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Chapter 8
That thing…
‘He said it was a wish that couldn’t possibly come true.’
Grade improvement.
It was exactly the kind of wish a student like Jang Hyunwoo—who doesn’t want to study but still wants better grades—would make.
Everything about this situation felt suspicious. Even Hyunwoo himself looked shocked, yet the teacher and classmates were acting too calm.
My gaze drifted toward the keychain on his bag—and I flinched.
‘W-what is that?’
For a moment, what I saw wasn’t Hyunwoo’s backpack hanging beside his desk…
It looked like a face.
A pale, lifeless expression that sent a chill down my spine.
“……”
When I blinked again, everything was normal. Only the goosebumps lingering on my arms proved what I had just seen might not have been a hallucination.
‘Was there something like this in the original story?’
No. At least, not in the parts I had read.
In the original, Dan Seohyeok didn’t even attend school—he was always outside dealing with cases. There were no normal school-life episodes.
‘Damn it… if that thing really is a cursed object, how am I supposed to handle it?’
I was terrible at this kind of thing.
‘Should I ask Dan Seohyeok?’
Whether he had regressed or not, he definitely knew more than I did. We could even think it through together.
I decided to find him during the next break and looked beside me.
Hyunwoo was still staring blankly forward.
‘He probably didn’t expect it to actually come true either.’
Instead of fear, he looked like someone dreaming.
At least he wasn’t terrified.
Then I felt a gaze from behind.
Chaesong was staring at Hyunwoo’s back with a blank expression.
‘Is she upset because his grades went up?’
That would make sense for someone who studied so hard.
‘Ugh… now I’m getting awkward too.’
Chaesong was kind, but she cared a lot about grades. And this was senior year.
I made up my mind not to provoke her and waited for break time.
Soon the bell rang.
The moment the teacher left, I shot up.
“Ma Choyeon, where are you going?!”
“I’ve got something to do! I’ll explain later!”
I rushed out of the classroom, ignoring Hyunwoo trying to stop me.
He’d probably just ramble about how it “must’ve been luck” or “maybe it’s because of the keychain.”
‘Which class is Dan Seohyeok in?’
I pulled out my phone and called him. After a few rings, his familiar voice came through.
—Hello.
“Dan Seohyeok. You came to school, right? What class are you in?”
—What are you talking about, calling so suddenly?
Cold. And annoyed.
‘Hey, that’s harsh. We literally survived life-threatening situations together!’
I swallowed my complaint.
“I need to discuss something.”
—…Did you already find something?
“Not exactly what you think.”
He probably assumed I found information about the kidnapping ghost.
But it was still a ghost-related issue…
“Something similar.”
I decided to be shameless.
If I denied it, he’d probably hang up.
—Class 1.
Click.
He hung up immediately after answering.
I stared at the phone and let out a hollow laugh.
‘Seriously… could you at least act human?’
I headed toward Class 1.
Dan Seohyeok was standing by the window in the hallway.
Seeing him in daylight school made him feel different again.
He still looked tired, but surrounded by students his age, he actually looked like a teenager.
In the dark villa, he had seemed overwhelmingly gloomy.
‘Or maybe it’s just his face that stands out.’
He was tall—half a head taller than others—with broad shoulders that made the uniform look sharp on him.
‘To think I hit that guy’s back yesterday… I was really brave.’
He had taken it without complaint.
“Next time you come, say something.”
Without even looking at me, he spoke while fiddling with his phone.
“How did you know I was here?”
“So what’s this ‘similar issue’ you wanted to talk about?”
“Isn’t this a bad place to talk?”
“We don’t have much break time anyway.”
True.
He glanced around. Curious eyes were nearby, but far enough not to overhear.
“Speak.”
“Well… my seatmate got a keychain from a stranger for free.”
He nodded. I lowered my voice, and he leaned in slightly.
“And?”
“The person said it grants wishes—but brings misfortune.”
“…?”
“But then he actually got injured all over. And his wish came true!”
Dan Seohyeok looked at me directly.
“So what do you want to say?”
“Is this thing connected to a ghost? Do you know how to deal with it?”
“You dragged me here for that?”
Just that?!
Hyunwoo got hurt, and Chaesong’s grades might be affected!
He sighed as if disappointed.
“I expected too much.”
“Hey, what if the owner makes another wish or someone else gets involved—”
“Not my problem.”
“Then just tell me what to do! I’ll handle it!”
“Small fry.”
“OW!”
He flicked my forehead.
“That’s meddling.”
“Hey!”
“What we should be worried about isn’t that.”
“Then what—”
“If you’re so desperate, do something you’re good at.”
“Something I’m good at?”
He smirked and pointed at my wrist—at the hair tie I used to cover the strand tied around my arm.
He meant the internet ghost again.
“Or try a spirit summoning ritual.”
He sounded sarcastic.
He was clearly still annoyed that I didn’t listen to his warnings about ghosts.
‘I was already planning to get rid of that internet ghost anyway…’
Spirit summoning?
…Maybe that could actually help?
Of course, if I said it out loud, he’d freak out.
But I didn’t do anything yet.
I just kept it in mind.
‘This is getting complicated.’
Break time ended, and we parted with no solution.
Back in class, I kept thinking seriously.
If I wanted to find my brother, I needed another method.
I couldn’t just rely on Red Ghost forever.
And going around blindly wasn’t working either.
‘Using ghosts to find someone taken by ghosts…?’
If I had known I’d end up in this world, I would’ve read the original story to the end and learned how Dan Seohyeok found his parents.
I clicked my tongue and sat down.
Then I noticed something—
Hyunwoo’s seat was still empty.
“Where’s Hyunwoo?”
I asked Chaesong behind me as the teacher entered.
She looked up briefly.
“I don’t know.”
She was pressing a tissue against her nose, like she had a nosebleed.
“Uh, Chaesong… are you having a nosebleed?”
“No. It’s nothing. I’m fine.”
She answered calmly and buried her face back into the textbook.
I couldn’t ask further.
‘He’ll probably come back soon…’
Still, it felt off.
On his desk, only the hedgehog keychain hung from his bag.
Why does that thing feel so unsettling every time I look at it? It’s supposed to be cute.
“Don’t.”
A voice came from behind me.
“Don’t touch it.”
Chaesong was looking at me.
Her eyes were empty in a way I had never seen before.
“It’s Hyunwoo’s.”
Right. You shouldn’t touch someone else’s belongings.
But why did it sound more like she was protecting it like it belonged to her?
“…Okay.”
I scratched my head, uneasy.
And then—
My gaze drifted out the window.
Something fell.
“KYAAAH!!!”
Screams erupted. The teacher shouted for everyone not to look outside.
My heart dropped.
‘No way.’
The person who fell—
It was Jang Hyunwoo.
