Necromancer Survival

[Bang Eunji likes me?]

Flick–!

      When Jung Garam muttered, voice laden with disbelief, I suddenly heard the sound of finger flicking.

      I looked around, frowning at the loud ringing sound in my ears.
Strangely, though, after the sound, the room became quiet as if no one else was around.

     “W-What…?”

      I tried to hold my breath and carefully look out from under the desk to observe my surroundings.
Something must have happened.

      I looked out with only my head sticking out; someone grabbed my skirt from behind and snatched me up quickly.
Startled, I struggled and cried out, “W-Who is this?!”

[…Hmm.]

     The person who had lifted me turned me around and made me look into their face.

      Soon, my view filled with pink hair and cold, blue eyes–almost as if she wore colored lenses.
It was ‘Bang Eunji.’

      “…Bang Eunji? Oh! W-Wait!”

[……]

      Bang Eunji did not respond to my cries, but she reacted differently than before.
She blinked at me, eyes fixed on my face, as if she could finally understand my words.

     And soon, her body began to melt and flow, becoming like liquid; she turned into a giant jelly.

      Of course, I was still stuck in that…thing… But, I didn’t feel too alarmed nor were my crisis senses triggered.
I had already experienced this phenomenon.

      ‘…The real [Bang Eunji] will appear soon.’

     This space manifests when the real owner of this interdimensional plane–the targeted contractor–appears at the end of the [Vengeful Ghost Memory].

      I watched the crumbling jelly lump with anticipation.
As expected, the mushy chunks amalgamated together to become a glossy pink cat.

      Excited and afraid, I looked up at the vertical slits–the cat’s pupils–and opened my mouth, “Bang Eunji…!”

[….What is your identity?]

     She felt somewhat subdued, as if she had been aroused from a deep, long slumber.

      I felt vigilance, feeble curiosity, and deep resignation in Bang Eunji.
I wondered why she felt that way, but I was able to calm myself and speak to her in a stable voice, drawing upon my experience from dealing with the various [Vengeful Ghost Memories.] “My name is Choi Lee-kyung, and… My class is Necromancer.
I’m here to sign a contract with you.”

[…Necromancer?]

“”

      Bang Eunji’s answering question showed no trace of mockery nor did she seem like she was particularly confused.
She merely peered down at the top of my head, impassive.

     First, I took out the contract I had made with Seo Dawon and showed it to her; she remained silent.
Then, I continued to explain calmly, “If you sign a contract with me, you’ll be able to influence the world again as my Servant.”

[……]

     “Don’t you want to… get your revenge on the traitors?”

[I want to.]

      Contrary to her immediate answer, Bang Eunji’s attitude seemed too casual and nonchalant for her to be immersed in vengeance.

      It was different from her hiding her agitation to keep a calm countenance; a sense of weakness and fragility surrounded her like a weighty fog, as if nothing was left in her and she was completely exhausted.
Like…a person who accepted death.

      ‘…No way, has she given up?’

      I was flustered by her unexpected attitude, but, fortunately, Bang Eunji was still reading the [Vengeful Ghost Contract] Seo Dawon had crafted.
I was a little reassured by that–she wouldn’t be reading if she wasn’t interested at all.

      However, Bang Eunji remained silent for a long while even after reading the contract.
Licking her soft, fuzzy arms with her tongue, she met my nervous gaze.

      “You’re not… going to *not* sign the contract, right?”

[……]

      She still did not answer my follow-up question.

      Anxious, I squeezed my way between her furry cat paws and held her paws tightly.
I wanted to say anything that could attract her attention.

      The first person that passed through my mind was Seo Dawon:

      “Seo Dawon needs you, too.”

[I suppose… Guildmaster-nim needs me.]

      Bang Eunji answered, her eyes slowly blinking.
However, she ended with just that sentence.

      I looked up at Bang Eunji, shocked by her unexpected attitude.
Without Seo Dawon, would she just resign herself and perish? However, regardless of my internal conflict, she suddenly asked some questions of her own.

[Have you ever wanted something but had no idea how to get it?]

      “What?”

[Have you ever liked someone who would never like you back?]

      “……!”

      I looked into Bang Eunji’s dim, blue eyes.
For the first time ever, she laughed when she saw my wide-open mouth.
However, that laughter dissipated into more emptiness without much substance to fuel her humor.

[Haha…]

      “Wait.
Then, you…”

[Eunji was curious up until she was beheaded.
Jung Garam…]

      “……”

[What became of him?]

     “……”

[Well… He probably died.
He had a lot of enemies after all…]

      “……”

[Sometimes, Eunji wanted to strangle him.]

      As she said that, Bang Eunji stretched out her arms, head still bowed.

      Only then did I safely step foot onto the ground near her, but my heart was dragged into an even deeper quagmire.
So, Bang Eunji liked Jung Garam–how unbelievable.
But, Jung Garam…

      “Garam-ie…doesn’t seem to have a clue about your feelings?” Since he always called her a nutcase of a woman, I felt I had no choice but to bring this point up.

      Bang Eunji replied with a smirk on her face–

[Not just Jung Garam–Eunji bet no one else knew? No one was concerned about Eunji’s matters.]

      “What? B-But…” I was surprised by Bang Eunji’s cynical remarks and tried to refute them.
However, she continued, repeating that lonely statement: ‘No one was interested in me.’

[At first, Eunji had no interest in guys like him either.]

      “……”

[But, even if my interest grew… Jung Garam didn’t respond to anything except teasing.
Stuff like ‘You’re annoying, so piss off.’ Eunji wanted to be nice to him at first, too.]

      “……”

[There’s no mistake–that guy must be a psychopath.]

      “……”

[No matter how well Eunji treated him, he never acknowledged me.]

      After placing her chin in her palm, Bang Eunji asked for validation from me–

[Wasn’t I good to you at first, too?]

      “…Huh?”

[Who would spend so much money on a hamster, after all? I bought you a house, dressed you in pretty clothes… All the sunflower seeds I gave to Necromancer-ssi were organic as well.]

      “Ah…Mmmn….
Th-Thanks.”

      My vision felt like it was going dark from shock when I heard her refer to her one-sided behavior as some childish and self-centered show of affection from her.
I thought it wouldn’t be unreasonable for Garam-ie to be completely clueless about Bang Eunji’s intentions.

     However, I couldn’t say that, so I opened my mouth to appease her, “B-But… Perhaps… Do you know what Garam-ie likes?”

[Well… He pretends otherwise, but he enjoys torture and murder.”

      “What? Ah, yeah…”

      Of course, I knew Jung Garam had such tendencies, but I received fresh, new shocks when I heard such words tumbling out of her cute lips.

      Then, because that wasn’t the answer I was searching for, I narrowed down the scope of my question.
“That… Other than murder.
Should I say…material items…? Do you know what he prefers?”

[Yes.
He picks out most of the vegetables in his food, so he prefers meat.
Also, he doesn’t drink cola very often.
Rather than pork, he’s a beef-stan; he prefers caramel over gum as well… Eunji also knows he collects Aeonz Neon figures.
He had a hard time finding the 2007 edition collection, but, when he heard that I had gotten to them first, he broke into my house and stole them! That fool…! Eunji was going to give those figures to him on his birthday, but, after he acted like a thief, I sent him high-heel shoes instead.]