The Insider Ghost Ship: She Said, He Said

CHAPTER 30: He Said: About the Neurosurgery Team's Dinner (Part 1)

After his lecture, Ik Jun returned to his office to change before going home. When he saw his flip calendar where the NS team dinner on Monday was noted, the previous NS team dinner came back to mind.

He would admit that it was something he was not proud of. It was mostly embarrassing, not only for him, but also for Song Hwa. That was why he would rather forget about it. But being drunk that night did not help in erasing the events from his mind. If only he could turn back time, he would not insist on being there.

He recalled that night for the thousandth time. Once again, he wanted to know where he went wrong, when everything began to go wrong, and how did everything go wrong. He came up with the same answers before, but perhaps, as he previously hoped, this time would be different.

He was not supposed to be there, but he wanted Song Hwa to join them for karaoke, so he convinced her to ditch the NS team dinner. When she refused and promised to join them after an hour, he wanted to make sure she would. By offering to give her a lift to the restaurant, he would know where to pick her up when the time comes.

He did not anticipate arriving at the same time with the entire NS team. When Seuk Min saw him and invited him to join them, he wanted to say yes right away, but he was not sure if Song Hwa would be happy about it. He decided to play hard-to-get and refused the invitation. The NS team joined forces in persuading him to stay.

Hanbonman...Just ask me one more time and I will join you. He turned to look at Song Hwa and hoped that she would ask him too, so he could accept.

That was why he was overjoyed when she asked him to park his car and join them. He obliged and wished she would not change her mind.

In the parking lot, he called Jun Wan to inform him that he would be joining them later with Song Hwa, because he would be at the NS team dinner with her.

After an hour, he whispered to Song Hwa that they should be leaving but she ignored his request. Not wanting to leave without her, he had no other option but to stay.

When Spin-the -Bottle Truth or Dare commenced, he was surprised that the game was still being played today. Song Hwa pointed out that being young and curious with each other were the driving force of the game, which he would have to agree, because those were the exact same reasons why he used to play the game twenty years ago.

Twenty years ago? Hwa...I feel old....

When the spinning bottle stopped on Seuk Min, everyone got excited as to what would the question for him be. When the intern asked him about what he thought of Seun Bin, he realized that these kids needed a lesson in asking questions.

Seun Bin answered the question in their behalf, but the team would rather hear Seuk Min's own words. Chi Hong dared him to down a shot of soju if he did not want to answer the question.

It's going to take all night, but nobody will get the answer they want. This game needed some levelling up.

He replaced the shot glass with a regular glass and poured soju in it.

"Now, you'll hear his answer." He said. But when asked for it, Seuk Min passed it with flying colors.

Now, for the lesson.

"Guys, you asked the wrong question. Of course, he'd give an answer like that...."

The team obviously did not know much about playing the game. He was about to give the lecture on how to ask questions that guarantee desired answers. He would give these kids free life lessons that they could use later on in life, especially when they needed to pry something out of someone. And he would do it through this game.

But Song Hwa was way ahead of him, and she knew exactly what he was trying to point out—the importance of wordings in questioning.

"How should they have worded it?" She asked, emphasizing his point.

He turned to Seuk Min to demonstrate.

"Do you like Heo Seun Bin?" He frankly asked.

Seuk Min was cornered, but he was still left with options. He could either gulp down the soju in the glass or answer the question truthfully. Everyone waited in anticipation. His reaction might have saved him, but he could not fool Ik Jun.

"See that? He got all worked up. That's the reaction you're after. Got it? Ask questions like that from now on." He concluded the lecture.

When he said that, he had one purpose in his mind—to bring out into the open what this team had been hiding all along. He already knew about Chi Hong's feelings for Song Hwa, but the others did not, even her (which he later found out that he confessed to her previously). Seuk Min could be into Seun Bin, but that would still have to be revealed, if the game would be taken seriously.

There. You know everything you need to be good in questioning. Now, I want some truth.

"What are you teaching them?" Song Hwa asked of him. Isn't it obvious?

Life lessons.

Later on, he would realize what she meant when she asked him that. He underestimated these kids, and now he would be paying for it. He never anticipated how fast learners they could be. He would be needing more soju to get himself out of this predicament.