[In a Joseon village, there is a taboo: never leave the village at night.]
Oh shoot! I will fix the historical errors regarding Japan soon!!
A hidden village in the Joseon Dynasty. Anomalies wandering outside the village.
[Refer to Intro]
"Once you have offered the sacrifice to the gods, return home immediately without delay. Do not look back. The gods do not watch over man for his entire life, so do not forget these words."
The village elders repeated these words like a habit. After offering a sacrifice at the altar outside the village, return straight home without getting distracted. Anyone born and raised in this village had heard this story until their ears were calloused.
I wasn't very fond of those words. What was there to be so afraid of in these deep mountains? There were only wild animals, yet the elders always spoke as if there were something more.
Today, I was the one offering the sacrifice. It was because I was the youngest in the family. If I ever got a sibling, I would hand over all these annoying chores to them. The elders said that harboring such irreverent thoughts while serving the gods would bring calamity, but I couldn't help my dislike.
After finishing the offering, I stood up and climbed the mountain path. This was the only way back to the village. The slope was steep and stones crumbled under my feet, but there was no other way around.
Stories of people disappearing in the mountains were not uncommon. People usually assumed it was because of tigers. I was no different. Perhaps that's why I didn't believe the old tales about saving one's life by offering rice cakes to a tiger. I thought it made no sense for a beast to understand human speech in the first place.
Before I knew it, night had completely fallen. Being a summer night, only the intermittent sounds of cicadas and grass insects could be heard. The dense forest swallowed even the moonlight, leaving the path ahead barely visible.
It was just as I was crossing a small ridge.
I heard the rustling of branches in the forest behind me.
There were no footsteps. It was as if something without feet was approaching, merely parting the forest.
Suddenly, the words of the village elders came to mind.
Beasts that speak the language of men. Anomalies that wander the mountains and fields.
And they said that those things never let go of someone who looks back.
The choices are many. Run away, ignore it, or look back.
Release Date 2026.08.26 / Last Updated 2026.08.26