### Chapter 430 – Clan with Structure (6)
—
[Han Kain]
—
Elena pretended to be possessed by Han Minsang, who was trapped inside the jar.
Before long, my great-grandfather mentally collapsed and started apologizing like someone dazed.
He looked utterly abnormal to anyone watching.
Eventually, the faithful butler, Mr. Park, along with other employees, helped my great-grandfather to his bedroom.
—
Of course, Elena and I had already uncovered quite a few facts beforehand.
—
“Let’s summarize what we found out. First, the ‘Name Tag Stealing Game’.”
“Game?”
“I’ve seen a similar thing on variety shows.”
“…”
“Of course, in those shows, stealing a name tag doesn’t mean your soul leaves your body.”
—
The jar, which was allegedly brought from Japan by our ancestors, had brought wealth to the family, but it wasn’t for free.
It demanded that one soul be trapped inside the jar, suffering in a frozen hell.
Essentially, it’s a treasure gained through human sacrifice.
The Name Tag Stealing Game is the process by which that victim is chosen.
—
“The rules are so simple there’s no need to overthink it.”
“True.”
Still, I felt the need to jot down the details with a pen I found lying around.
1. The Name Tag Stealing Game begins when the jar opens.
The surroundings instantly transform into a kind of closed space where no one can freely enter or exit.
2. The people nearby are participants, and the soul trapped inside the jar becomes the seeker.
3. The seeker steals the name tag from one participant and places it in the jar to end the game.
The person contained becomes the next victim.
—
“According to Han Jin-seong, this game occurred around 75 years ago.”
“…”
“At that time, the seeker, or the victim trapped inside the jar, was a boy who couldn’t speak Korean. He was probably Japanese.”
—
That damned jar has been ruining lives for quite a long time.
—
“Han Jin-seong and his family, along with your ancestors, clearly couldn’t respond appropriately. They probably didn’t know the rules of the game at that time. They might not have even understood what the name tag meant.”
—
Han Jin-seong himself didn’t understand the game’s rules back then.
It only took him a long time afterward to explain it to us, likely comparing the information he obtained from working with the Administration Bureau and his own memories.
—
“The seeker back then escaped after trapping Han Minsang’s soul inside the jar and possessing his body. As for what happened afterward, even Han Jin-seong has no idea.”
“Considering the age, he might have already died.”
“The interesting thing – or rather, it’s tragic, so it’s not that interesting –”
“It’s alright.”
“Cough! What’s important is that Han Jin-seong’s testimony and what you experienced from Han Minsang seem significantly different.”
“…”
According to my great-grandfather, amid terror worse than a nightmare, his younger brother stood up against the seeker to protect the family.
He remembered it as a tragic sacrifice where his brother gave his life to save the family.
—
On the other hand, the Han Minsang that emerged from the jar said this:
—
“Do you think that boy represented the same value as my childhood body?”
“I also pity that kid!”
“How could I watch my beloved Jin-seong die for nothing?”
“I was taken by you, but do you think some little brat can catch me?”
—
I didn’t understand it back then, but reflecting on it now,
It’s clear that Jin-seong trapped himself and left Han Minsang in a tricky situation.
In truth, Han Minsang couldn’t hide his grudge and shoved Jin-seong’s soul into the jar.
—
Elena tilted her head, asking,
“Is one of them lying?”
“…”
I thought about it.
—
“I believe neither of them grasped the reality of the situation.”
“Really?”
Han Jin-seong thought his brother sacrificed himself for the family, considering it supreme love.
Han Minsang believed his brother trapped him in a hellish jar.
—
If we take a step back, both memories contain strange elements.
—
First, Han Jin-seong’s memory doesn’t make sense.
At the time of the incident, Han Minsang was merely a young teenager.
Could a young boy, chased by a ghost, suddenly decide to get caught for the family?
That’s not the age for feeling such responsibility and, above all, he wouldn’t even know the intentions behind the ghost that emerged from the jar.
—
“Everyone must have run away, scared once the monster showed up. Then Han Minsang got caught. It was no heroic sacrifice – he was just a kid, weak enough to be taken.”
“…”
“However, for Grandpa, this incident would have been a lifelong nightmare. To escape the guilt of leaving his brother behind, he might have created the fantasy of his brother’s sacrifice in his mind.”
“Sounds plausible. What about Han Minsang’s memory?”
—
Second, in a similar vein, Han Minsang’s claim that Jin-seong trapped him in the jar also seems odd.
—
“Again, that’s incorrect. At the time, Grandpa didn’t know the rules of the ‘Name Tag Stealing Game,’ so how could he have understood that trapping his brother in the jar could save him?”
—
Once again, I can’t forget that it took Grandpa a long time to comprehend the rules of the game.
—
Elena nodded with a rather bittersweet expression.
—
“Considering they were both young boys back then, they must have tried to escape together. But then, the weaker younger brother got caught while the older brother lived, terrified.”
“Surviving brother rationalized it by believing that his younger brother made a noble sacrifice, while the younger brother got lost in the delusion that his older brother had trapped him in hell. That’s my conclusion.”
—
After wrapping things up, both Elena’s and my expressions became grim.
Even though it was the story of strangers, thinking about the suffering my great-grandfather and his brother went through made me tear up unexpectedly.
Then Elena patted my shoulder.
—
When I looked up, I saw her take on an appearance resembling a 10-year-old girl to fit the ‘little sister’ role.
A younger version of Elena, quite different from now.
She looked incredibly cute and pretty.
As I gazed at her, all thoughts of my great-grandfather and his tales faded from my mind.
—
“You okay?”
“…”
“Kain?”
“Alright, let’s come up with a plan! The past is the past, and we must solve this dream to get something back from the painter!”
—
As night fell, I stared at the last crescent moon in the sky, contemplating how to become the winner of the ‘Name Tag Stealing Game.’
—
I even considered preventing the game from happening altogether.
I knew it would be a problem if the jar was casually destroyed, but it didn’t necessarily have to be destroyed.
—
How about reporting it to the Administration Bureau?
The Bureau here isn’t as prominent as the one Ahri knows, but they’ll likely intervene in supernatural occurrences.
—
There’s also an easier way.
Elena and I could just leave the hanok for a day and two.
There would surely be chaos inside the hanok, but nothing would happen to us.
—
After much consideration, I abandoned that direction.
Since this is my ‘most dreadful memory,’ preventing its occurrence would surely diverge drastically from actual history.
Consequently, I didn’t think the painter would recognize it as a normal ending.
Therefore, I have to play the game and win.
—
— Swoosh! Bang!
—
With a howling wind, the door to the hanok slammed shut.
Elena, leaning against the wall, opened her emerald-like eyes wide as I immediately got to my feet.
—
A name tag appeared on my chest: [Han Kain].
—
It’s starting now.
—
— Ooooooh!
—
The strange wailing filled the hanok, causing the children who had been awake under Elena and my direction to begin panicking.
I’d told them various things, but judging by their expressions, none of it seemed reassuring.
—
It’s alright.
We weren’t exactly relying on these kids to formulate the plan anyway.
—
— Clatter!
—
A sudden gust of wind swept through, making the entire mansion shake.
Just a moment ago, the moonlight gently illuminated the hanok, but in the blink of an eye, the main hall, rooms, and the maze-like corridors were all engulfed in darkness.
An unknown force split the hanok into two.
—
— Screech! Screech!*
—
I could hear the sounds of doors opening all over the hanok.
Han Minsang was searching for the children.
Elena and I had grouped all the kids into one room.
—
“Kids… where are you?”
—
His voice was like nails scraping on a chalkboard.
The instant we heard it, the terrified kids could no longer suppress themselves and yelled out.
—
“Wahhhhh!”
—
I wasn’t making efforts to keep them quiet.
The hanok isn’t infinite in terms of space, so eventually, the ghost would find them.
—
Instead, I listened intently to the thin walls covered with hanji paper.
What state was Han Minsang in right before he stole someone’s body after coming out of the jar?
—
Even though I had splashed water all around beforehand, I couldn’t hear a single sound from his footsteps.
At the very least, it didn’t seem like he was walking around.
—
“Is it here?”
—
— Screech!
—
It seemed he could still exert a bit of physical force, based on the sound of the doors opening.
—
And then…
—
— Screech!
—
Finally, the door to the room where all the kids were hiding swung open.
—
“Haha! Found you!”
—
Han Minsang appeared, resembling a swirling mass of eerie gray mist.
While his form resembled a person at a glance, overall, it was unpredictable like irregular fog or smoke.
—
His face was particularly strange; his eyes were darkened like lifeless, dead stars, and cold smoke poured from his mouth every time he spoke.
—
Naturally, faced with this frightful spectacle, the children lost their senses and screamed uncontrollably.
—
“Ahhhh! ”
“Wahhh! ”
“P-Please save us!”
—
The frightened kids were amusing enough that Han Minsang let out a giggle while extending his hand.
The boy at the front, Minseok, became the first possessive target.
—
“You’ll do just fine!”
—
Soon, the name tag attached to Minseok’s chest, [Han Minseok], dropped to the ground as [Han Minsang] replaced it.
—
“Phew… It’s been ages!”
—
Having been trapped inside the jar for decades or more, it seemed Han Minsang’s regret was profound.
Having taken over the child’s body, he couldn’t hide his delight.
—
“No wait, no wait! There’s a better body. Hey kiddos, there’s one named ‘Han Kain,’ right? Where is he – huh? What’s this ‘thread’ around my neck?”
—
The moment Han Minsang realized the existence of the ‘thread’ wrapped around his neck, Elena and I felt we no longer needed to hold back.
—
— Swoosh!
—
“Gah!”
—
As I watched Han Minsang scream in horror, I thought to myself.
The fact that someone could toy with another person’s life with just a thread was taught to me by that guy.
That’s why Elena and I had wrapped every kid’s neck in a thread beforehand.
—
To choke him the instant the ghost took over!
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