Chapter 32
“…I’m sorry.”
“So why! Why are you rejecting me! You loser!”
“……”
Why indeed!
Would you want to date a ghost if you were in my place?
And suddenly appearing out of nowhere, mocking me for being a virgin who’s never dated.
She suddenly appeared out of nowhere and mocked me for being a pathetic loser who’s never dated anyone.
If you’re a ghost, date other ghosts like yourself!
He’s just a guy I don’t like anything about, from start to finish.
I wished that old man would sit down quickly.
Then the bus would depart.
Then I’d get off at my next station, ‘Pride station,’ and that would be the end of it.
“Hey! Are you listening to me?!”
“……”
“This bastard, really! Why don’t you like me! Say something!!”
Now finding it difficult even to pretend to listen, I closed my ears.
And shut my eyes.
Originally, the best response to annoying salespeople or cult members is to ignore them.
But for the blonde ghost watching Park Yeon-jeong, who had declared he would no longer listen to her story, This behavior only served to further provoke her anger.
“…I, I… What is it about me that you dislike so much! You son of a bitch!!”
“……”
For a moment, I almost mistook the world I had entered for a romantic ghost story, Rather than a cosmic horror or urban fantasy filled with numerous ghost stories.
And the blonde ghost’s statement just now seemed somewhat problematic.
First of all, We’ve only known each other for barely a few hours in terms of time.
And secondly, The word choice ‘what is it about me’ was wrong from the start.
It’s not as if there’s a specific part to point out.
I dislike you as a whole, Miss Blonde Ghost.
And after less than a day of knowing each other, do you really think it’s appropriate to ask what I like or dislike about you?
I really wanted to express my rejection sincerely if she would allow it.
Really sincerely.
“…Shall I be honest with you?”
“Yes! Go ahead! Tell me exactly what it is about me that you dislike so much!”
I just received permission.
So from now on, facts are legal.
“First of all, I don’t like your way of speaking. Rough language, curses that pop out like a vending machine at the slightest touch. It’s exactly the style I dislike.”
“……”
“And I’m sorry, but I don’t want to date a ghost who’s already died once, and probably no one else would want to date you either!”
“…………”
Honestly, I think this was a minimally polite rejection that had gone through a lot of filtering.
Of course, it depends on how the recipient takes it.
I thought this was sufficient to convey my intentions.
Vrooom.
And the bus departing just in time.
“……”
After hearing my honest rejection, the blonde ghost became quiet as a dead mouse.
…She’s not dead, is she?
She’s already died once, but I worried if she might have died again and looked at her.
Sniff.
Judging by the very small sound like she was sniffling, She hadn’t died a second time yet.
……… It’s quiet.
Even the old man sitting at the very back no longer shouts “High places are indeed the best!” This silence wasn’t bad, but.
“…Maybe I was too harsh.”
Recalling my own clumsy behavior when I couldn’t contain my anger and expressed it as it was, belated regret washed over me.
The blonde ghost, still saying nothing, was finally showing the appearance of ghosts as I had known them.
Dropping long straight hair.
An eerie voice that seemed to be sobbing about something.
Chills!
Suddenly Park Yeon-jeong’s danger sensor activated.
A feeling of anxiety that somehow he shouldn’t leave things this way.
As I was carefully trying to call out to the woman still sitting beside me.
“…Excuse me.”
Pssssssh.
【This stop is ‘Pride’.】
【Passengers who need to get off, please check your registry and disembark at this station.】
The bus had arrived at Park Yeon-jeong’s stop without him noticing.
The rear door of the bus opened, and I stared at it blankly.
I didn’t immediately get off the bus.
Park Yeon-jeong just stared intently at the rear door.
Despite it being his stop, for some reason, he didn’t try to get up from his seat.
Could it be.
Does he still feel sorry for the blonde woman?
No.
That can’t be me.
I’m not the kind of emotional man who would stay here because I couldn’t apologize to a single ghost, While facing a situation where I might be dragged to hell.
Pssssssh.
The rear door of the bus closes.
Standing up! Only then did Park Yeon-jeong rise from his seat and move.
The direction of his steps was not toward the just-closed rear door, But toward the front door of the bus.
Pssssssh.
The front door opened next. And a man calmly walked out through that front door.
Not a blood-red sky.
Nor a ground covered in pools of red blood.
Just an ordinary blue moonlight gently illuminating the man named Park Yeon-jeong.
And this is the way to disembark at Pride station.
If you’ve already seen the preceding Stops, normally you’d think,
“Of course, at Pride station too, I should get off through the rear door.”
Those afflicted with the Pride station trap, like Park Yeon-jeong, have all become excessively arrogant, From the process of solving the gimmicks of the previous stations, filled with excessive dopamine.
-I can escape.
With the misconception that if they pass through the rear door like everyone else, they could escape from this place, They fall into the trap of Pride.
The records of countless people who confidently walked out through the rear door at the previous Pride station and fell into hell flashed through my mind.
Who would have known?
That the door leading to Pride station was… the ‘front door’.
“…Haa.”
Taking in the cool night air that penetrated my lungs, It finally felt real.
I’ve returned alive.
I thought I could finally take off the top student glasses I had been wearing all this time.
Click.
When I grasped the frame of my glasses and slightly lowered them halfway,
Stumble!
Throb!
…Ugh!
The moment I slightly lowered my glasses frames, nausea rushed in.
I barely managed to cover with one hand what felt like vomit about to burst from my mouth.
Also, I barely managed to push back my eyeballs, which seemed about to pop out, with my other hand.
Between Park Yeon-jeong’s bloodshot eyes, his dilated black pupils stared at the bus that had not yet departed.
“…W-what’s going on.”
The bus had not yet departed.
But I know that’s irrelevant to the matter. Because I know…
The word ‘fear’ began to strangle Park Yeon-jeong’s breath.
Fortunately, I quickly pushed up my glasses, which were still slightly caught on my nose bridge and hadn’t fully come down.
The nausea I had just felt gradually disappeared.
It felt like I could finally breathe properly again.
Standing up again with both feet on the ground, When Park Yeon-jeong felt that investigation was needed about the abnormal phenomenon he had just experienced.
“I…” ?
Voice?
I immediately turned my head towards where the voice came from.
When I turned my head, there.
Wearing white mourning clothes, with exotic golden long hair flowing down.
A woman was crying sorrowfully, with tears welling up in her eyes and falling down.
“Am, am I… so disgusting to you that it makes you want to vomit! You trash… bastard…”
“…Why are you here?”
The blonde ghost who should be riding on the bus.
Is currently standing with me at the bus station.
Why?
When I sensed that something was wrong, a thought quickly flashed through my mind.
/Ghost Story Journal.
[Destination is hell, it is hell.]
Identification code Cd-F-4444 . . .
Additional note. It is said that some people who returned from this ghost story suffered from various symptoms for a while.
The same symptoms occurred only in employees who had high resistance to mental damage.
Could it be… Park Yeon-jeong belatedly realized that he had buttoned the first button wrong in this ghost story. It was too late.
It was already too late to take back his past actions.
“I… (sob) how… (sob) cou, courageously… I, I spoke…”
“…”
The definition that could be drawn from the current situation was as follows.
Park Yeon-jeong is currently.
Possessed by a ghost.
And by a very persistent crying blonde ghost at that.
I alternately examined the blonde ghost who was crying so sorrowfully and the bus that had not yet departed beside her.
There is still a chance.
Before this bus departs.
I just need to get this blonde ghost back on the bus.
Passengers who board at the station of Envy only need someone to listen to their grievances – it is such a simple task.
So right now I just need to listen to this blonde ghost’s grievances, and I can get rid of this one from my side.
“…Why… why.”
Sob.
To the blonde ghost who was still crying so sorrowfully, I slowly approached her cautiously as if comforting a crying child.
“I’m, I’m sorry. Actually, what I said at that time was not my true feelings.”
… The sobbing subsides.
The ghost’s sobbing subsided so suddenly that I suspected whether she had been pretending to cry.
But now was not the time to quibble over such trivial matters.
“Actually… I was embarrassed.”
“…Embarrassed?”
“…Yes. I suppose since it was the first time I received a confession from someone of the opposite sex. That’s why such nonsense came out. Didn’t you say earlier? I’m a ‘virgin loser’…after all.”
“…”
…Huh, why am I starting to tear up?
A strange illusion as if tears were flowing from my eyes.
I never thought that putting myself down would be so heart-wrenching.
After I spoke all those words out loud myself, it created an illusion as if I really had become such a person.
When we were young, there was a teacher’s lesson that if you loudly say what you want to become, it will come true.
Park Yeon-jeong is a virgin loser. …Well, the word ‘virgin’ isn’t incorrect, so I won’t correct just that part.
But
Just as calling a fool a fool is no different from an insult.
To me, being called a virgin is clearly no different from an insult.
So now, let’s stop mentioning it.
“…Then, what you said just now on the bus wasn’t true?”
Although her voice still sounds nasally, the intense emotions towards me were no longer felt.
So, the remaining task is.
To make this blonde ghost get back on the bus.
“…I’m sorry for making you cry because of a loser like me.”
As kindly as possible.
“…Oh! But it seems like the bus is about to leave.”
And naturally.
Vrroom.
Just then, as if it had been listening to Park Yeon-jeong’s story, the bus engine started.
Nice timing,
bus driver!
“I hope we can meet again when the time comes.”
“…”
“…Excuse me, I think the bus is about to leave?”
“…”
Vrrrroom! !!
D-driver!
This person… no, this ghost hasn’t boarded yet! The frustrating sight of the blonde ghost not making any movement, even though the atmosphere seemed good until just now.
I had no choice but to try to force her to board.
I immediately reached out my hand towards where her wrist was.
Grab! !!
But the blonde ghost caught my outstretched hand.
Swoop!
Pulling me towards herself at a distance so close that it seemed like our lips would touch at any moment.
Her blue eerie eyes were sparkling.
“Do you like me?”
“…Pardon?”
“I’m asking if you like me.”
Vrroom. !!!
Now there really was no time to delay.
“Yes, yes, I like you! Actually, I fell in love with you at first sight from the moment you got on the bus!”
“…”
So please, just get on the bus, you! Somehow, other passengers who were already on the bus were also witnessing this public confession scene.
The blonde ghost, after hearing what I just said, gradually had a faint smile spreading across her face, which had been crying until now.
“…Then, we both escape from being virgins.”
…Excuse me? You were a virgin too? A considerable sense of betrayal.
But soon after, a soft blue light began to slowly envelop the blonde woman’s entire body.
“W-what’s happening to your body?”
“Huh? What’s happening to my body?”
Could it be.
Is this what they call attaining Nirvana or something?
Park Yeon-jeong, who never expected to witness with his own eyes what was only heard of as attaining Nirvana, forgot the fact that until just now he was trying to get this blonde ghost on the bus.
He watched with interest as she proceeded through the process of attaining Nirvana. The only regret at this moment was the absence of sweet caramel popcorn.
“Hey! What are you looking at! Hurry up and grab her!”
“What? Why should I…”
“Your girlfriend is going to heaven now! If this continues, it will be a permanent farewell from you!”
“What! Th-that can’t be!”
“So hurry up and take my hand…”
“So there was such a method?”
“…What?”
The investigation record did not include the information that not only by making her board the bus but also by resolving her accumulated resentment, she would attain Nirvana like this.
I’ve documented a good case.
If I could have informed the GRA agency about this fact, I would certainly have received a huge reward.
Of course, if a civilian like me went there and abruptly said:
-I have discovered a new anomaly in that ghost story! So please give me a reward! Then.
Selection as subject for isolation and observation.
Predictable without even seeing it.
“You crazy bastard! Hurry up and grab her!!”
“…”
While I was briefly lost in thought, the blonde ghost had already risen to a place beyond my reach.
Looking at her.
Clap.
I placed both palms together.
And showed the minimum respect towards her.
‘Let’s never meet again.’
“You son of a…”
Thus, Park Yeon-jeong helped a pitiful soul wandering through hell attain Nirvana.
It was truly a meaningful day.
“…”
So now I should go home too.
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