World of the Dead (23)
World of the Dead (23)
I'LL GIVE SNU SNU IF WE MAKE IT TO 500 BY 31ST JAN!
.....
*Present*
Seungjo was still staring at the unconscious Gayoon who was trapped in her mind. He had manipulated her into a memory loop which was undoubtedly reminding her of their love. The love he still had for her and the moments they had shared. If it was not for those bullies and Ahn Jaewan, he could have been with Gayoon forever. The others had made her hate him and he wanted her to love him again.
He still recalled the first time he had laid his eyes on her. It was his first day at Blooming Sun High School. After his previous teacher had rejected his love, he made sure that she would never forget him. He reminded her that he loved her and her only but she chose to kill herself. After that, he transferred out, thinking that he would never love again.
That was until he saw the beautiful girl at the school gate, quietly walking into the school. Her slender figure was slowly heading his way and he was awed by her beauty that he had no sense of anything else around him. He never thought that he would fall head over heels for her and since then, had been tailing her every movement. She used to sleep at the library a lot. Unbeknownst to her, he used to sit next to her and stare at her sleeping face.
Just like he was doing now.
Seungjo let out a sigh. They could have had such a beautiful life together. She would have been at home, managing their home while he went out to work. He would have had complete control over his beautiful wife, not letting any man look her way. In fact, she would not have stepped outside at all. It would have been them only, without the interference of anyone else. He would not have any children either because he wanted Gayoon's love to be solely for him and would not share it with others. She would look at him and him only.
"Curse that Minjung!" he muttered under his breath. That darn bitch had destroyed his plans to have Gayoon all to himself. If she had not killed him, Gayoon would have been his. As a ghost, he could not even feel her as long as she was alive. But once she was dead and her soul was successfully trapped in this world, they would live there together.
Forever.
"Just die, Gayoonie," he whispered. He stroked her cheek, trying to feel her warmth but it was as if he was touching air. He could manipulate objects as a ghost but he could not feel humans at all. And he wanted to feel his Gayoonie so much..
"We'll be together soon," he vowed.
Suddenly, a sharp pain struck his head. Seungjo staggered backwards, clutching his head as the pain increased. How was that possible? Ghosts did not feel pain!
Yet, he did. There was a pain in his head which would have killed a normal human being but he could not die again. The torture was worse as his head throbbed. Images of his past acquaintances began to flash in his mind. Yoo, Minjung, Jaewan, Seohyun and Woohyun's faces were flashing in front of his eyes but to his shock, he could not recognize any of them.
"W-who are these people?" he wheezed, still clutching his head. He could only remember Gayoon's name but the others were a blur. Who were these other people? What did they want?
"AHHHHH!" He screamed in agony as the pain deepened and he began to lose some memories. They were playing like a film in front of him and other than Gayoon, he could not fathom the rest.
Then the pain stopped. Seungjo blinked and opened his eyes. Gayoon was still unconscious but Seungjo was rattled by what had happened. He tried to recall his past life.
Yes, he remembered many of the events. He loved Gayoon and he was pushed through the window to his death. But who was the girl? And who were those boys who were making fun of him?
"Doesn't matter!" he told himself. "Gayoon is going to be mine in half an hour! She'll be dead and we can be together!"
Yes. His past did not matter. Gayoon was so near and yet, so far. But not for long. He would make sure that they would be together.
Meanwhile, Gayoon's mind was still flashing her the events of her past. She could see a classroom where the students were chattering. They were saying mindless things which she could not fathom but she saw herself, sitting on a chair in a high school uniform. Her younger self was reading a mystery book and a tall, handsome boy approached her. He sat beside her and she was smiling at him.
She used to smile? It felt as if years had passed since she last smiled. As she saw her younger self's smile, she was once again sucked into the memories of the past.
….
"How are your training sessions going?" Gayoon asked when Jaewan came to sit beside her. All around them, the class was abuzz with the usual gossip. Seungjo's death was beginning to fade away and Gayoon was glad that people were no longer obsessing over it. Seeing the ghost pop up sporadically was bad enough but hearing about him all the time was even worse. To her slight surprise, the ghost had not tormented her last night and she was worried that he would bother Minjung.
But Minjung was away with her parents to seek therapy. They still did not know what happened to her but she wanted to seek professional help after Yoo's arrest. Gayoon was glad that Minjung was taking steps to heal herself but the ghost would not let her forget. All she could hope for was Junho to return soon so that he could get rid of the demon.
"Training is going well," Jaewan remarked. "If everything goes right, I might debut this year."
"Woah!" Gayoon exclaimed. "I'm gonna be the friend of an idol? Cool!"
"There's nothing cool about being an idol," Jaewan said warily as he wiped his desk with disinfectant. "It's tough, tiring and I get sweaty by the end of it. And if I debut, I might have to share a dorm with other trainees."
"Yikes, that will kill you," Gayoon joked. Jaewan grimaced and wiped his table further with a desk cleaner. Gayoon groaned at his actions.
"I'm sure that table will stay squeaky clean for at least five centuries!" she snapped. "What is it with you and cleaning?"
"I can't clean people's souls so I clean tables," Jaewan said in a serious manner. Gayoon could only facepalm herself after hearing that.
Just then, the teacher entered the class. Everyone stood up to greet him before taking their seats.
"Is it me or does Teacher Min look tense?" Jaewan frowned, putting his cleaning equipment away.
"She does," Gayoon commented. "What happened?"
"Class, I have some grim news for you all," Teacher Min began. "Seohyun and Woohyun have been in a serious car crash."
There were loud gasps at the news. Everyone was shocked to hear that especially after witnessing so many occurrences. First Minjung had disappeared. Then Seungjo died and Yoo was imprisoned. And now this? What was going on?
"Almost feels like we're cursed," Lia muttered.
"I know a lot of you were close friends with them," Teacher Min said. "And this is shocking to hear especially after we lost one student and saw another student going to jail. But we have to make sure that we do not discuss too much about this with outsiders. The school has already faced a nosedive in its reputation and the parents are beginning to rile up against us. Thankfully, Seohyun and Woohyun's accident occurred far away from the school so we won't be dragged into the mess. But the papers still mentioned our names along with the previous events regarding Seungjo's death. So, all students are requested to keep silent on this matter. Anyone talking about it will be suspended."
He glared at everyone who shifted uncomfortably in their seats. The school authorities took the reputation of the institution very seriously and the students knew very well that the threat would be carried out as well.
Gayoon, however, was shaking in fear. Her instincts immediately told her that it was Seungjo's work and the ghost must have caused the accident. He had promised her that he would make her yield to his demands. This was his way of doing things. He was not going to stop until he got what he wanted.
"Gayoon?"
She did not respond, still engrossed in her thoughts. Seungjo was going to attack. He was going to hurt those around her. He was seeking revenge against all those who wronged him and soon, he would come for her as well.
"Gayoon!"
Startled, she stood up. The teacher was glaring at her in anger.
"Where's your attention?" he asked sharply. "I told you to get a marker from the supply closet!"
"Y-yes sir!" she squeaked and scurried off. Jaewan watched her exit the room. He noted that she looked very scared and unusually timid as if she had seen a ghost.
Knowing Jeon Gayoon, she might as well have.