-Civilian.
The voice of the agent on the other end of the phone sent a thrilling shiver up my spine. Strangely, I almost felt excited.
It was the first time. Sending a rescue request to the Disaster Management Bureau as someone actually trapped in a ghost story.
There was a strange sense of pleasure in actually reenacting a scene exactly as I had read it.
Even putting that aside, I was simply deathly glad given the situation.
Wouldn't anyone feel that way if they were left alone in a ghost story, trembling with fear?
Do I need rescue?
“Yes! Can you determine my location?”
After a moment of silence.
-Are you currently performing a test of courage?
‘As I thought.’
They know this ghost story!
‘They hid it so elaborately; there's no way they would have placed it randomly.’
I gripped the phone tightly.
“Yes. During the test of courage… everyone else in my group disappeared, and I’m the only one left.”
[By any chance, have you discovered the stamps?]
“Yes! Everyone disappeared on the way out after completing the stamps.”
-…….
“…Hello?”
-Hmm. I see. An agent will be dispatched now, so it’s best if you stay away from the test of courage spot. Avoid contact with other objects or people as much as possible.
I could guess from the tone.
‘They’re assuming I’m a contaminated entity.’
They’re suspecting that something that already became a long-term missing person—because it couldn't get out when it was supposed to—was the one calling. Damn it!
‘In this situation, pretending to know the internal affairs of the Disaster Management Bureau will only make me more suspicious.’
But I needed information.
Since the Exploration Records for this ghost story on the Wiki were written strictly from the perspective of a Daydream researcher, the Disaster Management Bureau must surely know something else.
‘I need the additional information known by the Disaster Management Bureau.’
I made my voice sound frightened, pretending not to know anything.
“H-How long will it take? You’re a government agency, right? Is it possible it could take, like, more than several hours depending on the situation?”
-…That is a possibility.
“I don’t think I can hold out until then…. I’ve already experienced several strange things even now…!”
I said cautiously.
“Is there… anything I could try to do to get out of here on my own?”
-……Have you experienced a supernatural phenomenon before?
Was I being too rational?
No, let’s just push through like this.
“Yes. A few times before… This is like a ghost story, isn’t it? Do I need to, like, appease a grudge or something?”
-No, it’s dangerous! Touching things recklessly in that state could lead to an irreversible situation. You must… hold out and wait as long as possible.
“Then please tell me something so I don't make a mistake. I need to know what to avoid!”
Let’s push it.
“What is this retreat center? Someone I was with said there was an accident where children died here… is that true?”
-……One moment.
The voice on the other end seemed to hesitate at my earnest plea, and a brief silence followed.
‘…Are they checking with their superiors?’
Just as I was gulping, debating whether to push the atmosphere further, a quiet voice continued.
-The place you are currently in is a derelict building named the Shinmaru Retreat Center. It was operated by a religious group and closed 17 years ago.
Whew.
“Was it because of the accident I mentioned?”
-Yes. Five days before the closure, dozens of high school students who went out for a test of courage all went missing.
…….
-The trail connected to the retreat center is a circular course, so they say there was almost no risk of going missing or falling, even at night. There were even testimonies that they were actually witnessed returning to the retreat center.
-However, when the supervisor went to find the high school students, not a single one of them was in their room.
“…Were any of their belongings or personal items missing?”
-None. Everything was left as it was.
Students who vanished as if they had evaporated.
‘If they disappeared even after completing the course…….’
It means they vanished inside this building where I am standing right now.
Within the darkness of the silence, a chilly dread climbed up my back.
-Afterwards, dozens of bodies were discovered near the location of the test of courage.
-…It is said they were all smiling, even with their skulls crushed.
“…….”
-The rooms of those high school students remain exactly as they were on the 2nd and 3rd floors of that retreat center. The lights flicker on intermittently, so do not approach them. Do not touch any items either.
Ha….
“Understood.”
I swallowed hard. But….
-…You aren't asking why you shouldn't approach when the lights are on.
…!
Oops.
“…One of the people I was with told me not to turn on the lights. They said the person who went to smoke disappeared, and the others holding flashlights couldn't be seen.”
I responded with the truth.
Without revealing that the person was me.
-…I see. Anyway, this is all the background information I can provide.
The agent’s speech became a bit faster.
It seemed this was what they really wanted to say.
-The next things I have to tell you are more important. First, you must get away from the test of courage spot. It is recommended that you hide in a gap in a tree near Osaek Mineral Spring and keep your eyes closed.
“Does that include this retreat center?”
-…Yes. If you happen to enter the lobby in that retreat center, do not look out the glass windows. It is dangerous even if you don't turn on the light.
“And what else?”
-And, avoid symbolic objects. You must absolutely never come into contact with anything that looks like a religious symbol in that building.
“…If I end up in a situation where I have to make contact,”
I swallowed hard.
“Is it better to die, or is it better to make contact?”
-…….
The agent’s voice came out slightly muffled.
-Just… don't do it.
It seemed they couldn't bring themselves to say it’s better to die….
They had the judgment of an agent, but they probably didn't have much experience with this kind of thing.
“I understand. Thank you. Um….”
Rustle.
“…….”
My spine stiffened.
I heard a sound.
Rustle.
This is, this is…….
“Ah, fuck, is this the place?”
“That’s right, hyung! It’s totally kid stuff. Test of courage? Prizes and shit.”
Phew.
‘The sound was coming from the entrance…!’
It was the sound of someone receiving a prize at the information desk outside. Because it echoed against the glass, I couldn't gauge the direction….
‘Of all people, it’s those two again.’
I watched as the group, including the two from Group X who had tried to rip off Z999, left the retreat center while blustering. It seemed they hadn't been able to sneak in a single item and thus hadn't witnessed the abnormal incidents caused by light.
“What’s there to be scared of? They’re all just fucking cowards~”
Hmm. They really made me want to give them a scare….
“Since we’re already out, let's not go back like this….”
But soon, their silhouettes disappeared into the darkness. It seems they had returned.
“…….”
I was so damn envious.
And while I was doing that, the phone was as silent as a dead mouse.
I quickly spoke into the phone.
“Fortunately, it was just the sound of other people getting prizes and leaving….”
-Ah.
“Thank you for being quiet. You were being considerate in case I was in a situation where I’d be in trouble if I was caught, right?”
A brief silence followed.
-…Civilian, you are remarkably calm.
Hahaha, it’s because I practically lived in ghost stories until a year ago.
…I can't say something like that.
“I think it’s because I’ve calmed down a bit while talking to you. I was scared because all my companions disappeared and I was alone.”
-…….
“Don't worry. I have no intention of following other people or startling them. I’m sure there’s a way for me to get out too. For now… I’ll try to do as you said.”
-…One moment.
A short noise, as if they were looking for something, was heard over the receiver.
-This phone should connect one more time even if the line is pulled.
“…!”
-If it’s urgent, just run and use it. I’ll try to find anything that could be helpful.
This was… as good as betting that I was a human.
Installing this wouldn't have been an ordinary task.
-You must hold out and wait for rescue. Even if it takes a long time, please don't give up. We will do our best.
I almost felt a bit choked up.
It was even more so after a few days of being at the Daydream Branch where they grind up workers.
“Thank you. I’ll do my best….”
-Yes! You can do it.
Listening to those words, I took a deep breath and hung up the phone.
Click.
It felt like lingering regret clung to my hand.
‘…Actually, I also wanted to find out what happened to the Disaster Management Bureau after Sekwang Metropolitan City.’
I wanted to hear about the recent activities of… certain agents I knew, if possible.
‘But I don't have the luxury for that right now.’
I had to get out alive first to do anything.
“Whew.”
I carefully set the disconnected phone on the floor and, just in case, moved it slightly closer to the entrance.
Once the conversation was gone, the lobby, draped in gloomy darkness, felt even more overwhelming….
‘…More than half of the normal workers have probably left by now.’
They would be faster than me, since I’ve been losing time having incidents pop up and screaming internally every time I get a stamp.
Let’s move quickly before everyone leaves. That’d be less scary.
‘Let’s see.’
I organized the information from the Disaster Management Bureau I gained from the call in my head.
-The students disappeared after entering the retreat center.
-The rooms on the 2nd and 3rd floors remain as they were.
-The existence of a 4th stamp.
“…….”
It seems they disappeared and died due to some phenomenon while getting the 4th stamp at a certain location inside the retreat center.
‘And yet, the bodies were found outside….’
That part was unsettling, but for now, let’s pinpoint the potential location of the 4th stamp inside the retreat center.
‘If I were to look for a test of courage spot inside the building….’
Since the event was just for show anyway, they probably wouldn't have gone out of their way to create a themed space.
Wouldn't they have chosen a location that already had a long-standing image of horror?
As soon as I thought that, a location immediately came to mind.
‘…The basement.’
Ha.
I squeezed my eyes shut and entered the lobby to find the stairs.
This building, structured like an old school, seemed to have stairs at both ends.
I gritted my teeth and went to the left staircase first.
I didn't see any stairs going down.
However, the door to the supply cabinet next to the stairs was open.
‘Wow, seriously.’
I feel like I’m going crazy.
I suppressed my goosebumps and peered into the supply cabinet….
The space, which looked like a basement because it was strangely hollowed out, was moderately spacious.
Amidst various cleaning tools and supplies, a corkboard was leaning against the opposite wall.
A single piece of paper was pinned to it.
Below it, a single red string was pinned in the same way.
Dangling at the end of it was… a small, cylindrical, hollow object.
It was a stamp cap.
I looked at the corkboard where only the stamp cap remained hanging.
…Very faintly, there was a stamp mark left as if someone had tested it out.
“…….”
Following a fleeting hunch, I cautiously reached out and grabbed the board.
And I slid it to the side.
Creak, with a short noise, what was revealed was…….
Whooooosh—
A pitch-black hole.
An opening that could only be described as such appeared.
The path to the basement.
I groaned.
‘Based on the evidence… the stamp must be down there.’
Should I just wait until the agent comes?
I so desperately wanted to do that I tried to rationalize it somehow.
But,
‘…No.’
Among the agents’ items, the only one that might work was probably the Five-Color Cord, but I doubt they’d readily use an escape item meant for agents on someone as suspicious as me.
‘Besides, the moment we meet, my range of activity will conversely be restricted.’
Because they’ll suspect me of being a long-term missing person.
It would be even more suspicious if I claimed to be the former Agent Grapes.
In the worst-case scenario, I could see an ending where the agents die trying to control each other in this situation, or where I get humanely put down….
‘Whew.’
So for now… let’s just figure something out.
‘Let’s just take a peek.’
Eventually, I moved my stiff legs into the hole….
I fell.
“…!”
My body plunged downward.
‘Crazy!!’
There were no stairs.
My feet, finding nothing to step on in the air, fell straight down.
I quickly flailed my arms in all directions, trying to grab onto anything I could reach. My palms, arms, and the backs of my hands were scratched by things several times before….
“Urgh!”
I gripped something tightly with my hands.
‘This is insane.’
I barely managed to hang on due to my lack of physical strength.
My heart thundered all the way down to my two hands, which were holding on with all my might. Wow, this fear coming from pure survival instinct….
Slip.
“…!!”
I almost lost my grip.
It was because of the blood seeping from my palms.
‘Ha….’
Don’t panic, don't panic. I calmly tightened my grip on the hand that almost slipped and tried to pull my body up somehow.
Then… I realized I could see my surroundings more clearly than expected.
Why?
‘Since this is a basement, it should be almost pitch black.’
At that moment, something cold brushed past the back of my head.
Whoooosh—
Wind.
A mountain breeze was tickling my head, just like when I first looked around the mountainside…….
“…….”
It’s outdoors.
‘Wait, hold on.’
Why is it outdoors when I fell into a basement?
Is it because it’s a ghost story?
‘Did I fall into a new space?’
I hurriedly looked up….
…….
…….
I realized.
What I was hanging onto was a broken wooden floor.
And before my eyes….
There really was a basement.
{Shinmaeum Monastery}
The basement was filled with religious symbols.
Buddhist statues, statues of Mary, crosses, prayer beads, an unknown bull’s head bust, something filled with severed rat heads with eerie glowing eyes and split-open heads revealing blood-like red jade. As if every symbol of every religion that could be gathered had been shoved into this basement, packed tightly without a single gap.
I was overwhelmed.
The gruesome true identity of this retreat center pressed down on me from above.
-It was operated by a religious group and closed 17 years ago.
And I confirmed the words written under the massive nameplate in front of me as my eyes slid over them….
{Shinmaeum Monastery}
Only the name of paradise is
The love you cannot refuse
The chill froze me down to my throat.
It wasn't simply because of the dissonance from the eerie religious phrase or fear of the unknown.
It was because it happened to be a phrase I recognized.
‘…It’s the Paradise of Love.’
The place where Jang Heoun… no, the ‘Heouns’ were raised.
A bizarre religious facility disguised as an orphanage.
One of the new religions popular in Korea in the early 2000s.
I swallowed hard.
Using slogans like ‘You can meet your ideal type’ or ‘I will make you into your ideal type,’ they proselytized in a way that would appeal to the younger generation and reportedly gained fame on the early internet at the time.
In reality, they were an unethical, shamanistic pseudo-religious group that forced bizarre rituals on their followers to remodel their lives into something suitable for a being called the ‘Lover of Paradise.’
‘This place… was the Paradise of Love….’
And….
The thing they worship.
Lover of Paradise.
Something extremely beautiful and good that you must love.
A bizarre being that appears as one's ideal type to anyone.
Its true identity is….
“…….”
I realized.
‘The stamps.’
The drawings on the stamps weren't commercial products. That’s why they felt unique and strange.
‘If you combine all of them up to the final fourth stamp….’
They pointed to a certain location.
Descent.
Cliff.
Retreat center.
I recalled how my breathing became strangely short and my legs felt heavy when I was heading toward the retreat center.
It wasn't just my imagination; it was because it was actually an uphill climb.
‘This monastery… was built right on top of a cliff.’
And the stamp event was a walking course that circled down to the test of courage grounds below the cliff.
The monastery on the cliff would have definitely been visible from the test of courage grounds, but because ‘the lights couldn't be turned on,’ they wouldn't have been able to see it.
And… this retreat center on the cliff.
Through the passage that opened into the basement.
‘The students fell down here through a process similar to mine.’
From this position…. My eyes turned downward again.
‘…Fairy Rock.’
It was there.
Every single one of them must have died after hitting their heads on the back of that Fairy Rock.
We were wandering around the place where the students had died…….
I gritted my teeth.
But the thing is.
-…It is said they were all smiling, even with their skulls crushed.
Why were they smiling?
And if they already knew this monastery was on a cliff, why did dozens of people keep falling into this pitch-black hole?
‘If it’s the Paradise of Love.’
I formed one hypothesis about that.
…They saw ‘something extremely beautiful and good,’ all jumped off the cliff of their own volition, and died.
Because of this pseudo-religion group.
‘…Crazy bastards,’
Reflexively, I spat out a curse word, but in truth, I knew.
That was a conscious effort to feel anger, when in fact, what was coldly filling my head was… terror.
‘No.’
I’m scared.
It means that thing is somewhere in here.
Something that made the students jump down the moment they saw it….
…….
No way.
‘Could it be that even my coming down here, rationalizing it to myself after having already requested a rescue from the Disaster Management Bureau….’
…Was it influenced by that?
“……!!”
‘I have to get out.’
I have to get out.
The act of looking down began to feel extremely terrifying. Drenched in a cold sweat, I hurriedly began to dart my eyes between the religious symbols. I mean, the reason I intended to look through this basement in the first place was….
‘The stamp!’
Fortunately, before long, my eyes stopped.
A glint of plastic between a strange idol made of a burnt match bundle and an ominous golden incense burner.
It was the main part of the ink stamp.
‘Found it…!’
The sense of relief was almost suffocating.
I tried to pull one hand free and reach toward it. Quickly, just check if the floorboards I’m hanging onto won’t break and then…….
…….
It wasn't a floorboard.
What I was holding onto was an idol.
An ominous figure with exaggerated features carved in relief, its hands joined in front of its cylindrical body, facing forward, was wedged into the floorboards.
“…….”
The rough hemp rope wound tightly around the entire idol had dug into my palm.
And so….
My blood was soaking into the rope.
Drip.
Sweat fell from my chilled temple.
‘…No,’
No.
Even amidst the panic, I pulled my body up and reached out, finally getting my hands on the stamp in the corner.
Then, just above the torn sleeve of my work clothes, near the shoulder, I pressed the stamp as if connecting it.
‘It’s done.’
Let’s get out, quickly, quickly, quickly…….
…….
But.
Why has it been so bright and beautiful since a moment ago?
My lover, like a hawthorn tree
I froze.
Your love is
truly fair and lovely.
My heart began to overflow.
A sense of happiness akin to being immersed in the lingering emotions of a deeply moving movie. A soaking sorrow, a heart fluttering and joyful.
Far below my back, flowers bloomed, green vines grew, birds sang, and the radiant light turned a rosy hue.
Your smiling face is
like a balsam flower in full bloom,
and your tender gestures are
like our nostalgic childhood memories.
The joy of meeting family after being apart for a long time, a surging emotion, a warm lump in my throat, a desperate….
‘Shut up.’
Shut up, shut up!
Stop it!
In a state of frenzy, I clung to the mad religious symbols. Searching for a way to crawl up through my open field of vision, I instinctively exited the hole.
Upward, further up,
Just one more time….
“…!”
My body barely tumbled over the corkboard.
‘Ha.’
Quickly! As I ran forward, the sound following from behind—
In your two open ears,
the lover’s call is as sweet as honey.
Ah.
With every step forward,
the scent of cedar is green and thick.
It’s following me. It’s following me!
The thing that was down there had climbed up the cliff and followed me to the retreat center’s ground level!
But….
In your heart that welcomes the returning spring,
like a lily of the valley holding morning dew,
I shall bloom fully.
It sounds so good.
From your fateful lover
whom you will turn around to meet.
An intense and alluring impulse.
Something beautiful and shocking had entered the retreat center.
It was following me.
If I just turned around now, I could see it. No, even if I just waited, it would catch me.
I would be able to see.
A love that could be seen if the light is lit. I….
“…!!”
I bit the inside of my mouth hard.
“Heugh.”
Blood glowed. I continued to flee—
My lover.
Your flight is like the final steps
of a young deer hit by an arrow,
like a gentle early summer shower.
My footsteps falter.
Your desperation is like a red apple
hanging on the highest branch,
and your excitement is like a new sprout
with morning dew.
Even in the ruins of the mountain monastery,
light glitters.
Our reflection is about to take shape
in the sunset light scattering off the glass walls.
Run…,
Your running will not be long.
You shall stop.
…….
For I have come in response to the call.
Turn around and meet me.
My lovely lover.
Willingly…
…….
Ring-a-ling-a-ling!
I suddenly snapped to my senses.
It’s the phone.
The sound of reality piercing through my head moved me. My feet unconsciously continued to run, and I reflexively snatched it from the floor.
The sound coming from the receiver.
-Civilian?
Ah.
I realized I was standing in front of the lobby door.
Holding a receiver with a severed cord in my hand.
……!!
Crazy.
“Agent!! Don’t come! I’m escaping now!”
-What do you mean…. Civilian!
“That’s right. Please keep calling me like that, agent!”
Please!
I kicked open the entrance of the retreat center, and throwing off my work shirt, I just tossed it at the information desk window.
“I’m submitting this too!”
The moment I saw an arm dressed as a security guard catch it, I exerted all my strength to stumble and roll out of the entrance of the abandoned retreat center….
I wait so long, yet
you do not look back.
It feels like my heart is tearing apart.
The thing behind me is truly beautiful. A sorrowful heart grows at the soft, pleasant voice. An ache-inducing whisper calls to me, so much that I cannot endure it without looking back. Thus, guilt and impulse surround me in a daze.
That is right.
I had to willingly witness it.
My beloved…
…….
-Civilian!
“Heugh!”
I wrenched my head forward. My skull, which had turned halfway back, twisted.
My arms had bent backward and wouldn't return. Don't mind the back, don't mind the back, talk about anything!!
“Thank you! Are you Team Hyunmoo? Or Team Baekho? Good luck with your duty, wherever you are!”
-How do you know that….
“I’m leaving. I wish you good health! Do not mobilize!”
This phone will be cut off soon anyway, so this much should be fine! With the phone in hand, I stepped outside the retreat center area with all my might…….
-…….
-…Transfer student?
‘…!!’
Splat.
At that moment, my foot touched the ground outside the retreat center area.
And in the next instant.
“Heugh.”
Thump.
…I was gasping for breath outside the door of a concrete-finished containment cell.
With a broken receiver in one hand, and a fair handprint left in smeared blood on the other.
[Z999, no, Y492 returning!]
“…….”
I lived.
[Security staff, recover those guards immediately! Hurry with the equipment!]
And I thought blankly.
Wow.
The essence grade for this… must be no joke.
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