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Join the ServerFor a top-tier idol, Zion’s replies were exceptionally fast.
This time was no different.
“Excellent.”
The Demon God smiled contentedly at the core fan’s devotion and brought up his business.
[Is there a ghost story associated with intense emotions?]
[Excluding horror.]
[A ghost story, but excluding horror?]
[What kind of emotion, for example?]
Ugh.
Refreshing, lively, cute—it made him shudder.
The Demon God was reluctant, but he raised his finger and typed character by character.
[Well… something like lively?]
[Lively????]
Suddenly, silence lingered from the other side of the chat for a while.
The Demon God stared at his phone.
Why is there no reply?
Time passed.
Still, there was no reply.
The Demon God tried sending a message again.
[Zion?]
Only then did a reply return.
[You’re not Sun-woo, are you?]
“…….”
[I’m reporting you!]
A Sun-woo demanding ‘lively’ was that unfamiliar….
To the extent that Zion, normally quick with replies, was contemplating reporting him instead of answering.
[Zion, I am indeed Sun-woo.]
[No. There’s no way.]
[Who are you?]
[Did you happen to pick up Sun-woo’s phone?]
[Are you playing a prank because of that?]
[You could get into big trouble, so leave it there and run away.]
[That phone does not exist. Erasing it from your memory will be beneficial for your mental health.]
Adding a creepypasta-style warning in the midst of this was indeed worthy of a horror enthusiast.
The Demon God let out a sigh and proved his identity.
[Do you wish to receive punishment?]
[It will be extremely harsh.]
[This body rarely forgives.]
[Oh? You really are Sun-woo?]
The Demon God was someone whose identity was naturally proven just by revealing himself.
[‘Lively’ has its reasons.]
The Demon God roughly explained the circumstances.
External expansion is the next goal.
To digest various songs, he was practicing expressing emotions.
[So that’s how it is?]
[That is so. For your information, Life Four Cuts was a failure.]
[You failed at Life Four Cuts? lolol]
[Tell me the details about that later.]
The Demon God ignored Zion’s request and got to the main point.
[Has your doubt been resolved? If so, offer me the ghost story.]
And Zion was always prepared.
[There is, there is. A ghost story of a lively emotion!]
[For example—]
The ghost story pocket pulled out one ghost story contained inside.
[The Woman in the Mirror]
[Have you heard of it?]
The Demon God shook his head in vain. Of course, it was his first time hearing of it.
[The second floor of a certain abandoned building]
“An abandoned building. Familiar.”
[A single full-length mirror left alone]
Zion’s explanation continued.
[They say a girl lives inside it]
[She appears when you look into the mirror]
The girl in the mirror.
This, too, was classic.
The Demon God read with concentration.
[Am I pretty? Am I pretty? Am I pretty?]
[She reportedly keeps asking]
[Forcing an answer]
[And if the answer is delayed or negative]
[They say she inflicts a terrible retaliation]
A terrible retaliation.
Although he didn’t know what it was specifically.
[They say the victims cannot remember]
[Supposedly because they were too scared, they erased their memories]
And he asked the Demon God.
[How is it?]
The Demon God’s impression of the ghost story was—
[Lively.]
The Demon God nodded and showed the contents of the ghost story to Yoon-seo.
Yoon-seo read through the ghost story and asked.
“Is this really lively…?”
“Is asking diligently if she is pretty not lively?”
“Is, is that so?”
Lively for a ghost story?
With Yoon-seo’s concept, it was incomprehensible.
“Is it not a ghost story in the first place because it is scary?”
“No.”
“No?”
“Yes. Do humans not attach strange names to things they cannot understand? Apparition, monsters, spirits, evil spirits.”
The Demon God counted on his fingers.
“They are all names attached to existences that humans do not understand.”
“…….”
“The same goes for ghost stories. It is merely a name attached from the human perspective.”
Humans do not know much about humans either.
Let alone transitioning beyond that, cognition itself is impossible.
When incognizable existences, for example, something like a spirit, are very occasionally witnessed, humans try to keep their distance rather than understand.
A ghost story is a name attached purely from the human perspective.
“Hmm, Sun-woo Hyung occasionally says insightful things.”
“Occasionally? I am always as deep as midnight.”
“Yes, yes.”
The talk about the limits of human cognition passed lightly.
“Yoon-seo, I shall go to this place and practice in my own way.”
“Yes.”
The Demon God sent a message.
[I must go there. Send the address.]
Let’s go and try to learn ‘lively’.
The Demon God made his decision.
What if it is simply a lively spirit?
He would try to learn the secret of being lively even after death.
If it is a spirit whose very essence is ‘lively’, it would be able to impart something beyond simple facial expression practice.
The source of emotion.
Something beyond facial expressions.
What if it is an evil spirit?
Simple.
Dissipate and absorb it.
Dissipating an evil spirit recovers his power to a certain extent.
That, too, was not bad.
Either way, there was nothing to lose for the Demon God.
Tap.
Zion’s reply returned.
[I’ll guide you!!!!]
[Let’s go together!!!!]
[When are you going?]
[Now?]
[I have time right now!]
The Demon God stared down at his phone.
Truly, for a top-tier idol, Zion was someone who found time easily.
The Demon God was the Demon God.
– Step out immediately.
***
The Demon God moved immediately.
He had to go on a day when he had leeway. Even during the non-promotional period, it wasn’t as if there were no schedules at all.
He joined up with Zion near the source of the ghost story.
And, there was one more person in this spot.
Zion waved his hand while running over, but when he saw that one person, his eyes went wide.
“Ah? Yoon-seo, hello!”
Zion waved his hand in greeting.
The other members had gone home, but only Yoon-seo came along.
The one who called the taxi and handled the payment was, of course, Yoon-seo.
“Senior Zion, hello.”
Yoon-seo also greeted him politely.
He had seen him during Novior’s concert.
Although they got along comfortably back then too, there was nonetheless a sense of distance as senior and junior.
After the concert, Zion had sought out and watched Pantheon’s videos.
And he received a strong impression from Yoon-seo.
‘To think he subdues Sun-woo even while looking that quiet.’
Conversely, Yoon-seo also knew about Zion.
‘The only top-tier idol Sun-woo Hyung treats comfortably.’
He was definitely thinking that he must be an interesting person.
“I also came along because I wanted to watch Sun-woo Hyung’s practice. I won’t be a bother, right…?”
The reason why Yoon-seo, an introvert, mustered great courage.
He wanted to directly observe the Demon God’s emotion practice.
In order to refer to it for guidance and encouragement later.
That was why he came to this spot even though Zion, with whom he had no direct acquaintance, was present.
Zion’s reaction was—
“Of course it’s fine! Actually, I’ve wanted to get close to you, Yoon-seo, since a while ago.”
“With me?”
This was a fact even the Demon God didn’t know, so he pricked up his ears.
“Yeah! Surprisingly, you have Sun-woo in the palm of your hand? You even made him eat spicy food, and subtly established discipline?”
“Yes…. Sun-woo Hyung needs to be treated like that a bit. But it is a bit difficult this time….”
“What is it?”
While the Demon God tilted his head, Zion and Yoon-seo quickly became close with the Demon God as their medium.
“So do you know how absurd it was?”
Yoon-seo escalated the Life Four Cuts episode.
“A ‘ZZZ’ popped up on the machine’s screen?”
“Yes! Sun-woo Hyung even said the machine would feel light after sleeping and waking up!”
Zion burst into laughter.
“Really? Such a thing happened too? What else?”
“There’s more. Last time—”
Yoon-seo got excited and tried to pull out another episode.
Not talking behind his back, but right in front of him.
The subject of Demon God Sun-woo was endless. Even if left alone, the two seemed likely to blossom in conversation the entire time.
“Excuse me? Am I not right next to you. I can hear everything, though?”
““Go over there for a moment.””
“…….”
The Demon God thought he had chosen the wrong members, but soon forgot about it.
Let’s punish them later by binding them together and inflicting hardships.
Today, he decided to focus on his goal.
“Converse later. Zion, guide the way.”
“Ah! Right!”
Zion abruptly snapped out of it from the Sun-woo behind-the-scenes stories Yoon-seo provided.
Checking the address and map on his phone, he took the lead.
“It’s this alley right here. Yes, that building.”
A two-story abandoned building.
A worn and shabby exterior. Peeling paint on the walls. Broken windows could be seen too.
Just how many years has it been left neglected.
Zion looked up at the building.
“Ugh—, it’s truly dreary.”
“It’s scary….”
However, a signboard was attached in front of it.
[NJ Entertainment]
“Hm?”
“It was an entertainment agency?”
“Huh? There was no such mention in the ghost story.”
This is precisely one of the charms of seeking out the source of a ghost story. There are details that do not appear in the story and can only be confirmed by visiting directly.
“If so, is the woman in the mirror perhaps something like a trainee’s vengeful spirit?”
Yoon-seo cautiously guessed.
“A trainee who couldn’t debut?”
“Or by an accident during practice—”
Zion also continued the guessing.
“That could be. There are many entertainment agency ghost stories, after all.”
“Right. Trainees’ stress is severe too….”
“But for that, asking only if she is pretty is somewhat strange, though?”
Zion tilted his head.
“Usually, if it’s a vengeful spirit, shouldn’t they do something scarier?”
“I know, right.”
The two continued guessing, but.
“Why guess here?”
The Demon God made no guesses.
They had already come right in front of the building. Isn’t it a matter of going inside to find out?
Trainee’s vengeful spirit or whatever, it was equal before the Demon God. If a spirit, it lives; if an evil spirit, it is dissipated.
“Follow.”
The Demon God opened the door of the abandoned building and moved his steps to the second floor without hesitation.
Tap. The Demon God’s footsteps were heard.
Tap, patter. Zion’s and Yoon-seo’s footsteps followed.
The Demon God’s footsteps were steady. But the footsteps of the two following behind gradually slowed. And—with a halt, they stopped.
“Hm?”
The Demon God looked back, wondering if some trap had activated. There were no signs, though?
And as expected.
“Well…. I’m not really the experience-seeking type.”
“Me too. It’s scary, I tell you.”
Zion and Yoon-seo were simply standing near the stairs….
“You are not entering together?”
The two shook their heads simultaneously.
The Demon God was dumbfounded.
Leaving them behind and entering was more comfortable. Also, although a ghost story is a scary thing to an ordinary human—
“Then why did you come?”
“Realism? Vicarious satisfaction?”
“If by any chance you need help, please call us!”
It was even more absurd statements.
“Vicarious satisfaction, they say. Furthermore, as if I would need help.”
A ghost story was a word attached from the human perspective, and to the Demon God, it was merely a trivial matter.
The Demon God shook his head and entered the second-floor hallway alone.
Even in the midst of this, he did not forget to completely conceal his Aura. Lest the evil spirit gets startled by the Demon God’s status and runs away, which would make coming here meaningless.
Creak— He found the practice room and opened the door as Zion had told him.
And. There was no need to even find which mirror it was. Except for a single mirror, all the mirrors were broken.
“Hmm.”
The wall-mounted mirrors were all broken. The only one remaining was a full-length mirror with a stand. It seemed to be for checking outfits.
Inside it, a blurry shadow of a person surfaced.
While the Demon God approached forward, the shadow gradually became clear.
Looking at the age and attire, she was indeed a trainee.
A female in her late teens to early twenties. Clad in black training wear with her hair in a ponytail. Even though she was practicing, her makeup was as thick as stage makeup.
She was posing with a bright smile inside the mirror.
V-sign, heart, wink. She repeated various poses alone.
– Am I pretty?
The voice flowed out from inside the mirror.
The Demon God assessed whether the ‘trainee’ was a spirit or an evil spirit and reached a conclusion. And apart from his guess about her identity, he threw a question to the trainee.
“Who are you?”
The excitement doesn't stop here! If you enjoyed this, you’ll adore Star Switch Scandal. Start reading now!
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