Ghost Story Club-Chapter 144: Sixteenth Ghost Story – The Mysterious 4th Period (8)

“……”

“……”

The detective and four female students stared at the place I pointed at.

“…What?”

The detective squinted his eyes as he carefully looked at the map.

“…This is a classroom.”

“Yes. It’s a classroom.”

He snorted at my answer.

“…Hey. How could there be anyone in a place where students are obviously studying-”

“Are you an idiot?”

“…..!”

He glared at me for a moment.

“What?”

“Or are you just trying to frame me intentionally?”

“……”

I glared at him while sitting on the chair with my shoulders slumped.

The atmosphere had definitely shifted from before when I had been just bowing my head.

Soon, the detective, who had been glaring at me, turned his head back to examine the map.

And then, he slowly stroked his chin and nodded with a look of understanding in his eyes.

“…This is your class.”

“Yes.”

I nodded.

That’s right.

The place I pointed to, Class 3 Grade 1, was our classroom.

And our classroom had been empty the entire time because we had P. E. class during the 4th period.

“On both sides, CCTV monitors the area without any gaps. And from the back, I had been watching everything. So there’s only one route through which either the culprit or the victim could come in. And that is this.”

Right in front.

Through our classroom.

“……”

Everyone carefully looked at the map.

If someone were to climb in through the classroom window from the outside, move through the hallway with their head down, they could easily avoid everyone’s gaze and carry out the act without drawing anyone’s attention up to that exact location in question.

And if we assume that, the range of potential suspects would have expanded dramatically in an instant.

Not just us who were passing through the hallway on the first floor, but also everyone who was outside the main building at that time.

Including the security guard, the cafeteria lady, the seniors who were in the playground, and all the teachers who were passing by.

If it was that route, anyone could have committed the crime.

‘Of course, this is just sophistry.’

I already knew that what I was saying to the detective right now was not the right answer.

That’s because when we move between classrooms, the student in-charge locks all the windows and doors.

Right now, I’m just trying to navigate through the situation, coming up with quick-witted responses at the moment.

‘And that’s how I live my life, using my innate nature.’

Deceiving, finding a quick way to survive, thinking outside the box, and avoiding the immediate situation.

That’s my, Lee Joon’s, quirk, and at the same time, what I’m best at.

By momentarily redirecting the thoughts of the people present to the route of the classroom, I then searched again for a way to live my life worry-free.

“…Outside the classroom.”

However, from the perspective of the detective, who was an outsider, this logic seemed persuasive, and he slowly nodded his head.

‘This guy. I can fool him.’

Up until now, I had been suspicious, wondering if this person was from the suspicious force in the school, trying to intentionally get me involved with their manipulative tactics because of his oddly aggressive attitude toward me.

After looking closely, I started to think that maybe he was just incompetent.

A bad work ethic that solves problems by threatening and intimidating people.

“Outside the classroom. Outside the classroom……”

The detective muttered to himself while nodding his head.

Soon, he turned to look at us and asked.

“Doesn’t the school have a Class President or something like that at the class these days? Isn’t there someone who locks the door when the classroom is empty?”

“I locked it.”

Vice Class President Chaerin raised her hand and answered.

“I’m also the Vice Class President, and I was in the classroom until the end because I was the first to be interviewed after the 4th period started.”

“… Really?”

“Yes. I locked the windows, the front door, and the back door before going to the auditorium.”

“Where’s the key?”

The detective asked, crossing his arms.

“After you locked the door and left, did you keep the key with you the whole time?”

“Yes. The key is usually kept in the attendance sheet, and I had it with me the whole time, from when I left the classroom until I took it to the auditorium after the consultation session.”

“……”

With the precise answer from the Vice Class President Chaerin, all eyes turned toward me again.

Their eyes seemed to tell me to say something If I had anything to add.

“You don’t expect everyone to believe that, right?”

“…What!?”

Chaerin showed an offended look.

She quickly glared at me and snapped.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I said that because I found it ridiculous that you seemed so confident.”

I straightened my shoulders and met her gaze directly.

Soon, sharp words started pouring out of Chaerin’s mouth as she glared at me with fierce eyes.

“I’m not being confident, I’m saying what I’m sure of. Why, are you getting anxious because you keep finding yourself in a tough spot?”

“No. It just sounded like you were deliberately insisting you locked all the windows to make me anxious.”

“Are you crazy!?”

She screamed sharply, her voice filled with anger.

But anyway, my job wasn’t to find out the truth.

I was not a police officer, a detective, or a private investigator.

Just a warrior struggling to solve a ghost story.

In other words, my top priority right now is not to find the culprit, but to get out of here quickly, rejoin the club members in the classroom, and observe the darkening sky outside.

What I needed to do at the moment was simply redirect the arrows of suspicion onto someone else.

“Does that make sense? If you include the small windows at the top, there are more than 20 windows in the classroom, and today, of all days, you suddenly felt so diligent that you really checked them all out?”

“Yeah, maybe because I’m so diligent that I always check them all?”

“That’s just your way of spouting nonsense.”

“You’re the one talking nonsense right now!”

“What? Why doesn’t it make sense that you could have missed one of the more than 20 windows in the classroom? Anyone can make that mistake.”

I shamelessly lifted my chin and corner the Vice Class President.

“Lee Chaerin, you do realize how suspicious it is if you’re so confident in strange things, right?”

“What? What do you mean? Seriously. Speak clearly.”

“So what I’m saying is, it’s suspicious that you’re so unnecessarily sure you locked everything, especially when it could have been a simple human mistake.”

“Hey! I’m not lazy like you, who always sprawls out on the desk and sleeps during class. I’m always diligent, so that’s why I’m confident!”

“Don’t make personal attacks.”

I shamelessly reprimanded Chaerin, who was getting excited.

Then I shrugged my shoulders.

“Is this really something to raise your voice over? You could have missed one of the 20 windows, and you’re acting like this? Lee Chaerin, you’re being a bit weird.”

“Hey! Seriously! This is ridiculous…”

“You are the one who’s being ridiculous. Regardless of whether you’re being honest or not, you could have made a mistake. It’s not completely impossible, so why are you gritting your teeth and denying it?”

“I definitely, I definitely remember checking everything one by one!”

“Then what, like the detective said, did the body rise from the ground? In my opinion, Vice President Lee Chaerin is an accomplice. She left one window open for the culprit to come in from outside, and now she’s stubbornly insisting that to make things difficult for me. If that’s not the case, there’s no way she’d be so sure about such a trivial thing.”

“Hey! You, you……”

Chaerin’s face gradually turned red, until it was completely flushed. Her breathing became increasingly erratic, and suddenly, she covered her face with both hands and burst into tears.

“I, I… checked everything… that everything was locked……”

“……”

“I, I checked… I checked properly… that’s why, I……”

With tears like chicken droppings streaming down her face, Chaerin, the proud and sharp Vice Class President, sobbed quietly.

Yeseul, who was next to her, patted her back with a flustered face.

“Don’t, don’t cry, Chaerin……”

“I… checked everything… I just… said… I did….”

“Okay, okay, don’t cry. Please stop……”

Yeseul comforted the sobbing Vice Class President Chaerin.

The detective watched the whole scene quietly, while Jinhee appeared tired of the whole ordeal.

And then there was Hayoon, with a faint smile that was hard to read, watched the scene.

I, who had no friends in class, ended up making our pretty and popular Vice Class President Chaerin cry.

“Sniff… sniff…hic…”

The sound of Chaerin’s crying, which had been echoing through the quiet broadcast room, gradually faded.

After a moment, the detective, who had been quietly observing, turned his head toward Jinhee and opened his mouth.

“Attendance number 14, student Lee Jinhee. You were with the Vice Class President until you left the classroom.”

“Yes.”

“Then you must have seen it. Did she really lock all the doors?”

“……”

Jinhee, with a bored expression, nodded in agreement, confirming that Chaerin’s words were true.

As expected from the sharp and diligent Vice Class President, who ranked second in the entire school, it seemed there was no doubt that she indeed locked everything.

And as if to confirm that it was true, a message about the Vice Class President’s personality popped in front of me.

Pop-

[Your understanding of the character Lee Chaerin has increased by 20.]

At the same time, the young detective’s gaze once again turned toward me.

“It seems like we should conclude that everything was locked in the classroom. What should you do?”

“What should I do?”

“……”

The detective tilted his head as if he was dumbfounded.

Then, he alternately pointed between Chaerin, who was wiping her tears, and me.

“…She said everything was locked. This person here.”

“So?”

“…So now it’s your turn to argue your case.”

The detective gestured politely, as if unsure whether I understood, and pointed to both me and Chaerin.

“She confirmed that she locked everything before leaving, right? Then there’s no way the culprit could have entered through the classroom you pointed to.”

“Yes.”

“So we’re back to square one.”

“Yes.”

“So it’s your turn to answer again.”

“About what?”

The detective shrugged his shoulders.

“About how the culprit came in.”

“Why should I answer that?”

“……”

“I think you’re mistaken, so let me clarify. I’m no longer a suspect.”

I pushed my chair back with a screech and stood up.

“Hayoon over there already proved that I was just watching the teachers’ office the entire time the incident happened.”

“…That’s true.”

“Then, doesn’t that put me in the same position as them? Hmm?”

“……”

“Then why are you talking as if I have more to prove? Speak clearly. Stop jumping to conclusions.”

I stood straighter and glared at him.

Yes.

Until now, the two of them, excluding me, were together all along, and I was the only one who was left alone.

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However, thanks to Hayoon’s testimony, I now have a new ‘partner’ who can prove my alibi.

I had already been watching Hayoon from behind the store from the moment she first entered the teachers’ office after passing through the hallway.

The fact that I never went near the hallway until the incident occurred and the woman’s screams were heard had been confirmed as an alibi through Hayoon, who was watching me from the teachers’ office.

I was no longer a suspect.

“What, did it look like I was still a suspect just because I had an argument with the Vice Class President over there? Don’t make me laugh. I just decided to question things again since a new lead came to mind. And back to square one? You police officers who have to investigate are the ones who came back to square one, not me. Don’t talk like I suddenly have something more to prove. Got it?”

I pointed my finger at the South Korean authorities and asked them calmly.

The detective stood silently, his expression hardened, without saying a word.

“What, you want me to figure out where the culprit came in from? Seriously, that’s bullsh*t. Why should I help you figure that out?”

“……”

“The investigation should be done by the police, not by me. Just because I’m staying quiet, does that mean I look like an easy target? Anyway, with this, our alibis are confirmed, right? I’m leaving now. Everyone, stand up.”

I pulled up Jinhee, who was making a ‘Huh?’ expression, and greeted the Vice Class President, who was wiping away her tears, and Yeseul.

“You’ve all worked hard. We don’t need to be here anymore, so don’t let that detective’s words sway you. You can head back to the classroom. Take care.”

The moment I grabbed the door handle of the broadcasting room and spoke those words.

The detective, who had been standing rigidly in silence, suddenly bent his waist at a 90-degree angle and bowed to me.

“I’m sorry.”

“……”

“……”

Even though the atmosphere already sank with Chaerin’s tears, the mood in the broadcasting room grew even heavier.

“I’m sorry. I think I made a mistake. I apologize.”

“……”

“……”

Everyone held their breath at the unexpected turn of events.

Chaerin, who had been crying, opened her mouth in shock.

At the same time, Jinhee let out another ‘Huh?’ with a look of confusion.

Yeseul widened her eyes in surprise, and Hayoon smiled as if she found it amusing.

“……”

“……”

I briefly panicked, grabbing and letting go of the door handle, but then, feeling confident, I seized the opportunity to nitpick his apology.

“…A mistake? Excuse me, after pulling this kind of crap on a minor, and now you’re using the word ‘mistake’—”

“I also apologize for using that word.”

The young detective remained bent at a 90-degree angle, still bowing his head toward me.

“I apologize for using the word ‘mistake’. I was foolish and had the wrong person in custody. I sincerely apologize.”

“……”

“……”

I was so speechless that I couldn’t find the words to respond.

Seriously, what should I even say?

Today truly was a day of witnessing all kinds of people.

He seemed to be waiting for me to accept his apology, as he remained completely still, still bowing his head without moving an inch.

“……”

“……”

A few minutes passed like that.

I felt strange.

To be honest, I was a little pissed off, but still, seeing someone around the age of my uncle, representing South Korean authority, bowing their head to me made me feel a bit uncomfortable.

But I was also really angry, and I had no intention of staying detained any longer, so for now, I decided to wait and see how he would respond.

“……”

“……”

Five more minutes passed in the awkward atmosphere.

Chaerin, who had returned to her usual expressions, and Yeseul, the church girl, looked at me as if they thought this was enough.

The young detective remained perfectly still, like a mannequin, bowing his head to me in a sharp, straight line.

I slowly opened my mouth, feeling an indescribable emotion.

“…It’s fine. There’s no need for you to bow to me, detective. You just did your job. Please stand up.”

“Huu.”

Without a change in his expression, he straightened up.

Then, as if nothing had happened, he immediately brought up the next topic.

“Then, please help me as you pointed out earlier.”

“……”

“Because for me, it’s ‘back to square one’.”

I quietly nodded.

“…Right. Not for me, because my alibi has been proven.”

It’s the police who have returned to square one and found themselves in trouble again.

From the start, I had no obligation to help with this investigation, nor did I have any reason to solve it.

Right now, outside, an unidentified incident was unfolding. The Clover Corporation has caused a chemical gas explosion from one of their trucks due to an accident, and the sky was turning dark as a result.

What I should be paying attention to right now was that darkening sky, not the murder case inside the school. That’s something the police, who were already there, could handle.

“…Then, if it’s not a student, who else could commit a crime at that time……”

“I don’t. Know.”

I answered him informally as he trailed off, trying to start slyly again.

“That’s what you’re getting paid for with taxpayer money, right? Don’t ask me.”

“……”

“Like I said earlier, maybe the Vice Class President missed one of the windows, or perhaps the homeroom teacher had the spare key to our classroom and opened it for the accomplice, or whatever….”

Feeling a little guilty, I added two words almost as an afterthought. The detective’s expression shifted slightly, as if he had gained some insight.

“Huu.”

I shook my thighs and turned to leave.

I really didn’t want to stay there any longer.

“Seriously, I’m leaving. Good luck.”

“Please.”

Just as I was about to turn around, I heard his voice calling me again.

When I glanced back, he was bowing at a perfect 90-degree angle once more.

‘Oh, f*ck, really……’

“Please. I hope you could stay here a little longer and help me.”

“……”

The young detective bowed his waist, and the female students looked surprised.

Soon, Jinhee blurted out without consideration.

“What more do we need to do? Is there a reason to stay and say anything more?”

“Well, you two are the only ones who passed by the scene during the time the incident occurred.”

“……”

“And.”

The detective, still bowing, slowly raised his head while staring at us with wide eyes.

“The teacher, Han Ari, who first witnessed the body and screamed, has been unconscious and lying in the infirmary until now. She should be waking up soon, so I’m thinking of bringing her over here.”

“……”

“We need to go through the process of hearing testimonies from all of you who were at the scene and piece the information together.”

The female students let out a deep sigh.

It was tedious, but the purpose of an investigation has always been this, repeating the same thing over and over again.

It wasn’t an incorrect statement.

This incident clearly occurred in the east hallway we passed through, where the body appeared out of nowhere. So the crime likely happened within a matter of seconds.

The female students having their consultation session in the teachers’ office, me watching from a distance, and at the same time, Teacher Han Ari, who discovered the body.

In order to uncover the exact moment the incident occurred and how it unfolded, the process known as a ‘confrontational interrogation’ was absolutely necessary.

“And as Lee Joon pointed out, we will also bring in your homeroom teacher, Mr. Park, who has a spare key to your classroom, and hear his statement as well.”

The young detective declared with a fierce gaze.

Even I, who had no interest before, felt a slight curiosity growing inside me at his words.

‘Park Damim.’

Since he was our homeroom teacher, it was only natural that he possessed the spare key to the classroom.

Of course, it was hard to imagine why he would suddenly commit such a crime, but for me, the very fact that he was being investigated piqued my curiosity quite a bit.

The homeroom teacher, who always showed a sly and cunning demeanor, like a raccoon.

How would he react when he was pointed out as a suspect in a murder investigation?

‘If you want to understand someone, you must provoke them.’

And the young detective in front of me was someone who preferred a somewhat ignorant and pressure-oriented investigation style.

What kind of attitude would he show, when the homeroom teacher, who always seemed easygoing, was interrogated by the young detective and framed as a suspect?

Watching that would have a pretty good effect on understanding the homeroom teacher’s personality.

I nodded in agreement.

“Alright. But this is really the last time.”

“…Thank you for your cooperation.”

The detective sighed and straightened his waist.