It had been three minutes since I was swept into a serial killer ghost story and dropped in front of a mountain cabin in the woods.
The Salmon Market trader, who got off his bicycle after us, approached the cabin door.
He paused for a moment when he saw Baek Saheon and me standing there first.
‘…I think he recognized me.’
Me, the Salmon Market seller.
However, I kept my mouth shut, pretending I hadn't noticed him yet.
Baek Saheon immediately began to chatter in a virtuous-sounding voice.
“Excuse me, are you the owner of this house? I’m sorry, but it seems we took the wrong bus. Since we're in the forest, our phones aren't getting any reception, so I was wondering if we could use your phone for just one call….”
“I also took a wrong turn and came to ask for help.”
“Ah… I see.”
Only then did I look back at him and pretend to be surprised.
“…!”
Just opening my eyes wide and giving a slight bow.
The man, as if he had already noticed, didn't seem particularly flustered and returned a slight nod.
In the meantime, Baek Saheon was subtly digging for the man's identity.
He was likely trying to gauge if the man was weaker than himself.
“Are you here for trekking since it’s the weekend? This place seems quite remote, so you must be a local resident.”
“…No. I don’t know how I got here either. I certainly started from Seoul.”
“Ah, really? Same with us, but the phones don't work here. By any chance, do you know the way out or the location of this place….”
“……I’m not sure. Let's go inside and ask.”
“…Ah, yes.”
Baek Saheon seemed to smack his lips at the unproductive conversation, then glanced at the bicycle the man had brought.
And he finally seemed to confirm it.
The mark printed on the handle.
[Seoul Metropolitan Government #2153]
It looked like a government business vehicle at a glance. Baek Saheon, having spotted an opening to dig into his identity, brightened up.
“Excuse me, by any cha—”
I poked Baek Saheon in the side.
He stiffened instantly, shut his mouth, and looked back at me.
I slowly mouthed the words.
‘Disaster Management Bureau.’
“……!”
‘You must have heard at least once while working that the relationship between the company and the Bureau is deathly bad.’
If we get caught….
As I made a faint gesture of slicing my throat with my hand, Baek Saheon’s complexion changed.
He never actively spoke to the public official again. Hmm. Good attitude.
“I’ll open the door.”
I nodded to the public official who had already grabbed the doorknob, and he lightly opened the wooden door of the cabin.
Creeeeeak.
“Is anyone here?”
The midday sunlight poured into the slightly dark interior of the cabin.
And….
“Uhhh? Someone else is here!”
“Are you the owner??”
The people who had arrived beforehand revealed themselves.
A man and woman who looked like a couple, three people in their 20s, and one middle-aged man.
Six people.
Including the three of us… 9 people.
‘It’s started.’
I stepped into the cabin, suppressing the urge to squeeze my eyes shut.
And everything proceeded just like a cliché…….
The couple who said they came here because their navigation broke down.
“No, the GPS led us to a strange place, the car broke down, and the phone won't work… I’m seriously going crazy!”
“Ugh, Darling, that’s why I told you. Let’s go to Sapporo instead of Sokcho!”
Three college students who were part of a hiking club and got lost.
“We even left our car down below.”
“I mean… ah, I'm going crazy.”
And even a middle-aged man who was looking for the nearest bus stop to go home after finishing his work as a substitute driver.
“Aigo, but meeting people makes me feel so relieved. If we wait, won't the owner show up?”
-And now when the cabin owner appears, the blood party starts?
It was similar.
I scanned the surroundings with dead-fish eyes, having given up on everything.
I couldn't even pack my Items properly.
Life is truly hard….
‘Let’s only worry about myself. Just me!’
Questions were directed at us, the newcomers.
“What do you young men do for a living?”
“Ah, we’re just office workers, but we must have misread the bus route while heading out for field work. This is the Senior Staff, and I'm just an employee.”
Look at this guy Baek Saheon subtly shifting the responsibility.
I pulled out my notebook.
Since I was still in my outdoor clothes, it was in my pocket, allowing me to protect my character.
[Hello.]
“Huh? Why are you writing….”
[My throat is a bit uncomfortable.]
“Ah.”
The three college students turned away with expressions that said I was being extra. And the couple glanced at me before distancing themselves slightly.
“Ugh, I heard the cold is nasty these days, did you catch something like that?”
“You should at least wear a mask or something. What if you pass it to others?”
[I'm sorry. I'll be careful and try not to talk as much as possible.]
Baek Saheon looked at me as if he were looking at something disgusting. He's been making the reactions I should be making since a while ago.
“But is that young man over there from the same company?”
“No, we met at the front door… um.”
The Salmon Market cool trader had a large build and sharp eyes, giving him a quite fierce impression, but he replied politely.
“I am a Seoul City Hall official.”
Oh. He's telling the truth.
He adequately explained that he was a public official and that he had gotten lost while riding his bicycle.
Of course, that was it.
He didn't breathe a word about being part of the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau, or that they were all stuck in a ghost story and a game of Russian roulette was about to determine whether they’d be killed by a serial killer.
Still, people aren't fools, so they must have felt something was off.
“Then all these people got lost in broad daylight and gathered at this countryside pension?”
“Is it like we're possessed by a ghost or something?”
“Ahem! Honey, why would you say something so unlucky?”
People become brave when there are many of them.
Even while mentioning ghosts, people now glanced around as if they were looking at a spectacle.
“Now that I look at it, this place….”
“Looks like a wealthy house, doesn't it? Huh? You know, those rich houses that used to be in every neighborhood when we were kids.”
It was exactly as they said.
The wooden cabin, built in a style that was popular decades ago, felt somewhat tacky yet possessed a warm sense of abundance and luxury.
“Oh my, look over there. There's even a pure gold frame!”
A large frame was hanging on one side of the living room, and the frame certainly seemed to be made of pure gold.
However, the contents inside caught my eye before the frame did.
There was a poem.
+++
Pleasant mealtime
Rabbit roasted in the kitchen
Deer caught in the backyard
Pigeon fattened in the room
Sheep, a slice carved in the living room
The sound of hopping and laughing
Thump, thump on the wooden floor below
The table is bountiful
I hear a hum
The whole family sits around
Bon appétit
+++
“…….”
No.
‘That’s an overt foreshadowing.’
-Ho-oh. Could it be a metaphor for the serial murders that will occur?
It certainly seemed so.
However, it seemed no one here was interested in the horror or mystery genres.
A few college students from the hiking club chuckled among themselves, and one even went as far as to swipe an ivory ornament from the table next to the sofa into his pocket.
‘Oh.’
I wouldn't be surprised if I saw them as the first corpses tomorrow.
The moment I thought that.
Thump.
“…!!”
A sound was heard from behind the kitchen.
A shadow showed that the back door had opened.
And the human figure slowly walking through the open door….
“Good afternoon, cabin visitors.”
“…?!”
“I am the Caretaker here, and I will be serving you during your stay.”
It was a deep voice.
He bowed to us in a very polite, old-fashioned Seoul dialect.
-Oh, a suspicious person involved!
Yeah. The character who usually appears as the ‘butler managing the murder mansion.’
Unlike me with my dead-fish eyes, people were flustered by the speech and content that didn't match his shabby attire.
“Ex-excuse me, sorry, but we aren't guests, we just got lost and came to use the phone….”
“No. You have come to the right place.”
“Pardon?”
“Have you not come to exchange the Cassette Tapes?”
The people paused.
“The ones currently in your pockets.”
“…!”
As if possessed, everyone fumbled through their pockets and pulled out various objects.
Old ivory-colored Cassette Tapes with blurred titles, similar to the one Baek Saheon had.
“…That!”
“How did everyone get that….”
“The master of this cabin was a very wealthy man, and he said he distributed those Cassette Tapes to various places during his lifetime.”
People flinched.
“And he made a promise.”
“W-what kind of promise?”
“The promise that ‘if you visit the cabin with that Cassette Tape, I will let you exchange it for anything I possess’….”
“……!”
“That remains valid even now that he has passed away.”
-An inheritance! What a great bait.
Isn't it too obvious a bait….
‘No, maybe it's obvious because it works so well.’
Money always has a magical power.
While letting out hollow laughs, people's eyes instinctively turned to the various jewelry and Goryeo celadon inside the display cabinets.
The middle-aged man let out a boisterous laugh and grabbed the pure gold frame as if joking, but with sincerity.
“Huh, then can I just take it like this?”
The cabin manager replied smoothly and politely.
“Of course. However, you may leave with it after three days.”
“What?”
Hmm. As expected.
==========
Entrants are promised strong monetary rewards, provided they remain in the Disaster for a certain period of time.
Here, the "certain period" ranges from a maximum of one week to a minimum of 12 hours, presented within a range that the Entrant can handle for the sake of the monetary reward.
==========
“I am giving you three days of reflection time so that you do not waste your one-time exchange opportunity.”
“No, I told you I don't need that!”
“Then you may leave now. However, an exchange will not be possible.”
At the Caretaker’s words, the couple shut their mouths. It seemed they felt it was a waste to give up free money.
One of the hiking club members raised his hand from the back.
“Excuse me. Then… is something like that possible? Like, give me all of the deceased's inheritance, things like that.”
“It is possible.”
“…!!”
The playfulness vanished from the college student's tone.
“Is asking for this cabin okay too?”
“Yes.”
“…….”
The look in people's eyes changed.
‘They’ve started to want to believe.’
The uncomfortable chill vanished without a trace, replaced by an atmosphere as if the financial luck they had only seen on the internet had found them.
After confirming the will and documents shown by the manager, it turned into conviction.
“This seems real.”
“Crazy…….”
Even the couple who were cursing changed their tune.
“Weekend trip or whatever, let's just endure it. If anything happens, huh? We can just call the police.”
“Exactly. Ugh, did some powerful shaman put a Talisman in the tape? All these people gathered. It’s amazing, just amazing.”
The Caretaker even gave us time to make our respective phone calls.
Once everyone finished their calls, the atmosphere became excited, as if this were some kind of event.
The Caretaker, who had been watching, bowed deeply.
“In a case where so many people visit at once, the order of exchange will be important.”
“Ah, I suppose so!”
“If the first person says ‘give me all the inheritance,’ then it’s over!”
“Therefore… we will give priority for exchange starting from those who possess the most Cassette Tapes.”
“…!”
In an instant, people looked around at each other.
The college students who came as a group of three especially exchanged glances.
If divided into groups, they had the most tapes.
“Wait, are you telling us to buy other people's Cassette Tapes or something?”
“I am merely explaining the method. It is not mandatory, and it would be fun for each of you to wisely create your own exchange conditions. The order will also be important.”
“…….”
A meaningful tension passed between the people.
“Then, shall I prepare the rooms? There are bedrooms on the second floor where you can stay.”
“Ah, right.”
“Yes. Let’s start with the bedrooms….”
“Wait a moment, excuse me.”
Baek Saheon’s voice was heard from among the people.
“Something urgent came up, so I might have to go back. Could you tell me the way out of here?”
“Of course.”
But that did not happen.
A moment later.
==========
Entrants are inevitably isolated in the location for various reasons.
Common occurrences include extreme weather events such as typhoons, heavy snow, and landslides.
==========
“It is said that the outside has been buried by a landslide due to the heavy rain. Fortunately, the power has not been cut off, so there should be no problem staying here.”
“…….”
Baek Saheon looked back at me with an expression that asked if we were screwed.
‘That’s right.’
I shrugged my shoulders.
Since things had turned out this way anyway, no one could leave here until everything that was supposed to happen had happened.
‘Thanks to that, my head is currently bursting trying to think of a way through this.’
If there was at least one good thing, it was that at least no ghosts would appear…….
‘…Though a killer will.’
And isn't it obvious?
It’s a twist commonly used in all movies and novels, and it’s the same in ghost stories.
The killer….
One of the Entrants performs a special role. In a narrative sense, this person corresponds to the Predator
And is among them.
They are commonly referred to as a serial killer.
I had to find the person who would transform into the killer among them and avoid them.
This individual comes to firmly believe that they have inherited the inspiration and legacy of a legendary killer derived from this location, and they experience mental and physical mutations.
‘Hmm.’
Or… I could use a slightly different method.
Just as I was stroking my chin, I saw the public official quietly leaving his spot.
“I'll go check the weather outside for a moment.”
“Go ahead.”
I followed him out to the veranda.
A fierce wind and rain began to howl, and the outside turned dark, the raindrops slightly wetting my clothes.
It seemed the heavy rain would mask the sound of our conversation.
Being careful not to let the notebook get wet, I held it up.
[You're the person who bought the cookies, right? I was worried I might have been mistaken.]
Fortunately, the public official didn't pretend not to know.
“Yes. That’s correct.”
However, he was looking me up and down as if assessing me.
Hmm.
I pretended to scan the surroundings, and after confirming that no one was looking this way, I wrote small notes on the notebook with a tense face.
[I'm sorry, but by any chance… is this a strange situation?]
“…….”
[No matter how much I think about it, it's strange that everyone who arrived here lost their way while carrying Cassette Tapes.]
[Is it… something like a ghost?]
He must already know that I'm someone who has experienced supernatural events. Since I even sold food that came out of a ghost story.
Asking a question of this level wouldn't make me look strange.
‘The problem is whether he judges that I entered here intentionally.’
If possible, I want to be treated as an innocent civilian.
I was planning to decide my course of action based on how he reacted here.
‘Honestly, there’s a high probability he’ll give a safe answer like “I don’t know”’
“That is correct.”
…??
Right away?
The public official seemed to struggle a bit, but then he asked me.
“How did you obtain the Cassette Tape?”
[Actually, I don't have one… but I saw a colleague from work carrying one.]
[It looked ominous for some reason, so I told him to throw it away as we got on the bus, and then we ended up here.]
“…….”
The public official placed his hand on his chin and fell silent for a moment.
“Do you get swept into things like this often?”
I deliberately only gave a troubled smile.
[Occasionally?]
“I see.”
He continued after some hesitation.
“I am… well, you see, something like a government agent.”
He's revealing this much?
[Really? Like a 007 who catches ghosts?]
“Um… yes.”
[Wow!]
…Your face too obviously says, ‘now is not the time to be impressed.’
“Anyway, it is true that we are inside a supernatural phenomenon. Be careful. …Try to stay with me as much as possible, and if it's absolutely unavoidable, move in groups of three or more.”
Wait a minute.
‘I think he’s treating me as an even more innocent civilian than I thought?’
I don't know what's going on, but it's a good thing. I quickly replied.
[Thank you. But… what about the others?]
The public official answered firmly.
“You don't need to worry about them.”
Hmm.
[Can I tell my colleague, by any chanc—]
“No.”
Oops.
The public official glanced back at the living room, then lowered his voice and spoke quietly.
As if confessing a massive secret.
“Actually.”
Actually?
“…There is a killer among us.”
Hmm.
Yes.
I know…….
Of course, I couldn't let it show, so I pretended to be flustered and quickly scribbled the next words in my notebook.
[A killer? How do you know that??]
“…This mountain villa is no ordinary place. It has never been revealed to the media, but similar situations have already been repeated several times, and guests have been murdered by a killer.”
-Ah, a nightmare of that day reenacted at a historic, legendary murder scene… That is quite a tasteful choice.
No, you Host.
“No matter how close someone is, do not trust them. It would be best if you never opened the door while staying in your room alone.”
‘Usually, the one who struggles to stay inside their room like that is the one who dies first….’
Anyway, through this exchange, I seem to have confirmed a few facts about the other person.
And about this ghost story as well.
[Thank you]
I left the veranda after expressing my gratitude and saying goodnight to the civil servant.
Then, I was able to head to the room assigned to me with a much easier mind.
Because I had decided what to do.
“Phew.”
I searched the room.
There was something I was looking for.
Namely….
-A weapon, I see.
Upon opening the closet in the room, two fairly large one-handed axes hung as decorations were visible.
“…….”
It’s truly terrifying and exhausting, but it can’t be helped.
-Ah, this will be so much fun!
Since it has come to this….
‘Shall I strike first?’
I pulled out the axes.
Serial killer—I will give it a try.
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