[No title provided]
“Manual ghost story……”
“First time hearing it? You both look clueless.”
“Yeah, first I've heard of it……”
“Then it's faster to just show you. Give me your numbers, and I'll Kakao the link over.”
“Sure.”
We exchanged phone numbers while we were at it.
“Alright, mine's 010……”
One person who seemed noticeably thrilled about swapping numbers stood out: Seon-ah. Was she just happy to make friends so easily on the first day of the new semester? Her cheeks flushed pink as she smiled softly, punching my number into her phone.
“There, just copied and sent it. Check it out if you're curious.”
〈〈Employment Notice〉〉
Clover Corporation sincerely welcomes you.
For those hoping to apply for company apartments, please follow the instructions below.
○ Eligibility: Healthy individuals among those entering in 2019.
○ Application Period: From Jan. 28 (Mon) to Jan. 22 (Fri), 2019. Strictly enforced.
○ Required Documents: ① Health checkup (TB, Hepatitis B), 1 photo each. Fax to Clover Pharma HR upon entry (Required).
○ Submission Method: App Clover - Employee Menu - Company Apartments - Company Apartment Entry Application. New hires must phone-verify with HR for data registration before app submission.
○ Application Precautions:
※ This apartment was built by Clover Corporation exclusively for employees on purchased land. Always be grateful.
※ Applications will be rejected if family includes religious affiliates.
※ When visiting HR to submit documents, surrender all time-displaying items to security beforehand.
○ Post-Move-In Notices:
※ Hallucinations, auditory hallucinations, or health issues post-move-in do not permit withdrawal.
※ For security, end-of-hallway units are always vacant. Ignore lights or sounds.
※ No 4th floor due to religious reasons. If elevator stops on 4, kill yourself before detection.
※ Stairwell access banned at night. If unavoidable, crawl only.
○ Inquiries: Company Welfare Team · Mun (Oxx) xxx-xxxx | Clover Pharma (Oxx) xxx-xxxx
It was a company memo providing apartment housing info for new hires—like dorms. Just skimming it, the suspicious bits jumped out everywhere.
As I finished reading, Gyeong-won eyed me and asked,
“Spot anything weird?”
“Hmm, hang on…… First off, why visit the pharma division for employee housing? And the notices below are straight-up bizarre.”
“……Doing body experiments on new hires or something?”
“Oho.”
Gyeong-won adjusted his glasses, eyes gleaming with surprise.
“Not bad for a first read.”
“Haha, just guessing. But probably not right.”
“Depends how you look at it.”
So this was the trend: hiding creepy lines in official docs. Manual ghost stories.
Seon-ah stared at her phone, scrolling up and down intently.
“Gyeong-won, you know a lot of scary stuff—like that announcement broadcast last time.”
He pushed up his glasses with a smug grin.
“Used to be into mysteries and detective stories, but digging deep got me into adjacent horror too.”
“I see……”
I reread the manual ghost story carefully.
“So, what's the punchline?”
“……Punchline?”
He flinched, caught off-guard.
“Yeah. It's a weird memo, sure. But what's the point?”
Seon-ah glanced at him curiously too.
Stories needed endings, right? Plenty of oddities, but what was it getting at?
“Don't ask me……”
Gyeong-won squirmed awkwardly.
“Listen, ghost stories don't have endings by design……”
“……No?”
“Nope.”
He nodded firmly.
“This memo? Some Clover employee snuck a pic and posted it online. Not a fabricated tale with plot.”
“Ah, so it's a real leak.”
“Exactly. No ending to spoil. Not that I don't know……”
He looked embarrassed, stressing he wasn't clueless—just that there was no answer. Pride in his knowledge, probably. I got it; total horror noob here, so my newbie question stumped him.
“Ghost stories are just snippets floating online—no conclusions, so……”
I waved him off as he rambled.
“Got it, sorry. Not my hobby, so dumb question.”
“Yeah…… Not fumbling 'cause I don't know, just hard to explain the 'no answer' point……”
“So slipping creepy notices into official docs that's the manual ghost story gimmick?”
I cut in with my takeaway. His eyes lit up, intrigued.
“Sharp for a beginner. Spot on. That's the horror hook.”
“Hmm.”
Clover Corporation was a global giant—wouldn't they sue over rumors like this? Whatever. The real point: our school's admission notice had similar shady manual-style bits.
Beware the smiling woman.
After chatting briefly with Gyeong-won and Seon-ah, I returned to my seat as textbook distribution started.
Feels surreal.
Holding freshman books again stirred something odd.
Hardly any CSAT help here.
Aside from some math, mostly basics ignored on the exam.
……Not just CSAT, though.
Pretty useless for life too. I remembered floundering before winter break part-time gigs in senior year—knowing labor laws would've helped. Fresh regrets as regression life loomed.
Homeroom teacher popped in for a quick wrap-up. Everyone packed up.
Freshmen grunted, stuffing heavy books into bags.
Clueless cuties.
No previewing or reviewing these at home—pfft. Instead of hauling them, I stashed everything in my locker.
Slinging my lightened bag, I prepped to head out. Clock said 11 AM—not even lunch yet. Entrance ceremony meant early dismissal.
As I neared the door, Seon-ah hesitated, glancing my way.
“……Um.”
“Yeah?”
She fidgeted, eyeing me.
Looking for a walk buddy, probably.
Was gonna sort thoughts solo on the way home.
A bit annoying, but new friend—why be cold?
“Seon-ah, let's go together. Where's Gyeong-won?”
“Um, with someone else……”
She pointed: Gyeong-won deep in hushed chat with a big 'glasses + acne + pig' guy.
Otaku bonding over niche hobbies, I guessed.
Seon-ah's pitiful gaze as she fiddled with her bag.
I flashed a grin.
“C'mon! You said public housing, right?”
“Yeah……”
“Directions split right away~ Too bad.”
“Yeah……”
I steered casually; she relaxed into a smile.
Somehow walking alone with a girl drew no stares—first day, everyone image-conscious, plus strangers still.
Stick with her post-makeup reveal? They'd whisper 'dating' for sure.
Freshmen are so light.
I hadn't graduated but clutched a uni acceptance—above normie tier, I smirked inwardly.
“This way, cut through the playground.”
“Okay.”
We synced steps naturally. High schoolers gossiped gender divides, but uni mixed freely—or so I'd heard, bitterly inexperienced.
Anyway, Nakseong High was co-ed. Amid ghosts, demon kings, regressions—walking home day one with cute Seon-ah? Heart-fluttering.
“What'd you think of homeroom teacher?”
“Uh, dunno……”
“Seems fun.”
“Yeah……”
As expected, not chatty. I led; she stammered replies. Still, we bantered to the gate, playground crossed.
Security guard patrolled nearby.
……Three years, huh.
Bad blood? Kinda fated. Survival stress soured him before; now, mundane reunion felt nostalgic.
Not that he knows me.
Brushed past.
Out the gate, quick goodbye with Seon-ah.
“See ya! Tomorrow~”
“Yeah, bye~”
She trudged off bag-slung, lonely silhouette toward schoolside public apartments.
Over 30-year-old crumbling complex. Redevelopment rumors kept some in, but mostly doddering elders—like haunted ruins.
Vines crawled walls, asphalt cracked weed-infested…… Inside? Worse, unseen.
Seon-ah lives there, hit me. Then—Understanding system.
Even guesses reflected somewhat.
Can infer from what I've seen?
Steadying, I tested inwardly.
Yoon Seon-ah is poor.
No reaction.
Yoon Seon-ah is broke.
Nothing. Harsher words? Sorry, Seon-ah, but system-testing solo. Not real intent, unhearable.
Yoon Seon-ah is dirt-poor. No money. Beggar. Penniless. Yoon Seon-ah is……
Wild shots, still zilch. Too vague?
Watching her fade, refocused.
Okay, first: Seon-ah's slow in speech, actions.
Beyond slow—socially clumsy. Fumbled minor things, hesitant.
……Long time alone?
Not innate; perked up with friends. So, acquired flaw.
Family finances?
System practice anyway—no guilt guessing.
Concluded:
Yoon Seon-ah's family is poor. School years strained friendships, eroding self-esteem into this passive personality.
Understanding of Yoon Seon-ah has greatly increased by 30.
Jackpot! Massive jump!
“……It works.”
Stumbled into truth backward. Wanted her status window, but she'd vanished into the complex.
Check tomorrow.
Prioritize mastering systems. Turned homeward.
Ghost Story Club of the Future