[2019, May 2nd | Thursday, 07:48 AM]
[Lee Joon: Number of Attempt – 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 classroom 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 spirit communication just like last 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 Jinhee coming 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 her later 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 place in pestering me instead.
Soon after, the homeroom teacher entered the classroom to start the morning assembly, and I stuffed my phone into my pocket.
“I’ll try it later when I’m alone.”
Dukhun showed a regretful look.
After the homeroom teacher said what he wanted to say, he left the classroom, 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 classroom 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 were late, 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 blank expression.
“So, if you’re dating a ghost, it should be classified as a romance genre. Just because a ghost appears, it doesn’t make it a horror—”
“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 plates 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 glasses and gave a mischievous smile.
“So, did everyone get home safely yesterday?”
“Yup, we did.”
Dukhun answered nonchalantly.
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 came late… 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 glasses 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.”
Blah, blah, blah.
* * *
[2019, May 2nd | Thursday, 12:39 PM]
[Lee Joon: Number of Attempt – 2]
[Ghost Story Points: 102]
[Causality Rate: 17%]
After a lazy 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 blankly ahead.
Our usual Ghost Story Club.
One thing that’s different was that Gyeongwon was diligently searching for materials and information with his laptop open.
This guy was looking for information on the MineCraft game, which was released by the Clover Corporation, and related 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 placed 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 you come 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 particularly 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 particular stood out.
Sunlight streaming through the balcony poured over the living room.
The sofa, the TV, and a few potted plants that my parents planted.
‘My room.’
I first went into my room, which was to the left of the entrance.
There was the bed, the desk, and the computer. 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-black 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’s laptop, and notebooks scattered here and there.
‘Should I go check the balcony?’
The large window in this room was connected to the balcony.
I easily leaped over the belly-height window and landed 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 suddenly landed 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 place 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.
A large bed, a closet, and a dressing table.
At first glance, 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 place 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 and comfortable, 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 placed my foot inside the room.
I quietly glanced 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 similar 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 class, 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 glasses.
“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…..”
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