The dim light in the bookstore flickered as Baek stood motionless, flipping through the glowing book. Yui, on the other hand, was busy trying to stifle her anxiety with humor—because that's what you did when faced with a bookworm ghost that probably had a deep personal vendetta against the literary world.
"So," Yui started, leaning against a shelf, "do we know anything about this ghost, or are we just diving in blind? I mean, does it like, throw books at people, or does it just give them a very persuasive PowerPoint presentation on why 'Moby Dick' is the greatest literary work of all time?"
Baek's only response was a quiet hum as he flipped another page.
"Right, you're too serious for this," Yui muttered, glancing around. "You know, I used to think high school was the scariest thing in my life, but then I started following you around."
Baek didn't even look up. He just kept turning pages, the book glowing faintly.
"Okay, then," Yui sighed, crossing her arms. "I'll just go ahead and make this a one-woman show while you summon whatever literary demon you're trying to deal with. You know, no pressure."
Just then, the woman with the stack of books earlier turned back toward them, eyes narrowing as she saw them standing there. She hesitated, clutching her books tighter to her chest. Then, in a voice that was eerily calm, she asked, "What are you two doing here?"
Yui raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, what are we doing here? It's a bookstore. Isn't it obvious?"
Baek's eyes flicked up at the woman, and for the first time in a while, Yui saw a glimmer of actual curiosity. Not much, but a little.
"Who are you?" Yui pressed, crossing her arms in a challenging stance. "Are you the ghost? Because if you are, I've got a spirit tag ready, and we can skip all the pleasantries."
The woman's gaze flickered to the book in Baek's hand. Her lips curled into a slight smirk. "You think you can stop me with that? I control the stories here."
"Cool. You're a ghost librarian," Yui said, rolling her eyes. "You know, for someone with so much power, you're kind of… lame. Why not just go haunt a different library or something?"
The woman stepped forward, her books now floating in the air. "You think it's funny, don't you? But you have no idea what you're up against."
Yui glanced at Baek, who was now holding the book up as if it were a weapon. She frowned. "Oh great, here comes the villain monologue."
Baek cut in before the woman could say anything else. "She's the Librarian Ghost. She controls people's minds through the books they read. If you read her cursed story, you're bound to her. Forever."
Yui blinked, impressed. "Okay, that's a new one. So she's like… a bookworm that got a little too into her own story?"
Baek didn't smile, but there was a small hint of amusement in his eyes. "Something like that."
The woman let out a sharp, chilling laugh. "You have no idea how powerful I am. I don't just control the stories. I become the story. And you're next, little girl."
Yui raised her hands in mock surrender. "Okay, okay, chill out. We get it. You're the evil bookworm ghost and we're trespassing in your haunted library. Can we get to the part where we make a deal or something?"
Baek, finally done with the staring contest, took a step forward. "You don't make deals with spirits like her."
"Right," Yui quipped, "because she's so friendly."
The Librarian Ghost narrowed her eyes, clearly done with their banter. With a wave of her hand, the books around her swirled into the air like a cyclone of paper, their pages flipping rapidly.
"Let's see how you handle my story," she hissed.
Suddenly, Yui felt a cold shiver rush down her spine. The shelves around them shook as the books flew toward her. They were coming at her faster than she could react, and before she knew it, she was surrounded, trapped inside a whirlwind of books.
"Ah, this is fun," Yui grumbled, trying to dodge a flying book that nearly knocked her in the head. "Next time, I'm reading a comic book instead."
Baek stepped forward, slamming the glowing book he held onto the ground with a loud thud. "Enough!"
The ground beneath them cracked open, and the books suspended in midair froze, suspended in a glowing barrier.
"I told you, we're not here to make deals," Baek said, his voice low and deadly. "Now, you're going to give up."
The Librarian Ghost stepped back, her form flickering like a damaged television screen. The air was thick with an eerie tension as the books dropped one by one to the ground.
Yui, now freed from the book storm, dusted herself off. "Well, that was a fun party. You know, if I survive this, I'm taking a nap. For like, five years."
Baek turned to her. "Get ready. She's not done."
Yui sighed dramatically. "Honestly, I was hoping for a nap."
The books started to glow with an unsettling light. The ghost was gathering her strength for one final attack.
"Any more sarcastic comments, or are we gonna actually do something this time?" Yui grinned, trying to pump herself up for the fight.
"Focus, Yui," Baek warned, his eyes narrowing at the woman. "The next move is yours."
Yui stared at him for a moment, trying to read his expression. She'd never actually seen him act like this before. It was like he was... waiting for her to do something.
"Well," Yui said with a dramatic pause, "this is awkward."
She reached into her bag and pulled out the charm, gripping it tightly in her palm. The air around them shifted as the power surged within her.
And just as the Librarian Ghost opened her mouth to unleash her final curse, Yui tossed the charm into the air.
It exploded with a flash of light so intense it nearly blinded everyone in the room.
And just like that, the ghost was gone.
Yui looked around, blinking, utterly confused. "What just happened?"
Baek stood quietly, eyes on the now-empty space. "You happened."
Yui raised an eyebrow. "Did I just… save the day? With a charm? Seriously?"
Baek didn't answer. He just turned toward the door.
"Alright," Yui grinned, "well, I'm taking that as a win. Let's go before this place starts charging us for late fees."
END OF CHAPTER SEVEN