I Became the Hidden Mastermind

020 – Ghost Story #2

020 – Ghost Story #2

Ding-ding-ding-.

The sound of droplets approached gradually.

Thud, thud-thud, thud-thud-.

The sound of a head bouncing around, searching for a body, followed me.

“If you talk about ghosts at the graveyard, ghosts will come. If you talk about ghosts at the graveyard, ghosts will come.”

Behind me, a voice that seemed like it might go insane was closely chasing.

I felt like I was really going crazy.

Why do I keep experiencing such things!

What did I do wrong!

I decided to lock myself in the library restroom to figure out a solution to the situation.

Fortunately, I had a status window that could be called an external CPU!

“Advice!”

Please tell me the correct answer to overcome this situation!

『Advice from the “Broken Clock”: There is a proper cause for everything in life.』

There is a proper cause for everything in life!

It was the right thing to say.

There must be a reason why I go through dreadful things every day!

Since when did this start happening?

Upon careful reflection, it all began after I gathered 100 points and pressed the “Open Instructor” button in the shop.

That was the problem!

Ding-ding-ding-.

The sound of bells approached gradually.

Could it be someone trying to enter the men’s restroom in the library?

No.

I realized that the sound was not coming from outside the restroom but from right above me as I sat in the restroom stall… right above me.

“……”

Gulp. Gulp-.

Ding. Ding.

With an unknown, eerie sound, the sound of droplets echoed above my head.

If I were to raise my head here, I could see what was above me.

But… if I did that, I would definitely die. It was certain.

I’m going to die!

It felt as if all the blood drained from my body.

As the blood sank to the tips of my toes, I felt a chilling sensation.

My body temperature must have dropped by at least 2 degrees in an instant.

“…Oh, shh.”

Swoosh-.

I cautiously lifted myself up, making sure not to raise my head, and slowly got up in a low posture.

I reached out my hand very quietly and slowly, like a snail extending its tentacles, and unlocked the bathroom door.

Thud-.

Alright.

Now all I have to do is push this open…

Thunk-.

At that moment, something grabbed my shoulder.

It was a touch that felt bone-chilling, even through my clothes.

“aaah! Damn it! aaah! aaah! aaah!”

When someone is really scared, they can have a seizure.

That was exactly how I was right now, and I screamed and trembled as if I were about to wet myself.

“What are you?”

“…Yes?”

“I’m asking what you are.”

“……”

…What is it?

It was a situation that made me curious about what I was.

When I came to my senses, the sound of droplets, the restroom, and the cold touch were all gone.

Instead, a woman in a red blouse, black dress pants, and her hair tied back was looking at me with a furrowed brow.

She was an elegant and beautiful woman.

A fragrance, whose name I couldn’t recall, wafted through the air.

“…Ms. Hong Miri?”

“Yes.”

The woman turned out to be the English teacher I had a crush on a long time ago. At 27, she was young, stylish, and extremely popular among students due to her sense of humor and good looks.

“Why are you so surprised? Did you fall asleep on the desk and have a nightmare?”

“Oh.”

“There are many people having nightmares or seeing strange things because of the energy flow on the school grounds. Now, it’s time to close the library, so hurry up and leave. Wipe your mouth.”

Clack. Clack. Clack.

With the sound of her high heels hitting the hard floor, the English teacher disappeared into the distance.

I shook off the bewildered feeling and stood up from the library desk.

In front of me were books like “Record of Ghost Stories” and “Ghost Stories of the Alley,” scattered in a disorderly manner.

Saliva dribbled down my lips, a probable sign of a restless nap.

“A dream…?”

Were the events that just unfolded mere figments of a dream?

From where to where did the dream stretch?

“….”

Time had stealthily advanced to 8 p.m.

I couldn’t recall when I had fallen asleep, but the evening hours had swiftly passed.

“Hey, reading these kinds of books will give you nightmares.”

I haphazardly gathered the scattered books and tossed them into my bag.

At that moment, a book titled “Easy Feng Shui” fell among my belongings.

A sticky note with “Yoo Da-hee” written on it was attached.

“Feng Shui, of all things.”

I brought it close to my nose, sniffing the surprisingly pleasant scent.

“Did Yoo Da-hee recommend this book to me… in a dream? Did I mention liking Feng Shui, and she suggested it?”

Rumble-.

I shivered at that moment.

It was because I urgently needed to use the bathroom.

Not joking, my bladder was on the verge of bursting.

If I had accidentally wet my pants while trying to find a spot… how much disdain would the English teacher have for me? I might have had to drop out of school.

With such whimsical thoughts sending shivers down my spine, I headed towards the restroom, oddly feeling uneasy about using the library’s facilities.

“……”

Was it because of the experience I had in the nightmare?

“…Let’s fight at home.”

Swoosh-.

I turned around and headed home.

Clang, clang, clang-.

Behind me, the sound of droplets started again.

“Damn it, what is this.”

This time, it wasn’t a dream.

# # #

Clang clang clang-.

The sound of droplets continued.

I felt like something was chasing me.

I really wanted to cry.

But the reason I hadn’t gone insane yet was that I still had about 620 points that I hadn’t used.

Even if I felt unjust, I had to hold on to my sanity until I used it all!

Clang clang clang-.

The continuous sound of droplets.

“Where…. where…. where…. where….”

When I listened closely, a chilling voice, whether sobbing or screaming, reached my ears.

I felt like I was going crazy.

In this dark alley of Cheonmundong, there wasn’t a single person today.

I’m canceling my earlier expression of liking Gayongshi.

This place was a really run-down neighborhood.

Seoul, with its many people, is truly the best!

– Soft and fluffy, my heart.

– Like clear ditch water.

– Splish-splash, splish-splash, ditch water.

I called while paying attention to the faint sensation coming from behind.

“Yang Joo-hee. Answer. Answer. Answer.”

If I’m with my colleague Yang Joo-hee, maybe we can somehow overcome this hardship!

The identity of the bell sound is probably a shaman ghost.

And since Yang Joo-hee’s family has been a shaman family for generations, maybe people with the soul of a shaman can communicate or have conversations with each other!

With such creative and baseless thoughts, I called Yang Joo-hee in hopes of catching at least a straw, but she didn’t answer my call.

Is she sleeping? Taking a shower?

“I lost….”

Ding, ding, ding.

The bell sound was getting closer and closer.

The only fortunate thing was that it wasn’t too fast, and I could easily outrun it with my steps.

But I didn’t know how long this sound would continue to follow me.

I had to sleep like any other human, and I didn’t want to imagine what would happen if the bell girl caught up with me at that moment.

If I were to go back to the pre-Earth era, it might be my defeat.

In that case, wouldn’t it be right to find a solution and strategize from my side first?

The advice of the broken clock said, “In everything, there is a proper cause.”

If I could find out the cause or background of the shaman ghost’s occurrence, there might be information that could help in exorcising it.

And that information… might be in the school library.

“Should I go there again?”

8 in the evening.

Thinking about going alone to the dim school library was somewhat frightening.

It would have been good if Yang Ju-hee was there, but she still wasn’t answering the phone.

“Will you come to the school library? I’m really scared!”

Just in case, I left a message.

Number 1 hadn’t disappeared, but someday, I would definitely check it!

While waiting, one contact caught my eye.

“Jung So-jin.”

Should I call Jung So-jin?

After all, Jung So-jin has the characteristic of “attention to detail.”

If that applies in reality, I might be able to effectively find the book I’m looking for in the library.

“No. I can’t.”

I altered the flow of the accident.

What makes Jung Sojin a useful ally is when her safety is assured.

If this ghost appears to Jung Sojin… she would undoubtedly throw me as bait and run away for sure!

“Ha, damn….”

A life without friends is so painful.

Then, a brilliant idea flashed in my mind.

Using Jung Sojin.

She must have an “Emergency Contact Network” for the class!

# # #

Drrr-.

It was a conventional and dull signal sound.

When it was heard about five times, someone answered the phone.

━Hello.

“Hey, Vice Captain. It’s me, Ha Yeongwon. I need your help. Remember when I helped you? When you were being beaten by Bong Jiyeon. I helped you. Now, help me.”

━My phone number is….

“I asked Jung Sojin! It’s not important right now! Help me! I’ll be near the school library, so come quickly! If you don’t come, do you want me to tell everyone who your dad is? Huh?”

━……

“Please help me! Please! I’m really going to die! Hey! Weren’t you the one who wanted to help me? You wrote a note about the bullying in Class D! Weren’t you trying to help me?”

━……

“If I die today, it’s because of you! Hey! Please! Just a bit!”

I used both pleading and coercion.

Given the circumstances, there was no time for considering various methods.

“If we solve this problem well, I’ll give you 100,000 won! 100,000 won! Come to the school library!”

I was almost screaming.

Hoo…

I heard a rather deep sigh, followed by the voice of a blunt boy.

– Fine. Wait. It’ll take about 10 minutes.

Oh, shoot…!

It’s done! It’s done!

I turned towards the school.

As if saying it’s better to have someone, even if it’s a sh*tty situation, I felt relieved. That’s why people can’t live alone.

I won’t let those who advocate for living alone get away with it.

Community living! A life where we help each other!

That’s the real human life!

“Ha Yeong-won. What the hell?”

When I arrived at the library, a rather blunt-looking boy was standing there. I was so happy that I wanted to hug him tightly.

“Jeong-seok. From now on, find all the books related to our school’s history in the library. All of them!”

“….”

Jeong-seok frowned.

He was a stubborn-looking guy.

“Why? What’s the reason? If I don’t do this, you’ll die?”

“Ghost! There’s a ghost! A shamanistic ghost! A shamanistic ghost is chasing me! Believe me! It might sound like a lie! Anyway, please help me! A shamanistic ghost is chasing me! Please…”

Ding-dong.

I earnestly pleaded, trying to ignore the approaching sound of the bell.

In response, Jeongseok’s expression became even more grim, as if he was feeling worse.

“Are you kidding me now? A ghost? What a waste of time. Are you making fun of me now? Playing the sound of a bell too?”

…A bell?

I hadn’t told Jeongseok about the bell.

It was around the time I thought something was strange.

Jeongseok’s expression, which had been twisted, gradually changed subtly.

It seemed like he saw something behind my shoulder.

“…Hey. What does this so-called shamanistic ghost… look like? Over there, standing on the road where cars pass by… Something is standing there and coming this way…?”

“It has thin ankles and is wearing a patched hanbok. The chest is bigger than you’d expect for the loose clothes. The face is horribly ugly.”

Jeongseok was someone whose brain worked well, to the point of ranking fifth in the midterm exams.

Listening to my explanation, he quickly understood the situation with his sharp mind.

“Oh, Hayeongwon, you son of a b*tch.”

“You saw it. You saw it too! Now you’re my partner too! My partner!”