1.2 Don't Forget Me
[Chatroom: DeadInside99 & UnknownUser_00]
UnknownUser_00
You Shouldn't have told them.
DeadInside_99
What do you mean I shouldn't have told them??
UnknownUser_00
You know how people are. They won't believe you.
DeadInside_99
...So what? I don't care if they belive me.
UnknownUser_00
Yes, You do.
UnknownUser_00
You always do. You act like nothing gets to you, but you hate feeling alone.
(Reading this, Jun-seo swallowed hard. his fingers curled around his phone, heart hammering)
DeadInside_99
Stop saying things only he would know.
UnknownUser_00
But I am him
(Jun-seo's breath hitched. The room felt smaller, air thinner. he wanted to believe it. So badly. but...)
UnknownUser_00
Remember that time you stayed over at my place and had that nightmare?
UnknownUser_00
You didn't tell me what it was about, but you clung to my hoodie like a baby koala the whole night.
(Jun-seo's ears burned. His throat tightened. That... wasn't something anyone else knew. Even he barely remembered it until now.)
DeadInside_99
That doesn't mean anything.
UnknownUser_00
Oh? What about the nickname you gave me?
(Jun-seo silently murmured to himself..)
Ha Jun-seo
fxck, I swear if he actually knows..
DeadInside_99
You don't remember it. You're bluffing.
(He hadn't said that name in months. It was stupid-a dumb joke from when they were kids. Min-jae had hated it but Jun-seo never stopped calling him that, it sounds cringy, but that's because Jun-seo gave him it when they were kids.)
(He was shaking now. becauseno one else knew that. No one.)
UnknownUser_00
I don’t want to be forgotten just like this.
UnknownUser_00
Find out what happened to me.
(Jun-seo's vision blurred. He squeezed his phone like a lifeline, breathing shakily.)
DeadInside_99
How could I forget you?
(His fingers hesitated over the keyboard.)
DeadInside_99
You were the only person who ever really knew me.
(A pause. His screen glitched slightly. The typing bubble appeared... then vanished.)
UnknownUser_00
Then don't let me dissappear.
UnknownUser_00
Thank you..
(His phone screen flickeredㅡthe chat disappeared for a second. When it came back, the messages from UnknownUser_00 was gone.)
DeadInside_99
WHERE DID YOU GO?!
[This user is currently unavailable]
(Jun-seo’s breath caught. A tremor ran through his spine.)
(But this time... he wouldn't let it end here.)
[Group chat: 2AM Chaos Crew]
(DeadInside99, 404_NotFound, GhostHunter_Seon, AFK_Minjae)
DeadInside_99
I'm doing it.
DeadInside_99
Finding out what happened to Min-jae.
404_NotFound
Are you serious??
GhostHunter_Seon
LET'S GOOOOOOOOO
404_NotFound
This is reckless
DeadInside_99
then don't help.
404_NotFound
...I never said that.
DeadInside_99
Good. because we're starting tomorrow.
GhostHunter_Seon
HELL YEAH. GHOST HUNTING WITH DA BOISSSSSSS!!!!
DeadInside_99
it's not ghost hunting..
GhostHunter_Seon
Bro. You got a text from a dead guy.
GhostHunter_Seon
Where do we start?
DeadInside_99
The accident.
404_NotFound
Fine. But if we get arrested, I'm blaming you.
(Jun-seo stared at his screen, pulse still racing.)
(This wasn't a prank. it wasn't a hallucination.)
(Min-jae was reaching out. And he needed him.)
(So for once... Jun-seo wouldn't overthink it.)
(This time, he was going to believe.)
mwahhh thankies for reading this episode!
just kidding. you really thought huh? :)
[Group Chat: 2AM Chaos Crew]
(DeadInside99, 404_NotFound, GhostHunter_Seon, AFK_Minjae)
GhostHunter_Seon
Rise and shine, Ghostbusters!
404_NotFound
it's barely 10AM.
GhostHunter_Seon
And? The ghosts aren't gonna hunt themselves.
DeadInside_99
We're not hunting ghosts.
404_NotFound
ah god, not this again..
GhostHunter_Seon
Your dead best friend is texting you. What do you call it, then?
GhostHunter_Seon
Bro. Even you don't believe that.
DeadInside_99
Whatever. Meet me at the crash site in an hour.
404_NotFound
..We are not going to a crime scene.
DeadInside_99
It's been three months. it's not a crime scene anymore.
404_NotFound
This is a terrible idea..
GhostHunter_Seon
So you're coming?
404_NotFound
...I'm already on my way
[11:30 AM ㅡ The Crash Site]
(The road was eerily quiet. The skid marks were gone, the wreckage cleaned up. But Jun-seo's stomach twisted like that pavement itself still remembered.)
Lee Seo-hyun
This is creepy as hell.
Yoo Ji-won
I dont get it. what are we looking for?
Ha Jun-seo
I dont know... something.
(Something that would tell him why Min-jae's number was still active. Why the texts knew things no one else should.)
(Why it felt like Min-jae was still here.)
Lee Seo-hyun
Didn't they say he died instantly?
Lee Seo-hyun
So, like... no last words?
[Chatroom: DeadInside99 & UnknownUser_00]
UnknownUser_00
You're here.
DeadInside_99
How do you know that?
UnknownUser_00
Because I see you?
(His eyes darted around. The wind picked up, rustling through the trees. But the street was empty.)
DeadInside_99
This isn't funny..
UnknownUser_00
Who said I was joking?
DeadInside_99
If you're really Min-jae...
DeadInside_99
What were your last words?
(The Typing bubble appeared. then vanished.)
UnknownUser_00
...I called you.
UnknownUser_00
Right before I died. I called you.
DeadInside_99
No, you didn't.
UnknownUser_00
check your voicemail.
(His fingers trembled as he switched to his call history. No missed calls from Min-jae. No new messages. justㅡ)
(His Voicemail box had one unheard message.)
(Timestamp: 11:57PM. The night of the accident.)
(Jun-seo’s stomach dropped.)
DeadInside_99
That's not possible.
UnknownUser_00
listen to it.
(Jun-seo’s pulse roared in his ears. His friends were saying something, but their voices felt distant. his fingers hovered over the play buttonㅡ)
[Voicemail Recording ㅡ 11:57 PM]
Kim Min-jae
"H-Hey... Junseo-ah.."
(His breath stopped. The voice was faint, weakㅡbut undeniably Min-jae’s.)
Kim Min-jae
"...I... I don't think I'm gonna make it."
(A shuddering breath. A noiseㅡmetal scraping, something crunching.)
Kim Min-jae
"I... wanted to tell.. you.."
(The line cracked. His voice trembledㅡ)
(Jun-seo stood frozen. The message ended just like that.)
Yoo Ji-won
You look like you saw a ghost.
(Jun-seo’s mouth was dry. The words barely came outㅡ )
Ha Jun-seo
The night he died. He called me. I justㅡmever got the message until now.
Yoo Ji-won
that's not how voicemails work.
(The silence stretched. No one spoke. Even Seo-hyun looked uneasy now.)
Ha Jun-seo
there's more to this.
Ha Jun-seo
I have to find out what he was trying to tell me.
Lee Seo-hyun
...Well, damn.
Lee Seo-hyun
Guess we really are Ghost hunters now.
(Jun-seo didn't laugh. he couldn't. Because suddenly, this wasn't just about texts from a dead friend.)
(This was something unfinished. Something Min-jae never got to say. and Jun-seo would do whatever it takes, to find out the truth. so Min-jae.. can rest in peace.)
Comments
nona
/Facepalm/
2025-02-11
1