As the students flooded the hallway, Eun Ji found herself caught in the midst of the chaos. She tried to navigate through the sea of faces, but her mind was preoccupied with the new students, Baek Hyun and Do Jun. Their enigmatic presence lingered in her thoughts, and she couldn't shake off the feeling that they were watching her.
Hae Su noticed her friend's distraction and grabbed her arm, pulling her aside. "Hey, what's going on? You've been acting strange since those new students arrived."
Eun Ji hesitated, unsure how to articulate her thoughts. "It's just... there's something about them that feels off. Like they're hiding something."
Hae Su raised an eyebrow. "You think they're connected to the curse?"
Eun Ji's eyes widened. "I don't know, but I feel like they're watching me. And that Baek Hyun... there's something familiar about him, but I can't quite place it."
As they stood there, Baek Hyun and Do Jun emerged from the crowd, their eyes fixed on nothing in particular but Eun Ji could tell their intense investigative gaze through the students. His eyes fell on her and she felt a shiver run down her spine as Baek Hyun's gaze lingered on her.
" Talk of the devil.." Hae Su muttered as if in a whisper but Eun Ji instinctively swiped her away before she could know.
Baek Hyun noticed them but ignored her. " What's that about, Eun Ji?" Hae Su lamented, building back her composure as they settled among the few students in cue at the Canteen.
" Oh... nothing!, " she answered almost in exclamation, masking up the awkardness with a sheepish giggle. " I heard the lunch menu was ttobokki, your favorite."
" Really?" Hae Su was suddenly excited, forgetting the sudden event to which Eun Ji felt relieved. But then, she still had her thoughts in the woods about the new students.
She knew she had to be cautious, but her curiosity was piqued. Who were these new students, and what secrets were they hiding?
As the lunch break came to a close, Eun Ji found herself drawn into a game of cat and mouse, where the stakes were higher than ever before. She was determined to uncover the truth behind the curse and the mysterious new students, but she knew she had to tread carefully. One wrong move could put her in the crosshairs of the vengeful spirit.
On their way back from the Canteen, Eun Ji decided to stop by the library for a while. She forgot to pick an history book she had requested earlier.
As she searched through the shelf, she stumbled upon an old yearbook from three years ago. As she flipped through the pages, she noticed a familiar face - Ji-Hoon, the student who had died in the curse. But what caught her attention was the dark shadow behind him.
" What's that?" She whispered thoughtfully.
" Are you alright?" Hae Su asked but she quickly hid the book.
" Nothing...let's get going. I've found what I came for. " Eun Ji took the lead.For further investigations, she had grabbed along the year book .
.
.
.
As the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, Eun Ji gathered her belongings and headed out of the classroom. She couldn't wait to get home and process the events of the day. The encounter with Baek Hyun and Do Jun had left her with more questions than answers. She looked lost and traumatized about something.
" Wait for me !!" She howled at the bus which was about to take off from the bus stop. " Stop, pls..." She hurriedly chased after it for a moment before it came to a hault. She was consumed in thoughts that she didn't realize when the bus arrived.
" Sorry." She apologized as she hopped on, catching on her breath. " Thank you..." Eun Ji quickly settled at the middle seat to the window.
After fetching her ear pins from the bag, she tucked them into her ears as she usually does, as a way of ignoring the ghosts. In about 35 minutes, she came to her stop. Eun Ji huddled down with her hoody cap over her head.
It was quite a walking distance from the stop to her home. As she trod along the pavement home ā the bustling streets of Gangnam filled with people, cars, and neon lights, Eun Ji's mind wandered back to the mysterious new students. She passed by the familiar sights of street food vendors, K-pop stores, and cosmetic shops, her thoughts preoccupied with the curse and its connection to Baek Hyun and Do Jun.
Eun Ji turned the corner onto her street, her eyes fixed on the familiar roof of her family's apartment building. She quickened her pace, eager to find solace in the comfort of her home.
As she opened the front door, the aroma of her aunt's, who she prefers calling as mother 's cooking wafted out, filling her senses with the familiar scents of Korean cuisine. She slipped off her shoes and padded into the kitchen, where her mother was busy preparing dinner.
"Annyeong, eomma!" Eun Ji greeted, using the formal title for "mother."
"Annyeong, yeochae!" her mother replied, smiling. "How was your day?"
Eun Ji hesitated, unsure how much to reveal. "It was...interesting. I'll tell you about it later, eomma."
Her mother nodded, her eyes still fixed on the sizzling pan. "Okay, dear. Go get changed and we'll talk over dinner."
Eun Ji nodded and headed to her room, her mind still racing with thoughts of Baek Hyun, Do Jun, and the curse. She couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it.
As she changed into comfortable clothes, Eun Ji's gaze fell upon the old yearbook she had found in the library. She had brought it home, hoping to study it further and uncover more clues.
She opened the book, her eyes scanning the pages once more. And then, she saw it - a small note scribbled in the margin, next to Ji-Hoon's photo. "Meet me at the old oak at midnight. -J."
Eun Ji's heart skipped a beat. Who was Ji-Hoon meeting at the old oak, and what did it have to do with the curse? She knew she had to find out. But how and who ?
There was too much to unravel at this moment which she found herself too invested to let go. She must find out in any way possible.
Scanning at the note in thought, her mother called which startled her. " Come down now, dinner is served." She heard her say afterwards.
" Alright...will be there in a sec." She answered after catching on her breath.
Eun Ji quickly shoved the note back into the book and dumped it on the bed, heading straight down to the hall.
" Wow...are we having any event?" She teased, scanning at the table filled with Korean cuisine and it's side dishes.
" You can say that..." She answered, settling down into the chair over the table. Her eyes lit with a bright smile. " How is it?" She asked the moment Eun Ji digged in.
She instinctively nodded with a thumbs up. " Great and spicy, just as I like it." She said, chewing down her meal.