episode_0086

… … … … …

“Autumn Seeds.”

“Heeek?!”

I stepped back in surprise. The person standing before me was none other than Ms. Ghost. She seemed to have appeared out of thin air.

“You, Mr. Ghost!? How did you get here… …?”

My heart was beating fast. I had no idea that Mr. Ghost would suddenly appear like this.

Her long purple hair swayed in the evening breeze, and she didn’t have her usual quiet, mysterious air…

Today’s Ghost Mr. had an eerie and ominous aura.

The dark shadows under her eyes remained the same, but her purple eyes were as cloudy as if they were black holes, sucking in the light. When I looked into those eyes, I felt as if I was being sucked into a deep abyss.

“Oh, it’s been a while, Autumn. How have you been?”

Mr. Ghost’s voice sounded hollow and hollow, like an echo coming from afar.

“Yes, yes… … So-so.”

I barely managed to answer. My throat was parched.

“But how come Mr. Ghost is here? How did you know that I work around here… … .”

“I happened to pass by and saw the autumn seeds.

By the way, Mr. Ga-eul, it looks like you have some concerns… … Are you looking for someone? ”

My body froze for a moment at the ghost’s question. How did she know I was looking for Yeoreum? Was it just a coincidence?

“Ma, that’s right. I have a female coworker who hasn’t come to work for a few days… … .”

“I think I can help you.”

The corners of Mr. Ghost’s mouth rose slightly.

… … … … …

We walked down the darkened street and entered an unfamiliar neighborhood. We passed through a narrow alley and stopped in front of an old one-room building. The streetlights on the street were dimly illuminating the building.

“Here it is.”

Mr. Ghost pointed to the third floor. I climbed the stairs with an anxious heart. The rusty iron stairs echoed our footsteps. Mr. Ghost followed me quietly.

I arrived in front of room 303. I put my hand on the doorknob and it turned surprisingly easily. In other words, it wasn’t locked.

I had a strange feeling, but I was more worried about summer.

“… … Summer?”

I opened the door carefully and stepped inside. In the dark room, I saw a figure curled up on the bed in the corner. There was a foul smell in the room.

“Summer, are you okay?”

As we approached slowly, we could see that it was indeed summer. She was curled up in a ball, her body covered with the blanket.

Clothes were strewn around the bed, and half-eaten instant food was strewn on a small table.

“Summer, what happened? Why are you doing that?”

I cautiously approached the bed. Summer didn’t move, but I could hear a soft sobbing sound from under the blanket.

“It’s okay, it’s me. It’s fall.”

The moment I reached out and tried to lift the blanket a little, Yeoreum suddenly moved. She quickly got up and pulled the blanket over her.

“ is… … fall?”

Summer’s voice was trembling. Her face was pale, and the corners of her eyes were red and swollen.

Then my gaze fell on her wrist. The purple bruise was clearly visible.

“Summer, your wrist… … what happened… … .”

I was so shocked that I couldn’t speak. A flash of fear flashed across Yeoreum’s eyes. Her whole body began to tremble.

“Get out! Please get out!”

Summer suddenly screamed. Her voice was a mixture of extreme fear and anger.

“Ha, but Summer, why all of a sudden――”

“Get out! Because of you… … Because of you, I ended up like this… … !”

Summer’s words left me completely confused. Is it because of me?

“ It is not like a man, and it will be turned off at home!

Summer screamed hysterically and threw her pillow at me. Her eyes were filled with fear and disgust. Her body was convulsing as if she was experiencing a terrible nightmare.

“Get out! Please… …Get out! Get out of my life!”

Summer’s voice turned into a sob, then a scream. She held onto the blanket tightly, pulled herself back, and pressed herself against the wall.

And I just stood there, not knowing what to do. What did I do wrong to make Yeoreum fear and hate me so much?

Then I heard Mr. Ghost’s calm voice.

“Mr. Autumn. I think it’s better to go now.”

I looked at the ghost with a confused and hurt heart. There was a strange light in her eyes, and a strange pleasure was seen. She didn’t even stutter as usual.

“That kid is already suffering just from the fact that Mr. Ga-eul is here. Don’t torment him any more.”

… … … … …

Reluctantly, I slowly left the room. The moment I closed the door, I heard Yeoreum’s scream, almost like a scream.

“Don’t come back again! Don’t come back! Get out of here!”

With those words, the door closed tightly. I came down the stairs in a daze. My mind went blank and I couldn’t think of anything.

As I stepped outside, the cold night air hit my face. I didn’t even have the energy to stand or walk home, so I just sat down on the curb. Summer’s accusing words continued to ring in my ears.

“What did I… … do wrong?”

My throat was choked up. Summer’s terrified face, the bruises on her wrists. It was full of things I couldn’t understand, and all of it was driving me crazy.

Then someone sat quietly next to me. It was Mr. Ghost.

“Mr. Autumn, don’t be too upset.”

Her voice was soft and sweet, as if she was soothing a poor child.

“But I… …I feel like I did something very wrong.

Maybe that’s why… … at the end of the date, I rejected Yeoreum’s invitation and ran away. ”

“No, Mr. Ga-eul did nothing wrong.”

Miss Ghost put her hand on my shoulder. Perhaps because of the cool night temperature, her touch felt strangely cold.

“Sometimes things happen that we can’t understand. What happened to that child… … Gaeul doesn’t know. But it’s not Gaeul’s fault.”

I looked up at Ms. Ghost. Her eyes were deep and dark, and there was an emotion I couldn’t understand.

“Really… … is that so?”

“Of course. Miss Gaeul just came because she was worried about her ‘friend’. That feeling alone is enough.”

After hearing Mr. Ghost’s words, my heart seemed to calm down little by little. However, there were still some things I didn’t understand.

“But I still don’t know why Yeoreum was so angry.”

“The human mind is complicated. Don’t try to understand what you don’t understand. It will get better with time.”

Miss Ghost smiled warmly. I felt reassured by her smile.

“Okay, let’s go home now. Gaeul needs to rest too.”

Ghost stood up and reached out to me, and I took her hand and stood up. At that moment, Ghost pulled me closer. Her beautiful face, with the dark shadows under her eyes, came closer and closer.

“Autumn Seeds… ….”

The ghost’s voice sounded like a whisper. I was so flustered that I couldn’t move. Her lips were getting closer to mine.

“Son!”

“Boy!”

Suddenly, I heard a voice and turned around in surprise. President Haneul and Teacher Wolhee were quickly approaching us.

“Uh, how did you get here… …?”

I asked in confusion. The two of them looked different than usual. President Haneul had one button of her blouse undone, and Teacher Wolhee’s hair was disheveled. In particular, both of them had red marks clearly visible on their hands.

“Are you okay? You must be really surprised.”

Mr. Sky came to me and grabbed my arm. Ms. Wol-hee also came next to me. She seemed a little out of breath.

“Don’t worry, boy. We’ve got it all figured out.”

“Solution… … ? What do you mean by solving… … .”

I asked, but the two exchanged glances and avoided answering.

“Nothing. It was just a little problem.

So, are you feeling better?”

“Oh, it’s okay. I’m just a little confused… … .”

When I came to, three women were surrounding me. They glared at each other as if they were keeping an eye on each other.

“Boy, I’ll take you home first. Let’s go together.”

“Ma, that’s right, Mr. Ga-eul. ‘We’ will take you home.”

Ghost, who was glaring at President Haneul and Teacher Wol-hee with a very dissatisfied expression, also chimed in. Finally, looking up at President Haneul, who was left behind, he seemed to agree with the two men’s opinions.

In the end, I didn’t know what to do, so I just nodded. The four of us walked slowly in that awkward atmosphere.

I was still quite confused, but at least being with my friends gave me a sense of mental stability rather than having to brood over my confusion and sadness alone.

I am so grateful that such beautiful and amazing women have always been there for me. I may be truly blessed.