episode_0343

“Guild Master! Where have you been? We’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

“I got lost.”

A brief moment passed.

Guild Master Kim Hayang, who had disappeared without a word, and Kim Sarang, who had stealthily followed her.

Meanwhile, the guild scout of [Cheonchang Sword Clan], Jung Sora, had been waiting endlessly in the parking lot for the mother-daughter duo who had vanished together like idiots. Eventually, she spotted Kim Hayang emerging from the woods near the [Goryongsan Rift Zone] and rushed toward her.

“Where’s Sarang?”

“Right here.”

Following her mother, Kim Sarang appeared from the woods.

But Kim Sarang was carrying an unfamiliar black ‘golf bag’ laid flat in her arms.

Jung Sora frowned as she looked down at the ‘golf bag,’ swollen as if its middle might burst at any moment.

A sleek black leather golf bag.

Perhaps it was the slowly setting sunset.

The ‘golf bag,’ bathed in golden sunlight, exuded an ominous aura, as if dripping with blood.

‘Why… does it look like a body bag?’

Unease.

Was it an optical illusion because the bag was pitch black?

She swore she could see faint tremors, as though the bag were breathing.

The unsettling sensation of staring at a cursed object.

Just looking at it made her skin crawl.

But her disgust at where it came from outweighed her curiosity about what was inside.

Jung Sora averted her gaze from the ‘golf bag’ held firmly in Kim Sarang’s hands.

“Grrr…”

Chong-i, the spitz that had followed Jung Sora, began barking warily at the ‘golf bag,’ its fur standing on end.

“Situation?”

“……Ah, yes. Guild Master. The [Goryongsan Rift Zone] has been declared off-limits, and the reporters have mostly left now that your interviews are done.”

“I see… Then let’s head back first.”

Shuff… shuff…

After receiving the situation briefing, Guild Master Kim Hayang walked back to the parking lot with a stiff expression.

Her rabbit ear muffs, worn to protect her hearing, twitched with every step, and Kim Sarang followed behind, still holding the ‘golf bag.’

‘Already going back? The Guild Master?’

It was unusual.

Wasn’t she the kind of guild master who, driven by beast-like intuition and an excessive sense of responsibility, flawlessly uncovered things others missed—so much so that her own daughter, Kim Sarang, grew up lonely from neglect?

Yet here she was, leaving first…

Jung Sora eyed her guild master with suspicion.

“……Why are you both staring like that?”

The mother and daughter’s gazes were off.

Something about them felt… sinister.

Kim Sarang, clutching the ‘golf bag,’ had eyes sharp as blades, gleaming dangerously.

Guild Master Kim Hayang, her eyes closed, tilted her head slightly, casting shadows over her face.

Had something gotten stuck in her throat?

They looked like two snarling Chihuahuas baring their teeth—trying too hard to appear intimidating.

Jung Sora couldn’t help but think that if they wanted to be scary, they should at least ditch the cutesy rabbit ear muffs.

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“Exactly.”

“What’s with you two this time… sigh… Fine, whatever.”

In the end, Scout Jung Sora sighed tiredly and opened the car door for them.

Kim Hayang had held the western wall of the collapsed [Rift Zone], and Kim Sarang must’ve been exhausted from her C-rank Promotion Exam.

Even if these two idiots went home early, the [Goryongsan Rift Zone] would be fine.

‘Still worried about Eunha… but what can I do right now?’

Jung Sora turned her head to gaze at the [Rift Zone].

The collapsed walls, the checkpoint entrance… all sealed off by a wasp-nest-like ‘shell,’ utterly impenetrable.

‘If the checkpoint entrance is sealed… that means the ‘Black Bugs’ already came out and went back inside.’

They couldn’t enter Goryongsan to find Eunha. That would be like poking a hornet’s nest.

She could only hope Eunha was hiding safely somewhere deep inside.

‘At first, it was just about recruiting talent……’

She genuinely wished for Eunha to return safely.

Tap. Tap.

Guild Master Kim Hayang tapped Jung Sora’s shoulder lightly before getting into the car.

“Guild Master. That’s the driver’s seat.”

“Is it now.”

Kim Hayang puckered her lips at Jung Sora’s deliberate spacing.

Then, with a devilish glare, she gave Jung Sora one last look before sitting in the back seat.

Kim Sarang, still gripping the ‘golf bag,’ wore an equally sinister expression as she headed for the passenger seat.

What was up with these two?

Had they eaten weird mushrooms in the woods again?

“Sigh…”

This headache-inducing routine, thanks to these two airheads.

But she didn’t hate it.

For now, she’d just get these idiots home safely.

Patting her cheeks to snap out of it, Jung Sora forced a warm smile and approached Kim Sarang to open the passenger door—the ‘golf bag’ looked too awkward to carry.

……Creak…

Then—

Jung Sora.

Saw it.

Thunk—

Thunk. Thunk.

Kim Sarang, struggling to open the passenger door while holding the ‘golf bag’ with both hands.

Screeeech—

Before she could help, the pitch-black ‘golf bag’ unzipped itself…

Thunk. Thunk-thunk.

And through the parted zipper, a ‘woman’s hand’ emerged—

Reaching out, fumbling with the locked passenger door handle.

Clunk—

The thing that slipped out of the ‘golf bag’ was a human hand.

As though uncomfortable, whatever was inside clumsily jiggled the door handle before finally opening it.

“Hehe… Thanks.”

Kim Sarang whispered softly to the ‘golf bag,’ flashing a bloody grin.

She then placed the ‘golf bag’ alone on the passenger seat and moved to the back.

‘What… did I just see?’

Chills crawled up her spine.

Stunned by the bizarre sight, Scout Jung Sora jerked back instinctively—

Crack.

Stepping on a fallen branch,

Kim Sarang, about to enter the back seat, snapped her head toward the sound.

“……Did you just… see that?”

“W-what?”

Her face twisted in exaggerated menace, but her pupils trembled.

Yeah. Just like that time Chong-i got caught stealing dog food.

That ‘poke me and I’ll spill everything’ look.

Jung Sora shook her head, feigning ignorance.

Yet the image wouldn’t leave her mind.

That eerie black ‘golf bag’ the mother-daughter duo had retrieved after vanishing briefly…

Wasn’t this exactly how horror movies started?

What was in that bag?

She didn’t want to know.

“……Hmm.”

Kim Sarang finally turned away and climbed into the back seat.

Thump. Thump.

She needed time to process what she’d just witnessed.

Meanwhile, Chong-i—who had been yapping uselessly at the ‘golf bag’—hopped into the back seat and flopped onto Kim Sarang’s lap, puffing out a tired sigh.

“…….”

Wiping her cold sweat, Jung Sora got into the driver’s seat and turned the ignition.

Vroom—

The engine hummed smoothly.

“…….”

One glance to the side, and there it was—the ‘golf bag’ slouched ominously in the passenger seat.

It kept making her heart pound.

……Rustle.

Then, the moment the engine started, the ‘golf bag’ twitched like it had a cramp.

Biting back a scream, Jung Sora began driving.

‘Just what did these idiots bring back from the woods?!’

Please don’t let it be something dangerous.

She begged in earnest.

“Sigh… Let’s call it a day.”

“Ah, yes! Good work, Guild Master! And you too, Scout Jung Sora!”

Vroom—

And so, the car carrying the ‘golf bag’ left the parking lot,

Passing by guild members conducting inspections around [Cheonchang Sword Clan].

…….

…….

“Stop here.”

Screech—

Kim Hayang sat in the back seat, legs crossed like some evil mastermind.

Her order to stop came barely minutes after leaving the parking lot.

“Ugh… Next time, give me a heads-up, okay? You startled me.”

“If you say so.”

There had been enough time to explain the situation to Jung Sora, who kept stealing glances at the ‘golf bag’ with a tense expression.

The evening sky darkened.

Pulling over on a deserted roadside, Jung Sora looked at the ‘golf bag’ with relief.

But then, as if annoyed, she poked its swollen bulge before preparing to step out.

“So… we’re really heading to the terrorists’ hideout, right? I’ll call trustworthy people to tail discreetly. Signal if anything happens, Guild Master. We’ll be on standby nearby.”

“Fine.”

“And stay safe, Eunha. You did great on the Promotion Exam.”

Tap. Tap.

One last pat on the ‘golf bag,’ and Jung Sora exited the car.

She looked remarkably at ease. Perhaps because both the missing Eunha and the ominous ‘golf bag’ had ceased to be her problems.

And so, leaving the idiot duo and the ‘golf bag’ behind, Jung Sora walked away…

Silence settled over the now driverless car…

Crunch…

Then, from the woods beside the road, Chief Inspector Choi Godok—clutching a carry-on containing the [Black Book]—approached the car, his body trembling.

Clunk!

He hurriedly took the driver’s seat and placed the carry-on beside the passenger seat.

Now inside:

—Driver: Inspect~~or/Terrorist of the [Rift Zone]. —Passenger: Golf bag & Carry-on. —Backseat: Three dogs.

“Eeek…!”

Choi Godok, gripping the wheel, froze in horror at the black ‘golf bag’ beside him and the snarling beasts in the back.

His neck ached where the ‘saw’ had cut into him, and he winced, clutching it.

“So you’re Eunha’s ally.”

“Y-yes! That’s right! Choi Godok! I know where the [Facility] is!”

When will this nightmare end?

Chief Inspector Choi Godok—researcher of the Potion Refinement Division—bit his lip as he answered the guild master’s question.

One hurdle after another.

The guild master of a major guild, no less.

But he knew why he was still alive.

The sole survivor who knew the [Facility]’s location.

Of course, Eunha could’ve tortured him with that horrific ‘sawing’ to extract the information—but she hadn’t asked. Probably because she intended to use him further.

That’s why.

Since Eunha hadn’t demanded the answer,

And since he alone knew…

Choi Godok cooperated obediently.

If things stayed like this, he might survive.

The hope of living.

That alone kept him sane through the unbearable pain.

Had Eunha forced him to talk… he might’ve gone insane from agony or fed her false information before dying.

“…….”

That explained it.

As Choi Godok entered the [Facility]’s location into the GPS, his hands stalled.

Would she kill me the moment I input it?

Screeeak…

Just then, the zipper of the black ‘golf bag’ on the passenger seat slid open on its own.

The inky-black bag, stained scarlet by the sunset, dripped an eerie blood-like aura.

With every slight unzipping, a chilling breeze seeped out, making him shiver.

“Huff… Why does everyone I meet today insist on groping my chest? I can’t even block you with my arms stuck in this bag…”

“Then next time, try not getting kidnapped. If we were real villains, we wouldn’t have just delivered you intact like this, Eunha.”

“I’ll be more careful. Guild Master.”

“Mother.”

“……Yes, Mother Kim Hayang.”

“Mm.”

Screeeak— Snip.

……Squirm… squirm…

Then, the zipper stopped mid-slide, catching around her chest.

With the zipper partly open, Eunha poked just her head out and stared at Choi Godok.

Creak. Creak.

A dazzling smile.

But all Choi Godok could remember was the horror of being sawed.

The ‘negotiation’ at the water fountain—no, the torture.

He recalled his reflection in the water, his face twisted in agony as the saw bit into his neck.

“Guh… S-sorry! I’m sorry! Spare me!”

“……I won’t kill you. You have to drive.”

“Y-yes… Drive…”

Eunha glanced back.

Ban Hwa-rin, unwell, had gone home, with ‘Mouse’ accompanying her in case of emergency.

Scout Jung Sora, ignorant of the supernatural, couldn’t be brought along.

That left:

—Kim Hayang, sightless. —License-less Kim Sarang and Eunha. —Lastly, Chong-i—the smartest of the three animals yet tragically unable to drive.

“So you’re the only one who can drive, Chief Inspector Choi.”

“Y-yes! I’ll drive carefully!”

Meaning, he’d survive till the [Facility].

If he helped dismantle the Potion Refinement Division, he might get a reduced sentence later.

That slim hope.

Choi Godok clung to it like a lifeline.

He could live.

He would live.

He wouldn’t have to endure that saw again.

Or… once we reach the [Facility], what if I take ‘Original Solution’ hostage? There’s only three of them.

Beep. Beep.

Hands shaking, he input the [Facility]’s location into the GPS.

Vroom—

And drove toward the setting sun.

…Desperation.

Like clutching a noose as a lifeline.

…….

…….

Vroom…

Night fell.

The car, carrying its peculiar passengers, wound through mountain roads.

“……I see. The Potion Refinement Division… Eunha, you’ve suffered so much. I never imagined that [Galaxy Potion] was made using your stolen blood…”

During the drive, Eunha shared her experiences with the mother-daughter pair.

The conflicts with the Potion Refinement Division.

While Eunha herself, numbed by the agony of supernatural torment, felt little, Kim Sarang and Kim Hayang worried over her like family.

Genuinely,

Repeatedly,

“Hmm… So, what exactly did the Potion Refinement Division do again?”

“Mother Kim Hayang. Should I explain again? I’ve already told you three times.”

“Wasn’t it twice?”

“It was three times.”

Repeatedly worried.

Could she stop forgetting already?

Honestly, being fussed over like this wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

So Eunha indulged them, answering their questions again and again.

(You are worthless.)

(You can’t change anything. No matter how hard you try, nothing changes.)

‘Worthless, my ass… Do you know how many people I saved today?’

A life so painful that others pitied her.

And now, she realized it anew.

Clunk!

Then—

The car, cruising smoothly down the darkening road, jolted violently before its engine died.

“W-what’s wrong?! Sorry, I’ll fix it—”

“Wait.”

Stranded in the middle of the road—thankfully, no other cars were around.

Squirm.

Checking the rearview mirror, Eunha eyed the carry-on beside her.

Zzt…

But with the ‘golf bag’ still zipped around her chest, she couldn’t open it herself.

“Eunha?”

“Remember earlier? I said you’d see supernatural entities.”

“Did you.”

Her memory seemed worse than Kim Sarang‘s.

Maybe decades of extra life left no room for new information.

“Ugh… Open the carry-on. Inside is the [Black Book]. Flip to the bookmarked page and read the rules.”

“Understood.”

The sudden engine failure—probably supernatural.

They needed the manual.

As Eunha struggled with the stuck zipper, Kim Hayang retrieved the [Black Book] from the carry-on.

“Hmm. This it? There’s a bookmark.”

“Yes. Can you read the rules before something arrives?”

“Hmm… The cover’s leather. Feels like human skin.”

Right. She couldn’t read.

Sometimes, her seamless movements made Eunha forget.

Clunk! Clunk!

The stalled car’s tremors worsened.

Clunk!

She’d dreamed of this before.

A car breaking down mid-highway.

Other vehicles zooming past, their wind buffeting hers—

Anxiously checking the rearview mirror, dreading headlights approaching from behind.

“…….”

Eunha surveyed their surroundings.

The evening road, now shrouded in thick fog, revealed nothing.

They were stopped in the far-right lane of a three-lane road.

From the passenger seat, peering right showed a narrow sidewalk and a vast mist-covered river.

‘A river?… Are we on a bridge?’

Clunk!

In the dense fog.

A car stalled mid-bridge.

Panicked, Choi Godok desperately tried restarting the engine, but nothing.

Had this place always been here?

Unclear.

“……Ah!”

“What is it, Mother?! Have you discovered something?!”

“I can’t read.”

“Then give it to me!”

Kim Hayang, gravely serious, handed the [Black Book] to Kim Sarang.

With pounding heart, Kim Sarang recited the rules.

“Oho… The forbidden text sealing evil spirits! I’d only heard of the rules—never seen the actual book!”

“Kim Sarang. Hurry. Or unzip me.”

“Wait…… [Road Safety Guidelines]… Rule 1: Remain calm if the engi—”

“GYAAAAAH!!”

Clunk!

Suddenly, Choi Godok—staring ahead—

Screamed at something in the fog.

VROOOOM—

Headlights pierced through the mist.

Judging by their shape and deafening roar, it resembled a dump truck.

“Damnit! What the hell?! Why’s a truck coming from—”

“Calm down. We need to know the rules first if we wanna—”

“SHUT UP!! YOU PROMISED TO SPARE ME!!”

Kim Sarang’s frantic reading drowned under Choi Godok’s screams.

Meanwhile, the headlights closed in rapidly—

“You will survive. So just listen to the ru—”

“SHUT UP!! IF YOU’D JUST STAYED QUIET AS A HOSTAGE—!”

“……HAZARDS! EUNHA, TURN ON THE HAZARDS!”

“Which ones?!”

“BOTH! BLINKY-BLINKY!”

VROOOOOOM—

Then, a blood-drenched truck emerged from the fog—

Zzt!

Reacting to Kim Sarang’s shout, Kim Hayang flicked the [Black Book]’s bookmark—

Sending it flying to press the hazard light button.

Blink. Blink.

The stalled car’s hazards flashed.

Instantly, the approaching truck’s—grisly, grinning ‘driver’—swerved sharply.

“SCREW YOU ALL!!”

Clunk!

Choi Godok jumped out onto the road.

KABOOOM!!!

And finally, the bloody truck—

Veered unnaturally, scraping past their car—

Leaving streaks of gore on the asphalt before vanishing back into the fog.

“……Huh.”

“…….”

“…….”

“Grrr…”

Silence.

Chong-i, now standing guard over Kim Sarang, barked weakly from her lap.

“…….”

Eunha massaged her twitching lips as she stared at the empty driver’s seat.

Maybe that was the ‘normal’ reaction.

The ‘golf bag’ zipper, now fully broken, refused to budge.

“……Since he got hit by the truck, surely he’s been reborn somewhere better.”

Kim Sarang, closing the [Black Book], drew a cross in the air.

…….

The road to being kidnapped.

Just kept getting rougher.

“Sigh… Kim Sarang. Mother Kim Hayang. You trust me, right?”

Finally, Kim Hayang tore open the malfunctioning ‘golf bag’ with her fingers.

Free at last, Eunha gripped the wheel.

With a blind woman and two animals as passengers,

The only option was the unlicensed driver with experience.

“…Yeah.”

VROOM!

The engine, mysteriously revived, roared as Eunha turned off the hazards.

Meeting Kim Sarang’s trusting nod with a determined smile, Eunha ignored the mother-daughter duo—white-knuckling their seatbelts in the back—

And slammed the accelerator.

The [Facility]’s location was set in the GPS.

They needed to hurry.

…….

…….

…….

Time passed.

Their destination set.

“BLEAAARGH—!”

“We’re here. This must be the [Facility].”

“…….”

The car halted.

Kim Sarang tumbled out, vomiting violently.

Chong-i, perched on her back, patted her comfortingly.

And Kim Hayang, covering her mouth with one hand.

“This place…”

The car had stopped deep in the mountains, where an abandoned villa stood.

“What’s wrong? Do you recognize it?”

“……Long ago, this was the villa where the ‘orphanage sponsor’ hid.”

Creak…

The villa lay in ruins.

Its pillars cut cleanly, the once-grand structure now collapsed like dominoes, reduced to ash.

( How could you try to kill the son I saved?! )

( Kim Hayang…! I’ll murder you!! )

( Hello. Are you Dad’s friend? )

A forsaken villa.

Once, Guild Master Kim Hayang of [Cheonchang Sword Clan] had chased the orphanage sponsor here.

Had she buried ‘something not human’ within?

“………Orphanage?”

The [Facility] was hidden behind the villa.

Eunha and Kim Hayang,

Staring blankly at the ruins,

Began retracing buried memories.

Creak… Creak…

And so, arriving at the [Facility],

Night fell.