Ch. 98 - Eleventh Ghost Story - The Forgotten Friend (11)

“Would you like to have some snacks? Why don't you sit down?”

“Yes, thank you…”

The teacher soon headed to the kitchen which was partitioned by curtains at one side of the counseling room.

In cases for the students who need counseling, it’s common for parents to accompany them. Therefore, the counseling room has a kitchen-like area on one side, equipped with a refrigerator, sink, various teacups, and snacks to welcome guests.

“So? What’s going on?”

A friendly voice was heard from beyond the curtained kitchen.

"You graduated and didn't contact me for so many years, and now you come rushing in with your friends?"

Sitting on the sofa, Jinhee glanced at us and hesitantly replied.

“I came…. because of Eunjung.”

“Eunjung?”

“…Yes. Kim Eunjung.”

Clink- clack.

The teacher approached, holding a plate of snacks, teacups, and drinks.

After placing it on the table, the teacher sat on the sofa beside us.

"Eunjung... it's been six years. Such a long time since I heard that name.”

For a moment, we only exchanged glances.

She wasn’t like Jinhee’s friends who had forgotten about Eunjung. Rather, she appeared to be clearly familiar with the name.

“Why are you asking about Eunjung all of a sudden?”

“That…”

Jinhee showed hesitation.

“Eunjung… do you remember her?”

“Of course. How could I forget?”

Her expression was indifferent.

Just as we had expected, we came to the right place.

“That. Um…”

Jinhee seemed to be at a loss for how to explain the current situation.

‘Idiot. Just say that you came because you wanted to know how your old friend is doing, without mentioning the strange phenomenon.’

Beside Jinhee who was hesitating and stammering, we sighed inwardly and quietly drank our tea.

“That… how should I say it…”

The teacher couldn't help but laugh as she watched Jinhee continue to stutter.

“Jinhee, why are you being so shy today? When you were young, you would say whatever came to your mind.”

She's still like that, teacher.

Unable to bear it any longer, Gyeongwon whispered something to Jinhee.

Jinhee nodded as if she understood and finally started speaking properly.

“Eunjung… I came here because I wanted to know how she's doing.”

“....? Suddenly?”

The beautiful counselor tilted her head in an elegant pose.

“You didn't have her contact number back then?”

“...I didn’t have a cell phone at that time.”

“Oh, right, I’ve forgotten.”

The teacher clapped her hands and laughed.

“I also forgot that it was a long time ago. That’s why I always ran around the neighborhood to catch you when I couldn’t contact your father.”

“....Yes.”

Jinhee made an embarrassed expression.

It was a scene I’ve often seen in movies.

The usually delinquent student who bullies around his classmates becomes timid and shy in front of his teacher.

The teacher playfully slapped Jinhee’s wrist and then smiled before asking us.

“How is our Jinhee doing these days? Is she doing well at school?”

“Yes.”

Gyeongwon nodded affirmatively as if he was used to talking to adults.

“During the day, she goes to school, and at night, she works part-time to earn money and live diligently.”

“Oh really?”

The teacher smiled brightly in surprise.

“How about studying? Your midterm exams ended a while ago, right? How were your grades?”

“....I did my best.”

Jinhee answered curtly, looking away.

“I promised to become a manager by the time I turn 20… I just need to graduate.”

“Manager? What kind of manager?”

“Store manager in a shop, like the part-time job where I work right now.”

“Where is your workplace?”

The teacher smiled kindly and asked enthusiastically.

She seemed genuinely happy hearing about Jinhee's current life.

“....Um, it’s just a fast food restaurant in the city.”

“Where’s the fast food restaurant?”

In front of the disarming gentle smile, Jinhee kept scratching her head awkwardly.

“There’s a McDonald’s in front of ShinLim Station…”

“I see~ Why haven't I noticed it before? I go there so often.”

“Well…”

It's probably because she works there illegally at night.

The teacher, smiling and nodding her head with her short hair bobbing up and down, didn’t seem to have any intention of discouraging the student from not studying.

“That's fine. Decide quickly what you want to do. These days, there are plenty of graduates who can't decide what major to choose or utilize their majors properly and end up hanging around fast-food places.”

“Yes.”

At her words, I couldn't help but think ‘Is that so?’

Having started her social life early, Jinhee nodded calmly, as if she already knew this fact.

“Being a manager means you'll be a full-time employee, and there's not much risk of being laid off. You could even become a department manager if you work long enough... But the three long shifts can be tough. Are you okay with that?”

“I’m fine.”

Jinhee answered bluntly in response to the teacher who was tilting her head with a worried expression.

“I still work there during nighttime. I’ve gotten used to it.”

“What?”

The teacher exclaimed in surprise.

“But it’s illegal for minors!”

“It’s okay, I work there with my sister's identity.”

That sounds like identity forgery.

Somehow, I wondered how a 17-year-old could work night shifts.

“What about your sister? If people know it, won't your income be caught? Is she okay with that?”

“That’s okay too. She's a freelancer, so it’s reported as having a side job.”

“....I can’t believe you.”

The teacher shook her head.

It was the face of a teacher who met her mischievous student in a long time, as if they had gone back in time six years ago.

“I’ve already saved up ten million won.”

“This girl!”

The teacher slapped Jinhee’s wrist, who was smiling proudly.

“What's the point of saving money through illegal means while harming your body? The night shifts are so tough..."

“It will be legal when I become an adult anyway.”

Jinhee scratched her head awkwardly.

“And I’m confident in my physical ability…”

“I know. But what’s tough is tough.”

Eventually, she smiled helplessly as if she could do nothing in front of her stubborn student.

Jinhee also seemed to have gotten over her awkwardness and was smiling slyly.

It was a heartwarming scene to see the teacher and student reconnecting after a long time, but we needed to get to the main point.

I reached behind Sunah's back, who was sitting next to me with a blank face, and poked Jinhee's shoulder.

Jinhee looked up at me and hummed, she nodded in understanding before speaking up.

“....That Eunjung.”

“Oh, yeah, Eunjung. What's the matter?”

The teacher poured in the cups of those of us who had finished their drinks.

“How is she doing these days? She transferred to an alternative school back then, right?”

The teacher, who had been silently filling the teacups, eventually put down the beverage container and let out a sigh.

“Eunjung…”

The teacher spoke hesitantly, her expression grim.

She looked somewhat very sad.

“Eunjung… had a terrible accident at the school she transferred to.”

“.... Terrible accident?”

Jinhee blankly stared at the teacher.

“Yeah.”

All of our expressions froze.

A moment of silence flowed through the counseling room.

Feeling that something was off, Jinhee asked again.

“What kind of accident?”

“....Haaa.”

The teacher sighed sadly and looked at us with a curious expression.

“But what is your relationship with Eunjung? What I'm about to tell you might not sound good to hear.”

“Well, we….”

Gyeongwon stammered, so I stepped instead of him and explained.

“We all went to the same elementary school around here. We used to play together with Eunjung often through Jinhee when we were young.”

“....Is that so?”

The teacher raised her eyebrows.

However, it wasn’t really something to find fault with, so she sighed deeply and continued speaking as if she decided to reveal everything.

“The alternative school where Eunjung transferred to was located in the mountain area, and it also had a dormitory.”

“…Yes.”

“Eunjung had to live there and study. But an accident happened less than a month later.”

“....What kind of accident?”

“Eunjung snuck out of her dorm in the middle of the night and attempted to climb down the mountain. But she misstepped and…”

We gulped nervously.

It seemed impolite to ask, 'So, did she die?'.

As we searched for the right words, the teacher began to phrase it gently.

“From our school, only teachers attended the funeral.”

“……”

“I’m sorry…. For keeping it hidden from you. I was worried you might feel guilty for her death at such a young age..."

Jinhee appeared to be dazed, perhaps a little shocked.

She must have never imagined that right after transferring, Eunjung would pass away.

"At that time, with all those incidents involving lizards and rabbits... Jinhee, your interview was the final nail in the coffin when the education officials came to investigate…."

“……”

“That’s why I didn't mention it, because I was worried you might feel guilty about Eunjung going to the alternative school and what happened to her. I'm sorry."

The teacher warmly held Jinhee’s hand.

Jinhee shook her head a few times, her emotions tangled, then leaned back against the sofa.

“...But teacher. Why don’t the other kids remember Eunjung?”

Jinhee slowly closed her eyes and muttered.

“It’s as if she never existed in the first place… No one remembers her…”

“...Are you talking about your friends who didn't come to school much?"

The teacher answered calmly while holding her hand.

“If it's about them, it seems like they aren't the only people who don't remember Eunjung, there might be no one else in the class who does either. You all always stuck together and skipped a lot of classes, so you or her didn’t really interact with the other students..."

“That’s true…”

The teacher slowly released Jinhee's hand as she furrowed her brow and leaned more on the sofa.

“I have to make a phone call, I'll be back after. You can stay here and talk.”

“Yes…”

A somewhat heavy atmosphere filled the counseling room.

The teacher seemed to be considerate, perhaps to give us some space to process our emotions, she stepped outside.

“This is a headache…”

Gyeongwon leaned back on the sofa, almost lying down.

He closed his eyes and sighed, trying to organize his thoughts.

‘Huuu.’

I agree.

‘This is truly a headache, now we have no way to solve it either.’

I was also exhausted from rushing here all the way here in one go.

I quietly tried to process the conclusion in my mind, faced with a somewhat futile situation.

‘… She died a long time ago. What happened then?’

The real Kim Eunjung passed away in the fourth grade of elementary school, right after transferring to another school.

And six years later, whether it was a misunderstanding or coincidence, none of Jinhee's friends remembered her.

At the same time, someone claiming to be Kim Eunjung began to slowly infiltrate the daily lives of our club members after hearing the story from Jinhee.

1. If this entity claiming to be Kim Eunjung was indeed her ghost, then why was it completely different in personality and background from the real Kim Eunjung when she was alive?

2. Conversely, if this entity was merely an imitation born from a ghost story and has nothing to do with the real deceased person. Why was it so fixated on the name Kim Eunjung and the fact that she was our friend before transferring schools?

‘I don't know. My head isn't working well.'

At that moment when I was grappling with my tangled thoughts, a sudden message from the system flashed in front of me.

[Special Ability ‘Life Design’ has activated.]

Poof-

[Commit suicide right now.]

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