(This episode contains images that may cause discomfort depending on the individual.)
“Sh*t. This is amazing.”
Seung Hyeon muttered a curse as he fiddled with his laptop.
The timelapse video of the reservoir’s scenery, which was captured widely, paused during playback.
The scene at the bottom of the screen, filled with weeds and reeds, showed a woman standing motionlessly on the right side.
It was a ghost wearing a light-colored dress, her hair drooping down.
Her chin’s outline seemed faintly visible, but her mouth and eyes were unrecognizable.
She had a very thin frame, and she appeared to be somewhat aged.
Despite her eyes not being visible, it felt as if she was staring directly at the camera.
Seung Hyeon widened his eyes and exclaimed,
“I told you! I felt chills down my spine while filming here! Haven’t you seen Captain Exorcism’s channel? A chill! I really felt it!”
Tae Jeong clapped his hands, pointed at the monitor, and shouted.
Judging by the scent Seung Hyeon picked up, that ghost was likely a murder victim and connected to an evil spirit.
“Hey. Cut it. Cut it. Save this separately.”
Seung Hyeon urgently patted Tae Jeong on the back.
Tae Jeong skillfully isolated that portion and saved it under a different name.
Apart from his ability to detect ‘traces of ghosts’ with his nose and ears, Seung Hyeon had another talent.
It was his knack for instantaneous capture.
His sharp observational skills allowed him to clear arcade games like ‘Spot the Difference’ or ‘Hidden Pictures’ with just one coin.
This was also why, during the filming of [Ghostism], he could professionally analyze paranormal photos and bizarre phenomena videos.
Seung Hyeon suddenly recalled an interview mentioning that a corpse had been found here.
In a hurry, Seung Hyeon replayed the interview footage, while Tae Jeong searched the web for information about the Taeyoung Town corpse case.
“Senior, there are news articles about it.”
Tae Jeong shoved his smartphone screen in Seung Hyeon’s face.
[Body Found Near Taeyoung Reservoir]
[Taeyoung Reservoir Corpse Identified as Taeyoung Kindergarten Director]
[Focus on the Possibility of Homicide in Taeyoung Reservoir Corpse Case]
.
.
.
There were already quite a number of articles published.
“It seems that there was a place called ‘Taeyoung Kindergarten’ in Taeyoung Town , and its director was murdered. The suspect is only identified as Homeless Person A.”
Tae Jeong read the article aloud.
“Is there any mention of the victim’s face?”
“No, there’s not.”
“Hmm. It feels like there’s some connection.”
Seung Hyeon could sense his intuition kicking in.
While they were discussing, Tae Jeong, with a curious expression, showed his phone again.
“Senior, look at this. There are lots of urban legends about the Taeyoung Reservoir.”
“Urban legends?”
“Yes, yes. It’s the stories shared by the elders around here. They said people who went fishing near the reservoir at night had bad luck.”
“Hmm, hmm, right.”
“Wow.”
Tae Jeong showed a few photos.
One was of a freshly caught fish.
However, the fish’s mouth was stuffed with hair.
The image was so grotesque that the comment section where it was uploaded was in chaos.
– Isn’t there a corpse in that reservoir?
└ I heard there have been many people who drowned there.
└ Taeyoung Reservoir is a ghost spot.
└ If you go at night, you can capture ghosts. But they say you’ll die if you do ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
The photo was uploaded more than five years ago.
“But it’s kind of unclear whether what the fish has in its mouth is hair or something else.”
Seung Hyeon zoomed in on the photo and shook his head.
Still, it seemed undeniable that something bizarre was happening around this reservoir.
“Whew.”
Seung Hyeon scratched his cheek and replayed the video where the ghost was captured.
He felt chills running down his spine, yet he couldn’t suppress the rising excitement.
“Let’s call Brother Yeolsang.”
Seung Hyeon picked up his phone again.
“If you call him at this hour, he’ll get mad.”
When Tae Jeong said this, Seung Hyeon shook his head.
“This kind of scoop needs to be reported immediately.”
Without hesitation, Seung Hyeon called CP Lee Yeolsang.
Tae Jeong looked at him anxiously.
“Brother!”
[Hey! You @$%^# do you know what time it is?!]
“It’s 8 PM. Why are you so loud? Are you drinking?”
[Ugh. Why did you call? Spit it out quickly.]
Lee Yeolsang CP answered irritably.
It was clear he was drinking.
“Brother, we’re filming in Taeyoung Town right now, and we captured a ghost on camera.”
[What? A ghost?]
“Yes, that’s right. Not just a spirit photo—this is a spirit video!”
[What kind of absurd nonsense is this? Have you been drinking?]
“It’s 5 frames. In a video filmed at 60 frames per second, the ghost appears for exactly 5 frames. This is impossible.”
[Stop spouting nonsense and just do your job.]
“No, I’m serious! We could turn this into a mystery documentary immediately. I also found ghost stories related to this reservoir.”
[What are you talking about? How can you suddenly turn a regularly scheduled program into something else? Does that even make sense?]
“It’s real. Should I send you the video?”
[Stop talking nonsense and just quietly do your job. If you do, I’ll talk to the director and try to get you a new program for the next lineup.]
“No, but—”
Click.
CP Lee Yeolsang hung up without another word.
He didn’t even bother to consider looking at the footage of the ghost.
Seung Hyeon pouted and stared at the screen.
“The CP is right, though. How can we change a regular program into a mystery documentary?”
Tae Jeong shook his head.
“Hey, but this… Something like this isn’t supposed to happen, right?”
Seung Hyeon was still slightly excited.
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“We need to use our heads for this.”
Seung Hyeon said, looking at Tae Jeong.
“Use our heads? What do you mean?”
Tae Jeong asked.
Seung Hyeon, deep in thought, stared at the monitor and began creating a new version of the footage.
He grouped together unused materials from [Beautiful Landscapes] and started creating a new version of Taeyoung Town’s scenic videos.
Tae Jeong watched Seung Hyeon work with a puzzled expression.
The next day, Seung Hyeon and Tae Jeong proceeded with the filming of [Beautiful Landscapes] as scheduled.
They captured the peaceful scenery of the town, visited Yongsoori and Manhwari, and filmed people working in chicken farms and rice fields.
They also ensured not to miss any natural landscapes.
The results were stunningly beautiful.
After finishing the shoot, Seung Hyeon and Tae Jeong returned to the RBS studio in Seoul that same afternoon.
Even during the car ride back, Seung Hyeon appeared busy working on something.
While driving, Tae Jeong glanced over and asked,
“So, senior, what exactly are you planning to do?”
“Hm? With what?”
“With the ghost footage. You said you were going to do something with it.”
Tae Jeong asked.
Seung Hyeon touched his lips before replying,
“Think about it. If we air this, how many people do you think would notice the ghost we captured?”
“Uh… It’s hard to say since it’s broadcasted to such a large and random audience.”
“In my opinion, almost zero. Look, even if we get a 1% viewer rating, how many people would catch that tiny moment where the ghost briefly appears for just a few frames?”
“Hmm, I guess that’s true.”
“That’s why we have some work to do ourselves.”
“What kind of work?”
Tae Jeong asked with wide eyes.
“You know that exact moment we caught the ghost? We’re going to release it ourselves online.”
“What? Can we do that?”
“Sure, after the show airs, we just post it pretending to be a viewer. No problem there. We just claim we spotted a ghost.”
“Huh?”
“If it causes a buzz in the community, brother Yeolsang and the director will keep an eye on the situation. If that happens, we might get a second chance!”
“Hmm. But what if it gets dismissed as a hoax?”
“Hey, look. You edit videos too, so you know. The ghost appeared for just 5 frames in a 60fps video of rustling grass and wildflowers. It’s super hard to fake that.”
“Well, yeah, but it’s not impossible.”
“This place is already known for being haunted. It’s not like we’re lying. What’s the big deal?”
“If this goes wrong, we’re screwed…”
“Hey, this is a jackpot. If it becomes a hot topic, we’ll have another opportunity.”
“Ugh. This doesn’t feel right…”
“See? I told you I’m right. Look at this.”
Seung Hyeon was full of confidence.
Tae Jeong felt uneasy but realized that, strictly speaking, it wasn’t a significant issue.
Who could tell whether the post was made by a PD or an AD?
It would just seem like observant netizens had noticed it and brought it to attention.
Vroom.
Tae Jeong didn’t add any further comments and kept his foot on the accelerator as they headed toward the broadcasting station.
***
The two of them pulled an all-nighter in the RBS studio’s editing room to finalize the broadcast version and delivered it to the relevant department.
One week later.
The [Beautiful Landscapes] episode featuring [Taeyoung Town, Jereung City, Gyeonggi Province] aired on the RBS channel.
As expected, the ratings were in the 0% range.
They didn’t even manage to break 1%.
Three days passed, and there were no issues or discussions about the ghost.
Just as Seung Hyeon had predicted.
“Tae Jeong, let’s begin.”
Seung Hyeon said, glancing at Tae Jeong sitting in the office.
Though still unable to hide his uneasy expression, Tae Jeong nodded in agreement.
