Chapter 15 – Room 102, Cursed Room - 'Mansion of Fear' (1)
Chapter 15
[User: Han Gain (Ji-hye) Date: Day 5
Current Location: Floor 1, Room 102 (Cursed Room - Mansion of Fear)
Sage's Advice: 3]
Rattle rattle
"Ah, Jin-cheol, try driving a bit more smoothly. My butt hurts to death."
"Hah, seriously, noona, I told you it's my first time driving an SUV. The feel is a bit different, that's why."
Bump!
"Ow! Ugh..."
"Urgh! My head... hyung, please slow down a bit."
"We're all going to die here before we even arrive at the mansion."
"I mean, why does this damn mansion require driving on an unpaved road for so long? Noona, didn't you say you used to go there a lot?"
"Hmm... to be honest, I was young so my memory is hazy. My uncle has lived in the mansion since then... Hey, we're going to a mansion with great scenery for free, so why so many complaints!"
"It's not a complaint... I'm just saying it's too far and the ride is exhausting."
"But, is there an owner of the mansion?"
"Hmm... Song-i, I called a few days ago too, and it seems my uncle hasn't been feeling well recently, so he couldn't come down from the hospital in Seoul. It worked out well, I guess~"
"Excuse me??"
"Phew, I didn't mean it's a good thing he's sick, I meant it's good that it's just us aside from the hired help."
"There are servants too?"
"I heard there's only a maid and a butler, just two of them."
"A maid and a butler, it really is a full-fledged mansion. I don't think I've even seen that old-school style in my hometown."
"And we're going there."
Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt---------------------
Along with a sensation like the sound of a broken radio echoing in my head,
'I came to my senses.'
At the same time, everyone else who had also come to their senses kept their mouths shut.
What happened? Entering Room 102, it felt like I had watched a movie for nearly 30 minutes with half my mind lost.
A bizarre feeling, as if I had watched a movie where I was the actor.
Naturally, the car had stopped.
"What in the world... I'm really experiencing all sorts of strange things as time goes on."
"Right now, what is this? I didn't do anything, but strangely-"
"Someone controlled our bodies and made us roleplay for about 20 or 30 minutes. Probably this damn hotel."
Belatedly, we all sorted out the situation together.
Upon entering Room 102, we lost control of our bodies for nearly 30 minutes,
and something controlled our bodies, setting up the situation as if putting on a play while heading to the mansion, and crammed information into our heads.
At least Elena, an active aspiring actress, understood the situation first.
"It seems we've been given a sort of role. The five of us—me, Eun-sol unnie, Jin-cheol-ssi, Gain-ssi, and Song-i—are on our way to the grand mansion of Eun-sol unnie's 'uncle.'
The five of us, excluding Seung-yeop, are a college club gathering, and Seung-yeop is unnie's younger brother. This kind of information just popped up in my mind. Is it similar for everyone else?"
"Me too... exactly the same. Of course, I only found out today that I even had an uncle. The hotel did a great job creating a family I haven't known for over 30 years.
Besides, college students? I don't know about the others, but honestly for me and Jin-cheol-"
And once again, everyone was speechless.
College students. Both Eun-sol unnie and Jin-cheol hyung were in their early 30s, so they were a bit past the age of college students.
At least Eun-sol unnie might pass depending on her clothes, but Jin-cheol hyung was honestly a stretch... or so I thought,
Right now, the two of them had visibly 'grown younger' to an obvious degree.
"You guys look like college students."
A dazed answer came out.
"Yeah. They've gotten about 10 years younger."
"Seriously, I'm experiencing all sorts of bizarre things since coming here... jeez, really."
"If it's a college student role, I've actually gotten older..."
"Still, it doesn't seem like they made Song-i any older?"
"I don't think Elena unnie, Gain oppa, and I have changed in appearance."
"Since they had to assign us college student roles, it seems they turned back time for Jin-cheol hyung and Eun-sol unnie too.
If they can kill and revive us, making us younger must be easy."
"If possible, I hope our ages are maintained even after we leave the hotel..."
"But unnie! Where is Seung-yeop right now?"
"According to the 'setting', it seems he went to the mansion ahead of us."
"He's probably a hostage of sorts."
"A hostage? What are you talking about all of a sudden, Gain?"
"Ah, as soon as I came to my senses, I looked at the window next to me, and the name of the place we're going to is...
The 'Mansion of Fear', no less. God knows what terrifying things will happen there.
But since we all came to our senses before arriving at the mansion...
I was thinking about what would happen if we just didn't go to the mansion.
Maybe they sent Seung-yeop ahead aiming for exactly that.
To force us to come to the mansion no matter what."
"Well, that could be true, but I think we have to go anyway.
If we stubbornly refuse, they'll probably pull some crazy stunt to make us go.
Zombies suddenly appearing, and while running away, we end up at the mansion.
Wouldn't a scenario like that pop up?"
"Jin-cheol, it hasn't even been a few days, but you sound like a mansion expert?"
"Then, let's head out to the mansion first. If it's a place that will force us to go one way or another, I think we'll go through less hardship if we just go on our own two feet."
"But Jin-cheol hyung, do you know the way? It wasn't actually you driving until now, right?"
"Hmm... there's actually a map right next to me, but there's one real problem."
"Yes?"
"This is a stick shift. Not automatic."
And silence fell.
"Hyung, your license is perhaps..."
"I got a Class 1 normal license, but I haven't touched a stick shift in 10 years. Is there anyone who knows how to drive a manual?"
"I don't have a license..."
"It'd be strange if a high schooler had one. But I drive automatic too. Gain, what about you?"
"I don't have a license either..."
"Miss Elena, perhaps... never mind. This is a big problem. Should I just force myself to drive?"
"I'll drive."
Again, silence fell.
"Elena-ssi? This is, well,"
"I found out when I got a Korean license before, but it's unusual that automatics are the majority in Korea; in Russia, manuals are still 80%. So, move over."
Like that, the manual car that no one else could drive was driven by the foreign young lady in her 20s, beating out the former martial arts fighter in his 30s and the career woman in her 30s,
and everyone kept their mouths shut until they arrived at the mansion. Jin-cheol hyung didn't relax the stiffest expression I had ever seen on him.
As we got closer to the mansion, the atmosphere inside the car grew darker.
What kind of place is the 'Mansion of Fear'?
As we approached the mansion, the atmosphere of the surrounding forest gradually changed to something alien.
The trees became uniformly towering conifers like giant poles, and birds watched the car with a somewhat eerie vibe.
Was it just my imagination?
From a distance, the mansion began to come into view.
With a massive mountain backing it, and in front, an incredibly huge lake that made me wonder if such a lake even existed in Korea.
Across the lake was a bridge that cars could pass over, and we approached the mansion via that bridge.
Truly, it was a mansion. It wasn't the shape of an overturned rectangular matchbox like most houses in Korea.
As soon as we crossed the lake, a splendid garden came into view, with classical statues rising here and there.
And a giant front gate that made one wonder if it could even be opened by human hands.
As the car approached, the front gate naturally opened, and everyone got out of the car.
Next to the front gate was the most bizarre statue I had ever seen in my life.
The figure was human, but it had six arms and a grotesquely huge heart.
It was a monstrous sculpture, looking as if a heart carved so massively was bulging out of its upper body and squirming.
While staring at the statue, Song-i couldn't contain her curiosity and tapped the base of the sculpture,
and just as Eun-sol unnie stroked Song-i's head, perhaps finding the sight cute, people came out of the mansion.
An old man, a boy, and a girl.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the mansion."
An imposing old man in a suit gave a light bow in greeting.
Everyone awkwardly returned the greeting as they got out of the car.
"Hello, I'm, um... Lee Eun-sol..."
"Hoho, I heard a lot from the old master. He told me over the phone until my ears hurt that we must not show any inadequacy since the young lady and her college friends will be staying at the mansion for a few days.
Unfortunately, the old master is unwell and is absent from the residence....
I am the butler of this mansion, Kim Muk-seong, and this child here is, albeit lacking, my granddaughter, Kim A-ri.
We will serve you without lacking anything."
"A-ri?"
Momentarily flustered by the unfamiliar name, the girl standing next to them stepped forward and bowed her head.
"Hello. I am working at the mansion."
....
What in the world is this? Wouldn't a typical maid be at least in her 20s?
No matter how I looked at the girl before me, she looked to be in her early teens, 13 or 14 at best.
Ah... I shook off the thought, thinking it was meaningless. Not anymore.
Haven't 'strangeness' and 'commonness' become synonyms since coming to this hotel?
It was a place where even if a 5-year-old, let alone a 13-year-old, said they were the butler, I'd just accept it as it was.
More than that, this girl boasted a surreally extraordinary appearance.
Her snow-white skin and doll-like features were striking, but her deep crimson eyes were the most extraordinary element.
Weren't eyes like that something only albinos had? This girl was definitely not an albino no matter how you looked at her.
Her hair color was pitch-black, for starters.
Because she was such an unrealistic girl appearing in a place brazenly named the 'Mansion of Fear' from the start,
it was only natural to feel immense suspicion and wariness at the same time, and then I saw the boy standing foolishly next to her.
"Seung-yeop, aren't you even going to say hello to your sister?"
"Ah, u-um, noona, you're here. Hello to everyone else too?"
"Oh my, you're really head over heels. Your eyeballs are practically falling out. You're really something even in a place like this."
Seung-yeop couldn't take his eyes off the girl next to him.
It was obvious to anyone that he felt eternal destiny the moment he saw A-ri; he stared at her trembling, and whenever A-ri smiled and looked back at him, he couldn't even breathe properly and just stared at the ground. Honestly, I couldn't say anything other than it was ridiculous.
Of course, the girl was extremely pretty, but—
As Eun-sol unnie said, 'a place like this.' The 'Mansion of Fear.' In the most suspicious place in the world, shouldn't we be questioning whether this girl was even human?
Around then, the butler opened his mouth.
"By any chance, have you all made an itinerary for where you will be going?"
An itinerary, my foot. We only realized we were going to this strange mansion about an hour ago.
"Haha, we haven't made any concrete plans yet."
"If so, young lady, how about you and your friends go inside first, unpack, and rest up, then start by visiting the mountain behind the mansion?
Unfortunately, the mansion is far from the city, making it difficult to enjoy much cultural life, but I am confident that the scenery is second to none.
Also, beyond the hill, there is a refreshing valley, and you can enjoy a light boat ride on the lake. Near the mansion, there is also a splendid cathedral with a deep history."
Since no one knew what was in the mansion to begin with, no one could offer a different opinion,
so our itinerary was decided: unpack, take a short rest, and then take a light hike before dinner.
After unpacking and washing up in the incredibly luxurious rooms of the mansion, we gathered for a 'strategy meeting'.
"But, Gain. Where did Seung-yeop go?"
"Um... that's strange. He was nearby when we were washing up."
"Ah! I saw him earlier run off saying he was going to help the maid with her work."
"Oh my, he's really losing his mind. Does he really think this is some happy dream mansion?
Song-i, you just watched him do that?"
"He ran off so suddenly..."
"Now, now. Did you really expect to rely on a middle schooler for the meeting, noona?
Let's proceed with the people who are left. Gain, did you happen to find out anything from that window?"
"Other than the name of the mansion, nothing has popped up yet. It says 'Fear', but there's no information telling us what the root cause is or what we should do."
"Let's slowly start by setting a goal. What is our number one goal?
Since we all experienced Room 101 together, we can guess from the notice that appeared at the end.
Our number one goal is 'for at least one person to survive'. If we just achieve that, everyone else can be revived even if they die."
"But... until when do we have to survive?"
"We have to guess that from now on. Simply put, if we survive for as long as possible, something will work out. And to survive for a long time, we first need to know what's threatening us."
"Well, isn't that honestly obvious?"
I agreed with that. Who would threaten us?
Of course, invisible monsters could appear, but that would be hard to predict from now.
More than that, didn't the butler and the young maid we met earlier give off the vibe of embodying every suspicion in the world?
"The butler grandpa and that girl, I got the feeling right away that they were dangerous the moment I saw them."
"100%. And you know I exercise a bit, right? I knew it as soon as I saw that old man.
His muscles were showing to the point where he couldn't hide them with clothes. At that level, if you think he's weak just because he's an old man, you're in for a rude awakening.
He'd probably beat you in an arm wrestling match, Gain."
"But the maid didn't look like someone who could fight."
"Of course, she looks like a kid on the outside, but who knows."
"For me, more than the butler or the maid, the statue at the front gate was just too weird."
"For me, it's the bridge. While driving here earlier... the condition of the bridge was somewhat weak. Should I say it was like the condition of the roads during the Rasputitsa season in my hometown...?"
"Rasputitsa?"
"In Russia, it refers to the period when the snow melts and the roads become covered in mud. I think Elena means that moisture wasn't properly blocked on the bridge, making it muddy."
"That's right."
For about 30 minutes, we shared our opinions on how suspicious and dangerous the elements of this mansion seemed.
Just as the mansion in our heads was turning into a hell filled with murder traps, and the butler and maid were transforming into a serial killer grandfather-granddaughter duo,
a sound of someone knocking on the door was heard.
Author's Note
This scenario is a bit long. So, I will increase the word count and progress fairly quickly on my own.