Chapter 103
The moment someone mentioned the courage test, the night air, which had grown slightly calm, erupted back into noise. Half the group was trembling in fear, while the other half seemed thrilled and pumped up. And the most important person, Yoo Seol-ah, was sitting right next to me, putting on a perfectly serene "scared" face.
I was dead certain it was an act, and the reason was simple. Yoo Seol-ah was someone who'd actually turned hordes of living corpses back into ash. No way could a person like that—who'd kept her cool amid truly grotesque undead and unleashed spells like crazy—be frightened by a haunted house. Those props were just people in makeup, no matter how good they were.
"We'll take a short break to get ready, then we'll start nice and slow! In the meantime, feel free to eat more, relax, and mentally prepare yourselves!"
So it wasn't just wandering through some dark spot—there were actual gimmicks involved? And they wanted us to "mentally prepare"? No wonder Jia unnie had jumped at the idea. Student council folks were always full of initiative, dragging everyone into all sorts of activities beyond just drinking.
"...You suck at courage tests?"
"I-I really suck at this stuff, okay?"
Yoo Seol-ah seemed committed to the bit, so I let it slide. I had a pretty good idea why she was playing it up. Knowing her personality as well as I did, everything she did just came off as cute.
Everyone except Yujeong sunbae, who was emceeing, started quietly heading off somewhere—Jia unnie and the clothing department council seniors included. Yeah, this was leagues beyond just tagging some random spot. The anxiety of expecting someone to pop out, plus the traps that hit right when you let your guard down a bit—those were what really amped up the fear.
Still, for someone supposedly terrified, Yoo Seol-ah was devouring the bubbling budae jjigae like it was the best thing ever. She noticed me watching and quietly averted her eyes.
Yeah, this table's stew was mostly my handiwork, so of course it was delicious. Watching Yoo Seol-ah eat her heart out always filled me with this warm, fuzzy contentment that made time fly.
After a bit, Yujeong sunbae, who'd been checking her phone, grabbed the mic again.
"Alright, it's about time to kick things off!"
The response was half cheers, half terrified screams.
"First, we'll pair up in twos. If you've already got a partner, come tell me over here! Everyone else, I'll match you randomly."
Since most people had at least one friend, pairs formed quickly, heading to our table. Considering the gender ratio, girl-girl teams dominated, with some guy-girl and guy-guy pairs sprinkled in. A few of those mixed pairs had this awkward, charged vibe—probably some MT magic sparking romances. There was even a team with one from our department and one from clothing.
Kim Gayeong and Kim Junwoo showed up together too, clearly hitting it off. They say MTs birth couples like mushrooms after rain; in this loose, fun atmosphere, crushes were bound to bloom.
"Kinda wholesome, huh."
"Yeah."
We watched it all unfold leisurely. Sure, the butterflies for each other were there—in spades—but we'd long passed that awkward stage into total comfort. More like an old married couple by the day.
Once everyone was paired, I told the sunbae, "Sunbae, pair us up too."
"Got it. Already noted."
No need to say a word, huh. We barely showed PDA around others, looking like just pals, yet even strangers clocked us as a couple instantly. Made me wonder why.
I turned back, catching Yoo Seol-ah hastily smoothing her smile.
...No clue what tickled her, but she was terrible at hiding her good moods.
Yujeong sunbae fiddled with her phone, probably setting the order.
"Orders are randomized now. Quick rundown!"
Originally, they'd planned it along the walking path, but scrapped it for safety due to the slope. The venue was a detached three-story building inside the pension grounds—not really for lodging, more recreational. Unused today, but perfect for this.
"Rules are simple: Find one treasure per floor on 1, 2, and 3, then head back to the first floor. Done!"
Fluorescent sticker balls were hidden in one room per floor. For anyone not immune to fear, this'd be brutal. Brute-forcing past terror worked best, but searching? Nightmare fuel. They'd really put effort into this MT prep, impressive on short notice.
"Quick note: For safety, stairs and nearby areas are clear."
Murmurs rippled again. Safety first, obviously, but that implied elsewhere had stuff.
"Some of you might find this too much. If so, just text me 'nope' anytime. No forcing it—that's no fun."
As expected from her personality, quitting mid-test was fine—no prize for quitters, though. Prize details secret, but hyped as awesome, so I was seeing it through. To ease dropouts, no calling names; texts only.
Soon, two from our department stepped up.
"First team—good luck, underclassmen! It's dark, so phone lights on. Ready? Head to that entrance. Exit's on the other side!"
Plain building by day, but without overt haunted house vibes, it felt eerily ominous. They vanished through the glass door. Tension hung thick; crowd was big, but dead silent.
Time ticked by, ears straining at distant bird calls—
"Kyaaaaah?!"
A bloodcurdling shriek pierced the open windows, amplified by the night into a shattering wail. Panic rippled visibly.
...What the hell did they set up in there?
Yujeong sunbae grinned at her phone. "...Sadly, first team forfeits. Be right back to fetch 'em."
She went in, emerged with them—both looking shell-shocked. Probably sworn to silence, they were ushered elsewhere.
A few brave teams followed, but every one screamed—no exceptions. Most quit; others powered through shrieking. Plenty skipped entirely, so our near-last turn came quick.
"Go get 'em!"
Phone lights on, we entered. Instantly, Yoo Seol-ah latched onto my arm.
"...What if I trip from freaking out..."
I'd figured as much, but if we both liked it, no harm done. Only dilemma: fake a scare? For the sunbaes' effort, I dialed down my auto-enhanced night senses.
Spotlight brightness amid darkness ratcheted tension way higher.
"...Scarier than I thought..."
Her voice stayed calm despite the death grip, but her pulse quickened—genuine fear, maybe. Back on Earth a while now.
"Ah, there's one."
First floor empty; second room left had a glow-ball, plenty left—lots of quits.
We took the central stairs to 2F, searching leftward.
Third room: glow-balls by a huge mirror.
No one on 1F meant traps from here. We stepped in sync— no doors slamming. But grabbing the ball... the mirror reflected a faceless horror, eyes-nose-mouth void, blending seamlessly.
"Eugh..."
"Hiiik!..."
Quality too pro for faking. I'd banked on skinship excuses, but her cute yelp was real—arms trembling slightly around me.
Thankfully, static dummy: Jia unnie in pro makeup. Expected council costumes, but this was legit pro haunted house level. We both jumped—our screams private, unlike others.
Second ball secured, up to 3F.
"...No joke."
She steadied breath fast, eyes unflinching—habit. Makeup vetted, no more scares now.
"Kyaaaaang!"
"......"
Mid third hunt, lips-ripped ghoul. 0.5 sec later, she ninja-shifted into full cling-mode.
My read spot-on: pulse barely changed. Scariest part? Her face buried perfectly in my chest, nailing the cute yelp tail-end. Peak girl acting?
And scarier still: Knowing it was fake, yet melting at the soft press and squeals. Battle-wise, she's stronger, but she makes me wanna protect her—this little monster was terrifying.
Balls split, down to 1F. Opposite exit: Nayeon sunbae leaning casually by the window.
Glanced, smirked. "Whoa, impressive?"
She turned fully—other half melted like acid-poured flesh.
Classic guard-down trap. Yoo Seol-ah, lulled by the normal side, missed her cue. Too late to fake; eyes darting, she blurted,
"...Ah, thank you."
"......Y-You used to this?"
"Ahaha... Well..."
No screams—she panicked. Out the exit, Yoo Seol-ah nibbled her lip, dodging eyes—no excuse handy.
"......"
Self-chiding for botched finale, but that last goofball moment amplified her charm. Plus, skinship galore—win-win.