Chapter 39
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: This Isn't Enough
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This isn't enough.
“What's this?”
A newspaper article sat alone inside the locker. The breaking news, splashed across the front page, caught my eye.
[You have acquired the High School Girl's Suicide Article.]
...I couldn't believe my eyes. Before reading the contents, I opened its detailed description.
[High School Girl's Suicide Article]
【A dusty newspaper article that has been neglected for a long time. Could it contain someone's secret?】
I carefully opened my inventory to check the contents.
[High School Girl's Suicide Article]
【Breaking News.
Mr. Choi, a night security guard at G. High School, was patrolling the school when,
he discovered something in the basement and immediately reported it to the police.
It was none other than a dead body.
An autopsy revealed the body to be that of the missing female student.
Even more shockingly, the cause of death was not foul play, but suicide.
She was found hanging in the school's basement, a discovery that has sent shockwaves through the community.
At the time of discovery, decomposition was significantly advanced,
suggesting a considerable amount of time had passed since her death.
According to the police investigation, the victim had trouble with her peers,
and a series of testimonies have emerged stating she was bullied at school.
It is presumed that the victim made this extreme choice for these reasons.
Incidentally, the victim's name is...】
My eyes followed the rest of the article. Near the end, the name of the victim was stated.
I didn't want to believe it. This was the secret, the truth, that Dayeon had tried so hard to hide.
I quietly mumbled the name of the victim written at the end of the article.
“...Jin Dayeon.”
In that moment, a cold sensation grazed my neck.
I looked down to see the chillingly sharp blade of an axe aimed at my throat.
...It was Dayeon. She pressed the axe against me with a frigid gaze.
“You... you were dead.”
“...”
Dayeon didn't answer. She kept her head bowed, avoiding my gaze.
Her silence was as good as a confession. I finally understood her true identity.
“So that means you're a ghost.”
“...That's right.”
Dayeon broke her tight-lipped silence. Unlike her usual self, her voice trembled faintly.
I'd had a vague suspicion, but to think it was true... The hidden secret was finally revealed.
Dayeon was a ghost.
She was no different from the countless paranormal phenomena I had encountered in this school.
But that was strange. Why hadn't Dayeon killed me all this time?
There was still another secret I didn't know. I started by asking about that.
“You've had plenty of chances to take my head off. Why now?”
“...Because that's my mission.”
“Mission?”
Dayeon continued, her gaze fixed to the floor. For some reason, she wouldn't meet my eyes.
“From the very beginning, when we first met, I approached you with an ulterior motive.”
“What?”
“Curious? Then I'll tell you.”
The truth that followed was rather shocking. It was something I could never have imagined.
“My role is to help you get through this school safely. And then, right before you enter the basement, to betray you. That is my mission as a ghost.”
“...Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
In other words, Dayeon had been my enemy from the start. The only reason she accompanied me was because it was her mission.
“Do you understand now?”
“No, I still have a lot of questions.”
“You're more curious than I thought.”
Dayeon is a ghost. An enemy, even. So why was she kidnapped? I asked her point-blank.
“You said you're a ghost. Then what about the security guard dragging you to the basement? Weren't you on the same side?”
“...That's not important.”
“No, it is.”
“Not at all.”
Dayeon lightly cut my neck with the axe blade. A sharp sting was followed by a trickle of blood.
“I'm a ghost. I've been deceiving you all this time. And I'm even going to kill you.”
Unlike her usual self, her voice became rushed and hurried.
“The Jin Dayeon you've known was just an illusion wearing a mask. Well? This is my true self. Disappointed?”
She asked coercively, threateningly. It seemed like she was looking for a specific answer.
Still, I wasn't particularly surprised. Instead, I answered firmly.
“So what?”
“What?”
“What does it matter if you're a ghost?”
If it were the fake's identity, maybe, but Dayeon's identity didn't matter much to me. Whether she was a ghost, a person, or a dinosaur.
The fact that she was the real one, not the fake, was reason enough to trust her.
Besides, Dayeon had revealed her identity herself. If she were truly my enemy, she would have killed me immediately without all this chit-chat.
That's how I was sure.
Dayeon wouldn't betray me.
“...You're strange.”
“How so?”
“Aren't you afraid of dying?”
“Of course, it's fucking terrifying. Who in their right mind wants to die?”
“Then why are you...”
Dayeon trailed off. I had a rough idea of what she wanted to say.
“So, anything else to say?”
“You're such an idiot.”
Then, Dayeon lunged at me. But I felt no killing intent.
She pushed me, throwing my center of gravity off, and I tumbled to the ground with a thud.
“Ouch...”
Just as I was rubbing my sore backside, Dayeon climbed on top of me.
It created a rather awkward position.
But given the circumstances...
The atmosphere felt like I shouldn't get up, so I just stayed quietly pinned underneath her.
Dayeon raised the axe high.
She looked ready to split my neck like firewood.
This feels like being executed by guillotine.
“Any last words?”
“I don't know. Why did the security guard, who's on your side, kidnap you? I think I'll be too curious to die until I find that out.”
“...”
Dayeon raised the axe again. And with all her might, she slammed it into the floor.
It was dangerously close. If it had been just a hand's breadth to the side, I would have been kissing the axe.
*Phew.*
Just as I was calming my racing heart, a water droplet fell onto my face.
*Is it raining?*
It couldn't be rain.
I suddenly looked up at Dayeon.
Her face was expressionless as usual, but tears were streaming down endlessly.
“Why are you crying?”
“I deceived you. From the moment we first met in the library until now.”
“And?”
“But why don't you hate me? You should treat me like a traitor, despise and loathe me. Or better yet, just kill me...”
Dayeon sobbed, her face still blank. Pinned beneath her, I had no choice but to gently close my eyes.
*They're going to get in my eyes.*
No matter what, Dayeon was on my side.
It wasn't just a guess; it was a certainty.
Thanks to my experience from the last playthrough.
Dayeon had tried to kill me in the basement. And then she was killed by the fake.
But the fake and Dayeon are on the same side. There was no reason for them to kill each other.
...Unless Dayeon betrayed the fake's side.
*Something felt suspicious.*
In the last playthrough, Dayeon had betrayed them.
Not me, of course, but the fake.
She was killed as a consequence. As I thought, the fake's goal wasn't my death.
The previous bad ending confirmed it. What the fake wanted was my body itself.
Its true goal was to steal my body and escape the school.
Dayeon knew this and tried to kill me to prevent the fake from achieving its desire.
It may have ended in failure in the last playthrough, but not this time.
Because I now clearly understood her intention in trying to kill me. Dayeon was unequivocally on my side. Therefore, she couldn't kill me.
“You're getting heavy. Can you get off me now?”
“You're so weird...”
With a trembling hand, Dayeon set the axe down. My head wasn't chopped off. I wasn't hacked to pieces like the security guard.
“Is it okay to drop your weapon? What if I fight back?”
“...Well, I wouldn't mind dying.”
“You talk a good game.”
Before I knew it, Dayeon had stopped crying. Her tone, and everything else, returned to normal.
Dayeon straightened her school uniform and bowed her head deeply. It was a gesture of apology.
“I'm sorry.”
“Whatever.”
“Are you forgiving me?”
“Well, did you do anything wrong?”
Dayeon slowly raised her head. Her eyes were red and swollen.
She glanced at me furtively, then immediately reverted to her usual self.
“You're right.”
“So shameless.”
“Heeh.”
It didn't matter. I felt like the firmly shut walls around my heart had come crumbling down.
Now that I had uncovered Dayeon's secret, we had formed a relationship of genuine trust.
-Fwaat!
[Your relationship with Jin Dayeon has reached a level of trust!]
[The Party Window has been unlocked.]
[You can now add trusted individuals to your party as companions.]
*Huh?*
Messages suddenly poured in. They were different from the usual interactions or item descriptions.
A Party Window.
I wondered what it was, but I quickly figured it out.
It seemed a new feature had been activated as my relationship with Dayeon grew closer.
Should I do it like when I open the status window?
I shouted 'Party Window!' in my mind. A blue window popped up in mid-air.
【Party Window】
1. Lee Hyeon
My name was the only one in the party.
Wondering if that was all, I tapped the screen, and a guide message appeared.
【You have no party members. Recruit companions to strengthen your party!】
【*The currently available companion for recruitment is 'Jin Dayeon'.】
[Would you like to add Jin Dayeon as a companion?]
[Yes/No]
There was no reason to doubt Dayeon anymore. I pressed 'Yes' without hesitation.
[Shake hands with the individual you wish to add as a companion for 3 seconds.]
Is this the condition for joining the party?
It's a pain, but I have no choice. If there's a new feature, I have to check it out.
“Come here.”
I called over to Dayeon, who was straightening her wrinkled uniform in the corner of the classroom.
“What is it?”
“Nothing much, let's just shake hands.”
I slowly extended my hand. Dayeon stared at it blankly.
“Why a handshake all of a sudden?”
“Just think of it as a gesture of reconciliation.”
“Heeh, you think a handshake is enough?”
“Don't say weird things.”
Dayeon extended her hand without another word.
She placed it on mine and squeezed tightly.
A gentle warmth spread from her hand.
I was suddenly reminded of the first time I met Dayeon in the library.
We had shaken hands just like this back then, too. The memory came flooding back.
*How did things end up like this?*
As I stood there blankly, our hands clasped, more than three seconds had passed.
I tried to gently pull my hand back, but Dayeon held on tight, like a shark that had clamped its jaws.
“You can let go of my hand now.”
“As I thought, this isn't enough.”
“Huh?”
Dayeon stared intently at my hand and muttered enigmatically.
“Wouldn't the meaning of reconciliation fade if we just shake hands without a thought?”
“So what does that mean—”
Unfortunately, I couldn't finish my sentence. Dayeon had yanked my hand forward.
It happened so fast I had no time to react. And then,
“...!”
A completely unexpected situation unfolded. In that moment, it felt like time had stopped.
My mind went blank, as if hit by a typhoon. It was like... floating on a cloud.
“...”
It was only about three seconds. But it felt like three hours.
I couldn't quite remember what had just happened. By the time I hastily came to my senses,
“Heeh, your face is red.”
Dayeon was poking my cheek.
['Jin Dayeon' has been registered as a party member.]
[You can check the Party Window.]
【Party Window】
1. Lee Hyeon
2. Jin Dayeon