Chapter 5
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 5Object Head (4)
March 1st, night.
They came again.
Another camera filming the abandoned house, as if repeating yesterday.
The difference from yesterday is the two men hiding beyond the back of the camera. Thanks to hiding since the morning and eavesdropping on their conversation, I was able to find out their names.
The large man with a delinquent-like impression is Oh Hyeong-tae. The small, dwarfish, and timid-looking man is Jin-ho.
Being YouTubers, their professional spirit was thorough enough that they didn't give up easily and devoted themselves to filming again.
'Why are you tormenting me.'
It's a good thing I waited outside on purpose instead of waiting in the house. Otherwise, I would have been completely trapped in the house, forced to wait for them to leave.
'If you have no intention of talking to me, I wish you'd just go.'
What I want is a conversation with a person. If you're going to monitor and film me like this, I'd rather you just leave. It's uncomfortable when someone shoves a camera in my face out of nowhere and treats me like a ghost.
'Of course, they probably weren't specifically aware of my existence.'
Because of them, it's not suitable to return to the abandoned house tonight. What should I do? What method should I use to just make them leave?
'Should I scare them?'
That is the most typical and effective method. But what method should I use to scare them.
I looked around the surroundings for now. To see if there was a suitable tool. First, what caught my visual sense was a snake. But it's far away, and perhaps it hasn't woken up from its hibernation period yet, as it's stuck in the gap of the rocks without a single movement.
'My conscience is still intact enough not to use something that is sleeping.'
No matter if it's a non-human reptile, disturbing their sweet sleep goes against morality. My daily life was disturbed because of someone else, so I can't disturb the snake's daily life, can I.
A romance if I do it, an affair if someone else does it. There's a limit even to double standards.
'Then should I at least throw a stone to make a sound?'
That is indeed the most classic method. It was the moment I was about to look for a usable stone.
Gwoooo-
A dark energy is felt.
Whooooosh-
Even the wind is blowing. The suddenly changed atmosphere. Evil spirits are flying in, riding the wind.
'Again?'
Yesterday's evil spirit was only just one. This time, the evil spirits swarming in numbered five. There shouldn't be anyone committing suicide, so what is going on?
'It's that guy.'
One of the filming crew. The man exceptionally emitting dark energy. It's because of Oh Hyeong-tae.
Dark energy doesn't necessarily only come from people committing suicide. There are people who constantly emit dark energy even if they just have a bad nature and grew up in a nasty environment.
Aren't there people who are unpleasant and whom you don't want to associate with just by being next to them? Those are the people who unceasingly emit dark energy.
A body suitable for evil spirits to cling to. It's a phrase pointing exactly to such people.
'This is becoming a headache.'
Above Oh Hyeong-tae's head. Evil spirits are hovering in gruesome states. They aren't reading each other's faces. Tiny evil spirits are already clinging tightly all over Oh Hyeong-tae. There was no room for other evil spirits to enter.
Kekekekekeke. Die die die die die. Mooommmmm! Mooommmmmm! Save me save me save me save me save me.
Oh Hyeong-tae's surroundings are noisy. The resentment of the evil spirits is echoing and muttering endlessly. If left neglected in that state for a long time, Oh Hyeong-tae will definitely suffer a great disaster in the future.
'He goes around seeking only haunted spots with a body like that, so of course that many evil spirits would cling to him.'
The moment I was clicking my tongue inwardly.
Kyaaaaak! Run away! Run away! It's coming! It's coming! That thing is coming!
The evil spirits begin to stir. The evil spirits that had been hovering around Oh Hyeong-tae's head freaked out and ran away as the wind blew again.
There wasn't even time to be flustered at the change that occurred before I could grasp it. A huge spirit body squirming past me. A body composed of sticky liquid, as if a swamp had been materialized into a living creature. A giant crawling on the floor while emitting a foul stench.
'It surpassed the level of an evil spirit a long time ago.'
Even though it's a spirit body like an evil spirit, this guy is on a different scale. An old evil spirit that grew by constantly eating the dark energy created when countless people died. It became so old that it decayed and bloated to become its current appearance.
'Hideous thing.'
The decayed evil spirit descends the mountain while flailing its arms.
The filming crew moves. After playing rock-paper-scissors among themselves, Jin-ho went down the mountain and Oh Hyeong-tae suddenly came up the mountain.
'What are you doing? The evil spirit is going towards you.'
No matter how much I shout, there's no way Oh Hyeong-tae can hear my words. At the same time, there's no way Oh Hyeong-tae can see the evil spirit either. The speed of the decayed evil spirit increased. It's still slow, but if Oh Hyeong-tae doesn't run away, he'll eventually be caught. Since he can't see the evil spirit, he wouldn't even know what is coming toward him.
'If that evil spirit clings to him, there's no telling what disaster he'll suffer.'
It wouldn't even compare to other evil spirits clinging to him. I don't really like it, but I can't just stand by and watch either. I moved too.
Crunch, crunch.
When I purposely made footsteps, Oh Hyeong-tae, who had stopped and was fumbling with something, startled and raised his head. I can see him, but perhaps he can't see me, as he's poking his head out and frowning. I approached him while greatly enlarging the flame on my head so he could see me better.
"Ahhh……."
Sure enough, just like the others, Oh Hyeong-tae turned deathly pale the moment he recognized my existence. His body stiffened, and his mental strength chipped away as he was engulfed in terror. Everyone who faced me reacted exactly like that.
"…Jin-ho? J-Jin-ho. Jin-ho!"
He eagerly looks for his colleague who went down the mountain, but such a voice cannot reach Jin-ho. While approaching and creating an atmosphere of fear, I suddenly realized something was wrong.
'Why isn't he running away?'
I was trying to create a situation for him to run away, but instead, he is frozen stiff. It's a natural phenomenon to run away when this much terror approaches. But instead, the fear that exceeded his limit halted his judgment.
'Damn it.'
No. Looking again, Oh Hyeong-tae's ankles were fixed in place, stuck to a sticky liquid.
I observed the decayed evil spirit. As expected, the evil spirit had stretched out a part of its own body and bound Oh Hyeong-tae so he couldn't escape.
'It's troublesome if an evil spirit even has abilities.'
Then I have no choice but to change my method. I passed the slow, decayed evil spirit and approached Oh Hyeong-tae. Oh Hyeong-tae, who had lost his mind out of extreme terror, is just looking up at my face.
The blue light I emitted illuminated Oh Hyeong-tae's face. His jaw is trembling, and tears are pouring from his eyes. Seeing even drool flowing, it seems his mentality completely collapsed from extreme stress.
'If I scare him any more here, the person himself will break down.'
Was a human such an easily broken creature? They are so weak, it's pathetic. That's why spirit bodies like evil spirits cling to them easily.
'Get out.'
I spoke, but I couldn't speak. My voice couldn't reach Oh Hyeong-tae at all. How on earth can I convey my words to him.
'Get out!'
When I got angry once, the flame on my head flared up.
"Heu-i-ik!"
Oh Hyeong-tae was terrified, but his feet were still rooted in the ground. Left with no choice, I extended my finger. Towards the bottom of the mountain.
"Ah… Ahh?"
Oh Hyeong-tae, who was only letting out bizarre sighs like someone who had lost language, turned his back following my hand. The dark bottom of the mountain below. Whether he understood my intention or not, Oh Hyeong-tae looked back at me and rattled his jaw.
"I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I w-won't ever come here again. I won't ever bluff that I don't believe in ghosts again."
Squeezing out tears and snot, he burst into crying like a child.
"So please…… please spare my life just this once."
It was so absurd that I ended up chuckling bitterly.
'I'm trying to save you, so get out of here.'
Do I have to personally grab his hand and take him outside? I don't want to go through that much trouble. At that moment.
"Uwaaaaaah!"
Suddenly something came up the mountain screaming. As expected, that counterpart was Jin-ho.
"J-Jin-ho!" "Come here! Hyeong-tae! Get behind me!"
It seems Jin-ho's bright energy breathed strength into Oh Hyeong-tae. Oh Hyeong-tae's completely frozen feet moved. Ripping off the liquid of the decayed evil spirit stuck to his ankles, he turned around.
Awkwardly, it wasn't over yet. The two didn't go down but stood as if facing off with me. His jaw was trembling just as much as Oh Hyeong-tae's, but Jin-ho was a stronger person than Oh Hyeong-tae. Jin-ho suddenly thrust something out in front of me.
"Uuu… Heu-geu-geuk! Please…! If you are the anomaly I know you are, please!"
A mirror. It was nothing more than an ordinary hand mirror with nothing special about it.
In the mirror Jin-ho thrust forward, a head with a blue flame was looking into me. I naturally reached out and took the mirror.
"Uwaak! H-hands touched!" "Heu-i-ik!"
The two startled men fell flat on their backs. But without even caring about the two fallen men, I was only looking at my reflection in the mirror.
'Even though I did see it on video.'
Seeing it like this through a mirror feels different.
I have no face. A single flame floating alone in the area where a head should be. The part where a neck should be only had a clean cross-section.
'I'm not human, huh.'
My mind knew it, but inwardly I had a sense of expectation that maybe I was human. But indeed, I am not human. What on earth am I?
"Hey, hey. Jin-ho. W-why a mirror? Huh? I-isn't that So-yeon's mirror?" "Hoo, hoo, hoo! A-according to urban legend stories… O-Object Heads tend to believe they are human……. So you g-give them a mirror… to make them realize the truth." "W-wouldn't we just be fucked instead?" "A-according to urban legends, a b-beneficial Object Head instead… gives help…… it w-would, right?" "You fucking occult otaku bastard!" "But that's what it said on the internet!"
I lowered the mirror. The two hiccupped while gasping. At the same time, I sensed the decayed evil spirit approaching from behind. I shouldn't delay any further.
'Get out.'
I forcefully pointed down the mountain. The two looked back down the mountain, then looked at me again.
"He's been doing that for a while. W-what does it mean?" "I d-don't know……. Does it mean get out?"
As if to say that's right, I nervously pointed down the mountain one more time.
"I t-think that's right! He's telling us to leave!" "Let's go…. Let's go, Hyeong-tae, g-get up. Let's go."
The two men hurriedly got up and carefully turned around. Thanks to that, the situation is moving smoothly according to my will. It was impossible for Oh Hyeong-tae because he was too scared, but it's a relief that communication worked with the guy named Jin-ho.
'I want to have a conversation, but.'
The situation doesn't allow it, so it can't be helped.
Thud!
"Kkeo-eok!" "Hyeong-tae!"
But before he could walk much, Oh Hyeong-tae fell flat on the ground.
"Why on earth are you falling when you're being supported?" "N-no. It feels like someone grabbed my ankle……." "Hurry up and get up. Let's go quickly." "Hey!"
Oh Hyeong-tae sharply grabbed Jin-ho by the collar and pulled him. Oh Hyeong-tae, who was turning paler and paler, once again shed tears.
"F-foot. Foot! Foot! Foot!" "Foot what? Why?" "Someone is grabbing my ankle!" "Who? There's nothing there?" "It's pulling me!"
Pulling? Looking closely, the liquid of the decayed evil spirit deliberately grabbed Oh Hyeong-tae's ankle.
Gurgle-
The decayed evil spirit pulled with a sickening sound.
Draaaag.
"Jin-ho! Jin-ho! Uwaaaaaak!"
Leaving handprints on the ground, even Oh Hyeong-tae's huge body was dragged in. Jin-ho hurriedly pulled on Oh Hyeong-tae's forearm, but it wasn't enough. Even Jin-ho was dragged along exactly the same.
"Uwaaaat!" "Don't let go! D-don't let go! Save me!" "Kkeu-geu-geuk!"
He hooked his leg on a nearby tree and held on as much as possible, but Jin-ho is a dwarfish guy. He can't handle the decayed evil spirit's strength. Jin-ho, who was desperate, seemed to have judged there was no hope with his own strength and shouted out.
"Help!"
I looked back at Jin-ho. Jin-ho, whose arms were trembling due to lacking strength, cried and continued to shout.
"Heeelp! Please! I gave you the mirror, didn't I!"
A pitiful scream asking for help. That gave off a strange resonance.
'If you wish.'
My feet moved. I ran towards the decayed evil spirit, not the two people, and intensely spewed the flame on my head.
Fwoosh-
The decayed evil spirit freaked out. A lump of liquid that looked like a hand reached out, but I instead threw my body into its grasp.
Fwoooosh!
The fire catches on. The intensely spreading blue flame swallowed the decayed evil spirit in one breath.
"Kkeu-woahhhhh!"
A thick, bear-like scream. Seeing the scream and the burning figure, Jin-ho and Oh Hyeong-tae watched with expressions that sent shivers down their spines.
Swoooooosh-
I sucked in the decayed evil spirit. Because its body was large, it took longer to suck in than other evil spirits. However, just by burning in my flames, it becomes my prey all the same.
A sewer taste holding a terrible stench. I don't have a throat, but it's the worst taste, making me feel like I would dry heave.
'It feels like eating tofu fermented in sewer water.'
Regardless of the taste, my insides just feel hearty. After coming to my senses from the brief feast of taste, I instructed the two who were still watching dumbfoundedly.
'Get out!'
This is truly the last chance. When I gave the warning to get down the mountain once more, only then did the two start to hastily tumble down the mountain. I made sure the two had completely left, and then returned to the abandoned house. I discovered the camera they left behind.
'Even if I take this, there's nowhere to use it.'
The moment I made up my mind to get rid of the camera, a blue flame caught onto it. The camera, which didn't burn well at first, sparked Tididik, and melted down mushily.
After entering the abandoned house, I leaned my back against the wall and shoved my hand into my pocket. I took out the hand mirror and looked into my face reflecting there. A blazing flame head.
'Who am I?'
The moment that question arose. The words Jin-ho had chattered came to mind.
If you are the anomaly I know you are. That's what it said on the internet!
'Does that mean there are more anomalies like me?'
More existences like me?
"Uwaaaak!" "Uwaaaak!"
Jin-ho and Oh Hyeong-tae tumbling down the mountain. The two hastily got into the vehicle without even a sign of pain. So-yeon, who had been dozing, woke up startled at their rough boarding.
"Kyaak! You scared me! What happened?" "S-start the car! Start it quickly!"
Jin-ho, getting into the driver's seat, started the vehicle as soon as he turned on the ignition. The side of the car scraped heavily against the fence, but no one except So-yeon cared.
"What's wrong! As if you saw a ghost!" "As if we saw a ghost? As if we saw a ghoooost!"
When Oh Hyeong-tae, red all the way to his neck, shouted, a terrified So-yeon tightly shut her mouth and asked quietly.
"W-what happened?" "Object Head!"
Jin-ho gave the answer.
"There was an Object Head from the urban legends!" "Eh? What does that mean." "It's real! I said we met an Object Head!"
Judging by their reactions, it seems real, but. But still, to believe that they met an Object Head? They might as well say they saw an evil spirit.
"What did it look like?" "It was tall! And it had no head! Instead, a blue flame was on its head." "I can't really tell just hearing that. Turn the car around. I want to see it too." "No!" "Don't even dream about it!"
The two men shouted that at the same time. Jin-ho, who had been breathing roughly, only calmed down after they had gone quite far, and then remembered one thing he forgot.
"Ah! That's right! I forgot the camera!" "Forget it. It's better than dying."
Uncharacteristically for Oh Hyeong-tae, he gives up on the camera. Oh Hyeong-tae, leaning back in his seat, pulled his legs in unfittingly for his size and buried his head in his knees.
"Uuuuh… Uuuhhh……." "Oppa? Are you crying right now?" "L-leave him be. So-yeon. Honestly, I want to cry too." "Okay…… but it smells like piss? Oppa, you didn't pee yourself, did you?" "……."
Oh Hyeong-tae, who went to the very back seat, quietly changed his pants. Perhaps calming down belatedly, he stayed silent with a gloomy face before letting out a deep sigh.
"To think urban legends and anomalies actually existed." "…It's my first time seeing one in reality too."
To console him, Jin-ho sympathized with Oh Hyeong-tae's words.
"Let's take a break from YouTube for a while. Haa, if we had filmed that scene just now, it would be a million views... no, even ten million would be possible." "……." "Haa-." "Um, Hyeong-tae." "What." "Could you check my pocket?" "Pocket?"
Reaching out to the driver's seat, Hyeong-tae pulled out the phone half-stuck in Jin-ho's pocket.
"You should change your pants. Your phone is going to fall out."
Checking the phone, Oh Hyeong-tae jumped up in surprise.
"Hey! You! You praiseworthy bastard!" "Eh? Oppa, why? What is it?" "This bastard was recording everything in the midst of all that! You crazy bastard obsessed with YouTube! Hey! Wow… Hey!" "Ha… Haha."
Feeling embarrassed, Jin-ho turned the steering wheel toward the city.
"Let's see how much was recorded. This is seriously a jackpot!" "It's not just a jackpot, it could even be on the news." "Let's check it once. See how it turned out."
He stopped the recording and checked the saved video. Although it was stuck in the pocket so the eye level didn't match, and it was a mess because of tumbling on the ground and shaking all over the place, it still captured everything it needed to capture.
Object Head. The appearance of that bizarre entity was clearly recorded.
"This is crazy, this is crazy. Look at this, So-yeon." "I-is it real? Not AI or edited? You prepared this to trick me, right?" "No! I just came back from almost dying! Didn't you see me pee my pants?" "O-okay."
So-yeon, with an expression as if she had lost all affection for him, took the phone entirely and peered closely. The appearance of the Object Head with blue flames. It was so clear that it even gave off the feeling of being made with CG.
"You're saying this was filmed just now?" "I'm telling you." "Something like this actually exists?" "So-yeon. Urban legends exist."
No one else but Oh Hyeong-tae was saying those words. Even Jin-ho was surprised enough to look in the rearview mirror. A smile slowly emerged on Jin-ho's lips.
"Once we get back, we edit right away…… no, let's upload this fully edited." "Hyeong-tae. But everything about you being scared is recorded too, is that okay?" "Because that makes it more real. The views will unconditionally hit the jackpot. Let's put the title like this too. 'World Premiere! Revealing the Truth of the Object Head!' Like that." "And the thumbnail will be the scene where the Object Head is captured." "Right! That's it! Haa, once this goes up, the number of subscribers will explode, right? Risking my life was worth it."
Until just a while ago, he was making a fuss, crying and whining out of fear, but now he looks beamingly happy. Oh Hyeong-tae, who lay back in his chair with a relaxed face, soon got sleepy eyes as if his energy was drained.
"There are so many secrets in the world. Jin-ho." "Right. Maybe all the urban legends on the internet could be real."
Jin-ho was answering happily, but suddenly a worry blossomed. If all the urban legends on the internet are true. Wouldn't the Bureau of Management urban legend be real too? If such an organization exists, they wouldn't want the current video to be known to the world.