[Current Objective: survive the 4-hour drive without motion sickness.]
[Current Inventory: Neck pillow, noise-canceling headphones, bag of gummy worms.]
So, here's the situation.
It's the School Trip. The "Retreat." The event where friendships are forged, secrets are revealed, and socially anxious introverts like me contemplate jumping out of a moving vehicle.
We are on a bus. A very loud, very yellow bus heading deep into the mountains of Gangwon-do.
Why do schools always pick the mountains? What is the educational value of mosquitoes and pit latrines? Is the curriculum "How to Survive the Apocalypse"?
I secured the window seat in the back row. The Protagonist Seat.
Usually, this is a power move. You get to lean your head against the vibrating glass, look at the rain (it's sunny, unfortunately), and think about your tragic backstory.
But there is a problem.
The person sitting next to me is Ryu Min-ho.
My self-proclaimed disciple. The Kendo Captain. A man who occupies 1.5 seats due to his shoulder width.
He is sitting bolt upright. He is not relaxing. He has his wooden sword (wrapped in a cloth) on his lap. He is meditating.
"Ryu," I whisper. "You can recline the seat."
He opens one eye. "Comfort breeds weakness, Master Jinsu. The vibrations of the bus are excellent for training core stability. You should try it."
Me: "I'm trying to sleep. I took Dramamine. I am currently fighting a battle against nausea."
"Fighting?" Ryu's eyes light up. "An internal battle? Battling the demons of the inner ear? Truly, you never rest."
He nods respectfully and pulls out a notebook.
* Scribble scribble. *
> "Master Jinsu fights even while sitting still. His enemy is biology itself."
Me (Internal): Please stop taking notes on my motion sickness.
I put my headphones on. I close my eyes.
I can feel eyes on me.
I crack one eyelid open.
Three rows ahead. Across the aisle.
Baek Yerin.
She is sitting with her friends, the "popular girl clique." They are taking selfies. They are loud.
But Yerin isn't looking at the camera. She is looking back... at me?
She's wearing the hoodie.
My hoodie. The black one.
It's 80 degrees on this bus. The AC is broken. Everyone is sweating. She is wearing a thick, fleece-lined hoodie.
She catches my eye.
She immediately whips her head around, hitting her friend in the face with her ponytail.
"Ow! Yerin!"
"Sorry! I saw a... a bug!"
Me: I am the bug. I am the pest she is trying to swat.
I sigh and pull my neck pillow tighter.
Why is she wearing it? Is it a trophy? Is she asserting dominance? Or does she just really like the smell of my fabric softener (Lavender & Vanilla, on sale at Costco)?
I drift off into a Dramamine-induced coma.
We arrive.
The bus screeches to a halt.
I wake up with a start. I have drool on my chin.
I quickly wipe it away.
Ryu hands me a handkerchief. "Here. You expelled excess fluids to maintain hydration balance. Smart."
Me: "Thanks, Ryu. You're a real one."
We step off the bus.
The "Youth Center" looks like a rejected set from The Conjuring.
It's an old, wooden building surrounded by dense, dark forest. The windows look like eyes. The paint is peeling like dead skin. There is a fog, even though it's 2 PM.
"Alright, listen up!" The Gym Teacher blows his whistle. "Put your bags in the dorms! Boys on the left, girls on the right! Dinner is at 6! Then... The Test of Courage!"
The students groan.
"Ugh, ghosts?"
"Is it safe?"
"I heard a student went missing here ten years ago..."
I freeze.
Missing?
Chat, I don't do ghosts. I don't do spirits. I don't even like the ghost emoji 👻. It's too spooky.
I believe in science. But I also believe that if a ghost sees me, it will want to possess me because I look like an empty vessel.
I feel a tap on my shoulder.
It's Hana.
She's wearing a designer tracksuit. She looks out of place, like a CEO visiting a construction site.
"Jinsu," she says. "We have a problem."
Me: "Let me guess. The ghosts are unionizing and demanding higher wages?"
"No," she says, tapping her tablet. "Our 'Test of Courage' creates a unique market opportunity. The fear response releases dopamine and oxytocin. It is the prime environment for romantic development."
"Okay... and?"
"The students are betting on who you will be paired with," she says. "The odds are 50/50 between Yerin and... me."
Me: "You?"
"I bet on myself," she says calmly. "If we are paired, I can livestream our interaction. 'The President and the Silent King in the Haunted Woods.' We could sell the VOD for $5.99."
Me: "You want to monetize my fear?"
"I want to monetize your face while you are afraid. It's a niche market. 'Gap Moe'."
"Gap Moe?"
"Yes. The scary looking guy who screams like a little girl. It's gold, Jinsu. Gold."
I back away slowly.
"I'm going to unpack."
[Time: 7:00 PM]
[Location: The Edge of the Forest]
[Lighting: Non-existent.]
It is dark.
Pitch black.
The trees are rustling. The wind is howling (paid actor?).
The teachers have set up a table with a box.
"Okay!" The Gym Teacher yells. "Draw a number! Find your partner! You must walk to the Shrine at the top of the hill, retrieve a red ribbon, and come back! No flashlights allowed except one per team!"
I am standing in the back, trying to blend into a tree.
Ryu is next to me. He is vibrating.
"I sense evil spirits," he mutters. "My blade yearns to purify them."
"Ryu, that's a squirrel," I say.
"A demon squirrel," he corrects.
I walk up to the box.
I reach in.
My hand touches a piece of paper. It feels sticky. Why is it sticky? Eww.
I pull it out.
Number 44.
I hold it up.
"Who has 44?" I whisper.
Silence.
Then, a shuffle of feet.
A figure steps out of the crowd.
The crowd gasps.
It's Yerin.
She is holding a paper. Number 44.
She looks at me.
I look at her.
She looks at Hana, who is standing off to the side, smirking and holding a stack of cash (Wait, did Hana rig it for Yerin? Or did Yerin bribe Hana? The plot thickens).
Yerin walks over to me.
She is wearing the hoodie again. Hood up.
She hands me a flashlight.
"You hold it," she says. Her voice is tight. "I need my hands free."
"Free for what?" I ask. "Combat?"
"For... balance," she says.
I look at her hands. They are clenched into fists. They are shaking.
Oh.
Realization: The Ice Queen is terrified.
She is putting on a brave face, but she is currently operating at 1% battery power.
"Are you scared?" I ask.
"Ha!" She laughs. It sounds like a dying crow. "Scared? Me? I watch horror movies for breakfast. I eat ghosts. Let's go."
She grabs my sleeve. Not my hand. The sleeve.
She pulls me into the darkness.
[Quest Started: Survive the Haunted Forest.]
[Party Member: Baek Yerin (Fear Level: 99%)]
We are ten minutes into the woods.
It is quiet. Too quiet.
Just the sound of our footsteps crunching on dead leaves.
Crunch. Crunch.
Yerin is walking so close to me that she is practically inside my ribcage.
Every time a twig snaps, she flinches and yanks my sleeve, which chokes me slightly because the hoodie neck is tight.
"So," I say, trying to break the tension. "Nice night for a walk."
"Shut up," she hisses. "Don't talk. If you talk, they hear you."
"Who?"
"Them," she whispers, pointing at nothing. "The mountain spirits. The vindictive ones."
Me: "Yerin, the only spirit here is the Gym Teacher in a sheet."
Suddenly.
Hoot. Hoot.
An owl.
Yerin shrieks.
It's not a cute shriek. It's a primal sound.
She jumps. She latches onto my arm with both hands. Her nails dig into my bicep (which is nonexistent, so she digs into my bone).
"IT'S A DEMON!" she screams.
"It's a bird," I say, wincing. "Yerin, my circulation. You're cutting it off."
She looks up at me. Her eyes are wide, reflecting the flashlight beam. She looks like a startled deer.
"Don't leave me," she whispers. "Don't you dare run away."
"I can't run," I say honestly. "You are anchoring me to the earth."
She doesn't let go. In fact, she moves her hand down and... interlaces her fingers with mine.
Her hand is cold. clammy.
But she squeezes tight.
[System Alert: Hand-Holding Event Triggered.]
[Romance Level: +50]
[Anxiety Level: +1000]
"Just... just for safety," she mutters, looking away. "Tactical grip."
"Right. Tactical."
We keep walking.
My heart is pounding. Not because of the ghosts. But because the School Idol is holding my hand and I can smell her shampoo (strawberries again) mixed with the scent of damp earth.
Suddenly, a figure drops from the trees in front of us.
It's hanging upside down. It has long black hair and a white dress.
It swings toward us.
"KEEEEEKEKEKEKE!"
It's the Art Teacher. Mr. Lee. He's really committed to the role.
Yerin screams. She buries her face in my chest.
I freeze.
My brain processes the image.
* Upside down man.
* Wig is slightly crooked.
* He is wearing Nike sneakers under the dress.
I don't scream. I don't run.
I just stare.
I shine the flashlight directly into his face.
"Mr. Lee?" I ask. "Your wig is falling off."
The Art Teacher stops swinging.
He hangs there, awkward.
"Uh... Jinsu?"
"Yeah."
"You... you aren't scared?"
"I saw your Nikes," I say. "Also, you have a stain on the dress. Is that ketchup?"
Mr. Lee sighs. He flips himself down and lands on his feet.
"You're no fun, Jinsu. You're supposed to scream. Look at Yerin, she's traumatized."
I look down. Yerin is still buried in my chest, trembling.
"Is it gone?" she whimpers.
"Yeah," I say. "It was just Mr. Lee."
She looks up. She sees the teacher.
She immediately pushes me away and fixes her hair.
"I knew that," she says, her voice shaking. "I was just... testing your reflexes."
"Right," Mr. Lee says, rolling his eyes. "Move along. Next scare point is in 50 meters."
We walk past him.
"Thanks, Mr. Lee," I say politely.
"You have dead eyes, kid," he mutters. "Scarier than the costume."
We reach the top of the hill.
The Shrine.
It's actually kinda creepy. An old wooden structure with ropes and bells.
The wind is stronger here. The trees are groaning.
"Okay," Yerin says, breathing hard. "Get the ribbon. Let's go."
I walk up to the shrine.
I see the red ribbons tied to a branch.
I reach for one.
Snap.
I step on a rotten wooden plank.
The floorboard gives way.
My foot goes through.
"Whoa!" I stumble.
"Jinsu!"
Yerin lunges forward to catch me.
But she trips on a root.
Physics happens.
Gravity takes the wheel.
We both fall.
We tumble down a small grassy slope next to the shrine.
Rolling. Tangled limbs. Flashlight spinning wildly.
Thud.
We land at the bottom.
I am on my back.
Yerin is on top of me.
Straddling me.
Her hands are pinned to the ground on either side of my head.
Her face is inches from mine.
Silence.
Total silence.
Just the sound of our heavy breathing.
The moon comes out from behind a cloud.
It illuminates her face.
Her hair is messy. Her cheeks are flushed. Her eyes are wide, staring down at me.
She looks... incredible.
Like a scene from a movie.
Me (Internal): Chat, am I dreaming? Did I die? Is this the afterlife? Because if it is, I have no complaints.
"Are you..." she whispers. "Are you okay?"
"I think so," I wheeze. "My back might be broken. But I'm good."
She doesn't move.
She stays there. Looking at my eyes. Then down to my lips. Then back to my eyes.
"You..." she starts.
She leans in closer.
Is she going to hit me?
Is she going to bite me?
Is she going to... kiss me?
My heart is doing a drum solo.
Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump.
"You have dirt on your nose," she whispers.
She reaches out. She wipes the dirt off my nose with her thumb.
Her touch is gentle. Electric.
"Thanks," I croak.
"You're welcome," she says softly.
She starts to lean in again. Her eyes flutter shut.
I close my eyes too.
Here it comes. My first kiss. In a muddy ditch. Perfect.
RUSTLE.
CRACK.
A bush next to us explodes.
We both freeze.
We look over.
A wild boar? A bear?
No.
It's Ryu Min-ho.
He bursts out of the bushes, wielding his wooden sword, screaming a battle cry.
"YAAAAAAH! BEGONE, SPIRITS!"
He stops.
He sees us.
Me on the ground. Yerin on top of me.
The intense romantic atmosphere.
Ryu drops his sword.
He covers his eyes.
"MASTER!" he shouts. "Forgive me! I interrupted your... training!"
Yerin scrambles off me so fast she almost does a backflip.
"It's not what it looks like!" she shrieks. "We fell! It was gravity!"
I sit up, picking leaves out of my hair.
"Ryu," I say tiredly. "Why are you here?"
"I heard a scream!" Ryu says, peeking through his fingers. "I came to slay the ghost! I didn't know you were... engaged in courtship rituals!"
"We were getting the ribbon!" Yerin yells. She grabs a ribbon from the ground (it fell with us). "See! Ribbon! Mission complete! Goodbye!"
She sprints up the hill. She leaves me.
She leaves me with the Kendo lunatic.
"Master," Ryu says, looking at me with awe. "You conquered the Ice Queen in the wilderness. Your technique... teach me."
Me: "Ryu. Carry me up the hill. I think I twisted my ankle."
We get back to the lodge.
I am limping. Ryu is supporting me (he is carrying me princess style because he insisted it was 'optimal for injured comrade transport').
The students are gathered around the campfire.
Hana is there, checking her watch.
When we emerge from the woods, everyone goes silent.
They see Ryu carrying me.
They see Yerin standing by the fire, face bright red, refusing to look at anyone.
Hana: "Analysis?"
Ryu: "Mission success. However, Master Jinsu sustained damage while protecting Lady Baek from... the terrain."
Crowd: "Ooooooh."
"He protected her?"
"Did you see how red Yerin is?"
"I heard they rolled down a hill together."
"I heard they kissed under the moonlight."
"I heard Jinsu fought a bear to save her."
Hana walks up to me.
She looks at my muddy clothes. She looks at Yerin.
She smiles.
"Excellent content," she whispers. "The 'Tragic Hero' arc. Very marketable."
"I just want a shower," I groan.
"Go," she says. "But tomorrow... tomorrow we capitalize."
I hobble toward the boys' dorm.
As I pass Yerin, she looks up.
She bites her lip.
She steps forward.
"Jinsu," she says quietly.
I stop. Ryu stops.
"Thanks," she mumbles. "For... not making fun of me. For being scared."
"I was scared too," I lie. "Terrified."
She smiles. A small, genuine smile.
"Liar," she says. "But thanks."
She turns and runs to the girls' dorm.
I look at Ryu.
"Ryu, put me down."
"No, Master. We must treat the wound. I have aloe vera."
[Time: 2:00 AM]
[Location: Boys' Dorm]
Everyone is asleep.
The snoring is deafening. It sounds like a chainsaw convention.
I can't sleep. My ankle throbs. My mind is replaying the moment in the ditch.
Her eyes. Her breath. Her thumb on my nose.
I need water.
I get up. I limp to the hallway.
The hallway is dark. The floorboards creak.
I get to the vending machine.
I buy a banana milk.
Ker-clunk.
I drink it, leaning against the window.
I look out at the forest.
It's peaceful now.
Then I see it.
Standing at the edge of the woods.
A figure.
White dress. Long hair.
Just standing there. Staring at the lodge.
Me (Internal): Ah, Mr. Lee is still out there? Dedicated.
I wave at the figure.
"Go to sleep, Mr. Lee!" I whisper-shout.
The figure doesn't move.
It tilts its head. Unnaturally far to the side. Crack.
Then... it fades away. Like mist.
Vanishes.
I freeze.
I lower my banana milk.
Wait.
Mr. Lee is sleeping in room 104. I heard him snoring when I passed by.
So... who was that?
A chill runs down my spine.
A real chill. Not the AC.
The temperature drops ten degrees.
[System Alert: Supernatural Entity Detected.]
[Status: It noticed you.]
"Nope," I say aloud. "Nope. Nope. Nope."
I turn around.
I walk back to my room.
I get in my sleeping bag.
I zip it up all the way over my head.
I put on my headphones.
I play Baby Shark on loop at max volume.
If I can't hear the ghost, it can't kill me. That's the rule.
Me: "Chat, I think I just rizzed up an actual ghost. Please send help. Or an exorcist. Preferably both."
[To Be Continued...]
Author's Note:
Hello, my precious readers!
Chapter 5 is served! A little spice, a little spooky, and a lot of misunderstanding.
Jinsu and Yerin finally had a "moment"! Even if Ryu interrupted it (classic Ryu).
But... that ending? Who was in the woods? Was it a ghost? Or just a glitch in Jinsu's simulation?
Lore Drop:
The "Ghost" of the mountain is actually a fan of Jinsu now. She thinks his dead eyes are relatable because she is literally dead.
Next Chapter Preview:
The School Festival Arc begins! Class 2-A decides on a cafe theme. But Hana has a better idea: A "Butler & Maid" Cafe where Jinsu is the Head Butler. Can Jinsu learn to say "Welcome, Master" without dying of cringe?
Leave a comment if you want Jinsu to survive the ghost! Drop those Power Stones! 👻❤️🔥