Chapter 20 - Room 102, The Cursed Room - 'House of Terror' (6)
[User: Han Ga-in (Ji-hye)
Date: Day 7
Current Location: Floor 1, Room 102 (Cursed Room - House of Terror)
Sage's Advice: 3]
I arrived at the place where the boat was tied up.
I examined the lower right section again, the spot where a small gap had opened and water was seeping in.
Because it had been left out in the storm all night, the gap had widened a bit more.
Much more water had filled up through the widened gap compared to yesterday.
"The inside of the boat is one-third full of water. For now, I think we need to pump the water out first before we can do any repairs or anything. It's a good thing we brought the pump."
And so, the pumping in the midst of the storm began.
It was brutally hard.
Of course, since the inside and outside of the boat were separated,
a horrific Sisyphean situation where the storm endlessly refilled the water we pumped out didn't occur.
However, pumping out the massive amount of water that had already filled the boat was an immense ordeal in itself.
I regretted dissuading Hyung from coming along.
About 2 hours and 30 minutes passed? As the bottom of the boat began to reveal itself, the butler grabbed various tools and started repairing the gap where the water was seeping in.
In the meantime, I slumped down anywhere with my exhausted body to catch my breath, and the butler stood up.
"Butler, is the boat completely fixed?"
"To this extent... I think it's done. It doesn't look like it's seeping in anymore.
Of course, at the point where water seeped in like this, this boat is actually done for now,
but even if it gets dismantled later, it's a relief as long as it holds out just once for a day or two so we can get outside."
"Then can we go out today?"
"It would be unreasonable. In this rough wind and rain, trying to go out on a boat on the verge of death is a perfect way to feed the fish in the lake.
The storm won't rage endlessly. I think you'll have to wait a day or two."
Separately from fixing the boat, it seemed the escape would take at least another day or two no matter how fast we were.
Since I had no knowledge about boats, I couldn't really offer any other opinion.
Dragging my tired body back to the house with the butler, I casually brought up the story we had glossed over earlier.
"Earlier... regarding Ari, I would like to apologize as a companion.
Since Miss Elena and Eun-sol noona ended up like that, Jin-cheol hyung's agitation just wouldn't subside."
"Not at all. Two people died in the span of a day or two; it would be stranger if one's mind were perfectly fine."
"It seems Ari was momentarily very angry."
"Because she's still a young child... When the cathedral was intact during her childhood, the priest took good care of her,
but after the cathedral collapsed due to the subsequent conflict and the priest left, she's always been a lonely child.
Because of that, I wonder if she developed a rough side without realizing it..."
A hollow laugh escaped me for a moment.
She looks young even now, about 13 or 14, but she's lived here continuously since she was even younger?
Then where on earth did she go to elementary school? No matter how I look at it, I can't imagine there being a school in such a remote place.
Of course, if I started nitpicking this 'historical accuracy', it was strange from the start that there was a 'cathedral' in such a ridiculously remote place where the only place people lived nearby was the mansion.
I didn't newly question it.
More than that... I had guessed it, but I felt like the meaning of the two keywords Eun-sol noona gave me was revealed.
Maid, Cathedral.
One was a person, and one was a place, so nothing else came to mind except taking the person to the place, and coincidentally, she even said she attended the cathedral since she was young...
I should make an excuse and take Ari to the cathedral as soon as I get back to the house.
Upon arriving at the mansion, the atmosphere had eased to some extent.
At least Hyung wasn't shouting again, and Seung-yeop was fluttering around Ari like a sparrow,
helping so enthusiastically that it was hard to tell who was the guest and who was the employee.
Honestly, I couldn't understand from the start how a child who looked to be only in her early to mid-teens could be managing a mansion.
In the grim atmosphere where two people had died, no one could cook an elaborate meal.
Therefore, since the valley camping on the first day, meals were mostly simple, like sandwiches, and no one newly complained about it.
Eating a simple sandwich, I pondered.
What excuse should I make to take Ari to the cathedral? The conclusion came quickly.
"Ari. Do you happen to have time?"
"Seung-yeop is helping so hard that I'm free! Is there something you need help with?"
The sharp demeanor from the morning disappeared as if it were a lie, and her original lively answer came out.
"Ah, it's nothing much, but I heard from the butler that you attended the cathedral diligently when you were young.
I have some things to find at the cathedral... could you guide me?"
"Yes! About when should we leave?"
"The weather conditions aren't good anyway, so it seems better to go out a little early."
"Then, I'll get ready soon."
Not long after, I left the mansion again with Ari.
I looked back anew and admired. They say pretty people look pretty in whatever they wear, but
this girl boasting an extraordinary appearance was like a fairy even though she wore a raincoat that covered everything except her face.
Is this why Seung-yeop can't keep his senses...
Suppressing a sigh, I walked toward the cathedral, and Ari had stopped at some point.
"Are your legs hurting by any chance? Should we rest for a bit?"
"No. Just..."
"Just?"
"My head feels a bit clearer... and I remembered the past. Memories of wandering here and there with my grandfather. Though I came to my senses and settled in the mansion."
?
Did she move around a lot when she was young?
There was something bizarre about the atmosphere of her reminiscing about the past, which didn't match her age. Or was it because I brought her to the cathedral according to noona's message?
Even after entering the cathedral, no immediate change was visible.
Ari was still looking around the cathedral with an expression of fascination.
If I left her alone, some change would probably occur. Since it didn't seem like staring at her would cause any change,
I first climbed up to where the bell was said to be.
The bell tower at the top of the cathedral building looked like it might have been added after the building was fully constructed, so just climbing up was not easy.
It was less of a staircase and more of a shoddy wooden ladder, and one that hadn't been maintained and was even wet from the rain at that, so I reached the bell tower by climbing a highly unstable ladder.
It was fascinating.
Judging by the state of the cathedral and the bell tower, there was no way anyone had maintained the bell, but the bell was incredibly clean.
And... strange characters. An unreadable string of characters was engraved over the entire bell.
I had never seen a bell like this.
Clearly, it was not an ordinary bell. Eun-sol noona's message also had the word 'bell' written on it, but putting that aside, it was a bell with an unusual appearance from the start. It wasn't very large.
I didn't know exactly, but aren't bells ultimately meant to be struck? If I struck it somehow, I would probably figure something out.
Looking around, I roughly found a string to replace the rotted connection link, forced it through, and somehow hung the bell.
I picked up a piece of scrap iron nearby and struck the bell lightly.
Taaang! Tereeng!
Rather than being clear and refreshing, it was a rough timbre somewhere like the sound of iron.
I didn't know if the bell was the problem or if I was the problem for striking it.
At that moment
I heard a sharp scream.
"Aaaaaaaah! Kyaaaaaaaah!"
Hurriedly coming down from the bell tower, I saw Ari rolling on the ground, holding her head.
A flashing realization crossed my mind.
Was this the correct answer? The three words—Cathedral, Maid, Bell—that noona wrote meant to bring Ari to the cathedral and ring the bell?
How did noona know this before she died?
Suddenly, Ari sprang up and stared at me.
The doll-like features I had seen multiple times, and the dark red eyes.
But this was clearly a different person.
A slightly cold expression. A piercing, staring gaze.
Her appearance was the same, but with just a slight change in demeanor and impression, she had changed into a completely different person.
"You still came this far, Oppa?"
What... her way of speaking was completely different all of a sudden.
As if, like when she yelled at Jin-cheol hyung earlier – a mocking tone.
"But what now? The progression is too late. I am already too late. Still, listen well. Because I can sing a hymn!"
"Hymn? What on earth are you talking about?"
Suddenly, Ari's eyes rolled back.
I could see black smoke tinged with a terrible stench leaking from her twisted mouth pointing toward the sky.
Ah- I have seen the deep pit. I have heard the cries of the unborn.
While the Father in heaven cherished you,
He did not even give a place to be born to the child in the lowest place.
The child is coming up! I can see the squirming crawling up!
I can see it! Can't you see it with your eyes?
With a faithful hand, two were offered, so now only three remain.
Everything shall find balance.
The time is not far when the unborn will take the place of the born!
A prophecy? A curse? A poem? Or, as she herself said, a 'hymn'?
After spitting out bizarre words with unclear interpretations, Ari fell asleep as if she had fainted.
With no other choice, I carried her on my back and returned to the mansion, thinking.
What on earth did it mean. I had to interpret it... with as much of an 'occult' feel as possible.
Even to me, a layman when it came to the occult, the content sounded like a demonic existence was eating offerings and being born.
'The one in the lowest place, the unborn'
The reason the terrible song was a 'hymn' was probably because it meant a song praising a demon.
If two were offered, meaning Elena and Eun-sol noona were offered...
The questionable part was that 'three' remained.
The survivors were me, Cha Jin-cheol, Yoo Song-i, and Park Seung-yeop.
Did it mean only three out of the four needed to be killed? If not...
A certain hypothesis came to mind.
Actually, it was a thought I'd had since Elena died.
At the time, I pushed it to a corner of my mind according to noona's opinion to bury her first, but...
I felt the evidence gathering little by little.
Step by step, I combined the evidence.
Gradually - I felt it becoming clear. What is threatening us.
A demon trying to be born by eating offerings, and a faithful hand.
I knew a lot, but I still didn't know the single most important thing.
So how should I deal with it.
After arriving at the mansion
The 3rd victim appeared.
Author's Comment (Author's Afterword)
Slowly, this episode is also heading towards its climax.
I feel that the number of readers has increased a lot recently, and I am truly grateful. I will repay you by doing my best in serializing.
I think there might be some people who find the recent progression of the episode a bit confusing. This part will be easily understandable at the end of the episode.