Chapter 14: The Ghost’s Memory

“Now where are we going?”

“The newspaper club room.”

Once we find the class newspaper, the clue hunt is almost over. After obtaining it, we can head to the left hall on the second floor stairs and replay the ghost’s memory, then make our way to the cafeteria.

I was also curious how memory playback would work in reality. In the game, you just went to the place of death and double-clicked an item to automatically play a video.

And the ghost’s memory was described as visible to everyone. So, unlike the system window, it probably wasn’t something only I could see.

‘A mass hallucination?’

That would be funny. Thinking that, I opened the door to the newspaper club room. The club room was on the same floor as the classroom, making it easy to find. Not having to go up and down those dangerous stairs put my mind at ease.

The club room was quite spacious, proving the club’s long history wasn’t just empty words. It seemed they once also did broadcasting activities, as recording and broadcasting equipment were set up on one side.

In horror movies, it’s always at times like this that a rusty microphone screams.

“Kyaaaak!”

As soon as I thought that, a shrill woman’s scream filled the room. Thanks to my earlier instruction not to scream no matter what, the kids didn’t cause a big commotion.

“It’s fine. It’s just playing tricks. The other ghosts can’t hear it anyway.”

After telling them to ignore it, I headed toward a pile of boxes in the corner. The kids, who had hesitated for a moment, soon scattered and busied themselves sorting through newspapers published in 2008.

So, while listening to ear-piercing screams, we found the class newspaper article from the time of the incident.

“<1st Grade>?”

At Han Bo-bae’s murmur, everyone abandoned their boxes and gathered around. The screams continued, but now they seemed to be treated as just background music. Everyone’s adaptation speed was remarkable.

“Lee Ji-hoon, that’s the ghost from earlier, right?”

“Yeah… he died at school.”

Han Bo-bae, who would normally have offered condolences, just muttered bitterly. Well, after seeing the video of him bullying others, and the note mocking death clearly aimed at Lee Ji-hoon, no one felt sympathy.

Seo Yi-han picked up the newspaper, illuminated it with his phone, and read the contents in a smooth, beautiful voice.

His pronunciation was accurate, his voice pleasant, and full of power. Naturally, we pricked up our ears and focused on Seo Yi-han’s voice.

“On May 15, a tragic accident occurred on the stairs of the left hall on the second floor of the high school division. Student Lee Ji-hoon of class 1-5 slipped and fell to his death. May his soul rest in peace…”

“Do they write stuff like this in a class newspaper…?”

Yoon Soo-ah frowned and questioned. Yeah. Usually, serious news about someone’s death isn’t written in a class newspaper.

But this is a game. In terms of plausibility, the fact that we were doing this at all didn’t make sense. Yoon Soo-ah seemed to have just spoken on impulse, quickly dismissing her doubt.

[Quest: Go to the second-floor stairs and glimpse the ghost’s memory! Current Exorcism Power: 70%]

The system window that appeared was also smooth. Good, everything was going smoothly. Just then, Seo Yi-han, who had finished reading the newspaper, glanced at me and opened his mouth.

“I think we’ve pretty much found out everything about the deceased… What do we do now?”

“Let’s go to the place mentioned in the article.”

Seo Yi-han seemed to have completely calmed down, his eyes returning to their original gentle look. Earlier, when he was rummaging through the trash pile instead of me, there was a slight intensity in his eyes.

I was curious about what had made him angry, but also what had made him calm down.

When I stared at him, Seo Yi-han smiled brightly, as if he had no worries. He really was a mysterious guy from head to toe.

Now that his hands were clean and he had nothing to worry about, Seo Yi-han clung to me again. I didn’t bother pushing him away, only told him to take good care of the newspaper. He hugged it tightly to his chest.

Right before we left, Yoon Soo-ah either stroked or hit the microphone head. Anyway, except for that unexpected act, we left the club room without incident.

I muttered a nagging reminder to Yoon Soo-ah not to provoke even insignificant ghosts unnecessarily.

***

The kids showed no sign of going down the stairs from the third floor. Now that they knew it was the place where someone died, they seemed uneasy.

Only I and Seo Yi-han, who was acting with me, moved without hesitation.

We went down to the second-floor stairs and gestured to the kids above. Eventually, with faces that seemed to have accepted their fate, the kids slowly came down the stairs.

If I could do it alone, I would have told them to stay above, but since this seemed to be an important part of the story, I didn’t want to risk the system doing something crazy if I proceeded without them.

“Wh-Wh-What are we going to do here…?”

Kim Ji-ho, who had started stuttering again, asked. I half-listened, then took the newspaper from Seo Yi-han’s arms and threw it away.

The newspaper rustled as it rolled down the stairs. At the same time, a strange light began to emanate along the trajectory of the rolling paper.

I felt a floating sensation similar to being hit by a truck, and I focused on the laughter coming from somewhere.

It was a familiar sound. The scene from the video we played in the computer room was unfolding vividly before my eyes.

The male student with a name tag that read Kim Joon-soo was crouched down while the students who had poured milk on him spat at him and disappeared.

There were many people around, but no one seemed to think of approaching and helping him. Kim Joon-soo stumbled to his feet and walked alone to the bathroom to wash himself.

I could see him clenching his fists and muttering curses.

Then the scene shifted to show Lee Ji-hoon sitting in his classroom, giggling.

This time, he was threatening his classmates and taking their money. Given that they attended this school, their families were probably well off, but this was just for his own satisfaction.

Lee Ji-hoon, who succeeded in taking a whole wallet, whistled.

Then another scene change. This time, an unfamiliar middle-aged woman stood in what looked like a home kitchen. She looked at Lee Ji-hoon with worried eyes and said,

“The school called. This time…”

“Ah, f*ck. I told you to mind your own business.”

Great, a bully and a disrespectful son. I clicked my tongue in sympathy for the middle-aged woman. She was probably Lee Ji-hoon’s mother, and with a son like that, she must have had a lot of heartache.

She seemed afraid of her own son, unable to come close, only fidgeting her fingers. Lee Ji-hoon, not hiding his sneer at the sight, picked up his bag and said,

“If you’re coming to school, handle it yourself. I’m going.”

“J-Ji-hoon, wait! I made braised short ribs, at least eat breakfast…”

Without a word, Lee Ji-hoon slammed the front door shut.

The woman, having rushed out, stared at the closed door with a hollow expression, then began to prepare to go out. She seemed to be heading to school to sort out the trouble Lee Ji-hoon had caused.

Lee Ji-hoon bullied Kim Joon-soo again that day. This time, it was on the second-floor stairs. Even knowing his mother was coming to school, the bastard showed no restraint.

“Look at this bastard cowering! He looks like a turtle!”

“That’s hilarious. Who wants to smash his shell?”

Just as Lee Ji-hoon raised his foot with full force to kick Kim Joon-soo, Lee Ji-hoon’s mother, who had just arrived at school, and a man who seemed to be a teacher saw the scene from the first floor and shouted.

“Lee Ji-hoon! What do you think you’re doing! On the day your mother comes, you still…!”

“Ah.”

Lee Ji-hoon stopped giggling and looked down with an annoyed face. Even under his mother’s shaking gaze, he remained unfazed. Then, Lee Ji-hoon’s eye level shook.

“Die!”

Kim Joon-soo, who had suddenly stood up, pushed Lee Ji-hoon with all his might. Just before falling, Lee Ji-hoon looked back at Kim Joon-soo with wide eyes, but that was it.

Lee Ji-hoon’s body rolled down with a light sound. Each time he hit the stairs, the sound of something breaking echoed loudly. The students below bustled about, moving to avoid Lee Ji-hoon. No one tried to catch him.

With the image of his mother wailing and rushing toward him as the last thing, Lee Ji-hoon’s eyes closed. And so the memory playback ended.

“…….”

“…….”

The atmosphere was somber. It seemed I wasn’t the only one who saw it; all the kids were silent, their mouths shut tight. The first to break the silence with dramatic fuss was Kim Ji-ho.

“I’m not the only one who saw that, right? What the hell was that!”

“Serves him right.”

Yoon Soo-ah replied coldly. Truly, there was no other word to describe it. Serves him right. A piece of trash did trashy things and died like trash.

It was such a typical death that I didn’t feel an ounce of sympathy. Rather, I was more worried about whether Kim Joon-soo would serve time for murder.

“I feel sick…”

Han Bo-bae staggered as if she was about to throw up. Seo Yi-han, who was holding his forehead, also muttered in a tired voice.

“I think we’ve found out everything we need to…”

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