Chapter 23
The scream that was about to burst from my mouth was stopped by Tak Yeon-ho.
Then Yu Chae-song quickly covered his mouth with her hand.
“……!!”
My hands were trembling so hard that I couldn’t even put down my phone. I was just sitting there, frozen, clutching it nervously—until Dan Seo-hyuk took it from me.
And then—
<tkffuwntpdy: It’s not you.>
Aagh—why is this happening to me!?
‘Where is it watching from?’
Yeon-ho and I looked around at the same time. Of course, there was nothing—absolutely nothing there.
“What are you going to do, Choyeon?”
It was Yu Chae-song, the first to recover her composure.
“If you look at it alone, it’ll probably respond.”
Well, that’s true, but still—!
I squeezed my eyes shut.
I’d said I’d do anything to find Chohae.
There’s no way I could chicken out now!
‘It’s not like I’m seeing a ghost in person—it’s just a chat!’
Y-yeah, it’s just chatting… with a ghost. No big deal.
My hands were shaking as I lifted the phone again. The three of them avoided looking at the screen, watching only my expression.
<MachoKing: I’m looking at it alone now.>
<tkffuwntpdy: Good.>
What happens if I don’t behave? …I didn’t dare to ask.
<tkffuwntpdy: How to find a missing sibling.>
The internet ghost began typing rapidly, as if it had been waiting for that question.
<tkffuwntpdy:
At 4 a.m., call Quick Service at 444-4444.
When the call connects, say the name of the person or object you want to find. If asked for details, answer specifically.
If the courier says it’s possible, wait at an isolated spot at 4:44 a.m.
Never, under any circumstance, share this information with anyone.
There’s no payment, but you must thank the courier sincerely.>
‘Quick service?’
I thought it would tell me to go somewhere—like the Eden Villa again. This was not what I expected.
‘If I ask it to bring Chohae back… will it really find her?’
If it worked, that would be amazing. Fast and certain.
But something about it being “free” bothered me.
Why would it help for just a thank-you? That didn’t sound right.
“What’s wrong?”
“Did it tell you to do something dangerous?”
My friends were watching me anxiously.
I almost told them about the quick service—but then my eyes caught the screen again.
<tkffuwntpdy: 4. Never, under any circumstance, share this information with anyone.>
The same message had appeared again.
Cold sweat ran down my back.
‘If it knows I’m not looking alone… then it must also know that I shared the previous methods with them, right?’
But then… why hadn’t it done anything yet?
My teeth sank into my nail as I bit nervously.
Should I tell them anyway? Maybe, like last time, nothing would happen.
‘But it emphasized it again this time…’
I hesitated, then looked at my friends and gestured for them to wait.
<MachoKing: What would happen if I shared this with someone?>
<tkffuwntpdy: No.>
No?
Did that mean “no, nothing will happen”?
Then why use the word never?
“Choyeon, you’re not possessed by a ghost or something, right?”
Yeon-ho asked cautiously. I shook my head.
“No, I just have to ask something. Sorry, can you wait a bit?”
“Sure! Take your time—we’ll be fine.”
I nodded, hesitated a moment, then typed again.
<MachoKing: Will something happen to the person I share it with?>
Maybe it was because of Seo-hyuk’s constant warnings—don’t trust the ghost.
That thought made me more suspicious.
‘So far, nothing’s happened to Seo-hyuk or Yeon-ho… but still…’
My palms were slick with sweat when the reply finally came.
<tkffuwntpdy: ke …
<tkffuwntpdy: You’re quick-witted.>
What?
<Deleted message.> <Deleted message.> <tkffuwntpdy: Just kidding.>
A chill ran down my spine, every hair on my body standing on end.
I quickly turned off my phone screen and shoved it deep into my pocket.
“Why?”
Dan Seo-hyuk noticed the tremor in my eyes and asked quietly.
‘No way… could something happen to them soon?’
All three of them were looking at me with worried faces.
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
If that worry ever turned into resentment… I wouldn’t be able to bear it.
“It just said to go back to Eden Villa.”
“Then why do you look so freaked out?”
“Well, wouldn’t you be? It’s telling me to go back to that horrible place!”
Dan Seo-hyuk’s gaze was suspicious, sharp. He probably sensed from the way I averted my eyes that I was lying. He was perceptive like that—annoyingly perceptive.
“Is Eden Villa really that scary?”
“I’ve never been there myself, but I heard it’s haunted or something.”
Not knowing the full story, Yu Chae-song and Tak Yeon-ho whispered to each other.
Maybe thinking I was just scared, Tak Yeon-ho said,
“I’ll go with you! Want to check it out after school today?”
“I’ve got plans today, but if you’re going tomorrow, I can come along.”
Even Yu Chae-song chimed in. She must be busy with studies, but she still offered to go because she was worried about me.
I wanted to tell them I’d go alone—didn’t want to drag anyone into this—but with Dan Seo-hyuk watching me so intently, suspicion sharp in his eyes, I had no choice.
“Thanks. I was actually scared to go by myself.”
The ghost—or whatever it was—said to call the delivery service at 4 a.m. If I went to Eden Villa tonight and somehow got trapped there, that’d be a disaster.
“Then let’s all go tomorrow, when Chae-song’s free. It’ll be less scary with four of us, right?”
“Sounds good.”
“I’ll look up some rumors about Eden Villa tonight too!”
Both Yu Chae-song and Tak Yeon-ho agreed enthusiastically.
As we were setting up plans to meet after school tomorrow, more students began streaming into the classroom. The once quiet room was soon full of chatter and movement.
“Should we head back to our class too?”
“……”
“Seo-hyuk?”
Dan Seo-hyuk was staring straight at me—intensely. I tried to look away, to pretend not to notice.
Tak Yeon-ho glanced back and forth between us, then suddenly gasped, covering his mouth as if he’d realized something.
Whatever you’re thinking, it’s not that…!
“Hah.”
Dan Seo-hyuk didn’t say another word. He just sighed shortly and turned away.
That sigh made my chest feel strangely heavy, but I said nothing.
Once Seo-hyuk and Yeon-ho left, I sat down.
The seat next to me was still empty—Jang Hyun-woo hadn’t been discharged from the hospital yet.
“Cho-yeon.”
“Yeah?”
Yu Chae-song called softly from the seat behind me. I turned my head slightly.
“Just like you worry about me, the rest of us worry about you too.”
Her tone was calm and gentle.
Unlike Dan Seo-hyuk, who always tried to corner me with suspicion, her words carried quiet understanding.
“I get that you don’t want to make us worry,” she continued softly, “but let us help you too, okay?”
Yu Chae-song smiled faintly. Seeing that expression, I realized—
‘She knows I’m lying.’
But instead of pressing me for the truth, she was waiting.
She was saying, If there’s a reason you can’t tell us now, I’ll wait until you can.
Her maturity touched me. I nodded quietly.
“By the way,” she said suddenly, “Yeon-ho gave you a band-aid, didn’t he? Did you hurt yourself?”
“Huh?”
I tilted my head, confused—there wasn’t any visible injury. Yu Chae-song just mouthed something, then let out a small, bashful laugh.
“Yeon-ho’s surprisingly observant.”
“…He is?”
Considering how he’d totally misread the situation between me and Seo-hyuk earlier, I had my doubts.
“Yesterday, when I was walking, he noticed something and asked. So I told him I hurt myself a little.”
She pulled back the leg she’d had stretched out under the desk.
“It’s nothing serious, so don’t worry.”
“That’s good. You didn’t get hurt when you made that wish to the keyring, right?”
“Mm-hmm. I only asked it to help me stay up all night studying, so I just got a little nosebleed. I was dizzy after, but after a day’s rest, I was fine.”
Her voice was calm—no sign of lying.
‘So Hyun-woo got badly hurt because his wish was too reckless.’
At least Chae-song’s was harmless.
Soon the teacher walked in, and I turned back to face the front.
‘Four in the morning, huh.’
I scribbled the number “4” in the corner of my notebook.
4:44 a.m.
Would I really be able to find my precious little brother at that time tonight…?
