Chapter 8
Even though I'd investigated bit by bit during every break at school that day, there was precious little information on Song Seon-yeong. Just the fact that a sneaky number of guys had crushes on her? That made it tough. She guarded her secrets like some grand treasure map no one was willing to share.
"Shaman...?"
"Yeah. Shaman."
"......"
Song Seon-yeong stared at my face with an appraising look. What was she thinking? About the convenience store part-timer who'd grabbed a random passerby and introduced himself as a shaman.
"I remember you. Shaman Kang Moon-soo. The top student who betrayed all the teachers' expectations with that weird aptitude."
"Betrayed, huh..."
The teachers knew my family situation, so they were just hoping my aptitude would give me a break in life. It was true I'd worked my ass off and pulled ahead of kids my age in a bunch of ways.
But I wasn't anything special.
Guess my hunch was right.
In this regressed world, I hadn't even taken the aptitude test yet. But Song Seon-yeong already knew about "Shaman Kang Moon-soo." Which meant she wasn't just some victim caught up in the regression—she was in on it. Just like me.
"Shaman. We're the same age, so we can drop the formalities, right?"
"Sure."
"How much do you know?"
"That's a bit too broad a question."
"Memories."
"Up to the day the aptitude test results came out and you jumped off the school rooftop."
"...So you know everything."
She didn't dodge or deny it, so the conversation flowed smoothly from there.
"Why do you keep killing yourself?"
"That's my business."
"My turn to ask."
"You just did."
"I did?"
"You asked why I keep killing myself. My turn again."
"......"
Where'd this little punk come from...? It wasn't entirely wrong, which made it even more annoying.
"I'll save my next question for tomorrow."
"Wait—"
"You know what time it is? Not everyone's pulling all-nighters at a part-time gig like you."
"......"
I wasn't doing it for fun either. But I didn't feel like getting into that.
"See you at school."
"Yeah. Don't kill yourself."
"...You're ridiculous. Worry about yourself, Shaman."
"I'm doing fine."
"Oh yeah? Some lady's waiting at the counter for you."
"Gasp!"
It was true.
"Hey, kid. You see the young girl but not my cup ramen?"
The lady with the S-brand spicy cup ramen on the counter glared at me, not hiding her irritation one bit.
"Sorry!"
Kang Moon-soo! Get it together! My paycheck comes before someone else's life!
Spacing out with a customer waiting to pay? I deserved the scolding.
Ding~♪
"Thank you! Come again!"
"Do it right."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Did my hearty response win her over? Her mood seemed better as she grabbed her bag with the cup ramen and left.
"Phew~!"
I could finally breathe once her silhouette vanished into the darkness.
Song Seon-yeong... already gone, huh.
A bit ridiculous, but like she said, we could talk tomorrow.
Ding~♪
"Welcome!"
I dreamed of brighter days ahead and threw myself diligently into my shift.
* * *
"Kang Moon-soo. Come up and solve problem 3 on page 338."
"I'm losing my mind!"
I'd wrapped up my shift and was heading home when the occult kicked in. This time, regression hit before the night was even over.
From the circumstances, it had to be Song Seon-yeong's doing—
"...Kang Moon-soo. Even if you hate solving problems, you can't say that out loud."
"Sorry, teacher! I meant I'm thrilled because it's a problem I pre-studied!"
I'd prepped that one three whole times—I was about to go insane!
"Oh! My mistake then? Come on up and solve problem 3 on page 338. I'm curious how well you prepped."
"Yes, sir!"
I could solve this one better than anyone in the world.
* * *
Was it Song Seon-yeong's whimsy changing the future again? This time, Choi Kang-hun didn't come looking for me.
That cleared things up.
Song Seon-yeong's the culprit!
I just got caught up in the occult without control, but she wielded it like a pro.
Not a hunch anymore—this was certainty! It triggered right after we talked.
"Enough already!"
I was sick of being exploited for free. My labor was precious.
Suicide? Not pitiful anymore. She was doing it on purpose.
Couldn't call that sane.
Whoosh!
Fueled by rage, the moment break time hit, I bolted from my seat like a track star straight to Song Seon-yeong's classroom.
No chance for her to escape school like last time.
"Kang Moon-soo! No running in the halls—"
"Sorry!"
I ignored the teacher's scolding and kept sprinting.
"Moon-soo! Soccer at lunch—"
"Play without me!"
Not in the mood to hang with friends right now. Fresh off a back-breaking shift!
Mentally exhausted.
Slam!
I flung open Song Seon-yeong's classroom door and strode in boldly.
There she is!
Just like the first time, she had her head stuck out the window.
"Hey!"
"...It really happened."
"Song Seon-yeong!"
"Hold on. Voice too loud."
She winced at my call.
"You're busted!"
"For what?"
"Your doing! I didn't sleep a wink because of it!"
"Wanted to check if you really remembered."
She triggered the occult just to test me.
"Unbelievable. Talking about tomorrow, then hitting me from behind like that?"
"Figured it'd drag on otherwise."
"Hah!"
Just as I was about to press her, whispers rippled around us.
"Whoa! Didn't sleep all night?"
"Dragged on so long Song Seon-yeong tapped out first...?"
"What'd those two get up to last night?"
"Kang Moon-soo. Lucky bastard."
"Drop dead."
For some reason, they were jumping to ridiculous conclusions.
"Hey! Come with me!"
Grab!
I seized Song Seon-yeong's wrist and dragged her out of the classroom.
"Ow! That hurts! I get it, so loosen up—no, let go!"
"Fine."
The second we hit the bustling hallway, I released her wrist.
"Kids can see us here. Bathroom."
"Hey. I get you were startled by me grabbing you, but I'm a guy? Or you wanna hit the men's room?"
"You're insane?!"
"That's what I wanna say. Stairs. No time."
"Got it."
We headed to a stairwell kids rarely used for a quiet talk. Wanted somewhere more private, but with under five minutes left in break, no choice.
"How'd you regress?"
"Secret. And stick to the order. My turn."
"...Ask away."
I tamped down my anger and waited.
"How'd you keep your memories?"
"Shaman aptitude."
I said it, but honestly, I had no clue.
"Shaman..."
"My turn. How'd you go back to the past?"
"Secret."
"...Suicide?"
"Secret."
"Bingo. Denying it wouldn't help—it's all over your face."
"......"
Song Seon-yeong looked like she'd eaten shit. Made me all the more satisfied.
Suicide, huh...?
Not some mystical chant. This was pure logic on my part.
I didn't endorse suicide, but people could snap from bad choices and judgments. I'd felt that impulse right after Dad died.
But keep suiciding even after regressing to fix those mistakes? Too weird.
Fantasy novel protagonists might bail on life easily at first, but post-regression, they leverage future knowledge to thrive—no more suicides.
But Song Seon-yeong kept at it.
Every few days, repeat suicide. Jumping off rooftops a hobby? Nobody enjoys bones shattering without safety nets.
Anyone who did would've died for real ages ago.
"Class is starting. I'm out. Catch you next break."
"What?! Coward! Don't hog my secret and bail!"
"Watch your words. I didn't hear it—I figured it out."
So shameless.
"...Don't go."
"Nah."
"You're gonna suicide anyway. No point in perfect attendance."
Creak.
Her words halted my steps toward class.
She's right...
I'd been clueless about the occult's trigger, so I'd stuck to the present: classes, aptitude test, saving money, part-time...
But now things were different.
"Ask."
"Changed your mind?"
"Yeah."
I hated handing her the reins, but she held the hilt of this occult knife.
"How'd you preserve your memories?"
"Dunno."
"You're kidding? Answer properly."
Her eye twitched at my response.
"I'd love to give a proper answer, but I really don't know. Do you know how you regress?"
"Suicide."
"Jesus! You don't know either."
"Suicide."
"That's not knowing."
"It's different."
"How?"
"I've got a pattern: I die, I go back."
"Same for me when you die."
"......"
"......"
Song Seon-yeong was stumped by my airtight logic for a moment. She stubbornly pushed back.
"Wrong. Everyone except me should lose memories. That's been the norm."
"The world doesn't revolve around you..."
"Don't middle-school syndrome me!"
"It does, though. That confidence you're the special one with mysterious powers? Hilarious."
"...Fine. Drop it. I feel like an idiot here."
"Smart choice."
"Shaman. Rooftop."
Ding~♪
Class bell rang right then. Spilled milk. Some angelic voice whispered it wasn't too late, but the devil named Song Seon-yeong loomed too large.
Me, skipping class on purpose!
I'd crashed in the nurse's office from sleep deprivation before, but outright breaking school rules? First time.
"Hurry up."
"Yeah. But why the rooftop specifically?"
"Reason. You barged in acting all buddy-buddy."
"Never did."
I shot back seriously at her nonsense.
"You grabbed my hand."
"Wrist."
"Same diff. Whole class'll think we're dating."
"Over that?"
"Definite. Like when Choi Kang-hun showed up in second year—immediate rumors."
"I see."
This school had way too many nosy busybodies.
"Better to die than get that rumor about us dating?"
"You say some harsh shit! And I ain't convinced by that."
"Just come. Science teacher's coming up these stairs soon."
"Geez..."
Felt like she had veteran skip-class vibes.
"Stick close and we won't get caught till the roof."
"Spill it the second we get there."
"What?"
"Why you keep suiciding. Can't be a hobby."
"It is, though?"
"......"
"Kidding. Don't look at me like I'm a bug?"
"Depends."
We kicked off round two of talks on the school rooftop.