Ch. 93 - Eleventh Ghost Story - The Forgotten Friend (6)

“Eunjung? You really don’t remember her?”

“Yes…”

When my Mom asked me with wide eyes, my Dad passed by chuckling.

“You two used to play and study together so often. What a surprise that you can't remember her.”

“Do you have any pictures?”

“Of course! You two used to hang out so often.”

My Mom responded as if it were only natural, and soon took out a photo album from the closet.

It was an album containing important moments from my life, such as pictures of my first birthday celebration or family outings, capturing memories from childhood to the present.

Since my parents, including me, started using smartphones, they stopped using the film camera to take pictures. So the album was old, only containing pictures up to my elementary school graduation.

“Here! Here you two.”

Mom searched through the album from my elementary school days and soon took out a few photos.

I approached her and stared at the photos intently. Indeed, there stood a girl beside me in the pictures whom I had no idea about.

A picture taken at Sports Day, where we were wearing gym clothes.

A picture of the two of us sitting in front of a cake at a birthday party.

A picture taken at a park, which seemed to be from a family outing.

‘....She’s cute.’

Though she looked small and delicate, she had large, bright eyes and a pure and innocent appearance. She also had a cheerful smile on her face in every photo.

“How about now? Do you remember her?”

“…Yes.”

I nodded my head vaguely, no matter what, I couldn't deny it any further.

“But which school did she transfer to?”

“I don’t know about that either… I only remember that her whole family moved together. Don't you have her contact number?”

“No, I don’t have her number…”

Although I said that, I couldn't help but check my phone and open the contacts list, just in case.

Among the few entries in my modest contact list, prominently occupying the top spot in the 'K' section was a new number.

[Kim Eunjung: 010-4444-4444]

Crazy.

This is.

“Oh, I’m going to wash up and prepare for bed.”

“I think your Dad is in the bathroom?”

“Then… whatever, I’ll go to my room first. I’m tired.”

“Okay.”

I left their room before I could start reminiscing about the past memories while looking through the album after a long time. But Mom, looking somewhat downcast, began sorting the photos, as if she felt a bit disappointed that I was going away.

However, even though I felt a bit guilty, I had more important things to worry about right now.

Hurrying into my room, I closed the door and quickly checked the group chat.

It seemed Hayoon, Jinhee, and Dukhun were already engaged in a lively discussion, perhaps they had also just checked the matter.

[Oh Dukhun: I noticed a new, unfamiliar ID ‘킂' in the friends list, which I discovered was one of the game members I used to play with over the years. The other group members said she used to play with us but after she had moved abroad for school, she hadn't been able to log in for the past few years.]

[Ahn Gyeongwon: '킂’???]

[Oh Dukhun: Probably the sound when pronouncing 'KEJ' in English? The initials of Kim Eunjung =i=]

[Lee Jinhee: Eunjung? You guys are not joking, are you?]

[In Hayoon: I also enquired about it. Turns out, I used to have a friend with the same name, Eunjung, who used to come over often when we were kids, but she had a habit of stealing things. Every time she came over, my PMP, pens, and other items would go missing.]

“Everyone is saying something different.”

I took a picture of the photo in the album that my mother showed me with my phone's camera and sent it to them.

Jinhee, who usually spaces out during this kind of discussion, confirmed that it was the face of her childhood friend.

[Lee Jinhee: It's so weird. Whenever I'm with you guys, strange things just keep happening.]

[Ahn Gyeongwon: 010-4444-4444? It's in my contacts too. What should I do?]

[Lee Joon: a number containing only the digit 4 can't be a valid number. We shouldn't contact it for now and consider it later.]

[T/N: in Korean, the number ‘4’ (사, ‘sa’) can have a negative connotation because it sounds similar to the word for ‘death’ (사, ‘sa’). Due to this association, some people avoid using the number 4, especially in contexts like building floors or room numbers, where it might be considered unlucky.]

We compiled the gathered information and discussed the matter in the group chat room until late at night.

To some, Eunjung was a quiet friend who didn't talk much, and to others, she was a diligent model student.

To some, she was a mischievous and irritating friend, while to others, she was a troubling child with a tendency to steal.

Although each member said something different about her personality, there was one common point in everyone's story: she was a close friend and that she transferred schools before graduation.

[Lee Joon: Phew;; Okay, it's 12 already. Let’s stop here for now and discuss the rest when we meet tomorrow.]

[Ahn Gyeongwon: Right. It’ll be much quicker to discuss it in person rather than through messages.]

[Lee Jinhee: I'm jealous, you guys are already going to bed.]

[Yoon Sunah: See you guys tomorrow~]

[In Hayoon: Sleep well, everyone.]

[Oh Dukhun: Oyasumi~ (it means ‘good night’ in Japanese lol]

[Yoon Sunah: Dukhun seems to be in a good mood….]

[Lee Jinhee: Dukhun, you b*stard, don't go to sleep. Reply when I message you, it's boring to work late at night.]

[Lee Jinhee: if you sleep, I'll make sure you're dead tomorrow.]

[Oh Dukhun: what a violent person~]

* * *

[2019, May 1st | Wednesday, 07:45 AM]

[Lee Joon: Number of Attempts - 2]

[Ghost Story Points: 67]

[Causality Rate: 14%]

While I was walking to school, I suddenly got a call from Gyeongwon.

[Prez, Prez… I think you should hurry up to school….]

“Why?”

[Kim Eunjung is in our class…]

I ran through the playground in a hurry and arrived at the classroom, panting.

Gyeongwon and Hayoon, who had arrived at school early like model students, raised their hands and waved at me from the teacher's desk.

“Here, the attendance book.”

Gyeongwon handed over our class’s attendance book.

On the current page, the name ‘Kim Eunjung’ was written as attendance number 4.

“I arrived early and had nothing to do, so I decided to open it just in case, and it was written there…”

Gyeongwon explained in a trembling voice, he seemed to be frightened by the unexpected development.

Hayoon, who was standing next to the teacher’s desk, suddenly looked at me and asked.

“What’s your thought, Joon?”

“…What?

She smiled brightly.

“About the current situation.”

What would I even think or do in this situation?

We just stumbled upon another ghost story.

“It seems like we're involved in another ghost story.”

“Yeah. So what are you planning to do?”

Hayoon again asked me curiously.

Several male students sitting in the class glance at Hayoon. Her presence seemed to have increased significantly after she stopped wearing her glasses.

“....Well. Uh, we should think of a way to resolve it?”

Then, Hayoon suddenly leaned in closer and asked again.

“How?”

For a moment, my face flushed red and I instinctively averted my gaze.

She was being so unnecessarily pushy today.

“Well, we should think about the method together…”

“Nothing is coming to your mind right now?”

She tilted her head with a probing gaze.

A few strands of black hair flowed down her clean jawline.

The corners of her lips slightly turned up.

“....Well, yeah. Nothing is coming to mind right now.”

“Hmm.”

“For now, let’s just wait and see how things turn up… Since I don’t know any other way…”

“Then, please share with me the method once you find out.”

She leaned forward again and whispered quietly.

“I’ll be waiting.”

Then, she chuckled softly and soon returned to her seat.

What the hell?

Why was she being like that?

‘But she’s pretty.’

Trying to calm my pounding heart, I turned my head to Gyeongwon.

He was looking at me expressionlessly.

‘What are you looking at, you idiot.’

After a while, Dukhun leisurely entered the classroom and put down his bag.

“Hello, Dukhun.”

“Good morning.”

Following that, the middle-aged, balding man with a protruding belly, who was none other than our homeroom teacher, entered through the front door.

At the same time, Sunah and Jinhee hurriedly entered through the back door, barely avoiding being late.

“Sunah is almost late again today. This teacher is slowly getting used to it.”

Perhaps the homeroom teacher was afraid of Jinhee, so he refrained from teasing her.

Jinhee also remained unspoken.

He quickly went to the podium and looked around the classroom.

“May, the month of Family Celebration, has already begun. This means it has already been two months since you all started at this school. Time really seems to fly. Today is Labourer Day, but I wonder why I am still working.”

[T/N: In South Korea, May is often referred to as the "Month of Family" (가정의 달, Gajeong-ui Dal) due to its numerous family-oriented holidays. It includes Children's Day on May 5th, Parents' Day on May 8th, and sometimes the celebration of family and gratitude in general. May Day is considered Labourer Day in South Korea.]

Roughly saying whatever he wanted to say, he opened the attendance book on the podium.

I hurriedly looked around the classroom, but I couldn’t see anyone who resembled Kim Eunjung.

I also began to wonder how the homeroom teacher would react to the name Kim Eunjung, who was number 4 in attendance.

With a pleased expression, the homeroom teacher looked around the classroom while holding the attendance book open.

“The 15th of May is Teacher’s Day, I hope everyone visits or contacts your teachers whom you have a favorable impression of on that day. I've been in the teaching profession for almost 30 years, and I still remember a student. He had a hobby of smoking marijuana in the back of the classroom every day……”

Just hurry up and call the attendance.

“...and one day, he started doing tumbling in the teachers' office. Haha, that guy was really something... Even now, thinking back, he was truly an unusual student. A few days after that, he suddenly got hit by a truck and died on the spot, though……”

Stop your unnecessary blabbering.

“Alright, then, I should start calling the attendance. Kang Junkoo.”

“Present.”

Finally.

I sat up straight.

“Kae Yoonjung.”

“Present.”

“Kim Bobae.”

“Present.”

“Kim Eunjung.”

No one answered.

The homeroom teacher immediately raised his head and looked around.

“Kim Eunjung?”

Dukhun, Sunah, and Jinhee, who had just arrived and were unaware of the situation, were surprised by the name.

They also began to look around with the teacher.

“Has Kim Eunjung arrived?”

“She has.”

Someone answered, and the homeroom teacher walked to the window and looked out at the playground.

“I guess she's late. She's running a lap on the playground over there.”

All eyes of the six members of our Ghost Story Club turned to the playground outside the window at those words.

My seat was by the window.

I quickly scanned the playground with my face pressed against the glass of the window.

However, for some reason, too many students were running around the playground and tangled up together. I couldn't distinguish who was who.

Was she there?

Among those students?

"Prez, have you seen her?"

Dukhun tapped me on the shoulder and asked with a serious face.

I scanned the people on the playground for a moment but soon shook my head.

"No, I can't understand who among those is her."

"Me too….”

"Since Children's Day falls on a Sunday, next Monday has been made a substitute holiday, right? I think that's a nice system. Anyway, let's stay positive and make the day useful.”

The homeroom teacher gave a brief remark and left the classroom. As soon as he left, the six members of our Ghost Story Club hurriedly headed for the hallway.

"Since she's late, we'll wait here. When she comes to the classroom, we can catch her right away."

Like this, members of the Ghost Story Club stood in the hallway with a tense atmosphere. Other students passed by us, trying to figure out what exactly happened that we were standing there.

However, even as time passed and it neared the start of the first period, no one had come into the classroom.

Then, we were noticed by the math teacher who was coming in for class.

“What are you guys doing standing in the hallway?”

“……”

“Go into the classroom. The class is about to start.”

The young unmarried math teacher, Oh Junkho.

He was also one of those people working with the unknown dark force at school.

“Yes.”

In the end, we couldn't confirm anything and had to go back into the class.

“The equation of the tangent to a circle given the slope is….”

Although the class had started, our gazes wandered around, unable to focus on the blackboard. We were only focused on looking for an empty seat.

Soon, Dukhun, sitting beside me, poked me with a pencil. When I turned around with a questioning gaze, he started writing something in the corner of his textbook.

[The seat next to Lee Jinhee]

At those words, I hurriedly turned around and looked in the direction of Jinhee.

She had her head propped up as she pursed her lips with a bored expression.

The seat next to her was empty.

‘Huh.’

My head tilted in wonder for a moment.

The seat next to Jinhee.

Who sat there originally?

In the seat directly in front of the teacher's desk, Gyeongwon and our class's model student, Ban Janghun, were seated together.

Me and Dukhun’s desks were by the window.

Hayoon and Sunah were paired up against the wall.

‘What about Jinhee in the backmost seat?’

Who was Jinhee’s deskmate?

I tried to recall it carefully, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t remember.

I quickly scribbled on Dukhun's textbook.

[Lee Jinhee’s deskmate. Do you remember who it was?]

Dukhun thought for a moment and soon shook his head before writing down.

[No, I don’t remember. I just saw an empty seat beside her and told you.]

Soon after, it was break time. We all gathered at Jinhee’s seat.

“What, what is it?”

Jinhee was surprised by the sudden appearance of the club members rushing toward her.

“Jinhee, who is your deskmate?”

“....What?”

Only then did she glanced at the empty seat beside her and flinched.

With mouth open wide as if dumbfounded, she blankly stared at us, unable to utter a coherent word.

‘....She doesn’t know.’

I moved next to Jinhee and quietly examined the empty desk beside her.

No bag or whatsoever could be seen hanging on the empty desk.

However, the drawer was full of things.

“There are books inside.”

“Let’s take it out and check them, Prez.”

We take out a bunch of textbooks stuffed inside the desk’s drawer.

As we had expected, there was [Kim Eunjung, Class 3, Grade 1] written on them all.

“…When did this get here?”

Gyeongwon flipped through the textbooks while sweating profusely.

Just then, the Class President, who was passing by, saw us rummaging through someone else's desk and approached us to inquire.

“What are you guys doing?”

“I think Eunjung’s textbook and mine have been swapped. I’m looking through them.”

“Oh, really?”

When I nodded affirmatively, the Class President nodded back at my quick response and left without any suspicion.

Gyeongwon seemed to be impressed at my quick witted response and stared at me with an expression of admiration.

“Wait a minute, Class President!”

But I suddenly called out to the Class President as he was about to leave the back door.

“But… this is Eunjung’s seat.”

“Hmm.”

“Do you know where she’s gone?”

“She went to the bathroom.”

He replied as if it was obvious.

I bit my lip and asked again.

“Did you see it yourself?”

“Yeah.”

“Have you really seen her going to the bathroom?”

But we didn’t.

The handsome Class President answered while slightly lifting his head as if wondering why we were asking something so obvious.

“Of course. As soon as you guys went to your seats, she passed by and went out through the back door.”

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