Ch.11011 – The 31st Student Ghost Story 1

# 011 – The 31st School Ghost Story # 1

“No, I’m telling you I heard a man and woman fighting! Teacher, stop it! And like that! You know how a Yeongji High student went missing recently. What if…?”

“No, from what I heard, they weren’t fighting, but making those sounds! You know, when a man and woman are together!”

Police officers who received reports from neighboring residents knocked on the door.

So there really were residents who would call the police.

Of course, Teacher Kang Haneul protested her innocence.

“No, I really didn’t do anything! And Yeongwon is my student! How could I do anything to a student…!”

The voices continued to escalate.

A female teacher bringing a student home and committing violent acts—such a news headline formed and disappeared in my mind.

What would happen to the teacher if things stayed like this? Various rumors would spread, and she might get fired from school or, in the worst case, even go to prison.

Teacher Kang Haneul seemed to know this well, as her face was gradually turning into a tearful expression. That expression resembled girls my age rather than an adult.

I felt a moral responsibility.

So I made up my mind and spoke.

“I did it. While the teacher stepped out briefly, I drank some alcohol that was in the house. I turned the TV up loud and talked nonsense while drunk. Residents, police officers, I’m sorry!”

*Bow*

I bowed my head and apologized to everyone.

“I’m really, really sorry! If you smell my breath, you’ll detect alcohol!”

Haaaaaah—I blew my whiskey breath toward the police.

The extremely young-looking police officer wrinkled his face.

“Ha, see this kid? His breath really reeks of alcohol. Sir, there’s a whiskey bottle over there. Looks like he just poured some in a cup and drank it.”

“Is that so? Kids these days… Anyway, you said you’re a teacher, right? Why did you bring a student to your home at this late hour?”

Slowly—

The police officer called “senior” looked at the teacher and me with narrowed eyes.

“Eh? What? That’s…”

“It’s because of me. I’m being bullied. They call me a fatherless bastard. The teacher has evidence of this. She was trying to counsel me about the bullying. Teacher, show them the note. Quickly!”

“Huh? Ah… the note…!”

“Bullying is occurring in Class D.”

“That’s the note I wrote.”

The police officers looked at the note the teacher handed over and nodded as if they understood the situation.

It meant my lies were working well even with law enforcement.

It wasn’t all lies anyway.

The ghost auntie had forced alcohol into my mouth, but I did drink alcohol, and the teacher was trying to counsel me about the “bullying” issue.

Lies mixed with an appropriate blend of truth are sometimes more confusing than complete truth or lies.

The police officers, perhaps not wanting to make a big deal on a Friday night before the weekend, closed the case.

“Drinking alcohol secretly at your caring teacher’s house and causing problems. You’re doing well, aren’t you? Still, if you need help from adults outside school for school problems, contact me here. I’m also a Yeongji High alumnus.”

Scribble scribble—

The police officer called “senior” wrote down his phone number for me and left.

It was a stormy night in many ways.

“Teacher, I’m sorry for causing trouble. I’ll go home now. I’m so embarrassed. I’m really sorry.”

“…It’s fine. Didn’t you say you drank? Where do you think you’re going? Go to the room and get some sleep.”

Teacher Kang Haneul sat at the dining table and looked at me primly.

I was used to such gazes from Yang Juhui, but an adult woman’s gaze had a different intensity.

“…But Teacher, isn’t it bad for rumors if you sleep in the same house as your student?”

“Would I be a teacher if I sent a drunk kid outside at this hour because I’m afraid of such rumors? You don’t need to worry about that. How’s your stomach feeling?”

“I feel like I’m dying.”

I was actually feeling a bit dizzy.

Maybe because the tension had suddenly released, the drunkenness that had been held at bay came rushing in all at once.

Is this what being drunk feels like?

It wasn’t a good feeling.

I felt like throwing up and my stomach was churning.

Is this how adults feel?

Why do adults drink alcohol if it feels like this?

Slide—

I went to the bed and lay down.

Then Teacher Kang Haneul sat close to my bedside and spoke.

“Yeongwon, you’re good at lying.”

“Lying?”

“This note wasn’t written by you. The handwriting is different. Looking at the poem you submitted for homework, the handwriting was different. Yeongwon, your handwriting is terrible, isn’t it? Just like a kindergartener’s.”

That was a fact.

My handwriting is pretty messy.

“The reason I liked the poem you wrote was because both the content and handwriting seemed so pure, like it was written by a young child. Well, you are a child.”

“I’m not a child.”

“No. You, Yeongwon, are still a child. And adults actually know when children are lying. You’re not the type to drink alcohol on your own. There was lipstick on the glass. Who were you with?”

“……”

I hadn’t noticed lipstick on the glass.

When I kept my mouth shut, the teacher gently placed her hand on my forehead.

“We know when you’re lying, but most of the time we pretend not to notice and let it go. To avoid trouble. That’s what I did earlier too. I shouldn’t have done that as a teacher. I guess I’m still far from being an adult.”

The teacher’s touch was quite cool on my face, which was burning from the alcohol, and it gave me a sense of relief.

“When I look at you, I’m reminded of my brother. My brother was also bullied in high school… Suddenly doing things he never did before, drinking alcohol…”

Slowly—

Listening to Teacher Kang Haneul’s warm voice, I couldn’t resist the drowsiness that overcame me, and I finally fell asleep.

# # #

Saturday.

Sobered up, I left Teacher Kang Haneul’s house.

The teacher also had to leave early for a “teachers’ meeting.”

“Farewell! Haunted house!”

I quickly ran away from the apartment, recalling my fierce battle with the ghost auntie.

That’s how my weekend began.

My weekend was ordinary as always, filled with homework and games.

“The enemy Nasus is just farming, right? Stack over 500, right? Easy to climb to Platinum, right?”

There was nothing particularly special about the day.

Any ordinary high school student would spend their weekend like this.

If I had to point out something special about me, it would be this:

“Status Window.”

『Name: Ha Yeongwon Lv.2

Traits: 《The Broken Clock》 《Holding Breath》

Quirk: None

Funds: 111 Points

Description: Once promising, you’ve been killing time in a meaningless daily routine for some time now. But even a broken clock shows the correct time twice a day.』

I examined the unfamiliar part in the status window that had become both fascinating and familiar.

Level 2.

I had reached level 2!

“I just skimmed through it back then because I was distracted. Didn’t it say traits might change when you level up? It doesn’t seem like my current traits have changed…”

Didn’t this text appear when I leveled up?

『The probability of being tracked by the supernatural and Watchers increases.』

What could this mean?

I pondered it from time to time.

At least for “supernatural,” I had experienced it firsthand, so no further explanation was needed.

The ghosts I met in the Nightmare Corridor.

The ghost auntie who attacked me in reality.

It probably meant the likelihood of such things finding me would increase.

“Shit… my life is screwed.”

Does this mean I’ll have to go through such terrifying experiences multiple times?

At this rate, I’ll either die from ghosts or, if I’m lucky enough to survive, become mentally ill.

“So if that’s what supernatural means… what are Watchers?”

Watchers.

Watcher (注視者).

When I searched online, it literally meant “someone who watches something.”

In English, it’s translated as “Watcher” or the eye monster in games called “Beholder.”

“Whatever it is, it’s definitely not good for me.”

I had many questions, but no one to answer them.

Damn, if I had known it would be like this, I should have asked the ghost auntie more questions.

At least she seemed to give proper answers.

In the end, I couldn’t learn anything about the old school building from Teacher Kang Haneul either.

All I learned after going through that ordeal was Teacher Kang Haneul’s underwear preferences, her taste for younger men, her somewhat hysterical tendencies, her surprisingly girlish side, and that she’s a good teacher despite all that.

This might be helpful information for someone, but it was meaningless to me.

“As expected…”

『Eventually, you will reach shocking secrets and strange taboos…』

“I guess I have no choice but to go back to the corridor.”

Exploring the Nightmare Corridor in more detail—

I made that my first principle.

I was certain that the answers to why I got the status window and my other questions would be found there.

But I wasn’t exactly thrilled about the process.

Am I crazy to go to a place full of ghosts where I might die?

It was also chilling that Yang Juhui, who was alive in classroom “1-4,” was marked as deceased.

There’s still something I don’t know about in that corridor.

Why did I get something like a status window and have to go through all this trouble?

It was nothing short of a curse.

“Advice.”

Out of habit, I spent points to seek advice.

『Advice from 《The Broken Clock》: Try unlocking the “Bank” from the locked items! At the bank, you can convert funds into cash. Current exchange rate: 1P = 10,000₩』

“Shit…!?”

One point equals 10,000 won?

My temples throbbed, my hair stood on end, my feet and back tingled, and I felt like ants were crawling all over my body.

“I’m rich now…!!!”

The status window was indeed a blessing!

I’ll earn lots of points, escape this shabby villa, and become a building owner!

“Just entering the corridor earns points. And if I acquire items, I get bonus points? The flashlight Yang Juhui got was 100P… one million won!?”

I also liked that surviving earned 100 points per person.

That meant it was more profitable to survive than to die in there.

How could I increase my survival rate?

“…Thinking rationally, the wet dream escape method wouldn’t work for anyone but me. I didn’t know it then, but there must be a correct way to escape the corridor.”

The wet dream escape method was like a “bug” in a game.

I was certain there must be a proper strategy or method to correctly escape the “Nightmare Corridor.”

“To earn more money… I need reliable companions who can survive together.”

I looked at the One Piece figurines on my desk.

Most were scantily clad female characters, but there were also male companion characters like a swordsman holding a sword or a chef creating flames from his legs.

Companions. Adventure.

These two things made my still-boyish heart race.

Friends who would become my companions.

Would there be any?

Everyone in Class D is trash.

No, if I had to pick, there might be one.

There is! Definitely! That guy!

“Who are you?”

I found myself wanting to go to school, which I had been so reluctant to attend.

I spent time waiting for Monday to come quickly—

“Nasus stacked 800, right? At this point, he can destroy our nexus too, right?”

Finally, Monday arrived.

The classroom was bustling with activity.

While the kids were chattering about weekend events, Kim Geonho approached me.

“Hey, Ha Yeongwon. So did you complete the homework I gave you? I told you to find out who wrote the note to the faculty office. Did you find out?”

“No. But I think I’ll know by today. I’m really curious too.”

“Bullying is occurring in Class D.”

The person who wrote this note and caused trouble.

I don’t know who wrote it, but it could be seen as someone taking my side.

At least someone with a minimum of conscience.

Smack!

Kim Geonho hit the back of my head with his palm.

“Hey. Didn’t I tell you that if you couldn’t find out who wrote it by last week, I’d assume you wrote it? What’s making you so bold these days?”

What? This guy is hitting me?

My temples instantly heated up.

Should I make Kim Geonho take another look at the corridor?

…No, he’d really die if I did that.

Kim Geonho bullying me was wrong, but did it deserve death as retribution? No, it didn’t.

I didn’t need to go that far; I could use the quirk that had developed in Kim Geonho to make him behave right away.

Slide!

“Hey! Yang Juhui is at school! She’s in the faculty office right now! Go check it out! It’s amazing! Amazing!”

The students rushed out to see the superstar whose name had been on everyone’s lips during Friday and the weekend. Kim Geonho was among them.

Lucky bastard.

I watched their backs and thought.

“By today, I’ll find out who wrote the note…”

…and I’ll take care of Kim Geonho from Class D within this week!

I can do it.

With my current abilities!

To be precise, I had a method to solve both problems at once!