I took a deep breath and recalled the instructions for the Bloodlust Bath.
First, fill the tub with warm water.
1. Fill the tub with as much clean water as you need.
(The ‘Bath of Youth’- Foot Massage Edition’ does not support automatic water filling.)
Following the instructions, I scooped enough warm water from the sink to submerge a plushie and poured it into the tub.
And then...
Here’s where the real process begins.
2. Once the tub is filled to your liking, pour at least 200ml of fresh blood on top.
The fresher the blood, taken from someone healthy and full of vitality, the better the effects.
The fact that this insane instruction is written in such a polite and pleasant font makes it even crazier. Thankfully, I had a substitute.
I picked up the wild ginseng root.
Then, I snipped off a medium-sized outer root with scissors.
‘Ugh.’
Just looking at it was nauseating. A dark purplish liquid oozed from the severed root.
Thank goodness I was wearing rubber gloves.
Doing my best to avoid touching it directly, I pressed the cut root against the bloodlust bath.
And then, something amazing happened.
Bloop, bloop.
The liquid that dripped into the tub started bubbling and released a fantastic aroma.
“...!”
The disgusting dark purple liquid had transformed into a rich, beautiful rose-colored cream, shimmering like a gem.
It was strange and mesmerizing.
A luxurious, inviting bathwater, so tempting that anyone would want to dip their feet in, was now ready…
3. Immerse your body completely in the bathwater and enjoy the experience.
(The foot massage edition revitalizes your entire body.)
From beneath the dark bed, an eager voice rang out.
“– Finally!”
The laughter of a plushie.
“– Oh, no need to pick me up and move me, Roe Deer.”
“– Just don’t look back. Keep doing your thing.”
I froze in place.
… From behind me, a sound began to echo.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
It was the sound of the plushie.
No, was it really the doll? The sound resembled a man’s footsteps in heavy shoes, somewhat lively but weighted. The sound brushed past my back and stopped.
Then, from the tub beside me, a splash rang out, as if something had plunged into the water.
“– You can look now.”
I turned my head.
In the small tub, a tiny plushie was floating, completely soaked in the bathwater. Its animal mascot-like face was smiling, expressionless yet somehow eerie, as it bobbed up and down.
“…Braun?”
There was no answer.
Of course not. You can’t have a conversation with a plushie in real life.
But I knew it was listening.
“Well then, I’ll put the ginseng away. Enjoy your bath.”
I placed the drained ginseng root back on the desk and looked at the tub.
Memories of those who had used the bloodlust bath before flashed through my mind.
-------------------------------
Usage Record#5
A person in their 40s was cleaning out a bathtub filled with a bath mix (the blood of a 20-year-old Caucasian mixed-race male) left by the homeowner.
During the process, the person stirred the water in the blood-filled tub with their hand.
Exposure time: 30 seconds until the tub was completely emptied.
The user immediately observed their skin and muscle tissue on the hand rejuvenate to the state of someone in their mid-30s. Vitality signs were noted across the entire body.
Later that night, the user attempted to flee with the bloodlust bath loaded into their car but was apprehended.
-------------------------------
Well, nothing like that seemed to be happening.
‘So, it doesn’t work on dolls, huh.’
I decided I’d grab a towel.
Just as I turned toward the drawer, I heard it.
“– Ooooh!”
A voice?
I turned my head.
From the unseen tub, sparks flared up like those from an old TV on the fritz.
“– Light is returning to my lifeless limbs!”
Flash.
The shadow of the plushie raising both arms above the tub grew deep and massive.
What the heck is that?
“– Roe Deer!”
Don’t call me!
“– This is truly a fascinating item! Haha, hahaha!”
I gulped, staring at the bizarre scene.
‘…Is he really regaining strength?’
I’d never read a record of the bloodlust bath’s rejuvenating effects working on something like this.
This is new.
Something I’ve never encountered.
“– More bath salts! Pour more in!”
Bath salts.
I unconsciously grabbed the wild ginseng root from the desk…
[Ahhh! You punk, don’t grab the wild ginseng!!!]
[No, noble one! Noble one! Spare me! Please, spare me!!]
Oh, crap!
‘This is freaking me out!’
Panicking, I reflexively threw the ginseng away.
Thunk.
As if mocking reality, the wild ginseng thrown into the bloodlust bath began wailing as it felt its remaining sap transform into a fragrant bath solution.
[AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!]
But that was all it could do.
The ginseng seemed unable to pull off its usual tricks anymore. Perhaps the strange power of the bloodlust bath was suppressing it, or maybe Braun had done something.
Its cries grew desperate.
[Please spare me, noble one!! Noble one!! I was wrong! I was truly wrong!]
[I’ll work hard! I’ll work so hard! I’ll serve you!!]
“– How rude and noisy you are!”
From within the bloodlust bath, sparks flew once again.
It felt like a TV screen being spliced together for dramatic effect…
And from within, the enraged voice of a host bellowed.
“– Slice its throat, my friend! Silence it! Don’t let it ruin this scene!”
“......”
I stood up.
Without looking into the tub, I spoke.
“You don’t have to do that. There are other ways to quiet it down.”
“– …”
“There’s no need for such extreme measures.”
“– In a show, every moment, every timing can dictate all reactions and emotions.”
“But this isn’t a show, is it?”
“– That is…”
The sparks crackling from the tub began to fade.
“– You’re right. Yes, you’re absolutely right.”
Phewww.
‘Bloodlust bath New Usage Record - Irregular. I almost recorded a new case like this.’
As if the situation wasn’t bizarre enough already.
From within the tub came a pitiful, sniffling voice.
[Thank you… Thank you, benefactor.]
[Kind benefactor! Now, please, get me out of here and save me from the hands of this ruthless fiend…]
I crossed my arms.
“I never said I’d save you.”
[…?!]
Who’s always the one to suffer in the latter half of horror stories?
It’s the kind-hearted fool who lets their guard down in moments like this!
‘The second you soften at a ghost’s sob story, that’s when the real nightmare begins!’
In times like these, you need to stay calm and act tough. I fixed my gaze on the wild ginseng left abandoned in the bloodlust bath, staring beyond the ceramic rim of the tub.
“And if I save you, how do I know you won’t cause trouble later?”
A whimpering sound echoed.
[Then, then... um, how about this? The field! I’ll tell you about the rare treasures around the field where I used to live!]
“Not interested.”
Something about it screams “haunted cursed artifact.”
[Th-then…]
I let out a sigh.
“Just prove that you won’t hurt anyone. And stay quiet.”
[...]
The wild ginseng fell silent.
At least that bought me some time.
And so, a few minutes passed. For me, they were suffocating. Though for Braun, perhaps entertaining.
10 minutes.
That was when I checked the time.
“– Hm. That was a wonderful bath.”
“...”
Is it over?
I was just about to turn my head, thinking it might be time to lift Braun out of the tub.
“– Ah, marvelous... Thank you, Roe Deer.”
The voice of the plushie turned sinister.
“– For waiting until my bath was finished!”
Bang.
[Kyaaaah!!]
A thunderous noise and shrieks erupted from the tub.
What the hell is going on now?!
“– Wait, wait! Friend, don’t move. If someone sees this cotton-plushie body, I’ll be too embarrassed to move!”
[You said you’d save me! Save meee!]
“– Haha! But Roe Deer never promised to save you, did he?”
“Stop it, right now!”
Finally, I ran to the tub.
There was a faint clicking sound, like someone clicking their tongue, but as soon as I leaned over the tub, it vanished.
What I saw was the wild ginseng root, shoved into a corner, wildly flailing like it had gone mad.
The ginseng berries looked half-crushed, as though someone had kicked it, while the root was squashed on one side, as if someone had tried to squeeze every last drop of sap out of it.
[Save me, save me...]
The ginseng, seemingly drained of energy, began to move more sluggishly.
[Let me go... let me go...]
...Let it go?
I reached into the tub with my gloved hand, grabbing the ginseng root to inspect it.
‘It’s not tied up or anything.’
[Save me...]
Its fading voice sent a faint vibration through my hand.
“......”
A vibration. Strange.
Come to think of it, every time this wild ginseng spoke, I could feel these strange vibrations in my hand.
It wasn’t surprising—after all, voices are just another form of vibration.
But something didn’t add up.
‘The roots aren’t moving at all.’
I recalled that only the leaves and the berries moved when it spoke, even back in the burial field.
The roots merely stretched out, like infected tendrils.
“......”
If that’s the case…
I instinctively grabbed the ginseng and tore the berries from its body.
At that moment.
[Hooooooooooh!]
The berries trembled violently and sprang out of my hand.
“…!”
It whirled in the air as if overwhelmed with joy.
[I’m free! I’m free! That tiger’s maw is gone! It’s gone…!]
[Thank you, benefactor! Thank you!]
The berries began to fade, shimmering like a mirage, and then burst into light, floating into the air before darting out the window and disappearing into the night.
“......”
So that was its true form.
“– Oh dear! It escaped. What a shame.”
Phew.
“– Such a despicable and deceitful creature doesn’t deserve a second chance!”
“Yeah, maybe. But still, next time, let’s agree on things beforehand, okay…”
“– Even in moments requiring quick action?”
“If no one’s dying, yes.”
“– …Understood, my friend.”
The voice sounded a bit sulky, but at least I got a confirmation.
Satisfied with that, I let it slide…
“– By the way, look! I’ve rejuvenated quite a bit!”
I looked back at the tub.
The plushie was eerily quiet, almost unnaturally so.
Its waterlogged cotton body now gleamed with a strange luster.
“……?”
Wow, it actually did look a bit more luxurious. Like it was higher quality somehow.
And, as it claimed, it seemed slightly bigger too.
‘…It better not get any bigger.’
I only carry it around because it’s small enough to pass as a keychain. A grown adult walking around with a plush larger than their hand would attract way too much attention.
Not that I wasn’t already drawing enough stares at the office.
‘I’ll need to figure this out before the next time I use the bloodlust bath.’
Or better yet, let’s hope I’m back home by then.
“You’re looking good.”
I carefully pulled Braun out of the tub, dried it with a hairdryer, and tucked it into a clean towel for bed.
When I turned back to clean the tub water, I saw something surprising.
“…The ginseng root is still here.”
I thought it would disappear after the fruit flew away, but it remained intact.
In fact, it looked better than ever.
The previously tainted and discolored root had regained its pristine ivory hue, clean and flawless.
‘It even seems to have a pleasant fragrance.’
It looked almost sacred, the complete opposite of all the sinister tales surrounding it.
“Hm.”
I hesitated for a moment before storing it in the desk drawer.
It might come in handy someday.
“Well… I guess that’s it.”
‘Managed to get through another one…’
I slumped onto the bed, sprawling out across the mattress.
Man, since entering this world of horror stories, I feel like my lifespan has been cut by at least twenty years.
‘I need to gather points quickly and get out of here.’
But to do that, I’d have to tackle even more ghost stories—a hilariously contradictory situation…
“– Roe Deer.”
Gah! That scared me.
“– Moving and speaking feels so much easier now!”
“– Oh, but wait, don’t turn this way.”
I almost turned my head, but I quickly pressed it back onto the pillow.
Then Braun started rambling again.
“– Now it seems we can chat here as long as we don’t make eye contact.”
“– Isn’t this such a shy and awkward method? Frustrating, but oddly interesting at the same time.”
Fine. Talk all you want…
‘When I get dragged into another ghost story, I’ll need you to save my life again anyway…’
“– You look very tired! Have sweet dreams, my friend.”
I passed out as if someone had flipped a switch.
It was an incredibly refreshing sleep, washing away the exhaustion of the past few days.
…But when I woke up, another problem was already waiting.
* * *
Later that day, at noon.
While Kim Sol-eum was casually chatting with his superiors in the office of Team D, another employee—someone closely tied to his recent circumstances—was walking down the hallway…
“Ah, Manager Lee Byungjin.”
Yes, the same manager who had gone missing and been rescued by Kim Sol-eum.
“Yes, yes!”
And the one who called out to him was none other than one of the company directors.
For an office worker, this wasn’t exactly a pleasant encounter, but Manager Lee mustered every ounce of strength to force a bright smile and politely shake hands.
He had no choice.
This was the lifeline he had grasped onto in the company.
A link connecting to Team A, and the top of the food chain of this company, the mysterious upper management!
‘Director Ho!’
The director, who had called him from the hallway, smiled and asked,
“I heard you went missing for a while and made it back. Are you alright?”
“Oh, I’m perfectly fine, sir. Thanks to your concern, I’m working diligently for the company’s success.”
“Haha.”
The director didn’t point out the obvious flattery. Instead, he said smoothly.
“You’re lucky. Not everyone who falls into the darkness makes it out.”
“Ah, yes… It was pure luck that I got rescued.”
“Rescued? Did you happen to get help from the Disaster Management Bureau?”
Though the director’s tone remained unchanged, Manager Lee almost jumped out of his skin.
This director had an extreme dislike—bordering on hostility—toward anything involving the government.
Sweat dripped down his back.
“No, no, of course not! It was a company employee who found me!”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, yes. A new recruit on the field exploration team—an excellent individual! Truly!”
Who would’ve thought someone as cautious as Lee could say something so bold?
The director smiled and asked.
“What’s their name?”
“Oh! Kim Sol-eum…. A new recruit in Team D. Kim Sol-eum.”
For Manager Lee, this was an act of courage, a way to repay the person who saved his life!
‘Director Ho may be intimidating, but he’s a good superior.’
As long as you don’t hit his trigger words.
“A very promising newcomer, indeed.”
And so, unbeknownst to the person in question, an important connection was being formed!
Manager Lee wiped his nose and thought,
‘Sol-eum, you’ll thank me for this later!’
But he wouldn’t!
Still, this action of Manager Lee’s would cause a significant butterfly effect…
“Oh, I’ll remember his name.”
And just a few days later, an incident occurred in the company.
Specifically, within the Field Exploration Team.
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