Side Story Chapter 49 – Haunted House.

Entering the haunted house was surprisingly easy!

As soon as we stepped inside, a completely different environment unfolded.

The outside world felt like a lie just moments ago.

For an instant, it was almost like I was in another world.

The dim lighting was just bright enough to see ahead.

A slightly irregular but distinct sound of dripping water.

The corridor felt cramped yet somehow had a sense of ease.

The temperature was ambiguously cool, sitting between refreshing and chilly.

Even a slightly musty smell wafted through, not quite disgusting, but enough to notice.

If nothing else, the environment was perfectly set up.

Usually, you’d ignore such details, but here it seemed like they considered the visitors’ five senses.

Especially with the flashlight at the entrance, which really enhanced the atmosphere.

There was a note saying each person should take one.

But maybe someone had already touched it because the output was ridiculously weak.

When we combined our lights, it was barely better than a candle.

Thanks to that, the kids, who had previously been unaffected, finally started to feel the atmosphere.

“Yumi, are you scared?”

“N-No! Not at all!”

“Yeonwoo, you’re not trembling, right?”

“I-I’m not trembling at all!”

Even Yeonwoo, who usually didn’t react strongly, was uncharacteristically flustered.

It was a definitely perfect atmosphere, but as we moved, a worry nagged at me.

Was this place really suitable to be called a haunted house?

While there are a variety of haunted houses in amusement parks.

Their purpose always converges on one direction.

To elicit fear through special devices, effects, and costumes.

In reality, the enjoyment of a haunted house largely depends on how well it’s staged.

The more skillful the staging, the greater the divide in reviews about it.

That’s why there’s usually complaints about how hard it is to find a decent haunted house.

If the fright level is too extreme, it just turns into disgust.

Conversely, if it’s too kid-friendly, it’s just boring.

In other words, it’s a balancing act.

Meanwhile, Yumi, completely scared, was gripping my hand tightly.

“Dad… you’re holding my hand, right?”

“Do you really think that’s your dad?”

At that moment, a creepy voice suddenly echoed from the wall, startling Yumi.

“AHHH! Let go! Let go!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Yumi, wait a minute!”

But I was also surprised by Yumi’s sharp little fist.

It should be just a kindergarten kid’s punch.

Was she trying to prove that she was Hyeji’s child here?

Yumi’s tiny fist truly hurt!

Good thing it was dark, or everyone would have seen the tears welling up in my eyes.

“Let go, you idiot ghost bastard!!!”

“Yumi, it really hurts!”

“Ah… so it wasn’t a ghost… thank goodness…”

At least Yumi’s onslaught didn’t last long, so that was a relief.

[Yet you still don’t deny that you’re a dumbass.]

‘…….F*ck.’

Thanks to the precise hit on my joint, my walking became slightly uncomfortable.

But I don’t know how it felt for Yumi, for me, this was definitely a haunted house.

I was so scared I even briefly thought about Hyeji not being here.

Anyway, as I dragged my limping leg, I noticed something out of place under the dim lights.

“Uh, Mom… is that… a mummy dog…? Could it be alive…?”

“It says to pet it, so it’s probably just a decoration, right?”

“Y-Yeah, I guess…?”

It was a dog-shaped decoration wrapped in bandages.

Sure enough, there was a message saying to pet it, just as Ayeon had said.

Of course, even without the message, I would have touched it once.

I had that instinctual urge to pet a creature like a dog.

But this one exuded an unusually compelling charm, stirring up human impulses.

“How about trying to pet it directly?”

“……I will try…”

The moment Yeonwoo cautiously reached out according to the message.

Woof! Woof! Woof!

“It moved! It moved!”

The dog-shaped decoration suddenly sprang to life, eliciting a scream from Yeonwoo.

It was quite detailed, yet in reality, it was just a robot.

The joints moved smoothly enough to seem unnatural.

It moved dynamically while maintaining an appropriate distance from the user.

And mixed within the barking was noise that solidified that thought.

Presumably, the bandaging was to disguise the fact that it was a robot.

But it seemed Yeonwoo didn’t reach that conclusion.

Grrowwwl!

“Don’t come! Don’t come!!!”

Yeonwoo frantically shouted and desperately tried to put distance between herself and the dog robot.

Maybe being placed in a strange environment like the haunted house triggered this?

A side of Yeonwoo—usually so hard to observe—was emerging.

A voice almost like a scream, a face filled with sheer terror, all things that showed she still had her childlike side.

At that moment, Yeonwoo suddenly let out an ear-piercing shout.

Woof! Woof! Woof!

“I hope you die! Just die already!”

She started flailing her arms as if to hit the dog robot.

Could the fear have shifted into anger at its peak?

Or did her instincts spur her to fight instead of flee?

She was growling aggressively like a dog, showing intense emotions.

She was so worked up that her eyes were almost spinning as she swung her arms wildly.

Though realistically, she couldn’t possibly hit it.

“I hope you die!”

Smack!

“I got you! You dog bastard!!!”

Still, after great effort, Yeonwoo finally scored a hit.

“…….Yeonwoo dear…?”

“Uh…”

Only to end up hitting Ayeon’s cheek instead.

Ayeon had bent down to observe Yeonwoo closely.

Coincidentally, her height matched Yeonwoo’s eye level.

Ultimately, Yeonwoo hit Ayeon’s cheek with all her might instead of the dog.

Finally realizing what she did, Yeonwoo looked back and forth in confusion between her hand and Ayeon.

“Uh… it wasn’t a dog…”

“Be careful next time. You were too hasty.”

Thankfully, instead of scolding, Ayeon gently stroked Yeonwoo’s back.

“Yeah… I’ll be careful… sorry, Mom…”

“That’s alright. Everyone makes mistakes.”

A great example of a mother who can generously forgive her child’s slip.

“Still, our Yeonwoo did hit the dog bastard.”

“Huh? Everyone look at that wall! There’s a ghost!”

Bang!

Of course, my slip of the tongue didn’t come without consequences.

Like a martial artist of the past, I delivered a fierce, precise kick.

It landed hard on my thigh, creating a loud bang.

Especially on the side where the pain still lingered.

And suddenly pointing to the other side while striking my thigh was so effective.

Both the kids and I were momentarily distracted.

Thanks to that, the shock hit me harder than usual.

In the end, I ended up collapsing pathetically to the ground.

“……At least let me hit with my hand…”

“I couldn’t help it, I was worried about getting bitten by a dog.”

Meanwhile, the kids were oblivious, fixated on the wall that Ayeon had pointed out.

“Th-There’s a hideous face on the wall!!!”

“It’s a ghost!”

Yumi and Yeonwoo clung tightly to Ayeon, panicking.

It was probably a lie just to divert their attention.

But I was completely unprepared for an actual ghost to appear here.

Moreover, the dog robot was still barking away.

Maybe the timing for a ghost’s entrance was a bit off?

“……That’s just my face reflected in the mirror…”

“Huh? Oh yeah?”

“I guess I looked wrong…”

In a different sense, there had indeed been a ghost on the wall.

“That’s a real ghost.”

Crack!

“……At least let me keep one leg, you damn woman.”

Of course, right in front of me.

After getting hit so hard, my legs felt like they were wobbling.

In fact, I almost mistook it for not being my legs for a moment.

Of course, the kids were simply smiling brightly, blissfully unaware.

“Dad, what’s wrong? Did you get scared?”

“Should I lay down a puppy pad?”

“No… don’t do that… I just… tripped…”

At least it was worthy of being called a haunted house.

Of course, there hadn’t been much to call a haunted house yet.

Still, it was impressive they didn’t start with something disgusting.

Moreover, they managed to create effects in line with the participants’ actions.

No wonder they didn’t prevent the kids from entering.

Though I had no idea how they planned to evoke real fear inside.

Given this quality, they likely had satisfactory things lined up for later.

[Thank goodness I didn’t have to check the goat-quality.]

‘Not the good quality, you fcking btch.’

If that crazy piece would just shut up, I’d be even more satisfied.

Thus, we resumed our cautious steps deeper inside.

Half worried, half excited about what we might find.

Hoping, against hope, that my worries were just my imagination.

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