Episode 3: The Mansion’s Secret

The old mansion loomed in the darkness, its once-grand facade now draped in vines and decay. The fog curled around its edges like ghostly fingers, making the windows look like hollow eyes watching them.

Inside, the air was thick with dust and silence.

No one spoke. No one moved.

Naabi gripped Greenforest’s arm tightly, her heartbeat loud in her ears.

The thud from upstairs had stopped, but the tension in the air had not.

Seo Joon-woo exhaled sharply. “Okay. Someone tell me why we’re still standing here instead of running far, far away?”

Jae-min scoffed. “Because we’re not idiots. The fog outside is still too thick. If we leave now, we’ll get lost.”

“Better than getting killed in here.”

Min-kyu shook his head. “We don’t know if it’s dangerous.”

“Are you serious?” Eun-seo’s voice wavered. “Did you not hear that?”

Greenforest’s eyes narrowed as he scanned the staircase. “We need to check. If something’s really in here, we should know.”

Naabi looked up at him, uneasy. “You want to go upstairs?”

He glanced down at her, his gaze gentle but firm. “It’s better than waiting for it to come to us.”

She swallowed hard. “Then I’m coming with you.”

His brows furrowed. “Naabi—”

“I’m not staying here while you go alone.” Her grip tightened on his sleeve.

His expression softened, and after a beat, he nodded. “Alright. Stay close.”

Joon-woo groaned. “Fine. If the lovebirds are going, I’m going too.”

Jae-min smirked. “Didn’t you just say we should run?”

“Yeah, well, I also don’t trust these two to investigate alone and not get themselves killed.”

Hye-jin sighed. “Guess that makes all of us idiots.”

One by one, the group hesitantly followed, their footsteps echoing against the wooden floorboards.

The Second Floor

The stairs creaked beneath their weight.

Each step felt like walking toward something waiting.

As they reached the top, the air shifted.

Colder. Heavier.

Naabi shivered, instinctively stepping closer to Greenforest. He noticed and gently took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

The hallway stretched into darkness, lined with dusty doors on either side. At the far end, a mirror stood against the wall, cracked and foggy.

Joon-woo hesitated. “Anyone else getting serious horror-movie vibes?”

Jae-min chuckled dryly. “Oh? So you’re scared now?”

“Shut up.”

Min-kyu pointed at the nearest door. “Let’s start here.”

With a deep breath, he pushed it open.

Inside was a bedroom.

The bed was covered in a tattered sheet, and an old rocking chair faced the window. A portrait on the wall was covered in deep scratches.

Naabi’s stomach twisted. “Someone was here.”

Hye-jin ran a hand along the dresser, revealing fingerprints in the dust.

Suddenly—

The rocking chair moved.

Everyone froze.

It creaked slowly, back and forth, as if unseen hands were pushing it.

Then—

A whisper.

Soft. Gentle. Almost sad.

Naabi sucked in a sharp breath. “Did you hear that?”

Greenforest nodded, his grip on her hand tightening.

Joon-woo took a step back. “Okay, I’m officially done. Let’s—”

BANG!

The door slammed shut behind them.

A gust of wind burst through the room, scattering old papers into the air.

And then—

They saw her.

A woman.

Standing in front of the mirror.

Her reflection was clearer than she was.

She wore a long, tattered dress, her face obscured by her dark hair.

The air around her rippled.

Like she wasn’t really there.

Naabi’s breath caught.

Then, the woman lifted her head.

And her eyes met Naabi’s.

Not hollow. Not empty.

Just… sad.

A Plea for Help

Naabi’s chest tightened.

The woman raised a trembling hand—

And pointed toward the crib in the corner.

Jae-min’s voice was barely a whisper. “She… she’s not attacking us?”

Naabi swallowed hard. “I don’t think she wants to hurt us.”

She took a hesitant step forward.

Greenforest immediately pulled her back. “Naabi, wait—”

“She’s asking for help.”

His brows knitted together. “How do you know?”

Naabi looked back at the woman. “I just… feel it.”

She turned to the crib, heart pounding. The sheet covering it was stained.

Slowly, she reached out—

And pulled it back.

Inside—

A single, old baby shoe.

As soon as she touched it—

The woman vanished.

The room shook.

The mirror cracked further.

And the whispering returned.

A Promise in the Dark

The group rushed out of the room, slamming the door behind them.

Naabi’s hands trembled as she clutched the tiny shoe.

“She lost her baby,” she whispered.

Greenforest exhaled sharply, watching her. “You really felt it, didn’t you?”

She nodded.

He hesitated, then reached out, gently cupping her face. “I don’t like seeing you this shaken.”

His touch was warm. Steady.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Joon-woo groaned. “Seriously? We almost got ghost-murdered, and you two are having a moment?”

Jae-min smirked. “Let them be. He’s clearly in ‘protective boyfriend’ mode.”

Greenforest shot them a glare, but Naabi just smiled softly.

The fear hadn’t left her.

But somehow, with him so close, she felt safer.

She glanced down at the shoe in her hand.

The spirit wasn’t evil.

She was a mother.

A mother who lost something precious.

And Naabi had a feeling—

This wasn’t over yet.

To be continued…

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