Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 002
Chapter Title: Anomaly
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Just a few minutes ago, the footage should have shown a drunken woman staggering down the hallway.
But the recording I'd rewound was covered in nothing but pitch-black darkness, as if the power had gone out completely. Not even a hint of static noise—just perfect blackness.
I shook my head right away.
This wasn't some fancy hotel with state-of-the-art security. It was a rundown, decrepit motel that could collapse tomorrow without anyone batting an eye, reeking of musty mold in every corner of the halls.
In a place like this, old equipment acting up was par for the course. The recording must have glitched out mid-capture, or maybe the frayed insulation on the worn-out wires had come loose, breaking the connection for a bit. Or hell, maybe I was just so exhausted from the all-nighter that I was seeing things.
Whatever. It didn't matter. I wrapped it up in my mind, simple as that.
I couldn't afford to waste my precious study time on some crazy woman who'd shown up out of nowhere in the dead of night, trying to stab me with scissors.
It paid better than minimum wage, sure, but it was still money earned by pouring my youth and sleep straight into the grinder. That's why I was pulling these sleepless shifts here—no way was I letting some minor freakout derail me.
I shoved the crazy lady out of my mind and turned back to my workbook. The densely packed lines underlined in highlighter swam before my eyes.
How much time passed like that?
A glance outside showed dawn breaking. The gray sky was starting to lighten faintly, and the cheap digital clock on the motel counter now read 8:00 a.m. The end of this godforsaken shift.
I stuffed the half-finished workbook into my ratty bag, pulled out the logbook from the corner of the counter, and jabbed at the ballpoint pen with its barely-working ink until it scrawled my checkout time.
Then I fished my smartphone from my pocket and texted the motel owner: Heading out. I wasn't expecting a reply. The guy never checked his messages unless it was time to send pay.
"Yawn~."
Hauling my stiff body up from the chair, my joints cracked and popped. No matter how used to all-nighters I got, they always left me drained. I rolled my sore neck a couple times and stepped out of the motel.
Ding-a-ling~
The bell on the weathered door tinkled faintly. As the door swung open, the cool, damp dawn air seeped deep into my lungs.
It felt way fresher than the stale motel air I'd been breathing all night.
I shuffled toward the bus stop like a zombie, steps heavy. All I wanted was to flop down anywhere and pass out.
That's when I spotted it. Far off, around the corner where the fog hadn't fully cleared, a woman was approaching faintly.
...What the hell?
At first, I thought I was still half-asleep and hallucinating. This rundown neighborhood, at this early hour—it didn't match someone like her at all.
An elegant hanbok blending black and white. The kind of outfit you'd see in a historical drama. With her long, jet-black hair neatly swept back and an aura of untouchable nobility.
Honestly? She was beautiful.
No, "beautiful" didn't even cut it. If you turned "refined lady of a noble house" into a person, it'd look like her. Her otherworldly beauty, untouched by the grime of the world, left me staring blankly for a moment. Was she an actress shooting nearby? Or a cosplayer from around here? My mind raced with possibilities.
I just sighed inwardly in admiration and tried to pass her by without a second glance. She was from a different world than me, anyway.
But the moment she spotted me, her eyes widened round. She stopped dead in my path, her face a mix of disbelief, and asked in a somewhat urgent voice,
"No way... you're just coming from University Village right now?"
Her voice was as clear and pure as jade beads rolling. I mumbled back in my sleep-roughened tone,
"Yeah. So?"
Her expression grew even more grave at my reply. She started scanning me up and down meticulously. Her gaze was so intense, like she was peering right through me, it was starting to creep me out.
"Why'd you go into University Village? Just testing your guts? Or are you a streamer doing one of those trendy haunted house streams?"
"Part-time job."
"A part-time job?"
Her pretty brows furrowed openly at my curt answer. Feeling oddly defensive, I added,
"Yeah, Gwanak Motel... I'm doing the night counter shift there."
"How long have you been working that gig?"
"About a month?"
At my answer, she just stared straight into my eyes without a word.
As her obsessive gaze started to grate on me, like she was checking for something, she muttered low to herself,
"Good, no possession at least... But University Village is supposed to have a barrier up—no normal person should be able to just wander in and out..."
Mid-sentence, she froze as if realizing something. Her eyes filled with shock and confusion as she looked back at me, muttering even faster,
"Wait, no spiritual energy coming off your body at all...? No way someone like that even exists..."
Spiritual energy? Barrier? Her words made zero sense, and my head was starting to ache.
A check of my phone showed the bus was due soon. I didn't see the point in engaging anymore and started to brush past her.
Right then, she grabbed my wrist desperately. Her slender wrist belied a surprisingly strong grip.
"If you're okay with it, could we talk for a sec? You might not know, but your body's in a really weird state right now..."
"...Huh?"
Same old routine.
I'd humored her thinking she had something profound to say, but nope—just street preaching with a twist.
I let out a deep sigh, not bothering to hide it. Reading the blatant disappointment and annoyance on my face, she hurriedly added,
"I-I'm not some weirdo. My name's Yang In-ha. Descendant of King Yang Ena of Tamna and Princess Bari the Plague Goddess, now the strongest spirit medium on the peninsula serving Gucheonhyeonnyeo..."
"Pass."
I shook off her hand before she could finish her rambling intro and bolted. To make sure she wouldn't follow, I sprinted at full speed.
Like she said, I knew my body wasn't normal. No average person could cover 300 meters in 20 seconds flat, no matter how hard they tried.
I reached the bus stop in the blink of an eye.
Screech~
Perfect timing—the bus pulled up. I boarded the empty vehicle, tapped my transit card, and sank into a window seat.
Good, a glance out the window showed she wasn't following. Probably realized she couldn't keep up with my pace.
Leaning my head against the glass, I suddenly let out a chuckle.
What, even in this shithole neighborhood, they've got 'Do You Know the Way' preachers?
On the other hand, I felt a twinge of pity. Someone that gorgeous hanging around a dump like this? Her life's gotta be a mess.
But I shrugged it off quick. Who was I to pity anyone? Orphaned slum rat here—my own nose was barely above water.
I buried my head against the bus window and let the crashing fatigue pull my eyes shut.
The second I got to my studio apartment, I dumped my bag and collapsed onto the bed.
How long did I sleep? When I opened my eyes, the sky outside was already darkening to deep navy as the sun set.
It was the weekend. No dreaded night shift—just sweet, honeyed rest.
Grrrrumble~
My stomach growled the moment I sat up. Gotta fill this empty gut first. I dragged my slippers across the floor and headed to the convenience store nearby.
Ding-a-ling~
The cheery bell rang as the door swung open.
But something was off. Door was open, but no clerk at the counter.
No blaring latest hits playing on loop, either.
The store was eerily quiet, just the hum of the refrigerators echoing hollowly.
Probably in the bathroom.
I shrugged it off and browsed the shelves.
Dinner-slash-late-night snack—gotta make it hearty. A strip of smoked sausage, a big hot dog, a spicy cup ramen, and two tuna-mayo onigiri—my favorite. Piled them on the counter.
This would cover my first and last meal of the day.
"Ring me up..."
I called toward the warehouse where I'd sensed movement, but the words died in my throat.
I'd seen the horrific scene beyond the counter—impossible to believe.
A woman in the store uniform lay crumpled there.
I strained my ears—no heartbeat, not even faint breathing.
Cold sweat trickled down my cheek.
In this lawless neighborhood, it wasn't my first time stumbling on a body. But the situation and the corpse's state were downright bizarre.
The clerk's body was desiccated beyond recognition as once-living. Skin shriveled dry like yellowed leather, clinging tight to bone. Eyes sunken wide open, staring vacantly at the fluorescent ceiling. Like a mummy dug up from a museum and dressed in a convenience store apron.
If it'd been a regular murder, I'd have calmly dialed 112.
But this? Pure surreal nightmare, shattering my sense of reality.
I fumbled, not knowing who to even call. That's when—
Swish~
A faint presence stirred again from the warehouse door behind the counter—the one that should've been shut tight.
I instinctively held my breath. Every nerve in my body went taut.
Creeeak~
Moments later, with a chilling groan, the warehouse door slowly creaked open.
From the darkness, it emerged.
A man, stark naked.
His pitch-black skin crawled with thick, writhing crimson veins like fat earthworms. Through his wild, tangled hair, his eyes gleamed like a starving beast's.
It spotted me and grinned, lips splitting wide. Around its mouth clung thick red liquid—from whatever it'd just been devouring.