Ten Ghosts Night Parade (12)
As I descended the central stairs, Kim Eat-Chil was still sitting in front of the guard room. Spotting me coming down, he sprang to his feet.
"You locked everything?"
"No. Just 1st Year Class 3 left."
"Oh yeah?"
"……?"
Kim Eat-Chil's mouth twisted into a slightly eerie grin. I could swear there was a hint of laughter in his voice.
"What's up with you?"
"Do you know who the homeroom teacher for 1st Year Class 3 is?"
"……No way, Han Min-ji?"
Kim Eat-Chil nodded. His torn-up mouth seemed to mock me even more than before.
"You ran into her?"
"No."
"Then why'd you bolt? I heard a scream earlier."
His mention of the scream made heat rush to my face in embarrassment. I'd never worried about it before since there were no ears around to hear, but I vowed to be more careful from now on. The school was dead silent day or night, so any noise stood out crystal clear. Sure, I was usually the source of that noise, but it wasn't all bad. The youkai could make sounds too, giving me a heads-up to brace myself. Of course, the student youkai I'd bumped into this time had been dead silent, which was the problem.
"That student from earlier suddenly hugged me, so I got spooked."
"Ah, got it. That's why you came down the central stairs?"
"Yeah. Lucky it was a nameless one."
Suddenly, Kim Eat-Chil clammed up and stared right at me. You know that weird feeling of being watched even without eyes? It hit me, and I glanced away awkwardly.
"What the hell?"
"……Doesn't matter if you don't know."
"Come on, why won't you tell me? Another secret you can't spill?"
"Nah, not a secret. Just don't feel like it."
His reaction only fueled my curiosity. Normally, I'd drop it because there was some price or he flat-out couldn't say—but truth be told, I hated leaving questions unanswered.
Let's think. After I called it a nameless youkai, he shut down.
"So the student youkai does have a name, huh?"
"Leading the witness won't work."
"Damn."
I couldn't see his face, but from his reactions so far, he clearly thought I was pathetic. Which meant I'd missed the mark. The info I had should've been enough to figure it out.
"If you're gonna brood, do it in the guard room."
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Thanks."
Fair point—the massive youkai pacing the first-floor hallway made the central entrance a lousy spot for pondering.
Inside the guard room, I checked the CCTV timestamp: 12:01 a.m. I'd been rushing around all night, and it was only just past midnight. Time to watch the first-floor hallway rule: never look back.
"Iiiiiieeeeeeeek!"
A piercing shriek shredded my eardrums without warning. My heart dropped like a stone.
"Wh-what the—?"
Kim Eat-Chil seemed startled too, peering down the hall. It was loud, but distant. I checked the first-floor hallway CCTV right away.
The hulking youkai that had been pacing back and forth was convulsing at the right staircase, twisting like it was seizing. No clue what happened—only one youkai on screen. But one thing was clear: that scream came from it.
"Guess you can roam the first floor worry-free now."
"Did it break a rule and drop dead?"
"Dunno if it's dead, but it won't bug you anymore."
Kim Eat-Chil said it casually, like no big deal. I'd assumed the first-floor youkai was exempt from its own hallway rule—made sense. But self-destructing after breaking it mid-patrol? The absurdity had me chuckling dryly.
Short-lived chaos aside, back to my deduction. Like that youkai's end, rules bound even them unless they had the power to ignore them. I'd figured the third-floor student let me go because it was nameless. But where'd that rule come from? Not in the Guard Rules Booklet.
It was something I'd pieced together from dealing with Kim Eat-Chil—a youkai rule unknown to anyone not buddying up with them. Sure, Kkamang-i might've cranked the difficulty knowing my status, spawning ones that forced that approach. But the second-floor student was one even predecessors had faced.
I pulled out the Guard Rules Booklet from my pocket and flipped through it. Thought I'd memorized it all—maybe I missed something.
……Ah.
Re-reading the stairs rules made it click why the student let me go.
《Stairs》
5. Teachers use only the left and center stairs.
6. Students use only the left and right stairs.
The student youkai couldn't use the central stairs. That's why Kim Eat-Chil had yelled to head for the right stairs while we ran—it clicked now. Relief washed over me, mixed with self-loathing. Such a simple puzzle—why hadn't I seen it sooner?
"Figure it out?"
"Yeah. Spill it next time—won't kill you."
"You're getting mouthy, ajusshi. Can't have that."
Never thought I'd get attitude from a youkai. He used polite speech to keep up the guard-student act, but how old was this kid anyway? Petty curiosity—not worth asking. Age didn't matter.
"Oh yeah! Last time you came down the central stairs."
"When?"
"Y'know, first time we met—when the sun was up."
"Ah… when Song Ha-yeon dragged me?"
"Right."
Maybe that's when I diverged from my predecessors. Call it youkai dating sim. No actual dating, though.
Kim Eat-Chil tilted his head, pondering.
"Since you figured it out yourself, reward time: even students can use it with a teacher."
"……? No such rule in the booklet."
"Dunno what's in there, but don't think you know all the rules. And when would you even use it?"
"Fair."
So, rules existed beyond the booklet—unlisted because useless to me. My eye caught another on the shelf: Annex Rule Book. Soonbaek-i had asked its purpose before handing it over in the counseling room. I'd assumed standard guard duty, but maybe content shifted by intent.
Solving one riddle birthed a bigger, unsolvable one. My head throbbed. Shouldn't have asked him.
No point agonizing here—shift wasn't over. Back to work: lock 1st Year Class 3. I stepped out.
This time, I took the right stairs to the second floor. No hopes of dodging the Yuki-onna youkai anymore. No matter how careful, she'd appear. So I steeled myself. Might still jump, but I could stay calm.
No sign of the student youkai—ghosted as usual, undetectable anyway. Deep breath, slow steps down the hall.
Reached 1st Year Class 4; staff room door stayed shut. But I wasn't optimistic. Teacher youkai probably inside. The classroom door gaped open like a welcome. A chill seeped out, making me shiver.
In horror games or movies, spoilers dull the scare but don't stop it. Least for me. So I hesitated at the door.
How's she gonna spook me this time? Unpleasant imaginings flooded in. Maybe unpredictable fear was better.
But what could I do? Had to close it. Couldn't bail after all this work.
Heart pounding anyway. I stepped up boldly.
Inside: nothing. No student or teacher youkai. Just neat desks, chairs, podium.
"Haaaaah……"
All that tension—for nothing. Not relief, just hollow. Slammed the door, locked it with the key.
Click. Door duty finally done. Straight to the guard room, bed, and swear not to budge.
……Weird. Why the lingering chill? It'd been cool before—now bone-freezing. Hallway dead silent.
Then icy breath hit my neck. Hairs stood on end.
"Security guard?"
Not just air. A raspy voice—right behind me. Han Min-ji's, from before.