡¯s not at school because she has gone to visit her home. She won¡¯t be back until the afternoon.¡± ¡°Idiot, you should have at least asked for her cell phone number!¡± ¡°Idiot? Who are you joking with¡­.¡± Jinhee kicked Gyeongwon on the shin under the desk. ¡°Ouch.¡± Gyeongwon flinched back at the kick and lowered his head dejectedly. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough. Call again quickly and tell them to give her cell phone number.¡± ¡°Okay, just a moment¡­¡± Jinhee called the administrative staff of the school again and asked for the teacher¡¯s number. ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± She hung up after getting the number and called on the number she had gotten. Tut_Tut-Tut- ¡°¡­ She¡¯s not answering.¡± ¡°Haaa.¡± The members all groaned in frustration. ¡°Everyone, focus.¡± I stood up from my seat and walked towards the whiteboard. ¡°We all hoped the call went through, but for now, there¡¯s nothing we can do. Let¡¯s keep trying to contact the counselor, and if that doesn¡¯t work, we¡¯ll stick to the original n and visit the elementary school after school. The urgent issue is how to handle the situation right now. We need to discuss that part thoroughly.¡± ¡°But, Prez!¡± Gyeongwon shouted with an urgent expression, pping his knee loudly. ¡°We have no idea what¡¯s the real situation with Kim Eunjung, so how do we make ns?¡± ¡°Even if we don¡¯t know about her real situation, I think it¡¯s pretty obvious. She¡¯s either alive or dead.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true, but¡­¡± It would have certainly been better if the counselor had been avable and responded immediately. We could at least have some headstart, rather than knowing nothing at all. But even if we could get some information, it didn¡¯t seem like it would have much of an effect on eradicating the ghost story right away. The lunch break wasing to an end. We muste up with an urgent n. ¡°We must n something for now, the situation is urgent. Focus.¡± All eyes soon turned to me. I organized the current situation on the whiteboard with a marker pen, as if I was giving a lesson. As we just realized the fact from the empty chair, we were gradually being affected by the ghost story. What was most important right now was to stay clear-headed and not let our memories get manipted. We needed to somehow go through the uing 5th and 6th periods. ¡°There is no guarantee that our perceptions will not change in the next moment. Even while I¡¯m saying this, the very next moment I can ask, what are we doing here? Okay, let¡¯s go back to the ssroom with Eunjung.¡± I suddenly put down the marker and trudged out of the clubroom. Passing by the members, I went out into the hallway and descended the stairs. When I got to the 3rd floor, the club members seemed toe to a realization and suddenly chased after me with panicked expressions. ¡°T, the President is possessed by Kim Eunjung!!¡± ¡°Hit him! Hit him!¡± They ran straight at me and began hitting me. Smack- Smack- ¡°Aaah, f*ck, wait a minute!¡± I protested desperately. ¡°I was trying to show you that this could happen, this could happen! Ahhh¡­¡± ¡°See, just as I showed you through the example, your perception can change in the next moment. Do you understand?¡± I took the members back to the clubroom and began exining. ¡°I did that on purpose to show you that. Your perception can change in an instant. By the way, who was it that hit me in the back of the head?¡± ¡°¡­.Joon, sorry¡­.¡± Sunah trembled as she raised her hand. I waved my hand, gesturing to her that it was okay and told her to put her hand down. ¡°So Prez, I understand that it¡¯s dangerous and that we need toe up with countermeasures. But how do we deal with something that has no physical form¡­? ¡°Just because it doesn¡¯t have a physical form doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t deal with it. On the contrary, among the ghost stories we¡¯ve encountered so far, there were more ghost stories that didn¡¯t have a physical form.¡± Sometimes, the very idea of a strange phenomenon turned out to be a ghost story to us. ¡°T-That¡¯s true.¡± Ahn Gyeongwon, as it was usual for him to panic whenever a strange phenomenon ured, showed a panicked expression. ¡°Oi, the President must have thought of something. So listen to him patiently.¡± ¡°S, sorry¡­¡± Soon, their gazes turned back to me. But Hayoon¡¯s clear voice was suddenly heard at that moment. ¡°Have you nned something good?¡± ¡°Not that good.¡± I tugged my sleeves with a slight sense of unease. ¡°It would be great if there were some sort of solution or something like that, but nothing new ising to mind at the moment. However, there is an old method I used in the past, I think we can try it again.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Hayoon asked me with an expectant look. ¡°Do you all remember the story about resolving a ghost story that imitated my mother before?¡± The members slowly nodded their heads. ¡°I remember.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Although it happened at home, not at school, I shared the incident with the members after the midterms. So they were aware of the Mother Dilemma ghost story. ¡°Do you all remember how I resolved the story back then?¡± ¡°I remember.¡± Sunah nodded as she answered. ¡°You pretended to be its mother-inw¡­¡± ¡°¡­.That¡¯s right.¡± I nodded as well. ¡°At that time, I pretended to be its vicious mother-inw-¡± ¡°Pfft.¡± Just as I was about to continue the exnation, Hayoon let out a smallugh, causing me to pause for a moment. ¡°Sorry.¡± Hayoon turned her head away. ¡°Ahem!¡± I cleared my throat to signal them to focus and then resumed the exnation. ¡°The reason why I pretended to be its mother-inw back then is-¡± While I was exining, I nced at Hayoon, and noticed that she was turning her head away from us and covering her mouth. I couldn¡¯t see her expression because her hair was obscuring it, but it seemed like she was smiling. Chapter 96: Eleventh Ghost Story – The Forgotten Friend (9) Chapter 96: Eleventh Ghost Story ¨C The Forgotten Friend (9) ¡°At that time, I pretended to be the ghost¡¯s mother-inw that imitated to be my Mom. I drove the performance to the extreme, pushing it to the point it couldn¡¯t continue imitating anymore. And that was how I exorcised it.¡± ¡°¡­.That¡¯s right.¡± Gyeongwon nodded in admiration. ¡°Even thinking about it again, I think it was a brilliant idea.¡± ¡°Yeah. Although the situation is a bit different, don¡¯t you think there¡¯s something simr between now and then?¡± I spread my hands as I exined enthusiastically. ¡°The current ghost story, in a way, is also in a position of continuously pretending to be our friend and be with us. So I think it¡¯s possible to resolve the situation if we use the same approach.¡± Of course, the process would be a little different. While the ghost story of pretending to be my Mom appeared with a physical presence and performed directly. This ghost story manipted reality to leave traces of it everywhere. However, if we think about it carefully, all she was doing was pretending to be our friend and imitating someone else, not herself. Just as that ghost wasn¡¯t my mother, Kim Eunjung wasn¡¯t my friend either. So my conclusion was that we could try using the same solution. ¡°She might be an imitation to you guys but she¡¯s a real person and friend.¡± ¡°¡®Your¡¯ friend.¡± I corrected Jinhee, who was about to protest. ¡°She¡¯s not our friend.¡± ¡°Hmm!¡± Gyeongwon crossed his arms and nodded in agreement. ¡°Your exnation may sound crappy, but I think it¡¯s urate. She¡¯s definitely not our friend.¡± ¡°¡­.So? What are you going to do?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to make her ashamed. To the point where calling us her friends bes painful.¡± The club members nodded their heads with apparent interest. ¡°What exactly are we going to do?¡± In response to Sunah¡¯s question asking what I was referring to, I answered confidently. ¡°For example, what if I took off my clothes right now and ran around the yground? Would Kim Eunjung still be able to call us her friends?¡± I exined that part step by step while drawing a stickman without any clothes with the marker pen. ¡°Wearing only underwear like this¡­¡± ¡°I suppose since Prez is exining it you also intend to do it?¡± ¡°No. Dukhun will be the one doing it.¡± ¡°Kusokurae!!!¡± [T/N: Kusokurae (¥¯¥½¥¯¥é¥²) is literally cursing in Japanese.] Dukhun suddenly stood up with an angry expression. ¡°Why would I want to do something like that!¡± I nodded while pointing with my index finger. ¡°Good point.¡± ¡°Joon¡­¡± Sunah looked at me with a sympathetic face. After pondering for a moment, I quickly erased the drawing. ¡°There must be other good methods. Let¡¯s think about them together.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Anyway, everyone understood what I¡¯m trying to say, right?¡± Gyeongwon nodded expressionlessly. ¡°I definitely understand.¡± ¡°The key point is to either push the situation to the point that she doesn¡¯t want to be friends with us anymore, or make it so that she can¡¯t stay to be friends.¡± ¡°Hey, but.¡± Suddenly, Jinhee crossed her arms and asked bluntly. ¡°What if Eunjung is still alive and well? If we try some weird methods and they end up affecting Eunjung who is far away¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Just like how my real Mom wasn¡¯t affected just because I exorcised the ghost story imitating my mother, the real Kim Eunjung shouldn¡¯t be affected at all.¡± ¡°Then what if she¡¯s not alive? What if it¡¯s really the ghost that appeared after the original person died?¡± ¡°¡­Then that¡¯s even more dangerous. You clearly said she was a psychopath who killed people.¡± Jinhee pouted as if she had nothing more to refute. ¡°¡­I just suspected that. As I¡¯ve said before, there was no evidence that she was the one who did it. If you take away the weird part about torturing the animal, she was a kind and gentle friend to me.¡± ¡°Yesterday, you werepletely tantly assuming that she killed someone.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. She also said that Kim Eunjung cut the rope of the workers on the apartment building they were working and caused them to fall to their death.¡± ¡°Hey, that¡¯s just¡­¡± Eventually, Jinhee sighed when Dukhun tantly pointed out what she said. ¡°I was just trying to tell a scary story. How could an elementary school girl cut three ropes where workers were working at the same time?¡± ¡°¡­.But, what you said were all real events, right?¡± Jinhee, showing hesitation on her face, eventually nodded in agreement. The lizard¡¯s split tail, the massacre of the rabbits, and the three people falling¡ªall of these were real events. ¡°¡­.Well, that¡¯s okay. We also investigated by asking around in the ssroom. The Kim Eunjung you remember from your childhood memories and the Kim Eunjung who is causing a ruckus here arepletely different in terms of their upbringing and personality. I don¡¯t think they¡¯re the same person.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± ¡°So let¡¯s put aside our worries about your friend and just try to get rid of the ghost story. Okay?¡± Soon, Jinhee nodded as if she couldn¡¯t help it and muttered. ¡°Okay for now.¡± ¡°Okay. Then I just thought of something really interesting.¡± Soon, their eyes turned to me. ¡°It seems unnecessary to lower our own status just to make ourselves undesirable as friends. I¡¯vee up with a rather safe method.¡± Then, Teacher Jang Hwaeun, who was quiet, asked with a worried expression. ¡°You¡¯re not thinking of bullying her, are you? Just make her unable toe to school¡­¡± ¡°I won¡¯t do something so extreme.¡± I said with a stern expression. ¡°I¡¯ll just make her appear dead.¡± * * * [2029, May 1 | Wednesday, 1:07] [Lee Joon: Number of Attempts ¨C 2] [Ghost Story Points: 66] [Causality Rate: 14%] ¡°¡­ Who died?¡± The middle-aged Hanja teacher, who entered the ssroom during the 5th period to take the ss, stared nkly at something. [T/N: A ¡°kanji teacher¡± is an instructor who teaches kanji, the logographic characters used in the Japanese writing system. In a Korean school, a ¡°kanji teacher¡± (often referred to as a ¡°?? ???¡± or ¡°Hanja teacher¡±) instructs students in hanja, which are Chinese characters used in Korean.] Seeing the desk at the very back with a flower vase on it, she asked with a dumbfounded expression. ¡°Whose seat is that?¡± ¡°Eunjung.¡± The Vice ss President answered instead. ¡°She has died?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then?¡± ¡°She just left early because she was sick, but it looks like someone yed a prank.¡± Cheerin, the Vice ss President with cat-like eyes, answered in a crisp, clear voice. ¡°¡­.I see. I was surprised for no reason.¡± The Hanja teacher opened the textbook, swiping away her chest. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s start by checking the homework.¡± ¡®¡­.I guess this method is too simple.¡¯ A vase is ced on a desk when the person to whom the desk belongs dies. In order to counter the ghost story that was manipting people¡¯s memories, leaving traces here and there and confusing them, we tried to make traces on our side this time. However, it seemed that it was dismissed as a fleeting matter by everyone. ¡®I wasted 1 point at the store.¡¯ ¡°Lee Joon! Straighten up your arms!¡± I was kneeling with my hands raised at the back of the ssroom as a punishment for not doing the kanji homework. Tilting my head slightly, I whispered to Sunah, who was in the same position as me and sweating beside. ¡°During the next break, let¡¯s also scribble on the desk as if we miss her. We need to make it look like someone really died.¡± ¡°Um¡­.¡± Sunah, feeling tired from raising her hands for punishment, answered vaguely. Soon, the next break time arrived. Our club members also began scribbling and doodling on Kim Eunjung¡¯s desk with markers and highlighters. [Eunjung, I miss you.] [I hope you¡¯re happy there.] [Kim Eunjung. Do you know that I liked you?] [Eunjung¡­.] Sunah also scribbled diligently in crooked handwriting. Dukhun with a particrly excited expression was scribbling whatever came to his mind. Gyeongwon, who was carefully choosing words that could be mistaken for indicating death, wrote slowly, one character at a time¡­. [Eunjung, I wish you to be happy.] [I miss you already, what are we going to do without you, Eunjung?] [How can you leave your friends behind like this¡­. This is really too much. I hate you¡­.] [¡­.] While we were in the middle of scribbling and doodling, just before the break ended, the homeroom teacher burst in through the door, out of breath, and announced loudly. ¡°Students, do you remember Eunjung from our ss, who was said to be going to study abroad?¡± All the students¡¯ eyes instantly turned to the homeroom teacher. ¡°Due to some circumstances, the study abroad program was canceled, and she¡¯s returning to the country. She¡¯s expected to arrive around the end of the school today, so let¡¯s all wee her!¡± Then, the students in the ss pped happily. ¡°Wow~!¡± The homeroom teacher, nodding with satisfaction, noticed us gathered around Eunjung¡¯s desk and came over to give us a quick nce. ¡°You children. Writing things like this because your friend has gone away¡­¡± The homeroom teacher¡¯s eyes turned red. ¡°Eunjug would definitely be touched once she arrives and sees it.¡± Now that we thought about it, although the things we wrote were based on the assumption that someone had died, they were essentially messages of longing for someone who had gone far away. Just looking at the sentences themselves, there would be no major issue if they were considered as having been written for someone who had gone abroad for study. ¡°You did an amazing job. Please show Eunjung when shees.¡± The homeroom teacher turned around with a satisfied smile. ¡®Tell her not toe, f*ck.¡¯ ¡°Group, time for the closing ceremony¡­¡± The members looked at me with anxious faces. ¡°¡­. She¡¯sing? When?¡± If this ing¡¯ means that the person would actually arrive, rather than just leaving traces like before, it would be a big problem for us. Even when only traces were left, we were already caught up in it, so if we actually saw the person in flesh, I had no idea what would happen. I started discussing again with the members with serious expressions. ¡°¡­.What should we do now? We can¡¯t write a memorial on her desk that says ¡®this person is torn limb from limb and buried in a grave¡¯.¡± ¡°If we do that, we¡¯d end up looking like trash.¡± The bell for the 6th period rang, and I had no choice but to give an urgent instruction to the club members. ¡°This method isn¡¯t working. We have no choice but to do something more extreme.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± I nodded to Dukhun and ced my hands on his shoulders. ¡°It was inspired by Teacher Jang Hwaeun¡¯s opinion earlier. Let¡¯s make Kim Eunjung unable toe to school.¡± 6th period, self-study session started. [Oh Dukhun, Kim Eunjung ¨C 100 days of dating] ¡°Do you know? The reason Eunjug ising back and not staying abroad for study is because she was dating Dukhun. She came back because she missed him too much after being apart for so long.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t today exactly the 100th day?¡± [T/N: In Korea, the 100th day of their rtionship is considered a special asion for couples. It¡¯s a way to celebrate and acknowledge the duration and significance of their rtionship.] At first, the students shook their heads, saying we were spouting nonsense, but gradually, they began to be swayed by my shy rhetoric and the club members¡¯ overwhelming numbers. ¡°Hey~ That¡¯s ridiculous¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s true. We know because we¡¯re members of the same club. Eunjung is also in the Ghost Story Club.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s a little¡­¡± Jinhee kicked the butt of the boy sitting in front of her and started spreading fake news with a serious expression. ¡°What¡¯s with the reaction? Oh Dukhun and Kim Eunjung are dating.¡± ¡°¡­ Hey, I think it¡¯s a lie.¡± ¡°A lie?¡± Jinhee kicked the boy¡¯s butt again while showing a scary expression. ¡°F*ck, did you just say I was lying?¡± ¡°S, sorry¡­ ah. I¡¯ll believe you¡­¡± Our ssmates onlyined at the beginning, not quiteprehending why such unfounded gossip was suddenly being spread. But as we kept pushing the narrative, they soon became absorbed in the ghost story and naturally started to perceive Dukhun and Kim Eunjung as a couple. Eventually, Sunah and Hayoon wroterge letters on the ckboard with chalk. [Oh Dukhun & Kim Eunjung D-100] [From the whole ss: Congrattions on 100th days] ¡°Do you understand? When Eunjunges in during the closing ceremony, Dukhun will hand her a bouquet of flowers, and everyone should apud.¡± ¡°Okay~¡± ¡°Sounds romantic.¡± One or two students started to believe it, and soon the entire ss epted without doubt that the two were dating from the beginning. Since it was originally a self-study session where students were mostly busy ying on their phones rather than studying, the atmosphere became lively as they giggled and got excited over someone else¡¯s romance. ¡®High school students, really.¡¯ Buzzz. At that moment, Dukhun¡¯s phone suddenly vibrated. ¡°¡­.I got a text from Kim Eunjung.¡± ¡°What? Where, where!¡± We quickly gathered around Dukhun and checked the contents. [Kim Eunjung] [010-4444-4444] ¨C Dukhun, I¡¯m sorry, but I think we should break up. Don¡¯t pretend to know me even when I go into ss. ¡°¡­ I got dumped.¡± Dukhun muttered with a nk expression. I also nodded with a dejected expression. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It would have been over if we had just notified her to break up¡­¡± ¡°¡­.What should we do now, Prez?¡± Gyeongwon pushed up his sses and checked the time. ¡°Sixth period will be over soon. There¡¯s less than 30 minutes left until the closing ceremony¡­¡± She¡¯sing. Kim Eunjung ising¡­ ¡°But, what if¡­¡± Sunah hesitated and gave her opinion. ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter if shees, right? She hasn¡¯t caused any harm yet. ¡°Not yet, that¡¯s right. But.¡± I exined with a serious expression why we had to respond quickly. ¡°What if at some point we arepletely absorbed in the ghost story and naturally start recognizing Kim Eunjung as a member of our club like our ssmates? How will our school life be in the future if that were to happen?¡± ¡°How¡­?¡± Sunah tilted her head as if she couldn¡¯t quite imagine what kind of oue that might bring. I emphasized once again and exined. ¡°Don¡¯t forget. Kim Eunjung is not a person, she¡¯s a ghost story. And it¡¯s sent by the Demon King.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± ¡°She maniptes our minds and naturally blends in with reality. It¡¯s like a spy infiltrating our club.¡± ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± Only then did Sunah seem to realize the seriousness of the situation and nodded in understanding. ¡°Even if she pretends to be our friend and causes internal strife and causes the club to copse, we won¡¯t know. Because we¡¯ll recognize Kim Eunjung as a close member who has been with us for two months.¡± ¡°Oh, it sounds scary.¡± Sunah took out her pink boxcutter from her pocket and gripped it tightly with an anxious face. ¡°It¡¯s almost time for the closing ceremony¡­ What should we do¡­?¡± Our enemy, the Demon King, was not simply trying to kill us. He was attempting to destroy us by using every means possible, both inside and outside the club. ¡°Dukhun, first, send a text message to Kim Eunjung. Ask her if she cane to school tomorrow. Say you feel sad after you two broke up.¡± ¡°W-will that work?¡± ¡°If that doesn¡¯t work, we can at least notify the ssmates that she won¡¯t being today.¡± ¡°I, I understand¡­¡± Dukhun tapped at the keypad with his fingers that were twice as thick as mine and typed quickly. [Jo¡­ Jottomate kudasai!! Eunjung! I¡¯m so sorry, but can you pleasee to school tomorrow? I just saw your message of breaking up and my heart hurts, I can¡¯t even breathe¡­ Every day has been dyed with ¡®sadness¡¯ for me. The world has turned blue.] Then, a reply came right away, as if it was typed by a machine. Ding- [Kim Eunjung] [010-4444-4444] ¨C If you hadn¡¯t used such a strange tone, we might have continued dating. You really haven¡¯t changed. Alright, I understand. Since sses are over anyway and it feels odd just to go to school to receive a wee, I¡¯ll juste to school normally tomorrow. Chapter 97: Eleventh Ghost Story – The Forgotten Friend (10) Chapter 97: Eleventh Ghost Story ¨C The Forgotten Friend (10) ¡°Oh, she replied¡­¡± The text message also appeared to be very normal. We gaped at the content in surprise. ¡°Prez, what should we reply?¡± Gyeongwon stared at me with a dumbfounded expression. ¡°She speaks¡­. better than I expected?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. She can alsomunicate.¡± Now that I think about it, we¡¯ve only been fighting against the traces of Kim Eunjung up until now and haven¡¯t actually tried tomunicate directly with her. ¡®She has consciousness?¡¯ I was conflicted for a moment. Among the ghost stories I¡¯ve encountered so far, those who took human form were very few. Even then, there were not once instances where I could properlymunicate with them. ¡®¡­.It¡¯s really surprising, but if she¡¯s someone I canmunicate with, there might be another way out.¡¯ I took out my phone and entered Kim Eunjung¡¯s number. [010-4444-4444] ¡°Joo, Joon! What are you doing¡­.?¡± Sunah shrank back in fear as she asked. ¡°I¡¯m gonna text her. Maybe we can get rid of the ghost story bymunicating with her.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­! Through conversation¡­¡± Gyeongwon wanted to protest, he was sweating profusely. ¡°O, okay. But you know¡­¡± He ced his hand on my shoulder and nced around. ¡°Let¡¯s go outside first, Prez. Everyone¡¯s staring at us¡­ .¡± Oh no. Only then did I feel the stinging gazes of the students on the six of us. ¡°They¡¯ve been really noisy since a while ago.¡± ¡°Right? Aren¡¯t they from that strange club?¡± ¡°Today they¡¯re making a big fuss together for no reason.¡± ¡°Why is a girl as pretty as Hayoon with such a strange group?¡± The students in the ss murmured among themselves while looking at us. As usual, we were just running around trying to exorcise ghost stories. However, since the stage this time was the ssroom itself, we were getting a lot of unwanted attention. ¡°¡­.Okay. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± We quickly opened the back door and went out into the hallway, leaving the chattering ssmates around us behind. Dud- Dud- With nervous expressions, we listened to the call connection tone. Soon, someone answered the phone. Click- ¡°¡­ Hello?¡± Pooooooo. ng, ng. Rattle. Instead of voices, only unidentifiable noises could be heard on the other end of the phone. ¡°¡­ Hello? Kim Eunjung?¡± Pooooooo. ng, ng. Rattle. [¡­.? ?] Soon, a familiar melody was heard through the phoneing from the other side. What was it? I¡¯ve heard it somewhere before¡­ ¡­ . [???] We looked at each other with bewildered expressions. Soon, Dukhun looked up with a startled expression as realization dawned over him. ¡°O, oh, this sound!¡± [? You have arrived at ShinLim Station. ShinLim Station. Please approach the door to the right to get off ?] Suddenly, the phone hung up before we could hear the voice of the owner who picked up the phone. ShinLim Station is about a 20~30 minute walk from school. It¡¯d exactly be time for the closing ceremony by the time she arrives. ¡®¡­. She¡¯s reallying.¡¯ While I was thinking so, a text message appeared on my phone right away. Ding- [Kim Eunjung] [010-4444-4444] ¨C Sorry for hanging up. I can¡¯t speak to you right now, can¡¯t hear your voice. I think I¡¯ll be there in 30 minutes. ¡®¡­.Is she the type of ghost story that materializes as time passes?¡¯ I hastily replied. [What are you?] Ding- Then, once again, a message flew in immediately as if it were input by a machine. [Kim Eunjung] [010-4444-4444] ¨C I¡¯m Eunjung! We were rivals in study when we were young. Don¡¯t you remember? ¡°¡­.Rivals in study.¡± That was what my Mom said as well. I tapped the keypad again and sent another text message. [I don¡¯t remember having a friend like you.] Ding- As expected, a reply came flying immediately. [Kim Eunjung] [010-4444-4444] ¨C That¡¯s so mean. I¡¯m hurt. ¡°She¡¯s pretending to be my friend until the end.¡± ¡°Wh, what now¡­¡± ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s see.¡± I decided to change my strategy and focus on exploiting its logical ws. [You went to the same elementary school as Jinhee, right? But Jinhee went to Undang Elementary School, and I went to Seoul South Elementary School. How do you exin that?] [Kim Eunjung] [010-4444-4444] ¨C That¡¯s where I transferred in the middle of the year! Don¡¯t you remember? ¡°¡­Transfer? What the hell is she talking about?¡± ¡°It seems like she¡¯s trying to brush off the fact that we were all paired with her from different schools by saying it was due to transferring schools.¡± ¡°Transferring within the ShinLim neighborhood?¡± That¡¯s ame excuse, Eunjung. ¡°Let me also add the fact that she was also deskmates with Sunah and Hayoon.¡± Surely she couldn¡¯t im to transfer in four different schools within the ShinLim neighborhood and coincidentally paired up with the members as a fitting excuse. Tap tap- tap tap- Ding- Tap tap- tap tap- Ding- We started exchanging text messages like this for a while. [So, ording to you, you lived outside the city until the second grade, then moved to Seoul in the third grade and attended Seoul South Elementary School with me, from there you transferred to Undang Elementary School in the fourth grade, then transferred to ShinLim Elementary School in the fifth grade. And finally, you attended a private elementary school where you graduated with Hayoon? Is that what you¡¯re trying to say?] [Kim Eunjung] [010-4444-4444] ¨C Yeah~ That¡¯s right~ And in between, I also yed some games online with Dukhun and even studied abroad in the US for a while~ ¡°What a shameless punk.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t she just mocking us on purpose?¡± We couldn¡¯t help but click our tongues at the absurdly ridiculous and illogical reasoning. [It would be heaven rather than the US, you idiot] Ding- [Kim Eunjung] [010-4444-4444] ¨C Don¡¯t scold me, Joon ?? ¡°Haaa¡­ I¡¯m pissed.¡± ¡°What now, Prez? We can¡¯t get any information.¡± I let out a sigh and pushed the story forward in the direction of letting things be. ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do. I have no choice but to throw a bomb.¡± Tap tap- tap tap- Ding- [You¡¯re a ghost story sent by the Demon King. Maybe B- or C-rank? You materialzed yesterday at Jinhee¡¯s house when she was telling us the story about a ¡®friend no one remembers¡¯ of her school days.] Then, as if waiting for it, a reply arrived immediately. Ding- ¨C No. I¡¯m really Eunjung Although she imed to be a real person and our friend, I didn¡¯t care about her exnation and just kept pushing forward with the things I had been curious about. [What the hell are you? Why are you doing this to us?] [What exactly is the Demon King¡¯s true identity? Is he a strange being like the game-like system?] [Why on earth did this strange game-like systeme into existence and appeared in front of me?] [Are you a ghost of a person who had died or just a spirit who had never been a human?] Ding- [Kim Eunjung] [010-4444-4444] ¨C Joon, if you keep asking strange questions, I¡¯ll get angry [Go ahead and get angry, or if you have the guts just answer the question.] ¨C I don¡¯t know what answer you want. I haven¡¯t understood a single thing you¡¯ve been asking for a while now. [This morning, you were at school. Many students saw you wandering around, and you even went to the infirmary and stayed there until the second period. So how can you suddenly go to study abroad?] ¨C I was at school in the morning because I was packing up. I went to catch a flight at lunchtime, but it was canceled, so I was heading back to school. However, since Dukhun asked me toe tomorrow, I¡¯m dying it by a day. [Shut it, you punk] ¨C ?? Don¡¯t curse at me, Joon ¡°Haa, I¡¯m so pissed¡­. this punk refuses to admit.¡± I thought she was with consciousness but she was exactly the type who uses unreasonable logic and can¡¯t be reasoned with. ¡°Enough. Stop it, Prez. Don¡¯t get angry. She¡¯s not even human.¡± Gyeongwon tried to calm me down, who was trembling in anger. ¡°Since we¡¯ve already seeded in postponing her arrival to tomorrow, we have some time. Let¡¯s go and visit Jinhee¡¯s elementary school after we finish school today.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± At that moment, the phone buzzed again. ¨C I promised to go to school tomorrow, but how about we meet today after the school is over if you have time? I felt like cursing her 7 generations of ancestors. [Get to hell you punk. I¡¯m not meeting you.] Ding- ¨C Why, let¡¯s y together. ¨C Let¡¯s y together. ¨C Let¡¯s y together. ¨C Let¡¯s y together. ¨C Let¡¯s y together. ¨C I¡¯m standing right behind you now. We turned around in panic. Ding- [Kim Eunjung] [010-4444-4444] ¨C Sorry, just kidding! But seriously, I¡¯m almost there. I¡¯ll wait in front of the school. * * * [2019, May 1 | Wednesday, 15:32] [Lee Joon: Number of Attempts ¨C 2] [Ghost Story Points: 66] [Causality Rate: 14%] ¡°Hurry up, hurry up!¡± ¡°Huff, huff.¡± As soon as the closing ceremony was over, we quickly packed our bags and dashed out of the ssroom. ¡°T-the counselor is at the elementary school right now! But we have to reach there in time before she leaves work¡­¡± ¡°Run!¡± We sprinted across the schoolyard at full speed, ran out to the main road in front of the school, and caught the oing 152 bus. ¡°No one is chasing us, right?¡± ¡°Get in, quickly.¡± Creak ¨C [Students getting on.] [Students getting on.] Gyeongwon and Hayoon took out their phones and looked over at the map, Dukhun and I swiped our transportation cards, and Sunah and Jinhee put in coins and got on. Creak- Scan, shiiiing. After the sound of the transportation card being scanned once more echoed, an announcement with an unintelligible pronunciation followed. I instantly looked back, but there was no one behind me. ¡®Hurry, hurry up.¡¯ Even though it wouldn¡¯t make the bus go any faster, we anxiously fidgeted, feeling restless. After a while, the bus stopped in front of a supermarket after moving past three stops. Screech- ¡°This is thest stop! Get off, get off!¡± ¡°We need to run about 200 meters down the alley, and we¡¯ll be at our destination.¡± ¡°Run, damn it!¡± The bus left behind us who hastily got down. Even though the five of us got down and there was no one inside the bus, the bus beeped once more as if someone got down. [Thanks for ¨C she-she-shemitted- suicide by jumping from a cliff] Leaving the unintelligible notification sound behind, we rush along the narrow alleyway. We passed by a tailor shop, a ramen noodle shop, and a real estate agent and in no time arrived at the main entrance of Undang Elementary School, panting for breath. ¡°Huff, huff¡­ No one chased us, right?¡± ¡°Huu, huu, we can¡¯t stop it even if it does¡­ Let¡¯s just hurry and get in¡­¡± Soon, Jinhee confidently entered her alma mater, and we followed quickly behind her. ¡°This way.¡± Jinhee entered the main elementary school building and walked down the hallway as if she knew theyout well. She looked around here and there, as if feeling nostalgic visiting her alma mater in a long time. We, too, took a moment to catch our breath and clear our minds. ¡°Here.¡± [Counseling Room] A ssroom located separately at the end of the first-floor hallway, adjacent to the infirmary. The sign hanging above indicated that this was the counseling room. ¡°We are here. Let¡¯s go in.¡± ¡°Hey! Wait¡­¡± Jinhee stood in front of the door, fidgeting for a moment. Elementary students leave school after lunch, so the school was eerily quiet at 4 p.m. The lights were on in the counseling office, and there was a rustling sounding from inside, suggesting that someone might be there. ¡°Why? Aren¡¯t you going in?¡± ¡°Just wait a moment.¡± Unlike her usual bold self, Jinhee seemed strangely hesitant and timid. Even for someone like her, visiting a former teacher whom she had given quite a lot of trouble during her childhood must still be a nerve-wracking experience. ¡°¡­.Open the door.¡± ¡°Please hurry up and open it. It¡¯s awkward for us to do it ourselves.¡± Dukhun grumbles at Jin-hee, who stood still after saying ¡®Open¡¯. At that moment. [Who is out there? Come on in.] A friendly woman¡¯s voice was heard from inside the counseling room, perhaps sensing the presence of six people bustling around in front of the door. In the end, Jinhee closed her eyes tightly and opened the door to the counseling room. ¡°¡­.Teacher.¡± A graceful yet elegant woman in her early 30s who was sitting at her desk organizing documents, appeared in front of our vision as soon as we peeked inside. She stared at Jinhee for a moment and paused her movements. A moment of silence passed, and the woman suddenly smiled warmly. ¡°Lee Jinhee, the Seventh Princesse of Undang Elementary School.¡± ¡°¡­Teacher. You¡¯re embarrassing me¡­¡± Jinhee, feeling embarrassed, fidgeted in her spot. The pair of teacher and student who met after 6 years. After exchanging some simple words, a brief moment of awkwardness passed between them. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there,e on in.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Soon, the teacher weed her warmly. Jinhee avoided eye contact as if feeling shy and entered hesitantly. Unlike her usual self, who actedwlessly in front of us, she suddenly acted like a harmless herbivore. Then we also followed her in. ¡°Excuse us. We¡¯re Jinhee¡¯s friend.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Hello.¡± Uhm. ¡°Oh my.¡± The teacher, who was used to dealing only with small elementary school children, was taken aback when a group ofpletely unfamiliar high school students suddenly swarmed in. The counseling room, which was about the size of our club room, was now filled with six 17-year-old high school students. ¡°What a pleasant surprise. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but would you like to sit on the sofa?¡± Fortunately, the teacher didn¡¯t seem bothered by our presence and responded with a smile. Somehow, she seemed more rxed than highschool teachers who were obsessed with college entrance exams. Chapter 98: Eleventh Ghost Story – The Forgotten Friend (11) Chapter 98: Eleventh Ghost Story ¨C The Forgotten Friend (11) ¡°Would you like to have some snacks? Why don¡¯t you sit down?¡± ¡°Yes, thank you¡­¡± The teacher soon headed to the kitchen which was partitioned by curtains at one side of the counseling room. In cases for the students who need counseling, it¡¯smon for parents to apany them. Therefore, the counseling room has a kitchen-like area on one side, equipped with a refrigerator, sink, various teacups, and snacks to wee guests. ¡°So? What¡¯s going on?¡± A friendly voice was heard from beyond the curtained kitchen. ¡°You graduated and didn¡¯t contact me for so many years, and now youe rushing in with your friends?¡± Sitting on the sofa, Jinhee nced at us and hesitantly replied. ¡°I came¡­. because of Eunjung.¡± ¡°Eunjung?¡± ¡°¡­Yes. Kim Eunjung.¡± Clink-ck. The teacher approached, holding a te of snacks, teacups, and drinks. After cing it on the table, the teacher sat on the sofa beside us. ¡°Eunjung¡­ it¡¯s been six years. Such a long time since I heard that name.¡± For a moment, we only exchanged nces. She wasn¡¯t like Jinhee¡¯s friends who had forgotten about Eunjung. Rather, she appeared to be clearly familiar with the name. ¡°Why are you asking about Eunjung all of a sudden?¡± ¡°That¡­¡± Jinhee showed hesitation. ¡°Eunjung¡­ do you remember her?¡± ¡°Of course. How could I forget?¡± Her expression was indifferent. Just as we had expected, we came to the right ce. ¡°That. Um¡­¡± Jinhee seemed to be at a loss for how to exin the current situation. ¡®Idiot. Just say that you came because you wanted to know how your old friend is doing, without mentioning the strange phenomenon.¡¯ Beside Jinhee who was hesitating and stammering, we sighed inwardly and quietly drank our tea. ¡°That¡­ how should I say it¡­¡± The teacher couldn¡¯t help butugh as she watched Jinhee continue to stutter. ¡°Jinhee, why are you being so shy today? When you were young, you would say whatever came to your mind.¡± She¡¯s still like that, teacher. Unable to bear it any longer, Gyeongwon whispered something to Jinhee. Jinhee nodded as if she understood and finally started speaking properly. ¡°Eunjung¡­ I came here because I wanted to know how she¡¯s doing.¡± ¡°¡­.? Suddenly?¡± The beautiful counselor tilted her head in an elegant pose. ¡°You didn¡¯t have her contact number back then?¡± ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t have a cell phone at that time.¡± ¡°Oh, right, I¡¯ve forgotten.¡± The teacher pped her hands andughed. ¡°I also forgot that it was a long time ago. That¡¯s why I always ran around the neighborhood to catch you when I couldn¡¯t contact your father.¡± ¡°¡­.Yes.¡± Jinhee made an embarrassed expression. It was a scene I¡¯ve often seen in movies. The usually delinquent student who bullies around his ssmates bes timid and shy in front of his teacher. The teacher yfully pped Jinhee¡¯s wrist and then smiled before asking us. ¡°How is our Jinhee doing these days? Is she doing well at school?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Gyeongwon nodded affirmatively as if he was used to talking to adults. ¡°During the day, she goes to school, and at night, she works part-time to earn money and live diligently.¡± ¡°Oh really?¡± The teacher smiled brightly in surprise. ¡°How about studying? Your midterm exams ended a while ago, right? How were your grades?¡± ¡°¡­.I did my best.¡± Jinhee answered curtly, looking away. ¡°I promised to be a manager by the time I turn 20¡­ I just need to graduate.¡± ¡°Manager? What kind of manager?¡± ¡°Store manager in a shop, like the part-time job where I work right now.¡± ¡°Where is your workce?¡± The teacher smiled kindly and asked enthusiastically. She seemed genuinely happy hearing about Jinhee¡¯s current life. ¡°¡­.Um, it¡¯s just a fast food restaurant in the city.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the fast food restaurant?¡± In front of the disarming gentle smile, Jinhee kept scratching her head awkwardly. ¡°There¡¯s a McDonald¡¯s in front of ShinLim Station¡­¡± ¡°I see~ Why haven¡¯t I noticed it before? I go there so often.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± It¡¯s probably because she works there illegally at night. The teacher, smiling and nodding her head with her short hair bobbing up and down, didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of discouraging the student from not studying. ¡°That¡¯s fine. Decide quickly what you want to do. These days, there are plenty of graduates who can¡¯t decide what major to choose or utilize their majors properly and end up hanging around fast-food ces.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± At her words, I couldn¡¯t help but think ¡®Is that so?¡¯ Having started her social life early, Jinhee nodded calmly, as if she already knew this fact. ¡°Being a manager means you¡¯ll be a full-time employee, and there¡¯s not much risk of beingid off. You could even be a department manager if you work long enough¡­ But the three long shifts can be tough. Are you okay with that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Jinhee answered bluntly in response to the teacher who was tilting her head with a worried expression. ¡°I still work there during nighttime. I¡¯ve gotten used to it.¡± ¡°What?¡± The teacher eximed in surprise. ¡°But it¡¯s illegal for minors!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, I work there with my sister¡¯s identity.¡± That sounds like identity forgery. Somehow, I wondered how a 17-year-old could work night shifts. ¡°What about your sister? If people know it, won¡¯t your ie be caught? Is she okay with that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay too. She¡¯s a frencer, so it¡¯s reported as having a side job.¡± ¡°¡­.I can¡¯t believe you.¡± The teacher shook her head. It was the face of a teacher who met her mischievous student in a long time, as if they had gone back in time six years ago. ¡°I¡¯ve already saved up ten million won.¡± ¡°This girl!¡± The teacher pped Jinhee¡¯s wrist, who was smiling proudly. ¡°What¡¯s the point of saving money through illegal means while harming your body? The night shifts are so tough¡­¡± ¡°It will be legal when I be an adult anyway.¡± Jinhee scratched her head awkwardly. ¡°And I¡¯m confident in my physical ability¡­¡± ¡°I know. But what¡¯s tough is tough.¡± Eventually, she smiled helplessly as if she could do nothing in front of her stubborn student. Jinhee also seemed to have gotten over her awkwardness and was smiling slyly. It was a heartwarming scene to see the teacher and student reconnecting after a long time, but we needed to get to the main point. I reached behind Sunah¡¯s back, who was sitting next to me with a nk face, and poked Jinhee¡¯s shoulder. Jinhee looked up at me and hummed, she nodded in understanding before speaking up. ¡°¡­.That Eunjung.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, Eunjung. What¡¯s the matter?¡± The teacher poured in the cups of those of us who had finished their drinks. ¡°How is she doing these days? She transferred to an alternative school back then, right?¡± The teacher, who had been silently filling the teacups, eventually put down the beverage container and let out a sigh. ¡°Eunjung¡­¡± The teacher spoke hesitantly, her expression grim. She looked somewhat very sad. ¡°Eunjung¡­ had a terrible ident at the school she transferred to.¡± ¡°¡­. Terrible ident?¡± Jinhee nkly stared at the teacher. ¡°Yeah.¡± All of our expressions froze. A moment of silence flowed through the counseling room. Feeling that something was off, Jinhee asked again. ¡°What kind of ident?¡± ¡°¡­.Haaa.¡± The teacher sighed sadly and looked at us with a curious expression. ¡°But what is your rtionship with Eunjung? What I¡¯m about to tell you might not sound good to hear.¡± ¡°Well, we¡­.¡± Gyeongwon stammered, so I stepped instead of him and exined. ¡°We all went to the same elementary school around here. We used to y together with Eunjung often through Jinhee when we were young.¡± ¡°¡­.Is that so?¡± The teacher raised her eyebrows. However, it wasn¡¯t really something to find fault with, so she sighed deeply and continued speaking as if she decided to reveal everything. ¡°The alternative school where Eunjung transferred to was located in the mountain area, and it also had a dormitory.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°Eunjung had to live there and study. But an ident happened less than a monthter.¡± ¡°¡­.What kind of ident?¡± ¡°Eunjung snuck out of her dorm in the middle of the night and attempted to climb down the mountain. But she misstepped and¡­¡± We gulped nervously. It seemed impolite to ask, ¡®So, did she die?¡¯. As we searched for the right words, the teacher began to phrase it gently. ¡°From our school, only teachers attended the funeral.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­. For keeping it hidden from you. I was worried you might feel guilty for her death at such a young age¡­¡± Jinhee appeared to be dazed, perhaps a little shocked. She must have never imagined that right after transferring, Eunjung would pass away. ¡°At that time, with all those incidents involving lizards and rabbits¡­ Jinhee, your interview was the final nail in the coffin when the education officials came to investigate¡­.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t mention it, because I was worried you might feel guilty about Eunjung going to the alternative school and what happened to her. I¡¯m sorry.¡± The teacher warmly held Jinhee¡¯s hand. Jinhee shook her head a few times, her emotions tangled, then leaned back against the sofa. ¡°¡­But teacher. Why don¡¯t the other kids remember Eunjung?¡± Jinhee slowly closed her eyes and muttered. ¡°It¡¯s as if she never existed in the first ce¡­ No one remembers her¡­¡± ¡°¡­Are you talking about your friends who didn¡¯te to school much?¡± The teacher answered calmly while holding her hand. ¡°If it¡¯s about them, it seems like they aren¡¯t the only people who don¡¯t remember Eunjung, there might be no one else in the ss who does either. You all always stuck together and skipped a lot of sses, so you or her didn¡¯t really interact with the other students¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± The teacher slowly released Jinhee¡¯s hand as she furrowed her brow and leaned more on the sofa. ¡°I have to make a phone call, I¡¯ll be back after. You can stay here and talk.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± A somewhat heavy atmosphere filled the counseling room. The teacher seemed to be considerate, perhaps to give us some space to process our emotions, she stepped outside. ¡°This is a headache¡­¡± Gyeongwon leaned back on the sofa, almost lying down. He closed his eyes and sighed, trying to organize his thoughts. ¡®Huuu.¡¯ I agree. ¡®This is truly a headache, now we have no way to solve it either.¡¯ I was also exhausted from rushing here all the way here in one go. I quietly tried to process the conclusion in my mind, faced with a somewhat futile situation. ¡®¡­ She died a long time ago. What happened then?¡¯ The real Kim Eunjung passed away in the fourth grade of elementary school, right after transferring to another school. And six yearster, whether it was a misunderstanding or coincidence, none of Jinhee¡¯s friends remembered her. At the same time, someone iming to be Kim Eunjung began to slowly infiltrate the daily lives of our club members after hearing the story from Jinhee. 1. If this entity iming to be Kim Eunjung is indeed her ghost, then why is itpletely different in personality and background from the real Kim Eunjung when she was alive? 2. Conversely, if this entity is merely an imitation born from a ghost story and has nothing to do with the real deceased person. Why is it so fixated on the name Kim Eunjung and the fact that she was our friend before transferring schools? ¡®I don¡¯t know. My head isn¡¯t working well.¡¯ At that moment when I was grappling with my tangled thoughts, a sudden message from the system shed in front of me. [Special Ability Life Design has activated.] Poof- [Commit suicide right now.] Chapter 99: Eleventh Ghost Story – The Forgotten Friend (12) Chapter 99: Eleventh Ghost Story ¨C The Forgotten Friend (12) WARNING: This chapter contains description of abuse. Readers, please be advised. What? I looked up in surprise and raised my head to see the message in front of me in detail. However, I ended up lowering my head down to the table in front of us, as if I had no strength left in my body. I stretched out my arms to support my copsing body, barely managing to avoid burying my face in the teacup. For some reason, I couldn¡¯t feel any strength to support my back. ¡®What, what is happening¡­¡¯ I gasped as I struggled with my weakened body and somehow opened my mouth to call my friends while keeping my head lowered. ¡°¡­Hey, guys.¡± Since a while ago, the club members had been quiet for some reason. Even though I was acting like this, there was no response from anyone. ¡°¡­Guys?¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°Haa, haa.¡± A sudden and inexplicable wave of drowsiness washed over me. A feeling of paralysis, as if the part of my brain responsible for reason, was hardening and bing numb from deep within. I barely managed to straighten my back, struggling to keep my eyes open and fighting the sensation that I might lose consciousness if I closed my eyes. ¡°Haa, haa.¡± My neck and spine felt stiff and tense, so I shifted my weight and leaned unsteadily against the sofa, using my hip muscles to stabilize myself. My back leaned against the sofa, and my head dropped helplessly over the edge. ¡°Haa, haa.¡± My whole body trembled as I tried to regain control over my senses. It was like when I desperately fought off the drowsiness that wasing during ss. I jerked my legs up and shook my head. Despite attempting all methods, I still felt my consciousness slipping away in moments. If someone were to put me to sleep right now, they could take everything I have and I wouldn¡¯t be aware. I barely managed to ovee those feelings and twisted my hips with great difficulty to turn towards Sunah, who was sitting right next to me. ¡°Sunah¡­! Sunah¡­?¡± The only one who could protect me from the current predicament was Sunah. However, Sunah was just staring nkly, her mouth slightly open and eyes unfocused. ¡°Su, Sunah¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t muster any strength in my arms, so I nudged her with my shoulder, however, there was no response from her. ¡°¡­.Guys?¡± The other members sitting beside me were behaving the same way. Jinhee was leaning her back against the sofa with her eyes closed, and Gyeongwon was just staring nkly into the air, drools dropping down the corner of his mouth. I twisted my body to check on Hayoon and Dukhun through the corner of my view, but both of them were also seated with their eyes closed. ¡°Huuu, Huuu. Who, who¡¯s awake¡­¡± Just as I tried to quicken my breathing to keep from losing consciousness and raise my heart rate. I heard someone walking toward the room from the hallway. Step, step, step. Step, step, step. Creak- The door opened, and the counselor entered, hands sped elegantly in front of her and looking this way. She nced at us lying on the sofa and snickered. ¡°You¡¯re all asleep already?¡± At that moment, I felt a slight flinch right next to me, and Sunah stood up, her whole being trembling unsteadily. She fumbled to take out the usually pink boxcutter from her pocket, and forced her unsteady fingers to curl around it before raising the de. Step. Step. Tak. She staggered forward, step by step, and approached the counselor. Click. Tak- The counselor teacher, Ryu Jinah, closed the door to the counseling room, and calmly watched Sunah approaching her with trembling steps with an almost bored expression. Sunah staggered forward and stood in front of the counselor silently for a long while, trembling with the boxcutter in her hand. As if that was how far she could go, her back shook slightly as she stood there, not being able to do anything. The teacher, who had been quietly watching Sunah, soon smiled and yfully flicked her long finger, giving Sunah a light flick on the forehead. Thud- With just a simple touch, Sunah tumbled down straight to the floor as if she had lost consciousness. The pink boxcutter in her hand fell to the floor, making a cheerful nging sound. ¡°You drank all that and still managed to walk this far. What a strong-willed child.¡± Sunah¡¯s curled up body, which was lying down at the teacher¡¯s feet without saying a word, flinched. Soon, the teacher walked past Sunah and approached us, leisurely surveying the five of us sitting on the sofa, who seemed to have lost their consciousness. ¡°Don¡¯t fall asleep yet, even if you¡¯re sleepy. I have a lot to ask you.¡± In my hazy consciousness, the counselor¡¯s whispers sounded like the voice of a goddess. ¡°Who would like to exin first?¡± Resting her hand on her chin, she leisurely looked down at us and pondered. ¡°How about you, the smart-looking one with sses?¡± The teacher circled the table and gracefully sat down between me and Gyeongwon, where Sunah had originally been. In that moment, the faint, dreamy scent enveloped me, making it feel as if my consciousness might drift away once more. ¡°Tell me. What is the reason you¡¯re looking for Eunjung?¡± The teacher whispered like an angel in Gyeongwon¡¯s ear, who was nkly staring and drooling. ¡°I¡¯ll listen to everything.¡± The teacher pulled Gyeongwon, who was about to copse, toward him and pressed her face against his. Then, Gyeongwon slowly started mumbling iprehensibly while still staring nkly. ¡°¡­Jinhee told us a story and suddenly Eunjung appeared? ¡­.?Ghost story? Hoo, hoo.¡± The teacher gently stroked Gyeongwon¡¯s head, encouraging him to exin, as if handling a kindergarten child. ¡°¡­.So that¡¯s why you came all the way here. You must have had a hard time. Running all the way here. Haaa¡­ Yeah. It¡¯s okay.¡± Gyeongwon was pulled into her embrace and hugged tightly, while the teacher slowly patted him on the back. ¡°Sleep well¡­ sleep well¡­¡± At thatnguid voice, even I, who was sitting next to him, was about to be enchanted. I struggled to keep my wits, moving my waist and twisting my hips, which was still barely able to exert strength and fought to stay focused. Bump, bump. My waist kept bumping into the teacher¡¯s lower back as I tried to turn my back. Eventually, the teacher turned around to look at me, stopping the process of putting Gyeongwon to sleep. Seeing me squirming and bumping her hips, she narrowed her eyes and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t be so desperate, Joon. You¡¯ll have your chance to be counseled by meter.¡± For some odd reason, Jinhee¡¯s elementary school counselor knew my name. Of course, there was a name tag attached to my uniform. However, she hadn¡¯t even nced at me from the moment I arrived until now. Soon, Teacher Ryu Jinah smiled with an amused expression, her pink lips curling up in a mocking smile as she nced at me. ¡°You¡¯ll end up revealing everything to the teacher, including your most precious¡­ deepest secrets.¡± With a sudden twist of my back and hips, I copsed into the narrow space between the table and the sofa. Clink. Thud. ¡°Haa, haaa.¡± As I fell, snacks and drinks spilled over my body, cascading down from my waist. And in front of me, Dukhun and Hayoon¡¯s legs were hanging limp. The teacher looked down at me with an amused expression before turning her gaze back to the other members. I fell face-first into the floor as if kissing it, my nose must have broken at the impact. But perhaps due to the effects of the medication, I didn¡¯t feel any pain. ¡®Haa, haa.¡¯ I wriggled like a worm as I crawled toward Sunah who was lying by the entrance, dragging my body forward with my cheek pressed to the floor. From behind, I could hear the teacher¡¯s gentle whispers, continuing to y with the other members¡¯ minds. ¡°¡­.Is that so? You were Eunjung¡¯s gaming buddies when you were young. Now? ¡­You don¡¯t know?¡± Then, the teacher sat down on Dukhun¡¯s thick thigh and tickled his ear. In the meantime, I finally managed to reach Sunah and slipped the boxcutter she had dropped between my fingers. ¡°Huuu, it¡¯s all over.¡± The teacher stood up and walked over to me. ¡°It¡¯s finally your turn, Joony.¡± She approached my fallen self, which was struggling and lying face down on the floor, and bent her knees as she whispered in my ear. ¡°You¡¯re actually excited for the session, right? To be able to be counseled by the teacher.¡± With gentle movement, she turned me over with her hands and made me lie on my back and facing the ceiling. ¡°Oh my! Your nose is bleeding.¡± My face, which became messy from pressing it against the floor and squirming. The teacher¡¯s delicate eyes with double eyelids looking at me turned to a mocking sad expression. She crouched down, lifted my head, and offered her knees as a pillow. Then she began gently stroking my head. ¡°Stay still, why did you do that?¡± Ah. She¡¯s really like an angel. I want to tell her everything. Swish- swish- The teacher¡¯s delicate and long fingers pressed against my philtrum, gently wiping away the nosebleed that had trickled down. Noticing me staring at her with a dazed expression, the teacher let out a softugh. ¡°It seems you¡¯re eager.¡± I nodded with my mouth agape, gasping for breath. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll help you up.¡± She pulled me into her embrace, helping me straighten my body. However, my body was so weak that I couldn¡¯t sit on my own, and I immediately slumped back into the teacher¡¯s arms. ¡°You¡¯re being a spoiled brat now. Even elementary school kids don¡¯t do that.¡± The teacher whispered as she pulled me close, embracing me tightly. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to meet you since they mentioned you so many times during the meetings, and now we¡¯ve ended up in this situation so suddenly.¡± ¡°Come a little closer.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Like a baby nestled in its mother¡¯s arms, I lost myself in the moment, rubbing my face against the fabric of her dress. ¡°Do you know whom I was talking with just now on the phone?¡± The teacher¡¯snguid voice wrapped around my consciousness, soothingly overpowering my thoughts. ¡°Your school Vice Principal.¡± Haha, the teacherughed pleasantly. ¡°When I told her that the students of Nakseong High School have arrived here, asking about the child who had died after being sent to our foundation¡¯s alternative school, she immediately asked if it was rted to the members of the Ghost Story Club.¡± Gently stroking my head, she whispered softly like a saint. ¡°So when I mentioned that the boy named Lee Joon, whom I saw in the photos during the meetings, was involved, she immediately said you guys probably already sensed something so you arrived here. She advised me to hold you here for now. They would be sending someone from the school.¡± ¡°That was really fortunate. This teacher had already prepared the medication since the moment you arrived and started asking about Eunjung.¡± Teacher Ryu Jinah tickled my ears with herughter. My lips went up naturally. ¡°Life is meaningful for those who prepare in advance. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Feeling as if I were wandering through a dream, I nodded strongly in agreement from the safety of the teacher¡¯s embrace. In fact, I was already prepared to ept and follow anything this person said. ¡°So, what about you?¡± She pressed her red lips close to my ear and whispered secretly. ¡°Something like a Ghost Story Club. Why did you create it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°You can freely tell me everything. I won¡¯t tell anyone.¡± In that moment,pletely surrendering, when I was about to lose my reasoning and reveal everything. Sunah, who was lying face down behind me, suddenly began to thrash and convulse, perhaps because she couldn¡¯t breathe. She kicked me hard in the back. Thud- For a moment, I regained consciousness, and focused all my strength in my limped hand. Using my shoulder joint, I threw Sunah¡¯s boxcutter toward Hayoon on the sofa with all my strength. Thud. When the boxcutter suddenly hit her cheek, Hayoon instinctively frowned. ¡®Just as I thought, she was awake.¡¯ I noticed it when I was falling over the table. Hayoon¡¯s teacup was filled to the brim with the suspicious beverage. She must have been pretending to be asleep and observing the situation. The teacher showed no particr reaction even after seeing the sight. Soon, she quietly looked into my eyes and let out a faint smile. ¡°You should respond properly when people are nicely talking to you.¡± She released me from her embrace and slowly stood up. With her arms crossed, she looked down at me coldly as I fell down to the floor andid back limply, staring at the ceiling. ¡°Do you really want to die? Why do kids crawl all the way up to your head when you treat them well?¡± Then she took off her slippers and stepped on my mouth and nose with one of her stockinged feet. ¡°Ugh¡­ Umph¡­¡± Cough, cough. My face was already a mess with blood pouring out of my broken nose. The teacher¡¯s foot mercilessly crushed my airway, making it impossible to breathe. ¡°Hmm? Hmm?¡± ¡°Umph¡­ Umph¡­¡± Her toes dug into my nostrils, not being able to breathe, my face turned red as I struggled desperately. As if she had never been kind like an angel, Ryu Jinah, the counselor, furrowed her brows and stepped on my face. ¡°You idiots. You annoying brats. If I treat you well, you climb all the way to my head.¡± ¡°Umph- Umphh-¡± ¡°Because of you, even the Young Miss-¡± In an instant. Swish. Hayoon, who had her eyes closed pretending to be asleep on the sofa, grabbed the pink boxcutter that I had thrown at her, rushed over to the teacher and slit her throat in one swift movement. ¡°Cough, ugh.¡± The teacher grabbed her neck and a painful grimace appeared on her pretty face. Without being able to let out a groan, the teacher staggered and fell straight down to the floor. Soon, Hayoon hovered above my face, holding the boxcutter with both hands and smiling bitterly. ¡°Let¡¯s try again, Joon.¡± Swish- With that, the de plunged straight into the forehead. Stab- [You are dead.] [Restarting from the previous checkpoint.] [Loading¡­.] Chapter 100: Eleventh Ghost Story – The Forgotten Friend (13) ¡°Do you understand, Jinhee?¡± Six years ago, in the summer of 2013. At the end of the first floor of the main building of Undang Elementary School, in front of the counseling room. Still in her mid-20s, teacher Ryu Jinah grabbed the shoulders of fourth grader Jinhee and whispered to her with a serious expression. ¡°There are officials from the Education Board waiting inside. You just need to exin in detail what you¡¯ve felt about Eunjung during the few months you spent with her as her deskmate.¡± The young Jinhee showed a somewhat timid face. Seeing Jinhee like that, the teacher finally let out a sigh. ¡°Is it because you¡¯re afraid that if you say bad things about her, those people will take Eunjung away?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± ¡°But, if you say Eunjung is normal, the psychological evaluation will resume, and the transfer might be dyed a few days. But the oue will still be the same. You know which option is better for Eunjung.¡± The teacher bent down and stared straight at the young Jinhee in the eyes. ¡°Eunjung is a troubled child who shouldn¡¯t be here. She needs to go to a more specialized school to¡­. receive the proper education.¡± ¡°But I cause trouble too, then shouldn¡¯t I be sent there?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t harm animals or scare people.¡± Teacher Ryu Jinah, with a fresh and gentle demeanor, calmly admonished Jinhee, who was sulking for no reason. Her gentle and kind tone had an inexplicable power that drew children in as if binding their minds, making them want to follow all her wishes. ¡°Eunjung¡­ is innatelycking in the ability to empathize with others. She tends to be insensitive to other people¡¯s pain or emotions.¡± ¡°But she was nice to me¡­¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s because she likes you.¡± The teacher calmly persuaded young Jinhee once more as she sighed. ¡°But what about other people? People who don¡¯t have anything to do with her?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you ever seen her insist on doing whatever she wants? If things don¡¯t go her way, doesn¡¯t she refuse to socialize?¡± Jinhee recalled how Eunjung, oblivious to the situation, persistently urged her scary friends to catch a lizard, and then followed them even after being rejected, sitting silently and awkwardly in the corner of the karaoke bar. ¡°¡­.I have.¡± ¡°Right?¡± The teacher nodded in agreement. In reality, the teacher was subtly guiding Jinhee to recall the contents of the discussions held with Eunjung during each session everyday after ss. ¡°What about animal abuse? It¡¯s a typical symptom of antisocial personality disorder.¡± ¡°If that esctester, it could lead to harming others. You don¡¯t want Eunjung to be a criminal, do you¡­?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Jinhee nodded quietly. In truth, in the young Jinhee¡¯s mind, Eunjung was already considered a murderer who had cut the rope of the people working on the apartment rooftop, killing three people. ¡°She¡¯s your friend. You want Eunjung to do well in life, right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­.¡± ¡°Then you need to be honest with the officials from the Education Board inside. I¡¯m not asking you to lie. Just share your experiences as they are. You can do that, right?¡± ¡°¡­.I understand.¡± In the end, Jinhee nodded under the teacher¡¯s constant persuasion and the teacher smiled faintly. ¡°Okay. Then go in.¡± With that, she opened the door to the counseling room and stepped inside. There were adults from the Education Board waiting for her opinion. * * * ¡°What are you doing, President? Come in.¡± When I came to my senses, I was standing in front of the clubroom. I quickly opened the Status Window. ¡®Status Window.¡¯ Pop. [2019, May 1st | Wednesday, 12:30] [Lee Joon: Number of Attempts ¨C 2] [Ghost Story Points: 66] [Causality Rate: 14%] ¡®¡­.I returned to the lunch break today.¡¯ In the morning, I followed the advice of our homeroom teacher and called for Teacher Jang Hwaeun during lunchtime in the clubroom, asking her for help. Now, we were all gathered in the clubroom to discuss. ¡®¡­Now that I think about it,st time we called the teacher for advice, but we ended uppletely forgetting it.¡¯ I slowly organized my thoughts and entered the clubroom, and this time, I arranged the members so that there were no empty seats left, and everyone sat down properly. ¡°¡­But this teacher clearly remembers. Eunjung has been a member of our club from the beginning. She was with you all yesterday too, hanging out together.¡± The teacher tilted her head and mumbled after hearing the general story. I looked around at the members and exined why only the teacher seemed to be affected by this situation. ¡°We had already heard the story through Jinhee yesterday, so we couldn¡¯t be manipted. The teacher, on the other hand, had no prior knowledge of Kim Eunjung¡¯s existence, so any new memories imnted wouldn¡¯t feel out of ce, which is why she is influenced like this.¡± ¡°¡­ I see, Prez. You¡¯re sharp.¡± Gyeongwon nodded again with a look of admiration. ¡°You mean to say my memories are manipted?¡± ¡°Yes. Reality is being manipted in real time right now. Student with that name doesn¡¯t exist.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why it doesn¡¯t make sense!¡± Teacher Jang Hwaeun suddenly stood up and eximed loudly. ¡°Eunjung is hanging outside the window right now, looking at us!¡± Our eyes instantly turned to the window at her exmation. Somehow, the window that had been half-open started to rattle gently in the breeze. ¡°There¡­ Huh? Where did she go?¡± The teacher pointed to the window with a nk expression. ¡°She was hanging there just now¡­ No, no¡­ how can a person be hanging from the window¡­ What am I talking about¡­¡± I gestured for the flustered teacher to calm down and then stood up from my seat. My head is starting to clear up, so I should rify now. ¡°Guys, actually, I died once and came back.¡± ¡°¡­.What?¡± * * * At first, the members looked puzzled after hearing the full story, but soon their faces were filled with shock. Soon, Jinhee covered her forehead with her hands, closed her eyes, and mumbled. ¡°¡­.Then the one who is appearing now must be Eunjung herself.¡± ¡°¡­Probably. But don¡¯t be shaken on the fact that we must stop her. A being who¡¯s been imbued with a ghost story doesn¡¯t have an original personality.¡± Just by judging Teacher Jang Hwaeun¡¯s situation, who¡¯s always getting possessed by ghost stories at any opportunity, it could be said clearly. I experienced it myself when she was possessed by a psychopath during the Psychology Test. We shouldn¡¯t think of her as her friend who was reborn as a ghost story as the person she was when she was alive. ¡°¡­.That¡¯s ridiculous.¡± Jinhee shook her head as if she couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°Why would the counselor do something like that?¡± I stood in front of the whiteboard and started to express my opinion while drawing diagrams here and there with a marker pen to help illustrate my points. ¡°First of all, the transfer incident involving Eunjung six years ago seems to have been orchestrated by the counseling teacher from beginning to end.¡± I wrote down the name Ryu Jinah and underlined it. [Ryu Jinah, the counselor] ¡°The stories about Eunjung releasing lizards in the ssroom or killing rabbits with a kitchen knife¡ªnone of that was witnessed by Jinhee; but rather heard through the teacher. I think that¡¯s why the other friends can¡¯t remember the incident. It¡¯s because it was all fabricated from the start.¡± It¡¯s not that they couldn¡¯t remember, it¡¯s more because that never happened in the first ce. ¡°Oh my¡­¡± Teacher Jang Hwaeun gaped in surprise. ¡°Why would a teacher do something like that?¡± From the perspective of a fellow educator, it seemed unbelievable. ¡°¡­Well. Perhaps the goal was to make Eunjung seem like a strange child and to secure testimony from her closest friend, Jinhee?¡± ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. Such an obvious lie would definitely be discovered soon.¡± Jinhee, still holding her forehead, shook her head once again. ¡°What if I had asked the other friends at that time, even just once? If I had heard that nothing like a lizard jumping out in the ssroom had happened, it would all have been for nothing¡­¡± ¡°But you didn¡¯t.¡± I quietly denied it. ¡°You didn¡¯t ask anyone.¡± ¡°¡­.Why.¡± I recounted the exact phrases I had heard from the teacher to Jinhee, who wore a puzzled expression. ¡°Because you¡¯re not the type to check on every little detail. You and your group of friends always stuck together. You skipped a lot of sses and couldn¡¯t get along with the other regr students. The counselor is a scheming person. She nned the whole thing knowing she wouldn¡¯t be caught.¡± Your deskmate Eunjung is a troubled child. She should be sent to a special school. That¡¯s what she had been secretly whispering to the young Jinhee. Jinhee made a nk expression. I continued to exin everything I could. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s given that Eunjung was born with some innate deficiencies. The strange behaviors she showed were evident, and even before you, Jinhee, got involved, she was already being bullied and was visiting the counseling room every day after school, right?¡± ¡°¡­Hmm.¡± ¡°But it was entirely that counselor¡¯s fault for worsening the situation, manipting the testimony and circumstances to send her to an alternative school.¡± The club members looked at me with astonished expressions. There was no incident with lizards jumping out of Eunjung¡¯s bag. The rabbits were all killed by the stray cats that the teacher released. ¡°The reason for using a cat is to prevent it from escting into something too much of a problem during the investigation. All she needed to do was just to change the perceptions of a few key individuals and close friends around Eunjung.¡± The police actually came to investigate, but they concluded that it was the work of a wild animal and simply left. After that, the counselor hid a bloody kitchen knife in Jinhee¡¯s desk. Jinhee, who had begun to recognize Eunjung¡¯s strange behavior, naturally assumed she was the one who hid it, and the counselor naturally took advantage of that misunderstanding. ¡°¡­ cing a kitchen knife. What if someone saw it? It¡¯s not a knife used to kill rabbits¡­ What if someone thought¡­.¡± In response to Sunah¡¯s mumbling, Gyeongwon shrugged and answered. ¡°To be precise, it would have been fine even if someone saw it, they wouldn¡¯t have cared. Originally, Kim Eunjung had been somewhat of an outcast.¡± ¡°It was fine to subtly create misconceptions for just the necessary people. Even if rumors spread among the students, it didn¡¯t matter. They were just elementary school kids.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I nodded. ¡°Eleven years old. At that age, children have no choice but to be swayed when adults are determined to manipte them.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s true.¡± The members nodded with bitter expressions. However, they still couldn¡¯tprehend the reason for someone doing something like that. ¡°Really¡­ Is there a reason that person would go so far for something like that? I don¡¯t understand.¡± Jinhee shook her head as if it was difficult to understand. ¡°I was just an elementary school student. Those officials from the Education Board¡­.. How much do you think they¡¯d believe my words? They would probably just take note of it. But she went to such lengths just for that?¡± I guess I¡¯ll have to exin that part as well. I coughed and cleared my throat and continued exining while writing on the whiteboard. ¡°First of all, that teacher is the root cause. Despite her gentle appearance, her methods are quite aggressive. She basically seems to be the type who will go to unreasonable lengths, as long as she achieves her goal, she¡¯ll go to extremes and it doesn¡¯t matter if she¡¯s caught.¡± Pop. [Your understanding of the character Ryu Jinah has increased by 5.] ¡°She¡¯s smart, and quick-witted. But also incredibly bold. She¡¯s also very skilled at dealing with students.¡± ¡°¡­The psychopath is not the student, but the teacher.¡± Dukhun muttered in disbelief. I nodded in agreement, expressing my opinion that it was an urate judgement. The fact that she prepared a drinkced with drugs in response to our questioning about Kim Eunjung was an incredibly immediate response. ¡®Of course, in this case, she recognized my face in advance.¡¯ After hearing from her, it seems that I was marked as a ¡®person of interest¡¯ by the unidentified force that the faculty and staff were involved with. ¡°¡­.Huuu. So what are we going to do?¡± Jinhee, still clutching her forehead as if she was fighting a headache, asked in a weary voice. ¡°So, it¡¯s Kim Eunjung who is appearing now. But have you found a way to solve it?¡± At that question, I had no choice but to remain silent. Because. After experiencing all of that, I still haven¡¯t found a way to resolve the current ghost story. ¡°¡­.What do you think, Teacher?¡± I asked for Teacher Jang Hwaeun¡¯s opinion, which I hadn¡¯t had the chance to seek in the previous time period. ¡°The current situation. What do you think we should do?¡± ¡°¡­.Well.¡± The teacher scratched her chin with a puzzled expression. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about ghost stories, so¡­¡± That¡¯s true though. Just as I was about to sigh, the teacher said something interesting. ¡°But after listening to your exnation, I have a better idea of what kind of student Eunjung is¡­. Training on how to handle children who need special attention is a mandatory part of teacher education.¡± ¡°¡­.Please tell us. Tell us everything thates to mind.¡± She may not be able to discuss ghost stories with us, but she has insights to share regarding the student, which is her area of expertise. I probed the teacher, desperate for any useful information. ¡°Well¡­¡± From what I gathered, Teacher Jang Hwaeun mentioned that during her teaching career, she also has to encounter problematic students at times, which made her realize the need to learn guidance methods for such students during her 20s. Ultimately, Teacher Jang Hwaeun took online courses when she had the chance and took the exam during vacation, earning her Level 1 certification in special education. In fact, it is an easy certification that anyone with a high school diploma or higher can obtain. However, in Teacher Jang Hwaeun¡¯s case, even after obtaining the qualification, she continued to attend training in rted fields and studied more deeply. ¡°First of all, that child named Eunjung. She seems to have traits of antisocial personality disorder,monly associated with psychopathy. It seems to be innate, and she seems to have difficulty suppressing her aggression.¡± Jinhee nodded quietly. It must have been something she experienced first-hand. ¡°Personality disorders actually look normal on the outside. It¡¯s the opposite of Autism or Down Syndrome, where you can clearly see that ¡®this person is mentally abnormal.¡¯ But in the case of antisocial personality, it¡¯s hard to discern just from a brief interaction.¡± The teacher exined step by step with a serious face as if she was giving a lesson. We also listened with focused expressions. ¡°As a result, individuals with this type of disorder often face not sympathy but outright disdain in their interpersonal rtionships. In most cases, people around them tend to treat them as people with strange personalities rather than understanding their condition.¡± Sunah listened to the teacher¡¯s exnation with an expression of ¡®Woah~¡¯, her mouth slightly open in surprise. ¡°Consequently, it¡¯s the individuals themselves who often struggle the most. Contrary to the image of the sophisticated criminal psychopath shown in the movies, people who experience this type of disorder in real life often feel confused about their own way of thinking that is different from others, which often leads to a crisis of identity and facing ostracism¡­.¡± Chapter 101: Eleventh Ghost Story – The Forgotten Friend (14) Chapter 101: Eleventh Ghost Story ¨C The Forgotten Friend (14) The sad truth is that psychopathy cannot be cured through treatment. The only option is to adapt through training. You have to personally instill in them firsthand what level of aggression and behavior is eptable in society. This kind of psychological treatment and socialization training needs to be conducted consistently through professionals, making it quite challenging. ¡°¡­But is that really possible through a school teacher?¡± In Eunjung¡¯s case, from what I heard through Jinhee, it didn¡¯t seem like she had received treatment at a professional institution. She just had a counseling session at school every day after ss. That also involved a suspicious counselor who seemed to be in a cahoot with an unknown force. ¡°It¡¯s impossible. Getting treatment through a school teacher is impossible.¡± Teacher Jang Hwaeun sighed and shook her head. It¡¯s already a rtively unfamiliar concept, and six years ago, societal awareness was even weaker than it is now. I suddenly remembered the psychopathy test I had taken before. It was definitely just an inte horror story, which borrowed themes of psychopathy, and focused only on being interesting. It is known that it has not been long since this kind of disorder was seriously being treated as a disability in our country, regardless of people¡¯s opinions seeing them as a viin in the media. ¡°Most parents don¡¯t even have the awareness that they should seek help from a hospital.¡± The Teacher exined it carefully. ¡°Since training to adapt to society mostly takes ce in daily life, the determination of the family is ultimately the most important factor. But awareness in this area is still developing slowly, treatment is not easy in South Korea.¡± As part of the treatment, hospitals often have family members memorize booklets on ¡®What to say and what not to say¡¯. They might also have families to raise an animal and keep observation journals at home, or summarize how far certain behaviors are socially eptable by having the patient watching newspapers or news. ¡°It seems like they have to learn all those things step by step¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± At that moment, Jinhee, who had been quietly listening to the conversation until now, asked. ¡°Are there specific lists of things that should be said or shouldn¡¯t be said? What are¡­.¡± ¡°For example, when asked why it¡¯s wrong to harm animals, responses like ¡°It¡¯s a bad thing!¡± or ¡°It¡¯s pitiful!¡± are considered the worst answers.¡± That was exactly what Jinhee said to her partner. ¡°Don¡¯t feel too guilty.¡± I looked at Jinhee and tried tofort her. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like a minor disorder that can be twisted just by a few words.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve known her for less than half a year, so your influence probably wasn¡¯t that significant.¡± Jinhee remained unresponsive. I looked back at the Teacher and asked again. ¡°Then how should I answer a question like that?¡± ¡°You should at least respond with some logical structure. You can also reference thew if you want.¡± From what she heard from families of actual patients, one of the better responses is that ¡°people dislike killing animals for no benefit to themselves,¡± or that ¡°when killing animals for food, there are legally defined ughter methods prescribed byw, and they dislike deviating from those¡±. These are some of the answers they can give. ¡°It¡¯s troublesome.¡± ¡°If you answer like this for them to understand, they would know it¡¯s not about understanding, but about epting it and adding it to the list of things they shouldn¡¯t do. Do you understand what I mean?¡± ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± I looked at the club members. Gyeongwon was looking at me with an expression of pure admiration. It was as if he wanted to say, ¡®Now it¡¯s time for the club President to sort everything out.¡¯ However, what flowed through the clubroom was silence, not an answer. ¡°¡­.Prez?¡± ¡°What?¡± Gyeongwon shrugged. ¡°We have to proceed.¡± ¡°To do what?¡± Gyeongwon made a bewildered expression as if he couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°What! Now we have to exorcise the ghost and solve the case!¡± ¡°How?¡± Gyeongwon looked at me with an expression that seemed like he couldn¡¯tprehend my words. ¡°Prez should be the one telling us that.¡± I burst outughing at his words as he said with a tone as if it was obvious. What on earth does this guy think of me? ¡°We have all the information now! What kind of disability did Kim Eunjung have in real life, how did she die, and how did that counselor scheme to transfer her to a special school for their foundation, right?¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Then now all you have to do is suggest a solution!¡± I don¡¯t know, you idiot. Youe up with a solution. But I couldn¡¯t express it out loud. Even so, I am the President of the club, so I have to take responsibility and guide the situation. ¡®Huuu.¡¯ I silently folded my arms and started pondering again. Is there no other way? Although, as Gyeongwon said, I have gained much more information than before, I still haven¡¯t found anything that would directly help in solving the current case. ¡°¡­.You really don¡¯t know? I thought you, as the President, would know¡­¡± Gyeongwon was flustered when he saw my frozen expression. The other members were also surprised. ¡°Oi, you piece of shit. Don¡¯t be like that, think about it. There must be some way!¡± ¡°Joon¡­ You really can¡¯t think of anything¡­?¡± These guys¡¯ have serious unexpected expectations of me. They were all moring for me toe up with a solution. But this time, I couldn¡¯t help but sigh and shake my head. ¡°Anyone have a good idea for catching a ghost that needs to get psychological treatment?¡± The members all just dumbfoundedly looked at me. ¡°I, Isn¡¯t it clear that if we send a message she¡¯ll reply? Can¡¯t you convince her somehow¡­.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Dukhun hurriedly took out his phone, mumbling to himself as he sent a text to Kim Eunjung. ¡°You¡­ shouldn¡¯t pretend to be someone else¡¯s¡­ friend¡­ that¡¯s socially¡­ uneptable¡­ behavior¡­¡± Buzz, buzz. Then, the cell phone vibrated with the reply that came right away. The response- [Kim Eunjung] [010-4444-4444] ¨C Aren¡¯t you the one who¡¯s pretending not to remember? We were so close¡­ Anyway, let¡¯s talk face to face during the closing ceremony. ¡°Did it work?¡± ¡°¡­.No.¡± Dukhun looked at his cell phone with a disappointed face. ¡°Listen.¡± I started to make the members understand what the current situation was. ¡°I think I¡¯ve more or less revealed the backstory and the mastermind behind the ghost story, but the most important issue of how to keep Kim Eunjung froming is still unresolved.¡± ¡°¡­.What¡¯s the harm if she actuallyes?¡± Jinhee said bluntly. ¡°That counseling teacher fabricated everything, and the real Eunjung hasn¡¯t really done anything wrong. So, isn¡¯t it okay if shees?¡± If she was a psychopathic murderer, she should have been stopped anyhow, however, since she was just a child with slight social disabilities who became a ghost, is it really necessary to make such a big deal about it? That was Jinhee¡¯s opinion. But I couldn¡¯t help but shake my head. ¡°¡­.Whether she was good when she was alive or not, that¡¯s not the main issue.¡± ¡°Then?¡± ¡°The important thing is that it¡¯s a ghost story sent by the Demon King.¡± I stood in front of the whiteboard once again and exined everything. ¡°Judging from the counselor teacher¡¯s reaction in the previous timeline, it was clear that they were definitely involved in the incident from six years ago. However, she seemed to have no idea about the appearance of Kim Eunjung as the current ghost story.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. But what does that mean¡­¡± ¡°That means, regardless of what happened six years ago, the current ghost story wasn¡¯t sent by the hidden force in the school.¡± I exined that the past and current events are matters that should be viewed separately. ¡°The strange teachers at school have nothing to do with the current situation. The current supernatural phenomenon is clearly the result of the Demon King linking the story of ¡®a friend we yed with when we were young but no one remembers¡¯ that Jinhee told us yesterday with the ghost story that was floating around the world.¡± ¡°I still can¡¯t understand on what basis you¡¯re iming that the Demon King sent it.¡± It seems that the exnation hasn¡¯t been provided in the current timeline yet. So I started to exin that part again. ¡®Does the original personality remain in an entity that has been superimposed by a ghost story?¡¯ No. The one now is apletely different person. Just by looking at Teacher Jang Hwaeun, who gets possessed by ghost stories often whenever she encounters them, makes it clear. I can also understand by recalling my own memories during the incident with the Psychology Test, when my consciousness was being assimted into the ghost story as I answered the questions in reverse. At that time, I was aware that I was someone named Lee Joon, but my way of thinking and actions werepletely different. ¡°That¡¯s why we must stop it. Your friend, who appeared back as the ghost story, is apletely different being than when she was alive.¡± Whether we were aware of it or not, there was a strong possibility that the being that has infiltrated us would cause internal strife or engage in dangerous acts ording to its own intentions. And our memories would be distorted, so we would be swept away without even realizing what was happening. Jinhee, with a bitter expression, showed a troubled look. ¡°There is no time. It¡¯s not that we¡¯re the bad ones. And I am sorry, but I can¡¯t think of any new methods. I think we will have no choice but to use the same methods we usedst time.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re talking about the method we used in the previous timeline, then it would be, ¡®Fabricating evidence to make it so that Eunjung can¡¯te to school¡¯. We have no choice but to try that again.¡± ¡°¡­.But isn¡¯t that just making her dy just for a day?¡± Dukhun grumbled, perhaps because he felt upset for being dumped by Eunjung, who he didn¡¯t even meet or remember. ¡°P, Prez. If you can¡¯t think of a good method, how about thinking about it a little more? Dying it by a day won¡¯t make much of a difference-¡± ¡°Listen.¡± I said to Gyeongwon, who was fidgeting restlessly, with a somewhat stern expression. ¡°It¡¯s not dying for a day, but for three years.¡± ¡°Three years?¡± The members showed puzzled expressions. ¡°Yes.¡± As I silently nodded, the members looked at each other with slightly bewildered expressions. Then, suddenly, Gyeongwon let out a ¡®Ah!¡¯ and gasped in surprise as he shot up from his seat. ¡°That¡­ That¡¯s right! This is unbelievable!¡± He began pping his hands and shouting. ¡°3 years! As expected! Wow!¡± Then, he started jumping around like a monkey, shouting with excitement. ¡°As expected! As expected~! Prez has found a solution! As expected!¡± ¡°Pretending there¡¯s no way! Wow! Wow! I knew there had to be a way~! Wow! The President is amazing!¡± Wooaahh! The President is amazing! He began admiring me as he pped excitedly, enjoying the moment all by himself. Was that really that surprising? It¡¯s true that there really wasn¡¯t a way to defeat it, and it was not just a fake either. ¡°Prez, you¡¯re crazy! How did you think of that? Three years! Wow! How could youe up with that?¡± Gyeongwon shook his head wildly, screaming and dancing around. ¡°Wow! Really! Hehe¡­ I can¡¯t help but be amazed! This is insane! Wow! I¡¯m so d I joined the Ghost Story Club! It¡¯s the best!¡± Gyeongwon, who had been bending and straightening his waist in wild spasms, soon started pping and jumping around like a monkey again. ¡®Has he gone crazy?¡¯ I felt the gazes of the other members watching him in confusion, as if asking silently why he was behaving like that. So I reached out my hand to calm Gyeongwon down. ¡°Calm down, sit down properly.¡± Letting out a series of giggles he finally sat down. ¡°Listen. The only reason we could keep her froming to school for a day is by saying she broke up with Dukhun. We have to continue just like this, fabricating various pieces of evidence to continuously create reasons for her to note.¡± ¡°But why 3 years¡­?¡± Sunah asked with a bewildered expression. ¡°If shees three yearster¡­¡± ¡°By then, won¡¯t we be graduating from school already and no longer need to attend school?¡± Dukhun suggested with a puzzled expression, but everyone shook their heads in disagreement. ¡°She can also appear in our houses. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s the type to give up just because we¡¯ve graduated¡­¡± Suddenly, a lowugh echoed from somewhere. ¡°Hehe¡­ it seems no one understands what Prez meant.¡± Gyeongwon pushed his sses as heughed proudly. ¡°The meaning of the three years mentioned by Prez. Am I the only one here who understands?¡± ¡°No. I understood that too.¡± Hayoon said expressionlessly, her chin resting on her hand. ¡°It¡¯s because of the Demon King.¡± ¡°¡­ Demon King?¡± The rest of the members looked even more bewildered. I nodded at Hayoon, indicating that she was correct. ¡°Listen. The current incident is a ghost story created by the Demon King. Then, what if three years from now, we prevent the resurrection of the Demon King and reach a good ending?¡± Will Kim Eunjunge back and pat us on the back after that? ¡°¡­.Naruhodo (I understand; Japanese again).¡± Dukhun finally understood and folded his arms, smiling. ¡°So youe up with this idea from the game¡¯s structure where the insignificant mobs disappear on their own after you defeat the final boss.¡± I nodded. That¡¯s right. There¡¯s no way the insignificant mobs that were missed in the beginning part of the game would chase the protagonist all the way to the ending. Letting out an exmation of ¡®Ah¡¯, the rest of the members and the Teacher nodded. ¡°The reason I said there¡¯s no good method is that this isn¡¯t a way to defeat it. It¡¯s just a trick to postpone it for three years, allowing us to avoid confrontation.¡± ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s hard to imagine that even after stopping the Demon King¡¯s resurrection and reaching the ending, we would still be entangled in the ghost story. Wonderful!¡± Bang! Dukhun hit the desk loudly with his thick arms. ¡°He¡¯s the man I acknowledge.¡± Swiftly, my eyes shifted to Jinhee for a moment, but for some reason, she didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of hitting Gyeongwon and Dukhun for making a fuss. On the contrary, she appeared lost in thought, staring off into the distance as if her mind was elsewhere. ¡°I think it¡¯s a good idea, Joon! But¡­¡± Sunah nodded in agreement with a hopeful expression, but then she tilted her head, looking at me with confusion. ¡°Why does your expression look so down¡­?¡± Amid the pping and chatter of the members praising it as a good idea, the reason my expression was not so good. That was the same reason why Jinhee seemed to be deep in thought now. ¡®To keep her froming to school by saying she broke up with Dukhun¡­ and to postpone it for three years from there.¡¯ Perhaps we might have to do something quite harsh to stop Eunjung. Chapter 102: Eleventh Ghost Story – The Forgotten Friend (15) ¡°Hey,¡ºSan¡». Are you ready?¡± [Ah, of course.¡ºSpy¡»] In the ssroom before 5th period. Dukhun was talking on the phone with someone. ¡°Let¡¯s.¡± [Do.] [This!] ¡°Everyone¡¯s here.¡± Dukhun casually rubbing his nose smiled at us. ¡°Then let¡¯s shake it up. The world of the inte.¡± Tap. Tap. Tap. Shortly after, it was the fifth period Hanja character ss. Sunah, Jinhee, and I were kneeling in the back of the ssroom with our hands raised as punishment for not doing our homeworkst time. ¡®Is he doing it properly?¡¯ My deskmate, Dukhun, was sitting alone next to my empty seat. I could see him hurriedly tapping his cell phone under his desk. Sometimes, when the teacher¡¯s attention would be focused on him, Dukhun would pretend to look at the ckboard normally, but as soon as the teacher¡¯s attention shifted, he quietly tapped on his keyboard under the desk. ¡®That¡¯s amazing.¡¯ Right now, Dukhun was spreading rumors about Kim Eunjung on SNS, various social media tforms popr among our school students, along with his online friends. [T/N: In Korea, SNS stands for ¡°Social Networking Service,¡± which refers to various social media tforms used formunication and sharing content. Popr examples include KakaoTalk, Facebook, Instagram, and Naver.] Title: My friend is admitted in the hospital after an ident ?? Content: I¡¯m a freshman at Nakseong High School, and you all know that there was a 4-car pileup in ShinLim Neighborhood today, right? My friend who transferred here in March got hurt there and was hospitalized, she lost one of her legs and now crippled ?? Title: A girl in first year ss 3 is seriously injured Content: A freshman who transferred in our school¡¯s first year ss 3 had their leg amputated due to a traffic ident. While Dukhun was busy tapping on his phone, a loud crash of cars colliding came from far away in the schoolyard. Screeeech- Boom! All the students in the ss instantly shifted their attention toward the window. Gyeongwon and Hayoon, who were sitting in their seats because they hadpleted their homework like diligent students, also turned their heads. The rumors we spread have reached a level of causality sufficient to manipte Kim Eunjung¡¯s background. Thud, thud. Slid- At the same time, someone rushed in from the hallway and flung open the ssroom door. ¡°Huff, have you children seen Eunjung? Is she in the ssroom?¡± It was the homeroom teacher. At his sudden inquiry, our eyes were drawn to the back row. ¡°It seems like she didn¡¯te to ss today.¡± The homeroom teacher wiped off his sweat as the ss President answered. ¡°This is a big problem¡­¡± ¡°What could be the problem¡­¡± The Hanja teacher, who was in the middle of the ss, closed the book and asked the homeroom teacher. ¡°Well, you see, there was a four-car pileup right in front of the school, and it seems that one of our students who was taking advantage of lunch time to go out might have been caught up in it¡­ Are there any other students who aren¡¯t in their seats?¡± The homeroom teacher quickly checked attendance again, apologized for disrupting the ss and ran back down the hallway in a hurry. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± True to her nature as a gossip-loving teacher, the Hanja teacher opened her eyes wide and asked the other students. ¡°Here, in the news¡­¡± A male student hurriedly searched on his phone and showed a recently posted news article. ¡°Oh my¡­ It¡¯s right in front of the school. A four-car pileup¡­ What the heck, really¡­¡± The Hanja teacher made a worried expression. However, she looked like she was just pretending to be worried and more had a face that suggested she had found some juicy news. ¡°¡­ You guys should never jaywalk. Anyway, let¡¯s get back to ss. I hope it¡¯s not something serious.¡± After saying that, the Hanja teacher opened her book again. However, she herself had a look that suggested her mind was wandering elsewhere. ¡°Getting hit by a truck means reincarnation in another world (Transmigration), falling means ¡®learning from the experience¡¯ (Experience learning), and moving between dimensions (Dimensional travel)¡­¡± ¡®¡­.Is it over?¡¯ If she lost a leg and were crippled, honestly, she wouldn¡¯t be able toe to school. It was a somewhat bitter ending, but there was no other way that I could think of. [¡°Is this enough?¡±] Dukhun turned his head and mouthed this. I nodded slowly. Soon, the bell rang, signaling break time. Just as I was about to lower my hand and return to my seat, the homeroom teacher came rushing in from the hallway again and flung open the door. ¡°Th, Thank goodness, Eunjung is fine!¡± ¡°It turns out the injured person is another student! She¡¯s on her way back to school now. If any of you are startled for the sudden interruption, I apologize. I¡¯m sorry. Hoho.¡± All the students let out a sigh of relief. Except for the members of our Ghost Story Club, who had an expression of regret and worry. We had no choice but to gather around Dukhun¡¯s seat. ¡°What happened? Why all of a sudden¡­ .¡± ¡°Okay, wait a minute¡­¡± Dukhun quickly opened his phone and checked the SNS. He flinched as if he had found something strange. ¡°¡­Look here. Someone messed up.¡± Title: My friend is admitted in the hospital after an ident ?? Comment 1 KEJ4444: That was a different student. The witness made a mistake. Title: A girl in first year ss 3 is seriously injured Comment 1 KEJ4444: A simrly looking student was the one who got hurt, and it was just a misunderstanding by the person next to them. KEJ. An abbreviation for Kim Eunjung. ¡°What should we do, Prez?¡± ¡°Joon¡­¡± Feeling flustered, I bit my lip as I responded to the club members who were asking worriedly. ¡°¡­.Push harder.¡± Dukhun nodded as if he had been waiting for it. ¡°Spread rumors, say that she couldn¡¯te to school because her family fled abroad in the middle of the night or she was hospitalized for some incurable disease.¡± Spread false rumors and send her somewhere else. She¡¯s dangerous. We must make sure she can¡¯t meet us until we graduate. Just like when she was sent to an alternative school six years ago. ¡°Ah, I was waiting for you to say this.¡± Contrary to my expression that was heavy with guilt, Dukhun smiled. Being quite straightforward in this regard, he grinned and opened the group chat of his online friends. ¡°It¡¯s too wasteful to use our otaku group¡¯s firepower only in ces like this, where crowds don¡¯t gather much.¡± Dukhun soon started typing something on his phone. [Dukhun the Spy: Hey,¡ºSan¡»Are you still there?] [Wasanji: yes,¡ºSpy¡»Anytime.] [T/N: Wasanji is often a misspelling or yful variation of ¡°Sans¡± a character from the game ¡°Undertale¡±.] [Ashina Genichiro: What¡¯s going on?] [T/N: Ashina Genichiro (??? ????) is a character from the video game ¡°Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.] [Timeless Lotus: I¡¯ve been waiting.] Dukhun and his online friends. A gathering of game addicts who like to call themselves ¡®Anonymous¡¯. Dukhun quickly exchanged information. [Dukhun the Spy: Oi, there¡¯s one more thing to do. It seems like what we did just now wasn¡¯t enough to satisfy the ¡®Master¡¯.] [Wasanji: Oh my. Are there more annoying tasks?] [Dukhun the Spy: Oh, yes. But in the end, it¡¯s something only ¡®you people¡¯ can do. What do you think? Will you ept it?] [Ashina Genichiro: You¡¯re bbering too much. Just tell me what you want.] [Timeless Lotus: I¡¯ll follow themander¡¯s orders.] [Dukhun the Spy: Alright. What you guys have to do is¡­.] Perhaps because the concept was only to eat and talk, they seemed familiar with this kind of conversation. ¡®My friend has amazing online friends!¡¯ Dukhun¡¯s online friends with 2nd grader middle school syndrome, being Anonymous. They started their job. Tap- tap- tap- tap- Dukhun opened multiple windows on his smartphone while doing voice chat on Discord. [T/N: Not even Discord¡­..] Gyeongwon asked curiously. ¡°But what do they do for a living? Being glued to the inte during the day, even on a weekday¡­¡± At his words, I couldn¡¯t help but also be curious about the identities of these members. Dukhun answered with a smirk. ¡°Public service worker. Unemployed. Repeating students. They are anonymous hunters hiding beneath the shadows of society.¡± ¡°¡­Amazing.¡± They were people who the only thing they have to spare is time. I clicked my tongue. ¡°The goal is to spread rumors about Kim Eunjung in online teenmunities. Everyone, check your ounts!¡± [Wasanji: Okay.] ¡°If the rumour gets buried in thework traffic, turn them into fake news and send them as a rmendation. It¡¯ll be the best if you can share the link in the chatroom. Let¡¯s start working on thements.¡± [Timeless Lotus: Yes. I just sent one in the Best.] [T/N: In South Korea, ¡°Best¡± often refers to a section or feature on various social media tforms where popr or trending posts are highlighted. For example, tforms like Naver, Daum, and some forums have sections called ¡°Best¡± where top-rated content is showcased.] ¡°Go there and pretend to be students of Nakseong High School and leavements. Keep in mind time is not on our side.¡± Soon, the 6th period self-study period started. The members who were watching Dukhun and his online friends¡¯ shy work also returned to their respective seats. ¡°Don¡¯t get caught for spamming. Change the sentences periodically as you rotate¡­¡± Dukhun frantically gave instructions to his online friends sitting next to me with his earbuds stuffed. ¡°¡­Oh, that¡¯s right. And¡­¡± A few students curiously nced at Dukhun, who was frowning and muttering to himself, but Dukhun had been consistently pushing the otaku concept since the beginning of the semester. So they just shook their heads, mumbling to themselves that he was just obsessed with that kind of stuff and went back to what they were doing. ¡°So that was when she tried to escape at night but ended up returning because of the flight being cancelled? Tsk, you really know how to weave a story. Alright, let¡¯s push the narrative that she got caught stealing and ended up in a juvenile facility.¡± Dukhun was fighting a war online. I had been watching quietly, but I couldn¡¯t hold myself anymore and gently tapped him and whispered softly. ¡°Could you invite me to the group chat too? I want to see how things are going.¡± ¡°Just a moment.¡± Seeing that he was working on so many differentmunities, it was difficult for me to keep track of where and how everything was being done by going through the inte one by one. In the end, I was invited to the otaku group chat. KakaoTalk- [Dukhun the Spy has invited Lee Joon.] [Dukhun the Spy: Oi, meet the new member.] [Lee Joon: Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Dukhun¡¯s friend.] [Wasanji: Who is that guy? I think I¡¯ve heard of him before.] [Ashina Genichiro: Ah¡­ I don¡¯t know if I should say it but¡­ That person is the perfect person to be the new ¡®Observer¡¯ for our ¡®Anonymous¡¯ group.] [Timeless Lotus: Oh? And you can say this by only hearing about him?] ¡°What are they talking about?¡± Dukhun tapped his phone and answered nonchntly to me, who was feeling flustered. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them. They¡¯re just saying whateveres to their mind.¡± KakaoTalk- [Lee Joon: Um¡­ I¡¯m not quite sure what you mean, but I really appreciate you taking the time to help us out.] [Wasanji:¡­.Do you still not know anything?] [Lee Joon: Know what?] [Wasanji: Haaa. That ¡®power¡¯. I guess it hasn¡¯t manifested yet.] [Timeless Lotus: What? Did you really bring in the right person?] [Ashina Genichiro: Calm down, everyone. He just isn¡¯t ready yet.] [Wasanji: Then I guess we should teach him. Our true goal, the annihtion of Clover Corporation.] [Timeless Lotus: We are the Legion.] [Ashina Genichiro: We do not forgive.] [Wasanji: We do not forget.] [Timeless Lotus: We are Anonymous.] Dukhun¡¯s online friends, aka the ¡®Anonymous.¡¯ ¡°This is crazy.¡± I almost threw my phone in frustration, but instead, I held back and quietly observed how the situation was unfolding. ¡°¡­Why is it getting buried? Is there a reason for it to be buried at this time?¡± [Wasanji: A celebrity¡¯s drunk driving incident broke out all of a sudden¡­] ¡°Then let¡¯s focus our efforts on the male-dominated sites for now.¡± [Timeless Lotus: Then let¡¯s do this here.] Soon, their attention on me faded away, and they began updating the situation across variousmunities. The members¡¯ number one target of attack was SNS, which was the best for spreading rumors in real time. The second priority wasmunities frequently visited by teenagers, especially those with strong female-oriented members. ¡°Gossip about the personal lives of ordinary people is said to have the strongest influence in teenagemunities, especially those with arge female audience or members. Male-dominated sites are often insensitive about this kind of rumors unless it¡¯s about games or sports; if it¡¯s not quickly boosted as a rmendation, it tends to get buried fast.¡± From cafes, humor sites, and gaming sites to carmunities and even political forums. They quickly flooded the inte with rumors about Kim Eunjung, even going as far as to use multiple ounts to fabricate information and manipte the system. [Do you know that thief girl who got suspended for stealing stuff at the school? I¡¯m scared she mighte back since I go to the same school as hers. I heard she put a thumbtack in another girl¡¯s indoor shoes because she was prettier than her.] [My younger sibling¡¯s friend is called Kim Eunjung. Heard she¡¯s associated with a gang, and I remember a story about her¡­ -?-?. But she¡¯s in a juvenile center right now, so she can¡¯te. Don¡¯t worry.] [Didn¡¯t she say she couldn¡¯te to school anymore because she has an incurable disease? She¡¯s still going around like that?] While spreading all kinds of fake information here and there, the atmosphere in the members¡¯ group chat suddenly became strange. [Wasanji: Hey,¡ºSpy¡». One guy has been following our tracks around and leaving annoyingments since a while ago.] [Ashina Genichiro: His firepower seems simr to ours? Fast as hell.] [Timeless Lotus: ¡­Doesn¡¯t seem like an easy enemy.] Dukhun quickly checked the intemunities again. He removed his earbuds and turned to look at me, one of his sses reflecting slightly in the light. ¡°It¡¯s her, President.¡± I nodded silently, since I had already predicted it. ¡°Keep pushing.¡± Then, the homeroom teacher came rushing down the hallway, swung open the door and burst into the ssroom before shouting. ¡°Huff¡­. I¡¯m sorry for interrupting during the self-study session! Do you remember Eunjung, who transferred here earlier this year, got caught stealing, went to a juvenile detention centre, and then came back to school, got into fights with the delinquents, and after getting her arm injured and getting 17 stitches, was on her way home when she was in a four-car collision, got hospitalized again, suffered from an unexined respiratory illness, but her condition improved rapidly and she was discharged not long ago, then she was nning to return to school but her family went bankrupt, so she and her family fled to the airport in the middle of but the flight was cancelled, so she came back? She said she would return at the closing ceremony, but I wasn¡¯t sure if she would actuallye back, but there¡¯s a chance she might¡­!¡± Chapter 103: Eleventh Ghost Story – The Forgotten Friend (16) ¡®¡­.That¡¯s amazing.¡¯ Dukhun and his online friends who were flooding the inte with spam. And Kim Eunjung who was still protesting. If it were the Mother Dilemma ghost, it would have long since disappeared in fright for being pushed around like this. Yet, Kim Eunjung, that bastard still hasn¡¯t stopped imitating. ¡®No, this¡­ can¡¯t be considered ¡®imitating¡¯ anymore.¡¯ Nevertheless, the one who told the absurd lie that we were friends while transferring between four elementary schools in the same city from the beginning was none other than the ghost story Kim Eunjung herself. Now it was time to see how long she would be able to endure the lies she was fabricating. ¡°¡­Push harder, push harder. Even if it seems unreasonable. Make it so she can¡¯t set foot in school for three years.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Dukhun and his friends elerated the production of fake news. Before long, the fake information spread by Dukhun and his online friends in the form of news got so widely epted that it was hard to tell whether it was a maniption of reality or if the journalists were just epting it without verification. It quickly got processed into real news and ended up on the portal¡¯s main page. Teenage Girl Charged with Murdering Her Friend Due to Inferiority Complex [Exclusive] : Trusted Elementary School Friend¡­ Anguish of the Victim¡¯s Family They were pushing the narrative with the keyword ¡®teenage murderers¡¯ toward juvenile detention. Dukhun was tapping away on the keypad as if possessed. And the ghost story Kim Eunjung was also diligently defending herself. KEJ4444: That¡¯s a person with the same name, and she¡¯s not a student at Nakseong High School. Misinformation T-T KEJ4444: Shouldn¡¯t Eunjung¡¯s parents file awsuit against those who are spreading fake news like this? m! At the same time, the homeroom teacher burst open the ssroom door and rushed in, looking for Dukhun. ¡°Is¡­ Is Dukhun here?¡± The homeroom teacher was covered in sweat from running around here and there, being swept up in the manipted reality every time the situation changed. Dukhun, who had been engrossed in his job, lifted his heavy jaw with a puzzled expression. ¡°¡­ Yes?¡± ¡°Would you minding out with me for a moment?¡± ¡°I am busy right now doing something, can Ieter¡­ ¡°It¡¯ll be quick, so please hurry up. I¡¯m just going to deliver an envelope.¡± The members, who were sitting in different seats, nced in this direction with uneasy feelings. Although it was a self-study session where students could y games or do whatever they liked, it was difficult to leave their seats since the ss President and Vice President were in control. We could only sit at our desks and hope that everything would go well. With no choice, Dukhun stepped out into the hallway, exchanged a few words with the homeroom teacher, and soon returned with a stiff expression, holding a paper envelope in hand. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°¡­.Attendance request form.¡± Rustle- ¡´Attendance Request¡µ Case No. 2019-44444 Regarding the vition of the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection (Defamation) concerning individual with the name Oh Dukhun (Nickname: Dukhun the Spy), a thorough inquiry will be conducted. Please be advised to appear before the Cyber Security Team on May 1st, 2019, at 17:00 for inquiries. ¡´Summary of the Case¡µ On May 1st, 2019, a post was made on an onlinemunity stating: ¡®Do you know that thief girl who got suspended for stealing stuff at the school? I¡¯m scared she mighte back since I go to the same school as hers. I heard she put a thumbtack in another girl¡¯s indoor shoes because she was prettier than her¡¯. This attendance request is sent to investigate the matter and the individual in concern. Please contact us by phone upon receiving this notice. ¡´Required Documents¡µ 1. Resident registration card or driver¡¯s license 2. Student ID 3. Courage to fall down a cliff and break your neck Dukhun¡¯s face suddenly hardened. ¡°Dukhun.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Dukhun,e to your senses.¡± I grabbed his shoulder and shook him hard to bring him back to his senses. ¡°Listen carefully, Oh Dukhun. Now that things have turned to this, one of us is going to die socially. Either us or Kim Eunjung.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± I snatched the attendance request form from his hand, as he stared at it intently. Then I tore it to shreds right in front of his eyes and urged him, who still seemed to be in a daze and was just staring nkly. ¡°Listen carefully. I will never let you get involved in something like this and go to the police station. If things go wrong, I will kill myself and turn back time, so don¡¯t worry and just keep pushing.¡± Only then did the Dukhun nodded nkly. A few students nced at us, they showed puzzlement at the serious atmosphere around us during the self-study session. Dukhun, who still had a slightly dazed expression on his face, grabbed his phone again, soon snapped back to reality and focused on generating rumors. ¡°Push harder. Anything¡­ by any means necessary.¡± Damn. I couldn¡¯tprehend anymore whether our step was correct or not. I put Dukhun¡¯s attendance form which I just tore to pieces in my pocket, then shifted my gaze to the other members. In the next row, Sunah looked at me with a concerned expression, and Hayoon had her usual calm expression. In the front row, Gyeongwon was sweating with anxiety as he looked back. And in the back row, Jinhee seemed quietly lost in thought, looking at her deskmate¡¯s empty desk. ¡®Huu¡­ Damn.¡¯ I feel guilty. There has never been a ghost story that had such a creepy resolution. The feeling of pushing forward in a situation while tearing down someone else¡¯s character andbeling them as mentally ill, was something that should have never been done. But there was no other way that wasing to mind right now. ¡®¡­.I¡¯m not a terrible person.¡¯ The Demon King is the one responsible. He was the root of all evil, creating a ghost story from the deceased Kim Eunjung and sending her to us like this. And the counseling teacher, along with the strange force at the school that pushed the young Eunjung into an alternative school. They were the bad ones. ¡®Adults are at fault.¡¯ We¡¯re not at fault. The adults who made friends fight each other are at fault. ¡°Huu, huu.¡± As the situation spiraled out of control, the one who was being pushed around was none other than the homeroom teacher, drenching in sweat as he ran around. Bam- ¡°D¡­ Do you all remember Eunjung, who was said to have been murdered? The truth is, she was buried alive and is now on her way here after being rescued!¡± Bam- ¡°Do¡­ Do you all remember Eunjung, who supposedly nted a bomb at school! She¡¯s been acquitted and is on her way here to greet us!¡± As the rumors spread, Eunjung was increasingly shaped into a more and more strange personality, and with each arrival of the homeroom teacher, the students became more and more anxious. ¡°She¡¯sing to school? Why?¡± ¡°Please tell her not toe! I can¡¯t be at school with someone like that!¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Okay. The teacher will make a suggestion, please wait patiently¡­¡± Now, Eunjung had turned into a vicious psychopathic high school girl serial killer who frequented hospitals and juvenile detention centers as if they were her own home, and killed people with cold, cunning methods. ¡°Are you out of your mind! How can you allow a student like that to return to school!¡± From the first-year homeroom teachers¡¯ office on the first floor, the sound of the teachers arguing loudly could be heard across the hallway. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter what the Board of Education orders, we can¡¯t ept students like that again. Just tell them to send her somewhere else!¡± The Vice Principal shouted hysterically. The students in our ss also nced at each other worriedly and whispered among themselves. ¡°I¡¯ll be the one transferring this time for sure if shees back to school.¡± ¡°Is thew of our country useless? How can she be released after doing something like that?¡± ¡°The Juvenile Actionw really needs to be revised. It¡¯s ridiculous!¡± Bam- ¡°Do you remember Kim Eunjung who added sleeping pills in the cafeteria soup today?¡± Bam- ¡°Do you remember Kim Eunjung who, uh, put a cat¡¯s corpse on the podium today?¡± Bam- ¡°Do you remember Kim Eunjung who sprayed emergency fire extinguishers all over in the ssroom?¡± ¡°She¡¯sing back.¡± ¡°She¡¯sing back.¡± ¡°She¡¯sing back!¡± ¡°Kyaaaaaaaaaah!¡± ¡°Why¡­ Sob¡­¡± ¡°That psychopath again¡­ Sniff.¡± Each time the homeroom teacher opened the door and burged in, the students in the ss would scream in anguish, bordering on despair. In the midst of all this, our fabricating stories continued. [Isn¡¯t it Kim Eunjung the one who killed people secretly, without anyone knowing?] [If she acted like that at school, there¡¯s no way she behaves correctly outside. I heard her house is filled with dead bodies stuffed in the refrigerator.] [I heard the police went to her house because her water bill was too high, and then they found that her bathroom was full of blood¡­] [If you want to dispose of the bodies without leaving any evidence, that¡¯s how you drain the blood. But since she¡¯s a minor, the police just left her alone.] Eventually. The sound of the homeroom teacher¡¯s heavy footsteps rushing down the hallway from a distance was heard once again. Bam- With a big smile, he entered the ssroom and shouted as if he had great news to share. ¡°Eunjung isn¡¯ting to school anymore! She has refused to attend school herself!¡± ¡°Oohh!!!!!!!!¡± The students erupted in joy, pping and celebrating happily. Some students were even seen shedding tears of relief. Neither studying abroad, traffic idents, nor even prison could stop Eunjung froming to school. Yet, the school¡¯s collective exclusion ultimately broke her spirit. ¡°Hurray! Hurray! Hurray!!!¡± A boy stood up from his seat, tears streaming down his face, and cheered three times. The handsome ss President also rubbed the tip of his nose, perhaps because he was so moved that he became emotional. Even Cheerin, the Vice President, known for her cold cat-like eyes, muttered while wiping tears of joy on her sleeve. ¡°Teacher, really¡­ I was surprised¡­ If she had kept insisting oning to school, I would have refused to attend¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, everyone. It¡¯s okay now¡­¡± The homeroom teacher looked at us with a beaming face, tears glistening in his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s okay now. Eunjung is gone¡­ She¡¯s gone.¡± ¡°Whoa, teacher¡­ I was scared¡­ I thought she¡¯de back¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay¡­ It¡¯s okay now¡­¡± The homeroom teacher, soaked in sweat from sprinting up and down the hallway dozens of times, waspletely drenched in the shirt he was wearing. He nodded with wet, tear-filled eyes and continued to mutter to himself as ifforting himself. ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ it¡¯s okay¡­¡± Hoho. Hoho¡­. A single tear of relief ran down the homeroom teacher¡¯s cheekbones. A cold wind blew through the open ssroom door. A few strands of hair from his thinning scalp fluttered away. Swish. In the end, Kim Eunjung did not show up until the closing ceremony was over. Some students, including our club members, who had been anxious the whole time, finally seemed to let out a sigh of relief. After the closing ceremony was over, members of our ghost story club gathered in the clubroom on the 5th floor as if we had made a promise. Everyone sat silently, staring nkly at the desk. Only when Teacher Jang Hwaeun entered the clubroom did we lift our heads. Slid- ¡°Oh my, you¡¯ve all already gathered.¡± The teacher came in with her usually lively voice. ¡°I also thought everyone would be here, so I came.¡± ¡°¡­.Teacher.¡± The teacher approached the seat at the foot of the table and sat down in her usual spot. Then, seeing our downcasted atmosphere, she let out a deep sigh. ¡°Well, it seems like we¡¯re safe from Eunjung for now. I know it doesn¡¯t bring you all peace of mind, but¡­¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°There was a severe argument in the teacher¡¯s office during the sixth period. Did you all know about it?¡± We nodded quietly in response. ¡°¡­.The homeroom teacher kept us updated on the situation every time something changed, I felt like we were watching a livementary.¡± ¡°I see. Haa¡­.¡± The teacher fanned herself with her hand. ¡°At first, they made a fuss saying that just a student was hurt, butter, the Vice Principal, the Principal, and the administrative staff all ran around calling the Board of Education to prevent that student from returning to school¡­¡± So that¡¯s what happened. We nodded in understanding. The teacher looked over our faces slowly, then gave us a faint, weary smile. ¡°I guess you all feel guilty.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Just like the counselor from that elementary school, we also fabricated false evidence and circumstances to iste Eunjung from society once again. Even after she died. ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do. Cheer up, guys.¡± The teacher patted the backs of Dukhun and Hayoon, who were sitting next to her in an attempt to lighten up the heavy atmosphere. ¡°The living should live as they are, right?¡± ¡°¡­.Right.¡± Dukhun nodded slowly. ¡°Come on, cheer up! Everyone! Don¡¯t be so slumped! Let¡¯s live up! Live up!¡± Hayoon¡¯s thin shoulders swayed as Teacher Jang Hwaeun grabbed her and shook them roughly. ¡°Cheer up! Cheer up!¡± As a finishing touch, Teacher Jang Hwaeun gave both of them a hearty p on the back. Dukhun didn¡¯t move an inch because of his size, but Hayoon, because of her thin stature, shook back and forth. This made her frown slightly. ¡°Since your teacheres from a family of shamans, I have a tendency to believe in the afterlife.¡± She continued tofort us with various words of reassurance, trying to lift our spirits. ¡°At least in the religious view that the teacher knows, there is no case of a ghosting back to life and causing trouble like that. Just like you guys said, was it the devil? Demon King? He¡¯s just a coward who hides in the shadows and uses tricks.¡± ¡°¡­ I hope that¡¯s the case.¡± We genuinely wanted to believe the Teacher¡¯sforting words, but¡­ Based on our experience so far, most of the ways this world operates cannot be exined by general religious views. A ghost story of a forgotten friend turned into a ghost. I believe that the being we were dealing with wasn¡¯t just an illusion, but rather the spirit of someone who died long ago and has returned as a ghost. There was no reason, but¡­. This unsettling feeling, as if we¡¯ve buried a living person alive, gnawed at my conscience. ¡°Haaa¡­ That¡¯s right. We had no other choice, Prez.¡± Gyeongwon sighed helplessly, waving his hands. ¡°If we hadn¡¯t acted and allowed the ghost to infiltrate us, our club might have fallen apart from within in less than three years.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just forget about it, Joon¡­ Everything¡­¡± Sunah suggested as she looked at me with a worried expression. Okay. Let¡¯s do that. It felt a bit ufortable, but we couldn¡¯t always hope to end things on a good note. As we navigate through the chaotic three years, there will likely be even more unpleasant and ufortable situations than the current one. I shouldn¡¯t let my heart get swayed by things like this. ¡®Let¡¯s wrap this up here and think about what new ghost story we should seek out next.¡¯ Just as I was about to open my mouth to say that. [? ? ?] [? ? ] [ ? ? ? ?] [? ? ? ] [? ? ] [? ? ? ?] [? ? ] The phones of all seven of us sitting in the clubroom suddenly began to ring at the same time. The seven of us quickly pulled our phones out of our pockets. And there, that name we never wanted to see again, was hovering proudly. Rich Kim Eunjung 010-4444-4444 Hyu Eunjung 010-4444-4444 Kong Eunjung 010-4444-4444 Rich KEJ 010-4444-4444 My Sweetheart Eunjung 010-4444-4444 Gong Eunjung 010-4444-4444 Su Kim Eunjung 010-4444-4444 [T/N: ording to the ghost story that manipted reality, Kim Eunjung has different surnames or nicknames based on whom she had interacted with.] ¡°¡­I¡¯ll answer it. Everyone, put your phone down.¡± Jinhee said in a low voice. We carefully put our phones down. [? ? ] In the quiet clubroom in the pleasant afternoon. The ringtone resonated ominously. The seven of us watched it with nervous expressions. Soon, Jinhee took out her phone with a cracked screen in various ces and answered the call. Duud. ¡°¡­ Hello.¡± At that moment, all the phones that had been loudly ringing stopped, and silence enveloped the clubroom. [Thank you, guys.] A woman¡¯s voice that I heard for the first time transmitted from the other end of the phone. A high-pitched but dry tone. The pronunciation was clear, but theck of intonation gave us a feeling of creepiness. ¡°¡­. Eunjung?¡± Jinhee asked in a low voice. [It was always difficult for me. Dealing with my way of thinking that was different from others.] Once again, the thin, delicate but emotionless voice came through the phone, whispering monotonously. [I didn¡¯t know who I was. No one taught me.] [It was always hard and painful. I was always swept away by a feeling of not being able to control myself.] [Everyone from my parents to my friends continued to deny me, saying that I was strange. As if I was an existence that¡¯s supposed not to be in this world.] [But you guys. You helped me find out who I am.] A drop of cold sweat ran down my forehead. [Now I¡¯m going to the Seoul Station and stab people, sh people, again and again. Until the ce bes a sea of blood and the bodies form mountains with their arms and legs twisted.] [Thank you. This is my identity that you found.] Tut¡­ Tut¡­ Tut. We looked out the window in silence. Chapter 104: Eleventh Ghost Story – The Forgotten Friend (17) ¡°Hurry, hurry!¡± ¡°Haa, haa, haa.¡± We rushed out of school and got into Teacher Jang Hwaeun¡¯s car. ¡°We need to go right now!¡± ¡°Hey! There¡¯s no room! We all can¡¯t get in!¡± ¡°One of you, get on my motorcycle!¡± We quickly separated into two teams, started the engine, and rushed out. ¡®Damn, damn, damn¡­¡¯ We had the wrong idea from the beginning. Kim Eunjung wasn¡¯t imitating someone. From the beginning, she had never had an identity that could truly be called hers. * * * ¡°Who~ is it?¡± The waiting area at Seoul Station where trains arrive and depart. Someone covered the eyes of a middle-aged man who was looking at the tracks while waiting for a train from behind. The feeling of a cold palm covering his eyes made the man startled. The man sat straight in surprise. ¡°You are¡­¡± ¡°Guess.¡± The voice was soft but high-pitched, most probably belonging to a young woman. She was probably a student at most. ¡°¡­.I¡¯m not sure.¡± The man didn¡¯t know who it was. He paused and tilted his head, wondering if he knew the owner of the voice. The hand that was covering his eyes slowly released. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a look.¡± The middle-aged man looked back. There stood a girl with a bright appearance, wearing a school uniform and smiling with big eyes. The man showed a puzzled expression, he looked up and down at the girl but couldn¡¯t remember who it was. ¡®Who is it?¡¯ ¡®One of my rtives?¡¯ ¡®One of my daughter¡¯s friends?¡¯ ¡°¡­ Excuse me. Who are you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know me?¡± The man nced up to examine the woman. At that moment, the woman brought out arge kitchen knife and shed it diagonally across the man¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple. Swish- ¡°Ugh! Ugh¡­¡± The man clutched his throat and widened his eyes in surprise. ¡°I asked because I didn¡¯t know either.¡± The girl raised the knife again, stabbing the man in the stomach. * * * ¡°Detective? Detective?¡± [Yes. Speak.] While hurrying to our destination in the Teacher¡¯s car. I urgently called the Detective. ¡°You need toe to Seoul Station right away. A murder is about to happen.¡± [¡­. I¡¯ll head there now. It¡¯ll take about 20 minutes. Tell me what¡¯s going on.] Since there wasn¡¯t enough space for everyone to get into the Teacher¡¯s car, Jinhee was driving in the nextne with Hayoon on her motorcycle. Teacher Jang Hwaeun asionally nced over at her student, worried about her young student riding a motorcycle. ¡°It¡¯s a girl. She¡¯s 17 years old, and the weapon she has is a kitchen knife¡­¡± [The victim?] ¡°¡­ No. The girl is the murderer. She dered she¡¯s going to stab anyone who passes by her with a knife at Seoul Station.¡± [Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s another homicide case.] Detective muttered bitterly. [Can you exin a bit more?] ¡°It¡¯s because of the ghost story-¡± [That¡¯s enough. I¡¯ll listen to the backstoryter when the situation is over, just tell me what I need to know right now.] ¡°¡­Please request to make an announcement to evacuate everyone inside the station. And call the police.¡± [There should be a lot of people.] ¡°It will be enough to evacuate the citizens inside. The murderer herself isn¡¯t a person, but the existence of a ghost story, so we can¡¯t stop her. My friends and I will go there and take care of it.¡± [Yes, we¡¯re off. Hold on to your phone and answer when I call you. When the situation is over, I¡¯ll need to hear everything that happened, so don¡¯t disappear.] ¡°Yes, thank you¡­!¡± Soon, the car we were in entered the bridge above the Han River, heading towards the Seoul Station. Bewoooooooo- Teacher Jang Hwaeun sped up without thinking. In contrast to the peaceful Han River stretching out on both sides, the inside of the car was filled with tension. ¡®We have to stop it.¡¯ Morally, of course, we have to stop it. Given that Kim Eunjung¡¯s current identity is associated with the Ghost Story Club, it made the situation even moreplex. ¡®If we don¡¯t stop it¡­¡± The Ghost Story Club would be a ce that hid a female serial killer. The concept was suspicious, and there weren¡¯t many members in our club to begin with. Once social outrage urs, the school might order the club¡¯s dissolution immediately. Of course, it was not like me to worry about the club¡¯s social standing when people were dying. This was purely a thought that arose from being in the position of the club President. ¡°Prez, look here!¡± Gyeongwon, who was busy searching for something on his phone, wiped his cold sweat and showed me an SNS post hovering on the screen. [Electronicgangsi?zombithej: Just witnessed a murder rampage at Seoul Station] [Southself-resilienceparty?emanon3: This is the first time I¡¯ve seen someone stabbing people with a knife in real time and people screaming ah, ah, ah everywhere.] [Goldenretrieverowner?givethe: Oh, I witnessed someonemitting murder in real time. Seoul Station is doomed] ** * A high school girl was leisurely walking down the tform of the train station, holding onto the hair of a man, who was covered in blood and showing a painful expression. ¡°Kyaaaaah!¡± ¡°Hey, over there! Over there¡­¡± People scurried away from her, wondering with trepidation what was happening. ¡°She¡¯sing this way, you idiot. Move away¡­¡± The middle-aged man, being dragged by the girl in a school uniform, left a long trail of blood on the marble floor as he was dragged around, people avoided the girl like the parting of the Red Sea. Soon, an announcement rang out. [This is an emergency announcement, please pay attention. A 17-year-old female student with a weapon has been spotted in the station. If you see this individual, please report immediately. Once again, this is an urgent announcement¡­] ¡°This way, this way!¡± Then several security guards rushed through the crowd. ¡°Over here!¡± ¡°That¡¯s her!¡± The guards, who barely made their way through the crowd approached the female student, wielding a three-sectioned baton for self-defense. ¡°Student, calm down. Put the man down.¡± ¡°Stay still. Slow down.¡± The guards approached cautiously. At the same time, a KTX train could be seen arriving toward the station from far away, creating a cacophony of loud noise. Rattle-Rattle- The security guards received a call from the radio mounted on their shoulders. [Ah- We¡¯re entering the tracks right now, is the unknown assant secured-] ¡°Yes, the student is secured. Please enter.¡± Then, they approached the girl in the school uniform slowly, wearing tense expressions. ¡°Put the man down and stay still. Stay still.¡± The school girl stared nkly at the approaching guard. ¡°An ambnce ising. Stay still-¡± Rattle-Rattle-Rattle. At the same time, a train entered the tracks. In an instant. Whoosh-! The female student suddenly crouched down and slipped past the security guards, sprinting into the crowd of onlookers. ¡°Ah-huh, ah-huh¡­!¡± ¡°Kyaaaaak!¡± The high school girl, who had just squeezed through the crowd, took out the long kitchen knife from her bosom and started stabbing everyone in the waist around her. ¡°Uuuggghh!! Uggghh.¡± ¡°Honey! Honey!¡± ¡°Aaaaaaaak-!!¡± People rushed to escape, pushing each other. Some couldn¡¯t hold onto their bnce and fell on the ground. Seeing several people being pushed into the tracks by the chaos, the train urgently mmed on the brakes, but it was not enough. Keeeeeeeeeeeeeek-! A train weighing over a thousand tons rushed through the tracks, creating a bloodbath as it mowed down people. ¡°Catch me! Catch me!¡± ¡°Damn it, f*ck!¡± Security guards rushed in afterward, but they struggled to navigate through the tangled chaos of fallen bodies. ¡°Hey, over there!¡± Passengers inside the KTX train, watching the massacre outside through the window, screamed in terror. ¡°There¡¯s a massacre going on outside! Someone is wielding weapons!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t open the door! Don¡¯t open the door!¡± Of course, the train operator had no intention of opening the door amidst the chaos. The terrified perception of a passenger, who believed the doors would automatically open upon the train¡¯s arrival, reached the girl, their whole being engulfed in the horror before her. Whoosh- Eunjung nced at the train after killing even the guards who had approached her in the crowd. Wiing. Instantly, reality was manipted as the passenger thought ominously, and the train doors slid open automatically. The high school serial killer girl swiftly leaped inside in an instant. ¡°Kyah¡­!¡± ¡°She got in¡­!¡± Eunjung ran through the narrow passageway, stabbing and shing the bodies of the passengers sitting on either side of her with her knife. ¡°Ah, ahhh¡­ !¡± ¡°F*ck, catch her! Catch her¡­!¡± A few soldiers on holiday quickly stood up from their seats and chased after Eunjung as she ran to the nextpartment of the train. ¡°Catch her! Catch her!!¡± ¡°Ughhhhh¡­ ugh¡­¡­¡± The high school girl serial killer, who was running after the passengers, suddenly bumped into someone who opened the door of the bathroom in the train and came out. The soldiers took the chance and tumbled over Eunjung, shoving their bags on top of her as they fell. ¡°Subdue her! Subdue her!!¡± Grrgrr. Those who were just about to get off the train started to gather slowly, holding their bags and wondering what was happening. ¡°Snatch the knife from her hand! Snatch the knife!!¡± ¡°Gasp, gasp.¡± The soldiers and the high school serial killer girl were tangled together, grappling on the floor of the train. Then Eunjung, who was twisting her body like a snake while being subdued by the soldiers, suddenly twisted her hand and stabbed the soldiers on her back rapidly with the knife, as quick as a machine. The few soldiers who were subduing her spat out blood as they groaned. ¡°Coouugh.¡± She then turned her hand and stabbed the soldier, who was using his weight to crush her in front, with the knife in his side. With bizarre animalistic movements, she stabbed all the soldiers who were trying to subdue her. ¡°Ugh! Ugh¡­.¡± Eunjung pushed aside the people writhing in pain and stood up from her spot. As she brandished the knife at the passengers staggering in front of her, they quickly started to flee in panic. ¡°Kyaaah. Kyaaaaaah¡­!¡± ¡°Please save me!! Please save me!!!¡± Thud, thud- Once again, the bloody massacre began as she ran wildly through the passengers across the seats, staining the train windows with sttered blood. Stab- stab- ¡°Cough¡­¡± Ahhh. Swish, thump- After stabbing in the waist of one of thest passengers who was trying to run away, Eunjung followed the panicked crowd and got off the train. Standing on the tform, she quickly surveyed her surroundings. ¡°There! There!¡± ¡°Catch her!!¡± The security guards rushed to subdue Eunjung once again, pushing through the crowd of people fleeing. However, due to the fear and panic that gripped the crowd, Eunjung had already established herself as a figure of disaster, a being that inflicted harm on others. ¡°Catch her! Catch her¡­ Ugh¡­¡± With an unbelievable strength that seemed beyond human, she sliced through the approaching security guards as if chopping through soft tofu. She pushed her way up the esctor through the crowd of people crying out in panic. She naturally joined the fleeing procession while silently stabbing everyone she encountered with her knife. Then suddenly, she started shouting. ¡°Please save me! I¡¯m a murderer! Please save me!¡± The crowd halted their escape and turned around in surprise at the sound of her voice. ¡°I am a murderer! The murderer is me. Here shees! Kyaaaaah! Ah!¡± Pretending to be surprised, Eunjung also screamed along with the passengers, and from below the line of sight, at her waist, she wildly stabbed people nearby without them noticing. ¡°Aaaaaah! Aaah!¡± ¡°Kyaaaaah!¡± Feeling a sharp pain, the passengers copsed onto the esctor floor, spilling blood everywhere. Amid the panicked crowd, Eunjung attacked as she advanced forward through the crowd gripped by panic. The injured and fleeing people stumbled over each other, causing the chaos to escte further. Toward the world and society, resentment, madness. It was thanks to everyone¡¯s hard work. * * * [Dawn?ekdhd: Everyone near Seoul Station, stay away. There¡¯s a woman swinging a knife.] [ZZUNN@zzunnO3: Hey, not kidding, everyone around Seoul Station, run away right now. Don¡¯t ask. A massacre is happening there.] ¡°We¡¯ve arrived. Get off!!¡± The Teacher stopped the car in the middle of the road in front of Seoul Station and hurriedly let us out. The car behind us had to brake suddenly and honked its horn wildly. Peep- peeepp. Soon, Jinhee¡¯s motorcycle following us pulled over next to us and got off with Hayoon. ¡°We can¡¯t park here, so I¡¯ll find a parking spot and be there soon!¡± ¡°Yes, thank you!!¡± We quickly crossed the road. ¡°Seoul Station!! Run to Seoul Station!!¡± We pushed through the crowd of people rushing out in a panic and dashed across the crosswalk, ignoring the traffic signals. It seemed that the massacre had already begun inside, as people were frantically pouring out from therge stairs at the entrance of Seoul Station. Passersby passing by outside tilted their heads in confusion at the scene unfolding at Seoul Station. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Something.¡± ¡°Kyaaak! Kyaaak.¡± At the same time, people¡¯s terrified screams could be heard from outside the station. We also ran up the stairs and stood in front of Seoul Station. The ss-d Seoul Station building, constructed using modern architectural techniques. We arrived at the main gate. ¡°T¡­ There are so many entrances! Where should we start looking¡­¡± ¡°Joon, over there¡­!¡± I looked over where Sunah was pointing, it was the end of the building in the distance. People were pouring out in droves from the entrance connected to the outlet. ¡°Kyaaak! Kyaaak.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Run! It¡¯s over there!¡± We rushed there in panic. The crowd of people running away from a crazy murderer passed by us, bumping into our shoulders. ¡°Hick, hick, huuu.¡± Some were limping, as if they were injured, while others trembled helplessly, covered in blood. We could also see people running away, bleeding and holding onto each other. ¡°Go inside, go inside!¡± ¡°Huff, huff.¡± We soon rushed inside. The vast tform of Seoul Station,rge enough to fit several school ygrounds, entered our vision. Bloody corpses were already lying everywhere, and the marble floor was covered in blood. Beyond the ss of the ticket counter attached to the wall, employees were seen panicking as they desperately held onto their phones. ¡°Kyaak!! Kyaaa.¡± A row of screams flowed out again from somewhere. Amid the chaos of fleeing people, those on the second floor in the restaurant looked down, confused about the situation. We rushed toward the ce from where screams rang out in the midst of the chaos. Our feet soon took us to a meeting ce where chairs were lined up, Clover Corporation¡¯s promotional QLED TVs were broadcasting advertisements. ¡°Uh, where is she¡­!¡± ¡°Look around! Hurry up!¡± The ss windows of the store, where bloody corpses were scattered everywhere, were shattered and broken. And the ATM machine of the booth was smashed halfway, blinking rapidly. [Passengers using the train¡­ please proceed to¡­ Please¡­.] ¡°Ugh! Ughhhh-¡± ¡°Joon¡­! There¡¯s a restaurant over there¡­!¡± A shopping mall with rows of restaurants stretched out in a straight line inside Seoul Station. Amidst themotion of fighting at the McDonald¡¯s store, several people rushed out covered in blood, fleeing in a panic. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± We leaped over the suitcases and carrier bags scattered on the floor and ran toward the ss doors of the blood-stained store. ¡°Haa, haa!¡± Squeak- Inside the store, it was already in disarray. There were no survivors in sight, and the floor was littered with scattered hamburgers, french fries, and overturned trays. ¡°Aaahh! Aahh! Aaah.¡± ¡°Over there. I can hear screamsing from the kitchen.¡± We closed the ss door and walked toward the counter where the kitchen was visible. From outside, faint screams could be heard, but the inside of the store was quiet. Suddenly, someone crawled out from beside the counter, groaning in pain. ¡°¡­Inside. Over there¡­.¡± An injured staff member, clutching his bleeding abdomen, pointed toward the staff room. Thump! Thump! Crash. From inside the staff room where the part-time worker pointed to, something like amotion could be heard. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go.¡± The store was filled with quiet tension. We went past the counter and into the kitchen. ¡°Police¡­ Police¡­ Police¡­¡­¡± A manager in uniform muttered while lying on the tiled floor, looking at us with a dazed expression. Next to him, a pot of oil was still bubbling with frying potatoes, while unfinished hamburgers sat alongside lettuce and tomatoes. [STAFF ROOM] ¡°Ugh¡­ Ugh¡­ Ugh¡­¡± From inside the half-open staff room door, the terrible sounds of stabbing and people groaning could be heard. I bit my lip and looked back. The members had an anxious look on their faces. At that moment, Jinhee strode forward. ¡°I¡¯ll go in, you guys wait here.¡± ¡°Jinhee!¡± The members, worried about her, tried to stop her. But I held out my hand. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s leave it to Jinhee. Let her go in alone.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± Gyeongwon and Sunah showed a flustered expression. But I had my own n. Unable to receive proper treatment, she was bullied by her friends and betrayed by her teachers. Kim Eunjung, having been denied her identity by society and pushed further away to a distant ce, ultimately sumbed to her death, forgotten by everyone. The media painted her as a psychopath for the sake of interest, but in reality, she was just a girl born with a mental disability. Eunjung was summoned back to thisnd as a ghost story by the Demon King, and she even tried to mix in with us. She continued to cling to the only three aspects of her identity she could maintain. The three-letter name, the fact that she was someone¡¯s best friend when she was young, and that she transferred schools in the middle of the school year. [T/N: The name Kim Eunjung (???) has three letters in Korean.] ¡°¡­.Let¡¯s leave it to Jinhee, guys.¡± ¡°Joo, Joon¡­!¡± The members protested with worried looks. However, if those three codes were the identities that Kim Eunjung remembered until the end, Jinhee¡¯s role here seemed quite important. Jinhee soon strode through the bloody trail and entered the door where the murder was taking ce. ¡°Wait here. Don¡¯t open the door.¡± With those words, Jinhee closed the door and locked it. Click. ¡°¡­.Be careful, Jinhee.¡± We had no choice but to wait outside, stamping our feet anxiously. * * * ¡°Hick, hick, haa.¡± A male part-timer somehow managed to get into the locker room inside the staff room and lock the door, but soon got his arm shed by a kitchen knife pushing in through the crack in the door. ¡°Ouch! Ahhhhhhhhh.¡± The part-timer hurriedly pressed his body against the wall, trying to stay out of the reach of the de. However, his face soon morphed into a terrified expression when he saw a girl climbing over the partition in the changing room. Thud, thud- ¡°S¡­ Please save me¡­..!¡± ¡°Hmm. I don¡¯t want to.¡± Eunjung squeezed her body through the narrow gap between the partition and the ceiling,ughing coldly. ¡°You didn¡¯te to save me when I called you either.¡± She jumped down from the ceiling and brutally stabbed the man. ¡°Ahhh¡­ Aahhh.¡± A closed changing room stall. The flimsy wooden partition shook with Eunjung¡¯s movements as she enthusiastically stabbed the man. Squeak- ng. At that moment, the sound of someone entering the staff room was heard. Eunjung, leaving the bloodied man behind, quickly lowered her head to check through the crack in the wooden partition to see who had entered. Someone¡¯s ankle, wearing Adidas sneakers, was visible through the narrow crack in the door. Soon, someone slowly approached and stood in front of the changing room, calling out softly. ¡°Kim Eunjung?¡± *** [2019, May 1st | Wednesday, 17:21] [Lee Joon: Number of Attempts ¨C 2] [Ghost Story Points: 66] [Causality Rate: 14%] [Where are you children!] When I picked up the phone, it was the Detective¡¯s voice. I quickly told him our location. ¡°There¡¯s a line of restaurants near the ticket counter at Seoul Station. Juste to McDonald¡¯s.¡± [Okay! Do you need someone? Or should Ie alone!] I pondered for a moment and then replied. ¡°¡­.I think it¡¯ll be fine if only you juste, Detective.¡± [Will that be okay?] ¡°Probably.¡± [Okay! I¡¯ll be there in 5 minutes!] As I hung up the phone, I noticed the anxious gazes of the club members. ¡°Hey¡­ are you sure it¡¯s okay if the police don¡¯te¡­.¡± ¡°No matter how she wielded the knife, she is still just a high school girl. There¡¯s no way a crowd of this many people and security staff couldn¡¯t stop one girl with a knife.¡± Gyeongwon nodded hesitantly with a look of understanding. ¡°Like the concept we have given her, she has literally be a psychopath viin. No matter how many peoplee, there is no way to stop her.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I looked at the closed staff room door. Desperately hoping Jinhee was doing her job well. Chapter 105: Eleventh Ghost Story – The Forgotten Friend (18) ¡°Jinhee?¡± The wooden partition of the locker room slowly creaked open, and someone¡¯s head peeking outside was seen. A skinny face with big eyes. It was none other than their friend, Kim Eunjung. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s been a while. Why are you here?¡± The tone of asking the question was friendly, as if asking why she had followed her to the bathroom. Jinhee answered in a low voice, hiding her nervousness. ¡°¡­I¡¯m here to stop you.¡± ¡°What?¡± A bright smile bloomed on her skinny face. ¡°Stopping me from doing what?¡± ¡°¡­Killing people like this.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Eunjung, who was hanging from the partition and peering at Jinhee, shifted her weight, making the hinges creak beneath her. ¡°People die anyway.¡± ¡°¡­ But you shouldn¡¯t kill them like this. That¡¯s why¡­¡± Jinhee raised her head, looking at her friend who seemed so unfamiliar to her. She fumbled for words. ¡°¡­You shouldn¡¯t kill people earlier than their original lifespan.¡± ¡°Oh~¡± Eunjung giggled as she hung from the partition, finding her words funny. She acted as if she heard a joke and asked in response to her friend¡¯s clumsy reasoning. ¡°So you came here all of a sudden just to tell me that?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t really care. I¡¯m just doing what I felt like doing.¡± Jinhee was trying to find excuses to say to her friend, who was giggling like a crazy person, and stuttered out again. ¡°¡­That¡¯s not how it works.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°¡­ You can¡¯t do whatever you want.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Jinhee moistened her dry lips with her tongue. After hesitating several times, opening and closing her mouth, she barely managed to form a coherent sentence. ¡°¡­ People dislike them. Those who do whatever they want.¡± ¡°What?¡± Eunjung made a puzzled expression, showing her confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Is that why you suddenly came here?¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m here to stop what you¡¯re doing-¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t seen each other in 6 years, you¡¯re not curious how I¡¯ve been? Not even a hello?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Only then did Jinhee raise her hand awkwardly. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Yeah~¡± Eunjung epted the greeting lightly, as if she was brushing off her friend¡¯s awkward behaviour. Jinhee hesitated again before continuing what she wanted to convey. ¡°¡­ I came to stop you from killing people.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to stop me. It¡¯s okay. Just leave.¡± ¡°¡­ I will stop you.¡± ¡°Hey, are you kidding me?¡± Eunjung opened her eyes wide, her voice raising a few octaves due to anger. ¡°Weren¡¯t you the ones who said I was that kind of person?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you call me a psychopathic idiot? I killed all the people whobelled me as such, so why are you acting like all high and mighty?¡± Unlike her naive and immature appearance as a child, her current appearance was filled with venom. However, Jinhee clenched her fists without giving in. ¡°¡­ Sorry. I misjudged you. But you still shouldn¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°But Jinhee, you can do whatever you want to do.¡± Eunjung pouted, as if she found the reasoning unfair. ¡°Youe to school whenever you want, and you also skip sses whenever you want.¡± ¡°¡­ Oh, I¡¯ve changed. I don¡¯t do that anymore.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Eunjung finally showed a bit of interest as she pressed her face closely against the crack of the partition. ¡°Then what do you do now?¡± ¡°¡­ I work, earn money, and go to school without skipping a single ss.¡± ¡°Wow. No way~¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s true.¡± Jinhee nodded again to Eunjung, who had her eyes opened not believing her words, as if to confirm her im. ¡°It¡¯s true. That¡¯s what I do now.¡± ¡°¡­Why do you do that?¡± Eunjung tilted her head slightly as she asked. She looked like she couldn¡¯t understand Jinhee¡¯s reasoning. ¡°You weren¡¯t like this back then. You lived doing whatever you wanted.¡± ¡°¡­You still remember the kids I used to hang out with back then?¡± ¡°The Seven Princesses?¡± Hehe. ¡°Of course I remember.¡± ¡°¡­Some of them are in juvenile detention centre now. Because they lived doing whatever they wanted.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°People will take you to jail. Someone who lives ording to their own will¡­ someone who can¡¯t suppress their nature¡­¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°Everyone lives following the rules. Suppressing their desire¡­..¡± Eunjung quietly stared at Jinhee without speaking. Jinhee also stayed silent with a slightly stiff expression on her face. Soon, Eunjung narrowed her eyes and stuck out her tongue yfully. ¡°Yeah~ I won¡¯t be fooled. You¡¯re a liar~ Jinhee is a liar~.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°I knew from the moment you made up those lies to get me kicked out of school!¡± ¡°¡­I was stupid. I was tricked. I didn¡¯t know¡­¡± Jinhee¡¯s tightly clenched hand was getting damp with sweat. ¡°And, and humanity¡­¡± Damn it, what was that Lee Joon said. Something about identity. Her mind was getting fuzzy. ¡°¡­Are you having a confusion about your identity? If you¡¯re wondering who you are, you¡¯re my friend.¡± ¡°Psst.¡± Eunjung covered her lips with her hand, letting out a mocking sneer. ¡°What are you talking about~ Really.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Go away. I¡¯ll spare you as my friend.¡± However, Jinhee stood still with her expression hardened. Feeling anxious that the situation mighte to an end like this, she hurriedly took a step forward and tried to say something, anything to appease her friend. ¡°It¡¯s because you don¡¯t know who you are, right? That¡¯s why you keep doing this, right?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. I¡¯m pretty sure of who I am.¡± Eunjung¡¯s lips formed a yful smile as she leaned forward, sticking her head out through the crack of the partition. ¡°I¡¯m Eunjung, and I came back to kill all of those people who think they¡¯re normal.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Go quickly. Before I change my mind.¡± Eunjung pointed her knife at the entrance. Jinhee¡¯s tightly clenched hands trembled with tension. ¡°¡­ Let me stay for a minute-¡± ¡°Oh! I think I just heard someone badmouthing me somewhere!¡± Suddenly, Eunjung interrupted Jinhee¡¯s words and started looking around in the air, as if she was acting in a stage drama. ¡°Who¡¯s badmouthing me again? Who¡¯s badmouthing me again, huh? Hey, do you think you¡¯re cool? Just because you¡¯re normal?¡± Then, Eunjung pointed at the man she was stabbing earlier. ¡°¡­..¡± The man was leaning against the wall, barely breathing. He still had a knife stuck on his neck, blood pooling around. Judging by the ck uniform he had, he probably was the in-charge of this ce. ¡°Hey, you were the one who just badmouthed me, right? I knew this would happen, really. You bastards can¡¯t be stopped. Oh my~ still saying this. Let me tell you if you don¡¯t know. You, are the worst person. You are the worst human being in the world. Do you understand?¡± Even though she was speaking yfully, her eyes were frantically looking everywhere every moment. ¡°Do you understand? Is it because you don¡¯t know? How can you not know?¡± Eunjung, seething with rage, red at the man who was barely breathing. ¡°You are the worst.¡± ¡°¡­S, Stop it!¡± Jinhee suddenly stopped Eunjung, who was about to rush to the man in anger. ¡°That, that guy didn¡¯t say anything!¡± ¡°You are lying.¡± Eunjung suddenly turned her head at Jinhee. The movement was swift, even the sound of bone cracking was heard loudly as she snapped at Jinhee. ¡°¡­..¡± She red at Jinhee for a moment, then turned her gaze back to the fallen bodies and muttered. ¡°Like this, I killed him. He was cursing at me and bullying me. I said, You know~ it¡¯s self-defense. If you feel guilty, you deserve to die. So instead of the judge, I sentenced him to death, and stabbed him.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Who I was. I need to find out. To be honest, I asked because I didn¡¯t know either. Why are you picking a fight with me if you don¡¯t know? Seriously, people are funny. You don¡¯t know who I am? Then stop pretending as if you know everything, haa.¡± Then, Eunjung suddenly turned to Jinhee and smiled brightly. ¡°Oh, Jinhee. It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Has it been 6 years? It¡¯s really been a long time.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°How have you been?¡± Wrinkles bloomed on her thin face as she smiled foolishly. Jinhee gazed into thoserge eyes for a moment, then took a deep breath, and bit her lips tightly. ¡°But, but I didn¡¯t do anything, yet they keep misunderstanding me. It was really unfair. But what can I do? I was always alone like this~ Jinhee suddenly showed up as my partner. Yes, Teacher. I¡¯m hanging out with Jinhee these days. She takes me to a lot of fun ces and ys with me. Really, nobody else really wants to y with me, but Jinhee treats me really well. Isn¡¯t that great?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°I watched a clown video yesterday. There, some people were bungee jumping, and the clown cut the rope and killed someone. It was so cruel. I wanted to try it, but it seemed Jinhee didn¡¯t like it. So I didn¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll get bored if I go there. I want to y more with Jinhee. Yes, she¡¯s my deskmate. Teacher, can I not go there? Actually, I don¡¯t want to go there at all. There¡¯s no one like Jinhee, no friends. I know I¡¯m weird, but Jinhee is really nice. She ys with me. She¡¯s such a nice person. Ugh, who¡¯s badmouthing me? This guy honestly deserves to die. But if I kill him, I¡¯ll be taken to jail, so I¡¯ll let him off this once. Ah, I¡¯m bored. Over there¡­ Over there.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Over there, Jinhee.¡± Eunjung stopped muttering to herself and opened her eyes wide, as if remembering something. She stared nkly for a moment, then slowly let out a sad smile filled with pain and unwillingness. ¡°¡­ Am I weird?¡± ¡°¡­ Yeah, hick, yeah.¡± Before she couldprehend, tears streamed down Jinhee¡¯s face as she cried quietly. ¡°¡­ Jinhee, what are you doing? I told you to hurry up and go away. Before I change my mind¡­-¡± ¡°¡­..¡± Jinhee bit her lips tightly and cried silently. Tears flowed down on both cheeks. Eunjung, who had been rolling her eyes everywhere and muttering to herself, suddenly seemed flustered. As if surprised by Jinhee¡¯s sudden show of emotion, she opened her mouth wide. ¡°Wow~ It¡¯s Jinhee. It¡¯s been so long.¡± ¡°¡­ Uh, hick, ugh. Ah¡­¡± ¡°I really missed you a lot, but how did we end up meeting here? How have you been? I¡¯ve always wanted to see you.¡± Uncontroble tears flowed down Jinhee¡¯s cheeks. She nodded, wiping the tears with her hand. ¡°¡­ I, I¡¯m sorry. Eunjung¡­ It¡¯s all my fault¡­¡± ¡°¡­ What? What?¡± Eunjung, who was still pressed against the partition, made a bewildered expression. ¡°Why, why are you crying? Is Jinhee going to an alternative school too?¡± ¡°Even though I was right next to you, I didn¡¯t know¡­. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Jinhee rubbed her eyes, wiping away the tears overflowing from her eyes. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I was fooled by the counselor¡­¡± ¡°Ah, the counselor.¡± Eunjung suddenly shrunk her shoulders at those words and looked around fearfully. ¡°That person shouldn¡¯te. She¡¯d make a fool of me again.¡± As Jinhee sniffled while wiping away her tears with difficulty, Eunjung shifted her gaze anxiously. After a moment, Jinhee calmed herself down a bit and wiped her eyes onest time before asking in a quivering voice. ¡°Alternative school¡­ there¡­. what happened to you there¡­?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Something happened between you and the counselor, what is it that happened¡­?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Eunjung¡¯s yfulness gradually disappeared and a stoic expression covered her face. ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help you¡­.¡± Eunjung¡¯s eyes, with her head sticking out through the gap of the partition slowly filled with raw fear. She shrunk her shoulders further, cowering to herself and looked around the staff room with trembling eyes. ¡°¡­ What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°¡­ Over there.¡± She pointed to the wall with a trembling finger, her big eyes filled with fear. ¡°¡­.That person is listening. So I can¡¯t say anything.¡± Jinhee turned her head to where her finger was pointing. In that spot, the staff member who had been applying pressure to stop the bleeding from his neck where a knife was sticking out was barely managing to breathe. ¡°¡­ Someone is eavesdropping on you?¡± ¡°Mmhm¡­.¡± In response to her inquiry, Eunjung once again looked around in fear. Jinhee sniffled and asked with a puzzled expression, not understanding the situation. ¡°¡­.You¡¯ve already died. What is there to be scared of now¡­?¡± ¡°There is¡­¡± Eunjung whispered anxiously, shifting her gaze restlessly as if to avoid being seen by that certain someone. ¡°¡­ I think that¡¯s why you should think of me in a different way.¡± ¡°What?¡± Eunjung¡¯s shoulders shrunk even more as she flinched at Jinhee¡¯s pressing tone, urging for an answer. ¡°¡­ Think of me as a child, someone who¡¯s still in the 4th grade.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°It will be less scarier that way. It¡¯s something that shouldn¡¯t be overheard by anyone¡­¡± Her expression was like that of a child hesitating to reveal a ¡®secret conversation that would be a big deal if an adult found out¡¯. It was a change that could happen because there were so few living people within this space who recognized her. Jinhee was sniffling in bewilderment. And Eunjung was staring at her anxiously. And in between them, a man was clutching his neck, trying to stop the blood that was flowing out. Thus, the three of them nced at each other for a moment in a standoff. Thud- Soon, Jinhee clenched her teeth and strode strongly toward the man. ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡± The man, trying his best to escape from the approaching Jinhee, pushed himself off the ground with both hands. As soon as he removed his hand from the wound on his neck where he was desperately applying pressure, blood started to flow out again. Jinhee watched the man and broke in a cold sweat, unsure of what to do with him. The man barely managed to crawl a few steps, but soon he couldn¡¯t control the blood flowing out and staggered in his steps. One way or another, this guy was soon going to die. The moment she hastily opened the door to save him, she didn¡¯t know how Eunjung¡¯s personality, which she had calmed down to some extent, might change under the influence of others. With those thoughts in mind, Jinhee decided to leave the dying man as he was. ¡°Uggh, uughh¡­¡± Thud. ¡°Haa, haa, haa, haa.¡± The man eventually copsed, unable to handle the blood gushing out of his neck. Then, Eunjung, who had only been peeking out from behind the locker room, finally stepped outside. ¡°Phew, huu, huu¡­ There¡¯s no one around us anymore, Eunjung. It¡¯s okay¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Jinhee.¡± Eunjung approached Jinhee, who was sweating profusely. ¡°Jinhee¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Now, can you please tell me? The alternative school you transferred to, what happened there¡­¡± Instead of answering, Eunjung slowly took Jinhee¡¯s hand and murmured worriedly while looking at the man¡¯s corpse. ¡°¡­ Jinhee, you¡¯ll be taken to jail if you do that¡­¡± ¡°Fuck. I¡¯ll go if they take me, whatever.¡± Jinhee wiped away the cold sweat on her sleeve which was already soaked with her tears. ¡°It can¡¯t get any worse.¡± Eunjung, fiddling with her partner¡¯s trembling hand, slowly opened her mouth as if her heart¡¯s door had been unlocked. ¡°¡­ That school was a kind ofboratory.¡± ¡°Laboratory?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Jinhee¡¯s knuckles, scarred and battered, looked more like those of a fighter than a woman¡¯s, as if she¡¯d been in many fights here and there. Eunjung gently fiddled with her rough hands as if they were that of a child. ¡°They gather children who can¡¯t adapt to society, make them take strange medicine¡­ and make them repeat words that sound like spells¡­¡± ¡°¡­ What about your parents?¡± Jinhee asked, clenching her mrs. ¡°Didn¡¯t your parents say anything?¡± ¡°¡­ They hated me. And they only ept children from families that don¡¯t care about that kind of children.¡± Eunjung quietly turned Jinhee¡¯s hand over and over and quietly examined it. It was as if a child was ying around. ¡°That counselor, so to speak, is in charge of recruiting¡­ or something like that¡­¡± ¡°¡­ The counselor you¡¯re talking about, Teacher Ryu Jinah.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ her main job is to find students with moderate mental problems and whoe from poor family circumstances. She then sends them to their own special school.¡± Suddenly, Jinhee recalled the image of the counseling teacher, who used to go around the neighborhood searching for them whenever they skipped ss during childhood. ¡®She was just trying to win our favor.¡¯ Since Eunjung was one of the students who would be sent to the alternative school, which was more of aboratory, as part of the experiment, she had no choice but to show care for them deeply and encourage them to keeping to school. ¡°¡­ Let¡¯s go and get her now.¡± ¡°What?¡± Eunjung, who had been fiddling with Jinhee¡¯s hand, suddenly looked up in surprise. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°¡­ Let¡¯s go find that woman now.¡± Jinhee spoke with a flushed face, filled with betrayal. Eunjung nkly stared at Jinhee for a moment, then let out augh as if to say how foolish that thought was. ¡°You¡¯re still as reckless as ever. You haven¡¯t changed at all.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°They will take you to prison if you hurt someone. Don¡¯t do that.¡± Eunjung, who was speaking that way, had already taken a different appearance before she knew it. Just as Jinhee remembered her young self in fourth grade, the appearance of a frail girl with a mental disability, but still with a pure and innocent heart, was standing before her. ¡°¡­ As expected, the rope on the roof of that apartment building. You didn¡¯t cut it.¡± ¡°What? What rope?¡± She had be the Eunjung in fourth grade, who understood well the social reasons for not harming others. ¡°Which rope? Sorry. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Eunjung just smiled brightly in response. ¡°I guess you misunderstood something again besides the rabbit incident.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°But I really should have done that. That counselor. I should have killed that person first. But¡­¡± Eunjung carefully let go of Jinhee¡¯s hand. ¡°It¡¯s toote. I¡¯mpletely unstable now. From the moment I came to my senses, I only had this strange instinct to establish what kind of person I am.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Even when I was mindlessly stabbing people around here ording to the image you guys gave me¡­ I didn¡¯t have any other thoughts. I just had this strong urge to go somewhere crowded and stab everyone to death¡­¡± ¡°¡­ What about now?¡± The young Eunjung smiled faintly at Jinhee, who asked bluntly. ¡°Look at myself. You really thought of me as your friend.¡± The young Eunjung slowly walked barefoot on the blood-stained floor, and stood in front of therge mirror in the locker room before looking at herself. She examined her own reflection, wearing a dress as pure as white, from different angles. ¡°You even remember me wearing these clothes. Even the tear mole under my eye¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Come here.¡± Soon, Jinhee strode over and grabbed the girl¡¯s small hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go y together.¡± ¡°¡­Mmhm.¡± The door to the staff room opened, and Jinhee, covering the head of the young Eunjung with her coat so no one could see her, emerged from behind the doors. She carried the young Eunjung and passed by the club members who were hiding. ¡°¡­ Jinhee?¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Just as someone was about to speak, Lee Joon extended his hand and signalled, telling the person to be quiet. And so, Jinhee carried the girl on her back and walked steadily out of the Seoul Station which had turned bloody from long ago. Towards the distant entrance that was shining brightly. [Hey, it¡¯s me. A schoolgirl in a uniform will be carrying a child on her back and leaving the station soon. Since she¡¯s a victim, you can send her out right away so she can receive treatment. I¡¯ve already got her personal information.] ¡°Yes, Detective. Understood.¡± The police officers, who had surrounded the entrance to prevent anyone from entering the station, soon spotted Jinhee walking out through the ss doors of Seoul Station. And after confirming the girl being carried on her back, they immediately guided her out. ¡°It¡¯s okay. She¡¯s not hurt anywhere. We don¡¯t need an ambnce.¡± As Jinhee was climbing down the stairs while trying to dissuade the police officers who were trying to guide her to the ambnce that had been parked nearby, the coat she had draped over the young Eunjung suddenly slipped off. The citizens around whispered among themselves as they looked at the young girl on Jinhee¡¯s back. ¡°Oh my, even such a young child like that got involved.¡± ¡°How many people were injured? And another one is being carried out.¡± Citizens looked at Jinhee in her school uniform and the young Eunjung in a white dress, being carried on her back, with concern. They patted their chests in dismay, expressing their frustration and sorrow. ¡°The end of the world hase. Even some crazy person with knives and stabbing anyone to death has appeared¡­¡± ¡°Oh no, I think she¡¯s hurt somewhere. I hope she¡¯s okay¡­¡± Eunjung, who was now like a nk sheet of paper, began to take the shape of the people¡¯s sympathetic gazes. ¡°Jinhee, it hurts¡­ I¡¯m hurting¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Just hold on a little longer.¡± Her pure one-piece white dress gradually became stained with red with the wounds that have appeared, revealing old injuries. Vroooom. Jinhee¡¯s motorcycle sped along the bridge over the Han River, picking up pace. Behind her, the young Eunjung hugged her tightly with a smile, her one-piece white dress fluttering in the passing wind. Flutter, flutter. The grassy area near the neighborhood where she often yed when she was young. The young Eunjung leaped on all fours, chasing after lizards, but they always seemed to slip through her fingers. ¡°¡­ Idiot. Here, look here.¡± Jinhee, watching from a distance, quickly uncovered a nearby rock and caught a fleeing lizard. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Her partner, Eunjung approached, eyes sparkling with excitement. ¡°Grab it.¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± Unable to resist Jinhee¡¯s stubbornness, Eunjung ended up picking up the lizard with a smile. ¡°This time, don¡¯t grab the tail, but the body.¡± ¡°Mmhm.¡± Following her advice, she slowly picked up the lizard. Then the girl crouched down as she gazed at the creature with curious eyes. After watching the lizard struggling for a while, Eunjung looked up at Jinhee and smiled, as if she was done watching. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll be my friend in my next life too.¡± As she said that, her body gradually became transparent. Jinhee crouched down beside the fading Eunjung, sharing the moment with her. ¡°Where are you going?¡± The girl disappeared with a bright smile without answering. Jinhee¡¯s lips twitched several times, but in the end, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to say goodbye. Soon, the lizard that was dropped out of thin air crawled away through the grass. The grassy field where they used to y as a child. Traces of the trampled weeds remained, as if someone had once been there. Jinhee, crouching alone there, muttered softly. ¡°This is why I shouldn¡¯t y with you.¡± Jinhee muttered softly to herself, crouching there like that for a long, long time. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 106: Eleventh Ghost Story – The Forgotten Friend (19) Chapter 106: Eleventh Ghost Story ¨C The Forgotten Friend (19) [You havee across and survived a B-rank ghost story ¨C The Forgotten Friend.] [You have earned 15 Ghost Story Points.] [Your member has sessfully helped your friend find her identity and attain spirituality!] [You have earned 70 Ghost Story Points.] [You have received an additional 10% bonus points for each contributing member.] [Contributing members (7 members): Kim Eunjung, Ahn Gyeongwon, Oh Dukhun, Yoon Sunah, Lee Jinhee, In Hayoon, Jang Hwaeun] Beep- ¡ù¡ùError Error Error Error Error Error Error Error Error Error Error Error Error¡ù¡ù [Error Code: Reality Error, File name: Kim Eunjung, Message: 4444-4444] [Unable to Process Kim¡õJung File!] [There may be issues with reality, preventing reality from being disyed correctly or functioning properly. If the issues persist, your personalities may merge, or you may wander around with severed limbs.] [The system is modifying reality.] [Loading¡­] ¡°¡­What is it?¡± ¡°Mo, what¡­.¡± Our Ghost Story Club standing at the entrance of Seoul Station. At the sudden change of scenery in front of me, I was left in bewilderment. ¡°Hey, guys!¡± After dropping us off, Teacher Jang Hwaeun was unable to join us because she was parking her car. Now with the situation over, she rushed through the crowd and climbed up the stairs, out of breath. ¡°What, what is going on¡­¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know.¡± Momentster, the police officers who had gone inside Seoul Station to search came stumbling backward and walked out of the entrance. The pedestrians who had been standing around and watching also walked backward and went back the way they came from. On the road, the cars were rapidly shing their headlights and driving the wrong way in a chaotic manner. The sun, which had been setting, slowly rose again in the sky, casting a glow of sunset once more. ¡°Look over there, Joon¡­.¡± When we all looked to where Sunah was pointing, we witnessed a bizarre scene of the corpses, that had been scattered on the ground, rising to their feet as their blood, that was pooling around, being sucked into their own body. ??¨¤????§¦£Ó ¡°¡­ Let¡¯s go inside.¡± Before long, we headed back to the tform inside Seoul Station. ¡°#$^$#@!&$^%¡­¡± Iprehensible voices burst out from all directions like the frantic sound of a tape being rewound. Employees frantically stumbled backward, and the corpses arose from death, sucking the blood from their clothes into their bodies as they convulsed. And citizens in seemingly normal attire walked by, casually grabbing suitcase bags from thin air. ¡°¡­ Everyone is moving backward.¡± I tried to open the Status Window to check the time, but all that appeared was the message [Loading¡­] and nothing worked, so I reluctantly took out my phone. ¡°Hey guys, look at this.¡± [May 1st, Wednesday, 18:34] Ss¡­ [May 1st, Wednesday, 18:17] Ss¡­ [May 1st, Wednesday, 17:58] ¡°Time is turning back.¡± ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± Just like in the movie Doctor Strange I saw a few years ago, when the main character turned back time, the blood that had sttered on the floor was sucked back into the people¡¯s bodies and their severed limbs were attached back together in thin air. The objects on the floor that were scattered in a mess slowly rolled away in various directions and returned to their owners¡¯ arms. [The small-scale reality adjustment has beenpleted.] [Causality Rate is being loaded.] [Causality Rate: 14%] Ding. [Causality Rate: 15%] Ding. [Causality Rate: 16%] Ding. [Causality Rate: 17%] ¡°Hey, guys! The crowd ising back! Get out of here!¡± In the distance, the crowd of people who had fled came rushing back in a chaotic retreat through the distance. The Teacher and Detective quickly pushed us against the wall so that we wouldn¡¯t get crushed by the people driving in the opposite direction. Rumble, rumble. Paat- [Contributing members (6 members): Ahn Gyeongwon, Oh Dukhun, Yoon Sunah, Lee Jinhee, In Hayoon, Jang Hwaeun] [You will receive an additional 60% bonus point on the total earned points, 51 points.] [Current Ghost Story Points: 66+85+51] Ping? [Current Ghost Story Points: 202] Rumble. Soon, the citizens began to move again as if nothing had happened. ¡°Where are you? I told you to hurry¡­ The train is almost leaving.¡± ¡°Honey, should we have dinner here before going?¡± Buying train tickets,ughing together with family members, waiting for their loved ones. The cleaningdy passing by with a broom nced at us, who were standing nkly in the corner at the bottom of the esctor, before walking past. All the traces left by Ghost Story Kim Eunjung had disappeared from this world. ¡°Huu.¡± The Detective patted his chest. ¡°I have no idea what just happened, but it looks like things have wrapped up well.¡± ¡°¡­Let¡¯s call Jinhee.¡± I hurriedly called Jinhee, but she only said in a hoarse voice that she was tired and would go home first. ¡°Okay. You¡¯ve worked hard. Everything here seems to have been treated as if it never happened, and all the people who copsed are back on their feet, going about their business. It seems to have been resolved well.¡± [Good to know.] ¡°We¡¯ll take a look and then disperse. Go home and get some rest. You¡¯ve really worked hard this time.¡± [You too.] Beep~ Amid the bustling crowd of people moving in and out of Seoul Station in a hurry. Our Ghost Story Club, with five students and two adults, stood awkwardly, ncing around. In the end, the Detective coughed and spoke up. ¡°¡­ So. Have you all had lunch?¡± Inside the food court on the third floor of Seoul Station. We each ordered pork cutlet, cold noodles, and sundae soup, picking at our food with chopsticks. ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re the club¡¯s supervising teacher? These kids only call me when they need something, so I didn¡¯t realize until now.¡± ¡°I agree. They really do whatever they want without us adults, haha.¡± The two adults from the club were chatting while eating food- However, we have just witnessed a murder scene where limbs were severed and turned into several pieces, so we had no appetite and were absentmindedly picking at our food. Dukhun was the only one who was enthusiastically finishing his te, ordering for another. ¡°¡­He has a good appetite.¡± He really has a big stomach. Soon, Gyeongwon, who was sitting next to me, slowly opened his mouth among us, the students who looked exhausted. ¡°Prez. I had been wondering about what just happened.¡± ¡°Yeah. I was curious too. If you figured out anything, could you exin it to me?¡± ¡°About the ghost story about a friend that no one remembers¡­ There are many variations, but what I mentioned to you before is more likely correct.¡± I clearly remember, it was about a friend whom I used to y with as a child but the people around me couldn¡¯t remember. A ghost story, where even when I searched through old traces to show evidence, that friend was mysteriously absent, almost like a ghost. When it materialized and appeared in reality, it wandered around with the characteristics of memory maniption and reality alteration, fitting the concept. ¡°By getting rid of that, the realities that the ghost story had manipted were allpletely reset¡­¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s amazing that we¡¯re the only ones who know about it.¡± ¡°Well, as the Prez said before, it¡¯s because we were already aware of that.¡± I gestured for Gyeongwon to stop, indicating that he didn¡¯t need to borate on the finer details. It was already over. The important thing is what information we could infer from here regarding the resolution of the next incident. ¡°So what I mean is.¡± Nowpletely uninterested in the food, Gyeongwon put down his chopsticks and adjusted his sses. In an instant, Dukhun¡¯s fork flew in and stole Gyeongwon¡¯s pork cutlet. ¡°You remember that 200 won ghost story I told you about yesterday?¡± ¡°¡­About yesterday.¡± Because of the incident that happened so chaotically, I thought it had been a few weeks. ¡°You mean the story about how there were 200 won coins when you were a kid?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a story. There are more than a few people in Korea who have seen it.¡± Gyeongwon pushed his sses again. ¡°From what I could infer, I think that too¡­ might also be a trace of some kind of reality maniption, just like what just happened a moment ago, Prez.¡± ¡°Reality maniption¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Huuu.¡± Dukhun¡¯s fork flew in again. Gyeongwon, seemingly annoyed, pushed the te toward him and continued his exnation. ¡°No matter how much I think about it, I don¡¯t think such absurd information could have spread to the citizens. There are more than a few people who remember it. Both I and Jinhee were definitely aware of it.¡± But I didn¡¯t remember. Even so, for now, I decided to listen to his exnation in silence. ¡°After witnessing reality being manipted and altered right before my eyes, I became convinced. This kind of reality alteration likely isn¡¯t the first time it¡¯s happened.¡± ¡°¡­ I agree with that.¡± I had sensed it from the game that Clover Corporation released ten years ago, as well as from the teachers¡¯ familiarity with the existence of ghost stories. The history of ghost stories may be much older than we thought. Then, the reality maniption that just happened right before our eyes may have happened several times before¡­ ¡°I think the memories of people like me regarding the 200 won coin are probably evidence of that.¡± ¡°¡­ Evidence of reality maniption?¡± ¡°Yeah. I can¡¯t specify the exact connections, but¡­¡± Gyeongwon shook his head as if he was a little unsure of his own hypothesis. ¡°Listen. While her friends may have forgotten, the Kim Eunjung that Jinhee remembered was a real person. She wasn¡¯t just an illusion.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s right.¡± The reason Jinhee¡¯s friends couldn¡¯t remember Kim Eunjung. Thinking back now, it wasn¡¯t that strange. Eunjung had only yed with the group of bullies in her ss a few times back in elementary school. And that was also because Eunjung volunteered to go along with the group, so Jinhee¡¯s friends, who were naturally indifferent, couldn¡¯t help but forget. Ultimately, even the memorable incidents with the lizard or the rabbit were just farce orchestrated by the guidance counselor. ¡°See. In the end, it was Jinhee¡¯s friends who remembered it wrong, right?¡± ¡°¡­ Right.¡± ¡°It was something trivial, something you could never possibly be mistaken about.¡± Gyeongwon took off his sses and slowly wiped them. ¡°That¡¯s why I believe the 200 won coin really existed originally. It¡¯s actually other people who forgot it. And I am right.¡± ¡°¡­ You seem surprisingly quite confident, unlike your usual self who can¡¯t think straight whenever a strange phenomenon urs.¡± With such a realistic personality, I thought he would naturally dismiss it as just a misunderstanding influenced by the social atmosphere and pass it off as his own mistake. However, Gyeongwon, who was blowing on his sses, replied nonchntly, as if it were nothing unusual. ¡°You guys might see the existence of the 200 won coin as a ghost story, but for me, the absence of the 200 won coin feels more like a ghost story.¡± So it¡¯s the opposite. For him, that side is reality- ¡°Why aren¡¯t you kids eating?¡± At that moment, Teacher Jang Hwaeun suddenly stood up and snatched Sunah¡¯s shrimp tempura from two seats away with her chopsticks. Sunah just stared nkly with a tired expression. ¡°You have to eat a lot during your growth period!¡± Standing up again, the Teacher chewed with her mouth full as she dipped Hayoon¡¯s croquette before stuffing it in her mouth. ¡°Hohoho.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Great job today. Everyone, be careful on the way home.¡± ¡°Yes, Detective. See you next time.¡± As we were about to part ways after getting into the Teacher¡¯s car, the Detective suddenly ced his hand on my shoulder and quietly asked me. ¡°Joon.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Why do you think I¡¯m helping you?¡± The Detective asked in a deep, low voice. He exuded an uneasy aura from his demeanor, making it impossible to let my guard down. He had been a bit more rxed around the students, but I could tell from our first meeting that this man was different. He was no ordinary detective. ¡°¡­ I know you¡¯re not an ordinary detective.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Detective Bak Gangwoon nodded in affirmation. In my previous life, he was called in during the incident of the 300-people head explosion at Nakseong Highschool. And strangely, he navigated the investigation without being bound by the investigative system, yet when necessary, he called in police for backup. There was something strange about him that made him seem like a simple police investigator but at the same time, mysterious. ¡°I¡¯ll visit you sometime soon.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°To discuss some important matter.¡± I nodded in understanding. ¡°¡­I understand.¡± I owe this person a great debt, having received help from him today and on many other times. If there was something I could assist him with, I would do it. ¡°Okay. You must be tired, so go ahead.¡± The Detective said as he looked at the members looking at us from the car. ¡°Get in quickly~¡± ¡°Go now.¡± After wrapping up my conversation with the Detective, I got into the car. ¡°What did you talk about?¡± ¡°¡­.Well. The Detective said he¡¯d like toe see me next time for something important.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The Teacher nced back and started to pull the car out. ¡°What about Hayoon?¡± Suddenly, I remembered Hayoon and looked out the window. Hayoon was standing in the distance at Seoul Station, gazing at us. ¡°She said her brother ising to pick her up in his car.¡± ¡°¡­ I never knew she had a brother.¡± We waved our hands through the window and said goodbye to Hayoon and the Detective before heading back toward ShinLim Station. As if he had never been so aggressive, the Detective turned back to his usual imposing self and waved us off. ¡°The view is nice.¡± ¡°It¡¯s pretty¡­¡± The Han River Bridge, which we hadn¡¯t had the chance to appreciate because we were rushing over earlier. The waters of the Han River, flowing peacefully on both sides, sparkled golden, reflected by the setting sun. ¡ó??¡ó?¡ó???¡ó?????¡ó?¡ó¡ó¡ó? Chapter 107: Interlude – ? Wednesday Evening Meeting of Dogma of Void ? Thank you Justin for the Ko All locked chapters will be unlocked along with four new extra chapters!!?? ¡°With the advancement of science and technology today, many things have been possible to be revealed. Including the fact that this world is nothing but an endless void.¡± Inside a dark, dimly lit auditorium in arge building disguised as a cultural centre. On the high stage of that strange ce, where hundreds of teachers, naked from head to toe, were sitting as the audience, the Vice Principal of Nakseong High School raised her shrill voice and shouted into the microphone with bloodshot eyes. ¡°Among the elements that make up matter, except for the atomic nucleus and electrons, it is said that 99.999% of everything we see is empty space. The universe is made of ¡¯emptiness,¡¯ and this means that reality is a kind of illusion created by our eyes. This is a fact that has been clearly proven by advanced science and technology.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± A few science teachers from different schools nodded their heads, their bodies bare of any clothes and eyes filled with tears. ¡°In such apletely empty reality, people have been living being entangled in illusions. Looking closely, it is revealed that they have been living obsessed with vain things, clinging to something that is nothing but a hollow, empty illusion.¡± ¡°Absolutely right¡­¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Faculty members from all kinds of schools nodded their heads in understanding and admiration. The banner above the podium slowly swayed before everyone¡¯s eyes. [? Wednesday Evening Meeting of Dogma of Void ?] ¡°As you have experienced, the attitude of recognizing this empty reality helps us realize many things. Only 0.0001% of what we see is real. The rest is entirely made up of human illusion. And we havee to realize that through thorough research.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± ¡°Soon, a higher-level dimension will be opened. To fill the 99.999% empty space, the ¡®God¡¯ we have longed for will awaken, and at that moment, reality will bepletely transformed. When the essence of God fills the empty void, this reality will merge with an astral world that is even higher than our mortal illusion. The dream space, where our thoughts are directly reflected in reality, will descend upon thisnd of Earth.¡± The Vice Principal suddenly screamed out, veins bulging in her bare neck. ¡°So what is there for us to do in that regard? We must empty ourselves! Empty what? Our minds. We must empty our minds. A time will appear when everything inside us will be revealed. Will we still cling to our old desires at that time? When that timees, everything will be exposed. The absurd fantasies and the shameful thoughts we have been harboring in our hearts, they will all manifest in reality. That¡¯s why we should empty ourselves, we must empty ourselves. Morality, values, right and wrong¡ªlet go of them all. That is why we sit here, without even a thread of clothing,pletely bare. To wee the ¡®God of Imagination¡¯ who will descend upon this earth.¡± After the Vice Principal, who had delivered an impassioned speech, stepped down from the podium to a round of apuse, the host, a clean-cut handsome young man, stepped forward to continue with the next part of the program. Needless to say, he waspletely bare without a thread on his body. ¡°Please give a big round of apuse to Lady Jang Yeok, who has delivered the speech and once again guided us with her words.¡± p, p, p. ¡°Next, I will present the news that the Supreme Lord has given us.¡± Hundreds of adults, bare from any clothes, straightened their postures in the quiet atmosphere. The host conveyed the news into the microphone in a clear voice. ¡°About two hours ago, it has been confirmed that the students of the ¡®Ghost Story Club¡¯, which you are all well aware of, gathered at Seoul Station before dispersing.¡± Murmur, murmur. ¡°The reason has not been revealed yet and the investigation is still ongoing, but it has been confirmed that they came in contact with Detective Bak Gangwoon of Seoul Special Investigation Division again. Regarding this, the Supreme Lord has given instructions to reduce the number of general teachers at Nakseong High School and fill more of the positions with our believers.¡± ¡°Those children even have the courage to bring in detectives¡­¡± ¡°What is their n¡­¡± Some teachers at Nakseong High School, who were familiar with the students mentioned, muttered among themselves. ¡°Therefore, the school intends to prioritize assigning teachers who have previous connections with the club¡¯s students to Nakseong High School. Those involved, please raise your hand if you are interested.¡± Soon, a beam projector shone on the podium, and a PPT (PowerPoint Presentation) with profiles of the Ghost Story Club students was projected onto the screen. Lee Joon: South Seoul Elementary School ¨C Southern River Middle School ¨C Nakseong High School, (2009 ¨C 2011 Hwashin Taekwondo Club, 2014 Newton Math Academy, 2015 South English Academy) [T/N: In the original text it was ¡°Namgang Middle School¡± (??? ?? ), Nam (??) refering to Namgang River which is located in the southern part of the country. Namgang means ¡®Southern River¡¯.] Yoon Sunah: ShinLim Elementary School ¨C Three Stars Middle School ¨C Nakseong High School, (No Private Institute) [T/N: The original text had Samsung Middle School (?????). Who knew Samsung (??) means ¡°three stars¡±?] Lee Jinhee: Undang Elementary School ¨C Miseong Middle School ¨C Nakseong High School, (2010 ¨C 2012 Martial Arts Academy) Ahn Gyeongwon: ¡­¡­ Someone suddenly raised their hand. ¡°Please speak.¡± ¡°Yoon Sunah from Three Stars Middle School. I was her science teacher in 2nd grade.¡± ¡°How was your rtionship with her?¡± ¡°I have barely talked with her before.¡± Then someone else raised their hand. ¡°Lee Joon from South Seoul Elementary School. I was his homeroom teacher in 6th grade.¡± ¡°What kind of rtionship do you have with him?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have much of a rtionship.¡± The neat-looking host, as if uninterested, nced around at the other believers. ¡°Anyone else? Someone who had a close rtionship with¡ª¡± Then a woman quietly raised her hand. ¡°Please speak.¡± ¡°Lee Jinhee from Undang Elementary School. I was her guidance counselor.¡± The woman¡¯s soft voice echoed through the auditorium. ¡°How was your rtionship with her?¡± ¡°She was one of the students I was in charge of counseling for the entire three years, from the time they transferred until graduation.¡± Teacher Ryu Jinah, the slender teacher sat straight with nothing on her body. A few bachelor teachers nced at her curiously. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± The host nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Are there any other participants? Since the numbers are insufficient, students from the Student Council may also volunteer.¡± Then, a few people raised their hands and started mentioning the connections they knew. *** [2019, May 1st | Wednesday, 23:56 PM] [Lee Joon: Number of Attempts ¨C 2] [Ghost Story Points: 202] [Causality Rate: 17%] ¡°Oh my God, my body¡­¡± Sitting on my bed in my pyjamas, I patted my aching waist. Because of all the running I did here and there frantically today, my whole body ached. I felt so exhausted, as if I could fall asleep in a second if I just closed my eyes andy down on my pillow. Perhaps the members were also exhausted and went to bed early, because even after such an overwhelming event, the KakaoTalk group chat waspletely quiet. KakaoTalk?? [Oh Dukhun: Did everyone fall asleep already?] Except for Dukhun. ¡®It¡¯s troublesome, I¡¯ll reply tomorrow.¡¯ I swiftly tossed my phone on the bedside table and turned on my Status Window. ¡®Status Window.¡¯ Paat- ¡¶STATUS WINDOW Name: Lee Joon Age: 17 Title: Main Character Disposition: Two-faced Special Ability: 1. Lip Reading [B-rank] 2. Life Design [C-rank] 3. -None- Quirk: Last Second Cramming¡· There were a few new problems that arose today which I need to ponder on. Such as Jinhee¡¯s situation or the Detective¡¯s line of investigation. However, I was too exhausted to fry my brain on them, so I decided to leave them for now and think about themter when I was feeling refreshed. Now was the time for my rest after a long exhausting day. I decided to rx and change my mood by spending the hundred or so points I acquired. ¡®Actually, I¡¯ve already decided where to spend them.¡¯ First of all, I nned to invest in acquiring new abilities, of course. The System allows me to carry three Special Abilities. Currently, I only had two, so if I invested the points to fill up one more slot of the three abilities, it might serve as a little insurance for this difficult school life. Needless to say, this was my own decision without consulting the other club members, but I¡¯ve already made up my mind to do it this way. Why bother exining every little thing to them. ¡®It¡¯s mine anyway.¡¯ Last time, out of guilt for the members who had a hard time solving the ghost stories, I gave them 1 million won each. But back then, the fact that I had exactly 600 points to divide made a big difference. However, this time, the points I earned from solving the B-rank ghost story were only a mere 136 points. ¡®Divide this into 6 and stick it on their noses.¡¯ [T/N: The ng ¡°stick it on someone¡¯s nose¡± is not amon or standard ng but rather a colloquial or humorous way of saying something is too little to matter when shared. It conveys a sense of giving something to someone in a way that is either useless or unimportant to them.] Of course, if I solve an A-rank ghost story and earn a few hundred points in the future, then I n to distribute them to the club members as well. If I were to settle all these small points by solving ghost stories and even distribute the points among the members, I wouldn¡¯t be able to focus on my own growth, which was very important. ¡®Points are counted in units of 100.¡¯ I promised them 4 billion won after graduation anyway. Since there was no one this time bringing up the idea of dividing it, I¡¯m going to swallow it all up by myself. ¡®Whoever gets upset, just be the President~¡¯ It wasn¡¯t as if I was using it for personal gain. From a broader perspective, isn¡¯t it ultimately beneficial for the club if I gain one more ability here? Even though it was an ability, I would not use it selfishly just to satisfy my own greed. In the end, I was going to use it to solve cases. Do you agree that it¡¯s beneficial for you guys too? Oh yes, I agree~ ¡°Agree?¡± Oh, totally~ ¡°Thanks for saying that, everyone. Really, there¡¯s no one else but you guys who understand me. Now, let¡¯s all check together to see what kind of ability I can get!¡± I¡¯m looking forward to it, Prez! I hope you get a good ability! ¡°Thank you, Gyeongwon! Let¡¯s get one of those crazy abilities!¡± Oi oi, hurry up and press the button, what are you waiting for! ¡°You¡¯re excited too, haha. Just wait!¡± Joon¡­! Are you, by any chance, a God or something¡­? ¡°Sunah, you idiot! Where did you learn such sarcastic words!¡± I giggled foolishly to myself on the bed at the thought that I had gained a new superpower, then slowly gathered myposure and pressed the Status Window. [The third ability slot is currently empty. You can unlock it by spending 100 points.] [Unlock Ability (100) / Go back] ¡°Yeah! Of course I¡¯m going to unlock the ability!¡± While I wasughing and cheering to myself alone, my Mom shouted from the master bedroom. ¡°Joon! Stop talking to yourself and go to sleep!¡± Ahem. Click. [You may spend 100 Ghost Story Points to unlock the third ability.] Soon, a 16-bit cheerful melody began to ring out just like thest few times. Several words began to sh by the empty third slot. ? Tada Tan Dada Tan~? [¡­Reading ¨C Identity Forgery ¨C Night Journey ¨C Joint Regression ¨C Fa¡­] Swish¡ª [¡­gery ¨C Night Journey ¨C Joint Regression ¨C Fast Walking ¨C Bana¡­] Swish- ¡°Hoo¡­ Hooo¡­ Hooo.¡± As I was watching with my hands sped in excitement, and mumbling to myself alone, the spinning finally stopped. ? Diiiing!!!!? [¡­king ¨C Banality Manifestation ¨C Identity Forgery ¨C Night Journey ¨C Joint¡­] [You have obtained the Special Ability: Banality Manifestation] ¡¶Banality Manifestation Rank: A-rank Trigger Condition: Passive Ability: This ability can be activated when encountering a ghost story. Reality will continue to flow in a mishmash of clich¨¦s until the situation is resolved.¡· [T/N: Banality Manifestation, previously called as Clich¨¦ Manifestation. Let me know if it¡¯s confusing and should I change it to clich¨¦ or not.] ¡°Oh, an A-rank Special Ability!¡± It seemed like I¡¯ve gotten quite a good ability for the first time in a while! Soon, messages after that started to pop up one after another in front of me. [All three special ability slots have been obtained.] [The abilities you acquire in the future will be stored in the System.] [The stored abilities can be changed and equipped at any time in the clubroom.] ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Just like in RPG games where you can store and equip various items needed for ying while walking around, abilities I would be acquiring in the future could also be stored and equipped in the clubroom. ¡®The cluboom seems like a forward base or headquarters.¡¯ The Shop where I can exchange points for items and buy things was also based in the clubroom. Moreover, the clubroom was also the starting point where not only purchased items pop out, but now I can store equipped abilities as well. Up until now, the clubroom has simply been a space where we could physically gather together to think of various strategies needed for solving ghost stories, but as we progress further, the existence of the clubroom may be more important than expected. ¡®That aside, that Banality Manifestation ability.¡¯ I wonder what that means. I immediately turned on my phone and searched for the word. Banality (Clich¨¦) [Noun] A word that refers to a cliche or stereotypical way of thinking or doing things. ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s what it means.¡± It seemed more like a word I¡¯ve heard often in movies than in everyday life. I think I have used the phrase ¡°clich¨¦ plot¡± while watching a movie for the first time. That was because the plot had repeated scenes or storyline that I¡¯ve seen in other works. ¡°¡­ So what kind of ability is it?¡± Even after checking the meaning of the word and reading the description of the ability again, I still couldn¡¯t understand exactly how it would be activated or work. ¡®Another unpredictable ability.¡¯ Since it would be activated only when I encounter a ghost story, it was impossible to check or know what kind of ability it was in advance. I shook my head and decided to move on. ¡®The next ce where I¡¯m going to spend the remaining 100 points is, of course, the Ghost Story Acquisition Skill.¡¯ It was not something obvious, but truth to be told, there really was nowhere else to spend them. At first, I was worried, wondering why I should invest in Ghost Story Acquisition Skill when ghost stories were already woven one after another even if I just sat still without doing anything. Although that was what I wondered at first. But then I flipped my thinking around, and the answer became clear right away. ¡®Why does the System grant this ability to the club members when ghost stories are overflowing even without doing anything?¡¯ Then, the reason for the existence of the Ghost Story Acquisition Skill became clear in my eyes. ¡®Farming.¡¯ Of course, the difficulty wasn¡¯t necessarily easier just because we collected them through this ability. I was trapped in the game because of the Legend of Herobrine and the Minecraft ghost stories which were collected by the System in the first ce. But at the interference of the Demon King, the stories were intertwined and twisted in a strange way, almost killing me. ¡®But even so, they are still better than the ghost stories the Demon King throws at me.¡¯ It was only the matter of whether we are prepared to face the challenges in advance or not. Whether it¡¯s the Demon King or anyone else, with ghost stories being sent from the outside, by the time I snap out of it, the incident has already begun. But inparison, what about the ghost stories collected by the club members through Ghost Story Acquisition Skill? From the very beginning, we could learn the name of the ghost story, what it was about and even its danger level. ¡®At the very least, it even gives the approximate timing when the incident will ur within a day of being collected.¡¯ In a battle where understanding the structure of the story is key, knowing the name of the ghost story and being able to prepare in advance is truly an enormous advantage. In that sense, the purpose of the Ghost Story Acquisition Skill is ¡®farming¡¯. Well, there was a time when we had afortable life, when no paranormal events were happening, and we had an easy time. Now that the Demon King has realized our attitude has changed, even if we refrain from doing anything, the strange phenomena would continue to unfold nevertheless. ¡®The fight has already started.¡¯ Then, raising the level of Ghost Story Acquisition Skill to quickly farm points seemed to be the best strategy we could pursue right now. Thinking about all this made me sleepy, so I decided to just go to sleep. ¡®To increase the level of Ghost Story Acquisition Skill, I need to level up the club. But it doesn¡¯t feel right to do it at home. I guess I¡¯ll just have to do it tomorrow in the clubroom at school.¡¯ I was getting incredibly sleepy, so it was getting a bother¡­ Just as I was about to close my eyes, I suddenly felt a little sorry for Dukhun, who was left on ¡®read¡¯ in the group chat, so I opened my phone and replied to him. [Lee Joon: I¡¯m going to sleep now. Everyone worked hard today. See you at school.] And as soon as I closed my eyes, the sleepiness quickly overtook me. I was pulled into dreand in an instant. ¡°Zzz¡­¡± KakaoTalk~ [Oh Dukhun: [Attached Photo]] Chapter 108: The Twelfth Ghost Story – Horror Movie Cliches (1) [2019, May 2nd | Thursday, 07:48 AM] [Lee Joon: Number of Attempt ¨C 2] [Ghost Story Points: 102] [Causality Rate: 17%] The next day, as soon as I arrived at school, I fell face down on the desk to sleep. When Dukhun arrived, he began poking on my shoulder after putting down his bag and sitting down. ¡°President.¡± ¡°Oh, uhm. Good morning to you too¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re always sleeping.¡± ¡°Just¡­ You know.¡± I raised my head, feeling a bit annoyed. ¡°I¡¯m trying to spend as much time sleeping as possible at school. I¡¯m in my 4th year of high school after all.¡± [T/N: Lee Joon is referring to his previous life. He was a high school graduate but now he¡¯s in his freshman year. Korean high schools consist of 3 years, so he¡¯s adding the time spent in his past life to the current one. In other words, he¡¯s being sarcastic.] I was at a time when just sitting in the ssroom with my eyes open was enough to give me a nervous breakdown. ¡°Which means you haven¡¯t checked the KakaoTalk messages I sent.¡± ¡°KakaoTalk messages?¡± I absentmindedly opened my KakaoTalk message window while lying face down on the desk, and there I found that he had sent a picture the night before. [How to know if your house is haunted.jpg] ¡°If you follow these instructions, you can check if your house is haunted by a ghost or not.¡± ¡°I will try it and it turns out to be spiritmunication just likest time with the Corner Game~ And then a ghost would pop out.¡± ¡°No, no, it¡¯s a way to confirm if your house is already haunted or not, so it¡¯s different. It doesn¡¯t bring in any ghosts.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± I skimmed through its contents and found out that it was a list of instructions telling me to close my eyes and imagine something. Lying down, I was reading it half-heartedly when I heard the sound of Sunah and Jinheeing in through the back door. I turned my head to greet them. Sunah waved her hand with a shy smile, while Jinhee nodded her chin with an expression that said she doesn¡¯t want to be bothered. ¡®Jinhee, I hope she¡¯s okay.¡¯ We still don¡¯t know exactly what happened after Jinhee carried the ghost story Kim Eunjung out of Seoul Station yesterday. ¡®Even when I asked, she just said she sent her off after calmly persuading her¡­.¡¯ But how did she persuade a ghost story? I was curious about the method, but in the end, the ghost was exorcised, we all returned to reality safely, and everything was resolved, so it was fine. I decided not to bother her with any more questions. ¡®Still, I should probably ask herter if she¡¯s okay, just to check on her mood.¡¯ ¡°How is it? How is it?¡± Dukhun was still pestering me from the side. ¡°Did you see any ghosts?¡± ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t even finished reading it yet.¡± Gyeongwon wasn¡¯t chasing me around calling ¡®President, President,¡¯ but now it seems Dukhun has taken his ce in pestering me instead. Soon after, the homeroom teacher entered the ssroom to start the morning assembly, and I stuffed my phone into my pocket. ¡°I¡¯ll try itter when I¡¯m alone.¡± Dukhun showed a regretful look. After the homeroom teacher said what he wanted to say, he left the ssroom, and I immediately went back to sleep. * * * ¡°Joon, let¡¯s go have lunch¡­.¡± When I came to my senses, it was already lunchtime. I looked around the ssroom with sleepy eyes, it was empty, everyone must have already gone to have lunch. In front of me was only Sunah, who was fidgeting restlessly. ¡°Huuaam~ Thank you, Sunaah¡­ You¡¯re the only one who takes care of me.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go quickly¡­¡± * * * ¡°So how can it not be a horror game just because it has erotic elements! You¡¯re definitely the one who¡¯s absolutely mistaken, you piece of shit!¡± ¡°Haha, Oh Dukhun, you¡¯re saying that because you¡¯re too obsessed with that culture. The essence of that game is essentially an adult game, but the developers added horror elements to sell it. That makes it an entirely different genre.¡± As Sunah and I carried our trays, we found Dukhun, who stood out because of his size, and moved toward him. Perhaps because we werete, everyone was already gathered except for us. Gyeongwon and Dukhun were having a heated discussion about ¡®otaku¡¯ knowledge. And next to them, Jinhee was frowning, and Hayoon was picking at her food with a nk expression. ¡°So, if you¡¯re dating a ghost, it should be ssified as a romance genre. Just because a ghost appears, it doesn¡¯t make it a horror¡ª¡± ¡°Ah, f*ck. Shut up!¡± In the end, when Jinhee shouted at them to shut up, the two of them flinched. Sunah and I put down our tes next to each other and greeted them. ¡°Hey, guys.¡± ¡°Prez, you¡¯re finally here.¡± Gyeongwon turned around and greeted us. ¡°You were sleeping so soundly that I didn¡¯t dare to wake you up and just came.¡± ¡°Okay. Thank you for caring.¡± Still, I have a small wish that next time when I¡¯m sleeping, they would wake me up and take me along. ¡°Hehe¡­.¡± Whether he knew my inner wish or not, Gyeongwon just pushed up his sses and gave a mischievous smile. ¡°So, did everyone get home safely yesterday?¡± ¡°Yup, we did.¡± Dukhun answered nonchntly. The others just mumbled incoherently and continued with their lunch. ¡°Deep-fried flounder. For something like this, you should wait until the serving is over and then get another serving of the leftovers.¡± ¡°You camete¡­ lunch time will be over soon.¡± Jinhee grumbled. For some reason, Jinhee responded to what I said, so I became a little excited. ¡°Wow~ The white flesh is really delicious!¡± ¡°Uhm.¡± The members responded indifferently. Fine. I¡¯ll eat quietly. Just as things were about to get a little awkward, fortunately, Gyeongwon pushed up his sses and filled the empty silence. ¡°When fried food is served in the school¡¯s cafeteria, it looks like they put a lot of effort into it, but surprisingly, it¡¯s actually the dish that takes the least amount of cooking time. It¡¯s the easiest to make.¡± ¡°Really? How wonderful it would have been if we just had fried food all the time. It¡¯s delicious and easy to make. But then, why¡­¡± ¡°Haha, that¡¯s right.¡± h, h, h. * * * [2019, May 2nd | Thursday, 12:39 PM] [Lee Joon: Number of Attempt ¨C 2] [Ghost Story Points: 102] [Causality Rate: 17%] After azy lunch, in the clubroom. Jinhee was lying on the sofa, Dukhun was wearing earphones, Hayoon returned after brushing her teeth, and Sunah was sitting on her usual spot and staring nkly ahead. Our usual Ghost Story Club. One thing that¡¯s different was that Gyeongwon was diligently searching for materials and information with hisptop open. This guy was looking for information on the MineCraft game, which was released by the Clover Corporation, and rted incidents for tomorrow¡¯s CA session. He was also gathering materials on the suspicious religious organization, whose members have infiltrated the school, mingling among the faculty members, and relevant sources about the Kim Eunjung incident. I gave him a special order to give us a presentation about those two things. ¡®He¡¯s surprisingly doing well.¡¯ I yawned while watching him working. Since there was nothing else to do, I decided to try what Dukhun had told me about in the morning. ¡°Sunah.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Sunah, who had been sitting quietly and looking quite bored, leaned over to me with a curious expression. ¡°The thing Dukhun sent in the group chat. Do you want to try it now?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sunah nodded without hesitation. I put the picture with the instructions written on it full screen and ced my phone between Sunah and me. Let¡¯s read it together again carefully. [How to know if your house is haunted.jpg] 1. First, imagine the structure of your house in detail in your mind, without any people. You need to focus on vividly visualizing where everything is, down to every corner of the house, until the image is clear. (However, all doors that lead outside, such as balcony windows or room windows, should be imagined as closed.) The doors inside the house could be imagined as open. (Ex: the bedroom door) Have you visualized your house properly? 2. Then, imagine yourself standing in front of the front door of your house. 3. Open the door and go in. 4. Start from the living room and look around slowly. 5. Go to your bedroom and look around. 6. Is everything just as usual? If so, now try looking around the other rooms as well. 7. The bathroom, master bedroom, and balcony. 8. If there is a room with a closed door, be sure to knock before opening it. 9. If youe across a person or strange shape while closing your eyes and mentally surveying the entire house you have drawn in your mind, that is the ghost residing in your house. (People naturally possess a sense of spirituality, and unconsciously, they can feel the presence of ghosts. However, in daily life, they don¡¯t realize it. It¡¯s only when they take the time to recall and imagine the scene in their minds that they remember the ghostly figures they may have ignored before. Scary, right?) ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± Sunah and I read it carefully again and memorized the instructions in order in our heads. ¡®So the key is to imagine your own house and look around.¡¯ ¡°Have you memorized?¡± ¡°Mm¡­.¡± Sunah nodded her head. It was not a difficult concept to not understand. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s do it then.¡± Sunah leaned back against her chair and closed her eyes in an understanding manner. I, too, closed my eyes and slowly began to visualize the structure of my house in my mind. (Lee Joon¡¯s home) There are three rooms in our apartment. My room, the master bedroom (my parents¡¯ room), and my Dad¡¯s study. There are two bathrooms: one in the living room and one in my parents¡¯ room. And the balconies and kitchens were connected to each other. I slowly imagined the location of each room in my mind. Entering through the front door, the closest one was my room on the left. On the right was the living room, and at the far end in front was the bathroom. ¡®From there, it extends to my parents¡¯ room, my Dad¡¯s study, the balcony, and so on.¡¯ After imagining the general structure of the apartment, I then pictured myself standing in front of the front door this time. ¡®So from here on, I just need to imagine looking around the house, right?¡¯ * * * Apartment hallway. In front of me was the cold metal front door and door lock. I quietly peered inside the house through the peephole of the front door in my imagination, but nothing particrly suspicious caught my eyes. ¡®Let¡¯s go in.¡¯ In my imagination, I turned the doorknob, stepped inside, and stood in front of the shoe rack before taking off my shoes. I slowly looked around the living room, but nothing in particr stood out. Sunlight streaming through the balcony poured over the living room. The sofa, the TV, and a few potted nts that my parents nted. ¡®My room.¡¯ I first went into my room, which was to the left of the entrance. There was the bed, the desk, and theputer. A bookshelf hanging on the wall. ¡®There¡¯s nothing here.¡¯ I quickly scanned the room, then stepped back into the hallway. This time, I headed toward the bathroom. The door was closed. Knock. Knock. I knocked quietly as instructed, but there was no response. Creak- I opened the door and stepped in, only to find a pitch-ck bathroom. So I turned on the light and looked around, but it was empty. ¡®Why was it closed?¡¯ It was somewhat unsettling. This time, I headed toward Dad¡¯s study on the left. The big room has a dresser, a closet, and various other things. Although I call this my Dad¡¯s study, it essentially belongs to my Mom. Creak- I pushed open the half-closed door and stepped inside, but once again, there was nothing. There were only books crammed into the bookshelf, Dad¡¯sptop, and notebooks scattered here and there. ¡®Should I go check the balcony?¡¯ Therge window in this room was connected to the balcony. I easily leaped over the belly-height window andnded on the balcony. I looked around, but it was still empty. Then I went out to the kitchen and headed toward the living room, and this time, I looked around at the opposite balcony. My eyes suddenlynded at the washing machine at the end of the balcony. ¡®That fake Mom¡¯s ghost used to hide there and jump out to scare me.¡¯ Snickering, I approached the washing machine and found that the lid was open. I looked inside, but it was empty as expected. I suddenly thought about the window and turned around to see that the curtains were drawn. This long balcony was connected to the living room on one side and the window of my parents¡¯ room on the other. However, when I looked at my parents¡¯ room window from the balcony, the curtains were drawn, so I couldn¡¯t see the inside. I struggled to force it open, but it wouldn¡¯t budge, likely because it was locked from the inside. I tilted my head in confusion, then circled back through the living room and headed toward the door of my parents¡¯ room. I stood in front of the closed door. This was the only ce I haven¡¯t checked inside the house yet. Knock. Knock. There was no response. Just as I was about to open the door and step inside. Click- It was locked. Click. Click. I struggled to open the door, but it wouldn¡¯t budge. The moment I gave up and turned around. Creak. The door of the room opened behind me. I looked back again. Just like I saw from the balcony, the curtains were drawn, so it was a little dark inside my parents¡¯ room. Arge bed, a closet, and a dressing table. At first nce, it looked the same as usual, except that it was a bit darker with the curtains drawn. But for some reason, there was an inexplicable sense of oppression emanating from the room. Except for that, everything was as usual. Even though it was inside the apartment, for some reason, when I¡¯m alone, I tend to avoid sneaking in there. Perhaps because it was a ce I don¡¯t go often, or perhaps it was because of the psychological effects due to my parents¡¯ upbringing. In contrast to my room, which felt cozy andfortable, there was a strange kind of psychological feeling that made me not want to be left alone in my parents¡¯ room. For now, I decided to take a cautious step and ced my foot inside the room. I quietly nced around the room. Rustle, rustle. Rustle. My parents¡¯ room was empty, but from inside the bathroom of the room. A mysterious sound could be heard. Rustle, rustle. Rustle. If someone were wearing socks and frantically sliding across the floor while tapping their feet and dancing, the sound was somewhat simr to that. I quietly and sneakily approached the bathroom. Bam-! In that moment, with a loud bang, the door swung open wide, revealing a figure with a long neck and disheveled hair. ¡°Joon!!¡± Startled by the sound of Sunah¡¯s shouting voice, I opened my eyes to find myself in the clubroom. It seemed that I had fallen asleep while imagining with my eyes closed. Gyeongwon was about to leave for the fifth period ss, abandoning me again. But seeing me awake, he turned around. ¡°Prez.¡± ¡°¡­ You asshole. You were going to leave me behind again because you saw me sleeping.¡± Gyeongwon nodded with a serious expression at my reprimanding gaze. ¡°You were sleeping so soundly-¡± ¡°What happened to your shoes?¡± When I pointed out his bare feet, Gyeongwon let out a sly grin. ¡°You mean this, haha.¡± He put on the slippers he was holding in his hand and pushed his sses. ¡°Personally, I want to see the President making mistakes more often. I don¡¯t like it when a person is too perfect.¡± What on earth does this bastard really think of me? I sighed and got up from my seat. ¡°Sunah, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Okay¡­.¡± The three of us walked out the door. ¡°Have you seen anything? When you were imagining your house earlier I mean.¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t see anything¡­..¡± ¡ó¡ó?¡ó???¡ó???¡ó?¡ó??¡ó¡ó??¡ó¡ó?¡ó?¡ó Chapter 109: Twelfth Ghost Story – Horror Movie Cliches (2) [2019, May 2 | Thursday, 16:28 PM] [Lee Joon: Number of Attempts ¨C 2] [Ghost Story Points: 102] [Causality Rate: 17%] That day, we rushed out of the ssroom after school finished. At the entrance of the main building, we changed our shoes and chatted pleasantly with each other. ¡°What are you going to do when you get home?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll y the yStation that the President bought for mest time.¡± Dukhun swung his arms. ¡°VR is the new world-¡± ¡°What about you, Sunah?¡± ¡°I¡¯ Sunah hesitated before answering. ¡°I¡¯ll just stay home¡­¡­¡± ¡°If you¡¯re too bored, call me. I don¡¯t have anything to do either.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Sunah smiled faintly. Jinhee would go to her part-time job after taking a nap, and Gyeongwon would go to his cram school. ¡°Oh, Gyeongwon, didn¡¯t you say you quit the cram school and are now taking private lessons?¡± ¡°Mmhm. I decided to go until this week.¡± Gyeongwon answered nonchntly while tying his shoces. This guy said that after levelling upst time, he was introduced to his mentor who was also his private tutor. ¡°Have you met that private tutor, who got a perfect score on the college entrance exam?¡± ¡°Not yet. I think we¡¯ll have a quick meal and chat over the weekend.¡± ¡°I see. Tell me how it wentter.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± I suddenly became curious about how the level-up event on Hayoon¡¯s side was going. Hayoon also got a call after she leveled up. ¡°What about you, Hayoon? You didn¡¯t reply to my private messagest time after reading it.¡± ¡°Private message?¡± Hayoon, who was slipping her feet into her shoes while sitting, nced at me. I had messaged Hayoon on KakaoTalk before, asking her to tell me what happened with her mentor, but she had still kept me on ¡®read and ignored¡¯. ¡°Yeah, I sent you a KakaoTalk messagest time¡­¡± ¡°Oh, that. I didn¡¯t know you were waiting for my reply.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± ¡°Sorry. It was too sudden, and I got a little flustered, so I couldn¡¯t reply right away. In my opinion, I think it¡¯s better if we just stay friends like we are now.¡± ?? Friend? What does that mean? Sunah, who was putting on her shoes next to me, nced at us at those words. ¡°¡­Wait, wait a minute¡­¡­¡± I became flustered all of a sudden. The kind of talk, staying friends for now, gave that kind of awkward vibe, as if I had confessed to her secretly on KakaoTalk and got turned down. ¡°Uh, what do you mean ¡®friends¡¯? I asked about your mentor, not ¡®friends¡¯.¡± ¡°Oh, did you?¡± She got up from her seat with a chuckle. She clearly did it on purpose so that Sunah would hear. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it. Bye~¡± ¡°No,e back. What the¡­..¡± Hayoon, with her ck hair fluttering, swiftly walked ahead. ¡®I¡¯m the idiot for asking.¡¯ * * * ¡°Goodbye~¡± ¡°See you tomorrow~¡± Just before we parted ways in front of the school gate. I briefly called out to Jinhee. ¡°Jinhee.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± She turned around and looked up at me curiously. ¡°Are you okay?¡± She tilted her chin as if asking what I was talking about. I cautiously brought up the matter about yesterday. ¡°Yesterday, well¡­. You had to face a lot of things.¡± Her friend¡¯s crazy antics. And her teacher¡¯s betrayal. ¡°¡­..¡± Jinhee, who had been looking up at me, suddenly chuckled. Maintaining the slight smile on her face, she lightly punched me on the stomach before speaking. ¡°I¡¯m fine, you idiot. Just focus on what you¡¯re nning to do next.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± I awkwardly nodded in agreement. ¡°But if anythinges up, call me. Okay?¡± ¡°Fine, you idiot. I¡¯ll be going then.¡± ¡°Yeah~ Bye~¡± Idiot! Jinhee thinks I¡¯m an idiot! ¡®Where is my respect as the President¡­¡¯ As I was walking on my way home. I suddenly remembered the method I had used earlier to check if there were any ghosts in the house. ¡®What was that?¡¯ The figure of a woman with a horrible face suddenly appeared before my eyes. A woman with a very long neck. ording to the method Dukhun had sent me, the scary figure of the woman I saw in our house while imagining it should be the ghost. But that couldn¡¯t be true. The apartment where my family lives now is the one we¡¯ve been living in since it was newly built about 7 years ago, making us the very few first residents of the apartment building. Not only was there no one living in the apartment building before us, but of course, no one had ever died in the building either. Before the current apartment building was built, the apartment where we live now was just an empty space in midair. ¡®¡­.But if you think about it that way, there was no reason for the Mother Ghost to appear either.¡¯ Actually, calling it a ghost makes it seem like it happened because someone died in the apartment, but naming it something like ¡®Devil Mom¡¯ or ¡®Monster Mom¡¯ just doesn¡¯t feel right either. Both sounded a bit strange. That¡¯s why I decided to call the creature in the ghost story the Mother Ghost because it was easier to call it this way. As I entered the apartmentplex, I looked up at our apartment in the distance. The balcony of our apartment, which was visible from where I stood, was devoid of anyone. ¡®It had a long neck¡­ with disheveled hair.¡¯ And that thing was hiding in the bathroom of the master bedroom in our apartment? I couldn¡¯t believe it. From the beginning, that method was just a ghost story floating around on the inte. Moreover, I had even fallen asleep while imagining it in my head, so I probably just had a strange dream and nothing else. ¡®But I can¡¯t let my guard down.¡¯ You never know when strange things might sneak into your daily life. Even the ghost stories we are fighting right now were nothing but childish tales to us before. Before I coulde to my senses and say ¡®Oh?¡¯, I would have already gotten tangled up in the situation without realizing it. Perhaps, even this moment, while I was deep in thought, I could already be in a situation where I¡¯ve unknowingly gotten caught up in a new ghost story. While pondering and thinking, I found myself in front of the entrance to our apartment building. I quietly thought to myself as I looked up at the empty balcony once again. ¡®Now that I think about it, there was a sure way to check if our apartment is haunted or not.¡¯ A very secure way to find out if I was already tangled up in a ghost story or not. I opened the Status Window. ¡°Status Window. Description of the special ability Banality Manifestation.¡± Pop. ¡¶Banality Manifestation Rank: A-rank Trigger Condition: Passive Ability: This ability can be activated when encountering a ghost story. Reality will continue to flow in a mishmash of clich¨¦s until the situation is resolved.¡· ¡®I can know it by checking whether this ability is activated or not.¡¯ The fact that it can only be triggered when encountering a ghost story means, conversely, that it cannot be used in ordinary daily life. If a message appears saying that it has been triggered when I activated it, then it would mean I was already entangled with a ghost story. If there is no response, then everything was as usual. Judging from the phrase ¡®until the situation is resolved,¡¯ it seems that once it is activated, the ability cannot be canceled until the incident is resolved. But if that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s a bit of a problem¡­. ¡®I was going to use it once to check what kind of ability it was anyway.¡¯ I clicked on the ability nervously. [Would you like to activate the Special Ability ¡®Banality Manifestation¡¯?] ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± [The Special Ability ¡®Banality Manifestation¡¯ has activated.] [Caution: Please be careful as excessive use of the reality maniption ability may overload causality and cause unintended consequences.] Pop- I flinched for a moment, sensing that the flow of air around me had changed somewhat. I quietly looked around, but nothing seemed to have really changed. I was still standing at the entrance to the apartment building. The surroundings also appeared to be the same. ¡®¡­ But I could definitely feel that something had ¡®activated¡¯.¡¯ Which means it truly had activated¡­. ¡®¡­ Does that mean I was already entangled with a ghost story?¡¯ I sighed quietly, not finding the answer to my question, and opened the automatic door of the elevator and hopped inside. If there was a ghost story that was connected to me right now, it would probably be the one I did at lunch, the instructions written on the picture [How to know if your house is haunted.jpg]. As I got on the elevator and thought back to my conversation with Dukhun, that in itself seemed strange in its own way. As it was written in the picture, it was a method that can only confirm if a house is already haunted by ghosts or not. Unlike the Corner Game from before, it wasn¡¯t about performing a ritual that would summon a ghost or anything like that. ¡®¡­ How long has that thing been hiding in our apartment?¡¯ The woman with an unusually long neck. After quietly mulling over various questions, I got off the elevator, entered the passcode for the front door, and opened it. Creak- The inside was quiet. Silence. There were still two hours left before my parents got home from work. Thete afternoon sunlight was streaming through the balcony, however, the house still looked dark, perhaps because the lights were turned off. Click- After closing the front door, I slowly entered the living room before turning on all the lights in the dark apartment. Flick-Flick- The fluorescent light hanging on the living room finally turned on after flickering a few times. I turned on the TV next. Click- [Ms. Jo Boah! Pleasee down and try this~] [T/N: Jo Boa (???) is a South Korean actress, known for her roles in various Korean dramas and films.] I felt a little better after hearing the loud noise of the TV. Quickly looking around, I noticed that the kitchen was still dark. So I hurriedly approached the kitchen and turned on the light. The doors to my Dad¡¯s study and my parents¡¯ room were half open, and seeing the inside of the rooms made me uneasy, so I hurriedly closed the doors. ¡°Huu¡­¡± Only then did I let out a sigh. ¡®There¡¯s no way, no way in the world there¡¯s a ghost in our house.¡¯ There¡¯s no way it¡¯s possible. ¡®I don¡¯t know, how something like a woman with a long neck can appear.¡¯ However, for some reason, a faint sense of fear crept in, so I walked towards the balcony to peek outside. But I suddenly remembered how the Mother Ghost had popped out from the washing machine on the balcony in the living room, so I quickly closed the door and moved to the balcony on the kitchen on the opposite side. I stood there for a moment, watching the people passing by on the sidewalk in the distance, and only then did I feel a little more at ease. ¡®I¡¯m not alone. There are several people within my 100 meters of radius.¡¯ Although they were separated by the walls around and not visible, there were more than a dozen people within a 100-meter radius above and below me, almost surrounding our apartment. Of course, when I turned around, it was still the same quiet, lonely house, so the fear remained unchanged. At moments like this, alone and scared, everything feels really strange. Since each floor of the apartment is 2.4 meters, within a 100-meter radius, all the people in our neighborhood were crammed together. If you take all these people and put them in a yground with a radius of 100 meters, you would think it was a lot of people. Since they were separated by walls like this, the sense of distance was hard to register. It didn¡¯t feel like I was alone at home anymore, but rather, it felt like I was the only one left in the world. ¡®This isn¡¯t working. I¡¯m getting more scared. I should at least y a game until my parentse home.¡¯ Trying my hardest not to look at the closed door to the master bedroom, I hurried to my room. As if I identally nced over, the door would creak open and someone would suddenly poke their head out. *** Click- As soon as I entered my room, I locked the door, and sat on the bed. Only then did I finally feel a little at ease. My room is safe. I feel safe here. Such feelings were rushing over me like waves. The bed, the desk, the bookshelf, and the closet. With just one nce, I could see where everything was and be sure of unwanted presence. Even though it¡¯s the same house, the living room was filled with a sense of ominous tension, as if something could suddenly emerge from somewhere. But my room was cozy and familiar. There was no ce for scary imaginations to pop up in my head and y with my fear. And while the windows in my Dad¡¯s study and the master bedroom lead to the indoor balcony, my room¡¯s window opened directly to the outside, without any balcony. Since there was only one door as the entrance, the psychological reassurance that nothing else can enter this space added to the sense offort. ¡®¡­ Oh shit, I suddenly remembered that Granny Ghost of Hong Kong.¡¯ [T/N: The ¡®Granny Ghost of Hong Kong¡¯ is a popr urban legend and ghost story that has circted in Korean inte culture, involving a ghostly figure of an elderly woman, typically portrayed as a grandmother, who is said to haunt people or ces.] It¡¯s a famous old Korean ghost story I came across while researching ghost stories on my own. It was a story about an olddy who peers through the window of a high-rise apartment, a height that no one could possibly stand at. ¡®¡­ Just because it¡¯s the outside window doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s not scary.¡¯ I suddenly chuckled to myself. Even though I¡¯ve been through so many strange situations, I was still scared of some mere ghost story. But I had no hand in this. Regardless of what kind of life a person has lived, the feeling of fear ispletely separate and unrted to their experiences. Take my mom, for example. She lived through the turbulent industrialization era, working on a farm as a child to survive, and then working in a factory in her 20s to make a living. In her thirties, she endured the pain of childbirth and hardship of raising children, and even now, approaching her fifties, she works two jobs in a grocery shop. She¡¯s a proud, hardworking power housewife of South Korea who has gone through all kinds of hardship. Even such a Mom, despite all her tough experiences, would run away in terror if you tell her a horror story. What¡¯s more, I often get involved with ghost stories in real life, so the fear was heavy in my subconscious, especially after seeing something like that in a dream during lunch today. So even a dark, empty house is scary enough as it is, but for me, there¡¯s an actual threat, so I couldn¡¯t help but feel even more on edge. ¡°Haaa¡­.¡± I sighed helplessly and plopped on the edge of my bed before turning my phone on. ¡®¡­Sunah has sent me a KakaoTalk message.¡¯ It was sent not in the group chat, but privately. [Yoon Sunah: Joon, what are you doing?] Thank you. I wondered if she had some kind of power, as if she knew I was scared and sent me a KakaoTalk message. My heart, which had been pounding with fear, started to rx a bit after receiving a message on KakaoTalk from a ssmate, and a girl on top of that. [Lee Joon: Just arrived home. What about you?] Sunah¡¯s reply came right away as if she had been waiting. [Yoon Sunah: I¡¯m also at home] [Lee Joon: Have you had dinner?] [Yoon Sunah: I¡¯m about to have it now, hehe] [Lee Joon: What are you having for dinner??] [Yoon Sunah: I¡¯m was just preparing to make some fry eggs, lol] [Lee Joon: Just fried eggs? hmm] [Yoon Seon-ah: Yeah, just fried eggs, hehe] [Lee Joon: Suddenly, I¡¯m craving egg fried rice with green spring rolls. I used to make that a lot when I just learned how to cook eggs by myself, lol.] Thud!!!!! Thud!!!!! Thud!!!!! Thud!!!!! Thump ¡ª !!!!!! Thump, tang, tang, tang!!!!!!!! Thud. Thump ¡­ Oh fuck, what is that. A sudden noise was heard in the silent apartment. It seemed to being from the master bedroom, my parents¡¯ room. I stood up and strained my ears. ¡°¡­..¡± But it was quiet. After the loud noise just now, no other sound hasn¡¯t been heard. It was so quiet that the only sound that filled the empty house was an ominous ringing noise. I approached the door to see if it was locked. Click- click- I could see that the lock button on the round handle was pressed firmly, so it was definitely locked. No one coulde in. I was safe here. ¡°Huu.¡± What the f*ck. My heart was pounding like crazy. I should have brought a weapon of some sort with myself. It could be a thief. Whoever it may be, that person couldn¡¯t just barge in here. Because the door was locked. The door served as a boundary, making this ce, my room, feel safe. This psychological reassurance was set in my mind. I stood still like a statue, my neck stiffened. I strained my ears to listen again, but as expected, it waspletely devoid of any sound. No strange sound caught my strained ears. What the heck. Should I check it out? No, shit. Why would I go check something like that alone? In movies, it¡¯s always the unlucky character who bes curious like this that ends up getting caught first. I wouldn¡¯t do something stupid like that. I¡¯ll just stay here. Until my parentse. ¡°Huu.¡± I sat back down on the bed, but a sudden ominous realization hit me hard. I need to pee. Oh, seriously. I should¡¯ve gone to the bathroom as soon as I got home¡­ ¡°This is crazy.¡± I stomped my feet in frustration. In the midst of all this, I forgot to reply to Sunah. Thinking she might be waiting for my reply, I hurriedly tapped on the keypad. [Lee Joon: Suddenly, I¡¯m craving egg fried rice with green spring rolls. I used to make that a lot when I just learned how to cook eggs by myself, lol] KakaoTalk~ [Yoon Sunah: I eat that often too, it¡¯s delicious] [Lee Joon: It would be fun if we all cook it together next time.] [Yoon Sunah: I think it¡¯s a good idea!] In fact, after the unidentified noise earlier, thoughts of fried egg rice with green spring rolls have long since flown away from my mind. I could still bear it to some extent since I was chatting with Sunah on KakaoTalk like this. Sunah happily replied to my messages,pletely unaware of my anxious heart, and the strange atmosphere in the house. KakaoTalk~ KakaoTalk. After talking like that for a while, I couldn¡¯t hold back the urge to go to the bathroom any longer, so I finally got up from my seat. Should I just use the trash can in my room, or, Instead, I could climb onto the desk, open the window, and lean my lower body outside to¡­.. Ugh. No, don¡¯t be retarded Joon. As the situation worsened, all sorts of absurd thoughts started running through my mind. KakaoTalk~ Ah, that scared me. I decided to put my phone on silent mode. The sudden sound of KakaoTalk kept making my heart race for no reason. After setting my phone to silent mood, I stood still in the middle of the room, when all of a sudden, a rush of uselessness at my cowardly self gripped me. ¡®Fuck, what the hell am I doing right now.¡¯ I shouldn¡¯t be so scared, it was the apartment I lived in for so many years. I should stop thinking of these useless thoughts. This was dragging on too much without any reason. I should just open the door and go out, quickly use the bathroom, ande back to my room. It¡¯s not that hard. The bathroom is just about 4 meters from the door. Just go and finish it quickly. Can¡¯t you do this simple thing, Joon? Stop overthinking. You¡¯re a high school student. If you¡¯re not an idiot, you can do it. ¡®Once you¡¯ve made up your mind, just take action right away.¡¯ I immediately strode over to the door and turned the doorknob with a heroic spirit. Click-! Rustle. Since I turned the doorknob from the inside, I heard the sound of the lock automatically unlocking. ¡®I was startled.¡¯ I briefly opened the door and nced around the dark living room. No one was there. Before my feet could cross the threshold of my room, I quickly retracted them and instantly locked the door, then stood frozen in my room. The living, the living room was dark¡­ I clearly remembered turning on all the lights earlier, then why¡­ T/N: The ghost in Lee Joon¡¯s home Chapter 110: Twelfth Ghost Story – Horror Movie Cliches (3) [2019, May 2nd | Thursday, 18:42 PM] [Lee Joon: Number of Attempts ¨C 2] [Ghost Story Points: 102] [Causality: 17%] ¡®My dder is going to burst¡­¡¯ I started relentlessly fidgeting in the room, and eventually I couldn¡¯t hold back the urge to go to the toilet. Hardening my heart, I quietly turned the doorknob. And then, I poked my head out through the crack of the opened door and looked around the dark living room, where the lights were turned off. ¡®¡­ The lights are really turned off.¡¯ Suddenly, the image of a ghost running wildly with strange, stumbling steps, and going around the house to turn off all the lights shed in my mind. ¡®F*ck.¡¯ I shook my head violently once to prevent any more ominous thoughts froming to mind. ¡®Let¡¯s just think of it as a power outage.¡¯ The light leaked out through the crack in my room¡¯s door, creating a long line of light in the dark living room floor. ¡®¡­ Is there anything?¡¯ I rolled my eyes through the crack in the door. Nothing really suspicious caught my eyes. ¡®What was that loud noise earlier?¡¯ It felt like something was banging against the wall and cracking. Since the living room appeared to be fine for now, it probably came from my parents¡¯ room¡­ Suddenly, I remembered the location of the ghostly figure I saw at lunch while imagining theyout of our apartment. It was in the bathroom in my parents¡¯ room. ¡®Stop thinking about it and just go, and return quickly.¡¯ I quickly opened the door, and without paying attention to anything, hurriedly walked towards the bathroom in the living room. Click. I pressed the switch to turn on the light, then quickly opened the door and stepped inside. I was worried that something would suddenly pop out, however, the inside was empty. ¡®Let¡¯s leave the door open and do it.¡¯ When someone is scared, even opening a door that has been closed requires a lot of courage. I quickly lifted the toilet lid and hurriedly took care of my business, all the while keeping a close watch on the living room through the gap in the open door. Psss. What was there? In the dark living room, only the faint light seeping from my room gently illuminated the space. It was quiet. ¡°Huuu.¡± I washed my hands at the sink and then went back out into the living room. There was nothing. Absolutely nothing at all. I let out a sigh of relief, then walked over to the switch in the living room and turned the light back on. Tak. The space became brighter. ¡®¡­ Should I close the curtains?¡¯ When the sun was still up earlier, I could see people walking around and the scenery outside, so it was bearable. But now that the sun has set, the lights from the living room were reflected on the ss window, so I couldn¡¯t see anything outside. Instead, it felt more like a full-length ck mirror was covering the window. Seeing my figure reflected all over the living room¡¯s ss door with raised shoulders as I cautiously looked around felt strangely creepy. I stared at my reflection, and began wondering if I should close the curtains and leave it like that. After thinking for a moment about which would be scarier, I concluded that going to close the curtains of the balcony was scarier. ¡®I have some bad memories associated with that washing machine over there.¡¯ I turned on the lights of the whole apartment, including the kitchen, and quickly rushed back into my room. Locking the door, I copsed onto the bed. Then I picked my phone to check if I got any messages. [? Missed Calls: Mom (2)] ¡°¡­ Mom?¡± What¡¯s the matter? I had my phone on silent mode so I couldn¡¯t hear it. I decided to call again. After a brief beep, my Mom¡¯s voice came through. [Joony] ¡°Yes, Mom. I saw you called.¡± [Yeah. Have you had dinner?] ¡°Not yet. I was going to have it with you both when you got home.¡± [Well, one of our rtives has passed away, so I¡¯m urgently heading out of the town with your Dad.] ¡°¡­Out of town? Where¡­¡± [We¡¯re heading to Busan. Why don¡¯t you have dinner without us?] ¡°¡­It¡¯s not just about having dinner without you. If you¡¯re going to Busan, you won¡¯t be here until tomorrow, right?¡± [If we hurry, we might be able to return by dawn. For now, don¡¯t wait for Mom and Dad. Just go ahead and sleep.] [There should be a few ten-thousand-won bills in Mom¡¯s drawer. If you¡¯re toozy to cook, just order chicken.] Chicken! Normally, it would have been a word that would make me excited, but right now, even chicken couldn¡¯t calm down my anxiety. ¡°Okay, I understand. Be careful.¡± [Okay, son. I love you~] ¡°Me too~¡± Dud. The call ended, and once again, silence descended. ¡ùHorror Movie Clich¨¦: Being left home alone on the day of the incident for whatever reason.¡ù I nced around the room with the phone in my hand. This ce seemed safe, but beyond this door, the house was filled with an eerie and inexplicable sense of ominousness. I have to spend tonight alone in this ominous house? Even though I¡¯ve already confirmed through the system that I was already entangled in a ghost story? ¡®This can¡¯t be happening.¡¯ I would never do something stupid like the main character of a third-rate horror movie. I immediately turned on the phone in my hand and sent a KakaoTalk message to Sunah. [Lee Joon: Sunah, I think I¡¯ve encountered another ghost story. Could youe to my house?] [Yoon Sunah: I¡¯ll be there right away.] * * * After sending my home address to Sunah via KakaoTalk, I quickly changed my clothes and headed out the door. There was no point in staying in the scary apartment alone, as it would only make me more anxious. Therefore, I decided to head to the entrance of the apartmentplex to meet Sunah. ¡®In this situation, the only person who cane running to help me without hesitation is Sunah.¡¯ The other members were tied up with things like cram school, part-time jobs, or their own personal lives. Not to mention, they also have to be mindful of their parents. The moment I put on my shoes and turned the doorknob to open the front door. Click- For some reason, the door wouldn¡¯t open. ¡°What?¡± Our apartment door lock was designed so that you have to enter a password to get in from the outside. However, from the inside, you just need to turn the door handle and it opens automatically. But for some reason, it wouldn¡¯t open no matter how much I tried. ¡°¡­..?¡± After trying to turn the knob a few times, I reluctantly raised my hand to press the lock button myself. However, the moment my hand reached out to the door lock, suddenly I felt a wave of dizziness. And when my vision cleared, there was no door keypad. The square door lock mechanism with a lid, batteries, and a lock button. It has vanished without a trace. As if it had never been there in the first ce, all that was left in that spot was the cold metal of the front door handle. And the doorknob I was pulling had a small round keyhole. What the hell, this is a nightmare. I quickly stepped back and tried the two RC (Reality Check) methods Gyeongwon taught me. I wasn¡¯t dreaming. Worried that I made a mistake the first time, I checked again but the result was the same. There was no door keypad, but instead, a keyhole was attached to the handle. ¡®¡­ A keyhole?¡¯ Oh, I¡¯m having dementia. When did our apartment¡¯s front door have a keyhole? With a sense of hope, I put my hand in my pocket and felt a cold metal object. ¡®¡­ A key.¡¯ Click- At the same time, all the lights in the house suddenly went out. And the door to my parents¡¯ room behind me slowly opened with a creak. Creeeeeak. Step. Step. Step. Thud. Thud. Thud. The sound of something walking with extremely narrow strides, skimming against the floor. Without thinking any further, I immediately shoved the key into the keyhole. ¡ùHorror Movie Clich¨¦: The key never works on the first try when you¡¯re trying to escape.¡ù Click- But it bounced back, like the strange resistance you feel in your hand when trying to push the same poles of mas together. The key could not be inserted into the keyhole, and instead, it was pushed to the side, stabbing into an entirely wrong ce. In a moment of panic, I dropped the key from my hand. ng- The key rolled across the tiles on the floor of the shoe cab, making a metallic sound. At the same time, someone approached me from behind while making a strange noise. ¡°Ugh¡­. Crack¡­ Creak¡­ Crack¡­.¡± Thud. Thud. Thud. Shit, I¡¯m going crazy. Did I seriously drop my key now? Have I lost my mind? I cursed everything in my head and bent down with lightning speed to pick up the keys. ng- But the keys had already be a ¡®bunch of keys¡¯. The bunch had about five keys hanging from a single hook. ng- ng- As my hands trembled, the keys clinked together, making a metallic sound. Without even having the time to think about what was happening, I immediately shoved the first key into the lock. Click- It didn¡¯t fit. I immediately inserted the second key in. Click- F*ck, another mismatched one again. I grabbed the third key and inserted it this time. Click- ¡°Kkeuuk¡­ eek¡­ Creak¡­ keueuuuk¡­.¡± It approached me slowly, making a sound as if it was choking on air. My body trembled. I didn¡¯t even have the courage to turn around as I was too scared. That thing seemed like It was already halfway into the living room. Click- I immediately shoved the fourth key in, but none of the teeth fit. Then I inserted the fifth key in, but the sizes were different so it wouldn¡¯t fit. Shit. What¡¯s going on? I tried every key, but none of them fit? ¡°Uuuggghhh¡­.¡± Something crawled behind my back. Ignoring the tension burning stiffly from the spine, I immediately tried inserting the first key again. Click- The handle finally turned. Without hesitation, I left behind the terrifying breath of someone who had creeped up right to the back of my head, then opened the door and ran, racing down the stairs in a daze. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Huff, huff, huff¡­ Shit, shit¡­ Stop this now, stop it. Please. *** I ran mindlessly all the way to the apartment entrance, only after arriving did I finally catch my breath. Haa, haa, haaa. ¡°Huff, huff¡­¡± What was that? That unreasonable situation just now. What was I even doing in that situation? Haa, haa. ¡°¡­..¡± After my breathing returned to normal, I let out a sigh of relief, feeling grateful that I was alive. I raised my head and slowly muttered to myself. ¡®¡­This is all clich¨¦.¡¯ In horror movies, the main character always drops the key while trying to escape. No matter how many times you pick it up and try to put in the right key, the teeth never align perfectly on the first try. It¡¯s always this key, then that key, turning them one by one, and only in the most critical, life-or-death moment does the protagonist barely manage to escape. Like a car ignition that never starts on the first try, it¡¯s a clich¨¦ situation that¡¯s always used in tense situations, almost like a rule. ¡°Huuu.¡± The A-rank Special Ability Banality Manifestation. Is this how it works? ¡®What good does it have for me¡­?¡¯ As I sat waiting on a bench near the entrance, I saw Suna, wearing a pink hoodie, and toddling toward me from a distance. ¡°Sunah.¡± Seeing me wave my hand to greet her, Sunah¡¯s expression changed to one of surprise, and she ran toward me. ¡°Joon!¡± ¡°Hi.¡± As Sunah got closer, she softly smiled and looked down at me, who was sitting weakly while greeting her. ¡°Thank you foring all the way here. Have you had dinner?¡± ¡°No, not yet¡­¡± ¡°Then, how about we grab something to eat and go in?¡± Sunah nodded in agreement. * * * ¡°¡­¡­That¡¯s how it is.¡± ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± The convenience store near the apartmentplex. While shopping and holding stic baskets in our hands. ¡°But is it really okay to go back home¡­? If you want, we could just eat outside¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. You havee this far, so I¡¯ll make something for you.¡± I exined as I headed toward the vegetable section. ¡°I think it¡¯s fine to go back home for now. In horror movies, the typical rule is to scare you once with a situation like this, and then when you go back with someone else, everything¡¯s perfectly normal.¡± ¡°Typical rule?¡± ¡°I mean worldwide rule.¡± ¡°Oh, I see¡­.¡± Sunah nodded with a nk expression, perhaps finding my words a bit ridiculous. She then looked at me again with a worried expression. ¡°The ghost¡­ Do you have any idea why¡­?¡± ¡°No, not yet¡­¡± I sighed as I picked up a green onion. ¡°Dukhun sent me the instructions for seeing ghosts, and at lunch, we both tried it out. Other than that, I can¡¯t think of anything else.¡± ¡°Then maybe that¡¯s why ghosts appeared¡­?¡± Sunah briefly nced at the tasting corner, then hesitated before sharing her opinion. ¡°You said you saw something scary while doing that. Then maybe¡­¡± ¡°I thought that at first, too.¡± I shook my head as I put two rice balls in the basket. ¡°But when I thought about it, that was just a method to check if there were any ghosts in the house.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah. That¡¯s true.¡± Sunah nodded, taking a step back to avoid the other woman who was shopping behind her. ¡°It¡¯s not like we were summoning ghosts like we did during the Corner Gamest time. We were just checking to see if they really exist. And if they do¡­¡± ¡°¡­it means there¡¯s been a ghost in your house before today.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. That¡¯s why it¡¯s more of a problem.¡± I quickly grabbed a piece of pork belly from the tasting corner with a toothpick and shoved it in my mouth. Sunah followed suit and picked up one. ¡°My family moved in as soon as the apartment building waspleted, so there¡¯s no special story or secret attached to the building.¡± ¡°Then why did ghosts appear¡­?¡± ¡°I have no choice but to find out by going there again by myself. Should we pick some snacks?¡± ¡°How about bread¡­?¡± Sunah pointed to the bread corner instead of snacks. ¡°Is the bread from the supermarket good? It looks promising, but the taste isn¡¯t that great.¡± ¡°They taste okay¡­¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s take a few. I¡¯ll pay.¡± ¡°Thank you, thank you¡­¡­¡± Sunah¡¯s small figure ran towards the shelf piled up with bread. ¡®Thank you, thank you?¡¯ I ended up bursting intoughter. [T/N: The ¡®Thank you¡¯ was spoken in broken English. That¡¯s why Joonughed.] * * * ¡°I¡¯ll pack them, here¡­¡± ¡°Oh, thanks.¡± While I was paying, Sunah put the items into a stic bag from the store. ¡°Let¡¯s go, this way.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Sunah, holding therge stic bag, followed with small steps. That¡¯s because she¡¯s short. ¡°But this is the second time ghosts appeared in your house, right¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Is my luck that bad? Haaa, I let out a tired sigh. ¡°For now, let¡¯s take it easy and have dinner first, then we can figure out a solution step by step. Thank you so much foring all the way here, really. Let¡¯s keep the points of this time between the two of us.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­!¡± Sunah strode ahead, walking briskly while holding the stic bag. Chapter 111: Twelfth Ghost Story – Horror Movie Cliches (4) Creeeak~ ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°Thank you for having me¡­¡± Sunah entered the apartment through the front door with a shy smile and greeted the empty space. ¡°There¡¯s no one here.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s a ghost¡­¡± The two of us giggled. As expected, since I came in with someone, there were no shadows of ghosts. Everything was exactly the same as when I ran out of the apartment in panic. The sensor light on the front door illuminated the dark room slightly. ¡°Sunah, look at this, here. The front door.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± I briefly exined the situation to Sunah, who had just taken off her shoes and was about to put the grocery bag down in the living room. ¡°Outside, you saw the door has a keypad where you need to enter a password to get in, right? But inside, it has changed to the kind where you need to insert a key.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Sunah nced at the outer part of the door, and then inside. ¡°¡­For real?¡± She pulled the doorknobs from the inside and outside at the same time and tilted her head in confusion. nk. nk. ¡°Look. What¡¯s more strange, even though it¡¯s the side for opening and going out, there¡¯s still a keyhole.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± The two of us looked down at the front door handle in silence. ¡°Even though it¡¯s like this, does it still work¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah. On the outside, it¡¯s a password type door lock, and on the inside, it¡¯s a key for opening and exiting.¡± After looking at it a few times, Sunah soon lifted her head with a puzzled expression. ¡°Why is it like this¡­?¡± ¡°I think it must be because the clich¨¦ manifestation ability was activated, it seems to have had some influence.¡± ¡°Ohh¡­¡± Sunah thought for a moment, then looked up at me with a questioning expression. ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask Gyeongwon¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah. That would be better.¡± * * * ¡°Hmm¡­¡± While Sunah was putting the bag of groceries we had bought to the kitchen, I took a picture of the door and posted it in the group chat along with an exnation of the situation. And after closing the front door, I went to the kitchen and called Sunah again, who was cing the ingredients on the table. ¡°Sunah,e with me.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I gestured toward the door of the master bedroom, which was my parents¡¯ room. Sunah stopped her action of unwrapping the few green onions and followed me. ¡°I heard a loud noise from inside earlier. Let¡¯s check it out before we let our guard down.¡± Sunah¡¯s expression immediately became serious. ¡°Is it okay to go without any weapon or anything¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, I guess? Wait a moment. I think there might be something.¡± I brought the vacuum cleaner from the living room. ¡°Joon, this is a bit¡­¡± Sunah looked at me with a puzzled expression. ¡°I think this thing can be swung freely if I want.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± Sunah grumbled but still grabbed the handle of the vacuum cleaner and lifted it up like a spear. ¡°If it¡¯s not this, all we have are umbres or kitchen knives¡­ No one in our house exercises.¡± A blunt object with a moderate reach and that can be swung easily, like a baseball bat or a golf club, would be better. But at the moment, this was all we have. ¡°Okay¡­¡± Sunah nodded as she held the vacuum cleaner. ¡°Then I¡¯ll open it.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­.!¡± Right after turning the handle, I kicked open the door to my parents¡¯ room. Bang-! Then immediately, I hid behind Sunah as soon as the door opened. Screech. Sunah dragged the vacuum cleaner into my parents¡¯ room. She waved it in the air a few times before looking back at me and nodding. ¡°You¡¯re safe, Joon.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± I quickly entered the room and joined Sunah. I looked around my parents¡¯ room, but everything was perfectly fine. A double-sized bed, a closet that took up one side of the wall, and a dressing table. ¡°Over there, the bathroom in my parents¡¯ room. Let¡¯s just check that onest time.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I remembered something suddenly popping out from there when we were trying the method for seeing ghosts during lunchtime. I turned the doorknob and carefully pushed the door. But it opened slightly, and then got stuck on something and stopped moving. ¡°¡­..?¡± For a moment, I had a scary thought that maybe a terrifying ghost was standing behind the door,ughing maniacally, and using the same force to block the door from opening. After pushing the door a few times, I heard a scraping sound. It seemed like something had fallen behind the door and was blocking it from fully being open. ¡°Haish! Huuu¡­¡± I gave a few more pushes with my shoulder, and with a crashing sound of objects scraping, the door finally opened. When I turned on the light and looked inside, apletely smashed up bathroom, as if a storm just happened inside, entered my eyes. ¡°Oh my god, what the hell is this?¡± ¡°Be careful, there are ss shards¡­¡­¡± I stood outside and looked around inside the bathroom. That¡¯s when I noticed that the cab in the bathroom, or rather a storage cab hanging above the toilet where towels and other supplies were stored, was tilted sideways. It seemed like the adhesive had worn off, as the entire unit had fallen and was shattered, blocking the door from openingpletely. ¡°Wow, this¡­ It¡¯s going to be a pain to clean up.¡± That loud noise from earlier was the sound of this thing falling. ¡ùHorror Movie Clich¨¦: The initial jump scare turns out to be nothing special.¡ù I started wondering what to say when my parents came back and decided to discuss itter with them. For now, I closed the bathroom door. ¡°Let¡¯s go eat dinner. I¡¯ll make something delicious.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Sunah followed me to the kitchen, dragging the vacuum cleaner behind. * * * ¡°It¡¯s Pak Jongwon¡¯s special fried rice with green sesame oil.¡± [T/N: Pak Jongwon is a well-known South Korean celebrity chef, restaurateur, and television personality. He is famous for his cooking shows, particrly ¡°Baek Jongwon¡¯s Alley Restaurant¡± and ¡°Baek Jongwon¡¯s Food Truck¡±.] ¡°Pfft, do it properly¡­¡± Sunah giggled next to me as I wildly stirred the scrambled eggs, making them look a mess. On the other gas stove, Sunah was making green onion oil by putting green onions on a pan with cooking oil. ¡°Okay. Throw in the rice.¡± ¡°Throwing~¡± Sunah followed my instructions and put the heated instant rice from the microwave into the pan. We made the fried rice by mixing scrambled eggs with green onions in the sesame oil, stirring everything together. asionally, we added some oyster sauce to give it a savory taste. Once it seemed fully cooked, we scooped the fried rice into bowls, sprinkled some sesame seeds on top, and finished the dish. ¡°It looks delicious.¡± The fried rice with green onion oil was gleaming golden. I took a bite, and Sunah followed suit with a smile, lifting her spoon. ¡°Let¡¯s eat well, Joon¡­¡± ¡°Eat a lot. Let¡¯s order chicken againter. Mom said she hid some emergency money in the drawer before she left.¡± Sunah mumbled an answer with a stuffed mouth. I actually wished Sunah would just stay here for the night until the problem was solved. It seemed fine now since we were together, but if she left and I became alone at home again, who knew what might happen. ¡®My parents have left Seoul, and are on the way to Busan to handle some matters. By the time theye back¡­ It will really take until morning.¡¯ Tomorrow is Friday, a weekday. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Mom and Dad were both fine with going to work like this. ¡®Sunah¡­ And I have to go to school tomorrow. I wonder if it would be okay for her to stay here for the night.¡¯ I decided to ask her casually. ¡°Sunah, is your grandmother okay at home? She¡¯s left alone¡­¡± ¡°She has gone to the hospital today.¡± Sunah answered, munching on rice. ¡®Then I guess it¡¯ll be fine if I sneakily make it so she can spend the night here.¡¯ I brushed my chest, feeling relieved. Being alone in a horror movie means death. ¡®But where should I even start looking when I really can¡¯t figure out anything.¡¯ I decided to eat for now and think about itter. Munch, munch. * * * [It has been confirmed that Clover Group Chairman, Cheon Sungjee has returned to Korea after a long time, and the President held a meeting with him, exchanging greetings and well-wishes.] Around 9 p.m., I was lying on the living room sofa watching TV. Sunah was seated on the sofa beside me, munching on the chicken I ordered which was spread out at the table in front of me. KakaoTalk~ ¡°Oh, he replied.¡± Finally, a reply came from Gyeongwon, probably after he was done with his cram school. I quickly grabbed my phone, hoping to get a clue about the current situation. ¡°What did he say?¡± ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Sunah asked with a tilted head while taking a bite of a cheese ball that came with a delivery app review event. Gyeongwon had sent a long KakaoTalk message. [Ahn Gyeongwon: First of all, as Prez thought, the instructions written on the picture were just a way to confirm the presence of ghosts, not to summon or create one that doesn¡¯t exist. I don¡¯t think there¡¯ll be anything to find even if we dig into that particr ghost story. The only thing thates to mind is that it might have been the starting point of the strange phenomenon that¡¯s happening to Prez right now?] ¡°Starting point? The beginning. I can¡¯t understand what he¡¯s talking about.¡± ¡°Me too¡­¡± Sunah stared nkly at her phone while chewing on the cheese seasoning. As we were waiting and thinking, another long KakaoTalk message came from him. [Ahn Gyeongwon: Ghosts are said to attach themselves to people who can perceive them. That¡¯s why there¡¯s a lot of advice to pretend not to see them. But you ended up perceiving the ghost using the method Dukhun sent. So it¡¯s possible that ghost started sticking to you because it thought, ¡®You saw me.¡¯ ] ¡°That¡¯s what I think too.¡± I nodded in understanding. If that was the case, it made sense why the strange urrences suddenly started happening today. However, the problem is, where on earth did this ghoste from? I needed to figure out the structure of the story to find a way to dig deeper, but I had no idea what kind of ghost story it was. [Lee Joon: So do you have any idea what the ghost itself is? The image I saw was of a woman with a long neck and a scary appearance.] [Ahn Gyeongwon: Well¡­] I could picture him pushing his sses on the other side, although we were chatting on the phone. [Ahn Gyeongwon: Well, if we were to judge the ghost simply by its scary appearance, there are too many variations. But given the long neck, it¡¯s possible she hung himself before she died¡­] [Lee Joon: Hang herself¡­ But that never happened in our whole apartment building, let alone the apartment where we live.] [Ahn Gyeongwon: Are you sure, Prez?] [Lee Joon: Yeah. We have been living here for 7 years, and my Mom was also the neighborhood representative. Most of the neighbors know us and each other.] [Ahn Gyeongwon: Then it¡¯s ambiguous. If there really wasn¡¯t anything that could be connected to Prez, it could just be a random ghost passing by.] [Lee Joon: So why would a passing ghost end up on the 7th floor of our building¡­. It¡¯s a height where even mosquitoes rarelye in¡­] [Ahn Gyeongwon: I don¡¯t know either.] I imagined him shrugging his shoulders. [Ahn Gyeongwon: There are so many ways a ghost can get involved. For example, you may have picked up something that fell on the street, or you¡¯ve been feeling weaktely, or you haven¡¯t performed ancestral rites, or someone has passed away nearby¡­ There are hundreds of reasons like this. So we have to tread into it carefully.] ¡°Someone passing away nearby¡­.?¡± Sunah and I stared at each other for a moment. We both thought of the same thing. ¡°Joon, your parents¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I thought of that too.¡± A rtive who, as my parents mentioned, recently passed away. I wonder if it was rted to that? But when I thought about it carefully, that also seemed a bit strange. Since my parents didn¡¯t even mention who the person passed away was, it seemed like it was probably a distant rtive with no connection to me. Not to mention they lived in Busan, which is at opposite ends of South Korea from here in Seoul. It was definitely not a distance that could be considered nearby. [Ahn Gyeongwon: But the good news is that if it¡¯s really just a random ghost, like a wandering spirit, it¡¯ll be easy to exorcise it. When I looked up stories on the inte, there were many articles about people being startled by ghosts in their houses, cursing or throwing things at them, and then the ghost ran off and never came back.] ¡°Even ghosts are funny.¡± I chuckled to myself. Come to think of it, looking back on my experiences so far, except for the demonic beings created by real ghost stories, the ones that still felt like they were originally human were surprisingly easy to get rid of. [Ahn Gyeongwon: Just in case, take a good look at any items you¡¯ve picked up recently. If you can¡¯t think of anything, it might be something rted to your parents.] [Lee Joon: Okay, thanks. I¡¯ll contact you if I find something.] [Ahn Gyeongwon: What about the clich¨¦ ability that you used? I¡¯ll search for a few things on the inte, so wait a bit.] ¡°Thank you as always, Gyeongwon.¡± Sunah also nodded while wiping her mouth with a tissue. We have already switched to private chat and been talking there, so the rest of the members were unaware of the current situation. Having two people, a boy and a girl, in the same housete at night could lead to some misunderstandings among the club members. Since the ghost appeared at my home rather than at school, I also wanted to handle it quietly on my own. ¡°Did you finish eating?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Sunah stood up, patting her hands. ¡°I¡¯ll wash my hands ande back¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s a lot leftover.¡± I also grabbed a chicken drumstick covered in cheese seasoning and took a bite. ¡®It¡¯s delicious.¡¯ Since I bought her a chicken, Sunah would have to stay here with me until I deal with the ghost. * * * A whileter, around 10 p.m. With all the lights on in the apartment and the TV running in the living room, we were currently rummaging through my parents¡¯ room. Sunah was rummaging through the closet and I was searching through the clothes cabs of the dresser. Since it was the ce where my Mom kept her stuff, it was mostly filled with clothes and cosmetics. ¡°Joon, what¡¯s this¡­?¡± Sunah approached me carrying a box she pulled out from under the closet. Inside was a family album, but the box seemed suspicious. ¡°Oh, that. It¡¯s our family¡¯s old album.¡± ¡°Wow, can I look at it?¡± ¡°Yeah. Of course.¡± Soon, Sunah spread the album on the floor and started flipping through it. I took a quick look too. Thest time I saw it, the album was full of pictures with me and Kim Eunjung, but now it only contained ordinary photos of my old days. ¡°Joon, this! Ahaha¡­¡± Seona burst outughing as she looked at a picture of my childhood, where I was reaching out and eating a children¡¯s multivitamin like Nomagold or Tenten, which my mom had hidden on top of the kitchen cab. [T/N: Nomagold and Tenten are popr children¡¯s nutritional supplements in Korea.] ¡°I¡¯ve been very clever since I was little, you know¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ that¡¯s true, well¡­¡± Well¡­ that¡¯s how it is, you know. Feeling awkward, I scratched my head in embarrassment and started rummaging through the drawers of the dresser again. And then, among the Buddhist scriptures from the shrine where my Mom asionally visits, I noticed something strange and was startled. ¡°¡­Huh? Why is this here?¡± ¡ùHorror Movie Clich¨¦: At the very beginning of the situation, an ominous object is discovered that hints at an incident.¡ù Chapter 112: Twelfth Ghost Story – Horror Movie Cliches (5) Chapter 112: Twelfth Ghost Story ¨C Horror Movie Cliches (5) The strange but familiar object I found among the Buddhist scriptures inside the drawer of my Mom¡¯s dresser. I took it out and held it in my hand. ?? The material felt like that of a bead at first. But it was shaped like a spade, and it felt rather heavy for its size. I held it in my hand and opened and closed my palm a few times. Then I called out to Sunah, who was looking at a photo of my childhood, where I was bathing naked in a tub. ¡°Sunah, look at this.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Sunah closed the album and crawled towards me using her knees. ¡°Doesn¡¯t this look familiar?¡± ¡°¡­Hmm.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Sunah also lifted her eyes, examining it closely. As if realization dawned over her, she let out a surprised exmation with a sound of recognition. ¡°Totem!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I nodded affirmatively. About two months ago, during lunchtime, when the Ghost Story Club had just been formed and before the first CA session. Because of the S-rank ability called the ¡®Goddess of Luck¡¯, we had all bumped into each other at the same time and lost consciousness. At the same moment we lost consciousness, we were all drawn into a dream together. It was this totem, handed to me by our homeroom teacher, that was the first thing to make me realize that this was a dream. ¡®Maybe¡­¡¯ I tried rolling the sharp point on the floor as a test. The spade-shaped totem spun around on the floor for a moment, following its weight, but soon lost its bnce and fell with a soft thud. ¡°Since it fell down, it¡¯s not a dream.¡± ¡°Why is this here¡­.¡± ¡°It was ced together with the Buddhist scriptures from the shrine my mom goes to.¡± I shook it a few more times in my hand and pondered. ¡®It¡¯s something that exists in reality.¡¯ But what kind of essory is this, and why is it in our house? The material and overall vibe do seem like something you¡¯d find in Buddhist items, however, I don¡¯t remember seeing anything like this in an ordinary temple or shrine. Thinking I should ask Gyeongwon, I immediately took out my phone, took a picture, and sent it to him. Gyeongwon responded right away. [Ahn Gyeongwon: It¡¯s a totem.] [Lee Joon: What do you think?] I quickly typed on the keypad. [Lee Joon: I found it on the dresser in my parents¡¯ room. And it looks like it belongs to my Mom.] [Ahn Gyeongwon: And the strangest part is it¡¯s something that exists in reality.] [Lee Joon: I¡¯m surprised too. Do you have any idea?] [Ahn Gyeongwon: I think I do.] ¡°What could it be?¡± ¡°What is it¡­¡± Sunah and I were sitting on the floor of my parents¡¯ room, intently looking at our phones. Soon, another message from Gyeongwon came through on KakaoTalk. [Ahn Gyeongwon: It might be a bit of a sensitive topic but, does your mother follow a particr religion?] I sent an affirmative reply. [Lee Joon: Yeah. She visits the shrine regrly.] [Ahn Gyeongwon: Is it an ordinary shrine?] I thought about it carefully and replied that it seemed like it was. It¡¯s a shrine she has been visiting for a long time, and I¡¯ve also gone a few times on Buddha¡¯s Birthday, where I¡¯ve had bibimbap there. [T/N: Bibimbap is a popr Korean dish that consists of a bowl of rice topped with a variety of vegetables and usually some kind of protein like beef.] [Lee Joon: I¡¯m sure it is. It¡¯s a famous and rtively old shrine around this area. It¡¯s not a strange ce.] [Ahn Gyeongwon: In that case, it probably wasn¡¯t from the shrine. I was going to mention it during tomorrow¡¯s CA time presentation, but let me exin it briefly in advance. There¡¯s a suspicious religion spreading within the school. It¡¯s a new religious movement based on Taoism and is called Dogma of Void.] ¡°Dogma of Void?¡± It was a familiar term. I¡¯ve heard of it a few times in my previous life, but this is the first time I¡¯m hearing about it in this life. ¡®The leader of the religious organization rose to prominence after bing the President, but at this point, he hasn¡¯t risen to the surface yet¡­..¡¯ Just as I was about to ask Sunah if she had heard of it, I noticed that her face had already gonepletely pale. [Ahn Gyeongwon: I¡¯ll exin the details tomorrow, but for now, it seems like they asionally use a symbol resembling the ?? of spade pattern in the religious centers they¡¯ve established.] ¡°Spade pattern¡­¡± I looked at the heavy spade-shaped totem I was holding. [Ahn Gyeongwon: It looks like the symbol of their religion. The pronunciation of ¡®spade¡¯ and ¡®space¡¯ sound simr. And space can also imply void.] ¡°¡­That¡¯s right.¡± If it truly is a religious item with symbolic meaning used by that specific group. ¡®Why would it be with my Mom, who¡¯s a Buddhist¡­¡¯ I examined the totem, lifting it up and down in my hand a few times, before turning my head to look at Sunah. It was unknown if she had seen our discussion, but she seemed to have a troubled expression. ¡°¡­Sunah. Do you know anything?¡± ¡°There. That¡¯s a ce where my parents used to go¡­¡± Pop- [Your understanding of the character Yoon Sunah has increased by 5.] I nodded in understanding. ¡°¡­ What about right now? Do they still visit it?¡± ¡°No, they both passed away¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­ I see.¡± I had already guessed it from the part about living with her grandmother, but it turns out both of her parents have passed away. ¡®Was their death rted to their involvement in the organization?¡¯ Not knowing what words offort to offer, I quietly shook the totem in my hand a few times before standing up from my ce. ¡°Should we just take a break?¡± ¡°Okay¡­.¡± Sunah followed me out to the living room with a nk expression on her face. * * * We sat on the sofa together, each lost in our own thoughts, unable to focus on the TV at all. ¡®So that¡¯s what happened to Sunah¡¯s parents. How should I console her and help her move forward when we inevitably sh with the organization in the future?¡¯ ¡®In the end, the only thing I found in my parents¡¯ room was the totem. Where did Mom get this, and why did she keep it in the dresser?¡¯ ¡®Could this totem be rted to the ghost that¡¯s currently popping up in our apartment, and rted to the Dogma of Void?¡¯ Having eaten a good meal and with the night growingte, I leaned back on the sofa, absentmindedly thinking about this and that, and eventually drifted off to sleep. * * * [2019, May 3rd | Friday, 01:12 AM] [Lee Joon: Number of Attempts ¨C 2] [Ghost Story Points: 102] [Causality Rate: 17%] ¡°Joony, Joony.¡± ¡°Huh¡­.?¡± When I opened my eyes, I was in the dark living room. ¡°Go to your room and sleep¡­.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡­¡± Half-conscious, I followed Sunah¡¯s lead and went into my room, which was dark, and copsed onto the bed. Sunah, sitting next to me, looked into the living room through the small gap of the slightly opened door. Her eyes were anxious, as if wary of something. But I, overtaken by sleep, didn¡¯t realize and drifted off again. ¡ùHorror Movie Clich¨¦: Noticing something suspicious but ignoring it.¡ù * * * [2019, May 3rd | Friday, 02:44 AM] [Lee Joon: Number of Attempts ¨C 2] [Ghost Story Points: 102] [Causality Rate: 17%] ¡®This isn¡¯t right. Why am I just sleeping here when I should be solving the situation with Sunah? We need to handle this first before sleeping.¡¯ I opened my eyes thinking that I had only closed my eyes for a moment, but to my surprise, I realized that actually an hour had already passed. It was 2:44 a.m. currently. ¡°¡­ Sunah?¡± I suddenly looked around, but there was no one in the dark room beside me. ¡ùHorror Movie Clich¨¦: Instead of staying together, the group always scatters around.¡ù ¡®¡­ What, did she go home while I was sleeping because it got toote?¡¯ Inviting a girl to my home, and even asking her about her family affairs, and then falling asleep first. I really was too indifferent. Scratching my head, I went out to the living room and pressed the switch to turn on the light, but the light didn¡¯t turn on. Flick- Flick- ¡°Huh? What¡¯s wrong with the lights?¡± ¡ùHorror Movie Clich¨¦: The light doesn¡¯t turn on.¡ù Thinking it was strange, I went over to the shoe rack, and Sunah¡¯s shoes were still there. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± So she didn¡¯t go home because she got upset that I was sleeping. ¡®Where is she?¡¯ I returned to my room, picked up the phone that was on the bed, and turned on the shlight. I opened the KakaoTalk app while holding my phone, but there were no new messages. ¡®¡­ No, that¡¯s not it.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t that there were no new messages; there were a few from Gyeongwon in the meantime. But the messages were showing read, so the notifications didn¡¯t show up. ¡®Did Sunah read them?¡¯ If I hadn¡¯t read them in my sleep, the only person who could have touched my phone was Sunah, who had been with me. I pictured Sunah in my mind, using my finger while I was asleep to unlock the phone and looking through the message history. ¡®I really don¡¯t have anyone to contact other than the club members.¡¯ I could guess why she did that. Pop- [Your understanding of the character Yoon Sunah has increased by 5.] Fortunately, there wasn¡¯t anything that could be considered suspicious and make me look bad. I don¡¯t have any female friends who would contact me either. ¡®Except for the one KakaoTalk message I sent to Hayoon that she read and ignored¡­¡¯ For now, I decided to look for Sunah. Since she hadn¡¯t left, she should be somewhere in the apartment. ¡°Sunah, Sunah?¡± In the dark house, I scanned the surroundings, shining the shlight back and forth. At that moment, I heard a rustling sounding from my parents¡¯ room. ¡°Sunah?¡± I approached the half-open door. And listened to the sound more closely. Slid¡­. Sliid¡­. Sliiiiid¡­. The sound of something brushing against the floor, as if walking with extremely narrow steps. If it was in the movies, hearing a suspicious sound like this, if I, the character approached while calling out, ¡®Su, Sunah? Sunah¡­?¡¯ I would definitely end up getting killed. But unless I¡¯m an idiot, I could tell it was obviously a ghost. I was about to turn around right away, but at that moment, I was ovee by an inexplicable, uncontroble curiosity to find out the source of the sound. ¡ùHorror Movie Clich¨¦: Approaching someone by calling their name even though they clearly aren¡¯t your friend.¡ù Slid¡­. Sliid¡­. Sliiiiid¡­. I approached the door while calling Sunah¡¯s name. ¡°Su, Sunah¡­? Sunah¡­?¡± There was even a strange sense of excitement in my chest, as if I was happy that I was following the clich¨¦. Creak- [Don¡¯t open the door, Joon!!!!!!!!!! Don¡¯te in!!!!!!!] At that moment, I heard Sunah shouting from inside the room, along with a loud thumping sound. And then the noise of someone stomping their feet was also heard. ¡°Su, Sunah!?¡± Sunah must have been hiding in the room to avoid the ghost, but now she was trying to sacrifice herself because I approached the ghost!! Having made that judgment, I quickly kicked the door open, only toe face-to-face with the woman with disheveled hair, her long neck stretched out as she leaned forward. [Don¡¯t open the door, Joon!!!!!!!!! Don¡¯te in!!!!!!!] The female ghost with a long neck, with her grotesque jaw creaking and only her upper teeth showing, imitated Sunah¡¯s voice as its lower jaw fell out. Then, it stomped its feet, making a loud noise. Boom. After frantically stomping her feet on the floor, the ghost suddenly stopped and then snapped her jaw open again with a sharp crack. [Don¡¯t open the door, Joon!!!!!!!!! Don¡¯te in!!!!!!!] ¡°Joon, run away!!¡± At that moment, Sunah, whose voice sounded from exactly the opposite direction of mine, burst through the door of my Dad¡¯s study, grabbed me, and began to drag me towards my room. [Don¡¯t open the door, Joon!!!!!!!!! Don¡¯te in!!!!!!!] The ghost let out a chilling scream that would make even a ghost shudder as she chased after me, running out from my parents¡¯ room to catch me. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. We soon arrived at the front door. However, the door was locked, and before I knew it, the key was already in my pocket. Just as I was about to take the key out, it slipped from my hand, and at that moment, the ghost grabbed Sunah and opened her mouth wide as if to bite her head off. The key that dropped from my hand had already turned into a bunch of keys. I hurriedly inserted the key in the keyhole, but none of them fit. One, two, three, four, five. Although none of the keys fit, when I turned the key again, the door finally opened. ¡°Sunah, hurry¡­!¡± I turned around in a hurry, but Sunah was already gone, her head had been ripped off from the nose up. The ghost, with her neck so long that the head was pressed against the ceiling, grinned with rows of sharp teeth showing and looked down at me. ¡°Oh, crazy¡­¡± As I trembled in fear, the ghost approached me, dragging her head that was touching the ceiling. Slid. Slid. Her steps were narrow, like the delicate strides of a courtesan from the Joseon Dynasty. Slid. Slid. While still trembling, I pointed at the ghost with my index finger. ¡°You¡­ Fuck you¡­ When the next time we meet, I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re¡­¡­¡± [Beep you beep can¡¯t run beep beep your life beep belong beep beep beep.] [T/N: This part said by the ghost is hard to trante. The Korean text ispletely iprehensible. For better understanding, I¡¯m inserting the original text below: ?? ? ? ??????? ???? ?? ??? ? ????? ??? ? ?] Screeeeeech- The ghost, opening its mouth wide with its jaw almost touching the floor, charged toward me. I squeezed my eyes shut and promised myself to deal with it in the next time period. Ahh¡­ Aahhh! Soon, overwhelmed by an excruciating pain and a sense of my upper body disappearing, I lost consciousness. [You are dead.] [Restarting from the previous checkpoint.] [Loading¡­¡­] Chapter 113: Twelfth Ghost Story – Horror Movie Cliches (6) Chapter 113: Twelfth Ghost Story ¨C Horror Movie Cliches (6) [2019, May 3rd | Friday, 01:17 AM] [Lee Joon: Number of Attempts ¨C 2] [Ghost Story Points: 102] [Causality Rate: 17%] When I opened my eyes, I was in my bed. I looked to the side and saw Sunah¡¯s small back. Sunah was looking into the living room through the crack in the door. ¡°¡­Sunah.¡± ¡°Shh.¡± As I got up from the bed calling her name, Sunah put her finger to her lips. Following Sunah¡¯s gaze, I listened carefully and looked toward the living room. The faint sounds of someone groaning could be hearding from the direction of my parents¡¯ room. The sound was like ¡®Uugh¡¯, or ¡®Keuuugh¡¯, the weak groaning sound of a woman, as if in pain. Sunah, who had been cautiously watching through the crack in the door, soon approached me carefully without making a sound. ¡°Joon, stay still here. I¡¯ll go check it out ande back¡­¡± ¡°Wait a moment.¡± I grabbed Sunah¡¯s arm as she was about to leave the door. In the previous time period, while I was sleeping, Sunah must have gone to check on that alone, got caught by the ghost and couldn¡¯te back, so she hid in my Dad¡¯s study. ¡°¡­We have already died once and the time has turned back. Don¡¯t go out.¡± ¡°¡­..!¡± Sunah opened herrge eyes wide. She turned to me and asked hesitantly. ¡°¡­How did we die?¡± ¡°We were caught by the ghost and tried to run away¡­ but died.¡± I whispered softly into Sunah¡¯s ear in a small voice, being careful so that the ghost couldn¡¯t hear. ¡°We can¡¯t win if we just fight with that thing. Let¡¯s find a way to deal with it first.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­..¡± Sunah nodded nervously and showed an understanding expression. ¡°Alright. Then keep watch and keep looking out into the living room. I¡¯ll think of a way.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Sunah tiptoed back to the door and looked outside through the crack in the door, keeping watch to see if the ghost wasing. For now, it seemed like the ghost was lingering in my parents¡¯ room, but we couldn¡¯t let our guards down. I quickly turned my phone on and checked the KakaoTalk messages Gyeongwon had sent but I hadn¡¯t had the chance to look at earlier. As expected, there were traces of Sunah secretly checking the KakaoTalk message window, as the messages were shown as read. I nced at Sunah¡¯s back for a moment, but it seemed like she was pretending not to know. I quickly checked the KakaoTalk message from Gyeongwon. [Ahn Gyeongwon: Prez, don¡¯t be fooled. Yoon Sunah is a ghost.] What? I looked up again and nced at Sunah. Her small figure was peeking out through the crack in the door. I slowly stepped back. In an instant, many choices shed through my mind. Unlike my Dad¡¯s study or my parents¡¯ room, where the windows were connected to the balcony, my room¡¯s window opened directly to the outside. If I jumped from there, I could kill myself and go back in time. But when I thought about it carefully, even if I went back in time, it would have been just a little while ago. The current checkpoint was probably set a few minutes ago, at 1:17 a.m. As soon as I woke up, Sunah was right there guarding the door, so there was no way to escape. No, wait a minute. I don¡¯t understand. Why is Sunah a ghost? We¡¯ve been together since the first time we contacted each other, so when did that happen? Does that even make sense? I checked the rest of the KakaoTalk messages. [Ahn Gyeongwon: Prez, don¡¯t be fooled. Yoon Sunah is a ghost.] [Ahn Gyeongwon: You have to be careful about that kind of scenario too. There are so many clich¨¦s in horror movies where, and ording to them, the real culprit was the friend you¡¯ve been running away with all along.] ¡ùHorror Movie Clich¨¦: A friend ys a prank to surprise you.¡ù I was surprised, you punk¡­ I brushed my chest and sighed in relief, then checked the rest of the KakaoTalk messages. [Ahn Gyeongwon: Actually, I¡¯m more concerned about the clich¨¦ ability that the Prez activated than the ghost itself.] [Ahn Gyeongwon: It¡¯s not like it¡¯s something that happened once or twice with Prez. And you¡¯ll find a way after dying a few times, but I think you should be careful about that clich¨¦ ability.] [Ahn Gyeongwon: Because in horror movies, clich¨¦s are usually situations that are disadvantageous to the main character.] ¡­ Many situations that are disadvantageous. What does that mean? [Ahn Gyeongwon: Death gs or scenes that hint at the main character¡¯s death. They are overwhelmingly moremon in horror movies than in other genres.] [Ahn Gyeongwon: For example, a line like, ¡°I¡¯ll go check and be right back, you wait here.¡± In other genres, it might be an ordinary line, but in a horror movie, if that linees up, it¡¯s a death g. The character who says that line will definitely die afterward.] ¡®¡­ So that¡¯s what it means.¡¯ Sunah almost died again just now. Indeed, clich¨¦s are scenes that appeared in other movies and subtly copied from them and then repeated like a form. If it¡¯s a clich¨¦ in teen movies, there would be a lot of content like the main character eventually growing up, or the friends eventually reconciling. And if it¡¯s a clich¨¦ in a horror movie, a ghost will appear out of nowhere, making the themepletely different. In horror movies, bad endings where everyone ends up dying are far moremon than happy endings, especiallypared to other genres. The clich¨¦s often revolve around sudden jumpscares or intense situations. ¡®¡­ Damn. It was a mistake.¡¯ Now I couldn¡¯t even cancel the ability until the situation ended by exterminating the ghost. I cursed inwardly as I continued reading the next KakaoTalk messages. [Ahn Gyeongwon: I¡¯m going to send you a list of clich¨¦s from horror movies that I¡¯ve organized in my own way, but as I expected, there aren¡¯t many good ones.] [Ahn Gyeongwon: I have no idea how to make use of that ability, so Prez should take a good look and use it as a reference. Prez is good at cooking existing ingredients, after all. This is all I can do for you.] Below that were the clich¨¦s from horror movies that he had organized, listed in a chart-like manner. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡ùHorror Movie Cliches¡ù 1. Horror Movie Clich¨¦: Being left home alone on the day of the incident for whatever reason. 2. Horror Movie Clich¨¦: The key never works on the first try when you¡¯re trying to escape. 3. Horror Movie Clich¨¦: The initial jumpscare turns out to be nothing special. 4. Horror Movie Clich¨¦: At the very beginning of the situation, an ominous object is discovered that hints at an incident. 5. Horror Movie Clich¨¦: Noticing something suspicious but ignoring it. 6. Horror Movie Clich¨¦: Instead of staying together that could raise the chance of survival, the group always scatters around. 7. Horror Movie Clich¨¦: The lights don¡¯t turn on. 8. Horror Movie Clich¨¦: Your friend tries to y a surprise prank on you. 9. ¡­¡­ 10. ¡­¡­ ¡®F*ck¡­ There¡¯s nothing helpful¡­¡¯ The only thing that appeared to be a bit helpful was. [26. After a lot of running and hiding, calling an exorcist or shaman to perform an exorcism or ritual and finally getting rid of the ghost with difficulty.] This was the only one. ¡®¡­An exorcist or shaman?¡¯ Where am I supposed to call someone for that in the middle of the night. It¡¯s 1 a.m¡­. ¡­.Wasn¡¯t Teacher Jang Hwaeun from a family of shamans¡­? Maybe I can contact them¡­ I thought about it but soon shook my head. In the middle of the night, at home. With both time and space limited, the methods I could use were too restricted. I tried to somehow connect the materials I had collected in various ways, but it was an unsolvable problem to use this guy¡¯s list of clich¨¦s in a good direction. ¡®No. It¡¯s useless.¡¯ I turned off my phone in frustration. As Gyeongwon mentioned, most of the clich¨¦s in horror movies where ghosts pop out only hint at bad events. The moment I was about to say that there was nothing I could do and that we had no choice but to solve it ourselves, Sunah looked back and whispered. ¡°Joon, hide! It opened the door and ising out!¡± I quickly opened the closet door and hid myself between the clothes. Sunah also crawled under my bed and hid in a hurry. I hadn¡¯t locked the door because I was worried it might make a sound. As I crouched down with my knees up to my chest in the dark, narrow closet, I soon heard the sound of someone approaching from the living room. Sliid¡­ slid¡­ screech¡­ screech¡­ The sound of someone walking with a very narrow stride, their footsteps brushing against the wooden floor. I remainedpletely still in the darkness of the closet, my body tense and stiff, not even a hair moving. Soon, the ghost entered the room and stood at the door. Sliid¡­ slid¡­ screech¡­ screech¡­ ¡°Cough¡­ Ugghh¡­ Keuugh¡­ screech¡­¡± The ghost walked around, groaning painfully as if choking in the air. The sound wasing from above. It was as if someone was banging their head against the ceiling while walking around. ¡°Keuugh¡­ Ugghh¡­ Keuugh¡­ screech¡­¡± Sliid¨C slid¨C screech¨C screech¨C The sound paused for a moment at my desk, but soon it slowly moved back toward the door. It seemed like it was going out again. ? ? Ring!!!!! ? ? ? Ring!!!! ? ? ? Ring!!!!!! ? ? Ring!!!!!! ? ? ? At that moment, my phone in my pocket red at full volume, ringing like crazy! I hadn¡¯t even touched it, but suddenly the speaker of the phone was turned on, and my Mom¡¯s voice yelling at the top of her lungs echoed around! [Joooonnnnyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have you had dinner!!!!!!!!!!! Joooonnnnyyyy! Mom is at the funeral!!!!!!! I think I¡¯ll bete!!!!!!!! Joooonnnnyyyy!!!!!!! Joooonnnnyyyy!!!!!!!] ¡ùHorror Movie Clich¨¦: While hiding, the phone suddenly rings loudly, and even though you frantically try to turn it off, the person on the other side keeps talking without realizing the situation.¡ù ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!¡± In an instant, hearing the sound of the phone, the ghost let out a monstrous scream and rushed toward the closet! Bang!!!! Bang!!!! Bang!!!! Bang!!!! Boom!!!!! Sunah immediately crawled out from under the bed and shouted at me. ¡°Joon! Run away!¡± ¡°Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.¡± Sunah pushed the ghost away from me before rushing toward the living room. Immediately, the ghost spun around and changed direction, running toward Sunah and stretched out its hand to grab her. Thump! Bang¡­ Screeeeeech¡­ [Gyaaaaaaah¡­.] The sound of the two of them moving farther away and toward the balcony was heard. Sunah, in a desperate attempt to flee toward the balcony, dodged the ghost somehow by moving toward the window and then to my parents¡¯ room. I, who had been watching through the gap, hurriedly opened the closet door and stood up. But no matter how hard I wracked my brain, I couldn¡¯t think of what to do. ¡®F*ck, f*ck¡­ What should I do¡­.¡¯ In the current situation, the only suspicious item was the ¡®??¡¯ shaped totem on the dresser in my parents¡¯ room. I didn¡¯t know for sure, but I thought perhaps trying to break it or throwing it away might solve the situation. Having made that decision, I rushed into the living room and quickly assessed the situation. Boom! Bang¡­ [Gyaaaaaaa.] Sunah burst out of my parents¡¯ room, and the ghost, chasing her, stopped dead in its tracks when it saw me standing in the living room before approaching me. ¡°Hick¡­!¡± ¡°Look here, you idiot!¡± Sunah grabbed a chair from the dining table and hurled it toward the ghost. The ghost was hit with a thud and stumbled back a little. Then it quickly turned its gaze away from me and charged toward Sunah again. [Gyaaaaaaa.] ¡°Haaak, haa¡­¡­¡± Sunah hurriedly ran toward the opposite direction and rushed into the kitchen balcony to escape again. There was a window there that connected to my Dad¡¯s study. I wonder if she was thinking of circling around again to shake off the ghost. ¡®Now is the time¡­!¡¯ As the ghost chased after Sunah to the kitchen balcony to catch her, I quickly took the chance to rush into my parents¡¯ room and opened the drawer of the dresser. Then grabbed the spade-shaped totem from earlier and took it out. ¡°This, maybe this can¡­!¡± Thinking that it might be one of those cursed objects from that suspicious religious organization, and perhaps breaking it would solve everything, I swung with all my strength and struck it to the edge of the dresser. ¡°Haaa, haaa. This, really¡­¡± But the totem was made of a hard, jade-like material, and not even a scratch appeared on it. Sunah, who had once again shook off the ghost by circling around my Dad¡¯s study, came running towards me, gasping for breath. ¡°Jo, Joon¡­!¡± ¡°Sunah!¡± [Gyaaaaaaaaa.] Behind her, the ghost was running with its hands outstretched, its head scraping along the ceiling. At this point, feeling like I had nothing to lose, I threw the totem at the ghost with all my might. ¡°Eeeeeeeee! Please let this work!!¡± Whoosh- Chapter 114: Twelfth Ghost Story – Horror Movie Cliches (7) Chapter 114: Twelfth Ghost Story ¨C Horror Movie Cliches (7) Smack- The heavy totem struck the ghost¡¯s face directly. For a moment, it flinched, but there was no other effect. The ghost, with its disheveled hair fluttering, stretched out its hand and raised its nails as it charged forward, letting out a grotesque scream. [Gyaaaaaaaaa-] ¡°Kyaaaaaaah!¡± ¡°Sunah!¡± Sunah, who was about to run across the threshold and hug me, was caught by the ghost behind. Just as the ghost opened its jaw wide and about to bite her. Ding-Dong ? Pause. ¡°Haa, haa¡­.¡± ¡°Hick, hick¡­¡­¡± The ghost suddenly stood upright in front of us, frozen in the same posture it had been with its arms stretched and nails raised as if it had been about to pounce. Ding-Dong ? The doorbell rang again. Knock, knock. Then the sound of someone knocking on the front door was heard. [Excuse me, is anyone in there? It¡¯s the police.] Po, police¡­£¡ It¡¯s actually the police¡­£¡ A single word shed through my mind at that moment. ¡®I¡¯m saved.¡¯ [Excuse me?] Knock, knock, knock. The ghost, which had just opened its jaws to bite Sunah, slowly turned its head toward the front door. ¡°Haa, haa¡­.¡± ¡°Gasp, gasp¡­ Police¡­ Police¡­¡± Sunah and I, holding each other tightly, took a moment to catch our breath and quickly assessed the situation. ¡®If we can¡¯t get the police¡¯s help now, it¡¯s over!!¡± Having made that decision, I seized the opportunity while the ghost¡¯s attention was focused on the front door and quickly ran across the floor, rushing to the front door. ¡°Joon! Be careful¡­.¡± I dashed past the terrifying figure of the ghost, swiftly making my way toward the living room. Fortunately, the ghost was just staring nkly at the front door and didn¡¯t pounce on me as I passed by. Ding-Dong ? [Is there anyone inside?] [Should we just go back?] ¡°There is! There is!! Just a moment!!!¡± I shouted loudly and ran toward the front door, unlocking it with the key from my pocket. ng. Creak- ¡°Oh, there really is someone. Excuse us.¡± ¡°Haa, haa¡­¡± I¡¯m saved. Two male police officers, dressed in night patrol uniforms, stood in the apartment hallway and greeted me as I opened the door. ¡°Sorry for disturbing you sote at night. We received a report about a loud disturbance, so we stopped by while on patrol.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°We heard screams, so we came to check. Are you home alone? Where are your parents?¡± ¡°Oh, they are not home. Haa, haa¡­ A ghost, no, a strange person broke into the apartment¡­¡­¡± I opened the door wide and secured it with the door stopper, and gestured with my hand as if telling them to look inside. The two police officers peeked inside, cautiously looking through the open door. The orange sensor light on the shoe cab illuminated the ghost and Sunah standing still in their posture in the dark living room. ¡°That¡¯s, that¡¯s the strange woman. A robber¡­ A robber. Please, take her away¡­¡± ¡°A robber?¡± ¡°Yes, a robber. A robber¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­..¡± I turned my head while pointing my finger urgently. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t ¡®it suddenly disappeared when someone else came!¡¯ kind of development. The ghost was still standing stiffly in the same position. Behind it, Sunah was nervously watching us, her face filled with fear. ¡°See, do you see it? You can see it, right?¡± ¡°Of course. We can see very clearly.¡± The police officers standing in front of the door nced at Sunah and the ghost a few times before finally asking me. ¡°But who is the robber here?¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± ¡°Are you talking about that one?¡± The police officer pointed at the ghost, who was standing with its neck stretched out. That¡¯s who I meant, so I nodded quickly. ¡°Of course, of course. It¡¯s that person. That person is the robber. Please arrest her quickly.¡± The police officers tilted their heads for a moment and then exchanged a nce. ¡°She doesn¡¯t look like a robber¡­.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡­¡± These people are out of their minds. Of course it wouldn¡¯t look like a robber. With its long neck, disheveled hair, and a jaw hanging loose almost touching the floor, it didn¡¯t even look like a human¡­ The police officers¡¯ reactions seemed strange, but still, I desperately thought that these people were my lifeline, so I urgently spoke again. ¡°Please arrest her, quickly. The screams and the noise, those were the sounds she made after barging into our house without permission and we begged her to spare us.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Despite my desperate exnation, the police seemed strangely indifferent, giving off a lukewarm response. ¡°You¡¯re saying that she barged into your house without permission and caused a scene, right?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, that¡¯s right. That¡¯s correct.¡± ¡°Can you prove that?¡± ¡°Prove?¡± I was speechless, looking back and forth between the police and the ghost. ¡°She, She clearly looks suspicious! I told you, she broke into our house!¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± As the police stared at it, the ghost lowered its head and scratched its hair. Scratch, scratch. ¡°¡­Sure, she looks a bit suspicious, but this isn¡¯t the old days. We can¡¯t just arrest anyone because they look suspicious.¡± ¡°What?¡± I was in disbelief, pointing my finger back and forth between the police and the ghost. ¡°She¡¯s a robber! A robber! I¡¯m telling you, she suddenly broke into our house and tried to harm us!¡± ¡°I see.¡± The police officer extended his hand as if to calm me down, then craned his neck and asked the ghost standing in the living room. ¡°Excuse me. Do you have any ID or something?¡± The ghost shook its head. ¡°Then you¡¯ll need toe with us. Could you pleasee over this way?¡± The ghost stomped its feet as if protesting and pointed its finger at me and Sunah. ¡°It seems like she¡¯s asking the students to verify their ID.¡± ¡°Do you have something like that?¡± I hurriedly nodded my head. ¡°Yes, yes. I do. My student ID and¡­¡± ¡°Is your home address written on it?¡± ¡°I, I don¡¯t have my home address on it¡­¡± ¡°We need to confirm who the homeowner is before we can arrest her as a robber. If you have anything that can verify your identity, please bring it.¡± ¡°Okay, just a moment¡­.¡± In a hurry, I rushed past the ghost and Sunah standing in the living room, heading into my parents¡¯ room and rummaging through my Mom¡¯s dresser. I grabbed a handful of documents, including the resident registration card and health insurance card with my family¡¯s names on them, and rushed out. ¡°Here! Take a look! We don¡¯t have any strange people like that living in our house!¡± ¡°Oh my, there¡¯s a lot of¡­¡± Soon, the police officers, who wereparing the family photos with the ghost¡¯s face, pointed their finger and mistakenly singled out Sunah. ¡°What about that girl? That girl doesn¡¯t live here either, right?¡± ¡°She¡­.¡± ¡°Look here, this one.¡± One of the police officers tapped the resident registration card with his finger. ¡°Lee Joon is the student¡¯s name, and they¡¯re the only child of the owners of this apartment. So who is the other one?¡± ¡°Gotcha~ Why are you lying like this?¡± The police officer standing behind gave a sly grin. I couldn¡¯t understand who was caught and what lie they were talking about. I briefly pushed aside the overwhelming sense of disbelief and stumbled as I answered. ¡°She¡¯s, she¡¯s a friend. She¡¯s just a ssmate who came to my house today.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°The important thing is that she didn¡¯t break into my house! A robber! Don¡¯t you know what a robber means?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± Frustrated, I shouted with a hint of annoyance, but the police officers¡¯ response was lukewarm and unconvincing. Instead, they looked back and forth between Sunah and me with doubtful expressions. ¡°You two are not family, and you¡¯re with a minor, yet you¡¯re both here together in the middle of the night.¡± ¡°You, you don¡¯t need to worry about that! And besides, I¡¯m a minor too, so it¡¯s not a big deal!¡± The police officers shook their heads, then exchanged a few nces with each other. Afterward, they casually brushed all my ims off, dismissing it with a flick of their hands. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll be on our way now. It seems like it would be best if the three of you talk things out.¡± ¡°What?¡± Feeling a surge of frustration, my voice rose in anger. ¡°I¡¯m telling you to arrest her! She¡¯s a robber! A robber!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t yell at us, student. You¡¯re still young.¡± Soon, the other police officers turned away with a mocking tone. ¡°Ah, this is really frustrating¡­ You can¡¯t file a case with something like this, so just give up, alright?¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t it be done? She broke into our apartment! Trespassing! It¡¯s a criminal offense!¡± ¡°Do you have any way to prove that? Like, CCTV footage of the moment she broke in or something?¡± ¡°Who installs CCTV in an apartment! And I just confirmed that she¡¯s not a resident of our house!¡± ¡°Then the girl behind her isn¡¯t a resident either, so should we arrest her as well? Hmm?¡± The police officers pointed at Sunah with a mocking smile. ¡°We¡¯re not exactly sitting around with free time, you know. The case needs to be filed first before anything can be done¡­ You can¡¯t just use someone of being a robber without evidence. We¡¯re leaving now, so it would be best if you three try to talk things thoroughly and resolve the situation.¡± ¡°We, We¡¯re about to die here, and you¡¯re leaving! Why should the victim have to prove that in the first ce?!¡± ¡°Ah, seriously. This isn¡¯t getting through to you. So, did she stab you two with a knife or something?¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± My head spun in disbelief at that moment. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that I have to be stabbed to death before you can investigate¡­?¡± ¡°Look, we can only act if something actually happened. Not to mention, she hasn¡¯t stolen anything or hurt anyone. What do you tell us to do in that case?¡± ¡°How can you say nothing happened! It¡¯s trespassing! That person is illegally breaking into our house right now! Arrest her!¡± ¡°Student, you¡¯ve been shouting at us this whole time. Can you stop?¡± The police officer frowned, clearly annoyed. I raised my voice again, my face flushing with disbelief. ¡°What are your names? Huh?¡± I remembered reading online that if the police are uncooperative, show a lukewarm attitude and don¡¯t take the report seriously, you can force them to be more cooperative by threatening to file aint. ¡°What are your names! Tell me your name!¡± Without warning, I suddenly rushed over to check their name tags, but the police officers shoved me aside as if to ask what I was doing. ¡°From what I can see, the student is also at fault. You should have clearly expressed your unwillingness for the robber to enter your house.¡± ¡°What the¡­!¡± They¡¯re trying to pin the me on me! I was about to curse out the police officers in front of me, even though a ghost was standing just behind me, but suddenly, I realized something. ¡ùHorror Movie Clich¨¦: The police are always portrayed as ipetent, never believing what the main character says. Instead, they just mock them and cause more frustration.¡ù Oh, I understand. They were the ¡®ipetent police¡¯ clich¨¦ that often appears in Korean horror movies. ¡°Okay, look carefully. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m seeing things¡­¡± I stood still, pointing my finger at the police officers as if telling them to look, then took a few steps back, moving toward the ghost that was standing there motionless and staring nkly. ¡°Look, here, the neck.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, we¡¯re looking.¡± The police officers responded in an annoyed tone, speaking casually and voice filled with irritation. ¡°The length of the neck. Can you see it? Like mine. Like this. See?¡± I stood next to the ghost and pointed at the difference, using my hand topare the lengths directly. ¡°It¡¯s different, right? It looks different. Does this look like a person? Huh? If you have eyes and aren¡¯t blind, take a good look and see if this is even a human.¡± ¡°Mm, she looks like a person. Well, we¡¯re leaving now, so good luck. Be careful, though, if you keep making noise, you might get a noiseint.¡± The police officers replied with a sarcastic tone and then shut the door behind them. ¡°Hey, wait a minute, f*ck! Don¡¯t close the door-¡± Bam. The ghost even bowed its head slightly, as if greeting the departing police officers. In the dark apartment. A moment of silence passed. Just as the ghost was about to raise its head again, I, unable to keep up with the situation, grabbed Sunah¡¯s hand who was standing there nkly and ran toward my room. ¡°Sunah, let¡¯s go to my room!!¡± ¡°Uh, yeah¡­¡­!¡± Soon, as ifing to her senses, Sunah scrambled to grab my hand and ran with me. Finally, we quickly went back to my room and locked the door. Click. [Gyaaaaaaaaaaaa-] The ghost, chasing after us, began banging on the door violently, as if it were about to break it down. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang- [Gyaaaaaaaaa-] The door creaked, making a grinding noise, and slowly began to split open. Haa, haa¡­ What do I do now? What do I do now¡­¡­ I held my head and screamed inside. You f*cking Korean horror movies¡­ Because they keep using all of these frustrating clich¨¦s, like a cancerous plot development, I was suffering. Who doesn¡¯t know that police in horror movies are all ipetent? Did they really have to forcefully cram that bullshit to poke me like this, using even the movies¡­. ¡°People who create trashy, carcinogenic developments that have nothing to do with the story development should be executed¡­.¡± Still, I have to hold on. Agree? Oh, agree. Boss? Oh, yes, boss. ¡°Joon! Come to your senses!!¡± As I was almost at the verge of a panic attack with the ghost banging at the door, Sunah shook me to snap me out of it. ¡°There, there has to be a way! There¡¯s always, always been a way¡­.¡± There was one way. I could jump out of the window of my room right in front of me andmit suicide to go back in time. Then, I could slowly think of a way again without the pain of being eaten alive by the ghost. But that was the same as telling Sunah, who was left behind, to die. Also, the 7th floor is an ambiguous height of only about 20 meters. There¡¯s no guarantee that jumping down would definitely result in death. ¡°There is no¡­ way¡­.¡± I muttered with my eyes tightly shut. I should have just not used the ability, f*ck myself¡­¡­ Unless we hunt down all the directors who made Korean horror films full of frustrating clich¨¦s and sentence them to death, there¡¯s no way to get out of this situation. At that moment when I was in a state of panic. Sunah looked up at me in the dark room, clutching my chest. ¡°Joon, I believe in you.¡± Bang, bang, bang, bang- [Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaah-] ¡°You will find a way. I know¡­¡­¡± She looked at me with unshakable trust in herrge round eyes. ¡°¡­Sunah. Don¡¯t believe in me.¡± Someone like me¡­ What¡¯s so great about me¡­¡­ ¡°I believe you.¡± Sumah¡¯s small hands that were holding the fabric of my clothes gained strength. ¡°You¡¯ll find a way, no matter what. Joony, you can do it. I believe in you.¡± I clenched my hands tightly. Gyeongwon, and Sunah too. Why does everyone believe in me this much? I held Sunah¡¯s small hands, which were tightly gripping the fabrics on my chest. It was warm. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang- [Gyaaaaaaaaaaaa-] Soon, the door began to rustle and tear off, creaking and making a grinding sound from the hinges. ¡°Sunah.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve found a way, but can you promise me one thing?¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang- Creak. [Gyaaaaaaaaaaaa-] The door was bing ragged, with gaps widening as broken wood splinters flew away. Grab- I grabbed Sunah¡¯s shoulder and forcefully pushed her toward the closet, whispering. ¡°Hide here.¡± ¡°Here¡­..?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I opened the door and pushed Sunah¡¯s back. I whispered to her, curled up in the closet with her small frame hidden. ¡°No matter what happens from now on, you must never, evere out of here. Promise.¡± ¡°¡­Joon.¡± Sunah looked up at me with a face that was half fearful and half worried. ¡°Promise me. No matter what happens, you will nevere out. Okay?¡± ¡°¡­ Promise.¡± Sunah nodded with a determined expression, then quickly hid her body inside the clothes. After closing the closet door from the outside, I prepared myself to face the ghost that would soon charge in. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang- [Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaah-] T/N: The whole chapter in a nutshell- Lee Joon: That¡¯s a ghost! A ghost! Arrest her! Police officers: Don¡¯t be racist. Just because she has an unbelievably long neck, a disheveled appearance and broke into your house doesn¡¯t mean she¡¯s a ghost. The ghost: Such dutiful police officers~ Chapter 115: Twelfth Ghost Story – Horror Movie Cliches (8) Chapter 115: Twelfth Ghost Story ¨C Horror Movie Cliches (8) Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. [Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.] [Gyaaaaa¡­.] ¡°¡­¡­¡± [¡­..] [¡­¡­!?] I unlocked the door. The ghost who had been banging on the door from outside as if wanting to break it paused for a moment. Giggle, giggle. Outside the door, the ghost giggled to itself. Creak- The doorknob turned, and the ghost with disheveled hair giggled and poked its head in. Giggle, giggle. Did you think I gave up? ¡°If you think so, you¡¯re mistaken, you fucking bastard!!¡± [¡­..!?] The ghost that was opening the door flinched at my sudden outburst. I immediately spread my limbs wide at it and shouted. ¡°Because this is no longer a horror movie, now it¡¯s an adult movie!¡± [¡­¡­!] I dashed forward after shouting like that, proudly showing my bare body without a single thread on it. ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!¡± Rustle. [Wait a minute.] The ghost, who had been so aggressive before and chasing us around suddenly became polite. It stepped back and extended both its hands forward as if to stop me from approaching. [Please calm down, Mister.] ¡°Shut up, you crazy bitch!!!¡± Thump, thump, thump-! I ran at it in a full sprint! My rushing body collided with the ghost, who was showing a flustered expression and we both fell over, tumbling across the living room floor. [Aaa¡­¡­!] Bang- We both fell down, tussling and rolling across the wooden floor. [W, Wait a minute!] ¡°This bastard, ascend to heaven, ascend to heaven, now!¡± The ghost and I engaged in a wrestling match while rolling on the floor. Soon, the ghost overpowered me and gained the upper hand. It climbed onto my stomach, pressed down on my struggling legs, and grabbed my wrists. [What the heck! Why did you suddenly take off all your clothes and threw them away!] ¡°It¡¯s, it¡¯s hot¡­ I feel so hot¡­¡± [Huh? What do you mean it¡¯s hot! It¡¯s so cold here!] I shook my hands off its grasp and grabbed its hand. ¡°My feelings for you¡­ are too intense and hot.¡± [Mr. Mr. Joony¡­] The ghost¡¯s pale face slowly turned red. It quickly turned its head away as if embarrassed. [¡­. We shouldn¡¯t do this. I, I¡¯m a ghost, you know¡­..] ¡°What does that matter! Why does that matter?!¡± [¡­¡­!] ¡°I¡­ want you with all my heart.¡± My hidden trea/sure~ ? [T/N: This is from a popr Korean song My Hidden Self (???? ??). The singer of this song is IU, a popr South Korean singer-songwriter and actress. The song is from her album ¡°Luby¡± (2011).] ¡ùRomance Movie Clich¨¦: When a man and woman bump into each other and fall, it always results in a strange pose and atmosphere.¡ù A man and a woman lying down and looking at each other, their breathing rough from rolling around on the floor. And an enchanting background music echoed around. Heyyyeeeeee?? At that moment, the clich¨¦ was activated. ¡°Mr. Joony¡­. ¡°My Ghost¡­.¡± A blush spreaded across the ghost¡¯s white face as it called my name. Before I knew it, the ghost had changed into the face of an ordinary young woman. Her unbelievably long neck became a bit shorter but her hair was still messy. ¡°Why don¡¯t you speak? Don¡¯t you have a mouth? Can¡¯t you scream? Say this is my man. This man is my boyfriend! Why don¡¯t you say it!¡± ¡°How can you love me so much when I look like this! I¡¯m just an ugly ghost¡­¡± Amidst this intense moment, my phone suddenly rang loudly. ? Everybody! Four! In! Ce! Ss! Oh yeah~ Oooh Yeah~? [??Mom] Our eyes turned sideways and locked on my Clover phone, which was ring thetest hit song of Fourincess as a product advertisement. ? Everybody! Four! In! Ce! Ss! Oh yeah~ Oooh Yeah~? When the brand of the product was being sung in the song for the consumers, I was lying down on the floor with a ghost hovering above me. With a nk expression, I reached out, picked out my phone and answered it. ¡°¡­ Hello?¡± [Hello? Do you think I¡¯m in the state of hearing your hello right now?] My Mom¡¯s voice, screaming at the top of her lungs, transmitted through the speaker. ¡°Ah, Mom! Stop yelling! Why are you calling when you¡¯re at the funeral hall in the middle of the night¡­¡± [You¡¯re dating a ghost! How have I raised you all this time? Are you nning to turn your mother¡¯s world upside down until the end?] ¡°Mom! That¡¯s not true! I really, really love Ghost!¡± [You¡¯re still saying you love her, but I¡¯ll never let it happen until I be blind! This marriage is impossible!] At that moment, the ghost sitting on top of me suddenly snatched the phone away. ¡°Hello? Mother-inw. Aren¡¯t you being a little too harsh?¡± [Mother-inw~? Why would I be your mother-inw!! Who the hell said I¡¯m your mother-inw?!] ¡°I¡¯ve lived for over 300 years and have done everything except for ascending to heaven! I¡¯m not in a position to be kicked away and insulted like this-¡± [How dare you talk back to me? How rude~ Was there no one in your house to teach you how to respect your elders!!] ¡°Mother-inw!! You¡¯re really going too far!!¡± [Where did you get the guts to look me in the eye and re at me? Oh my, honey! Look at them talking back to me. Oh my, honey! Honey, oh¡­ oh my¡­] My mother screamed in despair, as if she was about to grab the back of her neck and fainted. The call ended there. Dud- In the silence, the ghost and I stared nkly at each other. Suddenly, the ghost jumped off of me and approached the air conditioner in the corner of the living room. ¡°Talking to your mother made me so angry that I feel hot all over. Let¡¯s turn on the air conditioner to clear away the heat.¡± The air conditioner was also a product made by Clover Corporation. ¡°These days, yellow dust is everywhere. It¡¯s good that this thing has both air conditioning and air purifying functions.¡± [T/N: Yellow dust is a natural phenomena native to East Asia. It refers to fine dust particles that are carried from the deserts of northern China and Mongolia by strong winds. This dust is often referred to as ¡°Asian dust¡± or ¡°Korean yellow dust¡± because it frequently affects Korea, Japan, and other parts of East Asia.] It was a 17-inch Clover Stand Wind-Free Air Conditioner, with the basic instation cost free. It was capable of personalized care by detecting the indoor environment and learning the user¡¯s patterns. ¡°Right, Ghost? I agree. I really like how the whirlwind with a high-pass method lets me feel cool andfortable without the cold air touching my skin, even in the heatwave. It¡¯s great because I can enjoy a longsting, pleasant coolness.¡± Production Support: Clover Electronics Cause you are my girl~? [T/N: This sentence was actually spoken in Korean (?????). It is a phic transcription of the English phrase ¡°Cause you¡¯re my girl,¡± as pronounced with a Korean ent. This phrase gained poprity as the title of a mobile application that allows users to create parody images.] The ghost¡¯s messy hair fluttered in the air conditioner wind, and the surrounding suddenly became covered in a sepia-toned color. In order to see and feel that scene again, summer would have to be here. I thought to myself that I must stay alive until summer. ¡°Joon.¡± While the ghost and I floundered in the clich¨¦ situation, struggling to be out of it as things continued to flow like that. Suddenly, when I looked back, Sunah was standing on the threshold of my room. Only then did I snap back to my senses and hurriedly straightened my back. ¡°Sunah, I told you not toe out¡­¡± Sunah¡¯s hair was disheveled, covering her eyes, so her expression waspletely hidden. ¡°¡­Sunah?¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Soon, the ghost who had been turning on the air conditioner slowly approached me and put a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Hey, Mister. How about we get out of here for a moment and talk?¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± ¡°Something feels a bit strange all of a sudden¡­.¡± The ghost, with a tense expression, twisted its neck and looked at Sunah. ¡°Let¡¯s go somewhere else and talk. What the hell is going on right now?¡± ¡°Uh, uhh. Alright, let¡¯s do that for now.¡± I hurriedly stood up, and only then did I realize what was going in. ¡ùObsession Troupe Clich¨¦: When an ambiguous situation with another person of the opposite sex unfolds, it¡¯s inevitably discovered by a jealous girlfriend.¡ù ¡°Joony, why have you taken off your clothes and rolling around with that girl¡­¡­?¡± Sunah muttered slowly, her tangled hair covering her eyes and her expression unseen. Even she has gotten entangled in the clich¨¦? ¡®I¡¯m going crazy¡­.¡¯ I quickly turned around and punched the ghost in the face. Whack- ¡°Aah¡­!¡± The ghost grabbed its nose and made a sound of displeasure. Bending its neck in an S shape, it started scolding me as if angry. ¡°Why are you hitting me suddenly, Mister!¡± ¡°You need to be exorcised quickly for this situation to be resolved! Ascend to heaven, quickly!!¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean you should hit people!!¡± The ghost grumbled, twisting its neck in disbelief, as if exasperated. In the meantime, Sunah was slowly walking towards me. ¡°Joon, this is too much¡­ I¡¯ve always protected you, even risking my life for you.¡± ¡°Oh, wait. Please just wait a moment.¡± I swallowed hard and tried to make an excuse. But. In this outfit, barely anything on my body, no matter what excuses I made it would be useless. Sunah slowly approached me with steady steps, sharpening the de of the boxcutter along the way. Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap. The sound of stic bouncing echoed as the de of the boxcutter was fully exposed, shining brightly. In a sh. I quickly ran to my Dad¡¯s study without a second thought. ¡®Haa, haaa, heuk, haa¡­¡¯ Bang! Creak- And just as I was about to lock the door. ¡°Mister, let me in too!!¡± The ghost hurriedly ran over and shoved its head through the crack in the door, trying to squeeze through. I ignored it and tried to close the door, but the ghost¡¯s neck got caught between the gaps, so I couldn¡¯t close it. Bang- Baang- ¡°What the f*ck, pull your neck out!!¡± ¡°Ahhh, mister, mister¡­¡± I mmed the door hard against the ghost¡¯s neck, causing it to cry out in pain. In the midst of this, Sunah approached from behind the ghost, scratching the wall with the boxcutter and making an ominous sound. Screeeeeech- ¡°Mister, please¡­¡­¡± ¡°This bitch¡­¡± Seeing no other choice, I swung the door open and let the ghost inside. ¡°Thank you, thank you¡­¡± The ghost rushed into the room. I immediately locked the door after it and grabbed it by the neck. ¡°What happened to you all of a sudden? Huh?¡± ¡°Cough, cough.¡± ¡°What the fuck are you, you idiot. Why can you suddenly talk and even try to run away? Weren¡¯t you going crazy trying to kill us earlier?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either, Mister¡­ please let me go¡­.¡± The ghost twisted its neck with a frightened expression, trembling uncontrobly. I exhaled in disbelief. Come to think of it, when I got caught up in the clich¨¦ situation earlier, I was so immersed in the atmosphere that I ended up saying some weird lines. It was the same with my Mom, who has been calling non-stop from far away and saying some bizarre things. Even Sunah, who seemed to have lost her sanity and was acting weird right in front of the door. More than the influence that ghost stories have on reality, it seemed the system¡¯s influence far suppressed them and had a stronger influence on this world. I had thought that the Demon King and the system were pr opposites, but their methods of manipting reality had some simrities. ¡°Joon, why did you lock the door¡­¡­?¡± Sunah, standing outside the door, began speaking to me. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to talk. I have something to say¡­..¡± ¡°Calm down, Sunah.¡± I swallowed hard in anxiety. Still with my bare body without a single thread, I spoke to Sunah on the other side of the door, trying to persuade her. ¡°You just got caught up in the clich¨¦ ability right now. Although we were in a questionable position, that¡¯s just a ghost. We need to exorcise it, you know.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t upset about that.¡± What the heck. Then why are you chasing me? Ah, KakaoTalk messages! Now that I thought about it, Sunah had secretly checked my phone when I was sleeping earlier. She must have been upset that I messaged Hayoon. ¡°Ah, is it because I texted Hayoon privately? B-but you saw the contents too. I was just asking what I needed to ask. It¡¯s nothing serious.¡± ¡°Hayoon likes you¡­?¡± ¡°What?¡± I flinched at the absurd conclusion for a moment. In the dark house, Sunah¡¯s faint voice echoed. ¡°Why are you mentioning Hayoon¡¯s name now¡­?¡± ¡°T, that¡­.¡± What¡¯s the reason? Why the hell was she chasing me? F*ck. ¡°You also like Hayoon¡­.¡± ¡°Oh, no. You¡¯re mistaken¡­..¡± ¡°Lies.¡± Click. Sunah desperately turned the doorknob from the outside. ¡°You always stare at her. I know.¡± As expected, women are quick to catch on to things like this, regardless of how they are academically. I guess it¡¯s their intuition as a woman. ¡®Of course I stare at her, I know that too¡­¡¯ But it was not just me, all the boys in our ss would sneak a nce at her too. It¡¯s just an instinct as a man seeing a pretty girl¡­ It wasn¡¯t like I had a crush on Hayoon or secretly fell in love with her or anything even close to that. ¡°Joony, really, what¡¯s so good about someone like her¡­¡­¡± Screeeeeech. Sunah quietly scraped the door with her boxcutter, muttering quietly. ¡°She¡¯s just ying with you¡­ Only showing interest when it suits her, replying only when she feels like it. Even when you text, she leaves you on read¡­¡­¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s not that I like her. Why would you misunderstand like that¡­¡± ¡°Why are all the men like that? Is it all about a pretty face? You get distracted by a weird girl like that just because she¡¯s pretty, every one of you¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m so jealous of In Hayoon, really.¡± Sunah¡¯s faint voice resonated lowly. ¡°She¡¯s rich, and she¡¯s pretty¡­ She has everything she wants, and she lives doing whatever she pleases¡­¡± Her tone seemed to carry a hint of sorrow. This is the first time I¡¯ve heard Sunah speaking like that. ¡°She¡¯s good at studying, smart, pretty, and has great parents¡­ What could someone like her possibly becking to end up clinging to my Joony? She¡¯s really a fox.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°There are so many other handsome and cool guys out there, why my Joony of all people, why, why, why.¡± Screech, screech, screech. Sunah¡¯s emotions seemed to be getting more and more intense as she scratched the door with the boxcutter more hurriedly. ¡°Why did she be my deskmate, why did she join our little Ghost Story Club? Why is she following my Joony around and trying to seduce him, why, why. What could she possibly becking? I really don¡¯t understand¡­ I can¡¯tprehend this¡­ Those kinds of people live for the thrill of snatching things away from people like me, who can¡¯t afford much. Don¡¯t you think so, Joony¡­?¡± Not knowing how to respond, I quickly nced to the side. The ghost behind me was nodding rapidly with a frightened expression. Activating my Lip Reading ability, I read the ghost¡¯s lips who seemed to be saying not to provoke Sunah and just agree to whatever she¡¯s saying. ¡°¡­Yeah. I think so too.¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± ¡°Uh, yeah.¡± I also rambled, quickly saying whatever came to my mind. ¡°I, I also feel that way when I see handsome, sessful guys. Like our ss president, Ban Janghoon. He¡¯s tall, good at sports, and the top student in the school. When I see guys like that, I feel the same way you do, Sunah. Like, ¡®He¡¯s really amazing, he¡¯s going to live his life doing whatever he wants¡¯¡­ That kind of feeling¡­¡± ¡°Joon, you¡¯re the same as me. I¡¯m so happy¡­ As expected, we¡¯re destined to be together¡­¡­¡± Des¡­ destined to be together¡­.. Why did that word suddenlye out¡­ I nced at the ghost, and it waved its hand, signaling for me not to look at it as it had no way to know how to get out of the situation. ¡°Then you can understand, right¡­? My feelings of not wanting to lose something precious¡­¡­¡± ¡°Uh, yeah~! Understand~! I understand very well¡­¡­¡± I exaggeratedly nodded my head towards Sunah, who was on the other side, as if the door between us was invisible. ¡°I understand~ Well, that¡¯s why I¡¯ll stay by your side, Sunah! I¡¯m not running away, you know that! Even if the world ends, where else would I be other than the Ghost Story Club? So calm down, we¡¯re together¡­¡± ¡°I want to be closer, I¡¯m scared¡­..¡± ¡°What, what¡­..¡± What are you scared of, please¡­¡­ Don¡¯t start digging a tunnel¡­¡­ ¡°What, what are you so scared of, Sunah¡­? Hmm? If there¡¯s anything I can do, I¡¯ll try my best. Do you want to talk about it¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried that you¡¯ll run away to another timeline¡­¡± Ahhh¡­ Please¡­ This story again¡­ I once heard it from the rooftop of the broadcasting station¡­ ¡°I can¡¯t believe that the Sunah there is the same Sunah as me¡­ The experiences and thoughts are different from the past. Every day, my feelings for you are growing stronger, Joon¡­. I can¡¯t even imagine my life without you anymore. If you go back to the past and my memories of you disappear¡­ That feeling of love I have for you will disappear from me as well¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°It hurts my heart just to think that Yoon Sunah doesn¡¯t like Joon¡­ I¡¯m afraid that the Sunah from the past, whom you have already left in the past, might not choose to love Joon¡­ That¡¯s why I can¡¯t stand it¡­ This is one of the few precious feelings in my insignificant life¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why¡­ That¡¯s why¡­¡­¡± ¡­.I didn¡¯t fully understand, but if I think about it, it seemed to be the case. If I were a member, and someone else had been chosen as the President by the system¡­ And if that person dies, and I had to live with the constant awareness that time would reset every time¡­ Perhaps I too would live with various insecurities, constantly questioning my identity of that moment. I remember a movie I saw once, about a man who loses his memory every 10 minutes. That was the moment when I realized something important, that one day time would reset suddenly, and I would not be able to remember anything at all. I might never be able to face that turning point again. Things that I thought were precious in another time period might bepletely ignored in a new time period. Simrly, if there was a moment that made me value someone, but suddenly time resets and my feelings be out of sync, my heart would feel empty. In the newly reset timeline, I might live a life where I don¡¯t cherish that person at all anymore. ¡°Joon, you liking another girl¡­ I can actually tolerate it to some extent. But, what if¡­ I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ll make a different choice when time goes back¡­ what if this feeling of liking you now disappears or fades¡­ Whenever I think about that, my heart really hurts so much¡­ I just want to cry¡­¡± ¡°¡­Sunah.¡± ¡°So now I¡¯m going to cut off your limbs so you can¡¯t turn back time, and I¡¯m going to lock you in my refrigerator¡­ From now on, Joon¡¯s house is my refrigerator¡­¡± Please. Please¡­ I grabbed my hair in frustration, still naked. Why does it have to be like that¡­ Why does the flow of thoughts turn out that way¡­.. Please¡­ ¡°Mister.¡­¡± The ghost looked at me with sympathy as I held my head in my hands. In that moment, anger surged within me, and I rushed to the ghost and tightly grabbed its neck. ¡°It¡¯s all your fault, you piece of shit!!! If I just get rid of you now, the situation will be over!!¡± ¡°Cough.¡± This ghost! If I just get rid of this guy, the clich¨¦ ability would be deactivated, and I would be able to escape from this psycho-thriller movie! ¡°Die! Die!!¡± ¡°Cough¡­ Calm down, mister¡­ Let¡¯s talk it out¡­¡± ?????????????????????????????? Chapter 116: Twelfth Ghost Story – Horror Movie Cliches (9) ¡°Talk?¡± Grabbing the ghost by its unusually long neck, I shook it violently. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s have your talk! What are you? A ghost of someone who died?¡± ¡°Yes, yes¡­ You¡¯re right, Mister¡­ you¡¯re right¡­¡± The ghost answered while groaning in pain. ¡°When and why did you die, and what connection do you have with the Demon King and the ghost story?¡± ¡°I, I¡­ I¡¯m just a ghost whomitted suicide by hanging myself here a long time ago¡­ This ce used to be a mountain area¡­¡± Mountain! So that¡¯s how a ghost popped out in this apartment, even though no one has ever lived here before. And the reason why she was walking strangely with narrow strides was because she was truly from the Joseon Dynasty! ¡°What the f*ck¡­ If ghosts from the past can pop out anywhere and anytime, are there any ces on Earth where people didn¡¯t die?¡± I grabbed the ghost by the neck again and shook it violently as I asked in disbelief. ¡°Then why are you suddenly able to talk like a normal person? You were chasing me around to kill me just now!¡± ¡°That, that¡¯s something I¡¯m not sure either¡­¡­¡± The ghost looked down at me with a troubled expression, it looked like it was in pain and choking back tears. Although I asked the ghost to be sure, I already knew the cause of its sudden unusual behaviour. It must have been because of the clich¨¦ ability of the system which I activated. The terrifying being that was nothing more than a mindless spirit originally, when the system¡¯s ability was activated, it must have given the ghost some kind of personality. Just like how every time Teacher Jang Hwaeun was possessed by a ghost story, she bes apletely different person. It seemed not only the reality, even ghost stories could also be transformed into some other situations by the system¡¯s ability. ¡°Right, the ghost story. The ghost story and the Demon King! Quickly, exin that to me. Hurry!¡± ¡°G-ghost story and the Demon King¡­¡­?¡± The ghost twisted its neck and made an expression of bewilderment. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of these words before¡­.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡± I grabbed the ghost¡¯s neck strongly and shook it harder. ¡°I know you guys are the underlings of the Demon King and he¡¯s the boss, don¡¯t keep talking nonsense!!¡± ¡°But, but I¡¯m telling the truth, Mister¡­ I don¡¯t know what you are talking about¡­¡­¡± The ghost made a flustered expression, as if asking me to believe it. At that moment, a message appeared before my eyes. Paat- [Special Ability Life Design has activated.] [Open the door and run out after 8 seconds.] Suddenly I realized, Sunah outside the door has gone quiet. I instinctively turned my head toward the window right next to me. To my horror, I found that Sunah was trying to open the door leading to the balcony. ¡°Oh, But, 8 seconds. Do I even have that much time left? I resumed my action of grabbing the ghost by the neck and shaking it. ¡°If you want to achieve enlightenment through a nice and peaceful conversation rather than being beaten up like a dog and being exorcised, wait here and act ording to my instructions! Got it?¡± ¡°Yes, Actually, I had no strategy. it was just a lie to use the ghost as bait to hand over to Sunah. After ncing at Sunah, who had already put her foot on the window, I immediately kicked the door open and ran out. Bang-! For a moment, I hesitated between my parents¡¯ room and my room, wondering where to escape. But then I thought that if there are two entrances, she might be able to jump into the room through the balcony again like before, so I headed to my room. ¡°Huff, huff¡­¡­¡± ¡°Mister¡­..¡± I heard the ghost faintly shouting from behind me, but I ignored it and rushed into my room and locked the door. Bang- Click. Just as I was about to feel relieved, I heard a ttering sound. Wondering what it was, I looked around and realized the cause. The door was in a state where the hinges were almost broken, as the ghost was banging on it earlier with all its might. The lock worked for now, but it was barely holding onto the door. It would break easily if someone kicked it two or three times. ¡°F*ck, F*ck.¡± Thump, thump, thump- The sound of Sunah approaching was heard from far away. I quickly ran to the window of my room. Since I had no other choice, I was thinking of killing myself. Rattle, rattle- ¡°Joon? Open the door¡­ Joon¡­.¡± ¡°Ugh, uhm¡­.¡± She wasing. A female ssmate was chasing me with a boxcutter¡­¡­ I stepped on the desk and climbed up to open the window. I was trying to push my body through it but I couldn¡¯t. The! F*ck, why wouldn¡¯t the open! ¡°S-Silicone?¡± Now that I think about it, I remember when I was young, my parents secured the mosquito using silicone because they were worried I might fall through it if it opened. And since they thought I would probably never need to open it, they made sure it couldn¡¯t be opened at all. I quickly grabbed a pair of scissors from the desk and struggled to cut through the mosquito. In the meantime, Sunah had already burst through the door with a bang and entered the room. ¡°Joon.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯te to me, you piece of shit! If youe near me, I¡¯ll jump out!!¡± I barely managed to cut through and create a hole in the mosquito, then I swung one leg over it. ¡°¡­ Are you trying tomit suicide like that?¡± ¡°Yeah, you asshole!¡± Then Sunah¡¯s expression instantly turned cold. ¡°As expected, I was right. Joony is always trying to escape to another timeline whenever there¡¯s a chance. But today, that won¡¯t happen.¡± ¡°Don¡¯te near me! I¡¯ll really jump out!¡± Creak. Behind Sunah¡¯s approaching back, I could see the ghost sticking its neck out of the living room and ncing inside, as if trying to gauge the situation. I quickly pointed my finger at the ghost and eximed. ¡°Su, Sunah. Calm down, we need to deal with the ghost first. Then everything will be over.¡± ¡°G ¡°Y-yes, ghost.¡± I nodded hurriedly, one of my feet dangling out the window. ¡°You¡¯re currently caught up in the system¡¯s maniption and have lost your senses. Deal with the ghost first. Then everything will be resolved.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled, Sister!!!!!¡± The ghost, who overheard our conversation, shouted from the living room. ¡°I will tell you what he wanted to do when Sister was right in the next room. I refused so many times, but that person, Mr. Joony insisted on taking off his clothes and¡­! Sob sob.¡± ¡°Joony, you¡­..¡± Sunah looked at me with her eyes zing with fury. ¡°To do something like that in front of me¡­ Even though you knew I was home¡­¡­ ¡± ¡°No! No! That bastard is a ghost! Why do you believe it but not me!!¡± Putting my remaining legs on the window sill, I shouted at her, fully intending to kill myself right away. ¡°F*ck! If you don¡¯t kill the ghost, I¡¯ll kill myself right away! So listen to me!¡± ¡°Sister! Don¡¯t be fooled! Joony, that guy is a piece of trash who keeps flirting with other women whenever he gets the chance!¡± Sunah¡¯s expression turned colder. Since I couldn¡¯t persuade her, I would just kill myself. ¡°But Joon, that¡¯s not a window.¡± ¡°What, what¡­¡­?¡± Even while having a conversation, I was grunting and pushing my body into the hole, but at some point, my body got stuck in midair and couldn¡¯t go any further. ¡°Huff, huff.¡± A question mark appeared in my head as I gasped for breath. The night sky visible beyond the window, if I could just jump from here, everything would be over. I could start again. But, my body was just hovering in the air. The midair space outside the window seemed strange. My body couldn¡¯t be pushed out anymore, as if an invisible wall was blocking me. ¡°What, what is happening?¡± I fumbled my hand in the air and touched a wall in the empty space. No, it was not empty space. ¡°A picture¡­..?¡± The picture of the night sky dangling in front of me, I grabbed and tore it apart. Then, a cement wall appeared behind it. ¡ù Abduction and Confinement Clich¨¦: The escape route you thought could save you at the beginning always ends up being a trap.¡ù Beyond the window was a cement wall, and a painting of the night sky had been attached on it, pretending to be the outside view all this time. ¡°T-this is ridiculous¡­¡­ ¡± I fumbled with the cement wall, feeling frustrated. This is ridiculous¡­ This is ridiculous¡­¡­ Sunah slowly approached me from behind. ¡°It¡¯s time to go into your new home, the refrigerator, Joon¡­¡± Then she swung the boxcutter down to my shoulder. My body dangling outside with one foot on the window sill looked up, staring at her nkly. In the living room beyond the door, the ghost was peeking inside with a worried expression. The moment the cold de of Sunah¡¯s boxcutter touched my skin. I showed off a desperate look, a move that I had been saving in case I would have no other way. ¡°Mom.¡± Sunah frowned, giving a cold look. ¡°Mom.¡± The cold de of Sunah¡¯s boxcutter slowly dug into my skin. Ignoring my muttering, she spoke up. ¡°Joon, you¡¯re using your head to escape again, aren¡¯t With a chilling sensation, droplets of blood slowly formed and dropped down. ¡°It won¡¯t work anymore. Joony can¡¯t escape from here¡­¡­¡± Whether she was listening to me or not, I closed my eyes and quietly mumbled in a trembling voice. Sunah slowly drew the butter downward. A line of blood dripped down my skin. ¡°Mom, look at me. I became a Judge of the Supreme Court.¡± Sunah¡¯s hand paused for a moment. ¡°Aren¡¯t I great? My clothes look so good on me.¡± ¡°See, I made it¡­ I told you I would.¡± Soon, Sunah frowned, showing a puzzled expression. ¡°Over there, you little punk.¡± Following my finger pointing at the ghost, Sunah turned her head back and stared at it. The ghost stepped back and bowed its head as if greeting her. ¡°Mom. But¡­ But Mom, I can¡¯t see you anymore.¡± Sunah tilted her head in confusion as she stared at me nkly. ¡°Because¡­ I became a Judge of the Supreme Court, you can go to heaven. I¡¯ll judge all the bad guys here.¡± ¡°Mom, you have suffered a lot in the past because of me, haven¡¯ At that moment, my phone, which had fallen on the floor in the distance, rang loudly, and like what happened earlier in the closet, the speakerphone turned on by itself. And then my mother¡¯s voice was heard. [My son¡­ You did nothing wrong¡­ Everything¡­ It¡¯s this poor mother¡¯s fault¡­¡­ ] ¡°Mom! [Mom was wrong¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry¡­ My son¡­ I love you] ¡°Mom! Mom, Mom¡­¡­¡± [I love you¡­¡­ ] Sunah made an expression that showed her bewilderment. She seemed like she couldn¡¯tprehend the situation right now. For Sunah, it was understandable. She was one of those poor people who didn¡¯t even have the luxury of going to the movies. But it didn¡¯t matter, I couldn¡¯t care less if she couldprehend the situation or not. I knew the system¡¯s ability worked beyond human cognition. So I pushed her into another new situation once again. ¡°Esung.¡± ¡°Even if Dad can¡¯t go with you¡­ You can go alone on your own, right, Esung?¡± Then, when the ghost approached, Sunah made a face as if she didn¡¯t know what to say, so I replied in a baby voice on my own. ¡°Yeah. Dad, I can go on my own, you know? I got perfect scores on all the subjects, so I¡¯ll definitelye to meet you. So, Dad, don¡¯t worry about me. Dad! Merry Christmas.¡± [T/N: These lines seem to belong to a Korean drama ¡°My Mister¡± from 2018.] Then switched my voice to an adult male voice and spoke up again. ¡°Esung, Merry Christmas¡­¡­! Goodbye.¡± ¡°Dad, what¡¯s wrong¡­¡­ The ghost and Sunah stood unmoving, staring nkly at my one-man show. I raised my hands in the air and began crying. ¡°Please save me! Please save me! I was wrong, please save me¡­ Don¡¯t cry, Esung¡­ Dad¡­ Dad¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I was wrong¡­ I¡¯m sorry!! I was wrong¡­ I was wrong¡­¡± Sunah¡¯s expression turned more bewildered, as if I was speaking in a foreignnguage. But regardless, I kept pushing the narrative. Because, that was exactly how ¡®Korean¡¯ movies are. ¡ùKorean Movie Clich¨¦: Rising action followed by melodrama. Once the melodrama appears, it means the ending is near, so you can rx.¡ù Whether the audience followed or not, whether they understood or not, the actors kept acting and crying until the end. And when the characters are howling and forcing back tears, that¡¯s when you can finally rx. Because that¡¯s when the movie ends. I was busy imitating all the melodramatic clich¨¦s of the Korean movies I¡¯ve seen. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m scared, Mom¡­ ¡­ ¡° [Oh my, Jaehyuk! My son¡­¡­] My mother spoke on the other side of the phone, crying and clutching her chest. ¡°Mom¡­ I couldn¡¯t keep the promise I made to make you livefortably¡­ I really tried to take good care of you, but really¡­¡­¡± [My Jaehyuk is so pitiful! Oh my son¡­¡­ ] The expression on Sunah¡¯s face, who had been silently listening, slowly started to change. ¡°¡­ Huh? Why¡­ ¡± Sunah made a bewildered expression. Her eyes slowly be moist. Yeah! Cry! Cry! Cry! Aren¡¯t you going to cry even after this? Look at this, it¡¯s so sad. Cry quickly. Tonight, an inspiring true story that will move the whole world, is going to appear! This is it, this is where the melodrama starts! You must shed some tears! ¡®Are you watching this, you punks!¡¯ This is a deep emotion unique to Korea, something that cannot bepared to the superficial emotions of the Westerners¡ªHan (ºÞ)! [T/N: ¡°ºÞ¡± (Han) is a Korean term that refers to a deep,plex emotion, often described as a mixture of grief, resentment, regret, and longing. This emotion is considered deeply embedded in Korean culture and history.] I will make you say ¡®Korea¡¯ until you cry. ¡°Mom¡­ What¡¯s so wrong with wanting to live with you? What did I do wrong? I really don¡¯t want to die like this¡­ It¡¯s so scary¡­ It¡¯s so scary, Mom¡­ Mo [Oh my son. Our Jaehyuk¡­.] With a bewildered expression, Sunah shook her head, her eyes welling up. ¡°Huh? What¡­? What..¡­¡± I quickly skipped to thest scene of the movie. ¡°Oh, that? My mom always used to put minari instead of spinach because she said it was good for the blood.¡± [Minari is good for cleansing the blood, that¡¯s why it¡¯s healthy. How much does our Sangman need to grow before he can go grocery shopping with Mom, holding my hand?] Sunah slowly raised her head. A tear ran down her cheek. ¡°Oh, oh¡­ This is strange¡­ Why am I crying¡­¡­¡± Sunah wiped her tears in bewilderment. ¡°This is strange¡­ Why¡­¡± Eeeeeeeeeee!! Long live the melodrama of the Republic of Korea!! What? You thought it was boring? You think it was a forced plot? Oh~ You cried along when you were watching~ hehe now you¡¯re pretending to be all cool! And if you curse this, you¡¯re a traitor Aeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!! ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh, long live the Republic of Korea, eeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡± The ending is gloriously adorned with patriotic pride! I raised my shoulders, which were still bleeding, and shouted three cheers. ¡°Long live the Republic of Korea! Long live!¡± Once you see the patriotic cheers, you¡¯ve watched the entire movie, so now you can go pee! ¡°Hip hip Hooray! Hip hip Hooraaaayyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡± The three patriotic cheers, leaving my mouth as I shouted at the top of my lungs, resonated in the house. Whoo¡­¡­ All right, then. I¡¯ve done everything I needed to do. However, despite my efforts that should set anyone¡¯s soul on fire, Sunah merely wiped her tears and lifted her head again. ¡°Are you done, Joon¡­¡­?¡± ¡°You should have been given a gold medal for your effort, well done¡­ Then I¡¯ll finish what I¡¯ve been doing. I won¡¯t let Joon escape anymore¡­¡­¡± Sunah sniffled, swallowed her tears, and slowly applied pressure to the boxcutter. ¡°I won¡¯t let you escape anymore¡­ You can¡¯t run away. No one can take you away from me anymore¡­¡­¡± The sharp me slowly dug into my skin. Damn, is it over? I couldn¡¯t think of anything else anymore. Ahhh¡­¡­ I don¡¯t want to die like this, I¡­¡­ ¡°Sunah.¡± At that moment, the ghost behind her slowly approached, calling Sunah¡¯s name. ¡°Sunah.¡± Sunah wiped her tears and turned around. There, the ghost whose appearance had changed into the form of a woman whom I didn¡¯t know was standing. A woman who looked quite a lot like Sunah, exuding a somewhat pure but sorrowful atmosphere. ¡°It must have been hard, Sunah.¡± Sunah¡¯s face turned bewildered again, as if she couldn¡¯t understand. She wiped her tears and shook her head. ¡°No, no, no¡­ This is strange¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, your Mommy¡­ I left my dear daughter alone in this world. I¡¯m ¡°No, no, no¡­¡­¡± She stepped backward, trying to to turn away from the approaching woman. But soon she couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore and started to cry. Her face turned blue as if she was choking on her tears. ¡°No, no, no. No¡­¡­¡± ¡°My Sunah, even though you seemed to be doing well on your own¡­ Mommy was always with you. You really went through a lot. It must have been so hard, wasn¡¯t it¡­..? Taking care of Grandma all by yourself¡­ Mom was watching over you the whole time. You¡¯ve grown up so well, my little girl¡­ You¡¯ve grown up so well¡­¡­¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ ng. Sunah finally dropped the knife. She wiped away her overflowing tears with both hands, and before she knew it, she began to sob uncontrobly. Then, the woman with somewhat simr eyes to Sunah approached her and hugged her gently. ¡°Mom ¡°I¡¯m sorry Mom can¡¯te home¡­ I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t make you delicious food¡­ I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t buy you chicken when you wanted it¡­.¡± ¡°Hick¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not listening when you told me not to follow that religion. I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t by your side when you were sick. I¡¯m sorry I left you home alone. I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t there when you had nightmares. It¡¯s all my fault, your Mom¡¯s fault. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry¡­..¡± ¡°Mom The figure of the woman was gentlyforting Sunah. Sunah sobbed silently, clinging to the woman¡¯s arms. ¡°Mom¡­ Can you stay here¡­¡­? I miss you so much¡­ I¡¯m so lonely¡­¡­¡± Then the woman¡¯s expression turned gloomy at those words. ¡°The ce where Mom is¡­ is somewhere I can¡¯t leave right now, Sunah. But I¡¯lle again next time. I promise.¡± The woman¡¯s figure slowly faded away. Sunah sobbed harder and clung to her arms. ¡°Mom! Don¡¯t go! Don¡¯t go, Mom¡­ Don ¡°Until we meet again, make sure to eat well, and don¡¯t do anything bad to your friend¡­.¡± ¡°Mom ¡°Be a good person¡­ Okay? You¡¯re a good girl, Sunah. You¡¯re my good daughter¡­¡± ¡°Mom Soon, the woman with simr eyes like Sunah muttered to me with her lips. [¡°I¡¯ve done my best, Mister.¡±] I nodded, feeling relieved. [¡°Poor child. Please take good care of her always.¡±] I nodded again. The woman gently stroked Sunah¡¯s hair as she cried in her embrace, and slowly, her figure began to fade away. When the womanpletely disappeared, Sunah copsed on the desk, probably exhausted from crying so much. Paat- Director ¨C Demon King Screenwriter ¨C Lee Joon Association ¨C System ¡ª CAST ¡ª Lee Joon ¨C Lee Joon¡¯s character Yoon Sunah ¨C Yoon Sunah¡¯s character Ghost ¨C Byung Chunja Police 1 ¨C Lee Eungjun (side character) Police 2 ¨C Han Gyeodong (side character) [You havee across and survived a B-rank ghost story ¨C The Haunted House.] [You have earned 15 Ghost Story Points.] [You have sessfully used your wits and clich¨¦ ability to impose a melodramatic ending on the ghost, making it achieve its enlightenment!] [You have earned 70 Ghost Story Points.] [You will receive an additional 10% bonus points for each contributing member.] [Contributing Member (1 member): Yoon Sunah] [You have received an additional 10% bonus points on the total 85 points, 8 points] [Current Ghost Story Points: 102+85+8] Ding? [Current Ghost Story Points: 195] Paat- [Due to the use of reality maniption ability of the system, the Causality Rate has increased.] [Causality Rate: 17% -> 19%] [Your understanding of the character Yoon Sunah has increased by 5] Chapter 117: Twelfth Ghost Story – Horror Movie Cliches (10) Four days ago, Monday afternoon, clubroom. Lee Joon and the club members were about to disperse after dividing the points they earned by solving the MineCraft ghost stories. Just at that moment, Jang Hwaeun, the teacher assigned to the club, caught the attention of one of her students. ¡°Does Sunah have somewhere to go now too?¡± ¡°Do you have anything to do?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Then will you stay here and chat with your Teacher for a moment?¡± Sunah cautiously nced at the President of the club, Lee Joon, as if asking for his permission. When he raised his eyebrows and nodded to her, she also nodded back to the Teacher. She hesitated for a moment before answering the teacher. ¡°Okay. Then, boys, leave quickly.¡± ¡°What are you talking about all of a sudden? I¡¯m curious too. Can¡¯t we chat together?¡± At the boys¡¯ curious request, the Teacher suddenly took out a whip from who knows where and banged it on the desk. ¡°This is just between girls! Boys, leave quickly!¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I understand.¡± Lee Joon and Dukhun swiftly left the clubroom after packing their bags and items they bought with points. Sunah greeted them softly as they left. ¡°Joon, bye. See you tomorrow¡­¡­¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll contact youter.¡± Click- The door closed, and Sunah was left alone with Hwaeun in the clubroom. Brightly lit afternoon sunlight poured into the room from the window. She waited as she stared at her teacher, trying to figure out what she might say. But her Teacher Hwaeun only sat on the sofa with her legs crossed, smiling brightly with her chin resting on her hand. Unable to beat the awkwardness any longer, Sunah was about to nce away. But just at that moment, Teacher Hwaeun parted her red lips. ¡°Do you like Joon, Sunah?¡± ¡° With the speed of light, Sunah¡¯s face flushed a deep shade of red. She quickly denied by shaking her head, unable to hide her embarrassment. ¡°Ah, no¡­¡­! Why would Teacher say that¡­..¡± ¡°What do you mean no? Everyone but you, Sunah, should know it better.¡± ¡°¡­..!¡± Hwaeun leisurely watched Sunah, who was at a loss for words with her face flushed bright red. ¡°What do you say?¡± Sunah hesitated, lowering her gaze shyly at the unexpected question. ¡°Uh, what do you mean¡­..¡± ¡°You and Joon. What do you think?¡± Why was she asking something like this right now? Could it be rted to the fact that she was the mentor who appeared after her level increased? Sunah answered hesitantly, several thoughts shing through her head. ¡°¡­ Just, a friend¡­¡­ ¡± ¡°What kind of friend?¡± Hwaeun, with a rxed attitude, continued to watch Sunah while smiling brightly. Sunah, again, hesitated for a moment before answering. ¡°Very close¡­ fr ¡°Do you think Joony is good?¡± Sunah nodded truthfully instead of answering. It was true. From the very beginning, when Joon first got caught up in a ghost story, she had been with him the entire time and could feel it. Her first impression of Lee Joon was that he was a male ssmate who seemed to have many ws, just like herself. When he first lied to Teacher Jang Hwaeun in front of her during the entrance ceremony and sat in the ssroom pretending to be sick. And also the time when he suddenly called her out and had her keep watch in front of the wall. At that time, she thought he was just a guy with a carefree personality, someone who always thinks of cking off. So she felt a sense of kinship with him due to her ownck of merits and had a good impression of him. At some point, Lee Joon started to break away from his own circle of friends, and gathered people to form a strange club, and started making them his ownrades one by one. Ahn Gyeongwon, who had at first ignored and looked down on him, eventually started to follow Lee Joon around, respecting him as the President of the club. Even Hayoon, her partner who had always been aloof and hard to read, also started paying close attention to every action Lee Joon took from some point onward. And after the midterms, she found out the hidden truth about Lee Joon. He, who returned three years back, and was trying to fight to prevent the destruction of the world. To Yoon Sunah, who was both poor and academically struggling in high school, he now felt like someone too distant. ¡°Can I make a suggestion as your teacher?¡± Sunah lifted her head and looked at her teacher curiously. ¡°Would you like to do speech practise with the teacher?¡± ¡°Speech¡­ practice¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Hwaeun gazed expectantly at Sunah with a rxed smile. Unable to beat her intense gaze, Sunah slightly turned her head away. ¡°Why would I do something like that¡­¡­¡± ¡°You know. Somehow.¡± ¡°I hope to change your way of speaking.¡± Sunah, with a slightly downcast expression, swallowed her saliva. She already knew that she couldn¡¯t speak properly, but still, it was unpleasant to hear someone pointing out her ws. ¡°I know you feel bad, so please don¡¯t misunderstand. This Teacher likes you and wants to help you.¡± ¡°Re ¡°Yeah.¡± Hwaeun got up from the sofa and slowly approached Sunah. Teacher Hwaeun, who was a head taller than Sunah, slightly bent her knees and met her gaze. ¡°Let¡¯s try, Sunah. I want to see you do well in life.¡± Sunah puffed her cheeks with a slightly pouty expression and asked. ¡°Why do you want me to do well¡­..?¡± ¡°Of course, because I¡¯m your teacher.¡± Hwaeun looked at her student, who had a small stature in front of her with a serious expression. ¡°When there¡¯s a student who¡¯s falling behind and slow, it¡¯s a teacher¡¯s instinct to run over and help them.¡± ¡°But don¡¯t take it as I mean to say you¡¯recking. Do you understand what I¡¯m trying to say?¡± Eventually, Sunah, having let go of some of the anger that arose as a defense mechanism, nodded her head.¡± ¡°¡­Yes. I understand¡­¡­¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s do it together.¡± Hwaeun slowly held Sunah¡¯s two small hands. ¡°I¡¯ve learned a lot about special education instructions and other things. You can trust me.¡± ¡°But don¡¯t take it as I mean to say you¡¯re a student who needs special teaching.¡± ¡°Haha¡­..¡± Sunah finally couldn¡¯t help butugh at those words. ¡°I didn¡¯t think like that, really¡­..¡± ¡°Really? Really? Hmm?¡± Hwaeunughed along with Sunah, shaking their hands together. With the atmosphere slightly lightened, she returned to her usual joking tone. ¡°I hope you do better than Hayoon. I personally don¡¯t like her.¡± ¡°Why¡­.?¡± Sunah¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. Then Hwaeun, fanning herself with her hand, said in a yful tone. ¡°A child should have that innocent, naive charm, but she, even though she¡¯s young, has already learned all sorts of strange things. Although she seems to be so kind and polite, in truth, she¡¯s just setting boundaries on purpose. She doesn¡¯t pay attention to those who don¡¯t meet her standards. You can tell just by looking at her.¡± Wow. Sunah was surprised inside. The iprehensible aura around her deskmate, Hayoon, that she always felt whenever she interacted with other people. She seemed very gentle and kind on the outside, so it was hard to express why Sunah always felt strange around her. But Teacher Jang Hwaeun, as a teacher assigned to their club, urately pin-pointed the problem. ¡°¡­ Me too.¡± Sunah smiled slightly and nodded. ¡°I think so too¡­¡­¡± ¡°Right?¡± Hwaeun held Sunah¡¯s hand as sheughed brightly. ¡°But don¡¯t tell her or anyone else okay? It¡¯d look bad if it got spread that a teacher is gossiping about a student.¡± ¡°Yes. I won¡¯t tell anyone¡­¡­¡± ¡°And also, you absolutely must not tell anyone about the special training you¡¯re starting today! Do you understand?¡± To Sunah, who asked curiously, Hwaeun answered with a bright smile. ¡°If you go around bragging that you¡¯re doing this kind of self-development session, you¡¯ll get unwanted attention for no reason. But if you quietly work on it alone, at some point your friends will be the one to approach you first. ¡®Hey, Sunah. Why does it feel like you¡¯ve changed?¡¯¡± Hwaeun imitated Lee Joon¡¯s voice by lowering her tone, which made Sunahugh. ¡°¡®Has Sunah always spoken this eloquently?¡¯ Something like that.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ Stop it¡­..¡± The setting suning through the clubroom window casted a golden light inside, illuminating the intertwined hands of Sunah and Hwaeun. * * * [2019, May 3rd | Friday, 06:23 AM] [Lee Joon: Number of Attempts ¨C 2] [Ghost Story Points: 195] [Causality Rate: 19%] I gently lifted Sunah, who had fallen asleep, and carried her to the bed in my room. Then, I covered her with a nket so she wouldn¡¯t be cold. Sunah, asleep with a peaceful expression like a baby bird, breathed softly. I examined the wound on my shoulder caused by Sunah¡¯s boxcutter. Fortunately, it was only a slight cut as I was just stabbed once, so the wound wasn¡¯t that deep and it didn¡¯t bleed that much either. After searching online for how to deal with cuts from a boxcutter and reading through it, I went to the bathroom and washed the cut on my shoulder under the running water of the shower. Then, I went to the living room and took out the first aid kit from the cab next to the TV, and treated the wound briefly. ¡®Should I go get a tetanus shot or something?¡¯ I hesitated a little, then tilting my head, I first applied a bandage to finish the treatment. Then I changed my clothes and sat on the floor, leaning my back against the bed where Sunah was lying. Sunah was fast asleep on the bed, oblivious to my dilemma. ¡°¡­ The sun has risen.¡± Before I knew it, the cement wall had disappeared and transformed back into the original window, with a bluish light streaming in. ¡®In the end, I stayed up all night.¡¯ I slowly closed my eyes, feeling a sense of exhaustion rising as if I was burned inside. ¡®What should I do about school today¡­¡­¡¯ If I fell asleep, I was very sure I wouldn¡¯t be able to wake up on time to go to school. I was bound to bete, so I just closed my eyes and decided to sleep. The previous night with all the running around was too exhausting to worry about something as trivial as going to school. The ghost story itself was amon urrence, as well as a ghost popping up in a ce where someone died far in the past. But all was intertwined because of that clich¨¦ manifestation ability. Because of that, I ended up going through a lot of unnecessary trouble than I expected. ¡®I¡¯ll have to put this aside for now.¡¯ The result wasn¡¯tpletely useless, as a human-level ability, it had a tremendous impact on reality. But the ability was so out of this world that it was hard for me to control it. I couldn¡¯t even perceive how the situation would turn out. If I activated this ability one more time, I would be sucked out of all my energy and end up dying. ¡®I need to attend today¡¯s CA session in the 5th period.¡¯ Today was the day when Gyeongwon was going to give a presentation on Clover Corporation and that strange religious organization, Dogma of Void. He has organized the information based on the incidents so far. I could just wake upte at the time. * * * A few hourster, probably around 9 in the morning. I opened my eyes, startled by my Mom¡¯s loud voice and found that my parents had already arrived home and were shaking me awake. They asked me the reason for the house being a mess, and I exined to them that it was because a burr had broken inst night. The police dide to help, but they didn¡¯t believe me and left. So I made up an excuse that I had called my friend (Sunah) at that time and told her to spend the night here. ¡°Can you even consider yourself cops!! Were you out of your mind? No, you clearly saw that there was a burr standing inside the house and just left right in front of their eyes!! Have you gone crazy!!¡± [We, we apologize¡­ We don¡¯t know why we did that either¡­ ] My Dad, in a fit of rage, called the police station and scolded them loudly, while my Mom called the school on my behalf. Fortunately, after exining the situation, they allowed me to stay at home and rest for today. But I just waved my hands and said that I would rest only until lunch and would go during the CA session in 5th period. The distant rtive who supposedly passed away in Busan was someone who was the 8th cousin-inw of my great-grandfather¡¯s 9th cousin¡¯s grandson, and had no real connection to us. When they arrived, there were people at the funeral hall asking why they hade, and my parents, looking puzzled, said they didn¡¯t know why they went either. They just did it because they felt like going there and came back right away. Fortunately or unfortunately, they remembered having called mest night, but they only remembered it as a simple concern, thinking I might be up ying games and not sleeping. * * * Around noon, Sunah finally opened her eyes and. She was both surprised and embarrassed to see my parents, but she joined us for the meal my Mom prepared for her. ¡°Did you say your name is Sunah? You¡¯ve been close with Joon since the entrance ceremony? Hehe, that boy¡­.. Even his Dad during the school days¡­ He was too shy to talk to a girl. Even afterpleting his military training¡­..¡± ¡°Sunah, does the food suit your taste? Since your grandmother is sick, you must have a hard time preparing meals by yourself. Come visit us often. We always have a lot of leftovers at our house.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you¡­¡± Amidst the excessive attention from my father and mother, Sunah ate her meal awkwardly. We left the house leisurely around the time lunch was over. Perhaps it was because it was a weekday afternoon, but there weren¡¯t a single person on the way to school that we usually took. It felt like we were in apletely different world. Normally, I would be at school around this time, so everything felt strangely unfamiliar being out here like this. ¡°Are you feeling okay?¡± While we were walking along the road in silence, I was the first to open my mouth. ¡°Huh? Yeah, well¡­ u Sunah nodded her head in a hesitant manner, as if she had been lost in thought. I tried to tease her by yfully bumping my injured shoulder with her, but Sunah remained unresponsive. Feeling dejected, I just followed her without saying a word. Sunah was in her casual clothes when she came to my housest night, so I waited for her near her old apartment, while she went to change into her school uniform beforeing back. We walked on the empty yground to attend the CA session. Some of the students from the ser club, who had been ying ser, looked at us with curious eyes. Perhaps they were wondering why a pair of boy and girl arrived at school at this hour. We arrived at the main building without saying a word, took off our shoes, climbed the stairs, and reached the clubroom on the 5th floor. I could hear murmuringing from inside. It seemed like they were having a heated discussion without us. Knock, knock- As I opened the door with a knock, the members who were sitting around the table and chatting among themselves turned their gazes toward us. Gyeongwon was the first to stand up and eximed in surprise. ¡°Prez! I called you so many times!¡± ¡°Oh, sorry. I was sleeping.¡± Dukhun raised his heavy chin at me in a questioning manner and asked. ¡°Oi, oi, I heard from the homeroom teacher that a robber broke into your housest night. Did you manage to defeat him?¡± ¡°Ah, it was actually a ghost story. It was resolved well.¡± ¡°Sodesune, a man like you can never let your guard down¡­¡­¡± After passing by the two of them and putting down our bags, Teacher Jang Hwaeun and Jinhee greeted Sunah warmly. ¡°Are you okay? You aren¡¯t hurt anywhere, right?¡± ¡°Oh my~ So you two spent the night together?¡± ¡°Hey, Lee Jinhee! Stop saying such stuff in front of the teacher!¡± And Hayoon, with her usual calm expression, nkly said to me. ¡°You must have a hard time, Joon.¡± ¡°Yeah, thanks for your concern.¡± I nodded, then looked around at everyone before asking. ¡°So, how far have you been?¡± ¡°Actually, Prez, we were just fooling around.¡± Gyeongwon answered, pushing up his sses. ¡°We were discussing why McDonald¡¯s hamburgers are getting smaller.¡± ¡°Really? So did youe to a conclusion?¡± ¡°We were about to wrap it up, reaching the conclusion that because the former CEO, who was a foreigner, stepped down and now a new Korean CEO is appointed.¡± ¡°You guys were really talking about useless things.¡± I shook my head helplessly, then slowly looked around at everyone. ¡°To give a little spoiler, that CEO suddenly resigns in January next year, and Lotte Foods quickly rises to the top of the industry.¡± [T/N: Lotte is arge multinational conglomerate based in South Korea, involved in a variety of industries including food, retail, and entertainment.] ¡°This is shocking.¡± Jinhee chuckled darkly. ¡°It seems the time to change my job hase.¡± As I sat down at the seat the club members had left empty for me, everyone¡¯s eyes turned to me. The midday sunlight streaming through the window enveloped the seven of us. After taking a moment to catch the mood, I opened my mouth. ¡°Then, the CA session of the Ghost Story Club in the first week of May. Let¡¯s begin.¡± ????????? Chapter 118: Interlude – Dogma of Void and Clover Corporation (1) ¡°First, I¡¯ll go over and summarize the events we¡¯ve experienced sincest week.¡± I started writing down the events by date on the whiteboard. Starting from the midterm exams at the end of April, only excluding the days when I was just lounging around because no ghost stories greeted me for about a month. April 23rd, Tuesday ¨C Doomed Midterm Exam ghost story (Location: School ssroom + scienceb + clubroom) April 26th, Friday ¨C Corner Game ghost story (Location: clubroom) April 27, Saturday ¨C MineCraft ghost stories (Location: Leon inte cafe) May 1st, Wednesday ¨C Kim Eunjung ghost story (Location: ShinLim Station + Seoul Station) May 2nd, Thursday ¨C Haunted House ghost story (Location: My apartment) ¡°Haunted House ghost story?¡± Gyeongwon asked in puzzlement. ¡°Did someone die at Prez¡¯s house in the past?¡± ¡°¡­.. Someone did a long time ago. The apartment building area used to be a mountain.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­.. ¡° Gyeongwon and the other members made a face of disbelief. ¡°If you put it that way, is there a ce where no one has died in the past¡­..¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± It was absurd from the perspective of the person involved, but it wasn¡¯t exactly apletely imusible story. There is a ghost story that a building where ghosts frequently appear was once a cemetery. And stories simr to that are found almost everywhere. But there was this annoying part about the ghost stories sent by the Demon King. He would weave anything that could lead to ominous imaginations, even the smallest clue, and materialize it into a tangible form of reality. ¡®And strangely enough, that ability resembles that of the system, which is supposed to be the direct opposite of the Demon King.¡¯ The clich¨¦ ability of the system, which I was desperately struggling withst night. It was also something that could quickly weave together even the smallest situations and manipte reality. The Demon King and the System, although I had no idea what kind of rtionship they have, but strangely enough, they exert their power in the same way. By manipting reality and changing perception. ¡®Maybe they are essentially the same being.¡¯ Leaving those doubts aside, I continued my briefing on each case. ¡°This time, I¡¯ll try to attach a clue to who is behind the ghost stories tied to each incident.¡± First, the Doomed Midterm Exam ghost story. April 23rd, Tuesday ¨C Doomed Midterm Exam ghost story (Location: School ssroom + scienceb + clubroom) ¡°This, needless to say, was caused by the suspicious forces within the school from beginning to end. It has nothing to do with the Demon King.¡± The club members nodded. ¡°Next is the Corner Game ghost story.¡± April 26, Friday ¨C Corner Game ghost story (Location: clubroom) ¡°This is definitely from the Demon King.¡± Once again, the members nodded again as if it was obvious. Dukhun nced down at the floor worriedly, probably bothered by the fact that the Demon King is buried beneath us right now. ¡°Next is the MineCraft ghost stories.¡± April 27, Saturday ¨C MineCraft ghost stories (Location: Leon inte cafe) ¡°This game itself was created by Clover Corporation, but the information about its existence was gathered by the system and Gyeongwon. Additionally, as soon as we started the game, we were sucked into it, and the situation kept getting moreplicated. I think it¡¯s more likely that the Demon King exerted some influence over that.¡± ??? ¡°I agree.¡± Gyeongwon nodded in affirmation. ¡°If everyone who yed that illegal version experienced that phenomenon like we did, the world would be in chaos.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It was a strange phenomenon that was already happening, but I think the probability of being sucked into the actual game would have been low. That¡¯s why the Demon King must have exerted his power and dragged us in.¡± And judging from that, it could be inferred that the Demon King, although buried beneath the school, was beyond perception and knew everything that happened above, even having the ability to exert influence. Like an omnipotent god of a religion who knows everything. ¡°Next is the Kim Eunjung ghost story.¡± Well, the name of this ghost story is The Forgotten Friend. But since it was a ghost story involving a real person, I decided to use the name as it sounds intuitive. May 1st, Wednesday ¨C Kim Eunjung ghost story (Location: ShinLim Station + Seoul Station) ¡°Eunjung¡¯s death itself was the fault of the strange force sweeping through the school. However, it was the Demon King who brought her back to reality after 6 years and used her.¡± The counselor who sent Eunjung to an alternative school as a test subject knew nothing about this incident when we visited her. ¡°Here¡¯s one thing we can infer from this.¡± I raised my index finger. ¡°It may sound strange, but I believe the Demon King and the rest are not working together.¡± Gulp. The members nodded in agreement with nervous expressions. The Demon King buried beneath the school. The secret religion spreading among the faculty members of the school. The transnational conglomerate with insane technological prowess. These three are not on the same side. I decided to stop here and gradually finish my turn. ¡°After looking into each of these incidents, I discovered that there are two other organizations in this world that know about the ghost stories besides us. And now, Gyeongwon will give a presentation on the profiles of those two organizations.¡± Gyeongwon nodded and then stood up with the materials he had prepared. ¡°Then, let¡¯s wee him with a round of apuse.¡± p, p, p, p. Gyeongwon stepped forward, awkwardly smiling as if to ask why they were doing that toward the members who were pping. ¡°Awesome, F**k~!¡± Jinhee suddenly whistled. ¡°Enough.¡± Gyeongwon muttered and awkwardly began sticking the materials he prepared with mas onto the whiteboard. [Demon King£Ý [Dogma of Void] [Clover Corporation] ¡°The three entities that are entangled in the ghost stories surrounding us. The Demon King, the Dogma of Void, and Clover Corporation.¡± Gyeongwon cleared his throat and prepared to begin the presentation. ¡°First, the Demon King.¡± [Demon King] ¡°Actually, I haven¡¯t found anything about this. I¡¯ve searched through history, but there are no records of any monsters appearing in the ShinLim Neighborhood, and there haven¡¯t been any unusual incidents that we should be concerned about.¡± Gyeongwon tapped the word ¡®Demon King¡¯ with the back of the magic pen, using it like a chalk. What we know right now is that this unidentified giant monster will be resurrected three yearster during the graduation ceremony. And that, for now, it¡¯s buried beneath the school. ¡°What if we dig up the ground¡­¡­¡± Dukhun shared his opinion. ¡°If we dig it up and get rid of it while it¡¯s still asleep before it¡¯s resurrected¡­..¡± ¡°Like, put dynamite or some explosives inside¡­¡­¡± It was an absurd suggestion, but still, Gyeongwon cleared his throat and answered. ¡°Typically, sewer and water pipes are buried up to 4 meters underground, right? Digging that deep would be an incredibly noisy construction project. Moreover, this school must also have gone under construction at some point, but since no one has discovered anything, I think it¡¯s buried much deeper than that.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s Dukhun nodded as if he understood, but I encouraged him, appreciating his suggestion. ¡°It might be worth a try. Of course, we can¡¯t do it right now because of the attention it would attract.¡± ¡°Re The members look at me with a look of interest. ¡°During the vacation, when the school is mostly empty, we can just check it out, and if necessary, dig it up as well before turning back time.¡± We would raise money, hire heavy machinery and workers, and recklessly tear up the yground. ¡°It¡¯s illegal, and it would attract too much attention. We won¡¯t be able to handle the aftermath, so it¡¯s not something we can do right away. But still, assuming we could turn back time if something happened, it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to check it out and move on.¡± ¡°That would be fun¡­¡­¡± Sunah voiced her agreement shyly in a small voice. Soon, after the atmosphere around that topic settled, Gyeongwon cleared his throat and pointed to the next word. [Dogma of Void (Belief of Empty Space)] ¡°If we write ¡¯empty¡¯ for the first character and ¡®space¡¯ for the second.¡± The guy pointed to the Chinese characters and exined them. ¡°The secret forces involved with our school. That¡¯s their true identity.¡± ¡°¡­..!¡± Both the members who knew and the members who didn¡¯t know put on tense expressions. ¡°And the reason I found out about this, thanks to Lee Jinhee¡¯s elementary school counselor. From that person we came to know that the alternative school where Kim Eunjung was sent to was actually a very suspicious ce. Starting from there, I investigated the information and discovered that..¡­¡± Gyeongwon attached a few more pieces of paper with a ma. ¡°The organization that funded that school and the founder of our Nakseong of High School. They¡¯re the same group of people.¡± ¡°As expected¡­¡­¡± The members swallowed their sighs. The school we were currently attending, Nakseong High School, is said to be an autonomous private high school that receives support from a certain organization and is operated by that organization. That organization is also the founder of the alternative school where Kim Eunjung was sent. ¡°The name of the foundation itself is appropriately named, like some kind of meditation center, which is obviously a disguise. When I looked into the information of the people behind it, I found out that all the officials of the organization are members of this particr religion.¡± Tap, tap, Gyeongwon tapped the word ¡®Dogma of Void¡¯ with his pen as he spoke. ¡°And the reason I was able to figure this out so quickly was¡­.. it seemed like they weren¡¯t really trying to hide it as much as I thought. If you just look at it a little more closely, it¡¯s easy to figure out.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­..¡± The unidentified religion spreading among the school¡¯s faculty and staff. I naturally thought it would be tightly wrapped up and hidden in secrecy, but turns out, it was actually an organization operating in the open, more than we expected. ¡°They even have a website. Go check it out.¡± Gyeongwon took out his phone and sent a link to the group chat. [Ahn Gyeongwon: ] When Teacher Hwaeun asked, ¡®Group chat?¡¯ and looked around in bewilderment, I quickly added her to the chat room. ¡°I just made it.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Soon, the homepage of Dogma of Void appeared on the screen. Dogma of Void (¿Õ°×½Ì) Contentment can only be attained by emptying one¡¯s mind. ¡°When you reach a state of emptiness bypletely emptying yourself, all that remains is for the divine Lord to arrive.¡± ¨C Taesang (Tai Sheng) Taesang. The name of the Head of the religious organization. And then, this person is suddenly elected as the President two yearster. ¡®¡­. Well, if this person bes the President, Dogma of Void will almost be the state religion and spread among all the citizens, so there¡¯s no need to secretly hide it in the shadows.¡¯ Since that was the case, it made sense that Dogma of Void was not hiding itself and was openly operating in the light at this point. After all, the Head of the organization is an ambitious individual who is even aiming to be the President in the future. What¡¯s truly terrifying is that, despite openly operating like this, the internal solidarity of the believers, where eerie rumors and sinister secrets do not get exposed to the outside, was what kept it hidden for so long. ¡°The Taesang (Tai Sheng) written here is the name of the Head, and since Prez said that he became the President in the future before Prez¡¯s return under the name of In Taesang, I searched for his real name, but¡­¡­ so far, there haven¡¯t been any notable search results on the inte. Only strange martial arts novel characterse up.¡± I nced at Hayoon. ¡®In¡¯. It was not amon surname. Hayoon, with her usual calm expression, lowered her eyshes and was simply scrolling down on her phone screen. ¡°This Dogma of Void, they are a new religion that hasn¡¯t even been around for 40 years, but from the general societal perspective, they¡¯re not considered a cult. Of course, from our point of view, seeing the teachers using ghost stories and killing people, it¡¯s obvious they¡¯re a cult. But on the outside, they seem like a very normal meditation organization. They also do a lot of charity and volunteer work.¡± It seems they are two-faced bastard. But I heard from Sunah that her parents got involved in this religion and even lost their lives. Whether they practice meditation or whatever on the outside, with the presence of the alternative school and all, they were definitely not an ordinary religious organization. ¡°Even if there are suspicious aspects to the general public regarding the religion, because it¡¯s a religion based on Taoism, perhaps they look a bit shady? But other than that, there¡¯s nothing else. Originally, their influence was really small. Even if you add them all up nationwide, the number of believers is probably just under 10,000.¡± ¡°Is 10,000 believers a small number? Seems like a lot to me.¡± With 10,000 people, if each person just gives me 100 won, that¡¯s 1 million won. Gyeongwon clicked his tongue in disapproval. ¡°That¡¯s an incredibly small number for a religion. The Christian poption in South Korea is well over 10 million, and the Buddhist poption is about 4 million. As for other religions you¡¯ve at least heard of more or less, most have over 100,000 followers within Korea.¡± Compared to those religions, the Dogma of Void has a very small presence in terms of influence, and its name is almost unknown. On the surface, it seemed like there were no problems with the group. ¡®But that can¡¯t be.¡¯ I decided that when I meet the Detective soon, I would ask him to thoroughly investigate this religion. ¡°This is about all I know about Dogma of Void for now. I¡¯m not sure what their purpose was for building this school, but it just so happens that it was built on the ce where the Demon King was buried. There definitely, must be some suspicious secret hidden here. Now, let¡¯s move on to Clover Corporation.¡± Kyungwon points to the next group of letters. [Clover Corporation] Everyone here knows about thispany without him having to exin it. No, there¡¯s probably no one in the world who doesn¡¯t know about thispany except for a newborn. A unique and unprecedented multinational corporation that dominates the globe. A transnational corporation led by a young genius who is literally uniting countries through insane technological prowess. ???????????????????????????? Chapter 119: Interlude – Dogma of Void and Clover Corporation (2) ¡°I have the link for their website too, would you like to check it out?¡± The official website link of the Clover Corporation was soon sent in the group chat. [Ahn Gyeongwon: clovercorporation] When I clicked the link, a sentence asrge as the phone¡¯s screen shed before my eyes. Clover Corporation Our existence is a blessing for humanity. ¡°¡­.. That¡¯s really being too arrogant.¡± I¡¯ve bought and used a lot of products from thispany many times in the past, but this was the first time I¡¯ve visited their official website. Clover Corporation is a South Korean multinationalpany that has various subsidiaries in electronics, finance, heavy industry, construction, biotechnology, services, education, healthcare, and sports. Our goal is to elevate human consciousness to a higher level through the advancement of technology. Clover Corporation has made great strides in the growth of humanity over the past 20 years. Be thankful that we exist. After reading such presumptuous wordings, the members showed a dumbfounded look. ¡°I knew Clover Corporation was great but¡­¡­¡± Rather than saying ¡®thank you¡¯ to consumers for buying their products, they are saying to ¡®be thankful¡¯ for their existence. ¡°That¡¯s really arrogant.¡± ¡°¡­..But still, the consumers made noints even though they say such things.¡± Clover Corporation, which has achieved rapid growth based on its extraordinary technological capabilities. With the amount of capital and technology they possess, they have the ability to run several countries without hindrance. If they lie down and stick out their stomachs and say, ¡®Without us, the country will copse,¡¯ the President would alsoe and bow down to them. That¡¯s how much power they possess currently. ¡°Thepany was founded in 1999 by a person named Chun Sungjae in South Korea. Thepany is only 20 years old but has shown incredible growth and be a hugepany that has taken over otherpanies in the entire world.¡± ¡°Samsung was the best when we were young¡­¡­¡± ¡°Stop recalling your old memories.¡± Gyeongwon began exining while pointing to the printed materials. The main content was roughly about how impressive Clover is globally, and there was no need to embellish it since everything is true. Most of the members, already aware of the facts, nodded their heads indifferently while listening. Indeed, as a Korean, it was impossible not to know. The tons of documentaries they kept making, filled with nationalistic pride and calling them an ¡°immortal sess story¡± and whatever, I heard them so many times growing up that it was almost stuck to my ears like a never ending caller tune. ? Nowadays, products from Google and Microsoft are all considered second-rate or third-rate, and only Clover Corporation is being recognized as an overwhelmingly dominant conglomerate, to the point of being unmatched with anyone. ¡°By the way, this Chun Sungjae, the person who founded thepany, was only 20 years old at the time, which made it even more of a sensation. He is referred to as an overwhelming genius who is beyond human understanding. If the Clover Corporation and the ghost stories are somehow intertwined, it¡¯s probably because this person might have something to do with it.¡± I nodded. The MineCraft ghost stories. As the Chairman of thepany, he must have known about it. Even as an individual, he has an intelligence unprecedented in human history. He must surely be aware of the existence of ghost stories to some extent. Soon, Gyeongwon attached a photo of CEO Chun Sungjae on the whiteboard with a ma. ¡°This is what he looks like. Everyone knows, right?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± A typical upper-ss elite, with a sharp genius-like appearance. Hair that is always gelled and slicked back, with shiny gold-rimmed sses. And a sharp jawline. Along with a wless image for always wearing a fancy suit. Aside from exuding the impression of being sharp and indifferent, he gives off a vibe of a wless businessman in a suit. ¡®He must be in histe 30s now.¡¯ As the Chairman of the world¡¯s number onepany, he¡¯s not only younger than I expected but also very stylish, making him quite popr as an individual. He has been featured on the cover of Time magazine and has circted widely internationally. ¡®With a 3cm long picture¡­.¡¯ Sensing the members¡¯ envious gazes, Gyeongwon finished exining and organized the printed materials. ¡°That¡¯s all for the briefing on the Dogma of Void and Clover Corporation. Does anyone have any questions?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Stroking my chin, I decided to ask about their connection to the ghost stories. ¡°So, are there no scary rumors or theories going around about them on the inte or anywhere?¡± ¡°There¡¯s almost no information regarding the Dogma of Void, and there are a lot of rumors about Clover torturing aliens¡­ It¡¯s just some silly memes that follow them for being the number onepany in the world. There aren¡¯t any proper articles about them.¡± ¡° I nodded and motioned for him to take his seat. ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡± Gyeongwon went back to his seat and started organizing the stack of papers before putting them away. I decided to slowly move on to the next topic for today¡¯s CA session. ¡°Next, I would like to hear how things are going with the infiltration of the staff Ser Club, which I had asked Teacher Hwaeun about before.¡± ¡°Uh, yeah?¡± Teacher Jang Hwaeun flinched, she looked visibly flustered. During thest CA session, I had asked Teacher Hwaeun to infiltrate the suspicious force within the faculty members. That club outwardly imed to be a Ser Club of teachers and staff, but in reality, they were people associated with that religious organization. ¡®Judging from her reaction, it seems like there hasn¡¯t been any fruitful progress.¡¯ ¡°I, I tried to get together with them once¡­¡­¡± The Teacher exined in a flustered manner. ¡°We usually get along very well, but whenever the topic of joining the Ser Clubes up, everyone starts subtly avoiding the conversation¡­¡­¡± ¡°First of all, since it¡¯s a club formed with the teachers and other staff of the school, is there a reason why you can¡¯t join as a teacher? It should be fine if you asked about it, have you asked them?¡± ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t ask directly The teacher exined with the same flustered expression. ¡°Maybe they don¡¯t want to¡­. You know¡­? I mean, they clearly know I¡¯m the teacher assigned to this club¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± That¡¯s true though. Even if Teacher Hwaeun somehow forced her way in, they would be suspicious of her and refuse to ept her as their own. At that moment, Jinhee suddenly leaned forward and asked the Teacher. ¡°Then, do you have any other method in mind?¡± ¡°Uh, huh?¡± Teacher Hwaeun became even more flustered being questioned by Jinhee. The other members also had a look of curiosity in their faces as they let out a ¡®hmm?¡¯ and leaned forward. It was surprising seeing Jinhee actively taking an initiative in this kind of thing. ¡°You should think of something. You promised to help, remember?¡± ¡°R, right~?¡± The teacher nodded, she appeared to be out of breath. ¡°I promised to help, right?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Jinhee responded nonchntly as if it was obvious. ¡°I remember clearly you promised to help.¡± ¡°Right, right. I did. I did¡­¡­¡± I wonder if the previous ghost story with her friend Kim Eunjung had caused some kind of change in her attitude. Jinhee began pushing Teacher Hwaeun further with no way out. ¡°You even promised to protect us from scary adults who tried to kill their students, remember?¡± ¡°Y, yes~! I should protect you~! I¡¯m your teacher after all~!¡± Teacher Jang Hwaeun was sweating nervously with a flustered expression. Soon, Jinhee nailed down her final point with an indifferent look. ¡°Then tell me. Do you have another method in mind?¡± ¡°Ye, yeah~! That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! I was about to say that~!¡± Teacher Hwaeun, who had been struggling to exin herself and smiling cowardly, suddenly pped her hands together. ¡°Th-there¡¯s the new science teacher, Miss Han Ari, who was assigned to your first-year ss this time, right?¡± Miss Han Ari, the new science teacher. The young female teacher, who was hired urgently by the school to fill in the vacant position of the previous middle aged science teacher after he messed with the midterm question paper and got fooled by me. She was not much older than us, and she was apletely new and inexperienced teacher who was recruited right after graduating from college. Among the students, instead of her real name, we call her Teacher Chick. ¡°There are a few female teachers who stick to her and treat her exceptionally well, you know? But they¡¯re all part of the teaching staff. Isn¡¯t that suspicious?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ It is suspicious.¡± I nodded while crossing my arms. ¡°Do you think they¡¯re trying to make her follow that religion?¡± ¡°Yeah, I think so! It seems like they¡¯re trying to recruit her as one of their own. She¡¯s still a young teacher who doesn¡¯t know much about the world! They¡¯re probably trying to get her on their side¨C¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying that before the teaching staff make Teacher Han Ari their own people, you will approach her first to make her join our club?¡± ¡°Right~! Right! Correct~¡± Teacher Hwaeun nodded her head with a desperate expression and humble smile, as if trying to convince us. ¡°I would build a friendly rtionship with the new science teacher Miss Han Ari before the staff! We would be like sisters to each other~¡± And if the teaching staff somehow managed to get Teacher Han Ari in to their Ser Club, we could subtly gather information from them through her. Or we could also go ahead and invite her to join our club and use her as a new source of information. ¡°¡­.. Well, not half bad.¡± ¡°Right? Right?¡± It wasn¡¯t that the n was good, more like we had no other way. Even so, this half-baked n seemed like a much less burdensome way than directly infiltrating the teaching staff, the Teacher also desperately nodded in agreement. ¡°This method is much less suspicious, so it¡¯s a better alternative~¡± ¡°Is there a way to be close to the new science teacher?¡± ¡°Of course~! She¡¯s a very sociable person~¡± Teacher exaggeratedly waved her hands as if asking us to believe her. ¡°Her seat is right across from mine~ We¡¯re already like sisters to each other!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­..¡± A 10-year-older, unmarried older woman, who can eat two chickens at one go, and perhaps also ostracized by her other colleagues, is trying to get close to a much younger colleague than herself at work. ¡®I wonder if it¡¯ll be okay.¡¯ I¡¯ve never experienced social life, so I couldn¡¯t really imagine what that would feel like. For now, I nodded. ¡°Then I have a favor to ask. Please make sure to get close to her by the next CA session next week. It would be a problem if the staff members whisk her away first.¡± ¡°Of course~ Of course~ Trust me.¡± Teacher Jang Hwaeun ced her hand on her waist, showing her confidence. I deduced that the CA session was about to end and slowly wrapped up the meeting. ¡°Everyone has worked really hard for the past week.¡± The club members nodded in agreement. Since the midterms, we¡¯ve already solved several ghost stories in just a week. It felt like a month had passed, not a week. ¡°Once today is over, it¡¯ll be the weekend, and Monday is Children¡¯s Day, so a substitute holiday. Let¡¯s all take a good rest during that time. Forget about ghost stories and just rx for these three days.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to switch off my phone~¡± Jinhee said in a yful tone, but I waved my hand. ¡°That¡¯s fine, but make sure to receive calls. You never know what might happen, so check the group chat frequently. Also, I asionally report my situation there sometimes.¡± ¡°Ah, you guys. Do you not know anything? This is called ¡®rxation drill¡¯.¡± ¡°Is there really such a stupid thing in the world?¡± Dukhun and Jinhee began bickering on the side. ¡°I really hope nothing happens, hehe.¡± Gyeongwon smiled while pushing his sses. ¡°I have encountered so many of them that now I¡¯m sick of ghost stories.¡± ¡°And I have something to announce about the point distribution.¡± I looked at the members and made a serious expression. ¡°I just used the points I earned in the previous ghost story for my personal growth. For that, thanks, everyone.¡± The members showed confused expressions. ¡°If there¡¯s anyone who thinks it¡¯s unfair, I¡¯ll give up the position of President right now.¡± ¡°No, no, it¡¯s fine.¡± Dukhun hurriedly waved his hand. ¡°I was just joking, don¡¯t worry. But I was wondering that maybe we should change the way we calcte and distribute points.¡± ¡°Hmm. How?¡± Gyeongwon crossed his arms as he asked. ¡°Last time, we decided that when everyone earns points, I will either give out physical rewards or level you up. But honestly, after thinking about it again, I feel that converting points into physical rewards is just too wasteful.¡± There were already so many important aspects where we could use the points, and to spend them on action figures that we could buy from any shopping mall¡­ This part definitely needed to be changed. ¡°I agree that it¡¯s wasteful, but Prez was the one who suggested that method first.¡± Gyeongwon lifted his sses as he spoke. ¡°There should be a reward that is appropriately motivating for everyone, but I¡¯m still not nning to buy things like lottery tickets. That¡¯s why we¡¯re using points as rewards.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. And I also don¡¯t n on buying you guys lottery tickets. There are too many variables.¡± As I had exined to the members before, minors can¡¯t buy lottery tickets, and right now, it¡¯s hard to choose a trustworthy adult who can handle arge sum of money. ¡°I don¡¯t know if we can get help from the Detective regarding this, but there are a lot of ghost stories about winning the lottery, so for now, we¡¯ll hold off.¡± ¡°There should be rewards that can motivate everyone, but as Prez said, giving out points as physical rewards feels wasteful. But you¡¯re not nning to buy lottery tickets to get arge sum of money either, right? So, what exactly are you thinking of changing the reward system to¡­¡­¡± The members looked puzzled. Beside them, Teacher Jang Hwaeun was giving a somewhat more amicable smile than usual. She seemed a bit confused as she looked around, unable to follow the conversation. ¡°¡­. Legally and socially, there¡¯s no problem, and it doesn¡¯t attract anyone¡¯s attention either. It¡¯s literally something that goes unnoticed.¡± I paused for a moment before saying. ¡°I know a ce where a scammer has buried a lot of money.¡± ¡°In a field.¡± At my words, the members showed a nk expression for a moment. ¡°I can go and dig it up.¡± Things like lottery tickets, stocks, and bitcoins always leave social records. And we don¡¯t know what effect that will have on our causal rtionship as we fight againstrge corporations and fake religious organizations. So, money that no one knows about and is not tied down to anything. I can bring it forth. ¡°Uh¡­ Where is it buried?¡± Dukhun asked curiously. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you.¡± I answered firmly. Leaving aside the issue of trust, I needed money that I couldpletely keep to myself and manage on my own. Money that a criminal in prison buried in the yground. I remembered it being discovered and causing a huge uproar on Children¡¯s Day, which is two dayster, in my previous life. I could get that money on my own without going through an adult. ¡°I¡¯m going to go get that money during this holiday. Then, I¡¯ll add that money as our club¡¯s fund and distribute it little by little to the members who will help me solve the ghost stories in the future.¡± The members swallowed their saliva. With this, there was no need to check the rewards that changed depending on which rank of the ghost story will be solved, and there wouldn¡¯t be any waste of precious points on physical rewards. ¡°What do you think? Compared to the 4 billion in three years, cash that¡¯s given right away for solving a case definitely feels more appealing, right?¡± The points that would be left, leveling them up appropriately with them would be an added bonus. The offer was tempting enough that they couldn¡¯t refuse, but since they were only high school students who weren¡¯t used to receiving money in exchange forbor, they looked slightly burdened. After a while, Gyeongwon nodded his head with a hesitant expression. ¡°Well, sounds good, but¡­ I¡¯m not particrly greedy for money, so any method is fine with me.¡± ¡°Me, me too¡­..¡± Even though they were saying that, I was sure they were already thinking about where to spend their next allowance in their heads. Coming from a ce where I used to get 20,000 to 30,000 won from my mom to buy reference books, suddenly receiving 1 million won and being able to spend it all at once is definitely tempting. [Your understanding of the character Oh Dukhun has increased by 5.] ¡°Just think of it as a friendly sry. Don¡¯t feel ufortable about money getting involved between us.¡± When we move up in grade, there would be a lot to worry about, such as managing the new junior members, various programs, external activities and other things. ¡°Well, it might be overwhelming since I¡¯m suddenly changing the system like this, but that¡¯s how it has always been from the beginning. We go through trial and error and develop into a better method.¡± The members nodded their heads in understanding. It seemed like they were thinking of leaving it entirely up to my opinion. Just at that moment, the bell rang, and I stood up from my seat. ¡°Then that¡¯s it for today. Let¡¯s hope that Teacher Jang Hwaeun brings back more fruitful results in the next CA session.¡± ¡°What? Ah? Haven¡¯t you already done so many things without your teacher¡¯s Jinhee giggled as she watched Teacher Hwaeun struggling to get up in a panic. ¡°Teacher, there are many things you don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°R, really¡­¡­?¡± A remark aimed at someone who has a constitution that is easily swept up in ghost stories. ¡®Next time she gets possessed, I should record it on video or something.¡¯ Along with Teacher Jang Hwaeun, who was scratching her head in confusion, we left the clubroom and went downstairs to the ssroom for the closing ceremony. Now, let¡¯s wee a 3-day break. ?????????? 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