Prologue
As dusk fell, at a certain convenience store.
A man with his face hidden behind a cap and mask sat at a table inside the store, looking at his phone. With his deliberately concealed face, impressive physique, and peculiar aura, he looked less suspicious and more like a celebrity hiding his identity.
[Scary Stories/100% True] Sharing my experience with a Rift
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An algorithm-recommended video appeared on the platform’s main page without him even searching for it. The man’s cold eyes flashed momentarily. He swallowed a sigh and clicked on the video. It was the type of video he wouldn’t normally watch. He didn’t believe in ghosts or superstitions, finding them childish. Yet he clicked on the video because of the word “Rift” in the title.
In the video, a woman with long straight hair dressed in white traditional clothes sat in the middle of an ordinary room. Looking at the thumbnails of related videos appearing at the bottom of the screen, it seemed she had a concept of cosplaying according to the broadcast theme of the day.
“Hello everyone! I’m Dining.”
The BJ (broadcast jockey) bowed to the camera in greeting. Having only said hello, the man—already bored—moved the playback bar forward.
“The story I’m about to tell is something I experienced last November. Oh, what fake story? Are you trying to annoy me? If you light candles before I even start, I’ll ban you immediately.”
It might have been a clip made from a previous livestream, as many messages were appearing in the chat window next to the BJ. She responded appropriately to the chat while continuing her story.
“I was on my way home after drinking with friends until 4 AM. I had drunk a lot that night, but I was still in a state where I could tell what was what, you know? You all know my alcohol tolerance is three bottles of soju, right? That’s not exactly a small amount. Anyway, as I was holding myself together and heading home, this old lady kept blocking my path, saying I shouldn’t go that way.”
[KimParkParkDiRaRa has donated 1,000 won.
Correct~~! That old lady was a ghost!]
The BJ’s face turned quite serious at the donation message that appeared on screen.
“That’s right. Thinking about it now, it does seem that way. How should I put it… The feeling was very unsettling? She did seem like she wasn’t of this world.”
“Ha.”
The man snorted. What nonsense about ghosts.
There are monsters in rifts, but no ghosts. With a disinterested expression, the man skipped to a later part of the video. The nonsensical beginning wasn’t worth watching.
“Suddenly! The ground started shaking! At first, I thought it was because I was too drunk, you know? But then I saw a black hole right in front of me.”
The BJ continued sharing her experience in an extremely excited state.
“I was frozen in place wondering what it was, when I heard a strange sound coming from inside the hole. Like a ‘wooooooh’ sound. Ah, I can’t even imitate it. At the time, I couldn’t even imagine it was a rift, but thinking back on it now, I realized this was exactly the rift I’d only heard about.”
The BJ had quite a way with words. With appropriate gestures and chat feedback, she made viewers focus on her words.
Regardless, the chat was flooded with comments challenging the BJ’s story.
[Do rifts still exist? Wasn’t that just an old folktale?]
[Dining-nim ã… ã… You must have been really drunk that night ã… ã… ]
[Dining-ah, where would there be a rift in the 21st century]
[Can’t you just watch? So many serious freaks]
[Huh? What are you talking about? The last article about a rift appearing was 7 years ago?]
“Aack! You bastards, it was a rift, I tell you! I saw it! Wow, this is so unfair!”
The BJ pounded her chest, seemingly frustrated by the chat not believing her. There was nothing special after that. The man decided there was no need to watch the video any further and put away his phone. Now that the sun had set, it was time to go to work.
As the man was about to get up, he paused. Someone was pushing the entrance door and coming into the convenience store.
“Oh, hyung! Welcome!”
The part-timer standing at the counter greeted the customer familiarly. The man’s gaze automatically turned toward the door.
“Ugh, it’s cold.”
The customer had apparently been caught in the falling snow, as snow was piled up on his head. He shook off the snow while walking toward the refrigerator where drinks were kept.
“…!”
The man froze after confirming the face of the customer who passed by him, shaking the snow from his hair.
A mix of bewilderment and excitement rose on his previously cool face. He even rubbed his eyes wondering if he had seen wrong.
“Ah…”
A foolish sigh escaped the man’s lips as he confirmed it wasn’t a mistake.
‘I didn’t expect to see him here.’
It was amazing that he recognized the other person instantly, even though considerable time had passed. The man trembled.
“…?”
Sensing the man’s gaze, the customer who had taken out an energy drink from the beverage section glanced at him. For a moment, their gazes mixed in the air. The man swallowed dryly, and the other tilted his head before heading to the counter. Naturally, he didn’t seem to recognize the man.
“Whew. It’s snowing a lot.”
The customer must have been acquainted with the convenience store part-timer, as he spoke warmly while putting down his drink.
“I know. I’ve had to mop the floor five times because of that snow. I’ll have to put down cardboard on the floor. Are you getting off work now, hyung?”
“Ah. I wish. The boss asked me to help close the café, so I’m on my way there.”
“At this hour? That boss is too much.”
“What can I do? I need to make money somehow. Sigh. I wonder if there’s a part-time job that pays well with little work.”
“If there was such a place, I wouldn’t be standing here. If you ever find such a place, let me know too.”
“Haha. I will.”
After completing his purchase, the customer exchanged a few more words with the convenience store worker before leaving the store.
“…”
The man left in the store stared at the glass door through which the customer had exited for a long time. The heart of the man, who had been living a life devoid of meaning with only the outer shell remaining, beat at a frantic pace.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
