Chapter 188: [Side Story] The Ghost of Halloween (1)
Chapter 188: [Side Story] The Ghost of Halloween (1)
"It's suffocating..."
The area was always crowded, but the streets were especially congested today. The thumping, club-style music. The lights that made the night as bright as day. The throngs of people so thick you felt like you were stepping on toes with every stride. It was a sight only possible on the night of October 31st, during the Halloween festivities.
There are way too many people.
Even for me, a place like this felt alien. Given my status as a famous Hero, it was difficult to attend such large-scale public festivals after transforming. If I were a celebrity, it might be different, but Heroes are expected to maintain an image of righteousness. Showing up at an event with a decadent or promiscuous atmosphere could severely damage that reputation.
But I was the exception. As long as I didn't transform, no one would recognize my face. This meant that if I put my mind to it, I could wander the bustling streets on Halloween as much as I wanted.
Of course, it’s not like I came here because I wanted to.
I let out a small sigh.
Whether before or after becoming a woman, it was the same: I wasn't exactly the outgoing type. Even now, having gained fame as Magical Girl Floss, I usually spent my days off rolling around at home and masturbating. I didn't really enjoy outdoor activities.
To someone like me, the crowded streets on Halloween were the ultimate antithesis. This place was a living hell where every step felt like a struggle for breath. It wasn't even like someone had invited me; coming here alone was something I would never normally do.
"Excuse me, you're exactly my type. I was wondering if..."
"I'll pass."
See? Pests like this swarmed me every time I passed an alleyway. As a Hero, calling innocent citizens "pests" was technically wrong, but right now, I was just the civilian Do Min-jeong, so they were pests.
Seriously, if it weren't for the Chairman's request, I never would have done this.
Naturally, I had no reason to be here if it wasn't for work. And for me, "work" only meant Hero duties—clearing Gates or taking down Villains. Tonight, it was the latter.
The Villain, Ghost Raper.
The name was simple enough. A combination of "Ghost" and "Raper." He was a Villain with ghost-like superpowers who used his abilities to go around raping women.
His method was particularly vicious. He mainly appeared in bustling areas like Hongdae or Itaewon at night, picking a woman at random and launching a surprise assault. Based on the name "Ghost," I initially thought he might be similar to the invisible man, Shin Tae-geon, but his power was different.
He... possesses people.
Being a "ghost" didn't mean the victims were attacked by something invisible and intangible. If that were the case, it would be an overwhelmingly superior version of Shin Tae-geon's ability, but that premise didn't make sense. If he had no physical form, he wouldn't be able to exert any influence on living humans.
How could he rape anyone without an actual cock?
On the contrary, the "ghost" definitely had a physical form. The problem was that the form wasn't his own; he borrowed—or rather, hijacked—someone else's.
Ghost Raper would pick a random man, possess his body, and then use that innocent man's body to rape a woman he took a liking to.
In the process, what was released wasn't semen containing Ghost Raper's DNA, but the semen of the innocent man. However, the only one who felt the sexual pleasure was Ghost Raper. The man he possessed would lose consciousness and control of his body for the duration of the possession.
Of course, Ghost Raper took no responsibility for the rape. If he did, he wouldn't be called a Villain, and I wouldn't be hunting him down. Ghost Raper would simply extract the pleasure using a guiltless man's body, then release the possession and flee.
This has already happened four times.
Every time a Ghost Raper possession incident occurred, two victims were created. The first was the man possessed by Ghost Raper, and the second was the woman raped by the man Ghost Raper was inhabiting.
From the perspective of a woman who was suddenly grabbed and raped by a total stranger while walking down the street, it was like being struck by lightning out of nowhere. It wasn't common sense to suspect a Villain like Ghost Raper first, so she would naturally perceive the man in front of her as a psychopathic rapist and report him to the police.
Then, the innocent man would be framed as a rapist. Since the DNA in the semen pointed directly to him, he couldn't even deny it. He had to take all the responsibility without having felt any of the pleasure. Meanwhile, Ghost Raper was the lowest of the low—a piece of trash who enjoyed the pleasure and dumped the responsibility onto someone else.
It's a relief that the Heroes' investigation revealed the existence of a Villain like Ghost Raper. If not, a lot of innocent people might have been ruined.
I was currently suppressing my "loner" personality and braving the crowded streets on Halloween night specifically to prevent any more victims. Analyzing the four previous incidents, Ghost Raper had used the chaos of crowded, bustling areas to possess someone and commit his crimes. It was analyzed that he would likely do the same tonight.
Moreover, today wasn't just any day; it was Halloween. And it happened to be the night between Friday and Saturday. Ghost Raper would definitely show up here.
The problem is how to find him.
Even I couldn't find Ghost Raper through pure intuition alone. If there were a clue, like a specific scent he gave off when possessing a human body, it would be easy. I could just wander around quietly and dash toward the source of the smell.
But there were no witness accounts of the possessed men undergoing any physical changes. In other words, the only solution was to catch that split second when a man walking normally suddenly stumbled due to the possession.
Honestly, that's going to be tough.
It wasn't like there were only one or two people; there were countless. Furthermore, the streets were incredibly wide. No matter how broad my field of vision was, I couldn't see everyone at once unless I was looking down from a high vantage point. And even then, it would be difficult to spot such a minor change.
In the end, there was only one method left. Perhaps it had been decided this way from the very beginning.
Become a woman he'd want to ravish... and lure Ghost Raper out.
At this point, I realized why the Association Chairman had specifically designated me for this mission. I thought he gave it to me because I could operate in my civilian form without drawing the attention a famous Hero would, but this was the real reason.
A "dad" who quietly supports his daughter's "hobbies" without making a scene...
The Chairman knew. He knew that I secretly enjoyed Defeat Play against Villains to satisfy my inclinations. Knowing that, he might have intentionally matched me against Ghost Raper tonight.
Catch a bad Villain, and enjoy playing the role of a rape victim—killing two birds with one stone.
If this were a normal hobby, I would've just been happy, but for some reason, it's a bit embarrassing...
My face flushed at the thought of the Chairman supporting my Defeat Play. Of course, I had no intention of refusing, ahem. Rather than letting another innocent woman become a victim of Ghost Raper, wasn't it better for me to take that role and enjoy it myself?
However, a doubt remained. With so many people and so many beautiful, fit women everywhere... would Ghost Raper really target me specifically?
"Kyaaaaak?!"
"I-I'm sorry! I... when I came to my senses..."
"What? What is it?! You... why are you doing this?!"
Just as I was starting to get anxious after walking for an hour without being targeted, an incident occurred. An attempted rape had happened in an alleyway just one block away from my current position.
Dammit.
It was clearly Ghost Raper's work. Fortunately, the man had stumbled and hit his head against a nearby wall, which snapped him back to his senses and freed him from the possession. It ended as an attempt, but if things had gone slightly differently, a rapist and a victim would have been created right then and there.
Leaving the cleanup to the police, I focused on the appearance of the woman who had almost become a victim. Since Ghost Raper's existence was now well-known through the media, the police would handle the case properly.
It might sound cold, but I had a different job to do.
Ghost Raper will strike again. Tonight, on this very street.
I needed to find the criteria for becoming Ghost Raper's target. To put it bluntly, I had to figure out his taste in women. Only by knowing his preference could I dress accordingly and lure him to me.
That's...
The crowd was too thick to get a close look, but I caught a glimpse of the woman who was almost the victim. True to the Halloween spirit, she was wearing a rather provocative costume.
A... mummy?
Her vital areas were all wrapped in bandages to cover them, but it was a costume that highly emphasized her figure. It was a design so scandalous it made me wonder, She's really walking around the streets in that?
Honestly, I think that could be considered outdoor exhibitionism...
But it couldn't be helped. Ghost Raper must have chosen his target carefully, and that mummy costume likely played a significant role in his selection.
Do I have to wear that too?
Up until now, I had been moving around in my usual clothes. I knew everyday wear didn't fit the Halloween festival. But since I didn't know what kind of cosplay to do, I had chosen the most mundane option... It seemed Ghost Raper intended to violate a woman who fit the Halloween vibe tonight.
Furthermore, since his attempted possession-rape had failed, his unfulfilled desire would surely drive him to wander these streets even more. He might even try to hunt another "mummy girl" since he had come so close to success.
Gulp.
My heart began to throb with a mix of shame and excitement. Just imagining myself wandering these crowded streets practically naked, with nothing but bandages wrapped around my body, made me feel like I was already getting wet down there.
But where am I supposed to get a mummy costume right now?
I checked the woman who had almost been the victim again. Even though it looked like she had just wrapped herself in random bandages, it was clearly a designed costume. I felt like I could replicate it with enough bandages, but where would I find them at this hour when hospitals and even pharmacies were closed?
"...Ah."
Just then, a convenience store caught my eye. And along with it, the public restroom in the alleyway behind it.
I swallowed hard and followed the path from the convenience store to the public restroom. When I emerged back onto the street, I was no longer wearing the clothes a normal woman would wear, but an outfit fit for a nympho who enjoyed outdoor exhibitionism.
"Excuse me, your costume is so beautiful. Could I take a photo..."
"A-Ah, no. I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
Even at a simple request for a photo, I hurried away, my heart racing.
I couldn't help but think... Maybe this was a bit too much.
