Chapter 1
Chapter 1
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Prologue, Hong Nyeo and Cheon Su-hwa
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1987, a sweltering summer in a rural village in Chungnam Province where kids were scarce. A stunningly beautiful woman moved in with a girl about ten years old.
The boy next door, watching them unpack, couldn't tear his eyes off the woman.
She had delicate features and wore a dark red suit—something you rarely saw in a backwater village like this.
"That lady's real pretty, but Mom's prettier still. Heh heh."
The boy's name was Byung-su, and he was in fourth grade at the local elementary school.
Byung-su had lost the most beautiful mom in the world the year before.
The woman gave a soft smile to the dazed Byung-su staring at her, then headed inside.
She must've overheard his mumbling.
The girl holding her hand, seeing Byung-su's dopey expression, raised her fist, pouted, and yelled,
"Dummy! My aunt's way prettier!"
The girl's eyes were huge and sparkling.
Even after getting chewed out by a girl who looked younger than him, Byung-su just grinned like it was nothing and turned to run off.
"Whoa, that little thing's feisty."
Byung-su recalled the girl's round, shining eyes and chuckled to himself, feeling oddly cheerful for no reason.
With no other kids his age in the village, Byung-su was always on his own, but he was a scrappy little rascal who roamed everywhere without a care.
His dad, the village head, was always busy, so Byung-su ate a quick lunch alone after school.
And after lunch, there was always one place Byung-su headed.
An abandoned house standing alone at the village crossroads.
It used to be a rib joint back when cars passed through the crossroads in front of the village.
Thanks to the road connecting to a bigger town nearby, business was good at first, or so he'd heard.
But then a new highway opened up next to Byung-su's village, traffic dried up, owners changed hands a few times, and it ended up as a wreck.
After psychic researcher Jang Won—famous from mystery TV shows—appeared on air and said he'd seen a spirit hanging from the upstairs ceiling, it became known as a haunted house. No one even wanted to take it over anymore.
After Jang Won's claim, the last owner who took it over hanged himself from that upstairs ceiling, unable to pay his debts.
Now, aside from outsiders coming for haunted house thrills and the occasional reporter, no one went near it.
The jagged broken windows made it even creepier, and now rumors said ghosts appeared even in daylight.
There were even articles about sightings of a ghost with a broken neck, thanks to the owner's suicide.
Byung-su squeezed through a shattered window and slipped inside, passing a dark corner without sunlight to climb upstairs.
"Why can't I see it?"
Not just Byung-su—no one in the village had ever seen a ghost there.
Only Jang Won the researcher, TV producers, reporters, and outsiders who'd seen the broadcast claimed sightings.
No adults in the village had seen anything, but Byung-su came every day, hoping to find some trace of the broken-neck ghost from TV.
"Like Dad says, no ghosts? All lies? Nah, TV wouldn't lie."
He poked around room to room, picked up the severed phone receiver and pretended to talk, when he felt a presence behind him.
Tap tap!
Rustling sounds and footsteps on the wooden stairs.
"Whoa! Is it here?"
Startled, Byung-su dove under a cluttered table, but then a clear, cute girl's voice rang out.
"What're you doing? Total dummy? I see you."
Byung-su looked up to see the little girl from next door peering down at him with wide eyes.
'Is she mocking me?'
As he crept out sheepishly, the girl asked,
"You hiding 'cause of me?"
"Nah, not 'cause of you."
"Then why?"
Byung-su couldn't admit he thought it was a ghost.
"Thought you were a thief or somethin'. Go figure."
The girl glanced around and snickered.
"What thief'd come here? Nothin' worth stealin'. That accent of yours real? First time hearin' it for real. Sounds so country, like on TV."
Embarrassed, Byung-su brushed off his knees and stood, muttering,
"Ain't no accent. I read the textbooks in Seoul talk. What're you on about?"
"Oh yeah? What were you doin' here anyway?"
Byung-su thought her speech sounded more polished than his and mumbled back,
"Heard there's a ghost here, so I was lookin'."
"Who said? No ghost here."
She said it flatly.
"How you know?"
"'Cause I know, that's how. Ha ha ha!"
She mimicked his accent and burst out laughing.
Her teeth gleamed in the dark.
"TV and papers said there's a ghost here! You know better than reporters?"
"Yup, I know better. I saw that TV show. Read the papers too. All scams. Trash."
"No way. Why would TV and papers lie?"
"For money... ratings... that's what those shows do."
"......"
"Just a place that went bust 'cause business died. Highway did it in. Then they spun it all spooky on TV, and the poor owner hanged himself. That psychic researcher Jang Won? Trash too."
The girl talked like she knew Jang Won well.
"He knew there were no ghosts—guy's got skills. He got the owner to hang himself."
"Psh, what do you know? No way he'd lie for cash."
Byung-su shuffled toward the stairs without meeting her eyes. She followed, saying,
"Anyway, no ghosts here. But if it stays empty, stray spirits might move in. So don't come back."
Her firm tone sent a chill down Byung-su's spine, and he hurried outside.
On the way home, she kept pace, giggling like something was hilarious.
Probably his clunky Chungcheong accent amused her.
'Why's she followin' me? Oh right, new neighbors.'
Just same direction, he figured, feeling a bit let down.
"How come you act like you know it all? This is my village. Lived here eleven years... I oughta know more."
Thinking about her bragging on the rib joint irked him.
"Eleven years? Heh heh, so you're eleven. Anyway, I was right. Don't go there."
She stated it firmly and pointed to the flag at her house gate.
A white cloth with a red cross bent at the tips.
"What? Nazis?"
She laughed hard at his question, then said sternly,
"Not Nazis. It's a shaman house flag. My aunt's a shaman. So am I. We serve General-nim. Do what I say, got it?"
She made him promise again and slipped inside.
No shamans in the village before, so Byung-su stared at the novel flag a while, then peeked through the slightly open gate.
A woman in flowing fairy-like hanbok welcomed the girl inside.
"That aunt's real pretty. As pretty as Mom."
Feeling inexplicably happy, Byung-su bounded home.
Dad was already back.
"Byung-su, you went there again? I told you not to. Can't go messin' around where folks died."
"Dad, new folks next door. Shamans."
"Heard. The old ladies are grumblin' it'll stir up the village... Hope they don't do those gong-and-cymbal rituals. Go wash up. Time for dinner."
Dad knew already, flag and all.
Next day, heading to school, the girl stopped Byung-su.
"Where you goin'?"
"School. You?"
"School? Giggle, your accent's hilarious... Ha ha ha. Me too. Same school. Third grade."
She was at the same school, a year below in third.
"Little squirt talkin' down to her big bro?"
Byung-su grumbled to himself but said nothing to her walking beside him.
And so, every day, Byung-su and the girl went to school together.
* * *
Thankfully, unlike the elders' worries, no gongs or cymbals, no rituals.
No visitors, so the house stayed quiet. The hanbok-clad aunt smiled and greeted villagers and Byung-su kindly, winning everyone over.
"Byung-su, you haven't gone there lately?"
Unlike her aunt, the girl wasn't kind to him.
'Who're you callin' like that to your big bro...'
He grumbled inwardly but just nodded like a dope.
"Good boy. Keep away. Somethin' weird's showin' up there lately. Absolutely don't go. Aunt'll check it out and chase it off soon. Till then, stay away."
That only fueled Byung-su's curiosity.
After school, walking home with her, he dumped his bag on the porch and bolted back out.
Glanced for her at the gate, then sprinted to the village edge.
'What's there? I'll peek alone and come back.'
Panting by the time he reached the house, a drizzle started as sunset fell.
"Whoa, sun's settin' soon. Quick look inside. Heh heh."
Excited for no reason, he squeezed through the broken window.
A foul fishy stench hit him unlike before, sending a chill.
"Rain makes it cold."
Muttering to buck up, he headed upstairs.
Crack!
A branch snapped loudly underfoot.
Creak creak.
His steps echoed louder on the wooden stairs than usual.
The amplified sounds chilled him; he hesitated to keep going.
"Psh, nothin' there. She's just messin' with me."
But if nothing, no point looking.
"Wait, gotta be somethin' to make it worth it."
That thought had him half-hoping something jumped out, half-praying it didn't.
'Better not... What am I even doin'?'
Pushing fear down, he reached upstairs, but thicker darkness hid even his feet, panicking him.
"How... sun set already? Pitch black."
He raised his voice on purpose, but his echo in the empty space scared him more.
Didn't want to stay.
"Nothin' here. Better go."
Without stepping, just staring into dark, he spun around.
A cold draft brushed his back heading for stairs.
Broken window, probably.
Gooseflesh prickled his neck; he flew down the stairs but tripped on something and tumbled.
Thud thud thud!
"Ow!"
Ankle twisted, side cramped; he yelled.
Thud thud thud!
"Huh?"
He'd already rolled to the bottom, yet rolling sounds came from above.
Byung-su jumped up, peered up the stairs—nothing.
"What? Misheard? Got spooked for nothin'..."
Brushed knees, ignored throbbing ankle, and went out.
Drizzle continued; sun down, darkness fallen.
"Gotta hurry for dinner."
Acting casual, heading home, the thuds still trailed him.
Definitely from inside the house.
Thud thud thud!
Now the sounds followed right behind him from the house.
"Dad'll chew me out. Better run."
Ignoring it, he ran.
As he dashed through rain, the thuds faded.
Soaked, Byung-su came down with a high fever that night, groaning in bed.
Worried dad thought to take him to the clinic by cultivator tractor once rain stopped, staying by his side.
"What kinda nonsense did this rascal get into? Out in the rain... Sigh."
Rain persisted into night; Byung-su groaned unconsciously now.
"Byung-su... Son..."
No answer; dad couldn't wait, stood up.
"Gotta call a taxi or somethin'. Can't risk it."
Then a woman's gentle voice came from outside.