Chapter 58
─Meow. Meow.
The white cat, Baekseol, cried loudly. It also struggled, seemingly disliking being held by me.
I took the cat up to the second floor, but perhaps because of the noisy cat, the housekeeper who had been dozing in the corridor glared at me with wide eyes.
"You!"
It was a very ominous and scary face.
Grab-
The housekeeper grabbed my arm with considerable strength.
"Didn't I tell you not to go down to the first floor after 11 o'clock! Why don't you listen to adults?"
Why do adults like scolding kids so much? It's not like they live such moral lives themselves.
"Ma'am. You said there was no cat on the first floor. I found this cat on the first floor."
"I don't care about that fur-shedding cat. From now on, answer honestly to what I ask. If you don't speak honestly, you'll be in big trouble. You. Have you ever heard piano sounds on the first floor?"
I felt a bit intimidated by the housekeeper's stern question. She was like a complete psychopath.
"Piano sounds? I haven't heard any."
"You. You're not lying, are you? If you lie, you'll feel pain as if you've swallowed a thousand needles."
The housekeeper glared at me. It was as if she was trying to see if this bastard was lying or not.
Although I was generally good at lying, it was true that I hadn't heard any piano sounds.
"But why ask about piano sounds?"
"You don't need to know. Go upstairs and sleep. And get that cat out of here. Achoo-"
The housekeeper seemed to have a cat allergy or something, as she almost had a fit whenever the cat came close.
Judging by her sneezing and runny nose, her symptoms seemed quite severe.
"Ma'am. I have something I want to ask too. Did someone named Ha Chae-yeon work here before you came? Do you know anything about this photo?"
Swish-
I took out the photo of my Yeongji High entrance ceremony with my mom from my pocket and showed it to the housekeeper.
The housekeeper's sunken eyes, illuminated by the lantern, distorted strangely for a moment.
"I don't know?"
"Ma'am. Didn't you say it would hurt like swallowing a thousand needles if you lie?"
After experiencing all sorts of seemingly unbelievable things over the past few days, I had become somewhat sensitive to detecting when people were lying. This housekeeper is lying.
Adults were all liars to begin with.
I was already convinced that this mansion and my mom, Ha Chae-yeon, were related somehow.
What kind of relationship could it be? Was my mom the 'housekeeper' who used to work in this mansion?
But it didn't make sense chronologically.
According to Yoo Dahee, the previous housekeeper had worked in this mansion for almost 10 years.
With that feeling, morning came. I successfully handed the cat over to Yoo Dahee.
─Meow.
The white cat, Baekseol, seemed to walk towards Yoo Dahee but suddenly changed direction and clung to Yang Juhee. Yang Juhee, of course, was disgusted.
"Hey! Go to your owner! Why are you coming to me?"
The cat liked Yang Juhee, but Yang Juhee disliked the cat. Is this self-hatred?
"And I also found this. Dahee. This is a drawing you made, right?"
Swish-
I handed Yoo Dahee a page from the sketchbook. It was the paper I had obtained while fighting Adam Smith's ghost yesterday.
It was the paper that said "Thank you, Auntie Ha Chae-yeon". Yoo Dahee was very happy seeing that drawing.
"This looks like a drawing I made when I was seven? When I was still in the facility, I loved drawing like this! Where did you find it? I guess it's a drawing of the housekeeper!"
"Dahee. Is the name of the housekeeper who worked here for 10 years Ha Chae-yeon?"
"Name? The name... I'm not sure. I just called her 'auntie'... But this is a drawing I made and gave her as a gift on Parents' Day. Where did you find this?"
I had a hunch. It might be a simple guess, but my mom worked in this mansion for 10 years.
Of course, 10 years ago, my mom was living with me in Seoul, not in Gaeryong City... Even though I couldn't understand how this was possible, it was clear that my mom had existed in two places simultaneously.
Is this even possible?
It would be best to ask my mom directly, but since my mom's memory had been fluctuating since her disappearance, I couldn't have high expectations.
Then naturally, what's left is Yoo Dahee. I said to Dahee,
"Dahee. Remember when I said I'd grant you one wish if you came with me to the school basement?"
Actually, I had used the wish in the Nightmare Corridor.
I had used it to ask about Yoo Dahee's identity. But Yoo Dahee had been eaten by a ghost and died then, so she wouldn't remember that time.
Therefore, my wish had essentially been revived.
"There's something I want to ask today. Can you spare some time after school?"
"Hmm... Okay."
We changed clothes and finished our meal.
Leaving behind the strange days spent in the mysterious mansion, we got in the car and set off for school. Before the car departed, the terrifying ghost-like housekeeper came out to the main gate to see us off.
Swoosh-
As the car window rolled down, the housekeeper handed us something like a small pouch.
"I baked some cookies. Eat them. Don't open them here, you must eat them when you get to school. If you don't, a scary ghost will appear."
She hadn't been seen all morning, and suddenly she's baking cookies. And why tell us not to open them here but at school?
"What's this? It's ginger cookies. I can't eat ginger..."
Yoo Dahee complained a little while looking at the cookies. I see. The housekeeper deliberately baked cookies that Yoo Dahee doesn't like.
What an impressive housekeeper.
Anyway, with that feeling, we arrived at school. Bong Ji-yeon was squealing energetically from the morning.
"Dahee. Breakfast was so delicious and everything was great! Can I upload the photos we took at your house on my Instagram and TikTok? Huh? Say it's okay? Dahee, I really love you!"
Bong Ji-yeon seemed desperate to post her high-society experience from yesterday on social media and brag about it to everyone. Now Bong Ji-yeon approached me and said,
"Hey. I could join that pirate crew thing of yours."
So she wants to be part of our gang, huh?
Unlike the adults who lie a lot, Bong Ji-yeon's intentions were rather transparent and obvious, which made her easier to deal with. At this level, it's almost cute.
What should I do? Yang Juhee was shaking her head vigorously as if she hated the idea.
I had no choice but to ponder.
"I'll think about it."
"Hey. You're funny. What's there to think about? I'm saying I'll hang out with you guys."
This was the problem with girls who knew they were pretty. They think all guys will like them.
Of course, I did have a crush on Bong Ji-yeon at one point, but it was very brief. It wouldn't even amount to 1 percent of my entire life.
I thought for a moment and decided to give this decision-making power to Jung-seok.
"Jung-seok. You're my vice-captain, but from today, you're also our pirate crew's HR manager. Thoroughly test and verify Bong Ji-yeon's entry. Don't just accept her right away because she's a friend we know."
"Me?"
Jung-seok made a rather bewildered expression. I whispered to Jung-seok quietly,
"Hey. Use that excuse to spend time together and get closer. You're in the position of holding the leash now, so use it well. If Bong Ji-yeon doesn't want to be kicked out by Kwon Suho, getting close to us is the answer. Won't she try to butter you up a bit? You're going to accept her anyway, but don't do it right away."
"Isn't that a bit cowardly? I never even thought of such things. Ha Young-won, you're really something. I respect you. You're a real bastard. I'll do my best."
As expected, Jung-seok had a talent for making compliments sound like insults. But it was true that his eyes held respect and admiration when looking at me.
I've set a good example for my subordinate as a leader. Jung-seok said,
"We're thinking of hiking Gaeryong Mountain next weekend, so I'll think it over until then."
"Hey. Jung-seok. What's there to think about?"
Jung-seok and Bong Ji-yeon were being noisy. As I watched the two of them disappear into the distance, Yang Juhee poked my side.
"Hey, are you serious? You're going to let Bong Ji-yeon in?"
"I don't know either. Jung-seok will judge for himself. But the more people on our side, the better, right? Yang Juhee, weren't you close with Bong Ji-yeon until middle school?"
I overheard the girls talking while playing the Game of Life yesterday, and it seemed Bong Ji-yeon and Yang Juhee were quite close in middle school. They were together all day, just like me and Jung-seok now.
Their relationship deteriorated rapidly after Bong Ji-yeon started dating Kwon Suho.
"You looked like you were having fun hanging out together yesterday too."
Yang Juhee was being subtly ostracized by the girls in Class D. In my opinion, girls are creatures that wither and die like lonely hamsters if they can't form groups.
Yang Juhee without a group was truly a pitiful friend, and even though they were in different classes, it wouldn't be bad for her to be close with female friends like Yoo Dahee or Bong Ji-yeon.
Of course, Yang Juhee clicked her tongue as if she didn't like the idea and headed to the playground. Looks like she's going to run again.
"Dahee. Then come to the library after school."
"Okay."
***
Classes were still boring.
To stay awake, I was doing all sorts of other things when I remembered the cookie bag that the scary housekeeper had said she packed for us.
Thinking I might as well eat that, I opened the bag and found something like a paper inside.
[Little one, come visit again.]
"Creepy."
Has my mysterious charm seduced the terrifying housekeeper? It gave me the chills, but surprisingly, the cookies tasted ordinarily good.
Ginger cookies.
It was totally old people's taste, but it strangely suited my palate. I felt like I had discovered a new preference I didn't know I had.
With that feeling, time passed quickly, and it was after school.
As a library committee member, I headed to the library and cleaned the floor or organized books. Then I noticed there was a man with a messy beard in the library.
"Oh."
"Oh. You're Chae-yeon's son, right? Young-won, was it?"
It was Kang Bada, the self-proclaimed Professor Snape.
I felt a bit wary, thinking this person might be someone who had experienced the "Nightmare Corridor" and could be related to the Hero or Observer.
At the same time, he might be someone who could answer many of my questions.
"Mister. You wrote that Morse code, right?"
"Oh. You figured that out? Well, I guess that's basic of basics. So, did you figure out the meaning too? What do you think it means?"
"I'm not sure. Is it saying to be careful of Ms. Kang Ha-neul?"
Sky caution. This could mean to be careful of his younger sister, Kang Ha-neul, but...
Actually, I had shifted to thinking it meant to be careful of the Cheon family ruling this Gaeryong. The 'sky' being the 'cheon' (天) in Cheon.
Honestly, after visiting the Cheon mansion yesterday, there were too many suspicious things. But I wasn't reckless enough to bring that up right away.
Soon, Kang Bada chuckled.
"I heard you went to the mansion yesterday and met the chairman. So how was that house? Does the terrifying housekeeper still tell you not to come down to the first floor after 11 PM?"
"...!?"
"You look surprised at how I know that. Of course I know. I've been there to visit before too. It was a mansion that seemed like ghosts would pop out. Good material for novels too."