Reborn as a Prophet in a Horror Movie

#054Reader Mode

#054

Seojun leaned against the railing of his hospital bed, his arm wrapped up like a mummy’s. His attempt to sit up straighter was almost comical, given the awkward fumble of his bandaged hand. As he squirmed like an overturned bug, his parents rushed to tuck him back in bed, worried he might tumble out in his restlessness.

It was one of those moments—where if you weren’t careful—the threat of being swallowed by blankets in a well-meaning but smothering attempt by his parents to make him more comfortable was possible. Just as he was about to protest, a voice cut through the room.

“Ah, you’re up. Perfect timing. So, are you ready to talk about it? Yes, I thought as much. Time, you see…is of the essence. And we’re running low on it, as well as resources. Both, I mean.”

The guy just kept talking, gesturing wildly as if trying to paint a picture in the air, which made him seem unrefined. Moreover, his words tumbled out in a confusing mess, leaving Seojun—and likely everyone else—completely lost in trying to follow along.

However, when Seojun shut his eyes, trying to block it out, his parents seemed oddly at ease with the man’s erratic personality. They looked like they wanted to offer Seojun some advice, or maybe a heads-up about him, but before they could, the man ushered them out of the room.

Seojun squinted with his one good eye, the other hidden beneath bandages. It was hard to find a spot on him that wasn’t injured honestly. And according to his parents, he’d been a target for kidnappers since he was young. The fact that his parents could leave him with this stranger hinted at this man being either a master manipulator or someone far more dangerous than he looked…

But it didn’t look like they were being threatened, though.

Seojun cautiously tilted his head, unsure of whether to trust his own judgment anymore. What was the point in speaking up? It was embarrassing enough to have lived in such a shameful delusion his whole life. So, he watched the man with a subtly uneasy and bitter gaze.

To his surprise, the man extended a hand, palm open in a stiff, almost robotic offer of a handshake. Before Seojun could react, the man whipped out a business card from his sleeve with a practiced sleight of hand.

Seojun squinted at the card, but his vision was too blurry to make out the words. He had forgotten that he was without his contacts or glasses and was now down to one eye. The flurry of events since waking up had left him disoriented and unsure of what to do next.

Seojun felt dizzy as he stared blankly at the card, his mind reeling with the harsh reality of his now literally dimmed future. Suddenly, the man’s hand grabbed his own, shaking it with such vigor that it sent his frail body swaying, but he managed to keep his balance.

“As you’ve seen, ah, well, maybe you can’t due to the sight challenges…I’m Eric Aeris, but please, just call me Eric. Feels a bit stuffy to have someone who’s not in the ranks call me by my last name, you know? Some buddies of mine started calling me Eris, but between us, not my favorite. Gets a bit confusing—are they using my first or last name?”

“Ah, got it,” Seojun mumbled, more to himself than to Eric.

Eric was a talkative man. As Seojun studied his face more closely, something clicked—the strained friendliness in Eric’s smile and the tremor in his voice as he tried to comfort him—it all made sense now. He was the one who had approached them after he killed Fred.

Then, like a haunting flashback, Seojun was hit with the clear memories of the unhinged soldier. The man’s intestines spilling from his side, his life ending in a brutal instant as he was torn apart. The soldier’s crazed ramblings about cuckoos, sparrows, and other birds while claiming his comrades were still with him. The bizarre smile, so similar to Eric’s, was seared into Seojun’s mind, refusing to be forgotten.

Suddenly, the hospital room around Seojun melted away, replaced by the scene of the old, neglected dormitory. Its wooden floors groaning, walls cloaked in mold, and the air thick with the scent of blood and dust. A suffocating claustrophobia enveloped him, the walls closing in as if the memory had come to life. The hallucination felt so real, his chest tightening as he struggled to shake it off.

But Seojun couldn’t stay lost in those dark hallucinations for long. Eric’s voice, grounded in the present, brought him back from the brink of his spiraling fears.

“So, we need to have a serious conversation now. Actually, everyone else has finished talking except for you.”

“Something serious?” Seojun asked, his heart pounding.

“Mmhm.” Eric replied, his pouty expression making him look more like a kid than ever. But as soon as he started speaking, the hospital room came back into focus, and Seojun found himself sitting up, drawn into the gravity of the conversation.

“We’ve got a couple of troublesome topics to discuss,” Eric began. “Like that tentacle monster from outer space, or those psychotic brothers with a nasty hobby of chopping people up… Oh, and there’s the matter of your eye, too.”

Eric’s last point was almost an afterthought, as if he were apologizing for even bringing it up.

“Well, bad news is, we can’t restore the vision in your left eye. We would’ve loved to save the eye, but it’s looking like a prosthetic is in your future.”

Eric glanced over at Seojun, half expecting him to have a meltdown or burst into tears over the news. However, Seojun’s visions have always been more of a curse than blessing, the relentless onslaught of visions dragging him away from reality since he was just a kid. Losing an eye, but seeing the world more clearly in return? To Seojun, it felt like a small price to pay for the truth.

Eric, oblivious to the depth of Seojun’s supernatural struggles, tried to console him. “Hey, don’t stress too much, alright? I know, easier said than done, but you’re in good hands. We got you the best eye surgeon money can buy. It’s gonna cost a pretty penny, but the guy’s a genius.”

“It’s incredibly expensive?”

Seojun’s pupils shook uncontrollably. Here he was, smack dab in the heart of capitalist America, where everything came with a hefty price tag.

Do I even have health insurance? And if I do, would it cover something like this?

It was clear that things here were different from Korea. The thought of his family’s already precarious finances crumbling under the weight of this unexpected expense was terrifying.

A storm of negative emotions raged through Seojun’s veins, tensing his body as he braced himself for the worst. His future, already shrouded in uncertainty, now seemed alarmingly clear—and bleak. He was no stranger to viewing life through a pessimistic lens, but for once, he wished for a hopeful outcome. Was this ominous vision of a lifetime of a lifetime of labor a premonition, or just another figment of his imagination?

“Are you here to tell me I’m doomed to be in debt forever?” Seojun’s voice held a forced casualness, his throat bobbing as he fought for composure. Despite his efforts, the hopelessness in his tone could be heard, his lone eye glistening pitifully.

Eric’s eyes widened at the sight of Seojun trembling like a cornered lab rat. His messy hair dangled over his eyebrows, making his expression hard to read. Seojun swallowed hard, his nerves only growing worse. Thankfully, Eric wasn’t one to draw out the suspense like Bobby and got straight to the point.

“Seriously, seriously. I was trying to figure out what had you all worked up,” Eric said, his voice light and casual. “Obviously, all hospital and surgery costs during your stay are covered. And that’s just the beginning—we’ll be properly compensating you for your trouble. Did you really think we wouldn’t provide at least this level of support?”

“Really?” Seojun replied skeptically.

Eric started twirling a fountain pen he’d pulled from his shirt pocket. Since he didn’t take out a notebook or any papers, it seemed to just be a habit.

With a noticeably relaxed air about him, Eric dove into the specifics: the generous compensation package for Seojun and his friends, the cutting-edge medical screenings they’d undergo after their close encounter with an alien, and how they’d work some legal magic on Seojun and Johan’s… well, let’s just say, super messy, self-defense situation.

The deal Eric laid out sounded too good to be true. It was practically music to Seojun’s ears. Especially, the generous compensation mentioned by Eric was enough to make his jaw drop. But as the saying goes, if it’s too good to be true, it probably is. Seeds of doubt began to sprout in Seojun’s mind. Was this really as perfect as it seemed, or was it just a trap, baiting him into something sinister? The overwhelming distrust was written all over his face.

Eric’s pen, which had been spinning effortlessly between his fingers, came to an abrupt halt. His eyebrows knitted together, forming a slight frown. “I get it,” he said, his tone slightly more serious now. “Offering a helping hand without expecting anything in return does raise eyebrows. Absolutely! That’s the kind of skepticism I like to see. In fact, it’s what I encourage. Being naive about the world is a virtue expected of children under ten.”

A small smile tugged at the corner of Eric’s mouth, and he shrugged nonchalantly. “But you’re definitely too tall to be ten,” he joked, making no attempt to hide his ulterior motives. But weirdly enough, this honesty from Eric made Seojun feel more at ease.

Seojun let out a sigh, stretching his tense muscles as he sank deeper into the bed. Watching Seojun’s guard drop, Eric absentmindedly scratched his shaggy hair with the fountain pen.

“What we’re asking from you isn’t too complicated. That low-risk, Grade C entity you guys called it Monster X, right? Gotta say, the name’s simple, but it’s quite fitting! You guys have a good naming sense. Monster X, Monster X… It’s a catchy name. Anyway, it’s about that strange creature. All you have to do is keep your mouth shut about its existence. How about it? Pretty easy, huh?”

“……”

Seojun’s index finger twitched, weighing the offer. The hefty payout in exchange for silence about Monster X—almost expected, considering the government was involved. They didn’t have much of a choice, not with the government breathing down their necks. The memory of their insane encounter with Monster X was still fresh, but without proof, who’d believe them? They’d just be kids telling wild stories, and any evidence probably got scrubbed from existence by these guys already. But Seojun couldn’t shake off the thought of…

“What about the people eaten by that monster? Richard Silver, for example?”

“Ah, right, good news about that… Not to sound callous about Richard’s life—God rest his soul, whether it was long or short enough. But, we’ve got two fall guys lined up. Two of them you’ve met to be specific. Trust me, it’s better for his parents to believe their son’s brave friends avenged him, rather than hearing he was eaten by the Loch Ness Monster.”

“Uh….”

Seojun gave Eric a cautious look, his insides knotting with unease. They were planning to pin Monster X’s gory appetite on those brothers in gas masks. A sour taste filled Seojun’s mouth, but he knew the truth wouldn’t have come out anyway. The soldiers and Richard’s death would’ve been buried, and those brothers were ruthless, just like when they killed Brass, so Richard was doomed from the start. Slowly, the tension in Seojun’s face eased.

I mean, it’s not so bad, right? Richard and I weren’t close to each other anyway.

Seojun realized he wasn’t any better than Bobby in the selfishness department. Friendships in his neighborhood were as flimsy as a torn piece of paper. Eric’s voice brightened when he saw Seojun’s silent agreement.

“And don’t sweat it about you and Johan killing Fred Frank. Anyone who saw that cabin scene would call you heroes. The missing victims’ families would thank you.”

Eric’s voice softened towards the end, a somber note sneaking into his usual upbeat cadence. That’s when Seojun realized: this was real empathy. Beneath Eric’s easygoing exterior, there were genuine emotions.

Seojun saw the disheveled Eric in a new light, remembering how he’d told them they were safe when he’d let Johan take the lead and passed out. That day at the Hamon campsite had been brutal and traumatizing—the only other adults they’d met were the homicidal brothers and a madman soldier lost in his delusions of patriotism.

Could Eric be trusted? Recalling the amount of money Eric had mentioned earlier, Seojun found himself inclined to believe him. Slowly, he nodded.

“I understand what you’re saying. I won’t tell anyone about the monster. I wasn’t planning on it anyway…”

“Really? You’ve made a wise decision. Oh, and just to clarify, it’s only the story about Monster X that needs to be kept under wraps. The Frank brothers’ murderous spree is going to hit the headlines either way. I’ll handle the details and keep you updated, so don’t worry about it.”

“Yeaah,” Seojun stretched out the word, a yawn breaking through. Despite the short conversation, his eyes were already struggling to stay open. Eric, caught mid-forehead rub with his pen now slick with hair grease, leaned in, looking a bit awkward.

“Hey, sorry for keeping you up, especially when you’re so tired. I’ll see you a few more times since you’ve got a surgery coming up. I’ll come again next time. Try to get some rest.”

As Eric headed for the door, Seojun watched him go, his confusion breaking through his sleepiness.

“That’s it? I was expecting a longer conversation.”

Eric’s smile was more bitter than sweet.

“What? Expecting an interrogation on how you defeated the monster or how much our little naughty sparrow chirped? Relax! Your friends have filled us in on plenty. Besides, you’re supposed to be resting, not giving reports.”

Seojun felt a weird mix of gratitude and unease at Eric’s casual kindness. A shiver ran down his spine, but he was too drained to muster a proper response. Lamenting the loss of his precious muscle mass, Seojun’s eyelids drooped.

Eric’s gaze lingered on Seojun’s pale face before he turned to leave. His hand was about to grasp the doorknob when he paused, his dirty sneakers scuffing the floor. Casually, as if asking about the weather, Eric asked,

“By the way, did the soldier who attacked you happen to mention who sent him?”

Seojun’s mind was fuzzy under the warmth of the blanket and he barely registered Eric’s question. “Not sure… don’t really know…” His words trailed off as he turned away, his eyelids heavy.

Eric’s footsteps faded, but Seojun’s thoughts swirled with a jumble of voices: a soldier’s ramblings about duty, nation, patriotism, taxes, dedication, freedom, human rights, secrets, squad, doctor, transport, guinea pig, guinea pig, guinea pig legend…. The voices of his friends Christina, Airi, William, and Johan swirled around him, adding to the chaos.

Ah, that’s right. Bobby wasn’t there then.

Regretting the fleeting thought of the ever-complaining Bobby, Seojun drifted off. The last thing he remembered was the soft click of the door closing, half-expecting sleep to bring nightmares just as tangled as his thoughts.