Ch. 101 - Eleventh Ghost Story - The Forgotten Friend (14)

The sad truth is that psychopathy cannot be cured through treatment.

The only option is to adapt through training. You have to personally instill in them firsthand what level of aggression and behavior is acceptable in society.

This kind of psychological treatment and socialization training needs to be conducted consistently through professionals, making it quite challenging.

"...But is that really possible through a school teacher?"

In Eunjung's case, from what I heard through Jinhee, it didn't seem like she had received treatment at a professional institution.

She just had a counseling session at school every day after class.

That also involved a suspicious counselor who seemed to be in a cahoot with an unknown force.

“It’s impossible. Getting treatment through a school teacher is impossible.”

Teacher Jang Hwaeun sighed and shook her head.

It's already a relatively unfamiliar concept, and six years ago, societal awareness was even weaker than it is now.

I suddenly remembered the psychopathy test I had taken before.

It was definitely just an internet ghost story, which borrowed themes of psychopathy, and focused only on being interesting.

It is known that it has not been long since this kind of disorder was seriously being treated as a disability in our country, regardless of people’s opinions seeing them as a villain in the media.

“Most parents don't even have the awareness that they should seek help from a hospital.”

The Teacher explained it carefully.

“Since training to adapt to society mostly takes place in daily life, the determination of the family is ultimately the most important factor. But awareness in this area is still developing slowly, treatment is not easy in South Korea.”

As part of the treatment, hospitals often have family members memorize booklets on ‘What to say and what not to say’.

They might also have families to raise an animal and keep observation journals at home, or summarize how far certain behaviors are socially acceptable by having the patient watching newspapers or news.

“It seems like they have to learn all those things step by step…”

“That’s right.”

At that moment, Jinhee, who had been quietly listening to the conversation until now, asked.

"Are there specific lists of things that should be said or shouldn't be said? What are….”

“For example, when asked why it’s wrong to harm animals, responses like "It’s a bad thing!" or "It’s pitiful!" are considered the worst answers.”

That was exactly what Jinhee said to her partner.

“Don’t feel too guilty.”

I looked at Jinhee and tried to comfort her.

“It doesn’t seem like a minor disorder that can be twisted just by a few words.”

“……”

“You've known her for less than half a year, so your influence probably wasn’t that significant.”

Jinhee remained unresponsive.

I looked back at the Teacher and asked again.

“Then how should I answer a question like that?”

“You should at least respond with some logical structure. You can also reference the law if you want.”

From what she heard from families of actual patients, one of the better responses is that "people dislike killing animals for no benefit to themselves," or that "when killing animals for food, there are legally defined slaughter methods prescribed by law, and they dislike deviating from those". These are some of the answers they can give.

“It’s troublesome.”

“If you answer like this for them to understand, they would know it’s not about understanding, but about accepting it and adding it to the list of things they shouldn’t do. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Yes, thank you.”

I looked at the club members.

Gyeongwon was looking at me with an expression of pure admiration.

It was as if he wanted to say, ‘Now it's time for the Club Prez to sort everything out.’

However, what flowed through the clubroom was silence, not an answer.

“....Prez?”

“What?”

Gyeongwon shrugged.

“We have to proceed.”

“To do what?”

Gyeongwon made a bewildered expression as if he couldn't understand.

“What! Now we have to exorcise the ghost and solve the case!”

“How?”

Gyeongwon looked at me with an expression that seemed like he couldn’t comprehend my words.

“Prez should be the one telling us that.”

I burst out laughing at his words as he said with a tone as if it was obvious.

What on earth does this guy think of me?

“We have all the information now! What kind of disability did Kim Eunjung have in real life, how did she die, and how did that counselor scheme to transfer her to a special school for their organization, right?”

“Right.”

“Then now all you have to do is suggest a solution!”

I don’t know, you idiot.

You come up with a solution.

But I couldn’t express it out loud. Even so, I was the President of the club, so I had to take responsibility and guide the situation.

‘Huuu.’

I silently folded my arms and started pondering again.

Was there no other way?

Although, as Gyeongwon said, I have gained much more information than before, I still haven’t found anything that would directly help in solving the current case.

“....You really don’t know? I thought you, as the President, would know…”

Gyeongwon was flustered when he saw my frozen expression.

The other members were also surprised.

“Oi, you piece of sh*t. Don’t be like that, think about it. There must be some way!”

“Joon… You really can’t think of anything…?”

These guys’ have serious unexpected expectations of me.

They were all clamoring for me to come up with a solution.

But this time, I couldn’t help but sigh and shake my head.

“Anyone have a good idea for catching a ghost that needs to get psychological treatment?”

The members all just dumbfoundedly looked at me.

“I, Isn't it clear that if we send a message she'll reply? Can’t you convince her somehow….”

“Go ahead.”

Dukhun hurriedly took out his phone, mumbling to himself as he sent a text to Kim Eunjung.

“You… shouldn’t pretend to be someone else’s… friend… that's socially… unacceptable… behavior…”

Buzz, buzz.

Then, the cell phone vibrated with the reply that came right away.

The response-

[Kim Eunjung]

[010-4444-4444]

- Aren’t you the one who’s pretending not to remember? We were so close… Anyway, let’s talk face to face during the closing ceremony.

“Did it work?”

“....No.”

Dukhun looked at his cell phone with a disappointed face.

“Listen.”

I started to make the members understand what the current situation was.

“I think I've more or less revealed the backstory and the mastermind behind the ghost story, but the most important issue of how to keep Kim Eunjung from coming is still unresolved.”

“....What’s the harm if she actually comes?” Jinhee said bluntly.

“That counseling teacher fabricated everything, and the real Eunjung hasn't really done anything wrong. So, isn't it okay if she comes?”

If she was a psychopathic murderer, she should have been stopped anyhow, however, since she was just a child with slight social disabilities who became a ghost, is it really necessary to make such a big deal about it? That was Jinhee's opinion.

But I couldn’t help but shake my head.

“....Whether she was good when she was alive or not, that’s not the main issue.”

“Then?”

“The important thing is that it’s a ghost story sent by the Demon King.”

I stood in front of the whiteboard once again and explained everything.

“Judging from the counselor teacher’s reaction in the previous timeline, it was clear that they were definitely involved in the incident from six years ago. However, she seemed to have no idea about the appearance of Kim Eunjung as the current ghost story.”

“That’s true. But what does that mean…”

“That means, regardless of what happened six years ago, the current ghost story wasn’t sent by the hidden force in the school.”

I explained that the past and current events were matters that should be viewed separately.

“The strange teachers at school have nothing to do with the current situation. The current supernatural phenomenon is clearly the result of the Demon King linking the story of ‘a friend we played with when we were young but no one remembers’ that Jinhee told us yesterday with the ghost story that was floating around the world.”

“I still can't understand on what basis you're claiming that the Demon King sent it.”

It seemed that the explanation hadn't been provided in the current timeline yet. So I started to explain that part again.

‘Does the original personality remain in an entity that has been superimposed by a ghost story?’

No.

The one now is a completely different person.

Just by looking at Teacher Jang Hwaeun, who gets possessed by ghost stories often whenever she encounters them, makes it clear. I could also understand by recalling my own memories during the incident with the Psychology Test, when my consciousness was being assimilated into the ghost story as I answered the questions in reverse.

At that time, I was aware that I was someone named Lee Joon, but my way of thinking and actions were completely different.

“That’s why we must stop it. Your friend, who appeared back as the ghost story, is a completely different being than when she was alive.”

Whether we were aware of it or not, there was a strong possibility that the being that had infiltrated us would cause internal strife or engage in dangerous acts according to its own intentions.

And our memories would be distorted, so we would be swept away without even realizing what was happening.

Jinhee, with a bitter expression, showed a troubled look.

“There is no time. It's not that we're the bad ones. And I am sorry, but I can’t think of any new methods. I think we will have no choice but to use the same methods we used last time.”

“If you're talking about the method we used in the previous timeline, then it would be, ‘Fabricating evidence to make it so that Eunjung can’t come to school’. We have no choice but to try that again.”

“....But isn’t that just making her delay just for a day?”

Dukhun grumbled, perhaps because he felt upset for being dumped by Eunjung, who he didn’t even meet or remember.

“P, Prez. If you can’t think of a good method, how about thinking about it a little more? Delaying it by a day won’t make much of a difference-”

“Listen.”

I said to Gyeongwon, who was fidgeting restlessly, with a somewhat stern expression.

“It’s not delaying for a day, but for three years.”

“Three years?”

The members showed puzzled expressions.

“Yes.”

As I silently nodded, the members looked at each other with slightly bewildered expressions.

Then, suddenly, Gyeongwon let out a ‘Ah!’ and gasped in surprise as he shot up from his seat.

“That… That’s right! This is unbelievable!”

He began clapping his hands and shouting.

“3 years! As expected! Wow!”

Then, he started jumping around like a monkey, shouting with excitement.

“As expected! As expected~! Prez has found a solution! As expected!”

“……”

“Pretending there’s no way! Wow! Wow! I knew there had to be a way~! Wow! The President is amazing!”

Wooaahh!

The President is amazing!

He began admiring me as he clapped excitedly, enjoying the moment all by himself.

Was that really that surprising?

It’s true that there really wasn't a way to defeat it, and it was not just a fake either.

"Prez, you're crazy! How did you think of that? Three years! Wow! How could you come up with that?"

Gyeongwon shook his head wildly, screaming and dancing around.

"Wow! Really! Hehe... I can’t help but be amazed! This is insane! Wow! I'm so glad I joined the Ghost Story Club! It's the best!"

Gyeongwon, who had been bending and straightening his waist in wild spasms, soon started clapping and jumping around like a monkey again.

‘Has he gone crazy?’

I felt the gazes of the other members watching him in confusion, as if asking silently why he was behaving like that. So I reached out my hand to calm Gyeongwon down.

“Calm down, sit down properly.”

Letting out a series of giggles, he finally sat down.

"Listen. The only reason we could keep her from coming to school for a day is by saying she broke up with Dukhun. We have to continue just like this, fabricating various pieces of evidence to continuously create reasons for her to not come.”

“But why 3 years…?”

Sunah asked with a bewildered expression.

“If she comes three years later…”

“By then, won't we be graduating from school already and no longer need to attend school?”

Dukhun suggested with a puzzled expression, but everyone shook their heads in disagreement.

"She can also appear in our houses. I don't think she's the type to give up just because we've graduated..."

Suddenly, a low laugh echoed from somewhere.

“Hehe… it seems no one understands what Prez meant.”

Gyeongwon pushed his glasses as he laughed proudly.

"The meaning of the three years mentioned by Prez. Am I the only one here who understands?"

“No. I understood that too.”

Hayoon said expressionlessly, her chin resting on her hand.

“It’s because of the Demon King.”

“… Demon King?”

The rest of the members looked even more bewildered.

I nodded at Hayoon, indicating that she was correct.

“Listen. The current incident is a ghost story created by the Demon King. Then, what if three years from now, we prevent the resurrection of the Demon King and reach a good ending?”

Will Kim Eunjung come back and pat us on the back after that?

“....Naruhodo (I understand).”

Dukhun finally understood and folded his arms, smiling.

“So you come up with this idea from the game’s structure where the insignificant mobs disappear on their own after you defeat the final boss.”

I nodded.

That’s right.

There’s no way the insignificant mobs that were missed in the beginning part of the game would chase the protagonist all the way to the ending.

Letting out an exclamation of ‘Ah’, the rest of the members and the Teacher nodded.

“The reason I said there’s no good method is that this isn't a way to defeat it. It's just a trick to postpone it for three years, allowing us to avoid confrontation."

“Indeed, it's hard to imagine that even after stopping the Demon King’s resurrection and reaching the ending, we would still be entangled in the ghost story. Wonderful!”

Bang!

Dukhun hit the desk loudly with his thick arms.

“He’s the man I acknowledge.”

Swiftly, my eyes shifted to Jinhee for a moment, but for some reason, she didn’t seem to have any intention of hitting Gyeongwon and Dukhun for making a fuss.

On the contrary, she appeared lost in thought, staring off into the distance as if her mind was elsewhere.

“I think it’s a good idea, Joon! But…”

Sunah nodded in agreement with a hopeful expression, but then she tilted her head, looking at me with confusion.

“Why does your expression look so down…?”

Amid the clapping and chattering of the members praising it as a good idea, the reason my expression was not so good.

That was the same reason why Jinhee seemed to be deep in thought now.

‘To keep her from coming to school by saying she broke up with Dukhun… and to postpone it for three years from there.'

Perhaps we might have to do something quite harsh to stop Eunjung.

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