BIE 107

Chapter 107…

Real or Fake.

“Re! Real! Or Faaake! Where in the world are weee?”

At the loud, high-energy shout from Wang Ho-yong — who used to be a professional wrestler — in front of the abandoned building, the cast and guests all reacted dramatically.

“Ah, seriously! I hate places like this!”
“I can’t do this!”
“We’re not actually going inside, are we?”
“……”

Just a few minutes ago, everyone had been strolling around chatting, looking relaxed — “Ooh, this episode’s gonna get good ratings!” — but that confidence was gone now.

Even senior actress Shin Nara was completely in character. Well, she was known for being a solid supporting actress, after all.

And that girl idol next to her… was doing exactly what she’d rehearsed. I’d seen her take selfies pretending to be scared before the shoot started — and now she was making that same face perfectly.

She’s cute, though. Hehe…

“Hey, Woo Soo-han, why so quiet? You scared or something?”
“…Uh, hyung, how many of us are there right now?”

We’d agreed to call him hyung during the shoot — he said it’d be more natural for the show.

At my question, he blinked in surprise before answering. Nice timing.

“Five?”
“Huh? Including me, aren’t there six of us?”

There was a split second of silence — then everyone screamed at the top of their lungs.

“Waaaahhh!”
“Kyaaaaah!”
“Ahhhh!”
“Where?! Where is it?!”
“Stop that kind of joke, please!”

Just one of my lines, and everyone synced up perfectly like pros.
Their voices alone could’ve made a horror movie.

I couldn’t help but laugh as I watched the four of them — and one ghost — freaking out right in front of me.

“Hehehe.”
“Ah! Seriously!”
“Stop iiiit!”
“S-sorry.”

Yeah… sometimes you feel sorry even when you tell the truth.
Like right now.

Because the one standing here with us — was the same ghost who’d been wandering around earlier carrying a leg.
She gave me a thumbs-up. I decided to ignore her.

I only needed one ghost tagging along lately — John.
Yunju didn’t count; she’d been here before we even arrived.

“Alright, now let me explain this place. This was a psychiatric hospital shut down in 1982. Back then, there were reports of illegal confinement of patients…”

A PD stepped forward and began explaining, as per modern variety show format.

It had been a mental hospital.
Some people had died here.
When investigations started, they uncovered all kinds of issues.
After that, rumors of hauntings spread, and the place was shut down permanently.

Pretty standard story.

“Hmmm.”

It all sounded plausible enough.

“Hey! That’s just the plot of Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum!”
“You think we’re idiots?”
“Wait, is this Gonjiam?”
“No, that’s in Gyeonggi Province!”

Ugh… the chaos. Impressive.
The desperate struggle to say just one more line — I should take notes.

So I threw in one myself.

“But Gonjiam is just an urban legend!”
“No way! A friend of mine said it’s totally real!”

The human-shaped paper doll next to me picked up my line perfectly.
His name was something like “Pick-up” or “Gather,” I think.

“Alright, calm down, everyone. You’ll explore this place and decide whether the rumors are true or false!”
“Here?”
“You want us to go in there?”
“Can’t we come back tomorrow morning when the sun’s out?”
“No way, unnie — it’d still be scary even in daylight!”

Half of them looked terrified; the other half tried to play brave.
Honestly, even I could tell this place had the “something’s-gonna-jump-out” vibe.

And maybe the ghost rumors weren’t totally false either.

When I used to live as a beggar, I’d sometimes meet people who could see ghosts.
Not quite like me — their “eyes” weren’t really open — but still.

Man-soo once told me that when a person’s energy is weak, the balance between body and spirit collapses.
That’s when they might start to see ghostly forms.

If that’s the case… a psychiatric hospital would be the perfect place for such sightings.
Plenty of people with fragile minds — patients, and even the families who came to see them.

Come to think of it, when I was a kid in the hospital, there were others who said they saw ghosts too.
I’d gotten all excited and said, “Me too! You see that old lady ghost and that guy too, right?”
…And then I got ostracized for it.

It’s not like I saw them all the time, anyway — just faintly, in certain situations.

I should’ve met Man-soo earlier.
Knowing things ahead of time changes everything.
Knowledge really is power.

“But Mr. Woo Soo-han doesn’t seem scared at all?”

The PD pointed right at me.
Makes sense — they brought in a “special guest,” but my reactions were too calm to use for footage.

“I used to get scared, but not so much anymore.”
“Oooh! A man of steel!”
“I’m sticking with Soo-han!”
“Nara unnie, you always say that when there’s a male guest!”
“Hyung, I’ll go with you too!”

Good people. They know how to make a guest feel welcome.

To earn my appearance fee, I added:
“What’s really scary isn’t ghosts — it’s hunger, and people.”

At that, Ho-yong hyung — huge as a bear — walked up and clasped my hands in his.
Then he looked at me with misty eyes.

T-too much.

“Same here. Nothin’ scarier than starvin’.”
“Ah…!”

I instinctively squeezed his hands back. My eyes got misty too.

“Right?”

PD Na Jung-won barely held back laughter as he watched the monitor.

The chemistry between them was unexpectedly great.
Their banter felt natural — like it wasn’t even scripted.
With this kind of dynamic, the rest of the shoot would be smooth sailing.

Every new guest brought freshness, but some were hard to get usable footage from.
This wouldn’t be one of those times.

“Alright everyone, time to uncover the truth! Move out!”

PD Na shouted energetically.

“Kkyaaaa!”
“Ahhhh!”
“Wh-what the—?!”

High-pitched dolphin screams filled the air as one cast member bolted, and the others followed in panic.
Then something dropped from above — thud! — and more screams erupted.

“Gyaaaah!”
“Kyaaaah!”
“Uwaaaah!”

In short — pure chaos.

Every time something emerged from a wall or ceiling, the loudest screamer of all was none other than Woo Soo-han.

“Hah… hah… hah!”
“Hahh!”
“W-what the heck, Soo-han? You said ghosts don’t scare you!”

Catching his breath, Soo-han protested indignantly.

“Ghosts don’t! But people do! And besides, anyone would jump if something pops out suddenly!”
“Total coward!”
“Man, I shouldn’t have believed him!”

Under the faint lighting, everyone started teasing him relentlessly.

“But this place is creepy…”

Actress Shin Nara muttered, face pale as she looked down.
Plastic bones lay scattered across the floor.
Human skeleton props stood half-collapsed against the wall — the perfect cliché for a haunted asylum set.

Just then, Ho-yong leaned against a wall — and it crumbled with a loud crash.

Thud!

“Uwaaaah!”
“Kyaaaah!”
“Uh… wha—?”

Soo-han was actually late to scream this time — his eyes had been on the wall, not on Ho-yong.

“W-what is this?!”
“Geez, seriously!”

As the wall fell, Ho-yong reflexively jumped back — proof of his athletic past — and groaned as bones rolled out from the rubble.

“They even hid stuff here?”
“Man, those TV people…”

What tumbled out were the same fake bones scattered on the floor.

“L-let’s just keep going.”
“Oh? Soo-han, are you scared of these?”

Shin Nara laughed and picked up a bone, waving it teasingly.
But Soo-han just looked at her with pity.

“Noona, I’m saying this for your sake. Put it down. You’ll ruin those pretty hands.”
“Oh my, are you flirting with me?”

Smiling awkwardly, he took the bone from her and set it aside — and filming resumed.

Once again, Soo-han’s voice was the loudest of all.

“Fake! It’s too realistic — totally fake!”
“No way, it’s real! The whole vibe here is way too creepy!”

Final segment. Time for everyone to vote “Real” or “Fake.”

When my turn came—

“Soo-han, your choice?”
“Real.”
“Reason?”
“Umm…”

Can’t exactly say “because I saw a ghost,” can I?

“It just feels that way.”

Yeah, that’s vague enough.

Everyone made their choices, drumming “dugu-dugu-dugu” sound effects with their mouths while staring at the PD.

“The answer is…!”

Not like I was expecting much. I already knew.

“Fake!”
“Whaaa!”
“No way!”
“It’s fake?”

The reactions split instantly — including mine.

PD, you’re really trying to mess with a professional here?

“This place was simply shut down due to financial problems — not because of any hauntings.”

After the explanation, the PD announced that whoever guessed wrong wouldn’t get dinner.

…Excuse me, what?

I glanced at Ho-yong hyung.
I couldn’t see myself, but I was sure my face looked exactly like his —
utterly devastated.

I couldn’t let the truth be buried like this.
So I stepped forward.

“I object!”

Just as PD Na Jung-won was smiling in satisfaction over the successful shoot—

A bold shout rang out.

“I object!”
“Excuse me?”

The cameras, still rolling, immediately swung back to the scene.
Unlike dramas or movies, variety shows keep filming until every camera is shut off — even as they’re powering down one by one.

The one raising the objection was Woo Soo-han.

Right after him, Ho-yong threw up one thick arm and shouted too.

“Me too!”
“Yeah! This is a setup by the producers!”

Even Shin Nara jumped up, protesting.

The PD turned back with a grin.
The writer, taking the hint, started grabbing panels like it was time for a sudden “revival round” game.

“A setup? Nonsense. Then, Mr. Woo Soo-han, could you explain your objection?”
“The ghost…”
“That was just a staff member in costume.”
“No, sigh…”

PD Na felt the tension drop a bit.
Would’ve been better if they’d just thrown a fit — at least that would’ve made good footage.

When that happens, it’s best to turn it into a mini-game to salvage something.

“I have evidence.”
“…Sorry, what?”

At Soo-han’s grim tone, the PD blinked in surprise.
That expression — it wasn’t for show. It looked like he had no choice but to say it.

“I request a VAR review!”

Everyone froze in confusion.