Episode 1: The Arrival

The road twisted through the mountains, shrouded in thick fog. The air felt colder than it should have, despite the summer season. The bus’s headlights barely pierced through the mist, casting eerie shadows on the dense forest lining the narrow road.

Naabi sat by the window, watching the trees blur past. The feeling of unease sat heavy in her chest. Something about this place felt… wrong.

Across the aisle, Seo Joon-woo, the famous idol-turned-actor, sat with his arms crossed, his sharp features illuminated by the dim bus lights. His presence was commanding yet distant, as if he were both here and somewhere else entirely.

"How much longer?" Ha Jae-min groaned from the seat behind her.

Jae-min’s girlfriend, Jung Hye-jin, was half-asleep on his shoulder. Their closeness made Naabi’s heart ache, though she wasn’t sure why. She had never been in love, yet she longed for something she couldn’t name.

Choi Min-kyu sighed and checked his phone. "Still no signal." He turned to the bus driver. "Are we lost?"

The driver didn’t respond. His hands gripped the wheel tightly, his knuckles white. The way his eyes darted between the road and the forest made Naabi’s unease grow.

Then, the bus jolted.

A loud thump echoed through the vehicle, as if something had hit the side.

"Did we hit something?" Lee Si-won asked, sitting up straight.

The driver slammed the brakes. The bus skidded violently, throwing everyone forward.

“Hold on!” someone yelled.

The tires screeched, the world spun, and then—

CRASH.

Darkness. Silence. The scent of blood.

Naabi’s eyes fluttered open. Everything was sideways. The bus had toppled, the windows shattered, the seats in disarray.

Pain shot through her arm as she unbuckled her seatbelt. The air was thick with the scent of dirt and something metallic—blood.

"Is everyone okay?" a deep voice called.

Naabi turned her head. Seo Joon-woo was already standing, his silhouette framed by the broken windshield. Even after a crash, he moved with an effortless grace, his sharp eyes scanning the wreckage.

One by one, the others stirred.

Jae-min groaned as he helped Hye-jin sit up. Min-kyu cursed under his breath, patting himself down for injuries. Go Eun-seo clutched her arm, wincing.

The driver… was gone.

The door of the bus hung open, leading into the thick fog outside.

"Where is he?" Park Da-young whispered.

A chill ran down Naabi’s spine. The trees outside stood too still, as if watching. The air was too quiet—no crickets, no wind.

Seo Joon-woo stepped toward the door. "We need to move. Staying here isn’t safe."

Min-kyu scoffed. "And going outside is?"

Joon-woo didn’t answer. He simply turned and stepped into the fog.

Naabi hesitated before following. Something about him felt... familiar, as if she had walked beside him in another life.

The others followed cautiously. The fog swallowed them whole.

The Cursed Town

They walked for what felt like hours. The road was gone, replaced by a narrow dirt path winding through the trees.

Then, suddenly, the fog thinned.

A town emerged ahead.

It was silent, too silent. Old-fashioned buildings stood abandoned, their windows shattered, doors ajar. Streetlamps flickered weakly, casting eerie glows over the cobblestone roads.

"This place looks… ancient," Hye-jin murmured.

Naabi shivered. "It looks cursed."

As if on cue, a distant melody floated through the air.

A song. Faint, haunting, beautiful.

"Where is that coming from?" Jae-min whispered.

Seo Joon-woo's expression darkened. "We should keep moving."

But before they could, a shadow moved in the distance.

Someone—or something—was watching.

And the real nightmare was only beginning

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