The village which was illuminated only by the sparsely placed torches revealed its age with every detail.
Though it was clear that repairs had been attempted here and there, the work was far from professional. As a result, the structures looked as if they were barely holding on, and their life expectancy was gradually wearing out.
“Most of the villagers are probably asleep by now, so follow quietly.”
Following the man’s advice, Baek Woo Jin extended his senses.
There are people here, without a doubt.
While many of the houses were empty, the faint presence in a few of them unmistakably belonged to sleeping villagers.
The traces left around the village and the sense of human presence left no doubt that this was indeed a real village.
The only mystery was why they had chosen to live in hiding.
Why are they living in a place like this?
It was unsettling. From the skillful method used to erase their presence to the high-level illusion formation that concealed the village, it was clear this was no ordinary place.
“You will stay here tonight.”
The man led them to the innermost part of the village, where two shabby houses stood side by side.
“These were once the homes of two brothers who were very close. They’ve both left for the city now, so you can split the houses between yourselves.”
“Thank you so much. I will make sure to repay this kindness.”
“All I did was lend you empty houses; no need to call it a kindness. Let’s talk more tomorrow, but for now, get some rest.”
“We understand.”
As if his task was finished, the man immediately turned around and retraced his steps back the way he came.
Tang Seon Yeong who had been watching the situation unfold from a step back approached.
“Suspicious, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
One by one, all the team members except for Jang Sam gathered around him.
“Hey, Sam, what are you doing?”
Gu Wang Soo tapped Jang Sam’s shoulder after he noticed him staring blankly off into space like someone lost in thought. It wasn’t until then that Jang Sam seemed to snap out of it; he shook his head a few times before letting out a bitter laugh.
“Hoho, well, this is something.”
“What’s wrong?”
Gu Wang Soo grew curious and poked at his side, prompting Jang Sam to awkwardly meet the gazes of the team members who were now focused on him. He smiled uncomfortably and shook his head.
“It, it’s nothing. It’s just… being in a village deep in the mountains gave me the creeps for a moment.”
“Actually, I get it. I felt a chill down my spine as soon as we entered the village too.”
“Isn’t that just because it’s cold?”
“Ahem.”
Baek Woo Jin’s gaze shifted towards Jang Sam who was now exchanging banter like a comedian with the others.
His expression was clearly uneasy. Though the others didn’t seem to notice, he occasionally flinched slightly.
It wasn’t the kind of reaction one would expect from simply being overwhelmed by the atmosphere.
After deciding to talk with him when there was time, he shifted his gaze away.
“We’ll split into men and women, each group will take one house. However, since this might be enemy territory, we’ll maintain a night watch.”
They couldn’t make the mistake of blatantly posting guards right outside the house.
“We’ll have one person from each group keep watch for two hours from inside.”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
There were no complaints. They all knew this wasn’t a place where they could sleep peacefully.
“Rest as much as you can under the current circumstances.”
A truly comfortable rest never comes. Those who survive long enough know how to recover some energy no matter the situation.
The female team members entered the house on the left, while the male members went to the right.
Though it was better than outside, the air inside was still heavy with a chilling presence. Jang Sam suddenly rubbed his arms and shuddered.
“What’s the matter?”
“It’s just the cold, that’s all, the cold.”
Baek Woo Jin pushed aside the half-broken furniture and debris to clear a space on the floor before laying out the bedding.
“Let’s sleep here tonight.”
Then he struck the flint, lighting a fire in the stove, and broke more furniture to use as firewood.
“The first watch will be Jang Sam; I’ll take the second, and Gwang Soo will be third.”
“Understood.”
“Alright.”
After assigning Jang Sam who was the weakest in combat to the first watch, Baek Woo Jin immediately laid down on the floor.
To be ready for any sudden situation, he spread his senses like a net around the area before closing his eyes.
A familiar sensation crept over him. The feeling of falling asleep in the heart of enemy territory.
He thought that sense would have become foreign by now, but he wrapped it around himself like a blanket and drifted into a light sleep.
The dark night that growled fiercely passed without incident.
As the sun rose and everyone woke from their sleep, the middle-aged man who had disappeared after saying they’d talk in the morning knocked on the door.
“I’ve brought some breakfast. Would you like some?”
He showed the small basket tucked under his arm.
Inside were a few soft steamed potatoes.
“Didn’t you say food was scarce yesterday?”
This was the same man who had gone out at night to search for food.
“It is scarce, but if we don’t offer our guests something, the mountain god will be displeased.”
“The mountain god…?”
“That’s right. This village once worshipped the mountain god. Most of the villagers have long since left, and things have changed, but…”
For the first time, there was emotion in the man’s voice. It was bitterness.
“So don’t refuse and just accept it. You won’t be able to eat to your heart’s content, but it’ll at least stave off your hunger.”
When the man pushed the basket toward him, Baek Woo Jin briefly asked him to wait and went inside the house. He returned with some of the preserved food from his bundle and handed it to the man.
“I feel like I’ll choke if I only receive, so let’s just say we’re trading food.”
“…Thank you.”
The man accepted the food and gave a small nod.
“I heard you need to cross the mountain in a hurry, but how long do you plan to stay?”
“Well, that’s the thing.”
Baek Woo Jin quickly racked his brain.
“The truth is, one of our team members badly twisted their ankle, so they’re having trouble moving.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
“So if it’s not too much trouble, we’d like to stay here for a day or two. Would that be possible?”
“Of course.”
The middle-aged man nodded his head readily.
Baek Woo Jin smiled brightly as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
“Thank you! And while we’re here, if you need an extra hand with anything, just let me know. I’ll help with whatever I can.”
“Just hearing that is reassuring.”
After chatting for a while, the man said it was time for him to get back to work and stepped back.
Before leaving, he looked at Baek Woo Jin and spoke.
“You’re free to walk around the village, but don’t go beyond the barrier. You might get lost forever.”
Leaving behind a rather creepy warning, the middle-aged man walked off into the distance.
Baek Woo Jin who was carrying the basket of potatoes stepped inside and immediately approached Gu Wang Soo with a potato in hand.
“Gwang Soo-ah, let’s eat some potatoes.”
“Potatoes? Where did you get those?”
“The man who brought us to the village offered them as a treat.”
“They look tasty.”
Gu Wang Soo took a big bite of the potato. His face showed complete satisfaction.
Simple guy.
He was definitely from a well-off family, but in moments like this, he looked just like a simple country bumpkin from some unknown village.
“Hey, Gwang Soo-ah.”
“Hmm?”
Gu Wang Soo, with his cheeks puffed full, turned to look at Baek Woo Jin who had called him in a warm voice.
“Cough! Cough!”
The moment their eyes met, Gu Wang Soo started coughing before spitting out the mashed potato from his mouth.
Splat!
The potatoes flew more sharply and gracefully than any knife and landed one by one on Baek Woo Jin’s face.
“Oh… oh no…”
Gu Wang Soo’s mind froze. He was scared by the unexpected accident.
A punch? A kick? No way, it won’t be a knife, right?
While Gu Wang Soo was bracing himself for whatever attack might come from Baek Woo Jin, what reached him was not violence but a gentle voice.
“You should eat slowly, Gwang Soo-ah.”
“Oh, uh, okay…”
He nearly burst into another round of violent coughing.
Why is he acting like this?
The human who always growled at him was now speaking in a gentle tone and showing him concern, and it felt like hives were about to break out all over his body.
He thought it would’ve been better to just take a punch and get it over with.
“By the way, Gwang Soo-ah.”
“Huh, huh?”
“For us to solve this case, we’ll need to stay in this village for a few days, right?”
“Th-That’s right.”
An inexplicable sense of dread began to creep in.
“Earlier, that man asked how long we’d be staying, so I told him one of our group injured their leg, and we’d stay until they were able to move again.”
“Oh… You handled that well. Wait, but…”
None of our team had injured their leg, right?
The casual question he threw out to himself caused Gu Wang Soo’s anxiety to reach its peak.
“That’s not true, is it?”
Only then did he realize what Baek Woo Jin’s kind tone had been hinting at. He tried to quickly back away, but it was already too late.
Baek Woo Jin’s hands quietly grabbed hold of Gu Wang Soo’s shoulders as he attempted to retreat.
A bright and innocent smile spread across Baek Woo Jin’s face. It was the same smile that made all the female students in the academy swoon over him.
“The patient… is right here, right?”
“W-Wait, hold on…!”
Kuaaaaaaaah!
A pained cry echoed through the quiet village like a haunting melody.
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