♡ TL: Khadija SK
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A moment of silence passed between them. The first to break it was Jin-ah, wearing a look of disbelief.
“So, according to what you’re saying, there’s a human-eating monster in the Kno-Dearg mansion, is that it?”
She couldn’t hide the sarcastic curl of her lips. She was exhausted, yet she had been dragged all the way here only to hear something that sounded no better than an urban legend.
“That’s just what I’m saying.”
The inspector replied indifferently, his face devoid of humor. Seeing his serious demeanor, Jin-ah felt a strain on the back of her neck. Since yesterday, it felt as if all common sense had disappeared from around her.
“Did you call me here just to tell me that?”
“No, that’s not it. If that were the case, I would’ve called you when you left the hotel earlier.”
So, he had been watching even then.
Although it wasn’t aimed directly at her, it still didn’t feel pleasant.
“Then what is it?”
“William Evans requested to meet you, which is why I called you here. I believe I’ve shared all the necessary details, so let’s go meet him. By now, the sedatives should have taken effect, so there shouldn’t be any danger.”
The inspector checked his watch and stood up.
* * *
“Mr. William Evans says he wants to speak only with Miss Jin-ah Troll.”
William’s attending nurse, holding a tablet in her hand, tapped the back of her stiff neck as she spoke. She seemed quite drained from the commotion earlier.
“What should I do?”
“What else? If he says he only wants to meet Miss Troll, what can I do?”
“Shouldn’t we record it or something…?”
“That’s the standard procedure, but… since I’ll be having a separate discussion with Mr. Evans anyway, there’s no real need. Listening to recorded files afterward is a hassle too.”
Inspector Haywood let out a long yawn and stretched his body.
“Go ahead. I’ll wait here.”
“Alright.”
As Jin-ah was about to follow the nurse, the inspector, who had been shuffling toward a chair, suddenly called out to her.
“Oh, by the way, about that perfume…”
“Perfume? What perfume?”
At Jin-ah’s words, even the nurse standing beside her looked at the inspector with a puzzled expression, as if questioning what he was talking about. Scratching his head awkwardly under the scrutiny of the two women, he waved his hand dismissively.
“It’s nothing. Never mind. Go on.”
Leaving him behind, Jin-ah followed the nurse. As she walked, she raised her arm to sniff herself. She sniffed a few times but couldn’t detect anything beyond the faint scent of her body wash. She couldn’t understand what he meant by “perfume.”
Lowering her arm, she diligently followed the nurse down the hallway.
* * *
Knock_ knock_
Jin-ah tapped lightly on the door. A moment later, a voice from inside told her to come in.
“I’ll be around, so let me know when you’re done and ready to leave,” the nurse said. She added that William might be groggy and slurred in his speech due to the sedative, and he could even fall asleep. If that happened, she asked Jin-ah not to wake him but to inform her instead.
To be honest, those words reassured Jin-ah. The intense energy William had exuded when she saw him upon entering the hospital had made her a bit nervous about meeting him alone.
When she opened the door and stepped in, she saw a clean, tidy room with William lying alone on the bed. He turned his head toward her and raised a hand in greeting.
“I’m William Evans.”
“I’m Jin-ah Troll. I heard you wanted to meet me.”
“Yes, first of all, I apologize for bothering you. But I felt I needed to meet you to prove I’m not crazy.”
“Why me?”
“Because you’re one of the few people who knows how interested Colin was in that mansion.”
He gestured politely toward a chair, inviting her to sit. His calm demeanor was a stark contrast to the man who had caused a commotion just a while ago.
Sensing that the conversation might take longer than expected, Jin-ah didn’t decline and pulled a caregiver’s chair closer to sit beside him. Once she sat, William asked the first question.
“They said the person who knocked me down earlier was a cop. Is that true?”
“Yes, Detective Andy Haywood.”
“Did he call me crazy by any chance?”
“He didn’t say that.”
Although he did say something even crazier, Jin-ah held back the words that almost slipped out of her mouth.
“Do you know why people think I’m crazy?”
“…Yes.”
Jin-ah was well aware of the reason.
The current case had briefly garnered public attention, not only because an heir to the Aylesford family was injured but also because William’s claims had sparked people’s curiosity.
William insisted that Colin had been with them and had gone missing inside the mansion. Furthermore, he claimed that James’s arm hadn’t simply disappeared but had been eaten by something.
A disappearance inside the mansion and a mysterious creature—such elements had temporarily provided a juicy story for those who enjoyed urban legends just before Christmas.
However, when the police reviewed the footage and found no evidence to support William’s claims, they declared that his mental state had deteriorated due to the trauma of losing his colleagues. Public interest in the case quickly waned.
“Do you still claim that Colin is inside the mansion?”
“Hah…”
He let out a heavy sigh, as if frustrated.
“The footage the police saw probably didn’t include Colin. That’s true. We had gone to the mansion ahead of him.”
“Why?”
“Just before we entered the road leading to the mansion, a call came in from a broadcasting station. If you’ve met Colin, you’d know how ambitious he was about this project. He didn’t just want to end with an internet video channel—he aimed to break into TV programs. He was pitching proposals everywhere, and that call came at just the wrong time.”
William closed his eyes, recalling the moment.
***
Before entering the dirt road leading to the mansion, Colin had answered the call and lowered his voice.
“Holy cr*p, it’s a producer from a broadcasting station. They want to talk to me.”
He cupped his hand over the bottom of the phone, looking flustered and unsure of what to do. William frowned at his words.
It was good news that Colin had finally received the call he’d been waiting for. If things went well, they could all make much more money than they were earning now, so it would’ve been natural to share in his excitement and eavesdrop on the conversation.
But…
William stared at the sky filled with gray clouds. Even though it was close to noon, the surroundings were dark. Before long, the world would be plunged into an even deeper darkness.
In other words, they had less and less time to shoot.
As the one in charge of filming, William felt anxious about whether he could capture good footage in time.
“What do we do?”
When William gestured at the camera in his hand, Colin waved him off.
“You guys go ahead. I’ll catch up as soon as I finish this call. Ah, yes, yes. I can talk now.”
Watching Colin resume his call with the producer, William began transferring the camera equipment that had been in Colin’s car to another vehicle.
While the other team members were busy moving gear, Ian stretched a few steps away, casually snapping pictures of the surroundings with his phone.
“Why don’t you help out?”
When William called out to Ian, he shrugged and replied, “That’s your job, not mine.”
He spoke arrogantly, like a master ordering his slaves around.
‘What a jerk.’
William swallowed the words and focused on moving the rest of the filming equipment.
Though Ian’s attitude was infuriating, William had to tolerate it for now. After all, every expense for maintaining their channel came from this insufferable trust fund brat’s allowance. Upsetting him would only cause problems.
Even the expensive camera William was holding had been purchased thanks to Ian’s money.
William walked over to Colin.
“We’re heading out first. Don’t forget to film your intro as you come in.”
Colin nodded and made an OK sign with his hand.
Every video for their channel started the same way: Colin walking toward the building and narrating. Since he couldn’t go with the rest of the group, Colin would have to shoot the intro alone.
‘It’s his segment, so he should do a good job.’
Colin always told the team that the channel was something they were building together. Yet in the videos, he made sure to be the sole focus of attention.
The other team members seemed bothered by this, but William didn’t care much.
All he cared about was getting his paycheck on time, having access to good equipment, and producing videos that even he found satisfying.
Muttering complaints, he loaded the others into the car and headed toward the mansion. Along the way, he made sure to stop and shoot at a few scenic spots.
“When the hell are we going to see this mansion?”
As Ian, sitting in the front passenger seat, began venting his pent-up frustration, Camilla, James, and Rob in the backseat joined in with their own complaints. Their exhaustion from traveling all the way from London to Edinburgh, and then to this remote place, was starting to wear them down.
“I mean, Colin explained it to us, but how amazing could this mansion be for us to come all the way out here?”
“Exactly. He said it’s mysterious, but it’s not like this is the only mysterious mansion out there.”
Hearing that, Ian turned to look at the people in the backseat and smirked.
“What? He still hasn’t told you?”
With a mischievous grin, Ian said, “There’s a dead body in the mansion.”
“What?”
Shocked, William slammed on the brakes. The sudden stop threw everyone forward before they fell back into their seats.
“A dead body? What are you talking about?”
“Damn it, can’t you drive properly?”
Ian, who had almost hit the windshield, grumbled before continuing.
“They say the old lady who lived in the mansion died, and her body was left there. That’s why Colin got so worked up. ‘A corpse discovered during an exploration! What could have happened in this mansion?!’ That’s probably how he’ll title it. Where else are you going to find a real corpse? It’s the kind of shocking content other channels can’t compete with. This’ll go straight to the news.”
Ian’s excited expression gave William a headache.
“Good grief, what was the mansion’s owner thinking, allowing something like this…?”
“They didn’t.”
“What?”
“They didn’t give us permission.”
Ian’s words left William speechless. He had suspected something was off when Colin and Ian had whispered to each other after meeting the owner, but to think they hadn’t even gotten approval?
“Damn it. This isn’t right. I need to tell Colin to stop this.”
As William said this and prepared to turn the car around, the fog cleared, revealing the mansion ahead.
In that instant, the noisy car fell silent.
“…”
“…”
An eerie silence descended. Everyone was at a loss for words as they stared at the mansion under the dark sky.
At that moment, Ian frowned and spoke irritably.
“Who said, ‘Let me out’?”
“What?”
“Just now. Who said, ‘Let me out’?”
At Ian’s question, the people in the backseat exchanged confused glances.
No one had said those words.
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