I Returned, and Now I See Strange Things-Chapter 26: Abandoned Detached House
Under the moonlight stood a building that exuded a bleak, ominous atmosphere.
It was a structure that had clearly withstood the passage of time since its construction.
A building with a slate roof—now rusted and flaking with peeling paint—that was hard to find these days.
As if to prove it had been neglected for years after being abandoned, its walls were completely overgrown with ivy.
The crumbling wall that surrounded the property looked far too insufficient to keep anyone out.
Beyond that wall, discarded household items lay scattered, battered by the years.
Even if someone offered to let you live there for free, you’d probably spend more money just clearing the junk out.
Near such a derelict building, human shadows began to appear.
They weren’t tenants.
One man and two women.
Hyesung and Ayun.
And... SlTameok—Yoo Arin.
Hyesung was speaking to the viewers while Ayun walked alongside him, recording with the camera.
And trailing behind Ayun, Yoo Arin watched her from above.
Walking behind Ayun, Arin felt—just a little—regret.
It was because ‘wjsrn’ hadn’t come, for whatever reason.
But... well, it didn’t really matter.
‘wjsrn’ was already a defeated opponent.
What mattered more than ‘wjsrn’ was the girl holding a smartphone, yawning so wide it nearly tore her face open, with tears leaking from her eyes.
She yawned so loudly, you could tell even through the mask.
And yet, she was still pretty... which gave Arin a strange feeling.
‘So this is the kind of face that lets you get away with acting like that, huh.’
But that would end today.
Arin smiled to herself and followed after Ayun with a deliberately calm expression.
“All right, we’ve arrived, everyone. Some of you may recognize this place. This is—”
Hyesung, who had been walking ahead, came to a stop and started speaking to the camera.
Arin stopped as well, standing next to Ayun, and looked up at the building behind Hyesung.
Its drab exterior stirred vague memories of an online post she’d seen.
A house that hadn’t had a proper owner since the original one died.
Any new owner who moved in would leave within days, or weeks at most, unable to last.
But the reasons for leaving had never been made public.
Every single new tenant had kept their mouths shut.
And so the house had become the subject of endless unverified rumors.
Among them was a story about demolition workers who’d come to tear the house down—only to flee, complaining of inexplicable headaches.
That was the place Hyesung’s group had come to today.
‘...When did I see this again?’
As Arin recalled, Hyesung continued speaking.
“And today, to prove that this isn’t staged, we’ve invited someone new to join our ghost hunter.”
When Hyesung gestured toward Ayun, she slowly turned around to get Arin on camera.
Hyesung followed up right away, taking the smartphone from Ayun as he spoke.
“She’s not a streamer, just a regular civilian, so I hope you’ll all behave? I take no responsibility?”
Someone open Notepad, lmao
Everyone, hands off your keyboards!!!
After issuing his first warning, Hyesung nodded and turned to Arin.
“Would you mind introducing yourself?”
“Ah... yeah. ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) Uh... I’m just... a civilian....”
“Haha, sounds like you’re nervous. It happens—broadcasts can do that to people.”
“...Yeah.”
It wasn’t really nervousness—Arin just couldn’t bring herself to say she was SlenderManTameok.
New novel chapters are published on freewёbn૦νeɭ.com.
...And since Hyesung already knew her username, he didn’t press her any further.
‘...wjsrn didn’t come anyway, so what’s the point in saying it?’
Guess I’d better come up with a new username when I get back....
Arin forced an awkward smile and waved at the camera.
Next, Hyesung pointed the camera at Ayun.
“And... as you all know, this is our Hunter. She says she’s worked hard today to clear her name from all those accusations of staging, so please look forward to it! Noona, do you have anything you want to say?”
Ayun stared into the camera with eyes full of sleep and annoyance. She shook her head and spoke with a stiff face.
“...I’ll show you something.”
Okay, she actually looks kind of motivated today lol
FAKE FAKE FAKE
At least take your mask off once before you go in????
Ugh, that bastard’s still doing this
Even Hyesung looked surprised as he glanced at Ayun.
He’d suspected she was planning something, but he hadn’t expected this kind of attitude.
While he was still impressed, Ayun stepped up and jabbed him in the ribs.
“...Let’s go already.”
“Ack! Okay, okay, just don’t hit me.”
“Don’t be such a baby.”
‘...She’s not possessed or anything, right?’
Hyesung let out a bitter smile, thinking it was just one of Ayun’s whims again.
“Well then, shall we head inside? I believe our civilian guest said she has a bit of sensitivity too?”
“Ah, yes!”
“Then please let us know right away if you see anything!”
“Will do.”
With that, the three of them began walking toward the abandoned house.
Ayun took the lead, with Hyesung and Arin following behind.
Normally, Hyesung would have taken the lead while Ayun held the camera.
But given that Ayun was currently at the center of controversy, Hyesung had volunteered to be cameraman for the day.
Step, step.
The building grew closer.
A strange smell wafted out from the neglected house.
Ayun didn’t slow her steps.
Even as a chill ran down his spine, Hyesung forced a cheerful tone for the camera and followed her.
Arin followed behind them, watching Ayun’s long strides.
In the darkness, the building looked even more eerie.
Ayun crossed the threshold without so much as twitching an eyebrow, showing no sign of fear.
‘...So she’s not a coward.’
Arin felt a chill creep up on her as she walked in step with Hyesung.
Was it the cold?
She checked her clothes.
She’d dressed appropriately for the slightly chilly weather—it might’ve been a bit warm, but definitely not cold.
...Then was something up ahead?
‘I don’t see anything, though...’
As she reached the entrance Ayun had just passed through, the state of the house came into full view.
The kind of home you’d only see these days if you went deep into the countryside.
The kind where the inside was immediately visible as soon as you slid the door open.
Naturally... the door stood wide open.
There was no electricity in the house, so the interior was pitch dark.
Abandoned household goods from the previous tenants were piled up in front of the house like trash.
Anything of value had already been stripped away, leaving only tattered remains.
Arin swallowed hard.
And now, with the house right before her... she started to feel a little regret.
It was her first time seeing something she’d only ever known from the internet, up close in real life.
Just moments ago, she’d been too excited about the idea of replacing Ayun to notice—but now, fear slowly crept up on her.
The black void beyond the doorway looked like the mouth of a demon.
Arin realized her palms were sweaty with cold sweat.
She wiped her hands and looked up.
There was Ayun, slipping casually through the open door with a nonchalant expression.
‘...I don’t want to go in.’
But if Ayun went in, then naturally, Hyesung would too.
As Hyesung was about to follow Ayun, he turned and whispered to Arin, who had frozen in place.
“If you’re uncomfortable going in, you’re welcome to wait outside.”
“...No, I’ll go with you.”
Something about it made her feel like he was looking down on her, so Arin mustered her courage.
‘...I might have to come here often from now on, after all.’
Hyesung glanced at Arin, who was already daydreaming about her future, and nodded.
“Well, if anything happens, our Hunter here will take care of it, so no need to worry too much.”
...What kind of con artist was she supposed to trust that for?
But Arin didn’t say it out loud.
If it was fake, it’d be exposed soon enough anyway.
‘Because I can see the real thing.’
That’s what Arin told herself.
Even so, deep down, she hoped nothing would appear.
“You’re not coming in?”
Ayun’s voice rang out from inside the house, where she was already standing.
“We’re coming! All right, let’s go.”
“...Okay.”
In the end, Arin followed Hyesung into the building.
And there she saw Ayun, standing with a flashlight in hand.
Her face was so pale that even in the darkness, she looked like she was glowing.
‘...Looks like a ghost.’
In that moment, Arin saw something.
A shadowy black silhouette wavering behind Ayun.
“Huh?”
When the startled Arin blinked, the flickering silhouette had already vanished without a trace.
Hearing her voice, Hyesung turned to ask:
“Did you see something?”
“Ah, no... I think I just imagined it.”
“Really?”
Hyesung nodded, disappointed, and turned his gaze back to Ayun.
Arin also swallowed and turned her head.
As she did, Ayun—having confirmed the others had entered—swept her flashlight around the inside of the house.
The beam revealed old furniture that still bore signs of long-past life.
On the shelves and cabinets, dusty items lay abandoned.
Even the contents of what appeared to be jars of infused liquor were too murky to make out.
Perhaps others had visited before—faint footprints were left in the thick layer of dust on the floor.
The worn-down house laid bare the rot within its walls.
“I’m heading in deeper.”
Suppressing the queasiness rising inside her, Arin stepped forward to follow Ayun and Hyesung deeper into the house.
