Bailonz Street 13-Chapter 255.1
I thought about it long and hard.
About how Section Chief Lee Jaheon could possibly escape from this insane ‘Groom Lesson’ ghost story in one piece.
‘I really, really considered every method I could think of…’
Ways to slip through the cracks outside the rules.
From admitting that he was already married and thus couldn’t possibly marry again, to insisting that he had some fatal flaw that made him unfit to be a groom.
But considering the trend of the exploration logs, I could already predict what kind of spine-chilling outcome would follow…
‘He’d probably get interrogated by the education housemaster for lying about his eligibility while saying something like ‘Then let’s make you eligible’, before doing something so outrageous it’d end up getting censored out of the record…’
The appeal of this ghost story lay in how cleverly one could match the ‘answer key’. That is, fully embodying ‘the virtues of a groom’ even under unforeseen circumstances.
Or, if they failed, in the absurd and grotesque way they’d die for it.
In the end, whether you were disqualified or unworthy, anyone who didn’t meet the ‘standard of the groom’ almost certainly met a grim, ominous, and deeply symbolic horror-story ending.
Groom Lesson.
A psychological and physical labyrinth that drives people mad precisely because it never gives up on its trainees.
If that’s the case…
‘Then the only answer… is a full-frontal breakthrough.’
And the one who had the necessary stats for that ‘full-frontal’ approach was…
Braun.
A being of fierce charisma, the embodiment of entertainment itself, the living incarnation of talk shows.
A creature who could move according to a logic entirely alien to that collective ‘us’.
– It would definitely help if Braun becomes the groom candidate.
‘It’s worth a shot.’
That was the conclusion I came to after hearing the details about this place, given the atmosphere, the nature of the educators called housemasters, and their description of the wedding.
The problem was…
[Mr. Roe Deer, this Braun here may have received the wrong signal. Good heavens, surely my friend didn’t just ask that I possess the body of a terrorist!]
Yeah.
The problem was that I had to persuade both sides…
– Braun.
[Of course.]
[If it’s a heartfelt request from my friend, I must accept. To help without expecting anything in return is the duty of a good friend.]
…His voice grew closer.
[But Mr. Roe Deer, oh. One wonders how long someone who only ever one-sidedly receives services can go on exploiting the basis of friendship…]
……
Good thing I didn’t have a human body right now.
Otherwise I’d be frozen stiff with terror.
And.
– Wait, Braun.
I was at least able to say this calmly.
– I’m not asking for a one-sided request. I’m inviting you to join in, since you’re already here.
Because.
– It’ll be the most entertaining this way.
[…!]
– You’d hate to see this go the same predictable route as every other exploration case, ending in some hollow anticlimax, wouldn’t you? Surely you don’t want a plot that predictable?
– Not in a situation where you’re involved.
Of course not.
Of course!
– If you could turn this clichéd setup into something witty and original, wouldn’t you?
– Like in your own show.
[……]
Braun fell silent for a moment.
But then.
[Mr. Roe Deer, you really…!]
His voice trembled faintly, as if moved. I felt a warm weight pat my shoulder— how the hell though??
[You do know how to persuade. And…]
The pressure on my shoulder grew heavier.
[You also know how to invoke my pride as an entertainer only when it suits you. Sometimes even reacting as though hurt or offended by it.]
It felt like my heart was about to drop to the ground.
And then.
[…Hm. I’ll let it slide this time! That kind of fickleness is a mark of a true star, after all.]
The weight left my shoulder with a brisk pat.
[But don’t you forget that I have this quality, too.]
[At this rate, there may come a dramatic moment when that very quality meets yours, Mr. Roe Deer…]
……
[If not now, then someday!]
Phew.
– Of course.
…That was close.
‘That means there won’t be a next time.’
I’d have to tread very carefully from now on.
Still, for the moment, I was relieved my persuasion had worked.
‘Great.’
Suppressing a sigh of relief, I spoke to the current owner of this body, who had quietly listened to the entire exchange.
– Section Chief.
– Let’s take a gamble just this once.
Braun will…
‘Wreck the place completely.’
* * *
A cloudy morning at St. Anticus Boarding School.
“Hm, hm-hmm.”
A groom candidate was standing before a small washbasin mirror, neatly wiping away his shaving cream. A cleanly trimmed jawline emerged.
Then, he combed his hair with fragrant oil. A pleasant, low humming resonated from his throat, and soon, the brush swept down, skillfully smoothing back his hair.
Beneath that white hair, a refined face appeared.
Lee Jaheon.
He was wearing the same uniform as yesterday, the official attire of St. Anticus Boarding School.
But somehow, the impression it gave off was different. The way he wore it, the way he held the collar, it all changed…
“Much better.”
With the touch of a professional.
An esoteric being whose very being is founded on standing before cameras and presenting himself to the public smiled into the mirror.
Then he stepped lithely out the door.
Creak.
The dorm’s once austere, ascetic interior was now elegantly adorned with blue candles and white velvet.
Roses, lilies of the valley, baby’s breath, silver ornaments arranged beneath wax patterns melted by blue flames, truly…
Classical, and nothing to write home about.
“Oh. Good morning.”
Lee Jaheon sat at the breakfast table.
Masks, no, ideal pale bodies and faces crafted by superb makeup were arrayed on the chairs around the table.
Today’s menu had been pared down, to purify the body before the wedding.
Without touching the single glass of willow sap before his lips, Lee Jaheon asked cheerfully,
“Tomorrow is the long-awaited wedding day, yes?”
The education housemaster affirmed.
At the same time, the housemaster gently pointed out the candidate groom’s manner of speaking. It was overly ornate and flowing, and the striking accent failed to convey the reverent impression expected of a groom.
The pronunciation was also excessively New World.
“Oh, I will keep that in mind.”
With one hand he mimed zipping his lips, a deft and elegant gesture.
That too was not conduct befitting the White Bride’s groom, but since it was not judged enough to have ‘failed’, the housemaster did not impose a demerit.
It did, however, affect judgment.
Raising one eyebrow, the education housemaster looked around at those seated at the table and lifted a hand to lightly ring a silver goblet.
Like a bell announcing the time.
♩–
And he proclaimed it.
Among the candidates, only one.
The name of the most excellent and complete trainee who could become the ‘groom’ in tomorrow’s wedding.
That candidate is…
……
Not Lee Jaheon.
Salt Goblin
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