Ch. 57 - Eighth Ghost Story - Doomed Midterm Exam (8)

The day before the midterm exam. Lunch time. Clubroom.

“Joon, how's your preparation for the test-”

The moment I returned to the past, I quickly went to the whiteboard and grabbed the black marker pen.

Then frantically, I began to scribble the names of the 20 teachers I memorized beforehand on the white board.

Oh Junkoo.

Yoon Dukhee.

Choi Kangchan.

Park Damim.

Lee Jigum.

Sun Pyeonghwa.

Yoon Junkook.

"What..?"

"Huu."

Only after writing down the last name did I let out the breath I had been holding.

Fortunately, I didn't miss a single thing and was able to pour out everything I memorized.

“Guys, sit down.”

* * *

“Whaaaat! How could that happen?”

Gyeongwon showed a surprised expression once again.

“I believe Joon…”

Sunah also said she believed in me once again.

And once again, Jinhee and Dukhun looked like they didn't know how to react.

Hayoon had an expressionless face as always.

After roughly explaining everything, I picked up my phone and called someone.

Gyeongwon was staring at me, who was waiting for the call to be picked up, and eventually couldn't bear the curiosity anymore and asked.

“Who are you calling?”

“Someone you know.”

“Hmm?”

The members looked puzzled.

“There was someone who asked me to contact them if something like this happens.”

Soon, the gruff voice of the said person was heard through the phone.

[It’s been a while.]

While talking on the phone with that person, I began thinking about the time I confronted the teacher in the Science Lab.

Jinhee punched the teacher, and then I collapsed from a heart attack.

During that timeline, I lost and died while exchanging questions and answers because I was unaware about the rules of the deathly game.

‘Obviously, the curse was established even though questions were exchanged in person rather than over the phone.’

I thought carefully about the reason.

Perhaps the phone acted like a trigger to finally activate the curse.

This was the year I turned 20, and we were in a situation where we both knew about the existence of ghost stories and asked questions.

All conditions were already in place.

The phone served as the final condition and media that triggered the curse.

Therefore, the questions and answers may not necessarily have to be exchanged over the phone.

If what I thought was correct, then the science teacher.

He made a big mistake.

* * *

The next day.

‘4th seat in division 2, 4th seat in division 2…’

The science teacher entered the classroom, repeating the name and seating arrangement of the student named Lee Joon, whom he had heard a lot about beforehand.

‘Is that him?’

Lee Joon was quietly examining his pencil case and preparing for the Science test.

Certainly, as a science teacher, he may have come to this class a few times.

However, that student named Lee Joon didn't have an appearance that was particularly memorable to him as he carried out his duties as a teacher in a dull manner.

‘I can’t make any mistakes.’

The science question papers consisted of a total of three sheets.

The teacher slowly handed out one sheet at a time to the students sitting at the front in each division, while following the distribution of how the students in Lee Joon's division passed the question papers with his eyes.

When handing out question papers to the students, he made sure that they were arranged in an order so that the question paper with the ghost story written on it would go to Lee Joon.

‘No problem at all.’

Fortunately, the students passed the last page of the question papers the same way he had arranged them to be. Like the previous two divisions, everyone received a question paper without any sudden commotion.

The question paper with the ghost story written on it arrived safely to Lee Joon.

After completing the supervision of the exam smoothly, he leisurely went up to the Science Lab on the 4th floor.

Normally, teachers who finished supervising would immediately go to the Vice Principal's office and collect the answer sheets, but he was entrusted with a more important task.

“Let’s go together! Together…!”

The students from the classroom which he had just supervised came rushing to him and went up the stairs ahead of him.

Among them was Lee Joon, whom he was trying to kill.

‘Are they members of that funny club?’

There was no guilt.

Even before accepting the teachings of Taesang, the Master of the cult, the position of a teacher was nothing more than a means of making money for him.

Slid-

The science teacher opened the door to the empty Science Lab and went into his private space, which doubled as a materials room and his office.

Putting down the OMR answer sheets he had brought with him on the desk, he once again reviewed the instructions he was given from the Master.

He was commanded to give a special printed question paper containing a certain ghost story to the student named Lee Joon whom he would be supervising today.

And as soon as the test was over, he would go to a deserted place where no one was watching and call the student to ask for the answer to the story.

He was revising the solution he had in mind in case Lee Joon gave the correct answer, if he had Lee Joon's phone number, and whether the app that would modulate his voice was working properly.

‘In this way, I should succeed… in this way.'

There was no question as to why they wanted to kill the student in such a complicated way.

However, he just strictly obeyed the orders given.

‘...Did I miss anything?’

The science teacher carefully checked the instructions once again.

Doing the task carefully, he showed a very attentive attitude that he had never shown to the students he taught before.

Soon, the science teacher finished the inspection and quietly took out his cell phone.

Then slowly, he dialed Lee Joon’s number. The number matched with the contact information in his phone that was saved in advance.

Checking the number a few more times in case he typed the wrong number, he pressed the call button.

And the ominous ringtone sounded through the phone.

[…♬…]

The uncanny melody was like the sound of a music box resonating from the movie Call Me.

It was a terrible enough sound to set as a caller tune.

[....♬…]

‘… He set something like this as a caller tune. Kids these days want nothing but to stand out, so they can’t control themselves.’

As he was frowning and criticizing today's generation, he didn't notice that the reason he was able to hear the melody was because the curse’s trigger was activated, not because it was Lee Joon's caller tune.

Soon the sound stopped, and someone answered the phone.

[Hello, who's this?]

A low, heavy voice reverberated through the phone.

Did that student Lee Joon have such a heavy voice at such a young age?

He thought about it carefully, but since he never paid attention to any students, he had no way of knowing what Lee Joon sounded like.

[Who is this speaking?]

As there was no answer, the man on the phone asked who he was again.

No.

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't comprehend how a student could have such a manly voice.

The science teacher, wondering if he had dialed the wrong number, took the phone off his ear and checked the number again.

‘That’s right.’

The moment he put the phone to his ear once again, the question he was supposed to ask Lee Joon appeared in his mind, however, he was instead asked a question.

[Are you by any chance related to the student named Lee Joon?]

The man on the phone beat him by asking question.

The science teacher was surprised, but he calmly opened his mouth.

“…Hello."

[Yes. Please answer.]

“Isn’t this Lee Joon’s phone number?”

[You're right. Excuse me, but do you know the student named Lee Joon?]

Dud.

The science teacher quickly hung up the phone.

He didn't know who it was, but someone other than Lee Joon answered the phone.

Then there was no need for him to discuss the ghost story with the person and leave behind something that could be tracked by.

‘...I guess I should try calling again in a while.’

With that in mind, he began organizing the students' OMR sheets.

He wanted to take a peak on the answer sheet of the soon-to-be-dead guy named Lee Joon to see whether he did well in the test or not.

However, this time, the ominous melody rang out from his own phone, breaking the peaceful silence.

[…♬...]

The gloomy melody that resonated through a music box like the ringtone from the movie Call Me.

It wasn't his caller tune, then why? The science teacher, who couldn't help but frown at the unnatural ringtone, was soon startled seeing the name of the caller.

[Lee Joon]

He thought about it for a while, but then decided to answer it.

'...What.'

Pressing the accept button, he slowly put the phone to his ear.

[Hello. This is Detective Park Gangwoon from the Metropolitan Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. Don't hang up. The tracking has started.]

Detective!

Although he always had a dry and blunt expression, he still couldn't help but be shocked by the sudden appearance of a detective.

'...Detective?'

[Hello. Are you there?]

‘Why would someone like this pick Lee Joon’s phone instead…?’

He was so surprised for a moment that he couldn't answer, but as the surprise faded away, he felt his heart sinking.

However, soon he came back to his senses.

No, it was okay.

Nobody knew.

Yes, no one knew.

Even though he couldn't comprehend what was going on, he desperately repeated to himself that everything was okay and answered the phone.

“What’s the matter?”

[That is what I'm wondering too. Why did you call me from this phone number? That's also hiding the number?]

After hesitating for a moment, the science teacher decided to just hang up once again.

He couldn't understand where the situation was heading, but he knew continuing this conversation wouldn't do him any good.

Let's call him again later after I finish grading the students.

Hoping that Lee Joon would receive it.

Just as he was about to hang up the phone.

[Please answer me. If you want to hang up, know that it wouldn't do you any good. Your location has already been tracked, let’s see… the place is inside Nakseong High School in the ShinLim Neighborhood.]

The science teacher's pupils constricted.

As he twitched his lips and searched for something to answer, his heart began to beat rapidly.

‘They really found out the location?’

If this was true, there would be more scenarios to consider. However, it wasn't the time to panic and make decisions on a whim.

Ignoring all doubts, he decided to finish the job right away.

“....I am a school teacher. Could you please call the student Lee Joon?”

[Please tell me first why you are calling.]

“...I just have something to say to him.”

It was just a very trivial question. He just wanted to ask why that blind man committed suicide after eating seagull meat.

‘Hurry up and hang up, damn it.’

The moment Lee Joon received the call, the game was over.

[Please don't hang up… The news I'm about to give you might be a bit difficult for you to accept.]

“...Why?”

[He has died.]

"……!"

For the second time, the science teacher's pupils constricted greatly.

The detective's calm voice rang through the phone.

[An accident occurred and we were conducting an on-site investigation, when the victim's cell phone rang, I answered it instead. Excuse me, but could you tell me your name and identity?]

“Dead, dead…”

The teacher swallowed his dry saliva. What happened? Did he succeed?

He was going to kill him anyway, but he died on his own?

No, he didn't succeed.

Master had clearly voiced his wish for the student Lee Joon to die in a specific way.

If the intention was to simply kill him, there was no reason to give such complicated instructions.

[Hello. Hello.]

He should figure out the reason.

Why did Lee Joon die?

Gulp.

If he died in an accident, rather than the specific way Master had instructed him, it would be considered a failure of his mission.

Master's orders were absolute.

What kind of harsh punishment awaits the person who fails to follow the instructions? Tremor began to appear in his body in fear as he desperately shook his head.

Haaa.

[Hello. You're being very suspicious right now. You called the victim's cell phone by restricting caller ID and even altering the voice. If you don't answer me this time, I'll have no choice but to come find you. Are you in the school right now?]

With an ‘Oops’, the teacher quickly turned off the voice modulation app on his cell phone.

"Haa… Hmm. sorry. I actually caught a cold. It’s not like I modulated my voice.”

[Please, tell us how you are related to the victim.]

The science teacher nervously fidgeted with the students' OMR sheets he had brought with him as he answered.

“I am a science teacher at Nakseong High School.”

[Ah, so you are a school teacher? What did you call him for…?]

“That, Joon… Because he has always been close to me. I called to ask if he did well on the test.”

[Is that so?]

“That’s why, I just called him… I'm a bit surprised by the way. You're not joking, right?”

[No. Did you have a close relationship with the student?]

“No, not close. We were not that close. We would occasionally ask about each others' wellbeing.”

The science teacher, who felt that there was nothing good about being too involved in a situation he was unaware of, drew a reasonable line. As soon as the detective was about to say something, he took the initiative and asked what he was curious about all along.

“Anyway, what’s going on? Joon, this student, died?”

[You said it wasn't a close relationship. Well, it's a bit hard to explain now. Since you are a faculty member, please check with the school later.]

The science teacher hastily began to make excuses to the detective who was about to hang up the phone.

“No, it's true we do not have a close relationship…”

Rubbing his eyes, the science teacher pondered as sweat trickled down his eyebrows.

He must have been so nervous that he started sweating.

Instructions from the Master, everything was prepared by the Master for this purpose.

He was told that all he had to do was make a phone call, but he couldn't do that and Lee Joon died first for the wrong reason.

If he told other teachers... In particular, he had no choice but to be nervous because he had to confirm the cause of his death and prepare at least one excuse before the Master found out.

And he just prayed earnestly that the cause of the sudden death of the student named Lee Joon was a natural disaster that he could not have prevented.

[....You two don't have a close relationship, right? When I asked you earlier a few seconds ago, you said that you only occasionally ask about his wellbeing, and that your relationship is nothing special-]

"Oh my. Are you just taking what I said because I'm speaking in Gyeongsang dialect?”

[T/N: Gyeongsang was one of the Eight Provinces of Joseon Korea. The language used in Gyeongsang province is the Yeongnam dialect of Korean, also called the Gyeongsang dialect, and the intonation and vocabulary is different from the standard Seoul dialect.]

The science teacher interrupted the detective and began to force a sad voice out of his dry emotions.

“Can’t you tell just by the fact that I called him to ask if he did well on the test? If we really didn’t have a good relationship, I wouldn’t have even contacted him!”

[...I guess so. I was rude.]

“Joon, our Joon... What on earth happened? He was a student I really cared about…”

The pitch of his voice as he forced himself to express his emotions was very awkward.

[Excuse me, but how close were you two?]

“We were close, very close! He was like a son to me... Well... Joony, whenever he would see me, he would run past all his friends to greet me…”

[...…]

“‘Teacher~! My teacher~!’ And whenever he would come running to me, he would give me a hug... The young man was so smart... His expression was so pure and bright... this is such a… He was a very good student, but how…”

[He's just a freshman and hasn't even finished his first midterm exams yet. But you already know that he was good at studying?]

“That’s what I'm saying, I'm telling the truth! I know because I saw how attentive he's in the classroom! He always did his homework well and always sat in the front seat... How…”

[Front seat? According to the students' testimony, he sat in the middle of the classroom.]

"I… I mean in the Science Lab! In the Science Lab!”

Instead of acting sad, the teacher somehow sounded angry.

“Well, during science class, instead of in the class, students have to move to another class! That's why I said this student sat at the front in the Science Lab! The Science Lab! Please listen carefully!”

[Ahem, I was rude again. But why is your number shown as a restricted caller ID?]

“Oh my, Joon…”

The teacher ignored the detective's words and raised his voice, grimacing his face as hard as he could like a wrinkled eggplant.

“What happened to our kind Joon... oh my…”

The science teacher slapped his knees lightly and cried dryly in a soulless voice.

“Why, how did it happen... oh…”

[……]

“Joon is like a son to me… Why is our good Joon…”

Calling out the name of a student he had shown no interest in before, he cried with a dry voice.

The sound of someone snickering in the background and trying to suppress their laughter was heard beside the voice of the detective from the other end of the phone.

However, he was so absorbed in acting that he couldn't hear it.

“Heaven is so cruel... Taking such a kind Joon... oh my… oh my…”

[...…]

“You should have taken me with you, Grim Reaper. Instead of him… you could have taken this old guy. Why did our good Joon have to die first... Oh my…”

[…...]

“I am sad… Now I have to live with the memories of Joon buried in my heart... As a teacher, what could be sadder than this? Oh my, oh my… So why on earth did he die, oh…”

[...All right. I'll tell you.]

Finally!

The teacher immediately changed his expression to his usual blunt self and devoted all his attention to the phone.

[This is what happened. Actually, do you know? My friend, do you know that a man was once caught in a shipwreck a long time ago? At that time, just before starving to death, he barely caught a seagull and ate it to survive. Years later, the man remembered the seagull meat from back then and went to a seagull restaurant. However, after taking a bite of the seagull meat, the man was shocked. Why was the man surprised?]

The teacher was dumbfounded when he heard it for a moment.

Soon his face slowly started turning blue, his skin turned red, and he shouted into the phone in his hand.

“Stop talking bullsh*t, you f*cking sh*t! You damn b*stard! You're kidding me!”

[You will surely regret it if you hang up now.]

“Crazy b*stard making fun of people…!”

The science teacher was trembling all over.

Thinking about it, he just left the classroom he was supervising for less than 20 minutes.

However, because a detective answered the phone all of a sudden, he couldn't even think properly because his mind was spinning to make an excuse. There was no way Lee Joon could have died inside the school in that short period of time.

“What kind of b*stard-”

As he was speaking, he suddenly stopped. Not just ‘some’ b*stard.

The phone call that he just received clearly came from Lee Joon's number.

A ray of cold sweat trickled down his forehead again as he opened his mouth.

'What if…’

[...…]

‘It, It can't be… no way.'

Did he get caught?

Cold sweat began to trickle down like a waterfall over the old wrinkled face of the teacher.

Not only did he turn off the voice modulation and introduce himself as a science teacher of Nakseong High School, revealing his identity, and ended up acting absurdly.

Everything was discovered-

‘Oh, no… it's actually good!’

The science teacher desperately tried to sort out the situation in his turbulent mind.

If everything up until now had been played out just to catch him, it would have been fortunate.

‘Lee Joon! He's still alive!’

He didn't know which one of those kids was imitating the adult's voice, but he could guess they did this to reveal his true identity!

Rolling his head inwardly with desperation, his heart was once again filled with venom.

Clearly, he revealed his identity on his own.

But now, none of that matters.

The important thing was that it was still possible to kill Lee Joon using the ghost story.

“Joo, Joony?”

Drenched in sweat, he gently called out in a slow, trembling, pretentious voice.

“Are, are you there by any chance?”

The science teacher's trembling eyes vaguely draw a half-moon shape.

The corners of his mouth rose strangely.

“Well, you are there, right? Y, you were listening to everything from the side, right? huh?"

Earlier, he heard someone else's suppressing laughter next to the detective.

It was clearly Lee Joon.

If he came up with this trick to lure him to reveal his identity, he would definitely be listening to everything from the side.

“Right, right? You know, you're there. You're all listening... right?”

The science teacher's hands were shaking.

[...Haaa.]

Sure enough, someone next to the detective could be heard sighing pathetically at him.

Unlike the detective's low tone, it was a faint sighing sound that had just reached adulthood.

At that moment, the science teacher's eyes twinkled and sparkled.

“Lee Joon! You're caught!”

[……]

“You’re next to the person!”

If he could hide his identity, it would have been best for him to keep it hidden before asking the question. However, now even if he was pushed relentlessly to reveal his identity, he had nothing to lose.

As a teacher, writing a ghost story to a student's question paper, and then later calling the said question was a very suspicious action even from his perspective. However, there was no legal problem with the heart attack that Lee Joon would suffer later.

‘Oh, it’s not too late! It's still possible! Right now! right now!!'

The teacher didn't even give the other person time to hang up the phone, and immediately made sure that even Lee Joon, who was eavesdropping on the other end of the phone, could hear.

He grabbed the phone with the force as if shoving it down his throat and screamed at the top of his lungs.

“Why did the man die!”

[......!]

“Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Time's uuuuppp~!”

The person on the other end of the phone suddenly took a sharp breath.

[Ugh, ugh!]

Then, along with the sound of someone falling down, a panicked commotion was heard.

Heard! Heard! Heard! Heard!

You heard it~ You heard it, Joon!

The teacher couldn't control the laughter that bubbled up from underneath the cold exterior.

“Puahaha, Joon! I thought you left this teacher behind! Uha, uhhahahaha… Is that something I would say… Really… hehehe.”

The emotional rollercoaster which started with anxiety, then anger, embarrassment, forced tears, and then ecstasy.

The science teacher, who went through extremes of emotion for a short period of time.

Finally, for the first time in his life, he fell into madness.

He burst out laughing.

“Keke, hahahaha, hehehe, haha…”

The students, who thought he was just an incompetent man, saw his crazy, true face for the first time.

“Ah~ tsk tsk tsk. Damn, you caught me off guard hard. ‘Joon is like my son!’ F*ck you, as a student, you made fun of a heavenly teacher like me! Uhhaha... hehe. This b*stard, son of a b*tch… how surprised this teacher was! Something as small as a rock dared to make fun of adults! In my day, you couldn't even step on my shadow! You damn brat!”

[……]

“Really, really, really. Khahaha. I really can’t stop laughing, Jooonnnn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

The science teacher burst into laughter, holding the chest of his discolored shirt, which was completely wet from sweating too much earlier.

“100 marks! You got 100 marks on the midterm exam! This teacher will give you 100 marks on your Science test! Haha, hahaha.”

On the other side of the phone, Lee Joon's breathless gasps could be heard.

[Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.]

“Khahahahaha. Haha.”

Not being able to hold back his laughter, the science teacher began banging on the desk.

Due to the vibration, the pile of students' OMR sheets on the desk spilled out, and Lee Joon's answer sheet reached the back of his hand.

“Joon, you son of a b*tch, someone as incompetent as you is really good at messing around, this teacher admits that! I admit it, this teacher, hahaha... 100 marks for the laugh, 100 marks for you, hahaha.”

[Uuggghhhhh….]

As the sound of Lee Joon gasping for breath was transmitted through the phone, he laughed wildly, then picked up Lee Joon's OMR sheet and started waving it in front of his eyes.

“It seems like you did well, the teacher will fix everything with a correction pen! The test score is 100 marks! Die in peace, Joon! Haha…”

36. Because it tasted different from the seagull meat that the man ate on the uninhabited island. The meat he ate on the deserted island belonged to his wife.

“Kekeke, hahaha… The love story of a crazy person, stupid... Huhu…”

36. Because it tasted different from the seagull meat that the man ate on the uninhabited island. The meat he ate on the deserted island belonged to his wife.

“Hahaha…hehe…”

36. Because it tasted different from the seagull meat that the man ate on the uninhabited island. The meat he ate on the deserted island belonged to his wife.

36. Because it tasted different from the seagull meat…

The meat tasted different…

On Lee Joon's OMR answer sheet, there was stuff written all over the subjective columns that should have been empty.

Rubbing his eyes, the teacher couldn't help but look at the OMR sheet again.

36. Because it tasted different from the seagull meat that the man ate on the uninhabited island. The meat he ate on the deserted island belonged to his wife.

What was this?

This was something he had seen somewhere.

In the enclosed space.

The science teacher's head started spinning.

Yes.

That was the answer to the problem he posed to Lee Joon.

[36]

If you remember this problem until the age you turn 20, you will receive a sudden phone call…

Why did the man commit suicide?

The last part of this problem that ended in question form.

There, Lee Joon wrote down his answers on his OMR sheet and handed it to the teacher himself, who had written the test.

[Did you have a good laugh?]

The detective asked silently.

[Then answer my question quickly. Why was the man surprised when he took a bite of a piece of seagull meat?]

At that moment, Lee Joon's voice was heard next to the detective's voice.

[Five.]

[Four.]

[Three.]

Lee Joon coldly started the countdown.

“...Hey, no. for a moment… Wait…”

[Two.]

“What are you doing now…”

[One.]

It was his turn to answer?

Why?

Although the teacher didn't understand what he meant, he suddenly sensed a strange atmosphere that sent a chill down his spine and quickly answered.

“Why was, the man, surprised? That's because he found out that the seagull meat he ate when he was on a deserted island was his wife's flesh…”

[Hehehe… What bullsh*t. You didn't even listen to Joon's problem properly. Joon, did you say something?]

Immediately, the older man chuckled and laughed.

“What? what… No, why am I being asked questions in the first place…”

[Huh? You wanted to talk to Joon, right? Yes, here you go.]

[Teacher.]

“Joon, Joon.”

Lee Joon’s voice, transmitting from the phone, sounded so alive and well.

The science teacher started shaking as if he had encountered the Grim Reaper.

"But…You’re alive.”

[I have to live. I was loved by my teacher like this.]

“Yeah...yeah.”

His whole body was shaking like an aspen tree.

With trembling lips, he barely spoke to the phone.

“Uh...what happened to the question?”

[You don't know?]

The male student on the other end of the phone answered while laughing.

[It’s a variation of the previous exam. A modified ghost story.]

Inhaling a sharp breath, the teacher's pupils constricted as he kept shaking, like an earthquake was happening in his body.

He still didn't seem to understand anything about what was happening.

[Is there anything you want to say for the last time?]

The science teacher swallowed his saliva.

“… Joon.”

[……]

“Can I just meet you at least once?”

[F*ck you.]

"……"

[Time's over.]

Hick.

“Ugh...!!”

As soon as Lee Joon coldly declared that time was over, the science teacher felt a strong shock in his heart and clutched his chest with both hands.

The detective's deep voice rang out from his old cell phone that had fallen.

[The correct answer is because he was confusing the test of the seagull meat of the restaurant to the one he ate on the island. LOL… Why did the seagull taste like pork? He thought that he was eating seagull meat, but he actually went to the wrong restaurant. That's why he was surprised after taking a bite... Indeed, it's an absurd story... Is there anything else you want to say to Joon? hmm? hello? hello?]

Inside the office of Science Lab.

The science teacher was lying on the floor and convulsing.

Soon the call was hung up and a commotion rose outside. Someone suddenly rushed down the stairs from the 5th floor and entered the Science Lab on the 4th floor.

Slid.

“… Oh my, God."

Six students from the Ghost Story Club entered the materials room in the Science Lab and gasped in surprise. The detective, who was holding Lee Joon's phone in his hand, was also surprised.

That was the last thing the science teacher saw before death took him over.

“...Damn. He’s already dead.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Detective.”

“Hey, he tried to trick you, but I never thought people could die from something like this…”

“Do you believe it now?”

"A bit. Was it really something that couldn’t be resolved in some other way?”

"No. This is already the fourth time. This person must have had his reason for trying to kill me desperately.”

“Haaa. I understand that.”

“Detective, although you look very scary, I'm surprised you listened to my request.”

“You silly guy, no matter what I look like, I'm on the side of justice. I don’t want innocent people dying in front of my eyes.”

"Sorry. But I really couldn't help it. You couldn't turn off or reject a ringing phone after it's already been cursed. Even if I answered at that moment, he would have tried to counterattack in some way.”

“… So that's why you returned the question back to him. Talk about being self-sufficient. Haa… I understand. I’ll take care of this from here. You children can go back to the classroom lest it causes any unnecessary suspicion.”

"All right."

“You will hear for sure what happened later, so just wait till then. Hello? Uh, I'm Detective Park. An incident occurred here in Nakseong High School. A teacher died from a heart attack. It seems like it's a chronic illness. Uh, call an ambulance. No, there's no need to rush…”

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