Still, people aren’t fools. They began to sense something was off.
“So all these people just happened to lose their way in broad daylight and end up at this countryside lodge?”
“Maybe we’ve been bewitched or something.”
“Hey! Don’t say such unlucky things.”
The more people there are, the braver they get.
Even while bringing up ghosts, the group began glancing around the room like it was some kind of curiosity show.
“Come to think of it, this place…”
“Looks pretty fancy, doesn’t it? Like one of those mansions rich families had in every neighborhood back when we were kids.”
They weren’t wrong.
The wooden lodge, built in a style popular a few decades ago, was a mix of quaint charm, rustic wealth, and understated elegance.
“Oh, look over there! That’s a gold frame, isn’t it?”
On one side of the living room was a large framed picture, its frame seemingly made of real gold.
But what caught my attention wasn’t the frame—it was what was inside.
+++
Joyful Mealtime
The rabbit bakes in the kitchen
The deer is caught in the backyard
The pigeon is fattened in the bedroom
The lamb is sliced in the living room
Boing, boing, the sound of hopping with laughter
The wooden floors beneath go bam, bam
The table, full
Humming, in the air
The family gathers round
Bon appétit
+++
“……”
No way.
‘That’s blatant foreshadowing.’
– Hooh, could it be a metaphor for the upcoming murders?
It sure looks that way.
Yet no one here seemed to be particularly interested in horror or mystery genres.
The university students claiming to be part of a hiking club chuckled amongst themselves and even pocketed an ivory trinket from the side table near the sofa.
‘Oh.’
If one of them ends up being the first body tomorrow, I wouldn’t be surprised.
Just as I thought that—
Clunk.
“……!!”
There was a sound from the kitchen at the back.
The shadow of the back door swinging open fell across the room.
And then, a figure slowly stepped through the open door.
The person, cloaked in an old, tattered hoodie with their face hidden and body hunched, greeted us.
“Good afternoon, visitors of the lodge.”
“……?!”
“I am the caretaker of this mountain lodge, here to serve you during your stay.”
Their voice was deep and formal, and they bowed politely, speaking in an old-fashioned Seoul accent.
– Oh, a suspicious staff member!
Exactly. This is the classic ‘butler of the murder mansion’.
Unlike my deadpan expression, the others seemed caught off guard by the dissonance between the caretaker’s shabby appearance and refined speech.
“E-Excuse me, we’re not really guests. We just got lost and were hoping to use a phone…”
“That’s not true. You’ve come to the right place.”
“What?”
“You’re here to exchange the cassette tapes, aren’t you?”
Everyone froze.
“The ones in your pockets.”
“……!”
As if hypnotized, they all reached into their pockets and pulled out objects.
They were all holding old ivory-colored cassette tapes, with the titles scrawled out—just like Baek Saheon’s.
“That…!”
“How does everyone have those…?”
“The master of this lodge was a very wealthy man. During his lifetime, he distributed those cassette tapes far and wide.”
The group flinched.
“And he made a promise.”
“W-What kind of promise?”
“‘If you visit my lodge with one of these cassette tapes, I shall trade it for anything I possess.’ That was his promise.”
“……!”
“And even in death, that promise remains valid.”
– An inheritance exchange! What a tempting bait.
Very obviously bait…
‘Or maybe it’s so obvious that it works too well.’
Money has that certain magical power, after all.
Even as they laughed nervously, everyone’s eyes reflexively darted to the display cases full of gold and celadon treasures.
The middle-aged man let out a booming laugh, half-jokingly grabbing the golden frame as if testing his luck.
“Hah, so can I just take whatever I want like this?”
The lodge caretaker responded smoothly and politely.
“Of course. However, you will only be able to take it with you after three days.”
“What?”
Hm. As expected.
========================
Entrants are promised significant monetary rewards if they stay within the Disaster for a designated period.
The ‘designated period’ can range from a maximum of one week to a minimum of 12 hours, tailored to the entrant’s capacity to endure for the promised reward.
========================
“We give you three days to deliberate so you won’t waste your one and only opportunity to exchange.”
“I don’t need time to think!”
“Then you may leave now. However, the exchange will no longer be possible.”
The married couple clamped their mouths shut. It seemed the thought of leaving behind free money was too bitter to swallow.
One of the student hikers in the group raised their hand from the back.
“Excuse me, so… can we ask for something outrageous? Like, ‘Give me all the inheritance’?”
“That is possible.”
“……!!”
The hiker’s playful tone vanished in an instant.
“Can I ask for ownership of the lodge itself?”
“Yes.”
“……”
The group’s expressions shifted.
‘Now they want to believe.’
The uneasy chill in the air was gone, replaced with a sense of fortune as if the kind of monetary windfall they’d only read about on the internet was suddenly within reach.
Once the caretaker produced documents, including the will, their skepticism transformed into certainty.
“This… this looks legit.”
“Unbelievable…”
Even the cursing married couple’s demeanor changed.
“Forget the weekend trip, let’s tough it out. Worst case, we can call the police, right?”
“Exactly! Wow, maybe this tape has some kind of charm on it, like from a shaman’s talisman. It’s crazy how everyone ended up here.”
The lodge caretaker even gave everyone time to make phone calls.
After finishing their calls, the group’s mood had turned lively, as if they were part of some grand event.
The caretaker, observing them, bowed deeply.
“When so many visitors arrive at once, the order of exchange becomes very important.”
“Oh, yeah, that makes sense!”
“Yeah, like if the first person demands all the inheritance, it’s game over for everyone else!”
“Therefore… priority will be given to those with the most cassette tapes.”
“……!”