episode_0074

After a long holiday, it was Monday.

Over the weekend, Sarah and I succeeded in completing the purification ritual of all four curse tools. It was successful in removing the curse contained within the tools.

Demon doll, African fertility doll, tiger’s eye ring, death pearl necklace.

What were once curse tools have now become ordinary dolls or accessories.

And as for what to do with the troublesome life and death parts, they were kept in the shrine of Sarah’s house. It was intended to be returned later when the Grim Reaper came to retrieve it. Although we didn’t know if the Grim Reaper would really come to visit us.

Hyehwadang on Monday morning.

I muttered while toasting bread in the toaster.

“It’s Monday again! Monday!”

It’s fucking Monday.

Now, for the crime of being students, we are locked up in a prison called a school, put on a list of prisoners called the attendance register, and have to wait patiently until the final hour.

I’m so sick of Monday that my sensitivity explodes even in the morning.

━━Ting!

Two pieces of fully baked bread popped out of the toaster.

Sarah, who was sitting at the table with me, picked up the baked bread and said.

“Jinwoo. Monday is good. Why am I having a seizure this morning?”

“Do you like Mondays? Are you an alien by any chance?”

It was a shocking statement.

I didn’t know that my childhood friend loved Mondays.

I’m not even unemployed, so does it make sense to say I’m immune to Monday’s disease?

Sarah continued speaking while chewing her bread.

“Honestly, I like going to school. Taking classes is fun.”

“How could that be fun?”

“If you can’t avoid it, enjoy it. Anyway, we have to graduate from high school and go to college, right? For the next 7 years or so, I have to continue to live on school meals and school.”

“Kek.”

We were freshmen in high school. If you think about going to a 4-year university, it means that you will continue to be a student for about 7 years. There really is a long time left to go to school. Of course, no matter what the future holds, the fact that today is Monday does not change.

“Anyway, I hate Mondays. Is there any magic that makes Friday come sooner?”

“Where is that? Take a quick shower and change into your pajamas.”

Unfortunately, there was no spell to make Friday come sooner. After having toast for breakfast, we washed up and put on our school uniforms. Then it was just time to go to school.

After leaving Hyehwadang, we put on our school bags and walked outside. Fortunately, the school was close enough that I could walk. I hated getting on a bus that was crowded with office workers and students in the morning.

The weather was sunny.

Because it is May, the temperature is moderate, neither hot nor cold.

A blue sky without a single cloud in the cool air.

“The weather is nice.”

“Sure.”

Sarah, who was walking next to me, suddenly started talking about the outing.

“Do you want to go see a movie after school? These days, CGV is showing .”

“What movie is 5 kilometers per hour?”

“You know Director Mikoto, right? It’s a new film taken by that person.”

“Ah. If it’s directed by Mikoto, it’s worth watching.”

Director Mikoto could say that it was a box office guarantee that produced countless hit movies.

“Let’s go.”

“Then, I’ll reserve a ticket for dinner time.”

I felt like my Monday sickness would be cured after watching a movie. We promised to go see a movie after school.

We walked to school side by side.

There was a construction site on the road leading from Hyehwadang to Seungcheon High School. Construction had been going on for quite some time to build a commercial building, and I heard a loud noise every time I passed by. Sometimes, the sound of construction could be heard all the way to the school.

“It’s still under construction. When will it end?”

” I found out that it will all be over within this month. It’s noisy.”

It was when we were passing by a construction site.

Suddenly, a bewildered worker’s voice was heard from above.

“Huh? Uh… ?”

What’s going on?

It was the moment I slowly turned my head and looked up. I found something falling from a high place at a construction site.

It was a large steel frame. Construction steel frames made of iron were falling at breakneck speed toward the ground. It was only a split second, but I immediately realized where the steel frame was falling.

A huge shadow of the falling object was cast on Sarah’s silver hair. Sarah seemed to have seen the same thing as me. Sarah’s eyes widened as she looked above her head.

“Sera!”

“Crazy!”

My heart was beating loudly.

He quickly threw himself towards Sarah. He pushed Sarah away and rolled around on the floor together. The steel frame falling vertically hit the spot where Sarah was just moments ago, making a terrifying roar.

━Kang!

A horrifying metallic crash sound rang out. Just now, a steel frame passed over Sarah’s head. If I had been a little late, my childhood friend might have left for the wilderness.

“Hmm… .”

“Lord, you almost died!”

People passing by nearby murmured when they saw us. When the steel frame fell, the sound was so loud that people’s attention could not help but be focused.

It really took me ten years.

That was when Sarah and I got up from the floor.

A middle-aged supervisor rushed over from the construction site and apologized to us.

“Sorry, sorry! sorry! Are any of the students injured?”

Sarah shook off her school uniform and looked at the supervisor with cold eyes.

“Mister! I wasn’t hurt. Are you not managing the construction site properly? If I hadn’t avoided it just now, I would have died!”

“I’m really sorry! It’s all our responsibility. I will give you my contact information first.”

“Do you think that if you apologize, everything will be resolved? This is ridiculous.”

The middle-aged supervisor gave Sarah the contact information of the person in charge of the construction site.

If there is anything wrong with your body, you may be able to claim compensation.

I never thought we would experience a falling object accident at a construction site that we only saw on the news.

My shocked heart was still beating irregularly.

I took a moment to catch my breath and looked around.

There were quite a few people around the construction site looking at the fallen steel frame.

A student wearing a school uniform, an office worker on his way to work, and a man wearing a pitch black coat.

It’s May. What’s with the person wearing a coat?

Isn’t it even hot?

“Jinwoo. Let’s go.”

Sarah gestured towards me. Now that I had received their contact information, it seemed like they had no intention of going after the construction site supervisor anymore. We walked back to school, leaving the obsequious supervisor behind us.

*

When we arrived at school, we attended classes throughout the morning.

Perhaps because I had a thrilling accident on the way to school, neither I nor I could concentrate well in class.

When it was time for recess, Ayoung, the class president, spoke to us.

“Guys! Did you hear the news? They say there was an accident at a construction site near the school.”

“What accident?”

“I heard that a steel frame fell and a student at our school almost died? Isn’t it scary?”

Ayoung must have heard somewhere that there was an accident near the school. Ayoung must have been a friend among the students gathered at the construction site. Ayoung was sociable and had many friends.

“It’s scary.”

“But I heard that the person who almost died was a female student who looked like a foreigner. Isn’t that you, Sarah? You are the only kid in our school who looks like a mixed race.”

Sarah nodded.

“That’s right. I almost died from being crushed by a steel frame earlier.”

“Wow… ! Was it really you? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I avoided getting hit before I was hit and didn’t get hurt.”

“I’m so glad!”

Ayoung sighed in relief and hugged Sarah. If anyone else had tried to make contact, Sarah would have pushed away like a knife, but she did not push Ayoung away. This was because we were in the same class in elementary school, and Sarah and Ayoung were somewhat close. To put it bluntly, it felt like Ayoung, who was very sociable, was approaching Sarah.

“I didn’t like it because it was still noisy, but it was the worst. I didn’t know it would be dangerous and lead to an accident.”

“That’s why! The guys at the construction site are too much. It means working so sloppily that the steel frame falls off. Shouldn’t construction be closed down?”

Sarah and Ayoung harshly cursed the construction workers.

Then it was class time, and before I knew it, the morning classes were over and it was time for lunch.

We went to the student cafeteria.

Usually, Sarah and I eat together, but today Ayoung decided to eat together too.

Today’s meal was fusion Korean food.

Injeolmi rice cake with bulgogi and cream cheese was served.

“I will eat well!”

The three of us received our food from the lunch lady, took a seat near the window, and started eating. It was one of the most enjoyable meal times of my school life.

After finishing my meal, I was eating Injeolmi rice cake for dessert.

“Ugh.”

Suddenly, Sarah, who was eating injeolmi rice cake, made a sound like she was out of breath.

“Wow!”

What is it again this time?

What’s happening again?

Before my eyes, Sarah was holding her neck in pain. I can’t believe it, but it seemed like something got stuck in my throat while eating rice cake. It wasn’t just something that got stuck, it was like a pretty big chunk got stuck so I couldn’t breathe properly.

“Hey! Be strong!”

“Sera!”

I quickly got up from my seat and approached Sarah.

Ayoung called the teacher who was teaching lunch.

“English teacher! Please take a look at Sarah! I guess rice cake got stuck in my throat!”

A skinny male teacher ran towards us in a hurry.

But, unfortunately, that teacher was not a trustworthy person.

“Mo, is your throat blocked? Ha, the Heimlich maneuver! You have to do the Heimlich maneuver!”

He was the first new teacher assigned to the school this year. Although he was a teacher, he was a very timid person with a lot of temper tantrums. The skinny teacher looked at Sarah giggling and took out her cell phone and started searching for something.

Ayoung looked dumbfounded when she saw the teacher fiddling with her cell phone.

Even now, Sarah was holding her neck and was in pain.

“What are you doing now!”

“I’m looking up how to do the Heimlich maneuver!”

“People are going to die while searching, really!”

I had no choice but to step forward.

If you do exorcism work, you will learn at least first aid.

Because you don’t want to waste time trying to save someone because you can’t provide first aid.

I went behind Sarah’s back, put my arms between her armpits, and took a position.

He leaned forward slightly and applied force to Sarah’s solar plexus with both tightly clenched hands.

“Inhale!”

I continued to apply pressure between the navel and solar plexus, loosened it, and applied pressure again. The rice cake was stuck so deep that I couldn’t spit it out after pressing once or twice. Only after repeating the action several times did the rice cake pop out of Sarah’s mouth.

“Sigh! Sigh!”

Sarah, who barely managed to spit out the rice cake, took a deep breath.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

Sarah almost died again.

What kind of crisis in life is the number one escape?

“It’s okay, teacher.”

“Jinwoo!! It was a textbook Heimlich maneuver! You saved the girl!”

The skinny English teacher saw me and clapped.

Other students in the cafeteria also clapped in unison. Ayoung, who was near us, was looking at me with thrilled eyes.

“Jinwoo Kim! Jinwoo Kim!”

“Handsome!”

I heard students shouting my name.

I felt a strange sense of discomfort in the noisy restaurant.

The identity of the discomfort was a person seen at the entrance of the restaurant.

A man in a black coat was standing beyond the glass door of the restaurant.

Surely, I had seen that man in the morning.