Chapter: 71
“Isn’t it just eerie with all these blackout curtains lining the hallway…?”
A few days before the ad shoot, Seoyeon had ventured to the old school building with her classmates.
“Definitely has a vibe,” commented the class president, Gil Da-hyun, impressed by the décor.
The windows, covered with blackout curtains, created an atmosphere by sprinkling dark red paint on white paper attached to the walls.
So what did this result in?
“Whoa, honestly, I feel a little scared,” a girl shivered.
Well, this was the old school building they had decided to turn into a horror booth.
Not just any old building, mind you – it was a relic that had been unused for ages.
The once white walls had their unique eerie vibe, enhanced by years of neglect.
The windows were foggy, cracked, and being an old structure, the wooden floor creaked with every step.
“…Is it necessary to use both floors?”
Some girls were already feeling overwhelmed by the ambiance.
“What are you talking about? We have to do it right!”
The enthusiastic president shouted while casting a glance at Seoyeon, who had been unusually quiet.
After all, recently, this hot topic of the town—Seoyeon—had volunteered to play a ghost.
“Um, Seoyeon… You can act well as a ghost, right?”
It felt a bit awkward at first, but really, they had been classmates for months now. No reason to be awkward forever!
“…Yes.”
Seoyeon somewhat enjoyed the president’s energetic attitude, yet beneath the surface…
‘Hmm.’
She felt a little nervous, but not due to the acting part.
It was more like…
‘This feels so reminiscent of that horror game I played…’
That old, white building.
With curtains darkening the space, the similarities were striking.
“We’re gonna hand out flashlights starting from the first floor.”
“Why? Despite the blackout curtains, we don’t really need flashlights.”
“Oh, you don’t get it. It’s all about the atmosphere!”
Carrying a flashlight also felt part of the experience.
There was something about it that felt… off.
‘It’ll be fine, right?’
Seoyeon slowly nodded to herself.
What could possibly go wrong? Just because it reminded her of a horror game doesn’t mean there’s any real danger.
‘The last time I got scared was about the looks of the monsters and the jump scares.’
So, she highly doubted she’d get freaked out by a ghost house made by high schoolers.
Above all, the most important thing was that Seoyeon was the one doing the scaring!
Not to mention, playing the same role as the monsters that had jumped out at her during that game.
“……”
Thinking about it made her a bit excited.
Especially since the president seemed to have expectations for Seoyeon’s ghostly performance.
‘This might actually be useful.’
After all, Seoyeon was currently also portraying a murderer in a thriller film.
The emotions she aimed to convey in the ghost role could only help.
‘Thinking about it, I feel like I’m focusing a lot on the human side of Chae Seo-ah.’
A sudden realization struck her.
Since she considered Chae Seo-ah and herself to be somewhat similar, this thought became more pronounced.
However, Chae Seo-ah wasn’t exactly a sympathetic character either.
As a criminal in a thriller, she was supposed to invoke fear in the audience.
‘While the parts properly shot so far have shown Chae Seo-ah, the highlights, the early parts are mostly just a chase.’
Even though the daily life scenes have been filmed, the crime scenes in the middle haven’t.
‘Then…’
Highlighting the scarier elements in that ghost house could be interesting.
“Seoyeon.”
Just then, the president called her.
Looking up, she sensed her classmates fixated on her.
“We’re about to practice now; is that okay?”
Honestly, they had gone through practice a few times in the daylight.
But doing it in the dark for the first time did make Seoyeon a bit anxious.
Of course, she wasn’t scared.
Not at all.
*
“Hmmm.”
With three days until the festival, Seoyeon sat on a chair deep in thought at home.
Today’s ad shoot had gone quite successfully.
Especially with Do Hyeong-tae, the director, showering her with praise, making Seoyeon feel a bit out of place.
Before the shoot, someone had said:
“Oh, if the director for this CF is Do Hyeong-tae, it’ll be tough.”
“Why’s that?”
“I heard he has quite the picky nature.”
He was known for shooting visually stunning ads.
But that came with high demands, so opinions among the staff varied.
‘For a picky director, he sure was an easy-going yes-man during the shoot, though.’
Seoyeon thought back to that day.
She had simply held a cosmetic product and delivered her lines lightly, yet everyone was in high spirits.
Was it okay she felt that way?
It crossed her mind.
After all, this was her first CF as an adult.
Perhaps her growth as an actress had positively impacted her presentation.
Anyway, since there was a lot of CGI involved, she hadn’t seen the completed version yet.
They’d probably send it to her once it’s finished.
‘Regardless…’
Seoyeon pondered about the ghost house.
Today’s rehearsal hadn’t been bad.
Around ten girls were signed up to play the ghost.
Though they weren’t in full costume, they all seemed to have fun with their performances.
“Eeeeee!”
“Oh, it’s okay, it’s okay. Just think about this—when you wear wigs and rush in, that’ll be scary!”
“Right?”
They appeared to be focusing more on jump scares than anything else.
Which was pretty common for ghost houses.
But Seoyeon felt different.
“You’re the highlight on the second floor, Seoyeon! Just peek your head out from the stairs, then pop out later on. We’re talking boss vibes here!”
“Wow, sounds good.”
She wasn’t asked to do an outrageous act.
Just pop her head from the stairs and then give a jump scare at the end.
“Real actors pulling off ghost roles must be terrifying, right?”
“Just thinking about it sends shivers down my spine.”
Still, after preparing together, the students felt each other’s comfort levels had somewhat diminished.
Besides, because she was an actress, the expectations were slightly higher.
Especially since Seoyeon herself was bursting with enthusiasm.
“AAAH!”
During practice, her scream echoed for the first time.
When she revealed herself on the stairs, the atmosphere was chilling.
“W-whoa. It’s no wonder there are tales of haunted girls’ schools.”
“What’s haunted school stories?”
“Movies released before we were even born.”
As the girls whispered, they were deeply impressed by Seoyeon’s performance.
Particularly Gil Da-hyun was astonished.
‘She’s not just any actor!’
She was present where the scream was triggered, standing in the center of the hallway.
Before they could reach the mission at the end of the hall, they had to go through that spot.
There, with a tilted shadow cast down the stairs, she gazed down at her classmates.
To be fair, she didn’t do much – just look.
However, the bright red eyes gleaming from the darkness made it impossible to resist stopping.
What happened at the end?
On the second floor, when she quietly appeared, it was the highlight.
Unlike other students who were shambling around like zombies or regular ghosts, Seoyeon maintained distinct character.
‘This is bound to be the popular booth!’
The place was great, and so was the actress.
“We’re bound to win this if it continues, Seoyeon! Looking forward to the festival day!”
“Ah, okay.”
Gil Da-hyun spoke brightly, her smile infectious.
Yet, despite that, Seoyeon found herself deep in thought.
Something felt different than she had envisioned.
*
Thus, the Yeonhwa High School festival kicked off.
Unlike university festivals, outsiders couldn’t wander in, but it was still a big event among students.
Every class set up booths.
It should’ve been a lively and fun affair, but…
“…It’s raining.”
Pitter patter!!
Not just any rain; it poured down, relentless.
As a result, classes that set up outdoor booths started packing up tearfully.
They had heard there’d be rain, but no one had expected this volume.
And so…
“But there are still plenty of indoor booths, right?”
Most booths were set up in classrooms or hallways.
Like pop-up cafes and dart-throwing games.
These were typical recreational booths.
And surprisingly, the one that captured everyone’s attention was…
“A ghost house?”
Lee Ji-yeon narrowed her eyes.
“Didn’t they say the kids from Class 4 turned the old school into a ghost house? They were supposed to start a show at 10, so it must’ve opened by now.”
Hearing one of her classmates, Ji-yeon crossed her arms.
‘Wait, I think that’s what Joo Seoyeon mentioned.’
Just something about it felt… off.
When she had talked to Seoyeon before, she thought it was the regular ghost house one might find at individual school festivals.
‘But to go as far as renting out the old school building—this has got to be serious.’
Plus, there was one more thing gnawing at her mind.
“They say she’s gonna be the ghost!”
“Who?”
“Joo Seoyeon, your friend.”
Seoyeon is going to be a ghost?
Panic set in even more.
Well, to be fair, when Seoyeon acted, she could get very serious.
Once back in kindergarten during a talent show.
Or elementary school.
Even in middle school, it was all routine.
In fact, in middle school, Ji-yeon had to step in to keep things calm while it ended somewhat peacefully, but now they weren’t in the same class.
“Let’s go check it out.”
“Really?”
“Oh, I just… I’m kinda curious.”
Ji-yeon voiced that but felt uneasy.
After all, it seemed Seoyeon wasn’t particularly fond of scary stuff.
Ji-yeon hadn’t realized this until watching the recent show “King of Kings.”
She’d freak out if ghosts were involved?
That was enough reason to be concerned.
‘About the other students.’
Of course, they weren’t worried about Seoyeon.
The problem was the students who might fall victim to the runaway train that was Seoyeon.
*
“Oh, wow… this is… kinda decent?”
Two boys held flashlights, entering the ghost house for the first time.
With the heavy rain outside and regrettable booth options, they stumbled upon the ghost booth by chance.
“It’s a bit scary, thanks to the rain.”
Pitter patter—that constant sound echoed in their ears.
The sun was hidden behind dark clouds, providing little light.
With blackout curtains closed, the hallway felt eerily quiet and dark.
The walls painted red, it felt much like blood, and each creaky wooden planks seemed to send shivers down their spines.
“Thank goodness for the flashlight.”
“Seriously.”
Without it, they might have tripped in the dark corners.
But the flashlight seemed to be running low, flickering ominously, stirring unease within.
“AAAH!”
Plus, ghosts that popped out from various corners startled them, their hearts racing each time.
“Ugh, jump scares are the worst! Seriously, this is a signature move of poorly made ghost houses.”
“Come on! Ghost houses are supposed to be like this.”
“Sounds like you’ve never been to a good one.”
Perhaps feeling embarrassed for getting spooked, the bigger boy responded to him.
As he jested, the shorter boy suddenly noticed something—the stairs.
At the central point of the hallway.
They were instructed to complete a mission at the end of the first floor before moving to the second.
Therefore, this was an unavoidable route.
But at the edge of the second floor, something white caught his eye.
‘What is that?’
At first, he didn’t recognize it.
Later, he noticed it was a hand.
Using hands, it was climbing the stairs, not feet!
And when he glanced up slightly, he spotted red eyes.
Slowly…
Black hair cascaded down the stairs.
Only then did he realize it was a head upside-down, attached to a human body.
“Uh.”
At the very top of the second floor, a woman draped in white was slowly gliding down, hanging upside down.
It felt like a scene straight out of an old movie.
Drip, drop.
Black liquid flowed from her eyes; the red eyes peered out from the dark.
The scene sent shivers down their spines.
“AHHHHHHHHH!!”
They could do nothing but scream and run away!
You may also like Mesugaki Tank Enters The Academy
