Man-Eating Goshiwon Exploration Stream (3)
Aaaahhh!! The woman's spirit screamed as she fled toward the inside of the wall like she was running for her life. Or rather, it wasn't so much that she vanished—absorbed felt like the more accurate word.
"A real demon's possessed this place..."
Whether that woman disappeared or not, I let out a short sigh at the bizarre phenomenon unfolding right in front of me. This would be the last time. I planned to quit the exorcism broadcasts after this one.
Every time I did one of these streams, evil spirits showed up, putting me or my friends in danger... Wouldn't it be weirder to keep going?
At least until I'd toured the country's moderately creepy haunted spots, devoured the lingering spirits there, and regained my strength—we'd agreed with Mirinae to stop the exorcism streams beforehand.
"Sorry! Seorin... Just this once, just this time!"
But then Mirinae suddenly begged me earnestly. Just this one last time.
"You could end up in danger again, like last broadcast. You're saying this knowing that?"
"Yeah, I know. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't serious. But... it's from Ha-eun's uncle."
Half a year ago, he'd lost his wife to illness, and all he had left was this goshiwon apartment. If he lost even that, he said he had no reason left to live. Since we'd owed him so much up until now, Mirinae couldn't bring herself to refuse.
"Sigh... This is really the last time?"
I had no choice. I squeezed my eyes shut and agreed to do just this one exorcism stream. Unlike the abandoned kindergarten or Guiam Reservoir, this wasn't even a proper haunted spot... It had been operating normally until recently.
No way something else shows up, I'd thought, letting my guard down.
"Is someone seriously screwing me over?"
I rolled my eyes around the room. Eyes pop open. Mouths gape wide. Hands sprout—eyes, eyes, hands, mouths, eyes, hands, hands, eyes, mouths—
They keep appearing.
The chat exploded—viewers watching the broadcast could see it too. Most reactions were disbelief, unable to tell if the scene before them was illusion or reality.
"Eek! G-get away! Get awayyy!!"
Countless hands burst from the walls toward Mirinae. Trembling in terror, she clung desperately to my side.
"You dare."
I channeled spiritual power into my foot and slammed down on the floor with all my might.
Kuuuung!!
Ripples spread from the impact like a stone dropped in water, the floor undulating outward.
Kyaaaaaaaah!!!
The evil spirit shrieked. Seizing the opening, I sent telepathic words to Lee Seola.
Lee Seola! Protect Mirinae!
Got it!!
She'd already sensed the disturbance in room 404 and was flying over. But—
Bang!!
The door slammed shut on its own, untouched by anyone. Lee Seola, hurtling toward us, bounced off an invisible barrier like a transparent wall.
Urk!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Damn, why's this so tough!? Sorry, Seorin! It'll take time to break through!
"No time to wait!"
I had no intention of leaving Mirinae in this danger zone any longer. Grabbing her hand, I headed for the door.
"S-Seorin?"
"Just wait."
I clenched my fist tight, poured in maximum spiritual power—and punched the door with everything I had!
Kwaaaang!!
The door rippled like a living creature. After one hit, it went limp.
Kiiih— It creaked open weakly.
Lee Seola stood outside, dazed.
Whoa... I knew you were strong, but this strong...!
I shot her a glare—not the time—and she shut up instantly.
I shoved Mirinae out the open door.
"Mirinae, go to the next room. I'll—handle this bastard and catch up."
"You can win, right?"
I flashed a confident grin.
"I win."
"Finally calling me Revenant? Anyway... see you later."
I waved to the viewers, watched Mirinae safely exit with Lee Seola, then turned back.
Why.
Are you interfering?
I
Just came for
My love.
Dozens of eyes in the walls glared at me. Dozens of mouths spoke in choppy bursts.
It was revolting even just to see and hear.
"Your love? You mean the woman you stalked, the one in that box?"
...You saw?
You saw.
Guess you did.
You saw my treasure.
Found out.
What now?
Right, time to do what must be done.
Yes. Yes.
A brief silence.
Then all the mouths screamed in unison.
<<>>
Arms on the walls shot toward me at blinding speed.
Normally, I'd be a bit tense. But... somehow, I didn't feel like I'd lose.
"Come on, then."
My eyes caught a kitchen knife rolling nearby. I snatched it up and swung at the arms.
Snap!
The blade infused with spiritual power sliced through the ethereal hands like butter.
Kahat! Kyahahahaha!!
Undeterred by the severed limbs, more hands lunged. Even the one I'd just cut regenerated and attacked.
I clicked my tongue once, parrying with swings of the knife while scrutinizing the evil spirit closely.
Definitely a mimic.
Mimic. A monster I'd occasionally encountered in my otherworld days—not common, but familiar. It disguised itself as everyday objects to deceive prey, sneaking close for a surprise attack. A cowardly bastard.
This was an undead mimicking that mimic.
Who is it?
No matter how I thought about it, this didn't belong on Earth. You needed knowledge of otherworld mimics to create such an evil spirit.
Which meant—someone else from the otherworld was out there somewhere.
...Now I'm sure.
Seeing the magic circle at Guiam Reservoir, the Jin-hon Gu-won Association's rituals—they felt off from what I knew, but carried faint otherworld echoes.
The Jin-hon Gu-won Association might be connected to otherworlders.
And.
This mimic too.
A hollow laugh escaped me. It felt like the god of fate was toying with me.
Fine then... I'd bulldoze straight through.
The great Necromancer King couldn't falter at something like this!
Weird.
Why won't she die?
She should be dead already.
Too weird.
Panicking as things didn't go as planned, the mimic paused to catch its breath.
That was my chance. I stabbed the kitchen knife into its real eye—bottom left of the wall.
Puuk!
<<<Aaaaaaaaah!!>>>
Right there—its weak point.
I couldn't easily detect distant ghosts, but spotting a close one's vulnerability? Child's play. Otherwise, I'd have to surrender my Necromancer King title.
It hurts! Hurts!
Scary!
Run!!
Don't wanna die! Don't wanna die!!
Screams poured from its mouths. All protruding hands retracted smoothly; eyes and mouths sealed shut.
"Where do you think you're going!"
I aimed to stab the eye again, but—
Clang!
It was just ordinary wall now.
Where'd it go?
Sensing the mimic's lingering thoughts, I bolted out the door.
Room 403—it's here.
Bam! I flung the door open.
Seorin!
"Seorin!"
This fucker?
A massive mouth gaped in the wall, a tongue-like thing lashing out to bind Mirinae. Lee Seola stretched both hands, barely holding it back.
Trying to take my friend hostage...? As if I'd allow that.
I slashed the extended mimic tongue with the knife.
Sek!
Kyaaaaak!!
"Mirinae! Run!"
I freed her and moved to finish it for good—
Thud!
"Ugh!"
The severed tongue split into two forks and clamped my body tight.
Kyahahaha! Come with me!
As if waiting for this moment, a powerful yank dragged me—
Thud.
—into the mimic's maw. I was devoured.
***
"H-how! Seorin, Seorin...!"
Calm down, sis!
Mirinae's heart pounded wildly, breath coming in gasps. Seorin, who'd come to save her, got eaten by the monster.
The fact was too shocking, too terrifying.
The viewers were in total chaos too. Naturally. They'd seen plenty of ghost movies and dramas, knew all the weird tropes.
But no one had ever witnessed a wall sprouting a mouth to devour a person. Literally.
A man-eating goshiwon room.
Seorin couldn't have died like that, right? You know what she's like, sis!
"Y-yeah. Right, gotta pull it together..."
Mirinae steadied her breathing, trying to calm down—
That's when it happened.
"Mirinae?"
Someone called her name and entered the room.
"What're you doing there?"
"Uh...?"
Mirinae's eyes widened.
"Seorin?"
Because Baek Seorin—the one just swallowed by the mimic—stood there perfectly fine.
"Who else would I be? It's me."
"What happened? You got eaten by the wall just now!"
"Eaten by the wall? What're you talking about? Walls aren't living things."
"I-I don't know either... Wait. Seorin, where've you been?"
"Didn't I message? Said I'd be late today. Check."
Mirinae frantically pulled out her phone.
There it was. Which only confused her more.
"...Huh?"
"Just got to the goshiwon, didn't see you so I came in and found you. What happened?"
"N-nothing. Then everything I've been through is...?"
"What're you talking about?"
The viewers were even more baffled than Mirinae.
"You okay? You look pale as hell."
"I-it's just..."
"No good. Let's get out. Exorcism later—worry about you first. I'll buy coffee."
"O-okay."
She couldn't figure it out. Was the Seorin from before fake, or this one?
If the earlier one was fake... everything was a hallucination? Did that even make sense?
"Come on, take my hand."
But this Seorin felt too real to be fake. Her familiar aura seemed to plead, trust me.
Unthinkingly, she reached out—
Snap!
But her hand was blocked.
No.
Lee Seola.
That's not the real Seorin.
Lee Seola glared at "Seorin." "Seorin" stared blankly at Lee Seola.
Who are you?
Baek Seorin, gazing at Lee Seola.
Suddenly.
She grinned.
A grotesque grin splitting her cheeks ear to ear.