Morning of September 8
***
Muhwa
Muhwa @MH09**
Hina, did you make it home safely?
—
HN
HN @JinJu**
Oh my gosh, I only just saw your mention.
—
Muhwa
Muhwa @MH09
Were you so tired that you passed out the moment you got home? LOL
—
HN
HN @JinJu**
No… I… LOLLLLL
I… fell asleep out on the street….
—
Muhwa
Muhwa @MH09**
???? What???????
Wait, what is this?? Seriously????
That’s so dangerous. T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T
—
HN
HN @JinJu**
No, but…
I seriously have no idea what I did while I was drunk.
Something really strange happened.
—
Muhwa
Muhwa @MH09**
??????
Did something bad happen? T_T??
—
HN
HN @JinJu**
No, nothing bad exactly… um…
When I woke up, I was in a hospital;;
Apparently someone found me collapsed asleep on the street and brought me here. T_T
—
Muhwa
Muhwa @MH09**
Oh my gosh… You could’ve been in serious trouble. T_T Are you okay? (gently pats)
—
HN
HN @JinJu**
Actually, my body’s pretty sore.;; Every inch of me aches, and I don’t even have any strength. I’m barely managing to type this. T_T
I felt a little better after getting a painkiller injection, but I still feel like I’m dying… T_T So my replies are a little slow.
I think I had an awful case of sleep paralysis last night, but I can’t remember it clearly. T_T
—
Muhwa
Muhwa @MH09**
Is your body still hurting?
Is it really bad? You went to the hospital, right?
—
HN
HN @JinJu**
I’m at the hospital right now. T_T Actually, a long time ago I happened to meet someone who could sense spiritual energy, and they told me…
that my spiritual energy is so strong that most ghosts would run away from me. ;;
I’m not completely sure, but I remember being terribly tormented last night…
Maybe that’s why I’m hurting.
—
Muhwa
Muhwa @MH09**
Oh no… What are you going to do….
I’ve never experienced sleep paralysis before.;
Should I come visit you in the hospital next time?
—
HN
HN @JinJu**
No, it’s okay…! I don’t even know when I’ll be discharged. T_T
Sleep paralysis is pretty horrifying, though. I can’t remember it, but there’s this vague lingering feeling… LOL
But that’s not even the weird part. The person who brought me to the hospital gave me a reward payment.;;;
—
Muhwa
Muhwa @MH09**
???????????????
—
HN
HN @JinJu**
He said I saved someone who had collapsed after drinking.;
I thought it was just a small token of appreciation, so I accepted it, but when I checked later it turned out to be 10 million won, so now I’m completely stunned…
—
Muhwa
Muhwa @MH09**
Wait… 10 million won? If you saved someone who’d collapsed, you must’ve been pretty busy. You really don’t remember?
Were you really that drunk yesterday, Hina…?
—
HN
HN @JinJu**
I don’t know. I don’t think I drank that much. T_T
And on top of that, I’m in this incredibly luxurious room at SH University Hospital.
I’m on an IV right now.;; He paid for everything. ;;
I honestly don’t know if it’s okay for me to accept all this.
—
Muhwa
Muhwa @MH09**
Wow… But if he’s willing to do that much, then it probably isn’t a bad thing, right?
It sounds like he’s financially well-off enough to do it.
And if someone had collapsed, it would’ve been an emergency…
—
HN
HN @JinJu⭑**
Yeah… I should at least let him cover the hospital bills….
Just staying in this room for one day probably costs about as much as my family’s monthly rent. T_T
Actually… my phone got destroyed too.
Not just destroyed—it literally burned up.;; I had a protective talisman inside my phone case, too…
—
Muhwa
Muhwa @MH09**
LOLOLOL
What on earth? This is straight-up occult stuff.
—
HN
HN @JinJu**
I know. T_T Maybe, without realizing it, I ended up saving some passing billionaire from a ghost?
Anyway, that’s why he even bought me a new phone.;; I got it today, and the first thing I did was install Twitter again because I’m hopelessly addicted to it. T_T LOL
He says I’m his lifesaver, but I genuinely have no idea what happened…
—
Muhwa
Muhwa @MH09**
Hina, maybe you should get a shamanic cleansing ritual or something. T_T
—
HN
HN @JinJu**
Yeah… If I really do end up receiving the full 10 million won, maybe I should actually try that. T_T
Ugh… I’m starting to get sleepy again. Maybe it’s because I’m not feeling well. T_T
—
Muhwa
Muhwa @MH09**
Okay. Aw, you’re sick, and I kept you talking for too long. TT
Get plenty of rest!
—
HN
HN @JinJu**
Thank you for worrying about me. T_T You get some good rest too, Muhwa!
***
[Texts]
***
—Sorry.
—I’m sorry….
—Are you really mad?
***
Snow White
Yeah.
LOL.
You think I’d be in a good mood?
***
—I’m really sorry.
***
Snow White
No, whatever.
Whatever you do,
whether you live,
or die,
that’s your choice, hyung.
I was out of line all this time.
Am I an idiot?
You never even wanted it, and I was the only one making a huge fuss.
***
—No.
—I’m sorry.
—You cared about me,
—and I’m truly sorry.
—I won’t shamelessly lean on you anymore.
***
Snow White
Ha.
Seriously.
…….
Lee Heesoo-ssi.
Let me ask you just one last thing.
***
—Okay.
—Go ahead…..
***
Snow White
You’ll answer me?
***
—I will.
—Anything.
***
Snow White
Honestly?
***
—Honestly.
***
Snow White
Fine, then.
Tell me the truth.
***
—Okay.
***
Snow White
You don’t want to live, do you?
Why aren’t you answering?
When you went to the reservoir, hyung—
not this time, the time before you started seeing ghosts.
Did you go there to die?
Answer me.
***
—……
—Yeah.
—That’s right.
—I was going there to die.
***
Snow White
LOL.
So at dawn…
you were planning to just let that ghost kill you?
***
—Yeah…
—I was.
***
Snow White
LOL.
***
—But you saw it too.
—Before the thing at the window came inside…
—the one that appeared inside the house…
—it told us…
—to get out.
***
Snow White
Yeah, it told us to get out.
To leave.
It told us to get out because it was dangerous, didn’t it?
***
—……
—Yeah, I guess so.
***
Snow White
Then why were you trying not to leave,
and why did you try to go back inside after you’d already come out? LOL
It went out of its way to warn you to leave.
If that really was your boyfriend,
do you think he’d want you to just stand there?
***
—……
***
Snow White
Because Kim Taeyoung is gone,
you can’t bear to keep living either?
***
—It’s not really like that.
***
Snow White
Yeah, sure it isn’t.
***
—…….
—It really isn’t.
—I’m not sad.
***
Snow White
“You’re not sad,” my ass.
***
—It’s true….
—Honestly, I wasn’t even that sad at the funeral.
—I just… felt strange. That was all.
—I managed to live my life pretty well even after he died.
—But even after a year, I still can’t get used to him being gone.
—I keep feeling like he’s still by my side.
—Isn’t that strange?
—That’s why I went to the reservoir.
—I was about to go in,
—and maybe I was imagining it…..
—but I heard his voice…
—So I just turned around and left.
—It’s ridiculous. It was probably just an auditory hallucination.
***
Snow White
It could’ve been a real ghost.
You’ve been seeing them every day lately, haven’t you?
***
—I don’t know.
—Anyway…
—He probably couldn’t have lived without me.
—But I’m doing just fine without him….
—I’d deserve it if he felt betrayed.
—If that ghost really was him, I thought maybe I should let myself die.
***
Snow White
Then if you were going to die anyway,
why’d you drag someone like me into it and waste my time?
***
—That’s…
—I’m sorry.
***
Snow White
Quit saying you’re sorry.
I’m asking why you dragged someone else into this
and put me through all that for no reason.
***
—I don’t know. I just…
—I just…
***
Snow White
—Because you were scared?
***
—……
—Yeah.
***
Snow White
What were you scared of?
***
—……
***
Snow White
Dying?
***
—……
***
Snow White
I’m asking if you’re afraid of dying.
***
—…Yeah.
***
Snow White
Hah.
…….
Then that’s all that matters.
Hyung.
You asked me to help you.
***
—That’s….
***
Snow White
You were scared.
You didn’t want it.
When that thing came after you,
did you like it?
***
—No….
***
Snow White
Hyung, if that woman hadn’t thrown her phone
at that ghost’s head,
there’s no telling
what would’ve happened to you.
***
—I know.
***
Snow White
Were you annoyed
because I helped you?
***
—No.
—That’s not it…..
—I’ve always been grateful to you.
***
Snow White
Grateful for what?
I’m the one who’s been getting in the fucking way of you dying. LOL
***
—No.
—But…
***
Snow White
Listen to me, Lee Heesoo-ssi.
If I hadn’t been around,
you would’ve succeeded in killing yourself a long time ago.
That half-baked ghost bastard
would’ve killed you ages ago. LOL
So what exactly are you grateful for?
To someone who wants to die,
I’m nothing but an obstacle.
***
—No, really…
—I am grateful to you….
***
Snow White
—you know what I’m trying to say, right?
***
—Yeah…
—You’re right.
—I don’t want to die.
—It’s just that things are so hard…..
—I just don’t want to live.
***
Snow White
Exactly.
sigh
……
Hyung.
You loved Kim Taeyoung so much that you still haven’t been able to accept that he’s dead.
You still can’t forget him, and that’s why you’re suffering.
And because you’re too kind for your own good, you even feel guilty about that.
Do you understand?
***
—How can you be so sure?
***
Snow White
Am I wrong?
***
—…….
—I think you’re right.
—Yeah.
—I’m exhausted.
—I want to forget him.
—But I can’t.
—And at the same time, I don’t want to forget him.
—But then it hurts so much.
—I feel like I’m going to live like this forever.
***
Snow White
You don’t have to force yourself to forget.
Memories aren’t something you can erase by pressing a button.
Hyung.
Even if you hadn’t been dating, the two of you had known each other for almost twenty years.
Of course you can’t forget him.
He was someone who shaped your life.
***
—…….
***
Snow White
Hyung.
You definitely said it.
You said you don’t want to die.
***
—Yeah.
***
Snow White
Then for now, just focus on staying alive.
We’ll deal with the rest after we beat the shit out of that ghost bastard.
***
—……
—Okay.
—Thanks… for caring about me.
***
Snow White
Good.
So, hyung,
can I come upstairs now?
***
—You walked out on your own two feet…..
***
Snow White
Haha.
***
—……
—Um…
—you know…
***
Snow White
Yeah?
***
—Were you…
—pretending to be angry on purpose…?
***
Snow White
Oh….
Good thing you’re a little more perceptive than I thought.
***
—;;;;
—Hey, you….
—Do you know how much you scared me?
***
Snow White
You were the one who kept apologizing first.
***
—Well, yeah, but…
—What you said earlier…
—How much of it did you actually mean?
***
Snow White
None of it.
I’m staying by your side because I want to help you.
I got angry because you were trying to die.
You know you were in the wrong, don’t you?
***
—Yeah…
***
Snow White
Seriously, I couldn’t believe it back there.
A ghost gets into the house,
we barely manage to escape,
and then you want to go back inside?
What kind of insane nonsense is that?
***
—I won’t ever do it again.
***
Snow White
If you’d gone back upstairs,
no one would’ve been able to help you…
I’d rather not even think about what would’ve happened.
***
—Yeah…..
***
Snow White
Who says something like that to people they know?
If you ever pull that again,
I’m tying you up
so you can’t move an inch.
***
—Okay, I got it.
***
Snow White
So…
can I come upstairs now?
***
—Give me just a little longer.;
—I look like an absolute mess right now.
***
Snow White
Your face is perfect no matter what, so don’t worry about it.
***
—;;
—Just a minute…..
***
Snow White
Okay.
Then I’ll wait downstairs.
***
—Okay.
—But…
—that ghost…
—Could it really not be him?
***
Snow White
I’m telling you, it isn’t. =.=
Are you finally starting to believe me?
***
—Um…
—Well…
—When it… attacked me…; I got a close look….
—Up close, its face looked kind of distorted.
—And the moment that woman threw her phone and hit it…
—it really looked like Gitae.;
—But you kept calling it Gitae, so maybe I just convinced myself that’s what I was seeing.
***
Snow White
I got sent a photo of that guy, Song Gitae.
And honestly, the ghost really does look a lot like him.
Its mouth’s ripped open a bit more than when he was alive,
but they’re similar.
***
—Gitae never had any reason to resent me.
***
Snow White
Are you sure you’re not just mistaken?
***
—No, really….
—I know I’m kind of oblivious, but…;
—I can at least tell when someone hates me enough to hold a grudge.
***
Snow White
What was he like?
***
—I was class president back then.
***
Snow White
That suits you.
***
—At the beginning of that semester, there was a major school bullying incident involving another grade.
—So our teacher told me that if there was anyone in our class who had trouble fitting in,
—I should keep an eye on them…..
***
Snow White
Yeah.
***
—Gitae wasn’t exactly being bullied, but everyone tended to avoid him.
—He was just… really quiet, and he didn’t have any friends.
—He hardly talked, and even when someone spoke to him, he’d keep his head down and answer in this tiny little voice.
—Um… I don’t mean to speak badly about my friend.;
—I’m just explaining.
***
Snow White
I’m telling you, that bastard’s a ghost.
Why are you worrying about stuff like that?
***
—We’re not even sure yet.
***
Snow White
=.=
That’s just an objective description. It’s fine.
It’s not like you said he was some ugly-as-hell, creepy, pathetic little anchovy bastard.
***
—;;;;;;
—Don’t say things like that.
***
Snow White
Yes, hyung.
***
—Anyway…
—It took a really long time for him to warm up to me, too.
—Honestly, I’m not even sure we ever became close. ;;
—Gitae almost never started conversations with me.
—I was always the one going over to check on him….
—Maybe I was bothering him.
—But I don’t think he’d hold a grudge against me……
—As time went on, though, he gradually started responding to me more.
—Um…
—Did you ever use NateOn back then?
***
Snow White
??
***
—……
—Oh, right. You probably don’t know NateOn.
—Yeah… you’re younger than me…..
***
Snow White
No. =.=
I know what it is.
I’ve just never used it.
When I was little, my parents wouldn’t let me use the computer.
***
—Yeah….
—Anyway…
—We actually talked quite a bit over messenger.
—He’d tell me about games I didn’t know anything about, so I couldn’t really keep up with those conversations.;
—Even if things were a little awkward between us,
—we definitely weren’t the kind of people who’d end up resenting each other.
***
Snow White
No, hyung.
From where I’m standing,
I think that pathetic little bastard had a crush on you.
***
—;;
***
Snow White
And yesterday, too.
Fuck.
That spirit visitation…
it was probably that bastard too, wasn’t it?
That guy who looked like he’d been stomped flat.
***
—;;;;
—No….
—I don’t think so.
—……
—I hope it wasn’t….
***
Snow White
Actually…
I wasn’t going to tell you this because I thought it’d scare you…..
***
—Please don’t start with that kind of preface.
—I told you, you’re scaring me.
***
Snow White
That guy, Song Gitae—
his estimated time of death was between 2:00 and 3:00 in the morning.
***
—;;
—Oh.
***
Snow White
Maybe that’s when he’s strongest because it’s the time he died, or whatever.
Either way, it’s a time connected to him.
And if he really is behind all this,
I’m going to kill that bastard.
***
—;;
—Um…
—He’s already dead…..
***
Snow White
—=.=
—Then I’ll kill him twice.
***
—;;
***
Snow White
Anyway…
I don’t think your apartment
is safe anymore.
***
—Yeah… I don’t think so either….
***
Snow White
Yesterday, he definitely couldn’t get inside.
But today he got in even with protective talismans in the apartment.
It feels like he’s getting stronger and stronger.
***
—Wouldn’t it…
—be better
—for you to go back home?
***
Snow White
Don’t be ridiculous.
***
—I mean it.
—You’re in danger too.
—If something goes wrong…..
***
Snow White
Let’s call a shaman.
***
—Um…
—Do you think that’ll help?
—The talismans just burned up, after all.
***
Snow White
That’s true….
But it’ll be better than the two of us trying to handle it ourselves.
You agree, right?
***
—Yeah.
—Okay….
—Sorry.
—If I’d agreed sooner, we would’ve called one already.
***
Snow White
No.
You were under that thing’s influence, remember?
You mistook the ghost’s face,
and you sent me that photo of your self-harm at 2:22 a.m.
I’m not saying this just because I was worried you were depressed—you genuinely weren’t in a normal state of mind.
If we’d called a shaman while you were still not thinking straight,
it might’ve turned into an even bigger disaster.
***
—Yeah…
***
Snow White
Actually, the shaman’s already at the hospital.
They’re there
to check on the woman who helped us earlier.
***
—Is she…
—okay?
—She got dragged into all this because of us.
***
Snow White
Yeah.
Apparently she naturally has exceptionally strong spiritual energy,
and she even had a protective talisman tucked into her phone,
so with enough desperate determination, she was able to drive it away.
It also happened to be about time for that ghost bastard to disappear anyway,
so we got lucky in more ways than one….
She exhausted all of her energy and ended up bedridden,
but they said she’ll be fine once she recovers.
So don’t worry.
***
—Yeah…..
—Still…
—She’s our savior.
***
Snow White
Let’s think about that after we’ve dealt with all of this.
I’ll make sure she gets repaid properly.
Right now, stop worrying about other people
and worry about yourself first, hyung.
***
—Okay.
***
