Chapter 175
"Aaaaaaaargh!"
As I opened the door, a woman waiting at the entrance lunged at me with a possessed scream.
Flash—
As the kitchen knife in her hand gleamed menacingly, I was so terrified that I stumbled backward and fell.
Thud!
I thought I was going to die right then and there.
Just as I thought that, Sua grabbed a nearby flowerpot and struck the woman's head.
"Young-won, watch out!"
Thwack! Crash!
"Agh!"
The woman screamed, and the mask she was wearing cracked.
The mask, with eyes painted on it, had hair-like fur thickly attached, resembling a lion's mane.
Crack!
The clay mask finally shattered.
"Eeeek, my mask!"
If there was anything unusual about her revealed face, it was the two moles under her left eye. It was an unforgettable feature.
That face was identical to the woman I had seen in the corridor last night. The sickle woman who attacked me on the first floor. The woman who was beaten to death by Yoo Dahee with a wooden block.
This place was that woman's home!
"Kim Mi-ryeong. So this is your place."
Ms. Hong Mi-ri addressed the woman as if she knew her. Were they acquainted?
The woman pointed the knife at us while nervously glancing around. We couldn't tell when she might go berserk and attack us again.
"Teacher, do you know her?"
Jung Seok, unable to contain his curiosity, asked. Ms. Hong Mi-ri soon replied.
"Anyone who should know, knows. Haven't you heard about politicians visiting famous virgin fortune-tellers to predict their election chances during presidential and local elections? She's that famous virgin fortune-teller."
To think politicians were seeking fortune-tellers instead of looking after people's welfare. I wondered if the country could really function like this.
This wasn't ancient China where they divined with oracle bones.
"When I was still in school, and when Osung Chairman Kwon Oh-sung was running an orphanage, she often came to play with her younger sister. She has an inflated ego but no real skill. Her sister was nice though."
"Shut up! You're all trespassing! I'm calling the police!"
"Neither a dragon's tail nor a snake's head, just a snake's tail. Sami. Her nickname was Sami-ryeong. I heard she's been making money appearing on weird variety shows lately, but to think she'd approach Kwon Sua."
"Variety... Oh, come to think of it, I filmed a variety show at a haunted house last summer. There was a sister who came as an expert, and it was her! I just remembered!"
So this woman had connections with Sua and Ms. Hong Mi-ri.
She also had a connection with me and Dahee, though it seems I'm the only one who remembers.
She had tried to kill me. What did she say back then?
— If you capture and control the ghosts guarding such places, you can make money and gain fame. My spiritual power would increase too, right? Then those politicians would come back to me—
She was the woman who tried to control ghosts from the corridor like some kind of Pokémon. The reason she tried to harm Sua was probably the same as why she committed evil acts in the corridor.
"Sua, you're someone who can see, right? You noticed the ghost in that haunted house back then. You deliberately avoided the refrigerator where the ghost was hiding. Give me your eyes. Your eyes! The eyes that can see!"
The virgin fortune-teller Kim Mi-ryeong was completely insane.
I couldn't believe how a person could be like this, but then I thought she must have accumulated 'quirks' after dying from being beaten by Dahee last night.
This woman is practically possessed by a ghost.
"I don't want to see them either!"
Scurry—
Sua hid behind Ms. Hong Mi-ri.
"If I could, I wouldn't want to see them!"
I could empathize in many ways.
What's so good about seeing ghosts? If you're going to see something, wouldn't anyone want to see only beautiful and good things?
Like a beautiful hill. Like spring in full bloom. Like seeing your reflection in your lover's eyes when you turn away from life's terrors and face each other.
But such persuasion wouldn't work.
The shaman Kim Mi-ryeong lunged at us with her knife. And she sliced off Ms. Hong Mi-ri's head in one swift motion!
"Aaaargh!"
Thud— Roll—
Ms. Hong Mi-ri's head rolled on the floor. Seeing that, Bong Ji-yeon was shocked.
"Oh my god, what the fuck was that!"
"Aaack!"
Even the super coward Jung Seok screamed, and I was so scared I felt like burying my head in the ground and doing a breakdance.
But Kim Mi-ryeong laughed triumphantly.
"You orphan bitch! I should have done this earlier! You all come here too!"
"Everyone run! Run! We have to survive!"
I shouted, squeezing out every ounce of willpower.
If we stay here, we'll be stabbed to death by this crazy woman. She was a real psychopath. The problem was that the hairy ghost had suddenly appeared and was blocking the entrance.
"Hello?"
Because of the hairy ghost, we were like mice trapped in a box. Seeing this, Kim Mi-ryeong grinned widely.
"So you can all see it too. I'll have to pluck out your eyes! Fools! Walking right into my trap! I'll pluck out your eyes and boil them!"
"You crazy bitch!"
"Go after Kwon Sua!"
"Hello?"
The hairy ghost crawled on all fours towards Sua. Targeted by the evil spirit, Sua trembled as if she was about to faint, shaking in every possible way.
We had to help Sua. As I thought that, Sua spoke as if she had made a decision.
"I'll lure the ghost to the corner room, so everyone escape."
Was she volunteering to be bait?
I never thought the timid Sua would show such courage.
"Hurry!"
Dash!
Sua ran to the corner room.
But the hairy ghost was faster. The ghost, grotesquely running on all fours, caught Sua and began strangling her without hesitation.
Gaaack—
Sua fell to the floor, struggling violently. She flailed her arms and legs and shook her head, but the hairy ghost showed no mercy.
Thwack!
Suddenly, a man appeared out of nowhere and pushed the hairy ghost away.
It was Sua's father. When the hairy ghost saw Sua's father, it reached out to grab him, allowing Sua, who had been choking, to gasp for air.
"Dad!"
"You crazy bitch! Go after Kwon Sua! You've eaten enough ghosts! Go after Kwon Sua! You useless girl!"
The situation was chaotic in many ways.
Swish—
I saw Dahee taking out a thick wooden block from her bag. It was Pastor Cheon Aesu's nameplate. I had seen what Dahee could do with that thing during last night's early access.
That was just a 'dream,' so it was okay, but if such a thing happened in reality, it would be truly horrifying.
I had no choice but to shout.
"Go, Giganoto!"
—Boom-boo-boom-pow—
Whoosh—
***
Kim Mi-ryeong was frantic.
There were so many eyeballs, but she couldn't acquire them. This was all because of her stupid sister.
"You useless girl! Chase after Kwon Sua!"
Kwon Sua was a girl with excellent observer talent.
If she could pluck out those eyes and make a special eye mask with the crushed blood, Kim Mi-ryeong would also be able to peek behind the veil of the universe and truth, seeing secrets that shouldn't be seen.
But her sister was too useless.
"Hello?"
Her sister was too kind-hearted.
Even after breaking her limbs, starving her to death, and feeding her to ghosts, she only became a mediocre vengeful spirit.
Kim Mi-ryeong had little talent for 'seeing,' but she was excellent at ranking ghosts, so this was an accurate assessment.
At this rate, she clearly wouldn't be a match for the evil spirits in Yeongji High School.
'I guess I have to do it myself...'
Kim Mi-ryeong gripped the kitchen knife.
Just then, she felt a strange sensation. A feeling like ants crawling all over her body.
—Boom-boo-boom-pow—
A pitch-black lizard lunged at Kim Mi-ryeong.
Greatly startled, Kim Mi-ryeong swung her knife so hard it made a whooshing sound, but it was difficult to hit the small, agile lizard.
Eventually, the lizard pounced on Kim Mi-ryeong's sister, Kim A-ryeong, and despite being a ghost, she screamed in terror.
"Aaaagh!"
For a wicked vengeful spirit to scream like that.
Kim Mi-ryeong was shocked by the incomprehensible situation. She glared at the boy who had sent out the lizard and lunged at him with her knife.
"You bastard! Where did you get something like that!"
"Aaaah! I don't know! Cheonggyecheon! The Cheonggyecheon pet street!"
"Don't bullshit me!"
"Young-won! Watch out!"
Thwack!
There was a flash before her eyes.
As Kim Mi-ryeong turned her head, she saw a girl holding something like a solid club, breathing heavily.
Now that she looked closely, that girl seemed like a shaman.
Even with deteriorating eyesight, fellow practitioners could recognize each other. The wooden block in her hand smelled of blood, so strong it made her wrinkle her nose.
'To use such a gruesome thing. This kid isn't normal. What is this group anyway? What are they doing? They have nothing in common except being young.'
Kim Mi-ryeong had seen many people, from the country's top politicians to those at the bottom of society.
She prided herself on her ability to read people, but she couldn't figure out what kind of group these were.
'I should get out of here for now.'
She thought about having her useless younger sister buy time while she escaped.
***
A dangerous situation had arisen.
If this continued, Dahee would surely crack that woman's head open like a watermelon. Or that woman's knife would skewer us all.
Either way, it was the worst-case scenario.
Just then, the crazy virgin fortune-teller Kim Mi-ryeong dashed towards the entrance.
Was she trying to escape?
But Kim Mi-ryeong's steps came to an abrupt halt because someone was standing at the entrance.
It was a female student with long hair and long, slender legs.
"And who are you!"
Kim Mi-ryeong tried to swing her knife at the female student, but the student's leg whipped out like a lash, striking Kim Mi-ryeong's side.
Wham!
The shaman Kim Mi-ryeong flew through the air and sprawled out in the officetel's living room.
"Ugh."
Kim Mi-ryeong let out a short scream and writhed in pain. Like a cockroach that had been sprayed with insecticide. She must have broken at least a few bones.
Seeing Kim Mi-ryeong like this, the terrifying hairy ghost looked very sad.
"Sisteeeeer—"
"What's all this?"
Yang Juhee frowned as she entered the house. Whatever it was, I was relieved that the situation seemed to be resolved.
"Yang Juhee! Thanks to you, we're saved! You're our hero!"
I ran towards Juhee. I couldn't believe how happy I was to see her.
Soon, Juhee blushed as she looked at me.
"What are you saying, all of a sudden? It's not like this is the first time I've saved your lives."
Anyway.
Despite all the twists and turns, we managed to subdue the woman controlling the evil spirit without anyone getting hurt. Ms. Hong Mi-ri's head did roll on the floor, but she wasn't injured...
When we reattached Ms. Hong Mi-ri's head, she got up perfectly fine. Seeing this, the shaman Kim Mi-ryeong was greatly shocked and terrified.
"Monster! What on earth are you!"
"You're the monster. Evil woman who killed and enslaved her younger sister. Since it's come to this, you'll have to be the bait to lure the Gandara priestess. The role of luring the snake's tail. It suits you perfectly."
Kim Mi-ryeong couldn't say anything and fainted, and the hairy ghost nuzzled its head against the unconscious Kim Mi-ryeong.
"Sisteeeeer—"
I suddenly became curious.
"Bait role? What role?"
"I told you the key is in the east. The west, guarded by the Yin-Yang Master, represents the otherworld. The west symbolizes the nightmare corridor. On the other hand, the east is a metaphor for this world. The Gandara priestess's true body is in the basement of the real school."