Welcome to Cheongliang!(1)

Cheongliang.

To understand how remote and isolated this place is, there are no trains or buses between the cities.

I planned to take vacation for two weeks, but I made arrangements with the travel agency to pick me up every week if I quickly got tired of nature.

When I found myself in front of the hotel, a strange anxiety came over me, but I drove it away with a slight smile. What bad could happen?

"This is the real world, not fiction. If I had a camera in my hands or the intention to uncover the secret of a quiet town, then I could well end up as the main character of a thriller or horror.

But I came here only to relax and at most to observe from the side. So I am calm."

The first few days I was happy, going on excursions with a local guide who showed me local showplaces and beautiful views. During one of the excursions, we set up a campsite and I saw him praying on his knees. I didn't pay much attention to it and just did what I was doing. After all, in this country, like in my previous one, there is freedom of religion and I respect it, as long as no one starts convincing or attempts converting me.

Well, it was a mistake, or rather a warning bell.

Saturday.

As the sun set, all the city's residents began to climb the mountain where I was shown the local temple. I accurately snesked from hotel and what I saw gave me goosebumps.

An ugly, skinny, short man was jumping around in the center of the crowd that stood around.

He was dressed in a bright, multi-colored traditional Korean shaman outfit, holding a bleeding goat's head in one hand and a brush in the other.

Having dipped the brush into the goat's neck, he began to run around in a circle and wave the brush like a madman, sprinkling the entire crowd in blood.

But that was not the strangest and most frightening thing.

The crowd.

They looked at the shaman with their eyes wide open in adoration and smiled even more madly.

– The God of Children has blessed me with luck! – said the woman in an ecstatic voice, having a huge blood clot with fur in her mouth.

– Congratulations!

– I'm so happy for you!

– Me too! Me too!

"Fuck, what the hell is going on here?! This is a damn sect and cult!"

Trembling with fear and in shocked state, I tried to move as quietly as possible.

(*Crack*

A dozen people with crazy fanatical smiles covered in blood turned to me at the sound of a cracked branch.)

Luckily, it was my imagination that was running wild, which didn't promise me well-being in the event of an unsuccessful escape.

Having quietly reached the hotel, I locked myself in my room. I spent a long time calming my stomach, enduring the spasms the entire way to escape.

"This is too much. And I still have to spend half a week here? This is madness ..."

Having calmed my stomach, I moved away from the toilet and lay down on the bed.

I could not fall asleep all night, leaving the lights on, but from all the stress I did not notice how I fell asleep.

I instantly woke up from the doorbell. Wiping the cold sweat from fear and washing my face, I put on my signature smile.

I met a nice looking woman in a hotel uniform, but looking at her, what I previously considered a polite smile, saw patronizing smile, those crazy faces from crowd immediately began to emerge.

Now I knew the meaning of this smile. As if a fanatical believer looks at pagans with condescension.

Suppressing my gag reflex, I asked sweetly:

- Is something wrong? - I leaned against the door frame, causing heat to appear on her cheeks and nose.

- Excuse me, you missed breakfast and we were worried. - She began to actively rub the strands of hair that lay on her shoulder.

- Sorry for disturbing you. - I stood up straight and smiled guiltily. - Apparently all the stress of the city suddenly fell on me and I slept all morning.

- So that's how it is... Maybe you want to order food to your room? We can give you a discount as an apology.

- I won't refuse your concern. - The smile began to shine, and her heart began to tremble.

"Being handsome is a cheat code, I am convinced once again. She probably wanted to ask me what was I doing, but now her head will definitely be occupied with something else... and perhaps her hand too.

As soon as the car arrives, I will immediately leave. I could of course report them to the authorities, but I'm not a hero to expose myself and take risks."

Somehow surviving the remaining few days, I was already standing near the car that was supposed to pick me up.

- Mister Alex? - I heard the driver ask.

- Yes, that's right. - I opened the door and sat in the back seat.

- How do you like Cheongliang?

- Overall, it's great, the hotel is top notch. - I didn't look at the driver, looking back at the windows, seeing pedestrians waving at me on the sides. - In general, I would like to...

- But where are your souvenirs?

His question made the hairs all over my body stand up, and when I turned to him, I saw empty eyes and the same smile that everyone in the town had.