Chapter 35: Ch 35: The Plum Trees
A haunted house, trapped by the changgwi’s lure.
Is anyone there...?
A voice called out again from outside the front door of the abandoned
house.
This time, it was a low male voice.
"No, no...! W-Who is it this time..."
The section chief clamped his hands over his mouth, stifling a scream.
Please open the door...
"..."
"A-A dead person? Who is it? Who’s out there? Ahhh... L-let’s run! Let’s
get out of here!"
It’s so cold out here.
Hmm.
"This time, I absolutely won’t answ—aaah??"
I moved toward the door and pulled the handle.
"AAHHHH?!"
When the door opened, what appeared was...
"Whoa, I thought I was gonna die... Thanks..."
A human, in decent shape, with a slender build, light-colored hair, and
wearing a faded navy-blue uniform.
"...?!"
"Section Chief Lee Byeongjin, please greet him."
I gave a respectful nod.
"This is the Sergeant of Security Unit 3."
"...??? ...?!"
Yes, it was him.
The sergeant of Security Team’s Unit 3, who had been pulled into this ghost
story alongside me.
’His face looks about ready to burst.’
Section Chief Lee alternated between pointing at me and the security
sergeant, his face beet red, before he snapped his finger and let out a bizarre
groan.
"H-How... why...?!"
Well, isn’t it obvious?
’You’re the one who explained it yourself...’
– Every single night, it’s someone else—a dead family member, friend,
neighbor—coming to visit, calling out in their voices...
And they only come once a night.
Incidentally, similar statements had been blatantly recorded in the <Dark
Exploration Records>.
When someone’s dragged into an abandoned house by the changgwi,
every night it appeared at the door, pleading in the voices of dead loved
ones, subjecting its prey to mental torment and confusion.
’When they say every night, they mean it’s a daily cycle.’
But I couldn’t exactly tell Section Chief Lee, ’There’s a magical record
supporting my theory,’ now could I?
"Intuition."
"..."
The section chief looked strangely blank.
In any case, since I was right, let’s leave it at that.
After verifying that the security sergeant had entered the abandoned house,
I promptly closed the door and secured the handle.
Just looking outside was enough to send chills down my spine.
"Thank you..."
"No problem, sir."
It was shocking enough that this guy had made it all the way to the door
without being dragged away by the changgwi, but...
’Well... he’s part of the Security Team, after all.’
The real surprise was that he hadn’t come alone.
He was supporting someone.
"...Who’s that?"
The sergeant answered with a bright smile.
"Look, I found the missing person!"
"...The missing person is this person, though."
"Oh. Got confused..."
"..."
They’re even different genders...
I checked the person that the sergeant had casually dropped onto the floor.
It was a stranger.
In a very disheveled state, she sank to the ground of the abandoned house
and began to wail, seemingly oblivious to her surroundings.
"Uwahhhh! It’s over. It’s all over!"
"She just keeps saying that. Ah, this place is better... I woke up earlier in
some place that felt like a shaman’s hut... it was cold, dark, and damp, and
I didn’t like it there."
"AAAACK!"
"..."
’This is a disaster.’
All I wanted was a sensible companion...
’I miss my D-squad superiors...’
Still, I took a closer look at the crying person. She was dressed in a now
filthy white gown, with a name tag on the chest.
[Go Seonha]
’Huh?’
I immediately pulled out a small business card.
It was the one tucked in the old book labeled Path to Survival.
───
Go Seonha
Department of History, Joo Kang University
───
On the back, it had the words, Leaving tomorrow.
"By any chance, if you’re the person on this card, did you try out the
instructions from the book?"
"Mm-hm..."
The woman nodded, sniffling.
"Yes... but it was all futile."
"Huuh! Wait! What do you mean f-futile? Does that even make sen—"
"Exactly what I said."
With a dark expression, she pulled something out of her coat.
"That—"
"If you go about a hundred steps from here, as written in that book, there’s a
shrine. I’m pretty sure it’s the ’shrine’ mentioned in the book."
"..."
"And this, I copied down from the woodblock there."
She glanced at me with a tired expression.
"Looks like you read the book thoroughly, too... do you study Korean
history? This was written in a style from hundreds of years ago..."
No. I just happen to have a monster friend...
"Ah, anyway!! So if we just do exactly what’s written on that wooden
tablet, shouldn’t it work?! Why do you keep saying it’s impossible, and
crying about it..."
"Because it is impossible!!"
"...!"
"Look, ahjussi, I’m not an idiot. I tried to follow what was written on the
woodblock. It said to gather three plums, crush them in a cup, and sprinkle
it outside—I did all of that! I did everything, but..."
"..."
Go Seonha took a breath, staring into the air, then held up the back side of
the paper she had pulled out, as if to show it to us.
"Please read this."
Braun, catching on, began to read aloud.
– ’Prepare a song to offer to Sangun-nim. The more it is known among
people, the more effective it will be. Write the lyrics down and place them
in the incense holder, sing loudly, clap every step, and bow every thirty
steps.’
"A song for Sangun-nim..."
"Yes! That’s it!"
Go Seonha’s eyes widened as she asked urgently,
"Sangun-nim is a tiger, right? Then what immediately comes to mind? Any
song related to tigers, anything that praises a tiger, whether it’s a children’s
song or a folk tune."
"Uh, well..."
Section Chief Lee stammered, then began,
"In the mountain... the great hero..."
"Right, on the tiger’s birthday—yes, that one! I thought of it too, and that’s
what I tried to use..."
(T/N: Here’s the song: https://youtu.be/SxAjWRNZZgM?t=10)
Go Seonha dropped her head.
"...But it says, once a song has been used, it can’t be used again."
"...!"
"The incense holder was already stuffed with used lyrics! Of course
Mountain Hero was already there...!"
Good grief.
"It says, ’Sangun-nim is fickle and enjoys songs, so he will not accept the
same one twice.’ Sure, in folktales, tigers smoke pipes and dance, but this...
this is...!"
Seething, Go Seonha shouted into the air, then turned to us with a desperate
look.
"Children’s songs, folk songs, instrumental pieces... is there anything else
that comes to mind besides Mountain Hero? Anything, just anything..."
Nothing.
"There’s nothing, right? Of course, there isn’t!"
Go Seonha clutched her head in frustration.
"I’m not a Korean music major, and it’s not like I can just look it up
somewhere, oh, no..."
"..."
I didn’t know the songs couldn’t be repeated, either.
Even in the <Dark Exploration Records>, there were two or three records of
people performing rituals in places they were lured to by the changgwi,
each time using a different song.
There were everything from folk games to instrumental pieces...
’I thought the different songs were just something the collective wisdom on
the wiki included for fun.’
I didn’t realize there was such a specific detail hidden there.
And even if I wanted to use the songs listed on the wiki, only the titles were
provided—no lyrics, no melodies.
’Damn it.’
The air in the abandoned house grew even colder.
"..."
Huu.
I exhaled slowly, then carefully read the Chinese characters on the paper
that was said to be copied from the shrine’s woodblock, with Braun’s help.
Then, I asked,
"Go Seonha-ssi."
"...Yes."
"I have a few questions for you, if that’s alright."
"What is it?"
"How many days have you been here?"
"...Ten days."
Go Seonha’s face turned pale.
"But after a few days, I started hearing the sound of some crazy man
wandering around... so I hid in the attic."
Said ’crazy man’ looked at Go Seonha with a slightly offended expression.
"And a few days later... I started hearing children’s voices too. I didn’t
know what else to do, so when the full moon came tonight, I slipped outside
while this guy was dozing off."
"And then you went to the shrine to try and perform the ritual."
"Yes."
I nodded, then moved on to the next question.
"But something doesn’t add up."
"Excuse me?"
"The ritual explicitly states that a sacrifice is required. Why did you go
alone?"
"I’m not going to pretend I was sacrificing myself to save the kids or
anything."
Go Seonha clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
"I just went to check how it was done... to make a decision. But yes, while
I was doing it, I realized what was going on. I read the writings of those
who attempted it before."
"..."
"Tonight is the full moon. Once tonight ends, that’s it! I can’t hold out for
another fifteen days until the next full moon. I know... I know the ghost
will open the door."
"Yes. So, the ritual needs to be performed before sunrise."
Thinking of the single talisman left on the door handle, I nodded to myself.
"But I’m telling you, it’s impossible!"
"No."
I shook my head and stood up.
"I think it might be possible."
"Huh?"
"The ritual, I mean."
An alternative came to mind—a feasible one.
"I’ll start preparing."
"W-Wait, hold on. No, I mean, uh, e-even if it’s doable, we’d have to gather
all the necessary materials from outside again... and I’ve already used
everything I found!"
I looked again at the paper with the copied ritual instructions.
Ingredients : Three plums, salt, ashes from a burned peach branch, one
bucket of well water.
So all of it needs to be gathered from outside...
In the middle of the night, with the changgwi lurking around.
And a safe way to get around on my own...
’Of course, there is a way.’
One that only I can use.
– Would you like me to turn off the light for you, Mr. Roe Deer?
"..."
Wow.
Do I really have to go out there alone?
I glanced back at the others instinctively.
My terrified heart was screaming to go as a group, all together, while my
brain held me back, firmly warning me not to do anything stupid.
Ugh, this is driving me nuts!
But in the end, reason won out.
"Please wait here."
Honestly, I’d prefer if someone came with me.
If anyone’s willing to volunteer... someone is, right?
Surprisingly, Go Seonha raised one hand.
"...I’ve done it before, so I could at least guide you to where everything is
located—"
"Oho! D-Don’t interfere, sit down, student."
But Section Chief Lee, alarmed, jumped up and quickly pulled her back.
"This isn’t someone you should be thinking of as just another person like
us! He’s not your average guy!"
"..."
Well, that’s a bit much.
"Just mark down the locations and give them to him. Quickly!"
"Oh..."
Go Seonha looked a bit reluctant but, after glancing at me, nodded with a
resigned expression.
’...?!’
She then marked on the blank spaces of the ritual paper where she’d found
the materials and handed it to me.
"Oh! And... be careful around water."
"..."
"The changgwi are ghosts cursed by tigers and bound to serve them, but...
historically, the term also referred to water ghosts..."
Go Seonha swallowed nervously, her face pale.
"If you hear water—rivers, streams, any water sounds—just avoid it. Don’t
even look, just keep walking."
"Alright."
I’m seriously so fucking scared, what the fuck...
Anyway, with everything in place, I stepped toward the door.
The security sergeant spoke up.
"Oh... you’re going out alone?"
"Yes."
I’d rather not, but here we are.
"If anything happens, please look after everyone here."
The Security Team’s role isn’t to protect people, but they’re still better than
ordinary civilians—especially when it comes to handling supernatural
creatures.
The security sergeant just looked at me intently.
"Hey."
"Yes?"
"You don’t really seem like a regular employee..."
"...?!"
"Fascinating... Alright. I’ll stay put, then. Don’t exactly have equipment for
this..."
Then he plopped down near the door.
"..."
Anyway, it seems like we’re ready to go.
’Let’s go.’
I took a deep, quiet breath, then gripped the door handle and pulled.
Creeeeak.
With a chilling creak of the hinges, the outside came into view.
The darkness was thick with fog.
Dead silent.
"..."
Creak, thud.
The door closed behind me.
Even though it was supposed to be a full moon, the fog was so dense it
completely blocked out the moonlight.
Branches swayed in the breeze, their shadows stretching and blending into
the pale hints of deep darkness.
I managed to take my first step.
Crunch, crunch.
– Friend, from now on, I’ll dim your light. You’ll disappear into the blind
spots of cameras, fade into the shadows behind the stage...
With every step, a dark, shadowy heaviness seemed to press down on me.
’It’s still such a strange feeling, no matter how often I experience it...’
Slowly, I faded into the misty forest, dim and shadowy.
– Phew. Feels a little lighter here!
Of course, the fear was still overwhelming. My heart felt like it was going
to explode.
[Walk straight up to the left from the abandoned house, and you’ll see
a large tree with a golden rope tied around it.]
Go Seonha’s rough map, with arrows and notes, lingered in my mind,
guiding each step I took.
I could barely tell front from back, so it was incredible how Go Seonha had
managed to gather the ritual materials.
’Left and up.’
After what felt like an hour, though only a few minutes had passed—
– Ah, Mr. Roe Deer. I see something up ahead.
Just as Braun said, something started to emerge through the fog.
It was... a giant tree, shrouded in mist.
A faint, sweet scent drifted from it whenever its branches swayed.
...Peach.
’There aren’t any fruits, so where’s the scent coming from?’
It was sweet, yet somehow unsettling...
A golden rope hung from the tree, stretched between two thick branches.
Beyond it, I could see a small field.
– Oh, is that farmland? A small garden in the mountains—aesthetic, but not
quite my taste!
Braun’s tone was cheerful, but my mind was far from light-hearted.
The book I’d read earlier had called this place [Sangun-nim’s Burial
Ground], hadn’t it?
And it’s also where the materials for the ritual are located?
’This must be a supernatural area.’
I moved carefully, inching forward while gathering the materials around the
area.
’Got the plums...’
[Face the left with the big tree on your right, and you’ll see smaller
trees—plum trees.]
I picked up fallen fruit beneath the plum trees and some dried branches near
the enormous peach tree.
Of course, I didn’t dare pick fruit directly or break off any branches.
’Not gonna risk that.’
Standing alone in a forest at midnight is frightening enough, but imagine
being trapped here, cursed by spirits.
And to top it off, I had a mission to complete?
You’d naturally become as cautious as possible.
’...Alright.’
Finally, I collected salt from a worn stone pagoda, where it seemed to have
been scattered as a warding charm.
...Honestly, I nearly screamed earlier while drawing water from the well
when I heard the bucket knocking against... something... inside.
’But I managed to get everything.’
The surroundings were still quiet.
I let out the tiniest sigh of relief.
’Now, if I return to the peach tree and retrace my steps, I should get back to
the abandoned house...’
As I started retracing my path, something I hadn’t noticed before caught my
eye.
At the end of the golden rope on the peach tree, a piece of clean silk was
tied.
’Huh?’
There was writing on it.
You who lack the right, turn back.
Wow.
’Yeah, definitely not touching that.’
Maintaining a safe one-meter distance, I nodded cautiously.
– You look tense, Mr. Roe Deer.
’Ah. It seems like you need a ’right’ to cross this line.’
– Hmm.
’Given that I’m here because of a ghostly curse, there’s no way I’d have...’
– But you do have the right!
’...What?’
– Take a look at your wrist.
I raised my hand to check the inside of my wrist.
Where the theme park wristband had been.
: Socius :
The tattoo that had been left there from the burnt-out membership band now
shimmered faintly.
"...!!"
’Socius... wasn’t that the word?’
The Latin term for ’companion’, ’member’, ’kinsman’.
– Oh, it seems the mark has broader applications than expected!
– Whether the mascot’s connections are wide or it has a part-time job
elsewhere, who can say?
"..."
– So, Friend, will you use your membership?
I stepped up to the golden rope and slowly reached out my hand.
The shimmering rope parted, passing gently around my arm as if it were
nothing.
"...!"
– As expected.
Carefully, I stepped forward.
Into the garden, where entry was now permitted.