"Want to Fight, Ghost?"

It was a summer day in July.

(Jung Soo's room, summer of 2017)

Back then, I was a horror fan. I would play a horror movie when I went to sleep as my lullaby. But at some point, nothing scared me. And then I found something. It was a website for visiting abandoned houses.

There were a lot of reviews. I thought it would be more fun than dangerous. I kept browsing the website. A title grabbed my eyes.

'I'm looking for anyone who would join me to go to an abandoned funeral home.'

This post totally won me over.

"An abandoned funeral home? I think it would be such a thrill."

As I was so excited, I left a comment on the post that I would join him.

A few days later, it was 10 p.m. on the day of our visit to the funeral home. I was waiting for the organizer at the meeting point with a cool can of coffee. A car slowly approached from afar. The window rolled down.

"Hey, are you 'Want to Fight, Ghost?'"

"Yes, are you 'Walk Only on Haunted Paths'?"

"Yes, get in."

"Let's have fun today."

"Sure."

"I'm 'Ghost in your Heart'." Someone spoke from the backseat.

"You startled me."

Just like his nickname, Seung Hyun was playful. And the organizer, Jae Woo. They said they had been to a lot of abandoned buildings.

"Is this your first time?"

"Yes."

"What if he runs away?" Seung Hyun said to Jae Woo.

"Gosh, no way." I replied.

"Then, let's go."

( The three of them headed to the abandoned funeral home.)

Seung Hyun was taking shots at my pride, so I acted tough. But Jae Woo who was driving said this with a serious look on his face.

"An abandoned hospital is a part of the building we are going. A lot of people died there. That abandoned funeral home is no joke. It's pretty famous online too."

"Don't scare me." I replied.

I pretended to be okay, but deep inside, I was a bit scared. We drove for about 20 minutes. We suddenly climbed up a steep mountainous road.

"We're here." Jae Woo said getting off the vehicle.

I saw a huge building in the dark. It was the abandoned hospital.

(The abandoned hospital looked like a big monster.)

I got out of the car and looked at the building. The building looked really old. I saw walls with spots of mold above the entrance.

"Gosh, this is scarier than I thought." I said.

"Gosh, he is already scared. Are you scared?" Seung Hyun said teasing me.

"You can stay here if you don't want to go in."

"I am here. I should go in. Where do we go in?"

"That way. To the basement." Jae Woo replied.

"Let's go."

"Okay, let's go."

The guys went inside the building. I followed them inside. And my knees started to wobble.

When I went inside, it was completely dark around the staircase. I couldn't see anything. As I made my way down the basement, I could smell the mold and the damp air engulfed me. I saw a huge hall behind the rusted metal door.

"It's just as I heard?"

"Hey, look at the water dripping."

"It's damp."

'BANG!!'

"Come on."

"Goodness.

"Why are you guys so scared?"

"Stop messing around."

Seung Hyun kept goofing around. I stayed close to the guys and headed deep into the hall. There was a lot of floor space inside the hall for the visitors who came to the funerals. The floor was messy with broken wooden materials. But...

"What is it?"

"Aren't these clothes?"

"I think they are hemp clothes."

"You're right."

There were plates used in the funerals for ancestral memorial services.

'BHOO!!'

"You startled me!"

"Are you a coward? Why do you get scared so easily?"

"Is he always like that?" I asked Jae Woo.

"He is."

Seung Hyun kept bothering me even though it was our first time meeting each other. I was annoyed. But I was less nervous thanks to him. But..

'SHHH SHHHH'

"What is that? Shine the light over there."

"Where? There?"

"Yes. What's that?"

We saw several white masses scattered on the floor.

"Apples? Pears? Are they rice cakes?"

Something felt off. Those were the types of food used for a memorial service. I wondered why such things were left on the floor.

"These are just fruits."

"They are all rotten."

"Stop touching them! What if something happens?"

"There are molds everywhere."

'SHH SHHH'

"Who was that?"

"What was that?"

"There's.."

"Jae Woo!"

"They are just shoes." Seung Hyun enthusiastically checked the place.

"No. Someone was standing there."

"You must have seen wrong."

"I clearly saw..."

"Come on. Is anyone here?" Jae Woo shouted to check if anyone was there.

"No. There isn't. Am I mistaken?" I looked around.

"Come over here!"

"Seung Hyun, stop going around alone."

I went over to Jae Woo's side and shone the flashlight in that direction. At the end of the light was...

"Come over here."

"What is it?"

"There's an altar here."

It was a dark red altar.

"Then this place must've been a funeral home." Jae Woo said.

There were yellowed papers with Chinese letters written on them. And there was a feast of foods with fruits and rice cakes on the table. But there was something strange.

THEY WERE ALL INTACT.

The fruits and rice cakes didn't go bad and they looked fine.

"It looks like someone just brought them. They all look fresh."

"Right? What are these?"

"Why are they set up here?"

"Seung Hyun! Don't touch them!"

"But it's soft."

"Hey."

"Seung Hyun!"

But he kept touching the rice cake.

"Stop touching them."

"What is his problem?"

"Let's try eating them." Seung Hyun suggested.

"What? No! Please don't!"

"Why do you keep touching it?"

"Seriously, you should stop."

Both me and Jae Woo kept telling him.

All of a sudden, Seung Hyun's flashlight went off.