Chapter 18 – Room 102, The Cursed Room - 'House of Horrors' (4)
[User: Han Ga-in (Jihye)
Date: Day 6
Current Location: Floor 1, Room 102 (Cursed Room - House of Horrors)
Sage's Advice: 3]
The cathedral was cleaner than expected. The butler had said it was half-ruined, but perhaps that was only by the standards of the immaculate mansion?
At this level, considering its small size, it could be cleaned up in half a day and still be suitable for holding worship.
Following the butler past the chapel and out the back door, a boat and a lake came into view.
The lake's water level had risen sharply due to the storm, and the water was sloshing almost right up to the door.
As a result, the boat had also come near the back door, looking ready to bang against it.
Naturally, the boat's condition was disastrous.
Exposed to the storm, and apparently having collided with the surrounding terrain during the rapid water level rise, it was caked in mud.
"It's certainly not clean... but it's not to the point where it can't be operated at all."
"Just in case, I'm asking, but you know how to handle a boat, right?"
"Of course, Miss. However, it looks difficult to operate this boat right now."
The butler quietly reached out and pointed to the boat's exterior.
Had it been damaged while colliding with something as the water level rose rapidly?
Water was leaking into the boat. For now, it was only slowly seeping in, but it definitely looked like repairs were needed.
"There are tools in the mansion to repair the boat. If we bring those and just plug that hole, it'll be manageable enough to cross the lake. The motor should be fine."
After exchanging glances with Eun-sol-unni for a moment, she nodded in agreement.
"Cough, cough. Achoo!"
"Are you alright? You've been exposed to the wind and rain for too long."
"I'm fine. Don't worry about me and you can go back."
"No, I think it would be best to warm up for a bit. The way back to the mansion isn't short. I'll go bring a heater."
When the butler disappeared to fetch a heater to warm us up, we too relaxed a little and sat here and there on the long pews of the chapel.
Clank, clank
Screeeeech
A sinister sound. Enduring the unpleasantness, I raised my head and saw a door on the opposite side swaying.
"I wonder... what room that is?"
"Probably the room the priest used."
Suspicious.
The butler left us alone despite the person in question saying she was fine, insisting she needed to rest.
A door opening as if it had been waiting.
"What is this, are they telling us to go search it?"
"I'll go check."
"Let's go together. It'd be better to have someone holding a light."
"No, hyung, you should stay near unni.
After all... the butler will be coming back."
The butler.
From the first day, hyung had said the butler was a remarkably strong person the moment he saw him and remained on guard.
When I said we needed to prepare for the butler's return, Jin-cheol-hyung also agreed and sat back down.
Of course, being conscious of the butler was part of it, but...
Dangerous places, one person at a time. Even if we die, one person at a time.
Just like how you shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket with stocks or investments.
We shouldn't all enter a dangerous place at once.
Holding a lantern in one hand, I entered the room.
A half-rotten desk. Various documents scattered about.
I skimmed through them roughly, but most were partial transcriptions of Bible verses.
Probably written during worship, or verses the priest himself found impressive.
As I rummaged through the documents, and apologies aside, tore apart the half-crumbled Bible, and tapped the rotting desk, glancing to see if the butler might be coming soon—
I discovered an unusual document for the first time.
Documents related to the lawsuit between the cathedral and the mansion.
The contents of the lawsuit were exactly as the butler had told us yesterday.
Each was making various claims about why the ownership of the cathedral and surrounding land belonged to them.
Looking more carefully, letters they had sent to each other began to appear.
Starting off with 'To the respected Father' and 'To the faithful believer Lee Se-hyun'—learning the 'Elder's' name—the letters exchanged in a polite atmosphere gradually turned hostile.
The middle letters were difficult to understand as they discussed legal grounds and claims, but at least one thing caught my eye.
Their titles for each other had somehow changed to 'money-crazed rotten priest' and 'satanic bastard fallen into wicked heresy.'
Money-crazed.
Up to this point, it could fall under the category of 'normal' insults that might arise from a land dispute lawsuit, but...
'Wicked heresy'—this didn't look like a normal insult. In this situation where occult incidents were occurring ceaselessly, it was a word that absolutely couldn't be overlooked.
There's a need to suspect the 'Elder.' Reaching this rough conclusion, and with nothing else to see, I came out of the room.
The butler still hadn't arrived, and hyung and unni were visibly shivering.
"Is he still not here? He said he was bringing a heater..."
"Right. Where on earth is he bringing a heater from... It's been well over 30 minutes, maybe even an hour."
"That old man is definitely trying to kill us here. That's why I—that bastard—"
"Please be quiet. I'm begging you."
The words unni said earlier came to mind. 'Jin-cheol has lost his mind.'
I'm starting to understand a little.
This hyung definitely hasn't been able to calm his emotions since Elena died...
It was only after another 10 minutes or so that the butler returned.
He did have a heater in his hand, but now there was truly no one who wanted to stay in this sinister cathedral any longer, warming themselves by that heater.
So, ironically, the moment the butler arrived with the heater, we set off for the mansion again.
The butler raised no objections to the suggestion to leave and immediately began walking.
As if, from the start, warming our bodies had never been his real purpose.
After arriving at the mansion, we all finally rested and warmed up together.
Since we had spent the time worrying about each other, Seung-yeop, Song-i, and even Ari—who had stayed at the mansion—came out worried and made a fuss about boiling water and heating the bathtub.
After half-heartedly getting through dinner as well as lunch, we executed the plan we had made while going to the cathedral.
"Butler, give me the key to the study."
"Pardon?"
"The key to the study. I want to go look for something."
"Haha, Miss. I mentioned this to Seung-yeop, but the Elder strictly instructed that no one should enter the study. You see... there are many legal and financial documents—"
"Ah, Butler. Then call my uncle or something."
"Miss..."
"I need to see the study. Strange things have been happening all over this mansion since earlier, you know? Who knows?
Maybe uncle is hiding something in the study. So just bring the key."
"Noona, regardless, the owner of the house told us not to go in... Aren't you getting a bit too worked up all of a sudden?"
"Just shut up. That damn owner doesn't even have a way to be contacted when people are dying here, and if we just keep listening to that, two more bodies will turn up."
After roughly pretending to argue a couple of times, I turned around and saw the others staring at me with wide eyes.
Tina was worried it might seem like acting, but perhaps I acted too well.
Or maybe, fighting in this already scary and sinister atmosphere amplified their fear, making them react this way.
Even Jin-cheol-hyung was looking at me with surprised eyes, and it felt awkward to explain again, so I just sat down without a word.
It was funny, but thanks to everyone showing such excellent reactions, it didn't seem like I'd raise any suspicion.
The study was really clean and ordinary. 'Lee Eun-sol' found that very fact the most suspicious.
Starting from Elena's death—the mansion had begun to run amok.
My reflection mocked me from the mirrors, the cuckoo clock was busy exploding every hour, and the dolls became more interested in people.
Not far to look, even when we hastily ate dinner with sandwiches and coffee, didn't I have to snatch away the 'cup with raised legs' that was trying to pour hot water on its own!
Yet, this study... it was as if it was completely detached from the mansion's atmosphere.
It was so—comfortable.
Standing still, I thought about the information Ga-in had provided.
The 'Elder' was tainted by heresy. That was definitely meaningful information.
The butler had been intent on dragging us to the cathedral since yesterday, and eventually made us stay inside for an hour.
He probably wanted us to find something. If that information we found was about the Elder's heresy...
Then something related must also be somewhere in the study.
I rummaged through the surroundings. I opened every book and checked the desk drawers.
Why 'me'?
This was something I'd been curious about since the mansion's incidents began.
Elena said in the car that this situation was like some kind of play.
We were given roles, so to speak.
And in this 'House of Horrors'... the most important role was undoubtedly mine.
The others, strictly speaking, only came to the mansion because they were 'Lee Eun-sol's' college friends.
I am the nephew of the mansion owner, and at the same time, in that position, I can wield authority over the mansion's suspicious employees.
Clearly, the role I've been given is the most important.
But why 'me'? Why was the most important role given to me?
What do I have that's better than others?
Second-generation chaebol? It's not like I can use the money in the bank account, and that doesn't seem to mean anything.
Somewhat smart? From what I've felt, Ga-in is no pushover either. If she left the hotel, I'd want to have her work under me, she's that capable.
I... can speak quite a few foreign languages.
Reaching out and touching the ambiguous space between the second and third drawers of the desk, I grasped a thick envelope.
Inside the envelope were documents mixed in various languages. Spanish, French, German, English, and so on.
Not only the languages were different, but the handwriting, formats, and types of paper were all different as well.
It looked as if fragmented information had been scraped together from all over the world.
And—all of that information was describing 'one subject.'
The moment I read the last line of the fourth document, I knew.
I was prepared—but I couldn't stop the trembling.
Now, it was time for me to make my sacrifice.