Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Mountain Lodge Built on a Dokkaebi Den (6)
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As soon as the mountain lodge's front door swung open, a blast of chill air poured out, turning their breaths into thick white clouds.
They stepped inside, but the entryway sensor light didn't flicker on.
Na-rae moved further in and flipped on the living room lights.
A needless chill crept up their spines, leaving them shivering in the cold.
The lodge was damp, mold sprouting in patches on the walls, and the air thick with some foreign contaminant.
With the windows sealed shut for so long, poor ventilation made even their chests feel tight.
"The lodge keeper grandpa must've aired it out regularly, but the air's still stale. And the sensor lights aren't coming on."
Dong-jin's voice echoed through the living room like a hollow reverberation.
Na-rae reached for a window to let in some air.
It was stuck tight, groaning grotesquely and resisting even her superhuman strength.
Kkiiigeek—
The frame rattled violently.
Any more force and the glass would shatter, so she gave up and pointed to the stairs.
"This damn thing won't budge. Can't risk breaking the window... That must be the staircase to the upper floor. Place is huge inside. Perfect spot for ghosts to infest in droves."
"Places like that actually exist?"
True to form, Dong-jin reflexively reacted to her words.
"They do. Mia-ri Virgin Bodhisattva grandma told me. Even if you can't read spiritual energy, you can suspect it based on a few telltale signs."
"Really? You can tell without sensing spiritual energy? Even ordinary folks?"
As Na-rae leaned in close to explain, a pleasant scent wafted from her.
"Yeah. Even regular people can spot it. Places that don't feel bright, clean, or cozy—spots that come off as filthy, gloomy, or cluttered are prone to spirits settling in. What do you think? Simple, right, sunbae?"
Hearing this, Dong-jin thought of his own bachelor pad.
Truth be told, most lazy guys' rooms were like that.
"Gasp! That's my place to a T. Most guys' rooms are like that."
"Tsk tsk. Ghosts or no ghosts, hard to live long in a dump like that."
Na-rae clucked her tongue, then her eyes sparkled.
A look that meant she had something up her sleeve.
"I'll explain the hallmarks of ghost-infested homes and rooms, so listen up. If three or more match, start getting suspicious."
Na-rae thrust her face right up to Dong-jin's.
Staring at her long black hair, an inexplicable unease washed over him.
'Why's she always getting so close? And her hair's so damn long. Up close, she looks ghost-pretty. Wait, ghost? Is this really Reporter Eun?'
Ignoring Dong-jin's sudden tension, Na-rae edged even closer.
"Sunlight barely gets in, it's gloomy and damp, walls are cracked or crumbling, your chest feels tight just sitting there, poor heating leaves it freezing, nightmares plague your sleep, windows stick and won't open easily, airing it out still leaves a sour stench. How's that? Spot on for this place, right?"
Na-rae's canines flashed as her eyes gleamed.
'What if... this isn't Reporter Eun?'
The absurd thought made Dong-jin shudder.
He tentatively reached out, brushing her hair to confirm she was real.
"Hey, sunbae! Why're you touching my hair?"
"No, I mean... You are Reporter Eun, right? I can trust you?"
"Ugh, shut up. Let's head upstairs!"
'She's mad, so yeah, definitely Reporter Eun.'
Relieved, Dong-jin trailed after her like a puppy.
* * *
Byung-su and Baekho stood before a small white puppy.
Its round black eyes sparkled like stars.
Its fluffy fur felt soft and warm, like it had just been weaned.
Byung-su crouched down, and the pup approached, nuzzling his hand with its cheek.
It seemed like an ordinary dog that just loved people.
"Lots of animal spirits here. Abandoned, I suppose? They must've waited lonely for their owners, and even in death, couldn't leave."
Baekho said, petting the young pup's head.
"Looks like all the jibakryeong fled."
The stray spirits haunting the village had vanished at Baekho's arrival.
Only animal spirits remained, mostly dogs.
A few young cat spirits too.
As Byung-su stood, the white pup gazed up at him longingly.
It craved human company.
Aside from spiritual beasts like cats, most animal spirits didn't realize they were dead, harboring no grudges against whatever harmed them in life.
Thus, they lingered around their old homes, drawn to people.
This little pup must've feared the jibakryeong roaming upper village.
As Byung-su and Baekho moved to inspect the abandoned houses, the pup wagged its tail and followed.
Kim Byung-su glanced back and muttered.
"Can't just chase off the poor thing. Let's check the village first."
The vacated homes had cracked walls and overgrown yards.
While surveying, Byung-su and Baekho halted before a gate reeking of blood.
The trailing pup tucked its tail, stopping at a distance in fear.
Flies and maggots swarmed the gate, drawn by the stench.
Every spirit had its unique odor.
When that odor turned foul, it was called ghostly stench.
Any house with a foul smell warranted suspicion of spirits.
Spirits killed by bloody blades reeked of rotting fish and blood.
This was the ghostly stench born from memories of their death.
The most common was a faintly sour moldy smell—the odor just before a corpse rots.
Such nauseating stenches required incense to purify; even skilled exorcists or shamans struggled without it.
Sometimes broomcorn was burned instead for smoke.
Heavy ghostly stench also attracted flies and cockroaches, lovers of rot and decay.
This house clearly harbored a blood-reeking spirit.
"Spiritual energy this strong... pretty potent. It'll ramp up at night. What now? Used all my talismans on Cheonwon Garden's ghost gate to ward off strays... Even if I send Yi-hwa a thousand-ri message, she'll take a while..."
Baekho hesitated, asking Byung-su.
He'd expended every talisman keeping strays from Cheonwon Garden's gate, with Yi-hwa standing watch.
"Distance like this, Yi-hwa'd have to run far. Still call her?"
To Baekho's question, Byung-su boldly replied.
"Why wait? We're here—can't just skirt around this house."
Bold, but reckless.
Still, Baekho wasn't one to back down from bravado.
"Right? Let's go in."
Baekho pulled leather gloves from his pocket.
Red talismans against evil energy adorned them.
Gloved, Baekho flung open the gate.
"No biggie. Can't let some stray spook us off."
A cold draft laced with blood hit their faces.
Up close, it wasn't so easy.
No room for bluffing now.
"Close it?"
Byung-su whispered slyly.
"Sunbae, the lodge keeper grandpa said not to enter the room at the end of the upper floor, right? Said it was locked."
Na-rae asked, leading up the stairs.
Her long hair swayed down to her waist.
Dong-jin, following, felt a mix of thrill and fear.
'Fearless, charging ahead. That back's no joke.'
Lost in thought, ignoring her question, Na-rae snapped.
"Sunbae! Why no answer?"
Her voice echoed up the stairs.
Dong-jin startled.
"Ah, sorry. Save me."
"What? Idiot."
Na-rae let out a baffled chuckle.
They reached the upper hallway.
Four doors lined both sides, with a strange-talisman-marked door at the end.
The sour stench was thicker here than downstairs.
The hallway bulb dimly revealed the door's talisman.
"Such a unique talisman."
Na-rae walked the hall, inspecting it.
"Someone sealed an evil spirit behind this door with a talisman, right? Ow!"
Touching it, Na-rae yelped, stepping back.
White smoke rose from her hand, then dissipated.
Emel's energy boost enhanced her body, but talismans resisted her now.
Na-rae tilted her head.
"Guess we need to check inside."
"Open it?"
Despite fear, Dong-jin edged ahead protectively.
Pretending not to notice his courtesy, Na-rae gripped the knob.
"Huh? Door's ajar."
It was slightly open, light too dim to notice sooner.
"Didn't the lodge keeper say he closed it?"
"Yeah... begged us not to enter."
Dong-jin recalled the old man's words.
"Maybe he left it open after cleaning? Let's go in."
Na-rae threw it open; Dong-jin panicked.
"Eun... Reporter, what if someone's inside? You'll scare them."
His voice pitifully soft.
"Who'd be in there? If you were trapped, would you stay with the door open? Whatever was inside's gone. But man, the stench in this room is brutal."
Phone light sweeping ahead, Na-rae entered.
"Lodge keeper grandpa or that Ran woman—one of them open it? Or a third party? Who?"
Scanning the room, Na-rae asked.
Dong-jin found her face, lit by phone glow, eerily pretty yet terrifying.
'This room scares me, whatever was here scares me, but Reporter Eun's the scariest. I'm losing it.'
"Sunbae, you tremble at every question? So weak?"
Dong-jin quivered like a drugged fly; she pitied him.
Eyes adjusting to dark, Na-rae probed with her phone.
No windows save the talisman door—no gaps at all.
No ventilation; chest tight.
Every breath brought sour rot straight to her nose.
A stench like lungs rotting from within.
Unlike living humans, spirits chose haunts by taste, usually dark corners.
They clung parasitically to favorite objects.
Prime spots: wardrobes, planters' depths, wall corners, ceilings, rafters, atop chairs or tables.
Na-rae checked methodically.
Evil spiritual energy permeated everywhere, soaked over years, pressing oppressively.
Room brimmed with it, but no spirit in sight.
"Talisman on the floor too."
Same as the door, massive, covering the center.
After crouching to inspect, Na-rae stood, eyeing the wall closet.
It spanned the front wall, with sliding doors.
Talismans etched on those too.
"Hmm, talismans on the closet doors. Probably to keep whatever spirit was in this room from getting something inside. Door talisman seals the room. Right?"
Tracing the closet talisman, Na-rae asked.
"Sunbae, shine light here."
Sliding the door open gently released musty mold and chill air.
"What's this?"
Spotting something in the dark closet, Na-rae lit it and reached.
"Ow!"
She yelped like with the door talisman.
White smoke from her hand, gone in wisps.
"Eun Reporter! You okay?"
"Fine. Sunbae, grab that for me."
She pointed: a small knife in a black sheath.
