Chapter 51
The reason a baby cries. Thinking clearly, it's because they're hungry.
They must be crying because they're hungry!
"Juhee! Do something!"
"What should I do! Screw you!"
But Yang Juhee was adamantly against my "Baby Breastfeeding Operation" idea.
What on earth should we do in this situation? Should I knock on the neighbor's door and ask the apartment manager auntie for help?
No-
That would only make me sound crazy and make the situation worse.
"Baby! Wah!"
I really felt like crying my eyes out too. How nice it must be to be a baby.
If they just cry like that, their mom will give them everything.
But I was a high school student on the verge of adulthood, and at this point, I needed to be able to solve problems on my own.
Right! Damn it! I can do this! How many ghosts have I defeated so far!
"Wait!"
Baby... baby and mother...
As I was thinking about this, I suddenly remembered the newly acquired "Mercenary Group" system.
The ghosts I've defeated. Wouldn't there be some kind of hint there?
What I chose was "4. Ghost under the bed".
If I remember correctly, this was the copying mother ghost. By the way, it was also the ghost that Yang Juhee defeated by hitting it really hard.
In other words, even if the gamble fails, we can still control the situation with Yang Juhee's violence.
Dispatch the ghost of copying mothers... to Yoo Dahee...
Use 100P! It's all or nothing!
Now, let's see what happens.
Jingle, jingle-
The sound of bells started to be heard.
"Gasp!"
This was the bell sound in my memory.
"Juhee. Can you hear the bell sound too?"
"I know! Ha Young-won! What did you do!"
"...I called for a mom..."
Jingle, jingle-
Knock knock knock-
The bell sound stopped in front of our house and there was a knock on the door. It was a tense situation in many ways.
Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock.
It felt like we'd be screwed if we opened it.
With the loudly crying baby Yoo Dahee, the bell sound, and the knocking sound, I wanted to cover my ears.
"Sleep well, my baby... in the front yard and back hill... birds and lambs too..."
A lullaby started to be heard from beyond the door. It was a very soft and gentle voice.
It was so affectionate that it reminded me of our mom in the hospital.
"Hey! Ha Young-won! Do you see that?"
Whoosh-
"I see it."
Yoo Dahee's body was being enveloped in a white light.
Soon, Yoo Dahee, who had been crying "wah wah", collapsed on the bathroom floor.
The baby's cry was no longer heard, nor was the bell sound or the lullaby. Everything was quiet.
Is it... over?
No, I thought it was too early to let our guard down.
"Congratulations! You have defeated the 'Baby Ghost'!"
"Calculating rewards for 3 survivors."
"You gain 150 P."
"Your 'Ghost under the bed' has passed on. You can no longer dispatch 'Ghost under the bed' from the 'Mercenary Group'."
"Oh, shit..."
***
"...What are you looking at?"
Yoo Dahee said to me after opening her eyes. She was smiling shyly as if embarrassed.
I answered simply.
"Looking at you."
"I see."
Yoo Dahee got up groggily. It was already 7 AM.
"Dahee. Wash up and change your clothes. We need to go to school."
Even as I said it, this conversation felt strangely familiar. Soon, Yang Juhee, who was cooking morning ramen, came into the room.
"Hey! I told you to wake up Yoo Dahee, what are you doing! Oh, you're up? Hey Yoo Dahee! You're really going to die! Do you know how much trouble we went through because of you last night? Huh?"
"...Trouble?"
Yoo Dahee frowned as if she didn't remember anything.
I asked her,
"Don't you remember what you did last night?"
"I remember going to church... and eating ramen after coming home... My body felt really heavy and tired, so I wanted to sleep early... It feels like I had a really interesting dream... Wow, my body feels so light!"
Bounce bounce-
Yoo Dahee was happily rotating her shoulders. It seemed she didn't remember being possessed.
Anyway.
The important thing was that the possessing ghost was successfully defeated and the incident was resolved safely. I didn't expect the shaman ghost to pop up suddenly.
"Maybe..."
Suddenly, I remembered that the shaman ghost was frantically looking for something in the Nightmare Corridor.
Was the shaman ghost perhaps looking for a 'baby'?
Deduction.
The shaman ghost who committed suicide at school had a 'baby'.
And that 'baby' was abandoned by its mother and became a ghost.
The baby ghost attached itself to Yoo Dahee last night(?)
I remembered that near the church, Yoo Dahee heard a cat's cry and Yang Juhee responded, "You call that a cat's cry?" I wondered if that was when it happened.
The baby ghost possessing her was then put to sleep by the fake mother played by the "Ghost under the bed"-
Is that how we should see it? It's my guess, but it seemed plausible.
If we use this information well, it might help in dealing with the real shaman ghost in the "Nightmare Corridor".
Like somehow bringing in a baby doll and throwing it as bait.
Anyway. We ate the ramen Yang Juhee cooked and left the house. But today, there was a black car parked in front of our house.
"Dahee. The chairman is saying you should stop now and come home."
A man in a black suit got out of the car and spoke to Yoo Dahee. Then he took out a phone from his pocket and held it out to Yoo Dahee.
"......"
Yoo Dahee looked back and forth between the man and us. Then she said rather coldly,
"I don't want to."
The man looked very flustered. Soon, Yoo Dahee added,
"But it would be inconsiderate to keep staying at a friend's house. If you listen to the suggestions I made to grandfather, I'll come home."
I wondered what suggestions Yoo Dahee had made to her grandfather. Something like receiving her inheritance early before her grandfather passed away?
As I was imagining various scenarios, Yang Juhee also chimed in.
"Hey. Just go home already. Running away like that is inconsiderate to your family and to Young-won too. How many people are being inconvenienced because of you? Geez, you're not a kid anymore. What's with this running away?"
It felt quite novel to hear such words from Yang Juhee, the school bully. Soon, the man spoke as if he had made a firm decision.
"I'll take responsibility and make sure to speak with the master. Now, everyone get in the car. I'll drive you to school."
Oh, shit. Would I ever have another chance to ride such an expensive car in my life?
I quickly got in the car, and Yang Juhee followed me. Yoo Dahee grumbled, "I'd prefer to walk," but she eventually got in the back, seemingly having no choice.
Whoosh-
Wow, the car really rolls like it's been oiled. The ride is amazing.
When will I be able to buy and ride a car like this?
Could I do it if I blackmailed the US President with my abilities?
As I was thinking about this, we had already arrived at school.
"Well then, Dahee. I'll come to pick you up after school. And Young-won."
The man called me. Why?
"I'd like to talk to you for a moment, if you have time?"
"Me?"
Why. What does he want to talk about?
I thought he might want to talk about Yoo Dahee. He might even threaten me, saying "Don't approach our young lady anymore."
"You two go ahead."
I decided to send Yoo Dahee and Yang Juhee to school and listen to what the man in the black suit had to say.
What could he want to talk about?
As I was wondering this, the man opened his mouth.
"Dahee stayed at your house, right? Was everything okay?"
Everything okay… What kind of 'everything'?
The baby ghost possession? Or some male-female 'everything'?
Whatever it was, it seemed best to say nothing happened.
"Yes. Nothing unusual happened."
"I see. That's how it looks. Our master... Dahee's grandfather is a bit peculiar and very protective of his granddaughter. Do you know who Dahee's grandfather is?"
Dahee's grandfather? A descendant of a family that was even a count during the Japanese colonial era? An incredibly rich person.
I thought that, but I couldn't say it honestly.
"I don't know. I just know they're extremely wealthy."
"Hahaha. Wealthy. Yes, they are wealthy indeed. Dahee's grandfather is truly an extraordinary rich man. But Dahee is his only family. You seem smart, so you probably understand what I mean by this?"
"Are you telling me not to be close to her?"
"No. The opposite. Keep getting along well with Dahee, and if anything happens, contact this number."
Swish-
I carefully put the paper with the phone number written on it into my pocket. It seems to be the man's number.
I don't know if it's just my imagination, but lately, a lot of older men have been giving me their numbers. Then I suddenly became curious.
"If Dahee is the only family for her grandfather... what about Dahee's parents...?"
"I only came here five years ago, so I don't know much. But I heard that Dahee's grandfather lost his son and daughter-in-law... in an unfortunate incident. Dahee is a child with a lot of pain, so treat her well."
***
A modern mansion built majestically like a castle.
In the most luxurious and elegant room of a place designed by a famous architect who reinterpreted a castle in modern engineering terms, a man was sitting.
He might have been in his 70s. With white hair and wrinkled eyes, he had a rather stern-looking face.
In front of the man was a nameplate carved from ivory.
"Yeongji Foundation Chairman Cheon Dae-gon"
Cheon Dae-gon.
He was undoubtedly a prominent figure in this Gaeryong City. This man was sitting in his chair, looking at a frame placed on his luxurious mahogany desk.
"Are you thinking about your son?"
Someone spoke to him. When he looked up, a woman in red high heels was standing in front of him.
It was quite a feat to appear without a sound while wearing heels so high they looked difficult to walk in.
It was Hong Mi-ri, the English teacher at Yeongji High School.
"If only your son were here, everything would have worked out well. That's what you're thinking, right? Why don't you try contacting him?"
"Mi-ri. Watch your words. My son is dead. How many times have I told you not to mention him in front of me? He's dead."
Cheon Dae-gon closed his mouth. Hong Mi-ri didn't irritate the old man's mood any further.
Instead, she had something else to say.
"Speaking of which, I think the pastor of 'Glory Church' might contact Seoul. If people come from Seoul, we probably won't be able to proceed with things secretly."
"...What about Dahee?"
"From what I heard from Driver Kim, fortunately, it seems she'll come home today. You know, kids are difficult. If only that shaman woman hadn't died at school on her own, things would have been resolved long ago. It's a shame we have to rely on Dahee now that things have gotten complicated."
Swish-
The old man stood up. And he slapped Hong Mi-ri's cheek hard with his hand.
Slap-!
English teacher Hong Mi-ri lowered her head from the unexpectedly strong force.
"Watch your mouth."
"...Did I say something wrong? Just leave it to me. Chairman. Master. I'm confident I can do better. I can definitely─"
"No. You lack talent. Maybe if it was the other twin. You're only half. You should know better than anyone why I'm saying this."
Grr-
English teacher Hong Mi-ri looked more insulted than when she was slapped. Of course, Cheon Dae-gon didn't care at all whether Hong Mi-ri got angry or irritated him with sarcastic remarks.
Cheon Dae-gon stroked Hong Mi-ri's head and said coldly,
"A dog should act like a dog. Don't try to sit at the same table as your master and just guard the house."
Cheon Dae-gon wasn't interested in Hong Mi-ri.
Very few things in the world could catch his interest. Come to think of it, there was something that had been bothering him recently.
"You mentioned there's a male student among Dahee's friends recently? Not that mayor's son."
"That coward? His name is Ha Young-won. There are many other boys, I don't know why Dahee is friends with someone like him. I don't think he's anyone special to keep an eye on?"
"...A coward, huh. Right. Blood doesn't lie. Dahee's mother liked that type. But you know, fear is the source of survival and evolution, the measure of all things. Cowards survive for a long time."
"......"
"Today, let's invite Dahee's friends over for dinner. Invite them all to the house. I want to see what kind of guy this boy who's become close to Dahee is."
"What if they say they have plans or need to go to academy?"
"......"
Cheon Dae-gon said no more and sat in his chair. Hong Mi-ri also stopped making sarcastic remarks.