The Impostor at the Door
In the attic on the second floor of the Used Bookstore, the flame of a beeswax candle flickered rhythmically.
“…I heard this story somewhere. It’s supposed to have happened in the military.”
The scarlet flame illuminated the faces of Yun Hwa-rim, Lee Jun-ho, and Kang Hyun.
“A soldier went out late at night to smoke, and then! He witnessed someone in a military uniform stabbing another person to death.”
Yun Hwa-rim recited the horror story in a chilling tone.
“The witness made eye contact with the killer and ran away immediately. He rushed back into his barracks—or living quarters, whatever—and laid down right away. Thankfully, there were plenty of other soldiers inside, so he thought he’d be safe… but then, the killer walked in!”
Lee Jun-ho and Kang Hyun perked up their ears.
“The witness squeezed his eyes shut. He desperately pretended to be asleep. The killer started tapping the sleeping soldiers one by one, asking them a question.”
Yun Hwa-rim lowered her voice to sound like a man.
“Hey. Is it you?”
Then, a reply came back.
“Yes? What are you talking about?”
“Never mind. It’s not you. Go to sleep.”
Lee Jun-ho licked his dry lips and chewed on a piece of scorched rice.
“In that way, the killer kept waking up soldiers, asking, and answering… and finally, it was the witness’s turn.”
The candlelight blazed in Yun Hwa-rim’s eyes.
“The killer tapped his shoulder and asked.”
“Is it you?”
The witness replied, pretending as best he could that he had just woken up.
“What are you talking about…?”
But suddenly, the killer’s face twisted!
“It’s you!!!”
Lee Jun-ho and Kang Hyun shuddered.
Yun Hwa-rim giggled and held up a finger.
“Here’s the question. How did the killer find the witness?”
“…I guess he didn’t pretend to be asleep well enough. He must have been someone who could detect subtle facial expressions.”
At Lee Jun-ho’s answer, Yun Hwa-rim shook her head vigorously.
“Wrong. Kang Hyun, what about you?”
“…Hmm.”
Kang Hyun bit his lip and pondered.
“Was the witness actually the killer?”
“…Do you have a twist-ending obsession? No. The answer is.”
Yun Hwa-rim wore a meaningful smile.
“The killer was doing a voice impression.”
It was a one-man show from the start.
“Tap. He tapped the shoulder lightly so the sleeping person wouldn’t wake up, asked ‘Hey, is it you?’, and then answered with his own mouth.”
“What are you talking about?”
“He answered like that. The witness fell for it.”
Kugugugung!
Suddenly, lightning flashed outside the window. The radio in the corner of the attic turned on by itself.
Wiiii-wiiii-ing.
Lee Jun-ho hunched his shoulders instinctively, and Yun Hwa-rim laughed as if she found it amusing.
Meanwhile, chaos erupted on the floor below.
“Let’s go down.”
Kang Hyun opened the attic door. The first floor, the Used Bookstore, was pitch black.
“The lights went out all of a sudden!”
“Hey, hey, check your mental state first-”
“It’s okay. Everyone, calm down.”
Yun Hwa-rim condensed a blue orb and made it float. A pale light source illuminated the interior, and crackle, crackle-crackle. Before long, the electricity returned.
Swaaaaaa───-
The sound of the rain was deafening.
“Wow, look outside. At this rate, won’t the bookstore collapse?”
As the explorers murmured among themselves.
“…Ugh.”
Im Hae-jun finally opened his eyes.
“Haa….”
He sighed and barely managed to lift his upper body. He seemed to have recovered quite a bit; his complexion looked fine.
Kang Hyun let out a dry laugh.
“Hae-jun. You’re up?”
“Huh? Hyun-hyung….”
At that moment, the window right next to Im Hae-jun.
A head appeared. It was a floating head ghost drifting in the air.
Kang Hyun swallowed hard.
“…Hae-jun. Listen carefully.”
“Why?”
“You shouldn’t look to the side-”
“What’s on the side, KYAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.”
“No.”
“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.”
“Shut up.”
“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.”
“…Now I’m scared too.”
“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.”
“The sight of you being scared is what’s scary.”
“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAK─-”
Im Hae-jun shook his head, shrieked like a chicken, and fainted. Thanks to that siren, the other explorers calmed down.
Yun Hwa-rim announced to them.
“…Everyone! Never go outside. Don’t even open the door!”
Kwarururung!
The weather was fierce. It was almost a typhoon. The Used Bookstore was shaking violently.
“The building, I think the building is going to collapse?”
“No. It’s an illusion.”
Kang Hyun spread his palm.
“Look. Not even a speck of dust is falling.”
The wind was intense, but not enough to bring the house down. In fact, it wasn’t even shaking. It was merely an illusion meant to deceive us.
“As long as we’re inside, they can’t touch us. That’s why they’re… struggling even more.”
At that moment.
Knock, knock, knock.
A graceful knocking sound echoed against the bookstore door.
Everyone turned toward it.
—Could you please open the door?
Kate, who had left a few hours ago saying she would go on a separate adventure, had returned.
Lee Jun-ho glared at her.
“You can just open it from there.”
—It won’t open. Look.
Kate grabbed the doorknob.
Rattle, rattle. Rattle, rattle. Rattle, rattle.
She shook it, but it wouldn’t open.
—There’s a vengeful spirit behind me.
She glanced behind her with a sidelong look. On the other side of the road, not far away, a pale shape shimmered.
It was a vengeful spirit.
—Please, open it, quickly.
“…….”
The ghost slowly approached Kate. Cold sweat beaded on her face.
—I said open the door!
“E-everyone, why aren’t you-”
Ryu Yeon-hwa, unable to stand it any longer, stood up, but Kang Hyun stopped her.
“It’s not her.”
He looked at Kate’s right forearm.
“The mark that Ha-woon-hyung carved.”
The [R] mark that should have been there was missing.
“It means she’s a fake.”
—…….
Then, Kate limply clung to the window of the door. Her face turned deathly white, and from her empty, expressionless eye sockets….
Red blood gushed out in torrents.