It Seems I Must Go to Work Even After Falling into a Horror Story 052

It had been 3 minutes since I fell in front of the cabin in the woods, caught up in a serial killer horror story.

Next, a second-hand market trader who got off a bicycle approached the cabin’s door.

He paused for a moment upon seeing Baek Sa-heon and me standing there first.

‘…I think I recognize him.’

The second-hand market seller was looking at me.

However, I pretended not to have noticed and kept my mouth shut.

Baek Sa-heon quickly started chatting in a friendly voice.

“Excuse me, are you the owner of this house? Sorry, but it seems we’ve taken the wrong bus. It’s hard to get a signal in this forest, and I was wondering if we could borrow a phone…”

“I’ve also taken a wrong turn and came here seeking help.”

“Oh… I see.”

At that moment, I turned to look at him with a shocked expression.

“…!”

I exaggeratedly widened my eyes and slightly nodded.

The seller, having likely caught on already, didn’t seem too flustered and returned a small nod of acknowledgment.

Meanwhile, Baek Sa-heon was subtly trying to dig into the seller’s background.

He must be assessing if this person is weaker than himself.

“Did you come here for trekking since it’s the weekend? This place seems remote, so you must be a local.”

“…No, I don’t even know how I got here. I clearly started from Seoul.”

“Oh, really? We’re the same; we lost signal here. Do you know the way out or the location?”

“……I’m not sure. Let’s go inside and ask.”

“…Ah, okay.”

Baek Sa-heon seemed disappointed at the unfruitful conversation but then glanced at the bicycle the seller arrived in.

Finally, he had a realization.

He spotted the printed mark on the handle.

[Seoul Metropolitan Government #2153]

It was clearly for official use by a public official. Baek Sa-heon was delighted to have found a potential weakness to exploit.

“Um, excuse me….”

I poked Baek Sa-heon’s side.

He stiffened and turned to me with his mouth shut.

I slowly shaped the words with my lips.

‘Disaster Management Bureau.’

“……!”

‘He must have heard at least once that there’s a terrible relationship between the company and the bureau while working.’

If he gets caught…

I mimicked slicing my throat with my hand, causing Baek Sa-heon’s complexion to change.

He no longer dared to engage the public official directly. Good posture.

“I’ll open the door.”

I nodded towards the public official holding the doorknob, and he lightly opened the wooden door of the cabin.

Creeeak.

“Is anyone here?”

The afternoon sunlight poured into the somewhat dark cabin.

And…

“Whoa, who else has come?”

“Are you the owner here??”

People who were already inside made their appearances.

A couple who looked like they belonged together, three people in their twenties, and one middle-aged individual.

Six in total.

Adding our three to the count… 9 people.

‘It’s begun.’

I suppressed the urge to close my eyes and stepped into the cabin.

And just like that, everything unfolded as cliché as expected…

A couple said they ended up here because their navigation broke.

“Seriously, the navigation directed us to a weird place, the car broke down, and the phone doesn’t work… it’s driving me insane!”

“Ugh, dear, I told you so. Let’s go to Sapporo instead of Sokcho!”

Then there were three college students from a climbing club who got lost.

“We parked the car down there.”

“So… it’s maddening.”

And even a middle-aged man finishing work as a designated driver, searching for the nearest bus stop to get home.

“Oh, meeting people makes it a lot less worrisome. If we wait, the owner should come, right?”

-And once the cabin owner appears, the bloody party will begin?

That seems to be the case.

With my expression resembling that of a fish out of water, I surveyed my surroundings.

I hadn’t even packed proper items, and survival was already tough…

‘I should only care about myself. Just me!’

Questions did come our way as we entered.

“What about those young men over there? What do they do?”

“Oh, we’re just office workers. We think we got on the wrong bus while heading out for a work trip. This one’s a chief, and I’m an employee.”

Look at Baek Sa-heon subtly shifting blame.

I pulled out my notebook.

Since I still had on my work clothes and it was in my pocket, I could maintain my character.

[Hello.]

“Uh? Why are you writing…”

[My throat is a bit uncomfortable.]

“Ah, I see.”

The three college students looked at me with an exaggerated expression. Then the couple glanced at me and edged away a bit.

“Geez, I heard colds are really bad these days; you must have caught one!”

“Why don’t you wear a mask or something? What if you spread it to someone else?”

[I’m sorry. I’ll try to keep quiet.]

Baek Sa-heon looked at me as if I was repugnant. He was reacting how I would have.

“But is that other guy an office worker too?”

“No, I met him at the door… um.”

The large and sharp-eyed salmon market dealer had a rather ferocious demeanor but replied politely.

“I’m a public official from the Seoul Metropolitan Government.”

Oh. Is he really stating that truthfully?

He explained how he was a public official and lost his way while riding a bicycle.

Of course, that was the end of it.

He didn’t mention that he’s affiliated with the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau, nor that we were all stuck in a horror story, risking our lives in a game of Russian roulette with a serial killer.

But it seems people weren’t completely oblivious to the oddity.

“So, all these people got lost in broad daylight and ended up in this rural pension?”

“Are we being haunted by some ghost?”

“Hey! Why are you saying something negative like that?!”

With more heads around, people felt braver.

Even while bringing up ghosts, they now glanced around with a hint of curiosity.

“Now that you mention it….”

“Doesn’t it look like a rich person’s house? You know, the kind that used to be common in our neighborhood when we were kids.”

That was true.

The wooden cabin, built in a style that was in vogue several decades ago, felt a bit rustic yet emitted a warm, opulent charm.

“Oh look, over there! There’s even a golden frame!”

In the living room, a large frame hung prominently, definitely seeming like it was made of pure gold.

Yet, my eyes were drawn more to the contents within the frame.

It bore a verse.

+++

A Joyful Mealtime

The rabbit is roasted in the kitchen

The deer is caught in the backyard

The pigeon is fattened in the room

The lamb is sliced in the living room

Sounds of laughter bouncing around

On the wooden floor beneath our feet

The table is abundant

Humming a tune

The whole family is gathered

Bon appétit

+++

“…”

No.

‘That’s a blatant foreshadowing.’

-Oh. Is this a metaphor for the serial murders that are about to happen?

It certainly seems so.

But no one here seems to have an interest in horror or mystery genres.

A few of the college students from the climbing club snickered amongst themselves and even discreetly pocketed a small ivory ornament from the table next to the sofa.

‘Oh.’

I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw them as the first body tomorrow.

Just as I thought that…

Clunk.

“…!!”

A sound came from behind the kitchen.

I saw a shadow as the back door opened.

And slowly stepping through the door was a figure.

Dressed in an old hood, hunched over with their face concealed, the figure said…

“Greetings, cabin guests.”

“…?!”

“I am the caretaker of this cabin and will be serving you during your stay.”

It was a deep voice.

He bowed to us with remarkably polite, old-fashioned Seoul speech.

-Ooh, a suspicious personnel!

Yeah. A classic character known as the “butler managing the murder mansion.”

Unlike me, looking like a fish out of water, the shabby appearance contrasted with his manner of speaking, leaving people startled.

“Um, excuse me, but we aren’t guests; we just came to borrow a phone because we got lost…”

“No, you have arrived correctly.”

“Pardon?”

“Aren’t you here to exchange the cassette tape?”

People paused.

“Specifically, the one in your pocket.”

“…!”

As if entranced, everyone dug into their pockets, each pulling out an old, ivory-colored cassette tape with the title faded.

“…That!”

“How did everyone get that…?”

“The owner of this cabin was quite wealthy and had distributed that cassette tape widely during his lifetime.”

People flinched.

“And he made a promise.”

“What promise?”

“‘If you visit the cabin with that cassette tape, I will exchange it for anything I have’… was his promise.”

“……!”

“That still holds true even now.”

-So, it’s an inheritance! A clever bait.

Could it be too obvious…?

‘No, it might be so straightforward that it becomes obvious.’

Money always possesses its own allure.

People smiled awkwardly yet instinctively turned their gazes toward the assorted valuables and Goryeo celadon displayed in the cabinet.

A middle-aged man laughed, treating it like a joke as he sincerely grasped a solid gold frame.

“Ha, so I can just take this, right?”

The cabin caretaker smoothly and politely replied.

“Of course. Just make sure to take it after three days.”

“What!?”

Hmm. Thought so.

———————=

For intruders who remain in the area for an extended period, a generous monetary compensation will be promised.

Here, ‘extended period’ refers to no shorter than 12 hours and no longer than a week, presented within manageable limits for the intruder.

———————=

“You will have a period of three days to consider, ensuring you do not waste this rare opportunity for exchange.”

“No, we really don’t need that!”

“Then you may leave right now. However, exchange will not be possible.”

At the caretaker’s words, the couple suddenly fell silent. It seemed they felt it was a shame to pass up on free money.

One of the college students from the climbing club raised their hand from the back.

“Excuse me. So… can we even ask for things like, ‘give me the entire inheritance from the deceased’?”

“That’s possible.”

“…!!”

The playful tone in the college student’s voice had vanished.

“Can I ask for this cabin as well?”

“Yes.”

“……”

People’s expressions changed.

‘They’re starting to believe it.’

The unsettling chills vanished, replaced by the atmosphere that fortune might just be coming their way.

After confirming the will and documents the caretaker presented, confidence broke through.

“This must be real.”

“Insane…”

Even the couple who had been cursing earlier had shifted expressions.

“Let’s just hold out for this weekend trip. We can call the police if things go south.”

“Exactly! Wow, did some supernatural practice or charm get put inside that cassette tape? Amazing, isn’t it?”

Even the caretaker gave us time to call our respective contacts.

As people finished their contact calls, the atmosphere turned festive as if this were some sort of event.

The watching caretaker bowed deeply.

“In cases where so many individuals visit at once, the order of exchange will be significant, right?”

“Ah, that makes sense!”

“Whoever claims, ‘give me the entire inheritance’ first wins!”

“And thus… we will give priority in exchange to the individuals with the most cassette tapes.”

“…!”

In an instant, people looked around at each other.

Especially the three college students who came together shared glances.

If they divided themselves into groups, they’d have the most tapes.

“Wait, are you suggesting to buy someone else’s cassette tape?”

“I’m just explaining the method. It’s not necessarily required, and each can come up with conditions for exchange at their own discretion. The order will be important as well.”

“……”

A tense, significant atmosphere swept through the crowd.

“Should I prepare rooms for you? There are bedrooms available on the second floor.”

“Oh, right.”

“Sure. First the bedrooms…”

“Hold on, excuse me.”

Baek Sa-heon’s voice cut through the crowd.

“I might have to leave because something urgent has come up. Could you show me the way out of here?”

“Of course.”

But that course of action didn’t happen.

A moment later.

———————=

Intruders are inevitably isolated in the location due to various reasons.

Commonly occurring events involve extreme weather phenomena like typhoons, heavy snow, and landslides.

———————=

“It’s reported that heavy rainfall has caused landslides outside. Thankfully, the power hasn’t gone out, so there’s no problem staying here.”

“…….”

Baek Sa-heon looked at me with an expression that seemed to say, “Am I done for?”

‘Right.’

I shrugged my shoulders.

In any case, with things escalated like this, no one would be leaving until everything unfolds.

‘Thanks to that, I’m stuck contemplating how to get through this mind-boggling mess.’

But at least one good thing is there: ghosts won’t be making an appearance…

‘…A serial killer might, though.’

And isn’t it predictable?

A twist often used in movies and novels, and the same applies in horror stories.

The serial killer is…

One of the intruders takes on a special role. This is, in narrative terms, a predator.

Among them exists one.

Commonly referred to as a serial killer.

I had to figure out who among them would transform into a killer and avoid that person.

The individual firmly believes they have inherited the legendary killer’s inspiration and legacy that stemmed from this place, experiencing mental and physical mutations.

‘Hmm.’

Or… I might be able to use a different method.

Just as I was pondering with my chin resting on my hand, I noticed the public official quietly slipping away.

“I’ll take a moment to check on the weather outside.”

“Please do.”

I trailed after him onto the balcony.

The fierce wind and rain began to darken the outdoors, soaking my clothes a bit.

The heavy rain seemed to muffle the conversation.

I carefully peeked in to keep my notebook from getting wet.

[Excuse me, you’re the one who had the cookie, right? I hope I’m not mistaken.]

Fortunately, the public official pretended not to notice.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

However, he scanned me up and down as if gauging me.

Hmm.

I pretended to be surveying the area, then confirmed that no one was watching and nervously jotted down on my notebook.

[Sorry, but is this… a strange situation?]

“…….”

[No matter how I think about it, it’s odd that only people with cassette tapes ended up lost and arrived here.]

[Is it… related to ghosts?]

After all, he must already know I’ve experienced supernatural incidents, having sold food from that horror story.

This shouldn’t come off as too suspicious.

‘The real issue is whether he judges that I mistakenly came here.’

At least for now, I wanted to be treated like a harmless civilian.

I intended to gauge the future course of my actions based on how he responded next.

‘Honestly, the probability of me safely answering, “I don’t know” is high….’

“That’s correct.”

…??

Right away?

The public official seemed to be hesitating slightly but then asked me.

“How did you come by the cassette tape?”

[Actually, I don’t have one, but I saw a colleague from work with it.]

[I thought it looked ominous, so I told them to throw it away, and then I ended up here.]

“…….”

The public official stroked his chin and fell silent for a moment.

“Do you often find yourself caught up in incidents like this?”

I intentionally smiled awkwardly, appearing slightly flustered.

[A few times?]

“I see.”

After some back-and-forth, he continued.

“I am, well, a government agent.”

Is he really revealing this much?

[Seriously? So you’re like 007, hunting ghosts?]

“Um… Yes.”

[Wow!]

…‘This isn’t the time to express admiration,’ I wanted to say, yet my face gave it away too clearly.

“Anyway, this place is indeed filled with supernatural phenomena. Please be careful… It’s best to stay with me as much as possible, and if absolutely necessary, travel in groups of three or more.”

Just a moment.

‘Am I being treated far more like a good civilian than I expected?’

I have no idea what’s happening, but this is a good thing. I quickly responded.

[Thank you. But… what about the other people?]

The public official firmly replied.

“You don’t need to worry about them.”

Hmm.

[Is it okay if I tell my colleague, though?]

“You cannot.”

Oops.

The public official glanced around the living room and then lowered his voice, as if sharing a huge secret.

“Actually…”

Really?

“…one of them is a murderer.”

Oh.

Yes.

I know…

Of course, I couldn’t let that show, so I feigned shock, quickly scribbling on the notebook.

[A murderer? How do you know?]

“…This cabin is not an ordinary place. It hasn’t been made public, but several times similar situations have occurred where murderers have killed guests.”

-Ah, a historic, legendary murder scene where the nightmares of that day are being reenacted… that’s a rather fascinating taste.

No, it’s the host.

“Even if it’s someone close to you, do not trust them, and if you’re alone, it’s best not to open your room door under any circumstances.”

‘Usually, aren’t those who desperately cling to staying inside the first to die…?’

Anyway, through this dialogue, I believe I’ve confirmed several facts about him.

And also about this horror story.

[Thank you.]

I expressed appreciation and a nightly greeting to the public official, then exited the balcony.

And I could finally head to my assigned room with a bit more peace of mind.

I had decided how to proceed.

“Phew.”

I searched the room.

There was something I was looking for.

Specifically…

-It’s a weapon.

Upon opening the wall closet in the room, I saw two sizable hand axes hanging decoratively.

“…….”

It’s genuinely terrifying and exhausting, but there’s no choice.

-Ah, this will be quite fun!

With this settled…

‘Shall I make the first move?’

I grabbed one of the axes.

Serial killer, I’ll take a crack at it!