[2019, May 13th | Monday, 11:20 AM]
[Lee Joon: Number of Attempts – 2]
[Ghost Story Points: 781]
[Causality Rate: 32%]
‘… The culprit!’
[After I got your call, I immediately requested backup and headed out together, but even after searching the area, there was nothing particularly strange. But I convinced them to wait until the time the incident was supposed to occur, 11:30, and while we were standing nearby, a suspicious-looking man pulled over on the side of the road with a motorcycle and started pulling something out. We apprehended him and searched him, and found a mechanical device among his belongings that appears to be a bomb.]
I hid in the corner of the auditorium with the club members and listened to the Detective’s explanation through the speakerphone.
In contrast to the students bouncing basketballs in the distance for their performance assessment, we were gathered with serious expressions on our faces.
[We’ve arrested him and are currently on the move together, but he’s completely silent. Even when we try to identify him, there’s nothing on him that proves his identity. So, anyway, yeah, turn left here. Yeah.]
The Detective gave directions to the police officer accompanying him for a while.
[Yeah, right. So, I was wondering, Joon, could you come here for a moment?]
“…Me?”
[Yes.]
The Detective spoke in a calm tone.
I soon understood the reason.
‘…Status window.’
The unidentified man who has consistently maintained his right to remain silent, I can figure out his name, age, and even general information with just one look at my Status Window.
Unfortunately, however, someone else’s Status Window won’t be displayed through photos or videos; it can only be done by directly looking at the person. That’s why the Detective was asking me to come over for a moment.
[Of course, if we run a fingerprint check, we could confirm it, but I would like to double-check with your ability. Compare it with the memories from your previous life as well.]
“…I understand.”
I answered positively.
I was also quite curious about who had done this.
Of course, that person could not have predicted that the terror act he had committed would be mixed with strange ghost stories and cause a supernatural disaster, but even so, the bombing was a serious felony in itself.
Thankfully, Clover announced that the leaked gas was a harmless type to the human body, but if it had been a different gas, the entire ShinLim Neighborhood could have been significantly polluted.
‘If that had happened, this area could have been closed down again.’
Just like in my previous life.
And anyway, since I lived three more years in my previous life, if this guy committed such a major act of terrorism, I probably would have seen him on the news back then.
The Detective figured I should come take a look, not just to use my Status Window, but also to draw on the knowledge I retained from my previous life.
I ended the call by mentioning to the Detective that I would bring the other club members along.
Dud–
“…Hoo.”
“It’s a relief, Prez. The Detective did a good job.”
“Yeah, really.”
It was truly a relief.
All we did was wait quietly at school, but the Detective managed to persuade the other officers with just this anonymous tip, went to the scene, searched the area, and stayed there for hours.
“The Detective’s really amazing, I’m grateful……”
“You bet.”
I agreed with Sunah, who was murmuring to herself.
A moment later, Hayoon and Yeseul, who had gone off to have their consultation session, entered the auditorium side by side.
Unlike the previous time period, where they rushed here with the homeroom teacher because of the murder case, the two were walking calmly.
Both the school and the outside world.
They’re safe now.
‘…It’s over.’
Only then was I finally able to let out a deep sigh.
“Huuuuu……”
It was resolved well.
This is the end.
Just as I was thinking the world suddenly seemed to have become peaceful.
Hayoon, who had just come in, walked lightly over to where we were sitting on the sponge mats in the corner and suddenly said.
“Joo Yeseul. She came back in time with us.”
“…What!?”
The three of us were shocked.
I quickly turned my head in a panic.
Jinhee was playing basketball with the boys, and Dukhun was lost in his own world, panting as he played by the empty ring.
And among the female students practicing for their performance assessments, I could see Yeseul joining them, looking somewhat anxious.
“…Is it true? Did she say that herself?”
“No. You’ll know when you see her.”
Hayoon, looking down at us with a calm expression, sat on the mat.
“The atmosphere is different than before. Her behavior is different too.”
“……”
Definitely.
The way Yeseul was mixing with the students now was different from usual; her expression seemed off, like something was bothering her.
Like someone who had a bad dream all night.
‘…What’s different?’
The Vice Class President, who had been in the clubroom just like her, didn’t show any sign of that at all.
Unless you have a mentality as dull as Dukhun, there’s no way you wouldn’t react after having such a bizarre and vivid dream, especially when the day unfolded exactly the same.
It was clear that Chaerin and everyone else didn’t come back either.
Among the ordinary people, the only one who came back was Yeseul.
“……”
Perhaps the farewell.
I thought about it carefully.
In order to end that day as a dream, we said goodbye as if it were truly our last day.
Suddenly, I remembered when I bid farewell to the three ordinary girls, only Yeseul awkwardly waved at me.
‘Normally, if a character exchanges conversation with the protagonist, they’re an important character, if they’re not even mentioned, they’re just extras.’
Did the system treat Yeseul, who shared a farewell, as an important character in the cliché and let her return as well?
Hmm, I murmured, biting my lip.
“What should I do?”
“Indeed……”
The three of us sat there, looking at each other with awkward expression.
Soon, Hayoon looked down at us and spoke.
“Just leave her alone. She’ll think it was just a dream.”
“… I guess so, right?”
I nodded.
There’s no reason to dig into this and get involved in whether it was a dream or not.
Joo Yeseul, she remembered the entire time, and although I was not sure how her coming back would play out, for now, it’s probably best to just leave it as it is.
“Let’s pretend we don’t know. She’ll probably think it was just a crazy dream anyway.”
“I don’t think so…..”
Sunah, twisting her fingers, wore an awkward expression.
“It was a very… very vivid dream……”
“…Really?”
When I asked while looking at Gyeongwon, the latter nodded in return.
I got used to such strange situations, thinking that coming back in time was just an everyday occurrence anyway.
Looking back, the fact that all the club members hurriedly came to school together in the morning is proof that their experiences were that vivid and intense.
“…I guess it’s difficult.”
But even so, it’s still best to just leave it be.
There’s no need to drag Yeseul, who’s not even a club member, into this strange world at this point.
I already have six companions, and to persuade each of them, I’ve really struggled and worked hard over the past two months.
Convincing just one person fully and making them on my side was that difficult.
Just the thought of approaching Yeseul again and going through all that trouble made my hands and feet tremble, and more than anything, we weren’t in desperate need of more people.
“Forget it. Whatever she thinks, for now, let’s just leave it as it is. Okay?”
“Hmm……”
“She’ll probably think it was a very vivid prophetic dream or something, and she’ll get over it on her own. Don’t sweat it.”
“Okay……”
“Got it, Prez.”
While we reached an agreement, Hayoon had already turned around and was heading toward the basketball court.
She soon approached Dukhun, who was panting alone and dribbling the ball on his own, then quietly held out her hand and said to him.
[“Give me the ball.”]
Soon, Dukhun, bowing his head slightly, handed the basketball to Hayoon, then wiped his sweat and walked over to us.
“OWO~ Haven’t sweated like this in a while~”
“Ugh, the smell of sweat…..”
We scattered to avoid Dukhun, and just like that, fourth period P. E. class ended without incident.
* * *
And then came the peaceful lunch break.
“Hey. That’s Detective Jang Gihoon.”
“Oh, it really is.”
On our way to the cafeteria, we ran into Detective Jang Gihoon, looking completely normal in human form.
He looked similar, but the original him had eyelids and somewhat dull, unfocused eyes.
He walked slowly to the parking lot, likely finishing up his investigation of the latex monster and roughly checking around the school.
We exchanged an inexplicable smile and entered the cafeteria.
After enjoying the duck bulgogi again, we made it through the remaining periods without any issues, and before we knew it, it was time for the closing ceremony.
The homeroom teacher ended the day by offering some comforting words, saying we have had a tough day with all the meetings.
“What I’m saying is, I’m the one who had a hard time, not you all.”
He spoke with his belly sticking out, almost spitting.
“I had such a hard time today. If you give each of the 29 students just 10 minutes, how long do you think that takes? I’m the one giving myself comfort right now, do you understand?”
The students nodded with bored expressions.
Soon, the homeroom teacher said his goodbye and left, and we began to rustle and gather our bags.
“Are we really going? To the police station?”
“Yeah. We’re all taking a taxi there. You don’t have any plans, right?”
“Ah, of course not.”
The six of us rushed out into the hallway, and when we were changing our shoes at the entrance, someone suddenly shouted from behind.
“Where are you going together!”
“Oh, hello.”
It was Teacher Jang Hwaeun, holding some textbooks and walking briskly somewhere.
She smiled as she passed by, watching us leave school.
“We’re heading to—”
I was about to answer, but the teacher, who had asked the question, didn’t even listen and quickly continued on her way.
She was still very much in her own world.
“Let’s take a taxi. We’ve got plenty of money.”
“Good idea.”
“I’m taking the motorcycle. You guys won’t all fit in one taxi anyway, so one of you should ride behind me.”
Hayoon and Jinhee rode the motorcycle, while the remaining four of us grabbed a taxi. After about 8 minutes, we arrived at the police station that the detective had mentioned, the ShinLim Police Station.
“Here. Keep the change.”
“Thank you~!”
The fare was 5,000 won, but I casually paid with a 50,000-won bill.
Just like last time, the taxi driver’s face, weary from the grind of society, brightened when he saw the 50,000-won bill, and I couldn’t help but feel a slight joy in my heart.
‘Capitalism is amazing!’
Money makes adults smile.
“So, this is ShinLim Police Station.”
“Oh……”
We stood in front of the main gate and slowly looked around.
Its name, ShinLim Police Station, sounds impressive, but in reality, it was just another public institution.
‘It’s shabier than I expected.’
If I had passed by without noticing, I would have thought it was a local government office or a neighborhood administrative building. It was a small building nestled between residential areas on a narrow, sloping road, not even on the main street.
It made me laugh to think that a terrorist who nearly destroyed the world was being held in such a remote place.
Of course, once the full investigation and trial take place, he would likely be moved to a large prison more fitting for a world-class criminal.
‘I just hope he doesn’t run away before that.’
I thought to myself as we approached the entrance of the modest police station.
One way or another, this ShinLim Police Station had quite a bit of history with me.
The two police officers who showed up at my house in the Horror Movie Clichés were from here, and Detective Jang Gihoon, who had his organs stolen without even knowing why, was also part of this very ShinLim Police Station.
“Somehow, I feel like I’ll keep getting tangled up with this place.”
“Well, our President always ends up dealing with the craziest cases, hehe.”
Gyeongwon laughed, pushing up his glasses.
“Okay, let’s get in.”
Soon, after we explained our identities and the purpose of our visit to the staff member, they directed us the way to the interrogation room.
As we entered the main building of the police station, which was simpler in design than our school, along with the other club members, we saw Detective Park Gangwoon waiting for us right there.
A large, bear-like figure, and an experienced, middle-aged Detective.
“You’re here.”
“Hello.”
As the high school students in their uniforms bowed in unison, some passing officers nearby smiled warmly, like proud parents.
The Detective also gave an awkward smile and gestured for us to follow.
“Don’t draw attention and come over here and stand against the wall. I’m not even stationed here; I’m just stopping by to transfer custody.”
“Yes.”
“Watch closely. He’ll be coming out of the interrogation room soon.”
As we stood hesitantly against the wall in a line, the door to the interrogation room opened, and a man was dragged out into the hallway by two police officers on either side.
The Detective slipped his hands into his coat pockets and moved toward the man being taken away.
He walked alongside the officers escorting the terrorist, talking with them as they went.
“Still not saying anything?”
“No. Not a single word.”
“What about identity?”
“We just got the fingerprint results. His name is Ryu Jaehyun, 28 years old, and his registered address is in Ulsan.”
“A guy from Ulsan, what’s he doing coming all the way to Seoul to commit terrorism?”
“Exactly.”
Soon, the officers and the terrorist approached closer to where we were standing.
Noticing a line of students in school uniforms, they gave us a quick glance but didn’t seem particularly concerned.
I looked at the terrorist’s face as he was being led away by the police, his hands in handcuffs.
‘…What the. He looks totally normal?’
Aside from the heavy dark circles under his eyes making him look a bit gloomy, he just had messy hair and a loose sweater.
He was the type often referred to online as a handsome nerd.
As his face came clearly into view, I silently called out his Status Window in my mind.
‘Status Window!’
Pop–
《Status Window
Name: Ryu Jaehyun
Age: 28
Title: Hacker
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.]
Messy, permed hair and deep dark circles.
A baggy sweater, the stereotypical engineering student fashion.
His shoulders slouched the entire time.
He was handsome, but his frail appearance made it clear he didn’t look like the type of person who could be a terrifying terrorist planting bombs in the middle of the road.
Rather, his title displayed in the Status Window, Hacker, suited him.
His appearance fit that of someone who would spend all day typing away at a keyboard in a dark room, the typical look of a nerd.
“He looks pretty normal?”
“He’s handsome.”
“Except for the gloomy vibe.”
“Hmm.”
The terrorist passed by us, ignoring our whispers, and walked further away.
Soon, the Detective left the police’s side and came back toward us.
“So, how is it, Joon? Did you find anything?”
“His occupation is listed as a hacker.”
“A hacker?”
“Yes.”
The Detective turned his head and watched the terrorist walk into another room in the distance.
He then nodded thoughtfully before looking back at me.
“It was a good decision to call you here. Now that we know his occupation, the investigation should be a bit easier.”
“I hope it helps.”
“His name and age?”
“Same. As what the police found.”
“Ryu Jaehyun, 28… Never heard of him from your previous life?”
“No, it’s the first time I’m hearing of him.”
“Alright, hmm…”
After a brief pause to think, the Detective seemed to have sorted things out in his mind and turned to look at all of us.
“You all did well coming here. Would you like to grab something to eat before you go? Should I buy you something?”
“Ah, I’m okay. I’m going home soon for dinner…..”
“Me too……”
“Me too.”
“Really?”
Hearing that, the Detective cleared his throat, then gave each of us a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
Thump- thump- thump-
“Thanks to you all, we were able to stop a major incident. Thank you.”
“Yeah……”
We smiled bashfully.
Soon, the Detective waved and headed off to take care of other duties, and we too made our way back out through the police station’s main entrance.
“Hey, but doesn’t that guy look familiar?”
Right before we parted ways, Jinhee suddenly asked us.
“I swear I’ve seen him somewhere before.”
“……?”
All our eyes turned to Jinhee.
“You’ve seen him?”
“Where?”
But Jinhee only tilted her head, looking uncertain.
“I don’t know, really. His face just looked familiar.”
“Like someone you know?”
“No, I mean just the face…”
“Just the face?”
We all glanced at each other’s faces.
But everyone wore the same confused expression.
“Maybe he’s a celebrity?”
“Idiot, if he were famous, the police would’ve known by now.”
“Shut up……”
Seeing our uncertain reactions, Jinhee squinted her eyes slightly.
“Ah… what the hell? I’ve seen him somewhere. Where was it?”
“Oi, stop wasting our time and think it through already. Before I unleash my ‘killing intent’.”
“You want to die?”
Dukhun grumbled as he rolled away.
“But the weirdest thing is, I wasn’t the only one who saw him. I feel like I saw him with you guys. You guys seriously don’t remember?”
“……”
We silently stared at each other’s faces.
But everyone looked like they had never seen or heard about it before.
“I don’t remember.”
“I don’t remember either.”
“Me neither……”
“Huu… really? But why do I feel like I definitely saw him with you guys?”
“……”
“Ah~ What is this, seriously!? This is so frustrating!”
I quickly calmed Jinhee, who was about to get angry for no reason, and dismissed the club members.
“Alright, if you remember next time, make sure to tell us right away. For now, let’s disperse here. Everyone, hands together, ready!”
“Prez, let’s not do this……”
“Sunah, ready!”
“Okay, disperse!”
“I’m ready………..”
I gathered their hands by myself and raised them alone.
“Disperse!”
“Disperse~”
Still, the friends followed along with the chant.
We waved at each other and parted ways in front of the police station.
“Goodbye, everyone. See you tomorrow~”
“See you tomorrow~”
“Goodbye~”
“Oh, Jinhee.”
As I was about to turn around, I suddenly remembered something and called out to Jinhee.
“Eunjung asked me to say hello to you. From the sky.”
“……?”
Jinhee stared at me for a moment with a question mark above her head, then just let out a snicker.
“Ah, okay. Got it.”
Soon, I headed back to the road to catch a taxi with Sunah and Gyeongwon, who were going in the same direction.
For a moment, when I remembered that today was Monday, I felt a surge of frustration.
‘Damn it. After all that happened today, it’s just Monday?’
If only the sunset blazing down right now were the one on a Friday evening, it would be perfect.
I sighed and reached out my hand to hail a taxi.
thats probably the guy from the minecraft ghost story
oooh, that makes sense