Ghost Writer

Wild Warning and Trying Times

CONTARY TO WHAT CHUNG-CHA TOLD ANDREW, she did not go to Unit 501. She just said that because she had to get away from him. He had to perfect opportunity to murder her, after all. They were alone together, and she was feeling horrible after being threatened by Joo-Hyung. If he did kill her, there would be nobody around to witness. And he could simply cover it up by telling everyone she went home. No one would check up on her, except maybe when her packed food started piling up in front of her door. Chung-Cha may be pessimistic, but at least she was still alive.

Chung-Cha stood in the stairwell and craned her neck, but it didn't seem like the others left the meeting yet. She didn't want to go back, so she went home. When she reached her floor, she hesitated, then turned to Hyun-Kyung's house instead. She just didn't want to be alone.

After knocking on Hyun-Kyung's door, Chung-Cha immediately regretted it. She shouldn't have disturbed her, especially after what happened to Soo-Min. She was about to go back, when the door opened.

Hyun-Kyung let her in. As she was pouring her a glass of water, Chung-Cha sat on the sofa. There was a board with post-its, a neat stack of paper with various annotations, some plants. It was a cozy place; Chung-Cha had never been inside before. Hyun-Kyung gave her the cup, and Chung-Cha drank the water quickly.  After finishing it, she said slowly, "You should be careful. With the lockdown extending, people might become more desperate."

Hyun-Kyung leaned forward. "Did something happen?"

"Ah, some residents were planning to kick Unit 501 out. At first, it was because they suspected Sae-Bom was infected, but later it became about their water." Admittedly, Chung-Cha left some things out, but Hyun-Kyung didn't need to know about that.

"Let me guess, Yeon-Ok and Joo-Hyung? They're assholes, I swear." Hyun-Kyung paused. "Listen, Chung-Cha. A few days ago, I let Soo-Min inside the building. He was staying at Unit 1102, until Yeon-Ok and Joo-Hyung found him. How they found out, I have no idea. But he's in the golf course now." 

Why didn't Hyun-Kyung bother to tell her earlier? Did she not trust her? Chung-Cha pursed her lips. "At least Soo-Min is safe. About Yeon-Ok and Joo-Hyung, avoid them at all costs. The cleaners, too. And the lawyers from Unit 602. Most importantly, watch out for Andrew."

"You listed almost everyone in the building. And seriously, Andrew?"

"Please, trust me. Andrew is not what he seems. Out of everyone here, he is the most dangerous."

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

When night fell, Chung-Cha slipped out of her house. She stood outside the stairwell and listened for any ghosts. There was nothing, which meant Andrew wasn't nearby. At least he hadn't caught on to her, yet. After spending the rest of the day thinking about what to do next, Chung-Cha decided to leave it to the professionals, which was why she was going to Unit 501. After that, she would just stay home until lockdown ended.

Chung-Cha knocked on the door, and Yi-Hyun opened it. When he saw her, he stepped outside, about to close the door behind him. Chung-Cha quickly shook her head. "Not here, let's go inside."

The living room was dark, and Chung-Cha spotted Detective Kim sleeping on the sofa. Chung-Cha waited in the balcony as Yi-Hyun went to wake Sae-Bom up. She hoped they would believe her. If they didn't, she wasn't sure what to do next. The couple finally came; Sae-Bom was yawning and Yi-Hyun rubbed his eyes. Oh, maybe Chung-Cha should have come earlier. She took in a deep breath, then—

"Andrew is a serial killer." 

This definitely caught their attention. Yi-Hyun stood up straighter. "Do you have evidence?"

That damned question. Chung-Cha prepared for everything else, expect for the most obvious question. What would she tell them, that she could hear ghosts following Andrew? They would think she was crazy. "I mean, don't you think it's weird that he is always wearing his mask and sunglasses? It is as if he is hiding his true identity."

"Hey," Sae-Bom started, "You can't go around accusing people of being murderers based on assumptions. And Andrew has helped us a few times; he helped Dong-Hyun escape from the infected in the grocery store, he even helped you that time at the residents' meeting."

"Murderers can still do good deeds," Chung-Cha muttered. Andrew helping her that day was exactly what threw her off. "Fine, I honestly don't have any concrete evidence, and I can't explain myself without sounding insane. But I am telling the truth. I know things that are... not of this world, and it's all pointing to Andrew not being as innocent as he seems."

Sae-Bom shook her head. "Chung-Cha, it's late, you should go back."

Chung-Cha wanted to fight back, but she suddenly felt drained. The whole day, she had been putting herself out there, but nobody was listening to her. Nobody cared. The realisation was like a slap to the cheek. What was she doing? She wasn't some superhero. "Fine," Chung-Cha said, then she left.

:

Sae-Bom groaned and slumped in the chair. "Geez, everything has gotten worse since the lockdown extended. What do you think that was, anyway? Stress? The residents did say she threatened them."

"I think they were exaggerating." Yi-Hyun sat beside her. "Chung-Cha doesn't seem like the type to lie about such things. And... I did think Andrew was weird when we first met him. He seems fidgety around us, too. Remember when we went to the rooftop to collect the water? Andrew was already there, drinking water from my water bottle. When he saw us, he immediately put his mask back on. Don't you think that is suspicious?"

Sae-Bom sighed. "Not really. Anyway, it looks like we have another problem to deal with."