22.

    Between the daytime school and the nighttime school, there existed a difference as vast as the sky and the earth, akin to the discrepancy between a 300 won ice cream at the mart and a 3,000 won ice cream at a specialty shop.

    It was a difference that would never be overturned, one that should never be reversed. Such analogies were much easier to understand when looking at the scene unfolding before one’s eyes.

    Caw! Caw!

    The cawing of a crow served as a chilling background noise. The windows of the school, devoid of any light, glowed dimly under the moonlight.

    Quietly swallowing a breath, I nodded my head.

    Indeed, the analogy was spot on.

    As I pondered this, Lee Soo-bin, who had been watching with me, sighed deeply and muttered under her breath.

    Even within the profoundly silent atmosphere, her whispered words resonated loudly.

    “Goodness… Are we really going in there…? Is the person who planned this numb to safety…? It seems like they wouldn’t even notice if someone went missing….”

    Unintentionally, a chuckle escaped me during this moment of cowardice.

    “Nervous?”

    “Very nervous. Super nervous.”

    “The term ‘super nervous’ sounds a bit outdated, doesn’t it?”

    I continued the conversation, teasingly. While I needed to quell my own fears, I also had to handle Soo-bin’s genuine concerns.

    “It’s so scary that we’re resorting to using old expressions….”

    “It’s fine. It’s just the school we used to attend. It’s dark because it’s night, but everything is the same. Let’s quickly go up to the second floor and get the note.”

    “That sounds like a line from an extra who disappears at the beginning of a horror movie…. Doh Ji, are you okay? The camera cues haven’t started yet…”

    “Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll stay by your side. And it’s not like this is some kind of novel where people start disappearing one by one, right?”

    “You’re tempting fate, senior….”

    “Sorry.”

    This guy’s mouth was the problem, indeed.

    With a click, I smacked my lips and moved towards the back door. As the distance narrowed, I steeled my resolve, knowing this was the place Hyojin had pointed out.

    Stopping just two steps away from the glass door at the back, I paused for a moment. I shone my flashlight around the door, but nothing seemed suspicious.

    Well, almost nothing.

    It was the door itself.

    “Why did they paint the sealant on so thick here….”

    The glass door didn’t let the light through. Even when I shone the flashlight on it, all it illuminated was Soo-bin’s and my own figures.

    “Wow… Doh Ji, are you seriously considering turning back now? Are we really sneaking into the school together in the middle of the night for some glory?”

    “If you’ve come this far, at least think about the effort the prepared servant put in.”

    “Senior, that’s still a line from the beginning of a movie…. Why do you keep saying ominous things? Do you want something bad to happen to us in the hallway?”

    “You’re the one who needs to stop with the ominous talk. I don’t plan on staying long. If it feels too risky, I’ll leave immediately.”

    Did my persuasion work? Soo-bin thought for a moment and then nodded her head.

    “Okay… I understand. I’m curious about the inside too….”

    With Soo-bin’s consent, I slowly grabbed the handle.

    The stainless steel felt cold. The sensation of gripping the handle tightly without any slack made me unnecessarily uneasy.

    Swallowing dryly, unsure if it was mine or Soo-bin’s saliva, I pulled the door.

    Creak… The sound of the unlubricated latch echoed eerily.

    The revealed interior appeared ordinary. The emergency light’s green LED shone, and the nearby infirmary sign briefly caught our attention….

    That was it. It was no different from a school without light. In fact, it was fitting for a school that didn’t receive any light….

    The feeling of being mentally prepared seemed to fade away.

    “Phew.”

    Soo-bin breathed a sigh of relief.

    “It’s nothing special!”

    “Thank goodness….”

    “Oh! Were you scared? You were the one who suggested we go in together, right?”

    “Of course.”

    It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that it was all thanks to the efforts of the truly hardworking servant that I opened the door.

    “Shall we head back now?”

    “I’m worried about the inside! Especially the infirmary!”

    “Well…. You were so scared earlier…. And now your hands are still shaking, but you want to go in right away…?”

    “But if we just turn back, the chairman and vice-chairman will make fun of us…. I can’t live like that. I’d rather go in and collapse from cardiac arrest.”

    I involuntarily muttered a curse.

    As if she could read my mind, Lee Soo-bin raised an eyebrow.

    “If anything, call me a prideful genius.”

    “The most unlucky person in the world….”

    “Oh! Rainbow reflection!”

    Exchanging compliments reluctantly, we walked towards the inside. As we approached, the door automatically closed with a terrifying click, distancing us from the street.

    “…”

    “…”

    Silence lingered. I rushed forward as if to break it, grabbing the door and shaking it.

    Clank- Clank-!

    The door wouldn’t open.

    “Damn it…. What the….”

    Muttering curses briefly, I heard Lee Soo-bin’s voice behind me, standing alone.

    “Senior….”

    “What?”

    “Wasn’t the infirmary door originally closed…? I-I think it was closed before we came in….”

    “Are you kidding me?”

    Shaking her head, Lee Soo-bin gestured left and right.

    “I’m serious!”

    Approaching Lee Soo-bin, I looked at the infirmary. The door was slightly ajar, with a strange darkness seeping through the crack.

    “…”

    “…”

    We exchanged glances.

    Should we assume it was originally open?

    That’s a good thought, senior.

    Though we reached an agreement, it seemed the world disagreed.

    Creak- Creak- Creak- Creak- Creak- Creak- Creak- Creak- Creak-

    Starting from the infirmary door, all doors on the first floor swung open.

    Click- Click- Click- Click- Click- Click- Click- Click- Click-

    A nauseating noise emanated temporarily from within.

    “Oh….”

    I realized.

    Something was happening here.

    As if heralding the beginning, laughter echoed from the first open infirmary door.

    -Hehehehe-

    Chills ran down my spine, freezing my brain. Tension and fear gripped my muscles, making movements sluggish.

    My vision blurred, breathing became rough.

    A misty, hazy world. Vivid black hair shining. Though half-covered by the body, the towering iron couldn’t be concealed.

    A sharp blade gleamed under the flashlight. Probably an awkward weapon between a sashimi knife and a kitchen knife.

    -Hehehehe-

    A dual voice, whether hers or his, erupted with mad laughter. The figure pierced the abdomen with the knife.

    Thud-

    Once.

    Thud-

    Twice.

    Thud- Thud- Thud- Thud-

    The grotesque repetition.

    With no blood splattering, the act appeared even more unsettling.

    Lee Soo-bin struggled to speak, her trembling lips finally parting.

    “Um…. Hello? I’m a first-year student at Garam High School…. Are you a hired employee…? Or should I proceed with an exorcism ritual…. Would you be willing to be exorcised?”

    -Hehehehe-

    “You’ll exorcise me? Just a moment! I brought salt and garlic! Here, take them and exorcise me! Salt-salt-salt-garlic-garlic-garlic!”

    As Lee Soo-bin approached to sprinkle salt and garlic, I grabbed her.

    “Are you crazy!?”

    “What’s wrong!”

    “Do you think exorcism works with salt and garlic! And garlic is for vampire exorcism, not ghost exorcism!”

    “What does that matter now! You look like you’re going to die…!”

    -Hehehehe-

    The ghost’s head twisted 180 degrees. Lips tore apart, ears dangled, eyes reddened ominously.

    “Oh, as the senior said, it seems salt and garlic won’t repel it….”

    “That’s the problem right now!”

    “I don’t have the confidence to survive here….”

    “Stop talking nonsense!”

    Dragging the resigned Lee Soo-bin by my side, I sprinted to the left. Behind us, the ghost continued to chase, laughing, “Hehehehe.”

    Every door you pass by is wide open. Inside, it’s filled with ghosts with torn mouths and their ilk.

    At that moment, Lee Soo-bin, who was standing beside me, spoke up.

    “Senior…. Could you please turn my head to the front…? I feel like peeing when I see those faces….”

    “If you’re going to weaken with useless talk! Just go do your business!”

    “Gasp! Senior, is that your taste…? Oh, liking pee is a bit hardcore, isn’t it…?”

    “What did you say!”

    Dismissing her, I walked past the faculty room and propped my leg on the stairs.

    In that moment, in my mind, Han Hyo-jin’s advice, not just any advice, came to mind.

    ‘The numbers of the stairs!’

    One, two, three, four, five, six…, twenty-five. Twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty.

    Up to here seems normal.

    The thirty-first step is taken.

    The solution to this is to not look back….

    I tried to cautiously take a step back, but Lee Soo-bin pulled my collar.

    “Senior…. There’s a strange tentacle behind….”

    “Oh….”

    Lee Soo-bin had turned around.

    “It’s my fault….”

    “I told you….”

    “But…. Isn’t it the chairman’s fault for hiring tentacles and ghosts for the courage test…? Correct it and say it’s my and the chairman’s fault….”

    “You will?!”

    “Of course….”

    Bitterly speaking, I stepped on the thirty-first step and went up. Nothing happened to my body or the situation.

    No, the creature chasing us from behind had just changed from a ghost to a tentacle.

    Was I needlessly scared by Han Hyo-jin’s advice?

    -Squelch. Squelch. Squelch.-

    More importantly, I should run away for now.

    Thump-! Thump-!

    “Doji senior. I’m not really scared anymore.”

    “All of a sudden!?”

    “Yeah, the tentacles are kind of cute in a subtle way…?”

    “Then do you want to run alone!?”

    “Nope. With my short legs, if I walk alone, I’ll be caught by the tentacles and get messed up. I’m not a fan of such erotic developments.”

    “…”

    “Why are you silent? Do you really want to see it?”

    It’s not that.

    “Isn’t the corridor a bit long?”

    “The corridor?”

    Lee Soo-bin, who was observing the tentacle, rolled her eyes forward. After scanning the corridor for a while, she affirmed.

    “True, right? The end isn’t visible?”

    “The classroom plaques keep changing…. The corridor never ends. It seems to be repeating…. Well, let’s keep running and look for the science lab.”

    “Got it! But speaking of the science lab, I suddenly remembered something. In the ghost stories, the human specimens move….”

    “Oh, I know what you mean.”

    It was a story from an old school ghost tale. Since it was already famous for various reasons, there were fewer people who didn’t know about it than those who did.

    “The whole school has turned into a ghost story, right? I wonder if the inside of the science lab is safe?”

    “Are you a genius?”

    “Well, I….”

    Before she could finish, with a bang!, the door opened roughly.

    Contrary to the noisy entrance, the human specimen crawled out without two pairs of legs.

    Probably the work of male students who would feel a thrill if they stayed still.

    “K-High Schoolers are the best!”

    “More than that, the entrance scene is rude….”

    “Did you get upset because I interrupted you? Why are you upset over something like that? Everyone in the world knows that our Soo-bin is a genius and cute.”

    “Is that so!?”

    The voice reflected such joy that it almost felt unpleasant. Even in urgent situations, she seemed consistently genuine.

    Thinking that way, I stepped on the human specimen on the floor and entered the science lab. Quickly, I scanned around and found a note.

    “I found it!”

    Needing a deep breath, I reached out and grabbed the note.

    Thud-

    It sounded like something was coming from behind.

    “Phew.”

    When I looked back, everything had returned to normal. The strange tentacles were gone, and the human specimen crawling on the floor had found its place again.

    My strength drained away. The courage test prepared by Han Hyo-jin was more dangerous and terrifying than I had thought.

    It served as a reminder of the fear of chaebols….

    “Phew.”

    Ando let out a sigh and gently lowered Isu Bin to the ground.

    She firmly stepped on the ground and nodded her head.

    “A chilling and heavy sensation….”

    “What are you talking about….”

    “What is it? It’s a celebration of being alive!”

    Hm! Isu Bin shrugged her shoulders.

    Then, as if she remembered something, she asked me.

    “But senior. Isn’t this too reckless? Putting tentacles on monsters moving in a courage test? Even the viewers will get tired and exhausted!”

    “I mean….”

    “Anyway, chaebols! They don’t know how to waste money!”

    “I agree….”

    I put the note in my pocket and headed to the science lab.

    I was damn tired.

    ***

    After leaving school, I met Han Hyojin and Park Ayeong coming down at the entrance to the back hill.

    Isu Bin, filled with anger about the incident at school, rushed towards Han Hyojin.

    “Madam President!”

    “You don’t have to shout so loud for me to hear.”

    In response to Han Hyojin’s nonchalant reaction, Isu Bin raised her voice even more.

    “Madam President!”

    …”

    Han Hyojin, seeming to give up, did not respond but listened to Isu Bin’s tantrum.

    “No! Ghosts and tentacles in a courage test…! It’s really too much!”

    Han Hyojin tilted her head.

    “Wow! I’m embarrassed when ghosts turn their heads 180 degrees! I almost peed myself! That’s how scary it was!”

    Listening to that explanation, Han Hyojin’s head tilted even more puzzled. She blinked a few times and replied.

    “I never told anyone to set up anything at school.”

    “…?”

    “I just asked the butler to leave a note. I didn’t decorate anything, hire people, or install favorite tentacles.”

    “…?”

    This time, it was my turn to react.

    “Wait a minute. You didn’t install anything? You said you decorated with a courtyard earlier… Told us to use the back door… Oh, no. So, did the stairs change to 31 like the advice from the president… The bathroom didn’t change, but… that’s…?”

    “Thank you for listening carefully. Mentioning the courtyard was just to enhance the atmosphere. Of course, the advice was part of that.”

    “…”

    “Would it be possible to create those things in a day even with 21st-century science?”

    “Then what about this note….”

    Frantically taking out the note from my pocket….

    “…”

    But what came out of the pocket was not a note but a yellow talisman.

    Han Hyojin looked at the talisman with a worried expression and asked.

    “What kind of experience have you had…?”

    I don’t know….

    A strange night.

    It was summer…. Damn.

    0 Comments

    Heads up! Your comment will be invisible to other guests and subscribers (except for replies), including you after a grace period.
    Note
    // Script to navigate with arrow keys