Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Abandoned House Trapped by Window Ghosts
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Abandoned house trapped by window ghosts.
"Is anyone there...?"
Someone called out from beyond the entrance of the abandoned house once more.
This time, it was a low male voice.
"Ah, no...! Wh-who is it...?"
The section chief clamped his hand over his mouth and wailed.
"Please open the door..."
"......"
"D-dead person, who is it? Who's come? Haaah... L-let's run! Let's escape!"
"It's so cold out here."
Hmm.
"Th-this time, absolutely no responding... Eek?!"
I approached the door.
And pulled on the doorknob.
"Urgh?!"
As the door opened, what appeared was...
"Whew, thought I was gonna die.... Thanks..."
A lanky build with light-colored hair, wearing a worn navy uniform—a perfectly fine human.
"...!?"
"Section Chief Lee Byung-jin, say hello."
I nodded politely.
"This is the squad leader of Security Team 3."
"......??? ...?!"
That's right.
The Security Team 3 squad leader who got sucked into the ghost story with me.
'His face is gonna explode.'
Section Chief Lee Byung-jin's face turned beet red as he pointed back and forth between me and the security squad leader, then startled himself and bent his finger, letting out a bizarre groan.
"How... h-how...?!"
How what?
'He told me himself...'
-Every single day, they come once, in the voices of dead family, friends, neighbors...!
Just once per night, he said.
Incidentally, something similar is blatantly recorded in the [Darkness Exploration Records].
Window ghosts visit the entrance of the abandoned house every night, pleading in the voices of deceased loved ones, tormenting the sacrifice with mental anguish and confusion.
'"Every" means a cycle of one day.'
But I couldn't very well say, "There's magical documentation backing up what you said."
"Thanks."
"......"
The section chief's face went strangely blank.
Anyway, it worked out, so whatever.
I confirmed the security squad leader had entered the house, then immediately shut the door and locked it.
Even just looking outside was chilling.
"Thanks..."
"No problem."
I had no idea how this guy managed to reach the door without being lured by the window ghost—it was astonishing.
'Well... he's security.'
What was actually more surprising was that the security squad leader wasn't alone.
He was supporting someone.
"...And that person?"
The squad leader replied brightly.
"See, I came looking for missing persons!"
"......That is the missing person."
"Ah. Got mixed up..."
"......"
The gender's different, for starters...
I checked the person the squad leader casually set down on the floor.
A stranger.
They were in a terribly disheveled state, and now they collapsed right there in the abandoned house and began sobbing uncontrollably.
"Waaah, it's all over. All done for!"
"They've been like that nonstop. Th-this place seems better.... I snapped out of it in some shaman's house or whatever.... Cold, dark, damp—not great there."
"Aaaah!"
"......"
'What a mess.'
I'd just wanted a sane colleague, plain and simple...
'Miss you, D Squad bosses...'
Still, I took a closer look at the wailing person. They wore a filthy white gown with a name tag on the chest.
[Go Seon-ha]
'Huh?'
I immediately pulled out a small business card.
The worn booklet labeled "Escape Route" that it had been tucked into.
Go Seon-ha
Department of History, Joo-gang University
The back said "Leaving tomorrow."
"If you're the owner of this card, did you test the contents of the booklet?"
"Sniff..."
The woman nodded.
"Yes.... But it's all useless."
"Wh-what? Hold on! Useless? What do you mean...?"
"Exactly what I said."
The woman pulled something from her bosom with a gloomy expression.
"This is,"
"If you go out and walk about a hundred steps, there's a shrine just like it says in the booklet... Probably the 'shrine' it mentions."
"......"
"And this is a transcription of the wooden tablet there."
The woman glanced at me tiredly.
"Looks like you've read that booklet properly too. ...You study Korean history? It's written in a style from a few hundred years ago..."
No. I just have a monster friend...
"A-anyway!! Then can't we just follow what's on that wooden tablet?! Why keep crying that it doesn't work...?"
"It doesn't!!"
"...!"
"Mister, I'm not an idiot—I tried following the tablet exactly. Stuff like getting three plums, crushing them in a cup and sprinkling outside, I did it all! Everything!"
"......"
Go Seon-ha caught her breath staring into space, then thrust the back of the paper she'd pulled out toward me.
"Read that."
Brown astutely began reading it aloud.
"A tune for the Mountain Lord..."
"Yes! That's it!"
Go Seon-ha asked frantically.
"Mountain Lord is a tiger! So what pops into your head first? A tune related to tigers, praising tigers, nursery rhymes, folk songs, anything!"
"Th-that's..."
Section Chief Lee Byung-jin stammered.
"The mountain spirit, called a hero..."
"Tiger's birthday has come, yes, that! I thought of it too. I was gonna use that..."
Go Seon-ha hung her head.
"......But a tune already used can't be used again."
"...!"
"The bottom of the incense box was full of paper with previously used lyrics! Mountain Hero was obviously one of them...!"
Oh god.
"'The Mountain Lord is capricious and enjoys tunes, rejecting any repeats,' no, folk tales say tigers smoke and dance, but this... this!!"
Go Seon-ha screamed into the void as if spewing fire, then turned to us with a desperate look.
"Tiger nursery rhymes, folk songs, instrumental pieces... Anything besides Mountain Hero? Anything at all...?"
None.
"None, right? Of course not!"
Go Seon-ha tore at her hair.
"We're not traditional music majors, can't even search, aaah, ah..."
"......"
No.
I didn't know duplicates wouldn't work either.
The [Darkness Exploration Records] has a few records of rituals performed in spaces reached after being possessed by window ghosts, and each used different songs.
From traditional music to instrumental pieces...
'Thought it was just crowd-sourced wiki fun, putting different songs for variety.'
Didn't expect this level of detail.
Even the songs listed there are just titles—no lyrics or melodies.
'Damn it.'
The mood in the abandoned house turned icy.
"......"
Whew.
I thoroughly read the full text of the paper transcribed from the shrine's wooden tablet, with Brown's help on the hanja.
Then asked.
"Ms. Go Seon-ha."
"...Yes."
"I have a few questions, if that's okay?"
"What?"
"Have you been here since a few days ago?"
"......Ten days."
Go Seon-ha's face paled.
"But after two or three days, I heard some crazy old guy wandering around... so I hid in the attic."
The 'crazy old guy' looked at her with a wronged expression.
"And a few days later...... I even heard kids' voices. No idea what to do, so... today, on the full moon night, when this guy dozed off, I snuck outside."
"And went to the shrine to try the ritual."
"Yes."
I nodded.
Then moved to the next question.
"But it's strange."
"Pardon?"
"It explicitly says the ritual requires one sacrifice—why go alone?"
"......I'm not gonna say I planned to sacrifice myself to save the kids."
Go Seon-ha clenched her fists until her knuckles whitened.
"I figured I'd check it out first... and decide. But yes, I figured out the situation midway. After seeing records of previous attempts."
"......"
"Today's the full moon. If today passes, it's over! Can't last another 15 days till the next. Definitely... the ghosts will break through the door,"
"Yes. The ritual must be done before sunrise."
Remembering the last remaining talisman on the doorknob, I nodded involuntarily.
"But it can't be done!"
"No."
I shook my head and stood.
"It should be possible."
"Pardon?"
"The ritual."
For now, an alternative came to mind.
One that seemed workable.
"Let's prepare."
"W-wait. No, even if, what, whatever works, the materials all have to be gathered outside again... I already used everything I found!"
I looked again at the list on the transcribed ritual paper.
Materials: 3 plums, salt, ash from burned peach tree branch, one gourd of well water
All to be gathered outside...
In this witching hour with window ghosts prowling.
And a safe way to roam here alone...
'Of all things, I have one.'
Just for me.
"......"
Wow.
Really gotta go out alone?
I instinctively glanced at the others.
My coward's heart screamed for us to stick together, but my brain grabbed it by the collar: don't do anything stupid.
Uwaaaah, going crazy!
Reason won out, eventually.
"Everyone, wait here."
Honestly, it'd be great if you came along.
If anyone's volunteering...
Someone is?
Surprisingly, Go Seon-ha raised a hand.
"...I've done it before. At least I can guide the locations,"
"Hey! D-don't interfere, sit down, miss."
But Section Chief Lee Byung-jin jumped up in alarm and pulled her back.
"He's not like us normal folk! Hey? Not an ordinary person!"
"......"
Well, that's a bit much.
"Don't interfere—just mark the locations. Quick!"
"Uh..."
Go Seon-ha looked reluctant.
But she turned to me and nodded, seemingly convinced of something.
'...!?'
She marked the material locations on the blank space of the ritual paper and handed it over.
"Oh! And... be careful with water."
"......"
"Window ghosts are ghosts enslaved to tigers after dying from tiger attacks. But... back then, it also meant water ghosts..."
Go Seon-ha swallowed hard, her face ashen.
"Riverbanks, water sounds, valleys—avoid anything water-related. Don't even look—just walk."
"Got it."
This is scary as hell...
Anyway, the moment had come. I stood before the door.
The security squad leader spoke up.
"Oh...... You're going out alone?"
"Yes."
Tears, but that's how it is.
"If anything happens, take care of the others."
Security isn't for protecting people, but better than civilians. Especially against ghost story monsters.
But the squad leader just stared at me blankly.
"Hey."
"Yes."
"You really seem like one of our company employees..."
"...?!"
"Weird.... Alright. I'll sit tight.... No gear or anything..."
He flopped down near the door.
"......"
Everything sorted?
'...Let's go.'
I took a silent deep breath and pulled the doorknob.
Creeeak.
A eerie hinge sound, and the outside appeared.
Fog-shrouded darkness.
Dead silent.
"......"
Creak, thud.
The door shut behind me.
Supposed to be full moon, but fog so thick no moonlight pierced.
Faintly glowing haze in deep darkness, tree branches swaying in wind, shadows of trees and underbrush.
I barely set foot forward.
Step, step.
With each step, dark shadows like thick gloom pressed down on me.
'Still an eerie sensation even after experiencing it...'
I faded into the dim, misty forest quietly.
Of course, the fear remained. Felt like cardiac arrest any second.
[From the abandoned house, go straight up-left; huge tree with gold rope.]
Still, Ms. Go Seon-ha's crude map, arrows, and notes guided my steps.
Couldn't tell front from back—admirable how she gathered ritual materials.
'Up-left.'
How many minutes passed, feeling like an hour?
As Brown said, something appeared.
A massive tree shrouded in thick fog.
Whoosh.
Sweet scent wafted each time branches swayed.
...Peach.
'No fruit—why the smell?'
Sweet, yet somehow unsettling...
Gold ropes draped the tree, even slack between two thick branches.
Beyond it, a small field.
Brown sounded cheerful enough, but I wasn't.
The booklet called this area the "Mountain Lord's burial ground," right?
And spots with ritual materials?
'Definitely supernatural territory.'
I approached ultra-cautiously, circled the area, gathering materials.
'Plums... found.'
[Huge tree on right, look left: small trees. Plum trees.]
Picked up fallen plums under the plum trees, grabbed a dry peach branch near the giant peach tree.
Notably, never picked fruit or snapped branches.
'Not tempting fate.'
Standing alone in midnight mountains is scary enough—imagine trapped by ghosts.
With missions too?
You'd be the ultimate safety-first guy.
'...Good.'
Finally, scooped salt scattered like a ward on an old stone pagoda onto paper.
...Nearly screamed pulling up the well bucket, hearing something bump inside.
'But got it all.'
Surroundings still silent.
I let out the tiniest sigh of relief.
'Now back to peach tree, reverse path to house...'
As I turned precisely to retrace steps, something I hadn't noticed caught my eye.
The end of the peach tree's gold rope tied a clean silk tassel.
'Huh?'
Words inscribed on it.
Wow.
'Absolutely don't touch.'
I nodded, keeping a 1m safety distance.
'Yeah. Seems qualifications needed to cross this rope.'
'No way someone ghost-possessed has the quals...'
"......"
What?
I raised my hand and looked inside.
Where the theme park wristband had been.
: Socius :
The tattoo remaining after the membership card burned gleamed oddly.
"...!!"
'Socius... was it? Latin for comrade, member, kin.'
"......"
I stepped right up to the gold rope and slowly extended my hand.
The swaying rope passed smoothly through my arm like a lie.
"...!"
I cautiously stepped forward.
Into the permitted farmstead.