Chapter 217 – It’s Time to Take Your Pills.

My voice woke me up. Even thinking about it, I don’t know what it was, but I woke up anyway because I heard my voice.

-Minah, wake up. Is it Mina? You have to get up won’t it happen? To wake you up at this hour

“What, what is it?”

I suddenly heard my voice and woke up from a dreamy sleep. I looked at Mina, who was driving, in the background of the window passing by the brown mountain road with fallen leaves, probably off the highway.

She muted my voice by manipulating her cell phone screen with one hand, then put her cell phone in the box on the door of her car and grabbed the steering wheel with both hands. She said as she concentrated on driving, looking sideways at me.

“Was it noisy? Sorry.”

“Oh, no, earlier, what is it?”

“This is an alarm.”

“Alarm? Wasn’t this my voice?”

“You’re right.”

“What?”

“I recorded Jiheon’s voice and use it as a wake-up call.”

I was so dumbfounded I didn’t even know what to say. As she turned her bewildered gaze away from her, the digital clock next to her dashboard caught her eyes on the doors.

12:01

Considering the error of this clock and the conversation I had earlier, it was noon. It wasn’t even the time to wake up, but it bothered me that I set the alarm for now.

“It’s Mina. What are you doing at 12?”

“… Time to take your medicine.”

“Approximately? What drug? Where are you sick?”

“No. It’s kind of like a nutritional supplement.”

The way she slowed down or stuttered her words was somehow suspicious.

“What supplement?”

Minah opened her mouth while concentrating on driving.

“It is a nutritional supplement that is only good for women.”

“Okay? Isn’t it dangerous?”

“No. It is a safe drug in many ways. It’s a simple medicine that you can buy without a prescription, so you don’t have to worry.”

If I told her not to worry, then I would be worried. But even though he said it was okay, it bothered me a little to ask him about it.

What the hell kind of drug, oh right.

“It’s Mina. It’s time for you to take your medicine. Ate?”

“I haven’t eaten yet. Eat a little later.”

“If you set the alarm, it’s a medicine you have to take right away. You’re driving, isn’t it? I’ll find it Where are you?”

While looking for the medicine, I was thinking of figuring out what it was.

“Is it in your bag?”

She picked up the backpack she had thrown into the back seat of her earlier and put it on her lap. As I opened her zipper and looked inside her, I heard Mina’s voice.

“On the left, in a small pocket.”

“Okay? Left? It’s left…”

As she spoke to herself, she rummaged through the small pockets on the outside of her bag. There she pulled out a plastic box of small pills. It was the size of a palm and divided into small compartments, so she was like a box made for storing medicine.

By the way, I was going to find out what kind of medicine it was by searching the name on the medicine wrapper, but I didn’t expect to take it off the package and keep it separately like this.

“Is this right?”

Just in case, I showed the small box. Mina glanced at her sideways and nodded her head slightly. She held her steering wheel with one hand and held out her other hand to me.

“Yes, that’s right. Could you please take out just one of them?”

“Wait for a sec.”

The trick had already failed, and he quietly took out a pill smaller than his fingernail from the case.

“Here.”

“Thank you. “Hup”

As she placed her medicine in the palm of her hand, Minah put it in her mouth without hesitation.

She doesn’t seem to need it because it’s so small, but she first picked up the mineral water bottle she had put next to the empty cider bottle.

“Do you want some water?”

“No. It’s okay.”

“Okay? Okay.”

I put the bottled water back into the cup holder. And before she put this medicine cabinet in her bag, she took a closer look.

What kind of drug is this?

At this time, Mina said.

“Jiheon. You don’t have to worry about it that much. It is not a medicine that is too burdensome for the body, and not only me but also Sohee and Sehee are taking it.”

“… That makes me more curious.”

“I will let you know next week. You can look forward to it.”

I still don’t know what you’re talking about. Still, Mina, as well as Sohee and Sehee, had never told me a bad lie, so I decided to trust and wait.

The car full of doubts and trust slowed down before I knew it.

Could it be that you want to do it again? Did you do it again?

In the midst of this, Mina spoke in a low voice.

“Jiheon. Look to the right.”

“Uh?”

Without even thinking about it, she casually looked out of her window. Outside the window was a large blue-green reservoir.

I asked Mina while looking at the signboard that said fishing on the other side of the reservoir.

“Are you here? Destination?”

“Yes that’s right.”

“By the way, it’s a private property? There is a sign that says fishing over there.”

“Actually, the area near the reservoir is private land. Sorry for the unclear explanation.”

“Until I’m sorry. But where is it?”

“Now look ahead and it will come out.”

This time I looked at the windshield. Looking all the way along the reservoir, I noticed a long, low fence on the left.

“Uh?”

Now, turning her head, I took one look at the pretty Minah driving and looked out the window to her left. Beyond the low wall, I could see an old one-story building.

Even though the height was low, I could tell what kind of place it was over there because of the dense windows and the long length of the building.

Eventually, when Mina stopped in front of the tightly closed iron gate, I looked at the rusty sign next to the iron gate and asked.

“No, is this an elementary school?”

“To be exact, it has been over 30 years since the school was closed.”

“You know that when you see it.”

A rusty signboard, a building with all the paint peeling off and showing gray interior, broken windows in places, and chains locking iron doors. Anyone can see that it was a closed school.

“Jiheon, can you help me for a moment?”

“Uh?”

“I have a little bit of work to do.”

Of course, I was stronger than the average person. However, Minah also had strength that was just as strong as mine. I wondered what she was asking for help.

“Get off at once.”

“Huh.”

Minah got out of her car without turning off the engine. As I followed her, she approached the iron chain that held the iron door.

“What are you doing?”

As she approached after closing her car door, Mina was holding a lock on a chain. She took her key out of her coat pocket and used it to unlock her.

Clap! Charleureuk!

When the lock was unlocked, the chain fell from the doorknob with a harsh sound.

“…”

“Uh, no. I will take it.”

When Mina tried to lift it, she hurriedly lowered her waist and lifted it. She nodded slightly as she lifted the chain, which was heavier than she thought.

“Thank you.”

“No. Then what can I do?”

“Could you please open the door? I will open this side.”

“Yea, I got it. Can I push it?”

Holding her chain, Mina pushed the door she pointed at onto her shoulder.

Knock-knock-knock-knock… !

It hadn’t been opened for a long time, and the door opened with a harsh metal sound coming from the rusty hinges.

The school playground that I entered like that was very clean for a closed school. There weren’t many weeds on the sandy playground, and there weren’t too many fallen leaves on the ground.

I was looking around the school blankly when Mina called me.

“Jiheon.”

“Uh?”

“The chains, you can put them down.”

“Where, here?”

“Just put it where it won’t get in the way when you drive in. And get in the car.”

“Yea, I got it.”

She tossed the chain into a corner so as not to be hindered when entering. I left the sound of falling behind and got into the car.

Mina also said as she got into the car.

“Jiheon, how are you?”

“What?”

“This is our accommodation.”

“What? Here?”

“Yes. Don’t worry though. I am not homeless.”

Having said that, she started driving. The sound of the tires barking through the playground sand somehow calmed me down.

The car stopped at the corner of the playground and I asked, looking at the neat but uninhabitable school building.

“Then what is it? Do you have a tent or something?”

“There is a tent, but I didn’t bring it to sleep there. I will sleep in school.”

“What?!”

“Would you like to get off and look around?”

“… Okay.”

A night in an abandoned school. She didn’t like it, but she nodded her head out of consideration for Min-ah, who had brought her.

She got out of the car and looked around the school once again. Playground with sand. Guryeongdae in the center of the cheering seat made of gray concrete. A building with peeling paint and broken windows.

I hadn’t noticed it before, but seeing it up close, I felt something like a gloomy aura. And that kind of energy Minah convinced her with the words she said as she got out of her car.

“There is a reservoir in front of here, isn’t it?”

“Uh. Why?”

“This school was closed because more than 20 students drowned there.”

“!”

“Would you like to go in now?”

“How do you get in after hearing that?!”

“Why are you like that?”

She turned around the front of the car’s bonnet and approached me. It looked like nothing was wrong, but he held my hand with a really calm face.

“Why are you doing that, Jiheon?”

“Why would you?! Why did you say such useless things!”

“Do you really believe in ghosts? It’s cute, Jiheon.”

“There are people who have reincarnated and there are people who have been transferred, but there are no ghosts!”

“Then it’s something we need to check, right?”

Suddenly, Minah grabbed my wrist and led me towards the school.

“How about we leave now?”

“Ugh! Don’t pull! Let go! Let go!”

“This Jiheon is cute too.”

“Profit… !”

I tried my best to resist, but Minah wouldn’t let me go. Rather, she led me to the door leading to the school building so that my feet would drag.

She said, facing the ugly door with broken glass windows on the metal frame.

“Hmm, Jiheon. Why don’t you try knocking here?”

“What do you think!”

“In times like this, isn’t it the rule of the country to knock and ask if anyone is there?”

“No it’s not!”

“If you won’t, I will.”

“Hey!”

Despite my objection, Mina raised her arm and knocked.

Bang bang

“… !”

There was a sound of metal banging, and I listened without breath for a while. Even if I tried not to be nervous, my heart was beating fast and I couldn’t stand the cold sweat.

“After”

“!!!!”

Suddenly, a small wind blew in my ears. With a chill, he shrank in the opposite direction from the wind. I shook off the hand I was holding, covered my ears where the cold wind was blowing, and looked in the direction the wind was blowing.

“… Were you that surprised?”

Of course, Minah was staring at me with the corners of her mouth raised, unlike her blunt look.

“Hey!”

I was so surprised, and I was embarrassed about what happened earlier, so I yelled at her.

“Can we joke around at a time like this!”

“When else would you do it?”

“That’s true! You’re surprised!”

“Sorry. I didn’t expect you to be so surprised.”

“Huh? I’m sorry, but why are you laughing?”

“I usually have this expression.”

“Don’t lie to me, really.”

While I was grumbling, Mina pulled the door open. The old, rusty door made a rusty sound like when an iron door was opened, revealing a shabby interior.

The floor is covered with twisted and shabby wooden planks. Fallen leaves on it. Walls with peeling paint and glazed windows, just like the outside. Even the musty smell of dust. Besides, I didn’t have the courage to go in because of the story.

“Jiheon. Would you like to come in?”

“Ruler.”

I held out the hand that had been held until just now. But Minah pretended she didn’t know what this meant, but she asked.

“Yes?”

“Why would you stick out? Please hold hands! Ruler!”

She half-forced her and held her hand. When I caught it with the pods, the scary thing disappeared a little.

Seeing a day like this, Mina asked while walking through the closed school side by side with me.

“Why is that, Jiheon? Are you afraid?”

“Huh. A little too much.”

“…”

“Say something! It’s more scary when it’s quiet!”

“Sorry. I was a little surprised, so I was surprised.”

“What?”

“At times like this, Jiheon knew how to bluff.”

“Why me. Instead of bluffing unsightly to your girlfriend, you should show your true self. I don’t think you liked me bluffing.”

“Still, bluffing is cute.”

“Noisy. Let’s just get out.”

After taking a few steps inside, I tried to turn around. However, Mina held her hand tight and dried it.

“It’s not possible.”

As the fear turned to irritation, she spoke to Minah in an annoyed tone.

“Why?”

“You haven’t shown us where we sleep yet, have we? Please follow me.”

“Let’s just sleep in the car. Huh? Sleep in the car Seriously, I’ll do whatever you ask me to do.”

“All right.”

“Really?”

I looked at Minah with eyes full of hope. She also made eye contact with me and answered.

“Then,”

“Okay, just talk.”

“Then, please look around this place with me.”

“Hey!!”

“Shh, the ghosts might hear Jiheon’s voice and wake up.”

“Ouch… !”

“What, what, nothing! So let’s go Let’s go out and take a short walk.”

“I won’t go out because there’s nothing special about going outside.”

“Let’s just get out. Huh? Let’s go out.”

“It’s not possible. Coincidentally, there is a blackboard in the classroom over there, so how about doing some graffiti?”

“There is something like an amulet above the door! I will not!”

“Don’t worry. It’s not a fake, it’s a real talisman.”

“What do you mean not to worry?! Let’s just go out and play like the kids playing squid in the playground over there. It looks fun!”

“There is no one.”

“Uh? No, were you sure there was?”

“Jiheon. Think about it. What kind of child would come to play at a closed school? Besides, the door was locked, wasn’t it?”

“… Can’t I go home?”