Gayoon's Story (11)*
Gayoon's Story (11)*
.....
"He killed a teacher?" Minho echoed. "And got away with it?"
"There weren't any CCTV cameras in that area," Gayoon stated. "Besides, that area was secluded. The police thought it was a mugging gone bad because money was missing from his wallet and he didn't have any expensive valuables on him. Moreover, who would have thought that a student would commit a murder? Even now, police barely look into underage criminals unless there is strong evidence."
"And what about the school? Did they probe into the matter?"
"The headmaster wanted the case closed," Gayoon sighed. "He wrote it off as a mugging and told the students to be careful. We weren't allowed to use that route anymore."
Minho did some quick thinking. He had bought the school's land around that time and the proprietors did not mention the teacher's death. They must have hidden it deliberately to sell off the land and get the money.
Gayoon waited for him to say something but he shrugged off his thoughts and simply motioned her to continue. Even though he was not saying out loud, he felt as if there was something about that school which was hidden in his memory but he could not recall it.
"Anyways…" Gayoon began. "The news of Mr. Shim's death spread like wildfire the very next day."
...
*Flashback*
"This is so weird," Gayoon muttered, putting down the newspaper while Jaewan seemed uninterested.
They were at the school's balcony, reading the news. Mr. Shim's death was the hot topic because it was the first mugging in that area. Everyone was gossiping about it relentlessly, concocting wild theories. Some people thought it was a jilted husband of some woman Shim was having an affair with while others thought it was some enemy Shim had made. He had a nasty personality so his death did not shock them.
"You're thinking too much into it!" he scoffed. "The guy was mugged."
"Yeah, but it's still weird," she frowned. "I mean, no one saw any suspicious person around. Who was this mugger? Why didn't he leave after taking the money? Why kill him?"
"Maybe Shim saw the mugger's face," Jaewan shrugged, spraying his special disinfectant on the bench before sitting on it while Gayoon took the seat next to him.
"I'm telling you, something is not right!" she insisted. But Jaewan was not listening.
"Drop it!" he said sharply. "The man was a douchebag! Are you seriously contemplating on solving his murder mystery? Let the police do their jobs!"
Gayoon pursed her lips, not arguing any further on the topic. Jaewan was clearly not interested in it and there was no other way to find out about the topic. Gayoon had no intention of searching for Shim's spirit although she doubted the man came back as a ghost. If he did, she would have seen him snooping around the school. Moreover, the spirit of dead people returned to the living world within 24 hours of their death. If it did not appear then the chances of the spirit coming back were very less.
"Cheating on your boyfriend, Jeon?"
Yoo's sneering voice came from behind them and they looked up to see his gang surrounding them. Gayoon rolled her eyes while Jaewan shook his head. They looked angry because the memory of Gayoon hitting Yoo was still fresh in the latter's mind.
"You're gonna break our Seungjo's heart," Yoo snickered, putting one foot on the bench, leaning in closer to her.
"Come any closer and I'll hit you in the crotch again," she threatened. Minjung, who was standing behind Yoo, attempted to hit her but Jaewas stood up, holding his special spray.
"Girl, you dare to come close to Gayoon, I'll spray this on your pretty hair," he warned. "This time, I added some acidic substance. Good for the skin but terrible stuff for hair."
"You-" Minjung wanted to curse at him but the sight of the bottle intimidated her and she was afraid of what the strange chemical would do to her hair. She consciously backed away.
"You two think you're so high and mighty," Yoo said. "But how long will you be able to protect her?"
He motioned at Gayoon, who snorted. After handling so many ghosts, these humans thought her to be weak?
Technically, you are weak, a nagging voice in her head pointed out to her. It was true. Gayoon had aspirations to enter the police academy specifically to train herself in combat. She knew some basic self defense against humans and it was easy for her to knock them out with a punch. But her skills were useless against ghosts since they did not get hurt and could bounce back repeatedly without becoming exhausted.
"We'll get you for this," Yoo said menacingly. "I'm not gonna forget the humiliation from the mall!"
"If you forget," Gayoon said. "Come back later and I'll remind you again."
She deliberately flexed her fist in front of him, making him gulp in fear. One person she could handle but it would be a problem if they came in a group. That would be a challenge and she doubted that Yoo had the guts to tackle her on his own.
He threw a dirty glare at her before storming off with his pets while Gayoon and Jaewan stared at them.
"If you can really curse people, then how come he's still walking around with his head intact?" Jaewan wondered.
"Let's just say even ghosts wouldn't want to dirty their hands by hurting him," she sighed. "Let's go to class."
Jaewan nodded and they headed off towards their next class.
Unbeknownst to them, Seungjo was sitting a few meters away, hidden by a bush. He had witnessed the whole scene and the appearance of the bullies angered him. They dared to hurt his Gayoon!
But what pained him the most is seeing his beloved walking away with Ahn Jaewan. What did Gayoon even see in him? The guy was nothing more than a pretty face! Clearly, Seungjo was better and smarter.
And yet...yet she would not look at him. She squirmed at his touch and always ran away. Why? What did he do?
"I love her so much…" he whispered. He was holding a sketch book and in it were portraits of Gayoon, drawn from different angles. He always watched her and drew these pictures so that one day he could give them to her as a token of his love.
But Yoo and his friends ruined everything by making fun of his feelings, causing Gayoon to hate him.
"They will pay," he declared. "I will exact my revenge."
.....
Minjung was at the cheerleading practice, overseeing the newbies who came to audition for the vacant spots.Since she was already 18 years old, it was her last season as the cheerleading captain and she wanted her tenure to be a memorable one so she chose only the best dancers.
The first batch of newbies had already finished their auditions and she was going through the assessment papers which she had marked the shortlisted candidates.
"Alright girls!" she exclaimed. "We'll wrap it up for today! Tomorrow, we'll let you know the results!"
The girls murmured and one by one, began to exit the auditorium. Minjung was still scavenging through the papers when someone approached her. She looked up and groaned.
"You," she said to Seungjo. "What do you want?"
He held out a bottle of juice. "Y-Yoo told me to give this to you!" he squeaked.
Minjung smirked at her boyfriend's thoughtfulness. He used his cronies to send her gifts and food so it was not unusual for him to coerce Seungjo into sending her a drink.
"Well, I guess if Yoo sent it then I'll have to accept it!" she said gleefully. "Even if it was touched by the likes of you."
She added the last sentence in a condescending tone and snatched the bottle from his hand. In her arrogance, she failed to notice the dark gleam in his eyes as he watched her drink the whole thing.
"Now go away!" she told him. "The sight of you makes me want to puke."
But Seungjo did not move. Instead, he stood there, glaring at her.
"Why are you standing here?" she snapped. "Go-"
Suddenly, her head felt dizzy. Her muscles were contracting and becoming rigid while darkness was clouding her eyes. She felt lightheaded and attempted to stand up but lost her balance. Her body felt hot and feverish, confusing her as to what was happening to her.
Seungjo grabbed her and looked around. The auditorium was empty so he took her to the nearby broom closet. Locking the door behind him, he lay her on the ground. Minjung was in a daze, her mind hazy as she faintly saw him take out a camera from his bag and placing it on a shelf, facing her way. He flashed a torch at her while the camera recorded her face.
"You've hurt her," he said in a low tone. His hands were on her skirt, pulling them down to reveal her panties. Minjung wanted to fight him off but her body was too weak. Taking the opportunity, he took off her panties, leaving her bare. His hands then moved to take off her shirt followed by her bra and she was left naked. Her mind screamed no but she could not move an inch.
"Wh..at…" she tried to beg but in her hazy mind, she thought she heard the unbuckling of pants. Seungjo stood over her, glaring at her with his hateful eyes. This woman was proud of her pure beauty and pretended to be innocent. Now he was going to take it away from her.
"Now you'll know what real pain is," he whispered before leaning over her, parting her limp legs. Within moments, the sharp pain ran through Minjung's body and she fell unconscious, while the monster engulfed her.