1440 - Chapter 16

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 16
Jin Hyung followed Han Ung down the Corridor at a quickened pace, asking questions, while Su Gyun and Du Hui trailed behind them, bewildered.
Han Ung, who had been walking ahead for some time, came to a halt just before the end of the Corridor, staring at the front door of the last Classroom.
He stood there rigid and composed, like a soldier executing a perfect about-face, and the sight of it made Du Hui burst out laughing.
Jesus, what’s he doing? He’s just trying to set the mood with all that drama.
Du Hui captured the whole scene on Camera. It looked like Han Ung was trying to appear intimidating, but Du Hui found it so absurd that he thought he’d have to show it to the others later.
When the other three approached, Han Ung finally turned his face away from the door and looked at them, grinning even wider than before, his eyes bright with excitement.
―Here. This is it.
Without waiting for anyone to stop him, Han Ung yanked the front door wide open.
A rushing sound like wind swept through, and a chill seemed to brush their faces. Du Hui rubbed his eyes and captured the Classroom on Camera over Han Ung’s shoulder. But there were no open windows.
―……?
Thinking it must be his imagination, Du Hui watched as Han Ung strode into the Classroom with long steps.
Struck by the strangeness of his attitude, Jin Hyung grabbed his shoulder to follow, but suddenly caught his breath.
―……What is this…?!
The Classroom, which should have been filled with desks, was completely empty. And in the center of the vacant space stood something bizarre instead.
A floor painted with large crimson Chinese Characters. Around it, arranged in a dense circle, were candles burned down to nothing, yellowed and dripping. And at the far end, a small Ritual Altar Table. It was the remnant of some kind of ceremony.
While Du Hui and Su Gyun remained frozen at the front door, unable to step inside, Han Ung climbed onto the grotesquely vivid Chinese Characters.
Standing in the center of the circle drawn by melted candle wax, Han Ung looked like a still frame from a horror film. Jin Hyung, shining his flash on Han Ung’s feet, had gone pale, his eyes darting about the room.
―Hey……, don’t step on that carelessly.
As Jin Hyung spoke to Han Ung and moved toward the small Ritual Altar Table, Su Gyun stopped him.
―Jin Hyung.
―Ah, you two stay there. Don’t come in—you might step on something.
Having said that, Jin Hyung crouched before the table. As he illuminated the surface with his flash, Du Hui, standing a few paces back, could clearly see what lay on the Ritual Altar Table.
Siru Rice Cake, Fruit, a Brass Kettle, and a Wine Cup. And at each edge of the table, two small candles.
The thin yellow candles had the same Chinese Characters written on the floor in red, also in red.
The surface of those candles gleamed almost as if brand new, and there was barely any wax dripping down them. It looked as though they had been lit only briefly and then extinguished.
Jin Hyung’s hand reached toward the candle’s surface. Su Gyun, feeling a chill, stopped him.
―Jin Hyung, don’t! Don’t you know you’re not supposed to touch things like that carelessly?
―Yeah, right. But doesn’t this look too new?
Jin Hyung withdrew his hand from the candle and moved to the back of the table. He gestured toward Du Hui.
―Should we get some footage of this? Du Hui, come over carefully—watch your step.
―Ugh…… I really don’t want to. This is wrong.
Du Hui grumbled but reluctantly moved forward. Each step felt heavy, as if his feet were weighted down. Why was he doing this?
As he carefully approached Jin Hyung, keeping watch on the ground, Han Ung, who had been standing rigid inside the circle of candles, also walked over toward the table.
Jin Hyung crouched down and examined the legs and underside of the table, then reached under it. He pulled out something and held it up in front of the Camera.
It was a yellow Talisman. Unlike everything else on the table, which looked brand new, this one had crumbling edges—an ancient piece of yellowed paper.
Startled, Du Hui jerked his body backward and accidentally kicked one of the table legs. Jin Hyung quickly caught the table to keep it from toppling over.
―Oh! Oh oh oh……, did you see that, Du Hui? My reflexes—Kim Jin Hyung’s reflexes.
Jin Hyung flashed a peace sign at the Camera. But Du Hui couldn’t laugh. He was already overwhelmed by the strange atmosphere of the Classroom.
―……Ugh.
Before he could respond, someone suddenly appeared beside him. Startled, he turned to see Han Ung, who without a word reached up and grabbed the Siru Rice Cake from the table.
―Hey!
―Hey, are you insane?!
Du Hui gasped and stumbled backward.
No matter how thoughtless college students might be, they understand what a Ritual Altar Table in a place like this means. They know you don’t touch the food placed there.
The Camera light illuminated Han Ung as he held the Siru Rice Cake, his head tilted, letting out strange chuckling sounds. His eyes wide and bright, he stared straight at the Camera and grinned just as he had before.
―Here. This is it.
―What?! What the hell is he saying now?
Jin Hyung frowned and tried to stand. Then Han Ung began shoving the Siru Rice Cake into his mouth with abandon.
―Gagh, hack. ……Kchhgh. Huack.
―Hey, hey! What are you doing—you crazy bastard!
As Du Hui, holding the Camera, stumbled backward in shock, Jin Hyung quickly got to his feet and grabbed Han Ung’s hand. But Han Ung, taller and broader than Jin Hyung, paid no attention to his strength and didn’t stop shoving the Siru Rice Cake into his mouth.
―Why are you doing this, stop, please! Stop it!
Su Gyun rushed over to grab Han Ung’s arm, but it was no use. Where he found such strength was a mystery—despite the two of them trying to restrain him, Han Ung forced an entire large piece of Siru Rice Cake into his mouth.
―Cchhghk, ghhaack…….
Making strange sounds and rolling his eyes back, Han Ung convulsed. Jin Hyung hastily tried to pull the Siru Rice Cake from his mouth. Su Gyun, hugging Han Ung’s thrashing body tightly, called out to Du Hui.
―Du Hui! Hurry, grab him! Nngh!
But Du Hui couldn’t properly hear Su Gyun’s words. His eyes, wide open, remained fixed on the Camera’s display screen. He couldn’t turn his gaze away even as he filmed his friends.
Something strange was visible on the display. A pair of withered, white, branch-like hands was pulling Han Ung’s gaping mouth open and shut from above and below.
―Hhagh, hack, uuuughk.
At the sight of Han Ung convulsing and making strange noises, a pale-faced woman laughed with delight, her shoulders shaking. Then she pulled his mouth open even wider.
But that wasn’t all.
―Ugh, ah, it won’t come out.
16
Jin Hyung was wedging his fingers into Han Ung’s mouth, trying to extract the rice cake. At his feet—after his scuffle with Han Ung had toppled a small table—a tiny girl clung to his ankle, her face equally drained of color, her teeth sunk into his shin as she laughed.
Crunch, crunch. A bone-grinding, hair-raising sound echoed through the air.
Yet no one except Du Hui seemed to notice or feel anything amiss. Jin Hyung and Su Gyun were focused entirely on extracting the rice cake lodged in Han Ung’s throat.
―Ugh, ah, Du Hui, hurry!
Su Gyun, unable to withstand Han Ung’s thrashing, was beginning to collapse. Only then did Du Hui fling down his camera and rush toward the tangled heap of three bodies.
Considering what he’d just witnessed, the fact that he’d charged in rather than fled was an act of tremendous courage.
Grabbing Han Ung’s flailing legs and hanging on, Du Hui finally allowed Jin Hyung to properly insert his fingers into Han Ung’s mouth and dislodge the stuck rice cake.
―Gack, gaaack. Heurgh…….
Han Ung heaved violently as he spat out the rice cake. Everything from dinner came pouring out, and both Jin Hyung above him and Du Hui below took the full force of it.
―Aah, what the—hey, snap out of it!
Su Gyun and Du Hui scrambled backward, sitting down hard on the floor.
Su Gyun, having exhausted himself in that moment, hung his head and gasped for breath, too shaken and spent to lift it. Du Hui straightened his head and rubbed his eyes. The strange things he’d seen before were no longer visible.
Had it been a hallucination? Had this bizarre place made him see things that weren’t there?
Jin Hyung called to the bewildered Du Hui.
―Hey, this bastard’s passed out! Ugh, come on…… help me!
Jin Hyung, unable to support Han Ung’s dead weight as he collapsed onto him, sat down hard—right onto the overturned table.
Du Hui frantically helped Jin Hyung to his feet and tended to Han Ung.
―Come on, we’re leaving. Let’s go.
―What about Han Ung?

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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