Chapter 23
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Lollipop
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Lollipop
I held my breath at the pounding from outside the door.
The doorknob was still rattling.
If I hadn't locked the door, it would have burst in long ago.
'Another ghost…'
Anxiously, I slowly backed away. The person outside the door pounded on it relentlessly.
—Thump, thump, thump!
The sound was too dull to be a knock. It was more like the impact of a fist.
Then, a voice came from the other side.
“Hyeong! It's me, Byeong-cheol!”
A person?
The sudden, unfamiliar voice caught me off guard. The person on the other side of the door continued to pound and shout.
—Thump, thump, thump!
“Hyeong! It's me, Byeong-cheol!”
A deep, low male voice. The tone was urgent, as if pleading for me to open the door quickly.
Dayeon, who had been watching silently, tilted her head.
“Do you know him?”
“Not at all…”
It was a voice I’d never heard before in my life.
Besides, I didn't know anyone named Byeong-cheol.
Even as I wracked my brain, the man on the other side kept pounding on the door.
—Thump, thump, thump!
“Hyeong! It's me, Byeong-cheol!”
'Wait a minute.'
Suddenly, the name felt off. I was sure I had heard it somewhere before.
I immediately opened the 'Sacrifice's Diary #3' I had just acquired.
[■■/■■/19■■]
【The seven of us, as dawn broke—】
As I flipped through the diary, I found a name that was strangely familiar. It was Byeong-cheol.
“…It’s written here.”
Byeong-cheol was a character from the diary.
He appears as a late addition to a test of courage at the school at dawn. But that raised a question.
This diary was written in the 90s at the latest. If so, who was the person standing on the other side of the door?
—Thump, thump, thump!
“Hyeong! It's me, Byeong-cheol!”
The person on the other side had been shouting the same line over and over.
There wasn't a single deviation.
The tone, pitch, and intonation were all perfectly identical.
It was as if a recording was playing on a loop, repeating the same monotonous tone.
'It's obviously a ghost.'
There was no way anyone else besides me and Dayeon was in the school at dawn.
The probability of this Byeong-cheol, who had appeared out of nowhere, being human was practically zero.
So, it had to be a ghost. The diary mentioned something similar to what was happening now.
'It said it was a spell to summon a ghost.'
According to the diary, they had chanted a spell to summon a ghost at the school at dawn.
And at the same time, Byeong-cheol had appeared with impeccable timing.
From a modern perspective, it was all utter nonsense.
However, considering the social context of the 90s, it was somewhat understandable.
With no cell phones or computers, there weren't many forms of entertainment for teenagers going through puberty.
It's not like high schoolers would gather around to play a childish game of hide-and-seek.
'So they'd sneak into school at dawn for a test of courage.'
Anyway, if the diary was correct, the Byeong-cheol who had suddenly appeared was definitely a ghost.
It was just pretending to be human.
Just like now.
—Thump, thump, thump!
“Hyeong! It's me, Byeong-cheol!”
'Fucking loud!'
At first, it was a little scary, but after hearing it four or five times, it was starting to get annoying.
But it wasn't like I could just throw the door open, which was frustrating.
To shut that flapping mouth, I had to exorcise the ghost, just like with the spirit photography.
—Thump, thump, thump!
“Hyeong! It's me, Byeong-cheol!”
“What should we do?”
“Let’s search the store first. If we look everywhere, something is bound to turn up.”
Leaving the endlessly pounding door behind us, we started searching the school store.
I carefully examined the shelves, packed with junk food snacks.
[You have acquired Ink.]
[You have acquired Potato Chips.]
[You have acquired a Lollipop.]
[You have acquired a Canned Cola.]
A pile of random items poured out. Most of them were consumable food items.
They didn't look like they were for exorcising ghosts at all.
[Potato Chips]
【Ripple Potato Chips, the number one best-seller at the school store. The package says '100% REAL Fresh Potatoes!' Restores health when used.】
[Lollipop]
【A candy with a stick, making it easy to hold and eat with one hand. It's strawberry cream flavored. Its low price makes it popular among female students.】
[Canned Cola]
【Hyogwa Cola, the number two best-seller at the school store. Its large size makes it popular among male students. Restores a small amount of health when used.】
“There’s nothing but junk food.”
I guess I had to take comfort in getting at least one ink.
The items on the shelf looked good on the outside but were completely useless.
Dayeon stared at the pile of items that had poured out, then plucked a lollipop from the bunch.
“What are you going to do with a lollipop?”
“I just suddenly felt like having one.”
Without a moment's hesitation, she unwrapped the lollipop and popped it into her mouth.
Dayeon savored the lollipop, rolling it around in her mouth. But soon, she frowned.
“I can't taste anything. It’s gross.”
“…Then why did you eat it?”
“Just trying to get into the spirit of being in the school store?”
An item, consumed just like that.
Dayeon shrugged and licked the lollipop.
I felt like she had just wasted a potentially crucial item.
I was staring blankly at Dayeon as she rummaged through the store when she spoke.
“Is there something on my face? You’re looking at me pretty fiercely.”
Dayeon whistled leisurely. Then, as if something had just occurred to her, her eyes curved into a smile.
“Aha, I get it. You want some candy, don't you?”
Muttering something incomprehensible, she took the lollipop out of her mouth.
And then she shoved it straight into mine.
“Mmph?!”
It happened in the blink of an eye, giving me no time to react.
Mischievously, Dayeon twirled the lollipop in my mouth.
With my mouth blocked by the candy, I couldn't say a word even if I wanted to.
“Mmph…!”
“How is it?”
A sweet strawberry cream flavor spread through my mouth. A tingling sweetness lingered on the tip of my tongue.
Was this the original flavor of the candy? Or was it a flavor enhanced by something else?
My mind went blank before I could even think. I had to get a grip on myself and hold onto my reason.
“Is it sweet?”
A seductive voice whispered very close to me. Dayeon's eyes, as she pushed the candy into my mouth, were strangely vibrant.
I forced myself to calm down and pushed her arm away.
“We don’t have time for games. And you—”
“Sorry, I’ll go look around then. Let me know if you find a clue.”
Dayeon, with a strangely cheerful spring in her step, quickly moved away from me.
She started examining a vending machine in a distant corner.
“…”
I watched her from afar.
It would be weird to just go up to her and question what just happened.
Instead, I felt like she had something on me.
I had fallen helplessly into Dayeon's wicked scheme.
'Damn it.'
I hung my head in shame.
Even so, a sweet scent lingered around my mouth.
It was because of the lollipop Dayeon had been sucking on.
'It's sweet…'
Truthfully, after all the running and rolling around, I was desperately in need of some sugar.
The candy that had invaded my mouth was a ray of light.
Even if it was the same candy that had been in Dayeon's mouth, I didn't want to spit it out.
'Seriously…'
The happiness from the candy's sweetness.
The shame of being played by Dayeon.
These two emotions clashed, and I unknowingly clenched my teeth.
Crunch.
The impact shattered the lollipop.
With no other choice, I pulled out the stick and crunched on the remaining candy pieces.
It was as I was pulling the now candy-less stick from my mouth.
'Huh?'
The stick felt unusually flimsy.
It was too loose to be just from saliva; it felt like it had been that way from the start.
Soon, the lollipop stick unraveled, flattening out like a piece of paper.
“It’s paper?!”
[You have acquired Sacrifice's Diary #4.]
The lollipop stick. Its true identity was, surprisingly, the fourth diary entry.
The diary had been rolled up all along, masquerading as a lollipop stick.
“To think they’d hide it here…”
It was more than just surprising; it was brilliant. If it weren't for Dayeon, I might never have found the diary.
I decided to thank her later and quickly checked the contents of the diary.
The handwriting was a frantic scrawl, different from the diaries I had seen before.
【Damn it, it was a ghost.
It was a ghost…!
Somehow, he didn't feel like the usual Byeong-cheol.
He'd suddenly start laughing bizarrely by himself, or stare at me with a gloomy face.
I told my friends that something was wrong with Byeong-cheol, but no one believed me.
They even treated me like the weird one, saying I was possessed.
Even as we entered the classroom, my friends were just laughing,
and then it finally happened.
Byeong-cheol grabbed Gyeong-gyun, who was walking ahead, by the neck and twisted it. Blood splattered everywhere. Chunks of flesh flew about.
It even landed on my face and trickled down.
Everyone screamed in terror. But Byeong-cheol just stood there and laughed.
He just laughed.
I still remember the sound of his laughter vividly.
“Uhihihihihihihik! Ihihihik! Ihihihihihihik!”
It was a grotesque laugh, impossible to tell if it was a man's or a woman's. It's still etched in my ears.
“Uhik! Keck! Uhihihihihik! Ihihihihik! Ihihihihihihik!”】
I was completely engrossed in the gruesome contents of the diary when I heard a sound from beyond the door.
—Thump, thump, thump!
“Uhihihihihihihik! Ihihihik! Ihihihihihihik!”
“Fuck!”
Startled, I threw the diary I was reading. For a moment, I thought my heart had stopped.
I was calming my pounding chest when Dayeon sidled up and spread her arms.
“Want a hug?”
“…No, thanks.”
Wiping away the cold sweat, I continued reading the diary.
【I was terrified.
Everyone was stunned and screaming.
Some foamed at the mouth and fainted, or collapsed where they stood and wet themselves.
I, too, was so scared I thought I was going to pass out.
But because I hadn't let my guard down around Byeong-cheol, I barely managed to keep it together.
After breaking Gyeong-gyun's neck, Byeong-cheol twisted his own neck 180 degrees to look behind him.
His bloodshot eyes were fixed on me.
It was because I was the only one still standing.
All my other friends had fainted or collapsed. Among them was Seo-yeong, the girl I liked. She was slumped on the ground, sobbing and wetting herself.
For a brief moment, I thought she looked pretty even while crying so pathetically. I forced myself to look away.
Byeong-cheol was already approaching me.
A grin plastered on his face.
“Uhihihihihihihik! Ihihihik! Ihihihihihihik!”
Was it misfortune or fortune?
Before coming to school, I had brought some salt just in case a ghost appeared.
I had secretly taken it from the kitchen without my mom seeing.
I brought it because I was anxious, but I never thought I'd actually have to use it…
I threw the salt at Byeong-cheol.
He screamed and melted on the spot.
But I couldn't feel completely relieved.
We were frozen in place, unable to move a single step.】
That was the end of the fourth diary entry.
Even though it had a clear beginning, middle, and end, it left a lingering sense of unease.
“So Byeong-cheol died after being hit with salt?”
“Probably?”
If the diary was the key to this puzzle, then the answer was salt.
But there was no salt in the school store.
Which meant there was no way to deal with the Byeong-cheol outside the door.
—Thump, thump, thump!
“Hyeong! It's me, Thump-cheol!”
'Just shut up...'
If I could, I'd kick the door open and gag him.
But it seemed this Byeong-cheol fellow could only be exorcised with salt.
“Look for salt in the store. Check if there's a secret spot or something.”
“I don't know, I can't find any.”
Dayeon shook her head firmly.
She was right. The store was filled with all sorts of snacks, but there was no reason for it to have an ingredient like salt.
Students weren't homemakers; they had no reason to buy salt. In a way, it was obvious.
“Let's use something similar to salt.”
“What, pepper? There's no way they'd have that.”
“Not pepper, something similar to salt.”
Something similar to salt.
I fell into deep thought.
First, I listed the characteristics of salt.
It's salty. And…
'Wait a minute, salty?'
Similar to salt.
In other words, salty. That meant there was something in the store similar to salt.
'Salty food?!'
An idea struck me like a bolt of lightning.
My thought process connected like puzzle pieces. I immediately opened my inventory window.
I picked one of the many items I had just acquired.
[Potato Chips]
【Ripple Potato Chips, the number one best-seller at the school store. The package says '100% REAL Fresh Potatoes!' Restores health when used.】
“No way.”
I ripped open the bag of potato chips.
Half of it was nitrogen, so it was only half full.
That wasn't the problem right now. I quickly grabbed a chip and tossed it into my mouth.
The moment it touched my tongue, the distinct salty flavor of potato chips spread.
Maybe because they were made for students tired from studying, they were so salty my tongue tingled.
…It tasted like salt.
“This was it…”
I cupped my hands and crushed the bag of potato chips with all my might. With a crunching sound, the chips began to shatter.
Once wasn't enough. I squeezed the bag dozens of times, pulverizing the chips.
—Crunch!
I sped up, making sure they were completely crushed.
Finally, the potato chips were reduced to a fine powder.
“Done.”
With this, all preparations were complete.
I braced myself for the impending battle and grabbed a handful of potato chip crumbs.
Ready to throw the whole bag if things went south, I cautiously approached the door.
—Thump, thump, thump!
“Hyeong! It's me, Byeong-cheol!”
Byeong-cheol was still running his mouth.
That's enough of your bullshit.
I loaded my right hand like a catapult. And then,
—Click.
I yanked the store door wide open.
—Thump, thump, thump!
“Hyeong! It's me, Byeong-cheol!”
Outside the store stood a ghost with only a head floating in the air, no body.
All that thumping hadn't been from a fist, but from its head.
“You look ferocious.”
Byeong-cheol the ghost's bloodshot eyes fixed on me. Then, it began to let out a shrieking laugh.
“Uhihihihihihihik! Ihihihik! Ihihihihihihik!”
Just thinking about what happened earlier filled me with rage at the sound of that laugh.
I channeled all my feelings into my aim and took firm aim at the head.
'Just die already!'
Then, I threw the potato chip crumbs as if I were scattering them.