WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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◈ Escaping the Mystery Hotel ◈
Episode 16: Room 102, The Cursed Room - ‘House of Horror’ (2)
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[User: Han Ga-in (Wisdom)
Date: Day 5
Current Location: Level 1, Room 102 (Curse Room - House of Horror)
Sage’s Advice: 3]
“Is everyone ready?”
Worried that our “worst possible gossip” from earlier might have been overheard, everyone carefully composed their expressions as if we had merely been making small talk before heading out.
“Of course, we’re ready. The estate has such a lovely atmosphere that time just flew by while we were talking about this and that.”
The estate’s atmosphere was so lovely that we had spent thirty minutes discussing where and how we might die.
“Ha ha, the Elder has always treasured the scenery around the estate. You all seem suitably dressed for hiking as well, so I’ll show you the way.”
Our first activity on our first day at the estate was a hike.
There was something eerie about the mountain.
Was it because there were so many unfamiliar trees? Or was I looking at everything through the lens of my own prejudice?
Everything seemed suspicious. I was not the only one, either. The others kept glancing around, too busy watching their surroundings to relax.
Perhaps because of that, the tension wore us out more quickly. By the time we reached the middle of the mountain, everyone except Jin-cheol was visibly exhausted.
“I think it would be best to take a short rest here.”
As expected, everyone accepted the old man’s suggestion. He had climbed the mountain as though he were out for a stroll, without breaking a sweat, even more effortlessly than Jin-cheol.
“If you have nothing else to do, would you like to hear a story about the estate?”
Of course, we had nothing else to do. And a story about the estate might contain a clue to clearing this place.
“Oh! Of course. I’ve always been curious whenever I heard stories about my uncle’s estate. Even this mountain has an unusual atmosphere. Is there something special about it?”
“Ho ho, special, you say... Rather than special, there have been a few disputes over land ownership.”
It was suddenly a very realistic story. I had been imagining an occult tale about someone dying three hundred years ago, consumed by resentment, but this was an extremely twenty-first-century issue.
“In practice, the estate and most of the surrounding land belong to the Elder.
But... the law is not as simple as the Elder’s position might suggest. Strictly speaking, there are several areas that cannot be said to belong to him.”
“If they don’t belong to my uncle, whose land are they?”
“For example, once you pass the middle of this mountain, the summit and the other side belong to the government. The nearby church is half abandoned now, but it still belongs to the Catholic Church.
There are also several ambiguous plots of land, such as a small farm outside the garden and a shrine that no one knows how long has been there.”
“Then should we avoid going into those places?”
“Honestly, it should not matter. I said that most of it practically belongs to the Elder, did I not? The legal owners do not manage those places at all. So you needn’t worry.”
The other side of the mountain, the church, the farm outside the garden, and some shrine. Those areas did not belong to the estate. I committed that to memory. I did not know what it meant, but it had to mean something.
“The view near the summit is truly beautiful. I make sure to reach the summit at least once every two or three days. When I look over the surrounding area from there... it feels as though the world’s murky energy disappears.”
“Ho ho, you’re quite fit, sir. It can’t be easy to make it all the way to the summit.”
“Since I live nearby and climb it often, I’ve learned quite a few tricks. It’s manageable.”
It was casual small talk, yet there was an inexplicable tension in the air.
We climbed to the summit, panting all the way. The view was not bad, just as the butler had promised.
It was not a spectacular vista, but it left me feeling refreshed and open. For a neighborhood mountain, it was decent enough.
On the way down, the butler asked about dinner.
“What would you like to do for dinner? Normally, we could prepare a meal at the estate.
But since you are university students gathered together, I imagine you would like to spend your time as though camping. If you wish, I can arrange a place by the valley.”
We did not even need to discuss it.
The moment I heard the suggestion, I thought a campsite would be better, if only so we could spend time alone away from the butler and maid. Eun-sol felt the same way.
“Oh, thank you, Butler. I think we’d feel more comfortable spending time by ourselves. We’d appreciate it if you could prepare a place by the valley.”
“I shall do so.”
After coming down from the mountain and returning to the estate, we first looked for the missing Seung-yeop.
He seemed to be blindly following a girl around, but we could not be careless. This was the kind of place where someone could easily die without anyone noticing.
Fortunately, finding Seung-yeop was not difficult.
More precisely, not long after we arrived, a girl dressed adorably in a maid’s uniform that did not suit her age appeared and greeted us. Beside her, Seung-yeop was wheezing as though he were about to stop breathing.
Jin-cheol looked as though he had something to say, but everyone was too exhausted to linger. We entered the estate without wasting time so we could rest.
After resting for a while, we headed to the campsite by the valley.
Thankfully, the path there was not particularly rough. When we arrived, a grill perfect for cooking meat was already set up, along with a variety of beef, pork, vegetables, and more.
No matter how frightening the estate was, people were weak in the face of meat. Everyone naturally relaxed, and their expressions softened.
Jin-cheol had looked ready to give Seung-yeop a serious scolding the moment we met, but perhaps he did not want to ruin the mood. He settled it with a single knuckle rap and a word or two.
“Man... At least this place doesn’t make us suffer when it comes to food. That’s a real relief. It works us half to death, but it feeds us well. If it didn’t, we would’ve all collapsed long ago.”
Jin-cheol, who had gone over to the grill and picked up the tongs, added his own comment.
“Oh wow, this beef has incredible marbling. The pork looks nice and thick too.”
“I think this might be lamb. It’s the first time I’ve had it since coming to Korea. It’s been such a long time.”
The atmosphere became warm and relaxed.
Then the interrogation began.
“Seung-yeop, did you see anything while you were following A-ri around? Just so you know, if all you have to say is that you were too busy looking at her face to notice anything, or that A-ri was really pretty, you can go hungry tonight.”
“Gah! What are you saying, Eun-sol? I only helped because I thought it would be good to get close to her if we wanted to look into the estate.”
No one believed him, but we did not press the matter.
“Fine. So did you see anything?”
“Rather than seeing something... I think this estate is strange. There are about two things I noticed. First, the estate is huge, but it was strange that only two people maintain it.”
“That really is strange. It’s not just the house that’s big. The estate grounds are enormous, starting with the garden. Yet there are only two people. And one of them is a child.”
“They didn’t stop me from going around other parts of the estate, but they wouldn’t let me go near the study. There’s definitely something there.”
“So you weren’t just fooling around. Hardly any staff, and we can’t go to the study. Hmm... What do you think?”
“Well... Nothing comes to mind yet. Should I try forcing my way into the study? After all, according to the setup, I’m the Elder’s beloved niece. Would the servants dare to be too forceful with me?”
“Wouldn’t that be too dangerous?”
“If things go wrong, the rest of you can survive and save me.”
Everyone fell silent at the chilling remark, which was far too grim to be an offhand joke.
“Ah, why is everyone acting like that? I was just joking. I’ll stop if it seems dangerous. Still, if we do nothing because we don’t know what to do, the other side will attack first.
Doing nothing may seem safe, but it’s actually the most dangerous thing we can do. That’s my belief.”
Had Eun-sol become more confident after becoming younger?
In any case, we still knew too little about the estate to offer any real opinions.
In the end, we simply enjoyed the meat.
The meat was incredibly delicious, but... when our discussion produced no results, even Seung-yeop, who had seemed the most thoughtless among us, began to look gloomy.
Cawww! Cawww!
An unsettling cry.
As though announcing the end of our meeting, the crows cried out. Without a word, we stood and returned to the estate.
* * *
- Elena
Late at night.
In the end, they had gained nothing from dinner or the brief conversation afterward. Before anyone knew it, they had all grown exhausted and retreated to their rooms with drained expressions.
What were they supposed to do? The world truly was a strange place.
It had been nearly six years since Elena came to Korea with her family and settled there, after experiencing various troubles in Russia.
Nothing particularly serious had happened during that time.
There were advantages and disadvantages to living there, but Korea was at least considered a fairly safe country.
Yet who could have imagined she would go through something like this...
She thought about it every night, but being in such a creepy estate made those depressing thoughts return.
Click, click.
Click, click.
Her heart pounded wildly. Footsteps. They were not very loud. At this hour?
In a safe place, she would not have thought much of it. But this was perhaps the most terrifying place in the world.
Quietly, Elena slipped a knife she had taken after dinner, one that had been used to cut meat, into her sleeve.
Even if something happened, if she fought back, someone nearby could come help.
The footsteps came right up to her door.
Ready to scream with all her strength if necessary, Elena flung the door open.
“Oh!”
She was mistaken. The visitor was not some unidentified monster. As the familiar face before her made the tension drain away, Elena slipped the knife back inside her sleeve.
“It’s late. Did you have something to say?”
It was nothing serious. The estate was so unsettling, and being alone had left them unsettled.
Elena understood completely. She was in exactly the same state.
So, to calm down a little, they passed the time chatting lightly about trivial things.
If they did that, perhaps this long, unsettling night would pass more comfortably than expected.
The next morning.
We found Elena’s corpse.
Footnotes:
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