Chapter 17: Friends?
Study club?
The students glared at the smug boy proposing it to me.
‘This guy…’
Not a major character, but he’d appeared in Spirit Exorcism a few times.
An arrogant elitist who judged people by grades.
‘Guess that’s why he’s polite to me.’
Unlike his disdain for others, An Woosung showed me respect.
Treating me as an equal, probably because my grades matched or surpassed his.
“Dancing or gaming is for losers who don’t think about the future. No help for your GPA.”
“Dance well, and maybe you’ll be a clown. But it’s useless for college. Oh, you dance? How’s that helping with entrance exams…?”
“Hey, An Woosung!”
“Yelling like a barbarian. Am I wrong?”
The girl who suggested the dance club snapped, but Woosung shrugged nonchalantly.
“You done? Apologize to Haru. Ruin your own life, fine, but don’t drag others down.”
“What? You think studying’s everything these days? I asked Haru because she’s got a great figure and seems talented.”
“That’s what dropouts say.”
“This guy’s impossible…”
She shook her head.
Woosung turned to me again.
“So, what do you think? Sharing strategies with top students benefits us all.”
“I’ll pass.”
“Obviously you’d join—wait, what?”
His face showed disbelief.
I drove the point home and turned away.
“I do fine studying alone.”
Looking for a chill club, joining a study group was absurd.
I’d had enough of that in my past life.
“…!”
Ignoring his gasp, I noticed a dejected figure.
“Yoo Kishin.”
“…Huh? Seol Haru?”
Sitting alone at the front, deep in thought.
He was scribbling on paper, struggling.
“What’re you doing by yourself?”
“Trying to start a club, but I’m stuck on recruiting members. Need at least four.”
“A club?”
The paper read “Supernatural Phenomena Research Club.”
“I looked into it, and Paradise High has a lot of mysteries. Weird incidents happened, but there’s little info on what or how they were resolved.”
“I see.”
“Yeah. So I want to investigate. That headless ghost was the class prez’s prank, but there are other stories. One being true wouldn’t be surprising.”
His serious expression and deep gaze were striking.
They say guys look coolest when absorbed in something.
‘He doesn’t give up.’
Memory erasure couldn’t break his obsession.
Suddenly, he looked up.
“Join my club?”
“…Me?”
“Yeah. You’re into ghost stories too, right? On White Day, you agreed to my idea, even if we found nothing.”
“True, but…”
What to do?
Joining a supernatural club went against my goal of a low-effort club.
Kishin would dive into anything ghostly.
But…
‘The hassle’s different here.’
Paradise High, the main stage of this world, had to persist.
Yet, dangers lurked everywhere.
I’d have to act anyway.
Sticking with Kishin, who’d dig up every ghost story, might be smarter.
‘He could uncover things I’ve forgotten.’
A good info source.
Plus, it’d solve the club requirement.
“Alright, I’m in.”
No reason to refuse.
“You’re insane??”
An unexpected issue.
Kim Dodam freaked out upon hearing.
“Why?”
“Why?! Out of all the clubs, why that one? Everyone else already ditched it!”
“It sounds fun. Didn’t you bond with Kishin over basketball?”
“That’s different! I was just helping him out—he’s hopeless. We’re not buddies!”
Less angry, more worried I’d get sucked into something weird.
I’m already weird, though.
“It’s fine, relax~ Don’t worry.”
“…I’m not worried!”
“Sure you aren’t.”
He’s not the brightest, but so what?
His loyalty and friendship were overflowing!
After calming him, I looked around.
Unlike Dodam, the class didn’t shun Kishin but found my choice odd.
I didn’t expect this attention.
Just joining a club—why the fuss?
Maybe Woosung stirred things up.
‘That glasses jerk.’
He should study alone.
He drew the wrong kind of attention.
Then, an unexpected situation.
“Supernatural Phenomena Research Club? What’s that?”
“It studies supernatural phenomena.”
“Hmm… Kishin, since you’re the president, what do you learn here for academics or self-improvement?”
“By researching ghost stories…”
Ms. Park Irim, usually bubbly but cold about occult stuff, grilled Kishin.
I stepped in.
“Ghost stories mirror society and the era vividly.”
“…Huh?”
“They reflect what people feared at the time. For example, in 19th-century Joseon, families burned collected hair on the last day of the lunar year, believing it warded off evil spirits.”
“Uh… yeah…”
“With over 90% of Korea urbanized, urban ghost stories highlight societal flaws and rapid development. Studying them offers insight into people’s thoughts and consciousness of an era…”
“…Oh, I see.”
Convinced, Irim approved.
Kishin stared at me, awestruck.
“You… thought of it like that…!”
We got a small club room.
We had to recruit members within the deadline, or we’d lose it—a tough task, I thought.
“Seol Haru’s in Class 3’s club?!”
“Supernatural what? What do they do?”
“How do I join? I’m in!”
Oddly, tons of students wanted in.
Good news, but Kishin wasn’t thrilled.
“All rejected… We need sincere members…”
His standards as president were high.
I ignored it, airing out by the window.
Ding—
A text from Sua.
– Turtle’s so cute~
Attached was a photo of the plushie from yesterday.
Smirking, I started to reply but paused.
“…What do I say to a girl?”
Sua didn’t visit her friend’s house.
That eerie thought kept her from going.
“Am I overreacting~?”
Hugging the turtle plushie Haru gave her, she rolled on her bed.
Logically, it was her friend’s message.
But doubts lingered.
Follow-up texts got no replies or just “come to my house,” and calls went unanswered.
“Maybe something happened.”
Sick, or unable to reply.
As a close friend, she should rush over.
But fear blocked her.
Stuck, time dragged on.
Talking to Haru was partly to befriend her, partly to escape those creepy thoughts.
Spending time showed Haru was great—quiet, not loud, but thoughtful.
It helped forget for a bit, but alone, the worries returned.
“Should I go with other friends? Maybe ask Haru… no, that’s too much.”
Barely knowing her, asking that could push her away.
Ding-dong!
The doorbell rang.
“Who’s that? Parents are traveling for a few days.”
Anyone else coming?
Sua stepped onto the cold floor to the intercom.
But…
“Huh?”
Her friend stood outside.
Must’ve come since Sua didn’t visit.
“No big deal, I guess.”
About to open the door, she froze with unease.
It was her friend, no doubt.
How could she forget that face?
But the outfit was off.
“Short sleeves…? It’s March.”
It was chilly today.
Her friend, sensitive to cold, always wore gloves in winter.
Sua hesitated.
The figure, as if sensing her, leaned into the intercom.
– …Caught me, huh?