Troll

⁦⁠♡⁩ TL: Khadija SK

 

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Clunk!

 

With a loud noise, the car shook up and down.

 

It seemed that large gravel had fallen onto the road.

 

“D*mn it.”

 

Jin-ah gritted her teeth and continued driving.

 

Though it was only 3 p.m., the surroundings were already darkening.

 

November in London meant the daylight faded quickly, especially here, much farther north.

 

Six hours ago, upon receiving a call from the police, Jin-ah rushed straight to the airport.

 

Throughout the flight to Edinburgh, one thought occupied her mind.

 

‘What happens to my trust now?’

 

The police explained the situation in their heavy local accent.

 

Early this morning, they received a distress call from Kno-Deerg Manor reporting an accident, pleading for rescue.

 

They went out to confirm from the nearest police station, but struggled to find the manor amidst the fog until the sun rose high enough to reveal it.

 

Upon entering the manor, they found evidence of a break-in and collapsed floors, accompanied by groans and cries from beneath.

 

With no cellphone signal in the remote area, they had to go out onto the road quite a distance from the manor to request additional support, which was delayed due to the formal filing of the incident.

 

Learning that someone had died initially shocked Jin-ah, but the second revelation, that she had violated the terms of her trust, sent her heart sinking.

 

‘But I haven’t done anything wrong.’

 

The police demanded confirmation of Jin-ah’s ownership on the paperwork, urging her to visit as soon as possible.

 

Surely, the trust company had been contacted as well.

 

If so, she needed to speak with them at the manor.

 

In this situation of mounting debts, the only thing keeping her sane was the monthly payments she received.

 

If she couldn’t receive that anymore…

 

As soon as she landed, Jin-ah went straight to rent a car.

 

When she mentioned the address to the rental staff asking about the rental period and the area she was heading to, they pitied her.

 

“If you go in that direction, the signal might not catch well. You probably need a different navigation. Would you be okay with the additional charge?”

 

D*mn!

 

How remote was this place that even regular phones and navigation couldn’t catch a signal?

 

Fortunately, her card hadn’t been blocked yet, so she paid with her credit card and started the car.

 

As she left Edinburgh Airport, the typical Scottish wilderness unfolded around her.

 

Dry brown heath grass and black stones filled the land, seemingly desolate even to the knees.

 

Beside the road, gentle slopes stretched endlessly, devoid of passing cars, making it desolate.

 

Between the hills, brown water formed streams.

 

She vaguely remembered learning in school that this land was newly formed in geological terms, so it retained a lot of moisture, resulting in plenty of water around.

 

The estimated travel time, according to the navigation, was about two and a half hours, but perhaps due to her speed without any other cars around, it was faster.

 

Nonetheless, the sky was already darkening.

 

While driving for a while, her phone rang.

 

She assumed it was the police, but the name displayed was unexpected.

 

[Korean Woman]

 

“Haa!”

 

Jin-ah tossed the phone back onto the passenger seat.

 

Her mother occasionally called.

 

Well, exactly four times a year.

 

Once on Jin-ah’s birthday, twice during Lunar New Year and Chuseok, and lastly, on Christmas.

 

When she did call…

 

She would likely complain. Say she missed her, begged her to come to Korea.

 

She was the one who abandoned Jin-ah first, yet she would cling like this.

 

So Jin-ah never answered her calls.

 

Why call now, of all times?

 

She might have picked up if it was while she was still in London.

 

Her trusted partner ran off with their money, leaving behind huge debts.

 

The hardworking company collapsed overnight, and the coworkers she spent day and night with parted ways.

 

Her friends comforted her, but also pitied her.

 

So she couldn’t bring herself to ask them to help clear out the office.

 

If they saw her in that state, they might feel even more sorry for her.

 

She didn’t tell anyone she was struggling, nor did she cry…

 

Yet she longed for comfort.

 

But not from her mother.

 

Jin-ah wanted to make her mother regret leaving her.

 

She wanted the daughter, whom her mother left without any hesitation, to succeed and earn money here.

 

Then Jin-ah’s mother would regret leaving her forever.

 

She would come back and apologize, admitting her mistake and begging for forgiveness.

 

That’s why jin-ah never wanted to contact her, especially when she was in such a state.

 

‘If I don’t answer, she’ll eventually give up.’

 

But contrary to Jin-ah’s thoughts, the vibration of her phone didn’t stop.

 

At this rate, the battery would surely run out before reaching her destination.

 

In the end, she pulled over to the side of the road and immediately scrolled through her messenger, pressing the [block] button.

 

She intentionally didn’t even look at the messages.

 

Suddenly, the phone, which had been noisy until a moment ago, fell silent, leaving Jin-ah with an inexplicable emptiness.

 

She felt a strange emotion, as if she had missed her last chance completely.

 

Then, she saw a light in the darkness.

 

Looking at the name of the entrance, it was the name of the village seven miles away.

 

‘I found it properly.’

 

After passing through the village, she was instructed to take a side road.

 

Fortunately, the navigation she rented for an additional fee guided her well.

 

During the drive through the village, Jin-ah felt a strangeness.

 

Although she heard that only a few dozen people lived there… could it really be so quiet that no one would turn on lights?

 

The only lights in the village were street lamps; none of the houses had lights on.

 

It felt like a ghost town, devoid of any warmth or signs of life.

 

She heard that Scottish rural villages were quiet, but she never imagined they would be so silent.

 

‘That’s why I can’t even ask where to turn.’

 

She thought at least one pub would be open, but it was too much to hope for.

 

Nevertheless, as long as the navigation was working properly, she felt reassured.

 

The car left the village and continued on the poorly maintained road.

 

Finally, she reached the junction displayed on the screen.

 

“Here?”

 

Looking at the road illuminated by headlights, Jin-ah was puzzled.

 

This looked like a road where only sheep would roam…

 

but faint traces of passing cars could be seen.

 

Probably from police or ambulance cars that would be at the manor.

 

Jin-ah shifted gears again and drove down the dark road.

 

Thud!

 

Thud!

 

The car shook heavily on the bumpy road.

 

How far had she driven on that road?

 

When she reached the top of a gentle slope and could see below…

 

“…..!”

 

Jin-ah unconsciously slammed on the brakes.

 

In the gentle descent below, ‘that mansion’ could be seen.

 

There were several police cars and ambulances flashing lights around it.

 

And dozens of people wandering around the mansion.

 

But all Jin-ah could see was the mansion.

 

She had definitely seen that mansion before.

 

In the old photo her lawyer had shown her, the mansion was faintly obscured by fog.

 

And instinctively, she knew something dreadful was inside the mansion.

 

That’s how it was in the photo…

 

“Why is this… different?”

 

It wasn’t what Jin-ah had seen in the picture.

 

Of course, no matter where she looked, that mansion in the photo was right.

 

However, there was none of the inexplicable discomfort that had lingered in the old photo.

 

All that could be seen was just an old, dilapidated mansion in a remote area.

 

* * *

 

“A’ ye Jean-Antoine Troll?”

 

As Jin-ah got out of the car, a police officer who looked high-ranking approached.

 

“Ah’m Kenneth DeCaster, th’ sergeant who ca’d ye.”

 

His accent was so strong that it was hard to understand. And the surname, which was difficult to pronounce, seemed to indicate that this police officer was an old-timer here.

 

“Let’s finish explainin’ while we heid tae th’ mansion.”

 

“Yes. But even though I’m the owner, I don’t know anything. This is my first visit here, too…”

 

Jin-ah said, following the sergeant walking inside.

 

Then she saw someone standing there.

 

Ambulance personnel were constantly checking on the person sitting behind the ambulance.

 

‘It’s him.’

 

She could tell the moment she saw him.

 

Ian Isford.

 

The scumbag who bullied others with his money.

 

As she was about to turn away, feeling somehow regretful because the deceased couldn’t be him, their eyes met.

 

In that moment, Jin-ah forgot about following the sergeant and stood frozen in place.

 

It felt like her blood ran cold.

 

She couldn’t make a sound, couldn’t breathe.

 

It was as if every organ and sense in her body had stopped, everything faded into insignificance.

 

Only her vision remained, capturing the sight before her.

 

Specifically, Ian Isford being looked after by people around him.

 

He was the only thing that stood out.

 

He seemed to be experiencing the same.

 

He stared straight at Jin-ah as if he couldn’t hear anything being said around him.

 

After staring at Jin-ah for a while, his lips parted.

 

His red tongue slowly emerged, licking his wounded lips before retracting back in.

 

His protruding Adam’s apple bobbed heavily.

 

Then, there was something trickling down his chin.

 

Ian Isford was drooling as he looked at Jin-ah.

 

Like a starving beast for a long time.

 

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T.N: Here is the thing… I think the trashy Ian died and whatever was inside the mansion is probably inside Ian’s body now (⁠─⁠.⁠─）scary ~ ⊙⁠﹏⁠⊙