Thud, thud, thud
Seung Hyeon pointed at the bus through the camera and approached it.
“It’s a bit dark.”
Seung Hyeon and Philip grabbed their smartphones and flashlights to illuminate the interior of the vehicle.
“This looks like a bus that used to take children to school.”
Seung Hyeon glanced at the camera and then peered back inside the vehicle.
Suddenly, something strange caught their attention.
Duct tape, a knife, and a baseball bat were visible.
The camera zoomed in to show the objects clearly.
“I don’t know why tools like that would be on a school bus. Maybe streamers were playing a prank.”
Seung Hyeon mumbled to himself.
Click
Meanwhile, Philip was also filming the interior of the vehicle.
The scene resembled crime scene photos.
He continued capturing shots with his film camera.
“Could someone have misused it? Maybe the bus was used for criminal activities.”
Tae Jeong asked.
“I don’t know. There’s nothing certain yet.”
Seung Hyeon nodded toward the camera.
During scenes that could be broadcasted directly to viewers, both Seung Hyeon and Tae Jeong used polite speech, indicating that they were addressing the audience rather than conversing privately.
“Let’s move forward a bit more.”
Seung Hyeon gestured for them to follow and began walking towards the gate of Taeyoung Daycare.
The camera followed Seung Hyeon’s back as he walked.
Creak-
As the gate opened, a yard overgrown with waist-high weeds appeared.
Rusty playground equipment was scattered in the corners.
Seung Hyeon held up a recorder to capture narration.
Seung Hyeon: This is the yard of Taeyoung Daycare. It feels very damp and dark. Even though the morning sun is shining brightly, this place feels sticky, like the heavy atmosphere right before summer rain. The sunlight barely reaches here.
Click click click click
Meanwhile, Philip continued taking pictures of the surroundings.
The team stood in front of the daycare’s main entrance.
“I’ll open the door.”
Seung Hyeon grasped the doorknob and slowly opened the door.
Creeeeeeak
A chilling sound echoed through the air.
At the same time, a musty smell struck their noses intensely.
Amidst that, the strong scent of burning Styrofoam lingered.
Mold covered the surroundings, making the space feel excessively humid.
The air itself carried the dampness unmistakably.
Suddenly, shadowy figures flickered across the dark windows of the daycare.
However, it could have been an illusion caused by the light filtering in from outside.
They took a step inside.
Animal-themed slippers and a shoe rack lined the entrance.
Beyond that point, there was a sliding door.
The sliding door was half-open.
Seung Hyeon opened the door and stepped inside.
The floor was covered in dust, and scattered all around were children’s picture books.
Headless dolls and block toys lay about.
Although dusty and messy, it was a typical daycare scene.
“This is the interior of Taeyoung Daycare, once run by Mrs. Shin Makbun. As you can see, there are no traces of people left.”
Seung Hyeon pointed to the photos and certificates on the wall.
[Certified Daycare by the Ministry of Health and Welfare]
[Jereung City’s Excellent Childcare Facility]
[Safe Childcare Certification]
Judging by the certificates and awards, it seemed to have been a well-recognized institution.
The group photos and pictures of the children nearby also appeared peaceful and beautiful.
The camera zoomed in to capture the certificates and photos in detail.
Creak – Thud-
At that moment, a strange noise came from the kitchen area.
Everyone turned toward the sound, startled.
The kitchen, like the entrance, had a sliding door.
Seung Hyeon nodded at the camera and approached the kitchen.
However, nothing unusual appeared in the kitchen.
There was no sign of anything that could have made the noise or anything that had fallen.
Click-
Philip photographed the kitchen.
But the photo captured nothing out of the ordinary.
“Let’s set up cameras here and proceed with the scheduled interview.”
Seung Hyeon instructed.
Following Seung Hyeon’s directions, Tae Jeong began installing small cameras at the entrance, kitchen, and living room of the daycare.
The cameras had night vision and thermal detection modes.
Tae Jeong monitored the camera feeds on a tablet, switching between modes.
He alternated between the green-tinted night vision mode and the multicolored thermal detection mode, nodding in approval.
Soon, the cameras were fully installed throughout the daycare.
“Do you think this will work?”
Philip tilted his head, questioning.
“Considering how long-exposure photos and time-lapses often capture strange phenomena, I believe this could yield some meaningful results.”
Seung Hyeon gestured to Tae Jeong as he responded.
Philip shrugged and stepped back.
A moment later, the three waved at the small camera illuminating the children’s room, syncing the monitor screen before stepping outside.
***
“Phew.”
As they emerged, the fresh air was noticeably cooler.
The daycare had been filled with an overwhelming amount of dust.
Seung Hyeon and Tae Jeong returned to the vehicle while continuing to film additional footage.
Seung Hyeon spoke to the camera, resembling a reporter.
“We’ve just installed several cameras inside the daycare. We’ll see if we can capture any supernatural phenomena, like the so-called ‘poltergeist.’ It might also help us detect if anyone is secretly entering the place.”
As he spoke, an odd, faint smell lingered near Seung Hyeon.
“We’re good. I think that’s enough for now.”
Tae Jeong pressed the record button to stop filming and gave a thumbs-up.
“Yeah, yeah.”
While Seung Hyeon responded, Tae Jeong loaded the equipment into the trunk and climbed into the driver’s seat.
Seung Hyeon opened the passenger door and was about to get in when he heard it again—
A faint children’s song.
– Twinkle—twinkle—little star—how—beautiful…
It was so quiet it was barely audible.
Seung Hyeon paused, gripping the open door, and glanced back at the daycare.
The slightly ajar gate and swaying weeds in the wind.
The dark daycare and its pitch-black windows.
It felt as if a ghost’s face might suddenly emerge from behind the glass.
Then, the singing stopped.
Seung Hyeon shook his head vigorously and slipped into the passenger seat.
“Let’s go.”
Meanwhile, Philip was reviewing the photos he had taken inside the daycare.
“Did you catch anything?”
Seung Hyeon glanced at Philip and asked.
“No, everything looks clean. We’ll have to check the film camera shots later.”
None of the DSLR or mirrorless camera photos captured any ghosts.
“Damn. Let’s move out.”
With a sigh of disappointment, Seung Hyeon signaled Tae Jeong to start driving.
At that moment, none of them noticed—
Drip…
Drip-drop…
— Heh-heh… Uhuhuhu…
An unknown entity with pitch-black eyes—void of whites—rolled its gaze, watching the car fade into the distance.
***
The crew traveled to a nearby village overlooking Taeyoung Daycare to interview local residents.
Tae Jeong carried the camera, following Seung Hyeon, who initiated conversations with the townspeople.
— Resident Shin (Age 62): That daycare? Ah, I remember. You’re talking about Director Shin, right? Yeah… she was a bit strange—always dressing oddly—hehe… but the kids seemed to go there a lot. Even from other areas. I heard she was tough on English lessons. You know how young mothers these days are crazy about teaching their kids English.
— Resident Yoon (Age 43): Director Shin? Oh, she was a regular here. A good person. Whenever she came by, she’d bring a bottle of Bacchus. Sometimes she’d even have lunch here. But I don’t remember seeing her much right before the incident. She just stopped showing up.
— Resident Park (Age 55): I think there were a few people who called the daycare director ‘Noona (older sister).’ I saw them come to this restaurant a few times. It was strange—none of them looked alike, but they followed her around, calling her sister.
—Resident Yang (Age 57): I once went to fix the plumbing at that daycare. I can’t recall exactly when, but the toilets leaked often. I’d go there to repair them, but a little before the incident, they insisted on doing it themselves and just bought the materials. Still, I was worried, so I checked on them. It’s a daycare after all. When I got there, they had already fixed it. I remember hearing kids’ voices from inside. Yeah… I definitely heard them.
— Resident Kim (Age 42): I always thought it was strange that a daycare would be so isolated. But if kids were attending, who are we to question it? The kids were always there. But the weird thing is… after Director Shin died, all the kids at the daycare vanished. Isn’t that odd?
Seung Hyeon jotted down notes in his notebook after conducting the interviews.
There were two key points he needed to verify.
“Who exactly is this ‘younger brother’?”
If it was indeed a real sibling, the police would have likely listed them as next of kin. But Lieutenant Jin Bae Cheol never mentioned any such person.
The second point was the missing children.
The police claimed no children had been enrolled for months leading up to the murder.
Yet, local residents insisted they heard children’s voices from the daycare even after enrollment supposedly stopped.
This discrepancy hinted at something twisted beneath the surface.
Unless the residents were lying or hallucinating, it suggested the presence of children who were not officially enrolled.
One more curious fact stood out—no one seemed to know much about the perpetrator, a supposed ‘drifter.’
“The stench of evil I felt… and the smell lingering around the victim. There’s something here. Something brutal.”
Seung Hyeon rubbed his chin as he gazed out the car window.
Through the rural scenery, he noticed a child standing alone on the path leading to the daycare.
🍓; “박카스” (Bacchus) is a well-known South Korean energy drink. It’s often associated with boosting energy, particularly among students, workers, and even the elderly.
