Chapter 33.1
T/N:
Thank you for all the feedback, everyone! Iāve decided to continue using Soleum for our MCās name. As people have said, weāve established familiarity with this spelling and pronunciation in English, and at the end of the day, translation isnāt just transliteration but also localization.
Most of all, while his nameās technically closer to Soreum due to consonant assimilation, I like how the āSolā from the original Korean spelling (sol – eum) is retained. Iāve already been calling our ~bright ray of sunshine~ āSol-ahā in my head all this time lmao (well, still āSor-ahā but you get the gist)
Thanks again, and if you have more suggestions/clarifications about the story and my translation, feel free to just send them down in the comments! Iām always open to and grateful for constructive criticism.
Letās break it down.
I was trying to find a missing person, encountered some bizarre, terrifying phenomena, and got sucked in somewhere.
In short:
Iām a missing person now, too.
Swallowed up by a creepypasta.
“E-Excuse me, sir, are you a policemanā¦?”
And maybe, these kids are as well.
There were five or six of them in middle school uniforms, looking at me with a mixture of hope and fear.
Seeing their faces somehow cleared away my initial shock, grounding me back in reality.
āFirst things first.ā
I need to figure out the situationā¦!
“Iām not a policeman.”
I showed them the <Daydream Inc.> logo sewn on the front of my security uniform.
“Iām with a private security company.”
“Ahhā¦”
It seemed theyād mistaken the security uniform for a police uniform.
Their faces were starting to fill with resignation and fear, so I quickly added,
“I can still file a report and initiate security procedures. So, please calm down and explain whatās going on, alright?”
“Umm, yesā¦!”
The first student who spoke, a girl with short hair, swallowed nervously before beginning, her voice trembling.
“Itās, um. We, weā¦ were on a school trip.”
Theyāre first-year students from a middle school in Seoul had come on a field trip to Gyeongju.
The teachers had split the kids into groups to keep things manageable, and this group, Group 3, seemed to be especially cheerful and curious.
“B-Behind our lodging, there was this mountainā¦ and we saw something like a gazebo up there, soā¦ we decided to do a test of courage and check it out.”
They had decided to sneak out at night and go up to that āgazeboā by themselves.
āHuuā¦ā
Normally, theyād have been caught by a teacher, scolded, and sent back, or theyād have just looked around, laughed, and returned safely.
Butā¦
“There was this painting hanging in that gazebo.”
But this is the world of creepypastas.
“I-It was a painting of something that lookedā¦ like a weird houseā¦”
The student gulped again.
“And someone was watching us from that house.”
“ā¦ā¦”
“So, we dared each other to get closer, andā¦”
“You touched it.”
“ā¦ā¦”
The girl nodded, then started to sob.
“S-Suddenly, a voice from the painting said, āGood job, good job,ā laughing, and thenā¦ something strange came out of itā”
And when we came to, weāre already in this creepy abandoned house.
“We can hear strange noises outside the window, and even when itās daytime, the fog is so thick we canāt seeā¦ we c-canāt get outā¦”
Even a boy in the back with a mischievous face was sniffling. They all seemed to be on the verge of panic.
āUghā¦ā
I kept my voice calm on purpose as I asked,
“Was that painting by any chance a scroll?”
“Hiic, sniffle, a scroll?”
“You know, something that rolls upāa vertical scroll.”
“Ahā¦ uh, I donāt think soā¦ It was more like, um, a traditional painting? O-One thatās painted with that old brush thingieā¦”
“ā¦An ink wash painting?”
“Yes!!”
The student nodded vigorously.
Soā¦ could that be the common factor that draws people into this creepypasta?
Scrolls are typically antique items.
āThe scroll that Section Chief Lee had was probably also a traditional ink painting.ā
And that creepy, dark red liquid (uuugh) that was swirling around in the restroomā¦ it was probably ink too.
In summaryā¦
Itās a creepypasta where a bizarre ink painting captures anyone who touches it, pulling them into a terrifying place.
āā¦Seems like there could be five or six of them.ā
Iām finally narrowing it down. But the problem is, none of the Darkness I could think of in this category are easy to deal with.
āThis is a classic, traditional creepypastaā¦ā
The kind of story rooted in superstitious fear that tightens around your throat.
A frightening tale with a hint of a shamanistic undertone, something that chills you to the bone.
“ā¦ā¦”
This is really bad. Iām already weak against ghosts as it isā¦
āThis feels way more intense than that convenience store ghostā¦ā
In desperation, I started counting heads. Usually, having more people around makes things less scary!
Is there anyone else here?
Come to think of it, where did the security sergeant go? He shouldāve been caught up in this mess with me, but thereās no sign of him anywhere.
Having him here would be reassuringā¦ and I canāt exactly rely on these kids, either.
āThis is a nightmare.ā
I kept my tone steady and asked,
“That must have been really frightening. How long have you been here?”
“A-A dayā¦? Iām not sureā¦”
“Youāre not hungry?”
“We brought snacks, kindaā¦ so we ate those.”
“I see.”
āThese kids must be at their limit.ā
These kids, whoāve barely graduated elementary school, have been trapped here on their own?
Theyāre likely still alert because theyāre terrified, which is keeping them from feeling tired, but it wonāt be long before they crash hard.
“Weāre s-so scared, and our phones donāt work, soā¦”
“I get it. Iāll look for a way out, so in the meantime, donāt touch anything elseā¦”
Wait.
“So, is it just you here? No other adults around?”
“An adult! Thereās one! Thereās one, butā¦!”
Then, at that moment.
ā¦A scream rang out from far away.
AAAAHHHH!
“ā¦ā¦”
“Heās been screamingā¦ all by himselfā¦ that ahjussiās scaring us.”
“ā¦Yeah.”
Iām scared tooā¦
āBut I canāt just drag all of you alongā¦ā
In times like this, having a comforting (living) plush toy around definitely comes in handy.
āBraun.ā
I called out to the āGood Friendā in my pocket.
Come to think of it, heās been pretty quiet.
– Mr. Roe Deer.
A slightly crestfallen voice answered.
– Iām sorry. To think you went to such a filthy, unhygienic place just to bring me a giftā¦
It seemed he was feeling rather guilty. I let out a faint chuckle.
āItās alright. Weāll get out of here.ā
Actually, itās not alright at all.
But getting angry here wonāt let me quit halfway, eitherā¦ That would only leave me with a resentful, murderous plush toy.
– Youāre truly bold! Thatās an admirable talent, even as an entertainer!
No, Iām just absolutely scared out of my wits.
So Iām counting on you for some serious help.
āCan you help me find a way out?ā
– What do you need? Just say the word, and this Braun, will prepare itā¦
Mm. This is greatāat this rate, even if I donāt manage to pull the full fifty million, our friendship wonāt be at risk.
After giving Braun a few taps of gratitude on my pocket, I stepped deeper into the abandoned house.
ā¦Toward the source of the scream.
lynniee
watch as he adopts each and every single kid here lol, none of the kids better die or im gonna kms plssss not the children,