I Returned, and Now I See Strange Things

Hyeyeon, waking up, rubbed her eyes and reached for her smartphone.

On the screen, Ayun’s channel showed a subscriber count surpassing ten thousand.

‘...That’s steeper than I expected.’

Although Hyesung had helped, for a channel covering such a niche topic, it was quite literally a dazzling rate of growth.

It wasn’t what anyone would call a particularly polished broadcast... but Hyeyeon figured Ayun’s looks and the intensity of the situation had more than made up for that.

‘Now that I think about it, last night was...’

Even now, thinking about what had happened gave Hyeyeon chills.

Suppressing the involuntary smile tugging at her lips, Hyeyeon went over the events of the previous night in her mind.

A “real” experience unlike anything she’d ever encountered.

Hyeyeon... couldn’t let an opportunity like this slip away.

For that to happen, though, Ayun had to feel confident that she could earn a living from streaming.

Honestly, if nothing else worked out, Hyeyeon figured Ayun could pivot to the mukbang genre and do just fine.

‘Still, I wonder why she doesn’t do anything else?’

Her living conditions and general vibe all pointed to a life of hardship.

Not just her attitude toward food and fashion, but she didn’t seem to wear makeup—or even practice basic self-care.

And yet her skin was flawless.

Hyeyeon didn’t know what kind of life Ayun had lived, but in the end, it was the future that mattered more than the past.

Since things were going well for her, Hyeyeon decided not to overthink it.

Instead, she just reaffirmed her resolve not to waste this opportunity, powered on her computer, and opened the internet.

She finished configuring the donation settings she hadn’t had time to complete yesterday.

Follow current novels on freewebnσvel.cѳm.

‘Even if monetization isn’t active yet, at least she should be able to accept donations now.’

Once the setup was complete, Hyeyeon glanced at Ayun, still sleeping curled up in the corner of the bed.

She could see the signs that Ayun had made a clear effort not to make physical contact with her.

Just like last time—why was she so embarrassed? Could it be that she was uncomfortable sleeping beside someone?

To be honest, the more she got to know her, the more confusing Ayun seemed.

‘Still, I don’t think she’s a bad person.’

Stretching, Hyeyeon stood up.

Unlike Ayun, her ample chest bounced as she moved.

After stretching out her body, Hyeyeon shook Ayun awake.

The moment her hand touched Ayun’s shoulder, Ayun’s tightly shut eyes flew open.

Her sharp gaze met Hyeyeon’s, then quickly softened.

‘...Whoa, that startled me.’

Her small lips parted, and though her voice was a bit hoarse, it rang out with a clear tone.

“...What, it’s morning?”

“Yes.”

Ayun blinked blearily, then let out a sigh and covered her eyes with her arm.

“Haaa...”

Compared to her so-called macho display of manhandling her brother yesterday, this almost childish behavior suited her far better—Hyeyeon couldn’t help but let out a quiet laugh.

“You said we’d go stream today, right? I finished setting up donations, so let’s go.”

At that, Ayun immediately sat upright.

“Really?”

Hyeyeon tried to hide the smile creeping up her face as she nodded.

They hadn’t known each other long, but... somehow, Hyeyeon felt like she was beginning to figure out how to move Ayun.

‘...As long as the YouTube thing works out.’

Ayun gets to earn money, and Hyeyeon gets to experience something real.

As she helped Ayun get ready, Hyeyeon called her brother Hyesung.

***

Hyesung yawned so hard his mouth practically split open as he started the car.

He wasn’t planning to appear on camera anyway, so he just shoved a baseball cap low over his head.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, he asked Ayun, who was sitting in the passenger seat,

“You’re really going through with this...?”

Ayun, smirking at her phone, nodded like it was obvious.

“Would I have woken you up if I wasn’t?”

“Yeah... I guess not.”

Unlike him, still half-asleep and in a mess, Ayun and Hyeyeon were already dressed and ready to go, leaving Hyesung shaking his head.

Just then, Hyeyeon, who had stepped out to run to the convenience store, opened the back door and climbed in.

Through the rearview mirror, Hyesung caught a glimpse of her as she held out a 10L standard-issue garbage bag.

“Let’s each have one before we go?”

Inside were energy drinks and various other beverages.

“I’m taking this.”

Ayun chose a cider, while Hyesung naturally reached for the brown bottle of energy tonic.

As he twisted off the cap and downed it in one go, a satisfied hum drifted into his ears.

“Khh...”

Holding the bottle between his lips, Hyesung chuckled inwardly.

‘What the hell, why’s she drinking cider like it’s soju?’

Having split their drinks nicely, the three of them...

‘...Wait, I’m the one driving, aren’t I?’

The engine purred to life, and the car glided smoothly onto the road.

After a long drive, they arrived once again at the abandoned school they’d visited the night before.

In daylight, the building looked... surprisingly scenic.

The ivy vines that had felt like tentacles reaching out from hell now decorated the walls like art, and the stern stone statues now gave off a comforting, protective aura.

“...It feels really different in daylight.”

“Could just be because they’re not here right now.”

“....”

Thinking about last night still gave Hyesung chills.

Nothing had attacked him directly, but when he recalled the animals lying dead on the floor...

He could clearly picture what would’ve happened to him if Ayun hadn’t been there to protect him.

‘...But isn’t it kind of weird?’

If things were that dangerous, why were the rumors so mild?

Instead of statues move at night, shouldn’t the stories be about bloodthirsty killer statues running wild?

Even if not that extreme, you’d expect there to be some reports of damage... but everything was oddly quiet.

‘...’

The more he thought about it, the weirder it seemed.

“What’re you doing? Not getting out?”

Ayun had opened the passenger door and was looking at him. Hyesung had planned to stay in the car, but the [N O V E L I G H T] unease crept in.

“I’m coming.”

The three of them got out and walked toward the abandoned school, just like before.

Unlike at night, they didn’t need flashlights.

When they reached the front gate, Hyeyeon rummaged through her bag, pulled out a selfie stick, and handed it to Ayun.

“Time to start? Just use it the way I showed you.”

“Oh, yeah.”

To Hyesung, Ayun seemed even more tense than she had the day before.

Almost like a child who couldn’t hide their excitement.

Was something even scarier waiting up ahead?

As Hyeyeon stepped aside, Hyesung quickly approached and whispered to her,

“...Do you know what’s up with her?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“She seems more on edge than yesterday.”

Hyeyeon giggled at that.

“What’s so funny?”

“You just seem super scared, that’s all.”

“...I’m not.”

“Sure you’re not... Anyway, I think she’s just excited because she can get donations today.”

At her words, Hyesung blinked and let out a dry laugh.

“...Guess that explains why she was so quiet yesterday.”

“She couldn’t get any because the settings weren’t done.”

Just then, Ayun looked into the camera on the selfie stick and spoke.

“...Did you all sleep well?”

Is that supposed to be a greeting?

I ate ramen and passed out thanks to you, noona.

Wait, she actually went live lol

“I’m the kind of person who keeps promises.”

At that moment, a robotic chime rang out from the phone.

(User: AyunSweetDreams just donated 5,000 KRW!)

I got the first donation lol

Ayun stared at the screen in disbelief—then broke into a wide smile.

“Not a fan of the username, but... thanks for the five thousand won.”

This channel’s reactions are way too dry lol

Noona’s smile is enough, though???

She can smile like that?!

A person who only smiles when paid

Small donations started coming in, as if viewers wanted to make up for missing out last night.

Ayun’s mouth dropped open as she read through the donations.

Just as it started to feel like she’d forgotten why they’d come to the school—

Hyeyeon, now wearing a mask, appeared behind her. She looked slightly annoyed.

“Guys, I get that you want to donate after missing it yesterday, but at this rate it’s going to be nighttime again. I’m going to temporarily disable donations—send them later.”

“H-Hy—uh, Assistant?”

Ayun looked at her with wide, desperate eyes. Seeing that face, Hyeyeon winced internally but stayed firm.

They couldn’t just stand around collecting micro-donations. Whether they hired an editor or did it themselves, they’d need actual footage.

Hyeyeon leaned in and whispered into Ayun’s ear.

“You’ve got to learn when to stop. Otherwise all the prep for today’s content goes to waste.”

At that, Ayun nodded grimly.

“Like the assistant said... Let’s head into the school.”

Having achieved her goal, Hyeyeon stepped out of frame looking satisfied—unaware of the way her brother was staring at her in horror.

Holding back tears, Ayun disabled donations and entered the abandoned school the same way as the night before.

Crossing the yard, she arrived at the large statue—and was struck by how different the atmosphere was in daylight.

“It really feels like a different place.”

I thought they went to the wrong spot

Same here until I saw this part lol

For a moment, Ayun let the view stir old school memories, then moved toward the glass doors where she’d smashed the final statue’s head the night before.

“...Huh?”

At the large glass entrance, Ayun suddenly felt something was off.

The place, which should have been a total mess, was too clean.

She tilted her head and pushed the glass doors open—

And there wasn’t a trace of the shattered statue left.

It was like it had never existed.

Sensing something wrong, Ayun quickly stepped inside.

“H-Hey, noona?”

“Unnie?”

Ignoring the confusion in their voices—and the fact that she was livestreaming—Ayun began searching for any trace of the statues she’d destroyed the night before.

‘...Nothing.’

The inside of the school was spotless, as if nothing had ever happened.

Not only were the smashed statues gone—even the mangled animal corpses had disappeared.

Every trace had been wiped clean.

“...What the hell...”

Breathing heavily, Ayun suddenly remembered the stream and looked down at her phone.

What the hell is going on

I feel dizzy!!!

urgh... ugh... blegh

“...Honestly, this is confusing, but it’s convenient. For those of you who watched yesterday—you’re in here, right?”

Didn’t watch, but I’m here anyway lol

Watching secretly

So what happened?

Ayun turned the camera toward the spotless area and spoke quietly.

“For those who watched last night—you remember all the animal corpses and the smashed statues, right? But now that we’re here during the day... it’s totally clean.”

Did someone clean it up?

????

The chat was filled with question marks and confusion.

They’d expected to see the aftermath—but it was gone.

Almost obsessively clean, to the point of being suspicious.

Just then, something rectangular caught Ayun’s eye.

She bent down and picked it up—it looked like a business card.

But... there was nothing printed on it. Just a blank white card.

‘...Something’s been here.’

Just then, Hyesung’s voice called out from down the hall.

“Noona! Come look at this!”

It left a bad feeling, but Ayun tucked the card into her pocket and followed the sound of Hyesung’s voice.

A group of people was approaching.

Blinking, Ayun turned to Hyesung and asked,

“What’s going on?”

“Ah, so... um...”

Scratching his head, Hyesung replied in a flustered voice.

“They said this place is scheduled for demolition, so we need to leave.”

“Huh...? All of a sudden?”

“Yeah... they didn’t say much else, just told us to get out.”

“...Got it.”

Nodding as if she understood, Ayun ended the stream with a promise to resume later, then climbed into Hyesung’s car.

And sure enough, just as Hyesung had said, heavy machinery was closing in on the abandoned school.

A short while later—

As the car’s engine started up, the sound of something being demolished rang out behind them.