episode_0070

… … … … …

“… … Really?”

There was a faint hope in Seo-ah’s eyes. She slowly reached out her hand.

“Then… … shall we go together? To my… … our secret base.”

“… … Yes!”

I tried to take the hand she held out to me, but at that moment, an unknown sense of crisis came over me.

It felt like time had stopped. As my hand slowly moved toward Seo-ah’s hand, it felt like someone somewhere was shouting, “No!” Of course, since Seo-ah was the only one around me right now, it was just a delusion.

But that ‘illusion’ was stronger than I thought, and soon my heart started beating faster. It was a truly inexplicable fear.

Nevertheless, I tried to hold Seo-ah’s hand. I had to trust her. I wanted to trust her.

That was when.

Suddenly, someone grabbed my shoulder and pulled me backwards. I lost my balance and stumbled backwards. I was so shocked that I couldn’t breathe.

“What, what is it?!”

I looked at the unidentified figure who had grabbed me and dragged me away in surprise. There was a woman standing there.

Extremely long purple hair, pale skin, dark shadows under the eyes… It was a familiar face, as if I had seen it somewhere. Her presence was faint, like a ghost, so it was extremely difficult to notice her unless she took the initiative, as she did now.

“You, Mr. Ghost… … ?!”

Her name suddenly came to mind. Seo Yu-ryeong. She was glaring at Seo-ah with sharp eyes. Her eyes were a mixture of anger and hatred.

“Mr. Autumn, you shouldn’t follow this woman.”

The voice of the ghost was cold and firm. She held my shoulders tightly with both hands as if protecting me from Seo-ah. The strength of her grip was so strong that it hurt.

“What are you talking about? Seo-ah――”

But I couldn’t continue speaking. Miss Seo-ah’s expression… was so strange.

Miss Seo-ah’s eyes had lost all warmth, and her lips were tightly shut. The warm smile she had seen just a moment ago was nowhere to be found.

“You… …were the ghost of Seo Yu-ryeong. Why are you bothering others?”

There was a dangerous note in Seo-ah’s voice as she spoke to Ghost-ssi, and she was seen clenching her fists. There was a tense atmosphere between the two women.

The first to break the silence was Miss Ghost. She said with a mocking laugh.

“Interference? I’m just protecting Autumn from your violence.

Do you remember? How you ‘loved’ him? With your fists? With your feet? ”

Seo-ah clenched her fists at the sarcasm of Mr. Ghost, but soon smiled and answered back.

“Oh, that’s amazing. So what are you? The world’s greatest stalker?

Is it your hobby to sneak around and watch him sleep? Or maybe you sniff his underwear? ”

“… … At least I won’t hurt him. Unlike you.

I remember the torture you put him through, clearly. The screams he let out, don’t you remember?”

“Really? You think it’s okay to invade his privacy? Aren’t you the real monster, watching him sleep every night while you’re stuck on the wall? How creepy would he be if he found out?”

The words of the two people exchanged like poisonous needles, and there was even a murderous intent in the air.

“At least I didn’t cause life-threatening injuries. I don’t justify violence in the name of ‘love’ like you do.”

“That’s funny. Did he consent to your actions? Oh, and you didn’t put a GPS in his underwear without him knowing, did you?”

Mr. Ghost’s face distorted at Ms. Seo-ah’s sarcasm.

“This devil… … .

When he finds out how you treated him, he’ll hate you forever.”

And Seo-ah received Ghost-ssi’s grumbling with a cold smile.

“If I found out about your perverted hobby before, I would report it to the police.”

Compared to them, who fought so coldly that I could feel the chill of midwinter even though it was still autumn, I just looked at them in bewilderment. The meanings implied in their words confused me.

“Excuse me, you two. What the hell is going on? Why are you doing this? Is there something I don’t know?”

The expressions on both their faces changed in an instant at my question. As if they were wolves in sheep’s clothing, smiles spread across their faces simultaneously.

The way his expression changed in an instant, as if he had made a promise, was a little scary.

“Don’t worry, Autumn. There was just a little misunderstanding between us. It’s nothing for you to worry about.”

Seo-ah spoke first. Her voice was soft, but her gaze toward Ghost was still cold. The disparity made me feel an inexplicable discomfort.

“Yeah, that’s right. It’s just like Miss Ga-eul, Miss Seo-ah… … said. We just… … had a little fight, but it was nothing.”

As if she would not back down from Seo-ah, Ghost continued to speak. However, Ghost’s tone was even more awkward than Seo-ah’s, and her eyes were still sharply focused on Seo-ah.

“Is that really all… …?”

I asked again, my voice shaking as I spoke to myself.

At this, the expressions of the two people hardened for a moment, then changed into brighter smiles. The contrast between the changes was so stark that it actually made me feel more anxious.

“Of course, Autumn.”

“Yes, Mr. Autumn. We… …had a little disagreement for your sake. That’s all.”

It was difficult to judge whether or not what the two were saying was sincere. However, since the two were making such consistent claims, I could not continue to doubt them.

And more than anything… … I felt a sense of foreboding. I remembered the time when Teacher Wol-hee and Sister Seo-yeon were arguing, and when President Haneul and Mr. Tae-yang were glaring at each other and arguing.

Even back then, they told me it was just a little misunderstanding… … but was it okay, including at this very moment?

Suspicion followed, but I no longer had the courage to ask questions. Maybe what they said was true and I was just being suspicious. If so, it would be a great offense.

“Ah… … Yes, I see. I’m glad you two weren’t fighting.”

Seeing my reaction, Seo-ah and Yoo-ryung exchanged glances. It was as if they had agreed on something. I could even sense a slight sense of relief on their faces.

“Well, then… … Mr. Ga-eul. I think it’d be best to go home now.”

Mr. Ghost spoke first. Ms. Seo-ah nodded in agreement.

“… … That’s right, Autumn. Let’s go to my secret base… … next time.

Today, you must be tired from working at the logistics center, and you have also experienced dangerous things. It would be better to get some rest.”

“Yes, yes… … .”

By the way, how did Seo-ah know that I worked at the logistics center today?

I was a little suspicious, but that thought didn’t continue. As soon as I answered, Seo-ah and Yoo-ryung took their seats on either side of me as if they had made a promise.

Seo-ah stood on my left, and Yoo-ryung stood on my right. Their actions were so natural that it felt strange.

“Then, shall we go?”

At Seo-ah’s words, the three of us started walking slowly. I looked at the two women standing on either side of me. They didn’t say anything to each other, but it seemed like they were exchanging something with their eyes.

The night streets were quiet. Only the sound of our footsteps broke the night’s silence. Under the streetlights, three shadows stretched and shrank repeatedly.

But as we continued walking like this, the awkward atmosphere at first seemed to ease up little by little.

“Autumn Army, you were really brave today.

It was the same last time, but I really respect you for always being able to act like that in dangerous situations. ”

It was Miss Seo-ah who spoke first. At her compliment, I bowed my head in embarrassment.

“No, I just happened to do it instinctively.”

“That’s still great. Aren’t many people busy running away from that situation?”

This time, Mr. Ghost intervened. As the two men repeated their compliments, I shrugged.

We passed through the alley and came out onto the main road. It was late at night and the streets were deserted, but we occasionally saw a few people passing by.

“, Mr. Ga-eul. How is the work at the logistics center? Is it hard?”

“Well, it’s a little hard, but it’s okay. I can earn money and exercise.”

“Don’t overdo it. Health is the most important.”

I felt grateful for their warm words. While walking, we had a light conversation about this and that. We talked about the weather, popular foods these days, and interesting TV programs. However, it was a shame that neither of us knew much about TV programs.

Finally we arrived near my house. I stopped in front of the front door and looked at the two people.

It was already past midnight. I wanted to repay them for bringing me here at this late hour, but I had nothing to give them.

Suddenly, a good idea occurred to me.

“Excuse me, excuse me… …both of you. Would you like to stay at my house tonight?”