How to Survive the Horror Novel I Wrote
Chapter 27
My heart sank. Yet there was no way to avoid it.
Even if I managed to put it off today, what about tomorrow? And the day after that? I couldn’t avoid Ugeum forever.
A bottomless sense of helplessness seized my ankles, dragging me down into pitch-black resignation.
I took On-dam and walked out past the school gates. Ugeum had already arrived.
The three of us had dinner together and headed home.
Ugeum and On-dam got along warmly as if they had known each other for years, while I kept my words to a minimum the entire time.
I was in no mood to laugh and chat, and above all, I didn’t want to give Ugeum an opening to question me about my slip of the tongue yesterday.
“Teacher, are you sick?”
“Yeah, you look pale. Ji-an, are you not feeling well today either?”
Both On-dam and Ugeum worried over me, but even their concern felt overwhelming. I put up a wall, telling them no, I was fine. Ugeum in the driver’s seat and On-dam in the back seemed to exchange glances through the rearview mirror, and then both fell quiet.
Soon, Ugeum’s car pulled into the apartment parking lot and stopped.
Arriving home sparked a faint sliver of hope. Ugeum wouldn’t reveal his true self in front of On-dam. Maybe today would be fine. Maybe I would get through this safely.
The moment I pulled the handle of the passenger door, a large hand firmly gripped my wrist. Startled, I looked at Ugeum.
But Ugeum wasn’t looking at me—he was turning back toward On-dam in the rear seat.
“On-dam. Why don’t you head up first? We have something to talk about in private.”
“Okay. Make sure you apologize properly. And don’t play weird pranks on Teacher like yesterday.”
Completely oblivious, On-dam slipped away after giving her friendly nagging.
I didn’t ask Ugeum what he wanted to talk about. It was painfully obvious.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
My heart beat so violently against my eardrums that it felt ready to burst. My mouth went dry, terrified that Ugeum, who still held my wrist, would feel my racing pulse.
“Shall we go somewhere quiet?”
Somewhere quiet where? Somewhere with no one around?
I wanted to go somewhere with people. Somewhere with eyes watching.
“Sure. Let’s go to a café. I want to drink something warm.”
Ugeum nodded and drove the car out of the apartment complex.
The car stopped in front of a small independent café.
Seeing the scattered patrons through the glass window put me slightly at ease. He wouldn’t do anything to me in a place with people around like this.
Following Ugeum inside, the soft lighting and gentle music washed warmly over us.
Standing at the counter, Ugeum ordered an Americano and a hot chocolate without even asking me.
Startled, I looked at him.
“How did you know?”
I usually liked Americanos. But when I was under severe stress and feeling unwell, I drank something sweet and warm.
How could Ugeum know this?
“Is there anything about you I wouldn’t know?”
Ugeum replied with a faint smile.
Right. What wouldn’t you know about me? You’re Ha Jian’s boyfriend, Ju Ugeum.
A moment later, we took our drinks and sat down.
“How are you feeling?”
“Huh?”
“You weren’t feeling well at all yesterday.”
“Ah, yeah. I’m better now.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Thanks for worrying about me.”
A gentle, tender, meaningless conversation continued.
Yet I knew. This moment was nothing more than the calm before the storm.
When I set down my half-cooled mug, Ugeum asked casually, as if asking about tomorrow’s weather:
“What did you mean by what you said to me yesterday?”
The blood in my body ran cold.
“What do you mean?”
I feigned ignorance, but Ugeum didn’t let it slide.
“You asked me yesterday. What did I do to On-dam.”
It had finally come. My heart thrashed in frantic panic.
Bluebeard suddenly crossed my mind. The man who murdered the wives who entered his secret room. If caught, you die.
No, would he really? Would I die if discovered? Ugeum wasn’t Bluebeard. Ugeum’s hunts were about carrying out unrealized justice; they had nothing to do with keeping his secret.
Perhaps this was an opportunity Ugeum was giving me. A chance to be forgiven. I clearly remembered our conversation at the park last Saturday night.
<What will you do if I lie to you?>
<If you tell the truth, I’ll forgive you.>
Yet I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Who could easily say such a thing? I know you’re a serial killer. It required a staggering amount of courage.
“You know how bad my paranoia gets.”
And I didn’t possess even the smallest ounce of courage.
<……What if I don’t tell the truth?>
<I’ll let myself be fooled.>
Clinging to that promise, I babbled an incoherent excuse mixed with truth and lies.
“When I got home, all the lights were off, On-dam wasn’t there, and you were inside. Even though I clearly told you not to come. You didn’t even answer when I called your name. Do you know how terrified I was? The atmosphere was so eerie that crazy thoughts popped into my head. Because of my paranoia.”
Even as I spoke, I knew. Ugeum would never be fooled. He was someone who saw right through lies.
Nor did I expect him to believe me. I only hoped he would keep the promise he made back then.
You said you’d let yourself be fooled.
I looked at Ugeum with desperate yearning.
With an unreadable face, Ugeum merely stared into my eyes, saying nothing.
In the silence that felt like eternity, my stomach burned to ashes with anxiety.
Say something, Ju Ugeum.
Please.
Finally, Ugeum’s lips parted.
“Answer your phone.”
Only then did I realize that my phone on the table was vibrating. The three letters ‘Ahn Ondam’ were displayed on the screen.
Stiff as a stone statue, I answered the call.
“Hello.”
- Teacher, where are you?
“Still at the café. Why, is something wrong?”
Please let something be wrong. Let it pull me out of here.
- Yes. The police are at the house.
In an instant, my mind went completely blank.
“What? The police?”
I blurted it out in shock, then covered my mouth a beat too late. Glancing up, I saw Ugeum gazing steadily at my face.
- They said they have something to ask you. Hold on a second, I’ll put him on.
In that brief moment, all sorts of thoughts flashed through my head. The serial killer sitting across from me, the dismembered body found on Naegong Mountain, or maybe the runaway kid, a missing person report, harboring a minor without permission…
Yet it was none of those.
- I apologize for calling so late. This is Detective Ji Eunpal from the Violent Crimes Unit at Naegong Police Station. You witnessed a traffic accident on the night of Saturday the 17th, correct?
The moment I heard “traffic accident,” the car plunging off the bridge surfaced in my mind. The vehicle swerving wildly, and Ugeum precariously clinging to the wide-open driver’s door. And even the reason Ugeum took such a risk, which I hadn’t known back then.
My vision went dark. How did the police know? And how did they find my house? Did they come to catch Ugeum? Or me?
‘Don’t bother trying to deny it. We came knowing everything.’
As ominous delusions habitually flooded my head, the man asked suspiciously:
- Hello? Are you listening?
My heart pounded wildly. He definitely said Violent Crimes just now… Of all things, now I was entangled with the police.
I glared resentfully at the culprit sitting before me for a brief second before hurriedly dropping my gaze.
“Yes. I’m sorry, I was just startled.”
- It’s fine. You remember the car plunge accident that occurred on the access road to ** Bridge on the night of the 17th around 11:56 PM, right?
Seeing that they came all the way to my house, they clearly knew for sure. Because Ugeum was listening, I kept my answer brief.
“Yes.”
- I’d like to hear the details of the accident, but you aren’t home. Around what time will you be back?
He sounded prepared to wait until I returned. But Ugeum would drive me right up to my front door no matter what.
I could never let Ugeum and the police meet. In this entire world, everyone was someone Ugeum should never encounter.
“I’m quite far away right now…”
- Then could you visit the station tomorrow?
“I will.”
- Then what time…
I wrapped up the call with a promise to head to the police station as soon as I finished work tomorrow.
The moment I put down my phone, Ugeum asked subtly:
“Who was that on the phone?”
Can’t you just let it slide for once, pretending you don’t know and didn’t hear? It’s not like I can tell you the straight truth.
How could I possibly tell you about that night’s car crash? You’re already suspicious of me showing up at your hunting ground back then. I don’t want to make trouble out of nothing, and I’m already busy cleaning up yesterday’s slip of the tongue.
It wasn’t like I enjoyed lying. I just had no other choice.
“Ah, it’s nothing major… It seems there’s bullying going on at our school. They asked me to come down to the police station tomorrow. Said they have something they want to ask me.”
“You’re not even a homeroom teacher.”
Ugeum pointed out the blind spot in a calm voice.
My heart sank. I couldn’t take back what I’d already said. That would only make him more suspicious. I had no choice but to play innocent.
“Huh? Yeah, well. I don’t know either. I wasn’t aware, but something seems to have happened during my class.”
“Is that so?”
Ugeum tilted his head slightly. He seemed doubtful of my words. But soon, he asked gently:
“Want me to go with you?”
Why on earth would you go there? Who do you think caused that accident?
“No, it’s fine. There’s no need for that.”
“Can you manage on your own?”
“Of course. I’m not a child.”
“You scare easily. Aren’t you afraid of going to a police station?”
“Why would I be scared? I haven’t committed any crime. Where else could be safer than a police station?”
I replied with feigned nonchalance, grumbling on the inside.
You’re the one who should be scared.
“All right then.”
Ugeum closed his mouth.
With the phone conversation over, it was time to return to what we had been discussing. Ugeum’s judgment on my lie still remained.
Unable to look Ugeum in the eye, I fidgeted with the innocent mug. Otherwise, I felt like I would end up gnawing on my thumb right in front of him.
The cloak of silence Ugeum wrapped around us weighed heavily down on me. I felt crushed beneath his silence. Flattened into nothing.
The longer the silence dragged on, the more the tension mounted. My nerves stood on edge, and my hearing grew razor-sharp.
The sound of ice being stirred with a straw at the next table, the low chuckles of a couple in the corner, the footsteps of a man carrying his coffee back to his seat—every surrounding noise sounded gratingly loud in my ears.
“Let’s get going.”
Ugeum said abruptly.
The piercing noises in my ears crumbled in an instant. I lifted my head blankly.
“Huh?”
“Let’s talk next time. You don’t look well. You should go home and rest. I’ll take you back.”
While I was at a loss from his unexpected words, Ugeum stood first and extended his hand toward me.
“Let’s go.”
I took Ugeum’s hand and stood up in a daze. I couldn’t understand him at all.
What kind of whim was this? After bringing me all the way to a café just because he had something to discuss in private.
I pondered it the whole way home in Ugeum’s car, but I couldn’t fathom the reason in the slightest.
It just felt like I had received a stay of execution. Today seemed to pass safely. Though tomorrow was another story.
As always, Ugeum walked me all the way to my front door.
Standing before the door, relief washed over me like a rising tide, knowing it was finally over. Just as I eagerly reached for the digital door lock, a low voice called out from behind.
“Ji-an.”
My hand froze before the keypad. The relief filling my chest drained away in an instant like an ebbing tide. It felt as if all the blood in my body were draining out with it.
Was it not over yet…?