First Ghost Story: School Announcement Broadcast (3)

[This is a reminder. Due to a power outage on campus, there is no electricity. As TV broadcasting is impossible, all freshmen please proceed to the playground.]

The students grumbled as they filed out of the classroom. I sat there motionless, my mind blank. Once most of them had left, leaving only a few dawdlers and me behind, a memory suddenly surfaced.

Is that young female teacher about to come and chase us out of the classroom soon...? It's been three years already. But it's a memory I could never forget, still vivid as ever.

Sure enough, footsteps echoed from the hallway, and a young female teacher spotted us, stopping to peer into the classroom.

"Why aren't you kids out there?"

Looking around at her words, I saw three other students besides me. A small girl with a puppy-like face who still looked middle-schoolish. A scrawny guy with glasses who seemed like a know-it-all rich kid. And finally, a girl with yellow-dyed hair slumped over asleep at the very back desk.

These three came back into view.

"Come on, get up and let's go. Wake the one sleeping in the back too."

The teacher leaned against the classroom door with her arms crossed, as if she wouldn't leave until she saw us out.

The puppy-like girl and the glasses guy hesitated, glancing at each other nervously. The girl in the back, fast asleep, looked like a total delinquent no matter how you sliced it. The bright yellow hair, the oversized flashy puffer jacket—everything screamed it.

They must be scared to wake her up.

I let out a sigh. In my previous life, I think she just woke up on her own while we waited. My head was still foggy from returning after three years, but in times like this, taking action helped clear my thoughts faster.

"...I'll wake her."

I said it to the fidgeting pair and headed to the back. Say what you will, I'd lived three years longer than these kids. I'd already finished high school and was on the verge of graduating college when I came back. A girl radiating "don't touch me" vibes? Delinquent hierarchies and all that bullshit were laughable to me now.

"Um, uh, um, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh..."

Why the hell was my voice shaking like this? I cleared my throat and tried again.

"Um... cough. Excuse me... the teacher told us to, uh, come out..."

No reaction. I mustered my courage and poked her puffer jacket. Finally, she lifted her head with a groggy, pissed-off expression.

In the end, the four of us followed the teacher out into the hallway.

Damn it... If the entrance ceremony goes like this, everything will unfold the same way again... No, I can't let that happen. I can't go through the agony of my head exploding, gasping for breath until I pass out again.

I need to create some variable, but what? How? First things first, I have to skip the entrance ceremony.

But how?

The teacher was heading to the playground for the ceremony too, so our paths overlapped—no slipping away midway. Desperately racking my brain for a hiding spot, I decided to fake being sick.

"Um, Teacher."

"Yes?"

She turned back as we descended the stairs.

"I've had anemia since I was little... I faint a lot if I stand too long or get too much sun..."

"Really?"

She made a thoughtful hmm and eyed me observantly.

"You don't look that skinny."

"Anemia's one of those things with a lot of misconceptions—it's not really about weight..."

"I see?"

She scanned me up and down again, pondering.

"That bad? Think you can last through the ceremony?"

Seizing the moment, I hammed it up more, wincing like I was dizzy.

"Yeah, especially today my head's spinning bad... Might be dangerous standing outside..."

I furrowed my brows and shook my head for effect. Catching the flicker in her eyes, I quickly piled on.

"Plus, with everyone watching if we go out, it's awkward to take breaks... And if I collapse, my mom will flip out at the school..."

I radiated the vibe of "you want pissed-off parents on your ass over me?" Truth was, my presence at the ceremony probably wasn't a big deal to her. She was just herding stragglers she spotted on the way—no real responsibility.

She gave me one last once-over and nodded decisively.

"Got it. I'll take you to the nurse's office. You probably don't know where it is—come on. Just rest there during the ceremony."

"Yes, thank you."

Success, for now.

"You three—don't sneak off. Straight to the ceremony, got it?"

"Yes..."

The remaining three gave listless replies as they headed to the playground. The delinquent girl's shit-eating grimace was priceless.

The teacher dropped me at the nurse's office and left for the playground. I lay on the bed briefly, then slipped back to the classroom when no one was watching.

Like hell I'm just gonna lie here and take it.

How do I change this situation...? I need a variable!

Come to think of it, after surviving my last life, I remembered experts on TV discussing the incident, mentioning "variables."

I'd jumped the school gate first time and still died with my head exploding. Second time, fleeing farther saved me barely. But some at similar distances still popped. Distance and speed alone weren't enough. There had to be more to surviving.

What was it...? Why did I survive that time?

Creak.

As I mulled it over and opened the classroom door, an unexpected sight greeted me. The three from earlier—the puppy girl, glasses guy, and delinquent—were back inside, seated.

What the hell?

"Why are you guys here?"

"Uh, um..."

The puppy girl stammered at my sudden question, pointing at the slumped delinquent.

"We were going, but... she suddenly came back here, so we..."

While the teacher took me to the nurse's, with no eyes on them, the delinquent had coolly returned. The other two had sheepishly followed.

"You guys have some guts, huh."

"It's just..."

The girl fidgeted visibly. Same age, but she looked and acted younger somehow. I had an excuse to rest; they were straight-up skipping sneakily—maybe that's why she was antsy. No need to be that nervous, though.

I'm in the same boat.

Might as well chat and fish for clues since we're here. Contrary to my usual self, I greeted them first.

"I'm Lee Joon. Single syllable name."

The girl hesitantly replied.

"My name is Yoon Seon-ah..."

Her voice barely a whisper, she mumbled "nice to meet you" and blushed. Not great with people, apparently.

Next, the glasses guy stared with a stiff tone.

"I'm An Gyeong-won. You said anemia—okay to stay here?"

I'd mentally called him "glasses guy," but "An Gyeong-won"? Glasses in the name? Wild.

"Yeah, fine. The anemia was bullshit."

"What?"

An Gyeong-won blinked in shock; Seon-ah giggled softly.

"Seems like you're the gutsy one, not us."

"Eh, just happened."

Why's this guy so formal? I figured early semester personas and let it slide.

The delinquent in the back ignored us, still face-down asleep.

Fishing for clues, I asked them.

"So why didn't you guys leave at first? Stayed in the classroom?"

"I... um..."

Seon-ah hesitated first.

"I'm just slow at everything..."

"...I see."

No big reason, huh. Then—

What the—another game-like system...?

I dismissed the message with a groan. Gyeong-won continued.

"I stayed because I remembered the school announcement ghost story. Power outage and all."

"What?"

"School Announcement Ghost Story. You know it? Super famous."

He saw my blank look and explained.

"One day, power outage during self-study. Then an announcement says gather at the playground for early dismissal due to blackout."

Knowledge show-off type, clearly—no awkwardness as he rattled on.

Seon-ah sidled closer, listening intently. The story went like this:

Power outage announcement to gather at playground. Kids happily pack up and go, but top student stays put. Second-best asks why. Top student: "Power's out—how's the announcement playing?"

I waited, then asked.

"...That's it?"

"Yeah. First time hearing it?"

"Nah, think I heard it as a kid... Scary stories were my jam. Maybe in a book."

"No sequel?"

"Nope, ends there usually."

"...Gotcha."

He eyed my serious face, coughed, and added.

"Versions vary, though. Some say they look out the window—playground's a bloodbath."

Playground bloodbath.

"What about top two? They survive?"

"Probably, from the flow. But who knows? Just a scary tale, not real."

He chuckled at my intensity.

"Taking this nonsense so seriously..."

"Didn't you stay because you took it seriously?"

"Kinda, but not really."

Bit embarrassed but loving the chance to flex smarts, he kept going.

"Power out, but ceremony mics won't work. Probably ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gather us then send back—hassle."

Hated the back-and-forth, basically lazy.

"So stayed from the start."

"...Makes sense."

No deep reason. I asked Gyeong-won, who seemed more knowledgeable.

"But power out, speakers still blare—thoughts?"

He pondered.

"Different power plant maybe?"

"Seriously?"

"Guess. Dunno."

Different plant? Possible? I'm no electrician. But slapping science on this felt wrong—heads exploding later defied explanation.

I pulled up the message in my vision.

Ghost story. That word nagged. Related to this?

If so... If the broadcast worked despite blackout because of a ghost story, and this "Nakseong High 300-Head Explosion Incident" links to "School Announcement Ghost Story," solution's simple: Stay in classroom like top students. They ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠survived that way.

"Um..."

Seon-ah piped up hesitantly.

"I thought it was interesting too..."

Sudden. She was slow, but this much? I'd been staring at the floating message—right in her direction. She thought I was staring at her, spat out her delayed reaction.

"Sorry! Wasn't staring for an answer."

"Okay..."

Then, principal's voice from the window.

"Ahem, dear Nakseong High freshmen."

Clueless, chuckling as he began. Normally, he'd barely finish three sentences before—boom.

"Truly delighted to see you."

Please let staying seated work.

"First, we sincerely welcome you to our school."

Please...

"I am the principal of this school..."

Heart pounding.

"in charge..."

Thud.

"...Shin Moon-hyeop. Our Nakseong High School, founded in 1984, has produced outstanding talents over 40 years of history and tradition as Gwanak-gu's top school. You, the global talents of the 21st century, with upright character, will lead the ubiquitous network future as creative individuals..."

Survived! We made it!

"Huuu... fuck..."

I wiped my chest in relief. That's it?! Just one person staying put does it—after all that bullshit?!

No freshmen stayed behind before...? Oh yeah—the teacher. That damn teacher dragged everyone out patrolling hallways...

Ridiculous, but tension melted away, body relaxing. I'd been wound tight facing third death.

Maybe not all die, just us survive like the story? Tutorial leniency? Multiple versions?

Anyway, solved.

Just stay seated... all this time. Sigh.

Felt stupid. Gyeong-won and Seon-ah flinched at my "fuck," not used to profanity, but shrugged it off.

More messages popped up.

Game systems flooded my view, but no time to check.

"You two can't even imagine what I just went through."

They gave me weird looks. Whatever—I sighed, shook my head, and decided ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to chat idly with my new friends. Nothing beats bullshit with buddies for mental health.

Ghost Story Club