Ch.76076 – Twin Ghosts 3

# 076 – Twin Ghosts # 3

“Yeri. When we graduate and leave this orphanage, let’s definitely live together. Got it?”

“I don’t want to live with you. You grind your teeth too much at night. It’s seriously too noisy.”

“Tch, Yeri, don’t you grind your teeth?”

“No. I don’t grind mine.”

Hong Miri had a twin sister.

Hong Yeri.

Hong Yeri was the older sister, and Hong Miri was the younger one.

But being the older or younger sister wasn’t particularly important to them.

They looked so identical that no one could tell them apart.

Of course, they themselves could distinguish each other.

“Look here. Miri has a tiny mole on the bridge of her nose.”

“I have a mole on my nose bridge. Here.”

“It’s true.”

“Without that, you couldn’t tell us apart.”

Yeri and Miri were each other’s other half.

That’s how it had to be.

“This time, Miri showed the most outstanding performance in the Watcher aptitude test. Everyone, applause!”

“She’s the first person in the orphanage’s history to reach question 7!”

“Now our orphanage can receive more funding.”

The twins who should have been identical in every way.

But at some point, they became different.

“…A scholarship? Me? Director. Then… what about Yeri… my sister?”

“Your sister doesn’t have the aptitude. Miri, you’re the one chosen as the Chairman’s special scholarship student. This kind of opportunity won’t come again. Don’t you want to succeed?”

Hong Miri, who had excellent aptitude as a Watcher, became a scholarship student, while Hong Yeri was left behind.

The time had come for their lives to diverge.

The sisters who had always been together since birth, except for one moment, now had to separate after graduation.

While Hong Miri was deeply troubled, one day her sister Hong Yeri said:

“Miri. Want to go to the department store with me this weekend? We don’t know how long we can be together. We should cherish the time we have left.”

Hong Miri readily agreed.

Hong Miri and Hong Yeri went shopping at the department store.

They also visited a dermatology clinic.

It was to remove the mole on the bridge of Hong Miri’s nose.

“Miri, now our faces are exactly the same. Right?”

“Yeah! That mole on my nose bridge always bothered me.”

They bought grown-up heels and matched their outfits in red, a color they both loved.

“Miri. No matter where we are, we’ll be together forever. You are me.”

“Yes!”

Dressed in identical clothes and styled the same way, they truly looked like one person split into two.

People around them kept glancing their way.

The two returned to the orphanage in good spirits.

“Miri. I heard you’re starting Watcher training tomorrow? I won’t be able to see you anymore.”

“Yeah…”

“I have something prepared for you. Would you follow me?”

Hong Miri, expecting a surprise gift from her sister, walked around the orphanage with her eyes covered.

There was a smell of chemicals, and Hong Miri’s neck was fixed somewhere.

“Now, keep your eyes closed. We’re going to be together forever now. Now we are one!”

Click-clack.

The sound of a mechanical device operating was heard, and something stung her neck.

People rushed over at the sound of the machine running.

“Aaaaargh!”

“Hiiiii! W-what is this!”

“…Why did the guillotine activate already!”

“It’s Hong Miri! Hong Miri’s head has been cut off!”

“This looks like Yeri!”

Suddenly, there were two heads and two bodies.

Accidental death. Decapitation. Instant death.

When no one thought this situation could be resolved, the director spoke:

“Hey. Since it’s come to this, let’s use the ‘Red Mask.’ With that, we can save Miri who has the aptitude. She might even become a stronger Watcher. Move quickly! Hurry! Before the brain completely dies!”

“Di-Director. I can tell this is Miri’s body because of the butterfly birthmark… but which head is Miri’s? They look so identical…”

“Are you stupid? Don’t you know Miri has a tiny mole on the bridge of her nose? There’s the mole! You bastards. Do I have to tell you everything? Start the attachment surgery immediately!”

“Th-then what about Yeri…?”

“She’s useless. Just throw her away. Well… if she’s lucky, she might become a ghost like ‘The Headless Woman’ or ‘The Bodiless Head.’ Like a Yokohama ghost story.”

Hong Miri survived.

The revived girl could easily see what others couldn’t see and hear what others couldn’t hear.

But no one knew that the revived girl no longer ground her teeth in her sleep.

These past memories suddenly surfaced in Hong Miri’s mind.

The “Bodiless Head” spoke to Hong Miri:

“Give me back my body! My body! Give me back my body! My body! Give me back my body!”

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

Crack, crack-crack-crack.

Hong Miri’s body and head screamed.

And finally, with a crunching sound, they separated.

Swish swish swish.

The head ghost fitted itself to the now-ownerless body with a creaking sound.

When they became completely one, she shouted:

“Yes, this is my body!”

# # #

I’ve only wet my pants once in my life.

It was in 6th grade. I had an incredibly scary nightmare.

While wandering around the house trying to hide the soiled blanket and pants, I went near the storage room that dad said should never be opened. I was planning to hide my blanket there.

—Is someone out there?

—Mom!

That’s when I met the girl beyond the door.

According to Jeongseok’s deduction, it was probably “Yu Dahui.”

…No, was it really Yu Dahui?

I honestly couldn’t be sure.

—You outside. Are you a ghost by any chance?

—M-me, a ghost? Aren’t you the ghost?

At that moment, I almost wet my pants again.

If I hadn’t already relieved myself once, I really would have wet myself again.

—Really? You’re not a ghost? Then let me touch your heart. The housekeeper said ghosts are dead people, so their hearts don’t beat.

Swoosh.

A white, slender arm stretched out through a hole in the storage room.

In the moonlight, that arm looked particularly pale.

The hand touched my chest, and the girl in the storage room giggled.

—Your heart is beating so fast! Want to feel mine too?

Slide.

I put my hand into the storage room.

Back then, I was not only scared but also very curious.

My hand touched soft, warm skin.

The amount of information rushing to my palm was so overwhelming that I felt dizzy.

The girl in the storage room wasn’t wearing clothes.

Why would a naked girl be locked in our storage room?

Why did dad tell me never to go near this storage room?

I had thoughts scarier than ghosts.

—I’m human too, right? Right? So let me out. Let me out of here.

—…

—Let me out. I’m in so much pain. The man comes every night and torments me. He touches me all over. Yeongwon. Let me out. Please… it’s so cold and dark in here…

I got scared of everything and ran away.

Then suddenly I thought:

Wait.

Had I ever told the girl in the storage room my name?

That was the memory of the first time I wet myself.

And now is the second time.

Crack, crack-crack.

“Kirik. Kihihihik. Kirik. Kiriririk. Kirik.”

The Woman in Red was doing a popping dance in front of me. She kept making “kiririk” sounds with that hideous face, which was strangely hip. Why was she making such sounds?

I was so scared that I wet my pants.

Despite that, the fear didn’t subside, and I felt like burying my head in the floor like a startled pheasant and breaking into a breakdance.

“This is my body. This body.”

The head and body finally became one.

Roll roll roll.

And the leftover head that fell to the floor was glaring at me with terrifying eyes, frowning intensely.

Is this a nightmare?

Or reality?

I was so scared.

But I thought that if I just stayed scared, something even more frightening might happen.

I asked the combined body:

“Excuse me… are you Hong Yeri? Hong Miri’s twin?”

“No? I’m Hong Miri.”

“……”

“You don’t seem to understand. Anyway, thanks to you, I was able to return to my original self. Ah, the back of my head was so itchy, but now I feel better.”

Scratch scratch scratch scratch.

The woman who identified herself as Hong Miri scratched the back of her head vigorously.

Somehow, it felt like déjà vu.

Do all bodiless heads get itchy at the back of their heads?

Is it because of poor blood circulation?

Or is the itchiness accumulated because they can’t scratch it?

I don’t know.

Would I be able to empathize with that itchiness if I were in a decapitated state?

Of course, I wouldn’t want to be in that state even for a billion dollars.

Swoop.

The new Ms. Hong Miri picked up the head rolling on the floor.

The head on the floor seemed to want to say something but couldn’t, just moving its lips.

Those scary eyes still glared at me and Ms. Hong Miri.

“Want to speak but can’t? I understand that feeling. I wanted to shout ‘I’m the real Hong Miri!’ so badly. You wicked woman. Now you can be trapped in this terrible corridor forever.”

Whoosh.

Ms. Hong Miri threw the head away carelessly.

Fortunately, the new Ms. Hong Miri’s face had regained its color, and her expression had normalized. She no longer made those hip “kirik kirik” sounds.

Instead, she examined various parts of her body.

“No tattoos. Good physical condition. She kept it clean.”

Rustle rustle.

She even took off her clothes.

A female teacher’s stark naked body.

Who would have imagined I’d see Ms. Hong Miri’s naked body?

I certainly didn’t.

Ms. Hong Miri touched her breasts and caressed every corner of her body with her palms.

“All the sensations seem fine. So, what do you think?”

“……”

I was extremely embarrassed.

“Say something. Is there anything on my back? Anything strange?”

Ms. Hong Miri showed me her back.

I examined it carefully. It was a smooth back without any fat.

“It’s clean.”

“Good. So who did you say you were?”

“I’m… Ha Yeongwon. And you…”

I didn’t know where to look.

I slightly turned my gaze and asked:

“What exactly happened here? Why did this happen? Who are you?”

“I’m Hong Miri. I was trapped here due to circumstances. My consciousness was foggy like someone drowning, and all I could think about was finding my body. But where are you looking? Are you a pervert?”

“No. Teacher, that butterfly… on your face…”

Ms. Hong Miri had a butterfly-shaped birthmark.

It was distracting as it fluttered across her face.

Soon the teacher was surprised.

“Butterfly? I have a butterfly? On my face?”

Ms. Hong Miri touched her face.

Soon she seemed to realize something and let out a short exclamation: “Ah.”

“You mean that birthmark. The unpleasantly moving mark. This, right?”

The butterfly that had been moving around her face came down to Ms. Hong Miri’s chest.

As I blushed, Ms. Hong Miri asked:

“This looks like a butterfly to you?”

“Pardon?”

“I’m asking if this looks like a butterfly to you. Speak clearly.”

“Isn’t it a butterfly?”

“So it looks like a butterfly to you. People without sensitivity can’t even see this mark. All I see is a dark spot. You have extraordinary spiritual sensitivity? So it was a butterfly.”

Apparently, she didn’t know that the birthmark on her body was butterfly-shaped.

Perhaps it’s not visible to people without spiritual sensitivity.

Come to think of it, Jeongseok didn’t know that Ms. Hong Miri had a butterfly birthmark.

“Are you sick?”

“No. It’s just…”

“Ah.”

Rustle rustle.

Ms. Hong Miri quickly picked up her clothes and put them on.

Only then could I finally feel relieved.

Ms. Hong Miri asked me:

“So who are you?”

“I’m… Ha Yeongwon. The teacher tried to kill me, so I ran away and ended up here… it’s a bit complicated.”

“I see. Yeri must have been jealous of you. Just like she killed me out of jealousy, she must have tried to kill you this time. With talent enough to see a butterfly in the birthmark. I understand.”

Oh.

She’s quick to understand?

I could also figure out that the reason Hong Miri tried to kill me was because of jealousy.

But Yeri, Miri.

It’s really confusing.

Who is who?

“Can you explain it to me?”

“Hmm. Alright. We have plenty of time anyway.”

Chatter chatter.

Ms. Hong Miri told me the story of twins who grew up in an orphanage.

The story of how the older sister killed the younger sister out of jealousy and then lived as the younger sister.

In other words…

The Hong Miri we had been seeing was actually Hong Yeri pretending to be the younger sister.

Is such a thing really possible?

“Can someone whose head has been cut off… be revived?”

“The orphanage director Kwon Oseong was a genius.”

“Kwon Oseong… you mean the chairman of Oseong Group?”

“Oseong Group? Is there such a thing?”

She doesn’t know?

Come to think of it, Oseong Corporation was established about 10 years ago.

They built an impressive headquarters building in this Gaeryong City, and Jeongseok used to visit it when he was young.

Since Oseong emerged as a giant corporation in these 10 years…

The original Hong Miri, who had been trapped in this darkness for 10 years, might not know.

“I’m curious about how the world has changed. But the problem is that we can’t get out of here. It’s good that I found my body, but there’s still a mountain to climb.”

Hong Miri didn’t seem to know how to get out of here.

Of course, I knew.

I had the Shop’s package delivery guide service.

But…

I wondered if it was okay to leave this place with this Hong Miri.

Could I trust this Hong Miri?

The twin sister was a complete psychopath.

“Ms. Hong Miri. If I help you get out of here… can you make me one promise? Promise that you won’t attack me or eat me.”

“Eat you? Am I some kind of cannibal? You’re funny.”

“……”

“Alright. I promise. If I can get out of this wretched place, I’ll promise anything. If I can just get out of here, I’ll consider you my lifelong benefactor. Satisfied? I’m not like someone who betrays or lies.”

Good.

I manipulated my Status Window.

After buying something from the Status Window, I had 280 points left.

“Follow me. By the way, when we leave this place, this space will completely disappear.”

All the ghosts dispatched to the Mercenary Corps so far have found peace.

This elevator of horror will also find peace.

Well, it feels a bit strange to say an elevator finds peace.

“So there’s no way to return to this place? And everything in this place will disappear completely. Then wait a moment. I need to take this with me.”

Hong Miri picked up Hong Yeri’s head that was rolling on the floor.

She also picked up the body that was clicking its way toward us from afar.

It was probably Hong Yeri’s body.

“Hey. Can you help me carry this? It’s a bit heavy. Oh geez, stop struggling! Hey! Be careful not to let the head and body merge together! You carry the body! I’ll take the head!”

“……”

What is she planning to do with the head and body?

I was curious… but too scared to ask.

For now, escape from this terrifying place!