NOVEL NEXT Chapter 39
Monday morning.
The white papers scattered under the subway train were being crumpled and stepped on by people’s feet.
‘Hmm…?’
Looking closely, I saw that the ground was covered with flyers. Strangely, the paper quality was luxurious, not the cheap kind like ordinary business cards but rather high-grade foundation paper that looked printed.
I absentmindedly picked up a crumpled piece of paper. Printed in black ink on a white background, a message caught my eye. At the top, a seal stamped with overlapping characters for ‘heaven’ (天) and ‘earth’ (土) featured a taijitu pattern carved into it.
[In 2025, South Korea stands at a crossroads of change.
The economy is unstable, and the future is uncertain.
Politics are chaotic, and society is uneasy.
But don’t worry. The Land of Immortals will save you.
Our envisioned Land of Immortals is an ideal realm free from all pain and anxiety.
Join the Land of Immortals now.]
And on the back, there were these words written:
================
Land of Immortals Membership Guide
○ Visit the nearest Land of Immortals branch (near Gwanak Mountain in Seoul).
○ We’ll provide the exact location through a phone call.
☎ 446-6644-4466 (60 won per 30 seconds)
================
As I read down the flyer, my hand unconsciously tightened its grip.
“The Land of Immortals…”
It was one of the groups flagged as suspicious within the Catastrophe Foundation’s worldview. While both the Foundation and this group collected and studied horror stories, their purposes were entirely different.
Whereas the Foundation aimed to research, isolate, and control these tales, the Land of Immortals seemed to misuse them according to their own whims.
“But why would they spread flyers in the subway?”
The Land of Immortals was undoubtedly not an organization that operated openly. For such a group to suddenly start recruiting members publicly meant there was some sort of intention behind it.
Looking around, no one in the crowd heading to work seemed to have noticed anything strange. Everyone had blank expressions as they stared at their smartphones.
I had an odd premonition. Just in case, I stuffed the crumpled flyer into my bag.
When I entered the Foundation building, an unusual tension hung in the air. The lobby, usually quiet until 9:00 AM, was bustling even in the early morning. An uneasy feeling lingered as I rode the elevator upstairs.
“Didn’t you see? In the team chat.”
At 8:30 AM, in the office of Team 4 of the Catastrophe Foundation’s Field Investigation Department, Moon Jinwook showed me his smartphone screen while drinking coffee.
“Huh? Oh…”
Kang Hana and Narae were already there. Kang Hana sat with her legs crossed, looking at a tablet, while Narae leaned against the doorframe, covering her mouth as she yawned.
“I just arrived. What’s going on…?”
“I don’t know. The team leader just told us to come in early because there’s something to do today.”
Moon Jinwook sipped his instant coffee. There was weariness in his voice. Normally he would be sitting calmly, but today he was perched on the edge of his desk, shaking his leg.
At that moment, Kang Hana raised her head.
“Look at this.”
She handed over her tablet, displaying an SNS ad for the Land of Immortals—exactly what I’d seen earlier on the subway.
“Lately, I’ve been seeing strange ads on SNS. Could it be because of this…?”
Before Kang Hana finished speaking, Cheon Seungsu entered.
Although last Friday he had asked to borrow the Palak Sword without permission, making me wonder if he thought poorly of me, fortunately, there was no sign of that today.
“You’re all here. Let’s go to the conference room.”
We followed Cheon Seungsu to the meeting room. As soon as we opened the door, the emblem of the Land of Immortals I’d seen that morning appeared on the projector screen.
“Does anyone recognize this emblem?”
Cheon Seungsu began speaking. We shook our heads.
Of course, I knew about the Land of Immortals but pretended not to. After all, acting knowledgeable when I’d only been in this field for a month would surely seem strange.
He immediately started explaining.
“The Land of Immortals is a cult religious group established in the 1970s. They take the Taoist master Jeon Wooji from the Joseon Dynasty as their spiritual mentor.”
A group that preached becoming immortals through ascetic practices to escape the mundane world before the impending apocalypse—basically something along those lines.
Upon hearing Cheon Seungsu’s explanation, Moon Jinwook let out a sigh of relief.
“Ah, thank goodness. I thought it was another deadly horror story like last time…”
“Don’t let your guard down.”
Cheon Seungsu’s voice sharpened. He flipped through the slides with the remote. The projector displayed internal photos of the Land of Immortals. People dressed in white robes were gathered in a cramped room, candles lit as they performed some sort of ritual.
“This group was under our Foundation’s surveillance until recently. We even had informants inside.”
The next slide showed more photos taken inside the Land of Immortals.
Yellow talismanic papers and mirrors used in rituals were replaced with plain white paper and ink writings. In the final photo of a mysterious ceremony, Cheon Seungsu’s expression darkened.
“However, exactly a year ago, all communication ceased. Our contact with the internal informants was completely cut off. And recently, they’ve suddenly begun recruiting members openly.”
The last slide showed screenshots of SNS advertisements—the same ones Kang Hana had shown us earlier.
Beside me, Narae stopped yawning mid-stretch and widened her eyes.
“To advertise on SNS… Quite modern for a cult.”
Narae’s comment earned a nod from Kang Hana, but Cheon Seungsu’s expression remained serious.
“You need to be cautious. This is the first mission since our team became an elite squad… but this isn’t just an ordinary investigation.”
Cheon Seungsu pulled out a small plastic bag from his bag. Inside were items resembling transparent motion sickness stickers.
“These are exclusive special devices for the elite team. They function as radios to contact me in emergencies and also contain eavesdropping devices.”
Kang Hana picked up one of the stickers and examined it.
“Is this really a radio?”
“It doesn’t trigger metal detectors. It’s a product of the Foundation’s cutting-edge technology.”
Moon Jinwook stuck a sticker behind his ear, looked in the mirror, and muttered in amazement.
“It doesn’t show?”
“That’s the advantage. The other party won’t realize they’re being eavesdropped on.”
I sighed as I placed a sticker below my ear.
‘How long has it been since we became an elite team?’
Sigh…
I still hadn’t fully recovered from the aftermath of the Entity Horror Story, and now we had another mission.
“Manager Moon and Assistant Kang will handle external investigations, while Mr. Baek Jeongwoo and Ms. Narae will conduct undercover operations.”
“Eh? Why do we have to go undercover?”
As Narae complained, Cheon Seungsu looked at her as if stating the obvious.
“That’s because Manager Moon and Assistant Kang are well-known faces after working at the Foundation for so long. It’s much more advantageous for new employees with unknown faces to infiltrate for internal investigations.”
With that, Narae didn’t find any counterarguments, though she pouted unhappily.
Cheon Seungsu then unfolded a map. It was of the area near Gwanak Mountain in Seoul.
“This is the presumed location of the Land of Immortals’ headquarters.”
“How exactly are we supposed to infiltrate?” Narae asked, stifling a yawn. Tears were forming at the corners of her eyes.
“Just say you saw their SNS advertisement and came wanting to become a member.”
“Isn’t that too dangerous?”
“As long as you don’t reveal you’re Foundation employees, it should be safe. To my knowledge, that building is open to regular followers too.”
While Narae’s face relaxed slightly upon hearing this, I didn’t think it would be as easy as Cheon Seungsu said.
‘They’re definitely not an opponent to underestimate…’
Documents related to the Land of Immortals posted on the Horror Story Gallery flashed through my mind.
Hiding the unease settling in my chest, Narae and I headed to the respective changing rooms inside the company to switch from formal attire to casual clothes.
***
Deep within Seoul’s Gwanak Mountain.
We walked a narrow path not marked on any maps. The trail gradually narrowed, and tree branches obscured the sky above.
“Is this the right place?”
Narae tilted her head. Normally, she would have strutted ahead or acted coquettishly, but today she was unusually quiet, walking close to me, tense.
“Definitely following the address given during the phone call…”
I double-checked the address written in my smartphone notes.
That’s when we saw it.
At the end of the forest path stood a large hanok house. Its presence in such a secluded mountain area felt somewhat surreal.
“There it is.”
Narae whispered. We stood in front of the gate, having changed into casual clothes at the company.
The hanok was larger than expected. The tiled roof soared toward the sky, and the gate was imposing. Wildflowers bloomed around it, but an ominous atmosphere lingered.
“Anyone home?”
Narae gently knocked on the door. The heavy sound echoed through the silence. A short while later, an elderly woman dressed in pristine white traditional clothing opened the door.
The grandmother greeted us with a friendly smile.
“How did you find us?”
Her voice was kind, but her eyes scrutinized us carefully.
“We called earlier.”
Though we already knew the address from Team Leader Cheon, we made the call to avoid suspicion.
Upon hearing my words, the grandmother’s expression brightened instantly.
“Oh, you must be the ones who called earlier wanting to join us. Please follow me.”
The grandmother immediately led us inside. As soon as we entered, the scent of incense typical of temples filled our nostrils.
“This way, please.”
Passing through the inner courtyard, we entered a large hall where an astonishing scene unfolded. Dozens of people wearing white robes sat cross-legged with their eyes closed, seemingly meditating.
An eerie silence enveloped the hall. Despite the many people present, not even the sound of breathing could be heard. It was as if time itself had stopped within the hall.
“Please wait here for a moment.”
The grandmother left us standing in front of a building that resembled a dormitory.
Not long after, robust men dressed in white robes appeared.
“Are you the new initiates?”
The towering man scanned us from head to toe. His gaze carried a sense of caution. Other men surrounded us.
“You must surrender all belongings brought from the mundane world to us.”
I hesitated for a moment.
If I gave up my smartphone, I wouldn’t be able to use the Dalant Shop anymore.
But then I reassured myself.
I had the Fengxue and Nostradamus’ Eye obtained from the previous Real Horror Story, after all.
Being able to see ten seconds into the future with the Choujian ability, I could likely evade most dangers. Moreover, with the Fengxue capable of consuming C-class or lower substances, I could simply devour any anomalies in the worst-case scenario.
As if reading my thoughts, one of the men smiled kindly and said,
“All items surrendered upon entry will be returned intact when you return to the mundane world, so there’s no need to worry too much.”
Moreover, it occurred to me that refusing to hand over our phones might prevent us from entering altogether. Eventually, Narae and I reluctantly surrendered our smartphones and wallets.
“Yes.”
“Here.”
Then the men took out what looked like metal detectors and thoroughly scanned our bodies.
A whirring sound accompanied by red lights flashing over our bodies ensued. Fortunately, neither the sticker given by Cheon Seungsu nor the gold branch brooch hidden in my pocket were detected.
“Now, both of you must change into these robes.”
The grandmother handed us pristine white robes. The men escorted us to the changing room.
“Let us know when you’re ready.”
The changing room was surprisingly small, lacking even a mirror. I carefully concealed the gold branch brooch inside the sleeve of the robe.
After changing, the grandmother led us further inside the compound past the entrance adorned with statues of the Four Heavenly Kings. The giant wooden sculptures were unsettling; their faces appeared benevolent, but their eyes seemed alive, glaring at us.
Further inside, where a Great Hero Hall (Daeungjeon) would typically be located in a temple, we entered.
“Welcome to the Land of Immortals.”
A middle-aged man with long hair and a beard greeted us. Dressed in a spotless white robe like the other followers, he exuded an extraordinary aura.
“I am Dukgo Jin, the Fourth Patriarch of the Land of Immortals.”
Fourth Patriarch?
This was peculiar.
According to my knowledge within the Catastrophe Foundation’s worldview, the Land of Immortals ended with the Third Patriarch.
As this unresolved question deepened, Dukgo Jin guided Narae and me to a sofa located inside the Great Hero Hall.
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