NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5
Chapter 5: The Black Book (2)
The [Black Book], which had followed Eunha all the way home despite being placed in the café’s lost and found, was left alone for the moment.
Eunha went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Tonight’s meal was simple and delicious soy sauce egg rice.
Since there was already rice left in the cooker, all she had to do was fry an egg.
‘What should I eat tomorrow? Do I have ramen at home?’
She was already worrying about tomorrow’s dinner as she took an egg out of the refrigerator.
Living alone made things like this unpleasant.
Sometimes, she thought about ordering delivery because cooking felt like a hassle.
But lately, with all the concerns about villain attacks, delivery fees had skyrocketed to the point where making her own meals was the cheaper option.
"Huh? I don’t have any salt... Well, I have soy sauce, so it should be fine."
She cracked the egg into a frying pan coated with cooking oil and reached for the salt and soy sauce in the cupboard.
There was barely any salt left.
It was too little to use for cooking but too much to simply throw away.
She had been so out of it these past two days that she completely forgot to buy salt.
Having no other choice, she decided to season the dish with soy sauce and shook the last grains of salt over the egg.
Eunha tossed the now-empty salt packet into the trash.
And so, warm rice and a perfectly fried egg were plated together for tonight’s meal.
Thump. Thump.
But even as she focused on cooking, her heart pounded loudly.
Her fingers, as she reached for chopsticks, felt as cold as if they had been submerged in ice water.
It was no surprise that her eyes kept drifting toward the [Black Book] sitting on the table.
What if it moved the moment she looked away?
What if, like in a horror movie, a monster jumped out of its pages?
Her head was filled with all sorts of thoughts.
"It’s fine. There’s something new in the house. It’s natural for my eyes to be drawn to it."
Eunha gathered her rice bowl and soy sauce and headed to the living room.
As soon as she returned to eat, the [Black Book] on the table seemed to be waiting for her.
Her mood immediately sank as she looked down at the mysterious book.
It was still there even after she had gone to the kitchen… Actually, it would have been even more troublesome if it had disappeared.
Breaking her gaze away from the [Black Book], Eunha placed her bowl and soy sauce next to it and sat down on the couch.
‘Oh. I brought the chopsticks even though I won’t use them... I don’t feel like putting them back.’
Beep—.
She turned on the TV while lazily mixing the warm soy sauce egg rice with her spoon.
Thump, thump.
She tapped her chest lightly to calm herself.
The TV was airing a news program called [Hunter 24 Hours].
Right now, the biggest headline was, of course, yesterday’s ‘Hunter Promotion Exam.’
A promising rookie from some guild had attempted to rank up.
This year’s written exam had been more difficult than usual.
During the practical test, someone’s arm got cut off and they were rushed to the hospital...
It was all the same kind of news.
Stories that only made a lifetime F-rank Hunter’s chest feel heavier.
<< Next news. One of Korea’s four major guilds, [Blue Sky Sword Clan], had their B-rank Hunter, Gwak Seonwoong, fail his A-rank promotion exam with disappointing results. >>
<< Hunter Gwak Seonwoong, known as a B-rank Hunter who never gives up, had already failed twice before. Yet, with the support of his many fans and guild members, he stood up to try again. >>
<< However, he was unable to achieve his dream of becoming an A-rank Hunter once more. Some are now questioning whether he has already reached the limits of his potential... >>
"Must be nice. That guy’s only failed three times so far."
She let out a hollow laugh at the gossip the news was pushing.
The Hunter Gwak Seonwoong appearing on TV right now… She had seen him at the exam site yesterday.
He was the one sitting next to her during the written test.
He had said it was an honor to sit beside the ‘Resident Ghost of the Promotion Exam’ and mumbled something under his breath like he was praying to a statue of Buddha.
Honestly, it had been creepy.
Because if he failed, it was obvious who he would blame.
‘See? That’s what happens when you make wishes to a wandering spirit. He got bad luck and failed.’
Turu tu turu~ tururu~
Turu tu turu~ tururu~
Just then, Eunha’s smartphone rang.
Wondering who it could be at this hour, she checked the caller ID—it was Eun Bangwool.
She quickly turned down the TV volume and answered the call.
"Hey, Bangwool. What’s up?"
— Do I need a reason to call~?
The voice on the other end was clear and cheerful, like ringing jade beads.
Hearing Bangwool’s bright voice made Eunha’s mood lighten a little, too.
Tap. Tap.
She lightly patted her chest, trying to shake off her unease as she continued the conversation.
— Actually, I was worried about you. Your face didn’t look good before you left earlier. How are you feeling now? If you’re struggling, I can come over.
"I’m fine. I think I just wasn’t feeling well for a moment."
She brushed off the girl’s concern with a vague answer.
If she showed even a hint of weakness, Bangwool would surely rush over to her house in an instant.
And telling her that she had hallucinated some strange monster in the café would only make her worry more.
For now, she decided to keep it to herself.
‘…A secret, huh… Yeah. Secrets are good.’
Then, her gaze landed on the [Black Book] sitting on the table.
Bangwool had definitely touched the book at the café… Was she okay?
Since she thought of it, she decided to ask.
"Bangwool, are you okay?"
— Huh? What do you mean? I’m fine.
"You know, that [Black Book] at the café. The one we put in the lost and found."
— Uh… What book?
"Did anything strange happen after touching it? Like seeing weird things or finding odd objects in your house?"
Hearing the serious tone in Eunha’s voice, Bangwool hesitated.
Not because something immediately came to mind, but because she was unsure how to respond.
A brief silence.
The presence of the [Black Book] seemed to grow stronger.
Then, Bangwool, after carefully choosing her words, answered in the most gentle tone—like she truly cared about Eunha’s well-being.
…And,
The lovely girl’s reply,
Was enough to send chills down Eunha’s spine.
— Um… Was there a lost item today?
"What?"
— There wasn’t one. Definitely...
Beep—.
The call was disconnected.
Leaving behind countless questions.
Like waking up from a dream, all at once.
"…At least finish what you were saying before hanging up..."
Eunha muttered bitterly as she looked down at her smartphone.
The call with the girl had ended, and the screen displayed a "No Service" message.
Eunha’s expression hardened by the second.
A loss of signal in a metropolitan apartment?
Was that even possible?
Bangwool’s words about there being no lost item also weighed on her mind.
The only thing visible was the quiet stream of news on the TV.
The only thing audible was the pounding of her own heart.
The only thing tangible was the cold air, as if winter had crept inside.
The [Black Book] on the table now felt even more dangerous than before.
"…Haa."
She shoved spoonfuls of soy sauce egg rice into her mouth, trying to finish dinner somehow.
But it felt like something was stuck in her throat, making it hard to swallow.
With a sigh, Eunha put down her spoon.
The [Black Book] sitting on the table felt like it was gripping her neck.
If only there were a way to figure out what exactly this thing was, things would be much easier.
But instead, she had been handed a book with no instructions and left to deal with it.
She eyed the [Black Book] carefully, then used her chopsticks to lift the cover and flip a page.
"See? There's nothing written in it."
As expected, just like when she checked at the café, the pages were blank.
A titleless black book.
Pitch-black pages. A dark red bookmark.
She poked around with the chopsticks, wondering if there were any hidden writings, but all she saw was darkness.
Come on… Something should at least be written in it, right?
It made her uneasy for no reason, and she didn’t understand why.
She was starting to get irritated. The eerie feeling had lasted long enough.
Maybe she should just throw it in the trash.
Rustle…
Just as she set her chopsticks down and was about to inspect the [Black Book] with her bare hands, something brushed against her fingers.
Startled, Eunha quickly pulled her hand away and scooted back.
‘No, seriously… I can’t even watch horror movies alone… What is this?’
Trying to calm her racing heart, she examined the [Black Book].
A dark red 'bookmark' was sticking out between the pages, clearly visible.
Thump. Thump.
That inexplicable sense of dread she had felt the first time she saw this book at the café returned.
Eunha silently turned off the TV and stared at the bookmark.
It was a rectangular strip, as black as ink.
The part sticking out of the book had a drawing on it—a picture of someone making a ‘window’ with their thumb and index finger, peering through it.
A window made of fingers.
And in its center, a single, large eye.
The drawing was blood-red, making it stand out starkly.
Which meant she could tell one thing for certain.
This bookmark hadn’t been there before.
"……."
After a moment of hesitation, Eunha reached out and touched the bookmark.
A thick, dark red liquid smeared onto her fingertips.
The scent of iron filled her nose.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Did she just make a mistake?
The violent pounding of her heart felt unfamiliar.
Eunha flipped open the page where the bookmark was placed.
"…What the hell…"
Words had appeared in the book.
Was this really an [Artifact]?
The bookmarked page reeked of blood, and across the pitch-black paper, 'red text' stood out clearly.
Swallowing nervously, Eunha read the words.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
※ A Guide to Safe Home Living ※
1. If someone knocks on your front door—
- First, check outside through the peephole.
- If you see a woman in a red dress standing there,
- Immediately take a mouthful of salt and hide in the bathroom.
- The front door will open on its own, and ‘it’ will search through every room except the bathroom for about ten minutes before quietly leaving.
- You must complete the above actions within three minutes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A guide written in sticky blood.
Eunha read through the [Black Book] multiple times, clutching her head in confusion.
What was this?
A horror story? Was this some kind of horror book? …Well, it was unsettling, at least.
Hopefully, nothing would actually happen.
There was a type of urban legend on the internet like this.
They detailed obscure rules in a complex manner but left the consequences of breaking those rules vague, creating a sense of mystery.
Readers would try to fill in the blanks, wondering, "What if I received this rulebook?" and scaring themselves in the process.
It was a common format known as a ‘Rulebook Horror Story.’
Seriously, a horror story in this day and age? Ridiculous.
This was a world where [Rifts] created monsters, and people awakened abilities.
Ghosts weren’t real.
Honestly, waking up one day to find yourself turned into a child would be way scarier.
…Knock, knock, knock.
And then,
Just as Eunha processed the words in the book and lifted her head,
Someone knocked on the front door.