Eighth Ghost Story - The Cursed Midterm Exam (4)
The same scene from before replayed itself. An Gyeong-won and Oh Deok-hoon rapidly exchanging opinions based on my story. Yoon Seon-ah and In Ha-yoon staring silently at me. Lee Jin-hee furrowing her brows like she couldn't grasp the situation. I watched the spectacle quietly, waiting, when it suddenly hit me how quickly Deok-hoon was adapting. He was a total blank slate like Jin-hee, facing a ghost story for the first time, yet he seemed more frustrated at not fitting in.
He's treating it like a role-playing game or something? Well, makes sense—he's the guy who's always glued to anime and games.
"President, here's what we're thinking."
An Gyeong-won called out to me, his glasses glinting now that they'd sorted their thoughts.
"Two things stood out from your death just now. First, why did another question come even after you got the answer right? Second, how does the science teacher know about the ghost story's existence?"
"Hmm."
As my head spun in confusion, Gyeong-won began summarizing the situation.
"But those two are kinda outside the ghost story itself. We can't answer them right now, so let's set them aside. What we need to focus on is the ghost story proper."
"The ghost story itself?"
Gyeong-won nodded at my question. That weird story on the exam paper. Didn't we already know everything from its origins to the answer, figuring out what kind it was?
Does that mean we need to dig even deeper?
"Did we explain that ghost story to the us from the previous time slot?"
"Yeah, we did."
Deok-hoon and Gyeong-won exchanged baffled looks at my straightforward answer.
"How? It's an unknown ghost story."
"Exactly."
I was the one baffled now. Just in the previous time slot, hadn't these two been giggling excitedly as they spilled everything they knew?
"You guys definitely explained it all. The one from Japan, the one where remembering it until you're 20 brings misfortune, and a bunch of others."
"Hmm."
Gyeong-won listened quietly before asking me.
"We know that much, obviously. But the last problem on your exam paper—that story itself—did we explain that?"
"Of course we explai—"
I trailed off as realization dawned.
We didn't explain it!
These two had been showboating, only to get flattened by Jin-hee and mumble it to me.
"Y-Yeah, President... The format of the problem... It's 'first' glance... but basically structured like that..."
"Anyway... The elements in the problem you saw... They seem familiar from somewhere... But this form is new to us too... Honestly, we don't know... Don't worry too much about the details..."
And that wasn't all. In the time slot before that, when we first saw the problem and died, they'd only rattled off other ghost stories they remembered—like the Dolphin Bridge or the Purple Mirror. They never actually discussed this problem itself.
I quietly recalled the memory, let out a groan, and answered them.
"No, we didn't. Come to think of it, we didn't."
"Exactly."
The two nodded vigorously.
"The last problem on your science exam. The individual elements feel familiar, but this 'get it wrong and die' format? First time we've seen it."
"Got it, Joon?"
Deok-hoon took over, striking a grave pose.
"It means even we're seeing this ghost story for the 'first' time."
These guys seeing a ghost story for the first time? Did something like that even exist in the world?
"Wait, hold up! I still don't get it. You guys definitely went on about Dolphin Bridge, Purple Mirror, all that stuff. So what was that?"
"They're just similar, not the exact ghost story on your paper. Better to break it down one by one for clarity."
Gyeong-won stood, walked to the whiteboard, adjusted his glasses with a smirk aimed at me.
"Don't look so serious, President. There's no such thing in this world as a ghost story we don't know."
Deok-hoon snickered, arms crossed.
"If we ever encounter a ghost story we've truly never heard of? Well, President..."
He popped open the marker cap, glasses flashing.
"It's because that ghost story doesn't exist in this world."
The club members exchanged panicked glances.
"Doesn't exist?"
"Right, President. No such ghost story exists. That last problem you saw? It's a mash-up of elements from various ghost stories—a sort of 'past exam variation' problem."
With that, he started scribbling on the whiteboard.
1. Remembering Brings Misfortune Ghost Story (Dolphin Bridge, Purple Mirror)
2. Sea Turtle Soup Puzzle (Seagull Meat Ghost Story)
3. Curse
"To solve variations and advanced problems, what's the best study method? Start with the originals before they got twisted, right? Remember these three keywords I just wrote."
"Oi, dickhead."
Deok-hoon interrupted, arms still crossed, pointing it out.
"Three of 'em."
Gyeong-won winced, then added one more word.
"Right. Remember these three keywords well. It's a past exam variation with zero consideration for anyone who holes up in the office ignoring students—like that science teacher."
He began jotting down the details of each ghost story in a long column.
"I'll write out the originals even for newbies who've never heard them. Read through it first."
Seon-ah leaned forward, squinting at the writing.
1. Remembering Brings Misfortune Ghost Story (Dolphin Bridge, Purple Mirror)
- If you remember the words "Dolphin Bridge" or "Purple Mirror" until age 20, misfortune strikes. Depending on the region, there's a follow-up where a call comes on your 20th birthday asking, "Do dolphins have legs?"
2. Sea Turtle Soup Puzzle (Seagull Meat Ghost Story)
- A couple shipwrecks on a deserted island. The husband survives after eating "sea turtle soup" (or "seagull meat"), but later learns it was his wife's flesh and kills himself upon realizing the truth.
"Fucking complicated, shit."
Jin-hee grumbled, and Gyeong-won sighed.
"Maybe if you studied more normally?"
Jin-hee narrowed her eyes suspiciously. But with Mr. Know-It-All holding the mic, even she couldn't interrupt the vibe.
"Everyone get the two ghost stories I wrote?"
"Yeah, not too tough."
I answered, and he nodded, continuing.
"The problem you saw mashes those two together. Look closely."
He underlined key parts with the marker.
First, the bit about a call coming if you remember until 20.
Second, the seagull meat story content.
"Mix 'em right, and you get the problem you saw."
If you remember this problem until age 20, a call will suddenly come on your 20th birthday asking for the answer.
A blind man shipwrecks on a deserted island with his wife. He bites into a piece of meat and stabs his own throat with the fork in front of him, committing suicide.
Why did the man commit suicide?
"...Got it. So the last problem on my exam wasn't an existing ghost story—it's the science teacher who stitched together two pre-existing ones. Right? But so what—"
"Oi, dickjoon."
Deok-hoon cut in, arms crossed, pointing something out.
"Three."
I winced, glancing at the third keyword.
3. Curse
"Deok-hoon's right, President. The story has two stitched ghost stories. But considering the science teacher's weird behavior after... Ultimately, it might be a curse in form."
Curse!
"Curse...? What does that mean?"
"Showing someone a story that kills if read? That's like 'cursing' them, right? So we refocused on the curse angle and reconstructed the story."
"Exactly, President. What you saw was just part of the ghost story the teacher wove. Glasses and I reverse-engineered the full thing from the original he held."
Gyeong-won scribbled densely into the blank space on the whiteboard.
"Here, President. Read this, and it'll all click. This is what the science teacher had—the final woven ghost story he used to kill you."
Do you have someone you want to curse?
Here's a curse that can kill anyone secretly.
If you meet a few conditions, you can easily kill them no matter where they are.
First, tell them the following ghost story:
"If you remember this story until age 20, a call will come asking for the answer. A blind man shipwrecks on a deserted island with his wife... The man bites into a piece of meat and stabs his own throat with the fork in front of him."
Have they heard the ghost story from you? Then, on their 20th birthday, call and ask why the man committed suicide.
If they remember the problem up to that point but can't answer correctly, the curse succeeds.
But if they give the right answer, the curse rebounds on you instead—proceed with caution.
"This is the ghost story the teacher wove..."
I muttered quietly, and Gyeong-won nodded.
"The conditions are tricky, and failure risks are high—like typical curse depictions in media. It's just our guess based on your death, but it's probably spot on."
"Then why did I get another question even after answering right...?"
"Actually, midway through, you were exchanging Q&A without realizing. Recall the conversation."
[You wrote a ghost story on my exam. Why?]
[European Union... The reason I wrote the ghost story on the exam? Obviously to kill you. But what's really full of problems?]
I'd asked the teacher "Why?", and he answered "European Union." Then he countered with "What's really full of problems?"
I didn't answer and died.
"I see. So it turned into alternating questions."
I got the gist, but my head was still a mess.
"Why go through all that hassle?"
Splitting ghost story parts, remixing them into a curse, and casting it on me. Why? What for?
"Honestly, we don't know that either."
Even Gyeong-won shook his head here.
"No, more importantly—is it even possible to mash ghost stories like that and make it work? Does it actually have effect?"
"It did. You died to it."
"Hoo."
I clutched my forehead and sighed.
"Hang in there, Joon-ah..."
"Yeah. Thanks, Seon-ah."
"Anyway, President. Curses usually backfire on the caster if they fail. Here, it seems to swap caster and target roles. That's why it became a Q&A exchange."
"Gotcha. So if I answer the first right and hit back with some nonsense question on my turn, I can reverse it instantly."
"Kukukuku... Hitoo no ro wa—"
Jin-hee flew in and smacked Deok-hoon's head.
Thwack!
"You fucking bastard, speak Korean!"
"S-Sorry... I was trying to say 'the one who curses should prepare two graves' proverb..."
Deok-hoon suddenly turned meek.
"Get it, President? We don't know why he's using this convoluted method to kill you. But we roughly understand how it's working now."
"Yeah, thanks. Gyeong-won, Deok-hoon—good work, both of you."
I took up the baton. Now it was my turn to decide.
We knew how the science teacher planned to kill me and how to counter it. How to respond?
Wait for the question and counterattack to pass the curse back? Or...
After some thought, I shared my conclusion.
"Guys. Let's trade Q&A with the teacher."
"What?"
Seon-ah looked worried.
"Why risk something so dangerous...?"
"Answering right on the call and hanging up—or countering with a ridiculous question he can't answer on my turn—would solve it, sure. But it leaves all the mysteries unsolved."
Yeah. Why is this guy trying to kill me in the first place? Why such a complicated method? How does he know about and exploit ghost stories? Do they gain power just by cutting and pasting?
Dozens of questions swirling in my head. KO'ing the science teacher with a heart attack via counter-question would just bury them all.
We can't do that. We have to dig out as many answers as possible, especially the reasons.
I looked at the club members seriously.
"Hey, guys. For this time slot... could you die first?"
Ghost Story Club