(Ghost Story Club Emergency Meeting)
I wrote ʻEmergency Meeting' in large letters on the whiteboard in the seminar room, just like I would do during the club's CA session.
Then, I looked at the members with a serious face and said.
"Get it together and listen. We're already under the spell of the ghost story."
".....?"
"....What?"
The club members hesitated at the sudden, random statement.
Sunah also looked shocked.
"..j-Joon...? But we're outside the boarding house....?"
"Listen. The things we did today, the way we thought, they're not our usual selves. It's the result of being entangled in the ghost story."
The club members flinched and glanced at each other.
I looked at Sunah and explained.
"Of course, at first, things seemed fine as long as we left the boarding house. But not anymore."
"More precisely... I think there are two triggers that get you entangled in this ghost story."
I held up two fingers as I said to them.
"One is being captivated by the ghost story as a resident of this place. The other is being captivated as the manager of this place."
They are the two elements that keep a boarding house running.
The residents who stay in the rooms, and the manager who oversees them.
"Whether you're in the room as a resident, or at the counter as the manager. The ghost story splits its path right there. Now, everyone, look here."
I started writing down the first scenario on the board.
1. When you're in the room as a resident
"In this case, nothing happens right away. In fact, if you trace back all the incidents of this boarding house, it's always the manager who gets involved in the cases, and there's no mention of the residents. No one who stayed and left has been affected."
"..That's right."
Gyeongwon, with dry tear stains on his face, nodded.
"So we thought only the managers see the ghost, only the managers get affected by something, and even the owner got affected because he was doing the manager's job. But that was only half the truth."
"It's called the Paradox of the Damaged Airplane."
"..Airplane?"
"Why are we suddenly talking about airplanes?"
"....I see, Prez."
As the club members looked at each other in confusion, only Gyeongwon's eyes lit up as he adjusted his glasses.
"So that's what you're trying to say."
"Exactly."
I drew a few airplanes on the whiteboard.
It was somethingI picked up back when instead of studying like I was supposed to, I hung out with other residents and drank my nights away.
'It was probably a random topic the leader threw out of nowhere to impress the girls.'
I explained it kindly to the members looking at the whiteboard.
"Alright, look. There were damaged airplane that returned from a war, all beat up and battered. Researchers studied the damaged areas and reinforced the spots that had taken the most hits. So, do you think that will increase their survival rate?"
"...."
Dukhun, after thinking for a moment, crossed his arms and spoke up first.
"That's obvious. They should reinforce
those parts that took the most damage."
"Wrong."
I shook my head.
The correct answer is to reinforce the parts that weren't damaged. That's how you increase the survival rate."
"Why?"
"Because the planes that took the most critical hits in the undamaged areas never even made it back from the battlefield. They weren't even included in the statistics."
"....."
The club members paused, deep in thought for a moment.
Then, one by one, they began to show puzzled expressions, unsure what this had to do with the current ghost story.
"Let me explain. It's exactly like the story I just told you. The managers who died by suicide here. They only caught our attention because they were managers. That's why we even noticed their deaths. But the real problem isn't with the managers who died. It's with the residents of this place."
"The residents.....".
"The managers who fell victim to the ghost story were at least found dead as a corpse, but what about the residents who fell victim to the ghost story?"
"..."
The club members wore puzzled expressions.
Because they hadn't even thought about the residents.
"It's the same as the airplanes in the story. The residents who are affected by the ghost story aren't even counted in the statistics as victimns. Those people...they just disappear from this world."
"....Disappear?"
"Yes."
I nodded.
"It's not only the managers who are affected and end up dead. Due to the nature of these mental contamination-type ghost stories,
everyone is equally affected. But the ones whose bodies are discovered happen to be the managers. That's because the possessed residents turn against the possessed managers and try to kill them."
"....."
The club members looked speechless.
Gyeongwon soon made a puzzled face.
"Even after everyone is possessed by the ghost story, they try to kill the manager....?"
"Yeah. But that part has to do with the unique ecology of the boarding house, so I'll explain it later."
I then began to properly introduce this ghost story.
"Alright, listen carefully. This time, let's look at what actual effects this ghost story has. First, when you're staying as a resident. In this case, it takes quite a long time for you to become fully possessed by the ghost story.
While you're inside, you're gradually influenced, but usually, like us, the moment you take a step outside, you snap back to your senses."
"....."
"But what about those who stay here for a long time and become completely absorbed by the ghost story. What kind of people would they become?"
I quietly threw the question at them.
Just one step outside would bring them back to their senses, and yet they never managed to escape, staying there for months, even years.
In the end, they became completely assimilated into the ghost story and
disappeared from sight.
No one knowing what had become of them.
"..Long-term exam takers."
Once again, Gyeongwon adjusted his glasses over the dry tear stains and answered first.
"They are long-term exam takers."
"That's right."
"If someone stays holed up for so long
in this cramped boarding house and hardly ever goes outside, then of course they must be one of those long-term test-takers who keep failing the exams."
The club members nodded.
And so, I drew my first conclusion, about the people who were in the rooms as residents.
"In other words, the ghost story attacks everyone staying here, regardless of whether they're a manager or a regular resident. Especially to those who have stayed here for a long time and become completely assimilated. They're more likely to be long-term test-takers. But what about the flip side?"
"Among the people who are currently staying on the 5th-floor boarding house, anyone whơ's failed the exam even once. It's safe to say they've all become one with the ghost story, no longer even human."
The club members swallowed nervously.
Just then, as if something had come to mind, Gyeongwon cut in.
"Th-then what about the owner, Prez? Is the owner one of them too? Isn't he also injured right now?"
"No. He's not."
I shook my head.
"He's been around for a while, but he always just come and gone briefly. He's never stayed here for long."
"But I heard the owner also worked as the manager after hearing rumors about ghosts appearing...."
When I heard that, I also thought, 'Oh no'.
But then something else occurred to me.
"...That must be because he was working alone. The managers who were attacked always worked alone."
"Is that so.....?"
Gyeongwon nodded as if to say he understood, but since it wasn't a particularly important detail to them at this point, I didn't bother explaining further.
If there was just one thing that came to mind, it was that this explained why Jinhee had managed to endure for so long.
'Jinhee was with me from the beginning of the night watch, then immediately switched with Sunah who took over afterward...'
In other words, Jinhee was with someone the entire time during the night watch.
And that might have been the reason why Jinhee was relatively less affected and able to hold on longer in the previous timeline.
"...Alright, anyway. Before we start taking action tonight, we'll use their exam failure status to identify the sane people still left here. We'll infer that by looking at the lodging register to see how long they've stayed. Only after evacuating those people in advance will we begin our operation."
"...Hey, you."
Dukhun lifted his chin, his expression tense.
"You're even talking about 'evacuating' he ordinary people. What are you planning to do?"
" I'll l explain that later."
The member expressions grew increasingly tense.
I pointed to topic number 2 on the board.
"Okay, the 2nd one."
When you're at the counter as the manager
"In this case, the effect is more immediate. If you've ever been alone at the counter at night as the manager, even just once, you immediately trigger the condition and get caught up in it. Looking at the managers who claimed to have seen ghosts, some were hastily hired substitutes and hadn't been working for long, but the times they
reported seeing ghosts were mostly at
night."
".... Prez. Then, if you're at the counter working as the manager—"
"Yes."
I nodded.
"We've also met that trigger condition. By staying on night watch in the boarding house. That's what I was talking about earlier."
"There are no exceptions. By tomorrow, all of you would have committed suicide"
"..."
"... !!.. "
At those words, Gyeongwon's face turned pale, and the other members also took on terrified expressions.
Of course, Jinhee and Dukhun had remarkably unique mental fortitude, so they didn't die immediately, but in the end, it was only a matter of time for them as well.
Dukhun ended up shutting himself in his room and died from depression, and although Jinhee was less affected, her wrists were covered with countless self-inflicted scars.
"That act of us keeping watch at the counter at night, whether it was ultimately the same as a manager working there and observing the boarding house, ended up trapping
every single one of us."
"..Oh my goodness."
"Once that happens, only three choices remain. Either die stabbed by the residents, like the victims in the video.
"Or become one of them and continue studying for the civil service exams endlessly in this place forever. Or....."
"....."
"Or fall into despair over this stifling
social reality where there's no path
other than studying for the civil service
exam, sink into depression, and end up committing suicide."
I made a determined expression.
This is the reality of our society.
Either we kill each other, die alone or wander forever.
It was the same for us.
Either we conquered the tower that night, or we would all die tomorrow.
"...But what's the point of dividing things up like that?"
Jinhee asked with a puzzled expression.
"If we're all involved, then we're all involved. Why would being involved as a manager be different from being involved as a resident?"
"That's-"
I hesitated for a moment.
Then I shared my thoughts.
"...It's just a guess, but I think it's because the manager's side is the true origin of the ghost story."
"The manager's side is the real one? What are you talking about?"
"What I mean is, the manager's side follows the original story structure exactly, so the trigger activates immediately and they get caught up in it. The residents side, on the other hand, just gets swept up in it over time
from staying here too long."
Just like with Forurincess and Wiggle Wiggle, sometimes you get caught immediately, but other times the influence slowly takes hold.
If we compare it to an infectious disease, the manager's side, which got caught immediately by strictly following the original story structure, was like droplet transmission.
The residents who got infected just from being around for a long time would be like aerosol transmission.
"Would knowing that help us figure something out..."
"Yes."
I nodded to Sunah, who looked dejected.
"In other words, if we focus on the keyword 'manager', then among the infected individuals hiding on the 5th floor, the one who was originally a manager, the man constantly shaking his head, is highly likely to be the initial carrier and the source. All we need to do is find him."
The very first manager, who had been here since the time of the study lounge.
The long-term exam candidate with flowing long hair, who shook his head wildly from side to side, the one who had been preparing for the civil service exams for a whopping 20 years.
If we could just lure him out, everything would be resolved.
'...The problem is how to make him show himself.'
He was someone even I, who was already under the influence of the ghost story, couldn't easily meet.
In all that time, I had only seen him once.
"Prez. Just confirm one thing for me. All the fights we had today... the anger and the cursing. That was all because we were possessed by the ghost story, right..? None of it was our true feelings, was it?"
As I stayed lost in thought, Gyeongwon
suddenly asked, his hands trembling.
"Right..?"
I looked at him.
A face filled with deep anxiety. How should I tell him?
'...Hmm.'
Of course, it would be a stretch to say it wasn't our true feelings at all.
But since we were definitely under some influence, I gave him a nod.
And in this case, concluding that none of us were in our right mind would help us get along again without any lingering resentment.
"That's right. Everything you said today. You didn't mean it. You were just carried away by the ghost story."
"Yes, as expected.."
Gyeongwon flashed a self-deprecating smile.
"R-right, of course. Yeah, I'm not that kind of person, I'm not that kind of person..."
Gyeongwon nodded repeatedly, as if relieved.
Did he show a side of himself he didn't
Want to emulate? Thinking it was time to wrap things up, i clapped my hands once.
"Alright, so. The fact that I suddenly figured all this out and am explaining it to you now obviously means I died once and came back."
"I see....."
The members nodded as if they had already suspected that much, but only Sunah wore a blank expression, as if she had just realized it.
"I won't go into detail about that part. It's a long and depressing story. To put it simply, I ended up staying in the room, living an endless cycle of exam preparation. You all ended up wandering outside and eventually
committed suicide due to depression."
"Let's try to prevent it, starting now. Alright, with that in mind, Dukhun and Gyeongwon, stand up."
I pointed at the two, who had been listening intently, and made them stand.
They both flinched, caught off guard by the sudden attention.
"Let's apologize and put this behind us.
What happened today was because we weren't in our right minds. Right? Let's just accept that, make up, and move on,"
"Both of you, come out to the front,Quickly."
"Hurry up!"
After hesitating for a moment, the two finally shuffled reluctantly to the front. Eventually, Dukhun stepped forward with a displeased look, his mouth turned down so deeply that his nasolabial folds were visible, and
Gyeongwon also came forward with a stiff expression.
"Alright, face each other and stand. Face each other."
"Now shake hands. Shake hands~"
Dukhun and Gyeongwon stood awkwardly, staring at each other.
The other members sat there and watched the scene as if it was amusing.
"Shake hands now. Come on, say sorry, my friend~ I won't do it again, my friend~"
The expressions on both of their faces gradually twisted.
They hesitantly and reluctantly extended their hands.
"Pfft."
"Heh."
With a pfft, Jinhee let out a laugh at the two, whose faces were twisted in disgust.
Eventually, as they stretched their hands, Hayoon also covered her mouth and let out a small laugh.
Sunah just watched blankly, as if to say, Oh, so that's how it is'.
"Now, clasp your hands. Clasp your hands together."
"....."
"....."
"Now shake. Shake your hands~"
"...."
"...."
"I'm sorry, my friend~ It was my fault~
I won't do it again~ Now shake hands and say that, come on, quickly~"
The two of them, their faces flushed and contorted, shook hands with a mere 0.1mm of contact.
Then, as if they'd finished the task, they quickly pulled their hands away.
I shook my head as if to say that was not enough and made them shake hands again.
"Again. Who makes up like that? No one does it like that. Come on, again."
"Hold hands again. Shake hands up and down. Come on, shake~"
"We'll keep going until you do it properly SnaKe~"
The two, with stiff expressions, finally grabbed each other's hands tightly. The other members snickered at the back.
And the reconciliatory handshake began.
"Alright, apologize now. Say, I'm sorry, it was my fault~ and apologize."
"....."
"....."
"Not doing it? Alright, Gyeongwon, you go first. GyeongWon got angry first, so you should apologize first."
"...."
"I'm sorry~ It was my fault for getting
angry My friend, I won't do it again~
Apologize like this. Come on, quickly.
Do it quickly. Time is running out."
"..I. I am..."
Gyeongwon's expression grew increasingly stiff as he opened his mouth.
"i....i.."
"i...i..."
"Come on, say it. I'm sorry, my friend"
"I.....I...."
"You b*stard, you were the one who started it!!!!"
"Hey, you crazy b*stard! Mr. Foodwaste! Mr. Garbagecan! Mr. Prostate breaker! Mr. Anal disease!"
"Crazy b*stard, crazy b*stard, crazy b*stard, crazy b*stard~!!!!! The two latched onto each other again, hitting and fighting.
Jinhee and Hayoon burst into uproarious laughter, and even Sunah let out a soft 'pfft' and giggled.
"Why won't you cooperate why do you live so carelessly why don't you ever think about others"
"You crazy b*stard just say one word and you're finished we're normal people we adapt well to society and we have lots of friends too"
"Crazy b*stard, crazy b*stard, crazy b*stard, crazy b*stard"
"F*cking idiots, you two, stop it already!"
I finally stepped between them and pulled them apart.
The two stood glaring at each other from a distance, fuming.
I let out a sigh.
"...Damn it, that's enough. Let's just save the reconciliation for later."
"But he was the one who started it, Prez!"
"Take off your glasses, take 'em off and Come at me!"
"Shut up, both of you. This time, I'm really kicking you out."
Only then did the two finally clamp their mouths shut.
I shook my head and sent them back to their seats for the time being.
"Let's skip the reconciliation for now. Once we resolve this ghost story and regain our senses, we can talk about it again then."
"'Aren't we already in our right minds?"
Jinhee chuckled as she said.
"'Aren't they still acting exactly the same as before?"
"Anyway!"
I raised my hand to get everyone's attention.
"Anyway, we can't afford to fall into division. From now on, I'l explain step by step why every thought we're having is not our true selves but a result of being influenced by the ghost story."
I picked up the marker again, indicating that we were moving into the important part.
"Alright, so if you get caught up in this, you either study forever as a civil service exam taker, or you get stabbed by the residents, or commit suicide due to depression. Now, if you were to name this ghost story, what would you call it?"
I wrote in large letters on the whiteboard.
[Repeat Exam Taker Ghost Story]
"Repeat Exam, ghost story?"
The members tilted their heads as if hearing it for the first time.