Episode 4: Whispers Beneath the Floor

The mansion had gone eerily quiet.

No more creaking. No more whispers. Just an unsettling stillness that made Naabi’s skin prickle.

She clutched the tiny baby shoe in her hand, her mind racing.

That woman… she wasn’t trying to hurt them. She was trying to tell them something.

Greenforest kept his arm around her protectively, his eyes scanning the dimly lit hallway. “We need to figure out why she showed you that.”

Joon-woo exhaled sharply. “Or we could not do that and just, you know, get the hell out of here.”

Jae-min smirked. “Coward.”

“I prefer the term ‘survivalist.’”

Eun-seo crossed her arms. “Look, we all saw what happened. That woman lost something—maybe her child. If Naabi saw her, there’s a reason for it.”

Hye-jin bit her lip. “But why Naabi? Why not the rest of us?”

Silence.

Naabi didn’t know the answer. But something in her gut told her that she was connected to this place somehow.

Min-kyu tapped the wall. “This house has secrets. I say we find out what they are.”

Greenforest glanced at Naabi. “Are you okay with that?”

She hesitated, then nodded. “I need to know.”

His gaze softened. “Then we do this together.”

Joon-woo groaned. “Great. Let’s go ghost-hunting, I guess.”

The Hidden Door

As they walked through the hallway, Naabi’s fingers brushed against the wallpaper.

It felt… hollow.

Her footsteps slowed. “Wait.”

Everyone turned to look at her.

She ran her hands along the wall, pressing lightly.

Then—

Click.

A hidden door swung open, revealing a narrow staircase leading down into darkness.

Joon-woo took a step back. “Nope. No way. Absolutely not.”

Jae-min smirked. “Aww, scared of the dark?”

Joon-woo scowled. “I’m scared of dying. Big difference.”

Min-kyu peered down the staircase. “Where do you think it leads?”

Naabi swallowed hard. “Only one way to find out.”

Greenforest took her hand. “I’m going first.”

She shook her head. “We go together.”

His lips curved into a small smile. “Stubborn as always.”

She smirked. “You like it.”

His expression turned fond. “Yeah. I do.”

Joon-woo fake gagged. “Can we not flirt while walking into a horror movie setting?”

Ignoring him, Naabi and Greenforest stepped forward, leading the way down.

The Underground Room

The air was damp and cold.

Candles lined the walls, their flames flickering. The room was filled with old furniture, stacks of books, and—

A crib.

Naabi’s heart stopped.

It looked exactly like the one upstairs.

She stepped forward, running her fingers along the wood. The dust was thick, but something was carved into the headboard.

A name.

“Seo Eun-ha.”

Her breath caught.

Joon-woo frowned. “Who the hell is that?”

Min-kyu flipped through one of the books on the table. “This house belonged to a noble family. The Seo family.”

Jae-min’s brow furrowed. “Wait. Seo? Like—”

Everyone turned to look at Seo Joon-woo.

He blinked. “Oh, hell no. Don’t drag me into your ghost mess.”

Eun-seo ignored him. “So, this baby—Eun-ha—was part of the family?”

Min-kyu nodded. “Looks like it. But something happened to her.”

Naabi’s stomach twisted. “The spirit upstairs… she might be her mother.”

Joon-woo ran a hand through his hair. “So, what? She’s haunting this place because she lost her kid?”

Hye-jin’s voice was soft. “Or because something took her kid.”

The room suddenly felt much colder.

The Floorboards Speak

Naabi knelt down, running her hands over the floor. Something about it felt off.

She pressed against one of the boards—

And it shifted.

A hollow space.

Her pulse quickened. “There’s something under here.”

Jae-min and Greenforest knelt beside her. Together, they pried the boards open—

Revealing a small wooden box.

Dusty. Worn.

Naabi hesitated before opening it.

Inside—

A locket.

And a letter.

She unfolded the paper, her hands trembling. The ink was faded but still readable.

> “To whoever finds this,

She is still here. She never left.

They took my daughter from me, and I will not rest until she is found.

If you hear the whispers, do not run.

Listen.

She is calling for help.”

A shiver ran down Naabi’s spine.

Hye-jin whispered, “She’s looking for her child.”

Joon-woo crossed his arms. “Yeah, and we are not that child, so maybe we should leave before she confuses us with her missing baby.”

Greenforest ignored him, turning to Naabi. “What do you want to do?”

She clutched the letter. “I need to find out what happened to Eun-ha.”

Jae-min nodded. “Then we stay.”

Joon-woo groaned. “Unbelievable.”

Min-kyu glanced at the locket. “Naabi, open it.”

She carefully unlatched it, revealing a tiny portrait.

A woman…

And a man.

Her stomach dropped.

Because the man—

Looked exactly like Seo Joon-woo.

The Past is Never Buried

Joon-woo froze. “What the—”

Hye-jin’s voice was barely a whisper. “It’s you.”

Jae-min frowned. “No, it’s not. It’s someone from the past. But—”

Eun-seo’s breath hitched. “A relative.”

Min-kyu looked through the books again, flipping faster. “There was a Seo lord—Seo Ji-hoon. He went missing over a hundred years ago.”

Joon-woo’s face paled. “No. No way.”

Naabi’s mind spun.

Seo Ji-hoon.

The father of the missing baby.

The husband of the spirit haunting the mansion.

And somehow—

Joon-woo was connected to him.

Greenforest’s jaw tightened. “This isn’t a coincidence.”

Naabi turned to Joon-woo. “You… your family…”

He stepped back, shaking his head. “I don’t know! I don’t know anything about this!”

The flames of the candles flickered wildly—

The temperature plummeted.

A whisper filled the air—

Not sad this time.

Not pleading.

Angry.

Then—

A scream.

The room plunged into darkness.

And the mansion came alive.

To be continued…

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