chapter 16
chapter 16
Room 102, The Cursed Room – “The House of Horror” (1)
[User: Han Gain (Wisdom)
Day: 5
Current Location: Floor 1, Room 102 (Cursed Room – House of Horror)
Sage’s Advice: 3]
Rattle. Rattle.
“Jincheol, can you drive a bit smoother? My back is killing me.”
“Hey, I told you—it’s my first time driving an SUV. It feels different!”
Thud!
“Ah—ugh…”
“My head… hyung, slow down a bit.”
“We’re going to die before we even reach the mansion.”
“What kind of place is this? Why do we have to drive so far on an unpaved road? Didn’t you say you’ve been here before?”
“…It was a long time ago. My uncle has lived there since then… but hey, we’re going to a beautiful mansion for free, so why complain?”
“Is the owner even there?”
“I called a few days ago. Apparently, my uncle isn’t feeling well and is staying in a hospital in Seoul. So he won’t be there.”
“…That’s good?”
“I mean—it’s good that we’ll have the place to ourselves. Not that he’s sick.”
“There are staff, right?”
“Yeah. A maid and a butler. Just the two of them.”
“A maid and a butler… this really is a proper mansion.”
“And we’re going there.”
—————————————
A distorted noise rang in my head—
Like a broken radio.
Then—
My consciousness snapped back.
At the same time, everyone else fell silent.
“…What just happened?”
It felt like we had watched a movie—
A movie where we were the actors.
About 30 minutes—
Gone.
Completely.
“We lost control of our bodies,” Jincheol said. “Something made us act out a scenario.”
We quickly pieced it together.
The hotel—
Forced us into roles.
Fed us information.
Made us act.
Elena spoke first.
“I think we’ve been assigned roles. Five of us—me, Eun-sol, Jincheol, Gain, and Song—are university club members visiting Eun-sol’s uncle’s mansion. Seungyeop is her younger brother, already there.”
Everyone confirmed—
Same memories.
Same setup.
But—
“…University students?” someone muttered.
Eun-sol and Jincheol—
Were in their 30s.
Yet now—
They looked younger.
Much younger.
“Looks like we’ve been adjusted to fit the roles,” I said.
“…Feels like I got ten years back,” Jincheol muttered.
“…I wish this lasted after we escape,” Eun-sol said.
Then—
Song asked:
“Where’s Seungyeop?”
“Already at the mansion,” Eun-sol replied.
“He’s probably bait,” I said.
“What?”
“The place is literally called ‘House of Horror.’ If we tried to leave, something would force us back. Seungyeop ensures we go.”
“…Makes sense.”
Jincheol nodded.
“Even if we resist, the hotel will push us into the scenario.”
“…Then we go,” I said.
“Better to walk into it ourselves than get dragged.”
But—
There was a problem.
“…This is a manual car,” Jincheol said.
Silence.
No one could drive it.
Then—
“I can.”
Elena.
“Manual is common where I’m from,” she said calmly.
And just like that—
The foreign girl drove us forward.
No one spoke.
As we approached—
The atmosphere darkened.
The forest—
Changed.
Tall conifer trees.
Strange birds watching us.
Then—
The mansion appeared.
Behind it—
A massive mountain.
In front—
A vast lake.
A bridge—
Leading straight to it.
We crossed.
The gate opened automatically.
We stepped out.
And saw—
A statue.
Humanoid—
But with six arms.
A grotesquely large heart—
Protruding from its chest.
Pulsing.
Like it was alive.
Then—
People approached.
An old man.
And two children.
“Welcome,” the old man said politely.
“I am the butler, Kim Muk-seong. This is my granddaughter, Kim Ari.”
The girl stepped forward.
“Hello.”
She looked—
Too young.
13, maybe 14.
But—
Her appearance—
Unreal.
Pale skin.
Perfect features.
And—
Crimson eyes.
Not natural.
Not human.
Beside her—
Seungyeop.
Completely captivated.
“…Get a grip,” Eun-sol snapped.
But he couldn’t even look away.
I understood.
She was—
Dangerous.
Everything about her screamed it.
Then—
The butler spoke again.
“Have you planned your schedule?”
“…Not yet,” Eun-sol replied.
“Then I recommend exploring the mountain behind the mansion. The scenery is excellent. There is also a valley, a lake for boating, and a historic church nearby.”
We had no better plan.
So—
We agreed.
After unpacking—
We gathered again.
“…Where’s Seungyeop?” Jincheol asked.
“He went to help the maid,” Song said.
“…That idiot.”
We started discussing.
“Our goal is the same,” Jincheol said.
“At least one survives.”
Everyone nodded.
Room 101 taught us that.
Then—
We listed threats.
“The butler,” I said.
“Definitely dangerous.”
“He’s strong,” Jincheol added. “You can tell just by looking.”
“And the maid,” Eun-sol said.
“She doesn’t look dangerous—but that means nothing here.”
“The statue too,” Song added.
“And the bridge,” Elena said. “It felt unstable.”
We discussed for a long time.
Every detail—
A potential threat.
The mansion—
A death trap.
Then—
Knock knock.
Someone was at the door.