‘I’VE BEEN WAITING! YOU’RE HERE!’

And It lunges straight at him.

Minseok barely dodges It, barreling himself past its unnaturally thin and long elongated form. It thuds with an alarming weight onto the floor and Minseok is scrambling backwards, suddenly alone in an uncannily empty room.

This was not his memory, this was not a memory he had at all- he doesn’t understand.

His childhood bedroom is bare- there is no furniture, the walls are freshly painted and there are moving boxes just outside in the hallway and a small boy stumbles in, wearing thick winter clothes, looking around amazed and-

He stops, staring at Minseok, panting on the floor.

Minseok knows he’s looking at himself- he’s seen enough baby photos of himself to recognize himself in the photos. He’s at that age where he’s able to walk by himself, but there’s a sort of imbalance to his movements, as though ready to topple over any moment, but he doesn’t.

Was this-…this couldn’t be. There’s no way how he should be remembering something like this- there’s no actual way he would remember something like this-

‘Minseok-ah!’

The voice reverberates through the air, the walls shaking and peeling and his younger self starts to cry. He falls onto his , staring at Minseok and crying and crying and It stumbles through the hallway, long arms, hands too large folding over his young self’s head, over his ears, and-

Screaming, Minseok falls onto his childhood bed, clutching at his ears, clutching at his hair-

‘What’s wrong?’ the voice asks him again, the force of it rippling against his skin, through his hair, forcing him to open his eyes and-

His room is decorated, lived in. But not in a way he remembers. He’s on the floor, on a soft rug that he doesn’t remember or recognize. There are toys around him. It’s raining, and the lighting is dim and it’s as though-

He’s waiting for someone.

He’s looking down at himself and he can’t quite understand what he was witnessing. What any of this meant.

There’s a sound, and Minseok turns, ready to defend himself but it’s just his mum. She’s incredibly young here.

‘Minseok-ah,’ she sounds sad. She walks over, through Minseok, and goes to kneel down on the carpet. ‘Hi baby, you okay?’

Minseok is maybe 4 or 5 here, a little younger than his first memory, his first encounter with It.

Everyone hears it. There’s a very specific, very clear, and very resonant sound that comes from the hallway. Minseok watches as his mum jumps a little, eyebrows flying up, turning around as baby version of himself gasps, smiling and leaning to the side as though expecting to see someone-

It crashes through the hallway, lunging at Minseok-

‘I’VE BEEN HERE-!’

Lu Han suddenly appears before him and shoves him hard. Minseok opens his eyes just as he’s falling, his back meeting the floor with a solid and hard thud.

He’s not in his childhood home, he was in Lu Han’s apartment. Lu Han himself was half on top of him, eyes wide as he scrambles to balance himself.

‘What was that?’ Minseok asks, voice coming out in a whisper.

Lu Han looks troubled and confused.

‘There’s something…something very powerful attached to you,’ Lu Han tells him slowly, like he was thinking, ‘Its very memory is so strong, it can- it chooses to appear within your memories…Minseok.’

Lu Han leans back away as Minseok slowly sits up.

Ku, Ma, and Mon are sitting in a row to the side, ears up and alert, tails still, the hair on the back of their nape standing on end.

‘I think I understand now,’ he says slowly, sliding off of Minseok’s lap to his side.

Minseok’s vision starts to focus and he’s incredibly groggy, like he woke up from an accidental 2 PM nap and woke up at 9 in the evening. He’s able to see Lu Han properly as he blinks hard several times.

‘I think we’re gonna need help,’ Lu Han pants, sweat drenching his hair, the front of his shirt. Minseok himself was sweating, he realizes.

The sun was softly glowing in and it hurts Minseok’s eyes. It’s what was causing the tears, he tells himself.

‘I can’t do this on my own,’ Lu Han shakes his head, nearly falling over sideways but he catches himself up on the side of his couch. ‘You can’t do this on your own. You’re too strong.’

‘Sorry?’ Minseok manages to croak out, unable to move, mind still reeling.

Mon walks over to him and curls up right next to his head.

‘This is not your fault,’ Lu Han tells him again. ‘Do not blame yourself- with the weight of what you carry- with what you know, what you’ve seen, what you’ve heard- this is…I think I need to talk with Sohee. There’s something I need to know.’

‘What were you able to see?’ Minseok exhales out, closing his eyes as he relives the memories Lu Han was somehow able to open up. He doesn’t understand how he was able to do it. ‘I didn’t- I didn’t realize I had those memories.’

Lu Han doesn’t reply for a while. So after a long minute of silence, Minseok turns his head over to look at the other man, wondering if he had maybe fainted or fallen asleep. Minseok would sure love to sleep right now.

But instead, Lu Han is simply looking at him over his arms he was pillowing. He was studying him, and once again, Minseok is reminded that Lu Han was not just some random air-headed guy who spoke too fast.

‘You need to let it go- the fear you have,’ Lu Han explains, ‘I thought that your walls were too strong- that you subdued them- but that’s not the case, not exactly. It’s like…’

He pauses, thinking hard.

‘You’re so strong- that you’ve inhibited yourself, using all of your sight, all of your mind in keeping this in- it’s why it’s effecting you like this- it’s like a parasite- it’s feeding off of you.’ Lu Han explains, ‘You need to let me in further, so I can help you.’

Minseok has a feeling there’s something Lu Han isn’t saying.

‘Should we go again?’

‘God, I hope you’re not like this with ,’ Lu Han groans, sitting up, ‘Or, maybe that’s good if you have 2 boyfriends-‘

‘For ’s sake-‘

‘I’m trying to be supportive,’ Lu Han sits up properly. ‘But hey, I think you’ve gotten a hang of things right? I think, I can reach in without any stimuli now- you’re accommodating to me being there.’

Minseok nods.

He briefly wonders if this was somewhat how Kyungsoo felt when Minseok walked through his memories back in the Hostel. It makes Minseok think.

‘Hey,’ he stops Lu Han from getting his phone out. ‘You’re not…is It coming for you?’

‘Hm?’ Lu Han resets the metronome app and places his phone down again, ‘No. It ignores me for most of the part because I’m not what it wants or needs. I also haven’t registered as a threat. Yet.’

‘So…will it?’

‘Not sure,’ Lu Han rolls his shoulders a few times before gesturing to Minseok to get closer now that he’s sat up. ‘Let’s see.’

‘…aren’t you being too flippant?’ Minseok pauses, eyeing Lu Han carefully.

‘Hey, what’s life without a little danger to spice things up?’

‘A safe one.’

‘Boooo,’ Lu Han intones as he pushes his hair away and then snaps his fingers, ‘Let’s go buns, round two, ready to be wrecked.’

‘I really hate you.’

‘No you don’t,’ Lu Han’s voice echoes around him, his smiles blinding as the air shivers and Minseok shifts into a crouching form by his childhood living room. Thunder echoes above him and he’s watching himself eat.

‘You know, one thing I noticed, not sure if you have or you’re just not telling me,’ Lu Han says casually, sitting next to him in a heap, ‘Everything is sad.’

‘Hm?’

Minseok looks around. He doesn’t remember being sad.

‘Yeah,’ Lu Han looks around, wrinkling his nose a little before saying, ‘It smells like grief.’

‘…I don’t know if I remember anything about that to be honest,’ Minseok says slowly.

‘That’s all right!’ Lu Han waves a hand flippantly, ‘Sometimes I’m wrong.’

‘That…that’s not the most reassuring.’

‘It isn’t? I think it is,’ Lu Han winks at him before nodding towards the kitchen, ‘Have I mentioned that you’re absolutely adorable buns?’

Minseok’s response is at a grunting level.

‘Do you resemble your mum or dad? I’d say mum’s family side right? You and Sohee are uncanny.’

‘Yeah, I take on mum’s family in terms of like, face, height,’ Minseok gestures vaguely to his own face. ‘Got dad’s hair- not his height.’

‘You’d be a menace if you were tall,’ Lu Han shudders, ‘Might just tap that if you were like, 4 inches taller.’

‘Well thank ,’ Minseok doesn’t know if he should be insulted or relieved.

‘Would you say you’re close to your family?’

Minseok raises a quizzical eyebrow at the man sitting next to him, ‘What’s with the questions?’

‘Hey, just wanna know some background stuff.’

‘Didn’t Sohee fill you in on stuff like this?’

‘Sure, but I wanna know it from your angle.’

‘Well…yeah, I guess we’re on good terms- mum’s side especially. Dad’s side is pretty okay too I guess, but we all live across the country- not much time to make visits.’ Minseok replies slowly.

‘That memory,’ Lu Han emphasizes, ‘Does your mum have this thing too?’

‘What, seeing ghosts and spirits?’

Lu Han nods, thunder cracks above them.

‘Not quite? She knows about it though, I think she can sense when things are strange but it doesn’t always register as being well, supernatural I guess.’ Minseok explains.

Lu Han nods slowly, making a small ahh sound.

‘Does this run exclusively in your family? Anything from dad’s side?’

‘Well…I don’t know?’ Minseok realizes he’s never quite thought about that. His mum’s side of the family sure, Sohee was very much prime example of that. ‘I don’t think it’s ever come up.’

‘Does your dad know?’

‘I think he’s aware at some level, but doesn’t really address it,’ Minseok laughs as he adds, ‘Though he’ll like, gruffly and lowly ask if we’re out, if there’s anything he needs to know about a place or person.’

Lu Han laughs at that, delighted before abruptly stopping. He turns around, frowning as he looks into the living room.

It’s not there.

‘Hm?’ Lu Han stands, frowning as he looks around Minseok’s impressionist rendering of his memory, ‘Something is wrong-?’

Leaping out of his bedroom, It crashes straight into Lu Han, sending them crashing through the strange blend of the soften borders of his memories, rain, fear, and now, Minseok smells it too, grief.

‘LU HAN!’ Minseok leaps up to his feet, preparing to jump after Lu Han but he’s being pulled away, the soft borders of his memory changing and smoothening out, each lined clean and rendered in stark form and there’s a startling clarity to his memory now.

There are changes to this memory now- the sound of the rain quiet, and over it Minseok hears himself crying.

He’s at the dining table, scooping out the rice, crying softly, hiccups breaking his faint sobs every now and then. Thunder rumbles and he flinches, staring out into the living room. The figures are there, but it’s only now that Minseok realizes they’re inside.

‘No,’ Minseok is shaking as he cries, covering his eyes, ‘Not you, not you-‘

He keeps muttering over his sobs and Minseok is angry, he’s so angry where were his parents why didn’t they hear him crying.

‘-not you I don’t want-‘

‘Minseok-ah.’

It’s not quite his fathers voice- different, similar, but different. Minseok looks up, his expression confused.

‘Let’s get you back to bed.’

Minseok rubs at his eyes, staring out at the living room again.

‘Nothing will hurt you.’

Minseok can’t turn, can’t look up. He’s hurt, his heart heavy, breaking, missing-

A hand on his head, it’s strangely cold and not at all familiar. But Minseok allows it to take him to his bedroom. He climbs into his bed, now cold, and clumsy hands pull at the blankets, adjusting them around him.

‘What happened?’ Minseok asks.

‘Nothing,’ the voice replies, ‘Just sleep, I’ll be here.’

‘I-…I don’t know who you are,’ Minseok says shakily, ‘I don’t want you!’

He’s pushed down against the bed, and he’s too scared to even scream. He feels It’s breath fanning against his head, fingers gently carding through his hear, the edge of his ear and he’s shaking hard, breathless with fear.

‘You were calling, and I heard you.’

And finally, Minseok allows himself to hear It. Here what It has to say to him.

It leans in and-

‘What do you wish for?’

Minseok stops shaking. The fear in him subsides as he thinks of what he could wish for- what he wanted.

What did he want?

Slowly turning, the answer ready on his tongue, he faces It and-

*

‘Hello everyone, are you ready for a new chapter, filled with some truly stunning twists to a beloved classic?’

‘How do you know what we’re reading today is a classic?’

‘Because that’s what Minseok-hyung and Lu-hyung told me.’

‘I did say that.’

‘Ah.’

‘So! Welcome back everyone to Once Upon an Unsolved Vlog!

Today we will be reading a story submitted to us by Horanghae Cult Member over on Patreon!’

‘It is simply named The Night Bus Driver.

And hey, that’s simple, to the point, and honestly I’ve often wondered, what sort of things night bus drivers witness. Not supernaturally, but like, I think they would see all sorts of people, more than they care to witness or want to witness.’

‘For sure, like, I once worked at the 7-Eleven near my home when I was fresh out of high school and I took the evening shift, my anxiety has never been the same since.’

‘And talk about being fresh out of high school!

Let’s say hello to our special guest for today!’

‘-…how am I related to high school?’

‘There is no reason! I just wanted to throw our viewers off!

It’s the one and only Park Chanyeol!’

‘WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!’

‘YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!’

‘LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!’

‘Also, I wanted to ask…Horanghae Cult Member?’

‘Yeah.’

‘What about it?’

‘…nothing I guess?’

‘Introduce yourself!’

‘Hey guys! It’s Park Chanyeol here, behind Studio NNG!

Thanks for having me guys!’

‘Absolutely my dude.

Loving the pandemic hair!

Please do not hesitate to grow it out long enough to tie it up into a man-bun!’

‘I absolutely won’t hesitate!’

‘Great! Okay, no dilly dally, we go straight ahead, and all comments are saved for the end!’

‘Great!’

‘Everyone, sit back, try to relax, switch off the lights, and let us begin, Once Upon an Unsolved Vlog.’

I think it’s fair to say everyone from Asia has heard of/seen/knows someone who has had an encounter with a “long haired woman in white”.

‘Okay show of hands, has anyone here seen or heard of or know someone who has had an encounter with a long-haired woman in white?

…

Wait- how do none of us not know at least one person who has had an encounter?!

…are we not Asian?!’

(We are all 100% Asian. But if you are 101% Asian and you HAVE seen a lady in white, or know someone who has seen a lady in white, please tell us in the comment section!)

I think every region has at least one retelling of the lady with long black hair and white dress story. And of course we have one too, and it’s kinda typical, without anything too noteworthy.

Long black hair.

Traditional white garb.

Very pale.

Very beautiful.

Mostly only targets men.

Appears at night.

One thing that differentiates our lady in white-

‘Heh, our lady in white.’

‘I think we have too many variations of vengeful female ghosts slash spirits here to really pinpoint one as the lady in white, what do you think?’

‘We certainly don’t lack it!’

One thing that differentiates our lady in white is the fact that her feet are reversed.

‘Hold up.’

‘Pause.’

‘…reversed feet.’

‘…’

‘…’

‘…’

(this is not a still frame, they’re imagining reversed feet)

‘I think it’s things like this you know?! That just really.

Really.

Just really.

Put that frightening touch to anything.’

‘Small details?’

‘Yeap.’

So this makes her gait a little odd. A lot of people who have seen her often say they tend to reach out because they think she’s injured. Escaping from her is tricky- because uphill, she’s fast-

‘I HATE THAT VISUAL THANKS.’

Because uphill, she’s fast, but downhill she stumbles and loses balance.

‘Next time a figure you think might be a lady in white chases after you, please go find a hill!’

She is of course, very beautiful, and normally appears as someone grieving or in trouble.

‘You know, can I pause the story here to put out something?’

‘The floor is yours.’

‘…’

‘…’

‘…’

‘Why are you on the literal floor?’

‘Atmosphere?’

‘Please continue, we’ll see if we cut this section out.’

‘Okay so!

These stories, of ghostly women who come out to attack and well, let’s not hide things, essentially kill men, does it serve as a cautionary tale for men, or is it just a way to vilify women?’

‘Oh? That IS a good reason to pause.’

‘It’s interesting because you don’t quite hear stories of specifically male ghosts or spirits right?’

‘True! That’s actually interesting!

I wonder if there’s like, research behind things like this! I would love to read it.’

‘While procrastinating from your assignments?’

‘Exactly! Thank you Yeol!’

‘You’re welcome!’

‘You can get off the floor!’

Certain areas were more prone to sightings- and before the main capital city really expanded, the outer motorway that surrounded the city and connected other roads from the surrounding district was basically just fields or woods in many parts. A lot of people avoided going out there during the night and night-drivers would often schedule their routes to avoid these areas after dark.

There were forms of prevention of course. Night-drivers would normally hang up glass bangles, as the sound suggests there are women in the transportation, putting the lady in white off from wanting to possibly enter the vehicle and harass the men. Some people even hang the traditional colourful beaded necklaces around the rearview mirrors, or even hang baby shoes at the back, to suggest there are children aboard.

I’ve personally heard countless accounts of friends or cousins who know someone, or who know someone who knows someone who was taken by these ladies. The accounts are normally all the same- when, and if, these men who were taken by the lady in white come back, they’re normally incapacitated, incapable of speaking or just generally, lacking in awareness. They’re sort of vacant- a hollowness in them. They don’t eat, don’t drink, and just waste away. Another common theme in this is that the men who come back normally have white hair after their return. Men with jet black hair suddenly have a whole head of white hair and they’ve aged an incredible amount.

They also normally die within a week or so after coming back.

‘There’s something quite vampiric in this- not that these lady spirits are vampires, but absolutely they’re the soul- type.’

‘You sound like you’re so confident these ladies genuinely exist.’

‘I’m just saying! It’s obvious their life force was absorbed!’

Writing it out like this, it’s kinda funny because it seems like such a huge cultural thing that everyone would be super aware of and be careful regarding their actions. And while this lore/legend was prevalent some decades back, it’s nothing more than something to spook your younger siblings or relatives with.

Which is why when I was visiting some relatives out of the capital and I had to get back home suddenly due to a medical emergency back home, I had no hesitation of driving back in the middle of the night through dark and winding motorways carved along several hills and through deep dark woods.

‘This is the start to a horror movie.’

‘It absolutely is.’

I got the call from my parents at around 10 and I immediately packed up what I had and went to the van stop. The van services ran pretty late, at least that was what my cousin had told me. So I rushed out to get to the van stop and sure enough, there were a bunch of van drivers hanging out by the small eatery next to the van stop.

At first they were willing to hear me out, only because they assumed I was trying to get to the town further back past the one I was in. I explained I needed to get to the capital immediately and to my absolute surprise, no one would want to take me. It was barely 11 at night-

‘I think just to be safe, travelling that late at night would be generally risky and like, unappealing I think.’

‘Agreed.’

-but I really had to get back to the capital. I tried my best to convince them. I could see the deliveries they would be taking back with them and I was wondering if they just wanted to get more money out of me. So I was willing to pay extra but that didn’t budge any of the drivers. I was about to give up, nodding to the drivers who said there would be drivers up by 5 in the morning ready to take me, when a young thin-ish driver came up and told me he would be willing to take me down.

I was so grateful. I wanted to pay him extra, but he refused and took the usual rate instead. And within 15 minutes, I was sitting next to the driver, my bags in the back seat, a 4 hour drive ahead of me. My legs were incredibly sore as I had been hiking around the hills near this town, and I was able to set my seat back, stretching my legs out. The driver and I shared some conversation- honestly after the immediate stress of not finding a transport back was solved, worry about the conditions back home was starting to mount up and I was getting worried. So some light-hearted conversation was what I really needed. And he was a really relaxed and calm guy, easy going and his mannerism was really nice too. I felt comfortable with him because I was initially worried that as a single guy driving back so late at night- well, there have been stories about people being robbed. But my instincts were telling me this guy was legit.

‘Again, I still wouldn’t do this.’

‘Agreed.’

We reached a stretch of road after about an hour or so and to my absolute horror, he dimmed the lights, relying only on the very sparse and few hilly road lamps, and told me to remain quiet.

I had so many thoughts rushing through my head, was he going to kill me, was he going to stop, take me out of the car kill me? Most of my thoughts revolved around me getting killed.

Obviously this doesn’t happen.

‘Okay but legit I was nervous for a moment before realizing our narrator IS the guy who sent us this story.’

‘HAH! SAME!’

So I asked nervously and quietly what was the matter. He told me he’ll tell me later but to just be quiet. And so I remained quiet, trying to sit away from the driver as best as I could because honestly, I don’t know this man.

We drive in silence- he’s still relaxed and chill and I’m sweating buckets even though it’s winter and there isn’t much heating inside the van.

After about an 10 minutes, the longest 10 minutes of my whole life to be honest, he finally flipped back on the lights, even tuned on the radio we had playing the background. And I’m just there waiting for an explanation and it’s like he’s forgotten to tell me why we drove blind down the side of a hill for 10 minutes.

So I clear my throat and ask him again what was up.

And he sort of looks surprised before he laughs. He LAUGHS.

‘Dude’s a psychopath, I’m just putting that out there right now.’

‘Supernatural aside, this is terrifying in many levels. I would have gotten out and just walked.’

But it’s not a creepy laugh, more of a kinda sheepish sort of chuckle and he tells me that that stretch of road was why the drivers all refused me earlier. And I ask what was up with that road. And he sort of gives me a sidelong glance, as though studying me, and in hindsight, I kinda get it too. I don’t just tell everyone what I heard that day.

‘We’re honoured!’

So he said that at night, people often saw a young girl walking down that specific stretch of road, causing accidents and sometimes, people even disappeared. Their vehicles would be parked by the side of the road, but the person would be completely gone. No trace of their whereabouts, just completely vanished.

Of course I heard about the lady in white, and I asked if that was the case. I was already getting goosebumps at this point.

‘We love an honest person.’

‘True!’

And he laughed again and said that it wasn’t quite that. So I’m confused, this fit perfectly with the local lore. Mysterious young female apparition causes damages and sometimes even death, this was definitely our lady in white.

But he said it wasn’t.

And at this point, I think I deserve to know- we drove for 10 minutes in the dark, I need an explanation.

So he started to tell me what happened to him.

When he was younger, to support his family in the village, he would work as a bus conductor. Basically he would collect the fees from passengers and help the driver out with different tasks, all the while learning how to drive to become a driver himself.

‘I think we need to put out a disclaimer that uh-‘

‘Please learn how to drive properly!

With instructors and in a school!’

‘Or if you’re being taught by a family member, make sure to still get some classes at an instituition!’

‘Which leads us to our sponsor for today!’

‘Just kidding!’

‘YOU GUYS REALLY HAD ME I THOUGHT YOU WERE GETTING SPONSORED BY LIKE, HYUNDAI OR SOMETHING HAHAHA-!’

The bus-driver who took him in was a friend of a family-friend and he was a kinda gruff guy but he took good care of him and paid him a good amount at a weekly basis. They drove during the day at first, but then later, switched to the night route as that had more money though the night-bus driver had been irritated at the slots available for them to take, complaining about the routes.

‘Ah, money is always the incentive in the end.’

‘Truly.’

The night route wasn’t too bad. There was less to do, but he was earning more money so he had nothing to complain about really- obviously except for the terrible sleep schedule, but he was doing this 3 times a week, and being young, brushed it off.

‘Oh I know I’m gonna regret staying up late when I grow older.’

‘I regret it everyday.’

‘…hyung, you’re literally 2 years older than us.’

‘2 years makes a big difference.’

The most eventful things that would happen would be the occasional drunks or the very obviously shady people clutching at their bags and parcels. Honestly my imagination was running wild at this point, I’ve never quite heard the point of view of someone operating a night bus 15 years ago and what that would entail.

‘And neither have we! I mean, I’m guessing people genuinely used the bus for their own night shifts and the likes, but pretty sure, as this is a public bus, a lot of strange and weird folk boarded the place.’

‘I once took a night-bus some years ago, I thought it was quite pleasant!’

‘And we’re thankful that it was pleasant for you!’

‘…that sounded vaguely threatening.’

Most nights, especially during the last hours, he would just take a nap at the back seat where there was a long bench and he could lay back down. After years of working on a bus, he was used to the motions and sounds and didn’t think much of it and could solidly nap for a couple of hours quite well.

So one summer night, nothing unusual about that night, he remembers waking up and the whole bus is roaring in a way he’s never heard it roar before. He sits up and he’s about to call across to ask what was wrong but the night-bus driver tells him to keep quiet. He realizes the bus is going faster than it should during this time of night- which was why the bus was so loud. He also notices that the lights inside the bus are switched off. He’s confused, wondering if something happened to the lights. He walks up to the front and sits on the seat next to the driver’s seat. In between the seats there was a covering that kept parts of the engine at the front. During winters he enjoyed sitting on it as it would warm up nicely. However as it was summer, they normally covered it in some thick cardboard. He notices that there’s a pillow on it- they normally put the pillow out when the bus was crowded and people, especially children or the elderly, could sit on that.

The bus had been empty when he had fallen asleep. But he decides to ask questions later, instead sitting down in silence with the night-bus driver. It’s only when they’re close to town that the man flicks the lights back on. The night-bus driver normally checked the bus and the seats before getting off, but that night he chose not to. Instead he told my driver to do it. So he did, and didn’t find anything out of the ordinary.

The night-bus driver didn’t explain anything to him and so he chose to forget it. The next week, a similar incident takes place.

He wakes up once more and outside, though it had a been a clear balmy night, there’s thick fog all around. He’s groggy and confused, and once more the lights are switched off. The bus is going at a breakneck pace again and he goes to sit by the driver again.

Again, he’s told to check the seats after getting back to the stop and the night-bus driver doesn’t say a word after that.

Similar incidents take place a few more times before one night, waking up he catches sight of a young woman sitting on one of the seats. Her back is turned to him, and the night-bus driver is stoically driving forward, breakneck speed once more. The lights are off, so it’s only a vague outline that he’s able to see. But the moment he sits up, the woman is gone. Confused, he walks up to the night-bus driver and honestly sort of tired of this weird new schedule during their drive back. He asks what’s wrong, but he’s yelled at to be quiet.

The fog is relentless, and only lifts once they’re close to town.

The next time this happens, the young woman is sitting on a seat closer to the night-bus driver.

And again, the next time he wakes up, the young woman is sitting closer and closer.

One night as they exit the bus for the night, the night-bus driver tells him not to sleep in the back anymore, but to stay on the engine-covering instead. He’s about to argue that it’s hot but he’s scolded for not listening and he agrees.

He follows the new schedule for a few days, choosing to nap on the engine cover rather than on the back bench. But it’s uncomfortable and hot, but after a couple of weeks the night-bus driver seems to relax, and allows my driver to sleep in the back again. It was getting very hot, and so he felt for him.

But that very night, he’s woken up because the bus stops very suddenly, nearly making him roll out of the bench. He looks around, confused, and finds the bus dark again, the mist pressing in against the windows, and the night-bus driver is missing.

Wondering if the engine broke down or something, my driver heads towards the doors. He’s about to step out when the whole bus shakes. Worried, my driver grabs onto the rails by the doors and balances himself. He wonders for a moment if there’s been an earthquake, or maybe even a landslide because those did happen.

The shaking doesn’t stop but he manages to get out of the bus and immediately, the shaking stops, the ground is stable, there’s nothing amiss.

He also notes that there is no mist outside. They had paused in one of the stretches of the road that was surrounded on either side with woods. There was no stop or dirt-road here leading to some far off village that he knew of. No fresh water creek they sometimes paused at to refill their water canteens, or even a small road-side temple. 

It’s a very clear night, and the moon is a little bigger than a crescent. It’s not giving much light, but my driver literally just woke up so his eyes quickly adapt to the dull lighting. He calls for the night-bus driver, going around to the front to check if he was there. He goes to the back, and while doing so checks under the bus to see if the driver maybe slid under to check on parts or something. As he checks under the bus he sees a pair of legs on the other side. Quickly standing up straight again-

‘Noooooo!

Ughhhhhhh I hate this so much!’

‘Honestly same.’

‘I have no idea where or how this story is going to go and I am honestly intrigued!’

He rushes to the other side but no one is there. He’s getting a little frustrated-

‘He’s not scared?!

I’d be crying already.’

‘I think that’s just you.

I’d think it was some elaborate prank or something.’

‘I would think it was just a lucid dream.’

‘Hyung, what about you?’

‘…probably that I’m dreaming?’

-and annoyed. So he calls for the night-bus driver again and to his shock, he hears him groan from above. He goes to the back and climbs up the thin metal ladder and on the top, where they sometimes tied up big cargo or parcel, is the night-bus driver.

At first my driver thinks he’s drunk. He certainly behaved like it- he’s terribly imbalanced, groaning and , muttering at random, gesturing wildly. He calls him, asking him what was wrong. He doesn’t get a straight answer and when he’s close enough, doesn’t smell alcohol on him.

He asks him again what was wrong and he still doesn’t get a coherent answer. He’s worried, wondering if maybe some stray animal had run across the road, causing him to brake suddenly, making him hit his head and he now had a concussion.

‘I like how this guy is logical!’

But he doesn’t see any immediate injury on him. He was, however, incredibly pale and ashen faced. He manages to get him to the edge to try and come down. He lowers himself first, ready to catch this much bigger and heavier man with his 17 year old scrawny self-

‘Wait- 17?!’

-but the night-bus driver points somewhere behind him and starts to cry, shaking his head and stumbling backwards. He checks behind himself and finds nothing- just the road continuing on forward. He’s wondering what’s wrong when there’s a thudding sound from within the bus. This was before there were automated bells for passengers to ring to alert the driver, and passengers would either alert the conductor (like my driver at the time), yell for the driver to stop, or slap the metal side of the bus to alert the driver they needed to stop.

And he heard that sound coming from within the bus.

Surprised and torn between checking on the driver and checking inside the bus, my driver just sort of stands there, unsure what to do. They for sure didn’t have any passengers, or maybe there was an accident, and he just didn’t see anyone inside. The night-bus driver seemed all right, so he goes for the bus. From the outside as he tries to look inside for any signs of a passenger, he catches the silhouette of a person on the seat closest to the bus driver’s seat.

He calls for the passenger, asking if they were all right.

But suddenly the night-bus driver yells at him not to go inside the bus. The shout is so desperate, so afraid, that finally my driver starts to get worried.

‘Finally?!’

So he stops right before the door, unable to look inside because he had closed the doors before stepping out and the step up makes the windows start above his head. The night-bus driver tells him not to go inside and he agrees, stepping back. He says there’s a passenger inside and the night-bus driver doesn’t respond. Worried, he goes back around and as he climbs up, through the wide back window, doesn’t see anyone inside the bus. Wondering if the windows needed cleaning because clearly they had some terrible smudges and dirt on it, my driver goes up and finds the night-bus driver curled up, shaking.

Unsure what to do, and as the night-bus driver was not responding, he just leans back and decides to sleep-

‘This guy is a legend.’

‘For real, that’s legend behavior.’

-and he wakes up again some hours later when it’s day break. The night-bus driver was now asleep and my driver felt bad for him and also he wanted to investigate what could have possibly happened. Besides, it was day time now, and he had actual lighting to help him. From the top of the bus he looks around. They’re flanked on either side with sloping hills covered in thick woods. He doesn’t see any dirt-roads leading down here either, and no signs of a potential animal run-in. He checks around the bus from the top area, and in the area near the doorway, to his surprise, are sooty bare footprint marks. They seem to come out of the woods, on to the tarmac, and straight into the bus.

Confused, my driver tries his best to look into the woods in the general direction of where those footprints came from. He also realizes that there were no footprints leading away from the bus. He wonders if this was the work of some lunatic- some mad man lose in the woods, trying to terrorize them. He doesn’t want to go down the ladder, afraid that it would leave him in a vulnerable position if something did try and come for him. So instead he jumps down from the front, onto the slightly protruding ledge outside of the front window and slides down easily.

He immediately heads straight for the doorway and opens it with a slam. There’s no one inside. He goes inside and checks the bus completely but comes up empty. There were only those sooty footprints leading to the seat right behind the bus-driver’s seat.

He steps out, just as the sun starts to shine down through the hills. And far into the woods, still a bit in the dimness, he can make out a figure standing there.

Now he’s annoyed. Was this some stupid prankster trying to make things difficult for them? Also, the figure appeared female. What were they doing out here in the woods? It was dangerous!

So he starts to scold the figure-

‘THIS GUY IS A ING LEGEND!

I’M SORRY FOR SWEARING BUT WHAT A ING LEGEND!’

­-so he starts to the scold the figure. Telling her to go home, and if she needed help to get back home, she could always ask for help and he would help her get back home.

‘I-I think I know where this is headed.’

‘Me too.’

‘You do?!’

He’s interrupted by a terrible groaning sound and with some lurching sounds, the night-bus driver throws up on the side of the bus from the top. The overwhelming smell of alcohol is disgusting and confusing because he hadn’t smelt any alcohol on the night-bus driver.

He manages to somehow get the night-bus driver down to the ground and gets him inside. He’s barely coherent and only half awake. So my driver has to end up driving the bus back to their town.

Before he leaves, he calls again for the girl, asking if she needed a lift. But she’s gone.

Wondering if there was some small farm or something up these parts, my driver manages to get back to their town.

The night-bus driver is suspended from driving for a while. He doesn’t quite sober up, and instead, with any semblance of becoming sober, he would immediately go drink again or somehow incapacitate himself. He stopped eating, barely slept unless drunk out of his mind, and refused to step out during the night. His health deteriorated greatly. Within a week, he manages to get alcohol poisoning. His family were greatly worried about him and at the time, the only hospitals available were back in the capital. So the night-bus driver was bundled up and taken to the capital to get a check up or at least attempt to get him to become sober.

My driver is unemployed for a while but manages to get picked up by another driver who thought he was a calm level headed kid with how he handled the situation. He goes on a different route this time, and at one point he remembers the girl from the woods and asks his new boss if there were any villages or farms in the hills to the west. The driver responded saying he wasn’t too sure, but it wouldn’t be a good idea as the soil there was difficult to work with, and prone to landslides too. He chalks up the whole thing to a trick of his eye from being too tired and doesn’t think much about it anymore until about 2 weeks later.

The head of the bus company comes to find him when he comes back from his route and asks him if he’s seen the night-bus driver. He replies that he hasn’t and asks why. The head of the bus company had received a phone call from the night-bus driver’s wife that he had gone missing, and wanted to know if he somehow made it back to town here. Confused and worried, he repeats again that he hadn’t.

News about the night-bus driver going missing spreads like wildfire around the town. Some days later, the wife and his family return, distraught and confused and afraid. They come to see him to ask him personally again and he gives them the same honest answer. He didn’t know.

About a month later, during which it’s presumed that the night-bus driver probably lost his mind to alcohol and ventured out and probably just died randomly somewhere, one of the drivers who took the previous night route my driver used to take returns and starts yelling about how he saw the night-bus driver.

At first people don’t believe him and then tell him to stop being so insensitive towards the still grieving family and his young widow. But he kept insisting, saying he saw him walking through the woods near the wooded hills to the west. He literally got out of his bus and chased after him but lost sight of him. They tell the family of course, and the whole town gets together to comb through the area to try and find night-bus driver.

My driver obviously volunteers. He wonders if he tries to get to that area where they had stopped that night, if he would be able to find that girl again, and see if maybe she knew anything that could help. He doesn’t tell the others about it, seeing as he wasn’t quite sure if what he had seen had been a figment of his imagination or a trick of early morning light through the trees. He purposefully makes his way towards that particular section of the woods in the western hills and with a kerosene lamp ready at hand and a box of matches, he finds the general area where they had stopped and tries to find a possible pathway inside.

He finds nothing and just as he’s getting frustrated, coming back out onto the road, he finds the same sooty footprints leading out of the woods towards the road.

He follows the smudged footprints into the woods and hopes that by going straight, he might find something. He had started this walk early in the morning with the rest of the search crew, hoping to maximize on daylight. But it was now high-noon and he had maybe 3 more hours of sunlight. He makes a mental note to only look around for another hour or so when he hears someone else moving nearby. Wondering if it’s another townsperson he calls out.

He hears nothing.

Wondering if it was an animal, he continues straight forward again. Then he hears movement again, and for some reason, he just knew it was a human who made that sound. But before he can decide what to do next, he hears a giggle-

‘A what?!’

‘Disembodied laughter is probably the worst if I’m being honest.’

‘You could just laugh back?’

‘Why?! Would that be your first reaction?!’

It’s a young female voice and the driver is worried. He calls out, wondering if it was that same girl. He asks if she’s seen an older man in the area, possibly unwell.

She giggles.

He follows the sound of her giggling, now genuinely worried and curious too. He starts to call for the night-bus driver as well. For a while he hears nothing, and just as he’s planning on going back around, he sees her.

‘Wait- wait wait wait WAIT!’

‘…yes?’

‘…he sees her. At this point, I think we can agree that this girl, lady, spirit- is a ghost right?’

‘Seems to be heading that direction.’

‘…okay, you know what, I can’t think.’

She’s not older than himself, still quite young. Her hair is tied in two, and she’s dressed in rather thin clothes. It’s not white, but rather a sort of patterned pale blue fabric.

Worried and also confused he asks her what she was doing out here. He doesn’t think she’s from their town. He asks if she’s from a neighbouring village or town- or maybe with a travelling of farmers coming down to sell their crops? She doesn’t respond, she’s just smiling at him.

He tells her she needs to go home, that it was not safe here. There could be coyotes and jackals- or even higher up, large cats and even bears. My driver has a younger sister and it doesn’t sit well with him that someone his sister’s age would be out here in the woods dressed in thin clothes. He extends his hand to her, telling her it was okay, and if she was lost, he can take her back to town and see if they can make a call to her village. But she doesn’t reply, just smiles and gestures to him to follow her.

He quickly follows after her, worried about why she wasn’t speaking, worried that she was maybe an actual lunatic? But something tells him she wasn’t a danger to him. He follows her, still sort of lecturing her but also trying to make conversation. They reach a very thick part of the woods, and she slips past through some trees. He’s slightly breathless, so he pauses for a moment. He’s thinking of lighting his lantern because he can see some specks of light below of the townspeople lighting up the lanterns to aid with visibility when he notices a broken thatched roof.

Confused, he finds a dingy and small hut. It couldn’t even be called a hut- it was more like a shack.

It’s old too, climbers have taken over one side, taking down one side completely. He just stares at it for a while, confused. He has never heard of anyone living in the woods out in these parts. He glances at the thicket of trees where the girl had vanished through and placing his lantern down on a stone, he makes his way to the dingy shack.

It doesn’t look occupied. There is no sign of anyone having been here in a long time, considering the thick growth of vegetation around the area. But he also notes that somehow, this shack was built in a way to be hidden completely. Looking inside he sees old and moldy bedding of sorts. There’s some pots, a low wooden stool that’s barely holding itself up, and several nests to suggest some woodland creature made this place its home.

He steps closer and he immediately smells a terrible odour.

Wondering if it was animal waste or, hopefully not, a dead animal, he turns around the shack and to his horror finds the corpse of the night-bus driver.

‘He what?!’

‘OKAY THAT WAS NOT THE TURN I WAS EXPECTING UH-?!’

‘WAIT- WAIT WHAT THE -?!’

He peddles backwards, horrified and he instantly starts shouting. He hears and sees some lanterns below and he yells at them to hurry. He hears them respond back and he- well, he doesn’t know what to do. He can’t look at the corpse of the man who he knew and worked for for over a year.

He goes back to his lantern, hoping to hold it high and call out some more for others to hear him when he hears the giggle again. Fear finally hits him-

‘FINALLY?!’

­-and he wonders if this girl killed the night-bus driver. But the girl is just peeking at him through the gap in the trees. He’s filled with anger and quickly leaps up to try and grab her, to have her answer what on earth just happened.

He manages to squeeze through the trees only to find that there’s a small sort of hidden alcove between all of these grown trees and there, sort of weirdly tossed and twisted, is the body of someone wearing thin clothes made of pale blue fabric.

My driver admits he takes a while to connect the dots. And it’s only when he hears the townspeople approaching he realizes it.

He shows them the body and it’s followed by retching and puking of course. He also shows them the body in the trees. Then the head of the bus company tells them they should not touch anything and call the police.

My driver hadn’t realized it, but he had been a suspect for a while before he was unanimously cleared after giving his testimony. The police investigated the issue before labeling the incident with the night-driver as unfortunate but not a homicide. However, the case of the young girl was still an on going one.

We were close to the city when he finished telling me the story. I was riveted. I asked him what he thought about the whole thing after basically having a ghost help him find the body.

My driver gave me a sort of wry smile and told me that the “ghost” didn’t help him find the body of the night-bus driver per se. I asked him what he meant. He paused a while before he asked me if I remembered saying the night-bus driver was a family friend. I said I did, still confused.

‘I’m confused too.’

‘Same.’

Some weeks after the major commotion had died down, my driver’s father took him aside and told him that the night-bus driver used to have a sweetheart when he was younger. She was from a different village, and was from a family his parents didn’t approve. When he was a conductor, he would always take the night route to go rendezvous with her in the woods. He did this for a while, telling the driver’s father about how they made a hut and he would basically go there to well, get some.

‘Woah, woah woah hold up-!’

He told my father he never really intended to marry her or pursue anything other than a fun time. After some months, he abruptly stopped going out at night and never took the night routes again. When the driver’s father asked what happened, he simply said her family found out and stopped her from coming out of the village and she was getting set up to be married to someone from her village.

My mind is racing at this point. Then the driver looks at me and says these exact words, ‘I don’t actually mind driving at night here. She likes to come sit with me sometimes, just to listen to me, but if I have passengers, I switch off the lights- it’s her way of knowing I’m not alone.’

I had goosebumps all the way home.

‘UM EXCUSE ME I HAVE GOOSEBUMPS ALL OVER ME RIGHT NOW!’

‘HYUNG-!’

‘WOW WHAT A STORY WHAT A ING STORY I CAN’T-‘

‘HYUNG-?’

‘I NEVER EXPECTED THAT TURN TO TAKE PLACE THAT WAS- THAT NIGHT-BUS DRIVER- HE KILLED HER DIDN’T HE? HE DUMPED HER BODY-‘

‘-HYUNG-!!’

‘-DUMPED HER BODY THERE AND HID HER REMAINS AND THEN-‘

‘-SHE JUST WANTED JUSTICE- PEACE- SOMEONE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO HER-‘

‘-HYUNG-!’

(literal break because they wouldn’t stop yelling)

‘So- wow, what a…yeah…wow. What a story.’

‘According to the additional information Minseok-hyung and Lu-hyung have given me, Horanghae Cult Member added additional newspaper clippings from the story. They’re in a different language and well, we can’t read it but! This we were lucky to also get a translation!’

‘I just- it’s such…such an interesting story, I can’t even begin to explain it.’

‘…’

‘…’

‘…’

‘…so you guys enjoyed the story?’

‘WE TOTALLY DID I’M STILL REELING FROM THIS HYUNG!’

‘WOW- I did not think I would be hearing something like this today I-…I think I will be thinking about this story for a long time.’

‘The fact…that fact that the van-driver, he would drive by this area alone, just…just to check on the area and maybe even talk to her I…do you think, in the realm of possibilities of spirits and ghosts existing, that this guy just came off as a genuinely nice guy- like, he was scolding the ghost of the lady for staying out and to be more careful, like he was looking out for her and stuff.’

‘That’s an interesting idea! I’m a skeptic, but like, if you think about it, you know how they say, animals know and sense the character –I mean, they can judge character better than humans? What if, say, ghosts DO exists and stuff, and can sense or see who can help them or something? Maybe this dude, like Horanghae Cult Member said, was spot-on and Mr. Van Driver is a really nice guy the ghost thought she could rely on?’

‘There’s also something sad about this whole story in a way.

She still hasn't, I guess, found peace?

I mean, isn't that what's supposed to happen when, say, a ghost or spirit has had their vengeance?’

'Yeah that's...that IS interesting.'

'I mean I guess, spirit or not, maybe, that is, if this whole thing is actually true and real, maybe she just...she just wanted to spend what time she had, or at least, the stretch of her existence? In a sort of...calm manner? And the van-driver, like, if I was a ghost, I'd want to spend time with someone who could see me, converse with me in such a simple human way- something I wasn't allowed to experience at the obvious end of my life, you know?'

'...'

'...'

'Chanyeol-ah, that was very moving. Well said.'

'Hehehe.'

‘But wow…honestly, a great story, thanks hyung for picking this one out, and Lu-hyung too.’

‘Yeah! Thanks hyung!’

‘And with that riveting story, we will finish todays episode!’

‘We hope you enjoyed that as much as we enjoyed reading it and experiencing it as well!’

‘Thank you again Chanyeol for dropping by and listening to this story with us!’

‘Absolutely! I will be here anytime you guys want me!’

‘Thank you again for coming to watch us till the end, we’ll see you with a new chapter next time!’

‘Bye!’

‘Bye!!’

*

HideoKojimaIsMyDad: How the did this become a murder investigation eye-

DaeDroid: Not gonna lie, didn’t think this story was going to take THAT turn

Baguette Au Pain: lmao wait did- did the night-bus driver literally DIE???? UM

[edited] okay not one to say people deserve death but- he had it coming

Can Sunmi Step On Me: You can literally see Minseok’s eyebags getting darker as the video progresses

Never Going To Shut Up About Fix You Cover: yo how the did this story start supernatural and end in ACTUAL HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION????????? OP TAKE THIS TO A SCREENWRITER

LuckyFrogSong: this needs to be a movie where’s james wan when you need him

DrinkThatWaterBtich:@ LuckyFrogSong - james wan is committing atrocities by directed a hollywood remake of train to busan

LuckyFrogSong: @DrinkThatWaterBtich ffs why can’t we have nice things

More Asians In Sci-fi Please!: i love how while they were talking about sleeping they zoomed into Chanyeol's guilty- face the entire time lmao

You Know How I Like It: Jongdae Baekhyun Chanyeol have such chaotic and loud energies, where’s that gif of that cat being overwhelmed by puppies because that’s Minseok in this episode

I’m Not Cool: I think there’s something strangely beautiful how that the driver (not the night-bus driver) seems to still drive past that stretch of road just to say hi to the spirit of that girl. Which also begs the question, if she’s still there, does that not mean she’s had peace?

Stardew Valley Ghost: when you’ve done something so bad and justice is not served a literal ghost has to ing get things started. If this happened more the world would be a much more peaceful place. Or very dead! Who knows! Either way! I just started watching this channel it’s amazing!

Bocchann: what I would give to go on a drive with this guy

Love Synonym s: this story is genuinely haunting

My Son Mono Deservers Better: Every time Chanyeol appears on this channel i light a candle for Minseok and pray that he will be blessed with patience

Erikyoooooooonggggg_ggg: I hope people understand that most of these comments about Minseok nearly murdering his obviously good friends is just, you know, a JOKE and is meant to be a JOKE, you can clearly see how he adores them and how much they DO respect him, there’s a difference between acting out specific dynamics/characteristics when you’re promoting a persona online/tv and between real life. Do you REALLY think Baekhyun spends the whole day yelling/screaming? Or that jongdae spends the whole day contradicting Baekhyun? Or that Minseok is physically tired of them the whole time? Dudes, lighten up, they’re exaggerating certain aspects of their relationship for lols and we’re joking on those exaggerated aspects with exaggerated jokes so ffs clam down

Sehun_omayaaaaaa: The amount of people who have either seen or know someone who has seen a lady in white in the comment section is weirdly satisfying to my Asian soul but also, very disconcerting as, you know, a general human being.

Author’s Notes

This story is brought to you by the actual van driver who told me and my family this story and yes

It’s a true story though I did take some artistic license and changed it up because the original story is triggering in a lot of ways and you know, this is supposed to be a fun fic and I DRAW THE LINE AFTER MURDER

That being said, I hope you enjoyed this update!

And to repeat CBX, tell me if you are 101% Asian if you know/have seen the lady in white in YOUR culture or if there’s something unique about your version!

Ah so Chanyeol is enlisting to the military and I am not surprised tbh, what makes me mad about the whole “Scandal” is that while the post was clearly a terrible attempt to destroy Chanyeol’s image, SM (as per usual) didn’t even release a statement regarding the issue. Like, those black-out images none of them made sense and the least SM could have done was to say this was false an attack on their artist and that they would take legal action against anyone trying to do like this

This has once again turned to me complaining about SM for the nth time

Sigh

!!!!!!! Jongin Gucci is one of the best things to happen this month, god bless, my boy’s about to rake in money for the rest of his life he is SET I wouldn’t buy any of them because lmao I aint the demographic for this but GOOD FOR HIM

Also quick question would anyone be interested in a fic that’s centered around a fic I already wrote with XiuChen Zombie Post Apocalyptic Futuristic in it but this will be a prequel in a sense of the sort of PRE apocalyptic state of the world but with KaiSoo? Jesus Christ haven’t written a stand alone KaiSoo wtf…WTF?...omg

Anyways, anyone interested??