I Returned, and Now I See Strange Things-Chapter 20: Encounter

Scent of Grass

The smell of damp soil hung thick in the air.

Rain poured down in sheets.

The once-soft ground had turned into mud.

Raindrops splattered off leaves and rocks, hitting Ayun in the face.

Cold.

The ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) rain that the forest canopy couldn’t block now pelted her entire body.

Visibility was poor.

Maybe it was the rain.

Or maybe it was the doing of something waiting beyond.

Ignis's voice rang out, puzzled and suspicious:

"Why are you doing this all of a sudden?"

Ayun knew her behavior wasn't rational. But once she heard the song, she had no choice but to move toward it, as if drawn.

Not a song, but a chant.

Her last memories had also involved a forest.

Much had changed since then, but perhaps it was the chant that unsettled her. It reminded her too much of the one that had made her who she now was.

Mud squelched beneath her shoes as she pressed forward.

If anything, it was a relief that Hyesung and Hyeyeon hadn’t followed her. If they had, it would have complicated things.

All the luring noises that had filled the forest earlier had now stopped.

Only the chant remained, echoing like a song through the rain.

And that voice sounded far too similar to the one in her memory.

She knew it couldn’t be her. But even the slimmest possibility, combined with the eerie familiarity, made it impossible to ignore.

If not now, Ayun would have returned eventually. And at least this time, she wasn’t spending her own money to investigate.

"...It's coming down harder than I thought."

The chanting grew louder.

Beyond the curtain of falling rain, a silhouette began to form.

She maxed the flashlight’s output and scanned the shadows.

There, she spotted what looked like a cave, tucked deep within the overgrown forest.

She hesitated. Caves had brought trouble before.

But this wasn’t Entera.

It would be fine.

At the entrance stood two stone markers, weather-worn and illegible.

They stood there silently, enduring the storm.

After a moment’s pause, Ayun stepped inside.

Strangely, the chanting ceased the moment she entered.

Behind her, the sound of rain pounding against the earth continued loudly.

This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.

Water dripped from her body onto the cave floor as she shook off the wet and removed the hood of her poncho.

Her soaked hair clung to her skin. She brushed it away and muttered:

"...Can’t exactly cut it all off."

"What was that?" "My hair." "Ah... Back then, maybe. But now, that’s a bit..." "Might suit me. You never know."

"..."

The silence that followed made her sigh. She stepped deeper into the cave.

It was cleaner than expected.

Not cleaned—just untouched.

No sign of people or animals. No bat droppings. Nothing.

Unnatural.

The deeper she went, the more certain she felt—something was here.

Something was leading her.

Despite the absence of any animals, a bird call echoed inside.

"There’s definitely something here," Aslan muttered.

That settled it.

It had been strange ever since the Bunshinsaba ritual.

The spirit in the pen had shredded the paper like it had a mission—then vanished.

Now it was beckoning her openly.

Whatever it was, it clearly didn’t have a good personality.

She walked onward, guided by the flashlight.

A small stone rolled under her foot, struck something, bounced, and returned to her feet.

She looked up.

And saw something white.

Long, flowing fur spilled like a waterfall—just as Hyeyeon had described.

And now, the clinking of chains filled the cave. Loud. Familiar.

It was the same sound from the hide-and-seek ritual.

Ayun stepped back and raised her light.

The white fur parted like curtains.

A face emerged—one that couldn't be described in a single word.

It looked human. Then like a tiger. Then human again.

The face shifted like a mirage.

Its snout glistened with saliva, as though it hadn't eaten in days.

Beneath its massive body were white, bloodless hands—pale and corpse-like.

Each one clawed at the ground, desperate to escape.

The chains clinked from beneath them.

Scratch!

When one hand scraped the cave floor, the chains rattled.

Let me go.

I don’t want this.

Help me.

I didn’t do anything wrong.

Give it back.

Desperate voices echoed through the chamber.

The creature lowered its weight, and everything vanished—erased, like chalk wiped from a board.

Silence fell.

The beast showed no reaction.

It didn’t move. It didn’t speak.

It simply stared.

Not even the sound of breathing.

A sudden, unnatural staring contest.

Ayun stared back into its blood-red pupils.

Then she remembered what Hyeyeon had said:

"Oh, right. I think it said it liked alcohol."

Yes. It liked alcohol.

She shifted her backpack to the front.

The creature’s gaze followed it.

"...So greedy."

She felt like some delivery mule, but it was better to give the creature what it wanted.

If it meant her harm, it would've already attacked.

And if it had, she would’ve made it regret it.

Zip.

She opened the bag and pulled out two bottles of makgeolli.

When she had bought them, the liquid was separated by layers. Now, thoroughly shaken, it had turned milky.

Just to be safe, she shook one gently.

The creature’s red eyes followed the motion.

At this point, it was starting to feel like a giant dog.

Not an insult—more like a massive, hungry pet waiting for its treat.

"Feels like a low-rank spirit," Ignis said.

"Isn't it kinda rude to compare that to a proper spirit?"

"I just mean its behavior."

Ayun twisted the cap and opened the bottle.

The bubbly, distinct scent of makgeolli filled the air.

The creature opened its mouth wide.

Darkness. Endless.

From somewhere deep inside, a scream echoed faintly.

Even Ayun hesitated to reach into that void.

So she simply threw the bottle.

There was no risk of missing. Its mouth was as big as a house.

The bottle spun midair and landed inside perfectly.

She opened the second one and tossed it too.

The white fur draped back over the face like a curtain.

Maybe it was shy.

The bottles clinked and clattered inside the cave.

Then, the fur lifted again. The twisted face returned.

The face shifted constantly. Human. Tiger. Unclear.

Its massive jaws opened.

And then it spoke.

"THANK! YOU! VERY! MUCH!"

Despite the polite words, the voice was warped.

It began as a man's tortured voice.

Shifted to a woman's high-pitched screech.

Then became the frail rasp of an old man.

As if it had no voice of its own and had borrowed others.

Like a broken radio.

Clink.

The creature began to move.

Yet despite its massive body, it made no sound.

Instead—

The hands beneath it shrieked and cursed wildly.

When it lifted its leg—

There they were. Human figures.

Each wrapped in chains, like prisoners.

Just like the one summoned during hide-and-seek.

The creature stomped.

And silence returned.

Then the broken voice spoke again:

"SORRY CAN’T READ PROPERLY PLEASE FORGIVE."

With that, it vanished—along with all the ghosts—into the depths of the cave.

Like it had never been there.

Like a hallucination.

"Bo Ayun!!!"

A voice called from far away.

Maybe it was real.

Maybe it was a hallucination.