Even though the plot unfolded like a dark fairy tale, the voice remained soft and gentle.
BOOM——!!
Suddenly, a deafening crash shook the room, making Ji Yu jump.
When she realized it was only a stone sculpture toppling over, she pressed a hand to her chest and exhaled in relief. But when she turned back—
The little girl was gone.
The dry air lingered, while overhead the gentle voice continued narrating how the student tormented the child.
Ji Yu swallowed hard.
The blood-red glow around her seemed to prove that the girl really had suffered horribly. The narration described in chilling detail—even down to which hand the student used to grab the girl's hair…
A cruel indulgence.
Such repulsive, painful things, yet spoken in the sweetest tone.
Ji Yu couldn't help but wonder—was the writer of this script a complete psychopath?
The crimson-lit room was crammed with objects, each one large enough to hide a person. Ji Yu felt overwhelmed, unsure where to even begin searching.
"Little sister? Where are you? Come out, jie-jie can't find you!"
Minute after minute ticked by. The girl made no sound, as if she'd vanished. Ji Yu's patience finally ran out. Abandoning the search, she decided to hurry on and leave this place.
"—!"
As she turned, a tall shadow—a grown man—flashed across her vision, clutching something in his arms as he bolted toward the exit.
Without thinking, Ji Yu chased after him.
The fifth scene.
A princess's bedroom, drenched in pink.
The moment Ji Yu stepped inside, she saw a black cage enclosing the princess bed.
On the bed sat the little girl, head lowered. Her face was blank, but her right hand slowly lifted to cover her scarred left arm.
Ji Yu saw it clearly. And of course, she recognized the girl—this was the same child she had led all along.
But…
It was all part of the script. No matter how badly the girl looked hurt, it wasn't real.
So why… was Ji Yu frozen in place, dazed?
Because she was thinking.
What was the point of this haunted house?
What meaning lay in this scripted story?
[Hehe… guest, are you perhaps thinking?]
The voice. Was it live?
[Have you remembered something? Perhaps a friend of yours?]
Ji Yu's eyes widened in shock. The narration chuckled softly. Behind the girl, a door flickered—
The emergency exit.
[The answer you seek… lies behind this door.]
Ji Yu glanced at the scarred girl kneeling on the bed. Without a word, she opened the cage, then turned toward the mysterious door.
The air froze.
A simple wooden door stood tall before her. Her slender figure leaned toward it. Her right hand rose, fingertips brushing the cold surface…
The door creaked open, inch by inch—
"Jie-jie!" The girl's voice rang out behind her, filled with fragile hope. "Behind that door… is where the real scares are! Be careful!"
Ji Yu coughed twice, shifting her gaze from the door back to the girl.
"Little sister, don't come here again, okay?"
…She pulled it open.
[We hope you enjoyed your visit.]
" Tang Li, you're here to see Ji Yu?"
The early spring breeze stirred lightly. A young man with cropped hair and a beige coat stood at the apartment entrance. When the door opened, he straightened his clothes at once.
"Ji-jie, happy New Year."
In his hands was a bag filled entirely with tangerines—Ji Yu's favorite fruit. Ji Yu's elder sister, Ji Yu, smiled knowingly.
"Haha, thanks. And happy New Year to you too." She nodded, then gestured. "Come in, sit for a while?"
Tang Li nodded, though his eyes slipped past Ji Yu, searching the house beyond.
"Ji-jie… I heard Ji Yu has a boyfriend now?"
His expression was tense, his unease starkly contrasting Ji Yu's relaxed composure. In fact, he seemed to care far more about Ji Yu's relationship than her sister did.
Ji Yu raised a hand, motioning for him to calm down.
"It's true. He even came by today to invite Ji Yu out."
Her words struck him like a blow. For a moment Tang Li's eyes flickered in panic. But then he closed them, forcing a measured smile as though he'd thought it through.
"She… never told me."
"Heh, we only just found out ourselves."
Time ticked on, second by second.
As Ji Yu pushed open the next door, the girl's warning echoed in her mind… Her heart raced faster and faster, urging her to slow down, slow down—or something terrifying might pounce on her—
Creak—
Beyond the door was a vast cinema hall.
Cautiously, Ji Yu stepped into the darkness, closing the door behind her. The sound of a film projector whirred in the air.
Following the beam of light, she saw him standing at the stage before the curtain.
Mo Yachen.
"Ji Yu, you finally made it out? I thought you'd been scared stiff inside."
Ji Yu thought for a moment, then gave a small nod. She ran toward him. When he caught her in his arms, she chuckled softly.
"Yeah, I was scared. Taking me to a haunted house first thing in the morning—how are you going to make it up to me?"
Click.
In the monitoring room, a woman sat with legs crossed, her face expressionless—clearly unimpressed by their performance. But she said nothing more.
Because…
Mo Yachen had already chosen their seats. The projector whirred, feeding in the film reel.
"Didn't expect the haunted house's finale to be… watching a horror movie. Guess it's… creative?"
"Or just… speechless?"
Mo Yachen cut in with a grin.
The two shared a smile. Even the cold, shadowy horror film became an excuse to lean closer, to feel each other's warmth.
Until the movie ended. The doors shut.
Returning at last to the bustling mall, Ji Yu felt the crowd's noise pressing in, sharper after that strange otherworldly journey.
After a whole morning of wandering, her stomach growled. Since the mall had no restaurants, Mo Yachen led her outside.
"Ji Yu, happy New Year."
On the crowded street, Ji Yu halted, staring at his back.
"Hm? Why only now? What were you doing earlier?"
"Didn't I already take you to the haunted house and a horror film?"
Ji Yu rolled her eyes and turned, glancing up at the eighth floor wrapped in LED screens.
"And you're proud of that? Who takes their girlfriend to a horror movie on New Year's? …But, well, it was kinda fun."
Her silky black hair fluttered in the breeze.
"Happy New Year, too."
The voice behind her was gentle, light.
In the silent cinema, the film reel kept spinning, rattling away.
Even though the reel was empty…
The movie—
Was not finished yet.