Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Even as a Villain, I Want to Debut
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Kang In-hyeok had found the talisman just moments ago when the announcement blared through the speakers.
"Good thing we found at least one."
"Congrats, hyung."
After pocketing the talisman, we stepped out of the science lab, and the dim hallway welcomed us once more.
'Now, time to head to the next spot.'
I mentally mapped out our route and started to move, but Lee Hyo-seop's voice from behind held me back.
"But, Won-woo."
"Yeah?"
"You seem to know this place really well."
I flinched without meaning to.
"Know what?"
"You found the first talisman right away, and you keep heading straight to spots where they might be."
Of course I did. I knew the original story inside and out.
"Just a hunch."
But I couldn't say that, so I brushed it off.
"Where to next?"
"Let's try the staff room."
"Hunch again?"
I nodded.
With that, we headed down to the first-floor staff room.
As we descended the stairs, we bumped into Kwon Hak-jin climbing up.
"Hak-jin hyung."
"Yeah?"
"Where you headed?"
Kwon Hak-jin scratched his head with a grin.
"Me? Just going wherever my feet take me."
No plan whatsoever.
"We already checked the science lab, so you should look somewhere else."
"Got it. Thanks."
"Wanna join us?"
Kwon Hak-jin glanced at us, then shook his head with a smile.
"Nah, I'm good on my own."
After parting ways with Kwon Hak-jin, we continued down the stairs.
When we reached the staff room door, we caught our breath and pushed it open. Thankfully, it was empty inside.
"Where could it be?"
"It's huge—gonna take a while to search."
We split up to cover our own sections. Just as Lee Hyo-seop said, with all the teacher desks crammed in there, it was bound to eat up time.
We moved busily through the darkness, the only sounds being our rummaging.
That's when it hit.
"It's raining."
"Raining?"
At Lee Hyo-seop's words, Kang In-hyeok straightened up from the drawer he'd been searching.
"Huh, yeah... I think I hear rain sounds now too..."
Not surprising at all. I'd known it was coming.
In the original story, they threw in rain and thunder here to amp up the horror vibe, so a downpour at this exact timing was right on schedule.
"Pouring hard?"
Kang In-hyeok muttered as he approached the window and pulled back the curtain.
Rumble—
Thunder cracked, and at the same instant, a black silhouette appeared right outside the window.
The shock froze Kang In-hyeok in place—he couldn't even scream.
'What the hell is that?'
Once the thunder faded, its identity came into focus.
"What? It's just Jeong Hee-min."
Jeong Hee-min was standing right up against the staff room window, completely soaked.
Kang In-hyeok's face twisted in near-panic as he flung open the window.
"Hey, Jeong Hee-min! What are you doing? Trying to kill someone?"
"Uh..."
Raindrops dripped steadily from Jeong Hee-min's clothes and hair.
"Saw something weird."
"Weird? What?"
"Was passing the playground and spotted a handprint on a window."
"A handprint...?"
Kang In-hyeok's expression turned even more ghostly.
"But it was printed weird. Like, the palm was backwards. How does that even happen?"
Jeong Hee-min started twisting his arm around, fascinated, trying to mimic the print.
"...Stop it. Handprints aren't the priority right now. We gotta find talismans."
Kang In-hyeok, pale as a sheet, bolted from the spot like he was fleeing.
Jeong Hee-min stared at the print for a long while before losing interest and wandering off indifferently.
"No sign of it."
We'd searched the whole staff room, but no talisman.
"Hyo-seop hyung."
"Yeah?"
"Mind checking that bookshelf?"
I deliberately pointed Lee Hyo-seop toward it.
'If it follows the original plot, the talisman should be in the yearbook.'
Lee Hyo-seop obliged, stepping up to the shelf and pulling out a thick yearbook from the top slot.
'Hope we get something.'
It wasn't for my benefit or anything, but I wanted Lee Hyo-seop to have his moment to shine.
With that hope, he flipped open the yearbook—and out came something unexpected.
"Isn't this our photo?"
It was the picture we'd taken in the photobooth last time, tucked inside the album.
And naturally, the creepy ghost was photobombed right in there too.
'They even prepped something this trivial.'
It doubled the creepy factor.
"No talisman."
"Yeah."
A twinge of guilt hit me. I'd been directing him here and there, but nothing to show for it.
That's when we were browsing the bookshelf together. Footsteps echoed from the hallway outside.
"...?"
Something felt off.
Could've been another trainee passing by, but the chill in the air said otherwise.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Like opening and immediately shutting a classroom door.
'Checking if anyone's inside?'
The sounds grew closer—meaning the staff room door was next.
"Hide."
At my word, Lee Hyo-seop and Kang In-hyeok scrambled for cover.
Kang In-hyeok dove under a desk; Lee Hyo-seop and I ducked behind the nearest curtains.
The door slid open.
A woman in full ghost makeup stepped inside.
'Getting caught here means zero screen time.'
For some reason, that terrified me more than the ghost itself.
"Hide hide... don't let your hair show..."
The ghost hummed as she wandered between the desks, drawing nearer to our curtain.
'This is how we get nabbed.'
I'd at least snagged one talisman, so I was somewhat okay. But Lee Hyo-seop hadn't had any big moments.
I was the one who'd suggested the staff room—if we got taken out pointlessly...
'I'd feel terrible.'
That's when it happened.
"Hic."
That sound.
Kang In-hyeok's hiccup.
The ghost approaching our curtain whipped toward the noise, and sure enough, Kang In-hyeok was busted.
'What a shame.'
Even as the ghost led him away, Kang In-hyeok wore a blissful expression.
Relieved at the thought of escaping this horror survival any longer, maybe.
"Phew..."
Only after the ghost left could Lee Hyo-seop and I emerge from the curtain.
Huddled in that cramped space, holding our breath—it felt like suffocating.
"That was rough."
"...Yeah."
"Poor In-hyeok got taken."
Lee Hyo-seop muttered.
"Just you and me now."
"Huh?"
"Nothing. Just always wanted to drop a line like that from a movie."
As he said it, Lee Hyo-seop suddenly pointed somewhere.
"Talisman's right there."
The announcement came right as we exited the staff room—perfect timing.
"Who'd have thought it'd be stuck to the ceiling."
"Right?"
We'd all been fixated on searching around us, never bothering to look up. Sneaky spot.
The broadcast followed, and lights flickered back on throughout the building.
"Finally."
With the hallway illuminated again, it finally felt like we could breathe.
"Guess the other trainees haven't found any yet."
Made sense.
The production team had hidden them in spots that were a nightmare to find.
Ceiling placement? Whose idea was that?
Still, the silver lining was that things stayed mostly on track with the original plot—minor tweaks to exact spots, but nothing major.
'Same hiding places overall, just slight differences in position and details.'
"So, where to now?"
Lee Hyo-seop was looking at me.
Couldn't blame him for trusting my lead—we'd scored talismans back-to-back at every stop.
"Hm. Maybe the gym..."
I trailed off as a familiar silhouette appeared atop the opposite staircase.
'Hyeon Si-woo?'
He was heading upstairs.
'Where to?'
As I watched his back, a system window blocked my view.
"...?"
My mind blanked out for a second.
'What?'
It hadn't even been long since the misfortune shifted off Han I-jae, and now this? To Hyeon Si-woo of all people? Unbelievable.
Hyeon Si-woo had already endured every tragedy imaginable. For it to bounce to him now...
'Why him?'
According to the original, he was on the verge of reclaiming his skills and climbing the ranks.
But this? His future was now a wildcard. Rankings unstable, debut in real jeopardy.
'Gotta get him past this misfortune quick, or Hyeon Si-woo...'
"Do Won-woo."
"..."
"Do Won-woo!"
I turned at the call. Lee Hyo-seop looked dead serious.
"What's up? I've been calling you—no response, just spacing out."
Had I?
Too fixated on Hyeon Si-woo, apparently.
"Ah, sorry. Got lost in thought suddenly."
By the time I snapped out of it, Hyeon Si-woo was long gone.
"Where were we going? Gym?"
"Hyo-seop hyung, sorry, but wanna split here? There's somewhere I need to check quick."
"Oh, sure. Be careful."
He eyed my sudden shift but didn't pry, heading off casually.
I chased after Hyeon Si-woo, climbing upstairs.
"Hey, Won-woo."
Ran into Won Ji-an leaning on the railing midway up.
"What're you doing here?"
"Me? Just catching a breather."
"You know where Si-woo hyung went?"
Won Ji-an's gaze drifted upward.
"Upstairs?"
"Yeah. But why're you looking for Si-woo hyung?"
I shook my head.
"Nothing."
Nothing, sure—but I was worried sick.
Could Hyeon Si-woo handle a misfortune arc in his current headspace? Honestly? Probably not.
'He had to quit right before debut over a car crash, and now they slap another one on him just as he's starting over?'
Had to hurry.
"Where you off to?"
I bolted up the stairs, ignoring Won Ji-an's shout.
No sign of Hyeon Si-woo. Had to be higher up.
'Rooftop?'
Only place left.
Why the mounting dread?
Panting hard, I shoved open the rooftop door. There stood Hyeon Si-woo by the railing.
'What’s he...'
A bad vibe hit. My eyes dropped—to a pair of shoes neatly placed beside him.
Hyeon Si-woo, barefoot on the rooftop ledge. My heart plummeted.
'No way...'
The system message from earlier flashed through my mind.
'Villain Do Won-woo's misfortune narrative transfers to protagonist character Hyeon Si-woo.'
That thought snapped me into motion.
'No.'
I had to stop him. Whatever it took.