Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Am I Pretty?
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51.
A woman wore a black veil.
Her face beneath it was unknowable, only a chilling aura flowing out.
The distinctive silver hair cascading from between the veil seemed to represent the beauty of the invisible woman.
Swish!
The woman covered the corner of her mouth with a black fan.
The distance between Park Yeon-jeong and the woman was considerable, but the contours of the black dress clinging to her skin were vividly clear.
Soon after.
The woman seemed to sense Park Yeon-jeong's gaze.
She opened her mouth again.
〖I'll ask once more.〗
The woman's voice filled the space and spread, the resonance making the space itself tremble.
The woman, lounging seductively on the throne, slowly straightened her posture and asked.
〖Do I appear beautiful to you?〗
‘At this distance, how could I see?’
Inwardly spewing frustration, Park Yeon-jeong absolutely did not readily open his mouth to her question.
Not right now.
Not until that woman showed him her true face.
Absolutely.
No matter what.
Even if his arms were torn off... ah, no, that wasn't it.
Anyway!
He absolutely must not open his mouth.
A hasty answer would be like offering his own skin and flesh to her.
==========
/Ghost Story Log
[Am I Pretty?]
:Identification Code Cd-C-12
Pursuing beauty is only natural.
If you want to live your whole life ugly, go ahead and throw stones at me.
But.
Do you want to become pretty?
Do you want to monopolize love?
Do you want everyone to look only at you?
Then rush to a mirror right now and shout this.
Bloody Queen.
Bloody Queen.
Bloody Queen.
‘Please grant me the same beauty as yours!’
Then I will ask you.
〖Do I appear beautiful to you?〗
You will then...
‘...Yes, you are truly beautiful. More than anything...’
Pursuing beauty is only natural.
Everyone was satisfied with her procedure.
Physical suppression possible.
Mental damage very high.
*Caution.
Upon encountering the Bloody Queen.
1. When she smiles with a beautiful face. (‘You are truly beautiful,’ you must say.)
2. When she wears a haughty expressionless face. (Absolutely do not answer her words.)
3. When her face is composed of ■■■■■, run away. (To a place with no mirrors—you must flee with all your might to survive.)
==========
If his first encounter with the Bloody Queen had begun in a mirror, he could have responded appropriately to the situation.
But the situation was different now.
Being in the space ruled by that queen changed everything.
It meant he had entered the Bloody Queen's domain.
There was a high probability she was wearing ‘that face.’
The ‘that face’ he absolutely must not confront.
Thud!
He bowed his head as if paying respects to a king.
In truth, to avoid meeting the queen's eyes, he lowered his head. Deeper... as if burrowing into the stone floor.
He pressed his forehead to the floor with all his strength.
Snap!
The fan-folding sound pierced his ears.
〖I'll ask once more.〗
Clack, clack.
The queen rose from the throne.
Clack, clack.
The Bloody Queen approached him.
〖There aren't many who torment me with such longing.〗
Clack.
〖If you want to see my face so badly from up close, I'll specially grant it.〗
Clack.
The vibrations of her footsteps drew nearer.
Clack.
〖Raise your head.〗
“…….”
〖I said raise your head.〗
“…….”
I don't want to.
Can I just stay like this?
Honestly, he just hoped the queen would give up on him and obediently send him back outside.
Please.
Grab!
!
The queen seized his lowered chin and yanked it toward her face.
〖Don't worry. It will be a beauty you'll never see again.〗
“…….”
His mouth clamped shut on its own.
And he prayed.
Like when the purple bullet appeared, for the black skull mark on his arm to react.
Please, skull mark, just like back then!
‘Please, Lucky Day Park Yeon-jeong!’
He wished desperately.
Swoosh.
Before the queen lifted the veil covering her face.
〖How is it?〗
He... saw it.
He saw her face oozing from beyond the veil.
Drip.
His gaze naturally shifted to something trailing from beyond the veil.
In the spot his eyes fell.
Something that should never detach from a face had fallen there.
A chunk of human flesh stained red.
He gulped down air in a hurry.
But the queen's low voice continued tickling his ear.
〖Does my beauty steal your breath?〗
Park Yeon-jeong's head slowly lifted toward the sky. He stared directly at the face of the entity called the queen who addressed him.
〖Yes, open your eyes wide and behold. Am I... beautiful?〗
'Ah, shit, it's over.'
The face of the Bloody Queen before his eyes was like...
A doll made wrong.
Her skin was taut in an unnatural pull, his gaze fixating on the flecks of flesh peeking along the stitched seams.
Without his glasses, he might have screamed and fainted on the spot.
Crack-!
As the queen moved her mouth once more.
Her lips parted slowly, so agonizingly slowly. A red tongue slithered out toward him through the gaps pulled by the stitches.
〖...I'll ask once more.〗
Tick-tick-tick!
The stitches holding her lips burst free, and a grotesquely foul tongue dripped inky mucus as it lolled out like a zombie's.
〖Is this throne's face... beautiful?〗
The queen whispered again.
At that, he barely pried his mouth open.
"Your Majesty, you are truly... beautiful. To the point every woman would envy you, the very standard of beauty that only you embody..."
The queen halted her hand and murmured slowly.
To himself, where the queen couldn't hear, he said.
‘...My stomach's churning.’
The absolute worst form of woman one must never face in this ghost story unfolded right before his eyes.
Not a beautiful smile.
Not haughty indifference laced with cold cruelty.
Like flesh stitched together with thread.
He etched into his own eyes the most horrific visage he never wanted to see again.
And the crowning horror of the queen's current face was.
Crack-crack-!
The sound of fixed stitches threatening to snap with every word.
Nauseating.
Without thinking, his hand rose to his mouth.
To face this queen in the worst possible moment... it was misfortune incarnate.
- Unlucky Day.
Your performance is spot-on reliable.
Mr. Skull Mark.
〖A man after my heart.〗
Swoosh.
Soon, the hand gripping his chin trailed down his cheek. It caressed his plump lips endlessly.
With that crowning smile.
〖Even bringing a gift for me. Commendable... commendable. You might be the first so eager.〗
‘If I don't, you'll kill me!’
Swish!
The queen withdrew the hand from his lips and unfurled the fan in her other hand once more.
〖Excellent. You are fit as my 211th groom.〗
“...Thank you.”
Knew it!
==========
The Bloody Queen claimed as grooms all men who saw her hideous form without screaming and complimented her appearance. (Women were slain without exception.)
==========
But refusing her groom position here would lead only to death.
Clack.
The queen stepped off first, smile playing at her lips as she led him somewhere.
〖Leave that ugly princess tossed on the cold floor. My grooms will keep that wench safe.〗
“Yes, understood.”
He followed her words.
But even without grabbing the doll pile, determined to save at least their Bear Doll, he moved.
“Stay in the Employee ID for now.”
Swing!
Just the arms attached to the torso flailed, offering scant comfort each glance.
Sometimes more than these mental damage immunity glasses, the Bear Doll mended his spirit better.
Soon, he tucked the torso-only Bear Doll into his Employee ID.
Swish!
The queen's fan snapped, urging his steps.
〖A dawdling groom does not please me. Move briskly.〗
“I'll bear it in mind.”
He trailed the sharp-tempered queen's pace.
*****
Rustle.
Her graceful, flowing steps and rear view exuded true queenly majesty.
Minus that hideous face.
How far had they walked?
Spotting the black humanoid shape underfoot, a thought flashed through his mind.
“...A person?”
He muttered unwittingly.
Foolish... in a place like this.
Where humans could exist.
Ahead in the long corridor, two men in black uniforms awaited their arrival.
The queen glanced at them, faint smile peeking through her veil.
〖Fine appearances today too.〗
“…….”
“…….”
She addressed the men with utmost familiarity.
〖Make your introductions. This is my 211th groom.〗
“…….”
“…….”
Right after she spoke, he bowed deeply to the men in polite greeting.
“An honor to meet you.”
“…….”
“…….”
No reply came, as expected.
‘...Of course not.’
Crack-crack-crack-.
The skin on the face of the man who'd just moved split open.
The queen caressed the peeling flesh tenderly.
In a wistful tone.
〖Worry not. My love for you remains unchanged.〗
This queen... terminal case.
By delusion metrics, she was the worst.
Formal greetings to the men for her sake.
But no matter the angle, these two were already.
Dead.
No original form left, bodies pieced from others' parts.
Likely... his own future not far off.
Swoosh.
Park Yeon-jeong's gaze returned to their faces.
Plop.
Roll roll roll.
Ah... come on.
The man's eye popped out like a toy marble with absurd ease, intensifying his desperate urge to escape.
The queen paid it no mind.
〖Food'll get cold. Hurry.〗
Her pace quickened post those words.
He kept up, and upon reaching her mentioned spot.
〖Right on time.〗
As her timely arrival remark ended, his eyes took in.
The room's absurd scale, and her grooms filling countless chairs, awaiting him.
This place was.
A hellish diner too vile to name.
Urk!
He pinched his nose instinctively.
Clamped his mouth.
The acrid stench stabbing his nostrils nearly brought up bile.
Mental shields or not.
It couldn't stop the stink invading his nose.
〖Sit. I summoned everyone here myself for your arrival.〗
Her words prepared his seat amid the stench he'd shun lifelong.
One empty chair drew his eye.
He bolted to the obvious vacancy and sat.
She began detailing them one by one along the long table.
〖To start, my first husband is...〗
It began.
The rambling flesh-toy roll call.
He tuned out her words from the outset.
Reason.
The bowl before him.
Prime sirloin, now.
Bone-dry sans blood, surrounded by buzzing flies and wriggling maggots stealing first glance.
No longer prime sirloin.
Fresh maggot steak.
Meaning.
Absolutely not eating.
Shoving maggot steak in his mouth? He dreaded the bodily fallout.
〖Oh my.〗
Hmph!
Her voice grazed his ear, gaze snapping to her.
〖No time given for your meal. My chef prepared it with care—taste it first.〗
...Pardon?
Stuffing maggot steak in? His guts would swarm too?
〖No refusing. Eat.〗
Refuse!
Flat-out refuse!!
No way.
To dodge eating, he pivoted the topic fast.
Before maggot steak hit his lips.
"...More than that, Your Majesty! You said I'd be your 211th consort... how's the wedding planned?"
!
She startled at his words.
〖...Already etching our future deep in your heart. Liking you more by the minute.〗
Wrong phrasing?
But she soon replied.
〖Preparing a special wedding this time.〗
“Special wedding...?”
Ominous vibes.
〖Past husbands turned too taciturn post-wedding. I don't mind, but... even I feel lonely at times.〗
Don't sugarcoat as ‘taciturn.’
Not taciturn—they're corpses.
〖So a different approach this time.〗
Swish.
Fan folded, she pointed it at him.
〖Lucky your face suits me. Just swap that puny frame.〗
〖That skinny build won't satisfy me tonight.〗
“…….”
Pardon?
Body swap kills him for sure.
Why do ghost stories treat his body like swappable toy?
〖Looking forward. Our first night... anticipate it.〗
Heh-heh-
Time until Park Yeon-jeong's body modification.
1 hour.