Chapter 24 Part 2: Match Girl

Tadak!

The sound of firewood burning.

I faced the Match Girl once again.

[Make a wish.

I’ll grant any wish.]

At the Match Girl’s sudden offer to grant my wishes, I instinctively flinched.

This b*tch.

Why did she come so early?

I didn’t expect to encounter her this quickly, so I was flustered.

[What wish will you make?]

[I’m excited!

So excited!

Aren’t you?]

A lively girl’s voice, reminiscent of a tomboy.

But in reality, the appearance of this so-called tomboy was…

Tadadak!

Burnt completely black, a charcoal-like appearance.

……

If you were to catch a glimpse of the silhouette of that charcoal, it would seem to resemble the form of a girl… or maybe not, it was an ambiguous appearance.

In place of where her eyes should have been, two embers burned in a circle, staring at me.

Tadak!

Tadadak!

Tadadadak!

‘…Surprisingly, it’s warm.’

Park Yeon-jung was briefly warming himself by the living firewood in front of him.

The Match Girl seemed to be waiting for someone’s answer.

And who was that someone?

[What are you doing!

So, what’s your wish?!]

[Tell me!

Quickly !!]

Ah, was it me?

I momentarily forgot due to the warmth of this b*tch.

Now I’ve seen the rare sight of a ghost story begging a human.

Tadadadadak!

Each time the Match Girl moved, urging me for a wish, the sound of the firewood burning grew louder along with the surrounding air.

As someone witnessing that scene with my own eyes, I wanted to escape this ghost story as quickly as possible.

[Hurry, make a wi…….]

“I understand!”

I said that I would make the wish that the Match Girl wanted so much.

Tadadadadadak!

And as if excited by my response.

She started jumping around and immediately approached me.

Suddenly!

[What’s your wish?!

I’m already curious!

I’m going crazy with curiosity!!]

Flinch.

Seeing her up close, her bizarreness and intense heat began to scorch my skin.

The fact that this much heat is felt even in this extreme cold means.

She is now.

Like a living furnace.

Let’s get away from her.

Unless you’re a true masochist who wants to experience the pain of burning flesh.

[Here, take it!]

She stretched out her black, burnt arm towards me and handed me a match.

Is this match fire-resistant MAX?

To remain intact in the hands of that living furnace…

As I accepted the match, the Match Girl became even more excited.

To avoid hearing that piercing, nagging voice for even a moment.

“My wish is…”

!!!!

I held out the match and made a wish.

“I want to receive a cute, key-ring-sized bear doll as a gift.

Of course, it must be light enough for an infant to hold, and even if the key ring were to inevitably fly towards me, it wouldn’t hurt me.

I wish to receive a soft cotton doll as a gift.

Additionally, I request that it be an inanimate object without a self-awareness…”

This is my wish.

The Match Girl didn’t react immediately after hearing my wish.

The only entity showing any movement here was.

Whoosh.

The matchstick, which had been burning while listening to my magnificent wish.

The matchstick burned faster than I thought, and soon turned to ash in Park Yeon-jung’s hand and disappeared with the wind.

Thud.

Suddenly, something small fell from the sky and lightly hit Park Yeon-jung’s head before falling to the ground.

The thing that hit Park Yeon-jung’s head and fell was.

A small bear doll key ring.

The weight of the key ring was.

-Not too heavy for an infant to hold.

The material of the bear doll felt by the palm of my hand was.

-Even if the key ring were to fly, it must be made of a soft material that would never hurt anyone.

Lastly.

-A bear doll that does not have a self-awareness and can be seen as a normal object in our daily lives.

That bear doll is currently.

In my hand.

Unlike the man’s face, which showed considerable satisfaction.

The two burning circles, which had been maintaining their shape until just now.

Became thinner ovals and glared at the man.

[F*cking boring.]

Tadak!!

This time, the sound of the sparks was so intense that the entire space reverberated, unlike before.

After hearing my boring wish, the Match Girl soon emitted a powerful burst of firepower from her entire body.

Bang!

With a loud explosion.

She burst in front of my eyes.

Only black ashes remained in the place where she had disappeared, staining the floor black.

The Match Girl disappeared in anger.

Conversely, the man who directly witnessed the Match Girl’s rage.

Smirked.

The corners of his mouth were almost reaching his ears.

Wearing a bear doll costume that didn’t suit him.

A face full of elation at having outsmarted a ghost story.

The first case of completely understanding the gimmick of a ghost story without any harm.

[Match Girl]

What could be called the unique aspect of this ghost story is that the matchstick she gave me earlier is the trigger here.

The original ability of the Match Girl is to reinterpret the target’s wish according to her own taste.

The core of the current ghost story is not “Make three wishes on the matchstick that you want to come true,” but rather.

“Don’t make a wish that could kill you.” is the key.

The key to this ghost story is to make wishes with cute and harmless desires, leaving no room for her delusions to intervene.

Park Yeon-jung’s plan for the future is as follows.

-Neutralize the remaining two wishes with cute wishes as well.

-Finish with the ‘Final Trigger’ item I recently acquired at the end.

Perfect, right?

It couldn’t be more perfect than this.

End of a simple and clear plan briefing.

Park Yeon-jung felt that he could really clear this ghost story smoothly this time.

But.

What I was most curious about here.

What if I had expressed my honest desires without hiding anything on the matchstick given by the Match Girl?

Deputy Manager Kim Min-seop whispered his honest desires into the matchstick at the Match Girl’s coaxing.

-I want to [censored] with a beautiful woman.

At his honest and lewd desire, the Match Girl’s burning eyes twinkled, and the matchstick granted his wish.

Soon, a woman who was not wearing a single piece of cloth even in the bitter cold came to Deputy Manager Kim, placing her thick thighs together next to him.

Da.

The woman approached Deputy Manager Kim and gently caressed something of his with her right hand.

Deputy Manager Kim groaned, and the beautiful woman grabbed his something tightly as it was.

She tore ‘that’ off in one swift motion.

[The way to love is different for everyone.

And that woman is an ‘S’.

She especially likes hearing men scream.]

Deputy Manager Kim / Died of shock.

=======

No matter how much of a ‘S’ sexual preference you have…

This is the end of someone who gave the Match Girl an opening.

So, you shouldn’t give an opening to someone like that.

You shouldn’t give her any reason to find fault with you in the process of making a wish.

And probably.

The Match Girl won’t appear in front of me for a while.

She must have lost interest in me as a human being because of the wish I just made.

So now is the chance.

Now is the perfect opportunity to take out the item.

First, in order to take out the item.

Taking off this bear doll costume I’m currently wearing was the first thing to do.

Struggling!

Fortunately, it wasn’t too difficult to take off.

Whoosh!

As expected, it’s cold!

……………Should I put it back on?

As soon as I took off the bear doll costume, a chill rushed in as if piercing my skin.

Faced with weather that was perfect for freezing to death, I hurriedly took out the revolver from my employee ID card with trembling hands.

Got it!

Now, what I have to do next is.

Fumbling.

Quick re-equipping of cold protection gear.

The man’s urgent movements as he voluntarily entered the mouth of the bear doll in a hurry.

Taking the experience of being swallowed once as a lesson.

Park Yeon-jung quickly put all parts of his body into the bear doll costume, matching them perfectly to the right positions faster than before.

“…Ah, I’m finally going to live.”

Now that he had finished preparing the item he needed as the final preparation.

There was nothing more for him to fear.

Tadak!

Golden timing.

Just as all the preparations were finished, the sound of firewood burning was heard again.

The Match Girl reappeared in front of me.

This time, the Match Girl was glaring at me with her uniquely narrowed, burning eyes.

My wish must not have pleased her very much.

She must have realized that the wish I just made was an obvious attempt to deviate from the direction she intended.

But no matter how obvious it is, there’s nothing I can do.

If I had made a vague wish, she would have happily tried to kill me.

This is self-defense.

And it was the Match Girl herself who told the person who entered her space to make a wish.

That is the rule she has set here.

Because she only moves according to the rules she has set, she will not intervene unless I break the rules.

[You, hurry and make a wish.]

A short, curt reply and her cold attitude, unlike before.

But no matter how scary she tries to make the atmosphere.

The wish I will make will not change.

Within the framework of the wish I just made.

I changed only the appearance from a ‘bear doll’ key ring to a ‘rabbit doll’ and made a wish again.

Whoosh.

Thud.

This time, a very ordinary rabbit-shaped key ring fell weakly in front of Park Yeon-jung.

[….Tsk.]

Swish.

The Match Girl granted my boring wish without saying a word and disappeared somewhere.

Now there is only one wish left.

A situation where there is only one left.

Except for the chill that pierced my skin when I first entered this place.

Everything was going smoothly.

Let’s keep going like this.

Waving!

This time, the bear doll’s arms were waving on their own.

Our first bear doll, who was happy as he saw me feeling relieved, was waving his arms up and down.

Sigh.

I hoped that the next ghost story I entered would continue in this tone.

Tadak.

•?

It’s a familiar sound.

At the sound of sparks brushing past his ears, Park Yeon-jung turned his head towards the sound.

Tadadak!

A black charcoal lump the size of a child was standing in front of my eyes.

A burning gaze staring blankly at me.

•She was smiling.

[Oh?

It wasn’t just one person?]

The smile that spread across the Match Girl’s face, which had not shown any sign of laughter until just now.

It was a clear smile that anyone could see.

It wasn’t just one person?

While I was unable to understand what the Match Girl meant.

Flinch.

Park Yeon-jung’s right arm trembled slightly.

It wasn’t him who moved it.

Park Yeon-jung’s gaze fell on the bear doll costume he was currently wearing.

……!!!

/Ghost Story Log

[Match Girl]

:Identification Code Cd-D-111

Physical suppression possible.

No mental damage.

Exploration limited to 1 person.

(Limited to sentient beings.)

Smirk.

The Match Girl’s body, which was covered in black charcoal soot, began to glow red.

[Bad adults who break the rules.]

Tadak.

Along with the clear sound of sparks brushing past his ears.

[Don’t deserve to make wishes.]

Swish.

Black ash began to swirl fiercely around the Match Girl, who had begun to burn red.

Soon, the black ashes began to form their respective shapes.

The shapes made of ash were behind him in a form reminiscent of humans.

F*ck!

Park Yeon-jung immediately started running in the opposite direction.

But there was no way she would just watch him do that.

[It’s okay!

Don’t be scared!

It’s only natural that people who break the rules should be punished!]

The voice of the b*tch that followed was mixed with severe noise.

Countless black ash humans, made of bizarre voices and ashes, began to chase Park Yeon-jung.

The running speed of the ash bastards was unusual.

When he thought he was going to be caught by the bastards who were chasing him at a speed that Park Yeon-jung himself could never reach.

Huh?

For some reason, my legs feel light.

And unlike before, when I was panting heavily, I’m not tired at all now.

I don’t get tired.

This moment is like.

A feeling that the limited physical limiter as a human has been released.

Could this be.

That ‘awakening’ I’ve only heard about?

I had heard that people unleash transcendent power in moments of crisis.

And now.

Park Yeon-jung was feeling himself as that transcendent being with his whole body.

I can escape like this.

I can get away from those bastards.

Park Yeon-jung, who had belatedly forgotten that his body had also been trained while figuring out numerous ghost stories, ran with all his might.

I really thought that outrunning those bastards would be a piece of cake at this speed.

Soon, a path splitting to both sides was visible in front of Park Yeon-jung.

In this case.

The right-hand rule is the standard.

Park Yeon-jung was going to use the right-hand rule to turn right.

whoosh!

.?

But the place he turned to was.

Not right, but left.

Park Yeon-jung tilted his head, questioning the clear difference in choice.

His gaze fell on the bear doll costume he was currently wearing.

Ah!

I’m inside the first bear doll’s body right now.

Awakening?

Transcendent being?

The middle school syndrome that belatedly came to the man named Park Yeon-jung ended sooner than expected.