Ryu spent a long while trying to convince her, explaining himself again and again, carefully choosing his words, yet nothing seemed to reach her. No matter how calmly he spoke or how sincerely he tried to reassure her, the unease in her eyes never truly faded. Eventually, he realized that continuing down the same path would only deepen her suspicion rather than ease it. With no other choice left, he decided to approach the situation differently.
Inside his own room, where the unfamiliar atmosphere only added to her discomfort, Ryu finally spoke again, his voice steady despite the tension weighing on his chest. "I swear I did nothing to you so far," he said, placing his trust entirely in those words.
At that, she paused and began inspecting her own body, her hands brushing over her clothes as if searching for any sign that something was wrong or out of place. The gesture made Ryu immediately turn his gaze away, forcing himself to stare at the wall instead, respecting her space even though his heart was pounding with anxiety. The silence stretched on for several seconds, each one feeling longer than the last, until she finally stopped and looked back at him.
"You're right," she said with a sharp glare that carried both reluctance and caution. "I feel fine and all. But don't think I won't ever feel suspicious of you."
Ryu let out an awkward grin, one born more from relief than confidence. Despite how fragile the situation still was, the fact that she had acknowledged his words felt like the smallest hint of hope, as though the worst possible outcome might still be avoided. Carefully, and with a calm tone that barely concealed his nerves, he added, "It'd be better to keep all of this a secret, right? And just act like nothing happened."
She agreed without hesitation, though her expression remained guarded. "Right. Since nothing bad actually happened, I believe you didn't do anything to me," she said, before narrowing her eyes slightly. "But how would you explain how I'm here?"
It turned out that her curiosity—and suspicion—had not disappeared at all. She still wanted to know why she had woken up in his dorm instead of her own. Ryu had already given her the truth once, yet she hadn't believed him then, and repeating the same explanation now would only make it sound like a poorly rehearsed lie.
With no proper answer prepared and no convincing explanation left to offer, Ryu chose a different approach. "I'll prove it later," he said after a brief pause, his tone firmer than before. "I'll prove that I wasn't lying about you getting possessed."
Naturally, she denied it immediately. She didn't believe in supernatural beings, let alone the idea that she herself could have been possessed, and such a reaction was only to be expected. Still, something about the way Ryu spoke—his seriousness, his certainty—made his words sound unsettlingly real, enough to plant a small seed of doubt in her mind. Even so, her disbelief remained strong.
In the end, she decided to give him a chance, though it came with strict conditions. "Three days," she said coldly. "And after that, if you fail to prove it, your college life is destroyed."
Ryu simply nodded, maintaining a calm demeanor that made him appear confident, as if he already had everything under control. In reality, his mind was racing, scrambling for any possible solution.
Should I call Mr. Riot back? Will that spirit girl come back? Can she possess someone else so she can witness it? Or something?
None of the answers felt certain, but for now, all he could do was think—and hope that time would be on his side.
He looked at her with a bitter smile, one that carried exhaustion more than humor. "Honestly," he admitted quietly, "I felt like my college life was already on the brink of collapsing even before you happened to be here."
She stared at him in confusion, her irritated expression still firmly in place, as though she wasn't sure whether to take his words seriously or dismiss them altogether. In the end, she offered no comment. Instead, she merely cast a sideways glance at him, her silence speaking louder than any reply could have.
***
Moments later, she managed to leave without attracting any unwanted attention, with James being the only one who witnessed her departure. Thanks to him, Kenny never noticed the girl leaving Ryu's dorm at all. James had deliberately kept Kenny occupied, talking endlessly while facing the view of the college grounds, ensuring his line of sight never shifted in the wrong direction.
Through this brief but tense encounter, Ryu had also learned something important. Her name was different from the one the spirit had given him, which meant that the spirit hadn't been using the girl's name at all. Instead, it had revealed its own real name. That alone confirmed to him that the entity truly was a girl, and that was why, in his mind, he continued to refer to her simply as the spirit girl.
The girl's name, he learned, was Franca. She was a junior at the college, and this was the first time he had ever heard of her, let alone met her. That alone told him she had no connection to Jenny or any of her friends. As Ryu watched Franca disappear from view, his thoughts lingered on that realization, repeatedly circling back to the same conclusion: she was a complete stranger to his group and entirely unrelated to the chaos that had already surrounded him.
As for Kenny's visit, it turned out to be far simpler than Ryu had expected. Kenny had only come to check on him. Seeing that Ryu was fine and behaving as though nothing unusual had happened, Kenny felt relieved and decided to leave not long after.
Before he left, Ryu asked him about Jenny and her friends. Kenny told him that things were going as well as they could under the circumstances, though it was still difficult for everyone involved.
Samy's body had been taken to the hospital, where an investigation was currently ongoing. The room where everything had happened was being cleaned and sealed off, temporarily restricted from use. For the time being, that dorm was locked and inaccessible.
Leon, on the other hand, was staying at the hospital. Even there, he lay on the bed with his laptop resting on his legs, forcing himself to work on assignments despite his condition. It was for college, after all, and he had taken Ryu's words about graduating successfully together seriously—seriously enough to push himself when he probably shouldn't have.
Tomorrow was supposed to be a day off for all college students, though there was still a possibility of an online class being held in preparation for the upcoming final exam of the last semester.
Leon was working tirelessly on his assignment, and because of that, Ryu, James, and Kenny planned to visit him. They intended not only to check on him, but also to help him finish his work if they could. Ryu—and, as he had only recently learned, James as well—had already completed their assignments. Kenny, however, was still working on his, having been instructed by Miss Buron to redo it from the beginning once again.
8:55 PM. Ryu lay flat on his bed, facing the ceiling of his dorm room once more. His hands were tucked behind his head, fingers loosely intertwined, while his eyes remained fixed on the blank surface above him, unmoving as his thoughts slowly drifted. The room was quiet, almost too quiet, and in that silence, a brief thought surfaced in his mind.
Tonight… she's supposed to be hunting something, right?
Sarah Wayne's face came back to him clearly, along with her name and the memory of her casual invitation earlier that day. She was the cashier from the convenience store, the one who had asked him to join her tonight as if it were nothing out of the ordinary. He had been turning that invitation over in his head ever since, unsure whether getting involved with her was a good idea at all. What bothered him even more was the fact that he couldn't clearly remember what it was she planned to hunt. Perhaps she had explained it to him, but if she did, the details had slipped through his mind, drowned out by everything else that had happened.
After thinking it over again, he realized that he had nothing planned for the night. There was nowhere he needed to be and no one waiting for him. Besides, he was probably no longer bound by the rules anyway, considering he had already broken them. Staying up past eleven shouldn't cause any trouble now—or at least, that was what he chose to believe, hoping quietly that his assumption was correct.
Still, doubt lingered. After another round of careful thought, he came to a tentative decision. He would try to meet her, but only to ask for more details, without actually agreeing to whatever it was she wanted to do tonight. Even so, another worry crept in almost immediately.
What if she takes me showing up as me accepting her invitation?
With a quiet sigh, Ryu rubbed his head and frowned, frustration settling in. Whatever, he thought to himself, letting the uncertainty sit there as he stared at the ceiling, knowing that sooner or later, he would have to make a choice whether he liked it or not.
He got up from the bed and dressed in a perfectly normal manner, choosing clothes that didn't stand out in any way. At first, he planned to leave it at that and head out as he was, but just as he reached for the door, an odd urge stopped him. Almost without thinking, he picked up the comb and ran it through his hair, carefully smoothing it down.
The motion made him pause afterward, his reflection lingering in his mind.
Why am I trying to look good? he questioned himself, faintly unsettled by the thought.
Now it looks like I'm trying to impress someone…
He frowned slightly, continuing to stare at the comb in his hand.
Well, it's not like this is the first time I've combed my hair before meeting someone…
A quieter thought followed, one he didn't like acknowledging too much.
It's just been a while…
With that, he placed the comb back on the desk and pushed the thought aside. Leaving his dorm room, he stepped into the hallway—only to be greeted once again by the flickering light above.
He had almost forgotten about it. This time, however, he had the presence of mind to report it, opening his phone and sending a message through the chat app to the person responsible for maintaining the dorm building. After that was done, he slipped his phone away and continued on, walking out of the dorm without lingering.
As soon as he stepped outside the building, his body stiffened.
Not far from where he stood, a black figure was already there, standing motionless as if it had been waiting for him. It was casting an unusual gaze in his direction, though its eyes were barely visible. Slowly, the figure took a few steps closer.
With each step it took, the air around him seemed to grow heavier, pressing down on his chest. Ryu found himself instinctively stepping backward every time it advanced, his heart beginning to pound harder with each second that passed. Fighting the rising panic, he forced himself to speak.
"Who are you?"
As it moved, a faint black smoke seemed to coil around its body, as though it were seeping out from within. Ryu tried to focus harder, squinting as if he could somehow sharpen his vision by sheer will, even though he knew it was impossible. Still, it became clear to him that the figure had no real details beyond its darkness. It looked as though it were dressed entirely in black, yet not quite solid. One thing, however, stood out unmistakably. As it drew closer, he could clearly see that it had eyes—and a mouth.
Then, just as he was busy observing it, the figure suddenly opened its mouth wide and spoke in a calm, unsettling tone.
"Finally found you."
The moment it quickened its pace, his heart skipped violently. Fear flooded his body so suddenly that he nearly tripped over his own feet. At that instant, he stopped trying to understand what it was and settled on a single word in his mind. Ghost.
Acting purely on instinct, Ryu turned and ran, bolting down the narrow side path beside the building where a fence lined one side. Behind him, the figure gave chase.
The sound—or perhaps just the presence—of it pursuing him sent his adrenaline surging. He ran as fast as he could, lungs burning, thoughts racing as he desperately tried to figure out how to escape. Risking a glance over his shoulder, he saw that the ghost was far faster than he was, already closing the distance between them.
Driven by pure survival, Ryu dodged at the last second when the ghost lunged toward him. The sudden movement sent him stumbling back out into the open area outside the building once more. Behind him, the ghost failed to stop in time and crashed straight into a pillar, the impact shattering it apart.
Ryu didn't stop to process what he had just witnessed. His heart was still racing, and the night no longer felt quiet at all.
Luckily, the pillar it crashed into was only one of the supports. Even so, the damage was obvious. Somewhere above, the corridor floor was now missing part of its structure, leaving behind an unsettling thought of instability that Ryu didn't have time to dwell on.
A ghost capable of doing this?! he thought as he watched the figure slowly push itself back up. The fact that it had followed him outside only made things worse. There was no safe space anymore. If he stopped running now, he would be caught. That much was painfully clear.
Despite a growing curiosity and countless questions forming in his mind, there was no chance he would try to speak to it. Whatever that thing was, it clearly had no intention of talking. Its only goal was to reach him—and that alone was terrifying enough.
"Fuck," he swore under his breath as he kept running, his eyes darting around frantically, searching his surroundings for anything—anything at all—that could help him. He quickly came to a grim realization. There was no way he could outrun it. No matter how hard he pushed himself, escape through speed alone was impossible. If that was the case, then the only option left was to fight back. He needed something to use as a weapon. Yet, no matter how desperately he searched, nothing suitable appeared within reach.
As time dragged on, he could hear it drawing closer, its presence pressing in on him from behind. Just when panic threatened to overtake his thoughts, he spotted something ahead—a wooden stick lying on the ground, one end broken and jagged. It looked like part of a broom. Without hesitating, he grabbed it, gripping it tightly as he ran.
Then something strange happened.
As the ghost closed the distance between them, Ryu felt something he couldn't explain. He wasn't seeing it, and he wasn't hearing it, yet the sensation registered directly in his mind, as if his thoughts were being invaded. He could feel its emotions, its state of being, clear and unmistakable.
It was excited. Afraid. Angry.
And its condition felt… human.
It feels human? The realization made his thoughts spiral. Acting on instinct rather than logic, he suddenly turned around and came to a stop, planting his feet firmly on the ground. His hands tightened around the wooden stick as he faced the ghost, now dangerously close and clearly preparing to dash at him again.
I have a chance.
The moment it lunged forward, Ryu forced himself to stay focused. When it came too close—far too close—he dodged at the last possible second. The movement was barely enough, but it worked. At the same time, he drove the wooden stick forward, aiming straight at its chest.
The ghost's posture left it vulnerable. One arm was stretched forward, as if trying to grab his neck, while the other remained at its side, exposing its chest completely. It couldn't stop itself in time. The force of its own dash carried it straight into the stick.
The impact was violent.
Ryu was dragged backward as well, unable to let go of the stick as the ghost's momentum pulled him along. The force knocked him off balance, and they both crashed to the ground. A splash of blood followed the strike—dark, unmistakably human in appearance.
That was what shook him the most.
It bled like a human. Its body reacted like a human body would. It could touch things, destroy solid objects, and now it had been injured physically. All of it made Ryu doubt what he was truly facing.
Was it really a ghost?
He lay on the ground now, breath ragged, with the figure sprawled on top of him. For the moment, it remained completely motionless.
He pushed the body off him with shaking hands and rolled to the side, gasping as he tried to steady his breathing. For a brief moment, a reckless thought crossed his mind—that maybe it was over, that maybe the ghost was finally dead. But the idea collapsed almost immediately.
That made no sense. How could a ghost die? It was already a ghost.
Yet everything about it felt wrong. It felt human somehow. It had blood—real blood. And still, its appearance remained unnatural. Its entire body was pitch black, its mouth glowing white from within as if it refused to reveal anything inside, just a hollow brightness. The same went for its eyes. They glowed brightly, yet its pupils were clearly visible, burning red and fixed even in stillness.
Ryu slowly got to his feet, his gaze never leaving the figure sprawled on the ground. It hadn't moved at all. He forced himself to stay there, to observe, to understand what he was dealing with, even though every instinct screamed at him to run.
He focused inward, trying to sense its emotions and condition again.
The moment he did, terror shot through him. His body reacted before his mind could process it, forcing him to stagger backward several steps.
The reason was clear—terrifyingly clear. The ghost was overflowing with rage. Not fading, not weakening into nothingness, but burning with it. And worse, its condition still registered as alive. It was capable of movement. Capable of action.
Then why was it still lying there?
As he pushed deeper into that strange perception, another realization surfaced. It was weakened—severely so. But at the same time, it felt different now. More elusive. More untouchable. More like what a ghost was supposed to be.
Nothing about it made sense anymore.
Before his eyes, the ghost finally began to rise. It moved slowly, blood spilling from its body as it did. Yet the more blood leaked out, the less human it felt. The sense of invincibility grew stronger, and Ryu understood what that meant almost instinctively. It could no longer be struck or touched physically.
At the same time, he sensed that it likely couldn't cause physical destruction anymore either.
The wound in its chest closed completely, vanishing as if it had never existed. Its form became hazier, surrounded by thicker black smoke, its presence far more horrifying than before. It no longer looked like a solid being at all. It looked like a shadow given intent, something closer to smoke than flesh.
Fear unlike anything he had ever felt before crushed down on him.
It was stronger than the terror he felt when he first witnessed Samy's suicide. Stronger, deeper, paralyzing. His mind screamed at him to run, to move, to do anything—but his body refused to listen. He was frozen in place, trapped by the sheer weight of fear.
Even if he could move, he knew it was pointless. A spirit—an evil one—could appear anywhere. It could teleport. It could possess him. It could take his body and leave nothing of him behind.
While he was still reacting, still trapped in that fear, the ghost dashed forward.
It was impossibly fast.
There was no time to dodge, no time to think. In less than a blink, its grinning face was right in front of him, less than an inch away. Its red eyes burned intensely, filling his vision.
In that moment, he truly believed he was about to die.
Is this how my life is going to end? Just like that?
The thought barely had time to form before—
A red light flared from his left.
First, he saw the glow. Then a fist. Then an entire hand burst into his vision—and struck the ghost.
The impact was real. Solid. Violent.
The punch dragged the ghost away from him, the force so heavy that it looked as if the fist had sunk straight into the ghost's cheek. The blow sent the ghost flying, its body launched straight into a nearby hut.
Strangely, despite the sheer power behind the hit, the hut remained undamaged. The ghost's body passed through the impact almost unrealistically, like something out of a low-budget game where a character gets slammed into the ground without leaving a single crack behind.
And just like that, the moment shattered—leaving Ryu standing there, stunned, heart racing, staring at what had just saved his life.