LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 110
Chapter 110
At the back of the classroom, where one would typically expect to find lockers of similar dimensions, there stood a row of tall, vertical cabinets.
And, as the sommelier’s trait indicated, there was an unsettling feeling emanating from one of those cabinets.
A ghost of a female student sat in the center of the classroom, as if to draw attention.
And the cabinet was spacious enough to easily accommodate someone of average build.
Thinking there might be a ghost inside that cabinet, I started to hear faint, subtle movements from inside.
I took off my shoes and held them in my hand.
“Why are you taking off your shoes…?”
“Shh. I have a plan.”
Holding the pair of shoes in one hand, I tiptoed towards the desk in the center and whispered to the female student ghost.
“Big sister? Ghost?”
After contemplating for a moment, I chose the term ‘big sister’ to create a sense of familiarity instead of ‘ghost.’
“Big sister, can you not inform the one inside about the timing to jump out and scare us?”
“!”
Through the disheveled hair, a gaze met mine as if to ask how I knew.
‘It was a shot in the dark, but I got it right.’
From the outside, there was no gap in the cabinet to see through.
Therefore, to time the moment to jump out accurately from the inside, there would need to be real-time clues or signals indicating my location.
As I saw it, the only entity capable of providing such a signal in this room was the female student ghost.
When I got close to the cabinet, she might shake a chair or desk, or drop a book she was pretending to read to create a sound signal at the perfect moment to scare me effectively.
If she exhibited strange behavior suddenly, my attention would naturally shift to her, and the surprise attack from the cabinet would be maximized.
“Our director is really scared of things like this. He might faint if a ghost jumps out again.”
Persistently attempting to make eye contact with the female student ghost, I coaxed her gently until she nodded in agreement.
With her cooperation secured, I stealthily approached the suspicious cabinet.
Maybe it was just my imagination, but as I got closer, the presence inside the cabinet felt more tangible.
Knock, knock.
“Hello.”
As soon as I knocked, I flung the door open.
“…?”
As expected, the zombie boy hiding inside the cabinet looked out at me with bewildered eyes.
The zombie boy alternated his gaze between the docile female student ghost and me, seemingly trying to grasp the situation.
It appeared that the conversation I had with the female student ghost hadn’t been heard inside the cabinet.
The female student ghost averted her eyes, subtly avoiding the zombie boy’s accusatory stare.
Leaving the broken trust between the two for them to rebuild, I focused on my objective.
“Did you see a ring by any chance… Oh, you have it. Could you give it to me… Oh, thank you. Both of you, take care.”
Easily retrieving the ring from the zombie boy inside the cabinet, I put my shoes back on and swiftly navigated through the strange setups and rooms to spare our frightened director.
Not long after, we reached the exit where the staff waited. Showing them the ring case, we made our way outside.
Fresh air greeted us.
“Director, you did well.”
“Raon, you worked harder. You’re braver than I thought.”
“Actually, you were so scared beside me that I didn’t have time to be afraid.”
The director, who had put down the camera and sat as if relieved of a decade’s worth of stress, laughed sheepishly.
I wondered if Gyun Seong-ha was doing okay.
I wasn’t particularly worried about the others, but he always made me concerned.
But with Kang Ji-woo by his side, they should be fine, right?
* * *
They were not fine.
“Was the air conditioning inside so strong? Why are you both so sweaty…?”
Unlike Raon, who had exited the haunted house next, Ban Yo-han and Seo Moon-gyeol looked perfectly fine, while the last entrants, Kang Ji-woo and Gyun Seong-ha, came out drenched in sweat.
“We couldn’t find the last one no matter how hard we searched. We ended up singing to a ghost and begging until we finally found it.”
“I thought I heard singing from inside…”
“Ugh, after smelling blood and that strange, musty odor for so long, I feel like vomiting.”
For once, Kang Ji-woo nodded in agreement without telling him to stop talking about gross things.
Once Kang Ji-woo and Gyun Seong-ha seemed somewhat settled, the production team gathered the members’ attention.
“Now, we will have the ring presentation ceremony.”
The members glanced at the ring cases in their hands.
Following the staff’s instructions not to open them yet, they hadn’t checked the inside.
“Although it was a short time, I believe you made many precious memories with the members while filming ‘Let’s Get Close, Orca.’ Finally, please offer some words of encouragement to the member who has worked hard and personally place the ring you found on them.”
First, the leader, Kang Ji-woo, identified the owner of the ring he had found with the help of a ghost.
Judging by the initials ‘YH’ engraved inside, it was Ban Yo-han’s ring.
Following the production crew’s instructions, Kang Ji-woo held Ban Yo-han’s hands and spoke earnestly.
“I never imagined we would debut together until last year… Having you around honestly makes me feel at ease. Maybe it’s because we’ve known each other for so long, but just having you by my side is reassuring. Thank you so much for everything, and let’s rely on each other for the next eighty years or so.”
Kang Ji-woo, who rarely showed signs of embarrassment, slipped the ring onto Ban Yo-han’s left index finger amidst the applause of the members and production team. The two, who had been bickering all day, shared an awkward yet intimate hug.
Next, Ban Yo-han checked the owner of the ring he had found in the infirmary.
It belonged to On Raon.
“You said you were fine.”
Just like Kang Ji-woo, Ban Yo-han held On Raon’s hands and spoke calmly.
“As I mentioned before, no one can be fine all the time. If you ever have a hard time, talk to me or the others anytime. We’re a team and family now.”
On Raon’s eyes widened at the unexpected words.
“I hope Orca can be something you can lean on in the future.”
With those words, Ban Yo-han placed the ring on On Raon’s left index finger.
“Thank you.”
It was what On Raon said as the two shared a light hug.
Third, On Raon identified the owner of the ring he had received from the zombie boy.
“It’s not our Moon-gyeol, it’s hyung Gyeol.”
Laughter erupted around them at his cheerful tone.
“Thank you for helping me a lot since the survival days. Honestly, you’re the most considerate and kind person I know. But from now on, I hope you’ll think about yourself as much as you think about us. If that’s hard, well… We’ll just have to think about you more.”
With a playful smile, On Raon placed the ring on Seo Moon-gyeol’s finger and gave him a tight hug, having shared tough times among their peers.
“I’ll take even better care of you from now on.”
“Me too.”
Seo Moon-gyeol’s find from the music room was Gyun Seong-ha’s ring.
“When we were the only members at the company, practicing, I thought I was lucky to have you.”
Holding Gyun Seong-ha’s hands, Seo Moon-gyeol spoke in a calm voice.
“Thank you for getting along well with me… I’m happy we could debut together. Watching you work hard, I’ve learned a lot. You’re doing much better than you think, so have confidence, and let’s do well together.”
Tears welled up in Gyun Seong-ha’s eyes from the first sentence as Seo Moon-gyeol slipped the ring onto his left hand.
Finally, Gyun Seong-ha took Kang Ji-woo’s hands.
“I’m really thankful and glad that you joined our team.”
Recalling the time when Kang Ji-woo had boldly knocked on the CEO’s office door, Gyun Seong-ha had to pause as his heart tightened painfully.
“Ji-woo hyung, you’re incredible, brave, and cool beyond what I can imagine. Thank you for becoming our leader.”
Though short, each word carried immense gratitude.
Perhaps due to a shared significant event, the bond between them was deep and solid despite the relatively short time they had known each other.
Thus, identical rings adorned the left index fingers of all the members.
The sincere affection they felt for each other was evident in their words and actions, and a few of the more emotional staff members discreetly wiped their eyes after each moment.
“Unfortunately, today is the last filming day of ‘Let’s Get Close, Orca,’ but we, the production team, sincerely hope that you continue to create wonderful memories for a long time.”
Though there was still work to be done, like individual interview cuts, this was the last major outdoor filming.
The members expressed their disappointment, but the end was the end.
After taking several group Polaroid photos with the rings visible, for SNS event prizes, the day’s filming concluded.
* * *
After filming the personal interviews in their outfits, we finally returned to the dorm.
Though it was late at night, we didn’t go to bed right away but gathered in the living room to study foreign languages.
Everyone had homework to finish by the next morning’s lesson, but we hadn’t had time to do it while filming outside all day.
Seeing the ring glittering on my left index finger first made me feel amazed.
It was intriguing that all five of us wore identical rings on the same finger.
On the way back, there was even a joking remark, “If anyone goes out without their ring from now on, we’ll consider it a sign of serious dissatisfaction with the group,” so I thought we might keep wearing them for a while.
As my eyes were more drawn to the unfamiliar sensation on my left index finger than the boring foreign language textbook, Kang Ji-woo, yawning and closing his book, glanced at us and then spoke quietly.
“Talking about rings reminds me of last year.”