Chapter 41
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Gwigo Lodge Special (8)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I stepped into the cabin, which gave off an eerie chill.
In the darkness, relying on a few flickering candles, I scanned the surroundings. All I could see was a round table in the middle of the room and an iron box placed on top of it.
The terrified members huddled close behind me as we walked.
"Should we sit down first?"
Everyone hesitated before taking their seats.
Gathered around the round table, staring at each other, an odd feeling settled in.
That's when Song Yu-bin spoke up cautiously.
"We have to open this box, right?"
"What if there's something inside?"
"It's probably nothing. Like a fake snake popping out or something."
"Or maybe something totally unexpected."
As we exchanged silent glances, Baek Si-woo reached out for the box with an impatient look.
"Just open it!"
The lid flipped open with a snap.
The members leaned in slightly and peered inside.
"What is it?"
Inside the box was some kind of unidentified card.
"Is it a game?"
"I've never seen it before."
Amid the bewildered members, Song Yu-bin shouted with a pale face.
"This is that thing!"
All eyes turned to Song Yu-bin.
"What? You know it?"
"Is it some new trendy game?"
Leaving the still-clueless members behind, Song Yu-bin cried out in a trembling voice.
"Mary's Picture Cards!"
Silence fell.
Everyone except Song Yu-bin looked clueless.
"Mary's Picture Cards?"
"Who's Mary?"
Song Yu-bin hesitated before slowly opening his mouth.
"A ghost."
Whoooosh—
Just then, amid the sound of a cold wind whistling through, Baek Si-woo glanced around nervously and asked.
"So, how do you play?"
"It's a card game with a ghost. You ask a question about your future, and the ghost answers through the cards. It's super popular with kids these days... kind of like Bunshin Sabas."
With zero knowledge on the occult, Song Yu-bin's explanation didn't click for me.
"There must be an instruction manual or something."
Song Yu-bin hurriedly rummaged through the box and muttered.
"Ah, found it."
We unfolded the instructions and checked the contents together.
[Instruction Manual]
Number of Players: No limit
Required Items: Mary's Picture Cards
※ Notes
- Play at 9 PM.
- Never ask questions that would anger Mary.
- Those who have made others bleed must not participate.
- If dangerous phenomena occur, stop the game immediately.
I got the gist of how it worked.
'Come on. You really believe that stuff?'
Anyone could tell it was just hype made up by the card company to sell their product.
I flipped to the next page.
※ Procedure
1. Think of a question about your future to ask Mary.
2. Shuffle the cards and lay them out face-down on the table.
3. Everyone says together, "Mary, Mary, tell me my future." Then blow out the candles.
4. State your question, then flip over one card.
5. To end, say, "Mary, thank you for telling me my future."
It was the last page.
The members exchanged dubious looks.
"Hmm..."
"It's kind of like tarot cards."
Song Yu-bin shook his head.
"This is communicating with a ghost, so it's more accurate than tarot but also more dangerous."
At that, Baek Si-woo clutched his shoulders with both hands and shivered.
"It's dangerous?"
"I've heard of people experiencing poltergeist stuff while playing."
"Po-polter-what?"
"Poltergeist! Like objects moving on their own."
Poltergeist phenomena.
I'd heard of it, but wasn't that all staged for content?
'Ghosts don't exist in the world.'
Still, to keep the horror concept of our self-cam alive, I figured I'd play along and act scared.
Song Yu-bin closed the manual.
"Just try it, and you'll see."
We all closed our eyes and thought of questions to ask Mary.
After some time, Cha Jae-hyun's voice broke the silence.
"Everyone got theirs?"
We all nodded.
"Let's start."
Going around the table in order, we shuffled the cards and laid them out face-down.
Then, eyes closed, we chanted the incantation from the manual together.
"Mary, Mary, tell me my future."
We finished the chant and opened our eyes.
"Now questions?"
"Who goes first?"
"Start with Jae-hyun hyung and go clockwise. Cool?"
Cha Jae-hyun forced a stiff smile and pulled his chair closer to the table.
"Sure, why not. They say the one who sells first gets hit first, right?"
Even as he said it, Cha Jae-hyun's eyes were shaking.
'He doesn't look okay at all.'
I wondered what question Cha Jae-hyun would ask. Probably something about the group rather than personal.
Staring blankly at the cards in front of him, Cha Jae-hyun slowly spoke.
"...Can Manwolso do well?"
As expected, a question about the group.
The members whispered beside him.
"What if it comes out bad?"
"It'll be instant disbandment vibes."
"We'll cover with good ad-libs and save it. Okay?"
"Jae-hyun hyung! Pick well. Our group's future is on the line."
Cha Jae-hyun placed his hand on the table and picked one of the spread cards.
We all watched tensely, waiting for him to flip it.
The card turned slowly, then fully revealed its face.
"What?"
It was a card depicting a king wearing a splendid crown.
Song Yu-bin muttered upon seeing it.
"Bloody King card."
I scanned the card.
'Seems positive overall.'
My eyes caught the bloodied ankle of the king at the bottom.
"Should we check the manual?"
[Bloodied King Card]
After long patience and struggle, you will ascend to the throne.
"Whoa, ascending the throne?"
"Let's work even harder."
Just as expected, a positive meaning. The bloodied ankle nagged at me a bit.
'No gains without patience and struggle.'
Next up, Baek Si-woo asked his question.
"Does Come Back, Kim Jong-sik end in a happy ending?"
That drama again.
He'd been binge-watching it nonstop in the van, and now even on self-cam...
Baek Si-woo soon flipped his card.
[Woman Lost in Grief]
You will not escape sorrow for a while.
"Sad ending?"
"No way..."
Baek Si-woo's body slumped.
He looked disappointed by the card's prophecy of a sad ending.
Next, Song Yu-bin posed his question.
"Can Manwolso ever win a Daesang?"
The members turned to him with shocked expressions. A rookie talking Daesang already—big ambitions.
Song Yu-bin flipped his card.
A warrior stood proudly, holding the severed head of an enemy soldier.
"Ooh?"
"Is that a human head?"
[Certain Victory]
Everyone will know of your victory.
"Whoa."
"Such a great card."
"Why does this feel so good?"
The warm atmosphere continued when suddenly, a dull thud echoed as something hit the floor.
Our eyes shifted to a book that had fallen.
"What?"
"It just fell, right?"
The members started glancing around uneasily.
"Is this the polter-whatever you mentioned, Yu-bin?"
A brief silence.
"Nah, no way."
"Probably a coincidence."
"Poltergeists aren't that easy to encounter."
"Maybe someone pulled a string?"
The staff member who met our eyes shook their head vigorously.
'Doesn't seem like acting.'
A uneasy feeling crept in, but I shook it off quickly.
Next was Eun Hae-sols turn.
'What will he ask?'
Under everyone's gaze, the dazed Eun Hae-sol slowly spoke.
"Can I just pass?"
"Huh?"
"I'm not really curious about my future."
Everyone looked flustered.
Even if you're not curious, skipping entirely means no screen time for you?
"Just ask anything."
"Yeah, we all have to go one by one."
Resigned, Eun Hae-sol stared at the cards and asked.
"What will I be like in the future?"
The card flipped.
"Let's see."
It showed a boy preparing for a trip under a large clock.
[Boy Who Gained a New Clock]
Your worn-out past will end, and you will spend new time.
"Ooh, a good one."
"Hae-sol's future looks like backpacking."
But an inexplicable shadow clouded Eun Hae-sol's face.
"All questions done?"
"No, Eun-ho hyung's turn."
All eyes focused on me. They looked curious about what I'd say.
"Hoo."
After a short exhale, I spoke.
"Can Manwolso's debut song Blue Sky Below ever reverse-run on the charts someday?"
The members' eyes sparkled.
Reverse-run. Sometimes songs that didn't chart well during promotion get rediscovered later and climb high.
It was just a game for fun anyway...
'Hope it comes out positive.'
I flipped the card.
The members leaned forward to check.
"What?"
It depicted a massive gear wheel turning backward.
I read the card's description.
[Gear Turning Backward]
What you did in the past will influence the present.
If it matched my question, it meant a reverse-run.
The answers had been oddly fitting our questions, leaving a strange feeling.
Baek Si-woo exclaimed excitedly.
"Our song's gonna reverse-run!"
I gave him a slight smile.
'I want to believe that too...'
But it was just a game. Don't take it too seriously—enjoy for fun.
"All done?"
"No, last ritual left."
"Oh, right."
Having finished all questions, we chanted to end the game.
"Mary, thank you for telling me my future."
That was it.
A sense of relief washed over me.
"Clean up?"
The now-relaxed members tidied the cards while chatting.
"That was kinda fun."
"Yeah, all the answers were good, right?"
Cleanup done, we looked to the staff.
"Uh... we're done, right?"
"You're letting us go now?"
Then, with a pop, the lights went out.
The members' startled voices overlapped in the sudden darkness.
"Eek!"
"The lights!"
"Turn the lights on!"
It was pure pandemonium.
As I tried to figure out what was happening, the window slid open slowly.
'knew it.'
Just as I thought.
Horror special meant a ghost prank at the end.
'They won't let us off easy till the finish.'
The members, thinking they'd seen a ghost, scrambled to the door and fled.
"Eeeeeek!"
And so, the chaotic Gwigo Lodge Special drew to a close.
* * *
On the way back to the dorm after the self-cam schedule, the members' lively voices filled the car.
"Still, it was fun today."
"The production team's craftsmanship is no joke."
Among them, I alone stared blankly into space.
And the reason was...
[Sub Quest]
- Accept 'Enter the top 50 on the music charts!'?
- YES/NO
The damn quest had shown up right on cue.