The Ghost King's Invitation

Park Junsu, known by his creator handle 'Ghost King'.

Ghost King was a creator who held an unrivaled position in the realm of South Korean mystery content.

He boasted a staggering 300,000 subscribers.

This number wasn't just a testament to simple popularity; it was a form of trust placed in the Ghost King.

The world is filled with countless mysteries, conspiracy theories, and ghost stories.

Because these topics are inherently sensational, most who cover them stop at using unverified information to pique the public's curiosity.

Testimonies from unknown sources, exaggerated editing.

There were countless people blinded by view counts, peddling unconfirmed "hearsay" as if it were the truth.

The Ghost King, however, was different.

He reconstructed cases based solely on police investigation records, media reports, and official testimonies from those involved.

By logically piecing together scattered information, he made his viewers question the reality behind the events themselves.

A method that suggests suspicions without forcing an answer.

This was the very reason people trusted the Ghost King, and the core factor that differentiated him from other horror channels.

However, his shortcomings were also clear.

"Hello, this is Ghost King Park Junsu."

Park Junsu, having turned on his broadcast, checked the viewer count out of habit.

Compared to his 300,000 subscribers, the number of viewers was pitifully low.

'Tsk. The live viewer count is still at the bottom.'

Given the niche nature of his content, it was unavoidable. Mystery content was better suited for calmly savoring refined information rather than real-time reactions. In fact, his videos consistently saw their view counts climb over the days following their upload.

'I have to hold on tight to the people who are here now.'

Park Junsu let out a short sigh and turned his gaze to the chat window.

Though there were only about 300 viewers, they were true fans of Park Junsu. The kind of real fans who would watch every single video from start to finish and even leave comments.

'The loyal fans are still here.'

Comforting himself with the thought that quality beats quantity while looking at the chat, Park Junsu soon brought up the main point.

"I turned on this live stream to announce a large-scale project for the first time in a while."

"Hehe, you can look forward to it. It's an abandoned hospital in Damyang."

A photo of a hospital building with clear signs of neglect appeared on the screen.

"Just looking at it is chilling, isn't it?"

As he said, it was just a single photo, but an ominous energy could be felt.

"Yes, that's right."

In truth, Park Junsu had avoided on-site exploration until now.

His strengths were data research and logical reconstruction.

He believed that going to the scene and bursting into reactions didn't suit him.

However, it was time for a change to grow his channel.

"I'm planning to proceed with this as a collaboration with several other streamers, not alone. I managed to secure this opportunity with great difficulty."

Park Junsu caught his breath for a moment and continued.

"So, I will be recruiting streamers to explore with me! I'll post the details on the community board. I look forward to your applications!"

And so, the recruitment notice began.

Viewers went to the broadcasts of other streamers they enjoyed and shared the news.

"Oh? Ghost King is doing a collab? At an abandoned hospital? Hmm, that would make for some good content. Sounds fun."

"An abandoned hospital? No way! I'm never going! You guys go ahead!"

Of course, not everyone welcomed the content Ghost King had prepared.

"Should I apply?"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Who else is applying?"

"Really? Didn't that person hate scary things like crazy?"

The majority of streamers showed a positive reaction for the simple reason that it "seemed fun."

The content Ghost King prepared was the best stage to give viewers a new thrill, and a place of opportunity to collaborate with other broadcasters and create "broadcast-worthy moments."

"Will I get in? There are a lot of applicants."

Some openly bragged on their own broadcasts that they had already submitted applications, and the internet broadcasting community was flooded with posts about Ghost King's collaboration all day long.

And a few days later.

"Wow..."

Park Junsu let out an exclamation while sitting in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠front of his monitor.

From large-scale streamers with hundreds of thousands of subscribers to broadcasters under agencies, and even influencers whose names alone were recognizable.

"As expected, you can't ignore the power of a collaboration."

Bursting with admiration while looking at his inbox, he set criteria for efficient screening.

'First, name recognition is the priority. Then, broadcast chemistry...'

His hand movements quickened. With a few clicks, dozens of applications passed or failed the first round of screening. Having survived in this field for a long time, he could see at a glance who would be helpful to the broadcast and who would be a burden.

But then.

Park Junsu's hand, which had been scrolling down, stopped.

"Kang Jinwoo?"

The application that appeared on the screen was, in a word, absurd.

"Pfft, what is this?"

Park Junsu couldn't help but burst into laughter while looking at the application.

A newbie in a situation where streamers from large companies were lining up?

Naturally, there was no room for a newbie.

In the first place, a collaboration is a structure where you create synergy with each other.

If it's his third day of broadcasting and his total airtime is barely over two hours, isn't that just a hobbyist level?

'Is this guy clueless? In this field, being observant is also incredibly important.'

Even though the number of followers seemed a bit strange, the moment he was about to ignore it and scroll down.

A single line of text caught Park Junsu's eye.

"...The Gallery Head of the Ghost Experience Gallery?"

Though not a user of the Ghost Experience Gallery, Park Junsu frequently referred to posts uploaded there for his research.

Park Junsu knew better than anyone how exclusive the community was, and especially how much they loathed broadcasters who deceived viewers with staging and manipulation.

And yet, the 'Gallery Head' of such a place?

"Good grief, lying on an application. This person is a no-go."

Park Junsu clicked his tongue and led his mouse to the delete button without hesitation. He felt annoyed by the fact that he had wasted his precious time reading such a preposterous application.

"No, what kind of nerve does he have to tell a lie like this? Did he think I wouldn't check?"

He opened a new internet window.

[Ghost Experience Gallery]

The moment he connected.

"Did, did I enter the wrong place?"

Park Junsu muttered to himself without realizing it.

The entire page of the Ghost Experience Gallery was plastered with the word 'Gallery Head'. Every time he refreshed, related posts poured out terrifyingly.

"Why are these crazy ghost-obsessed freaks acting like this?"

While he was confused by the incomprehensible situation, his gaze soon locked onto a notice written in bold letters. To understand the cause of this madness, he had to check the post uploaded by the administrator.

Click-!

"W-what! These crazy bastards! Is this a new cult?"

The content of the post that appeared on the screen along with the sound of the mouse click completely destroyed Park Junsu's common sense.

However.

At the same time his common sense was destroyed, his broadcasting philosophy was whispering sweetly in his ear.

That mystery always erupts from unpredictable places.

Among the large-scale streamers guaranteed stable success, this unidentified newbie was truly an unpredictable ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠variable.

In the first place, content is boring if it flows predictably.

"Alright."

Park Junsu checked the box next to Kang Jinwoo's name as if possessed.

It was clearly a crazy thing to do if he thought about it rationally, but for some reason, he had a strong premonition that this collaboration would be the most interesting content in the history of his channel.

"It'll either fail or succeed, one of the two!"

Park Junsu had no idea what kind of impact the decision he made today would have on his future life.

***

Time passed, and the day of the collaboration finally arrived.

"Broadcast is on!"

"Greetings! This is Ghost King, digging into everything about South Korean mysteries!"

As the red light turned on the camera, Park Junsu greeted his viewers with a powerful voice.

As befitting a large-scale project, the viewer count soared like crazy. It was a number more than thirty times his usual.

'As expected...!'

It was only the beginning, but this was practically a huge success.

"As I introduced through photos, it's truly terrifying, isn't it?"

When Park Junsu gestured, the camera captured the full view of the abandoned hospital spread out behind him. The building, abandoned for 20 years, naturally exuded a gloomy energy.

"This hospital opened in the 2000s and closed in 2005 due to financial difficulties. That's what the official records say, but a different story is passed down among the local residents."

Park Junsu, having set the mood appropriately, clapped his hands.

"There are many rumors, but today we will take the time to check them out for ourselves. And once again, thank you to the owner who gave us this precious opportunity. Now, let me introduce the guests joining us today!"

When the first camera turned on, what was captured on the screen was a large man with a warm impression.

"Nice to meet you all! I'm Glutton King Kim Daesik. Today, I'm going to eat up all the ghosts here! Isn't everything delicious if you fry it!"

Following his cheerful greeting, a game streamer, a talk streamer, and others were introduced.

"Hello! I'm Yarina! But guys, seriously. The atmosphere here is insane, isn't it? Should I not have come..."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Every time the so-called large-scale streamers greeted them, the viewers' reactions were explosive. And among them, the guest who received the most cheers from the viewers was...

"Hello, I'm Lee Junhyuk, who runs 'The World Through Science'."

It was a science communicator with 500,000 subscribers.

"Honestly, I'm a person who doesn't believe in things like ghosts."

Lee Junhyuk pushed up his glasses and laughed.

"If they really exist, I'd like to see them. I'd like to ask how an object with mass ignores gravity and levitates, and how they fix their horizontal coordinate system."

Around the time the atmosphere was heating up like that.

Park Junsu called the last guest with a satisfied face.

"Now, lastly, let's welcome the newbie BJ, Kang Jinwoo!"

For a moment, the atmosphere of the chat window changed subtly.

Unlike the prominent streamers from before, the viewers' reactions were not good at the mention of a newbie. The chat welcoming the newbie was quickly buried by other chats.

At that moment, a man walked out in front of the camera.

It was Kang Jinwoo with an expressionless face.

"Hello. I'm Kang Jinwoo. And behind me is my younger sister, Kang Jina."

He introduced himself briefly and bowed his head in greeting. Of course, the viewers' reactions were still cold.

If things went on like this, they might end up in a controversy from the start.

"Haha, Kang Jinwoo-ssi. Please give us a brief self-introduction."

Park Junsu hurriedly handed him the microphone to resolve the situation.

"Hmm."

However, instead of taking the microphone, Kang Jinwoo began to look around.

The trees towering around the abandoned hospital, the collapsed walls, the broken windows.

"Kang Jinwoo-ssi?"

"Wow."

Looking around, Kang Jinwoo couldn't hide his admiration.

"So many really died here. Evil spirits can't do any harm, but it's not like that either. I was mistaken."

"...Yes?"

At those words, Park Junsu's face stiffened. The other guests also looked at Kang Jinwoo with puzzled expressions.

"Is it really okay to broadcast here?"

"Ah, of course. We received formal permission from the owner."

"That's not it."

Kang Jinwoo's expression became serious.

"I never say this anywhere, but this place is truly dangerous."

However, there was no one listening to those words carefully.

Park Junsu tried to resolve the situation with a professional smile.

"Haha, as expected of the Gallery Head of the Ghost Experience Gallery, you're not ordinary from the start! It seems you can see something!"

Meanwhile, science YouTuber Lee Junhyuk snorted and adjusted his glasses.

"Dangerous, you say. Scientifically speaking, the risk factors here would be the structural collapse possibility of the old building, or perhaps tetanus bacteria. Other than that, no dangers exist."

Small whispers could be heard among the other streamers as well.

"That newbie, isn't he being too excessive?"

"Is he trying to get airtime?"

"Oh my, he's going to ruin the broadcast today."

The chat window had long been plastered with ridicule and criticism.

The party in question, Kang Jinwoo, didn't respond to their reactions at all. He just scanned them once with a pitying expression.

The only one who realized the meaning of that sigh was his younger sister, Kang Jina.

Kang Jina grabbed her brother's sleeve tightly with a face that had turned deathly pale. Because whenever her brother made that expression, it was always 'real'.

"Oppa, is there something really dangerous here?"

Kang Jinwoo, instead of answering, lightly patted his terrified sister's head once. It was a signal between the two that it was okay.

Without anyone anticipating what would happen in the future.

"Alright! Then, let's begin the exploration of the Damyang abandoned hospital in earnest from now on!"

The broadcast had begun.