Chapter 37.1

Chapter 37.1

Saint U’s ‘Peek-a-Boo’.

According to the middle schoolers, this was the final album by a famous girl idol group that made a grand comeback a few years ago after a long hiatus.

The song was upbeat, addictive, and cheerful, lingering on the music charts for a long time.

Now, that very song echoed through the dark, fog-filled forest, accompanied by clapping hands in rhythm.

Clap.

“My sharp gaze catches you in an instant, but I don’t plan to make the first move...”

“I’ll wait patiently, pretending I’m not interested until you approach.”

“Cuz predators never move first...”

Even the adults clumsily joined in, trying their best to sing along.

Clap.

“Alright, get ready. I’m the elegant tiger waiting for you to come closer— Peek-a-boo!”

The lively, energetic melody continued.

Maybe because everyone was singing together, the kids’ expressions began to relax, and their voices grew stronger.

“Peek-a-boo! Here I come, so get ready! I’m the tiger. My eyes sparkle even in the dark!”

– ‘Walk along the path while offering the song, with the sacrifice at the back of the line.’

But at the end of the line, instead of a person, a tiny purple wild ginseng dangled like a little bundle, swinging as it hung from a stick. The security sergeant held the stick over his shoulder as if it were a garbage bag, with the ginseng swaying at the back.

Go Seonha kept glancing at it suspiciously from the side, but the ginseng itself seemed to be enjoying the song, humming along cheerfully.

“Peek-a-boo! I’ll entrance you, make you lose your mind. Peek-a-boo, so get ready.”

Clap.

I signaled for everyone to stop.

‘The thirtieth step.’

The group paused, then awkwardly bowed deeply before standing back up.

The song continued.

“Peek-a-boo!”

The narrow path gradually leveled out, making it easier to walk.

– ‘When the song ends, so does the path. When you find a small snake hole in a place with no grass, express gratitude for Sangun-nim’s mercy and reach inside.’

– ‘Make sure your hand is covered in the well water mixed with salt.’

By the time we reached the final chorus of the second verse, the surroundings began to change.

The trees that had been packed so densely were thinning, and the fog grew even thicker.

Everyone sensed it instinctively.

‘We’re almost there...!’

The expressions on their faces were a mix of tension, anticipation, and caution.

But they remained calm, singing the song to the very end.

“Peek-a-boo, so get ready...”

Clap.

And with that final line—

...No.

NO!!

At the very least, I needed to understand why.

I couldn’t think of any mistake we’d made within the information we’d been given. Even considering every exploration log I’d read from the <Dark Exploration Records>, nothing indicated we’d gone wrong.

A sense of frustrated disbelief overtook my fear.

Go Seonha’s panicked voice echoed in my ears.

“Turn around, let’s run back. Back to the abandoned house...!”

...Wait.

Hold on a second.

I turned to Go Seonha.

“...Do you know something?”

“What?”

“The abandoned house is a trap, too.”

“...What?”

“Think about it. Isn’t it strange?”

Slowly, I pointed out the intended contradiction of this ghost story.

“It’s strange, don’t you think? We’re lured into this place by the changgwi, yet we’re supposed to feel safe in an abandoned house with protective talismans that supposedly keep the changgwi out.”

“......”

“And that same house just happens to contain a ritual for escaping? Conveniently spelled out for us?”

This was exactly why interpretations of this abandoned house were split in the <Dark Exploration Records> wiki’s comment section. But I was almost certain now.

‘This story was designed from the start to slowly drain people’s sanity.’

The intended reasoning went like this—

“They lock people up in this abandoned house during the full moon, pushing them to their limits and weakening their spirits.”

It dangles the hope of a ‘ritual’ in front of them, leading people to endure a state of mental breakdown while clinging to that hope.

“That makes it easier to lure people in.”

And the most decisive part...

“If they make a mistake during the ritual, all the better. But even if they don’t, it doesn’t matter.”

I looked at the wild ginseng.

“The process of choosing a sacrifice is bound to create conflict, leading to at least one dropout. They’re guaranteed to ‘claim’ a sacrifice.”

“......”

“Of course, the ritual is real. That way, people are more desperate to cling to it.”

After all, this is the <Dark Exploration Records>.

You can’t just throw in too many convenient plot devices. It breaks immersion and ruins the suspense. The ritual itself has to be genuine.

That’s why I had full confidence in performing it, but...

“That only raises more questions.”