episode_0054

“You know… right? The season is ending soon.”

Feeling uneasy hearing her informal speech.

“Yes.”

“I’ll start the final camp at the club in November. Other rookies will gather too. Have you greeted your colleagues?”

Greet colleagues? Of course.

“You haven’t?”

Is it necessary to greet those dull guys? I was invited to the group chat, but there was no need to meet them separately. It was more profitable to meet my girls and have some fun during that time.

“Well, aside from that, are you training regularly?”

“I am training consistently.”

I have been exercising regularly based on the routines and diet provided by experts. Perhaps because they are professionals, my body feels better?

“It seems so. You’ve grown compared to before.”

“Is it because of the professionals? Can you tell just by looking?”

“…Well, you can just tell by looking.”

Was it awkward because of the informal speech? So-young stumbled over her words.

“So, should we schedule a separate meeting date via text? How about your availability?”

“At night… If we subtract the time, there’s nothing preventing us from meeting today.”

Today? Today isn’t bad, but I wanted to make So-young a bit more anxious. Plus, I needed time to organize my thoughts.

“Today doesn’t seem ideal for now. We need to find a place with fewer people.”

“Of course, right? Let me check it out.”

“No, I’ll look for it. Since we don’t know if others can really see ghosts, to me, they’re almost all fakes.”

I don’t like places where real ghosts roam either. I wanted to choose a location that was appropriately dark and deserted.

“…Got it. Then, I’ll leave it to you.”

“Just trust me. I’ll definitely get rid of the ghost attached to So-young.”

“Thank you, and…”

“And?”

“When you’re with others, remember? I don’t want personal matters mixed in public spaces.”

This aspect is still sharp as a knife. But it didn’t matter. If people start asking why others are using informal speech, it would just be annoying.

“Okay. Then I’ll go out. Team Leader Cheon.”

Phew, judging by So-young’s reaction, my approach seemed to be working well. With that thought in mind, as I left the building, Losbi suddenly appeared and approached me.

“It’s unusual to see you meeting that girl with such a good expression.”

“Do you know what happened?”

“What do you mean?”

I explained to Losbi what had happened inside.

“Hmm, a hard-headed guy like you actually used your head for once.”

“Not bad, right?”

“It has nothing to do with me.”

Listening to everything and talking like this, could it be?

“Hehe, Losbi, are you perhaps jealous?”

“What are you saying? You little monkey.”

Tsk tsk, why is a man’s jealousy so pitiful! Leaving behind the sulking Losbi, I moved on.

“…Crazy guy.”

“Where is this?”

“So-young, informal speech.”

“…Where are we?”

Where indeed. It’s an abandoned building I found online after that day. There are many unfinished buildings on the outskirts of Seoul due to construction, so it wasn’t difficult to find. And we were on the second floor of that abandoned building.

Perhaps because it was autumn, a slightly chilly breeze blew through the gaps in the building, creating a more eerie atmosphere. And the occasional sound of the wind hit the peak of Hwaryongjeong.

“You managed to find a place like this… No, you did.”

She seemed to be making enough effort even though she felt awkward.

“The ground here has strong energy, so ghosts tend to gather.”

At the mention of ghosts, So-young clung tightly to my side. Her arms were trembling.

“Eek?”

When I held her trembling arm, she turned to me with a cute scream.

“Don’t be too scared. They’re not here yet.”

“Not here yet…?”

“It’s too early.”

It’s 11 PM now, and I had planned to start exorcising around 2 AM because waiting until 4 AM when ghostly activities are most active would make me too tired.

“Should we sit for a bit?”

“Sit? Here?”

She made a hesitant expression. It was indeed dirty enough that even I didn’t want to sit. There was a lot of dust rolling around.

“Well, sitting might be a bit much. Can you explain when you started seeing ghosts? It would be easier to know what kind of ghost it is.”

In response to my question, she explained about going to the U.S. to watch baseball at the age of 9, struggling with ghosts, receiving an amulet, and then not seeing ghosts anymore.

“So, when you were 9, you went to see the World Series?”

“Yeah.”

“If it was the World Series…”

“It was a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Detroit Tigers.”

“…St. Louis Cardinals?”

“Yes, it started from the Cardinals’ home stadium.”

If it was the Cardinals’ home stadium, it was where I picked up Rosby.

“Is the place haunted? Maybe I shouldn’t go there even if I become a major leaguer. I should burn down that stadium when I make a lot of money.”

“Did the ghost say anything?”

In my case, Rosby kept talking to me. Maybe Soyoung was similar.

“I don’t know. I can’t remember.”

At nine years old, it’s an age to be scared of ghosts. It was understandable.

“Then…”

“Ugh.”

Suddenly, Soyoung shivered. It seemed like a memory she didn’t want to think about. I grabbed her trembling hand tightly. It was soft…

“…?”

An incredulous look. But I faced her confidently, with no ulterior motives, to communicate with ghosts.

“We should listen to the ghost’s story. When our bodies touch like this, we can hear the ghost’s story better.”

“…Really?”

A skeptical look. I had to speak more boldly in such situations.

“Soyoung, trust me.”

“…Okay.”

“Let me ask your name first.”

“Now…? You said we should wait a bit.”

“It depends on how close you and I have become. Even if the energy is weak, if the distance between the ghost and me is close, we can attempt a conversation.”

I don’t even know what I’m saying now. But it didn’t matter. It was all lies anyway.

I extended my other hand that wasn’t holding her. She hesitantly extended her remaining hand. I held her hand tightly and asked her with a determined expression.

“Are you ready?”

“…Yes.”

“Then I’ll ask. What is your name?”

She looked at me nervously. Sweat from her hand moistened mine. Hmm… I need to stall for some time.

“Can’t we talk?”

“It seems difficult…”

“Sigh… Is it because I don’t consider you familiar yet?”

“That could be.”

She seemed completely convinced by my words. Well, that’s understandable. From her perspective, I’m a ghost expert she just met.

“Shall we continue like this? Since you can speak.”

Now Soyoung was more proactive. I nodded in response to her words. We held hands and stayed silent facing each other for about 5 minutes. Her face slightly reddened. Perhaps she felt embarrassed after staring into my eyes for 5 minutes.

Her fingers twitched. It seemed like she wanted to let go of my hand now.

“Too bad, but shall we release one by one?”

“Enough now…”

“Ricky, Ricky!”

“Yeah?”

Her eyes widened at my sudden shout.

“You call yourself Ricky?”

“Ricky? Don’t you understand English?”

“What? You were speaking Korean?”

What, wasn’t he writing in Korean like Rosby? I experimented based on Rosby’s experience in the past. When sharing senses with Rosby, I thought I would speak in English and when I tried to speak, English came out naturally.

I don’t know what principle it is, but ghosts and humans share each other’s languages. So I thought Ricky would also write in Korean….

“Hmm, did I make a mistake?”

“…Yes, strangely enough, I spoke in Korean. I vaguely remember. Surely he used to speak to me in Korean….”

Fortunately, it seemed that she hadn’t left me, and she seemed to be fumbling through vague memories.

“Ricky, Ricky, Ricky. Who is Ricky?”

“I still don’t know. What this ghost wants. What kind of person he was.”

“…Yeah. Still, it’s a relief to have a name. I should look it up. Is Ricky a last name or a first name?”

“Well? He just said Ricky….”

“Since he introduced himself as Ricky because he’s a foreigner, is Ricky his last name?”

“…I still don’t know.”

I was really determined to find every Ricky. The Ricky associated with the Cardinals. Maybe if I spend some time, I can figure out who it is.

“Should I stop it? Should I not stop it?”

I was in a dilemma. Should she know who Ricky is? Or should she not know?

“Yeah, let’s just leave it.”

At the end of my contemplation, I decided to let her know. It wouldn’t be easy to find anyway, and maybe after finding out and comparing it with my story, trust could build in what I say.

While thinking about that, I felt the presence of other people besides us. What? Are they really ghosts?

“Hey! Is it safe here?”

“Yeah, they say even the police don’t come here.”

And the voices of men coming through….

“…Was it just me who heard that?”

Suddenly hearing a man’s voice, she was flustered and spoke politely.

“…Could it be a person?”

It must be a person. Because ghosts are… scary. Damn it. It’s just an abandoned building, could there really be a ghost?

Thud, thud. The footsteps echoed loudly, probably because it was midnight. If it were a ghost, we wouldn’t hear footsteps. Fortunately, it was a person.

“Who is it in the middle of the night?”

We let go of each other’s hands and approached the stairs. The flash of the phone was scanning various parts of the building.

“Three people? Wearing school uniforms, high school students? Holding bags. Is that alcohol?”

“How should we handle this, chase them away?”

“No, there’s no need to cause a disturbance for no reason.”

“If we push them a bit, they’ll probably go home on their own, right?”

“Mengho, you’re our team’s first-round pick, so you shouldn’t get involved in non-baseball matters.”

That was true.

– ‘AT Thunder, 1st round pick Ji Mengho! Assaulting pedestrians at midnight!’

I didn’t like headlines like that either.

Chick, chick. The sound of a lighter igniting. And the damn smell of cigarettes stung my nose.

“High school students smoking….”

“Well, it’s possible.”

She quickly turned her head to look at me. …Her gaze was sharp.

“Smoking… you don’t smoke, right?”

“…No.”

Suddenly, under the intimidating gaze of the team leader, I felt nervous too.

“Ahem, it seems like they might be drinking here, what should we do?”

Regaining my composure, I asked for her opinion. Since drinking would take at least 2-3 hours, it was already too late for a quiet exorcism date here.

“Should we just leave for now?”

Leave… yeah. I can guarantee as a current high school student that 100% we’ll get into trouble. In the first place, coming all the way to this building to drink means you’re not an ordinary student. And if you go down with a pretty girl like Cheon Soyoung, it’s 100%.

“If we go out together, won’t we get into trouble right away?”

“…Probably, right?”

She also seemed to grasp the situation immediately. At that moment, the footsteps of the guys who had finished smoking started to be heard again. And those footsteps were approaching us.

“Are you coming here?”

“Let’s catch our breath first.”

Sooyoung led me and walked far from the stairs. And she could find a secluded place covered with debris. At the same time, the guys also came up to the second floor.

“This place seems fine.”

“Then here?”

“Okay. Hey, aren’t we going to lay something on the floor?”

“Forget about laying it, just drink it straight.”

“Should we call the girls too?”

“Why would we call the girls? What the hell?”

“Huh? Why are you suddenly acting up?”

“What’s wrong! Can’t you find something to lay on the floor?”

“Tsk, idiot. You look for it. Then I’ll try calling those girls who serve well.”

They made a call somewhere and started setting up the drinking table in the center of the second floor.

“It doesn’t seem like they’re leaving quietly….”

“Then let’s wait for now. High school students usually drink for a while, right?”

“I haven’t really tried drinking with my friends. Um…, maybe they won’t drink for at least an hour?”

Sooyoung looked at her watch on her wrist upon my words.

“An hour… Well, since we were planning to stay late anyway. It shouldn’t matter. Let’s wait and leave when they pass out.”

“Okay.”

Standing among the debris, we waited for the guys to leave. However, the girls they called didn’t arrive, and there was no sign of the drinking session ending.

One hour, two hours. Damn, they’re drinking for so long. Plus, one drink and one cigarette. The damn smoke was piercing my head.

“They seem moderately drunk. Should we just leave and go home?”

“…No. Absolutely not. Don’t make unnecessary trouble.”

I wanted to leave due to irritation, but Sooyoung vehemently stopped me, so I forced myself to endure. Thirty more minutes passed, but it seemed like the guys had no intention of leaving. Moreover, the guys’ hands started wandering over the girls here and there.

“Damn! I’m holding back too!”

“Uh, when are they leaving?”

Sooyoung muttered to herself, shaking her legs. Judging by her expression, she seemed quite embarrassed to witness such scenes; her face was turning red. Now she had turned her head completely and was trembling with her legs crossed.

“Ugh…. My legs hurt….”

Standing for over two hours is tough. I sat down an hour ago. It looked really hard to keep standing.

Tap tap, I patted my thighs and gestured for her to sit on them.

“…Huh?”

“Sit down. You look tired. It’s not that you can’t sit on the floor because it’s dirty, right?”

“H-How can I sit there?”

“Then keep standing.”

She initially refused, but as time passed, her legs started trembling more severely.

‘Ugh, this is frustrating.’

I pulled her hand and seated her on my thigh.

“Eek!”

And then I covered her mouth with my hand, preventing her from screaming.

“What?! Did you hear something weird?”

“Oppa, what’s happening?”

“She’s drunk. Damn, what a lightweight, this guy.”

“I’m not drunk, damn it. Huh? What’s under your coat?”

Damn, I almost got caught.

“Shh.”

A sweet scent of shampoo and perfume mixed from Sooyoung’s hair tickled my nose. …A fragrance I wanted to keep smelling. While inhaling the scent to avoid being noticed by her, I spoke.

“It might take a little longer anyway, so just stay seated. I’m fine.”

“……”

Struggling between physical and mental exhaustion, she eventually couldn’t bear the physical strain. She exerted force, and her buttocks, which were slightly lifted, touched my thigh.

“Ugh.”

“…Is it heavy?”

A voice filled with embarrassment, wondering if she was heavy.

“It’s not heavy, but suddenly sitting down….”

“…Got it.”

Her buttocks touching my thigh. I wanted to know how soft they were, but I endured with superhuman patience.

‘I did well by taking one step back. Let’s endure for now. If we keep meeting like this, someday…’

“…Let me know if your circulation gets cut off.”

Soyoung shyly speaks. Although I couldn’t see her expression, her embarrassment was evident. As time passed, I felt a sensation like blood not circulating in my legs.

“Soyoung…”

I tried to hold back, but eventually called her name.

“…Yes.”

Perhaps because the strength in my legs loosened, I held Soyoung’s side, struggling to stand her up. I could feel the soft flesh of her side beneath the shirt she was wearing.

“Hmm.”

A groan from embarrassment at allowing a man to touch her side… Despite being one step away from ecstasy before the climax, feeling that groan made me tense below.

Slowly shifting her to the other thigh, feeling her soft side, thankfully, she seemed unaware of the stiffening there.

“…It’s cold.”

Soyoung muttered to herself. Except for the sounds of high schoolers chatting, it was quiet, so her muttering struck my ears precisely.

“Should I take one more step?”

I embraced her body with both arms as she sat diagonally on my thigh.

“Huh? What are you doing now?”

“It’s cold.”

“…Let go of my hand.”

A quiet voice, seemingly conscious of the people in front. If I step back here, I won’t be a man either. I ignored her words and maintained my posture.

“…It’s warm.”

Reluctantly admitting, that kind of tone. Success?

Her neck was already red. Whether it was because she was leaning against me or because of the high schoolers groping each other, it was ambiguous.

And as we shared each other’s warmth, those guys were also trying to share their warmth.

“Geez…”

I quickly covered her mouth as she tried to scream. Sitting on my thigh, she had a clear view of their actions.

“Hmm, this…”

“I’m sorry. It’s menstrual…”

Seeing those guys fooling around, the penis I had organized swelled up and began poking her body. Normally, she would have slapped them right away, but maybe she understood the special circumstances.

“…Make it go down quickly.”

“…I’ll try my best.”

I also tried my best, but…

“Ahh! Ahh!”

I couldn’t help it with the screams echoing. Fortunately, Soyoung wasn’t saying anything, right?

“Wow… High schoolers these days are fast.”

Her mutter was small but clever. And her thigh where she was sitting seemed to be getting damp.

‘I did well coming here! Thank you! High schoolers.’

Changing positions every time my blood didn’t circulate, after about an hour of watching porn directly, we could finally leave that abandoned building.

As a side note, before parting ways, Soyoung’s expression while experiencing sex was quite interesting.