NoveLight ™
Three minutes after getting caught up in the serial killer urban legend, we stood in front of the forest lodge.
The next person to get off the bike from the second-hand market transaction approached the lodge’s door.
Seeing us already standing there, they hesitated for a moment.
‘…They recognized me.’
The second-hand market seller—me, that is.
However, I pretended not to notice and kept my mouth shut.
Baek Saheon quickly started speaking in a polite voice.
“Excuse me, are you the owner of this house? Sorry, I think we took the wrong bus. It’s so remote here that there’s no phone signal, and we were hoping we could make a quick call…”
“I came here because I also got lost and need help.”
“Ah… I see.”
It was only then that I turned to look at the person, feigning surprise.
“…!”
I exaggerated my eye-opening gesture and gave a slight nod.
The person, clearly having already noticed, didn’t seem startled at all and returned a casual greeting.
In the meantime, Baek Saheon was subtly trying to gather more information about the person.
He was probably assessing whether this person was weaker than him.
“Did you come for a weekend trek? This place seems pretty secluded, so I’m guessing you’re a local?”
“…No. I don’t even know how I ended up here. I was definitely coming from Seoul.”
“Ah, really? We’re the same, actually. We couldn’t get a signal here either. Do you happen to know the way out or where we are?”
“……I’m not sure. Let’s go inside and ask.”
“…Oh, okay.”
Baek Saheon seemed dissatisfied with the conversation that yielded no real answers, but he glanced at the bicycle the person arrived on.
And he must’ve finally confirmed something.
The print on the handlebars.
[Seoul Metropolitan Government #2153]
It was clearly a government-issued bicycle. Spotting an opportunity to probe further, Baek Saheon perked up.
“Hey, um…”
I jabbed him in the ribs.
He froze, then turned to me in silence.
I slowly mouthed the words.
Disaster Management Bureau.
“……!”
The company and the Bureau have a terrible relationship. He must’ve heard about it during his time working there.
If he gets caught...
I made a slight gesture with my hand, as if mimicking the motion of cutting a throat, and Baek Saheon’s face turned pale.
He didn’t try to engage with the government official any further. Good move.
“I’ll open the door.”
I nodded at the government official, who had already reached for the door handle. The official lightly opened the wooden door of the lodge.
Creeeak.
“Is anyone here?”
The daylight poured into the lodge, which had been slightly dark inside.
And then…
“Hey, hey! Someone else came!”
“Are you the owner?”
People who had already been there revealed themselves.
A couple that looked like they were in their 30s, three in their 20s, and one middle-aged person.
Six people in total.
With the three of us, that makes... nine.
‘It’s started.’
I tried to suppress the urge to squeeze my eyes shut as I stepped inside the lodge.
***
And just like the cliché, everything proceeded as expected...
The couple, who claimed their navigation system had broken, came to the lodge.
“No, the navigation directed us to some weird place, the car broke down, and the phone isn’t working... It’s driving me crazy!”
“Ugh, honey, I told you, we should’ve gone to Sapporo instead of Sokcho!”
Three college students from a hiking club, who had gotten lost.
“We parked the car right down there.”
“Exactly... Ugh, this is insane.”
A middle-aged man, who had finished his work as a taxi driver and was trying to find the nearest bus stop to head home.
“Well, I’m just glad to see other people. I’m sure the owner will be back soon if we wait.”
It felt similar.
I surveyed the surroundings with dead eyes, already resigned.
I hadn’t even properly packed my items.
It’s so hard to survive...
‘Just focus on myself. Only me!’
We were asked questions by the newcomers.
“So, what do you young men do?”
“Oh, we’re just office workers. We were trying to take a bus, but we must’ve taken the wrong route. This one’s our supervisor, and I’m just an employee.”
Baek Saheon subtly shifted the responsibility onto me.
I pulled out my notebook.
Since I was still in my outing clothes and it was in my pocket, I could at least keep my character intact.
[Hello.]
“Eh? Why are you writing...?”
[My throat’s a little uncomfortable.]
“Aah.”
The three college students, who were acting like it was nothing, turned away with an exaggerated expression. The couple glanced at me, then moved away slightly.
“Ugh, I heard the flu’s really bad lately. Guess you caught it?”
“You should at least wear a mask. What if you spread it to someone else?”
[Sorry. I’ll try to stay quiet and keep my distance.]
Baek Saheon looked at me with a disgusted expression. He was reacting in place of me.
“By the way, are you two from the same company?”
“No, we met at the door... um.”
The second-hand market trader, a large man with sharp eyes who looked quite fierce, politely responded.
“I work for the Seoul Metropolitan Government.”
Oh. He was being straightforward about it.
He briefly explained that he was a government official and had gotten lost while riding his bike.
But that was where it ended.
He didn’t mention that he worked for the Disaster Management Bureau, or that we were all caught up in an urban legend and would soon be murdered by a serial killer as part of a twisted Russian Roulette game.
People weren’t dumb, though. They probably sensed something was off.
“So, all of us lost our way in broad daylight and ended up here in this rural pension?”
“What is this, some ghost story?”
“Hey! Don’t talk like that, you’ll jinx it.”
When the number of people increases, they become braver.
Even though they were mentioning ghosts, they began looking around like they were watching a spectacle.
“Come to think of it, this place…”
“Yeah, it looks like a house that’s lived in... Like those rich houses we had in our neighborhood when we were kids.”
It was exactly like that.
The wooden mountain lodge built in the style popular decades ago exuded a slightly rustic yet warm and luxurious atmosphere.
“Oh, look there! There’s a golden frame!”
In one corner of the living room, there was a large picture frame, and it looked like the frame was indeed made of solid gold.
But what caught my attention was not the frame, but the contents inside.
It was a poem.
+++
A Happy Meal Time
The rabbit is baked in the kitchen,
The deer caught in the backyard,
The pigeon is fattened in the room,
And the lamb is sliced in the living room.
The sound of hopping and laughing,
The wooden floor beneath their feet,
The table is full,
And a hum fills the air.
The whole family gathers around,
Bon appétit.
+++
“......”
No.
‘This is blatantly foreshadowing.’
It certainly looked like it.
But it seemed no one was really interested in the horror or mystery genre.
A few of the college students in the hiking club chuckled among themselves, then one of them casually pocketed a small ivory ornament from the table beside the sofa.
‘Oh.’
I wouldn’t be surprised if they were the first victims.
Just as I had that thought, a sudden sound came from the back of the kitchen.
Clunk.
“…!!”
I saw a shadow move through the back door.
And slowly, someone walked through the open door.
The figure, hunched over with an old hood covering their face, was...
“Good evening, lodge guests.”
“…?!”
“I am the lodge keeper, and I will serve you during your stay.”
His voice was deep.
He bowed to us with an extremely polite old Seoul dialect.
Right. The typical “butler managing a murder mansion” character.
Unlike me with my dead eyes, people were startled by his shabby appearance and his tone, which didn’t fit his outfit.
“Uh, excuse me, we’re not guests. We got lost and just came here to use the phone...”
“No, you’ve arrived correctly.”
“Eh?”
“You must have come to exchange the cassette tape, correct?”
People froze.
“The one in your pocket.”
“…!”
As if in a trance, everyone started rummaging through their pockets and pulled out items.
Baek Saheon, too, had a cassette tape, similar to the one he had thrown away earlier, now in his hand.
“…That!”
“How did you all...”
“The owner of this lodge was an incredibly wealthy person, and before passing away, they said they gave away this cassette tape to many places.”
People flinched.
“And they made a promise.”
“A promise, what kind of promise?”
“They promised, ‘If you come to the lodge with this cassette tape, I will exchange it for anything I own...’”
“......!”
“And that promise is still valid, even after they’ve passed.”
It’s a pretty obvious lure...
‘No, it’s so perfect that it might be too obvious.’
Money always has power.
Even though they were laughing awkwardly, people’s eyes were instinctively drawn to the various jewelry and Goryeo celadon on display in the cabinet.
The middle-aged man, laughing out loud, jokingly grabbed the solid gold frame.
“Heh, so we just take whatever we want, huh?”
The lodge keeper smoothly and politely replied.
“Of course. However, you may only take it after three days.”
“What?”
Hmm. Just as I expected.
---------------------=
For those entering, if they stay in the disaster zone for a certain period, they are promised a substantial financial reward.
This “certain period” can range from a minimum of 12 hours to a maximum of one week, and the reward is offered based on what the entrants can handle.
---------------------=
“We’re giving you three days to contemplate so that you don’t waste this one-time exchange opportunity.”
“No, that’s unnecessary!”
“Then you may leave now. However, the exchange will not be possible.”
The couple fell silent, seemingly reluctant to forgo the easy money.
One of the college students in the hiking club raised his hand from behind.
“Hey, can you exchange... I mean, if I said I want all the inheritance, is that possible?”
“It’s possible.”
“…!!”
The college student’s playful tone suddenly turned serious.
“Can I take the whole lodge?”
“Yes.”
“......”
People’s eyes changed.
‘They’re starting to believe it.’
The eerie chill they had felt earlier had completely disappeared, replaced by an atmosphere where they thought that financial luck was coming their way.
After confirming the will and documents shown by the lodge keeper, their certainty grew.
“This must be real.”
"Crazy..."
The couple who had been cursing now had a change in demeanor.
"Weekend trip or not, let's stick it out. If things get bad, we can just call the police, right?"
"Yeah, exactly. Ugh, did they put a talisman on the tape from some supernatural fortune teller's shop? People are gathering. This is so strange, strange."
The lodge keeper even gave us time to make calls.
Once everyone had finished their calls, the atmosphere became one of excitement, as if this were some event.
The lodge keeper bowed deeply.
"When so many people visit at once, the order of exchanges becomes important."
"Ah, right!"
"Whoever speaks first saying 'Give me all the inheritance!' will get everything, right?"
"Thus... we’ll give priority to those who own the most cassette tapes."
"...!"
Immediately, people looked at each other.
Especially the three college students who came together exchanged glances among themselves.
If they were to divide into groups, they knew they had the most tapes.
"Wait, are we supposed to buy someone else’s cassette tape?"
"I'm just explaining the process. It’s not mandatory, but it might be fun to come up with your own conditions for the exchange. The order does matter, though."
"......"
An intense, meaningful tension passed through the group.
"Shall I prepare the rooms for you? There are bedrooms on the second floor."
"Ah, right."
"Yeah, let’s start with the bedrooms..."
"Wait, excuse me."
Baek Saheon’s voice cut through the crowd.
"I might need to leave soon due to an urgent matter. Could you tell me the way out of here?"
"Of course."
But that event didn’t happen.
A moment later.
---------------------=
Those who enter must be isolated for various reasons.
Typically, extreme weather events like typhoons, blizzards, or landslides cause the isolation.
---------------------=
"The heavy rain has caused a landslide outside, trapping us. Fortunately, the power is still on, so there shouldn’t be any problem staying."
"......"
Baek Saheon looked at me with a confused expression.
‘Exactly.’
I shrugged.
At this point, no one could leave until everything that was supposed to happen did.
‘Thanks to that, I’m now scrambling for a way out while my head is about to explode.’
But there was at least one good thing about the situation. At least, no ghosts were coming out...
‘...But a serial killer will.’
And it was obvious.
This was a twist used frequently in movies and novels, and it was no different in urban legends.
The killer...
One of the entrants would play a special role. In narrative terms, they would be the predator in the story.
They would eventually be the serial killer.
I had to identify the person who would become the killer and avoid them.
This person would believe they had inherited the legendary murderer’s spirit and legacy from this place, undergoing both mental and physical transformations.
‘Hmm.’
Or... maybe I could take a different approach.
Just then, I saw the government official quietly leaving the room.
“I’ll go check on the weather outside.”
“Go ahead.”
I followed him to the veranda.
The fierce wind and rain had begun, and it was growing darker outside, with the raindrops dampening my clothes.
The downpour seemed to drown out any sounds of conversation.
I carefully kept my notebook from getting wet and leaned in to listen.
[Hey, you’re the one who bought the cookies, right? I just want to make sure I’m not mistaken.]
Fortunately, the official didn’t pretend not to know.
“Yes. That’s correct.”
But he looked me over, scanning me from top to bottom as if sizing me up.
Hmm.
I pretended to survey the area, then, when I was sure no one was watching, I quickly scribbled on my notebook with a tense expression.
[Sorry, but... is this situation... strange?]
“......”
[It’s just that it seems odd that everyone with a cassette tape ended up lost and came here.]
[Could it be... a ghost?]
I knew by now that the official probably knew I had experienced supernatural events. I’d even sold urban legend food.
This kind of question wouldn’t seem out of place.
‘The real problem is whether he thinks I deliberately entered this situation.’
I’d rather be treated as an innocent civilian.
I was planning to gauge how he responded to determine my next course of action.
‘Honestly, the chance of him answering with "I don’t know" is probably high...’
“Yes.”
...??
Right away?
The official, though looking slightly conflicted, asked me.
“How did you acquire the cassette tape?”
[Actually, it wasn’t mine... I saw a colleague of mine with it.]
[It looked so ominous, so I told him to throw it away, and then I got on the bus, but I ended up here.]
“......”
The official placed his hand on his chin and fell silent for a moment.
“Do you often get caught up in these kinds of situations?”
I deliberately smiled awkwardly.
[Sometimes?]
“I see.”
The official, still in conflict, continued.
“I... um, I’m with the government, actually.”
He admitted this?
[Really? Are you like a ghost-hunting 007?]
“...Yes.”
[Wow!]
...‘This is not the time to be impressed,’ I wanted to say, but my face clearly gave it away.
“Anyway, this place is indeed a site of supernatural events. Please be careful... If possible, stay with me, and if you must go alone, make sure there are at least three of you together.”
Wait a minute.
‘He’s treating me as much more of an innocent civilian than I expected?’
I don’t know what’s going on, but this is a good thing. I quickly replied.
[Thank you. But... what about the others?]
The official answered firmly.
“Don’t worry about them.”
Hmm.
[Can I tell my colleague?]
“No.”
Oops.
The official glanced around the living room and, lowering his voice, quietly said something as if confessing a huge secret.
“Actually…”
Actually?
“…One of us here is the killer.”
Hmm.
Yes.
I know...
But, of course, I can’t let it show, so I quickly pretended to be surprised and scribbled in my notebook.
[The killer? How do you know that??]
“...This lodge isn’t a normal place. It’s never been publicized, but similar situations have happened several times, where guests were killed by the killer.”
No, this host is a professional.
“No matter how close you are to someone, don’t trust them. If you must be alone, never open the door to your room.”
‘Usually, it’s the ones who desperately want to stay in their room who end up dying first...’
Anyway, through this conversation, I had confirmed a few things about the official.
And about this urban legend.
[Thank you.]
I thanked the official and bid him good night before heading back to my room.
And finally, with a bit more peace of mind, I went to my assigned room.
I had already decided what to do.
“Phew.”
I explored the room.
I was looking for something.
And I found it….
I opened the closet in the room, and there, hanging as decoration, were two sizable one-handed axes.
“......”
It was truly terrifying and exhausting, but I had no choice.
At this point...
‘Shall I make my move first?’
I grabbed one of the axes.
Serial killer, I’m going to give this a shot.