* * *
Let’s sum it up.
I was chasing a missing person when I encountered bizarre and horrifying phenomena and got sucked into something.
The conclusion is simple.
I’ve gone missing just like the others.
Swallowed by the ghost story.
“E-Excuse me, officer…?”
And probably, so have these kids.
There were about six of them, all wearing middle school uniforms, looking at me with expressions full of both hope and despair.
Seeing their faces brought me back to my senses, as the overwhelming panic momentarily faded away.
First.
I need to assess the situation…!
“I’m not a police officer.”
I showed them the logo embroidered on my security uniform.
“I work for a private security company.”
“Oh…”
It seemed they had mistaken my uniform for a police officer’s.
Their faces began to fill with resignation and fear. I quickly added,
“But I can still make reports or take security measures. So stay calm, and can you explain what’s going on here?”
“Y-Yes…!”
The short-haired girl who had first spoken swallowed hard and began speaking in a trembling voice.
“Well, uh, we… we were on a school trip.”
These first-year students of a middle school in Seoul had gone on a school trip to Gyeongju.
To make things easier to manage, the teachers divided the students into groups, and this particular group, Group 3, seemed especially lively and curious by nature.
“There was a mountain behind where we were staying, and, uh, we noticed something like a pavilion up there… so we decided to go check it out for a test of courage.”
At night, they had snuck out on their own to visit the pavilion.
“Sigh.”
Normally, they’d have been caught by the teachers, scolded, and that would’ve been the end of it—or they’d have gone, looked around, giggled, and come back.
But…
“There was a painting in that pavilion.”
This is the world of ghost stories.
“It was this weird picture of a house…”
The student swallowed nervously again.
“Someone was staring at us from that house in the picture.”
“……”
“So we were daring each other to get closer, and….”
“You touched it, didn’t you?”
“……”
The student nodded, her voice breaking into sobs.
“A-And then, all of a sudden, the picture started laughing, saying stuff like ‘Good, good!’ while weird things came out of it…”
And when they regained consciousness, they were here—in this eerie, abandoned house.
“There are strange noises outside the windows, the fog doesn’t go away even when it’s daytime… we can’t go out…”
A boy with a mischievous expression in the back was also sniffing and wiping his nose. They all seemed on the verge of panic.
‘Hmm…’
I forced myself to remain calm and asked,
“Was that painting something like a scroll?”
“Sniff… A scroll?”
“You know, like a rolled-up hanging scroll.”
“Oh… no, it was more like… you know, a traditional painting, like one done with ink and a brush…”
“…An ink wash painting?”
[Note: Some of you might know this as a ‘sumi-e’ painting.]
“Yes!!”
The middle schooler nodded vigorously.
So… could that be the common factor that pulls people into this ghost story?
Scrolls are usually antique items.
‘The scroll that Manager Lee had probably contained traditional Ink art too.’
The grotesque, dark-red liquid thrashing around in the restroom also resembled ink.
To summarize…
A bizarre ink painting swallows people who come into contact with it and transports them to a terrifying place.
‘It’s starting to narrow down to about five or six instances.’
The problem was that none of them seemed even remotely easy to deal with.
‘This is classic ghost story territory…’
An oppressive, superstitious kind of fear.
The kind of scary story that smells faintly of shamanism and folklore.
“……”
This is really bad. I’m already weak with ghosts…
‘And this time, it seems way more intense than that convenience store ghost…’
In sheer desperation, I decided to count heads. Strength in numbers usually makes things less scary!
Is there anyone else?
Come to think of it, where’s the security captain? He should’ve been dragged in with me, yet there’s no sign of him.
If he were here, at least I’d have someone to rely on.
‘I’m losing my mind.’
Still, I suppressed my emotions and asked,
“You must have been really scared. How long have you been here?”
“A-A day…? I don’t know….”
“Aren’t you hungry?”
“We had snacks… we ate those.”
“I see.”
‘These kids are probably reaching their limit.’
Middle schoolers freshly out of elementary school, trapped in a place like this?
They might be running on adrenaline now, but they’d burn out fast.
“We were so scared, and our phones don’t work, so…”
“Alright. I’ll look for a way out. You guys just stay put and don’t touch anything else…”
Wait.
“Are you the only ones here? No other adults?”
“There’s an adult! But, uh…!”
That’s when I heard it.
A distant voice, screaming at the top of its lungs.
AAAAAAGH!
“……”
“A man has been screaming… over there… he’s scary.”
“…Alright.”
I’m scared too…
‘But I can’t take these kids with me…’
This is when having a comforting plushie companion (that happens to be alive) comes in handy.
‘Braun.’
I called my trusty pocket buddy.
Now that I think about it, he’s been oddly quiet.
“– Roe Deer.”
His voice came out, sounding a bit dejected.
“– I’m sorry. You ventured into such a dirty and unhygienic place just to give me a gift…”
He must’ve been feeling guilty. I chuckled softly.
‘It’s fine. I’ll just get out.’
Actually, it’s not fine.
But there’s no point in getting mad when I can’t quit halfway through. That’d just build resentment toward my homicidal plushie.
“– You’re truly brave! Such boldness is a marvelous talent, even for an entertainer!”
No, I’m a coward.
So I need you to cooperate, seriously.
‘Can you help me get out of here?’
“– What do you need? Just say the word, and I, Braun, will prepare it!”
Okay, this should maintain his favor even if I don’t shell out 50 million won.
After giving my enthusiastic plush assistant a pat through my pocket, I headed deeper into the abandoned house.
Toward the source of the screaming.
“I’ll go check it out, so stay here, alright?”
“Y-Yes…!”
Of course, I was armed with a coin ready for a remote hand assist.
And a flashlight.
‘Good thing it’s part of the uniform.’
I relied on the thin beam of light as I ventured further.
AAAAGGHH…! No, stop…!
Save me, save meeeeee!
The closer I got, the more I could make out the words and sentences.
The screams echoed vividly from behind the crumbling walls of the abandoned house.
‘Calm down.’
A chill ran down my spine, making me want to turn back and flee.
I forced myself to keep going and rounded the corner.
“This goddamn world! Goddamn company…!!”
I saw a familiar face.
“…The Manual Revisor?”
The man flailing in front of a wooden board covered in talismans was a middle-aged office worker in his 40s. He froze when he saw me, his eyes wide.
Missing Manager Lee Byungjin.
“It’s the… security team…??”
Oh, right.
I’m wearing a security uniform.
“Dear God! Are you from the security team?!”
His face lit up as he shakily approached me, practically bowing.
“You’ve come to rescue me, haven’t you?!”
Actually, I was dragged here too…
‘Why is he being so meek?’
Ah, he must’ve misunderstood because I’m in a security uniform.
This was the first time since falling into this mess that I’d seen a company employee act so submissively.
I glanced down at the borrowed uniform.
‘…Normal employees tend to look down on field investigators…’
Specifically, the junior staff. They barely acknowledge you since you could die any day, and they don’t bother to treat you well.
I thought of the administrative staff whose attitude shifted when they realized I was almost part of the elite team.
And then there was this guy, sweating bullets, forcing a smile, and rolling his eyes in front of me.
Hmm.
Let’s give it a shot.
I clasped my hands behind my back and spoke in a manner befitting a security team member.
“There was a missing person report within the company, so I was conducting a search.”
“O-Oh, is that so? Haha! H-hahaha…! Of course! The company hasn’t abandoned me…!!”
Actually, they did abandon you.
“Well then, u-um, you’ll be smashing this darkness to bits, right? I mean, you’re from the security team…”
I deliberately responded in an indifferent tone.
“The security team’s job isn’t to break down darknesses.”
“……!”
“Our role is to suppress disturbances.”
“R-right. Yes, haha… I, uh, don’t have much experience with Field explorations like this, you see, um.”
Alright, the mood’s been set.
“Explain the situation.”
“Pardon?”
“Describe your experience since the time you went missing in chronological order.”
I needed to compare it with what the others told me to figure out what this ghost story was about!
“Ah, y-yes, yes!”
He scrambled to his feet and began speaking rapidly.
“Well, um, I-I found a scroll that looked very rare at a souvenir shop near Jiri Mountain…”
It was almost identical to what I’d heard in the office.
After being tipped off by the shopkeeper that it could ‘grant wishes,’ he purchased the suspicious scroll. His financial fortune had improved drastically since.
“They told me to keep it near water and not to touch the scroll… and, seriously, I won the lottery!! Second place!!”
But…
“I started hearing strange whispers…”
Manager Lee Byungjin’s eyes twitched as he grabbed his head with both hands and began spitting his words out frantically.
“Um, um… something about repaying my debt as a proper gentleman because my wish had been granted… whispers like that, every night. And then the sound of water… and wailing. The cries of animals getting closer, closer, and closerrrr!!”
Oh, hell no.
“I-I just couldn’t bear it anymore! So….”
“…So,”
I recalled the scroll I saw in the bathroom, covered in what looked like blood, torn to shreds.
“You tried to tear it up, didn’t you?”
“…Yes.”
In the middle of the day, at a place other than his home, where there’d be no witnesses, and he could quickly disappear into the crowd after destroying it. Somewhere like…
‘The company’s unused restroom.’
He found such a spot and tried to tear the scroll pole apart.
“And as you were trying to do that…”
“…I ended up here.”
“Huff! Yes….”
Lee Byungjin panted heavily, struggling to catch his breath.
I rubbed the back of my neck.
‘…What am I supposed to say?’
He’s done literally everything a ghost story victim typically does before they die…
And yet, going out of his way to an isolated, unused basement restroom for privacy? That almost deserves applause.
‘Honestly, at this point, he couldn’t even complain if he died.’
Suppressing a sigh, I lifted my gaze.
Ahead of where Lee Byungjin had been writhing on the floor, I saw a wall plastered with talismans.
Compared to other areas, there were noticeably more torn talismans here.
‘Why was he acting out like that in front of this spot?’
I shone my flashlight on the wall.
And then, I understood.
“…Is this a door?”
Through the gaps in the torn talismans, a door handle was visible.
Judging by the lock mechanism on the handle….
‘A door that leads outside?’
“Th-This is where it comes from!”
“What?”
“The ghost! It comes here every day!”
Lee Byungjin crawled toward me with bloodshot eyes, clutching at my pant leg as he muttered.
“I-It comes to devour… to devour us... Th-the talismans! They keep falling off!”
“That’s….”
“A-And tonight, it’ll come again….”
Knock, knock.
“…….”
“…….”
Knock, knock, knock.
There was a sound from the door.
Knock, knock, knock, knock.
“It’s here again….”
I quickly clamped my hand over Lee Byungjin’s mouth.
– Excuse me.
“…….”
– It’s freezing out here. Could you open the door, please?
“…….”
– Uncle, don’t you remember me? I’m Jung Na-eun, the seven-year-old girl, your neighbor from Somang Apartments…
A child’s sobs and sniffles echoed faintly from beyond the door.
– Please help me. It’s so cold and so tiring out here… I don’t even know where I am. Please, just open the door…
The sorrowful voice was so oddly moving that it stirred sympathy, making me forget the fear for a moment.
Then, in a trembling voice, someone spoke from beside me.
“N-Na-eun.”
[Note: He calls her Na-eun-ah, ‘-ah’ is a more endearing way of calling someone. It’s more like ‘Dear Na-eun.’]
– Uncle.
The talismans on the door began to burn away.
The weeping voice now carried a hint of laughter.
– You answered again, didn’t you?
“…!”
“N-no!! Argh!! No! I-I didn’t answer!! Go away! Go away!!”
Regaining his senses, the manager began screaming and flailing.
But.
– I don’t want to.
–Idon’twanttoIdon’twanttoIdon’twanttoIdon’twanttoIdon’twanttoIdon’twanttoIdon’twantto.
“Hiiiik!”
Bang.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.
The door started shaking violently as if it would break.
The burning talismans fell off.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.
More talismans rained down.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang
I barely managed to move my arm.
Bang.
I tossed a coin into the air, summoning a hand.
Bang.
Then, among the countless fallen talismans on the floor, I desperately grabbed the intact ones…
Bang.
And pressed them against the doorknob.
Bang.
The talismans started falling off again.
“Huff.”
But….
The banging stopped.
Only one talisman remained on the doorknob.
“…….”
“…….”
That was close.
Chills ran down my spine.
Sniff, sniffle, sniff.
The sound of slow, shuffling footsteps began to fade into the distance beyond the door…
“Huff, haaah…”
Lee Byungjin collapsed on the floor.
I clenched and unclenched my sweat-drenched fist.
‘I’m going crazy.’
I almost passed out when the door first rattled.
I hid my trembling hands behind my back.
A ghost story about trapping prey.
Occult vibes, talismans, devouring victims, temptations, calling out to them, fear…
‘…….’
Got it.
-------------------------------
Chronicles of Darkness Exploration / Ghost Story
[Sangun-nim]
A ghost story listed in <Chronicles of Darkness Exploration>
Daydream Incorporation ID Code: Qterw-C-51.
An eerie darkness depicted in an ink-wash painting based on chang-gwi.
Exploration records include a total of 17 entries.
-------------------------------
This is a Jangsan Beom-type ghost story.
[Note: Okay, a lot of Korean occult/folklore-type stuff here. Let’s break it down one by one.
1. The eerie door stuff, unsurprisingly, a lot of korean folklore, occult stuff involve doors. For example, something ominous might happen if you open the door for a ghost, or if you answer their question, etc… You might already know if you’ve watched “The Revenant” kdrama that released in 2023.
2. Sangun-nim (山君님): To start off, ‘-nim’ is used to show respect.
Sangun directly translates to ‘Mountain Lord,’ a deity or guardian of mountains often depicted as a tiger. You might’ve seen a lot of such paintings. We’ll be using ‘Mountain Lord’ from the next chapter.
3. Chang-gwi: ‘Gwi’ directly translates to ghosts or spirits. Chang-gwi in specific are ghosts of those who died violently or tragically, drowned, killed, etc… They hold malicious intent and haunt/gather more victims. We’ll be using “Vengeful Spirits” from the next chapter.
4. Jangsan beom(장산범): Often referred to as Jangsan Tiger, is a mythical korean cryptid, that can mimic voices, to lure victims. Though its depictions vary, it’s often portrayed as a tiger-like creature.]
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