Missing #2
I stepped into the hospital room and found Mom sleeping in a private ward. Her face looked a little haggard. She seemed thinner, almost gaunt. She had been missing for three whole days, after all. It made sense that her appearance would show some change. Just being able to see her alive was enough to feel grateful.
The doctor wearing glasses explained everything to me kindly.
“So you’re her son, Yeong-won? Your mother needs plenty of rest right now. It seems she’s experiencing mild delirium and some confusion in her memories. That’s probably why she was wandering the streets.”
“Delirium…?”
“It looks like she suffered quite a significant mental shock. Still, these kinds of symptoms can be temporary. She should gradually improve with time. We’ll need to monitor her progress a little longer.”
So Mom had received a huge shock and her mind had been all over the place… That explained why she hadn’t come straight home and had instead wandered the streets. And that mental shock was probably because of what happened when she got trapped in the elevator.
I looked at Mom sleeping again and asked the doctor, “Was she hurt anywhere?”
“We’ll need more tests to be sure, but there were no visible external injuries. She seems a bit malnourished, but overall she’s in relatively good health.”
Whew…
For three days it had felt like my lungs were blocked, like I couldn’t breathe properly. Now I finally felt like I could take a full breath. Reality started to sink in. I was hungry, my head was spinning, and my legs were shaking. Honestly, I had no idea how I’d spent the last three days. Had I eaten? Had I slept? Had I even gone to school…?
I had been so focused on 「I have to find Mom」 that I’d ignored everything else. Now all those neglected things were finally sending me the bills, one by one.
“It would be best if she stays hospitalized for a few more days. We should run some detailed tests. We’ll need a guardian’s signature, but since you’re a minor…”
“I’ll act as her representative. I’m an English teacher at Yeongji High School.”
It was a relief that Hong Miri was there with me. She stepped in as my legal representative for matters a minor like me couldn’t handle. I was worried about the cost of a private room, but… with my miraculous Status Window, I figured I could somehow come up with the money.
Smack—.
The English teacher slapped my shoulder with her palm.
“Hey. A guy can’t walk around looking that depressed. Let’s go eat. I’ve got my car.”
Click. Click.
Hong Miri walked energetically out of the hospital. A red sports car—something a high school teacher’s salary probably couldn’t afford—was parked outside. She got in with practiced ease.
“What are you waiting for? Get in.”
Whoosh—.
When I climbed into the car, a refreshing scent from an air freshener hit me. Most female teachers’ cars seemed to smell this nice.
Vroom—.
After driving for a while, the teacher stopped in the motel district of Jimun-dong. The place was literally packed with motels. Suddenly I remembered the rumor that Hong Miri and the thug from Class D, Kim Geon-ho, had been seen wandering around this very area together.
If someone saw me walking here with her, would the same kind of rumor start about me?
“What are you doing? There’s a kalguksu place I know around here. It’s really good.”
“……”
I walked through the streets of Jimun-dong with my English teacher. Soon she pointed down a narrow alley.
“This is where we found your mother. She was collapsed in the alley. When the police were called, they checked her ID and everything and confirmed it was your mom.”
“I see.”
“Hey! You two! You’re Yeongji High students, right?! Get home right now!”
Hong Miri suddenly shouted, startling me. I turned to see two female students in Yeongji High uniforms smoking cigarettes. They jumped in surprise and bolted away.
“See that? Tsk tsk. Those little delinquents always hang around here causing trouble. Your class has one too, right? Kim Geon-ho. Total idiot. He’s always around here. Though lately I haven’t seen him.”
“Ah, Kim Geon-ho.”
“You’re thinking about that rumor that I went to a motel with him, aren’t you?”
“Huh?”
I was completely flustered. The English teacher pinched my side hard.
“Look at this perverted kid. That kind of rumor has been going around among you students for ages. It’s too annoying to explain every single one. For the record, I prefer older men. I have zero interest in little boys.”
I see. So the story about Kim Geon-ho and the English teacher walking around the motel district was probably just a misunderstanding. Someone must have seen her trying to guide the delinquent Kim Geon-ho. Well… most student rumors tended to be like that anyway.
Two bowls of soup arrived. It was incredibly delicious.
“What kind of soup is this? What meat is it?”
“I don’t know. Want a drink, teacher? I don’t need to drive you home, right? You can get back on your own?”
She ordered a bottle of soju and poured it straight into a beer glass, gulping it down. The teacher was drinking… The thought of 「Auntie Ghost」 made me uneasy. She was twenty-seven this year, so calling her “auntie” felt a bit off, but still…
“Still, it’s a relief your mother is safe. I don’t know why people keep disappearing in this city. Maybe it’s because of the spiritual water vein.”
The spiritual water vein… Come to think of it, the English teacher had mentioned it in the library last time too. Was she the type to believe in superstitions?
Drip. Drip.
Blood suddenly dripped from the teacher’s neck.
“Um… Teacher. You’re bleeding from your neck?”
I wondered if some kind of ghost or monster had appeared again, but she simply opened her expensive-looking bag, took out a handkerchief, and wiped the blood away.
“Ah, this. I had major surgery a long time ago. I thought it had healed completely, but the scar sometimes splits open like this.”
Now that I looked closely… the skin on her neck and face had different tones. Maybe because of the alcohol, everything below her neck was flushed red, but above the choker line her face was deathly pale. Was it just makeup? No, it seemed too extreme to be just makeup…
A chill ran down the back of my neck.
“Anyway, how’s your class lately? Class D has been weird, hasn’t it? The atmosphere is chaotic. Anything unusual? Strange happenings? Kim Geon-ho hasn’t been coming to school either.”
“I didn’t know Geon-ho stopped coming to school. I’ve been out of it lately too…”
“You were close with him, right? Any idea why he’s not showing up? He seemed a bit off ever since he spent the night in the old building. Didn’t he say anything to you? Something about ghosts?”
“Ghost… stories?”
“You know, like the red mask that appears on dark roads at night. Don’t kids these days know about the red mask? Wears a red mask, high heels, a trench coat, mouth ripped wide open.”
“I think I’ve heard of it, but Geon-ho never mentioned anything like that…”
For some reason, I felt like it was best to play dumb and brush it off. Honestly, I couldn’t even tell if the soup was going down my throat or not.
Beep.
My phone rang.
“Ah, teacher, I should get going. They say Mom’s awake. You’ve been drinking, so you don’t need to get up. I can go by myself.”
Scrape—.
I pushed my chair back and stood. The English teacher called after me.
“Be careful on the dark roads.”
It was 8 p.m. I arrived back at the hospital. The message that Mom had woken up was real. When I entered the room, I saw her sitting up in bed. Was she eating dinner?
“Mom.”
“……”
Mom looked at me and frowned, as if trying to remember who I was.
“Mom. It’s me, Ha Yeong-won. Your son. Don’t you recognize me?”
“…Son? That’s strange. My son is Ha Yeong-won…”
Mom tilted her head in confusion. It seemed her mind and memories still weren’t fully back. I ran over and hugged her tightly.
“Ah… this feels familiar…”
She slowly hugged me back. Her warmth, her scent—everything was vivid in my memory. But because I was her son, I could tell.
…Mom had changed a little. Others might not notice, but her weight, everything, was just slightly different. It made me incredibly sad, but for now I was simply thankful she had come back alive.
“Ah, Yeong-won. What are you doing? I can’t breathe!”
“Mom! Do you remember me now?”
“Of course. Ha Chae-yeon’s son, Yeong-won! What on earth happened? Did I drink too much? It feels like my memory got completely cut off. Where’s my phone? Did you see Mom’s phone? What day is it today?”
Mom’s attitude quickly returned to normal. The doctor had said the memory confusion and mental delirium were temporary, and it looked like he was right.
“Mom. From now on, make sure you charge your battery all the way. Carry a power bank too.”
I handed her the phone that had been sitting in the hospital drawer. She took it, plugged it into the charger, and fiddled with it, but then shrugged as if something wasn’t working.
“It won’t turn on. Is it broken? If this thing breaks it’ll be a disaster. All my important contacts and photos are in there…! Oh shit…! I’m screwed…!”
“Give it here. I’ll take it to the service center tomorrow and see if they can fix it.”
“Did you come alone? Didn’t she come with you?”
“What are you talking about? Who?”
“You know, that pretty girl. What was her name again… I don’t remember. What am I even saying right now?”
It looked like Mom would need to stay hospitalized a while longer. She’d have to undergo various detailed tests. Visiting hours ended at nine, so I had to head home alone.
“……”
How much time was left on the Faint Perfume I had sprayed? I had no idea. When Mom hadn’t returned, I had even wondered if she was dead and had become a ghost. If Mom had died and turned into a ghost… maybe the perfume I sprayed was keeping her from finding me… At the time I had been completely out of my mind. But now that I could finally breathe again, the thought of going into that house alone felt terrifying.
I picked up my phone and typed into the group chat with Jeong Seok and Yang Ju-hui called 「Ha Yeong-won’s Pirate Crew」.
Yang Ju-hui replied almost immediately. Jeong Seok sent a message about a minute later.
I see. Everyone had their own lives. Thinking about it… ever since we got out of the elevator, we had all been busy. I hadn’t been able to pay much attention to my friends because of Mom’s situation. And Jeong Seok seemed to be avoiding me a bit too.
“Scared, huh…”
The experience on the death floor in the elevator had been especially terrifying. It was understandable that everyone was freaked out.
Beep.
A message arrived. It was a private chat from Jeong Seok.
Jeong Seok sent me a link. It was a game called 「Abyss Corridor」. It cost around 20,000 won and looked like a foreign horror game made by a Japanese company.
I had thought he was avoiding me because he was scared of getting involved with another ghost incident, but that wasn’t it. He really just had his own reasons for not being able to come over.
I just hadn’t noticed, but everyone had been helping me. I was genuinely touched. My heart felt a lot warmer.
“Ugh… Still, going into the house alone is scary. Maybe this is a good chance to ask Mom if we can get a pet.”
If we had a dog or something, the house might feel less frightening. With that thought, I wandered aimlessly around the neighborhood. After walking for about twenty minutes, I noticed something.
Click. Click. Click.
Someone was following me. They were about twenty meters behind. When I stopped, they stopped. When I turned around, they disappeared.
“Fuck. What the hell…”
It was scary. …Was the red mask really chasing me?
What was the way to get rid of or shake off a red mask again? While thinking that, I stepped out into a brightly lit busy street.
“Yeong-won? What are you doing here? I heard you haven’t been to school these past few days!”
Someone greeted me. I turned and saw Yu Da-hee, the literary girl I once had a crush on, standing in front of a convenience store with her bag.
“Perfect! If you have time, eat this with me! I bought way too much.”
The literary girl, Da-hee, laughed with a soft “puhuhu.” She was holding an armful of snacks and cup ramen. Whether it was because of the familiar face or the bright convenience store lights, my heart felt a little more at ease.
“……”
Still, just to be sure, I glanced behind me. The presence that had been following me was gone. For now, I should stay with her.