Chapter 4
“Hello?”
— …Is this Baek Yeo-hyun’s phone?
Heo Narim greeted calmly, and the other side asked without much surprise. It wasn’t usual to recover emotions so quickly.
The little ghost next to her looked restless and glanced up at Heo Narim. She ignored the gaze and tried her best to hide her tension as she answered.
“I’m not sure. I just happened to find this phone and was waiting for the owner to call.”
Heo Narim quietly swallowed her dry saliva and continued. The smooth, somewhat confident tone surprised even herself.
“Are you related to the owner of the phone?”
— I’m a family member. By the way, where did you find the phone?
Heo Narim quickly thought over the location—not too far from her home, but not very close either. Fortunately, Baek Yeo-hyun’s hospital and home were near each other.
“Near St. Mary’s Hospital.”
— St. Mary’s Hospital.
Luckily, Yeo-hyun’s mother didn’t seem suspicious.
It helped that it was the hospital where he had been admitted a few months ago, so it wasn’t an odd place.
“I want to return the phone. Are you available? I thought about bringing it to the police station, but since you’re family, I thought it’d be better to give it to you directly.”
The little ghost nervously grabbed the fabric of Heo Narim’s pants. Its expression was blank, but its eyes looked very uneasy—almost scared.
“If you’re busy, I can leave it at the police station. Whatever is convenient.”
She didn’t want to meet them in person but had to act casually to avoid suspicion. After all, coming home with the phone in the first place was suspicious enough.
Fortunately, after a brief silence, Yeo-hyun’s mother responded with a willingness to meet.
— I’m nearby, so let’s meet to get it. Should I come to St. Mary’s Hospital?
“Yes. I’m close too, so I’ll come there. What time can you meet?”
— In 30 minutes.
Heo Narim checked her watch. Luckily, it was about 20 minutes to the hospital.
“Okay, then see you in 30 minutes.”
Her injured leg made moving difficult, but she could manage with a taxi.
She thought it better to meet quickly, hand over the phone, and finish this.
‘I never thought I’d be thankful for not having met his family before.’
Sometimes, she felt sad because he avoided talking about his family so much that she wondered if he had no intention of marrying.
But hearing his mother’s voice now, she thought maybe she was strict and worried about the meeting. Though it was pointless to clear misunderstandings now.
— Wait a moment.
“Yes?”
— May I ask the name of the person who found the phone?
Heo Narim instinctively looked at the little ghost, who frantically shook its head.
She had no intention of giving her real name, but seeing the ghost’s reaction, she thought it better not to say more.
‘My name is similar to my sister’s, so it’d be easy to suspect me. It’d be a problem if my sister heard it.’
She paused briefly before answering. Thankfully, the silence wasn’t too awkward.
“Park Jeong-ho.”
She used the name of a senior colleague who had taken good care of her.
— That’s a gender-neutral name.
“That’s what people often say.”
— Alright, Jeong-ho, see you in a bit.
Heo Narim briefly said yes and ended the call. Then she exhaled deeply as if the ground had sunk beneath her.
“This is driving me crazy.”
[Why did you do that? I told you to just throw the phone away.]
The little ghost smacked her leg playfully, but it didn’t hurt.
It annoyed her a little.
“Throwing it away would be more suspicious. If location tracking is real, even a little investigation would show that he’s been here since last night.”
Heo Narim looked at Baek Yeo-hyun’s phone and entered the password habitually. It was the shared password and the date they started dating.
She looked for any location tracking apps but found nothing useful.
Clicking her tongue inwardly, she heard the little ghost speak.
[That’s true.]
“It’s better to waste time like this than to make things worse by hiding it poorly.”
[…You said you’d turn yourself in earlier.]
Heo Narim glared irritably at the little ghost, who then quickly turned its head as if guilty.
It was a ghost who interfered a lot but never explained properly, and now it was nagging too.
“I’ll handle it myself, so why don’t you just disappear now?”
She didn’t have much time before the meeting in 30 minutes. Preparing for any situation, she grabbed a hat and some clothes to change into.
Since it was hot and she didn’t need to look good for anyone, she planned to wear shorts.
[Too short.]
The ghost’s annoyed voice irritated her again.
“No, seriously, go already.”
[Wear long pants. Those.]
The ghost pointed to a gray sweatpants set in the closet that was too big and didn’t fit well because she had accidentally bought a larger size.
“…”
Since it ignored her, she ignored it too.
Just as she was about to change clothes, she felt the gaze again and snapped irritably,
“How long are you going to watch? Can’t you look away when I’m changing?”
[I can see.]
“Then look away or go somewhere else!”
[I’m a ghost anyway. Not an adult.]
That was true!
Still, she felt embarrassed about the ghost seeing her change. Time was passing, but the ghost wasn’t backing down.
After a short standoff, the ghost wiggled a finger, still not retracting it.
[If you wear those, I’ll look away.]
“…You annoying little….”
Heo Narim muttered irritably. The ghost looked at her wide-eyed, as if shocked by the curse.
It wasn’t the first time she cursed at a ghost, and it was funny. Of course, she never cursed like that in front of Baek Yeo-hyun, but in front of a ghost, who cared?
She put the shorts on the bed and took out the gray sweatpants the ghost insisted on.
“Fine. Now just leave.”
The ghost nodded expressionlessly. The oddly satisfied look in its eyes annoyed her more.
Even when she changed and took a taxi, the little ghost didn’t appear. Maybe it just now heard the word “disappear.”
‘Will the house be okay?’
She pushed the washing machine closer to the door before leaving, worrying just in case. Her ankle kept throbbing from the effort.
‘I said I’d rest, but it’d be awkward if I ran into the staff.’
She planned to go to the hospital only after finishing her errands.
St. Mary’s Hospital.
Her workplace and the place where she first met Baek Yeo-hyun. Looking up at the large hospital, Heo Narim pulled her hat down low.
She took out Baek Yeo-hyun’s phone, unlocked it, checked the recent call list, and dialed. As if waiting for her, a voice answered.
— Park Jeong-ho?
“Yes. Have you arrived?”
—I’m in front of the emergency room at St. Mary’s. Can you see me? I’m wearing a hanbok, so I should stand out.
Heo Narim slowly scanned her surroundings and then replied.
“Yes, I see you. I’m wearing gray pants and am on my way. I hurt my leg, so I can’t walk fast. Please understand.”
— No problem, I’ll come to you.
A middle-aged woman who had been standing in front of the emergency room walked toward Heo Narim. The woman wore a hanbok, making for a strangely elegant sight.
The woman was shorter than Heo Narim but carried a powerful presence.
‘I thought her voice was charismatic, but seeing her in person is even more intense.’
Besides, she looked every bit a refined lady. Heo Narim guessed she was Baek Yeo-hyun’s family, and it was confirmed now.
Without exchanging many words, Heo Narim handed over the phone silently. She didn’t want unnecessary conversation.
“Here. I have something to do, so I need to leave quickly. Is that okay?”
“Yes. This is definitely Yeo-hyun’s phone. I should have come myself, but thank you for coming. If I knew you had injured your leg, I would have sent someone. Sorry.”
Thinking about sending someone made Heo Narim wonder how rich they were.
She closed her eyes tightly, feeling like they belonged to a completely different world.
The middle-aged woman fiddled with the phone for a moment, then pursed her lips.
