Reborn as a Prophet in a Horror Movie

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T/N: 2/2

#089

Seojun’s fingers were just centimeters away from the bathroom doorknob when an unexpected knock at the front door startled him so much that he thought his soul might escape his body. The sound sent a chilling wave of déjà vu through him, reminding him of a scene from the movie he had just watched moments ago. Goosebumps erupted on his arms, and his already pale face turned even paler.

His usually active mind had gone eerily silent, as if the very air around him had been sucked out. Seojun tried to turn his head to see who was at the door, but it moved stiffly, like an old rusty hinge. His entire body felt like it had been glued to the spot, refusing to budge. It was as if his feet were cemented to the floor.

Another soft knock, this time lighter, like a ghostly whisper, filled the air, beckoning him to find out who was there. Every cell in his body screamed at him to ignore it and run, but a nagging fear gnawed at his brain—the terrifying possibility that ignoring whoever or whatever was on the other side of the door could lead to consequences far worse than anything he could face head-on.

Seojun forced his reluctant feet to move, each step a struggle against an invisible force as he inched closer to the door. With a trembling hand, he pressed his cheek against the cold metal surface. The chill seeped into his skin, sending shivers coursing through him like pebbles in still water. He clenched his jaw, trying to stifle any sound, terrified that even the slightest noise might be detected by whatever lurked on the other side. All that remained was to look through the peephole, no bigger than a thumbnail. A fleeting, absurd thought flashed through his mind—what if something poked his eye the moment he looked through it?

With shaking hands, Seojun gathered all the courage he could muster. Slowly, he brought his trembling eye to the peephole, a sense of dread creeping over him like a suffocating fog. To his horror, his dilated pupil reflected the terrifying image of the cleaner. The man’s face was hidden beneath a tangled mess of wet, black hair clinging to his deathly white, lifeless skin like seaweed on a drowned corpse. Viscous droplets of an unidentifiable liquid dripped from the cleaner’s hair, forming an ominous puddle on the floor. The chilling sight was all it took to send a tsunami of terror coursing through Seojun’s veins.

His breath caught in his throat, and he stumbled back from the door. The urge to scream warred with the overwhelming urge to claw at his remaining eye, but by some miracle, Seojun managed to keep both impulses in check. His hand flew to his chest, feeling the frantic beating of his heart as he took another unsteady step away from the door. He silently thanked himself for the small advantage he had over Joseph—he’d had the foresight to close the bathroom door, which now allowed him a clear path for a panicked escape without tripping over it.

However, as life often reminds us, things rarely go as planned. The room phone’s shrill ringtone shattered the silence like a newborn’s wail, startling Seojun and assaulting his eardrums.

“Gasp!”

The phone’s incessant ringing seemed to agitate the cleaner outside, who began pounding on the door with renewed frenzy. Each thud pounded in time with Seojun’s racing heart, the sound deafening in the chaos.

His shoulders slumped as the weight of the situation pressed down on him, leaving him feeling deflated and overwhelmed. The cacophony of the ringing phone and the relentless pounding created a maddening symphony of terror that left him feeling disoriented and helplessly wronged by the unfairness of the situation.

With all that racket in the hallway, you’d think someone from another room would come out and complain, but it seemed as though the entire motel was conspiring against him, with not a single person coming to investigate the commotion.

Seojun bit his lip, forcefully dragging himself back to the present.

Why is this happening? Why is this playing out just like the videotape?

Suddenly, the title of the movie flashed through his mind: a Real Life Situation! It dawned on him that perhaps it wasn’t just a title—it was a premonition and a literal record of something that had actually happened.

His already pale complexion turned ghostly white as the blood drained from his face. The horrifying realization that this might be reality, not fiction, shook him to the core. He squeezed his eye shut, desperately trying to block out the relentless pounding and ringing that tormented his senses. After a moment, he gritted his teeth and forced his eye open, a newfound determination kindling within him.

Enough with the speculation, there’s no time for that now.

Seojun thought to himself, as his mind buzzed with a thousand fleeting thoughts. He knew he didn’t have the patience to sort out right from wrong. All he cared about was one thing: escaping the crisis at hand.

His gaze darted towards the window, narrowing with sudden clarity. Now he understood why Joseph had bolted for it in the movie. With the door blocked by that strange cleaner, the window to the outside world seemed like a beacon of hope, a tantalizing escape route.

This situation was enough to make anyone’s soul want to flee. The phone and the cleaner’s relentless pounding on the door made it nearly impossible for Seojun to think straight. For the first time, he realized just how excruciating painful electronic sounds could be. The phone’s incessant beeping and ringing, even though he refused to answer, made his head spin.

If he were the type to stay calm and collected, he might have breezed through this crisis. Unfortunately, sage-like composure just wasn’t in his nature.

First, I need to get rid of that damn phone. It’s driving me insane, and I can’t even think.

Seojun grabbed the phone and yanked the power cable out of the socket, sending a jolt of electricity zapping through his fingers.

“Aagh!”

A blinding flash lit up his vision, flooding his mind with intense white light. The phone tumbled to the floor and rolled away as Seojun stumbled backward, landing hard on his butt. His heart pounded wildly, and his forehead was drenched with sweat. Gasping for breath, Seojun looked down at his latex-gloved hand. Well, at least now he had a valid excuse for wearing these gloves—not that it made this situation any less embarrassing.

Well, I guess I’ll tell people the gloves are for protection against sudden electric shocks. Perfect, just great…

Isn’t it funny how we only realize how dumb our actions were after we’ve already done them? Seojun saw what happened to Joseph, and yet here he was, making the same idiotic mistake. He sighed, cursing his own brainless decisions.

Beep beep. Beep beep…

The ominous ringing behind Seojun sent a chill down his spine, freezing him in place. At his feet lay the phone cable he had just yanked out. This had to be a hallucination, a sick joke his overworked mind was playing on him.

Beep beep. Beep beep…

The relentless ringing shattered any hope of escaping this twisted reality.

With immense effort, Seojun forced himself to turn his neck and look at the phone handle, now discarded on the floor. The device’s light flickered briefly and then went dark, leaving the room in an even more suffocating darkness. Just as he thought he could breathe a sigh of relief, a calm, haunting voice echoed from the phone’s receiver:

– The room is dirty, so I sent up a cleaner.

– The room is dirty, so I sent up a cleaner.

– The room is dirty, so I sent up a cleaner….

The same monotonous message played over and over in a maddening loop, like an unending recording. Seojun couldn’t help but scream at the top of his lungs, his throat burning from the exertion.

“AAAAH!”

He sprang to his feet, grabbing the sheets bundled in the corner of the bed, and frantically wrapped the phone in the fabric, holding it tightly against his chest. The muffled voice still came through the barrier, but it was just enough to calm his escalating panic. Teeth clenched, he shoved the phone and the tangled sheets into the farthest corner of the room, his fingers trembling uncontrollably as he ran them through his hair. His mind raced, desperately searching for a way out of this living nightmare.

At this point, Seojun couldn’t deny the unnerving parallels between his current predicament and what had transpired with Joseph. Although the specifics were different, it seemed like he was experiencing a real-life version of the videotape’s story. The realization sent a shudder through him, and his weary, shadowed gaze drifted towards the bed—more specifically, the dark, ominous space underneath it, where anything could be lurking.

“.…..”

Nervously, Seojun rubbed the back of his head, his fingers lightly touching the intact skull that now felt as fragile as glass, as if it could shatter with the slightest wrong move.

As Seojun’s thoughts swirled, he considered how to protect his precious brain, the bone that housed it, and the skin covered in countless hairs. His gaze fell on the guidelines sheet that was on the floor, as if the universe had placed it there. His eyebrows twitched, and saliva pooled in his mouth. Would this just be a waste of time? But if he couldn’t trust the sharp intuition piercing his heart, what else could he believe in?

In truth, the room was far from spacious, and it was Seojun himself who had carelessly discarded the guideline sheet. Admittedly, it was a stretch to call it fate. However, finding something often stirs up odd feelings, and that’s where Seojun’s mind was at. He snatched up the paper, holding it close to his face, his demeanor a complete 180 from his initial apathy.

This guide is full of strange demands and requests. It’s as if it were made for situations like this.

Seojun carefully scanned the guidelines, his eye locking on the first rule.

1) Do not cause a disturbance after 10 PM

He glanced at the clock on the wall, although he already knew it was past 10 PM. A pang of injustice filled him, and he muttered under his breath.

“Honestly, it’s not like I’m the one making all the noise out there.”

His gaze drifted to the bundle of sheets in the corner.

“……”

Even the most shameless person couldn’t deny the obvious truth, especially when the damn evidence was right in front of him. No matter how hard he tried to think positively, unplugging the phone had been his doing. Sighing, he reluctantly moved on to the next rule.

2) You’re welcome to enjoy the complimentary beverages in your room’s refrigerator.

Typical motel nonsense. Just because it was there didn’t mean he had to give in to temptation. He tilted his head, feeling his hair brush against the back of his neck. This rule seemed more ambiguous and harmless, yet it still sent a shiver down his spine. Seojun continued reading, hoping for something more practical.

3) Do not stick your head out the window

“Ugh…”

A groan escaped his lips before he could stop it. The rule seemed like a standard safety precaution. The problem? He’d already broken it by peeking out earlier, even if only by a little. His ears reddened as he rubbed them, and he swallowed hard.

Surely, it can’t be because of that, can it? I mean, I just took a quick peek. It can’t be the reason I’m going through this, right? It can’t be.

He quickly lowered his gaze, only to let out a startled gasp.

4) Housekeeping will visit your room daily. Please let them in.

“Are you out of your mind?”

The absurdity of this request left Seojun flabbergasted. The heat that had crept up his ears now engulfed his entire face. The ‘cleaner’ outside was either a complete lunatic or, more likely in Seojun’s mind, a ghost in disguise. The very idea of letting him in was like signing his own death warrant. His faith in the guidelines took a nosedive.

“No way, nope.”

However, upon further reflection, the request seemed strangely plausible. The cleaner’s appearance was undeniably creepy, but turning away a seemingly ordinary cleaner would be just as strange.

Of course, the cleaner lurking outside was anything but ordinary, so Seojun decided to ignore the rule and moved on to the next one.

5) Do not lift the carpeting under any circumstances

“Carpet?”

The dark red carpet was far from luxurious, looking like any standard room’s flooring. It didn’t even seem possible to lift it up. Curious, Seojun gently rubbed it with his sneaker’s toe, smudging it with dark stains.

6) Do not go underneath the bed

Seojun’s shoulders tensed as he glanced downward. Whether by choice or not, Joseph had broken this rule. Would he share the same fate? Being dragged, thrashing in pain, vomiting blood, and ultimately… dying?

A wave of helplessness crashed over Seojun, threatening to drown his resolve.