I Became A Ghost In A Horror Game-Chapter 83: Settling the Karma

After the chaos had settled, the devastated city gradually regained its original form.

Memories were altered, erased, and a series of procedures successfully controlled the media.

Yet, the lingering shadow of the giant remained in people's subconscious, turning into nothing more than an urban legend.

Once everything was somewhat under control, the Organization attempted to extend its reach toward my children as well.

"Absolutely not."

I refused firmly.

I made it clear that I was prepared to turn them into enemies if necessary, listing off various ways I could make things very difficult for them.

The agents looked troubled, but after discussing it with their superiors, they suddenly paled and withdrew immediately.

Was it Carol again?

No... Their reaction was too extreme. Something wasn’t right.

Carol hadn’t shown up even once during the resolution of this mess.

Maybe something had happened to her.

Now that I thought about it, James was missing too.

...But complicated matters could wait.

There was something more important I needed to do first.

"I'm sorry..."

I bowed my head in front of the children.

"Ella—no, Alice! You don’t have to keep apologizing anymore!"

"Yeah, you’ve been saying sorry over and over since then. We don’t want to see you burdened with guilt."

The children immediately pulled me up, but the guilt wouldn’t fade so easily.

What I had done was no different from betrayal.

"But... I erased your memories.

Even though there was a way to restore them, I chose not to.

I have no excuse. You trusted me, but I didn’t trust you."

The children seemed to be deep in thought after hearing my words.

This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

For a moment, silence filled the room.

Then, suddenly, Eun-jung raised her hand.

Her eyes sparkled mischievously as she grinned.

"I have a great idea!"

"What is it?"

"You’re going to grant us a favor!

Since you feel so guilty, let’s make a deal to settle your sins!"

Eun-jung explained that this would be called the "Alice One-Day Free Use Pass" system.

"Sins? That sounds way too heavy."

"Whatever. You erased our memories,

so in exchange, you have to grant our requests.

And then we’ll let it go!"

It was a good idea.

If this was a way to be truly forgiven, I was willing to do anything.

Though, seeing Eun-jung grinning to herself made me a little... uneasy.

"Alright. I’ll do anything.

Just tell me what you want."

"...Anything?"

"Uh... yeah. Anything."

Please, Eun-jung, don’t emphasize the word ‘anything.’

It’s seriously scaring me.

And so, the "favor in exchange for forgiveness" system began.

The first request was from Soo-ho.

When I reaffirmed that I would grant any wish,

he joked that it felt like making a deal with a demon.

"Then... will you come visit my little sister with me?"

"That’s all?"

Soo-ho shrugged, saying he didn’t really have anything he wanted from me.

Even if he did, he didn’t want to trouble me.

It seemed too light of a request, but he was insistent.

So, following his words, I accompanied him home.

I was curious about his family.

What kind of people were they?

With mild curiosity, I walked into the apartment complex, took the elevator, and entered Room 405 after Soo-ho unlocked the door.

"I’m home."

"Excuse me for intruding."

The moment the door opened, the delicious aroma of food filled the air.

It seemed Soo-ho’s family ate dinner early.

Their home was spacious—much nicer than the place I used to live in.

"Oh, you’re back! Huh? You must be Alice?"

"Yes! Hello, Soo-ho’s mother!"

I made sure to greet her with a bright and friendly smile.

Soo-ho’s mother blinked for a moment, then dramatically reacted.

"Oh my! What a lovely voice and such perfect manners!

And you’re absolutely gorgeous! Are you a model in training?"

...Did I forget to use my perception-dampening ability?

The sudden flood of compliments made my face heat up.

Flustered, I turned to Soo-ho for help.

"Mom, you’re embarrassing her."

"Oh, I’m sorry, dear. But you’re just so stunning!"

"Anyway, dinner’s ready, so let’s eat.

Soo-ho’s father! Time to eat!"

At her call, a man with messy hair emerged from the bedroom, straightening himself up.

His demeanor and speech were casual and friendly.

"Oh, it’s ready already? Huh, when did you get here?

And who’s this pretty blonde girl next to you?"

Flinch.

Please.

No more embarrassing comments.

I lowered my head in an attempt to hide my reddened face, while Soo-ho responded.

"Ugh..."

"I told you earlier I was bringing Alice over for dinner.

Didn’t you hear me?"

"Ah, right! Alice, huh?

Geez, kid, you're already bringing a girl home at your age? Hah!

Well, let’s eat first. So-young will be home late, so let’s start without her."

So-young must be Soo-ho’s younger sister.

His expression darkened at the mention of her being late.

He didn’t seem too happy about it.

Maybe even a little annoyed.

"Why is she late? It’s getting dark soon."

"You’re worrying more than me.

She’s just hanging out with her friends.

I’ll go pick her up, so don’t stress about it."

"...Alright."

Though he nodded, Soo-ho’s face showed clear discontent.

I quietly took a seat next to him.

Even though this was the family of a friend, it still felt a little awkward and unfamiliar.

For some reason, his parents exchanged a knowing glance when they saw me do that.

"Oh, right. Alice, our family usually cooks with a lot of chili powder.

If it’s too spicy, let me know."

I gave him a confident look.

"I trained for this with that fire-spicy ramen! I’ll be fine!"

...And not long after, I was tearing up while desperately gulping down milk.

Why is the kimchi stew so unbearably spicy?!

This wasn’t chili powder.

They must’ve dumped pure capsaicin into it.

I wanted to point out how unhealthy this was, but after being invited for dinner, I didn’t think I had the right to complain about their food.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

"Sss..."

"So it is spicy."

"No, it's not!"

"You're being stubborn."

I shut my mouth and focused on eating the non-spicy dishes like rolled omelets and fish.

"Foreigners sometimes find Korean food too spicy, I suppose."

I'm not a foreigner... it's just that your cooking, ma'am, is especially spicy.

To confirm whether my bowl was the only one burning, I scooped up a spoonful of stew and held it out to Soo-ho.

"Oi..."

Even between friends, sharing a spoon might be pushing it.

Soo-ho looked uncomfortable, and I hesitated before lowering my spoon.

"Oh my, oh my!"

"?"

For some reason, Soo-ho's mother looked delighted.

She turned to me with interest.

"How did you and Soo-ho become friends?"

A casual chat over dinner.

Maybe... this was something I had longed for in the past.

Just sitting together, talking while eating—I found myself genuinely happy in this moment.

"Hmm... we met in the same club.

We got along well, so we became close quickly."

"I see! Soo-ho, what do you usually do at school?"

"Do you have to ask him that in front of him?"

"He usually exercises with Kyung-min.

He studies hard too.

I think he's really responsible and healthy—always stepping up when things get tough.

That part of him is really admirable."

His mother looked deeply moved by my response.

Soo-ho, on the other hand, elbowed me.

"Oi, Alice."

Was he embarrassed?

I gave him a thumbs-up.

"...So you think Soo-ho is cool?"

"Of course!"

"Oh my~"

"Ooooh~"

This time, both his mother and his father reacted.

After a warm dinner, I ended up in Soo-ho's room.

I threw myself onto his bed, letting my full stomach settle.

He looked down at me with an unimpressed expression.

"...Alice. You overdid it.

Now my parents are probably going to ask me to bring you over every week."

"Huh? Isn't that a good thing?"

"That's... not what I meant. Never mind."

I glanced around his room.

Lots of books... and a noticeable amount of workout equipment.

"Training your muscles or something?"

"Well... yeah. But since we live in an apartment, I only have dumbbells."

"I see."

I casually picked up the heaviest dumbbell in the room—using only two fingers.

"...That's the one I can't lift even with both hands."

Soo-ho said that with a deadpan expression.

I pretended not to hear him.

Instead, I stretched out on the bed.

Seeing me looking half-asleep, he spoke again.

"Alice. What happened to you?

Why do you look like... that?"

"Do I look weird?"

"No! That’s not what I mean.

I just... want to know what happened to you.

And what was that massive machine-giant thing?!"

So, he was curious after all.

I figured everyone would be.

But... I wasn’t ready to talk about it yet.

Not because I wanted to hide it—just...

"I’ll tell you.

But after spending a little more time with everyone first.

I want to enjoy this reunion a bit longer... is that okay?"

"...Don’t look at me like that.

Fine, fine. I’ll wait."

Ah.

He's weak to that kind of look.

Good to know—I’ll use this against him later.

To change the subject, I casually threw out another comment.

"Come to think of it, we came here to see your sister, but she’s not here."

"Yeah. I just wanted to introduce her to you.

But things got messy."

For once, Soo-ho actually sounded frustrated.

Seeing him like that was... oddly cute.

I smirked slightly.

Just then, footsteps echoed from the front door.

"Sounds like your dad’s heading out to pick her up.

Let’s go with him."

We hopped into his father’s car.

He gave us a flat look.

"You two were hanging out, so why’d you tag along?"

He scolded us a little, but he didn’t seem to actually mind.

If anything, he seemed happy for the company.

"Huh? What’s up with the car?"

His father frowned at the dashboard.

"Damn it. We're low on gas."

There was enough left to reach the elementary school, but he seemed to want to refuel while they were already out.

"You should’ve filled it earlier."

"Yeah, yeah.

Soo-ho, step outside for a bit and get some fresh air.

I’ll refuel and we’ll go."

We stepped out of the car, wandering around the area.

The night air was chilly, and the wind was a little sharp.

But having company made it feel pleasant.

I briefly thought about how, among the twinkling stars above, there might be something pretending to be one.

I wondered what kind of reaction Soo-ho would have if he knew.

"The night air feels nice."

"But it’s dangerous to wander around at this hour.

Seriously.

I need to scold So-young about staying out late.

Not that she ever listens to me."

"You sound overprotective.

Also, technically speaking, she’s an elementary school student, just like you."

Tsk.

He’s one of those strict older brother types, huh?

I chuckled, tilting my head back to stare at the night sky.

Sometimes, I liked looking up at it without thinking about anything.

But then—

Black figures swept across my vision.

"Hm?"

"What?"

"Evil spirits are flying around."

"Evil spirits? Those things just roam around?"

"At night, yeah.

But they’re nothing to worry about.

They mostly just pop up to startle people. That’s all they can do."

That said...

"They’re heading toward /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ your sister’s school.

About eight of them."

"...She mentioned there were ghost stories going around at school.

So that’s what’s causing them?"

An idea popped into my head.

A brilliant idea.

I grinned mischievously.

Soo-ho gave me a wary look.

I reached into the mirror and pulled out an artifact he had used before—

The police shield.

"Wanna be a cool big brother?"

"..."

He didn’t even argue.

Instead, he silently pulled out his phone and sent a message to his dad.

[We’ll go ahead and pick up So-young first.]

And so, we arrived at So-young’s elementary school.

Of course, So-young attended the same school as Soo-ho.

Most families preferred sending their children to a nearby elementary school.

At this very moment, Soo-ho’s younger sister, Han So-young, was staying behind with her friends, preparing for an upcoming festival while munching on snacks.

But since they had spent more time playing than working, the hours slipped away—before they knew it, night had fallen.

"Whoa... it's so dark..."

One of So-young’s friends muttered anxiously.

For younger kids who didn’t attend after-school academies, a school at night was an unfamiliar and eerie sight.

"I've never gone home this late before.

It's pitch black... feels like a ghost could pop out at any moment."

"Yeah..."

At the mention of "ghosts," So-young visibly tensed up.

Realizing her mistake, her friend quickly changed the subject.

"But hey, didn’t your brother tell you not to stay out so late last time?

You got really annoyed, remember?"

So-young immediately reacted.

"Hmph! Dad said it was fine, so why does he keep nagging me?!

I’m going to be a middle schooler soon, you know!

He’s way too overprotective!

...Not that I hate him or anything, but still!"

With the tension lifted, her friend prepared to leave school with her.

It was getting late, and their parents would likely be arriving to pick them up soon.

That was when another friend hesitantly spoke up.

"...Did something just pass by?"

"Hey, don’t say creepy stuff like that.

There’ve been scary rumors going around lately."

"You mean the one about the terrifying faces appearing at night?"

The rumor went like this—

Just like in any other school ghost story, a student who came back late to pick up their textbooks was found unconscious, supposedly scared into fainting by a ghost.

The teacher who found them refused to explain what had happened.

But since an ambulance had been called to the school that day, it might have been a real event.

No one believed the story outright, but in the dead of night, it was easy for the imagination to take hold.

So-young’s anxiety grew.

And then—

A bloodcurdling scream rang out.

"Kyaaaah!!!"

Without thinking, So-young and her friends bolted.

They sprinted toward the entrance, only to realize something horrifying—

None of them had been the one to scream.

Fear gripped them.

And just as they tried to escape—

BANG!

The school gate slammed shut right in front of them.

Even with the exit right there, they were trapped.

Panic set in.

"W-What do we do?! What do we do?!"

"M-My legs... I can’t move..."

Trembling, they watched as terrifying ghostly figures emerged, one by one.

Just as their bodies were about to collapse from fear—

CRASH!!!

"Ah."

A familiar voice.

Their heads snapped toward the source.

There, standing with a shield in hand, was none other than Yoo Soo-ho.

He had smashed through a window to get inside.

Where he had even gotten a shield was a mystery,

but standing before them, bravely facing down the spirits, he looked incredibly cool.

Without hesitation, Soo-ho lunged at the ghosts, using his shield to bash them away, driving them back one by one.

"Whoa..."

So-young and her friends could only stare in awe.

The spirits, enraged, started moving objects, attempting to scratch So-young.

But before they could—

A voice rang out.

Cold, firm.

Undeniable.

[No.]

At that single word, the spirits froze.

They turned—

And locked eyes with her.

Blue eyes, glowing in the darkness.

The instant they recognized the difference in power—

The ghosts fled out of the school.

Soo-ho successfully eliminated the remaining spirits.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he turned to his sister.

"Now.

You’re not gonna stay out late anymore, right?"

"Waaaah! I’ll listen to you from now on!!!"

Clinging to her brother, So-young sobbed until their father’s car arrived.

Even after getting inside, she refused to let go.

Her father chuckled.

"Wow. Since when were you two this close?"

I chatted with So-young for a while before finally deciding to return to the Organization.

Perhaps because I had been so forceful last time, they no longer tried to restrict my actions.

I still didn’t understand why, but...

Well, I supposed it was better this way.

That night, Soo-ho walked with me, seeing me off.

"Alice.

You know you could’ve handled that in an instant."

"But I wanted to see it.

You fighting ghosts, I mean.

And honestly? You looked really cool."

"You really... I can’t with you."

Soo-ho sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

Seeing him flustered was amusing.

For someone so composed while fighting spirits, he sure got embarrassed easily.

Which meant—

I had to tease him more.

"Now you’re not gonna stay out late anymore, right~?"

I mimicked his serious voice, exaggerating for effect.

His face burned red.

"Alice!!!"

"Ahahaha!"

Seeing me laugh so carefreely, he couldn’t bring himself to stay mad.

After my laughter died down, I smiled gently, looking at him with warmth.

Raising a hand, I waved.

"See you, then."

And with that, I turned and walked away.

Soo-ho watched me go, sighing deeply.

He knew there was no hidden intention behind it.

But still—

Her eyes.

That way she looked at people—

It made his heart race.

It didn’t matter if they were red or blue.

Alice’s eyes always had a way of captivating people.

Shaking his head, he tried to suppress the rising emotions inside him.

Next up was Eun-jung’s request.

And judging by the grin she had earlier...

Alice was in for a world of trouble.

+) Ha-rim's Doodle