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 will come 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’re coming 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 their comrades, 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 Internet. However, since most of the teachers were quite aged, they weren’t as agile as us youngsters, who were veteran Internet 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 play. The word ‘oil’ (오일) means ‘oil’ in Korean. But if you break the word into ‘oh’ (오) and ‘il’ (일), it becomes, ‘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 to come 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, flashed 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 player…]
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 explaining 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’t completely 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, ‘미소의’ (miso) means ‘of smile’ and ‘당기소’ (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! Similar pronunciation again!]
[What? What?]
[Hey, fuck, are your ears blocked! It’s syrup! Syrup!]
[T/N: Not sure about this one either…. Korean word ‘직장을’ means work. And both the words ‘직장을’ and ‘업’ means ‘job’. Which means the answer could be ‘시럽’ (syrup).]
“Time’s up.”
[Strawberry syrup…. Ugh…]
Thud.
As Sunah beat another teacher, sending his way to heaven, commotion 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 teacher laughed as if he was having fun and appreciated the answer.
“…What happens if the almond dies?”
[Diamond. A middle-aged man laughed and clapped 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 played in reverse!”
[Correct answer!]
I see.
If the wedding video is played 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 related 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 become if it dies?”
[T/N: Word play again. ‘털이’ means ‘hair/hairy’ but it could also mean ‘unsafe/dangerous’ if used informally. ‘디지털이다’ means digital. Which means ‘this is dangerous’ has similar 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 play. ‘빙’ means ‘ice’ and ‘죽으’ means ‘die’. Diving (daibing) ‘다이빙’ 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 declared 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 applauded.]
[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 collapsed, 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 you later. 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 collapsed.
“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 was completely 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 collapsed, clutching his chest.
“Ugh.”
Thud.
Done.
I had finally memorized everything.
Quickly reaching to Dukhun, who had collapsed on his seat, I picked up the phone this time.
“Hello.”
Damim laughed ‘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! How come you figured it out only today~!]
The rotund man laughed 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 played 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 related 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 planned 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 his comrades know.
At the same time, I also had to make sure not to involve the police. I didn’t want the police’s investigation net 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 contemplating 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 blaring 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 black hair spilling around.
Gyeongwon was lying down next to her in a similar position, his eyes closed and his glasses 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 are coming 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 corpses lay 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 fella.
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 declared 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 account since I deleted my Buymeacoffe due to some…. circumstances. So if you like my work, consider supporting me on Kofi.
Omggggg hayoon