World of the Deas (32)
World of the Deas (32)
.....
The school glimmered in the darkness, overlooking the area like a giant castle which hid many secrets. It was quiet during the night; too quiet. Minjung stared at the building with a blank look, unsure of what she was doing. She had no idea of what lay in front of her and all she saw was an unending darkness.
The echoes of the distant past flashed through her mind as she walked towards one of the walls where the hidden passage was situated at. She moved the bushes and came across the cellar which led to the kitchen route she had used a few weeks ago to escape from the crime scene.
Her heart was not racing. In fact, it felt dead. Her soul had already left her body and what was left behind was nothing more than a living corpse, looking for an escape. She had left her phone at home. There was no doubt in her mind that Gayoon would call her in the morning.
Gayoon…
Minjung envied her a little but she also had many regrets. She had never expected Gayoon to turn out to be her biggest support. That girl's encouragement had kept her alive the past few weeks and if Minjung had not messed up the whole situation by killing Seungjo, Gayoon would have probably brought her out of her depression. There was nothing else to be done and Minjung was tired of dragging everyone down with her.
"You want to be free…"
The cold whisper of her sub-conscious mind was telling her. Was it her own heart? She doubted it but did not care either. Whoever's voice it was, it told the truth.
She wanted to be free.
Stepping out of the cellar, she quietly made her way towards the fifth floor. There were no guards in that area but she dimly noted that someone was walking around on the grounds below with a torch light. If it was not for the secret tunnel, then she would have been caught.
As she walked towards 12A, there was another figure following her. Seungjo kept an eye on his prey, smiling in a sinister way. His killer was going to get her comeuppance and she had no idea that he was controlling her even in death.
Seeing that hateful woman in front of him made his temper flare. Not only did she torment his Gayoonie but also had the audacity to kill him! Even his assault on her was not enough for her. She dared to kill him and now, she was going to pay.
Minjung looked straight ahead as 12A loomed in front of her. Her hand trembled as she slowly opened the door.
The classroom somehow looked bigger. The empty room was deafeningly silent, making her shiver in fear. She had spent a year in that class but never realized how intimidating the place was. The chairs and tables were neatly lined up but she felt as if there were shadows sitting on it, staring at her and even judging her. Her whole body was trembling and suddenly, she thought that she was being grabbed by cold hands.
Unbeknownst to her, there were invisible hands grabbing her. Sooyeon was trying to pull her back to stop her.
"Don't!" Sooyeon begged. "Don't do it!"
She knew too well what the girl was going to do because she had seen countless students trying to attempt it. And seeing Seungjo following the girl made it all very clear that he was controlling Minjung.
But Seungjo grabbed her by the hair and pulled her back.
"LET ME GO YOU PERVERTE MONSTER!" Sooyeon shrieked but Seungjo only laughed. He was too strong for her and no matter how much the ghost tried to break free, Seungjo was several levels above her. He had already gained a good control over his powers and was able to manipulate other ghosts.
"I'll tell Gayoon what you're doing!" Sooyeon shouted. "I'll tell her! I-"
Suddenly, a cold wind gushed in through the door and another ghost stood there. The ghost was wearing a bloodied pink suit while her face was smashed in and she grunted upon seeing Sooyeon. The latter stopped struggling and stared at the ghost in disgust.
"The field teacher's ghost?" she frowned. What was it doing there?
"Teacher," Seungjo said quietly. "Didn't you once mention about the portal which opens up in this school for spirits to pass through?"
Sooyeon stared at the field ghost which looked as if she was in a trance. Was she…
"You are controlling her!" she realized. "But how is this possible?"
"There are many things a ghost can do," Seungjo smirked. "You're just too green."
He turned to the field ghost and said, "Take her with you."
Suddenly, he pushed Sooyeon towards the field ghost who grabbed the girl by the throat. Sooyeon tried to break away but the field ghost was much stronger and began to drag her away.
"LET ME GO!" Sooyeon shrieked. "GAYOON! GAYOON!"
But it was of no use. No one was going to save her. The field ghost pulled her away from 12A, away from Minjung who was unaware of the ghostly figures around her. She did not hear Sooyeon's cries but for some reason, her heart was feeling uneasy as if someone was asking for help.
"Whom can you help?" Seungjo's voice echoed in her ears. "You can't even save yourself. You're just a burden for everyone. Just die."
Die…Yes. I should just die, she thought. Everyone was better off without her. They would forget about her and she would be free.
Stepping on the ledge of the window, she took a last glance at the classroom. She had spent countless moments here with her friends. They had once adored her. Yoo, Seohyun and Woohyun's smiling faces were staring at her. Behind them, she saw a glimpse of Gayoon who was flashing her a cheery smile.
She smiled back at them and gave a small wave. Seeing them so happy for one last time eased her heart.
Putting one foot ahead in the air, she whispered, "Goodbye."
And then everything was plunged into darkness.
….
The headmaster was staring at the sight in shock while a guard looked nervous. The student's mangled body lay in front of them, bloodied. She was dead.
"Did you tell anyone else?" the headmaster asked.
He was woken up at 3 AM in the morning by the guard's call who told him that a student committed suicide at school. The headmaster warned the guard not to tell anyone else about it and forbade to call the police or paramedics.
"No sir!" the guard said at once.
"Disable all the cameras," the headmaster instructed. "And remove all footage of tonight. Cite that the CCTV system is broken so all cameras were sent for repair. We're not telling this to anybody. No one should know that another student died here."
If Hwang Minho found out, then he would back out of the deal and the school would go bankrupt. They had already spent millions on the new building uptown and it would be disastrous if they did not manage to sell off this land to finance the increasing expenses.
"What about the body, sir?" the guard asked.
"Let's put her in my car's trunk and take her to the forest nearby," the headmaster said in a cold tone. "We'll bury her there. And if her parents ask, we'll say she never came here and probably ran away. This girl…Minjung. She was absent from school anyway. Moreover, her boyfriend went to jail. People won't ask much and assume she was a delinquent like him and ran away. And clean up the blood with chemicals. Make sure not a single drop is left behind!"
"Alright sir," the guard nodded and set off to work.
The headmaster stared at the dead girl's face. She had to be a nuisance to him!
"Fucking brats!" he muttered. "You couldn't have died elsewhere?"
He made a face and proceeded to wrap Minjung's body with a cloth and carried her to his car's trunk.
"This secret must not be leaked," he murmured and closed the trunk, fully intending to hide it away.
From a distance, Seungjo was staring at the whole scene, his face breaking into a gleeful smile. Finally, the thorn in his way was gone. And Gayoon would be finally his.
"Come to me now, Gayoonie," he whispered. The car in sight was now driving away. And with it, his biggest hindrance was also going to be buried in a cold, empty grave.
For eternity.