Chapter 52
Yoo Chae‑song blinked slowly.
Whoooosh.
She heard the sound of waves crashing.
The sea?
When she opened her eyes, she was on a sandy beach. A pitch‑black night with no moon. In front of her stretched a black ocean.
What on earth is happening?
It felt similar to when the key‑ring ghost had been near her—a sickening, unsettling feeling in her stomach.
I remember Choyeon telling me to watch my back…
In the dream, that creepy woman had suddenly appeared behind her, mouth stretched wide, lunging forward. Tak Yeon‑ho had blocked her in front of Chae‑song.
Yeon‑ho…!
Only then did Chae‑song realize what had happened to Tak Yeon‑ho, who had stood in her way. She looked around anxiously, pale as a sheet, and saw him fallen not far away.
As she approached, it seemed he wasn’t hurt. He was breathing normally.
Chae‑song exhaled in relief and scanned the area.
Did the ghost drop us in some weird place?
Neither Ma Choyeon nor Dan Seo‑hyuk were in sight. Thankfully, they weren’t involved this time.
“Hmm…”
“Yeon‑ho, are you conscious?”
At that moment, Tak Yeon‑ho groaned, seemingly coming to his senses. She shook his shoulder lightly, and he slowly opened his eyes and lifted his head.
“Gasp! Chae‑song, you’re not hurt, right?!”
His first concern was her safety. Pushing up his slipping glasses, his expression was serious. Receiving that gaze, Chae‑song felt her tension ease a bit and smiled faintly.
“I’m fine. But why did you interfere back there? You could have died.”
“I… couldn’t help it. Still, I’m glad you’re safe.”
Looking at his blissfully innocent smile, the urgency of earlier seemed like just a dream.
Once he confirmed Chae‑song was unharmed, Tak Yeon‑ho got up and looked around.
Despite his youthful appearance that suggested he should be protected, he actively tried to assess the situation.
“The woman we saw last—is she the one Choyeon mentioned?”
“Yes. Same face I saw in the dream. The letters weren’t covering her face like that though.”
“She barely even looks human now,” he admitted bluntly.
“Based on your description, I already knew she wasn’t normal… Her body and mind seem completely taken over by the ghost.”
“So if the ghost sent her, we might experience the same thing Choyeon did?”
Dreams in which death repeated endlessly—various ways, countless times—without any control over what happens.
I should have asked Choyeon how she managed to return to reality.
I never expected to experience it firsthand.
I sighed without realizing it. Tak Yeon‑ho bent down slowly to meet her gaze.
Behind his glasses, his eyes looked at her with genuine concern.
“Don’t worry, Chae‑song. We’ll get out of here soon.”
“That’s a relief.”
“If necessary, you should try to die first.”
“Huh?”
Tak Yeon‑ho continued calmly, as if stating a fact.
“I’ll stop you.”
The implication was clear…
“You’re planning to bear this entire situation alone?”
From the post, the only reliable way to escape this place was to pass the dream onto someone else—specifically, someone trying to prevent the dreamer’s death.
Knowing this, Tak Yeon‑ho was willing to do it himself so that Chae‑song’s chance of escape would increase.
“Yeon‑ho! Are you seriously saying that?!”
“Ah, I didn’t mean to ignore you! Don’t misunderstand!”
Chae‑song’s genuine anger left him flustered as he tried to explain.
“I’m at least familiar with these things, so I have a higher chance of figuring it out and some immunity… I’ll probably be less scared than you.”
“No matter what! Hoo. I never thought you were ignoring me.”
“Really?”
“However…”
“Hmm?”
“Even if you help me that way, what happens if you can’t get out? What about the rest of us? Have you thought about friends or family who care about you?”
“But…”
“Who would like your sacrifice? Haven’t you considered the people who care about you?”
Chae‑song spoke sharply, almost cruelly on purpose. Otherwise, Tak Yeon‑ho might recklessly risk himself for others, just like Ma Choyeon had.
If only they were cowardly but kind—it would be safer.
Why do they both act so fearless when helping others?
It frustrated her.
She didn’t want to blame their good hearts—but she didn’t want to lose them either.
Tak Yeon‑ho seemed to realize this belatedly.
“Sorry, Chae‑song. I wasn’t thinking.”
“Fine, just don’t do it again.”
“Yeah. I won’t say something like that again, so don’t make that face like you’re about to cry, okay?”
Chae‑song had thought she looked scary—but apparently, he had noticed her feelings. Feeling exposed, she turned her head instead of speaking further.
The argument was over for now. Finding a way to escape was the priority.
How did Choyeon return to reality?
If she had passed the dream to someone, she wouldn’t have been able to greet them so cheerfully. Guilt would’ve made her depressed.
So she must have returned by some other method.
Is there a set number of deaths? Or maybe she disrupted the rules somehow?
At that moment:
“Hey, Chae‑song! Look! Isn’t that a person?!”
Tak Yeon‑ho pointed toward the sea. Floating unnaturally on the pitch-black water was a black shape.
It looked like a human’s crown.
“We have to save them!”
“Wait! Hold on! If we move carelessly…!”
“They’re going to die if we don’t act! You stay here—it’s too dangerous.”
Despite Chae‑song’s protests, Tak Yeon‑ho hurriedly removed his glasses and socks and dashed toward the sea without hesitation.
Why does he charge in without thinking about the consequences?!
“Seriously, it’s strange that only a crown is floating in the water!”
If alive, they’d be thrashing for help. If dead, their body would float. Neither fits this scene.
He stopped just before entering the water.
How can someone stand motionless in the sea?!
Not unless they’re a ghost!
Chae‑song followed his gaze nervously. The sea remained black.
“Wait, Chae‑song. Doesn’t something seem off?”
Tak Yeon‑ho put on his glasses again and looked at the sea, swallowing dryly.
“The sea… it’s moving strangely…”
Ah.
Chae‑song understood the unspoken truth. The reason the sea looked so unnaturally black was clear now.
It’s full of corpses…
Those black shapes—dozens, maybe hundreds—were all human heads floating in the water!
Almost as if they were trying to make themselves seen.
How had she only just noticed this horrifying sight? The sheer number was overwhelming.
Chae‑song staggered to her feet.
We have to run.
They both dashed forward as if by unspoken agreement. Without knowing where to go, they ran blindly.
Even though they knew this was a dream.
But where do we run to?
Chae‑song glanced sideways. Tak Yeon‑ho was panting heavily, just like her.
Despite running until they could barely breathe, the distance between them and the sea didn’t widen—it seemed to shrink instead.
As if this place wouldn’t let them escape.
The waves surged at them. More precisely, countless corpses in the sea reached out and lunged at them.
“Aaah!!”
“Kyah!!”
The corpses grabbed Chae‑song by her hair and wrapped around Tak Yeon‑ho’s neck, dragging them into the sea.
Splash.
Their bodies sank. As expected, the corpses glared at them underwater.
Cold seawater filled their throats. The sensation was disturbingly real.
They couldn’t escape, as the corpses clung to their bodies.
How can we get out of this?
Even so, Tak Yeon‑ho struggled to free Chae‑song from the clinging corpses.
Her consciousness blurred.
When she finally opened her eyes—
“Chae‑song! Are you awake?”
They were back on the sandy beach.
Apparently, the rule about dying and moving to a new location applied—they ended up here.
“Hah…”
Chae‑song shuddered. Ma Choyeon had endured this feeling multiple times?
“Yeon‑ho.”
“Hm?”
“Ghosts really are the worst. Harassing innocent people for no reason.”
Chae‑song scooped her bangs back with a faint, bitter smile—a cold, mocking grin.
Let’s not play along with them.
The sensation was horrible.
Using her brain to find the solution was her specialty. Her persistent endurance, too.
Let’s see who wins.
Chae‑song’s eyes blazed with competitive spirit.
“Hic.”
Startled, Tak Yeon‑ho hiccupped, quickly covering his mouth and nodding.
He thought her fearless composure in the face of death was impressive—so different from his own terror.
