HH Chapter 30
by Geli Cake‘What is he looking for?’
He had given him a defensive magic book, pretending not to know what he was looking for, but he was still searching. He was definitely a suspicious person. The man’s presence in this house clearly had an ulterior motive. But…
‘It doesn’t matter.’
Now that his identity was exposed, there was no point in hiding anymore.
He had completely opened the library not only to observe Chahyun’s reaction but also to have more time to observe him.
The more the man snooped around and acted suspiciously, the better. It would help him uncover his intentions faster.
“Aaack!”
Today, too, the man jumped and yelled as soon as he saw him. As he approached, he could feel Chahyun tense up noticeably, holding his breath.
“…You’re always startled whenever you see me.”
“P-Please at least make some noise when you walk.”
Chahyun stammered, then suddenly rolled his eyes and muttered to himself, “Ah, right, ghosts don’t make footsteps.” He hadn’t even bothered to hide his footsteps, but who knew how long this ridiculous misunderstanding would last.
“Is there… something you need from me…?”
Did he sigh and glance at him nervously just to ask that?
“Surveillance.”
Yes, surveillance. Haylan picked up a random book and gestured towards Chahyun. He was going to read, so Chahyun should continue what he was doing.
Only then did Chahyun start searching the bookshelves, running his finger along the spines of the book. It was amusing how he pretended to be unconcerned while his entire attention was focused on him.
They both knew that they were aware of each other. But….
‘…This is annoying.’
Why was he so scared of him? What had he even done?
Suddenly annoyed, Haylan furrowed his brows and closed the book he was reading. He didn’t like seeing the man tremble. It was getting old, him calling him a murderer, a ghost….
“What’s your name?”
“A-Are… are you talking to m-me?”
“W-W-Who else is here besides you and me?”
He mocked him, stuttering intentionally. Chahyun blinked a few times, then finally spoke,
“……My name is Chahyun.”
Haylan waited for him to continue, but Chahyun just said that and simply moved to the next bookshelf and became engrossed in searching for books. Haylan followed him and reached out his arm.
Thud.
Chahyun, who had been facing the bookshelf, was suddenly trapped between Haylan’s arms and looked up at him with a bewildered expression.
“I asked you your name first…. Isn’t it common courtesy to ask me the same question?”
“…….”
Haylan tilted his head up slightly.
“Ask.”
“Wh-What is your name?”
“Call me Lena.”
Haylan easily made up a new name by rearranging the letters of his real name.
But even after he initiated the name exchange, Chahyun just stared at him with a strange expression. Haylan continued his questioning.
“Where are you from?”
“Asileth….”
“What are your hobbies?”
“……I like reading.”
The conversation stalled again. After a brief silence, it was Haylan who spoke first.
“Aren’t you going to ask me?”
Haylan was finally satisfied after Chahyun repeated his questions.
─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───
‘What’s with this guy?’
I was so dumbfounded that all my tension dissipated. I’d been wary of the ghost, thinking he might kill me at any moment, but what’s with this strangely friendly attitude?
“What’s your name?”
The man, who had been following me, asked a truly absurd question.
“I asked you your name first…. Isn’t it common courtesy to ask me the same question?”
What was he talking about? I had never experienced such a bizarre name exchange.
“Wh-What is your name?”
“Call me Lena.”
My first impression of the name was that it sounded like a more common name for women. But it also suited him somehow. Then a sense of unease washed over me.
‘Why does a ghost have a name?’
In the original story, the ghost’s role was just a security measure. They only existed to hinder the player exploring the mansion at night. That’s why I had been so tense, thinking he might kill me at any moment…
“Where are you from?”
“Asileth….”
“What are your hobbies?”
And what’s with these inane questions? Even elementary school kids trying to make new friends would find these questions too cliché.
‘Huh?’
A sudden realization dawned on me.
“Aren’t you going to ask me?”
“…….”
Could it be that…this guy wants to be friends with me?
‘It doesn’t seem like a misunderstanding… he’s being awfully persistent.’
He continued asking me pointless questions and prompting me to ask him the same. Confused by this strange situation, I asked him directly,
“Do you… want to be friends with me?”
The man chuckled in disbelief, then refuted my words.
“What are you talking about? That’s what you want.”
Huh?
“……You think I want to be friends with you?”
“Don’t you?”
“…….”
What made him think that? I blinked a few times, wondering where to even begin refuting his claim, then just gave up. I didn’t want to upset him.
“Yes… you’re right. Thank you for indulging me.”
“That was sarcasm.”
He narrowed his eyes and warned me. I’d only meant it a little sarcastically, but it seemed my true feelings had slipped out.
‘I have to be more careful.’
And come to think of it, becoming friends with a ghost… wasn’t such a bad idea. I would probably see him often, so it would be too inefficient to keep running away.
“So, are we friends now?”
“…….”
Lena didn’t answer. But his silence was as good as an affirmation.
Oh, the mansion ghost has sent a friend request! The friend request is automatically accepted regardless of the player’s will….
I chuckled and entertained such silly thoughts, arbitrarily interpreting Lena’s feelings.
‘He must be bored.’
He didn’t know when the man died, but it must have been lonely spending countless nights alone. So, he probably wanted to keep me, his new toy, alive instead of killing me right away.
[Main Story Progress: 4%]
Just then, a swooshing sound, like pages turning, accompanied a system window that popped up. At that moment, I was certain that Lena had a role to play.
‘Because this world is inside a game.’
There’s no way a meaningless character would have a name when all quests are connected to the main story.
‘What’s this character’s function?’
I glanced at the man and thought.
Every character had a designated role. The mercenary group members represented the ‘home,’ my player character’s nest. Mei was a ‘source of income.’ Christine was the ‘trigger’ that led me to this mansion. And Odin was the ‘source of information’….
‘Haylan is… the second protagonist and a source of danger?’
Anyway, my final destination, which I had to reach by utilizing these characters fulfilling their respective roles, was…
‘The True Ending.’
An ending I had never seen before.
Don’t forget the main objective. To reach the final destination, I had to carefully discern how and to what extent the current situation differed from the storyline I knew.
“Can I call you by your name?”
“……I don’t mind. I told you my name so you could call me by it.”
“Hehe…. Lena, you wouldn’t kill your only friend, would you?”
I grinned ingratiatingly, emphasizing our newfound friendship while simultaneously trying to save my own life. Lena stared at me for a long time before finally speaking,
“I’ve never killed a friend.”
That’s a relief! I’d managed to avoid another death fl….
“Yet.”
“…….”
My face stiffened, and Lena looked at me with disdain.
“You’re so serious. I can’t even joke around with you.”
“…….”
“I said it was a joke….”
His almost threatening tone made me instinctively force a smile on my face. My lips stretched into a wide, unnatural grin that trembled before drooping into a strange expression that was neither a smile nor a frown.
‘Where does the joke begin and end?’
Was the part about never having killed a friend a joke too? Am I safe?
“…Stop getting startled and trembling every time you see people. It’s annoying.”
“You’re not a person, you’re a ghost.”
“Close enough.”
“……Not even remotely close.”
“Why do you talk back so much when you’re scared?”
He chuckled.
There was no particular reason. My words just tumbled out without going through my brain. Because I was nervous!
“You’re not going to lull me into a false sense of security as a ‘friend’ and then stab me in the back, are you?”
“…If you say something like that one more time, I’ll give you exactly what you want. How do you want to die?”
“…….”
His chilling words, delivered with a murderous expression, shut me up. Was this survival instinct?
I’m not scared. I’m not scared. I’m scared. I’m terrified. No, no, I’m not scared….
I tried to suppress my fear through self-brainwashing. While I wasn’t afraid of death itself, I couldn’t understand why I can’t control the fear bubbling inside me.