"Let's go over there."
Screech, screech, screech-
Jinhee dragged me behind the sofa.
Thud-
"Put your head down. Press your face to the floor."
"Haa, haa...."
"Not doing it?"
"Ugh-!"
She pressed my face firmly with her knee, shoving it down to the floor.
It was an attempt to completely hide me from Lee Joon, who was about to Come in now.
According to the ghost story, anyone who sees their own doppelgänger dies.
'Damn it, damn it..."
I was a fake.
For now, I tried not to think too deeply about that.
After all, I had to survive and get out of this place first before I could even worry about it.
But even if I somehow shook off the club members and escaped, Lee Joon would immediately kill himself, sending me back to the clubroom again.
I was his doppelgänger, his own duplicate, and fitting the nature of the ghost story, we even shared the same regression ability.
'Damn, if i could just bring up the Status Window or something..."
I desperately wriggled my fingers while pinned down under Jinhee's knee.
Of course, I could bring up the Status Window just by muttering inwardly, but in that state, I could only manipulate the menu.
To operate the Status Window before giving a command, I have to press the button directly with my finger.
'St... Status window.'
Pop-
[2019, June 28th | Friday, 2:48]
[Lee Joon: Number of Attempts - 2]
[Ghost Story Points: 333]
[Causality Rate: 36%]
1.Status Window
2.Manage Club
3. Manage Members
4. Settings
The moment I brought up the Status Window before my eyes and was about to twist my face to operate it.
Thud, thud-
From the hallway, the sound of footsteps approached, and finally, Someone opened the club room door and entered.
Click-
"Joon!"
"P-Prez!"
"Oi oi... you b*stard..."
Through the gap under the sofa, with my face pressed to the floor, I could see the indoor shoes of the club members running out as if they had been waiting.
"I missed you...."
"You finally showed up."
"President... wheeze wheeze...."
Sunah welcomed him as if she was about to throw herself into his arms, and Dukhun casually placed a hand heavily on his shoulder.
Hayoon took a step back and looked up blankly, and Gyeongwon let out a chuckle and pushed up his glasses.
'Damn, these b*stards... these b*stards..."
Who the hell are they all greeting right now? I'm right here.
Yoon Sunah, whose arm are you holding right now? Didn't you like me?
In Hayoon, how could you? Why...
"You came quickly, Joon."
"I was wondering how to deal with something like this, but it seems only you, Prez, knows how to deal with your own self. This guy even shares your Status Window and regression ability."
"Joon is amazing...".
Finally, I heard my own voice among the club members who were busy praising him.
"Don't praise me too much, everyone. The ones who worked the hardest are you all."
Unlike the angry tone I had just moments ago, it was a warm voice comforting the club members.
"For the past few days, I've been watching you all from behind the scenes, and it made me realize once again just how precious you are to me. I know I've been acting pretty
hysterical lately. I'm sorry. I've become
mentally very weak."
"No, Joon... that's all in the past...."
"Still, I will apologize. Gyeongwon, and
everyone. I'm sorry for getting angry and shouting. I'll do better from now On."
"Prez....."
"Oi oi...."
"Joon...."
The club members and Lee Joon huddled together.
Even at that moment, I was pressed down by Jinhee's knees, like a borrowed sack of barley.
'Don't be ridiculous, don't be ridiculous,
you ungrateful b*stards..."
These b*stards. What were they doing, I was right there.
What should I do?
How do I get out of this?
Think Lee Joon.
I'm someone who's good at thinking at the last minute.
I've always gotten through any crisis, no matter what.
Even in this situation, there must be a
solution-
"Lee Jinhee, make sure that b*stard can't move his fingers. He might pull some trick with the Status Window."
"Okie."
Jinhee pinned both of my hands down and restrained me tightly, holding me in place.
"Ugh- mmmph-"
"Shut your mouth."
Jinhee, with a cold expression, pressed me down with her weight.
I struggled for a moment, but eventually gave up and bit my lip tightly.
"..Sh*t, damn it.'
What are they planning to do to me?
I can't even die.
"Does anyone have something like a towel? I'm going to talk with him for a bit, so I need to cover my eyes."
"Here."
Hayoon took a handkerchief out of her bag and handed it to him.
Don't do this, you b*stards.
If I had realized it first, I would have acted exactly the same way as him, and I would have been the one receiving Hayoon's handkerchief there.
'This is just a matter of timing. Don't you get it?' I thought
But from the mouth pressed against the floor, only a pathetic groan escaped.
"Hngh, mmmph, ugh..."
Step, step-
Soon, Lee Joon, with the help of the other members, fully covered his eyes and stood in the middle of the room.
"Pull him up."
"Hey, get up."
Jinhee grabbed me and roughly pulled me to my feet.
I staggered up, the side of my cheek had turned red from being pressed down.
Even while swaying unsteadily, I desperately started blurting things out.
"Don't you guys understand? This is a matter of timing. If I had found him first and planned it out, our positions would be completely reversed right now. On what basis are you even trusting that guy-"
As I was speaking, my eyes landed on his face and I suddenly flinched, as if frozen.
In the middle of the room stood Lee Joon, blindfolded and upright, surrounded by the club members.
There was a scratch-like scar on his cheek.
"You still can't tell what's going on just by looking, can you?"
"What...?"
"That's the difference between you and me."
Lee joon tilted his head slightly.
showing the side of his cheek more
clearly.
Then the members stepped a little
closer to him.
I looked at them with trembling eyes.
"What, what... that scar. What's that supposed to mean? You're saying you can tell people apart based on whether that's there or not? I, I could've prepared something like that too if I had known in advance..."
"I apologized to the members."
"....?"
"Sunah told me one day that she saw me on the street."
Lee Joon raised his hand and slowly brushed his cheek, as if deliberately showing it.
As if telling me to look.
"It was a sign. Of the doppelgänger ghost story."
"..."
"So I immediately ran to them and apologized to the members. I settled it with each of them by taking a slap, and I left the marks as proof."
"A-Apology...?"
"You don't even sound like you know what you were supposed to apologize for."
As he continued to brush his cheek, the club members gathered around him closely and glared at me.
I flinched and tried to step back, but Jinhee was holding my arm tightly, so I couldn't move.
I trembled for a moment, then bit my lips tightly again and looked at the club members.
"You're talking about when I got angry and shouted during the last CA time, right..? Ah, okay. I'll apologize too."
I averted my gaze submissively.
"I apologize too. I'm sorry."
"N-now we're even. Right? Come on, I'm sorry too. So listen. Haha.."
I lifted my head with an awkward smile.
"Hey, first of all, I have a Status Window. And on top of that, I even have regression ability. Now, what do you all think this means...?"
I hurriedly looked back at the club members.
They were listening with their arms crossed.
I swallowed hard.
"Th, the status window, as you all know, is some kind of divine being... uh, like the law of the universe. That means it acknowledged it. That I am Lee Joon."
"...."
"Yeah, I know that too. It shows up for that guy as well. B-but... what I want to say is that right now, I'm on the same line as that guy. A doppelgänger...?A fake...? Y-yeah. Let's say that's correct. But even taking that into
account, he and I are identical down to every single brain cell. Memories, experiences, personality.. everything is the same. So I am Lee Joon. I'm not acting, I'm the real Lee Joon."
"....."
"He, he is also Lee Joon, but I'm also your Club President, Lee Joon... you're listening to me, right? I'm not saying this lightly, it's a fact. It's just the truth. We really are the same person."
I stammered as I continued speaking, but the expressions of the club members were as cold as ice.
Why was this happening?
Setting aside emotional issues, and setting aside the ghost story. this was just a fact.
We really were the same person.
Soon, Gyeongwon let out a snicker and pushed up his glasses.
"Seems like even you, Club Prez, don't know something."
"...W-what don't I know....."
"That kind of thing doesn't matter. Who the real one is."
".....?"
"You don't know."
"He doesn't know."
"Guess you really don't know, Joon..."
The club members snickered and laughed.
Their expressions even carried a hint of amusement.
I trembled for a moment, then in the end, I snapped and shouted.
"Don't laugh, you b*stards!!"
"W-what, you think this is funny? Huh? Are you all crazy?!"
My body shook with uncontrollable rage.
Jinhee grabbed my arm tightly so I couldn't run off.
"Wh, what I'm saying is you need to seriously think about it, think! Why the hell are you just standing there laughing like that!"
i couldn't hold it in.
"If you make the wrong choice right now, you're going to have to live with that ghost story for the rest of your life! Don't you get it? Don't you understand that? Y-you guys... do you even have any sense at all..."
Even though I glared at them so menacingly, the club members only looked at me as if to say I was just being me, as though they weren't afraid of me anymore.
Frustrated, I shouted again.
"You should at least hear what I have to say and carefully think it through before reaching a conclusion! Why are you giggling and laughing already, getting excited as if the real club president is back? What the hell are you all doing? Who do you think you are, anyway?!"
"Hoho, Prez. That doesn't really matter,
actually."
Gyeongwon chuckled and pushed up
his glasses.
The club members all nodded in unison.
"To us, the one who apologizes first is
the one who's the real President."
"What, what...?"
"We don't need a president who just yells at us, curses at us, and takes out his stress on us. The president here actually shows signs of reflection and is much more mature."
"Hehe... hey, if it's the same person anyway, it's only natural we pick the one who treats us better."
"Joon... let's get him out of here quickly.."
Sunah grabbed Joon's arm and shook it.
"He keeps saying weird things..."
"Ah!!"
When I shouted suddenly, Sunah hid
behind Lee Joon in a flash.
At that moment, I made a decision.
I realized there was absolutely no way I could keep fighting alongside these vermin-like b*stards for three years.
"Expelled!!"
I shouted angrily, like a bolt of lightning.
"You're all expelled! The 4 billion won promised after graduation is all canceled! You don't have to chase after ghost stories anymore, so from this moment on, just go back to being normal students and study!"
"What did you say~"
"Ahaha..."
The cub members giggled.
I immediately brought up the Status Window in front of me, opened the menu, and went to the next option.
'Status window! Manage Member!"
Fwoosh- Fwoosh- Fwoosh-
[Ghost Story Club LV.9]
1. Manage Club
2.Manage Member
3.Store
4.Club Settings
[ Manage Member]
Ahn Gyeongwon LV.2 [0/200]
Oh Dukhun LV.1 [0/100]
Yoon Sunah LV.2 [0/200]
Lee Jinhee LV.1 [0/100]
In Hayoon LV.2 [0/200]
Jang Hwaeun LV.1 [0/100]
"Oh Dukhun, expelled! Yoon Sunah, expelled! Ahn Gyeongwon, expelled! Lee Jinhee, expelled! In Hayoon, expelled!"
Fwoosh- Fwoosh- Fwoosh-
[Are you sure you want to expel the members Oh Dukhun, Yoon Sunah, Ahn Gyeongwon, Lee Jinhee, and In Hayoon?]
- Warning: According to school regulations, a member who has been expelled can only rejoin starting from the next semester -
[Yes / No]
"Yes~! Expeeeelled~!"
Just as I was about to press the 'Yes' button, smiling with a flushed face with my tongue sticking out.
"Store window."
Pop-
At Lee Joon's muttering, all the options of the Status Window before my eyes suddenly disappeared, and instead, a Store window popped up for the b*stard.
"Paulownia wooden coffin. 180cm Purchase."
Fwoosh-
[Purchase has been completed.]
[Current Ghost Story Points: 333 - 30 =303]
At that moment, the sound of a heavy
wooden coffin dropping in the hallway was heard, and immediately after the club members ran out, hoisted it onto their shoulders, and brought it over.
"Let's get in~ the coffiiin~"
"Let's get in, Joon...".
The club members carried the coffin on their shoulders while dancing along.
As soon as they set it down on the floor, Jinhee grabbed my back and shoved me, forcing me to tumble into the coffin.
"Ugh, ugh! L-let go of me! I said let go!"
"Hey, you know."
Lee Joon looked down at me, who was
forced to lie down in the coffin like that.
"Can you go abroad as well?"
"...What? What are you saying? Let me go!"
"I guess you can't."
Through the handkerchief, I could see the calm eyes of that guy, closed peacefully.
It was clearly the same face as mine, but strangely, it somehow looked more mature.
Even though we had spent the same amount of time in that short period, that guy was mentally above me.
As I squirmed, unable to admit it, he glanced at me again with his eyes lightly closed.
"I heard that doppelgängers are elusive and appear and disappear mysteriously, and you were actually kind of like that. But I guess you still can't move when you're restrained like this, or when you're over physically
impossible distances."
"Ugh! UIgh! Ueh! Mmnh-"
"You know. I've never heard of a ghost
story starving to death before."
While the members giggled and Wrapped tape around my face, Lee Joon slowly continued his explanation.
"You know, ghost stories are kind of...how should I put it. They're spiritual beings. No matter how much they seem to have a physical form, they don't go through physiological processes. Would the Laughing Woman eat, sleep, and poop? I mean, she might be able to. But would she die if she didn't do those things? Probably not, right?"
"Wup, wup, mmph-"
"Beings like that won't die just by going hungry for a few days. And a lack of Oxygen in a room wouldn't be enough to exorcise them either, right?"
Lee Joon reached out his arm toward where I was and patted me.
"That's just how ghost stories are. Even if you're identical to me down to the cell level the emptiness inside you contains the Demon King's essence. So don't worry. You'l be fine too."
After giving me one final light pat as
if cheering me on, he straightened his
back.
"If you want to blame someone, blame
the Demon King What can we do
about the fact that you're so identical to me that you can't even die? Goodbye. Guys, nail it dovwn."
"Okay!"
"Drive the nails~!"
The members, looking excited, ran
over, slapped the coffin lid shut, and
started hammering nails onto it with
cheerful thuds.
Thud- thud- thud-
"Hoo~"
"Hiyah!"
"Don't do it! Don't do it! Don't do it, you
f*cking b*stards! Aaaargh!"
"The tape came off his mouth. This
time, wrap it around tightly about five
times."
"Mmph! Mmmph! Mph! Mmmph-"
"Tap tap tap"
"Tap tap tap... Goodbye, Joon..."
Thud- thud- thud-
I struggled inside the gradually
darkening coffin, but it was no use.
Beyond the coffin lid that was sealed
shut, I could hear Lee Joon opening his Status Window and muttering.
"Club level up. Space expansion."
Pop-