I Became the Hidden Mastermind

030 – Missing #2

030 – Missing #2

Upon entering the hospital room, Mom was sleeping in a single room.

Her face looked a bit pale.

It seemed like she had lost some weight.

Well, she had been missing for three days.

There might have been some changes in her appearance.

Just being able to see her alive is fortunate enough.

The doctor, wearing glasses, kindly explained to me.

“So, you’re Youngwon’s son? Your mother needs to rest now. It seems like she has symptoms of mild mental confusion and memory disturbance. That’s probably why she wandered the streets.”

“Mental confusion?”

“It seems like she experienced quite a significant mental shock. Still, these things can be temporary, so with time, she should gradually improve. We’ll have to observe the progress a bit more.”

Was Mom mentally shaken due to a big shock…?

The reason she wandered the streets instead of coming straight home might be because of the mental shock.

And that mental shock might be… perhaps related to the time she was trapped in the elevator.

Looking at Mom sleeping again, I asked the doctor.

“Is there any injury or pain anywhere?”

“We might need to conduct further examinations for details, but there were no noticeable traumas. Nutrition seems a bit lacking, but strictly speaking, you’re in reasonably good health.”

Hmm…

For three days, it felt as if my lungs were tightly blocked, making it difficult to breathe, but now I finally felt a bit of relief as air holes opened up.

Only now did the sense of reality hit me.

My stomach growled, my head felt dizzy, and my legs were wobbly.

Honestly, I don’t know how I spent the past three days.

Whether I ate or not.

Whether I slept.

Whether I went to school…

All the things I had been ignoring while focusing on the need to “find Mom” were now presenting themselves to me one by one like invoices.

“It would be better for you to stay hospitalized for a few more days. Let’s conduct a more detailed examination. We need the guardian’s name… since the student is a minor…”

“I’ll be the guardian. I’m Ms. Hongmiri, an English teacher at Yeongji High School.”

I was fortunate to have Ms. Hongmiri with me.

Ms. Hongmiri became my legal representative, handling the complicated legal issues involving a minor like me.

Although I was worried that a private room hospitalization might cost a considerable amount…

I had a miraculous status screen, so I felt I could somehow manage the money.

*Click.*

The English teacher patted my shoulder with the palm of her hand.

“Hey, is a guy supposed to be so gloomy? Let’s go grab something to eat. I have my car.”

*Clack. Clack.*

Teacher Hong Miri walked briskly out of the hospital.

A red sports car, seemingly unaffordable on a high school teacher’s salary, was parked outside the hospital, and Teacher Hong Miri skillfully got into the car.

“What are you doing? Get in.”

Swoosh-.

Upon entering the car, a refreshing air freshener scent filled the air.

Most female teachers’ cars seemed to have such a pleasant fragrance.

Vroom-.

After driving for a while, the place where the teacher stopped was the motel district of Jumundong.

As the name suggested, there were numerous motels.

Suddenly, I recalled the rumor that Teacher Hong Miri and Kim Geon-ho from Class D had wandered around this Jumundong motel district.

If someone saw me walking with Teacher Hong Miri here, would a similar rumor spread about me?

“What are you doing? There’s a great beef soup restaurant nearby. It’s really delicious.”

“….”

I strolled through the Jumundong district with the English teacher.

Soon, the English teacher pointed to a narrow alley.

“I found your mother in this alley. She had collapsed. When I reported it to the police and they checked her identification, they said she was your mom.”

“Ah.”

“Hey! You guys! Students from Yeongji High School! Hurry, don’t go home!?”

Suddenly, Teacher Hong Miri shouted loudly, startling me.

As I turned my head, two female students in Yeongji High School uniforms, who had been smoking cigarettes, were surprised and quickly ran away.

“Look at that. Tsk tsk. Those thugs always cause trouble around here. There’s one in your class too, right? Kim Geon-ho. Big troublemaker. They say he’s been showing up a lot around here. But he hasn’t been seen lately.”

“Oh. Kim Geon-ho.”

“Are you also thinking about the rumor that Kim Geon-ho and I went to a motel together?”

“Excuse me?”

I was greatly taken aback.

Then the English teacher pinched my side sharply.

“Look at this mischievous kid. Rumors like that spread among you students all the time. It’s too much trouble to explain each one. By the way, I prefer older people, so I have no interest in kids.”

Is that so.

The rumor about Kim Geon-ho and the English teacher wandering around the motel district together seemed to be a misunderstanding. It must have been someone mistaking it for the sight of teacher Hong Mi-ri guiding the troublemaker Kim Geon-ho.

Well… most student rumors were like that.

Two bowls of rice soup arrived.

It was delicious.

“What kind of rice soup is this? What kind of meat is it?”

“I don’t know. Teacher, want a shot of soju? You don’t have to give me a ride home, right? I can find my own way, can’t I?”

The teacher ordered a shot of soju and poured it into a beer glass, drinking it down quickly.

The teacher drinking alcohol… “Ajumma” came to mind, and I felt uneasy. Teacher Hong Mi-ri is only 27 years old this year, so it’s a bit strange to call her “ajumma”…

“Still, it’s a relief that your mother is safe. I don’t know why people frequently disappear in this city. Maybe it’s because of the water veins.”

Water veins…

Come to think of it, didn’t the English teacher talk about water veins at the library last time?

Is she someone who believes in superstitions and such?

Duk-dukd-.

At that moment, blood dripped from the teacher’s neck.

“Uh… Teacher. There’s blood coming from your neck?”

I thought some strange creature or ghost had appeared again, but the teacher opened an expensive-looking bag, took out a handkerchief, and wiped away the blood flowing from the neck.

“Oh, this. I had a major surgery before. I thought it had all healed, but sometimes the wound opens up like this.”

Now that I looked closely… the teacher’s neck and face had different skin tones.

Below the neck, it was deep red as if drunk, but beyond the boundary of the choker, the face was extremely pale, almost as white as a sheet.

Difference in makeup?

No, it couldn’t be just a difference in makeup…

A creepy shiver ran down my spine.

“But how about your class? D class has been acting strange lately. The atmosphere among students is chaotic. Anything unusual? Anything strange? Kim Geon-ho hasn’t been coming to school either.”

“I didn’t know Geon-ho wasn’t coming to school. I’ve been a bit distracted lately, too…”

“Were you close to Geon-ho? Do you know why he’s not coming to school? After staying out overnight from school, he seemed a bit weird. Did he tell you any stories? Ghost stories or something.”

“Ghost stories…?”

“Why, like a red mask appearing on the night streets. Don’t the kids these days know about the red mask? Wearing a red mask, high heels, and a stylish coat, ripped at the mouth.”

“I’ve heard something like that, but Geon-ho didn’t mention such stories…”

For some reason, it seemed better to pretend not to know anything in this situation.

Honestly, I don’t even know where the soup is going.

Kaetok-.

At that moment, my phone rang.

“Oh, Teacher, I should go now. My mother woke up. Since you’ve had a drink, there’s no need for you to get up. I can go alone.”

Squeak-.

I pushed the chair and walked out.

To me, the English teacher said,

“Be careful on the way at night.”

# # #

8 p.m.

I arrived at the hospital again.

The message about my mom waking up was real.

As I entered the hospital room, I saw my mom sitting up in bed.

Is she eating dinner?

“Mom.”

“……”

My mom frowned when she saw me.

It seemed like she was trying to remember me.

“Mom, it’s Hayoungwon. Your son. Don’t you recognize me?”

“…Son? That’s strange. My son is Hayoungwon….”

My mom tilted her head.

It seemed like her mind or memory was still not fully intact.

I ran over and hugged my mom tightly.

“Ah… I remember this.”

Swoosh-.

My mother hugged me too.

The warmth and scent of my mother, everything was vivid in my memory.

But as her son, I could tell.

…Mom had changed a bit.

It might not be noticeable to others, but whether it was her weight or something else, something had changed ever so slightly.

I felt quite sad about that fact, but for now, I was grateful that my mom had come back alive.

“Oh, Yeongwon. What’s this? Mom can’t breathe!”

“Mom! Do you remember me now?”

“Of course. Ha Chaeyeon’s son, Yeongwon! What on earth happened? Did you drink too much? It feels like the film got cut. Mom’s phone? Have you seen Mom’s phone? What day is it today?”

Mom’s attitude quickly returned to normal.

The doctor had mentioned that the confusion of memory and mental disorientation would be temporary, and it seemed like those words were true.

“Mom, from now on, make sure to charge the battery well. Carry a power bank with you.”

Swoosh-.

I reached out Mom’s phone that was placed in the hospital drawer.

Mom took the phone, connected it to the charger, and tried to operate it, but she shrugged her shoulders as if something wasn’t working well.

“It’s not turning on. Is it broken? If this breaks, it’s a big problem. There are important contacts and pictures inside… Oh, shoot…! I’m in trouble…!”

“Give it here. I’ll go to the service center tomorrow and ask them to fix it.”

“But did you come alone? Didn’t he come with you?”

“What’s this? Who is she?”

“Oh, that one. The pretty girl. What was her name… I don’t remember. What did I say just now?”

It seemed like Mom’s hospitalization needed to continue a bit longer.

Various detailed examinations should be undergone.

Since the hospital visiting hours were until 9 PM, I had to go back home alone.

“…….”

How much time was left for the “Subtle Fragrance” I sprayed?

I don’t know.

There were times when I thought, maybe Mom turned into a ghost because she didn’t come back. What if she died and became a ghost… and she can’t find me because I sprayed perfume….

I was really out of my mind back then.

But now that I’ve calmed down a bit, it was a bit scary to go into that house alone.

I picked up my phone and messaged the group chat with Jungseok and Yang Ju-hee, called “Hayoungwon Pirates.”

“Found Mom.”

“Yang Ju-hee: Phew, that’s a relief.”

Yang Ju-hee confirmed right away and replied.

Jungseok also sent a message about a minute later.

“Jungle Jungseok: Really relieved. Is everything okay? By the way, anyone who can come to our house today? I have to sleep alone, and it’s too scary.”

“Yang Ju-hee: I don’t think I can today. My mom is sickㅠ I’ve been running for the past few days, and my whole body hurtsㅋㅋ”

“Jungle Principles: I’m taking a break today, too.”

Is that so?

Everyone has their own way of living.

Come to think of it… it seems like everyone was busy after coming out of the elevator. Not only because I couldn’t pay attention to my friends due to my mom’s work, but also because Jungseok seemed to be avoiding me a bit.

“Is it scary…?”

The experience of the death floor in the elevator was particularly frightening.

Even if everyone was scared, there was nothing we could do.

Ding-.

A message arrived at that moment.

It was a personal message from Jungseok.

“Jungle Principles: I haven’t been able to talk for a few days because of your atmosphere and the situation, but I found something interesting. The place we descended from the elevator is very similar to the content in this game.”

Jungseok sent me a link.

The game was called “Corridor of the Abyss,” priced in the twenties of thousands of won, made by a Japanese company, and seemed like a foreign horror game.

“Jungle Principles: It’s a game where you hide from ghosts, escape, and such.”

“Jungle Principles: The company is in Japan, but the CEO is Korean. Maybe there’s a connection. Since it’s the weekend tomorrow, if you have time, let’s try playing it together at your place or at a PC bang.”

I thought he was avoiding me because he was scared of the ghost incident, but it seems that wasn’t the case. He just couldn’t come because of some circumstances.

“Jungle Principles: I tried telling my dad to help find your mom, too. Yang Joo-hee was also going around distributing flyers. Keep it a secret that I mentioned it.”

I just didn’t notice, but everyone was helping me.

I’m truly moved. My heart feels more secure.

“Oh, goodness… still, it’s nerve-wracking to enter the house alone. Maybe I should take this opportunity to suggest raising a pet to Mom.”

I wonder if having a puppy would make the house feel less scary.

With that thought, I aimlessly wandered around the neighborhood.

And after about 20 minutes of walking, I felt something.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Someone was following me from behind.

There was about a 20-meter gap between us.

When I stopped, they stopped too, and when I turned around, I couldn’t see them.

“Damn. What the…”

It was frightening.

…Is someone with a red mask really chasing after me?

How do you repel or shake off someone with a red mask?

With those thoughts, I headed towards the bright bustling street.

“Yeongwon! What are you doing here? You haven’t been to school for the past few days!”

Someone familiar approached me.

When I turned my head, Yudahee, the literature girl I had a crush on, was standing in front of the convenience store with a bag.

“Perfect timing! If you have time, let’s eat this together! I bought too much.”

Literature girl Dahee chuckled.

Dahee was holding a bunch of snacks and instant noodles.

Perhaps because I saw a familiar face, or maybe it was the convenience store lights, but my heart felt a bit more at ease.

“……”

Still, just in case, I turned around.

I no longer sensed the presence that had been following me.

For now, I should stay with this person!