Money Loving CEO's Detective Lover

Chapter 218: World of the Dead (10)

Minjung was beginning to realize what she had done. She backed off against a wall, her eyes wide in fear as she stared at the open window.

"I killed him," she whispered. "I killed a person!"

She was trembling in fear as she tried to cope with what had just happened. Gayoon quickly shut the window and closed the shutters, making sure that it was locked tightly. The ghost was probably still trying to come to terms with its death and they must get out of there. Fast.

Gayoon strode over to Minjung who was traumatized. 

"Shhh" Gayoon shushed her, hugging her in an attempt to console Minjung. "It was an accident. Nothing more! Don't think about it"

"I k-k-killed a person!" Minjung cried. "I killed"

It was getting hard for her to breathe. She was panting and the fear in her heart was turning into guilt. She held on to Gayoon as if seeking a solution but what could they do? They were mere teenagers. If word got out, then Minjung would be convicted of manslaughter. Gayoon was well aware that even if they submitted evidence of what Seungjo did to her in court, the prosecutor will charge her with first degree murder because Minjung had a motive to kill Seungjo. In that case, she would be jailed for life.

"We can't tell this to anyone!" Gayoon warned her. "Minjung, we can't-"

"I KILLED SOMEONE!" Minjung yelled but Gayoon shut her mouth.

"No!" Gayoon told her. "You didn't kill anyone. You saved other girls from becoming his prey! But if you confess to this, then the police are gonna charge you! It's better to see a monster dead than let an innocent go to prison over a silly law!"

Minjung's face was red and her sobs would not stop. Gayoon wiped her tears away and slowly helped her get up. She led the traumatized girl outside of the room where Sooyeon stood. The ghost had heard everything.

"I won't tell anyone," Sooyeon whispered as they passed by. Even though she was a ghost, Sooyeon empathized with Minjung who was completely under a trance. The events of the past few weeks had already left her in shambles but the added guilt was going to destroy the rest of her sanity. Gayoon felt helpless in that state. How was she going to bring Minjung out of this?

"Minjung, please," she begged. "Don't go around telling this to anyone! Your parents are going to feel even worse seeing their only daughter going to jail! You know that you don't deserve all this trauma."

"I didn't know what I was thinking," Minjung whispered, her tears not stopping. "He was talking about hurting you the way he hurted me. H-he thought I was you a-and g-grabbed me from behind. He s-said that he'll make you his"

Gayoon instantly understood. That day, his intended victim was her, not Minjung. The latter was there by coincidence and was triggered by his actions once again.

"All those memories were coming back!" she sobbed. "And I knew he would do it again! I had to do something but I-I never wanted to k-kill! I swear!"

"You were not in your sane mind," Gayoon stated firmly. "But right now, you must put this behind you and move on! We both must hide this! That monster got what he deserved but I can't let you go to jail!"

All this went against Gayoon's conscience as a future police officer. She was telling someone to hide a crime but she was unsure of whether Minjung could get away with the deed. The world was cruel to assault victims and this additional charge was enough to rob Minjung of the little life she had. Park Seungjo was a monster and Gayoon was sure that if she had been in Minjung's shoes, she would have done the same. 

Suddenly, Gayoon could hear the commotion outside. Someone must have found Seungjo's body. She must sneak Minjung out of the building.

"We must get you out of here!" Gayoon said in a hushed tone. 

"I know a way!" Sooyeon offered. "There's a closet on the second floor which leads to a basement. If you follow the tunnel out of the basement, then it'll take you straight to the cellar under the field. Just sneak out of the entrance from there. There's one ghost there during the night but he usually hangs around the kitchen during daytime so it should be clear."

Gayoon nodded at the ghost and led Minjung out. Upon reaching the third floor, she followed Sooyeon's instructions. Minjung had no idea where she was being taken to but quietly followed Gayoon, too shocked to say anything more. Seungjo's death was a burden on her mind as it played the scene in her head over and over again. Her heart was shaking and she tuned out everything else from her mind.

"Minjung, I'll take you home." 

Gayoon's voice sounded very far away and Minjung was unable to comprehend anything. Gayoon sighed as she led Minjung out of the tunnel. The rest of the school had huddled around the spot where Seungjo had fallen but she did not stop to check. Instead, she quietly walked Minjung out of the school and hailed a cab.

"Promise me, you won't do anything without telling me," Gayoon instructed. Minjung's face was blank and she was unable to reply. Gayoon took her hand and clasped it.

"We'll get through this," she promised. "But please, don't blame yourself for this. Don't let him get to you! Not when he's dead!"

Minjung blinked and tried to compose herself.

"What I did...was it right?" she asked in a small tone.

"I don't know," Gayoon admitted. "All I know is that I can't let you be punished for the death of a monster like that."

A look of silent understanding passed between the women and Minjung got into the car. Gayoon watched her leave. As soon as the cab was out of sight, her own hands began to tremble. She could not save Minjung from Seungjo when he was alive. Could she save her when he was dead?

A cold air brushed past her and she went still. The lone figure stood behind her, watching her.

"I'll always be with you," Seungjo's cold voice reached her ears. "Gayoonie."

Gayoon ignored the voice but her heart skipped several beats, fearing that he would notice her nervousness. She slowly turned to walk back into the school, trying to ignore the spirit which was stalking her. He would not let her go and was back for good.

Moreover, Junho had also gone to exorcise another spirit and he was not back. How would she deal with this one?

Save us, she prayed. Please.

With that, she kept on walking ahead while the transparent ghost followed her, his face distorted into a sick perversion. Finally, he was going to be closer to Gayoon than he could have ever imagined.