Excerpt: About a boy who checks into a strange hotel and encounters an even stranger man.
A boy named Hoseok traveled to Seoul on holiday. He decided to stay in a cheap hotel to save money. The receptionist gave him the keys to his room. He also warned Hoseok, "No matter what happens, do NOT open the door. If you need anything, this is my card. Just dial the number on it and everything will be served to your room."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
When Hoseok got to his room and began to unpack, he realized that the hotel receptionist had given him room 66 on the 6th floor. A chill went down his spine. Technically, that was 666.While unpacking his things, he heard someone knocking the door to his room. He ignored at first. But when the knocks grew louder, he opened the door. There was nobody outside. He poked his head out and looked around, but he did not see anyone in the corridor. Hoseok figured out that it was just some kid doing pranks and shrugged it off, so he shut the door and resumed unpacking.
Suddenly, there was another knock on the door. This time, when he opened the door, there was a man standing outside wearing a red bathrobe. The strange man was crying and shaking. He told Hoseok that he had accidentally locked himself out of his room. The strange man also said that he was having problems with his husband and he was really depressed and suicidal.
Hoseok felt sorry for the strange man, so he offered to go down to the lobby and get a replacement key for him from the hotel receptionist. However, when Hoseok took the elevator down to the lobby, it was empty. He did not find anyone at reception. He rang the bell on the desk and waited. After a few minutes, the receptionist, Yoongi, appeared and Hoseok asked him for a replacement key for the room of the man in the red robe.
Yoongi: "The man in the red robe?... What man in a red robe?"
Hoseok: "Oh, this strange man, he came to my room because he got locked out of his own room."
Yoongi: I told you to ignore every sound and to not open the door, right?
Hoseok: That man was desperate! I just want to be a little kind to him and help him.
Yoongi: "What are you talking about? We have only one guest staying on the 6th floor today and that is you."
Hoseok: "That can't be true! Can you check again?"
Yoongi: "Oh, let me tell you this... You may not believe this, but it's true. There was a horrible tragedy. A few years ago, a man named Namjoon was staying here. He was in room 66 on the 6th floor. The very room that you are staying in today. He and his husband named Jin split up and he wanted to commit suicide. But, in his madness, he decided that he wanted everyone in the hotel to die with him. So he put on a white robe and, carrying a shotgun, went from floor to floor shooting people. There was so much blood everywhere. It was horrible. He was insane and there was so much blood that his white robe was stained red. Ever since that day, guests who stay on the 6th floor say they see him from time to time."
Hoseok was speechless.
Yoongi smiled as he walked out from behind the desk and pointed to a red stained hole on his own stomach.
