ULAS 04

Chapter 4

“Stop doing stupid things and stay quiet. If you play along with the rhythm, ghosts will stick to you.”

“Wha—”

How could someone say something so terrifying without even blinking?

After checking every room and confirming no one was there, the male student sat down on the sofa, arms crossed, looking deep in thought.

I glanced nervously at Red (the little ghost) before quietly stepping toward the boy.

“Should we block the door with something?” I whispered.

“You think that would work on ghosts?”

The way he said it — like I didn’t even have common sense — really got under my skin.
How is a normal person supposed to know how ghosts work?! Geez, this guy’s attitude has been nasty since earlier.

“But still, they haven’t come inside yet.”

Of course, I only shouted that inside my head since… I had my own guilt to deal with.

“I’ve never experienced this kind of thing before, either,” the boy said, pausing for a moment before standing up again.

“Just in case, let’s hide somewhere inside the house.”

“Huh?”

“So that even if they do get in, they won’t be able to find us.”

He scanned the rooms and listed out a few spots he’d already checked.

“Pick one — the closet, the washing machine, or the shoe cabinet.”

The washing machine? Why was that even on the list…?

“I wouldn’t recommend the shoe cabinet, though. It’s too close to the front door, so we could get caught quickly.”

That left only one choice.

“Then I’ll take the closet… What about you? Where are you going to hide?”

“I’ll figure it out. There’s a dressing room in the main bedroom, so I’ll go there.”

“Wait—! I’m scared to be alone, can’t we hide together?”

He looked at me like I’d just said the most ridiculous thing in the world.

“Don’t be childish.”

And with that, he turned around without hesitation.

You’re the weird one for being so calm in this situation!

It’s my first time seeing ghosts — of course I’m scared!
Not to mention, if we get caught, we could literally die.

As I slumped my shoulders and headed toward the main bedroom, the boy suddenly came up behind me.

“What’s your name?”

“Whoa! You scared me! Uh, it’s Ma Choyeon… why?”

“Just wanted to know.”

That came out of nowhere.

When he turned to leave again, I quickly grabbed his wrist.

“Why don’t you tell me your name, then?”

His expression basically said, And what would you do if you knew?

Still, he was the one who asked me first!

“…Dan Seo-hyuk.”

Even though his face showed clear reluctance, he answered anyway, and for a moment, I felt oddly proud.

Dan Seo-hyuk?

My mouth slowly dropped open.

That Dan Seo-hyuk?!

He’s the main character of Urban Ghost Story Survival Theory, the very story I got reincarnated into!

Of all people, why did I have to get tangled up with the protagonist?!

Unlike other novel heroes, this guy constantly dies to ghosts!

Sure, he’s got that main-character perk — the power to “regress” or reset time when he dies — so he can come back again and again.

But the people around him?

They don’t have any such power.
If they die, they’re just… dead.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Dan Seo-hyuk asked, puzzled — probably because my face had turned pale.
I couldn’t exactly say it’s because of you, so I just opened and closed my mouth soundlessly.

Then—

[Noona.]

A faint child’s voice — Red — tugged on my leg.

[They’re coming in soon.]

I hurriedly turned to look at the front door.

[Not that way.]

Red pointed in the opposite direction — toward the veranda.

[Over there.]

Both Dan Seo-hyuk and I slowly turned our heads.

The veranda window was covered with dozens of pale arms — cut off at the elbows — crawling and writhing across the glass.

What the hell is that!?

The rough, jagged surfaces of the arms looked as if they’d been hacked off repeatedly with a dull blade.
Bones and blood vessels were visible at the torn edges, yet blood still oozed out as if they were alive.

From afar, they almost looked like enormous caterpillars.
The glass smeared with their sticky, bloody trails glistened under the dim light.

“W-what… what is that…?”

[You have to hide.]

Red’s voice echoed again.
At those words, Dan Seo-hyuk quickly grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the main bedroom—then froze.

The main bedroom also had a veranda.
And outside, those same arms were crawling over the glass.

“…There’s nowhere to hide in this house.”

At that moment, one of the arms curled its fingers into a fist.

Tok.

It tapped the glass with its knuckles.
Then another arm did the same, folding and striking in rhythm.

Tok. Tok…

Tok tok… tok tok…