Chapter 69
When I came to my senses again, it felt as though my body was bound by something.
“What… what’s happening?”
It was an unnerving sensation—I couldn’t move freely. I tried to assess the situation, but suddenly my perspective started shifting on its own.
An empty hallway blurred past me. I wasn’t moving at all!
“What… what is this?”
The hallway lights flickered unnaturally. Room 305 passed, then 304 came closer.
Soon, I would reach Room 303.
“My body’s been taken over.”
Instinctively, I realized it. The Kiring ghost was controlling my body.
Even in my last memory, my face reflected in her eyes was completely covered with letters. The thought was miserable.
I tried to speak, opening my lips slightly—but no sound came out.
It felt strange to have my body moved by someone else, with only my vision being shared.
303.
Soon, I arrived at a familiar hospital room. Only two patients were admitted:
Jang Hyun-woo and Park Choong-man.
Click.
The Kiring ghost controlling my body opened the hospital room door. In the pitch-dark room, not even a breath could be heard.
The stillness was so unnatural that I could immediately sense the people inside were holding their breath.
“Even if it weren’t a ghost, we’d have noticed immediately,” I thought.
“Ah… what? Macho-yeon? You suddenly disappeared; we were worried. Bathroom?”
Jang Hyun-woo, positioned near the door, spoke. He seemed to have been terrified thinking I was a nurse ghost.
“Maybe because you and Dan Seo-hyuk are here today? Looks like the nurse ghost doesn’t want to come.”
Saying this, Jang Hyun-woo flipped the switch to turn on the lights.
Click.
The light didn’t turn on.
“Huh? What? Did the bulb go out?”
I thought I heard his confused voice—but then his face moved closer. My body was approaching Jang Hyun-woo.
“Uh?”
His back touched the wall, trapped between my arms, frozen in place.
Moreover, he seemed unusually flustered by the closeness.
“M-Macho-yeon? What’s wrong with you?”
“……”
“Hey, wait! My crush, Dan Seo-hyuk, is watching! You can’t do this!”
This guy?
If I could control my body directly, I would punch him in the gut!
As I ground my teeth in frustration, letters began flashing across Jang Hyun-woo’s face.
I panicked and tried to stop my body, but it didn’t respond at all.
“Run, Jang Hyun-woo!”
I shouted desperately in my mind, but of course, he couldn’t hear me.
I panicked, thinking: what if the Kiring ghost takes over Jang Hyun-woo’s body too?
“Hey.”
It was Dan Seo-hyuk’s voice.
I felt a large hand on my forehead. Was it possible for senses, not just sight, to be transmitted too?
It felt like he was blocking my body from approaching Jang Hyun-woo.
“Who are you?”
Jang Hyun-woo’s face slowly moved away. Looking up, I saw Dan Seo-hyuk’s scowling face.
“Who are you?”
Did he recognize me?
“Dan Seo-hyuk, what are you doing? Why are you suddenly acting like this toward Macho-yeon?”
Jang Hyun-woo seemed to sense something unusual and cautiously looked around. Still, Dan Seo-hyuk didn’t even glance at him.
The hand that had been on my forehead moved to my chin. He clenched tightly enough to press my cheeks and glared fiercely at me.
“You’re not Macho-yeon.”
How… how did he know?
I couldn’t react, but inside I was shocked. He figured it out so quickly.
“Could it be that he also has the ability to recognize ghosts, like me?”
It was plausible—originally, the story described people gaining abilities from ghosts at a cost.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t recall much beyond the Hide-and-Seek ghost’s powers.
“Whoa.”
For the first time since entering the hospital room, my mouth opened.
“How did you know?”
The rasping voice wasn’t mine. Jang Hyun-woo jumped back in surprise.
The air around us suddenly turned icy.
“You’re a sharp observer.”
“Macho-yeon?”
“Still alive.”
Dan Seo-hyuk frowned sharply and flung the hand off my face.
Snap!
He pushed it so hard that Dan Seo-hyuk furrowed his brows.
“You could have died without knowing anything.”
My face reflected in his eyes. Letters were beginning to cover my jawline. I shuddered, recalling the previous Kiring owner whose face had been completely covered in letters. Was I about to stop being human too?
“Kyung-mi…?”
My body flinched at Park Choong-man’s voice from behind.
“Are you Kyung-mi?”
An old man was slowly approaching, staggering, as if he had just risen from the bed.
My body was still focused solely on Dan Seo-hyuk, seemingly refusing to look at Park Choong-man.
“Kyung-mi.”
Despite my body ignoring him, Park Choong-man seemed certain the Kiring ghost occupied me.
His wrinkled, slipperless feet moved across the floor.
Step, step.
“Kyung-mi, show your face to your grandpa.”
“……”
“Child.”
As Park Choong-man approached, Dan Seo-hyuk silently moved aside. Now my view was filled by the old man.
He was bent and short, roughly at my eye level. His hair was pure white, face wrinkled, eyes full of tears.
“D-Do you hate your grandpa so much you don’t even want to answer?”
“……”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t help you sooner… made things hard for you…”
“……”
“I’m sorry, truly sorry.”
His bitter sobs echoed through the room. My body, motionless until now, began moving slowly.
My hands reached out and started choking Park Choong-man’s neck!
“Ugh!”
“Grandpa!”
Jang Hyun-woo quickly tried to pull my hands away, but they wouldn’t budge. The strength coming from my body seemed almost unreal.
“Who… who are you?”
A resentful voice came from my mouth.
“Who are you to ask for forgiveness?”
Park Choong-man’s face turned pale. My face, bleeding tears of blood, reflected in his eyes.
“If you really want forgiveness, die with me.”
“Ugh.”
“Wait, Cho-yeon! Let go of his hands first!”
“You want forgiveness? Then die.”
The face in my eyes smiled. Unlike my usual face, it was eerie and grotesque.
But why are you crying?
Why was the blood-red tears continuing despite the smile? Was the Kiring ghost really wishing for Park Choong-man’s death?
“Shall I kill him for you?”
Dan Seo-hyuk moved closer again, holding the dagger from my bag.
“What is he saying?!”
I panicked and tried to open my mouth to stop him—though no sound came out.
“Dan Seo-hyuk, are you crazy?!”
Jang Hyun-woo shouted in shock, as one would if a friend threatened someone with a knife.
Despite all the commotion, no one outside seemed to approach.
“It looked difficult to do with her body. Right?”
The comment was awkward, given how frail I looked.
“……”
“Tell me—should I kill him for you?”
Dan Seo-hyuk’s dagger aimed at Park Choong-man’s neck. The distance was razor-thin.
“Hey, Dan Seo-hyuk!”
The blade got closer. If he applied even a little pressure, it could pierce the skin.
Especially with someone like Dan Seo-hyuk, strong and muscular, it would be easy.
Just as the tip of the dagger touched his neck…
“No.”
A word of refusal came from my mouth. Again, it was an action beyond my own control.
“No!”
My hand, with no will of my own, forcefully grabbed Dan Seo-hyuk’s dagger.
‘Ahh, my hand!!’
It didn’t hurt physically, but just looking at it was painful. Why is my body being injured without my consent?!
Dan Seo-hyuk also seemed startled, dropping the dagger, which fell weakly to the floor.
“Ch-Cho-yeon’s hand…!”
Jang Hyun-woo panicked upon seeing my bleeding hand. The cut was fairly deep.
The Kiring ghost occupying me didn’t care, standing still.
Once my hand released the dagger, Park Choong-man collapsed to the floor.
“Ouch!”
“Grandpa!”
The impact of the choke and being thrown to the floor seemed to hurt his knees and back. I silently looked down at him.
Strictly speaking, it was the Kiring ghost inhabiting my body.
Does it not want grandpa to die?
Even though it acted as if it would kill him, my hands trembled. Once again, the movements were completely beyond my control.
