He Will Not Make You Do As You Wish
No matter what you do, you won't get your way. ////// By now, it was too late. The promised midnight had long since passed. The old man Yoon-ssi collapsed like a doll with its strings cut, dropping to his knees. Soon his body began to shake like a trembling aspen. And then... it came. **쿠웅**! A deafening boom followed, **퍼펑**! Outside, the power lines snapped, and the sound of batteries exploding **펑** echoed across the village. A full blackout swept through the entire hamlet. A pitch-black darkness settled, as if it had swallowed the village whole in one breath. In the oppressive silence that descended, the only sound left was the relentless patter of rain. In the midst of that pitch-black darkness, the old man Yoon-ssi could sense something standing right in front of him. **그르릉**... It let out a roar that sounded like a beast. He had to bow his head hurriedly. **철벅**... **철벅**... A heavy, dripping scent reached him. That scent felt terrifyingly heavy. And then... **후욱**... A hot, rotten breath brushed his face. Before the foul, steaming breath, tears welled up in the old man's eyes. How chilling it was... The overwhelming fear had risen all the way to the top of his skull, making it impossible to even breathe. **콰직**... A sound like something shattering came next. **쿠르릉**... Followed by the rumble of something collapsing. Every time, the old man jolted in surprise, his body trembling even more violently. Sweat or rain— he couldn't tell which— streamed down his face. That was when he heard it. "One is missing... one is..." The voice reaching him... "One is missing..." The voice kept repeating, and anger began to creep into it. The old man started to sob. "One is missing..." **후욱**! The hot breath surged forward again. It was right there. He could feel it. But at that moment... "W-What is this! E-Eek!!" Someone shrieked in terror. "W-What... what is it... H-Honey!" The frantic voice belonged to Suho, Hwan's father. Suho only realized later that he had been tied to a cross. He immediately thrashed around, calling for his wife Heeyeon, but she remained unconscious. At the same time, Suho looked before him and froze in shock at the presence of an existence that couldn't possibly be normal. That's when... It suddenly turned its head and glared at Suho. **쿠릉**! Thunder cracked, and the world turned white from the lightning. In the blinding flash of light, Suho saw it a little more clearly. "Haa..." His voice failed him. He shook his head, whispering it must be a dream, trying to deny reality. That was when... It flashed with furious eyes once more, and said threateningly to the old man still lying and shaking on the ground. "Clearly... our contract was to offer three sacrifices every five years. But how is it... why is one missing?" The furious voice thundered like a bolt from the sky. It felt as if his eardrums were about to burst. The old man let out a cry of terror, then somehow forced out a hoarse voice from his constricted throat. "T-That... w-we didn't expect this... Please, just wait a little... Th-That... just wait a little, and I'll definitely bring the final sacrifice. The villagers had already gone out to capture the escaped sacrifices, so please... please... hold on... wait for us," "You broke the promise." It cut him off with a nervous snap. Then it spat a hot, stinking breath toward the old man again. Before the foul, rotten breath, the old man shivered violently once more, bowing his head until his forehead slammed against the ground. "I-I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm truly, truly sorry... I'm sorry." "The contract must be fulfilled, but since you broke it first... I will punish you for breaking the contract." "Aaah... aaaah... Please... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." "Still, out of my mercy, I'll spare you. Since you brought only two instead of three, I'll grant you that mercy and let you live... but... I'll take the lives of the others." "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... Please... Please... Forgive me... Please..." Yet the creature paid no attention to the old man's desperate pleas. It roared again like a beast. That roar was as loud as thunder. Before the immense noise, the old man's ears felt ready to fall off. **비이이**... Tinnitus filled his ears. Meanwhile, before this unbelievable sight, Suho could do nothing. He just hoped this was a nightmare, but alas, it wasn't even a dream. A massive beast-like thing was still roaring. It turned its head and glared at Suho. Its huge yellow eyes flashed. It let out another terrifying bellow. “Aaaak!” Suho wanted to cover his ears with a scream, but he couldn't. Unfortunately, his hands were bound to the cross. Soon it opened its jaws **쩍**! and advanced. “Husband... Hwan...” Suho squeezed his eyes shut. Thinking of his wife and son... “Y-You who are the physician of our souls, the saviors of all those who seek you, I pray to you, drive away all the power of demons and the actions and activities of Satan... without... driving away the influence and curses of evil or those with evil intent...” Alas, Suho couldn't complete the prayer. **콰직**! It tore his head off and swallowed him whole. Suho died on the spot without even being able to scream. ///// -You won't get your way no matter what.- **콰르릉**... **쾅**! Explosions continued several more times. The beast's roar never stopped. Between the roars, screams and wails of people erupted. As if they had reached hell, even the most desperate wails made everything shrink in fear. The pouring rain, the trees swaying in the fierce wind, the nameless mountain, even the breathing bodies— they all trembled as if in terror. And Hwan still couldn't understand what was happening. He panted heavily. Each time he heard the beast's roar and howl, he looked around in fright, but alas, he saw nothing. Just pitch-black darkness everywhere. In the meantime, the voice kept calling for Hwan. Following the urgent voice, Hwan forced his trembling legs forward, barely climbing a path that didn't even exist. Now he was almost crawling on all fours. He had no idea where the voice was leading him. Was this really a ghost's voice? If the owner of this voice was a real ghost, why would it try to save him? He didn't know. Right now, there was no time to think deeply. As for Hwan, who was terrified by the endless screams and wails, he had no choice but to follow that voice. **캬오오오**! Another roar of an unidentified beast reached him. It sounded like his eardrums would burst, like thunder crashing right next to him. He had no idea what that was. At least it wasn't a simple animal. No way. Hwan endured the pain as best he could, even in fear, and took another step. He kept tripping over roots that suddenly jutted out of the ground over and over. Sharp branches scratched his cheeks raw. His soaking wet clothes, soaked by rain, tore **쭉**! when they caught on something. He was a complete mess. Even the spots where the old man had beaten him hurt worse. The pain only grew worse, and his breath came in short gasps, yet the end of the mountain never appeared. Where the hell was he supposed to go? ‘Just a little more... just a little... more...’ The voice kept coming. Still, Hwan thought he could survive only by following that voice. He didn't know why he thought that, but he was just being pulled along by instinct. Right now, Hwan had no room left for deep thought. At that moment, he tripped again over a root. “우악!” A scream tore from his throat as he tumbled forward. His body slipped and rolled across the somewhat steep path until he slammed into a large tree and stopped. His head hit the trunk. “허윽...” Agonizing pain surged. For a moment, the world went hazy. It felt as if black shadows were wrapping around his entire body. Ah... Hwaseok was getting hazier and hazier. His body felt at its absolute limit. There wasn't a single spot that didn't hurt. His heart and lungs felt like they would burst with every ragged breath, and every bone in his body seemed shattered. Even breathing was painful. He couldn't get up. He didn't want to get up. But... ‘If I want to live, I have to get up.’ The voice spoke again. Who was it? Whose voice was it? Tears spilled from Hwan's eyes. He gasped like he was losing air and said bitterly, “I... I can't... move... anymore...” ‘If I want to live, I have to move.’