Ghost Story Club 30: The Sixth Ghost Story - College Entrance Exam Banned Song (4)
Knock.Knock.Knock.
Someone quietly raps on the door of the club room. We freeze mid-laughter, our breaths catching in surprise.
Knock.Knock.Knock.
The knocking comes again. I turn slowly. Seon-ah had torn a page from her history textbook and taped it over the glass pane in the club room door. Light filters through from the hallway, illuminating a human silhouette.
From the dark outline, it looks like the upper body of a woman with long hair.
Knock.Knock.Knock.
We all clap hands over our mouths, desperately stifling any sound, but it's pointless. Our laughter from moments ago must have given us away.
With no choice, I approach the door slowly.
"Who's there?"
"It's your teacher."
"Teacher?"
A voice I recognize from somewhere. Seon-ah whispers softly.
"Teacher Hwa-eun..."
Sure enough, it's Jang Hwa-eun, the advisor for our Ghost Story Club.
"What brings you here?"
The shadow beyond the paper presses her face slowly against the window glass and murmurs.
"Could you... open...?"
"What?"
Her voice is too faint to catch. I lean my ear toward the window.
Our faces are inches apart, separated only by the paper-covered glass.
"Could you... open the door... for me...?"
Teacher's breath hits my ear directly.
Eek. A delightful shiver races across my skin, goosebumps prickling everywhere. They call this ASMR, right? Totally out of place here, but my whole body nearly goes limp for a second.
I steel myself and ask the figure outside again.
"Why? Is it dangerous out there right now?"
She might be out of her mind too—no opening the door recklessly. Gotta check thoroughly.
"...Danger...ous."
"Pardon?"
She's whispering something. Why so quietly? Suspicious, but if the whole outside world's full of lunatics, being cautious like this isn't weird.
"What?"
I lean in closer, and barely catch the words.
"Closer... even closer..."
"You want me to put my ear closer?"
I press my ear fully against the glass, the paper nearly sticking to my skin.
"Huuu~"
Teacher suddenly blows a sigh right by my ear.
Eek.
Shivers. My limbs go weak, a strange tingling arousal surging through me. It wasn't actual breath on my ear, but the sound alone triggers every nerve.
The club members, clueless about what's happening, stare curiously as my legs tremble and buckle.
Conscious of their eyes, I straighten up and call out.
"What's going on outside? Why do you want in?"
"Put your... ear here..."
Teacher whispers slowly. A sense of duty to check if she's sane—and maybe enjoying this a bit—I press my ear back.
Silence lingers, then again.
"Huuu~"
Eeeek.
Electric thrill pierces me once more. Blissful goosebumps curl my toes and fingers. I hide my creeping smile from the members and ask.
"Teacher. Um. Are you... in your right mind...?"
They can't hear her sultry sighs—just my serious face and worried glances.
"Of course... Teacher's fine... Hurry and... open this door...?"
Her drowsy murmur makes my breathing ragged. I ask again.
"How will you prove you're fine?"
She whispers something. Anticipation tingling, I plaster my ear to the glass. Through Seon-ah's torn history page clinging to my ear, I feel the cold glass—and Teacher's seductive mutter.
"If you let me in... Teacher will blow in your ear... okay?"
Her tempting whisper.
"Come on... huuu~"
Eek.
A giddy "uhihi" giggle slips out unbidden.
"Come on... huuu~ the other ear too... it'll feel good..."
Mindful of the stares, I turn my head.
"Ah~ I can't hear Teacher well. Let me try the other ear—"
"Come on, huuu~"
Eek. Uhihi.
"Feels good, right? Huh? Hehe."
Seeing Seon-ah's weird look, my heart skips; I force down my grin.
"T-Teacher. I still can't hear... one more time..."
"Uhuhu... Open the door and I'll do more... right by your ear... even sing for you..."
A lullaby-like coaxing whisper. I bask in the older woman's voice hitting my ear.
"So... will you open it? Huh?"
Her coquettish tone that makes even a guy want to act cute. Come to think of it, she spoke like this last time in the bathroom too. From a shaman family, huh—maybe she gets possessed easily by ghost stories. And when she does, her mind goes... weirdly like this.
In that ecstatic haze, the thought flashes by.
> [Understanding of Jang Hwa-eun has increased by 20.]
The floating message snaps me back. I pretend unshaken resolve and pull my ear away.
"Go away, Teacher. You don't seem right."
As I do, the history paper stuck to my cheek peels off with it. The members gasp in surprise. I peel it from my cheek, glance at the glass—and jolt.
"Will you... open it? Teacher wants... to come in..."
"Teacher."
I ask calmly.
"Why are you facing away?"
Indeed. With the paper gone, beyond the glass: Teacher's upper body, back turned to us.
Knock.Knock.Knock.
Jang Hwa-eun knocks again—facing away, hand reaching back blindly.
Knock.Knock.Knock.
"J-Joon-ah..."
Seon-ah mutters, trembling. It sounds like a whisper right beside us, through the glass. Unnatural. Gotta get rid of her now.
I force calm.
"Go away, Teacher. No space here—it's cramped."
"Looks... spacious... Let me in too..."
Still facing away, she mutters.
"No, it's cramped. Go."
"Looks bigger than last time..."
"How can you tell facing away? You're definitely off. Go."
"Clearly... bigger than before... I could fit."
I panic—she might spill that the club's space expanded.
"No, it's the same. Rooms don't just get bigger without renovations."
"But it did... about twice as big..."
"Ah, crap, no it didn't!"
I blurt desperately.
"It's really cramped here! Find somewhere else!"
"Looks spacious... Teacher too... wants in..."
"Teacher's too fat to fit!"
Turned Jang Hwa-eun flinches sharply.
"What?"
I swallow. Even out of her mind, she reacts sensitively to that.
She's a beautiful woman in her thirties with voluptuous, mature curves—popular at her age, but to teen eyes, slimmer like Ha-yoon or tiny Seon-ah, she's definitely bigger.
Teasing her like that might hurt.
> [Understanding of Jang Hwa-eun has increased by 10.]
Silence from Teacher. After a beat.
Knock knock knock.
Still back-turned, she knocks.
Knock knock knock knock knock knock.
"Ah~ no room! No seats! No space! Go away! Please! For real!"
Irritated shout from me. She mutters again.
"Looks bigger than last time... Let Teacher in a bit..."
Damn, this won't end. I harden my heart.
"Teacher's too fat to fit!"
"What...!"
Her head (back) trembles again.
"No... way..."
Shocked mutter. I drive the wedge.
"For real! Look at Ha-yoon here! So slim! That's what it takes for our club room!"
"L-lie..."
"Go lose weight! Then I'll open up!"
Absurd, she mutters slowly and fades from view.
"66... what the... this... what..."
[D-grade Ghost Story - Survived Encountering a Person Possessed by a Ghost.]
[Acquired 5 Ghost Story Points.]
Confirming she's gone, I exhale.
"Phew."
"Whew, what the hell was that..."
Gyeong-won and Deok-hoon relax, muttering. But the girls react badly. Jin-hee glares contemptuously; Seon-ah shoots me a dead-fish stare. Only Ha-yoon looks unfazed.
"Um..."
I try smoothing things, but fail.
"Had to be done."
"Bullshit."
Jin-hee snaps coldly.
Gurgle—
Around 1 PM, lunch long over. We're still hunkered in the club room.
"How long we gotta stay here~"
Deok-hoon gripes, clutching his stomach. No choice, though.
From the club window, the playground crawls with beaten, unconscious kids or raving maniacs. Faint screams echo from downstairs hallways.
Early on, police and ambulances wailed by outside, but now silence. Phone internet shows riots everywhere—stay hidden, they say. Communities and SNS flooded with netizens garbling lyrics in typos.
"Everyone's lost it."
I sigh helplessly.
"Yes, Mom. I'm safe and hidden. Yes..."
Gyeong-won talks cautiously with his parents. Mine don't pick up.
Knock.Knock.Knock.
Knocking again. Teacher's back at the door.
"I lost weight..."
Still facing away, she mutters. I snap irritably.
"What? Lose weight in an hour?!"
"Skipped... lunch..."
We all exchange stunned looks.
"What now?"
"Teacher's pitiful..."
Seon-ah worries, but Gyeong-won shuts it down.
"Still too risky to let in. What if she freaks like the others or sings?"
I ponder, then decide.
"Let her in."
"What?"
Shocked stares.
I explain patiently.
"At first, I thought it'd pass, but net checks show national disaster. Not just here—Seoul, whole Korea paralyzed by the song."
"We know."
Gyeong-won nods. We'd confirmed it endlessly on our phones.
"It's worsening. Soon officials fall too—then evacuation broadcasts blasting the song everywhere. We'll lose it then."
Somber nods.
"No point waiting. Let Teacher in."
"Why her tho—"
"She's infected. Interrogate, beat info out—whatever. Research the 'patient'."
Like a disease, fleeing won't solve it. Study victims for a cure. This ghost story's the cause. No expert knowledge needed—observe Teacher, maybe find clues.
"Got it?"
Slow nods of agreement.
"If she goes berserk, Jin-hee handles."
"Me?"
"Yeah. You look tough."
She smirks but nods.
"All good? Opening."
"Whoa, heart pounding."
I approach slowly.
"Teacher, opening up—no singing."
"Teacher... sings well..."
"Shut it."
Creeeak—
Unlock and open. Teacher backs in crab-like, still facing away.
Finally facing us, her face is still beautiful—but eyes vacant.
Click.
I relock. In the room's center, Jang Hwa-eun—as expected—starts singing.
"Oh... ohway... oioh~ eshii~"
"Damn it, I said no..."
Dark club room. Beautiful thirties English teacher dances weirdly, kids watching.
"Tum... etum^— ohway—"
Jin-hee approaches, fists ready per my request—then stops cold.
"Teacher, you're tone-deaf."
"Pfft!"
"Puh."
Giggles erupt. Undeterred, Teacher flaps arms, taps steps, lost in groove.
"All together po~ rin~ seu~ seu~ oh way~ oioh~ eshiey~"
Gyeong-won grins at her wiggling hips.
"Lucky she's tone-deaf. No clue the melody."