How to Survive the Horror Novel I Wrote
Chapter 33
Chapter 33
“‘It’s time to pay for your secret.’”
Ugeum recited his own line from Red Night.
In that instant, countless fractures spread across the world. The sky shattered, and the ground gave way beneath my feet. It felt as if I were plunging straight down into a bottomless abyss.
Why did he tell me to look over there?
Why did he bring me here?
Why did it have to be this mountain cabin?
Why?
Deep down, I already knew. I was caught.
An uncontrollable trembling rippled through my entire body, chilling my hands and feet to ice.
A trap… This place was a trap prepared for me. I was going to be buried in these woods. Just like Woo Yiseon.
My throat tightened, my nose stung, and heat flared behind my eyes.
I had trusted you. Even knowing you were the most untrustworthy bastard in the entire world, I went and trusted you anyway.
The price of my secret? No, what I had to pay for was the price of my own stupidity. For placing my trust in you.
“Well? How was it?”
A voice laced with amusement shattered the frozen air.
My mind blanked for a second.
How was what…?
“Did I sound like Ju Ugeum?”
What kind of nonsense was this? You are Ju Ugeum.
As I stood there dazed, the realization struck me.
Ugeum was deliberately drawing a line between himself and the serial killer Ju Ugeum from the Night Series. As if it were all just a playful game.
Slowly, I raised my hand to touch whatever had been wrapped around my neck. The soft, thin cotton rustled against my fingertips. It was a scarf.
Ugeum finished wrapping the scarf around my neck and spoke.
“This is the cabin from Red Night. You love the Night Series, don’t you?”
He stepped in front of me and neatly straightened the scarf. Looking down with a satisfied smile, he glanced up at my face, and his eyes widened in surprise.
“Are you crying?”
Only then did I notice the wetness soaking my cheeks. I was crying. Without even realizing it.
Fluster colored his eyes as our gazes met. Amid the storm of fear and betrayal raging in my chest, a bitter sense of unfairness welled up.
Why are you doing this? You said you’d let yourself be fooled, so why?
Are you just playing with me?
Ugeum reached out and wiped away the tears streaming down my face. A solemn expression. An anxious gaze. It wasn’t the least bit funny. I caught his wrist and pulled his hand down.
“I’m fine. Just… a little startled, that’s all.”
My voice cracked. I wasn’t fine at all. I was desperately fighting back the urge to slap his hand away and scream at him, demanding to know what the hell he was doing to me.
Because he was far too dangerous to let such emotions show.
“I’m sorry. I guess I took it too far. I just wanted to give you a surprise.”
Ugeum sighed softly.
Then, a massive realization slammed into my head.
“How did you know about this place?”
A chilling interrogation slipped past my lips before I could stop it.
How on earth did you track this place down?
It was true that I used this cabin as the setting for Red Night, but I had used pseudonyms for everything from the cabin’s name to the location, and I’d even altered parts of the surrounding terrain.
That was the exact reason this shed, which sat only a short distance from the cabin in reality, was set deep in the middle of the woods in the novel.
So even after the book was published, this place remained unknown. No one knew this was the cabin featured in Red Night. No one, except Jung-an, who had come with me on that research trip.
So how could you possibly know?
Ugeum offered a faintly troubled smile.
“It’s a secret… Do you want to know?”
His gaze on me was deep and dark. An abyss lurked inside his eyes, ready to drag me under whole if I brushed against it with so much as a fingertip.
Red lights flashed in my head, and a circuit breaker tripped. Fear, fury, betrayal, resentment, and suspicion all scattered in an instant, replaced by raw vigilance. Beneath the relentless blare of alarm bells, pure instinct whispered:
Do not cross that line. You’ll end up paying the price for the truth.
Locking eyes with Ugeum and his mask-like smile, I couldn't utter a single word, sinking deep into the dark and the silence.
It was right then.
The crunch of tires grinding over gravel echoed through the air, and headlight beams cut through the silhouettes of the trees.
Ugeum and I turned toward the light at the same time. Bathed in the glow, the trees flashed with vivid autumn colors for a brief moment before retreating straight back into the darkness.
When our eyes met again, the abyss I had just seen was completely gone.
“Looks like the caretaker is here. Let’s head back.”
Ugeum took my hand naturally.
“…”
When I didn't answer, he added,
“On-dam is all by himself, after all.”
The caretaker had likely come to check on the guests, and On-dam was alone in the cabin.
“Ah… right.”
Led by Ugeum’s hand, I headed toward the cabin.
The hand holding mine was still warm.
And that warmth made my chest boil. From the very beginning until now, without wavering for a single second, this man had toyed with me—alternating between fear and relief, hurting me only to offer a bandage. Why did his hand have to feel so warm?
Knowing full well that this warmth lowered my guard, caught me by surprise, and seeped into my most vulnerable parts to numb me, why was I melting so helplessly? It was just so bitterly unfair.
When we got back to the cabin, we saw someone pacing in front of the door. It was a stout, middle-aged man who wasn't going inside, instead making a call on his phone.
A moment later, Ugeum’s phone rang from his pocket. Hearing the ringtone, the man spotted us, hung up, and walked over.
He was the caretaker. He explained that On-dam refused to open the door, telling him to wait until the adults returned, even though he introduced himself as the cabin manager.
“I’m sorry. My… younger brother is a bit sensitive.”
I had almost said "student," but swapped it for "younger brother." This wasn't school, after all.
“No, that’s fine. Everything comfortable so far?”
“Not at all, it’s great. Very cozy, and the interior looks lovely.”
As Ugeum offered a smiling compliment, the caretaker grinned, clearly pleased.
“Is that so? To be honest, we only recently remodeled the place. It’s practically brand new. The heating works great, and you’ll get plenty of hot water.”
So that was it. No wonder I hadn’t recognized it.
Just as the caretaker turned to leave, telling us to call if we needed anything, Ugeum suddenly spoke up.
“Excuse me, sir, could I ask you one thing?”
My heart sank with a thud. It was blindingly obvious what Ugeum wanted to ask him.
Sure enough.
“Has an author ever come here to do research in the past?”
“An author?”
The caretaker’s gaze drifted toward me. My body stiffened. Don’t tell me…
The caretaker raised a hand. Bracing myself for him to point straight at me, I shrank back.
‘It’s this person.’
Instead, the caretaker’s hand went right up to scratch his thick, curly hair.
“Well, I can’t say I remember clearly…”
Relief washed over me. But it was premature.
“Ah. A long time ago, two women did come by, taking pictures all over the place and asking all sorts of questions.”
“Women?”
“Yeah. I think they mentioned something about writing.”
A sharp chill clawed down my spine. He was talking about me and Jung-an. Fortunately, it seemed he didn't recognize me. It made sense given that years had passed, and hundreds of people must have drifted through this cabin in the meantime.
“What about any men?”
I quickly cut in to lay down a smokescreen. The caretaker shook his head.
“No one besides them.”
I shot Ugeum a look. You heard that, right? There were no men.
Ignoring my look, Ugeum pressed the caretaker further.
“Around when did those women visit? Do you happen to remember their names or what they looked like?”
Cold sweat broke out across my back despite the crisp night air.
“No. It’s already been several years. But why do you ask?”
“Because it sounds like an author I’ve really been wanting to meet.”
I bet you have. You want to meet them and take care of them. So they can never write again.
“Sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”
After the caretaker headed back to the management office, I casually probed Ugeum.
“Why ask about those women? Mun Seongwon is a man.”
“Who says Mun Seongwon is a man?”
Ugeum asked calmly.
I was rendered speechless.
Who says so? Everyone.
Everyone assumed Mun Seongwon was a man. The name suggested it, the genre was horror, and the writing style was masculine and dry. That was how I managed to hide behind people’s prejudices.
Yet Ugeum tore right through the assumptions blinding his eyes.
“Could be a woman.”
Glancing at my frozen figure, Ugeum gave a light smile and added casually,
“Or maybe it is a man, and he had someone else do the field research for him.”
Yet you’ve already figured it out. That Mun Seongwon might be a woman. You’re closing in on me, step by relentless step.
My knees were already going weak.
“Let’s head inside.”
Ugeum stepped into the cabin first. Following behind him, I unclenched my tightly balled fists. My palms were drenched in cold sweat.
The moment we walked in, On-dam, who had been hovering nervously near the door with a crestfallen expression, offered an excuse.
“Opening the door for some strange man when I was all alone felt…”
“You did well. Never open the door in the future, either.”
Playfully responding, Ugeum ruffled On-dam’s hair as he walked past. I gently patted On-dam’s arm as well.
“Ji-an. I’m going to take a shower. Do you want to go first?”
Ugeum asked, looking back at me.
Since there was only one bathroom, we had to take turns. Just as I was about to answer, I suddenly remembered something I needed to do.
“No, you go ahead. Can you give me the car keys? I left something in the trunk.”
Taking the car keys from Ugeum, I stepped out of the cabin.
Heading to the car, I popped the trunk, grabbed the long bag, and climbed into the back seat. A faint clattering leaked from inside the bag. Unzipping it, I found the keyboard typing away on its own right beside the laptop.
I was glad I brought it just in case. Coming on an overnight trip with that Ju Ugeum and expecting nothing to happen would be ridiculous. I knew something was bound to go down. Though… not quite in the way I’d expected.
[“Are you crying?”
When Ugeum asked with surprised eyes, Ji-an finally realized she was crying. A wave of bitter injustice washed over her.
‘Why are you doing this? You said you’d let yourself be fooled, so why? Are you just playing with me?’
With tear-filled eyes, Ji-an studied Ugeum’s expression. Yet no matter how hard she looked, all she could see were fluster and concern; the hidden motives lurking beneath remained invisible. Even though they were certainly there.
Ugeum quietly reached out to wipe her tears, but Ji-an caught his wrist and pulled it down with a somewhat cold demeanor.
“I’m fine. Just… a little startled, that’s all.”]
I read through the manuscript, but once again, there was nothing about Ugeum’s inner thoughts.
How could it be this one-sided? Frustrated, I swept my fingers violently across the keyboard.
At once, the backspace key pressed itself repeatedly, deleting the haphazardly typed letters.
Paying no heed to my interference, the cursed keyboard continued composing fresh sentences.
[Ugeum swept back his wet hair and tilted his head back. The stream of water pouring from the showerhead ran down his broad, swelling chest and traced the distinct lines of his abdominal muscles. It cascaded over his V-tapered back, where his trapezius and deltoids stood out in sharp, striking relief.]
What is this? It doesn't describe the male lead’s psychology at all, so why is the shower scene so detailed?
I stared blankly at the cursed manuscript as Ugeum’s shower unfolded across the screen. The description was so vivid it felt like I was actually peeping on him. I felt like a complete voyeur. I knew I needed to close it immediately, but my hands wouldn't move.
While I hesitated, the keyboard went on to describe Ugeum’s most private parts in explicit detail. Startled out of my wits, I finally slammed the laptop shut.
My face was burning hot. I genuinely suspected this keyboard might be a lecherous demon masquerading as hardware.
After taking deep breaths for a long time to calm my racing pulse, I put the laptop and keyboard back into the trunk and returned to the cabin. Just in time, Ugeum came out from the shower and greeted me.
He wore a white long-sleeved shirt that clearly emphasized his broad shoulders and a pair of black sweatpants. Defying my own will, my gaze dropped downward. Down to where that…
“Did you find it?”
His sudden question made me snap my head up.
“Huh? Yeah.”
“Is it that cold outside? Your face is red.”
“Uh-huh, a little.”
Covering my cheeks with my hands, I practically fled into the bathroom.
Stepping into the thick steam, the shower scene from moments ago flashed back into my head. I had only read words on a screen, but paired with my shameless imagination, it was playing out as a full movie in my mind.
Biting my lower lip, I muttered internally. Think of something else, anything else…
And so, terrifying thoughts rushed in to fill the void.
<It’s a secret… Do you want to know?>
<Could be a woman.>
The abyss staring back at me from Ugeum’s eyes, and the danger closing in around me second by second.
It honestly felt better to dwell on the shower scene. But that vivid imagery had already evaporated entirely from my head.
Just as the caretaker said, the hot water ran perfectly. Yet it wasn't enough to wash away the chill that had seeped into the marrow of my bones.
When I finished showering and stepped out, On-dam was nowhere in sight, and Ugeum was sitting alone on the sofa.
“Where’s On-dam?”
“Asleep. He must have been exhausted.”
Which meant there was no one else watching. In the end, it was just the two of us left alone. A sudden terror seized me. I had no idea how Ugeum would act.
If you were to do something to me… would you hurt me, or would you throw yourself on me?
Ugeum rose from the sofa with an unreadable expression. Startled out of my skin by that simple movement, I hurriedly made for my room.
“…! I-I should sleep too. Good night to you, too.”
Thankfully, the cabin had three rooms, and we had already agreed to take one each. As long as I got inside my room, it felt like I could escape Ugeum’s clutches.
Yet the moment I grabbed the closed doorknob, a voice called out from behind me.
“Ji-an.”
Freezing with my hand on the doorknob, I looked back at Ugeum.
Watching him stroll casually toward me made my heart thud wildly. Like a fish out of water, desperately gasping for air with flaring gills.
Stopping right behind my back, Ugeum leaned in and whispered in my ear.
“Want me to help you?”
“With… what?”
“Bracing yourself.”
Hot breath scattered across my ear. The fine hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.
It felt as though I had been dragged right back to that entryway where I was once backed into a corner in feverish heat. Though whether that entryway was reality or a dream…
I needed to refuse, I had to say no, but no words came out. My chest was trembling so violently that my voice simply wouldn't work.
Ugeum covered my hand resting on the doorknob and pushed down firmly.
Click.
The door swung open.