Ch.190190 – Nayuta

# 190 – Nayuta

While Hong Miri’s car sped along the highway toward Seoul, Yang Juhui had many conversations with her friends inside the vehicle.

Yang Juhui was particularly curious about Jeong Sojin—why she was pretending to be missing, and when she had regained her memories.

“Yesterday when you mentioned my glasses, Juhui. I started thinking, ‘Wait, did I wear glasses at school?’—and as I thought about it, my memories began to get confused one by one until I finally came to my senses.”

Jeongseok added his thoughts to Sojin’s explanation.

“I think we have memories of our past lives overlapping in our minds. Everyone’s just living without knowing it. Deep in our subconscious, we also retain memories of our previous lives.”

Jeong Sojin had become one of those humans who lived with memories of her past life. This was clearly far from ordinary everyday life.

Hadn’t Ha Yeongwon definitely promised to restore everyone’s normal lives by making a wish on the clock? How did this happen? While Yang Juhui was pondering this alone, Jeongseok answered.

“As I said before, the clock wasn’t perfect in the end. So the wishes it grants are somewhat flawed too. It’s similar to the ‘Monkey’s Paw’ that we experienced.”

In Jeongseok’s opinion, Yeongwon’s clock was indeed broken and imperfect.

“This material world is a shadow. Even though it seems perfect, it’s actually false and broken. But there’s no need to be sad or angry about it.”

As long as shadows exist, their true forms must exist somewhere too. After all, shadows cannot form without an original substance.

If a broken and imperfect clock exists like a shadow, then somewhere a complete and eternal wish-granting mechanism must surely exist as the true form.

Of course, Yang Juhui found Jeongseok’s ideas difficult to understand. She could only grasp that he was talking about hope.

Soon, Jeong Sojin said to Jeongseok:

“No wonder you were top of the school.”

“Isn’t he at the bottom of the school now?”

Yang Juhui recalled that in this life, Jeongseok was lying at the very bottom of the class rankings. She couldn’t understand why Jeong Sojin would call such a friend the top student. Of course, Jeong Sojin kindly explained so Yang Juhui could understand.

“Deliberately getting every question wrong is actually the same as knowing all the answers. He intentionally marked incorrect answers for every question.”

Huh?

Now that she heard it, it seemed entirely possible. If you knew the answer to every question, you could deliberately get every question wrong. The question then was “why.”

“Why would you do something like that? Late rebellion phase?”

“Sometimes wrong answers can become right answers.”

From Jeongseok’s explanation, Yang Juhui felt she understood the boy’s essence. One way or another, it was clear that boys loved to show off.

‘He feels good thinking he’s like a movie or game protagonist.’

Yang Juhui left Jeongseok to continue showing off and looked at her phone. Messages like “High school girl missing—” and “Be careful when going home—” were piling up on Yang Juhui’s phone.

“Jeong Sojin, what are you planning to do?”

“I’m going to stay missing.”

Yang Juhui was more surprised by Jeong Sojin’s actions than Jeongseok’s. What was making Jeong Sojin act this way?

“……”

“……”

Yang Juhui made eye contact with Jeong Sojin.

Soon Jeong Sojin burst out laughing.

“I know. You can’t trust me. Because I pushed you that day. That day that feels like it happened a very long time ago but also like it was just yesterday.”

That’s right.

Yang Juhui couldn’t forget how Jeong Sojin had tried to push her toward the Head Ghost that day. It was a vivid memory, like a wound left on her soul.

“Huh?”

Though her memory was clear, it felt strangely unfamiliar.

Like finding a forgotten coin that had been tucked away in a pocket.

‘But that time… I died because of the Woman in Red?’

That was the day she first entered the Nightmare Corridor.

She had died that day and should have forgotten those memories. But her memories of Jeong Sojin and Kim Geonho were so clear they felt like they had happened just yesterday.

That wasn’t the only problem.

Yang Juhui could recall the countless “deaths” she had experienced in the Nightmare Corridor.

Wasn’t she supposed to lose her memories when she died in the corridor?

Jeongseok offered a hypothesis about this.

“It’s the same as how we remember Yeongwon. Actually, the memories of when we died aren’t forgotten but remain somewhere deep in our residual consciousness.”

That was Jeongseok’s guess, but it might not be the correct answer.

What mattered was that Yang Juhui recalled the memory of being betrayed by Jeong Sojin.

Jeong Sojin wasn’t someone to be trusted.

When Yang Juhui wondered why such an untrustworthy Jeong Sojin was being so cooperative, Jeong Sojin explained:

“People can change. In that dark operating room, when I fought and defeated the devil with Yeongwon, I saw the potential in myself and the world. It felt like my eyes were opened.”

As she said this, Jeong Sojin took out glasses from her pocket and put them on. Her beauty diminished compared to when she wore contacts, but she looked much more natural.

However, the gleaming eyes beneath those lenses shone with such intensity that Yang Juhui couldn’t help feeling slightly frightened. Jeong Sojin’s eyes resembled those of Yang Juhui’s mother from her previous life, who had abandoned her family after becoming obsessed with church.

‘Jeong Sojin and Jeongseok, that whole family seems to get fixated on weird things.’

As they chatted about various things, they arrived in Seoul.

Teacher Hong Miri drove toward an address in Gangnam.

# # #

A high-end residential area in Gangnam.

The car stopped somewhere with high walls. Yang Juhui was reminded of the movie “Parasite” she had seen before.

It looked exactly like the kind of house that would appear in such a film.

“This is a neighborhood for Korea’s top one percent wealthy people.”

Jeongseok casually remarked.

Though his expression seemed somewhat arrogant.

“Piling up material things like this is ultimately meaningless. The material things of this world are just fakes that will disappear overnight like the walls of Jericho.”

Jeongseok was a bit twisted. His attitude had similarities to the boys Yang Juhui had seen in back alleys. Boys like Kim Geonho or Kwon Suho.

It really was just a rebellious phase after all. Yang Juhui completed her assessment of Jeongseok. Thinking of him that way made her laugh, like looking at a younger brother.

Ding-dong-.

Teacher Hong Miri rang the mansion’s doorbell. While wondering who could possibly live in such a house, a voice soon came through the intercom.

—Who is it?

It was a gentle woman’s voice.

Teacher Hong Miri quickly responded.

“Um… who are we? What should I say?”

Yang Juhui opened her narrow eyes as she watched the flustered Teacher Hong Miri. Though Hong Miri was a mature woman, she sometimes acted like a child without a plan.

“We came because of the address on the talisman.”

Jeong Sojin answered honestly.

Soon, the word “talisman?” was heard through the intercom. Jeong Sojin showed the black talisman she was carrying and the address written on it, and with an “Ah—” sound, the door opened.

A garden that was both spacious and modest came into view.

The garden was filled with religious objects of all kinds placed at various spots—jangseung totem poles, strange stone Buddhas, and Virgin Mary statues—making it look like a museum.

As Yang Juhui was looking around, someone appeared, wiping their wet hands on an apron. She seemed to be a housekeeper working in this spacious home.

“You all must be Madam’s guests? That talisman is identical to one of the collection items in this house. I’ve heard black talismans are rare.”

It was a cheerful voice.

Yang Juhui felt frozen because the housekeeper had a familiar face.

‘It’s Yeongwon’s mom!’

Why was Ha Chaeyeon, Ha Yeongwon’s mother, here? Yang Juhui felt anxious, like someone who had committed a major offense and been brought before the police.

“Hello, ma’am.”

Jeongseok bowed his head.

Soon the housekeeper was greatly surprised, opening her eyes wide and flapping her palms frantically.

“Ma’am?! I may look like this, but I’m only thirty-four. In today’s world, is thirty-four considered a middle-aged woman? Am I really a middle-aged woman?”

She seemed angry at being called “ma’am.” While everyone was flustered, someone came running down from the second floor of the mansion.

“Mommy!”

A very small girl, who looked about five years old, quickly hid behind housekeeper Ha Chaeyeon’s backside.

“Mommy! Who! Visitors!”

She was a girl with shiny black hair.

Her face resembled someone closely, and she was pretty enough to be a child actress.

‘Mommy?’

Yang Juhui felt slightly confused, tense, and simultaneously filled with a certain expectation.

It felt like emotions riding a roller coaster.

‘Who is this child?’

Yang Juhui opened her narrow eyes as she looked at the little girl hiding behind Ha Chaeyeon.

Soon the housekeeper Ha Chaeyeon said:

“Nayu, did you finish your homework?”

“Yes, yes! Now let’s play raccoon!”

Pop-!

The five-year-old girl Nayu began walking on all fours on the grassy lawn. She barked like she was imitating a raccoon, and as Yang Juhui watched her with an indescribable feeling, Jeongseok stepped forward and asked:

“Is she your daughter, ma’am?”