I Returned, and Now I See Strange Things-Chapter 49: The Uninvited Guest

Ayun approached Hyunseo and asked,

“Have you ever brought anything weird into the house?”

“Weird... like what?”

Ayun glanced sideways at Hyeyeon, who was known for collecting all kinds of bizarre items, then continued.

“People who are into this stuff usually have something like that lying around, right? Like a thing picked up from a haunted house, or... whatever.”

“Um... no, not really. Maybe back home, but ever since I started living alone, I’ve barely been able to keep up with streams...”

After a brief moment of thought, Hyunseo shook her head, denying it.

With that answer, Ayun began to look around the room.

It was nothing special.

Probably recently cleaned, since no personal items were visible—just the typical room of a college student.

A basic desk, computer, and chair.

An old bed and wardrobe that looked like they’d creak at any moment.

From the lone window connected to the outside, faint light from a streetlamp trickled in.

Of course, a few things did stand out.

The most notable was a display case being used as a bookshelf.

Peering through the glass, Ayun blinked.

...What’s this?

A cluster of colorful pouches—like fortune bags—were sitting inside.

It felt out of place, no matter how she looked at it.

Don’t people usually hang these on walls?

Recalling distant memories, Ayun opened the case and picked one up.

Then Hyunseo let out a soft groan of realization.

“Ah... that...”

“You know what this is?”

Ayun asked, and Hyunseo looked at the pouch with a faint, nostalgic expression.

“Yeah... It’s something my late grandfather gave me... I’ve never opened it, so I’m not really sure what’s inside.”

“Hm...”

Ayun nodded and studied the pouch in her hand closely.

There’s something faintly glowing inside...

But she didn’t feel compelled to open it.

Even if it was just a pouch, it felt wrong to open a memento from someone else’s grandfather without permission.

If she had sensed malice, she would’ve pried it open without hesitation.

But in Ayun’s eyes, whatever was flickering inside the pouch seemed warm.

...Well, it did come from her grandfather, after all.

Judging by Hyunseo’s expression, they had a good relationship.

It didn’t feel like the cause of the strange events, so Ayun returned the pouch to its place—and noticed the chat.

– No! Come on! Let us see it too!

– Is this a one-person stream or what?!

– (This message has been deleted.)

Ayun watched as both donations and demands started flooding in, and felt a cold sweat run down her back.

Fortunately, “Hyesung” with the wrench icon was moderating chat and swiftly dispatching anyone who crossed the line.

Ayun shook her head in gratitude.

...This is hard.

Partly because she was too immersed in Hyunseo’s story—but also because she still wasn’t used to the whole idea of sharing everything live on camera.

In fact, this was the first time she’d held up a camera for this long.

“...I get it, okay? Stop nagging. I’ll turn off donation alerts for now, so send those later if you want.”

She held up the pouch to the camera and let out a sigh.

Satisfied for now, the chat quieted as the viewers began discussing among themselves again. Ayun gathered Hyunseo and Hyeyeon together.

“Should we wait for something to happen? Nothing obvious is going on right now.”

Even though the pouch was in the case, it didn’t seem connected to the disturbance.

As Ayun spoke, Hyeyeon leaned toward her and whispered just off-camera.

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“Good idea—but... can you fill the audio?”

“....”

Ayun suddenly realized her body had gone stiff.

It was already hard enough as it was—and now she was supposed to fill air too?

Hyeyeon saw the anxiety tightening Ayun’s face but didn’t stop.

This was something Ayun would have to deal with eventually.

“Unlike outside, the vibe in here is kind of... bland. I think you’ll have to do something, unnie.”

“M-Me?”

“Of course. It’s your stream, isn’t it...?”

“R-Right...”

Moments ago, Ayun had looked perfectly in control—but now she just stared at Hyeyeon like a helpless child.

Like a little sister asking for help.

Even if the age dynamic was totally reversed.

Hyeyeon held back a laugh as she spoke again.

Ayun clearly needed backup right now.

“Then first, let’s fix the camera—”

Thud!

A sudden dull thump made both Hyunseo and Hyeyeon jump.

But on the contrary, Ayun’s eyes sharpened like a spark had lit inside her.

Clutching the selfie stick, she moved toward the sound.

It seemed to have come from a book that had fallen from the display case.

“...This fell.”

She mumbled it as she held up the camera, not forgetting to capture it this time.

– Why’d that suddenly fall, tho?

– Weren’t they all standing together?

Thud!

Ayun felt something was off.

Thud!

“U-Unnie?”

“A-Ayun-nim?!”

Thud!

It was like an earthquake had hit—the furniture began to collapse around them.

The wardrobe burst open, and the contents came crashing out.

The display case, too, seemed to open its mouth and spew books.

...This isn’t an earthquake.

In the face of the sudden disturbance, Ayun immediately moved Hyeyeon and Hyunseo to the relative safety of the bed.

Then, while scanning the mess of a room, she asked Hyunseo:

“Has this ever happened before?”

“N-No... I-Isn’t this an... earthquake?”

“....”

Ayun shook her head.

If it were an earthquake, they’d be hearing it outside by now.

Especially one this intense, in the middle of the city? No way.

Even putting that aside...

If she looked closely, only the objects were shaking.

Hyunseo’s clothes, her personal items, even the textbooks in the case were trembling and twitching.

Even as Ayun watched, they continued to shift subtly in place.

– I’ve never seen a poltergeist this bad before;

Ayun’s eyes landed again on the fortune pouch from earlier.

Just then—

A book from the case {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} landed squarely on top of it.

Thud!

The overhead light flickered—and went out completely.

“Eek!?”

Ayun ducked instinctively at the scream behind her.

Now the only light in the room came from her smartphone screen and the faint, flickering glow of the streetlamp outside the window.

Flicker.

Flicker.

Even that glow looked like it might blink out at any second.

...Something’s off.

Sensing something strange, Ayun looked toward the window.

It wasn’t the lamp that was flickering.

Something outside was casting a shadow across the glass—moving back and forth.

A huge shadow passed across the window, blotting out the light as if the lamp had gone out entirely.

It moved like it was searching for a way in.

Then it pressed its pitch-black face against the window.

“Wh-Why did it get so dark all of a sudden?”

“...Power outage?”

It seemed the other two couldn’t see the thing at the window.

Ayun stepped over the scattered mess on the floor and approached it.

The viewers were in an uproar too—nothing could be seen in the dark, and they were demanding answers.

Ayun stepped up to the window and met the gaze of the unidentified figure.

Eyes with no whites—completely flushed red.

A pupil so dark it looked like it had been filled in with permanent marker stared directly at her.

...What is this thing?

Ayun stared back at it, face solemn.

Then she lifted the selfie stick and aimed her phone at the window, checking the stream.

Will it show up?

But unlike her expectations, while the camera caught the window draped in shadow, the creature itself didn’t appear on screen.

– What’s that?

– Is something there?

– I don’t see anything.

...So they can’t see it.

Ayun sighed quietly and turned back to Hyunseo, who looked confused, and Hyeyeon, whose eyes were practically glowing.

The fallen items trembled softly, but nothing else moved.

It’s trying to get in, huh.

But why did it appear so suddenly, after all that silence?

“Can you take over filming from here? It’s probably too dark to see anything anyway.”

Ayun’s serious tone made Hyeyeon’s voice rise with excitement.

“Is there something there?”

Why does she sound so happy about that...?

Ayun managed to restrain the twitch in her face and nodded.

Hyeyeon took the phone with a determined expression, and Hyunseo clung to her back, trembling but still watching the screen.

...Well, they did say it’s their only real hobby.

With her hands free, Ayun stepped back toward the window.

She reached into her pocket and gripped the black stone.

[It seems it’s my turn now.]

Aslan’s voice rang out at the same time.

Ayun nodded and squeezed the stone tightly in her palm.

But...

Nothing happened.

“....”

[Hm...]

She tried again, clenching the stone hard.

But unlike at the abandoned hospital, nothing was being sucked in—nothing moved.

[It appears I lack the strength to handle that one.]

Ayun pressed her throbbing temple with her fingers and locked eyes with the being outside the window.

Still casting its enormous shadow, it knocked on the glass as if asking to be let in.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

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Tap.