She tried her best to ignore what the other interns were saying or writing about her. Everyone who claimed they knew her was sharing memories online that included her. Some she remembered from primary and high school, but most of them were liars. Of course, it upset her. Even hearing people around her talk behind her back was stressful enough—now she felt like she'd become a marketing item on an international level.
Sometimes the other intern girls would say she should withdraw from the competition, calling her shameless, but Ji Hye, Bong Cha, Nabi, and Iseul always stood by her side. She even had lunch with them from time to time. Maybe their support was a big part of how she managed to stay strong. She wasn't someone who could handle everything alone, but with people behind her who truly cared, she could face anything.
Chuwon continued to visit her every chance he got. She'd told him everything, expecting him to be scared of ghosts, but he didn't seem fazed. He kept pointing to empty spaces, asking if someone was there—but that didn't bother her anymore.
...
That morning, JiHoo had come with good news.
"The Goddess Toyang will prepare the medicine. It just needs two days to be ready. You'll have it by Sunday."
After everything she had been through over the past few days, her spirit felt suffocated. With that news, it felt like the weight on her chest had finally lifted.
"Now all that's left is saving Jackie."
Lately, she and Jackie only talked about her performance. She was actually okay with that—it helped keep her mind off the bad things.
"Why won't you sing your song for me?"
"Because I want it to be a surprise."
"Tomorrow's the big day. Are you excited? I'm very excited since you've kept your performance hidden from me."
"What do you think?"
"You're excited."
"It'll be broadcast live worldwide. I get stomach cramps just thinking about it."
"I'll be by your side, so just focus on your performance."
"Your color has faded even more lately, Jackie. How are you feeling?"
Time was running out, and his spirit was weakening. There was nothing she could do for now—she could only watch.
"I'm fine. Don't worry about me."
Yeah, easier said than done. She took a sip of her coffee and looked at the time.
"I need to get my costume ready. I need your help."
Dragging Jackie with her, she headed to the costume room.
"But I don't know your performance or your song. How can I help?"
"True. But I still need someone's opinion. Anyway, just go then."
"Go? Come on, just sing it for me. What's the harm?"
"Nope. I'm not spoiling my surprise."
"Fine, do your thing then. I've got other stuff to do anyway."
"Chuwon, what are you even implying? You don't understand the concept of a surprise? If you keep this up, I'll lose all excitement for tomorrow."
He raised his hands in defeat.
"Alright, alright. Calm down, champ. I get it—I'll wait until tomorrow."
"That's more like it."
She found an empty classroom and did one last sound check. If she didn't alter her voice, someone might recognize her. She was terrified of netizens. Just like they could figure out her location from a reflection in glasses, they could probably identify her by voice too.
She kept practicing until her phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Unni, you're totally cool."
"Who is this?"
There was giggling before the caller hung up. Great, just what she needed—a prank caller.
As soon as she ended the call, she saw dozens of new messages. Why hadn't she received any notifications? Who had sent all these texts?
There were countless unknown numbers.
"Noona, I'm in love with you and I think you're so cool."
"What do ghosts look like?"
"You're definitely my favorite. If you don't debut, I'll protest the company."
There were tons of messages like that.
What the hell was happening?!
The social media account she barely used suddenly had hundreds of thousands of followers.
She stared at her phone, trying to process it all, when someone tapped her shoulder. She shrieked and tossed her phone into the air.
"Calm down! I didn't think you'd get this scared."
She clutched her chest.
"Sunbae, you scared me! You shouldn't sneak up like that."
She checked her phone—thankfully it wasn't broken.
"What were you thinking about that scared you so much?"
She showed him the screen.
"Someone's messing with me, I think."
Chuwon skimmed through the messages.
"I don't think they're messing with you. Haven't you read what people are saying about you?"
She shook her head.
"No. I've been avoiding it so I wouldn't get upset."
"There's nothing to get upset about. People find someone who can see ghosts fascinating. Among the trainees, I think you're the only one with fan pages."
"What?"
"People love you, Aera. And your performance tomorrow is already trending. Everyone's waiting for it."
But that only made her feel more pressured... Of course she was shocked. She'd grown up with hate, and now people were saying they liked her. It felt strange.
"Sunbae, I need your help."
"Sure. What is it?"
"I need to choose an outfit for tomorrow's performance."
"What? You haven't done that yet? You should've handled that already."
"I know, but honestly, with everything going on lately, I just now had the chance to think about it."
"Alright, let's go to the costume room and see what we can find."
She briefly explained the theme as they walked. She had found a few outfits, but none seemed right—and she was about to give up.
"You should wear this, Aera."
She looked at the outfit Chuwon was holding.
"This is... beautiful."
It was exactly what she'd imagined.
"Now that everything's ready, all that's left is tomorrow's performance. Are you excited?"
"That's the second time I've heard that question today... But yes, I'm definitely excited."
"Don't worry, I'll be there tomorrow. I'm on the judging panel."
That was also the second time she'd heard that answer.
"Sunbae, who else will be on the panel?"
"The instructors, me, and Jackie."
Jackie?
"Jackie? He'll be there too? Why didn't anyone tell me?"
"His name wasn't originally on the list, but this morning they decided to add him."
"I told you I needed his real body to save him. Why didn't you tell me as soon as you found out?"
"It just came to mind now."
"No, it didn't. If I hadn't asked, you wouldn't have said anything."
"I forgot."
"Fine. Whatever."
"I really was going to tell you."
"Okay, sunbae. Thank you for your help. I need to talk to Jackie."
She left quickly. Hoping to find Jackie in his room, she checked there, but he wasn't around. After searching all the usual spots, she finally found him sitting at the farthest corner of the cafeteria, staring out the window.
"I've been looking for you everywhere."
"Did something happen?"
"You're on the judging panel for tomorrow."
"Why am I only hearing about this now?"
"They decided this morning."
"Then tomorrow is extremely important for us."
"Yes, but the company will be packed. How are we going to catch him alone?"
Jackie stayed silent for a moment.
"I've got it."
"Let's hear it."
"Before any concert or broadcast, I always nap in my room. For an hour, no one—neither my manager nor anyone else—comes in. We can catch him alone right after the program."
"But we can't get him out of the building."
"I know. That's why we need to do everything in the room."
"Isn't that risky?"
"It is, but we might not get another chance. As long as I still have some strength, I can protect you. But I feel myself getting weaker."
He was right—we were running out of time, and tomorrow was our best shot.
"The program ends around 11. We'll have until noon. To give him the Byeol powder, put it into a flavored soda. When you enter the room, hand it to him and say, 'Your manager sent this—you have to drink it.' Once you're sure he drank it, tie him to the chair, blindfold him, and then remove the crystal. I'll be right there with you. As soon as his spirit leaves my body, I'll return to mine, and the crystal will destroy him.
Do you understand everything?"
"What if he doesn't want to drink it?"
"He's having a hard time fully merging with my body. He's in pain. From what I've seen, he's been taking any medicine he can find to ease the pain. He won't reject the drink you give him."
"You make it sound so simple."
"Explaining is the easy part. I just hope we can get through tomorrow with as little damage as possible."
"I'll finally be able to really hug you."
Jackie reached across the table and took her hand.
"Our first life ended badly, but this time, we'll break the curse."
...
As she was heading to her room to shower, she heard crying from Jess's room. She walked toward the door—sounded like she was on the phone.
"Why are you talking to me like I'm a robot?"
"I'm doing everything I can, but it's never enough for you."
"I'm crying and you're asking how much I weigh? I haven't gained weight, I even lost two more kilos."
"Why do you only care about your own reputation? Just once, think about me."
"I don't want you to come tomorrow."
Sounded like the call ended—and she was crying again. Normally, Aera would've ignored it. She didn't really like Jess. But she couldn't stop herself. She knocked and stepped inside.
The room was a mess. Jess was sitting on the floor, sobbing.
"I heard you crying. Are you okay?"
"Leave me alone."
"I'm just trying to help."
"Who asked for your help? Get out."
Aera turned to leave, but Jess's sobs got louder.
"You're really not okay. Want me to take you to the hospital?"
She sat beside her. Jess looked at her in shock.
"I don't know who you were on the phone with, but I'm not going to say things like 'Don't let it get to you.' I get upset too. It's normal to feel that way. But don't forget, the moment you close this door, it's just you inside. Everyone else stays outside."
"My parents have been trying to make me an idol since I was little. I've had special training all my life. And now this is a huge opportunity. But instead of supporting me, they say if I mess up, they'll never even look at me again."
So hers wasn't the only messed-up family.
"You're not going to fail."
"Why are you being nice to me?"
"When we first talked, I thought you were a bad person. But I felt your pain. Not long ago, I went through something similar."
"I don't actually hate you. I just felt so much pressure and you seemed so successful. I'm sorry."
"It's fine. I'm used to it. How do you feel now?"
"Terrible."
"Great. At least you stopped crying. Go wash your face and get some rest for tomorrow."
"Thank you."
"No problem. If you need anything, just say so."
She couldn't believe herself. She'd done so many things she thought she never would. She felt stronger.
She used to be terrified of talking to people—she had social anxiety. But now? After what Chuwon said, she looked at the fan pages created in her name. People really did like her. She even found others in the comments who said they were like her. They made her feel like she wasn't alone.
Of course, there were also harsh comments—but there were so many people defending her that she didn't even take the hate seriously anymore.