The Pirate Crew's Formation #2
“Northeast, thirteen steps.”
“East, five steps.”
“East, one step.”
. . .
“This is incredible.”
I walked toward the front door of my house in the northeast. When I opened it, a capsule the size of an ostrich egg sat outside. It wasn’t very heavy—maybe two kilograms.
“Whoa, it really is a capsule. I’ve been dying to know what this was. Seriously. Even when I ran into ghosts morning and night, I kept my head straight just because I was so curious about this thing. I really was.”
The capsule had a seam in the middle and twisted open. With a creak, I saw something inside that looked like a square glass bottle. The cheap finish made it feel like a prize from a claw machine.
“What the heck is this?”
“Perfume? It looks like perfume.”
Yang Ju-hui spoke up like she recognized it. Maybe because she wore makeup often, she seemed knowledgeable about perfumes and cosmetics. Now that she mentioned it, it did look like a perfume bottle. As I stared at it, text appeared.
Faint Perfume: A perfume said to be made from water splashed by fairies. Greatly reduces the chance of being detected by specters and Watchers. Lasts 100 hours upon use. 2/2 uses remaining.
Reduces the chance of being detected by specters and Watchers? That clearly meant the odds of running into ghosts would drop! After being tormented by them morning and night, using this would finally bring some peace back to my ordinary high school life!
“That’s it! This thing! It lowers the chance of meeting ghosts!”
After so much humiliation and hardship, I was sick of it. It was time to return to being the normal high school student Ha Yeong-won!
Click.
I pressed the round switch and sprayed the perfume on myself. True to its name, a faint floral scent drifted up. For some reason, though, the smell felt strangely familiar.
“Has anyone smelled this before?”
I asked Yang Ju-hui and Jeong Seok, wondering if it was just my imagination. Jeong Seok shook his head, while Yang Ju-hui buried her nose in my shoulder and sniffed before shrugging.
“Nope.”
“Weird. It feels like I’ve smelled it somewhere before.”
“Ha Yeong-won, how would a loser like you have smelled perfume before? Did your ex-girlfriend wear any? Yu Dahee, maybe.”
Yang Ju-hui brought up Yu Dahee again. Jeong Seok, who apparently knew the literature girl well, showed interest.
“Yu Dahee from Class 1-A? You dated Yu Dahee, Ha Yeong-won? Really? First I’ve heard of it.”
Jeong Seok looked skeptical, which made sense since it had never happened. I figured I should clear up the misunderstanding before it got worse.
“Yu Dahee wasn’t my ex. We barely even talked. Today might’ve been the first real conversation. Still, without her, we would’ve been in trouble.”
The book on feng shui she recommended had played a decisive role in driving away the Feng Shui Ghost. Without it, Jeong Seok and I would’ve had a much harder time.
Swish.
I pulled the book with the “Yu Dahee” sticky note from my bag and gave it a sniff just in case. It smelled a little different from the Faint Perfume.
“…I don’t like that Yu Dahee girl.”
Yang Ju-hui muttered quietly, then shoved the last pieces of chicken into her mouth and stormed off to my mom’s room.
“I’m going to sleep!”
Click.
The sound of the door locking echoed. Once she was gone, the living room felt suddenly cold. Jeong Seok asked,
“Did something happen between Yang Ju-hui and Yu Dahee?”
“No idea.”
# # #
The newly opened Training Ground allowed up to three people to train at once. I’d figured that out through direct testing.
“If I can read 1.5 times faster, I’ll be able to study way more efficiently. If that’s real, it’s exactly the talent I needed.”
Jeong Seok looked thrilled at the prospect of gaining Quick Reading as a training reward. He’d said he wanted to be a prosecutor, after all. That job would require tons of studying and reading, so the trait would definitely help.
“The Training Ground’s special training seems different for everyone—different exercises, different results. What about you, Ha Yeong-won? Can you train there too?”
“Yeah, but…”
“This is what mine looks like.”
“Getting stranger and stranger. You said you don’t know why you got this ability either, right?”
“Yeah.”
Jeong Seok stared at the status window note I’d written for a long time. Then he spoke as if he’d reached a conclusion.
“You called our group a pirate crew. In a way, maybe that wasn’t wrong. You might be like the mafia or the imposter in those games.”
“What do you mean?”
“The shop said it sells various items to help in battles against Heroes, right? In games and comics, Heroes are usually the good guys, aren’t they?”
Now that he mentioned it… I’d been too caught up in everything to notice, but Jeong Seok, as an outsider, was pointing out things I’d overlooked.
“In other words, you might have to fight these so-called Heroes someday. And when your level went up, this message appeared, right?”
The chance of specters and Watchers tracking your existence has increased.
“That’s right. The Faint Perfume we just got also says it reduces the chance of being detected by specters and Watchers.”
“Honestly, it’s been bothering me. Specters are the ghosts we’ve dealt with, but what exactly are these Watchers? Maybe ghosts aren’t the only thing we need to worry about…”
More than just ghosts? What did he mean? I frowned, and Jeong Seok kindly explained.
“I think these Watchers might be human. There’s no guarantee you’re the only one with strange abilities like yours. Maybe Watchers refers to Heroes or people on their side. Just my theory, though.”
He left himself an out by calling it just a theory, but the deduction was sharp and accurate. Even I, the person involved, hadn’t come up with anything that precise.
“So according to you, I have to be careful of people too?”
“Yeah. I was too worked up earlier to say it, but think about it. What if Yang Ju-hui, who had zero interest in track, suddenly got Swift Legs and broke an Olympic record overnight?”
“…She’d get a ton of attention.”
“Exactly. That would make it easier for Watchers or Heroes to approach her. So what I’m saying is… we can’t stand out too much. Got it?”
Jeong Seok’s words were packed with information, so I needed a moment to sort through them. Still, I understood what he was getting at. It wasn’t just ghosts I had to watch out for.
“So… in the end, what do you think I should do?”
“For now, think of yourself as the mafia in a mafia game. Since I’m on the same boat as you, I’d be like an assassin or spy working with the mafia. I’ve got special abilities to help you too.”
I was really glad I’d recruited Vice President Jeong Seok as an ally. Honestly, I’d felt a bit reluctant about spending points to put him in the Training Ground, but now it felt like a completely worthwhile investment!
“Seok, what do you mean by mafia allies like assassins or spies? Are there other roles in mafia games besides mafia and civilians?”
“You’ve never played mafia or Goose Duck? Spies and assassins are mafia teammates who can help with unique abilities or skills. They also do special missions.”
Wow, there really was a lot to it. Jeong Seok didn’t just study—he played a lot of games too.
“Hey, Jeong Seok. Do you play League?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh. What tier and position?”
“Plat. Jungle.”
“Whoa, shit. For real? I’m Plat top. Meeting you must’ve been fate. Wanna duo sometime?”
It was 11 p.m. I turned on the computer and launched the game.
“My Nasus just hit 600 stacks, right? At this point, every Q basically smashes the enemy’s monitor too, doesn’t it?”
“Dude! Stop last-hitting and hit the Nexus! Hit the Nexus!”
Staying up late playing games with a friend—it was genuinely fun. It really felt like I’d gone back to being a normal high school student. Ghosts, unknown Watchers, and Heroes all seemed like a dream from a single night. Maybe it had all been a lie after all—
Just as that thought crossed my mind, midnight arrived.
Tick.
I heard the sound of clock hands moving in my head. It meant I’d received one point from the Broken Clock trait at midnight. My points were now at 362P.
Swish.
I shut off the computer and got ready for bed. Tomorrow was a weekday, so I had to go to school.
“There’s something I didn’t get to mention earlier because we ran out of time. There’s this thing called the Nightmare Corridor. I’ll tell you and Yang Ju-hui together later. In a way, that might be the real core of all this.”
“You still have more to say? You really go through some crazy stuff.”
My room was small. I had to share a blanket with Jeong Seok. It was honestly a bit uncomfortable. As I tossed and turned, trying to find a good position—
“Hey. What are you gonna do about Kim Geon-ho and Park In-bae? They’re the ones who bullied you. Honestly, if it were me, I’d have gotten revenge first.”
“Kim Geon-ho? I think it’s better to leave them alone for now. You said it yourself—standing out too much is dangerous. So even at school, I should live as inconspicuously as possible. Like a hidden power behind the scenes.”
“Hidden power… There’s gotta be a cooler way to say that.”
That was the end of our conversation. The room grew quiet. Just as I was starting to feel sleepy—
“Hey. Sorry. For pretending not to see.”
“It’s fine. I never asked for help in the first place. From now on, though, if I ask, you have to help me no matter what. Got it?”
After that, I remembered nothing.
Whoosh.
The sound of running water woke me up. Yang Ju-hui was washing up in the bathroom. With her long hair, even washing it seemed like a whole ordeal.
“What are you looking at?”
“Looking at you, Yang Ju-hui.”
“Fine. Close the door then.”
Yesterday really hadn’t been a dream. I actually had real teammates now!
Feeling cheerful, I finished washing up, got ready for school, and stepped out the front door together.
“Everyone get in. I already called the elevator.”
Jeong Seok, who’d gone out ahead, was waiting by the elevator, pressing the down button. Man, this was the real joy of having allies. This was what party play felt like!
Just as I was marveling at that, Yang Ju-hui frowned.
“Hey, Ha Yeong-won. Was there always an elevator in your villa? How come I never noticed? I thought there wasn’t one. Didn’t we have to climb stairs all the way to the fourth floor? It was exhausting.”
“……”