GSC: Chapter 160-Interlude – In Hayoon

[2019, May 13th | Monday, 17:52 PM]

[Lee Joon: Number of Attempts – 2]

[Ghost story points: 781]

[Causality Rate: 32%]

“I’m home~!”

Though the house was empty, I entered cheerfully and greeted aloud.

“I’m back, you idiots~!”

The dizzying sense of liberation that my endlessly long Monday is finally over.

Excited all by myself, I ran into my room and threw my bag onto the bed.

Then, just like that, I dashed back out to the living room and jumped onto the sofa.

“Kyaaa~! So tired, for all the hype, let it gooo…..”

Inside the house where the sunset glow was streaming in.

I was rolling around on the sofa and bouncing around.

I did it.

Another case safely resolved.

“Wow… I seriously thought I was f*cked this time……”

When I realized the checkpoint was messed up, I nearly fainted, but, as always.

As always~ as always, there’s a loophole in everything in this world.

“That Demon King b*stard, coming at me without a hint of fear! Oh my~ what a handful~!”

I pretended the sofa cushion was the Demon King and smacked it hard.

Wham—! Wham—!

“Take this you stupid-a*s Demon King, trying to act all tough and got screwed by a high school freshman~!!!!!!!!!”

Wham— Wham—

Ah, an ancient god who existed since the beginning of time, how can you get beaten by a high school student~ Are you for real~

Suddenly, in front of the sofa, I started doing squats and yelled so loudly that the living room shook.

“How can that be possible, ah!!!! Mom, tell me how that can be possible!!!!!”

He must be watching, I know he is.

Because he’s all-powerful enough to move all situations and events to match the timing of a terror incident that happened a few blocks away.

My current state of feeding him his own medicine.

He was definitely watching.

That’s why I was flailing like a monkey, dancing alone in the living room bathed in sunset light.

“Take this I’m so freakin’ hyper
lit as hell, pocket mongo, alpha go, ice cold like a janggu drum, i’ll bite it, chew it, savor it, and feast on this moment~!!!!!¹[T/N: All of these are Korean internet slang. I tried to keep the translation as accurate and close to the raws as possible.] I almost never would’ve known how to fix the messed-up checkpoint, but did you really end up digging your own grave and getting caught in it? Is this for real? For real? For real~~~??!!??!?”

The Demon King, long-time ruler of the Nakseong Highschool sewer.

The Demon King, master of all the bathroom wastewater pipes of ShinLim Neighborhood.

“Ah~ that nasty-a*s underground sewer where all the crap flows, and the best idea you could come up while crouching there was sending me two ghost stories~ Is that really your brain at work~ Say something~”

“Oh, that was really wild.”

“Sheesh~ I feel like I could hear it in real……”

In an instant, I ran into my room and locked the door.

F*ck, who is it?

“It’s Dad.”

Soon, I heard the sound of Dad walking out from the master bedroom.

“Joon, don’t be scared. You won’t grow taller then.”

“Ah, Dad…”

I opened the door again, scratching my head in embarrassment.

“Oh, you’re home early today……”

“Took a day off. I was too tired of all the work.”

“I-I see…..”

So that’s why he was watching TV so late last night.

Mom scolded him, asking if he didn’t have work the next day, but it turned out he really didn’t.

“Did something exciting happen?”

“Just, kinda……”

“I’m about to go pick up your mom from work. Wanna come along?”

“Ah, yeah, yeah. I’ll come too.”

“Then since the three of us will be together, let’s grab dinner out while we’re at it.”

“Oh, sounds great!”

So we rode together in my dad’s car to pick up my mom in the evening.

While in the car, I pondered.

‘Wow, it’s really over.’

The checkpoint suddenly getting messed up, this had been bothering me since the beginning of the semester.

And I had finally found the solution.

I had also briefly faced an S-rank ghost story, which had been unknown until now, and learned that it was something I absolutely had to avoid.

I had also experienced almost all of the Demon King’s attack patterns.

In the beginning, he mostly relied on physical attacks, but as time passed, he started using various means, such as mental attack, planting spies, and even trying to trap my consciousness in a game.

In the end, he aimed for the checkpoint as well and messed it up, but I managed to pull through and win again.

Now, no matter what kind of attack he throws at me, I’m completely prepared and won’t be surprised.

In that sense, my fight against the Demon King could be considered to have made some progress.

Although I still didn’t know his true identity, I had definitely learned how to fight him.

‘By the way… I can’t believe he actually used that method.’

Sending two ghost stories at once to mess up the checkpoint.

Of course, I had considered it at one point, but since he hadn’t done it until now, I thought he couldn’t.

‘But he could do it.’

He could have done it all this time, but he hadn’t.

And that means……

‘…He could do it, but it doesn’t mean he could anytime.’

As Dukhun explained, this kind of move is a balance breaker.

If this had happened to me in the beginning, when I didn’t have the reality manipulation ability with clichés, I wouldn’t have been able to overcome it.

‘Even now, I’ve died countless times, barely surviving and clearing it after picking up hints here and there.’

And if the Demon King could do this whenever he wanted, he would have used this method to send a hundred ghost stories at once since the entrance ceremony.

But he didn’t do that, he held back, saving it up, and only now chose to use this method.

Sending two ghost stories at once to make them defeat each other.

This must have been a desperate move for him.

Anyway, this was a cheat move, using something outside the rules of the game.

‘So I used a cheat of my own too.’

It’s just a dream~

I used the dream endings that were prevalent in the subculture to erase the day’s reality and undo the tangled checkpoint the Demon King had created as if it had never happened.

Part of me wondered, wasn’t this kind of game-breaking skill basically cheating? But then again, rules were never really the point.

But the truth is, if you can pull off something overpowered in a game, it also means the difficulty is so insane that you have to use it just to clear it.

And just like the Demon King couldn’t use that kind of cheat move whenever he wanted, I couldn’t always pull off a move like that either.

‘Because it has side effects.’

I pulled up the causality status window in front of me.

‘Causality status window.’

Pop–

[Causality Rate: 32%]

‘… It used to be in the 20 percent range. After solving everything, it went up to almost 10%.’

Until now, I couldn’t tell whether this number was a good one or a bad one.

But seeing how it increased as a side effect of using the Banality Manifestation ability, which manipulated reality, it’s clear that this Causality Rate is, at the very least, some kind of penalty.

If I keep carelessly rewinding reality and my causality reaches 100%, something terrifying and uncontrollable is bound to happen.

‘The price of cheat plays and breaking the rules.’

And that same rule would apply equally to the Demon King, my ultimate nemesis.

Through this latest balance-breaking move, the Demon King must have also taken on some kind of penalty.

‘At the very least, it’s clear that it will take quite some time for him to recharge his strength.’

Aside from that obvious fact, if there are any other penalties, what could they be?

Since I used a skill, being on a cool down is understandable, but what if there’s any side effect from the overuse of power that applies to both of us?

‘…Or maybe it’s not something separate for the Demon King and me. This causality itself could be a penalty that applies to both of us equally.’

For example, it’s like playing a fighting game, where you’re standing on a single plank beneath where lava flows, battling for life and death.

‘The opponent is the strong attacker, and I’m the weak defender.’

The Demon King, who can unleash various ghost stories and destroy the world at any moment, is the strong attacker, while I, who can regress no matter how many times I die, am the weak defender.

But what if I mess up the power balance and the Demon King uses an overly strong technique on me?

‘Like, for example, sending 100 S-class ghost stories at once.’

Still, since I’m a weak defender with infinite regression, I’ll be able to block even those kinds of attacks.

But we’re standing on the same plank.

While the Demon King was cheerfully sending ghost stories and I was happily solving the incidents, the plank we’re standing on, the causality, gradually began shaking under the shockwaves of attack and defense colliding, until it finally breaks apart, sending us both plunging into the lava.

‘Collapse of causality due to excessive reality manipulation.’

That’s why, even if the Demon King has an ultimate move powerful enough to wipe out the entire stage, he has to use it sparingly.

And I, too, even with an invincible power that can reset everything, must use it as sparingly as possible.

Because the shock from an unstoppable spear clashing with an unbreakable shield could shatter the plank we stand on, sending us both into the lava.

‘…Thinking about it this way, I could make out the whole picture.’

Why did the Demon King hold back until now, even though he could’ve used this move all along?

Why are such powerful abilities given to me as well?

‘Because if either of us overuses them, we both go down.’

That’s why, even though it’s a trump card, he sets double and triple traps, trying to end it all in one strike.

Come to think of it, the ghost stories I’ve come across lately were all like that.

There were many sharp attacks that completely prevented regression, ending everything in a single blow.

Up until now, I’ve managed to narrowly block those kinds of attacks, barely grazing my cheek.

What about in the future?

‘One third of the plank is already broken, and I’ve roughly figured out his attack pattern.’

Then, how will the Demon King respond here?

…I’m not entirely sure, but if I were in the Demon King’s position, the next move, and the one after that, would be the same anyway.

A deadly strike aimed straight for the neck, with no intention of exchanging even a few moves.

A one-turn kill strategy that will end my regression ability and everything in one shot if I slip up just once.

“Okay, we’ve arrived. What time is it?”

My dad parked the car near the Clover Supermarket where my mom works.

My mom works here as a salesperson for daily necessities like razors and toothbrushes.

“Wait a moment, hmm… It’s 6:20.”

“Then I guess we’ll have to wait a bit. Let your mom know we’re in the parking lot.”

“Okay, just a moment.”

While my father drove into the supermarket parking lot, I sent a KakaoTalk message to my mom from the backseat.

‘Huh?’

After contacting my mom, I suddenly glanced at the chat list and noticed there was an unread KakaoTalk message.

[In Hayoon: [picture]]

‘… In Hayoon?’

My heart skipped for a moment.

I checked the time and it was exactly 5 minutes ago.

Right when I was deep in thought.

‘What’s going on?’

Really, what is this?

A private message from Hayoon.

What’s this, what’s going on?

My heart suddenly started pounding.

Unfortunately, the message was a picture, so I couldn’t preview it from the list.

‘The moment I click on it, it’ll show Hayoon that I’ve read it.’

That 1 read notification is an unspoken gap between a man and a woman.

Because of that, I wanted to check it in advance and prepare myself, but since it was a picture, I couldn’t… Once I read it, I would have to reply right away… but I was not even mentally prepared…

“Is your mom coming?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Yes… she said she is. She’s on her way.”

“Really? Then I’m going to the restroom for a bit.”

“Yes, yes.”

My dad closed the car door and walked across the parking lot.

Left alone in the quiet car, I swallowed hard and tapped on Hayoon’s message.

Cliiii… ccckkk…

“……”

As the screen changed, I squeezed my eyes shut, then slowly, ever so slowly, opened them.

Peeking through a squint, I saw a face on the screen.

“…Is this a ghost meme?”

With half-open eyes, I hesitated for a moment, then suddenly, flash! I checked the image.

“…What, what.”

It was a picture of Hayoon, likely taken in her room alone.

“Selfie?”

It looked like she took it while studying, with a workbook open on the desk.

On one side of the screen, she was resting her chin on her hand, staring straight into the camera.

I suddenly felt like I had made eye contact with Hayoon in the picture and flinched.

Black hair flowing down over her pale skin, and her slender jawline and softly smiling pink lips made it look like one of those viral pictures of pretty people you’d see on social media.

She had the kind of looks that went beyond an ordinary person, so striking that if her photo were uploaded as a famous beauty online, no one would question it.

For a photo with such an extraordinary beauty to be sent personally to my phone, it felt completely surreal.

I felt a little dazed for a moment.

“…Yeah, she’s pretty, she’s definitely pretty… but…”

But what am I supposed to do with this?

Why is she suddenly sending me a selfie?

I tried to scroll up the KakaoTalk to see if there was more content, but there was no need to do that.

The private chat between Hayoon and me only consisted of the question she ignored last time and this picture, so the entire content fit on one screen.

As I was left unsure of how to respond, a single yellow message suddenly popped on the screen.

[In Hayoon: Is it pretty?]

“……!!!!”

Instantly, my read notification disappeared.

I was caught looking at Hayoon’s picture in real time.

At this point, I had no choice but to reply right away.

I quickly grabbed the keypad.

“Yeah… but… why… did you… send this… to me……”

As I hesitated, correcting my typos, another message from her came right away.

[In Hayoon: I thought you might be curious. About my personal life.]

“……”

I was about to press send, but then I flinched and read her KakaoTalk message again.

[In Hayoon: [picture]]

[In Hayoon: Is it pretty?]

[In Hayoon: I thought you might be curious. About my personal life.]

“……”

While she kept sending messages, I, like a fool, couldn’t reply with a single word.

‘… Personal life?’

I wonder if she was referring to the time when I eavesdropped on her conversation with the homeroom teacher.

But fortunately, seeing as she sent such a pretty picture of hers, it didn’t seem like she was upset.

I was definitely curious about Hayoon’s personal life and wanted to know more.

What does she do after school? Who is the mentor selected for her in the Level Up program?

What is her position in the Dogma of Void cult? What is her relationship with its head?

What kind of hobbies does she have…

‘…I wonder if she’s ever had a boyfriend?’

For now, it doesn’t seem like she’s seeing anyone.

As I overheard during the consultation session with the homeroom teacher, many boys must have approached her because of her pretty face.

‘But I can’t ask about such private matters so directly.’

If I ask, it would be better to do so tactfully, gently steering the conversation around.

I stared at Hayoon’s selfie for a moment, then decided to focus on the fact that she was studying and send a message about that.

[Lee Joon: It seems you’re studying since I can see your desk. It’s impressive how you’re ranked 12th, especially when you only study at home.]

“Wow, that was awesome, that was awesome.”

Without creating any strange atmosphere, I smoothly shifted the conversation to studying in a straightforward manner.

I then looked over her message once more.

[In Hayoon: [picture]]

[In Hayoon: Is it pretty?]

[In Hayoon: I thought you might be curious. About my personal life.]

[Lee Joon: It seems you’re studying since I can see your desk. It’s impressive how you’re ranked 12th, especially when you only study at home.]

“Wait! Looking at it again, isn’t it cringy?”

It’s hard to put into words, but there was no hiding the awkward, nerdy tone that was seeping through my message.

‘Ah, I messed up.’

If I were more of a social type, I would’ve joked around sending something like ‘lol’ and emotes, teasing her playfully about the selfie…

There’s no way to take it back now.

‘Should I just die and come back with a cooler reply!?’

For a high schooler like me, texting with a pretty girl from my class was a major event.

Come to think of it, I was probably freaking out like this too the first time I messaged Sunah after the Mom ghost story.

“I’m such an idiot…”

Clutching my phone, I could only hope that Hayoon wouldn’t be put off by how awkward I was, but instead, that she would respond kindly and just go along with it.

Soon, the clear sound of a KakaoTalk notification echoed through the empty car.

KakaoTalk~

I hurriedly grabbed my phone again.

[In Hayoon: You just have to work hard. Honestly, I could do better, but I held back on purpose.]

“……?”

On purpose……?

As I sat there, puzzled, chewing on those words over in my head, messages came flying in one after another.

KakaoTalk~ KakaoTalk~

[In Hayoon: The way you solved everything today. I liked it.]

[In Hayoon: If you continue to do well in the future, I’ll send you another selfie.]

“……!!”

Then came the last KakaoTalk message.

KakaoTalk~

[In Hayoon: Then have a good evening. Bye~]

Only then, with my face flushed red, was I finally able to move my fingers over the keypad.

Tok- tok- tok- tok- tok-

[Lee Joon: Yeah, okay. See you tomorrow.]

It was just a reflexive goodbye, because right now, my mind is a complete mess.

I was nervously licking my dry lips, fumbling around, when my parents arrived and got into the car.

“Alright~ let’s get going!”

“Hehe, looks like you’re full of energy since you rested at home today.”

“Hey, if we go this way, there’s an unlimited grilled intestines place. We should try it sometime…”

“You’re paying, right?”

“It’s a family thing, so what’s there to worry about…. Joon will pay, right?”

“Oh, son? Will you pay?”

Both of my parents started teasing me, fully knowing I was getting pocket money.

It was just a joke from them, not knowing that I was hiding 1 billion in my back pocket.²[T/N: ‘Back pocket’ is a metaphorical way of saying ‘secretly’.]

But I just stared blankly out the window.

‘…I see. It was on purpose.’

Somehow, when I first saw her grades, I did feel a sense of disbelief.

Even with simple reasoning, it was impossible to imagine that she was worse at studying than Gyeongwon.

If anything, she might have played around, but there’s no way her results would be lower than those of regular students.

But Gyeongwon ranked 4th in the entire school, while Hayoon didn’t even make in the single digit and ranked 12th?

That part was definitely surprising.

“On purpose……”

I muttered to myself as I looked out the window.

Suddenly, the MineCraft ghost story from the internet café came to mind.

Hayoon was in the game, but she shot the crossbow with perfect accuracy every time.

And during the consultation session, she even sensed me hiding behind the teachers’ office.

My assumption that her eyesight must be bad because she wore glasses was a wrong judgment.

And the limousine.

‘… The driver.’

The person who drove her in the morning clearly didn’t look like her older brother to me.

Maybe the person who came to pick her up at Seoul Station after Kim Eunjung’s incident wasn’t her brother, but that driver.

“Did she want to hide that…?”

So that’s why she parted ways at that time.

Resting my forehead against the car window, I pondered about her.

Hayoon could have gotten better grades, but she deliberately held back, ending up with the ambiguous rank of 12th in the entire school.

Hayoon actually has good eyesight, but she deliberately wore glasses.

Hayoon can be friendly with anyone she wants, but she deliberately keeps a wall around her.

Hayoon actually comes from a very wealthy family, but she doesn’t like to show it off.

Hayoon can take such beautiful selfies, yet she deliberately keeps her profile picture on default.

Hayoon is doing it on purpose……

“……”

Could it be that.

Hayoon doesn’t want to stand out?

Just as I thought that, a message popped up in front of me.

Pop–

[Your understanding of the character In Hayoon has increased by 5.]

At some point, the girl who had been trying to bury herself in extreme ordinariness, started taking off her glasses, speaking her mind, and revealing her presence.

What was the trigger?

“…Is it me?”

Or maybe the Ghost Story Club.

It must be one of the two.

Perhaps because this part was still unclear, my understanding didn’t increase.

“Let’s get off~ let’s go eat!”

“Son, stop daydreaming and get off~”

Suddenly, when I snapped back to reality, we had already arrived in front of the restaurant.

I quickly opened the car door, got out, and ran toward my parents.

“Let’s go together~!”

* * *

Gloomy shadows fill the city.

In the heart of Seoul, where thick night fog blankets the streets, a massive figure slowly wanders between the ruined buildings.

I watch from a distance as the gigantic figure, the Demon King, slowly strolls through the city, letting out a long, gloomy sound.

Gooooo—–

[2026? Month! Day § 15 days, 뜠 + 0]

[Lee? Joon: Number of? – 1]

[Ghost Story Character: 2nd □]

[Causality?? Rate: 83%]

I could turn back time, even going against the checkpoints, but in the end, I couldn’t change the fate of people who were destined to die in that timeline.

For example, someone’s natural lifespan might have ended due to aging, or they might have had an incurable disease since childhood.

Even though the only deaths I could prevent were those caused by accidents or coincidences, I was foolishly excited as if I had all the answers.

That is the reason why I’m still living on, even after the world ended up in this state.

The sky over Seoul, where the sun never rises.

As I gaze into that darkness, I think of them.

Sunah, who suffered from a physical illness.

Hayoon, who suffered from a mental illness.

And even Teacher Jang Hwaeun, who bore an illness of the soul.

The female members of our Ghost Story Club, whom I couldn’t save.