Chapter 68
Fortunately, the nurse ghost wasn’t looking at me. I quickly scanned my surroundings and then closed my eyes again.
It was a dark hallway. There was no sign of Dokseo-hyuk, nor anyone from Room 303.
If I had to find someone related to the nurse ghost in this ward, it would probably only be patient Park Chung-man.
“Why am I the only one being taken?”
“Because I’m a female patient?”
“Will it even be possible to communicate?”
I glanced at the nurse ghost—and our eyes met. I nearly had a heart attack from the shock.
“…….”
Why, why isn’t she saying anything?
Other ghosts would smile eerily or say something terrifying if you met their gaze.
The nurse ghost just stared at me silently.
Clatter, clatter.
Even as she did that, the bed I was lying on moved diligently. The unlubricated wheels made a loud noise in the otherwise quiet hallway.
Still, no one came out of the rooms to look. The cold air of early dawn pressed in, making everything feel even more chilling.
I decided to quietly observe the situation. Even if I tried to run, I would probably be caught immediately. The most important thing was…
“Even if it’s faint, it’s green.”
A faint green mist swirled around the nurse ghost.
Compared to the vivid, widespread smoke of the quick-service ghost, it was minor.
Still, it didn’t seem like a ghost that would harm me. Clairvoyance was an extremely useful ability.
How long had we been moving?
The nurse ghost took the elevator, got off, and continued down the hall, eventually stopping at a certain door.
“Oh, crap.”
The mortuary.
In the dark hallway, only the letters on the door were clearly visible.
“Should I run away even now…?”
Had I been too reassured because the smoke was green? Well, from a ghost’s perspective, “Life’s too hard, so I’ll give you a nice rest in the mortuary!” might even count as a good deed.
I glanced sideways. Seeing the nurse ghost still staring at me, I postponed the idea of running again.
If I even sat up and she decided to strangle me… that would be bad.
“Um…”
I had no choice but to try talking.
“May I ask why you brought me here?”
Please, be a ghost who can speak like the quick-service ghost!
I waited, heart pounding. The nurse ghost remained silent. Was she unwilling to communicate?
Without a word, she opened the mortuary door and pushed the bed inside. Strangely, even the clattering sound of the wheels disappeared.
Inside, the mortuary felt unusually cold and eerily quiet. I cautiously raised my upper body, but the nurse ghost didn’t stop me.
As I looked around, the lights in the mortuary flickered slowly.
“Ah, please…”
This always happens in horror movies! Even though the nurse ghost was right beside me!
Clunk.
A sound came from somewhere else—not where I and the nurse ghost were.
The freezer where the bodies were stored.
The tightly closed door slowly opened. A pale hand peeked out.
“Aaaaah!!”
I was too terrified to scream. I wanted to faint, but my mind was sharp as ever.
The hand continued to extend, now revealing the arm and shoulder.
Plop. The hand hit the floor, and the figure inside the freezer slowly crawled out. Long hair hung over its face, hiding it completely.
The nurse ghost started pushing the bed toward it.
“No! Go alone if you’re going!”
I braced myself, frozen in fear, wondering if I should jump off the bed now.
[Room 303 Ward Record]
The nurse ghost finally spoke.
[Patient Lim Kyung-mi, 24 years old. Successfully separated from guardian Park Chung-man.]
The tone matched the ward record written in the notebook. The content, however, included things not in the notebook.
[Boyfriend demanded discharge. Medical staff opposed due to patient’s condition.]
The figure fully emerged from the freezer. Only when her eyes met mine did I recognize her as the Kiring ghost.
A bright, almost ominous red smoke swirled around her.
[Despite boyfriend’s focused care, patient’s anxiety worsened. Exhibited violent behavior in the room, threatening other patients.]
The Kiring ghost’s skin, exposed beyond the patient uniform, including the backs of her hands and feet, was covered with countless letters.
[Complaints from patients and guardians. Boyfriend demanded discharge, citing ties to another hospital.]
Her face was the same—covered in letters. Yet, her eyes, visible between strands of hair, looked… sad.
[Patient Lim Kyung-mi discharged. On the day of discharge, attending nurse visited; patient passed a note.]
The nurse ghost spoke bitterly.
[‘Please help me.’ …The attending nurse saw letters inside the patient’s sleeves, which had not been there two days prior; some written with pen, some carved. Disinfection incomplete, risk of infection. Eye contact made with boyfriend while packing. …Attending nurse ignored.]
Ah. That attending nurse was the present nurse ghost.
Perhaps she averted her gaze out of fear. Seeing the boyfriend’s influence during Lim Kyung-mi’s hospitalization, she may have resigned herself to helplessness.
But judging by the log and the way I was being led by the Kiring ghost, she seemed to have deep regrets.
[Months after discharge, incident occurs. Lim Kyung-mi jumps from Room 303, presumably hiding in the bathroom.]
[Guardian Park Chung-man arrives in despair. Patient in worse condition than before discharge; previous state unrecognizable. Attending nurse attends funeral; boyfriend seen bringing a strange woman.]
As the nurse ghost spoke, the Kiring ghost slowly approached me.
[Boyfriend threatened attending nurse not to tell anyone.]
Her eyes reflected me. Letters had spread up to her neck. I shut my eyes tightly and opened them again as the wriggling letters crawled over her body—it was disgusting.
[Attending nurse reported auditory hallucinations from stress. Committed suicide at home from guilt.]
Were those hallucinations the Kiring ghost’s voice? What had the nurse heard?
The Kiring ghost was now right in front of me, staring. Slowly, she opened her mouth; letters were engraved even on her tongue.
[I said I would definitely find you.]
Her blinking eyes looked ominous.
Ah. Even knowing her tragic story, she was still the kind of ghost to give me trouble. I should have run when the red smoke appeared.
Her pale, lifeless hand reached toward me. I thought she was going to strangle my neck, but she didn’t. Around my neck, I only felt a cold sensation.
The Kiring ghost carefully touched each letter on my neck as if checking them.
[Just a little more.]
[When the letters cover your entire body.]
[I can use your body.]
What?
I froze at the unexpected words. The Kiring ghost smiled faintly, apparently satisfied by my reaction.
[You ruined my toy first.]
[Always interfering.]
“Toy…? When did I ever interfere with you?”
[You trapped me in a nightmare.]
Flinch.
She meant the previous owner of Kiring. The last time I saw her, her entire face had been covered in letters.
So the Kiring ghost was trying to possess her body.
“You’re trying to come back alive, attaching yourself to my body after the ghost you killed.”
Perhaps she already knew this.
‘Then the previous owner was passing Kiring around on a resale app…’
Was she helping the Kiring ghost possess other people’s bodies?
A plausible theory. Using the previous owner outside the hospital and the nurse ghost inside.
How many victims could there be?
I swallowed dryly and asked,
“Are you doing this to take revenge on the boyfriend?”
[Revenge?]
[I already did.]
[You met him too.]
Me? When did I meet the man who tormented the Kiring ghost?
Confused, I stared at the ghost. She smirked and pointed to her stomach with her battered, thin fingers.
No way.
“The man who was in the previous owner’s body…?”
[Yes.]
[Birds of a feather.]
[Even in death, the woman wanted to be together, so I willingly complied.]
Ah.
I thought that man was only a victim of obsession and hatred. But even victims can become perpetrators to someone else—like this ghost, wronged but turned harmful.
I had no words. Revenge on the boyfriend seemed complete—so why try to possess others’ bodies?
[I want to take revenge on my grandfather.]
“Park Chung-man’s grandfather?”
[Yes. I can’t just die alone unfairly.]
[I’ll kill my grandfather and my younger sibling.]
[I’m the only one suffering!!!!]
Her anger, which should have been aimed at the boyfriend, had spread to others.
“If I let her continue, she’ll harm innocent people too.”
She was blinded by rage, unable to see clearly. Not her grandfather’s sorrow and guilt, nor the nurse’s regretful expression.
I grabbed her hand with trembling fingers. Fortunately, she did nothing but look at me.
“Grandfather Park Chung-man is suffering because he lost you. I don’t think he’s someone you need to take revenge on.”
[What do you know?]
[He’s the human who abandoned me.]
“You have only one person to resent. And that person has already received punishment.”
[So.]
[You want me to end here?]
[My life was hell.]
Ah.
The area around the Kiring ghost turned even redder. The bag with the dagger was in the room, leaving me defenseless.
Milli, who could protect me, was not nearby.
‘Why didn’t you appear this time, Milli?’
I called desperately, but there was no answer.
[I want everyone to fall into hell.]
My vision blurred.
The face reflected in the Kiring ghost’s eyes was already covered with the words, “Please save me.”
