The Rules of the Haunted
The night sky is dark, blue, and jagged. Trees stretch their branches overhead, making the already overcast sky seem even narrower.
It’s a dark mountain path where one must watch every step.
But my gaze wasn't on the path; it was fixed firmly upward.
“Oppa, is there something up there?”
Finding that strange, Jina, who had been following close behind me, asked in an anxious voice.
How should I answer that?
Should I tell her that things so pitch-black they defy sight are covering everything around us?
“It’s the countryside, so the night air is nice.”
“Night air, my foot...”
I made up a plausible excuse. Jina didn't ask further and refocused on her footing.
“Mr. Kang Jinwoo?”
Just then, someone approached, having evidently overheard our conversation.
The face revealed in the flashlight beam was the science YouTuber, Lee Junhyeok.
“Hello. I’m Lee Junhyeok, who runs a science channel. Nice to meet you.”
“Yeah.”
Despite my indifferent reply, Lee Junhyeok smiled gently, as if he didn't mind at all.
“Haha, you don’t have to be so guarded. I saw you walking behind the others and wondered if you were scared.”
He tapped the camera mounted on his chest with his finger.
“I haven’t turned on my personal broadcast yet, so it’s fine. You can speak comfortably.”
His tone was completely different from when he introduced himself earlier—warm and affectionate.
“Your sister looks cold; hold onto this at least.”
Lee Junhyeok took a hand warmer out of his coat pocket and handed it to Jina.
“Th-thank you.”
“Is this your first time in a place like this? Relax.”
It seemed he had approached us out of genuine concern.
“The chat room atmosphere was pretty hostile when you said it was dangerous earlier, right?”
“Well, it was a crazy thing to say.”
“Haha, you’re tougher than you look, Jinwoo.”
Having naturally joined us, Lee Junhyeok smiled bitterly, as if sharing his own experience.
“They’re just people hiding behind the mask of anonymity, spitting out whatever comes to mind, so don’t pay them too much attention. I had a hard time at first, too.”
“You seem very different from when you introduced yourself.”
“I can’t let my image break, after all.”
As we talked about this and that, Lee Junhyeok had already switched to speaking informally.
“So, what kind of character are you planning to play for your broadcast, Jinwoo? Your concept seemed pretty firm today.”
“It’s not a concept.”
Since there was absolutely no reason to lie, I spoke without reservation.
“The first servant of the only God, Oranis. That’s me.”
At that, Lee Junhyeok burst into cheerful laughter.
“Wow, that’s a solid concept. I truly respect it.”
He didn't believe a word I said, but he didn't mock me either.
“Seeing you go into the abandoned house yourself, you’ve got guts. I genuinely praise that initiative.”
“Thank you.”
“Still, to maintain an exorcism concept, wouldn’t it be better in the long run to push the ‘Vatican-ordained priest’ angle? Sorry if I’m meddling.”
“You’re right, hyung. It’s normal not to believe someone who suddenly claims to be a servant of a god no one has heard of.”
Lee Junhyeok’s point was accurate.
Humans only understand others within the framework of fear they’ve created themselves.
For instance, let’s think about a vengeful spirit that cannot leave a specific place.
People call it a ‘land-bound spirit,’ not some grandiose name like ‘a spirit bound in chains with a deep grudge.’
In the end, a name is a brand.
If you think of the superstars of Hell, it becomes even clearer.
Lucifer, Beelzebub, Belial, Asmodeus, Mammon, etc.
Even if you don’t know much about religion, if you grab anyone and ask about demons, a few of these names will pop right out.
In short, they are guys who have branded fear through their names alone.
On the other hand, Oranis is like an unlisted brand.
If I had said, ‘I am actually an agent of Michael,’ Lee Junhyeok might have slapped his forehead, saying my concept was brilliant.
But that’s only by human standards.
I muttered quietly.
“Hyung.”
“Yeah? Jinwoo, wait a second. I’m starting my broadcast.”
“The moment you call a god ‘God’ and define it in human language, it’s already no longer a god. It’s just a concept downgraded to a level humans can understand.”
A remark that could easily become controversial.
Perhaps that’s why a shadow fell over Lee Junhyeok’s face.
Of course, I didn't care and stared straight into the camera on his chest.
“Hello, I’m Kang Jinwoo. Viewers, shall I tell you an interesting story?”
“An interesting story?”
“I only finished elementary school, so I don’t know much about the ways of the world. But there is one thing even I know.”
“Haha, what is it?”
As Lee Junhyeok asked back with an awkward laugh, I turned around to look at the path we had come.
“Even if it wasn't a large scale, why would they build a hospital in a place like this?”
And I turned my head again to look at the abandoned hospital, hunched like a monster on the mountainside.
“How do patients get up here, and how do they get down in an emergency like a fire? It doesn't seem easy for cars to pass through.”
“······.”
“Isn’t it strange?”
I continued to Lee Junhyeok, who was standing there blankly.
“If it were me, I’d find it very strange.”
Only then did Lee Junhyeok nod with a dazed expression.
“...Why didn’t I suspect anything?”
As if an invisible fog had lifted, the unnaturalness began to appear in his eyes as well.
What this means is that no matter how incompetent the person who founded the hospital was, it would have taken years and astronomical costs just to build the building.
To pour that much money and time into building a hospital to save lives in such a remote area?
It doesn't make sense.
If the purpose was truly to treat patients and run a hospital, they would never have chosen such a location as the site in the first place.
“Why didn’t I know this? Jinwoo—.”
Just as Lee Junhyeok, who had belatedly realized the strangeness, was about to open his mouth.
“Alright, everyone! We’ve arrived!”
Park Junsu, the ‘King of Fear’ leading the pack, shouted energetically at the hospital entrance. Soon after, the other streamers following him were busy talking to the cameras they had prepared.
“Wow, the path here is really rough.”
“It’s not scary at all, is it?”
Unlike Lee Junhyeok, they hadn't noticed anything yet.
Clap-!
“Come on, let’s not stand here and get inside quickly!”
As Park Junsu urged them with a clap, the other streamers cheered and began to move their feet toward the hospital entrance.
In contrast, Lee Junhyeok remained frozen on the spot, staring at the hospital entrance with a blank face. The scientist’s rational confidence had vanished without a trace.
So, just before entering the hospital, I gave his back a light push.
“Make sure to ask how they fixed the coordinate reference system.”
“W-wait a minute...!”
I walked into the hospital entrance as if nothing had happened, and Jina followed me, clutching my sleeve tightly.
“Wait for me!”
The moment Lee Junhyeok finally stepped into the entrance with a face as pale as a pig being dragged to the slaughterhouse.
Crash-!
A sound of something breaking echoed from somewhere in the building. At that, the streamers who had been talking inside shut their mouths as if they had made a pact.
“······What was that?”
“What was that sound just now?”
The flashlight beams that had been messily scouring the lobby turned toward the end of the dark hallway where the sound had echoed.
Soon, one streamer let out a dry laugh, as if trying to relieve the tension.
“Wow, the King of Fear is doing it right from the start! You must have prepared a lot. You really surprised me.”
“Phew, I was so surprised. You should have told us in advance, my heart almost dropped.”
The other streamers laughed in relief. They seemed convinced that the sound from inside the hospital was a well-crafted performance.
“If you do this from the start, we won’t be able to go home today!”
However, while everyone else was nodding and laughing, there was one person who couldn't laugh.
“King of Fear?”
“······.”
It was Park Junsu, who had planned the content.
Lips pressed tight, eyes trembling minutely.
If anyone saw that face, they would have realized the situation was completely screwed...
“Hey, were you surprised by just this much? Show us the next one, the next one!”
Unfortunately, the streamers were too busy reacting in front of their respective cameras. They seemed to think Park Junsu’s silence was just a buildup for a more dramatic performance.
‘That guy is going to quit broadcasting after today.’
Naturally, I clicked my tongue while watching that scene.
If things go on like this, it’s going to become a comedy show featuring a terrified host. As someone who came to make money, I have no intention of just watching the broadcast go off the rails from the start.
I spoke loudly to draw everyone’s attention.
“Everyone, shall I tell you an interesting story?”
“Yes?”
After capturing their attention, I continued nonchalantly, running my finger across the dust-free medical records desk.
‘It really is strange. How can they not notice this?’
“Late at night, two friends went into a haunted house for a courage test. But from the second floor, a sound like ‘thump, thump, thump,’ as if someone was bouncing a basketball, kept coming. Friend A said, ‘Wow! A ghost!’ and excitedly tried to go up. But Friend B, pale with fear, grabbed A’s wrist and ran outside.”
I took a breath and scanned everyone’s faces.
“A asked angrily, ‘Why are you just coming out! I could have seen a ghost!’ What do you think B replied?”
“...That there was no ghost there?”
“B said this: ‘Hey, you idiot. The sound came from the second floor. But it kept coming from the third floor.’”
The air in the lobby instantly turned cold.
“It’s a common ghost story, right? So, here’s a question. What does the ghost story I just told actually teach us?”
The streamers just looked at each other and kept their mouths shut.
It was natural.
Because I hadn't asked the question expecting an answer in the first place.
“Ghost stories aren't there for you to run away. It’s the opposite. A ghost story is a rulebook created by humans. It’s like a desperate struggle to name an incomprehensible phenomenon, create rules, and somehow trap it within the category of understanding.”
I shrugged my shoulders lightly.
“And the moment that rulebook is completed, it becomes a message that humans throw at the entities beyond, saying, ‘Let’s have a go within these rules.’”
“A message?”
“Yes. In simple terms, ‘You son of a bitch, let’s see who dies first.’ That’s what it means.”
Having finished my explanation, I turned my head toward the frozen Park Junsu.
“King of Fear.”
“······Yes.”
“What is our purpose for coming here?”
“To... grasp the truth floating around in the world... and show it to the viewers.”
“In what way?”
At my words, Park Junsu looked down at his cue sheet with trembling hands.
“By... splitting into pairs... and exploring the hospital...”
You might think it’s a stunning coincidence.
But this is no coincidence.
That man, the King of Fear, persistently wanted this location. He dug into the rumors and history surrounding this place and selected the perfect stage.
And he set a plausible goal of grasping the truth.
Finally, he personally created the classic rule of splitting into pairs to explore.
Stage, goal, rules.
All the conditions to issue a challenge to the entities beyond were perfectly met.
The sound of something breaking inside the hospital a moment ago was a response to that challenge.
As if to prove my words, someone said,
“Wow, a plausible ghost story has been completed, hasn't it?”
Crash! Bang! Clatter!
No sooner had the words ended than a roar swallowed the entire lobby.
“Aaaah!”
“F-fuck, what is it!”
In the middle of the chaotic lobby, I stared straight into the main camera.
“This will be fun. Right, everyone?”