Whispers from the Sanatorium
Lee Jeong had devoured the triangular kimbap in a flash, leaving only a faint look of regret on her face. Sunmin beside her wore an equally full expression of regret. Yongha felt the same way, but Jinsoo seemed to have forgotten his hunger entirely, as if it had vanished in an instant. Well… that made sense. He had always wanted to do a haunted house experience with everyone, hadn’t he? Especially Jinsoo, who loved occult elements so much, the dream was finally coming true, and it was only natural he was this excited. “Just a little longer! Haha! It’s coming up right now!” Everyone shook their heads while watching the still-buzzing Jinsoo. Of course, Sunmin couldn’t hide her anxious expression. Since the others were all going, she had no choice but to follow. She hated anything scary. Haunted houses were scary enough, but the dampness made her even less eager… still, her friends were going, and Jeong was determined to go too. So right now she was glued tightly to Jeong’s side. At least it was daytime, maybe that’s why it didn’t feel as terrifying. It was late winter too, so there were no bugs crawling around. Instead, the quiet rural road felt strangely eerie. Even in broad daylight, the place had a weirdly dim, gloomy atmosphere. The nameless mountain on the right only added to the unease. Its bare trees stretched out like the bony arms of a ghost, and every time the wind blew, they swayed, making her jump as if they might come alive any second. It was unbearably creepy.
“If we come here at night, the mood will be completely insane, right? By the way, how did you even know about this place?” Just as Yongha asked the buzzing Jinsoo, Jinsoo replied with a rather proud expression. “There’s an occult YouTuber I often watch. About a month or two ago, I saw a viewer-subscribed group do an experience together. If I get the chance, I’ll show you. It’s not a joke! The camera would suddenly turn off by itself, and even the people doing the experience would scream that they felt something! They even caught a ghost’s voice on camera!”
“Ugh… You’re not a kid anymore, do you actually believe that stuff? It’s all just edited, right?” From behind, Lee Jeong said in a blunt tone. Jinsoo frowned and answered seriously. “It’s real! Even some of the people who did the experience passed out! Eventually the YouTuber called a shaman he knew and asked for help, and only then did one viewer barely stand up. Whoa… it gave me the chills. And then they were taking photos at the end of the experience. The photos showed something that looked like a person! What do you think? It doesn’t scare you?”
“Probably just some dust or something.” Lee Jeong answered indifferently. She was interested in haunted house experiences but didn’t believe in ghosts. Maybe that’s why she didn’t feel scared. Jinsoo let out a sigh and added, “Just wait until later when you start crying and begging me to save you!”
“Hmph! You should try not scaring me either!” Laughing and chatting as they walked, they finally reached their destination. It had taken about an hour from the pension. A path branched off beside the road, leading into the mountains, and at the end of the path was an old abandoned building. Even though it was only two o’clock in the afternoon, the area was surrounded by tall mountains, giving the whole place an overwhelmingly dark feeling. The building itself looked even larger than expected. The entrance had once been blocked by iron bars, but there were signs someone had forcibly cut the lock on the bars. The door stood wide open. Beyond it loomed a three-story building on the verge of collapse. It had once been white, but now it was rusty in places, and parts of the outer wall had crumbled, revealing the interior clearly. Just looking at it made the hair on her arms stand on end.
“It’s bigger than I thought.” Yongha said, looking tense. His eyes were shaking as he stared at the building. Even Lee Jeong, who didn’t believe in ghosts, seemed fairly anxious; she could clearly sense the strange discomfort wafting from the building. Sunmin, in particular, was completely overwhelmed by the atmosphere, her shock and horror visible on her face. Only Jinsoo looked the most excited.
“So this used to be a sanatorium?” Jinsoo strode toward the main gate of the building. Beside the open iron bars was a broken signboard with only the word “sanatorium” left on it. “Wait… why build a sanatorium in such a remote place?” “Well… according to the YouTuber, before the sanatorium existed, this place was supposedly a secret military experiment site for the Japanese army during the colonial period.” “What? Are there even such things?” “Haha! I’m not sure, but the atmosphere is definitely creepy. It’s not like it’s illegal to build a sanatorium anywhere. Come on, let’s just do a quick lap before it gets too late. The serious investigation will wait until midnight! Hurry up! You’re not chickening out, are you, Jeong? What did you say earlier?”
“Hah! Who’s scared?” Deliberately provoking her, Jeong pouted and strode inside. Sunmin had no choice but to follow, and Yongha, who had been tense, ended up going in too when the others did. Fortunately, since it was daytime, nothing unusual happened. The only thing was a slightly eerie atmosphere, and it was just an old abandoned building. Large mice and cats occasionally scurried past, making her jump, but otherwise it felt a bit boring. Of course, it would probably be different at night. Most of all, Sunmin had completely lost her nerve and ended up running out of the place in panic. They wrapped up the tour and headed back to the pension. By the time they returned, it was already four o’clock in the afternoon. From the tension, her body felt like lead, and her stomach ached as if it were glued to her back. Luckily, the pension owner’s grandmother had served them boiled potatoes and steamed sweet potatoes, so they could at least soothe their hunger before dinner.
While eating, Jinsoo asked the grandmother about the abandoned building nearby. “Grandma! Do you know anything about the sanatorium near here?” “Sanatorium?” “Yes! The one way down that road… in the mountains.” “Ah… that place…” The grandmother’s expression became a little troubled. She seemed to know something. “I don’t know the details… It was already there when I moved here before I started running the pension. People used to visit it often to see the ruins… Were you kids also coming because of that abandoned building?”
“Ah! No! We were just curious.” Jinsoo scratched his cheek and brushed it off. The grandmother looked serious. “If you’re planning to go, I wouldn’t. Rumors about it aren’t good.” “Rumors? What kind of rumors?” “Some people have seen strange things, heard voices… and there have been missing persons reports every time. I don’t believe in those things, but the place doesn’t seem safe for people to live in…” “Not a safe place to live?” Yongha asked with a puzzled look. The grandmother shrugged. “Well… people say there are places that feel like the underworld.” “Like places where the ley lines run?” Jeong, chewing on a boiled potato, asked. The grandmother nodded, her expression still serious, and there was a hint of fear in her eyes. “Yes, that’s right. Anyway, there are all kinds of weird rumors. Plus it’s an old building, so it’s dangerous too. Best not to go unless you have to. Got it?”
“Haha! Okay. We were just a little curious.” Jinsoo said, glancing at his friends. Those who knew him well could tell he was lying. His face was flushed with excitement, as if he couldn’t wait to go to the haunted house right away. Lee Jeong and Yongha looked troubled, while Sunmin was already trembling with fear, clearly not wanting to go even if she died.