Hi, My name is Akio Tanaka. I am a traveler. I journey across the country on my bike, seeking the unknown and the unexplored. I’ve encountered many strange things in my life, but one experience stands out like a sore thumb.

It was the middle of winter. I was traveling from Yokohama, aiming to reach Oma by sundown. Unfortunately, I was running late. As the sun dipped below the horizon, a heavy snowstorm began, quickly escalating into a blizzard. Realizing it was impossible to continue, I decided to find a room for the night.

When I walked into the hotel, there was only one person at the desk, engrossed in a TV show. He stood up and welcomed me. I asked for a room for the night, but he politely declined.

“Is there no way I could have a room? There’s a snowstorm outside, making it impossible to find another hotel,” I pleaded.

He apologized, saying, “All our rooms are full. We have only one room left, but I can’t give you that room for your own benefit.”

Curious, I asked why. He hesitated before replying, “The room is haunted.”

I chuckled and reassured him, “Don’t worry about me. I travel all around the country. I’ve seen it all.”

He looked at me for a moment and said, “Not everything, sir. But if you insist. If you feel uncomfortable or unsafe in that room, feel free to sleep in my room. We can share it.”

I checked in, took my key, and went to my room. It was decent, with a single bed, a mirror attached to the wall opposite the bed, and an attached washroom. Exhausted, I took a shower, had my dinner, and didn’t question anything.

Returning from the washroom, I caught my reflection in the mirror. I couldn’t recognize the person staring back at me. I wasn’t ugly, but I had never been this handsome. I looked different, better. I had always wished to be a little taller, and in the reflection, I was.

I sat on the bed, staring at the mirror. Tired, I lay down and drifted off to sleep. A few minutes later, I heard knocking. I looked at the door; the knocking continued. Frustrated, I got up and opened the door, but there was nothing.

I was annoyed, thinking the man at the desk was trying to make me believe the room was haunted. But as the night wore on, I would soon realize that some things are beyond explanation.

I lay on the bed, trying to shake off the eerie feeling. A few minutes passed, and then there was knocking on the door again. Furious, I ran to the door and flung it open. Once again, there was nothing.

I closed the door and stood still behind it, determined to catch whoever was playing tricks on me. I waited, and then the knocking came again. But this time, I realized something chilling—the knocking wasn’t coming from the door.

I followed the sound and looked into the mirror. The knocking was coming from the mirror. I stared at my reflection, but it was different. I was angry, but my reflection was smiling from ear to ear.

I sat on the bed, my eyes glued to the mirror. No matter how much I moved, my reflection remained still and smiling. Suddenly, a wave of extreme fear washed over me.

My reflection took out my emergency knife and slowly cut its own wrist. Despite my reflection harming itself, I felt the pain instantly. Blood started to flow from my wrist. I tried to run, but I couldn’t move. My reflection then stabbed the knife into its leg, and I screamed at the top of my lungs as I felt the searing pain.

Bleeding heavily, I watched in horror as my reflection pulled the knife out of its leg and brought it slowly to its neck. Just as it was about to cut, the hotel receptionist burst into the room. He saw my state and, with a wooden stick, shattered the mirror into pieces. I fainted.

When I woke up, the receptionist told me I had been asleep for three days. They had called a doctor who treated my wounds while I was unconscious. My first reaction upon waking was to ask what had happened in that room.

He explained that a few months ago, a man had killed himself in that room, cutting himself with a knife. Since then, anyone who stayed in that room experienced the same horrors. This was why he had been reluctant to give me the room.

I healed and resumed my travels, but the memory of that night will never fade. It was an experience of a lifetime, one that left an indelible mark on my soul.

Narrator: Oskar Miller

Dominic came running to me, clutching a crumpled newspaper in his hand. His face was pale, eyes wide with a mix of fear and anger. “Oskar, look at this!” he exclaimed, thrusting the paper towards me. The headline screamed: “Another Body Found in Berlin’s Back Alley!”

The murder cases were bizarre, to say the least. The victims were always male, their bodies dried up like twigs, with two puncture marks on their necks. It was as if a giant snake had bitten them, or worse, the return of the dreaded vampire hysteria.

Dominic’s hands trembled as he read the article aloud. Upon finishing, he threw the newspaper across the room in a fit of rage. “This is insane!” he shouted, pacing back and forth.

I watched him, concerned. “What do you think is really going on?” I asked.

Dominic collapsed onto the sofa, lighting a cigar with shaky hands. “I went to the morgue to confirm my suspicions,” he began, exhaling a cloud of smoke. “I was right. There are things they’re not telling the public. First, the bodies are wrapped in a sticky, cotton-like substance. It’s hard when dry but softens when wet. And second, the bodies are completely hollow inside. No organs, no brain, not even veins. Just bones and skin wrapped in that silky cotton.”

I felt a chill run down my spine. “So, you think this is the work of an underground mafia dealing in organ trafficking?”

Dominic’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Yes, exactly! This isn’t the work of vampires. It’s an organization driven by greed.”

“But why only males?” I asked, trying to make sense of it all.

Dominic shook his head. “I have no idea. That’s what I need to find out.”

I leaned forward, my voice low and serious. “Dominic, I’m warning you. Don’t get involved in this. You’re no detective.”

He looked at me, a defiant glint in his eyes. “Are you scared?”

“Yes,” I admitted. “And you should be too.”

The room fell silent, the only sound the faint crackling of Dominic’s cigar. Outside, the shadows lengthened, whispering secrets that only the night could understand. The mystery was far from over, and I had a sinking feeling that we were just scratching the surface of something far more sinister.

Narrator: Oskar Miller

Later that night, I was jolted awake by a persistent knocking at my door. “Oskar, are you awake?” Dominic’s voice whispered urgently through the darkness. “I’ve learned something interesting, and I need to discuss it with you.”

Groggy and irritated, I opened the door. “Why are you still invested in these things? And why are you shouting in the middle of the night like an idiot?” I snapped, my frustration evident. I didn’t want anything to happen to Dominic because of his reckless behavior, but he seemed determined to ignore my warnings.

Dominic barged in, sat on the sofa, and spread out a collection of newspaper cuttings on the coffee table. “These are the keys to my success,” he declared, eyes gleaming with excitement. “After solving this case, I will become a professional detective. I will be Sherlock, and you will be my Watson.”

I gave him a skeptical look. “What are these?” I asked, pointing to the cuttings.

He stood up, gazing out of the window for a moment before turning back to me. “I’ve made an interesting theory about those murder cases,” he said.

Half-asleep, I muttered, “You’re still on this case? Haven’t I told you not to do this?”

Dominic ignored my protest and continued, “Look at all these newspaper cuttings.” He handed me the bunch, and I reluctantly began to sift through them. “Do you find any similarities?” he asked.

“No, it’s hard to understand anything from these cuttings,” I replied, feeling more confused than ever.

Dominic leaned in, his voice low and intense. “There are things that are most important to the case. Number one: everyone who was murdered was somehow connected to sailing clubs, directly or indirectly. They all had an anchor tattoo on their bodies.”

“How do you know all this?” I asked, bewildered.

“I have sources,” he said cryptically. “And most importantly, everyone who was killed had no family.”

“None?” I asked, incredulous.

“Yes, sir,” he confirmed. “Which makes me the perfect bait for this case.”

The room fell into a tense silence as Dominic’s words hung in the air. The shadows seemed to grow darker, whispering secrets that only the night could reveal. I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were diving headfirst into a mystery far more dangerous than we could ever imagine.

Narrator: Oskar Miller

Last night, Dominic talked so much that I could barely sleep. I thought he would leave by morning, but no, he was almost forcing me to go with him. “Remember, without Watson, Sherlock was helpless. Without you, my friend Oskar, I am helpless,” he said, trying to convince me.

I was stubborn, refusing to be swayed by his words. But then he added, “If you come with me to the wood factory at the bay of Havel, I’ll buy you a pint of Macallan 64-year-old whiskey.” He flashed a big smile.

I looked at him skeptically. “Do you have any idea how much that costs?”

He checked his phone and replied, “Oh good lord, then a nip maybe?”

I shook my head in disbelief. “You are dumb. Repeat after me: I am Dominic, and I am dumb.”

He grinned and said, “I am Oskar, and I am surely dumb.”

Despite my reluctance, I went with him anyway. Our destination was the bay of Havel. While driving, I asked, “What’s your plan? What are you thinking of doing?”

“There is a wood factory that makes sailing boats. Our main goal is to search for clues. I’ll talk to the factory manager directly, and your job is to find suspicious people who might be organ dealers,” he explained.

Sometimes I wondered why I was friends with him. I didn’t even know him that well, but somehow he knew everything about me. We were never that close. He came to my home every other day, reading newspapers, eating all my food, and then leaving. But never mind all that; this was not the time to dwell on it.

We reached the bay within 15 to 20 minutes. Dominic decided to park the car far away and walk the rest of the way. “Isn’t keeping our car close a better option in case we need to drive away quickly?” I asked.

He gave me his weird smile again and said, “Don’t worry, bro. Everything is in control.”

The bay of Havel loomed ahead, shrouded in mist and mystery. The wood factory stood like a silent sentinel, its dark silhouette casting eerie shadows. As we approached, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were stepping into something far more dangerous than we had anticipated.

Narrator: Oskar Miller

As Dominic and I entered through the main gate of the boat factory, it was clear to me that it might have been a factory once, but now it was just a junkyard. Upon entering, we saw a vast open ground. To the right, there was a storehouse-like structure, now rusty and broken. To the left, a mansion stood, looking wasted by the cruel forces of nature. Straight ahead lay the bay of Havel.

The factory was almost empty, save for an old man hammering the back end of a boat. Dominic suddenly decided to talk to him. I pulled his hand back and asked if this was a good idea. “Let me talk to the old man. You roam around and see if you find any clues,” he said.

As he approached the old man, I observed him closely. The man was badly skinny, almost malnourished. It felt like his life force had been drained by something. His eyes were sunken into their sockets, and his wide body structure indicated he was once muscular, but now it was all gone.

I had no idea what Dominic and the old man were talking about, but they seemed to be deep in conversation. I took the opportunity to roam around the area. Curious about the mansion’s age, I didn’t notice a woman staring at me from a glass window. When our eyes met, I changed direction, but when I looked back, she was gone.

She appeared on the mansion’s balcony and waved at me. It would be disrespectful not to wave back, so I did. With a hand gesture, she beckoned me to come closer. I walked towards the mansion with small steps.

She opened the door and welcomed me in. Three things struck me immediately. First, I thought the factory might be in financial trouble, but the mansion’s interior was perfect, almost like a movie set. It felt like a hero would come to rescue a princess. Second, she was gorgeous, her moss-green gown with rainbow stripes making her even more beautiful. I had never seen anyone this stunning. After seeing her, I understood why wars could be fought over a woman, like in the story of Troy. Third, the house smelled earthy and musty, which didn’t match its pristine appearance.

As I walked in, she asked, “What’s your business?” Her voice was angelic, almost mesmerizing.

She waved a hand in front of my face, snapping me out of my thoughts. “I was looking for a job with my friend and was just roaming around,” I replied.

“Oh, I thought someone had come for me,” she said.

“For you? What do you mean?” I asked.

“Never mind. By the way, I am Maria Novak. And you are?”

“I am Oskar, Oskar Miller,” I replied.

The mansion’s eerie perfection and Maria’s enigmatic presence added layers of mystery to our investigation. As I stood there, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were stepping deeper into a web of secrets and danger.

Narrator: Oskar Miller

The smell in the room was overwhelming, making me light-headed and dizzy. I was losing my ability to talk, gasping for fresh air but unable to get any.

Maria asked, “What happened to you?” but I couldn’t reply. “Try some tea, it might help,” she suggested.

I wanted to run out of the room and get a breath of fresh air, but my body was not in my control. My hands blindly picked up the cup, and in one go, I drank it all. Whatever it was, it was not tea.

At that moment, Dominic walked into the room. I felt a wave of relief and forced myself to speak. “Take me outside,” I pleaded.

Dominic started laughing. “Why would I do that? Did you not realize by now that you have been under her mind control?”

He bent his knees to Maria and said, “He will be your dinner, my beloved queen Maria.” My body was already at its limit, but I could still see a few things happening in the room.

Maria opened her mouth, her lower jaw splitting apart to reveal spider-like fangs. Her green gown sprouted two more arms. The sight of her was demonic, her gown’s color growing brighter. All I could hear was Dominic’s laughter. I lost my balance and fell backward. She was coming closer. I couldn’t see properly. I couldn’t breathe.

When I fell, I felt my gun in my pocket. Somehow, I managed to pull it out and fired three shots. One bullet probably hit her shoulder. She screamed in a high-frequency sound, almost like the no-signal noise on old TVs.

Her scream was so loud that Dominic’s eardrums burst. In pain, he went close to her. With her slit-jaw fangs, she bit Dominic’s neck.

I was almost out cold. The last thing I heard was a loud noise, and then everything went black.

The room fell silent, the echoes of Maria’s scream lingering in the air. The betrayal cut deep, and as darkness enveloped me, I couldn’t help but wonder if this was the end or just the beginning of something far more sinister.

Narrator: Oskar Miller

The next morning, I woke up in a small, old warehouse. As I opened my eyes, I saw the old man standing near me. He looked younger, not as frail as before. He didn’t seem like he was on his deathbed anymore.

He offered me tea, but I declined, my recent experience with tea still fresh in my mind. He sat beside me and said, “You are so lucky to be alive right now. I have seen her manipulate men and eat them one after another.” The old man still shivered, haunted by his memories.

I asked him, “What is your name and what is actually happening? Tell me everything from the start.”

The old man took a brief moment to think, exhaled a long breath, and spoke, “My name is Leon Novak. I am the owner of this old, broken-down factory, and also the unlucky husband of Sofia Novak.”

He continued, "It was more than enough; I have suffered enough. Five years ago, I had a good business selling sailing boats and earning good money. One day, in the middle of summer, my wife and I were sailing in the Havel River. Suddenly, a loud, high-pitched noise pierced my ears. It was so loud that I thought my ears would burst, and then the sound stopped completely. The noise was coming from the middle of the river.

"Sofia pleaded with me to take the boat to the shore, but I was adamant about finding out what made that sound. I took the boat near the area and saw a foot-wide white cotton ball-like structure floating under the water’s surface. I used a metal hook to pull it out and found a baby girl wrapped in the white cotton ball. She was wearing a moss-green gown. I was surprised to see that the girl was still alive.

"We had no children, so we accepted her easily. But as she grew, I realized her features were different. She didn’t grow like other kids; she molted, shedding her exterior and growing bigger. The more she grew, the brighter the colors on her gown became.

“I was okay with hiding her from the world, but somehow, I became possessed by her. I listened and did whatever she wished. Believe me, I tried to resist, but I couldn’t. When she ate my wife, I couldn’t do anything either.”

I asked, “But what is Dominic’s role in all this?”

Leon replied, “He was my replacement. Dominic was a worker at my factory. He was strong and arrogant. Maria liked strong men to control. She needed a strong man to bring her food. When I could, I brought her food, but as she grew, feeding her live men became too much for me. So she replaced me with Dominic so he could bring her food.”

I returned home, my mind racing with thoughts about Maria—a giant spider mimicking a woman, eating humans. The horror of it all was overwhelming. This is where the story ends, but the nightmares it left behind would haunt me forever.

The Temple of Love

Author: sage_anubis

Narrator: Kim Soo-yeon

If I ask, what is a lover? What is a friend? And what exactly is a family? What will you answer? I doubt that anyone reading this will ever be able to answer properly, because nothing is permanent; everything changes with time and emotion. I don’t know how I would explain my story, but I will try my best.

This story involves my friend Han Mi-ra. We were both childhood friends. Our families were close, so we knew each other from kindergarten. We both study at Seoul University. I study Clinical Medicine, and Mi-ra studies History. We are both in our second year. We used to live in the Seoul University dorms, but she moved out with her third-year boyfriend, Lee Dong-hyun, a few months ago, and since

then, I have not seen her.

One evening, I was doing my usual reading of horror stories online. I heard rapid knocking on my door. I got scared for a moment, but when I heard Mi-ra’s voice, my fear decreased. I opened the door, and she was crying very heavily. I asked, “What happened to you? Why are you crying?” She could not speak properly. She showed me a news article that said a guy died in a car accident in Bali, Indonesia. She replied, “Dong-hyun is gone.” I was shocked to hear that. She continued, “He was on an expedition while working in a cave in Bali. He got sick and was hospitalized. For unknown reasons, he fled from the hospital, and while crossing the road, he was run over by a truck.”

She fell on her knees and started crying loudly. I felt bad; I could feel her broken heart. We are like twins. My other friends came over, hearing her crying. We all sat beside her, trying to calm her down. Losing someone you love is really hard. After a while, everyone left. She was calm and was about to leave. I asked her to stay with me in the university dorm for the night. She agreed.

She was not talking at all. She was sitting still, looking at the wall, with tears flowing down her cheeks. I tried to feed her, but she rejected everything. I said, “If you don’t eat at all, you will get sick as well.” I tried to force-feed her, but she didn’t even bite.

For the night, she stayed with me. She slept beside me. When I was almost asleep, she asked me, “His family is already in Bali right now. Maybe his funeral has already been completed. Soo-yeon, I have known you for years. In many ups and downs, we have been together. For the last time, can you help me honor my late boyfriend’s wish and finish his expedition to reveal an ancient god of love?” I replied, “Let’s sleep tonight, get some rest. We will talk tomorrow morning.”

The next morning, Mi-ra was no longer crying. She seemed calm, perhaps because she had finally slept well. Mi-ra woke up before me and cooked breakfast. She has always been a good cook. After I woke up, I asked, “What about the god of love you were talking about last night?”

Mi-ra said, “Finish your breakfast first. We have a lot of talking and packing to do.”

As we ate, Mi-ra began to explain, “You may or may not know this, but throughout the history of mankind, humans have always wanted to love and be loved. But with love comes hate, envy, and jealousy. Some may show it, some may not, but there is always hate on the other side of love. There is always war to protect the ones we love. To stop unnecessary bloodshed and war, an ancient god of Bali ordered an angel to descend to this world and create a safe place for humankind to thrive. But other gods hated this idea and caged that angel in a cave.”

I was intrigued by her story. “Is this the same cave Dong-hyun was working in?” I asked.

“Yes,” she replied.

“When are you planning to go to Bali?” I asked.

“In three days. We have a connecting flight. On 2nd September, we will be in Bali,” she said.

“And money?” I asked.

She replied with a V sign, “Everything is under control.”

Mi-ra seemed happier, her mood much better than the previous night. She left after a few hours, saying she needed to finish some important business before leaving for Bali. After she left, I took a shower. While showering, I thought about what she had said: with love comes hate, envy, and jealousy. Am I envious of her? Am I jealous of her? Do I hate her? Maybe, or maybe not. But when Dong-hyun chose her instead of me, there was a little sting inside, no matter how much I showed happiness on the outside.

The death of Dong-hyun made me sad too. Maybe I would have been a better partner than Mi-ra. Possibly that’s why I agreed to go with her to fulfill Dong-hyun’s last wish. He was my friend first, and Mi-ra knew I had feelings for him. But when he proposed to her, she accepted, which felt like a big slap of betrayal to me.

I may be distant from him now, but I still have feelings for him.

We took a connecting flight to Bali. Our hotel was booked in Tegalalang for three days. I had never been to Bali before; this place is truly beautiful. Bali is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. It feels like a place where gods might descend.

Bali is not a big island, and it’s easy to explore all of it, but we didn’t have much time. I wanted to see famous places in Bali, but that could wait for another time.

Mi-ra spent all her time following Dong-hyun’s digital notes, which were given to her by Dong-hyun himself. I wanted to see what was written in those notes, but she didn’t show me. She said, “You won’t understand this language, so it’s pointless.” When she was in the washroom, I tried to sneak a peek at her phone, but I couldn’t understand a thing written in it. I admitted to sneaking a look, thinking she might be furious, but instead, she started teaching me the language. She said, “These notes hold the location of the cave where the angel was caged.”

The first day was tiresome, and we slept well, but I realized Mi-ra couldn’t hide her frustration at not discovering the cave yet.

On the second morning, she left early, leaving a note saying she would be back soon. She went to get some breakfast. She returned late with a faint smile on her face. I asked, “What is the reason for your smile?”

She replied, “Finally, I got a lead.”

“What lead?” I asked.

She said, “I asked the locals about any cave on the northeastern side of the island. Most of them didn’t have any idea. That’s why I was frustrated last night, but today a miracle happened. An old man said there was once a piece of land attached to Kubu. After an earthquake, this land with its cave went down into the sea, but every day during low tide, a pathway opens to the cave. Locals don’t like to go to that cave; they believe it’s cursed. But during low tide, anyone can go to the caves using a small boat or a kayak.”

I said, “And you want to go to that cave to fulfill Dong-hyun’s wish? This is dumb. You came to this island, that’s fine, but going to that cave is a death wish.” She smiled, and I could see the determination in her eyes.

After breakfast, she left. I remembered why I hated her so much. If she wants to do something, she will ignore everything else. She won’t care about her life if she is determined.

Before she left, she stopped for a moment and asked, “Soo-yeon, will you be cursed for your entire life for the person you love?”

The day passed by, and it was almost evening. Mi-ra hadn’t returned. I was worried this might happen—that she would do something reckless or even lose her life. I promised myself never to go with Mi-ra again. She is so reckless, which is irritating. If she needed my help, she could have asked me to go with her. Multiple thoughts ran through my mind.

What did she mean by having a cursed life? Was she planning to kill herself? That would be extreme, but for her, it’s not impossible.

But somewhere inside, I was happy. She took my love; she deserves to die. Dong-hyun and I could have had a better life if she hadn’t interfered and accepted his proposal.

I decided to stop thinking about her for the moment. If needed, tomorrow morning I would go check the caves for her dead body. I never felt this satisfaction before—my enemy would die for her own stupidity, and I would go back home victorious.

The second day ended with me celebrating her death. On the third morning, I woke up late and went outside for a view. Today would be the last day of my stay here in Bali. My return flight was at 7:30 pm; until then, I had time to explore the island one last time.

While I was exploring, I saw small boats sailing around. The faint idea of seeing Mi-ra’s dead body for the last time excited me. I asked a sailor where I could rent a small boat to explore the caves of Kubu. I couldn’t understand his language, but with his gestures, he suggested that to the east of Kubu, there was a man named Bimo who would rent me a boat to explore the caves. No one is brave enough to explore those waters.

I found Bimo and showed him a photo of Mi-ra. He nodded and said, “Yes, I took her to the cave yesterday.”

“Can you take me to the same cave?” I asked.

Bimo nodded and said, “Yes, I can. But that place is cursed. A few days ago, a man came to visit the same cave. He turned mad and died in a truck accident. And yesterday, her. She might be dead by now.”

My mind filled with happiness. That is exactly what I wanted to see. But I suppressed my feelings and said, “She is my friend, and if there is a slight chance to save her, I will do anything to save her life.”

Bimo took me to a large cave, hidden during normal tides. Only during low tide does the cave appear, revealing a small passageway. I asked Bimo to come with me, but he refused, saying he would not step foot in these lands.

I wouldn’t have gone either, but my desire to see Mi-ra dead was driving me. I stepped onto the cave floor. Bimo warned, “Low tide will stay for one hour. Complete your exploration within that time, or you’ll have to wait 12 hours for the next low tide. It’s slippery; you may fall, so watch your steps.”

The cave was high above sea level, with no chance of drowning. The entry was low, but inside, it was spacious. People might go mad from the suffocation and the long wait. I walked through the cave, seeing markings all over the walls—the same markings I had seen in Dong-hyun’s notes that Mi-ra had shown me. There were also recent number markings, possibly made by Dong-hyun himself. I walked through and reached the end of a passageway where I found a door.

The door was large enough to pass a car. It was divided into two sides. The left side was locked, but the right side was open, allowing easy entry. Before I could walk in, I saw Mi-ra sitting near a statue in the center of the room. As I was about to enter, she shouted, “The floor is slippery. Be careful; you might fall. Watch your steps.”

I was happy until now, but seeing her alive made me furious. Why do my desires never fulfill? I walked in, and there was no water or slip. The land was dry, but I did fall down. It felt different; my body was lighter, and it was easier to move around. Never mind that now, but I was furious seeing Mi-ra alive and rudely asked her, “Why are you here?”

She replied with a question, “Have you seen the cave? Have you noticed anything? Look at this statue; it’s so beautiful.”

I looked around and saw a statue designed like an angel, chained to the ground. She said, “She is Guan Yin, an angel descended to earth for humans, but humans betrayed and chained her in this cave.”

I wanted to say, “Does that matter right now?” but almost no sound came out of my mouth. Mi-ra looked at me and smiled, “Did you not notice anything?”

I was angry and shouted, “Can you stop this stupidity and just die?” What am I saying? No, I never meant to say that, but I want you to die.

Mi-ra laughed out loud and said, “This place is called the Temple of Love. You cannot hide anything here. You talk directly through your mind, not your mouth, so there is no filter.”

I shouted, “Shut up, idiot. You are the reason Dong-hyun died. You die here; that’s all I want.”

A second laugh came from behind me. What the hell is that? Why am I seeing myself standing in front of me? There were Mi-ra and Soo-yeon standing in front of me.

Mi-ra laughed and said, “Hi Soo-yeon, I am Dong-hyun.”

From behind me, my body spoke again, “Hello, it’s me, Mi-ra.”

I was confused.

Mi-ra said, “When the angel descended, she gifted lovers the ability to change bodies so they could feel each other’s pain and happiness. But last time, someone betrayed a lover. When I entered the cave, my soul left my body, and the centuries-old soul took my body and left. My soul stayed, waiting for Mi-ra. I knew she would come and bring you too for a body replacement.”

Mi-ra said, “I took her body, and she took yours.”

They both came close to each other and kissed for a very long time, then left.

After they left, I ran after them, but I couldn’t leave the room. I was locked in. The door closed automatically, and everything went dark.

I kept shouting, “Help me!”

I might stay here until the end of time.

Kim Soo-yeon’s journey ends in a twist of fate and betrayal. What will become of her trapped soul? The mysteries of the Temple of Love remain.