West: The Sun from Another Star: Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Hanged Up

I woke up irritated by the sound of my phone. Groggily, I fumbled around the bed until I found it. The call was from Ton Fah. 

6:30 a.m.? 

Damn, I’m late! 

I jumped out of bed and answered the call immediately. “I’m up.” 

“Hurry up,” Ton Fah said. 

“Okay.” I hung up and rushed to shower and change. Even though other faculties weren’t on break yet, I had ward duties. Once in fourth year, ward rotations are mandatory, and they’re a massive hassle. 

Normally, I’ve gotten used to the noises next door, but last night was more annoying than usual. Maybe it was because someone new moved in and had a party. 

Come to think of it, the chair-dragging probably wasn’t Donut. Then again, I only ever blame Donut for any weird sounds. 

When he was alive, he was a mess. Now, as a ghost, he’s still a mess. Stabbed to death by his girlfriend and yet refuses to leave, lingering in my room, appearing in my dreams to ask for food or to claim the money I borrowed from him before he died. But I already gave it to his mom at his funeral, so why is he still asking? 

I even drove 10–20 kilometers to attend his funeral. What more does he want from me? 

I’m ranting because I dreamt about him last night. He kept saying he was hungry. Hungry again and again. Meanwhile, I have to study, do

ward rotations, and complete reports. When am I supposed to find time to burn offerings for him? Being a ghost must be so convenient, all you have to do is appear in someone’s dream to get fed. 

Because of him, I didn’t get enough sleep and ended up waking up late. If the attending doctor scolds me, are you going to take responsibility, Donut? 

I raced my motorbike to the hospital. At the parking lot, I bumped into Jo, who was running just as late. We parked next to each other and rushed to the ward together. Morning was for ward rounds, lectures in the afternoon, and another round of ward duties from evening to 8 p.m. Once everything was done, I headed back to my room. 

I collapsed onto my bed, exhausted and fed up. Studying medicine is ridiculously tiring. I have my reasons for pursuing it, but I’m not in the mood to explain, don’t feel like it, and honestly, I don’t want to. 

Just as I was about to doze off, my phone rang again. Direk? 

“What’s up?” 

(“Mind your tone. That’s your dad you’re talking to.”) 

“Direk.” 

(“Am I your buddy now?”) 

“Just kidding. You’re my dad, but if you'd rather be friends, suit yourself.” 

(“Ugh, you’re exhausting. I heard you’re not going to the racetrack anymore?”) 

“No time. Morning and evening ward shifts, so tiring. Direk, I want to quit. Why don’t you just take care of me?” 

(“I already do, don’t I? Honestly, it’s better you’re not going to the racetrack. But the scene’s been dull without you. People keep asking about you.”)

“Then what do you want? Should I go or not? Last time I went, you got mad and blocked me on LINE.” 

(“I’ve unblocked you. Been talking to Johan instead.”) 

“See? You’ll talk to Jo but not your own kid.” 

(“Johan’s reasonable. And I blocked you because you were being annoying, asking for money all the time. You think I’m made of money?”) 

“Well, if you’re broke, just tell me. I’ll borrow from Jo for you.” 

(“I’m loaded. Just don’t keep asking for money.”) 

“Sure, sure. So, what’s the call for?” 

("Had a bad dream last night.") 

"Should I comfort you or something? There, there, Dad. Don't overthink it. Bad dreams turn into good luck, right?" 

(For god's sake...)

"Hey, why are you involving god here? What was the dream about?"

("I dreamt about your mom.") 

"...Seriously?" 

("Why would I lie about that?") 

"What did she say?" 

("Nothing, same as always.") 

"Maybe you're overworking yourself. Take a break." 

("Yeah, probably. How’s ward duty? Don’t kill anyone, or we’ll end up bankrupt from lawsuits.") 

"It’s manageable, scraping by. Hopefully, nobody dies." 

("Is your haunted room the same as always?") 

"More like the room next door. Yesterday, someone new moved in. Last night, it was like a school reunion, total chaos."

("Who moved in? How are they living there? And you, how’ve you managed to live with ghosts for years? Are you a masochist or what?") 

"I’m just too lazy to move my stuff. Besides, if I move, it feels like I’m losing to them. No way." 

("You’re trying to win against ghosts?") 

"If I leave, Donut will get lonely." 

(Why don't you make merit for him? Offer some prayers or donations for his spirit. He was your friend after all.)

"I’ve never been to a temple in my life." 

("Well, you’re not Buddhist anyway. Whatever, if you can live there, then stay. It’s cost-effective.") 

"Oh, Direk, I want to change my car rims for next week’s race." 

("What rims?") 

"I already ordered them. Pay for it, please." 

("Ask your dad to pay… Oh, wait, that’s me. You’re at it again, ordering stuff and making me pay.") 

"Alright, hanging up now. See you at home." 

("Damn it.") 

I ended the call. Direk is my dad, my actual dad. We’ve been talking like this since I was a kid, so it’s just a habit. Direk once said he’d rather be like a friend than a father so we could talk about anything and so he could feel young. Honestly, he’s still youthful despite being in his 40s. 

It’s no wonder I turned out the way I am, just look at him. I’m like a younger version of him, except that Direk didn’t go to med school. 

Direk owns a car parts import business, not just importing, but manufacturing too. He’s expanded into a chain of large repair shops nationwide, and now he’s gone international. Actually, he went global years ago. Direk is rolling in money, which means he needs

someone to help him spend it. That's where I come in, asking for money so much that he blocked me on LINE. 

Growing up around cars made me a car enthusiast. If anyone asks why I’m studying medicine, my answer is: None of your business. 

But I’ll save that story, it might make you cry. 

Before I could get up to do anything, another call came in. Why are people calling me so much today? I glanced at my phone. It was Jo’s partner. 

"What’s up?" 

("You’re not replying on LINE.") 

"So, what’s up?" 

("Let’s play a game.") 

"All you ever do is invite me to play games." 

("So, are you playing?") 

"Yeah, wait a sec." 

I ended the call. Jo’s partner is always inviting me to play games. I like gaming and I’m pretty good at it, but I’ve been playing more often because he keeps asking me. When I first met him, I was surprised, I didn’t think Jo was into someone like him. But they’ve been together for nearly a year now. The downside is Jo doesn’t go out drinking with me anymore, he’s always staying in with his partner. 

Fah has a partner. Hill has one too. Everyone’s paired up except for me. It’s a little annoying, sure, so much sweetness, it blinds me. But it’s not bad. As long as they’re happy, it’s fine. 

I logged into the game, and within seconds, North invited me to join. 

("What are you playing?") North’s voice came through the game. We always used the voice chat feature when gaming with friends. 

"Anything. What about you?"

("I’ll go carry. You jungle.") 

"Who’s tanking?" 

("My friend will.") 

"Alright." I noticed there was another person in the game lobby, but they hadn’t turned on their mic. 

"Who’s this friend of yours?" I asked, seeing an unfamiliar username. Most of North’s friends were people like Nao, Q , Ged, or Tiger, names I recognized. But this one was new. 

("A ghostbuster. Your next-door neighbor.") 

"Oh, right. Can they tank? If they’re bad, I’m cursing them." 

("Prepare to be amazed by my friend’s tanking.") 

"What the hell are you talking about?" 

("Just pick your hero already, dude.") 

"Such respect you have for me." 

I didn’t take the banter seriously since we were pretty close. I picked an assassin for jungling. North went carry, and the tank picked a hero that perfectly matched my farming needs. 

Not only could they tank, but they were insanely good. I’d never seen anyone play a tank this well. 

"Damn, are they a pro or what? How are they not dead in a 3v1?" 

("Told you, my friend’s amazing. But it’d help if you went to back them up, they’re about to die.") 

"Look at my health, dude. I’m not going in. They can hear me, right?" 

("They can hear you. Neighbor ghostbuster, what’s the plan? Say something.") 

("Yeah, fall back to the jungle. Low health isn’t worth the risk. We’re just covering so you can escape.") Ghostbuster tank said. 

("He’s your neighbor. Why don’t you play together more? It’d make communication easier.") 

"I think I can go for it. Got a bit more health now." 

("Going in again?") North asked.

"Yup. I’ll take three of them out." 

("Alright, my ult’s ready. I’ll use it.") 

("Are you serious? No health, only guts?") North complained a little. 

"Do it," I said. The tank initiated on the mage, and I followed up. My low health almost got me killed, but we took out three enemies, though we lost the tank in the process. 

("The tank’s down.") 

("It’s fine. Trading a tank for a mage and carry is worth it.") The calm voice in the game surprised me. 

How could he sound so chill when North was practically yelling with excitement? His timing was perfect, reading the game like a pro.He was an insanely solid tank. 

We kept playing for hours without losing a single match. Eventually, North’s friend left the game, saying he had something else to do, leaving just me and North to continue. 

("Hey, bro, how was last night? Did you see any ghosts?") 

"Last night was more chaotic than usual. Why do you ask?" 

("I asked my friend, and he said he saw four ghosts! How did it go from three to four? Where’d the woman who hanged herself come from?") 

"Oh, the woman who hanged herself? She used to be in my room," I said, recalling when I first moved into this apartment. My room had a history of a woman hanging herself on the balcony, but she’s gone now. 

"I was wondering why the chair-dragging sound moved to that room instead. Turns out it was the hanging ghost."

("Yeah, she hung herself on the balcony. My friend, Ghostbuster, said it happens around midnight. So she used to be in your room, and you kicked her out?") 

"Not exactly kicked her out… Well, yeah, I did. She kept dragging the chair, and when yelling didn’t work, I had to take drastic measures." 

("What did you do? Use a Buddha amulet?") 

"Nope. At first, she was really aggressive, like, she sat on me while I was sleeping." 

("What?! Like sleep paralysis? What did you do?") 

"She sat on me, so I thrusted my hips up at her." 

("Damn, P’ ,") North burst into laughter. ("Are you serious?") 

"Yeah." 

("That’s so messed up! Were you trying to seduce the ghost or what?") 

"Well, what else was I supposed to do? She’s a woman sitting on a guy like me while I’m sleeping. What was she thinking?" 

("Geez, P’ … Just picturing it is killing me,") North laughed so hard he couldn’t stop. 

("What did the woman do after that?") 

"She screamed and disappeared. Probably embarrassed." 

("If I were the ghost, I wouldn’t haunt you anymore either. So she moved to the other room?") 

"Not right away. She kept dragging the chair at midnight. That night, I lost patience. I knew she’d start dragging it again around 12:30. She always dragged it from the middle of the room to the balcony, passing the bathroom on the way. So at 12:25, I went to sit in the bathroom." 

("Why’d you go to the bathroom?") 

"To jerk off."

"You’re insane, P’! You were masturbating for a ghost to see?") 

"Yeah. If she’s dragging a chair past the bathroom, she’d have to see me. I even left the door open." 

("P’ , that’s next-level messed up! Even if she’s a ghost, she’s still a woman!") North was laughing so hard he forgot to keep playing the game. I couldn’t help but laugh a little too, thinking back to how angry I must have been to do something like that. 

Thinking about it now, it really was messed up. 

But honestly, I’m kind of proud of myself. 

Talking to North makes it easy to share stuff like this because he’s just as blunt as I am. 

"It’s my room. I was doing my thing in my room. How is that wrong?" 

("It’s not wrong, P’ , but damn, it’s wild. So what happened to the woman?") 

"She disappeared. I think she moved out after that." 

("Good for her. If it were me, I wouldn’t stay either. You’re a psycho.") 

"Psycho? Come on, it’s normal, right? Can you honestly say you’ve never done it?" 

("Okay, fine, it’s natural, but damn, P', this is next-level. How many doctors on this planet can say they’ve jerked off in front of a ghost? You win, man,") North said, laughing so hard I heard a loud thud from his end. ("I fell off the couch, dude!") 

"Why are you laughing so much? Is your funny bone extra sensitive?" 

("Yeah, I’m easily amused. I feel bad for that ghost, though. And all the others in your room. My friend said there’s a woman hanging herself at midnight, another jumping off the building at 2 a.m., a crying ghost in the bathroom, and Donut scratching the wall.") 

"Donut’s scratching the wall?"

("Yeah, my friend said that. Why’s he scratching the wall, anyway?") 

"Donut had this weird condition. When he was alive, he always said his nails felt itchy at the tips, so he’d scratch them a lot, on tables or whatever. I told him to stop, but he said he couldn’t. I can’t believe he’s still obsessed with scratching even after death." 

("Honestly, that’s creepy as hell. Like, if scratching was part of his daily life, it makes sense he’d keep doing it after dying. Ghostbuster said he scratches until his nails peel off.") 

"Wait, your friend’s name is Ghostbuster? What kind of name is that?" 

("No, no, his name’s Daotok, but I think Ghostbuster suits him better.") 

"Daotok? That’s a weird name for a guy." 

("Right? But it’s his name, so whatever.") 

"Fair enough." 

("So, how did Donut die? Did his girlfriend really stab him in his sleep? Were you there?") 

"Yeah, I was asleep too. I didn’t know anything until the next morning when I found out Donut had been stabbed. It was his girlfriend, Min. I guess Donut was cheating on her, and they’d fought a lot. She probably snapped and stabbed him." 

("Damn, that’s brutal. She just left his body on the bed?") 

"Yeah, and she slept next to him till morning. The whole bed was soaked in blood. In the morning, she called the police herself." 

("That’s terrifying. Did you do any merit-making for Donut?") 

"Nope. I’m not Buddhist, and I don’t go to temples." 

("My friend said Donut’s been haunting people’s dreams, saying he’s hungry.") 

"Yeah, he came to my dream too, saying he’s hungry."

("What did you say?") 

"I told him to eat my foot." 

("P', that’s harsh! He’s still your friend, even if he’s a ghost,") North chuckled. 

("Why don’t you burn offerings or give him food? Maybe he’ll stop bothering you.") 

"If I do it once, he’ll expect more. Why doesn't your friend do it for him?" 

"(My friend doesn’t have any money, P' . Spent it all on cat food.)" 

"Then just leave it be. I’m going to sleep. Got an early ward shift tomorrow. Is Jo asleep yet?" 

"(Yeah, P’ Jo’s already asleep. Is he that tired?)" 

"Of course he’s tired. Why are you even asking? Alright, I’m off." 

"(Okay, okay.)" 

I exited the game, went to take a shower, and changed clothes. It was already past 10 PM, seems like I’d been gaming for quite a while. After changing, I prepared to go to bed. Not that I wanted to sleep this early, but I was absolutely exhausted. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

DAOTOK POV 

I continued working late into the night, just like the previous evening. It was now past 10 PM, and Emma was sitting nearby, keeping watch as usual. So far, I hadn’t encountered anything strange or heard any annoying sounds, but I figured things might get hectic after midnight. 

Earlier in the evening, I played a game with North. North loves gaming, and so do I. I’m a bit of a gaming addict. My preferred role is tank or support, and I only ever play that position. 

The person North invited to play with us seemed to be the guy from the next room. He was skilled, and so was North, which made the game enjoyable. It’s not a big deal when other players are bad, but if they have a bad attitude, North will absolutely tear into them. He’s the type to rage over games. 

As soon as the clock struck midnight, I thought about how spirits tend to gain more energy after midnight. I could feel their presence becoming heavier. I put on my headphones to ignore the sound of nails scratching against the wall. 

When I hit a mental block and couldn’t work anymore, I decided to relax by soaking in some hot water, it’s the best way for me to unwind. But when I got to the bathtub, someone was already there, acting like they owned the place. 

"…I’m going to take a bath," I said, not exactly asking for permission, just stating my intention. "Don’t turn the water into blood like in the movies, okay? Not that you could. I mean, the human body only has about four or five liters of blood. That wouldn’t even fill the tub." 

I filled the tub with warm water and stepped in, sitting down to soak. The perfectly warm temperature was incredibly relaxing, but then I felt a tingling sensation around the back of my neck. 

A hand… 

A pale, slender hand was caressing my neck, pressing its sharp nails deeper and deeper into my skin, dragging them along. 

It hurt. 

"That hurts," I said. "I’ll get angry if you keep hurting me." Frustrated, I raised my hand and lightly smacked the back of my neck, aiming to hit the hand as punishment. "Hold out your hand for a spanking." 

But I didn’t feel anything. Shrugging it off, I continued soaking, closing my eyes. My hand brushed against something, something that felt like a head. Slowly, I opened my eyes. 

This was the first time I’d seen her… 

Wet, jet-black hair was spread out, and she slowly raised her face to look at me. I instinctively pulled my hand away from the head I’d

been touching. Her pale face was devoid of emotion, her mouth slit all the way to her ears, forming a sinister grin before closing tightly. Then the sound of sobbing filled the bathroom. 

Bright red blood poured from her torn mouth, and tears streamed continuously down her face. Her naked body became clearer as I stared. There were cuts on her neck and shoulders, but I didn’t dare look any further. She was sitting in the tub, hugging her knees, and sobbing harder and harder. 

"Sob… Sob… It hurts… Don’t hurt me, please, don’t hurt me," she wailed. 

Ah, she must’ve been murdered, her throat slit in this very tub. She must have been saying that to her boyfriend. 

"I won’t hurt you," I said. 

"Sob… Sob…" 

"Does it hurt? There, there." 

"Sob… It hurts… I can’t breathe." 

"Well, your throat was slit. How could you breathe? By the way, how are you even talking?" 

"Sob… Sob…" 

"You, no, ma’am," I corrected myself. "Ma’am, listen to me." I reached out, intending to shake her shoulder to snap her out of it. But the moment my hand touched her icy-cold skin, she suddenly stopped crying. Her sobbing gradually quieted, and her gaze slowly shifted toward me. 

"AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" 

She screamed at me, and I froze for a moment before her figure disappeared. 

Was she screaming to scare me, because she was startled that I was there, or because she was embarrassed to be naked in front of me?

Oh well. 

I soaked in the tub a little longer until I felt satisfied, then got out and unplugged the drain. As the water level dropped, I noticed something stuck near the drain. 

Hair? 

It was long, too. 

Definitely not mine. 

"Hey, stop shedding hair! What am I supposed to do if it clogs the drain? I don’t want to keep picking it out every time," I muttered, annoyed. Why did I have to clean up after someone else? 

I left the bathroom. Since I hadn’t been wearing my bracelet while bathing, I had already seen the woman in the tub once. Now I saw the hanging woman walking past. I thought she was just passing by, but she stopped and slowly turned to look at me. I looked back at her, confused. 

"Uh… Is there something you need?" I asked hesitantly. "

...No." Oh, she answered. Her voice was low and slow, almost echoing strangely. 

"At least you closed the door." 

???

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