Scene 1: Central Academy Classroom
The teacher, Hirayo Hakomoto, stood before the students. "As you know, class, last week was a tragic week. We lost one of our own, Jinu Oraya," the teacher said. "Therefore, all students are required to pay ten credits to help with the funeral. It's the least we can all contribute."
A girl named Miya Hakomoto raised her hand. "Sir, are there any details on what happened that day? All we know is that it was a car accident."
"Well, the official report states it was a car accident," Hirayo replied, but his dismissal didn't stop the murmuring in the classroom.
Classmate A: "I heard Jinu's father was a scientist, and he was nowhere to be found."
Classmate B: "How do you know that?"
Classmate A: "My father was the head doctor at the hospital where Jinu's family was admitted. I overheard him talking to my mom."
"Hey, shush," another student hissed. "It's not a great time to gossip about this in class."
Connor, a student who had been silent until now, entered the conversation. "You know, it is considered a bad omen to talk about the dead, right?"
The others fell silent. Why is everyone so afraid of Connor? Miya wondered.
Her friend, Kira, answered the silent question. "They're afraid of him because he's the school president, a genius among his peers, and one of the Principal's kids. They worry if they mess with him, they might get suspended. This is the Elite Academy, after all."
"Kira! How do you know all of that?"
"I'm the school journalist," Kira said simply. "And frankly, nobody here seems sad. We all know Jinu wasn't much of a talker. He was a lonely person. No friends. If I were him, I would have died from the loneliness."
"Kira!" Miya shouted, standing up, agitated. "That's not the way we talk about our classmates!"
"But it is the fact," Kira replied coolly. "He was a loner."
"Enough, class! That's enough," Teacher Hirayo snapped. "Now, let's continue with our session."
Scene 2: The System and the Void
Time passed, and the scene abruptly switched. Jinu found himself standing in an empty, dark hospital hallway. Man, is this how everything ends? Am I supposed to be a ghost forever?
A sudden, desperate idea struck him: If I'm a ghost, I must be able to possess other bodies. He rushed back to the room where his body lay and tried to enter the cold flesh.
He was immediately repelled, pushed back by an unknown force.
[ALERT: HOST ATTEMPTING TO ENTER A DEAD VESSEL. THIS MAY RESULT IN HOST DEATH. SYSTEM DENIES ENTRY.]
Jinu was shocked. "What? A system? What is this?"
[SYSTEM GLOWING IN THE EMPTY DARK ROOM]
The system answered: HOST IS DEAD. SYSTEM IS TRYING THOUSANDS OF OPTIONS TO HELP HOST REVIVE. CALCULATING OPTIONS... OPTION 1 FAILED... OPTION 2 FAILED... The count kept rising, until it hit Option 1000. [SYSTEM REBOOTING PROCESS INITIATED.]
"Rebooting? What is all this?" Jinu cried, desperation surging. "Wait, my question is: How can I come back to the living? Tell me!"
The system glow disappeared, and the alert vanished.
"Wait! Don't leave me here! Please, I'm scared." Jinu slumped into a corner, covering his head with his arms, his voice a slow, shaky whisper. Why has this happened? Someone please help me. I'm scared. He squeezed his fists in despair.
Scene 3: Doctor "I"
Time went by. The doors to the room where his body lay opened, and two doctors entered. "It's time to move this body to take it where it belongs," one said.
Jinu, jolted from his despair, watched as his body was carried away. He looked closely at one of the doctors—his face was covered with a mask. Dad? Is that you?
A glimpse of hope filled his ghostly eyes. He followed them, trying to rush forward and hug the figure, but he passed right through him. He realized again, painfully, that he simply didn't exist.
He heard the other doctor address his companion: "Doctor I."
Doctor I? Jinu became more confused. What is going on here?
They loaded his dead body into a black van that looked far from official or friendly. Doctor "I" quickly handed the other doctor a handful of credits.
Wait! Why are you paying? What's going on here? Shocked and confused, Jinu chased the van as it sped away into the late night.
Scene 4: The Revelation
The van led him to the place he wouldn't have expected: his home.
Doctor "I" pulled off his mask. It was Jinu's father. He had scars around his face, and one of his eyes had no pupil and was covered with burns.
What is Father doing with my body? Jinu followed him through the back door and into his work area. His father clicked a hidden button, opening a secret area that Jinu had never seen before....