Would You Mind Not Closing the Door

The movie continued playing. After escaping and returning to the welfare center, Rika told her colleagues what had happened.

However, a coworker named Mariko didn't believe her. She thought Rika had just imagined things.

Given that the elderly man was in poor health and had a lot of wrinkles on his face, plus the lighting effects, it made sense that he might look a bit frightening. Mariko decided to have Rika take her back to the Tokunaga residence.

Rika didn't really want to go again, but her boyfriend Nishina showed up after hearing the news, and with more people around, she felt braver.

The three of them headed back to the Tokunaga house together.

Seeing this, Han So-yeon spoke up: "Why are they going back there?!"

Su Yang laughed: "If they don't go back, how can the rest of the story happen?"

The two of them were leaning against the headboard, watching intently. The movie picked up pace, gradually becoming stranger and more terrifying.

After arriving at the Tokunaga house, Mariko went up to the second floor alone. She heard a faint sound coming from the closet. Driven by curiosity, she opened the door, and the face of the child from the movie poster stared directly back at her.

Seeing this, Han So-yeon gave a violent start, squeezed Su Yang tightly, and screamed again.

Su Yang wasn't scared by the movie itself—it was Han So-yeon's scream and sudden lunge that startled him.

"Damn, you scared me!"

"This movie is way too scary!"

"It's fine, it's just a movie. It's all actors. Don't be afraid."

"Whoo!" Han So-yeon took a deep breath, lifted her head slightly, squinted, and continued watching.

As the plot progressed, the scary moments kept piling up.

At that point, the movie was showing Nishina discovering a female corpse—Kayako—in the attic. He was mentally crushed by the sight and frantically fled toward the stairwell.

He sprinted to the stair landing, when suddenly! Kayako appeared. In a twisted pose, head-first, joints reversed, she crawled rapidly down the stairs from above.

This scene was also the most iconic moment of the entire film.

Because Han So-yeon had braced herself this time, she closed her eyes in advance, but even just listening to the sounds, she was already terrified.

She clung to Su Yang, her body curled up tightly.

Meanwhile, Su Yang was thoroughly enjoying it. He watched the screen with rapt attention, and in a spare moment, reached out with his left hand to grab a beer from the nightstand and take a sip.

Han So-yeon's breathing quickened. With her eyes still shut, she asked: "Is it still scary now?"

"Yeah, it's at the peak right now. You're not watching?" Su Yang said, looking down.

"I really can't bear to look anymore. That ghost lady's face and that kid's face are way too creepy. I feel like I won't be able to sleep tonight."

"It's fine, I'm here. If you're scared, just don't look. I'll tell you when the ghosts are gone." Su Yang said, reaching up and gently patting the back of Han So-yeon's head.

Han So-yeon was in a state that was equal parts sweet and terrified. She wanted to watch but didn't dare open her eyes fully. Eventually, she came up with an idea—she placed a hand in front of her face to block the upper half of the screen and only watched the lower half. That way, she could claim she'd watched it.

But she thought covering half the screen would hide the scary moments. What she didn't expect was that Kayako's terrifying face suddenly appeared in the lower half of the screen.

"Ah! Holy crap!" Han So-yeon cursed out loud in shock. She quickly moved her hand aside, but her eyes had already caught the image.

That moment sent her heart pounding wildly.

...

Time flew by, and after over an hour, the movie ended.

Su Yang was left wanting more. It was the first time he'd truly watched a horror movie from start to finish. It actually turned out pretty good—he even considered playing the sequel. But given how scared Han So-yeon was, he dropped that idea.

He turned off the movie and looked at Han So-yeon with a grin: "Didn't you say you weren't scared?"

"How was I supposed to know this movie would be so terrifying? A scary face showed up from the very start. The ones I usually watch with my friends were never this bad."

"If it isn't scary, then it's not really a horror movie, is it? Do you want to watch another one?"

Hearing that, Han So-yeon shook her head vigorously: "No, no, no! I'm done! I already have psychological trauma now. I keep feeling like there's something under the bed."

Su Yang laughed and flipped the switch on the room's light: "Ha, don't scare yourself. It's still early. How about we find another movie to watch?"

"Sure, as long as it's not a horror movie."

"Ha, fine by me. You sit tight, I'll go use the bathroom—I've been holding it in for a while."

As he spoke, Su Yang got off the bed, but Han So-yeon grabbed his clothes: "Wait."

"What's wrong?"

"Can you… not close the door?"

"What?? Not close the door?" Su Yang said, stunned.

"I'm a little scared."

"It's fine! This is the central district of Magic City. It's got heavy yang energy. What kind of thing would dare to mess around here?"

"Ugh, I'm really scared. How about I go with you? I'll wait outside the door."

Su Yang's eyebrows twitched. He turned to look at the bathroom three meters away: "It's that close and you're still scared?"

Han So-yeon stared at him with a pitiful look and nodded.

"But I can't go with someone standing right next to me. I'll leave the door open, okay?"

“Okay!” Han So-yeon agreed. Su Yang reluctantly got out of bed and walked into the bathroom.

The bathroom was directly across from the bed—if the door wasn’t closed, everything inside was visible from the mattress. Su Yang glanced at Han So-yeon, who was sitting on the edge of the bed staring at him, and said, “Hey, if you keep watching me, how am I supposed to go?”

“Then... I’ll turn my head.” Han So-yeon nodded and turned her face toward the movie screen.

Seeing that, Su Yang quickly turned his back and did his business.

He finished soon enough, flushed, washed his hands, and walked out of the bathroom. Han So-yeon was biting her lip, her eyes fixed on him.

“Why are you staring at me again?”

“I need to make sure I can see you. I’m afraid you’ll suddenly disappear.”

“What kind of nonsense is that? Don’t tell me you were watching me the whole time I was in there?”

“I wasn’t looking directly, but I caught you in my peripheral vision.”

Hearing that, Su Yang flopped down onto the bed and held his head in his hands. “I really give up on you. Don’t you feel embarrassed?”

“Compared to being terrified, this is nothing.”

“Fine, whatever. How about I pick a comedy to lighten the mood?”

“Can we watch a romance movie instead?”

“A romance... sure, let me find one.”

Su Yang leaned back to his earlier spot and started browsing for a film. Meanwhile, Han So-yeon grabbed the popcorn and fried chicken pieces, eating a couple herself before feeding one to Su Yang each time.

After searching for a while, Su Yang asked, “How about we rewatch Titanic?”

“Titanic?” Han So-yeon thought for a moment, then said, “To be honest, I’ve never actually seen that movie.”

“You haven’t seen it?” Su Yang was a little surprised. That film was a classic among classics—almost everyone had watched it.

Han So-yeon nodded. “I’ve only come across some clips.”

“Then how come you never watched the full thing?”

“I read the comments online—everyone said it was a real tearjerker. I was afraid I’d break down crying, so I just never watched it.”

“So do you want to watch it now?”

“I can watch it if it’s with you.”

“Alright, let’s go with this one.” Su Yang hit play.