I left the members to fight among themselves and took only Sunah to have breakfast.
On the quiet morning in Noryangjin, the streets were filled with students preparing for the civil service exam, Swarming into various cram schools.
"Joon...."
"Yes?"
"Are you sure you don't have to stop them...?"
Sunah, looking worried, hesitantly followed me and asked softly.
But I just sighed and shook my head.
"I don't know. Just let them fight. There was no way to stop them anyway."
Soon, Sunah and I entered a nearby
budget-friendly gosi restaurant.
It was a place where you could dine
like royalty for 4,500 won.
"Is this a buffet..?"
"It's a gosi restaurant. It's cheap, incredibly delicious, and has a wide selection."
"You know a lot...."
"Of course."
Why do I even know this?
I wasn't sure why, but somehow, I just
knew.
Soon, we stood in line to receive our
food, each holding a tray that looked
exactly like the ones used in school
cafeterias.
Today's menu was pork ribs, and there
was even fruit for dessert.
"Please give me a little more."
When I asked the lady serving the pork
ribs for a little more, she frowned as if displeased.
This place was already running on Such low prices, so someone like me must be a nuisance.
"Hey. Let's sit over there."
"Yeah....".
Carefully carrying her tray, Sunah followed behind me.
We found seats among some exam-takers chatting away.
"So, yesterday, I..."
"Really?"
With their food in front of them untouched, the guys were engrossed in conversation, but from what I overheard, it wasn't about studying.
"So it was just me and her left alone in
the karaoke room, and the atmosphere
suddenly got weird and tense. I could
feel it. It was like, 'Ah, this is the moment!'". So right then, I grabbed her hands, confirmed how we felt about each other, and immediately made plans for the night. That was fucking legendary of me."
"Really? I tried confessing to a girl I study with, but got rejected."
"There could be a bunch of reasons for that. Maybe because you're not her type, or maybe because you two are not that close. But one thing's for sure, if you can't date someone while studying together in Noryangjin, you're a total moron. A loser who couldn't get a girlfriend even after waking up together, eating together, and meeting each other every day and asking about your well-being."
"Really...?"
"Here's a tip for you. So you confessed your feelings and got rejected, and now you feel completely humiliated? Just walk away without any regrets. Then you take charge as the study leader and organize a new group. Then you start again. Now, here's how you do it. First, go into the app and.....".
It was all nonsensical, pointless advice
on how to rizz a girls.
'Did they really come all the way here to do that....?'
While eating and thinking how pathetic they were, I suddenly became concerned about Sunah in front of me.
She wasn't eating properly. just poking
and stirring the rice.
It seemed she was still worried about how I left them behind like that.
As expected, among all our members, Sunah was the only one who truly cared about the club.
If I had to take just one person with me until the end, it would naturally be Sunah.
"Don't worry too much, Sunah. If things
don't work out, we will just attend the
competition on our own."
"Uh, yeah....?"
Sunah raised her head, looking bewildered.
"Just us....?"
"Yeah."
"Why....?"
"If they keep fighting and doing whatever they want, I have no choice but to take only the one who's willing."
Sunah looked at me with a blank expression.
"Just you and me...?"
"The two of us...."
Soon, Sunah's face turned bright red.
Then her expression shifted to a slightly worried one.
"Do you think we're in our right mind right now...?"
"Right mind? About what?"
"Maybe we're caught up in a ghost story..."
Sunah hesitated.
Looking at her cute bobbed hair, it felt like I was an older brother taking his younger cousin out for a meal.
I quickly shook my head with a confident smile, telling her not to worry.
"It's okay. Remember when we both felt something strange before, but as soon as we stepped outside the boarding house, everything was fine. Just like back then, everything that's happened since this morning took place outside the boarding house, so it probably wasn't influence of a ghost story."
"Really..?"
Sunah nodded in agreement, but narrowed her eyes slightly.
"It's just that everyone seems so sensitive...."
"I told you, it's okay. Just trust me."
For some reason, I confidently assured her.
Sunah, who had been silent, nodded in agreement. Then lowered her head with a slightly flushed expression and began eating again.
And honestly, I didn't really need the members.
With my ability to go back in time, even if I made a few mistakes and failed a few attempts, winning first place in this competition was a sure thing.
The only reason I was bringing them
along was that, since they were already aware of the existence of ghost stories, I figured we might uncover something more when we meet Chun Seungjae and explore the headquarters. It was not like I couldn't win the prize without them.
After all, I have an invincible regression ability, incredible quick-wit, and plenty of other skills at my disposal.
'Might as well set an example this time.'
The club members blindly assumed I would take care of everything for them and they didn't care about the well-being of the club.
At first glance, they seemed to be following diligently, but in reality, each one only had their own personal motives.
The only one who was truly concerned
about the survival of the club was Sunah right in front of me.
Sunah was a bit like me.
The other members all have their own hobbies and lives, even outside of the
club.
Even without the Ghost Story Club,
Gyeongwon would be a rich kid preparing to get into a good university.
Even without the Ghost Story Club,
Dukhun would be enjoying a leisurely
life alone, playing games and watching anime.
Jinhee would continue living her popular life with her delinquent friends even without the Ghost Story Club.
And Hayoon would walk the path of success as the daughter of the cult even without the Ghost Story Club.
'But the two of us...."
But Sunah and I, sitting before each other.
For us, this Ghost Story Club was everything.
We would be nothing without the club.
Before I was given the responsibility to
save the world, I was truly a nobody.
I didn't have many friends, and my grades were just average.
I lived a life without any real passions or strong desires.
And it was the same for Sunah right
before my eyes.
With her parents passing away early
and a life spent being constantly
ostracized, the Ghost Story Club was
the place where she made her very first friends and felt a sense of belonging for the first time, and it had become her entre world.
'But the others aren't like that.'
That's how I've been viewing our club
members lately while preparing for the competition.
Jinhee, who treated the club as nothing more than a playground.
Gyeongwon, who was using this
competition as a tool to chase the
dream he couldn't achieve, throwing
tantrums and acting hysterical.
And then there was Dukhun, who acted carelessly and did things at his own pace no matter how much you urged him, and then Hayoon, who for what reason I wasn't sure, just laughed while watching them fight.
"You're the only one I can count on
now, Sunah."
"If they keep fighting and causing
trouble, let's just leave them behind
and go on our own ."
Sunah, her face flushed, quietly picked
at her food
***
After finishing our meal, when we
returned to the study lounge, the only
ones left were Gyeongwon and Jinhee.
"What about the others?"
"I don't know."
Gyeongwon answered, angrily fiddling
with his laptop.
Curious about what he was doing, I
looked at the screen reflected by the
projector and saw him busy making a
PPT presentation all by himself.
Jinhee was sitting nearby, feet resting
on two chairs and scrolling on her
phone.
I stood by the screen with my arms
crossed, quietly watching Jinhee.
She kept scrolling on her phone with
a sullen expression, not even glancing
my Way.
Sunah quietly glanced my way, then
quickly walked over to one side and sat down.
"....."
"....."
The sound of Gyeongwon typing on his laptop.
The occasional sound of car horns
ringing outside the window.
And the uncomfortable silence
enveloping the seminar room.
Jinhee suddenly burst out laughing.
"That's f*cking hilarious..."
Seemingly watching something funny
on her phone, she started giggling to
herself.
She seemed unaware that I'd been
staring at her the whole time.
"You think it's funny? You're laughing?"
The members just fought and
completely ruined the mood, you
know?
"Why is everyone so indifferent?'
I could understand Gyeongwon's
feelings to some extent.
Just as I was angry at the members who didn't care about the club's survival, Gyeongwon must be frustrated with Dukhun for not following along while leading the competition preparations.
Of course, he had also been acting
hysterical and causing a fuss, ruining
the club's atmosphere over the chance to fulfill a dream he couldn't achieve.
In any case, it was infuriating to see the people react so indifferently when he was trying to step forward and lead the way.
'But cursing and yelling like that is
absolutely not acceptable.'
I've never handled things that way
even Once.
'..Are the others not coming?'
After waiting a bit for Dukhun and
Hayoon, who had left and not returned
yet, I just sighed and closed the door.
Click-
"...Huu. How far along is the PPT?"
I started talking, thinking it was about
time I settled down and joined in.
Gyeongwon still looked angry, but
since he wasn't mad at me to begin
with, he answered my question
without issue.
"..About two-thirds for now. I think Ill
have it roughly finished by lunch."
"By lunchtime? All of it?"
"Well, not completely finished, of
Course."
He pushed up his glasses.
"It's just for temporary display while
We prepare our presentations. If we
want to add higher-quality animation
effects and have each sentence appear one by one in sync corresponding with the presentation clicks, it'll take until the afternoon."
"...Then for now, let's study using the
PPT Gyeongwon is preparing. Lee
Jinhee, put your phone down."
Then Jinhee pouted and put her phone away.
"Why are you so displeased?"
Why couldn't she just be a little more
cooperative, without pouting like that?
Things I would normally just laugh off
were starting to irk me today.
In the tense atmosphere, all we did was stare endlessly at the screen where Gyeongwon was pulling up the PPT presentation.
"The image on the screen right now.
Sunah can you understand it?"
"Yeah, the force is acting from three
directions.....?"
"Right, and then...."
About 30 minutes passed like that, and Dukhun suddenly came in through the door.
Creak-
Maybe he just had breakfast, Dukhun,
looking expressionless and with
earphones in, was listening to music.
He walked past us and took a seat by
the window, alone.
Gyeongwon shot him a quick glare but soon shut his mouth again and focused on the work.
And then another hour passed.
'...Is In Hayoon not coming?'
I even considered ditching everyone
and going alone with Sunah, but that
was the last option if they kept acting
like this.
Still, I waited, hoping to drag them
along, but even as lunchtime
approached, Hayoon still didn't show
up.
I finally couldn't take it anymore and
abruptly stood up from my seat.
"Hey guys, I'm going to go find
Hayoon-"
As I turned around to speak, I saw that
Sunah and Jinhee were already dozing off.
Dukhun was just staring out the
window with his earphones in.
'F**k this group work, seriously....'
It felt like I was experiencing the
nightmare of college group projects,
where only a few people actually do
anything.
I let out a sigh, then briefly told
Gyeongwon before leaving the room.
"Im going to find In Hayoon."
He nodded while typing on the
keyboard.
I left the study lounge and went
upstairs to the boarding house.
- Noryangjin Boarding House -
Without hesitation, I opened the glass
door at the entrance and strode inside.
"..Oh."
The door to Hayoon's room was already half-open.
"...In Hayoon?"
I approached and peeked inside, only
to find the room already clean and
empty.
Looks like Hayoon packed up her
things and went home.
".Seriously, what the hell.."
As I stood in front of the room
mumbling, the door behind me
creaked open.
When I turned around, the same
woman wearing thick glasses was
standing there, holding a finger to her
lips with a quiet 'shh' motion.
By now, everything was just getting on
my nerves, so I shot her a sharp glare
and walked off without a word.
Creak-
"It's done, Prez. Now we just need to
practice the presentation."
Still staring at his laptop without lifting
his head, Gyeongwon spoke, then
suddenly noticed I was alone.
"Where's In Hayoon?"
"She's gone. Home."
His expression started twitching again.
Then, with a visibly irritated expression, he clicked the mouse harshly, scrolled the PPT all the way to the top, and without hesitation, deleted the part that said [10317 In Hayoon]
from the list of team members.
Then, raising his head, Gyeongwon
threatened the club members.
"If you guys don't get your acts
together, I'll delete your names too.
You've been warned."
"Uh-huh"
Only Jinhee answered lazily, while
Dukhun, still wearing his earphones,
didn't even look up.
Just then, Sunah also woke up from her nap, rubbed her eyes and lifted her head.
I sighed and muttered inwardly as if
telling Gyeongwon.
"..That's my line, Gyeongwon you
b*stard. Keep acting like a tyrant, and
the name I'll be deleting is yours.'
For now, I was allowing him to
slightly overstep his authority under
the pretense of leading the science
competition.
If this had been under normal
circumstances, the one getting all
the heat and scolding would've been
Gyeongwon himself.
Anyway, like I told Sunah earlier, even
if I enter the competition alone, as long as I use my time-loop ability well, I could take first place.
But the reason I insisted on bringing
the members along was to strengthen
the club's unity and help them develop their insight.
Honestly, Gyeongwon himself was
ruining that very goal of unity by
focusing solely on preparing for the
competition.
If he hadn't suddenly thrown a
tantrum this morning and taken it out
on Dukhun, things probably wouldn't
have escalated this far.
Everyone was annoyed and angry, and one person even went home.....
I was stressed out wondering how
to clean up this mess, but for now, I
decided to keep pushing forward with
the competition prep on the surface.
"Alright, first let's work on the PPT
Gyeongwon temporarily finished, and
for now, let's see who'll go first as the
representative. Everyone, come up one by one, grab the mic, and give your presentation."
"Uh~ what was it again?"
Jinhee stood in front of the podium,
furrowing her brow as she glanced
back at the screen.
"Magnetic hinge?"
"Failed."
Sunah, who was next in line, soon
switched places with her.
"Ah, hello... I'm Yoon Sunah.... Class 3,
Grade 1...."
She started speaking but then hesitated and stopped.
I gestured with my chin to encourage
her to keep going.
Then Sunah quickly nodded again and began mumbling.
" I'm Yoon Sunah... um... the topic we'll
be presenting this time is...."
In the end, Gyeongwon, who had been
watching for a moment, shook his
head.
"This isn't going to work, Prez."
"Sunah, good job. You can step down
for now."
"Uh, yeah...."
"Okay, next up is Dukhun."
"Oh Dukhun?"
I turned around and called out to him,
but Dukhun just stared out the window
with his earphones on.
Gyeongwon's expression immediately
shifted to anger.
I called out to him again, loudly this
time.
"Dukhun! Come up to the front, let us
see you try the presentation!"
Then he slowly turned his head and
pulled out his earphones.
He glanced at the screen and then
at us, shaking his head as if to say he
wasn't going to do it.
"You're not going to present?"
" I'm not good with speaking anyway,
So have someone else do the main
presentation as the representative."
"Really? Fine then. Let's just make
sure you're well-prepared to answer
questions later."
Just as I was about to wave my hand in response.
Gyeongwon stood up abruptly with a
tightly twisted expression.
"If you don't want to do it, then don't."
With that, he strode over to the laptop,
pulled up the first slide again, and
deleted the name [10312 Oh Dukhun].
This timne, I couldn't hold back and
Snapped.
"Hey, the f*ck are you doing! He only said he doesn't want to do the main presentation!"
"He said he doesn't want to do it. Then I
have to delete him."
"Cut it out!!!!!"
I yelled at Gyeongwon, this time furious.
"The main presentation part of the PPT is done by just one representative anyway! The rest only need to practice answering the judges' questions afterward! He just said he wouldn't do the main part as a representative, what's with the overreaction all of a sudden!"
"If he says he doesn't want to do it, then I should take his name off, Prez."
With a thoroughly sulky expression,
Gyeongwon kept editing the PPT.
Watching all of this quietly from behind, Dukhun finally let out a sigh and stood up from his seat.
"I'm going home."
"Hey, where are you going!"
"Let him do it all by himself."
Ignoring me as I tried to stop him, Dukhun walked straight to the door, opened it, and left.
Judging by how serious his tone was, it seemed like Dukhun really meant to walk away this time.
With him gone, a heavy silence settled
Over the seminar room.
The only sound that echoed through the space was the sharp click-click of
Gyeongwon irritably fiddling with the
PPT.
Watching Gyeongwon like that, I couldn't help but bite my lip.
"...Gyeongwon, that's enough."
"I didn't do anything wrong, Prez."
With his eyes still fixed on the laptop screen and hands still moving busily for no real reason, he spoke.
"Isn't it his fault for always being late and then going back to sleep even though we're staying over here to prepare for the competition ?"
"....."
"And when I tell him to try, he should at
least pretend to do it. Sunah and Jinhee both gave it a shot, who does he think he is to just opt out? He clearly has no intention of doing this, Prez. If he's not going to do it, then yeah, I'm taking him out."
"You."
I lowered my voice and spoke quietly.
"Ahn Gyeongwon. Pack your things and leave too."
".....!"
At those words, his fingers finally stopped, and he flinched.
He slowly lifted his head, taking his eyes off the laptop at last.
"...Are you serious, Prez?"
"Yup."
I nodded.
"You've crossed the line. That's something I, as the Club President, get to decide, not you in the heat of the moment."
"Like I said before, do you think I brought you all along because I didn't think I could win on my own?"
Gyeongwon trembled and bit his lip.
And I gave him a firm, unwavering answer right to his face.
"Don't forget, Gyeongwon. I can win first place even if I go alone."
It's the same thing I told him back in the clubroom when he asked.
When he asked if I was really planning to take Sunah,Jinhee, and Dukhun with me, I answered without a moment of hesitation.
"Do you think I'm taking along the ones who aren't good at studying just because I'm soft-hearted? No. It's because of Clover that we'll be facing when we get there. It's because i wanted to bring you guys, the ones who know about ghost stories to face it together. Got it? The goal isn't the prize. The goal is that we all go together."
"..."
"A stupid prize like this? I can win it on my own, no problem. But look at what you've done, chasing everyone out, throwing a fit just because they aren't Falling in line with your plan."
"That's because—"
"What, So what if someone's late. That give you the right to get angry and kick your teammates out?"
"Honestly you don't care at all about the club or group harmony, do you? I knew it from that time the homeroom teacher asked if you wanted to join the special class, and you just immediately said yes without even consulting me. You just want to fulfill the dreams you couldn't achieve by winning that award. That's why you're going crazy now that the others aren't following your lead."
"....."
"Get out. I'll show you. I'l prove to you
everything runs just fine without you."
"P, Prez..."
He stayed still for a moment, then suddenly started trembling.
"..P-Prez. I'm sorry, but... can I just stay here...?"
"Get out."
"...I-l apologize. I go after Dukhun and say sorry."
"I said, leave."
He trembled for a moment before opening his mouth again.
"You, you're only kicking me out for now, right? We'll be together on the day of the competition, right?"
"Is that why you took Dukhun and Hayoon's names off?"
"Tomorrow, once school is over, just go
straight home like the other students. No more gathering in the clubroom to prepare for the competition anymore."
"P-please don't say that, Prez. No, why...."
"Oi."
I narrowed my eyes and lowered my Voice.
"I said, get the hell out. You think this is a joke?"
"..."
He stood up, trembling all over, then slowly bowed his head, and suddenly dropped to his knees.
Shaking uncontrollably, Gyeongwon Crawled toward me on his knees, begging.
"P-Prez. I'm sorry. Okay? I must've lost it. I-I apologize. I was a bit on edge. Okay? I have to be in this competition. My dad said he's coming to watch on the day of the event. He already knows I'm going, Prez. Please, I'm begging you. I'm begging you, don't kick me out. I'll apologize right now, to Dukhun okay? To Hayoon too,I'll, I'll apologize toeveryone"
"How old are you to show off to your dad? It's already too late."
"P, Prez, no, that's not what I meant -"
Gyeongwon shook his head frantically, trembling all over.
Unable to watch any longer, I sighed and called out to Jinhee.
"Lee Jinhee. Drag him out."
"Got it."
Jinhee immediately stood up, strode
over, and grabbed Gyeongwon by the scruff of his neck as he knelt and crawled toward me.
She dragged him up roughly and pulled him out of the seminar room, while Gyeongwon struggled fiercely, trying not to be dragged out as he thrashed and kicked.
"Prez! Prez! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I was out of my mind! Sorry! Sorry...."
"Huu..."
Jinhee tugged at Gyeongwon, who was holding onto the doorframe tightly and roughly pulled him away.
Soon, as other guests from nearby rooms peeked in, curious by the commotion, Jinhee, embarrassed, yanked Gyeongwon harder and crsed.
"Ah~ seriously, stop embarrassing yourself, you p*nk. Let go. What, you won't let go?"
"Ahh, ahh...."
"Alright, time to go home now~"
With that, Jinhee practically half-carried Gyeongwon out, his face flushed red.
Carried on Jinhee's strong shoulders, the scrawny, out-of-shape Gyeongwon struggled wildly.
"Prez! Prez! Prez.."
"Let's go home Let's wash up and clear
our heads at home"
Their voices gradually faded away, I let out a deep sigh.
"Huu..."
The seminar room fell into silence.
Sunah approached me with a frightened expression.
"Joon..."
After hesitating for a moment, she gently tugged on my sleeve.
We were alone in the seminar room,standing in silence.
Suddenly, from outside the window, the sound of Gyeongwon's anguished cries flowed in, making us both turn around.
"Prez! Prez! Preeeeezz....."
I walked over with Sunah and looked out the window, then saw Gyeongwon being grabbed by Jinhee and forced into a taxi.
'Prez! Prez!! Aaaaah...."
"Mister, please drop him off in front of ShinLim Station. Here's the money, no
stops along the way."
"Preeeeezz! Preezz! Aaaaah..."
The two of us quietly watched from above.
Sunah gently tugged on my sleeve once again.
Feeling the light tug on my sleeve, i glanced to the side and saw Sunah's face flushed with a complex expression. Worried about the club falling apart, yet somehow quietly relieved and even happy that it was just the two of us left.
"...They left the laptop behind."
Behind us, the laptop was still connected to the screen, displaying the PPT slides.
I sighed, thinking I should at least copy the PPT to my email for safekeeping.