chapter 17
chapter 17
Room 102, The Cursed Room – “The House of Horror” (2)
[User: Han Gain (Wisdom)
Day: 5
Current Location: Floor 1, Room 102 (Cursed Room – House of Horror)
Sage’s Advice: 3]
“Everyone, are you ready?”
Worried that our earlier “worst-case gossip” might have been overheard, we quickly composed ourselves and stepped out, pretending we had just been chatting casually.
“Of course, it looks like you’re all ready. The atmosphere of the mansion is so pleasant that time seems to pass quickly while talking.”
Pleasant, my ass.
We had just spent thirty minutes discussing how we might die.
“Haha, the scenery here is something the master always cherished. You’re all dressed well for hiking, so I’ll guide you.”
And just like that—
Day 1 at the mansion began with a hike.
＊
The mountain felt… wrong.
Maybe it was the unfamiliar trees.
Or maybe—
We were already too suspicious of everything.
Every detail felt off.
Everyone kept glancing around, on edge.
By the halfway point—
Everyone except Jincheol was visibly exhausted.
“Let’s take a short break here,” the butler said calmly—
Without a single drop of sweat.
“…Sure.”
No one objected.
“If you have nothing else to do, would you like to hear a story about this estate?”
A hint?
Maybe.
“Of course,” Eun-sol said brightly. “I’ve always been curious about this place.”
“Well… rather than something special, there have been some disputes over land ownership.”
…Unexpectedly mundane.
“The mansion and most of the land belong to the master. However, the law is complicated. Some areas are not strictly his.”
“Then whose are they?”
“For example, beyond the mountain ridge is government land. The nearby church—though abandoned—is still owned by the Catholic Church. There’s also a small farm outside the garden, and even a shrine of unknown origin.”
Important.
Very important.
“Can we enter those places?” someone asked.
“It shouldn’t matter. The official owners don’t manage them.”
So—
Mountain far side.
Church.
Farm.
Shrine.
Not the mansion’s domain.
We memorized it.
“Near the summit, the view is excellent. I climb it every few days. It clears the mind.”
…Creepy.
Everything about him was.
Still—
We continued.
Reached the top.
The view—
Was actually good.
On the way down—
The butler asked:
“What would you like for dinner? We can prepare it at the mansion… or, since you’re all young, perhaps a camping-style meal by the valley?”
We didn’t even hesitate.
Away from him.
Away from the maid.
“Yes, the valley sounds perfect,” Eun-sol said.
“Very well.”
＊
Back at the mansion—
We searched for Seungyeop.
Not hard.
The maid appeared—
In full uniform.
And beside her—
Seungyeop.
Completely mesmerized.
Jincheol almost snapped—
But didn’t.
We were too tired.
＊
At the campsite—
Everything was prepared.
Perfectly.
Grill.
Meat.
Vegetables.
“…At least they feed us well,” Jincheol said.
“Yeah… we’d all be dead otherwise.”
The mood softened.
Food did that.
Then—
Interrogation.
“Seungyeop,” Eun-sol said, “what did you find?”
“…The place is strange,” he said.
“How?”
“Only two staff managing everything. That’s impossible.”
“True.”
“And… the library. They won’t let anyone enter.”
Silence.
Bingo.
“That’s definitely something,” Jincheol said.
“I could force my way in,” Eun-sol suggested.
“Too dangerous,” someone said.
“If we do nothing, we die anyway,” she replied.
She wasn’t wrong.
Still—
We lacked information.
In the end—
We learned nothing new.
Just ate.
And waited.
Then—
Cawww—!
Crows.
Loud.
Unnatural.
Like a signal.
We returned to the mansion.
＊
—Elena’s perspective—
Night.
No progress.
No answers.
Just fear.
Footsteps.
Outside her door.
Slow.
Careful.
She grabbed a knife.
Opened the door—
“Ah!”
Not a monster.
Someone familiar.
Relief.
They talked.
Small talk.
To calm nerves.
To survive the night.
＊
Morning.
We found Elena’s body.