Chapter 15: Shelter from the Storm

Was it exhaustion from being forced to peek into someone else’s unpleasant memories, or anger from witnessing acts more despicable than I had imagined? Seo Yi-han massaged his temples.

Honestly, I felt the same, so I asked the system.

“Can I go to the cafeteria now?”

I wanted to rest. With time frozen, I had no idea how much ground we had covered… I was just utterly tired. Hungry too, and even someone like me was mentally drained after witnessing a death so vividly.

[Quest complete! Current Insight: 17, Exorcism Power: 90%. Proceed to next action.]

The permission to go to the cafeteria was given, so there was no reason to linger. I carefully grabbed Seo Yi-han’s arm as he kept his head down.

“You okay? It seems almost over. Let’s get out of here first.”

Seo Yi-han stared at me with dazed eyes, then nodded and took a step. But he immediately staggered and grabbed the railing. Seeing him so weak softened my heart, and I supported him as we descended the stairs.

As Yi-han and I moved, the others, who had been wearing solemn expressions, followed in a line. Han Bo-bae was being supported by Yoon Soo-ah. I felt oddly like a mother duck, a complicated feeling.

When we finally exited the hated old school building, the drizzle had turned into a downpour.

We gathered at the main entrance, unable to go anywhere, and the building itself let out a low groan, as if telling us to get lost now that we had seen everything.

“Ah, shit, what do we do? Should we just run to the assembly ground in the rain?”

Yoon Soo-ah, who had been shuddering at the eerie sound of the building’s wail, suggested a solution as bold as her personality. Getting completely soaked and catching a fever would be a hassle, but we had no other options.

I glanced at the rain with irritation and was about to step out when Seo Yi-han, who had been looking half-dead, grabbed my shoulder.

“Wait.”

“Where are you going?”

Instead of answering, he patted my shoulder lightly and re-entered the building alone. It happened so fast I couldn’t stop him.

Has he lost his mind? I hurriedly opened the door to follow him. The creak of the old door made Seo Yi-han turn around, his eyes widening.

“I said wait a moment.”

“Where are you going alone? Do you want to die?”

“It doesn’t seem like there’s any harmful spirit in here.”

That might be true… but still, what if something happened? How could he have the guts to wander off alone?

As I rushed in, the others followed. Yoon Soo-ah, looking shocked, strode over and landed a heavy slap on Seo Yi-han’s back.

“Don’t act alone!”

“Well… we can’t just go out in this rain. I saw a large plastic sheet in the storage room we visited earlier, so I went to get it.”

Seo Yi-han scratched his chin and pointed to a large metal door just ahead. It was about thirty steps from the entrance. Only then did I understand why he had been so confident to come in alone.

Still, that didn’t justify it. I glared at him and muttered.

“Soo-ah is right. Be careful from now on.”

“Okay.”

Seo Yi-han replied with a smile in his eyes and added one more thing.

“Jae-yoon, you catch colds easily for some reason, so I was worried. I’ll let you know before I act next time.”

For some reason, my heart began to thump slowly.

Seo Yi-han brought two large blue plastic sheets from the storage room. They were waterproof covers used for sports equipment on the field. The items in the storage seemed to be used occasionally, so they were in decent condition.

He handed the larger one to Yoon Soo-ah. Then, wrapping his arm around my shoulder, he lifted the blue sheet over our heads.

“I’ll share this with Jae-yoon. That size should be enough for you three, right?”

“Yeah. Bo-bae, Kim Ji-ho. Come closer.”

Yoon Soo-ah spread the sheet wide to create space. Han Bo-bae and Kim Ji-ho quickly squeezed in. They held the edges of the sheet, and Yoon Soo-ah grabbed Han Bo-bae’s shoulder tightly and started running.

As soon as they stepped out of the main entrance, the rain hammered loudly against the waterproof fabric.

Watching their backs, I prepared to run too. I couldn’t let too much distance form, but Seo Yi-han kept fiddling with the sheet and showed no signs of starting.

I saw what he was doing: he was pulling the sheet toward me.

Thanks to him giving me most of the sheet, nearly half my upper body was covered. Seo Yi-han, on the other hand, barely had his head covered. As soon as we went out, his exposed shoulders would get soaked.

Even in a split-the-last-bite bet, you wouldn’t divide so unfairly. It was as if he was volunteering to take the smaller piece.

After meticulously covering even my sides with the sheet, Seo Yi-han finally let out a satisfied smile and hurried his steps.

I sighed at the absurdity and pushed the sheet back toward him. But he stopped again and adjusted it.

I pushed aside the sheet covering my eyes and asked.

“Do you have a hobby of getting wet in the rain?”

“Of course not.”

His answer was normal… but even as he said that, his hands were busy. At this rate, he’d only end up covering the very top of his head.

“If you give it all to me, what about you?”

“I already got wet from the drizzle earlier.”

“So did I.”

Earlier, the rain was like dew, so it didn’t matter much. My hair and clothes had already dried completely. But now, it was pouring so heavily that it stung the skin.

Besides, the sheet was quite large. If we shared it fairly, it could cover our shoulders. Why was he so insistent on sacrificing his share?

I looked at him in confusion, and his lips parted. His eyes were fixed on me with a gentle gaze.

“But… remember that time when we got caught in the rain together, and you got really sick? At the valley.”

By now, I was used to hearing about my own unknown past from Seo Yi-han’s mouth without showing surprise. I averted my eyes slightly and mumbled.

“That… was when we were kids…”

“Still. I was so scared that time. We barely made it back to the village, and the next day you collapsed with a raging fever.”

Seo Yi-han’s expression grew serious, as if recalling that moment. Apparently, we had gone to a stream near his family home and got caught in a sudden rain. And while sturdy Yi-han came out fine, I ended up sick.

As a child, my small frame and cursed constitution—beloved by evil spirits—made me prone to frequent illnesses. That memory seemed to have left a deep impression on Seo Yi-han.

Whether a friend getting a cold should be that shocking—well, he’s always been overly sensitive, so I ignored it.

As we went back and forth with the sheet in this altruistic tug-of-war, Yoon Soo-ah, who had gone ahead, looked back. Seeing that we weren’t following, she stopped awkwardly in the rain, unable to call out loudly.

“Hey, let’s go. They’re waiting.”

“Okay. You take this.”

He wouldn’t budge if I didn’t accept, so I reluctantly took it. Only then did Seo Yi-han start moving.

Back at the assembly ground, Seo Yi-han was soaked from his shoulder down. I clicked my tongue and wrung out the hem of his shirt, and he just smiled brightly, water dripping off him.

Drops from his shirt fell onto my dry clothes, leaving spots.

***

The kids were silent for a while. Well, after a fantasy-like experience of light rising from the stairs and witnessing a raw scene of death.

Only the sound of the torrential rain erased the silence. It was raining so heavily that I briefly fantasized we were near a waterfall in my hometown valley.

“Didn’t you say we need to appease it? With what?”

Yoon Soo-ah was the first to speak. She wore a sour expression, clearly displeased that we had to pacify and send off that kind of spirit.

Honestly, I agreed a hundred percent, but the solution was set. And now, we just had to find the braised ribs.

Boss fight clearance was absurdly easy. It was just that finding clues was too grindy. Thinking indifferently, I asked in return.

“When you first saw that ghost, what stood out the most?”

“Jaw?”

Kim Ji-ho answered, trembling. Not the answer I expected… but the ghost’s jaw was hanging half-separated, so it must have left a strong impression.

“Arm!”

“Tongue!”

Yoon Soo-ah and Han Bo-bae also listed body parts like they were guessing a quiz. Other than those, didn’t anyone focus on something more auditory? No decent answers came.

“Hmm… I think it kept smacking its lips.”

Seo Yi-han! The team’s ace gave the right answer. I nodded happily at the awaited response, and Seo Yi-han smiled and tapped the top of his head. It seemed like a silent signal asking to be patted.

Does he not realize his own size? I have no taste for patting the head of a man taller than me. I ignored that pitiful gesture and continued.

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