It was the summer of 2006. I was waiting to enlist in the military with my friends.
Hyun Soo was a diligent student. Min Chul was the playful guy. And there was me. When the three of us thought of going to the military with our heads shaved, we felt so depressed.
So we decided to go on our first trip abroad. Our destination was Shidao, China. It's a small port city located in Shandong province of China. There are many sights to see and a lot of dishes to try. And there's a famous beer brewery nearby.
We decided to drink a lot of beer and have fun. We are still students, so we didn't have a lot of money. Instead of flying there which cost a lot, we decided to take the ferry.
At last it was the day of our trip.
"It's the ocean!"
"Hey, we are going to China!"
"Let's go!"
"Let's go!"
We were so thrilled. And we were checking out the ferry. Then we went up to the deck. We got up on the platform and spread our arms wide. We did the famous "Titanic" pose and took photos.
After having some fun, we got hungry. We headed to the cafeteria on the first floor of the ferry. It was already packed with people. And we kept hearing people talk loudly in Chinese we didn't understand.
"Do you know how you say, 'Did you eat in Chinese?'"
"How do you say it?"
We were goofing around in Korean. The cafeteria suddenly got quiet. And everyone looked at us.
And at the moment, a man who was sitting near us.....
"Why are you so loud? I can't eat here."
We were shocked by the scary tone of his voice. So we quickly stopped talking. When we observed them, their outfits seem a little off. They were all dressed in dark-colored outfits. And they all had a huge suitcase next to them.
We were so scared. And a woman hurriedly beckoned to us.
"Kids, you can eat comfortably at this table."
"Thank you."
She seemed to be in her mid-40s. She spoke with a Yanbian accent. Her smile seemed kind.
"By the way, what do they do?"
"Oh them? They are peddlers."
They were small scale traders who went back and forth between China and Korea via ferry to sell their products. When we were eating together, she told us travelling information in China. And all of a sudden, she slouched toward us and whispered something to us.
"When they try to sell you their stuff on the ferry, don't buy anything. Also, don't help anyone carry the suitcases."
"Why not?"
She told us that sometimes, the suitcases had smuggled products or drugs. And then she added one more piece of advice.
"You must lock the door when you go to sleep. Whoever comes, don't open the door."
"Why are you scaring us?"
We were already scared. But hearing something like that made me feel self-conscious and nervous about the people. We quickly went to our rooms and decided to go to sleep.
After walking to my friends', I opened the door to my room. I thought I was doomed. The room was very small that a person could barely fit in there.
"What's this smell?"
The particular smell of the oil from the ferry was overpowering.
"Should I sleep with my friends?"
'THUD THUD'
'GASP'
'I SAID I WAS SORRY! YOU JERK.'
I heard people fighting outside my room. I was worried that I might get mixed up in the fight if I left the room. I decided to stay in the room.
Without being able to leave the room, I had to stay there for ten hours in that room. I was anxious, so I checked if the door was locked properly several times. Then I lay down on the bed.
But I kept hearing noised from the outside. I couldn't fall asleep.
"Gosh."
I put my head on the pillow and was so irritated. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.
"Who is it?"
"Is it you, Min Chul?"
"Hyun Soo?"
I asked if they were my friends, but no one answered.
"Gosh. What was that? I guess someone got the wrong room."
Someone knocked on the door again.
"Who is it?"
It felt creepy when no one answered after knocking on the door. So I got up from the bed and carefully walked to the door. I put my ear up on the door.
'THUDTHUDTHUD!!!'
Someone grabbed the doorknob and turned it like crazy. I was about to open the door and check who it was. I remembered what the lady had said earlier not to open the door.
At that moment, I saw a door grille.
'Should I check through that?'
I could only relax once I saw who was behind the door. So I pushed up my face close to the door grille.
"What? No one is there."
No one was in the hallway. Anyway, my body was still trembling. But I got up.
Before even I turned my back to the door, the doorknob started to turn again.
Suddenly I heard these weird sounds from behind me. It was just me in the room but I was hearing the sounds resonated through the whole room. I froze at first but when I looked behind me a woman was groaning and twisting her body while making a lot of noise.
(You can check out my original story and support me. The title is 'THE REDDEST RED')