Chang-gwi (13)
The scenery inside the camera was a rainy forest road.
The production crew drove, and drove, and drove, but they kept circling the same spot, ultimately arriving at...
The crew spent an entire hour circling near the abandoned hospital, and during that time, I searched the entire building.
From the first basement floor to the sixth floor.
There were no clues.
However, there was suspicion.
Did Seo Ji-woo really come here "alone"?
No.
There was no way.
Seo Ji-woo was not stupid. She wasn't an ignorant spellcaster who would pick up a camera she knew nothing about, point it at her own face, and press the REC button.
Clearly, someone had filmed Seo Ji-woo.
As I watched them converse, a sudden sense of incongruity washed over me.
"...?"
Something was off.
I counted the number of people captured on the camera screen.
Seo Ji-woo.
Reporter Lee Tae-young.
Camera Director Jin Yoo-sun.
And three writers.
Two women, three men.
All of them were caught in a single frame.
It was strange.
The production crew originally had five members, and Seo Ji-woo was alone.
If so.
"...Who is filming this video?"
Including the cameraman, there should be seven people.
Shhhhhhh.
In the pouring rain, the crew first brought the equipment from the car inside. Tents, flashlights, drinking water, heaters, tripods, and so on... Seeing the crew finally get serious, Seo Ji-woo spoke.
"The answer is probably inside this hospital. Want to move together?"
"Where to?"
Camera Director Jin Yoo-sun asked. Seo Ji-woo crossed her arms.
"First, the fourth floor. Only the operating room on the fourth floor is marked in red—"
...Wroooooong!
Seo Ji-woo furrowed her brows. She quickly ducked and pressed her temples.
"Ah, wait. Didn't you hear something just now?"
"...I didn't hear anything."
Reporter Lee Tae-young replied bluntly. The rest, including Jin Yoo-sun, were the same.
Seo Ji-woo examined them with a serious face, but soon nodded.
"Yes. Well. It is a very strange hospital, after all."
Lee Tae-young shone his flashlight on the elevator floor indicator. Sure enough, only the fourth floor was painted blood-red.
"Let's head up to the fourth floor first. We can film while we're at it. There's nothing else to do here anyway, right?"
At Lee Tae-young's words, everyone packed their gear. Seo Ji-woo stood up as well. Lee Tae-young gestured to her with his chin.
"We'd appreciate it if you could lead the way, Ms. Seo Ji-woo."
"Ah, of course. I told you, I'm an explorer."
Seo Ji-woo grinned and pressed the elevator button.
"......"
"......"
"......"
No matter how long they waited, there was no response.
"...It's not working again."
"Really?"
Jin Yoo-sun pressed the button.
Clack.
The elevator doors opened immediately.
"It works, though?"
Lee Tae-young and Jin Yoo-sun boarded the elevator. Watching them, Seo Ji-woo's expression turned quite peculiar.
"There must be some kind of condition... Let's go for now."
She pressed the button for the fourth floor.
I thought deeply.
Why did the crew suddenly increase to seven?
Simply because of a horror movie cliché? To scare the viewers?
"...No."
There was no way. Every phenomenon has a reason.
There is no such thing as "just because it's a ghost."
Seo Ji-woo was not alone when she first came here.
She was definitely not alone.
"......"
I recalled the conversation between Seo Ji-woo and the crew.
Concentrating my Sequence in my cerebral cortex, I recalled every memory, rewinding and analyzing each detail.
I compared, contrasted, and interpreted it with the information I knew about this village.
...And then.
"Could it be?"
I figured out the cause.
It was surprisingly simple.
However, I shouldn't reveal it hastily. Not only did I lack solid evidence, but this was merely a secondary answer.
The clue to the far more important culprit was definitely inside this camera.
The past crew had discovered some truth, and that was why they were murdered.
I had to wait until they found "it" in the camera.
Or perhaps, I had to help them find it.
Just then, Seo Ji-woo discovered something. Inside the drawer of a mobile cart in the operating room, documents were lying alongside scalpels and other tools.
The camera focused on them.
It was a bizarre report.
Subject of Study: Red Clothing (Jeok-ui)
Determined to be a modified form of ancient East Asian sorcery. The practitioner delicately separates the victim's facial tissue, accompanied by the ritualistic chanting of a specific incantation.
The ritual procedure is as follows:
1. The victim's face is incised in a special manner, inverted, and worn. This is known as the Human Skin Mask.
2. During this process, the physical condensation of the victim's soul is observed. The practitioner can consume this condensed soul, during which a strong release of energy is measured.
3. Once the ritual is complete, the practitioner perfectly replicates the victim's memories, personality, voice, and even biological fingerprints. Theoretically, the practitioner acquires every aspect of the victim.
Constraints:
There is a constraint requiring the constant wearing of the Red Clothing.
Without it, the transformation becomes unstable, causing a conflict of consciousness between the practitioner and the victim. The red garments are presumed to act as a magical medium that maintains the boundary between the two entities.
Experimental results show that when the practitioner removes the red clothing, they experience extreme pain along with mental fragmentation, and a rapid physical mutation occurs between the practitioner's form and the victim's form. This can lead to fatal consequences.
Even during normal times, the constant wearing of the Red Clothing is recommended to maintain transformational stability.
I read it carefully.
"...Not only is it essential when consuming souls, but it's also how he maintains himself."
To him, the red clothes were both a constraint and a safety device.
Seo Ji-woo quickly led the crew away, and I also moved in a hurry. *Thump, thump.* I limped up to the fourth floor using my cane.
The crew must not die.
Because...
Hehehehehehehehe.
The laughing bastard appeared again. Its form was a purple wisp of ghost fire.
"Hey. You. Follow me."
For a vengeful spirit, it was almost cute. Perhaps its grudge was very small, or maybe it wasn't a vengeful spirit at all. It might be useful.
"I said, follow me."
The purple wisp seemed flustered, but it soon chuckled and followed closely behind me.
Hehehehehehehehe.
"Good. Let's go. I'll make you my companion."
You're gonna be on TV, kid.
Chime.
A eerie bell sound. Suddenly, the door of the Used Bookstore swung open.
The trio sitting around the counter—Yoon Hwa-rim, Kang Hyun, and Lee Jun-ho—turned to look.
There was nothing there.
Lee Jun-ho instinctively placed his hand on his waist.
"What, what is it now? Why did the door open on its own—"
A voice came from below.
Rumble, rumble.
It was the truck.
"Ah. Ha-woon hyung."
Whew. Everyone let out a sigh of relief.
A perfect sense of stability, a uniquely low voice that was unshakably comfortable. It felt as if the Used Bookstore was being purified.
Yoon Hwa-rim spoke.
"Except for a ghost that paid us a visit."
"The production crew? Which crew? And what abandoned hospital?"
At Lee Jun-ho's question, the truck extended a robotic arm and pointed to a newspaper clipping stuck to the wall of the bookstore.
"...Right now?"
At that, Yoon Hwa-rim muttered playfully.
"Hmm... Do we get anything if we work hard?"
"I'm on it!"
Yoon Hwa-rim sprang to her feet. Beside her, Kang Hyun and Lee Jun-ho also warmed up their bodies, caught up in the momentum.
Lee Jun-ho and Kang Hyun exchanged glances.
Lee Jun-ho slunk back onto his seat at the counter.
"I'll yield this one to you. I already did my part at the school."
That was his excuse. Kang Hyun looked at him, dumbfounded.
Yoon Hwa-rim put on her rain boots first.
"Brother Right is at the abandoned hospital, right?"
"Okay. Then we'll head to the police station."
Rumble, rumble. The truck put down a walkie-talkie and drove off somewhere. He seemed busy.
"Hey, is anyone coming with us?"
Yoon Hwa-rim asked as she scanned the bookstore.
There was no response. They were either asleep or pretending to be.
A mischievous thought flashed through Kang Hyun's mind.
"...Hwa-rim. Want to try that?"
"Try what?"
"You know, that voice imitation thing from horror stories. Let's see if it actually works."
"Ah~"
Yoon Hwa-rim grinned. Lee Jun-ho also stood up slowly, thinking it was a great idea.
Kang Hyun tapped the floor of the bookstore.
"Hey. Want to go?"
Lee Jun-ho changed his voice.
"...No. I'm tired, so I'll rest."
"Yeah. Let's leave the tired ones alone."
"Right. Let's just pick the ones pretending to sleep and drag them along. It's only fair."
Yoon Hwa-rim giggled and added.
Kang Hyun turned and tapped Ryu Yeon-hwa.
"Hey. Want to go?"
There was no answer. She was actually asleep.
Lee Jun-ho changed his voice to a different tone.
"No. I'm tired. I'll rest."
"Okay. Rest."
And just as they were turning around, a certain guy sweating cold sweats caught their eye.
Im Hae-jun. He looked absolutely passed out.
Kang Hyun tapped Im Hae-jun on the shoulder.
"Hey. Want to go?"
He didn't expect much, but.
Surprisingly.
"No, hyung. I'm too tired... *groan*..."
"......"
"......"
"......"
The three of them froze like stone.
It was a shock akin to being hit in the back of the head with an arrow.
"Ha."
Lee Jun-ho let out a hollow laugh.
"...*groan*..."
Im Hae-jun's eyelids twitched as he desperately continued his act.
Lee Jun-ho gestured to Kang Hyun and Yoon Hwa-rim. The two nodded.
Well then, let's take Im Hae-jun along.