At Seung Hyeon’s words, Tae Jeong shrugged his shoulders
“Isn’t this more serious than we thought?”
Tae Jeong asked.
“The more serious it is, the better the ratings. Hey, we need to blow this up. If not, both you and I will have to pack up and leave,”
Seung Hyeon said, lightly tapping Tae Jeong’s arm.
“By the way, have you tried contacting the user who first uploaded the ghost photo from [Handside] to [Beautiful Landscapes]?”
At that moment, Philip asked from behind.
He didn’t know that Seung Hyeon and Tae Jeong were the ones who had actually uploaded it.
“Huh? No?”
Seung Hyeon replied, puzzled.
“Oh, I was just wondering if you had tried to reach out,”
Philip murmured while looking out the window.
For a fleeting moment, the thought crossed his mind that perhaps he already knew Seung Hyeon and Tae Jeong were the original uploaders, but he didn’t ask further.
A little later, as they saw a sign indicating their entry into Jereung City, Seung Hyeon picked up the camera, filmed the sign, and spoke into the mic.
“As the sun sets, we head to Taeyoung Town in Jereung City, unable to contain our curiosity. Together with professional photographer Philip, who has taken spirit photos as a hobby, we are going back to confirm the ghost at Taeyoung Reservoir. Is it a spirit weighed down by lingering regrets or one filled with resentment toward someone? Like walking through fog where we can’t see ahead, we push forward through the darkness.”
At the time of recording this narration, neither Seung Hyeon nor Tae Jeong realized something important.
It wasn’t until they edited the footage later that they discovered the truth.
With the road to Jereung City in the background, this narration was the last thing recorded before something strange was captured.
As soon as the narration ended, a sharp noise erupted as if on cue.
Beeeep—————
At the same time, the screen flickered, and a woman’s laughter seeped in once more.
– Heh-heh… sst… hee-hee… huh…
***
Gyeonggi Province, Jereung City, Taeyoung Town.
Near Taeyoung Reservoir.
It was night by the time Seung Hyeon’s group arrived at the reservoir.
Tae Jeong parked the car and took out the filming equipment to capture the night view of the reservoir.
Meanwhile, Philip used his film camera and DSLR to photograph various parts of the landscape.
Seung Hyeon sat in the car for a long time, staring at his phone.
The light from Seung Hyeon’s smartphone screen wrapped around his face, resembling underlighting used for ghost effects.
‘The Taeyoung Daycare Murder Case… The Taeyoung Reservoir Body Case…’
During episode 7, only the ghost was a hot topic. However, after episode 9 and the tombstone incident, the murder case at the reservoir suddenly gained significant public attention.
This likely led to streamers and netizens flocking to the reservoir, which became an issue.
A flood of photos and videos surfaced online, along with new pieces of information.
‘Stab wounds and lacerations. A brutal murder. Missing children.’
However, the stories circulating in the communities were disorganized and chaotic.
None of the photos appeared to show anything that could clearly be called a spirit photograph.
Yet, one common thread linked all the information—
The case involved ‘revenge-driven murder’ and ‘the missing children’s whereabouts remain unknown.’
Those were the two key points.
“Senior, what are you doing?”
At that moment, Tae Jeong called out to Seung Hyeon.
“Oh, I’ll be right out,”
Seung Hyeon replied.
He had been summarizing the ghost stories related to Taeyoung Town that were circulating in the online community.
***
Coo— Coo coo—
Coo— Coo—
Amidst the chirping of night insects, Tae Jeong adjusted the camera placed on the tripod.
Seung Hyeon gazed at the reservoir in the distance and closed his eyes.
A strong metallic smell of blood and the scent of melting plastic filled his nostrils.
It was more intense than during their previous visit.
‘Did it recognize us?’
Seung Hyeon slowly opened his eyes.
As expected, no ghost was visible to the naked eye.
“I’ll set up my camera here too,”
Philip said, setting his tripod next to Tae Jeong’s camera.
“What are you planning to shoot?”
Seung Hyeon approached and asked.
“A change in perspective. We shot video at 60 frames per second, but the ghost only appeared in 5 frames. So, if we take long-exposure photos instead, the ghost might be captured more clearly,”
“Ah!”
Seung Hyeon nodded.
In other words, by drastically slowing the camera’s shutter speed, even ghosts that appeared for just a fleeting moment could be captured.
This was a concept only someone knowledgeable about cameras would understand.
Seung Hyeon, intrigued, began recording the narration.
“Philip is photographing the area where the ghost appeared. A ghost that revealed itself in just 5 frames. To capture that ghost in a photo, the shutter must remain open for a long time. By allowing the light in for an extended period, even a ghost that appears for just an instant can be captured.”
While Seung Hyeon was recording, Philip finished setting up and pressed the shutter.
Click…!
The shutter speed appeared to be around 10 seconds.
Philip immediately checked the results on his DSLR.
“This is it!”
Philip wore a satisfied expression.
“What happened?”
Seung Hyeon asked.
Tae Jeong, who had left the landscape camera set up, switched to a handheld camera to film Seung Hyeon and Philip.
“I captured the ghost,”
Philip said urgently.
He quickly pulled out his laptop and connected it to the camera.
Then, he showed the photo he had just taken.
A surprising image appeared.
A faint human figure was captured at the exact location where the ghost had previously appeared.
Compared to Seung Hyeon’s earlier footage, this image was relatively clearer.
This time, faint outlines of eyes, nose, and mouth were visible, though the face couldn’t be clearly identified.
However, pale skin and a bloodstained dress stood out more prominently.
At a glance, it looked like a living person, but at that hour, in that place, no ordinary person would be standing there.
Moreover, the fact that the ghost appeared in the exact spot where Seung Hyeon had previously captured it couldn’t be mere coincidence.
Philip, visibly excited, rubbed his lips.
“The fact that it’s blurrier compared to other objects means it appeared for only a brief moment during the 10-second exposure,”
Philip explained.
Seung Hyeon furrowed his brow and scanned the area near the reservoir.
He was trying to see if there was any possibility that a regular person had walked into the frame.
However, given the long exposure, if an ordinary person had entered the camera’s angle, their movement would have left noticeable trails.
The fact that the figure appeared only in that spot, faint and still, meant it had flashed into existence briefly and then vanished.
“Oh… Oh-ho… Hahaha,”
Philip couldn’t hide his amazement.
“To capture the ghost again… Its lingering resentment must be incredibly strong,”
Tae Jeong muttered without realizing it.
Seung Hyeon nodded.
“If we’ve got enough footage, let’s move. We’re almost at our meeting time,”
Seung Hyeon said, glancing at his watch.
“Yes, let’s go,”
Tae Jeong replied, nodding toward Philip.
Calming their excitement, the two packed up the tripods and cameras.
***
As they walked near the reservoir, filled with the sound of insects, footsteps echoed around them.
Step, step, step.
Seung Hyeon, Tae Jeong, and Philip carried their camera equipment as they made their way through the reeds.
Rustle—
The sound of the reeds brushing against each other filled the air, almost overwhelming, as Seung Hyeon strapped a camera to his body with a rope.
It was to create a first-person point-of-view shot for a more immersive experience.
Tae Jeong also continued to film their movement with his camera.
“Hey, Senior. Slow down a little,”
Tae Jeong grumbled as Seung Hyeon walked ahead.
“Come on. You’ve been doing this for more than a year or two. Why complain about audio interference?”
“We edit it out anyway. And I’m the one doing the editing,”
Tae Jeong retorted under his breath.
The flashlight beams flickered across the area, but the tall reeds blocked much of the view.
Seung Hyeon continued to walk, speaking to the camera as he went.
It was a commentary for the audience.
“Before delving into the incident, we decided to visit the scene at Taeyoung Reservoir in Jereung City, Gyeonggi Province. This is the site where the body of ‘Mrs. Shin,’ the head of Taeyoung Daycare, was discovered 13 years ago. We will be meeting with a witness here.”
As soon as Seung Hyeon finished his line, Tae Jeong spoke up.
“You know, I felt it before, but the energy here is really heavy. This place is perfect for ghosts to linger,”
Hearing this, Seung Hyeon recalled that Tae Jeong’s grandmother was a shaman.
After walking for several more minutes, the reservoir finally came into view.
The moonlight reflected off the water, surrounded by pitch-black darkness.
As Seung Hyeon and Tae Jeong approached the reservoir, they saw the headlights of a car. A man was skimming stones across the water.
As Seung Hyeon’s flashlight and Tae Jeong’s camera light flickered, the man turned around.
“Good evening, Officer Jin Baechul,”
Seung Hyeon greeted him.
The man nodded politely in return.
“Ah, yes. You’re the PD from before, right?”
“Yes, yes. Thank you for agreeing to the interview at this late hour,”
“It’s no problem. I figured it would be better to publicize this through the broadcast rather than let unnecessary rumors spread,”
Seung Hyeon, looking contemplative, stared at him for a moment before turning on the recorder.
Then, the interview and on-site filming began.
