[2019, May 27 | Monday, 07:45 AM]
[Lee Joon: Number of Attempts- 2]
[Ghost Story Points: 716]
[Causality Rate: 33%]
[Science Exhibition Preliminary Round
D-DAY]
"Mom, I'm going now."
"Okay~ Did you have breakfast?"
"I ate with my friends, I'm fine."
"Okay, son, good luck in your competition today! Sorry I can't make it, I have to go to work.'"
"I'm not an elementary school kid, mom. What high school parent would come to a school competition? Haha..."
"Alright, hehe.."
I quickly grabbed my school uniform from my room, said goodbye to my mom, and left the home.
Since I had already told her this would happen after the weekend training camp, Mom didn't say much else.
"You must be tired, be careful on your way Do your best, son~"
"Okay"
I left the house and hurriedly walked to school, checking our group chat to see if the guys were on their way.
[Lee Joon: Fuu fuu. Emergency broadcast from the admin office.]
"....."
No response from the members.
For a moment, I felt uneasy, wondering if they fell asleep.
Gyeongwon was the first to respond.
[Lee Joon: Today's morning roll call will be conducted via group chat-]
[Ahn Gyeongwon: I'm already here.]
[Ahn Gyeongwon: Just leaving.]
[Lee Jinhee: On my way.]
[Lee Joon: Good.]
'Okay, Gyeongwon and Jinhee confirmed. Hope the rest are on their way too.'
I arrived at the school gate, greeted the teacher in charge, and then looked at my phone again as I walked across the playground.
[Lee Joon: In Hayoon, Oh Dukhun, Yoon Sunah, please confirm you're awake.]
[Yoon Sunah: I'm coming.]
[Oh Dukhun: I'm up.]
[Lee Jun: Confirmed]
'Sunah seemed tired too, but she managed to wake up well.'
As I was checking the messages, I suddenly sensed a presence and raised my head, only to see Hayoon walking beside me.
"Oh, Hayoon."
"...Hi."
"Glad you managed to get up and Come."
Hayoon simply nodded her head once.
Her face was paler than usual, and she looked quite tired.
'Good... everyone's here.'
[Lee Joon: Role call complete]
[Jang Hwaeun: Your Teacher too~]
"...!"
I was about to step into the main building when I flinched in surprise.
'What the hell? Since when has the Teacher been in the group chat?'
Come to think of it, maybe it was when we studied on the Void cult and Clover website.
I think we might have invited her during the CA session back then.
'Damn, we've messed around so many
times, Jinhee even swore at the others.'
So she had been lurking in the group chat all this time, chuckling to herself?
Doesn't suit her big presence at all.
I decided I needed to create a new group chat just for the club members.
It's not like we were trying to exclude the teacher deliberately, but when a teacher is present where students are, it's only natural that everyone becomes a bit more self-conscious.
'But it feels like she'll be a little disappointed about that....'
She seemed to be feeling a bit left out lately, since we've been hanging out just among ourselves without her quite often.
But that didn't mean I could let the teacher's presence in a place where we should be getting closer to each other and be a hindrance.
We clearly needed to become closer as a group.
We needed to become so close that we could spend the whole day chatting about pointless things, openly reporting every little oddity we notice about each other, and even casually Swearing at one another without hesitation.
Preparing for this competition made me realize just how crucial that is.
'Even if the Teacher feel a bit left out, we still need to clearly separate personal and professional matters.'
And for us, from now on, building camaraderie wasn't a personal matter, it was a professional one.
Opening our hearts to each other on this arduous journey was not a private matter, but a professional one that we must absolutely do.
What would it be like if the teacher,Someone older than us both socially and age-wise, were present in situations where we're supposed to be building closer bonds?
No matter how much she tried to make us feel at ease, from our perspective, we couldn't help but be conscious of her presence.
'Being grateful is one thing, and work is
another.'
The members becoming closer to each other, this, too, must now be treated as part of our work.
I've decided to think that way from now on.
'After all, there's a reason why large corporations, despite being focused solely on profits, still organize employee gatherings and company dinners.'
Being in a position where I had to manage people, I've gradually come to realize something.
We absolutely needed to have a genuine, caring affection for one another.
So, for now, I was thinking of kicking Teacher Jang Hwaeun from the group chat.
"Hey, kids~~ļ'
I could vividly picture the teacher wiggling her hips while crying pitifully, but there would be plenty of other opportunities later to express our gratitude to her in different ways.
And it's not like we would be doing this forever, just until the members have had enough time to grow closer among themselves.
The day would come when the Teacher, too, could be part of the group chat and spend time with us all together.
'Of course, that would happen when at least Hayoon and Sunah start genuinely caring for each other and get along well.'
It was still too early for that.
'...But I wonder if that day will ever come.'
I watched as Hayoon stuffed her feet into the slippers with a cold expression beside me.
This Hayoon would actually take care of the clumsy Sunah, and they would get along well with each other.
If that day comes, then I suppose I could also invite the Teacher to the same group to chat together. But not right now.
Because if an adult gets involved in the
students' social interactions, it would cause interference.
'Let's see... Then, let's invite the Detective to the current room and use
it as a public forum. I would need to create a new private group room just for us to socialize.'
This way, the Teacher wouldn't feel like she was being kicked out and could naturally be excluded without any discomfort.
The current group chat Would be converted into an official forum, including the Detective, and we would create a separate private chat just for ourselves.
'Of course, unofficially.'
I should discuss this with the members later.
While making those plans, I walked down the hallway with the silent Hayoon and entered the classroom.
Creak-
"Hello."
"Oh, hello.. "
The handsome Class President, who happened to be on his way out, casually greeted me, so I instinctively raised my hand in response before stepping inside.
'....The classroom. It's been a while.'
Actually, it had only been two days. It felt like it had been such a long time since I've been to school itself.
"Hayoon... uh."
While I was lost in thoughts, Hayoon had already silently gone to the back locker to put her shoes away.
'I just called out unnecessarily.'
I glanced at Gyeongwon and Dukhun, who were sleeping with their heads on their desks, and after confirming that Sunah and Jinhee were walking in from the playground, I took my seat.
"Dukhun, are you sleeping?"
"....."
Dukhun nodded with his head still resting on the desk.
His thick arms seemed to serve as good cushions, making him look comfortable.
'I should get some sleep too.'
I put down my bag and laid my head on the desk.
I planned to lie down like this until lunchtime.
"The competition, well, it would be too much to start anything in this state.I can let the members sleep a bit and then start preparing from lunchtime....'
I was so tired, I only got two hours of sleep too...
Zzz...
**
[2019, May 27th | Monday, 12:35 PM]
[Lee Toon: Number of Attempts - 21
[Ghost Story Points: 716]
[Causality Rate: 33%]
Like that, without even going to eat lunch, we stayed slumped in the classroom and slept through the entire 4th period.
Even when we had to change classrooms in between, we only opened our eyes briefly, trudged there like zombies, and then slumped over to sleep again in exactly the same way.
I felt fine for a while in the morning, but that was only because the pressure of having to take care of the members acted like a stimulant.
Now that everyone had gathered at school and all that was left was to focus on the competition later, the fatigue from yesterday finally washed over me like a tidal wave, and I found myself equally unable to stay alert.
'Ah, gotta pee..."
I woke up in the middle of sleeping because I felt the urge to urinate.
Aside from our club members who had stayed behind to sleep, the classroom was empty, perhaps everyone else had gone to eat.
The quiet classroom was filled with the midday sunlight.
The curtains fluttered gently in the gentle breeze.
Amidst it all, the sight of the members
sleeping peacefully, completely oblivious of the world, was a truly peaceful scene.
Even Hayoon, who never usually showed such a side, was now slumped over with her black hair cascading across the desk.
Sunah had her cheek pressed firmly against the desk, leaving a red mark, and Gyeongwon was sleeping with his glasses taken off.
"...Looks like everyone was really tired.'
The midday sunlight streaming down, the club members sleeping soundly.
After giving the quiet classroom one last glance, I headed to the men's restroom to relieve myself.
Squeak-
"..Oh."
Inside the restroom, the Class President was washing his hands.
The top student in the school, the perfect guy.
Class President Ban Janghoon.
He looked up from washing his hands at the sink upon hearing the door open, spotting me through the mirror.
"You're finally awake. Aren't you and your friends gonna have lunch?"
"..of course."
A friendly tone.
Unlike me, who felt awkward for no reason, the Class President treated me naturally.
"Was it because of a group activity?Why is everyone sleeping?"
"...Just. We had some fun over the weekend."
I walked past Janghoon and headed toward the urinal.
Boys usually feel embarrassed about appearing soft to each other, so they tend to end their sentences with phrases like 'eh or huh.
[T/N: The casual tone of the Korean language oftentimes ends with 'eh' or hmm' in English. Like the formal tone, it has been lost in translation.]
But Janghoon spoke with a soft, Seoul
accent, like something straight out of a movie.
Like how a really popular kid would speak kindly and gently to a newcomer.
"....."
I stood in front of the urinal, unconsciously trying to avoid the Class President's gaze.
Somehow, being around such an outstanding and kind guy made me feel awkward.
"Aren't you guys preparing for the competition today? Is it okay for you to sleep like this?"
"Well, that's...."
Whether he was aware or not, the Class President shook his hands and spoke to me.
He didn't seem to notice my awkwardness.
I answered in a hesitant tone as I unzipped.
"...I've got everything ready so I left them sleep for their hard work."
"You should be a bit more concerned. I heard a lot of kids applied for the competition."
".. Really?"
I rolled my tongue in my mouth while peeing.
This popular Class President guy, why the hell was he talking to me so much?
'And while I'm taking a piss, too.'
"..A lot of people applied?"
"Yeah. The Vice Class President is participating too."
The Class President dried his hands with a tissue.
"Lee Chaerin, from our class."
"....."
"She teamed up with Joo Yeseul."
Vice Class President Lee Chaerin and Church Girl Joo Yeseul.
'So those two are teaming up together.'
"...."
It was a combination I hadn't seen since the apocalypse incident, but thinking about it, it made sense.
Anyway, since their attendance numbers were close, they must have been together often since the beginning of the semester, and both were the diligent, model student type.
It's not that I was uninterested in our class's ecosystem, but those two probably hung out together frequently from the start.
"Are you scared?"
"..No."
The Class President said that as if trying to be funny, then chuckled to himself.
"I'm leaving then."
"...Okay."
With those words, the Class President threw away the tissue he was using to dry his hands and finally opened the door.
"Goodbye."
"Yeah...Oh! By the way The Class President, who was about to leave, turned back to look at me.
"Are you.. also participating in the competition?"
"Me?"
The Class President smiled while holding the doorknob.
"I don't participate in those things."
"Ah, okay. Thanks..."
"Good luck. Win a prize."
"Alright, bye-"
I gave an awkward goodbye, and finally, the door closed.
Click-
'Phew...'
I let out a sigh.
Finally, I felt at ease.
"Strangely, I feel uncomfortable when I'm around popular kids."
Even though I was the club president, I was never naturally outgoing type in the first place.
Rather, I, Lee Joon, was just an ordinary person lost among the masses.
My grades were slightly above average.
I had friends, but only on a casual greeting level.
I'd never had a girlfriend, and I didn't have any close female friends either.
In my past life, I was just an ordinary Lee Joon, playing games, only traveling with family, and never actively using social media.
For a moment, I thought i had developed some sociable traits after becoming the club president, but it turned out I was just doing what was expected of me.
As expected, my personality just didn't mesh well with people like the Class
President, the type who were too easy going and outstanding.
Actually, I find it easier to get along with guys like Ahn Gyeongwon or Oh Dukhun, the ones who are a bit more rough around the edges.
'....By the way, the Class President. As expected, he doesn't seem to care about competitions like this.'
I zipped up my pants and went to the sink where the Class President had been earlier to wash his hands.
The unwavering top-ranked Class President apparently didn't care at all about trivial competition like these.
Even among the many applicants from this ordinary humanities-focused
school, it was unlikely that anyone applied with the goal of reaching the finals.
Probably, most applicants just wanted to get at least a consolation prize in the school preliminaries so they could add one more line to their college applications.
'They are truly second or third-tier students.'
In other words, they were people who couldn't afford to waste even one line on their student records.
However, for Class President Janghoon, the unwavering top student in the entire school, who had no regrets and always ranked first in the mock exams, such personal qualifications were of no importance.
In contrast to Lee Chaerin, who bustled around the school all day, socialising and trying to fill out her student record, our Class President Janghoon was the top performer who honestly dominated with overwhelming scores.
'....When I heard he only got one question wrong on the mock exam, I thought he was insane.'
I wonder if he survived in my past life.He probably did.
Most of the students who were good at sports, including Jinhee, had already crossed the main gate before me.
"Hmm.."
I washed my hands while thinking.
Class President Janghoon, the top student in the school.
What role would he play in the three-year history of our Ghost Story Club?
In our journey as this school gradually became consumed by the Void cult, it was certain that he, the top student of our grade, would surely somehow become entangled with us.
'....It would be nice if he could be on our side.'
With that thought, I shook my hands dry and left the restroom.
**
'But so many people actually applied.'
As I headed back to the classroom, I was lost in thought.
We only made the PPT and haven't really prepared for the presentation yet.
We were all so focused on the ghost story.....
Hmm, what should I do.
'Hmm..."
"...."
As I was heading to the classroom, grumbling like that, something suddenly flashed into my mind.
"An, fuck! The magnetic hinge model!"
Come to think of it, that was it.
The model door with magnetic hinges that I had requested from Mr. Kim, the handyman of our school in the parking lot.
'Sh*t, I think he told me to pick it up by this morning.'
I turned my body, which was about to enter the classroom, and hurried outside the main building.
Then, I quickly walked toward the workshop at the very back of the school parking lot.
'Even if our competition preparation is a bit incomplete, or even if there are more competitors, as long as we have that, well have the advantage.'
Last Friday during the CA session, with the help of Teacher Jang Hwaeun, we had asked the school handyman, Mr. Kim Joosa, to make a model of our entry.
It was only then that I remembered, when I asked him when it would be finished, he had told me to pick it up on Monday morning.
"Anybody here"
I peeked inside the workshop, a temporary structure separated by a few wooden boards in the corner of the parking lot.
However, perhaps because it was lunchtime, the workshop room was empty.
"Is anyone here.."
Trailing off my words, I stepped inside and glanced around briefly. Soon enough, I spotted the magnetic hinge model placed right next to the entrance, as if inviting me to take it.
"Wow...."
It truly was the work of a master craftsman.
The model door, assembled exactly to the design specifications without a single misalignment, reached up to my thigh, and was far more precise and clean than I had expected.
"Thank you.."
After bovwing toward the empty workshop room, I picked up the model door and left the parking lot.
'It's done. No matter how many kids come at us, with just this, we'll be unbeatable at the school level.'
There probably wasn't a single team among the current participants that had prepared to this extent.
Even as I carried it up the stairs to the
clubroom, I felt reassured and couldn't help but admire it, stroking it several times.
'I should really prepare a Hanwoo gift set to give him later.'
[T/N: A Hanwoo gift set is a premium,high-end gift from South Korea, consisting of various cuts of Hanwoo beef.]
If I didn't show some gratitude for this kind of free service, I wouldn't be human.
Creak-
After safely storing the model inside the clubroom, I made sure to lock the door properly, then returned to the classroom.
In the classroom, a few students who had finished their meals were bustling about as they brushed their teeth, and among them, I saw the members still fast asleep and motionless.
They're so relaxed. Seriously.
But for now, it would be okay to let them rest a little longer.
If anything happened, I could just sacrifice a bit more.
Just like everyone else had sacriiced for me.
'Huhu, let me get some sleep too. As if I had finished what I needed to do, I slumped next to Dukhun and immediately fell asleep again....
Zzz...
**
"Are you sleeping again? Seriously.."
5th period, Korean.
The homeroom teacher walked around among us, shaking his head and clicking his tongue.
"Last week, you were all running around noisily, making a fuss and saying you want to prepare for the competition. Isn't it causing trouble for no reason....."
"...."
"Sleeping during the day, sleeping in the afternoon....."
Thud, the homeroom teacher tapped Sunah's desk.
Then, when Jinhee in the back seat stirred and sleepily raised her head,the homeroom teacher spun around in surprise and headed back to the podium.
"It's nothing, absolutely nothing"
"....."
"You can go back to sleep~ Now, let's read this question here..."
As Jinhee, who had woken up with a
frightened expression, lay back down, the homeroom teacher clicked his tongue again and continued to pace around.
"Are these really the people competing in the afternoon... Let's cheer for our Chaerin to win the prize, our Vice Class President Chaerin...."
"Yes~"
Chaerin's bright reply flowed in my ears.
**
[2019, May 27th | Monday, 4:20 PM]
[Lee Joon: Number of Attempts - 2]
[Ghost Story Points: 716]
[Causality Rate: 33%]
In the end, it wasn't until the 7th period ended and cleaning time began that we finally lifted our heads.
"Did you sleep well?"
As I lifted my head, there stood our Vice Class President Chaerin, with her cat-like eyes, sharp personality, and slender figure, smiling brightly in front of my desk.
"Could you step away from your desk? I need to push it back."
"Oh, yeah. Sorry…"
I stood up and leaned against the window with a blank expression.
Our club members stood with the same dazed expressions as mine.
"...Did everyone sleep well?"
"...Prez.'"
Gyeongwon pushed up his glasses, looking disheveled.
"I think we're in big trouble."
"....."
"We haven't done any of the competition practice."
"..Yeah."
I leaned against the window and let out a deep sigh. Soon, Yeseul, the devout church-girl, timidly approached from outside the classroom.
"..Um, aren't we supposed to clean the science lab?"
"...Huh?"
"I came down because I was cleaning alone and no one showed up..."
Gyeongwon and I exchanged glances. We quickly nodded in agreement.
"Ah, yeah. We should go. Let's go now."
The cleaning rotation changed every week.
It seemed this time Yeseul, Gyeongwon, and I were assigned to cleaning the science lab.
"We'll be back soon."
"Yeah.....".
Sunah rubbed her sleepy eyes and leaned against the window, seeing Gyeongwon and me off.
Following Joo Yeseul, who was watching us with anxious eyes, Gyeongwon and I chatted about the competition.
"....listen, Gyeongwon. only one person gets to present in the first place. The real problem is the questions the other members will have to face afterward."
"That's right."
"I'll handle the presentation. I'm confident about it."
"Now that you mention it, we hadn't even decided on that yet. You're right, I also think it's better for the Club Prez to handle it."
"And for the questions that will come afterward, we can quickly whisper small hints..."
"It'll be fine, it'll be fine."
**
After that, Gyeongwon and I spent the entire time cleaning the science lab and discussing our strategy.
"Then, we'll do it like this..."
"Prez, if we do it that way…"
Meanwhile, Yeseul kept glancing at us as she swept alone, but Gyeongwon and I were too preoccupied with thoughts of the competition.
And just before we finished cleaning.
Out of conscience, we took care of all the final cleanup and were about to turn off the lights when Yeseul, who was still inside, made a strange expression while looking at the human anatomy model.
"Come on out~ Let's close up and head back to the classroom."
"...You know."
Yeseul, with her permed bob, suddenly turned her head and glared at us from in front of the anatomy model.
"This. Did it always look like this?"
"...."
Gyeongwon and I glanced at each other nervously.
That model was the one we broke during the apocalypse event and replaced with a mannequin.
"....Wasn't that how it was supposed to look?"
I raised my voice, pretending to be nonchalant.
"Come on out, let's head back to the classroom~"
"Okay..."
Soon, Yeseul stepped out of the science lab with a meaningful expression on her face, and after we turned off the lights and locked the door, we followed her back to the classroom.
And finally, even the homeroom teacher's rambling in the closing ceremony came to an end.
Our Ghost Story Club finally gathered together, picked up our bags, and left the classroom.
"Alright, let's begin. We need to be there by 5, but it's already 4:30. If we're on an empty stomach, it'l be hard to present, so let's all head to the clubroom and grab a quick bite.
Everyone was asleep during lunch, after all."
"Okay!"
"Let's go!"
Perhaps thanks to all the sleep they'd had all day, the club members seemed brimming with energy despite being hungry.
After talking the members to the clubroom, I quickly used my points to get them bread and milk, quickly finished the final briefing, and then left the clubroom carrying the model door.
"Don't be scared, just do it confidently! We even sang songs at the boarding house yesterday, there's nothing to be nervous about!"
"That's right!"
"Yes!"
No matter how nervous we were about the presentation, it couldn't possibly be more nerve-wracking than singing in a boarding house full of crazy test takers! I actively cheered the members on, and they too walked confidently toward the Music room.
"Alright, the prize is ours. Let's go!"
"Let's go~!"
"Let's go!"
We stepped into the Music room with bold hearts.
The cunning third-grade science teacher, Choi Jungim, and the elite, privileged seniors who had colluded with her to prepare for the competition in advance.
It was finally time to destroy that entrenched cartel within the school.
'And as a bonus, well crush that thieving cat, Lee Chaerin!'
The imagine of vice class president running away, screaming 'keeeeng' was already vivid of my mind