NOVEL NEXT Chapter 33
Like any other family business, the Management Agency also has a system called workshops.
The official purpose is to boost the teamwork spirit among the staff within the organization.
But those in the know understand that for young people like me, workshops are nothing short of torture.
The older guys gather to sing trot songs, and of course, as we know nothing about trot, we end up as mere human instruments, just tambourine players.
It’s a mental ordeal, forced to listen to the drink-fueled condemnations about the youth, even when we don’t want to.
The silver lining is that this time, we have a few more people in our corner. At least it means I might escape the mental torture.
I gaze blankly out the translucent window of the rattling train.
The slowly passing scenery reminds me once again that we’re on a local train heading to a mountain valley, and—
“Ah, the workshop. Don’t worry too much; we’ll be back before you know it. It’s not an overnight stay, okay? The voices of the girls? They’re staff, staff.”
The Team Leader, sweating profusely, tries to explain beside me.
Yu Da On and Song Ah Rin, sitting quietly and dozing off.
And next to me, Jang Chae Yeon sits demurely…
“Want some eggs?”
“No, thank you.”
“Want some water?”
“No, thank you.”
Jang Chae Yeon keeps insisting on something, yet I don’t feel overwhelmed by it, probably because I spent so much time in the Cube.
“…Does it feel burdensome when I do something for you?”
Jang Chae Yeon asks, glancing at me.
If it were up to me, I’d say yes, but that’s not the issue.
“No, I’m full.”
Right after we got on the train, she made me eat an apple, handed me a chocolate bar, and bought me bread.
I don’t even enjoy snacking that much, so it’s only natural I’d get full from all that.
Even my grandmother doesn’t feed me this much.
“You need to eat a lot to be healthy.”
“I stopped growing a long time ago.”
Isn’t it scarier if a working adult keeps growing?
Jang Chae Yeon, making a regretful face, leans against the seat back and gazes out the window.
“There was once a rumor that a Mountain God sleeps around here.”
Suddenly, such a sinister story?
“A Mountain God?”
“Of course, the Management Agency heard the rumor and went to investigate.”
“Did they find anything?”
“There was no Mountain God. Just a group that believed in what doesn’t exist.”
“So it was a hoax, huh?”
“Not quite.”
Jang Chae Yeon continues.
“Their belief created something.”
“Created something?”
“According to worldly religions or myths, gods created people.”
When it happened, Song Ah Rin crossed her legs and chimed in.
“But if that’s the case, then there’s no reason for the Management Agency to exist, is there?”
“That’s quite a chilling story. I think I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it.”
If I hear more of these scary tales, I might just lose my mind.
Song Ah Rin smacked her lips and shrugged, while Jang Chae Yeon smiled gently, resting her hands on her thighs.
Her white hair shone brightly in the sunlight.
Looking over at the Team Leader, I noticed he had put on his headphones, desperately turning his head away.
Now that’s what the proper office staff does.
I turned my head back to the window and began to gaze at the passing scenery again.
At least, listening to what Jang Chae Yeon was saying might solve some things.
Even if it doesn’t, I can’t just turn around and leave here suddenly.
*
As soon as we got off at the station, what welcomed us was the ever-warming sunlight, close to summer.
“It really seems like summer is almost here.”
Yu Da On, who had just woken up before we got off, stretched and looked around.
“But are we really in the right place?”
There was something suspicious in her voice.
It was understandable to think so.
The station was shabby.
There were rusty signs and weeds growing everywhere that hadn’t been properly mowed, and benches, which seemed to have once hosted many guests, were all rusty.
“Is this the right place, Team Leader?”
“Let me see…”
The Team Leader squinted and began to check his phone in response to my question.
“Uh, yeah, this is the right place.”
The Team Leader, nodding with a nervous expression, seemed just as unsure.
He may have brought us here, but why is he so anxious?
“Well, we’ve got the workshop booked, so let’s go. Don’t worry. I’m feeling quite good right now.”
If he says he feels good, then surely nothing bad will happen, right?
Suppressing the rising anxiety inside, I shouldered my bag and stepped forward towards the station.
“Wow, is this… a horror movie or what?”
Song Ah Rin remarked with a tsk as soon as we entered the station.
I completely agreed with her.
There were cobwebs everywhere that hadn’t been cleaned. An incandescent light hanging from a fraying cord swayed precariously, flickering.
Even the ticket counter was a perfect ruin, deserted by people.
“This is strange… It should definitely be the right place…”
The Team Leader pulled out a map from his pocket and started reading it intently, while I began to look around just in case someone was hiding.
One of the good things about my eyesight is that ambushes are nearly pointless. If I want to find someone, the translucent window appears right above my head.
I realized it when Yu Da On was trying to scare me by hiding, and now it’s proving useful.
“…”
“What do you see?”
Jang Chae Yeon quietly asked, coming up beside me.
“Nothing.”
I didn’t see anything at all.
“Oh, guys. This is right. If we go out here, the Mountain Lodge owner will be waiting.”
“Yeah, yeah, let’s go.”
Just as I was about to head outside, holding my bags with both hands, I locked eyes with Yu Da On, who was seriously scanning her surroundings.
“What’s up?”
“Something feels… off.”
Yu Da On, with her brow tightly knitted, sniffed the air.
“Does it smell?”
“Uh… It’s a familiar smell.”
Following her lead, I closed my eyes and sniffed the air.
There was no smell other than the musty dust.
“I don’t smell anything.”
“…Maybe it’s just my imagination. For now, I’ll be cautious, just in case.”
“Sure thing.”
Yu Da On nodded and began to follow the Team Leader with her bag firmly on her shoulder.
Finally, with Song Ah Rin still grumbling, I took one last look back before stepping outside.
Once again, I saw nothing at all.
*
Stepping out behind Song Ah Rin, I found myself on a path overgrown with thick trees.
The road was laid, but the edges were broken and unkempt, where a small gray van stood by itself.
“Found it! Over here!”
The Team Leader waved his hand, and finally, with a clattering sound, the van began to approach us before the window rolled down, revealing a bearded man’s face.
“Hello!”
His voice was hearty.
I slightly bowed my head in greeting and cast a sideways glance at what was above his head.
[Name: Park Ho Seong]
[Age: 48]
[Specialty: X]
[Talent: X]
[Background: For over 30 years, he has lived as the heir and owner of the lodge. Only this village knows him.]
[Vulnerability: Shooting him in the head will kill him.]
“…”
I felt a slight sense of déjà vu, but before I could ponder it, the man shouted loudly.
“I’m Park Ho Seong. I’ll take you to the lodge quickly, if not safely!”
With a smile, the man stepped down.
He was a massive figure.
I can’t say I’ve ever been labeled short, but he looked to be a head taller than me at the very least.
Of course, he was also big enough to easily fit me as an additional person next to him.
“Excuse me!”
A rough hand snatched my bag away, and soon, others’ bags began to be stacked neatly in the trunk as well.
“Get in! Since it’s proper etiquette, our…”
“Heo Chan!”
“Mister Heo Chan will sit in the comfortable passenger seat, while the four young ladies squeeze in the back!”
The Team Leader gave a slight nod of apology as he took a seat in the passenger side.
The four of us awkwardly crammed into the back.
In order: Song Ah Rin -> Me -> Yu Da On -> Jang Chae Yeon.
With four people sitting in a space meant for three, there was no room to spare; we all somehow ended up like a human domino effect.
“Don’t… push…!”
Struggling, Song Ah Rin pressed against my left shoulder, but there was nothing I could do about it.
As the van started with a rattle, my anxiety about the road matched perfectly with its utterly bumpy ride.
“Woo, this feels like… a fun… ride!”
Yu Da On cheerfully exclaimed, leaning against my right shoulder.
“Ugh…”
Song Ah Rin looked sick, covering her mouth and tightly closing her eyes.
Jang Chae Yeon, as always, stared expressionlessly out the window.
How long did we drive on that road?
“Arrived!”
At the man’s voice, I lifted my head to look ahead.
It was a shabby lodge.
On a wooden sign, with uneven letters, read “Welcome, Guests,” and the lodge opened up before us like a setting from a horror movie.
Nice lodge?
I turned my gaze to the Team Leader, who also wore a troubled expression in the rearview mirror.
His expression suggested he too wasn’t sure what was happening.
Clunk!
The van stopped in what seemed to be a parking lot, and the man opened the door to look at us.
“We’ve arrived! Get out!”
After the man opened the door and let us out, he began organizing our bags, while I whispered to the now dumbfounded Team Leader.
“A nice lodge? On the East Coast?”
“Dude… I didn’t expect this either.”
The Team Leader wiped the sweat from his brow as he looked at me.
“It’s alright. Well… um. Actually, this might be a nice lodge by local standards. It’s close to nature, right?”
“Do you really think that makes any sense, Team Leader?”
“I’ve organized all your luggage!”
While I was chatting quietly with the Team Leader, the man’s voice made me turn my attention to him.
As if it had become a habit, I glanced at what was above the man’s head again.
[Name: Park Ho Seong]
[Age: 48]
[Specialty: X]
[Talent: X]
[Background: For over 30 years, he has lived as the heir and owner of the lodge. Only this village knows him.]
[Vulnerability: You prepare a feast before my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.]
“…”
Behind my silence, I noticed a multitude of birds taking flight from the distant forest, seemingly being chased by something.