Chapter 86: Above (1)

"Kids! Open the door quickly! I'm scared! Open up now! I saw you all go in there! Let me join you! I'm part of Dahee's fam too!"

Bang bang bang bang bang-

Bong Ji-yeon kept pounding on the principal's office door. Of course, no one could be sure if it was really Bong Ji-yeon outside.

What were the chances it was a ghost imitating Bong Ji-yeon? I had seen plenty of ghosts imitating other people.

"Hey, Jung-seok! What are you doing? What's taking so long? Open the door already!"

Bong Ji-yeon's voice called out to Jung-seok.

Jung-seok was fidgeting nervously, looking like a magpie that had dropped its baby bird from the nest.

I was tense, worried that Jung-seok might just blurt out, "We need to save Bong Ji-yeon!" and open the door recklessly.

Given Jung-seok's tendency to rush headlong into anything involving Bong Ji-yeon, it was entirely possible. I suspected Jung-seok would even cosign a loan if Bong Ji-yeon asked him to.

So Yang Juhee and I were watching Jung-seok with anxious eyes when he spoke as if he'd made a decision.

"Prove that you're the real Bong Ji-yeon."

"Hey! Where's the time for that? It's so scary out here! Just open the door already! Jung-seok! You said you wanted to watch a movie with me! I'll watch it with you, okay? Just open up!"

Bang bang bang-!

The Bong Ji-yeon beyond the door was being completely unreasonable. But Jung-seok spoke firmly, as if he had gained the upper hand.

"You're a fake. I definitely asked Bong Ji-yeon if she wanted to go see a movie. But the real Bong Ji-yeon scornfully asked why she should go see that with me, even using swear words."

"What?"

"The real Bong Ji-yeon would never say she'd go see a movie with me in this situation. She's too proud for that. Therefore, you're a fake. You fake! Fake Bong Ji-yeon! Get lost! I can tell!"

"What nonsense! You total loser! What are you talking about? Just open this door!"

The pleading voice of Bong Ji-yeon from beyond the door was almost a scream, close to sobbing, which sent chills down my spine. To think a ghost would act to this extent to deceive us.

Crazy ghost bastard! But Jung-seok, perhaps softened by Bong Ji-yeon's voice, asked one more question.

"What was the weight of Bong Ji-yeon, the female short-distance runner who represented Gaeryong City in second year of middle school? If it's really you, you couldn't possibly not know. Answer."

"What? Weight? Ha, you're really a crazy psycho. 47! Happy now?"

47kg.

I was thinking that seemed like a fitting weight for Bong Ji-yeon, who was barely 160cm tall, when Jung-seok clicked his tongue.

"Wrong. Bong Ji-yeon's weight in second year of middle school was 51kg. You're a fake. You fake!"

"What? You crazy psycho bastard! Who are you to decide that? Hey! Open the door! Quickly! Quickly! Quickly! Quickly! Something's coming from over there! Please! Hurry!"

Is this the pattern of a ghost throwing a fit after being exposed? I was thinking that if it kept making noise like this, other ghosts might come, when Yang Juhee opened the principal's office door.

"What!?"

I was very surprised. Why did that crazy Yang Juhee-!

"Hueugh!"

Soon, something shot through the open door and tumbled into the principal's office with a thud.

It was Bong Ji-yeon. At least, it looked like Bong Ji-yeon.

Jung-seok and I were so startled seeing what we thought was a ghost imitating Bong Ji-yeon that we backed away until we were practically one with the wall, but Yang Juhee was calm.

"This is the real one. The real Bong Ji-yeon is a huge coward. She's been a scaredy-cat since way back, never able to watch horror movies and stuff. And Bong Ji-yeon always said her weight was 47 herself every day."

This Bong Ji-yeon is real?

Just in case, I said to Yang Juhee,

"They said ghosts' hearts don't beat! Quick, feel her chest!"

"Geez, alright."

Swish-

Yang Juhee placed her hand on Bong Ji-yeon's chest. Maybe because they're both girls, she seemed to find the spot where the heartbeat could be felt right away.

"It's beating well."

"I told you I'm real! You guys are total psychos. You make me come here and then call me fake or whatever, what am I supposed to do? And Jung-seok, you're really hopeless. Wow. Seriously, you."

Bong Ji-yeon looked at Jung-seok with an expression of contempt that could cool even a thousand-year love.

She frowned and parted her lips slightly, making an expression of extreme disappointment that made even me feel sad and hurt.

Jung-seok stammered an explanation, "No, but it was a necessary process to confirm...", but Bong Ji-yeon seemed so upset that she didn't care about such reasons.

Of course, I sympathized with Jung-seok's words.

"If Bong Ji-yeon had been a ghost, we'd all be dead. No... more precisely, only I would have died since I don't have a talisman...?"

"What are you saying? Am I a ghost?"

Anyway, Bong Ji-yeon joined us in the principal's office. And this also meant a big problem.

There are four of us. We can only get three talismans.

One of us has to die.

More precisely, it meant that either I or Bong Ji-yeon, who don't have talismans now, has to die.

***

"Wow, really, I'm so fucking disappointed. Jung-seok. You called me a ghost. Seriously. I'm speechless. What's all this about weight? Don't talk to me anymore."

We rested in the principal's office until Bong Ji-yeon calmed down.

Bong Ji-yeon was still agitated, and Jung-seok's shoulders kept sinking lower, almost as if he might disappear into the ground. I tried to comfort Jung-seok, saying:

"Hey. I've done that too. I once yelled at Yoo Dahee, accusing her of being a ghost."

I almost wet myself when I saw Yoo Dahee waiting for me in front of my house.

So I shouted at her, asking if she was a ghost... Thinking back, Jung-seok's outburst towards Bong Ji-yeon today was actually quite mild in comparison.

Of course, Yoo Dahee's attitude then was different from Bong Ji-yeon's now. She was playful, but at least she didn't show such contempt towards me.

In that sense, Yoo Dahee was a very kind person. Maybe being rich made her more generous in spirit.

In this capitalist world, bank balance and generosity of spirit often go hand in hand.

Anyway. Bong Ji-yeon had joined us.

Jung-seok seemed to be deep in thought for a while, and finally spoke as if he'd reached a conclusion.

"I admit my judgment was wrong. This was my mistake, so I'll give you this."

Jung-seok held out something to Bong Ji-yeon. It was a talisman. The escape talisman.

"Forget it. Get lost. Do you think I'll forgive you just because of this?"

Bong Ji-yeon was clearly fed up. But she didn't refuse the talisman, putting it safely in her pocket. I asked Jung-seok:

"Hey. That's your talisman."

"It's fine. This time... I'll stay here. Young-won, you escape too. You've given up your talisman for me before, from last time until today. I'm a man too. Let me take responsibility for my mistake."

What's gotten into him? Saying he'll take responsibility. That's practically saying he'll die here today.

But Jung-seok seemed to have made his decision. He had the expression of a man, not a coward.

"Alright. If that's your wish, I won't stop you."

If I could survive... honestly, I was glad.

I'm such a coward that I thought I might die of a heart attack even without stacking quirks if I died here.

Of course, thanks to my 《Strong Heart》 trait, I wouldn't get a heart attack... but maybe a brain hemorrhage... anyway, I might die from some such illness.

But it wasn't certain yet that I could escape. The real challenge starts after getting the talisman from this second floor.

"Shall we head out now then?"

We had to leave this safe principal's office and explore the second floor. I hoped we could get more items if possible.

Since someone had drawn a map of the first floor before, I felt we might be able to find a map of this second floor somewhere too. Jung-seok said:

"Let's take a notebook and pen too. If there's no map, it's not a bad idea to draw one ourselves. I'm confident in drawing floor plans. I'll draw it without any errors."

That's a good idea.

We all walked slowly through the second floor corridor. With four of us, it was a bit less scary.

No. That's a lie, I was so scared I wanted to go back.

As we were walking, we came across a place labeled "Science Lab".

Science Lab.

It felt like there was a faint smell of chemicals. But the door was locked, and there was a hole in the corridor wall big enough for one person to crawl through.

"Should we go in?"

Yang Juhee asked. I wondered if she was volunteering to go in herself.

As I was thinking this, Jung-seok clenched his fist and said:

"I'll go."

What? What's going on?

Jung-seok, who usually hesitated when faced with such places?

"I'll go. Wait here."

I honestly felt admiration for Jung-seok's courage. If it were me... I definitely wouldn't have gone in first.

Is he trying to score points with Bong Ji-yeon by showing courage? That made some sense. Soon, Jung-seok crawled in.

"Hey? How is it? Can you see anything?"

There was no response from Jung-seok who had crawled in. About 20 seconds of ominous silence passed.

"Guys. There's something amazing in here. You need to come see for yourselves. This! I think you really need to see this directly! No, wait. I'll come out first!"

Jung-seok crawled back out into the corridor. And with a rather happy expression, he said:

"You can't imagine what I saw in there. Let's go in quickly. Before other ghosts come."

Seeing Jung-seok urge us so much, there must really be something amazing in there.

As I was wondering what it could be, Jung-seok drew a large circle on the science lab corridor with his pen. Was he trying to mark this room?

It was a perfect circle. He's quite skilled.

Yang Juhee knelt down. She must be planning to crawl in herself. Bong Ji-yeon grabbed Yang Juhee's shoulder.

"Wait. You're not Jung-seok."

This seemed out of nowhere.

I wondered if she was trying to get revenge by doubting Jung-seok just as he had doubted her earlier.

"Jung-seok is left-handed. But you just drew that circle with your right hand!"

Come to think of it, Jung-seok was left-handed, and this Jung-seok had drawn the circle with his right hand.

Is it possible for a left-handed person to draw such a perfect circle with their right hand?

"Hey. Jung-seok. What's going on? Are you really not Jung-seok?"

I asked Jung-seok with a fearful heart. Then Jung-seok curled his lips in a way I'd never seen before, in an unpleasant smirk.

"I'm not? But now I am Jung-seok? Hahahahahahaha! Hahahahahahahaha! You all come inside too! I'm reflecting from all sides! Hahahahahahaha!"