Return of the Living, Three Dead

Originally, there had never been any bullying. I was just an average student in my class—nothing that stood out. But one day, Kim Geon-ho came up to me and said,

It was only early April, barely a month after the entrance ceremony, but Class D had already become Kim Geon-ho's kingdom. He tested the limits of what he could get away with, gradually cranking up the intensity of his pranks and over-the-top antics.

"So here's the thing. Ha Yeong-won, you go tell Yang Ju-hui..."

Refusing his suggestion would obviously lead to noisy days ahead. Since I had my reasons for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wanting to live a perfectly 'average' life, I accepted his proposal. It wasn't that difficult anyway.

Right before first period started. The kids squealed and clapped, hyping up the mood. The rowdy bunch laughed their heads off while filming the whole thing on their phones.

"Go out with him!"

"Go out with him!"

"Kiss! Kiss!"

"What the hell? Is this some April Fools' prank? It's not even funny! This is so lame! Ugh, get lost! Stop filming! I said stop! The teacher's gonna be here any second—what is this mess?!"

Even Yang Ju-hui, who was usually so proud and tough, seemed completely flustered by this coordinated prank and lie from the whole class.

"Whoa, Ju-hui doesn't look like she hates it."

"Yeong-won's kinda cute, right? He's tall. And he's pretty good at studying!"

"Are they actually dating? Kyaa! Answer him already!"

The mood was reaching its peak. Just as Yang Ju-hui's pale face flushed bright red—

—Kim Geon-ho suddenly jumped in and ended the whole thing, completely off-script.

"Ha Yeong-won, you son of a bitch. I told you to make the confession feel real, but your shitty acting gave away the April Fools' prank from the start. No way this gets any views now. You wanna die?"

That was the beginning. The moment I became Kim Geon-ho's open target for bullying.

The reason that memory surfaced now was because the current Yang Ju-hui wore the exact same expression as she had back on that April Fools' day. Flushed with embarrassment, humiliation, and shame, eyes brimming with tears—it was identical.

"First, take off your shirt. Or... should I take it off for you?"

To escape the Nightmare Corridor, I pressed Yang Ju-hui. It was my first time threatening or pressuring anyone, so the lines felt awkward and I was nervous. I hadn't managed to get the Hypnosis App from the shop I'd barely unlocked, but the result was pretty much the same.

Of course, this was a humane and righteous act. If it meant escaping this place, I was willing to drink the poisoned cup of pretended evil.

"Ha, Ju-hui. You think I'm doing this just for my own benefit? We have to do whatever it takes to get out of here. If you don't want to, then let's just live in this classroom forever! You and me! Just the two of us!"

I threatened her with the idea that we'd never escape this terrifying corridor. After that, I tried coaxing her gently.

"It's not like it'll wear out just because you show it or let me touch it for a bit. You've dated plenty of guys before, right? This should be familiar to you."

"Fine, then let's just live here. I don't care anymore. Fuck it. I actually like it here. No bullying, no need to do anyone else's homework! It's paradise! Absolute paradise!"

I shoved all the desks aside to make space, then flopped down right there. For a place where ghosts appeared, it was surprisingly comfortable. Yeah, lying down really is better than walking, and walking is better than running.

About five minutes passed.

Swish.

The sound of something thin and fabric-like falling reached my ears. When I turned my head, Yang Ju-hui was taking off her shoes. The fact that a classmate was removing her shoes right in front of me felt strangely erotic. Maybe I was about to discover a new fetish!

Could I get us out of here? Honestly, it was fifty-fifty. To be blunt, my wet-dream strategy might not even work. So what? Better to mess around with the girl who used to bully me and then die than just die here doing nothing, right? If we escape, great. If not... well, it can't be helped.

No matter what, I came out ahead. Of course, I didn't say any of that. Instead, I put on a serious expression.

I'd seen Jeong Sojin taking off her stockings earlier, and it had gotten quite a reaction. If I personally took off Yang Ju-hui's socks, I'd probably get the same reaction... no, an even stronger one!

"......"

Yang Ju-hui said nothing. She just stared at me with a look of utter contempt. Even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so, that silence felt like consent.

Thump thump thump thump—

My heart began pounding even harder than when I'd faced the ghosts. What should I do now? The moment I reached out with that thought—

Grab.

Yang Ju-hui seized my wrist.

"Are you saying we should date right now?"

Marriage? Wasn't that a bit far off for a first-year high school student? I never knew she had that side to her.

Go to church? Ah, damn, that's a bit much. I should just play along.

"Okay. I've been to church a lot. So we're good now? Starting today, we're officially dating. With marriage as the premise. That works, right?"

Slide.

I pulled my wrist free from Yang Ju-hui's grip. Time to escape for real. From all these 'nightmares.'

Grab.

Then Yang Ju-hui grabbed my wrist again.

"Ugh, come on. Why is the great Yang Ju-hui suddenly so talkative? Are you one of those 'surviving virgins' or whatever?"

"Same difference. Are you a T?"

I felt oddly irritated. But... thinking about it again, holding hands actually sounded pretty appealing. Who knows? Maybe holding hands would build the mood and lead to touching other places—

These days, kids supposedly do everything on the first day of dating. If I was one of those modern kids, maybe I could pull off all sorts of things. No—I could do it! If it was me!

Slide.

I took the hand that was gripping my wrist and held it properly.

Yang Ju-hui's body trembled slightly. Her hand was slender. Warm. Soft. Her nails weren't painted, but they were neatly trimmed.

"How exactly was I holding it?"

I thought I'd held it normally. More importantly... a girl's hand really is this small, slender, and delicate. The same hand that had hit me so fiercely could be this soft? If her hands were this soft, then those huge breasts must be—

"Ooh—"

At that moment, I felt like my whole body was melting. This feeling was dangerous.

"...We only held hands?"

The moment I woke up, I checked my pants first. Thankfully, I didn't need to change my underwear.

"Seven o'clock...!? I'm late!"

I rushed out to the living room. A massive American cockroach the size of my thumb was scurrying around the kitchen before it flew straight at my face with a loud buzz.

"Whoa, shit, that scared me!"

It was genuinely terrifying. A thumb-sized American roach flying at my face felt even more horrifying than being chased by ghosts in a dream. I calmed my racing heart, quickly got dressed, and headed to school.

I arrived around seven-thirty. The school was already in an uproar. Police were gathered near the old building, and students were buzzing with chatter.

"Yes, thank you so much. You kids! What on earth were you thinking! Sleeping in a place like that! If I hadn't come in early and found you, who knows what would've happened!"

A woman in a sharp black women's suit with neatly bobbed hair was sternly scolding the students. She was the first-year Korean teacher. At thirty-one and still single, her elegant beauty made her popular among the male students. I'd had a bit of a crush on her myself.

A male student who looked well over 180 centimeters tall was scratching the back of his head, his body trembling. Next to him was a girl wearing glasses.

It was Kim Geon-ho and Jeong Sojin. So both of them had survived after all. The heavy weight that had been crushing my chest finally lifted.

And beside them...

There was Yang Ju-hui, her hair sticking out in every direction as she grumbled in annoyance. They all looked puzzled about why they'd been sleeping inside the old building.

Naturally, the school went into total chaos. Did you kids drink? Did you sniff glue? Teacher, these days it's not glue—it's drugs— and so on.

"Whoa, did you hear? Kim Geon-ho, Yang Ju-hui, and Jeong Sojin all slept over in the old building!"

"Damn, they've got guts. In a place that looks like ghosts would come out?"

Before first period began, the students of Class D were chattering nonstop about the morning's events.

Rattle.

The classroom door slid open, and Yang Ju-hui and Jeong Sojin walked in. The kids all shut their mouths at once. The teachers who'd been questioning them must have decided to let them attend class first. Had Kim Geon-ho gone home? Whatever. That guy didn't matter anymore.

I glanced at Yang Ju-hui as she sat down behind me and smiled faintly. She's my girlfriend starting today. Honestly, I could hardly believe it, but it felt good.

"Whoa there, Ju-hui. Is that any way to talk to your future husband? Doesn't the Bible say the husband is the head of the wife, so wives should submit to their husbands? And you go to church every Sunday with that kind of attitude..."

Yang Ju-hui suddenly flew into a rage, catching me completely off guard. Was she pretending not to remember what happened last night? Did she want a secret relationship?

Just in case, I asked her,

"No, I had a girlfriend. She said we should only hold hands until the hundredth day..."

"I don't anymore... She dumped me right away."

Yang Ju-hui didn't seem to remember the dream at all. Not the Nightmare Corridor. Not any of the things we'd talked about.

I felt like I'd lost a girlfriend I'd never even dated. Like I'd lost someone precious. Someone I didn't want to forget. Someone I mustn't forget.

Where was I supposed to take this feeling...? Was it all just my own dream?

It pissed me off. If it really was just a dream, I should've at least copped a feel of her chest.

"Status window."

In my dejected state, I called up the text in the air.

Ding.