Éamonn's words were true—the computer really did turn itself on. Instantly, all drowsiness left me as I rushed to wake the other two.
Antonio was the first to wake. His initial reaction was to turn off the computer, but the shutdown button didn't work. No matter how many times he pressed it, the screen remained active. Éamonn was so terrified that he curled up under the covers, his face panic-stricken. I guessed he was remembering the incident where he was force-fed feces—the trauma resurfaced, and he was miserable again.
I said, Don't bother pressing it—just smash the screen. Let's see how this evil thing survives then.
Antonio obeyed me without question and was actually about to smash it when Éamonn protested. He quickly scrambled out from under the comforter and shouted, Don't touch it! This is my computer—you can't just smash it!
Antonio ignored Éamonn and said, If Mr. Roger wants to smash it, then we smash it. Stop your nonsense—we'll compensate you at most.
Me: "......"
As the two argued, something horrifying happened—a face appeared on the screen. Deathly pale, it slowly emerged from the display.
A muffled pop echoed, like the sound of something cracking, and the man's face pushed through, alive, followed by his entire head...
"Oh my god, holy fuck—he's doing it again!" Éamonn shrieked, scrambling backward before diving back under the covers. Even Antonio was so startled that he let go.
The man glared at us furiously, wriggling further out of the screen, his body inching forward as if determined to crawl out of the computer and attack us.
The scene was utterly terrifying, as chilling as watching Sadako emerge from the well. When Éamonn had described it before, it just sounded bizarre—but witnessing it firsthand made my scalp crawl.
With a series of sickening cracks, the man's joints twisted unnaturally before he finally crawled out of the computer in one grotesque piece, completely intact.
"You called me here—well, here I am. Damn keyboard warriors, tonight's your end," the man snarled, lunging at us.
That's when I caught a whiff of urine. I glanced over and saw Éamonn had wet himself in fear, trembling violently under the covers.
What the hell? This guy's got the nerves of a mouse! Sure, the scene was unsettling enough to make anyone's skin crawl, but pissing yourself? Really?
The man noticed Éamonn's terror first and went straight for him. Éamonn, unable to fight back, was choked until his face turned red, gasping for air as he desperately reached toward me for help.
I shot Antonio a look. Understanding immediately, he lunged at the man, locking an arm around his throat and yanking him away. Only then could Éamonn finally breathe again, though he broke into a frantic coughing fit.
Antonio was great. After dragging the man away, he pressed the man's head to the ground and dropped both knees onto his waist, instantly immobilizing him.
I thought I could finally breathe a sigh of relief, but then the man let out a loud gulp—and suddenly, Antonio's body passed right through him. The man stood up smoothly, free of Antonio's grip.
"This…" Antonio froze for a moment, helpless. If he could pass through the man's body, how could he fight him?
The man swung his fist at Antonio's chest. Antonio grunted and stumbled back, crashing into the closet and knocking it over.
The man still didn't stop. He lunged at Éamonn again. This time, I grabbed the stool beside me and slammed it down—thud! The computer screen shattered with a sharp crack, sparks flying everywhere.
The man's face twisted in pain. With a shrill chirp, he dissolved into a black shadow and vanished back into the computer's mainframe.
"I think I get it now. It's not some other problem—it's your damn computer causing trouble. You must've picked up something from the dead," I said.
Dead people's belongings again. It reminded me of Nova's family. These cursed objects are seriously sinister. I thought it only happened with ancient things—mirrors, jade, swords, umbrellas—but apparently, computers weren't safe either.
After the man disappeared, Éamonn finally calmed down. He asked, "If it's the computer's fault, why did he come out of my phone that one time?"
"Ghostly resentment. This computer carries the dead man's grudge. Once you're marked by it, even touching your phone can let him out," I explained.
Éamonn glanced at his phone and suddenly didn't dare to touch it. "Don't worry for now," I said. "He probably won't come out again tonight. Tomorrow, hurry and find out where this computer came from, then come to my tattoo parlor. I'll give you a Gods and Ghosts Tattoo for protection."
This place wasn't safe to stay in anymore, and with the mystery half-solved, I took Antonio and headed straight back to the tattoo parlor.
Éamonn showed up around noon the next day. I asked if he'd figured out the computer's origins.
He nodded. "I contacted the previous seller. Turns out, this computer belonged to a college teacher named Bodhi."
Bodhi had suffered a terrible injustice while alive. A girl accused him of using his position to sleep with her, calling him an animal and a hypocrite.
Overnight, Bodhi was caught in a storm of public outrage. The school suspended him, his colleagues turned their backs, and worst of all—keyboard warriors online exploded with hate. They bombarded him with insults, doxxed his home address, and even harassed his wife and daughter.
Unable to bear it, Bodhi committed suicide right in front of the computer.
The computer was later sold by Bodhi's wife to Éamonn at a low price.
Later, the truth came out. It turned out the girl had framed Bodhi - he had failed her thesis three times, so she held a grudge and made false accusations. She never expected things would escalate so badly. With online public opinion egging it on and keyboard warriors fueling the flames, Bodhi ultimately committed suicide.
Although Bodhi was eventually cleared of all charges, he was already gone. Is belated justice still justice? The keyboard warriors just patted themselves on the back and walked away as if nothing had happened.
That girl was certainly despicable, but even more hateful were the online keyboard warriors. Without them, Bodhi might have lived to see justice served. Tragically, their words became like swords, driving a good teacher to his death filled with resentment. When the truth finally emerged, they acted like nothing had happened.
Besides, what did their wives and children have to do with it? Why expose them? Now I understand why Bodhi force-fed Éamonn shit - he hated keyboard warriors. Ironically, Éamonn, being a keyboard warrior himself, ended up buying Bodhi's computer. This was a fucking bloody lesson - let's see if he dares to curse people online again.
Éamonn was thoroughly terrified this time. He wouldn't dare repeat such behavior, even raising his hand to swear that if he ever cursed anyone online again, may he become infertile and his family line end with him.
The oath was quite extreme, so I'll take him at his word for now. As for Bodhi, I'll need to give Éamonn a Gods and Ghosts Tattoo for protection.
What manifested wasn't actually Bodhi's ghost, but rather a trace of his lingering resentment - specifically his hatred toward keyboard warriors. If it had been his actual ghost, Éamonn would probably be dead by now. That's why we don't need an Exorcise Ghosts tattoo, just an Exorcise Evil Spirits one.