Yui knew something was wrong the moment the school gates slammed shut.
CLANG.
Everyone froze.
Students turned.
Teachers shouted.
And then—
The gates locked.
By themselves.
Yui stared.
"…That's illegal."
Jae-min whispered, "I don't think ghosts follow school rules."
"WELL THEY SHOULD."
Panic Mode: Activated
Students rushed toward the gates.
They wouldn't budge.
Phones came out.
No signal.
Of course.
Yui sighed.
"Yeah, this is how horror movies start."
Baek stepped forward, calm as always.
"We're not leaving."
"Wow," Yui said, "thank you for the obvious."
The Announcement
The speakers crackled.
Everyone looked up.
Static.
Then—
A voice.
Distorted.
Wrong.
"No one leaves."
Yui slowly turned.
"…I hate this school."
Chaos Begins
Lights flickered.
Doors slammed.
Footsteps echoed down empty halls.
But no one was there.
Jae-min grabbed Yui's sleeve.
"…We're trapped, right?"
Yui nodded.
"Trapped, haunted, and probably underpaid for this."
Mr. Lee Appears (Unhelpful as Always)
Smoke.
Paper.
Stress.
Mr. Lee.
"This is now an official large-scale incident."
Yui pointed at the entire situation.
"YOU THINK?!"
Mr. Lee flipped through papers.
"Multiple corrupted spirits. Environmental control. Possible central host."
Jae-min blinked.
"…Translation?"
Baek answered:
"There's a main spirit controlling everything."
Yui sighed.
"Of course there is. There's always a boss level."
The Plan (Kind Of)
Baek looked at her.
"We find it."
Yui crossed her arms.
"And how exactly do we do that?"
Before he could answer—
A desk flew across the hallway.
CRASH.
Yui ducked.
"OKAY—STEP ONE: NOT DYING."
Group Splits (Bad Idea Energy)
Baek looked around.
"We need to cover more ground."
Yui immediately shook her head.
"Nope. Absolutely not. I've seen this movie. People split up and die."
Jae-min nodded aggressively.
"Yeah, I vote we stay alive."
Mr. Lee sighed.
"You don't have a choice."
Lights flickered.
A shadow rushed past them.
Fast.
Too fast.
Baek's eyes sharpened.
"It's moving."
Yui groaned.
"…Fine. But if I die, I'm haunting ALL of you."
Yui & Jae-min Team
They walked down a hallway.
Too quiet.
Too empty.
Jae-min whispered,
"…This is the worst idea ever."
Yui nodded.
"Agreed."
Pause.
"…You got snacks?"
"…Yes."
"Good. If we die, I'm not doing it hungry."
Suddenly—
A classroom door burst open.
A shadow lunged—
Yui screamed—
"NOT TODAY—"
She threw her bag.
Direct hit.
The spirit stumbled.
Jae-min threw salt.
This time—
It actually hit.
The spirit flickered.
Yui grabbed her spirit tag.
"Okay okay I got this—"
She stepped forward.
Took a breath.
"Hey."
The spirit paused.
"Whatever you're angry about…"
She pointed at the destroyed classroom.
"…this is not helping your case."
Silence.
The spirit trembled—
Then—
Disappeared.
Jae-min stared.
"…You're actually getting good at this."
Yui blinked.
"…Don't say that. You'll jinx it."
Meanwhile (Baek's Side)
Baek moved through the halls.
Fast.
Precise.
Silent.
He stopped.
"…Found you."
A massive shadow loomed at the end of the corridor.
Bigger.
Darker.
Stronger.
This was it.
The source.
Back to Yui
Yui suddenly froze.
"…Wait."
Jae-min blinked.
"What?"
She looked down the hallway.
"…Do you feel that?"
Jae-min nodded slowly.
"…Yeah."
Yui swallowed.
"…That's not normal."
Final Scene
The entire school shook.
Windows cracked.
Walls trembled.
A deep voice echoed through the building.
"You can't protect them."
Yui's heart dropped.
"…He's here."
Baek's voice came through faintly—
"Yui—RUN—"
Too late.
The hallway behind her twisted.
Darkness spreading fast.
Jae-min grabbed her arm.
"WHAT DO WE DO?!"
Yui clenched her fists.
Fear.
Panic.
And then—
That same stubborn energy.
"…We don't run."
Jae-min stared.
"…Are you serious?"
Yui smirked slightly.
"…Okay maybe we run a little."
END OF CHAPTER 22