Chapter 120

The full moon reflected large and shimmering in the middle of the pond, creating an ethereal atmosphere. It felt like a place where one should spread out a mat and enjoy a drink, but they didn’t have that luxury. They had to investigate the back garden.

Even a cursory glance revealed that the garden was quite vast. Somewhere in this sprawling space, they had to find hints, items, and the exit leading out. Fortunately, the moonlight made the garden bright enough to navigate without lanterns, so they decided to split into teams of two.

Father and Holanghee formed one team, while Theo and Blaine formed the other. After scouting the garden, they agreed to regroup in front of the bridge connected to the pavilion before heading off in opposite sides.

Heading toward the left side of the pond with Blaine, Theo decided to walk along the water’s edge first. His plan was to finish checking the left side before moving deeper into the grounds. In the silent garden, they were surrounded by the blue ripples of the pond, the intermittent chirping of insects, and the occasional breeze, yet the two felt very differently despite walking the same path.

Theo felt a chill and rubbed his goosebumps, while Blaine felt a sense of romance and refreshment, his cheeks secretly flushing. Though he wasn’t holding Theo’s hand at the moment, he felt like this stroll was just like a date.

After circling half of the pond with their conflicting thoughts, they turned their gaze toward the inner garden. A path continued forward, but it was overgrown with thick vegetation. It would have been a comfort if there were stone lanterns installed, but for now, the only thing they could rely on was the moonlight.

Theo silently looked up at the sky. Fortunately, there wasn’t a single cloud in sight to obscure the light of the moon and stars. Thinking that was a relief in itself, he moved deeper into the garden with Blaine.

As they stepped inside, the dense foliage made it even darker than the area near the pond. It was expected, of course. Theo followed behind Blaine, watching his back, but he grew anxious every time Blaine’s silhouette was swallowed by the shadows of the bushes, feeling as if he might disappear.

Unconsciously, Theo reached out and grabbed the waist of Blaine’s clothes. Walking ahead, Blaine turned around with a puzzled expression to check on him. “Hyung?” he called out softly, but Theo only kept scanning the surroundings with an uneasy face.

Blaine looked back and forth between his waist and Theo before carefully extending his hand.

“Shall we… hold hands, Hyung?”

He worried he might be rejected, but Theo grabbed his hand without a second thought. The worry on Theo’s face, which had been stiff with tension and anxiety, eased significantly. Seeing this, Blaine gave him a pure, innocent smile and matched his pace at Theo’s side.

After walking through the garden for some time, they discovered an altar in a corner, decorated with candles and banners. Lit by dozens of candles, the altar shone brightly even in the darkness.

The two stared blankly at the altar for a moment before approaching it warily, discovering a small string of beads lying upon it. As Theo reached for the beads, an interaction triggered and the item information appeared.

《Juyeong》

「A decorative string for a Gat (a traditional Korean hat) strap.」

“What is it this time?”

“It’s called a Juyeong… they say it’s a hat strap.”

Theo answered, but he hesitated, unable to bring himself to take it. He knew that the moment he picked it up, the Bride would undoubtedly come chasing after them again. Blaine, who had been quietly waiting for Theo to take the Juyeong, noticed the hesitation in his fingertips and reached out instead.

“If you’re okay with it, should I take it?”

Theo looked at Blaine. Then he looked back at the Juyeong and nodded with a slightly apologetic expression.

“Uh… would you?”

“Sure.”

Blaine smiled and took the Juyeong without hesitation. Instantly, all the candles on the altar blew out, and a shrill, ear-piercing scream echoed faintly from somewhere in the distance.

The two didn’t linger and immediately fled the altar, heading back toward the bridge by the pavilion. Father and Holanghee must have heard the Bride’s scream as well, so they would likely be heading toward the bridge too.

However, they ran into the Bride before they could even reach the pond. Appearing with sleeves much longer than a typical bridal gown dragging on the ground, the Bride moved rapidly, her eyes—disguised by red bridal spots—widening as she glared around the area.

Without even a moment to be shocked by the Bride’s gruesome face, Theo and Blaine scrambled to hide in the nearby bushes. Fortunately, she didn’t spot them. She swept past them at a rapid pace, leaving behind the sound of grass crunching underfoot and intermittent sobs leaking through her teeth.

Holding their breath until the Bride was at a distance, the two emerged from the brush and ran without looking back. The sound of something cracking and shattering echoed from somewhere behind them, but they didn’t have the luxury of checking.

Practically tumbling out of the inner garden, they ran along the pond for dear life. They made sure to check behind them as they ran; they felt that if they didn’t, the Bride would reach out with her long arms and snatch them by the scruff of their necks.

In the distance, the bridge connected to the pavilion finally came into view. At the same time, they saw Father and Holanghee pacing anxiously near the bridge. Spotting Theo and Blaine running toward them in a panic, Father and Holanghee rushed over and asked what had happened.

Theo, gasping for air with his hands on his knees, checked behind him before he could even catch his breath.

“Huff, huff… there was… an altar. We picked up something called a Juyeong there.”

“An altar?! Is that why the Bride showed up?”

At Father’s urgent question, Theo looked at the two and asked, “Yeah, we have to run. Did you find the garden exit?” Holanghee shook her head with a troubled expression.

“No, we couldn’t find it.”

Contrary to their hopes, it was a desperate answer. The four looked at each other in dismay, then decided to search the areas they hadn’t checked yet while avoiding the Bride.

But at that moment, an impact like a ruptured eardrum hit them. Everyone screamed and collapsed, clutching their ears. Clinging to their fading consciousness, they saw a single figure standing tall atop the pond in the distance. She wore a crimson wedding robe, a shimmering bridal crown, and a broad silk ribbon that trailed down her back. It was the Bride.

The three eyes—viciously mocking the red bridal spots on her brow and cheeks—were fixed on the four of them with unerring precision. The Bride glared at them, her body trembling as she bent forward, then suddenly snapped her torso backward and let out a scream. It was a ghostly, sorrowful wail.

Everyone clutched their ears again in agony. Meanwhile, the Bride began to glide across the surface of the pond, her face twisted in pure rage.

As the Bride crossed the water, they managed to regain their senses, steadying their wobbling bodies and scanning the area for any place to escape. However, no matter where they looked, the garden was wide open.

In a fit of desperation, Holanghee pointed toward the pavilion.

“Should we go back to the pavilion and head down?”

Everyone looked toward the pavilion where Holanghee was pointing. But Theo immediately shook his head.

“No, she’s coming straight across the pond. We’ll be caught before we even reach the pavilion.”

Holanghee stamped her feet again, biting her lower lip anxiously. She asked once more, “Can’t we avoid the dead as long as we don’t make any noise?”

“She’s literally staring right at us while she walks over. You think she won’t find us just because we’re quiet now?”

Theo countered again. Just as Holanghee’s face crumpled at the thought that there was no way out, Father pointed at Theo and Blaine.

“Who has the Juyeong thing?”

Everyone looked at Father at the sudden question. Father asked again with her eyes, and Blaine raised his hand, answering that he had it. As if she had been waiting for that, Father grabbed Blaine by the arm.

“Since she appeared when we took the Seojodae and the Juyeong, there’s a high chance she’s targeting me or Blaine since we’re the ones holding them. Blaine and I will move separately to distract the Bride. Holanghee and Theo, you two stick together and find the garden exit. We’ll regroup and get out together after that.”

Without giving them a chance to reply, she dragged Blaine along and started running. As soon as the two began to run, the Bride stopped in her tracks and turned toward them. It was just as Father had predicted.

Once the Bride began chasing Father and Blaine, the two split up and ran in different directions. The Bride hesitated, looking back and forth between them, before ultimately deciding to pursue Blaine.

With the others leading the Bride away, Theo and Holanghee began running to find the exit. They decided not to speak to each other in case they became targets. They settled on simple hand signals to communicate instead.

Once they were out of the Bride’s line of sight, moving around became easier. However, just because movement was easy didn’t mean the exit was easy to find. The missing exit sparked a sense of urgency and hopelessness. Every so often, her wailing echoed from somewhere in the distance. It seemed the Bride was still diligently hunting Father and Blaine.

After scouring various spots, the two hid in some nearby bushes to catch their breath. Because they had been running non-stop, their breath was caught in the back of their throats. Holanghee, huffing as she rested, carefully peeked up to scan the surroundings before quickly ducking back down and whispering lowly.

“Oh, for God’s sake, not being able to talk is driving me crazy.”

“Me too. I’m afraid she’ll chase us even if she hears us breathing, so I can’t even take a deep breath.”

“Exactly what I was thinking.”

“If I had known this would happen, I would have found the exit first before taking the Juyeong.”

“What’s the use of regretting it now? Anyway, where on earth is that exit hiding?”

As Holanghee grumbled, Theo fell into deep thought before turning his gaze toward a certain direction.

“When we found the Seojodae, there was a path behind the altar. Maybe it’s near the altar this time, too?”

“Oh…! Do you remember where the altar was?”

“Roughly.”

The two decided to check near the altar and cautiously stood up. However, the surroundings were silent. The wailing that had been heard intermittently had stopped at some point.

A small seed of anxiety began to sprout in their chests. They looked around stiffly, and they nearly screamed when they spotted something. Standing tall in the shadows of the brush not far away was the Bride.

Seeing the motionless Bride, the two looked at each other. They didn’t know how long she had been standing there, but as long as they didn’t make a sound, she shouldn’t be able to find them.

They couldn’t even swallow their dry saliva as they watched her. Then, with a rustling sound of stepping on grass, the Bride began to move. While her natural eyes remained demurely shut, the three eyes masquerading as her crimson bridal spots darted frantically, scouring the area. The pupils moved with a frenetic, independent life, twitching in every direction at once.

It was a bizarre and terrifying sight. As the Bride drew closer, the sound of their heartbeats rang loudly enough to echo in their ears, but there was no way the Bride could hear it. They stared at her without blinking, hoping she would pass them by safely.

However, the Bride came to a dead stop right next to the bushes where the two were standing. Their eyes widened, and cold sweat began to pour down their faces.

Though her head remained locked forward, she didn’t need to turn. The three eyes of her bridal spots were strained at a sharp angle, their pupils rolled all the way to the side to fixate on the two intruders standing just out of her natural line of sight.