Chapter 27: Whispers Behind the Mirror

Seeing my reaction, Yoo Kishin seemed to mistake it for shock, his face hardening as he continued.

“You’d be stunned, right? Just stay calm and listen. I’ll tell you everything…”

He recounted what happened since my disappearance.

I listened, my mind racing.

‘Kishin was awake then.’

Unlike the others, silent and unconscious in the classroom.

Did witnessing it all let him keep his memories?

Wait.

Joo Kihyun was awake too.

‘Does he remember too?’

He hadn’t shown it.

Hard to read, though.

“…That’s what happened.”

Kishin finished, watching me cautiously.

First, I—

“Something like that…!”

I put on my best shocked act.

His secret didn’t change much immediately.

He barely knew anything about the other side.

Even knowing Hwaseo and Doryeong weren’t normal, he wouldn’t grasp what they were.

Fear outweighed curiosity.

Afraid of what might happen if exposed, he couldn’t act.

This absurd situation unfolded.

“Welcome to the club,” Kishin said.

“Thanks,” Hwaseo replied.

“Anyway, it’s sudden, but here’s what we’ll do…”

The three of us—new member Hwaseo, Kishin, and me—sat in a circle, discussing.

“Ghost story investigation?” Hwaseo asked.

“Yeah. Not just for fun—we need to prove we’re studying. We’ll write reports, so we need good ghost stories,” Kishin said.

“Ones tied to Paradise High?”

“Most fitting. I’d like each of us to bring one to investigate.”

Kishin stared at me, avoiding Hwaseo’s gaze, acting the proper club president.

Hwaseo, oblivious, seemed to ponder how to steer things.

I raised my hand. “Any ghost story okay?”

“If it’s tied to Paradise High. Even suspected ones work.”

“Anything good out there?”

“Don’t overthink it. You’ll find plenty… though who knows what’s real,” Kishin said, glancing at Hwaseo.

I scanned the clubroom, thinking.

Kishin, a ghost hunter who’d learned of the other side.

Hwaseo, hiding her identity to watch us.

It felt like—

‘A masquerade.’

I was the worst culprit, though.

For P.E., we split into boys’ and girls’ changing rooms.

Used to it now, I changed easily.

“Wow~”

Gasps echoed when I undressed, but I kept my conscience clear by avoiding looking at the girls.

“I saw you all last time—most swing the racket with force. Don’t. Use your wrist…” Han Siha droned.

The boys mirrored my boredom, but the girls’ eyes sparkled.

Must be fun to watch.

I find mirrors fun too.

“Unlike last time, no pairing today. Practice with whoever you want,” Siha said.

“Sweet~”

Kids who got stuck with strangers last time flocked to friends.

Whoever I want.

With few friends, my options were slim.

Then, a soft touch grazed my neck.

“Lu-chan~ Let’s team up again,” Gahee said, arm around me, her face—and chest—uncomfortably close.

Is this girls’ skinship?

So different from guys’ strict distance.

“…Sure,” I said.

No reason to refuse her approach.

I spotted Kim Dodam heading my way, then veering off.

‘?’

Was he going to ask me but backed off seeing I had a partner?

He’s as friendless as me.

Tap! Tack—

The shuttlecock flew fast across the net.

Gahee’s moves were sharper than before.

I matched her level, creating a tense, thrilling match.

“Whoa, what’s with them?”

“The shuttlecock’s not even dropping!”

Spectators gathered, drawn by the free practice vibe.

Dodam, somehow in the middle, refereed.

“Out!”

‘When’d he get here?’

I cringed, but Gahee’s competitive fire surged.

Scores climbed fast, one point from the end.

‘We don’t need practice at this level.’

I’d let her win.

Initially intimidating, her earnest effort was kind of cute.

I hit lightly, planning to barely miss her return—but the shuttlecock didn’t come back.

“In!”

“Oh,” Gahee gasped.

She’d messed up.

“Wow! Seol Haru won!” Dodam shouted.

“How’re they both that good?”

“You owe me a drink. Bet’s lost,” Gahee said.

Students swarmed me, chatting.

I responded briefly, keeping my face cold.

Then I saw Gahee alone, looking disappointed.

‘Hm?’

Her delinquent image kept others away.

Siha approached, offering water and talking, making her laugh.

Consoling her?

“Elite, huh? Even great at sports,” a grating voice said.

An Woosung, who’d pitched a study club before.

“Your real talent’s studying. It’s not too late to join—”

“Sorry, already in a club.”

“What?! Where?”

“Supernatural Phenomena Research Club.”

He froze, hand on his glasses, mouth agape, muttering “why” and “how.”

I asked, “Know any Paradise High ghost stories? Need them for research.”

“Ghost stories? Just nonsense by the ignorant. No such thing in reality—”

“Fine, never mind.”

“Who said I don’t know?! Heard some gossip recently.”

‘Easy guy.’

Puffing up, he said, “People felt watched, turned, and saw a black figure standing far off. Creepy, so they say it’s a ghost.”

“Oh? Where?”

“Not ‘oh’—it’s just a trick of the eye. Mostly the auditorium or courtyard.”

Auditorium.

We’re here.

Glancing around, I blinked.

‘…Is that it?’

Beyond a distant window, a black shape flickered.

Its eye-like spots flared like flames, glaring.

Who’s it watching?

I turned and froze.

“Lee Gahee…?”

There she stood, blonde, peering into her mirror.

“The science room’s mannequin walks the school at night, alone.”

“There’s a book-holding statue in the library. It flips a page every midnight. If it finishes, something awful happens.”

After Kishin and Hwaseo shared their ghost stories, I relayed Woosung’s.

“A ghost?” Hwaseo said. “Come to think of it…”

“Ring a bell?”

“Heard kids mention it. Not widespread, but a few claim sightings.”

Not famous, with few witnesses.

Normally, it’d be a mistake, but I knew it was real.

“Should pick one to investigate. Thoughts?” I asked.

“Hm… the mannequin’s tough,” Hwaseo said, touching her lips.

“Too vague. No clear timing or conditions, so it’s hard to check.”

“Agreed. Same for the statue. Waiting till midnight?” I added.

“And a book’s only so long. With Paradise High’s history, it’d be done by now.”

“Yeah.”

By elimination, my story won—recent, with witnesses, just right.

‘I’ll skip Gahee’s part.’

Uncertain and hard to share.

We agreed to investigate after school.

“Really okay?” Kishin asked.

“Yup, no problem!” Hwaseo said, clenching a fist in an “aja” pose.

Kishin nodded uneasily. “…Alright.”

Hwaseo, new to the club, staying late seemed odd, even to us.

Oblivious, she smiled brightly.

The black figure glared into the auditorium.

As the blonde girl moved, its fiery gaze followed.

– Danger…

A cave-like voice whispered.

It grew louder as a man approached her.

– Danger… danger…

Unheard, it soon vanished.