I Returned, and Now I See Strange Things-Chapter 57: A Remote Country Road

Inside the car cruising down the highway without incident.

Hyeyeon, who had been chattering away energetically, seemed to succumb to accumulated fatigue and dozed off, slumped against the seat.

Only Hyesung, who was driving, and Ayun, who was staring out the window, remained awake and alert.

Then, after sneaking a glance at her, Hyesung asked,

“Noona.”

“Hm?”

Ayun’s violet eyes, expanded as she gazed into the distance, turned toward Hyesung.

Staring into those deep, absorbing pupils, Hyesung swallowed hard before continuing.

He brought up something Ayun had never really thought about.

“Do you... have any goals or something like that?”

“Huh?”

Ayun blinked at the sudden question.

Goals, huh.

Since returning, she hadn’t really moved with anything like that in mind.

Maybe it was because she’d been thrown back into this world with a changed body.

She’d only been thinking about surviving each day and had never seriously considered anything long-term.

In a way, maybe Ayun was just living however things flowed.

Like a ship that had lost its anchor, drifting wherever the wind carried its sails.

Ayun’s violet eyes darkened with a shadow.

‘...I haven’t really thought about that since coming back.’

Back in Entera, she’d had one clear goal—to return to her original world.

‘I don’t know anymore.’

She had just been lucky to stumble into streaming as a career.

Seeing Ayun’s expression darken, Hyesung hurried to add,

“I mean, it doesn’t have to be anything big, right? Like, wanting to try something tasty... or maybe buy a house... stuff like that can be goals too, right?”

“Mmm...”

Hyesung was sweating inwardly.

He’d just wanted to subtly get a feel for what kind of person she was, but the sudden shift in mood left him flustered.

‘Just what kind of life has she lived...?’

While Hyesung was silently panicking,

Ayun was thinking.

‘I worked so hard in Entera.’

...So wouldn’t it be okay to coast a little in this life?

The truth was, Ayun wanted to rest.

But the world she’d returned to was another cutthroat concrete jungle.

She couldn’t afford to take it easy.

When you were on the verge of starving to death, you had to do something.

In that sense, it wasn’t all that different from her life in Entera—except no one was trying to kill her every second.

But in the end, if she couldn’t adapt... she’d still die all the same.

Thinking about that made her feel like she really should have some kind of goal.

‘...If I hadn’t met Hyesung and Hyeyeon, what would I even be doing now?’

Ayun nodded at Hyesung, who had brought up something she hadn’t expected.

“I’ll think about it.”

“Yeah...”

Hyesung, having gotten nothing out of it, gave up.

Seeing Ayun with that troubled expression as she gazed out the window made him feel like he’d dumped something unnecessary on her.

As the scenery outside the car raced past like a blur—

Ayun thought to herself:

‘I want to eat sushi.’

Then, looking at a distant road sign—

She rested her chin on her hand with a wistful expression.

The car, heavy with a lowered mood, continued down the road as if nothing had happened.

***

After a long, silent drive, the vehicle exited the toll gate and finally neared its destination.

The sun, which had been shining high in the sky, was now dipping low, sinking behind the mountains.

Staring out the window as if lost in thought, Ayun reached back and woke Hyeyeon, who was asleep in the back seat.

“Hyeyeon.”

Unlike Ayun, who snapped awake at the sound of her name, Hyeyeon didn’t respond.

‘...What the hell did she do yesterday?’

Eventually, Ayun had to recline the seat and give her a few taps before Hyeyeon stirred.

“Yawn... Are we there?”

“We just passed the toll gate, so we’re almost there.”

With that, some energy returned to Hyeyeon’s body.

It was like watching a flattened wad of cotton soak up water.

Seeing that through the rearview mirror, Hyesung shook his head silently.

‘She’s more of a problem than noona is...’

Having passed the toll gate, Ayun’s group now drove down an old national road.

The once-tidy surroundings gave way to more natural scenery.

As they headed toward their destination, the sun completely disappeared behind the mountains.

Darkness began to settle around them.

One by one, the sparse streetlights flickered on.

Flicker... tick... flicker.

A quiet countryside road, rarely traveled, with only a handful of shabby streetlights here and there.

Still, the pavement was intact, so the car didn’t rattle.

Watching the navigation, Hyesung pulled over with a ding as the system announced their arrival.

“This should be the place.”

“Let’s get out and check.”

“Okay.”

Unbuckling her seatbelt and opening the door, Ayun stepped out and massaged her stiff shoulders.

Stretching as she looked around, her gaze fell on some fields off in the distance.

They looked like they were in a chaotic state in preparation for the upcoming season.

Only traces remained of the abundance that once filled them, lending the landscape a sense of desolation.

The trees near the road had long since shed their colorful leaves onto the ground, adding to the eerie atmosphere.

Even the few streetlights that did exist were spaced far apart.

‘Definitely has that ghost-showing-up kind of vibe.’

Thinking that, Ayun recalled the information they’d received.

‘They said a headless rider shows up, right?’

Rider.

Not the kind that wears a mask and fights for justice, but a biker—the kind that rides a motorcycle.

Which meant the thing haunting this road was...

‘...A Dullahan?’

Ayun felt a strange sense of familiarity.

In a way, it was like Aslan’s cousin, wasn’t it?

[I feel like that was an incredibly rude thought just now.]

Ghost... well, actually, now that she thought about it, he was basically a ghost.

Feeling a twinge of guilt at Aslan’s comment, Ayun cleared her throat and approached Hyeyeon.

“So? Is this the right spot?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

Hyeyeon compared her phone’s video with the surroundings and nodded.

Which meant Ayun had one job now.

Start the stream and see if a headless rider really shows up.

Using the light from the car, Ayun checked her reflection in the side mirror.

After fixing the mess her hair had become from the seat, she turned around to find Hyeyeon staring at her with a cryptic expression.

When Ayun blinked at the mysterious gaze, Hyeyeon shook her head, saying it was nothing.

Meanwhile, Hyesung approached with a nervous look, eyes darting around the area.

“This is the place?”

“Yeah, Hyeyeon confirmed it.”

Gulp—the sound of someone swallowing nervously rang out.

“Then...”

“Let’s start the stream.”

Ayun and Hyeyeon’s plan was simple.

They’d drive down the stretch of road mentioned in the report and check if anything actually appeared.

That was it.

While driving, they’d keep an eye out for anything that could be mistaken for a headless rider—and if not, they’d see if any real apparition showed up.

...Of course, if something did show up, only Ayun would probably be able to see it clearly.

Running over the plan in her head, Ayun looked at Hyesung and said,

“Since you’re already here, put in a bit more work. It’ll be better than being alone, anyway.”

Ayun smiled faintly.

“If there’s really something out there, that is.”

“I-I was going to help either way, you don’t have to say it like that.”

Muttering, Hyesung immediately climbed into the driver’s seat.

Watching his back and chuckling, Ayun received the smartphone from Hyeyeon.

Checking the time, it was already time to begin the stream.

Ayun immediately began setting up and went live.

“Hey.”

Yeonha~

Yeonha!

Nyonha~

“...So unified. How sweet.”

Yeonsang~

Aha~ (as in Ayun hi lol)

Looking at the chaotic stream chat, Ayun sighed.

Really, they were impossible to pin down.

But she was used to it now. Shaking her head, she continued,

“As I said earlier... I’m out here on a country road today.”

Switching the camera from selfie mode to the rear lens, Ayun carefully panned across the surroundings.

One by one, the scenes of a dark rural road filled the screen.

The vibes are immaculate

Mom... you asleep?

I'm gonna sleep with the blanket pulled all the way up tonight lol

Seeing the over-the-top reactions, Ayun let out a soft laugh before switching the camera again and opening the passenger door.

“The person joining me today is—”

No way

Why does that bastard keep showing up???

‘Why do they always lose their minds whenever Hyesung appears?’

He was so convenient, though.

Ayun climbed into the passenger seat, mounted her phone inside the car, and continued speaking.

“With your good buddy Hyesung, of course.”

Hyeyeon, wearing a mask, settled into the back seat soon after.

“And my assistant.”

ㅗㅜㅑ...

Oil-producing nation vs. non-oil-producing

Developing country vs. developed country

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Nothing at all ^^

We like you just the way you are!

You should leave

Please exclude me from we

“Alright, enough with the nonsense.”

Fastening her seatbelt, Ayun said,

“Let’s see if something really shows up tonight or not.”

With Ayun’s words—

Hyesung gripped the steering wheel with a nervous face.

Noticing his unease, Ayun smiled and added,

“Don’t be so tense. I’m here, even if something does show up. You’ll crash if you’re too wound up.”

“...Got it.”

Ayun gave Hyesung’s stiff shoulder a reassuring pat.

Staring at her with a complicated expression, Hyesung sighed.

And started the car.

With the sound of the engine humming, guided by the faint moonlight, the blinking streetlights, and the glow of their headlights they began to leave traces behind on the cracked, aged road.