“Over there? Isn’t that the place we skipped during [Ghostism] because it didn’t seem impactful?”
Tae Jeong asked, glancing at Seung Hyeon’s monitor.
“At that time, we dismissed it because ‘horror’ was the main content of the broadcast, and we thought it wouldn’t be impactful. But now it’s different. Now, the goal is to ‘accidentally’ capture a ghost in an ordinary scenic documentary.”
“Isn’t it?”
“Since the objective is to spark public discussion online, choosing a historic site or an old mansion might be more intriguing.”
Seung Hyeon focused intently on the photos displayed on the monitor.
At that moment, a faint strange fragrance wafted by his nose.
Startled, Seung Hyeon looked around but saw no possible source of the scent.
None of the other employees seemed to notice anything as they continued with their work.
‘Just like before.’
He recalled having a similar experience during the [Ghostism] shoot.
One of the photos of a haunted location had given off an inexplicable scent.
Feeling a hunch, Seung Hyeon searched [Handside] for information about the ‘Sangsu Yoon Family Shrine’ in Andong, Gyeongsangbuk Province.
As expected, the place had been a topic of discussion.
Among the posts was an interesting story shared on [Handside] several years ago.
The story went like this:
–
I’ll write this in a casual tone.
I was part of a mystery club during college.
One of my seniors, who was from Andong, mentioned a haunted place in their hometown.
I enjoyed the thrill of ghost hunting but didn’t really believe in ghosts, so I thought it was just nonsense. But then that senior showed us something they found online.
Apparently, a ghost of a noblewoman appeared there.
Honestly, I didn’t want to go to some remote countryside just because of one silly post, but since everyone was going, I reluctantly tagged along.
Back then, our thing was visiting haunted places and drinking there all night as a sort of content.
I figured we’d just go drink in a nice scenic place and went along. But as soon as we arrived, something felt off.
The atmosphere was strange and unsettling.
Still, I brushed it off and joined the others in setting up and drinking.
Then, late at night…
One of the seniors said he was going to pee and went behind the house, but then he screamed and fainted.
When we checked, there was an actual ghost wearing a hanbok.
We freaked out and ran for our lives, leaving the fainted senior behind.
After waiting for a long time and not seeing him come down, we got worried and went back up, but the senior was nowhere to be found.
We panicked, wondering if we should call the police, but when we called the senior, he answered like nothing had happened.
What gave us chills was when the senior said he had never gone to Andong with us.
He said he was at home the whole time and had no idea what we were talking about.
He even reminded us that he mentioned during the meeting that he couldn’t join us because he had personal matters at home.
Then he sent a picture of himself at home as proof, and it left all of us speechless.
If he was at home the entire time, then who was the person who came with us, went to pee, and disappeared?
–
After reading the story about the ‘Sangsu Yoon Family Shrine’ on the major community platform [Handside], Seung Hyeon stood up from his seat.
“Tae Jeong, let’s decide our next shoot location here.”
He spoke with a slightly flushed face as he looked at Tae Jeong.
“Andong? That old place we received a report about back then?”
Tae Jeong responded with a pout.
“I’ll send you a link right now. Take a look.”
Seung Hyeon immediately sat back down and sent Tae Jeong a message.
It was the ghost story he had just found on [Handside].
As Tae Jeong read it, he felt a chill run from the top of his head down his neck and back.
This felt different from other ghost stories he had read before.
“Does it seem like a good idea?”
Seung Hyeon asked as he noticed the cold expression on Tae Jeong’s face.
“When we first received a report about this place, I don’t think it had stories like this. Something definitely seems to be there.”
Tae Jeong answered while looking at the photo of the shrine.
The moment he saw the photo, he felt as if someone was staring at him from the dark forest behind the shrine.
However, when he zoomed in on the photo, nothing was visible.
Even so, he couldn’t shake the eerie feeling of being watched.
Tae Jeong was convinced that something was indeed present at this location.
***
The 8th episode of [Beautiful Landscapes] was set in Sangsu County, Andong City, Gyeongsangbuk Province.
Seung Hyeon and Tae Jeong immediately drove to Gyeongbuk to begin the shoot.
Once again, Tae Jeong took on the role of the driver.
Upon arrival, the two traveled around Sangsu County, capturing its beautiful scenery.
They filmed the lush green fields, the small flowers lining the rural roads, and the peaceful sight of elderly women working in the fields.
They also focused on small details, such as a portable radio hanging from a tree, dirt-covered carts, and farming tools, presenting an authentic depiction of rural life.
They shot scenes at the local market as well, highlighting the interactions between customers and vendors, and an elderly man repairing a bicycle.
However, the filming was very formulaic and textbook-like.
Instead of using his instincts and unique perspective to shoot, Seung Hyeon focused on gathering enough footage to fill [Beautiful Landscapes].
This was because his true goal was to capture a ghost at the ‘Sangsu Yoon Family Shrine.’
After collecting sufficient footage, the two headed toward Isoe Township.
They were finally going to film the shrine from the ghost stories.
***
“Agh! Senior! Do we really have to climb all the way up here?”
Tae Jeong shouted in a voice full of frustration.
Climbing a rugged mountain trail, burdened with all their equipment, was exhausting.
“I told you, we can’t let the buzz die down! That’s the only way we’ll get opportunities. Besides, you agreed to this location too!”
“I get what you’re saying, but seriously, this is just…”
Tae Jeong gritted his teeth and muttered.
After a long trek, they finally reached the ‘Sangsu Yoon Family Shrine’ late in the afternoon.
The scene was exactly as it had appeared in the photos.
It wasn’t further damaged or crumbled; it looked just as it had been described.
“Wow. It’s pretty elegant,”
Tae Jeong said, wiping away sweat.
“But doesn’t it feel eerie?”
The overgrown vines and weeds surrounding the area made the atmosphere damp and gloomy.
Saaaahhh—
At that moment, a faint fragrance filled the air.
The scent was slightly stronger than what Seung Hyeon had sensed from the photos, but it was still subtle, as though it were coming from a far-off place.
Seung Hyeon was certain they could capture a ghost here.
They turned around and looked back.
The wide-open landscape from the mountain trail stretched out before them.
Distant mountains, fields, small villages, and the town center of Sangsu County all came into view.
“It’s better than I expected. Let’s film the scenery,”
Tae Jeong sat down on the ground.
“Can’t we rest for a bit first?”
“We can’t wait until sunset, idiot. Set up the equipment quickly.”
“Ugh—!”
With a deep sigh, Tae Jeong got up and began unpacking the filming gear.
Following Seung Hyeon’s directions, Tae Jeong captured aerial shots of Sangsu County’s landscape while also slowly panning over the mountain in a panoramic view.
They walked around the shrine, naturally filming the hanok scenery.
Even though the place was in ruins, it was captured in a way that exuded an atmospheric charm.
Creak, creak, creak, creak.
Chirp, chirp, chirp.
Rustle, rustle.
Buzz, buzzzz—
Various sounds came from the dark shadows behind the shrine and buildings.
They were the typical ‘sounds of nature’ that one would expect to hear as night fell in the mountains.
Yet, in this particular setting, those sounds felt exceptionally eerie.
Shivering, Tae Jeong muttered,
“Ah, this is so creepy.”
He kept feeling as though someone might jump out from the darkness.
“Your grandmother’s a shaman, isn’t she? Why are you so scared?”
Seung Hyeon teased, smirking.
Even so, Tae Jeong kept grumbling as he tirelessly set up the equipment.
Meanwhile, Seung Hyeon narrowed his eyes and focused on the scents and sounds, trying to detect any traces of a ghost.
A musty smell wafted from somewhere. It wasn’t the kind of odor typical of a confined basement space.
It was the kind of smell often referred to as ‘ghost scent.’
The scent here was subtly different from what could be found in other places.
However, there wasn’t a specific point where the smell was stronger.
“Hey, where do you think we should place the cameras to capture a ghost?”
“That depends on your storyboard, PD. Is there a spot where the smell or sound is particularly noticeable?”
Tae Jeong asked in return.
“Hmm. When I walked around earlier, there was a faint musty smell around here. Can you sense it?”
“Nope, I don’t smell anything.”
“It’s a general musty smell; it’s not concentrated in one particular spot.”
Tae Jeong walked around the shrine and pointed out a place that had felt eerie to him earlier.
“I felt a bit uneasy when I passed by here.”
“Then let’s film with that spot in the frame,”
Tae Jeong shrugged in agreement.
“Camera 1 will cover the shrine building. Camera 2 will focus on the hanok, which seems to have been lived in. Camera 3 will capture the whole area.”
He set up tripods and cameras at the appropriate spots.
He also adjusted one angle slightly to give the shot an artistic feel, ensuring that even if no ghost appeared, the footage could still be used for [Beautiful Landscapes].
Just like at Taeyoung Reservoir, he pressed the record button to capture a timelapse.
“Let’s see if we catch something again like last time,”
Seung Hyeon muttered to himself, folding his arms and observing quietly.
All they had to do now was wait for the night to fall.
***
Creak, creak, creak.
Buzz, buzzzz—
As night fell, the sounds of nature seemed to grow louder.
Tae Jeong, sitting on a black portable camera case, dozed off, occasionally slapping his cheek when he felt a mosquito.
“Ugh,”
He muttered, rubbing his stinging cheek, and glanced around.
The deepening darkness made the surroundings even more eerie.
“Done sleeping? You said it was creepy, but you’re sleeping just fine,”
Seung Hyeon teased as he set up a large light nearby.
“Why didn’t you wake me? You were doing all this alone?”
“You were tired from driving, weren’t you?”
Despite his complaints, Seung Hyeon looked out for Tae Jeong like a tsundere.
“Did you get enough footage for the timelapse?”
“This should be good enough,”
Seung Hyeon replied as he checked the status of the cameras he had set up.
“Waiting for hours just to use five seconds of footage… Ugh,”
Tae Jeong grumbled as he stretched.
“That’s our job,”
Seung Hyeon said, pulling out the memory card and connecting it to his laptop.
“You’re going to check it here?”
“Once we go back down, it’ll be hard to come back up. We have to make the most of it.”
Seung Hyeon explained.
“It’s dark now, so you can’t really see much—”
Tae Jeong stopped mid-sentence when he noticed the lights set up by Seung Hyeon illuminating the abandoned shrine.
“—Are you planning to film inside the shrine too?”
It seemed like it would diverge from the concept of [Beautiful Landscapes].
“It’s to show that Sangsu County has places like this. Our main goal is to capture a ghost,”
Seung Hyeon replied while reviewing the recorded footage.
“We don’t even know if we’ll capture a ghost or not. Can’t we just head back down already?”
Tae Jeong whined.
At that moment.
“Hey. Look at this,”
🍓:
*Shaman, is a spiritual figure who serves as a mediator between the human world and the spiritual or supernatural realms. They are often associated with indigenous or traditional belief systems and perform various roles, such as healing, divination, and guiding rituals.
