Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: If You Fall Asleep, You Die (2)
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At the man's words, Byung-su quietly asked the old woman.
"What could be so urgent? She's really worried about us, right?"
"Who knows. Let me focus, Kim. Be quiet, reporter. You're distracting me."
The old woman gave a curt reply to Byung-su and perked up her ears.
The fishy stench and the smell of vomit grew stronger from the bottom of the stairs, along with the sense that something was approaching.
The number started at two or three, then grew to a dozen or so, and soon swelled to dozens.
Murmuring voices and babbling noises gathered closer to the base of the stairs.
"Nothing good's gonna happen if we stay here. Let's head behind that man for now."
The man seemed suspicious too, but the noises from below worried him more.
"Mr. Choi, that dog won't bite, will it? At least hold onto its leash."
Na-rae, intimidated by Black Dog, asked the man.
The man was nonchalant, as if it were no big deal.
"This dog doesn't bite people, so don't worry."
'Everyone says the same thing about their own dogs. That guy's no different. Annoying!'
Na-rae grumbled inwardly.
Black Dog was scary, and the off-kilter man was suspicious.
But the sounds from below were even more unsettling, leaving no other choice.
The old woman took the lead, and the rest of the group hurriedly followed.
No sooner had they moved than something leaped up into the spot they'd vacated.
Startled by the sound behind them, Byung-su whipped around.
Hidden in pitch-black darkness, only the noise was audible—no shape discernible.
The man perched on the coffin hurled a stake toward the darkness.
A dull thud echoed as whatever it hit tumbled back down the stairs.
For a moment, silence blanketed the area.
A chill wind blew through the shattered windows here and there.
Byung-su's group skirted the torn-up floorboards and stood behind the man.
Black Dog turned its head to watch them as they moved.
As they drew near the man, the foul stench intensified.
Byung-su sniffed cautiously from behind him.
The man's body only carried a faint whiff of sweat and body odor.
The nauseating smell wasn't coming from him at all.
Noticing Byung-su sniffing behind him, the man tapped the coffin beneath him and spoke.
"The smell isn't coming from me—it's from this coffin. So stop sniffing around."
"What's inside this coffin? A body, maybe?"
In this deserted haunted house, a man sitting on a reeking coffin was naturally suspicious.
The merchant and the old woman eyed him warily too.
"A coffin should hold a corpse, of course, but unfortunately, it doesn't. Instead, I've got the evil spirits I captured here trapped inside."
"Ha... This guy's really..."
Byung-su let out a hollow laugh at the man's absurd claim.
But the merchant and old woman's reactions differed from his.
Whether they believed him or not, they scrutinized the coffin he sat on.
Noticing their serious expressions, the quick-witted Byung-su shifted his attitude and asked the man.
"Mr. Choi, may I have your full name?"
The man pondered Byung-su's question for a moment.
"I'm Judge Choi. Pan-gwan Choi."
As soon as the man gave his name, Byung-su signaled Na-rae with a gesture and pressed further.
"Ah, Judge Choi. Could you tell us your age and where you're from? I'm a reporter with KD Report. Would it be okay to do a quick interview?"
The man chuckled heartily and consented.
"I'm pretty old, and I came from somewhere far away."
His vague answer suggested he had reasons for not revealing more, which put Byung-su at ease.
"You need to be more specific, sir. If it's something you can't share publicly, we can edit it out, so no worries."
"Alright, fine. But do we really need an interview right now?"
"It'll be quick. Those two can handle any danger."
The interview resumed.
The man's gaze wasn't on Byung-su but fixed on the stairs.
Na-rae had no choice but to shift in front of him to film.
"What's in this coffin? It reeks of rot—could you open it for a second?"
Was there a corpse inside? It was a pointed question born of suspicion.
If a body turned up when he opened it, it would be the scoop of the century.
Even at Byung-su's question, the man's expression didn't change.
"Didn't I just say it's full of evil spirits? You can't open it carelessly. Hey, miss in front! You're blocking my view. I can't see the stairs."
He spoke in a thick, composed tone, utterly unflustered.
"Mr. Choi, if you won't show us inside the coffin, we'll have to call the police. Don't take it personally—just let us take a peek."
Byung-su wasn't letting go of his interest in the coffin.
'If there's a body in there, it's front-page news.'
The merchant, who had been crouching to inspect the coffin, carefully mediated between them.
"Byung-su, let's do the interview first, then check the coffin or call the cops later. It might turn out to be nothing."
Agreeing with the merchant, Byung-su resumed the interview.
As it began, the merchant subtly placed his hand on the coffin.
"Sorry if we offended you. Anyone seeing a coffin in a place like this would get suspicious. Alright, back to the interview. How long have you been here?"
"Quite a while. Hey, I said move!"
The man, who'd been speaking politely, suddenly barked at Na-rae filming in front of him.
Startled, Na-rae hurriedly stepped aside.
The man's fixation on the stairs piqued Byung-su's curiosity.
"What have you been doing here? You threw a stake down those stairs earlier—what's that about?"
"You saw the Gwi-mun below on your way in, right? I'm guarding it. You'll find out what the stakes mean soon enough."
Byung-su glanced at the merchant, unsatisfied with the cryptic answer.
The man knew about Gwi-mun, so he wasn't ordinary, but he seemed to be hiding a lot—Byung-su sought the merchant's help.
Reading Byung-su's mind, the merchant took over the questioning.
"You know about Gwi-mun. How? What's your occupation? And why guard it from this floor instead of the one below?"
The merchant's question was lengthy, and the man merely smiled.
Unable to stand it, the old woman demanded answers.
"Hey, you! Choi! If you're up here, does that block the Gwi-mun below? Now spill your real name."
Even though he'd just told Byung-su, she asked again for some reason.
The man thought for a moment before replying to the old woman.
He was an inscrutable fellow.
"I said I'm Judge Choi. Pan-gwan Choi. If I'm on this floor, anything coming through the Gwi-mun won't escape outside—they'll come up here to devour me instead. Plus, it's easier to deal with them from this floor than the one below..."
Emphasizing his title as Judge again, the old woman tilted her head, lost in thought.
This time, the merchant questioned the man.
His hand still rested on the coffin.
"Judge Choi? So you're the bait? Let's say something comes out of the Gwi-mun like you say. Why would it bother coming up here when it could go outside and prey on more people? Wouldn't some have slipped out already?"
It was a sharp question, but the man answered calmly as ever.
"They know devouring me alone is a bigger prize than snacking on crowds outside, so nothing's gotten out. Besides, the coffin I'm sitting on is emitting malevolent energy, drawing in not just what's from the Gwi-mun but every other nasty thing nearby. No need to worry."
Byung-su quietly asked the old woman about the man's unflappable demeanor.
"Bodhisattva, what do you make of him?"
His whisper was soft, but her booming response echoed.
"What do I make of him? He's lost his mind. Knows about Gwi-mun, so probably got possessed, then the spirit left and took his soul with it—like a burned-out shaman. Something's in that coffin, not alive but... we gotta force it open anyway!"
The man on the coffin glanced at her after her thunderous shout, then smiled faintly.
No trace of worry or fear.
Worried about an outburst, Byung-su edged closer to the old woman and cautioned softly.
"That dog looks fierce. You sure it'll be okay?"
He'd tried to keep it from the man's ears, but the quiet amplified it.
"Fierce or not, it's just a mutt. Here, grab a stake each."
The old woman's booming voice flustered even Byung-su mid-sentence.
Ignoring their embarrassment, she picked up two neatly placed stakes and handed them to Byung-su and the merchant.
The merchant reluctantly released the coffin and stood, stake in hand.
Byung-su gripped his too.
The man smiled brightly and picked up one beside him.
In the darkness, Black Dog's eyes gleamed as it rose.
It resembled a Doberman but was thicker, larger, and jet-black.
The merchant fixed his gaze on the man and positioned himself beside the old woman.
Oddly, he seemed unbothered by Black Dog.
The old woman whispered to him.
"So, what do you sense?"
"There might be a human corpse inside, but I feel various spirit energies too. So many that opening the lid could be our funeral. Anyway, he's suspicious all around."
"Just as I thought. Let's pressure him more and uncover who he is. That dog worries me, though."
The merchant glanced at Black Dog, his lip curling slightly.
Hard to tell if it was a smile or a grimace.
"I'm not sure about the dog either. Better not provoke it—grab the man, then call the cops."
The old woman nodded in agreement.
The merchant stepped forward, speaking gently.
To avoid agitating Black Dog.
"We're holding these clubs because of the dog, not to threaten you, sir. Tie its leash securely to this coffin, and we'll set ours down."
The plan: restrain the man once the dog was secured.
The man burst into loud laughter and released the leash with a flick.
Unleashed, Black Dog lunged at the merchant.
"Whoa!"
The merchant yelped briefly, clutching his head as he dropped low.
Black Dog vaulted over him.
Byung-su spun to help, but the dog had already vanished into the shadows.
Na-rae, filming, swung her camera toward the barking.
Illuminated by the camera light, Black Dog stood at the stairs, barking downward.
Ding-a-ling...
A bell tinkled from the now-quiet floor below.
Listening closely, it sounded like someone shaking a handheld bell in the dark.
"My dog doesn't bite people. Things are about to start, but we've got a little time, so let me briefly explain why I'm here. Might help us get along, and maybe you'll stop fussing over this coffin..."
As the man began his measured tale, Byung-su signaled Na-rae to resume filming.