August 30
[Texts]
***
Snow White
hyung
The mic—
You can’t hear anything, right?
***
–Yeah. What’s going on with it;
***
Snow White
The noise is really bad.
It keeps going bzzzt bzzzt, crackle crackle.
Hmm….
***
–……
–Ah.
***
Snow White
I think
you and I are thinking the same thing, hyung lol
***
–No… That can’t be it.
–It’s not even 2 a.m. yet.
***
Snow White
Yeah, then check your internet connection tomorrow.
For today, let’s just use chat.
***
–Okay.
***
Snow White
Still, the video should be working.
Oh.
Now I can see you.
Should I turn mine on too?
***
–No, there’s really no need….
–You don’t have to.
***
Snow White
Wouldn’t it make you nervous if only one side knew what the other’s face looked like?
Even if I came looking for you, hyung, you wouldn’t recognize my face.
You’re showing your face to someone whose identity you don’t even know.
We should at least do the bare minimum to verify each other.
***
–Hey, you—
–Why do you make it sound so creepy?
***
Snow White
Hahahaha
It’s funny because you’re saying that without changing your expression at all, hyung.
By the way, you’re really handsome.
***
–Yeah, you’re handsome too.
***
Snow White
I’m not just saying that to be polite.
***
–Neither am I….
***
Snow White
Hahaha
Hyung smiled.
Are you embarrassed?
***
–Shut up.
–I’m gonna eat something.
–Let me turn this off for a bit.
***
Snow White
Just leave it on while you eat.
I’ve got nothing else to do anyway.
Think of it as doing a mukbang for me.
***
–It’s not like I eat in a way that’s fun to watch.
–Fine.
***
Snow White
Okay.
What’s that?
A convenience store lunch box?
No, seriously—why are you eating something like that when you’re already so skinny?
Even seeing you on camera doesn’t change the fact that it’s a lousy meal;
Take better care of yourself.
***
–?
–Is that cat next to you yours?
***
Snow White
Ah, yeah.
This one’s Snow White hahaha
Cute, right?
***
–?
–Oh, the cat’s name is Snow White?
***
Snow White
Hahaha yeah.
I couldn’t think of a name to put down,
so I just gave it that.
***
–Cute.
–Is it Snow White because she’s white?
***
Snow White
Yeah haha
***
–Back there—
–What’s it climbing on?
***
Snow White
It’s a cat tower.
***
–Wow, it is.
–I’ve wanted a cat tower with legs like that too, but they’re expensive.
–Where’d you buy it?
***
Snow White
Hyung bought it for me,
so I’m not really sure.
***
–…I’m logging off;
***
Snow White
That cat isn’t very interested in me anyway.
***
–Cats are like that.
–By the way,
–you live in a nice place.
***
Snow White
Your place is nice too, hyung.
Huh? Wait, did you finish all your food already?
***
–Yeah. I’ll eat the rest tomorrow morning.
***
Snow White
Damn, are you managing your weight or something?
Why do you eat so little?
***
–I just don’t have much of an appetite.
***
Snow White
Even so, you should eat properly.
***
–I’ve never really been able to eat much…..
***
Snow White
So that’s why you’re skinny.
***
–I’ve lost some weight over the past year.
–Ah, Snow White came back.
***
Snow White
It’ll leave again in a minute.
By the way, looks like you and I have something in common, hyung.
Our nicknames haha
***
–You’re right.
–Huchu kept bothering me whenever I was online.
–It kept hanging around,
–so that’s the name I ended up giving it.
–Now that I think about it, maybe I’ll make another post.
***
Snow White
On that board from before?
They weren’t exactly saying nice things.
Just leave it alone.
Everyone’s only interested because it’s entertaining.
Hardly anyone actually believes what you say anyway.
***
–That’s probably true.
–But honestly,
–I don’t have any friends.
–That’s why I posted there. I didn’t have anyone to talk to.
***
Snow White
Ah.
I’m sorry.
***
–No…..
***
Snow White
You seem like someone who’d have a lot of friends, hyung.
***
–Why?
***
Snow White
Because you’re handsome.
***
–I’m really not that handsome…..
–If I look good, it’s probably just because of the camera.
***
Snow White
No, it’s way beyond that.
Don’t handsome people usually have lots of friends?
People tend to approach them because they like them.
***
–Are you introducing yourself?
***
Snow White
Haha
No, that’s not what I mean.
You also look like a genuinely kind person, hyung, so I feel like lots of people would approach you.
***
–A lot of people do approach me,
–but there are just as many weird people.
–It’s just… I’m not really the kind of person people end up liking.
***
Snow White
I think you might genuinely go through life
without ever looking in a mirror….
***
–;;
–Don’t say weird things.
–And… my partner didn’t like my friends either.
***
Snow White
Why?
***
–For various reasons… it was complicated;
***
Snow White
Hmm.
***
–I really don’t have any friends.
–I’ve lost contact with almost everyone, and the only people left are
–maybe two people….
–I met them through my partner too, so they’re closer to my partner’s friends than mine.
–That’s why it’s hard to bring up anything related to my partner around them.
***
Snow White
Why?
Wouldn’t that make it easier, if anything?
***
–Because it’s not exactly a pleasant story….
–It’s scary.
–Honestly, it sounds ridiculous when you say it out loud.
–Ghosts and all that….
–I keep thinking they’ll see me as some crazy person.
–And if those two leave too, I’ll really have nobody left.
–So I couldn’t bring myself to say anything.
–But keeping it all bottled up without telling anyone is miserable.
–That’s why I started visiting message boards,
–and random chat rooms too.
***
Snow White
Because even if they curse you out there,
you’re never going to see them a second time?
***
–Exactly….
–I wasn’t expecting anything in the first place.
–Being called a crazy bastard by strangers doesn’t disappoint me or hurt me.
***
Snow White
So the reason you’re telling me all this is
because I’m just some stranger you’ll never know anyway,
and no matter what I say, it won’t really hurt you?
***
–Sorry….
–Are you angry?
***
Snow White
No.
That’s true, isn’t it? Haha
It’s not like we’re that close yet, hyung.
***
–Honestly,
–when it comes to you, it’s fifty-fifty.
–I think it’d hurt a little if you criticized me.
–But I still wanted to tell someone…..
–I can’t even post these kinds of thoughts on a personal-confession board.
***
Snow White
I believe you, though.
***
–It might sound ridiculous,
–but I do trust you a little.
–I’ve never met someone as kind as you.
***
Snow White
What webcam do you use, hyung?
***
–??
–The one built into my laptop……
–Do you want me to check?
***
Snow White
No.
With a face like yours, people would like you even the first time they meet you.
If this is really just the camera making you look good, I’m curious what kind of camera it could possibly be.
***
–;;
–Stop teasing me……
***
Snow White
I’m serious.
Hyung, if there’s something you want to say, just say it.
Like I told you, I’ve got plenty of free time, and I don’t mind listening at all.
Doesn’t it help just to get it off your chest?
Especially someone like you.
***
–And what kind of person am I?
***
Snow White
The type who keeps everything bottled up inside
and never says everything they’re really thinking.
***
–I guess that’s true….
***
Snow White
Haha
I never thought I’d meet someone on a random chat app
that I could talk to as easily as you, hyung.
Just be comfortable with me.
***
–Thanks.
–Ah.
–You scared me.
–What was that?
***
Snow White
Ah.
The alarm sound.
It’s 2 o’clock now, so there are 22 minutes left.
***
–Sigh…..
***
Snow White
More importantly, hyung,
about what we were talking about earlier.
***
–?
***
Snow White
If a ghost becomes fixated on someone and follows them around,
there’s usually a reason for it,
right?
***
–Is that how it works?
***
Snow White
Isn’t that usually how ghosts are?
***
–I wouldn’t know.
–Is it?
***
Snow White
That’s how it is in horror movies, isn’t it?
***
–Those are made-up stories.
***
Snow White
They’re fictional, but things aren’t created entirely out of nothing.
There has to be some kind of origin somewhere.
At least enough for us to make a few amateur guesses haha
We might be able to get some clues.
***
–That’s true.
–I’m a coward, so I can’t really watch horror movies.
***
Snow White
In horror movies,
it’s usually because the ghost holds a grudge against someone,
or because someone went somewhere secluded
and touched something they shouldn’t have…..
Things like that happen a lot.
Can you think of anything that fits?
***
–Something like that…..
–Ah.
***
Snow White
?
***
–Come to think of it,
–I went there not long ago.
–The place where my partner had the accident.
***
Snow White
Ah….
***
–It’s pretty isolated.
–The accident happened out of nowhere,
–and there were things about it that didn’t make sense…..
***
Snow White
Could something have attached itself to you there?
Did you see anything?
***
–……
–I don’t know about that.
–When I got there, I was having such a hard time
–that I couldn’t think about anything else.
***
Snow White
Sorry, hyung.
I shouldn’t have brought it up.
***
–No.
***
Snow White
Do you want to go there together sometime?
***
–Why would you go somewhere dangerous like that?
***
Snow White
I’m free.
***
–Forget it….
–If I go, I’ll go alone.
***
Snow White
If you get lonely, call me, hyung
A handsome 23-year-old guy will be on his way.
Haha
You smiled just now, didn’t you?
***
–I laughed because that was ridiculous.
***
Snow White
Haha
Hyung, since you’ve already got the camera on, let me ask—
Is that the window it came in through?
I can kind of see it from this angle.
***
–Yeah.
***
Snow White
Can you show it to me up close?
***
–Sure.
–Wait.
–I’ll pick up the laptop and show you.
***
Snow White
Be careful carrying it, careful.
Ah—
LOL
You don’t have to show me outside the window too.
Okay.
Still, that helped.
***
–Yeah.
***
Snow White
But, hyung,
you shouldn’t casually show people online what the area around your house looks like.
And when you make posts, don’t reveal too much information either.
***
–Ah; sorry.
***
Snow White
No, it’s fine.
I’m a good person, after all.
***
–I don’t know if I trust that….
***
Snow White
Hahahaha
Anyway, at that angle, it’d be almost impossible for anyone to climb up there.
***
–Yeah, exactly.
***
Snow White
And there are people walking below, too.
***
–There are quite a few people out even at two in the morning. Even around four, people still pass by.
–There’s way too much risk of getting caught.
***
Snow White
Honestly, it’d be easier if it were a person.
***
–What’s easier about that? The police won’t even take a report.
***
Snow White
There are people you can hire with money besides the police.
Just send someone over, grab them, and bury them somewhere haha
***
–Don’t say creepy things like that;
***
Snow White
Of course I’m joking.
Lol
***
–Yeah.
***
Snow White
But—
You’ve got blinds on that window.
Can’t you just lower them?
***
–I tried.
–Every time I did, the window ended up shattered.
–And even if I lower them, there’d still be something behind them, and that’s terrifying.
–If I can see it, at least I can react.
–And today, you need to be able to see it too.
***
Snow White
That’s true.
***
–……
***
Snow White
Don’t tense up.
You’re completely stiff.
***
–Because I’m scared.
***
Snow White
It’s okay. Take a deep breath.
Only five minutes left now.
***
–Ah.
–I regret this.
***
Snow White
Regret what?
***
–Just….
–Maybe I shouldn’t have come home.
–Maybe I should just go outside.
***
Snow White
??
No. Stay inside.
***
–What if tonight’s the night it finally comes in?
***
Snow White
No. If you go outside,
you’d be walking out to it before it even gets the chance to come in.
Hyung.
Hyung.
Hyung!
***
–Sorry.
–I got a little dizzy.
–Must be sleep deprivation.
***
Snow White
…….
That’s how someone who’s dizzy acts?
***
–?
***
Snow White
Hyung, you were swaying around like a pendulum;
Don’t go outside. Seriously.
***
–Okay.
***
Snow White
It’s 21 minutes now.
Just sit there and admire my handsome face.
***
–What are you even talking about?
***
Snow White
Don’t be nervous.
Hyung.
Uh—
holy shit, on the window—
***
–Is it there?
***
Snow White
Don’t look.
***
–Tell me.
***
Snow White
Just like you said.
A white face.
Eyes that look like holes punched through it.
It’s raising its hand and hitting the window.
It’s sa—saying someth—
***
–It’s asking me to open it.
–That’s my partner’s voice.
***
Snow White
That’s not your partner,
so ignore it.
***
–But—
***
Snow White
Holy shit, this is seriously—
Wtf
***
–Why?
–What’s wrong?
–Hey.
–Are you okay?
–Hey.
–Hey!
–What is it? What’s wrong?
–Why?
–Why are you—
–?
–Are you okay?
–??
***
Snow White
Ah, sorry.
Holy shit.
***
–;; What’s wrong?
–What happened?
***
Snow White
It looked at me.
***
–What?
***
Snow White
It looked at me and then grinned.
Our eyes met.
And then from the screen—
No, seriously, what the fuck, it’s not like Sadako or anything,
but it felt like it suddenly lunged out—
***
–Felt like it did?
***
Snow White
But there was nothing there.
Still, I definitely felt something;
Something cold and chilling brushed past me.
I suddenly got really anxious,
so I was looking all over the place trying to find it.
***
–;;
–When you were looking,
–you didn’t seem like you were in your right mind.
–Your eyes suddenly went bloodshot,
–and you were muttering something.
***
Snow White
??
What was I muttering?
***
–I couldn’t hear that much……
***
Snow White
It felt like my ears were full of water or something.
This is turning into a full-blown ghost story.
***
–Yeah.
***
Snow White
Hmm…..
Neither of us has gone crazy, right?
***
–Right.
***
Snow White
I don’t have depression, and I’ve never been on medication.
***
–That’s true.
***
Snow White
Then I guess it’s really a ghost.
***
–Ah…..
***
Snow White
What do we do about this?
Hyung.
***
–?
***
Snow White
Want to meet up?
This….
We should probably discuss what to do.
?
What were you thinking?
***
–Well….
–I was wondering
–what if you
–were actually a hallucination,
–or a ghost,
–or something like that.
***
Snow White
Hahahaha
So you figured it out.
***
–;;
–Don’t do that.
***
Snow White
Hahahaha
Sorry.
Even when you’re angry, you’re handsome, hyung.
Okay, okay, I’m sorry.
Don’t hang up.
***
–Fine.
–I just feel bad,
–like I’ve dragged you into my problems for no reason.
***
Snow White
Nah, I came this far with you by my own choice lol
What time do you get off work, hyung?
***
–Six.
–I probably won’t be working overtime.
***
Snow White
Where?
***
–512 T-ro, G District.
***
Snow White
Oh…..
You work at SH, hyung?
***
–Ah, yeah;
***
Snow White
Hmm…..
***
–?
***
Snow White
No, it’s nothing;
I’ll come pick you up.
See you tomorrow.
***
–Okay.
***
- Severe noise. If you listen carefully, it sounds like a person whispering.
- The accident (??) — ask about it again later. * Would it be a good idea to go there together?
- The convenience store behind him was the A-daero branch. His home appears to be an officetel.
This is basically stalking.
- Started showing strange symptoms around 2:18–2:19 a.m.
Irrational state, anxious glances, self-harming behavior such as scratching at his neck ← Need to observe this more closely.
His upper body was swaying at an unnatural angle. He doesn’t seem to be in a normal state.
- Appeared at 2:22 a.m.
A white face with eyes that looked like holes punched through it.
Hyung said it became clearer, but it looked more like a lump of crushed dough.
Its lips were moving, and judging by the shape of its mouth, I think it was saying, “Die”…… Better not tell him.
- About 30 seconds later, I found myself wanting to get a better look at it, and then it came to me.
Our eyes met, and it came out of the screen.
A cold, damp sensation.
It felt like I searched for it for about 10 seconds, but more than 3 minutes had actually passed.
- They say that if you call a ghost by its name, it usually comes.
Do thoughts have a similar effect?
Need to stay mentally focused.
***
[Texts]
***
Snow White
Hyung,
I’m here.
Near your office.
***
–Yeah, I just got off too.
–Where exactly are you?
***
Snow White
One sec.
***
–??
***
Snow White
Hyung,
please come to Café C,
the one in the building two doors down from your office.
***
–Okay.
–Have you been waiting long?
***
Snow White
Not really.
I’ve got nothing but time, anyway.
***
–Hang on.
***
Snow White
I’m sitting by the window.
Hyung,
why are you just standing there instead of coming in? haha
***
–That’s you smiling right now, isn’t it?
–Yeah, the one waving.
***
Snow White
Yep.
***
–No, but seriously—
–What are you here for?
–To harvest my organs?
–With the hat and the mask,
–your whole face covered up—
–you look terrifying.
***
Snow White
Hmm.
If I were here to harvest your organs, I’d be luring you into the car parked in the alley.
I wouldn’t be calling you to a café on a main street.
I’d also pick a neighboring area with less foot traffic.
***
–;;
–Don’t say things like that. It’s creepy.
***
Snow White
You could just take care of me with your boxing.
***
–You look like you’re in a way higher weight class than me;
***
Snow White
LOL
And,
I did martial arts too.
***
–Saying that at a time like this makes you sound really weird;;
–What, are you telling me you could subdue me or something?
***
Snow White
Lol
No, it’s just—
But what are you doing standing there?
Aren’t you coming in?
***
–And you…
–Why are you staring at me so intensely?;
***
Snow White
No, hyung.
I thought maybe the camera wasn’t doing you justice.
No need to go to an art museum when I’ve got your face right here.
***
–What are you even talking about?
***
Snow White
Haha
You’re not coming?
If you don’t come in,
I’ll come out.
***
The barbecue restaurant was absolute chaos during the peak dinner rush.
With a bored expression, he shifted his large frame on the uncomfortable chair.
The food was fairly good considering the restaurant’s budget-friendly prices aimed at office workers, but by his standards, it was nowhere near enough. The smoke and smell that spread through the room despite the ventilation system, the excited chatter echoing from every table, and the curious glances cast his way from all directions…. He disliked every bit of it.
Even so, he was quite satisfied with today’s meal itself.
Because the man he’d met through the internet had proven to be rather interesting.
The random chat they had a few nights ago had begun as a boring distraction. He’d been mindlessly browsing the internet because he had nothing better to do, and the chat rooms had been full of nothing but perverts. Just as he was about to quit, he made one last attempt and met a man who was seriously talking about ghosts.
At first, he’d assumed the guy was completely insane. But for someone saying such absurd things, the man’s explanations had been surprisingly logical.
In truth, not once in his life—not until yesterday—had he believed in ghosts.
Ghosts? In twenty-first-century Seoul, where mystery after mystery had been explained by science and the lights of the city never went dark?
Even after personally witnessing what appeared to be a ghost through a monitor and experiencing something undeniably strange himself, he still had his doubts.
What if the man was a scammer? Or maybe some kind of cultist?
Half-believing and half-doubting, he’d come out to meet him anyway. If things went south, he’d planned to escort him neatly to the nearest police station.
But the man he met in person lacked both the smoothness and cunning necessary to pull off a scam or recruit followers. He’d merely looked around with a grave expression, pouring out his anxieties about ghosts.
At that point, he abandoned his suspicions.
More than anything, the man was far too handsome to be running some ridiculous ghost scam.
If he really wanted to swindle people, it would be far more efficient to use that face and charm people out of their money rather than spout nonsense about ghosts.
As a result, he had agreed to go to the man’s home later and take a look for himself, maybe help out.
Normally, he wasn’t the sort of person who rolled up his sleeves and got involved in other people’s problems. Even he found himself wondering how he’d ended up making such an impulsive decision.
Well, he’d been bored lately.
And it seemed interesting.
A decent way to kill some time while hanging out with someone.
Having reached that casual conclusion, he looked up at the man returning from the restroom and broke into a bright smile.
***
[Texts]
***
Snow White
Hyung,
what kind of beer do you like?
***
–Anything.
***
Snow White
There isn’t a beer brand called “Anything.”
Hurry up.
***
–Seriously, anything… I can’t drink much.
–I think I’m already drunk.
***
Snow White
Come on, you’ve barely had anything.
You only drank two shots of soju.
***
–Soju has a high alcohol content….
–You… after drinking that much, you can still drink more?
***
Snow White
What do you mean, “that much”?
And you said it’s hard for you to stay sober right now, so I’m just suggesting a couple cans to drink casually.
It’s only one o’clock. I could easily drink three more cans.
***
–Are you crazy?
***
Snow White
What kind of snacks do you like?
***
–Anything.
***
Snow White
Tell me what you like, and I’ll only buy two cans lol
If you don’t answer, I’m buying eight.
***
–Get four cans. It’s four for ten thousand won, isn’t it?
–For snacks—
–Popcorn.
–The sweet kind.
–Bring me some…
***
Snow White
Hahahahahaha
***
–Why are you laughing?
***
Snow White
Because you’re cute, hyung.
***
–Shut up.
***
Snow White
Lol
I’ll buy everything and come up in a minute.
Let’s hope nothing shows up tonight.
***
–Yeah, I’m going to pray that it doesn’t.
–I’ll put out a bowl of water and pray.
–Don’t.
–Come.
–Here.
***
Snow White
Hahahaha
Hyung, you’re really drunk.
I’ll buy you cola instead lol
***
–I’m not drunk.
–And I—
–like Sprite,
–not cola.
***
Snow White
Hahahaha
Okay, I’ll be there soon.
***
–Yeah.
