GSC: Chapter 131-Fourteenth Ghost Story – Treasure Hidden in the Field (1)

[2019, May 7th | Tuesday, 06:52 AM]

[Lee Joon: Number of Attempts – 2]

[Ghost Story Points: 242]

[Causality Rate: 20%]

Because Children’s Day was Sunday, Monday was a substitute holiday.

Thanks to that, I had a great 3-day long weekend, including the weekend.

If I include the time I turned back time to go to Busan to get the money, I actually ended up resting for about 4 or 5 days.

‘Wow, if I don’t want to go to school on Mondays, I’ll just kill myself and have another weekend.’

I lay in bed and thought nonsense before my mom woke me up.

‘Is this what they call reset syndrome?’

Reset syndrome is something I learned in home economics class. It’s a phenomenon in which teenagers these days think of life as a game and mistakenly believe that they have the ability to reset the time in reality.

Of course, I don’t actually intend to do something like that, and as the Detective said, I should refrain from doing so for the sake of my future self.

I was just saying it because I really didn’t want to go to school.

‘I really hate going to school.’

Even though I was enjoying the luxury of having two extra days off compared to others, the fact remained that no matter how many days I’ve had off, the reality of having to go back to school was still horrible.

‘F*ck.’

I was just lazing around.

Grabbing the blanket and rolling on the bed, from one corner to the other.

If it weren’t for the classes…

The truth is, I don’t actually hate going to school. I have lots of friends there, and we hang out and have fun together.

It’s the classes that I hate.

In my past life, I had a clear goal of taking the college entrance exam and getting into a good university, so I focused and diligently attended school. But now, the situation is different.

For me, school classes at the moment were just meaningless mental labor.

Sitting still for 7 periods a day and hearing the same curriculum I’ve already gone through once was driving me crazy.

I could sit quietly for a long period of time when I was concentrating on my studies, but now it feels like I’m just forcing myself to take the boring classes, and my butt is sore from it.

‘I need room for some mental peace too, hoo……’

That’s why, I sneakily used my phone sometimes, or I just fell asleep during the class entirely.

I was trying my best to get through these boring hours somehow, but even that was starting to reach its limit.

‘Why do I even go to school, anyway……’

I sighed and opened the Quest Window.

“Quest Window.”

Pop-

《Quest – Camaraderie》

『Congratulations! You’ve finally managed to share your secret with your club members! 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 to 100.

• Reward: Education Competency Ability unlocked.

This quest was created after I shared all my secrets with the members following the incident with the science teacher last time.

There was something like Education Competency Ability listed here as reward.

It seemed that this would be added on top of the current abilities in the club, such as Space Expansion, Manpower Capacity, and Ghost Story Acquisition Skill. But at first glance, the name seemed to indicate an ability that would allow me to have some influence over the education policies in Nakseong High School.

‘If this is really that kind of ability……’

It might be possible to change the meaningless class time spent at school.

In fact, in my previous life, after the college entrance exam and before graduation, I used to watch movies at school all the time, play soccer in the playground, and went to college tours. It was a very, very enjoyable memory.

As soon as the teachers entered the classroom, they would roughly write the word ‘self-study’ on the blackboard, and the students would either chatter loudly, suddenly show off their talents, bring game consoles to play games, or pass around comic books……

‘School is a pretty fun place if I don’t have to study.’

As long as there’s no need to study, school is like a playground where people of the same age gather.

Instead of suffering from meaningless class hours at this school where I would have to spend the next three years, I decided to change my school life more efficiently through the ability to influence the education policies.

‘For example, I could increase the club activity time, which is currently only on Fridays, to five times a week.’

Then we could gather together every day and spend time together.

And we could also use this time to secure more information to stop the resurrection of the Demon King and do more research on ghost stories.

‘This is real education reform.’

Education reform should come from the students.

And for that, the quest suggests to increase one of the members’ understanding level to 100.

‘… I think Gyeongwon would be the highest and fastest.’

The first person that came to mind was the brain of our club, Ahn Gyeongwon.

His understanding level is currently at 95.

If I figured out something about him one more time, I could reach 100.

‘But is there anything I still don’t know about Gyeongwon?’

This concept of understanding didn’t mean that I had to know everything about the other person.

In reality, I didn’t even know Gyeongwon’s parents’ names, how he was in his childhood or ever went to his house in person.

Even so, it was true that his understanding level reached 95.

‘This is more like a unit that increases when you properly understand the core personality of the person in question and the essence of what kind of person they are.’

I thought about Gyeongwon again.

First of all, he was raised as the only child in a wealthy family and has a strong thirst for knowledge.

He looks down on those he thinks are beneath him, but he’s also a rational person, so he quickly acknowledges what should be acknowledged.

Also, even though he tries to act smart, it’s just in terms of knowledge; when it comes to interpersonal relationships, there’s a certain clumsiness and immaturity about him.

‘When kids like him get older, they become adults who only have high academic achievements but are easily scammed.’

If you watch the news, you can see cases where people who have studied a lot, like university professors or researchers, have fallen victim to fraud or been scammed heavily.

Gyeongwon was probably that type of person.

In fact, I deceived Gyeongwon into joining the club.

‘I think I know mostly a lot about him, but what else is there?’

What else is there that I haven’t figured out yet about him?

While lying on the bed, I pondered about it for a while, but I still couldn’t really guess anything.

“Dear son~ Come and have breakfast~”

Soon, my mother called me from the kitchen, and I got out of bed with sluggish movement.

* * *

“Yo- hisashiburi.”

[T/N: Translation of hisashiburi (久しぶり): Long time no see]

As I entered the classroom, Dukhun, who had already arrived before me, raised his hand and greeted me.

A few students frowned at the confident Japanese.

“Hello, Dukhun.”

I put down my bag and looked around.

The students in our class were either quietly studying or lying down on their desks and napping.

The morning sunlight poured inside gently, and outside, the birds chirped.

‘The club members……’

As usual, Hayoon and Gyeongwon arrived early, so they were quietly sitting at their desks and studying. Sunah and Jinhee were late again as their seats were empty.

Dukhun glanced at me as if he wanted to say something, so I sat down and spoke to him.

“How was your holiday?”

“Ah, I spent the holiday in a daze playing Persona on the PlayStation the President bought for me.”

Persona?

‘Another Japanese game that only he knows about.’

If I reacted with a surprised expression, I would have to listen to his blabbering. So I just said, “Really?” and casually moved on and took out my phone.

[Ahem, this is an announcement from the broadcasting room. In celebration of May, the Family Month, a morning assembly will be held in the auditorium. All students are asked to head to the auditorium now. Once again, this announcement is from the broadcasting station. In celebration of May, the Family Month…..]

The students grumbled and complained as they stood up.

Dukhun and I also got up from our seats and sluggishly left the classroom, following the others.

“Hello, Joon.”

“Hayoon, hi.”

“Prez.”

“Gyeongwon, hi.”

Hayoon and Gyeongwon naturally joined us from behind.

I glanced at Hayoon from the corner of my eyes.

Her facial expression was as calm as usual, as if nothing had happened.

‘You followed me to Busan the day before yesterday, you know.’

With that in mind, I went out through the east entrance. As I stepped out, I saw Jinhee and Sunah running toward the main building entrance from afar across the playground.

“Then, the national ceremony will begin now.”

The students gathered in a crowd, filling the auditorium all the way up to the second floor.

When the student council president and the third-year department head, who were in-charge of looking over the ceremony, declared the national oath from the podium, all the students placed their hands on their chests.

Soon, the beam projector shone the national flag onto the screen, and the familiar voice of a recorded male announcer echoed as the national oath played.

[I stand proudly before the flag]

[For the eternal glory of a free and just Korea]

[We firmly pledge our loyalty to the flag.]

“Next, we will sing the national anthem. Let’s sing only the first verse of the national anthem.”

Soon, the recorded accompaniment of the national anthem resonated with the heavy sound of instruments, and some mischievous male students deliberately shouted loudly and sang the national anthem vociferously.

“Next, we will introduce the newly appointed teachers in celebration of Family Month.”

Following the Principal’s remarks, three young female teachers stepped up to the podium.

“Three?”

“I can’t see……”

Dukhun and Gyeongwon, who were standing in front of me, muttered something.

Murmur, murmur.

“Wow, they’re all pretty. Right? Amazing.”

“I wish they could come to take classes in our grade.”

The students began to murmur, and the reactions of the male students were especially unusual.

I also craned my neck and looked at the three teachers standing side by side on the podium.

“But why are the three teachers suddenly here?”

“The science teacher passed away.”

“Then shouldn’t we just have one teacher to replace the science teacher? Why are there two more…..”

“Shh, be quiet.”

The student council president warned the students who were whispering about the outstanding beauty of the newly appointed teachers.

“Last month, some of you may already know, a very unfortunate incident occurred at our school.”

“……”

“One of the teachers who was in charge of first-year science passed away due to a long-standing illness.”

“Really?”

“Oh, no wonder I haven’t seen him lately.”

“Crazy, how did I not know?”

Most of the first-year students already knew about it, but many of the upperclassmen from other grades were hearing about it for the first time, so they all murmured to themselves.

“As a result, the school urgently had to bring in a teacher to take over the relevant subject, and while we were making additional arrangements, several good connections led to bringing in a few more teachers. We would appreciate it if you could welcome them with a warm round of applause as they introduce themselves one by one.”

As the student council president handed over the microphone, the beautiful young teacher Han Ari, who was standing on the far left, took the first turn.

“That’s Teacher Young Chick.”

“Hehe.”

Since she immediately took over as a substitute for the science teacher and came to our class as soon as she arrived, we were already familiar with her face.

Her hair was styled in a wave with a neat appearance typical to a teacher. But due to her small stature, which was only slightly larger than Sunah’s, she still looked like a college student.

Teacher Han Ari, who looked like a chick just as her nickname suggested, started introducing herself while trembling.

“Ah, hello. I, I already had classes with some of the students who, who are here as well. I, I may sound a bit awkward since it’s my, my first time greeting you in front of everyone like this, but I, I will strive to be a teacher who works together with, with the students. Please, please take care of me.”

“Yes~”

The sound of students’ applause echoed like thunder.

A teacher who is not good at teaching but is gentle and kind is more popular than a teacher who teaches well.

However, Teacher Han Ari wasn’t much older than us and looked quite young, so she was bound to be popular.

“Wow……”

The sound of applause, as if cheering for the newcomer, gradually faded. Teacher Han Ari passed the microphone over to the next teacher in line while trembling.

Contrary to Teacher Han Ari, who came early and has been teaching but formally introduced herself now, the two teachers next to her were truly visiting this school for the first time today.

Since the students didn’t recognize their faces, they were quieter compared to when Teacher Han Ari introduced herself.

However, even in the midst of that, there were a few male students who were whispering playfully “She’s pretty, she’s pretty”.

“Nice to meet you, I am Chae Eun, and I will be in charge of music class. I look forward to having a good time with you.”

The second person to greet was a beautiful woman with a cold and aloof appearance.

Judging from the fact that she only said what she wanted to say and finished early, it seemed like she had been in the teaching circle for quite some time.

“Music teacher? So we have a new music teacher now?”

“Really?”

The students in our class expressed their doubts upon hearing the introduction of the music teacher.

I also tilted my head in confusion.

There was already a teacher who used to take music class in the music room, so why is a new one recruited?

‘Hmm……’

The current music teacher is a middle-aged woman, and during the Fourincess incident, she started behaving strangely and would search for cell phones that didn’t even ring during the whole class, mumbling lyrics throughout the lesson as if she had lost her mind.

‘But she’s fine in the current time period and not involved in ghost stories. What’s going to happen to her then?’

Before I could start pondering, the microphone was passed to the third and final teacher in line.

My heart stopped when I saw the face of the woman who received the microphone.

“Hello, I’m Ryu Jinah, I have been appointed as the school’s guidance counselor.”

Her double eyelids and the graceful, gentle appearance.

Unlike the trembling voice of teacher Han Ari and the cold tone of teacher Chae Eun, her voice was soft and comfortable.

“My class, with Nakseong High School being selected for the comprehensive student crisis counseling support service, have been assigned to the newly opened counseling room….”

“Wow-!!”

From her elegant appearance to her beautiful voice, even the refreshing scent emanating from her voice.

The male students shouted “Wow-!!” before she could finish her words.

“She looks like the actress Kim Gwaeun!”

“She’s pretty!”

Counselor Ryu Jinah smiled softly with a relaxed expression at the passionate response.

In response to this, the students shouted even more cheerfully, the teachers had to walk around the line and scolded them to be quiet.

The female students standing in the line frowned.

“Are they all idiots? Why are they being like that?”

“They’re being so noisy for no reason.”

The female students had expressions of annoyance at the male students’ persistent and passionate cheer ruining the event, but still, compared to an all-boys school that I went to, the boys were being rather polite.

Having experienced military-like life in a boys middle school and high school, I had become accustomed to the enthusiasm of high school boys towards beautiful female teachers.

“I will be working in the newly established counseling room next to the infirmary on the first floor. You are welcome to visit me with any concerns, whether they are about school violence, academics, relationships with your friends, or career and college advancement. Thank you.”

“Wow……”

I also clapped my hands and looked around.

Dukhun and Gyeongwon standing in front of me were clapping their hands with expressions of indifference, as if they hadn’t noticed yet.

Hayoon, standing in the girls’ line next to me, also had a blank expression.

‘Jinhee……’

What about Jinhee?

I turned my head back and saw Sunah and Jinhee, who were late, standing together in the last row.

Sunah was too short so I couldn’t see her face, and Jinhee, of course, was staring at the podium with a distorted expression.

“After introducing the newly appointed teachers, the Principal would like to give you some words of instruction.”

Soon, the Principal climbed onto the podium with a gentle laugh.

“In celebration of Family Month, we have invited some capable teachers to help you, the students. This is because you are the ones who will become global talents of the 21st century, individuals with strong character and leadership to lead the future of the ubiquitous network….. If I may just give you one last word…..”

Behind the Principal, who continued giving his advice without noticing, the student council president glared at the senior students who were distracted and whispering to themselves, silently warning them with hand gestures to pay attention.