Episode 12

As twilight descended, the spirit of Julia began to haunt Kevin's life.

In his room, Kevin lay relaxed on his bed, listening to music through his phone.

Thud

The sound of the window suddenly opening on its own.

"Just about gave me a heart attack," Kevin blurted out, startled.

He rose from the bed and walked over to close the window.

After shutting it, he turned around only to see the window swing open again. He closed it once more.

Just as he attempted to secure the window, the bloodied face of Julia, in her school uniform, appeared.

"Kevin, you must take responsibility for what you've done," Julia's voice came from outside the window.

Kevin, stricken with fear, quickly locked the window.

For a moment, calm returned and he approached the window to check if Julia's apparition still lingered.

But Julia was nowhere to be seen outside.

'Maybe it's all in my head,' Kevin mused to himself.

Feeling reassured it might be his imagination, he returned to bed to play his music.

But the music morphed into something chilling; it was Julia's voice.

"Kevin, you're going to die, hihihi," her sinister laugh sent shivers down one's spine.

Shocked by the sound, Kevin grabbed his phone and shut off the music.

"What is going on?" cried a terrified Kevin.

Then a shadowy female figure appeared faintly in the corner of his room.

He rubbed his eyes, desperate for clarity.

The shadow sharpened into a vivid horror – it was Julia, bloodied and advancing towards him. Panicking, Kevin rushed to his door, struggling to escape, but the door was jammed shut despite his repeated attempts to open it.

As Julia's phantom drew near, extending a hand to strangle him...

Click

The door opened.

"Aaaaaaa," Kevin screamed at the sight of someone in the doorway.

"What's wrong, Master Kevin?" asked Bi Inem, Kevin's housemaid.

"Gosh, you scared me, Bi," Kevin exhaled deeply.

"What happened, Master? Are you alright?" Bi Inem inquired, noting Kevin's frightened state.

"Bi, come here, I saw a ghost in my room."

"Master Kevin, you're just trying to scare me," Bi Inem dismissed.

Despite her skepticism, Kevin insisted she check his room for Julia's ghost.

Reluctantly, Bi Inem followed Kevin's orders.

Entering Kevin's room with him trailing behind, Bi Inem scoured each corner and cast brief glances at the window.

"There's nothing here, Master," Bi Inem reassured.

Kevin calmed down.

"Bi, why did you open my door earlier?" Kevin asked, now more at ease.

"I was calling you for dinner, but you didn't come out, so I opened the door, and then you screamed?" Bi Inem explained.

"Oh, has mom not come home yet?" Kevin asked.

"Not yet, Master," Bi Inem replied.

Following his parents' separation, Kevin's mom rarely stayed home, caught up in a romance with a younger man. Once, she brought her lover home, inciting Kevin's rage—he hit her paramour and warned him away from his mother.

As a result, Kevin's mother often returned late and was increasingly absent from home.

Neglected by his parents, Kevin’s behavior turned rebellious; he joined a motorcycle gang and partook in drinking and drug use with friends.

Home was just Kevin and Bi Inem, his father indifferent and focused on his new family and children.

Kevin was a casualty of his parents' failed marriage, left unheard and alone with his troubles.

"Come, Master, I’ve prepared your favorite fried noodles for dinner," Bi Inem invited with affection.

"Will you join me for dinner, Bi?" Kevin requested.

"But I'm still not hungry, Master."

"Please, just sit with me while I eat," Kevin coaxed.

"Very well, I'll keep you company."

Together, they enjoyed a casual dinner conversation, Bi Inem's service in Kevin's family since his childhood allowing her to empathize with his situation. To Kevin, she was like a mother—more caring than his biological one.

Post-dinner, Kevin asked if Bi Inem would stay with him overnight.

"Bi, will you sleep in my room, just for tonight?" he asked again.

"Master Kevin, you're grown; it isn't proper," Bi Inem responded.

"Just for tonight, Bi, I promise I won't ask again," Kevin pleaded.

"But Master..."

"Please, Bi. You take the bed; I'll be fine on the floor, just to have someone with me tonight," he coaxed again.

"Mmm, only for tonight then, because you're not a youngster anymore, and I don't want your mother to reprimand me."

"Yes, just for tonight," Kevin said with a smile.

As nighttime deepened, Bi Inem honored her promise and stayed in Kevin's room.

But she would not sleep in Kevin's bed; she unrolled a cotton mattress on the floor by his bed.

***This work has been signed with NovelToon, and piracy such as reprinting without permission is strictly prohibited.***

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***