Formation of the Eternal Crew (1)

The first meeting place was a cafe, and while we were deciding where to go next, I got a message from my mom.

Mom: Mom might not be able to come home today because of work stuff LOL. Since my son probably won't be able to wake up tomorrow morning, mom will give you a call~

It was a message saying that Mom would be pulling an all-nighter at work today.
Maybe because she’s been so busy lately, I haven’t even had time to see her face.

You want me to spend the night alone in a house with cockroaches and ghosts?
Every time Mom wasn’t around, ghosts would pop out.
It was too horrifying.

“Hey. Guys. Let’s go to my house for the second round. You might as well sleep over. Just stay at my place for today. Mom’s not home, so there are extra rooms.”

As I invited my classmates over to my house, I simultaneously asked them to sleep over.
If ghosts suddenly popped out at home, I thought it would be a bit better if my friends were there.

“You guys are sleeping over, right? Please!”

I asked again, looking at the crumbling villa building.
Jeong Seok sent a message somewhere and calmly replied,

“I told them for now that I might sleep over.”

Great, great!
As I happily climbed the stairs, Jeong Seok hesitated to follow and frowned.

“But we have to walk up to the 4th floor?”

“Then let’s walk up. Want me to piggyback you?”

“…..”

Is it because he’s a rich boy?
He looked around as if he couldn’t understand walking up to the 4th floor.
But eventually, as if giving up, he climbed the stairs.

When we reached the 3rd floor, Jeong Seok asked,

“Yang Juhui, will you be okay? Your mom came to school that time when you stayed out, right? If you stay out again today, won’t she really make you drop out this time?”

Come to think of it, that’s right.
When Deaconess Kim Yeook came to the classroom with scissors, roaring as if she would cut off all of Yang Juhui’s hair, we were intimidated by that atmosphere and scared stiff.
If I say that she is sleeping over with me and Jeong Seok today… Won’t the deaconess rip off Yang Juhui’s and my heads? Jeong Seok might even get dissected.

“It’ll be fine, right? My mom likes you, Youngwon. You’re the pastor’s son. If I say I’m with you, she’ll like it even more. Even if I say I’m sleeping over, she won’t care much.”

Is that so?
It seems I’ve unknowingly earned a lot of points from Deaconess Kim Yeook. After all, to deaconesses, the pastor’s sons feel like their own sons in any church.

“Youngwon was a pastor’s son?”

Jeong Seok looked at me, his eyes shining.

“I thought you were from a single-parent family.”

“Every family has their circumstances. Anyway, come in.”

Jeong Seok didn’t pry further or press me about my vague words. Is it because he’s smart or because he knows manners?

*Click, click*

When I opened the door lock and entered, everything was dark.

*Click*

When I turned on the lights, the completely messy interior came into view.

“Ah, right. I went to school without cleaning all this up.”

These were traces of the mess from fighting with the copied moms this morning. I tried to clean up roughly, but the floor was covered in sand and dirt, making it a complete mess.

“Hello.”

While Yang Juhui took off her sneakers and readily entered with her white socks exposed, Jeong Seok stopped at the shoe rack and was busy looking around.
Was his half-open mouth an expression of admiration or shock?

“……”

It was the attitude of a born politician entering a gosiwon¹ for the first time. I jokingly asked,

“Hey, Seok. Is our house bigger than your shoe rack?”

“Well, I’m not sure about that… Aaah!”

Jeong Seok suddenly screamed and jumped up.
Fuck, did a ghost already appear?

These damn ghost bastards pop out as they please, even when the house lights are all on, and three people are wide awake staring!
They really have no manners, I thought, about to piss myself, when something scurried under Jeong Seok’s feet with a *shu-shush.*

“Cockroach! It’s huge! Oh shit—”

Jeong Seok seemed extremely startled to see the cockroach.
No, is a guy going to be scared just by seeing a bug? I was so scared that tears welled up, and I felt like I would foam at the mouth.

“We have to catch that! We have to catch it! Otherwise, we won’t be able to sleep tonight! Catch it!”

I appealed with emotion and sentiment.
A cockroach as big as a human thumb was crawling around near the shoe rack, and I didn’t have the guts to sleep with that.

What if it sticks to my face while I’m sleeping!
I’d really die.

“Our Youngwon is making a fuss over this. I thought you saw a ghost or something.”

Then, Yang Juhui lifted her foot and quickly stomped on the black object.

*Splat.* *Squish.*

It was a cool move, but at the same time, I felt like going insane.

“But, with your socked foot…”

“I was going to wear these socks just for today and throw them away. I can just wash my feet.”

*Swish.*

Yang Juhui nonchalantly took off her socks and threw them in a nearby trash can. Then, saying, “I’m going to the bathroom,” she went into the bathroom.

*Shu-shush*

The sound of water running from the shower head could be heard, so she was probably washing her hands and feet.

“…..”

Jeong Seok and I quietly listened to the sound of the water.

I wasn’t sure about Jeong Seok, but thinking that a girl from our class was in our house running water and washing up felt strange yet exciting.
I’m from an all-boys middle school, so I had some fantasies about women.

“Youngwon, let’s clean up first.”

*Swish*

Jeong Seok stepped from the shoe rack into our living room. He grabbed a nearby vacuum cleaner and started pushing it across the floor with a *whoosh,* and his posture was quite good.

“Seok and I will sleep together in my room. Juhui, you sleep in my mom’s room. And if the pajamas are too big or uncomfortable, let me know. I’ll get you different ones.”

I prepared bedding in each room and distributed pyjamas and toothbrushes to my friends.
It had been a very long time since elementary school that I had friends sleep over, so it felt awkward yet exciting.

On the other hand, it was fun.
To think that I’d be sleeping with my friends.

After being chased by ghosts, I thought my life would only be filled with misfortune, but I’m glad to have such fun experiences, too.
Oh, I’m happy. Oh, I’m joyful.

“You had a sister?”

Jeong Seok noticed a photo of a woman and me hanging in the living room while drinking water from a cup. He’s observant of his surroundings.
By the way, what Jeong Seok saw was a photo taken with my mom at my middle school graduation.

“That’s my mom. By the way, my mom is thirty-four this year.”

“….”

Jeong Seok made a look of incomprehension in many ways.
He’s probably doing calculations in his head like, “How old was she when she had a kid?”
I decided to help with the calculation.

“She had me when she was in high school.”

Anyway.
I steeled myself to explain my “Status Window” to everyone as we sat in the living room.
Then Yang Juhui, who had changed into my pyjamas, touched her stomach.

“Youngwon, I’m hungry, can you order just one chicken? Our baby says it’s hungry.”

“Pffft-!”

Jeong Seok spat out the water he was drinking.

“Hey, that’s dirty.”

“No, the baby…”

Jeong Seok seemed really startled by Yang Juhui’s words.
Does he have little immunity to a female student’s jokes?
Jeong Seok may have also spent three years in an all-boys middle school.

“Of course it’s a lie. But about the chicken… Okay. It’s on me. Only if you help with the cleanup. Is chicken okay?”

“Oh yeah!”

Yang Juhui was very happy.
Even though she ate all the carrot cake by herself earlier, it seems she still has room for chicken.
Jeong Seok also chimed in.

“I’ll only eat boneless. Do you have Bburinkle²?”

“…Really, who eats Bburinkle boneless? The ones with bones are the best.”

Maybe rich kids have different tastes.
As I was thinking that, Yang Juhui asked.

“What’s Bburinkle?”

…That’s how it is.

We ordered two chickens.
It was really fun to eat chicken with friends late into the night at home. It’s amazing how a day can be so fun without doing much.

“Hey, this is ginseng liquor. Hey. Let’s just have one drink of this!”

After eating a lot of chicken, Yang Juhui had her eyes on the ginseng liquor my mom had received from work. It was in a golden container with a dazzling root inside.

Is Yang Juhui here to wreck my household?
I thought so, but I also wanted to try the ginseng liquor myself.

“Hold on.”

*Thump*

Jeong Seok gently slapped the table with his palm.
It was a gesture similar to when he caught the attention of the kids in class.

“We’re not here for this, Youngwon. You said you have superpowers. Explain that first.”

Right.
I had planned to talk about the Status Window today.
But…the Status Window was my ultimate weapon and a top secret that had to be kept from everyone.
If word got out that I had a Status Window, places like the National Intelligence Service might kidnap me to open my brain.
Can I trust Yang Juhui and Jeong Seok? Honestly, I couldn’t be sure.
Yang Juhui and I never really got along, and I had barely spoken to Jeong Seok, the class vice president.

But I wanted to trust the friends before me.
The world seemed too cruel to handle all these things alone.
So, I opened the lid of the ginseng liquor and poured it into cups for the number of people present.

*Chirrrrrr*

“Listen. From the moment we drink this, we are truly blood brothers and allies. The secrets we share here must be kept till the end. If not, you guys could actually die. I’m not joking.”

I pushed the cups towards Yang Juhui and Jeong Seok.

It was a nerve-wracking moment.

“Why do you keep making me repeat the same words? I’ll go along. If it means finding my sister and returning my mom to normal and restoring our family. Ah, shoot.”

Yang Juhui downed her cup in one go.
She was indeed tough.
So, that left Jeong Seok.

Jeong Seok stared at the ginseng liquor in his cup.
Technically, Jeong Seok didn’t have to go all the way with me. Even though we had fought feng shui ghost together, it didn’t mean he was obliged to stick with me to the end.

*Swirl*

Jeong Seok emptied his cup in an instant.

“I’m in too. But the information about your superpowers better be legit. I’m going to be a prosecutor in South Korea someday. Gonna lock up all the criminals…”

Jeong Seok’s attitude was more serious and somewhat chilling than I expected.
Alright.
I downed my cup as well.
It tasted bitter and awful.

“Eugh. Tastes awful. Anyway, now we are all members of the Ha Youngwon Eternal Crew. I’ll tell you guys. I have something called a Status Window. Let me draw it to show you.”

*Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh*

I drew the familiar letters in a notebook.

“This thing appeared one day. To be exact, it started on the entrance ceremony day at Yeongji High School. There’s something like a point system that accumulates two points every day. I’ve also unlocked a shop with those points.”

*Swoosh*

I also drew the shop window for everyone to see.
Jeong Seok asked me.

“Can you convert those points to money or buy money with them?”

“Yes. One point equals ten thousand won. Also, points are awarded for defeating or exorcising ghosts. It seems like the rules vary depending on the difficulty and such.”

I also explained that I currently had 821P.
Yang Juhui’s eyes lit up.

“So you’re saying you have 8 million won? That’s amazing.”

8 million won.
It was a lot of money for a first-year high school student to have.
However, Jeong Seok shook his head.

“I’m against converting points to cash. If this is all true, each point is honestly worth more than ten thousand won. I think it’s better to start by unlocking locked items in the shop. It broadens our options.”

He made a valid point.

“Or maybe start by upgrading the shop level. Upgrading the shop level applies discounts to the products, right? Buying these things early on maximizes the benefits.”

That Jeong Seok.
He was smarter than I thought!

I decided to follow Jeong Seok’s advice.
I spent 100P to upgrade the shop level.
Then, with a *ding* sound, the shop transformed!

Welcome to Level 2 Shop.

Our shop offers a variety of items that can assist warriors in their battles.

Upgrading the shop level applies additional items and discounts. Shop Level 2 Lv (0/500)

1. Trait Draw Ticket - 90P
2. Capsule Draw Ticket - 90P
3. Unlock Locked Items - 90P
4. Unlock the Second Floor of the Old School Building – 900P

“Oh. All the items got about ten percent cheaper. And to upgrade the shop again, we need 500 points this time.”

Spending another 500 points on upgrading the shop seemed wasteful.
I was left with 721 points.
According to Jeong Seok, unlocking locked items would broaden our choices, which seemed like a good idea.

Spending 90P to unlock an item.

The Training Room will be unlocked.

The Training Room allows players to train.

You can acquire a trait by spending 100 points.

Unlocking further items requires Level 3 Shop.

Training Room!
Training!
Spending points to acquire traits!

So that’s it.
I could now spend 100 points to gift traits to companions like Yang Juhui and Jeong Seok!

“We’ve got a Training Room unlocked. You can gain traits through training. And to unlock more items, we need to upgrade the shop to Level 3.”

“Traits? I still find it hard to believe. Can I really gain some miraculous ability?”

Yang Juhui was half-hearted yet somewhat curious.
Jeong Seok was very interested.

“Try using it. Tell us what happens.”

Was Yang Juhui going to be our guinea pig?
*Swoosh* I dragged Yang Juhui’s name into the Training Room.

Yang Juhui - Training List!

• Do push-ups 0/1000 times
• Run at least 2 Km/h for 0/100 Km

Reward: [Fast Legs]

[Fast Legs]: Run 1.5 times faster for 10 seconds.

“This is what came up.”

“Requirements and rewards. Just like a game quest.”

Jeong Seok commented.
I agreed with his comparison.
Yang Juhui looked somewhat perplexed.

“A thousand push-ups and 100 km of running. That’s tough. Run 1.5 times faster for just 10 seconds…is it worth the effort?”

Is it?
Just then, Jeong Seok got fired up.

“No, this is huge! The average time for high school girls to run 100 meters is 20 seconds! The record holder, Shin Ui-ju, does it in 12.1 seconds! If you’re 1.5 times faster, that’s 13.3 seconds!”

“Wow, really? Last time I ran 100 meters during PE, it took me like 16 or 17 seconds. If I’m 1.5 times faster, could I run it in the 10-second range?”

“For your information, the world record for women’s 100-meter sprint is 10.49 seconds!”

“Wow, damn! Then I could go to the Olympics with just a little training!”

Yang Juhui was incredibly excited.
I was a bit concerned that Jeong Seok knew so much about female sprint records.
Maybe he’s a bit of a creep.
Come to think of it, Bong Jiyeon from Class C was on our school’s track team…

“Ha Youngwon! This is amazing! This could really change my life! Can I do it too? How many people can enter the Training Room at once?”

Jeong Seok was so excited that he was almost scary, flaring his nostrils and puffing out his breath.

“Alright. But can I do a Capsule Draw first?”

I was too curious about the Capsule Draw.
I spent another 90 points.
Now I had 541P left.

It felt like a gumball machine popped up in front of me as the round capsules began to clatter.
I wondered what would happen.

“Item placed in front of the entrance door.”
“Walk northeast for 15 steps.”