As my breaths stagnate the air and cool rusted metal imprints through my light jacket, my eyes sift through the darkness to map my enclosure. Sifting through the excessive obscurity, my mind tries to keep afloat on the fear slowly submerging me. He wouldn’t just leave me here, would he? He would come get me. He had to! I prayed to any god willing to listen to me that he would. It is with this cycle of thoughts that I slowly attain some degree of logic and level-headedness. It is with a shrill cackle and the opening of the cadaver tray to my left that the cycle is broken.
“I’m sorry, but why am I here again?” I stand in front of a massive iron gate barring the property from the likes of the outside world. Or possibly keeping things in. Taehyung throws his arm over your shoulder at the sound of annoyance coating your words. You feel like this is beginning to be a big waste of time. “Well, one, we think our views will go up with a hot girl here, but since since Kim Hyuna refused, you are our backup. You’re welcome! Second, we need a skeptic to balance the team out. Have too many wimps in one haunted building and the team won’t make it through the night.” I wrap my coat tighter around my body, aware of the chilled air caressing whatever skin is exposed and leaving it frozen raw. Night is falling quickly as I take in my surroundings before the sunlight completely leaves the sky.
Gojiam Psychiatric Hospital. An abandoned asylum on the outskirts or Seoul, made up of wall remnants laced with overgrowth and deterioration. Shades of green and black that surround the property do nothing to detract from the imposing figure the slate grey hospital cuts into the skyline. Whistling winds that blow through the canopy of trees just add to the intimidation factor. Even for someone like me, skeptical of all things supernatural, can read the ambiance of the location. And its overwhelmingly creepy and unwelcoming. If ghosts were real, this would be the haunt of choice.
I turn my head to make out Taehyung’s facial expression. He initially seems calm, but I can decipher a tremor of excitement within the gleam of his eye. He looks ready to take on the challenge of this location, a sentiment only a few of the other BTS members hold. BTS, our university’s very own amateur paranormal investigators. Made of seven different guys (and I guess me for the night), the boys run a Youtube channel used to document creepy locales, recite scary stories, and other forms of macabre entertainment. With their humor, good looks, and overall willingness to put themselves into what most consider terrifying adventures, the team has risen in popularity on the web. On this fair Halloween, BTS has decided to do one of their most daring projects thus far, to spend a night at the Gojiam Psychiatric Hospital and completing dares provided to them by the viewers in realtime. Starting when the sun has set and proceeding until the sun has risen again, we will all take on the challenge to investigate and explore the infamous location.
Now at this point the question stands, why am I doing this if I don’t believe in any of this shit? And the answer is, I’m what the kids call a sucka. You see, if it weren’t for the fact that I grew up with butthead and am absolutely in love with Jung Hoseok and would sell my soul to him given half the chance, I would have flat out refused. Except he hit me with pleading eyes and a heartfelt worried expression and the, “You need to come! Who else is going to help me when I freak out and get scared? Who is going to catch me when I jump into someone’s arms out of fear?” Okay, he didn’t say the last part, but the answer is me. Me, Hoseok, I will always be ready to catch you. And hug you. And maybe squeeze your biceps. And touch your toned chest and abs. Maybe someday with my tongue. Someday! So like a little bitch, I caved and signed on. And you know damn right I threw on my grade A, Sephora-stole-my-money makeup on for this night, so help me god, this night better pan out in my favor.
With a sigh I turn away from the decrepit hospital and to my companions for the night. Namjoon and Jungkook seem to be doing as well as Taehyung, so that’s a plus. Hoseok, Jimin, and Jin are sadly quite the opposite. I think I’ve only seen them sweat this much when dancing, so let’s see how tonight goes. Yoongi is silent, face locked in a deadpan expression. If the incessant tapping of his foot is any indication, however, I guess he is more nervous than he let on. With the whole group raring to go, Jungkook hands me a Go Pro and a walkie talkie, a grin apparent on his face. “So when we begin, we will all have our own camera on us the entire night and you need to make sure its capturing the footage of each dare we complete. I gave you packets of batteries in case either the camera, walkie talkie, or flashlight lose power, so make sure they are easily accessible if it happens.” I take a deep breath and grab the equipment he hands me, already tired before we have done anything. When Jungkook remains standing in front of me, I break into a confused look. “Was there something else I needed to do?” His grin takes on a devious note as he throws a glance at Hoseok standing nervously before fixing his eyes back on me. “Nope, nothing at all! Good luck tonight!” And with that, he turns back towards the rest of the group.
Its at this point the Namjoon speak up, “Ok everyone, I think we should start now! Let’s remember to have fun and to stay safe. Yoongi and I will be reading the dares off of Twitter into the walkie talkies so make sure they on. Bangtan!” Resounding “Bangtan’s” go through the air. It’s showtime. With all the camera’s on, Namjoon begins to introduce the episode to the camera, delving into a bit of the history and lore that goes into the place.
“Hey there ARMY! Its Namjoon and we are BTS. Tonight we will be exploring Gonjiam Hospital, one of Korea’s most haunted locations, or so they say! Between mysterious and sudden deaths within the hospital walls to a mad doctor preforming atrocities on his patients to a nurse committing suicide by jumping off the roof of the building, there are many urban legends regarding this place, many of them not friendly towards a member of the living. Before we start with the dares, we will go over a couple of rules. Only members of the dare will be allowed in the building, all remaining members will stay outside with the van with blankets and snacks for comfort. The unlucky ones venturing inside will only have their camera, walkie talkie, and a flashlight. Each member will be issued dares according to our fans. Any dare that fails to be completed will require another person to complete it. For each failure, a punishment will be issued to that member, and after three failures, the loser get’s to be the team servant for a month. Everybody understand? Dope! Now let’s begin!”
Namjoon unlocks his phone and opens his social media. “Ok, for dare 1, Jimin and Yoongi go to the 3rd floor and find the nurses’ station there. Once there, wait for further instruction.”
Jimin exhales sharply and grabs onto Yoongi's arm, anxiety flashing across both their disgustingly attractive faces. "C'mon hyung, as long as we are together, we can do this," the tremble that passes through his body bellies the attempt at confidence. As both boys march forward and jump through the ground floor window, I notice Yoongi whip out a silver flask and take a swig. He holds it up to Jimin in offering, "Here, looks like you'll need it." Jimin reaches out for the flask, but rather than just taking a swig, he gulps about half the flask instead. “Ya, what do you think you are doing?! That’s a Macallan 18yr, you can’t just start chugging it!” Ripping the half empty flask out of his hand.
It is about ten minutes later when Jimin’s voice is heard through Namjoon’s walkie. “We made it,” he said, “what should we do next?” Jin speaks into his device and begins recounting some of the legends surrounding the 3rd floor. “According to netizens, this floor would house a lot of patients at a time. Initially designed to hold 2 patients to a room, it would really house 4-6 people per room. Aside from the abuse, ranging from verbal to physical to sexual, the death rate at one point was about three times higher at Gonjiam in comparison to other mental health institutions in the country. It is said that one nurse in particular was acting as an ‘Angel of Death’, silently ending a patient’s life once the abusive interest was lost on the victim, smothering them to death and promptly requesting the body moved to the morgue before too much suspicion was cast towards him.”
A chill runs down my back, mirrored by the rest of the group. It feels as if the morbid tone of the story enhances the sorrow and anger still prevalent within the walls of the hospital. And this excursion is starting to feel like less an exciting adventure and more dark in depressing in general. Hoseok starts pacing, energy building up in his legs and needing some sort of outlet before it gets too much. I quietly walk towards him and reach my hand out towards his. Wrapping my fingers around him, I use my thumb to caress the back of his hand in reassurance. He pauses and looks down and our hands. “Are you ok?” I whisper, concerned that he may wig out before anything happens. “Look, there is no such thing as ghosts, we’ll get in, get out, and then go get some pancakes. I think you need them,” I add with a small smile. With a squeeze, his eyes seem to darken with something that sends my heart racing, and in the next second is gone. I quickly redirect my attention to the other four members, partly to find out what exactly is the dare, partly to give myself a second to calm down. Namjoon looks down at his phone, “ARMY’S first dare is for the two of you to sit in radio silence until we notify you and try to communicate with the ‘Angel of Death’. Good luck!” He then shuts off his radio and starts scrolling for another dare.
Taehyung cuts in, slightly confused, “What do you mean by an undisclosed time Namjoon?” Our fearless leader glances up, “Well actually, they’re going to be in there for about forty minutes, but we were requested to not say anything. So I didn’t.” All six of us hesitate until Jungkook speaks up, “Forty minutes? That’s no joke. What are the rest of these dares going to look like?” A shrug is all we get in response.
OCT 31st, 7:30PM- 3rd floor Nurses Station
Jimin sits on a counter as he shifts his eyes nervously around open space and down the long hall, the alcohol doing absolutely nothing for him. Yoongi on the other hand is calm as can be, the buzz of whisky coursing through his slight body doing its job of making him forget why he should be scared. Why he should run from the godforsaken place immediately. Thirty minutes have passed, and Jimin, whose anxiety is at an all time high, moves to jump off the counter, ready to grab his radio and call it in. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Yoongi interrupts him. A squeak of a hiccup makes its way out of him. “Besides, we won’t be in here much longer, I’m sure of it, so calm down.” Jimin runs his fingers through his hair, falling back onto habits that would bring him comfort and distract him from his disparate surroundings. He takes in the paint chips falling off the wall, mold grasping everywhere it could, and a strange stench permeating the air. All in all, not the best place to hang around and if he had his choice, he never would again. He can just feel the asbestos creeping in. Taehyung’s voice interrupts Jimin’s observations and lets the boys know they can come back. As they stand up to leave, both freeze at a familiar yet disconcerting sound. Footsteps. Echoing against the walls, they grow louder and louder and they seem to come closer and closer. Yoongi’s sobriety kicks into gear and a panic starts to set in. And then the footsteps come to a halt.
Before anyone can breathe, doors down the hallway start slamming, the sounds making their way closer to them, as with the footsteps before, but instead of stopping the continue on, until even the doors to rooms that surround the nurses station are participating. Jimin closes his eyes and crouches down low to the ground, covering his ears in the hopes that whatever the fuck was happening can just stop. Yoongi is frozen on the spot, unable to peel his eyes from the activity around them. Its when he begins to make out what sounds like whimpering from Jimin that he jumps into action and drags Jimin to the staircase that took them up to that level. Almost throwing themselves down the stairs, both boys run at breakneck speed to get out of the building as fast as they can, completely aware of the footsteps following right behind them.
Jin has passed out snacks while we wait for the first two to come back. We are all shooting the shit when screaming starts coming from the direction of the building. I snap my head up from my phone to see the both of them running towards us as fast as they can, tears streaming down Jimin’s face and Yoongi with a deathgrip on Jimin’s arm. Terror etched on both of their faces and so very prominent that any opportunity for teasing them is quickly put aside. My friends are scared shitless. When they reach us, Jimin’s eyes still streaming tears and Yoongi trying to explain what happened in rapid fire sentences, Namjoon tries to calm Yoongi down enough to hear what happened. Taehyung embraces Jimin and pats his back to try and console him. The rest of us are unsure what to do now.
When Yoongi catches his breath enough to slow down and tell us what occurred, Namjoon and I exchange glances of disbelief, unsure if it was the alcohol talking or their imagination was running away with them. Yoongi apparently does not like that answer. “I’m fucking serious, something chased us out of the building, why don’t you believe us?!” With the cool collection of the leader, Namjoon tries to offer possible reasons that could explain what happened, but neither Yoongi nor Jimin wanted to listen to it. Frustrated, Jimin shrugs off Taehyung, who also had a difficult time believing the story, and jumps into the van, wrapping himself with a blanket from the backseat. “Look hyung, I’m not going back in there ever again, so if you guys are going to continue I’m going to stay right here, with my snacks and my cute puppy Youtube videos. I’m out.” Yoongi grabs his headphones from his bag parked near the van doors and he too jumps into the vehicle. “Same here, look, I know like we sound full of shit, but we saw what we saw, and if you guys don’t believe us then fine. But I’m not going back in there, not now, not later.” And with a huff, he slams the doors shut.
The remaining six of us regard each other and try to figure out what to do from there. Jungkook, Taehyung, Namjoon, and I are still willing to continue. Hoseok and Jin, not so much. “Guys, I’m not sure this is a great idea,” starts Jin, apprehensive to enter the building considering the reaction of the first pair. “I agree, maybe we should call it quits?” continues Hoseok, his fear of the situation obvious to all. Taehyung smirks at that while Jungkook snorts and start to laugh. Namjoon gives him a knowing smile. “Are you sure man? But at that point, who is going to be Y/N’s partner?” Hoseok’s ear flush red, his voice cracking as he manages to get out a “What?” He looks to me, and as uncomfortable as he may look, all I am is ecstatic. Granted, while an old crusty location is anything but ideal, as long as I get to spend time with him, I would even hang with him at a garbage dump. Still, both he and Jin hesitate until I chime in with a, “Are you guys sure you want to disappoint your fans? They’ve been waiting all year for your Halloween special, so I think we should continue, especially if those two don’t want to.” You point back at the van. Jin and Hoseok share a look, fed up already but also guilty as hell, and with a deep sigh, they agree to continue.
Namjoon smiles brightly, dimples revealing themselves, as he turns to Twitter once again. “Alright guys, let’s move on with Dare 2. Jin, Jungkook, you two will make your way to the 5th floor, where you will go down a hallway. Once you get to the stained glass image at the end, go left where you will end up in front of the padded isolation room. Wait, Jungkook, did you happen to bring it?” Jungkook nods his head and brings out, you guessed it, a Ouija Board. “You guys brought a Ouija Board? How did you know you were going to use it?” I inquire, unaware as to how prepared the guys were for this event. “We asked the Twitterverse if at some point in the night they’d like to see us use it, and they agreed. So here we are!” Taehyung supplies. An already pale Jin grows even paler when he sees the board. A pat on the back from Jungkook and one shove towards the building, the second pair make their ways to the building.
Jin and Jungkook make their way into the hospital, flashlights shining through the building in search of the stairway. The room they need to get to is on the 5th floor, and unfortunately on the complete opposite end of the building from the stairway. With a pep in his step, Jungkook leads the way, Jin trudging right behind him. They get to the top of the stairs, out of breath since getting up five floors is not a walk in the park. They spot the stained glass down the hallway, and see that at one point, it looked to represent the Madonna holding Jesus Christ. An odd choice for a Psychiatric Hospital. When they get to it, they make the aforementioned left and find the padded room. Blindly unaware of the trickles of blood falling from the Madonna’s eyes as they go past it.
Once inside the room, Jungkook takes out the game and Jin radios into the group to let them know they made it. This time Taehyung begins to speak, his baritone voice crackling through the walkie talkie. “When this place was still in operation, this room was used to hold one of the most notorious patients now known as Mr. So. Mr. So was admitted to the hospital after having murdered and cannibalized his wife. When asked why he did it, he would start laughing maniacally with his eyes glazed over. He told law enforcement and doctors that God told him to do it. And then he would vbiolently attack anyone in the room that was present. For that, he spent most of his time here in one of the padded isolation rooms, in a full straightjacket, and be left there for days at a time. Often he would be without food or water. On one morning, a nurse went into the room to check on him but sadly found him bludgeoned to death, still strapped in the straightjacket. Coroner ruled it as a suicide, if you could believe that, but it is said that if you go into the room, Mr. So will become enraged and try to attack you. Your challenge is to use the Ouija Board to try and contact Mr. So. Once you get sufficient answers, you can leave.”
Jungkook sits on the floor as Jin sits opposite from him. The board gets placed down with the planchette put on top of it. As both pairs of hands are placed on the planchette, the game begins. “Oh spirits!” shouts Jungkook, earning a glare from Jin. “Dude, cut that shit out and let’s hurry up and do this.” Jungkook laughs, unfazed by the tremble in Jin’s voice. He starts to move the planchette himself, earning a yelp from Jin. “Seriously, stop fucking around, its not funny!” Jungkook begins to laugh even harder. That is until the planchette starts moving again. And this time, it’s not Jungkook doing it. “Really? I just fucking said,” as Jungkook lifts his hands. “Hyung, its obviously you not me moving it, just own up to it!” “I’m not moving anything, it was you!” They begin to bicker, getting more heated as insults start flying around. And then they look down and realize, the planchette has yet to stop moving. Even when no one is touching it.
Both boys back away from the board in as fear starts to trickle through their bodies. Jungkook notices the planchette moving in a repeating pattern. G-E-T-O-U-T-G-E-T-O-U-T-G-E-T-O-U-T. It repeats over and over, growing faster after each completion of the pattern. They keep staring down at the board waiting for it to stop, waiting for it to finish so they can finally do what the board says and get the fuck out. The planchette and board then lift in the air and are thrown at the wall behind Jungkook. This snaps the tension in the room and both of them jump to their feet and try to rush the door, which slams closed in front of their faces. Not a thing can be heard once it shut closed.
I stand up from sitting on the ground and approach Namjoon. “Hey, I don’t reeeeally want to spend all night at this place, like I want to eventually get home, maybe eat a sandwich, enjoy my weekend, you know? Would you guys be down with me and Hoseok just doing our dare now?” Hoseok swallows a gulp whereas Namjoon looks contemplative, “I don’t see why not, we’ll save some time if you guys just start your challenge now.” Ready to get this over with, I double check to make sure I have all my equipment on hand and turn to poor poor Hobi, trembling in apprehension. “Come on Hoseok, let’s go” and I grab a hold of his hand, dragging him behind me as we make our way into the hospital. “Let’s go Namjoon, give me the deets so we can finish this already.” “You sure you don’t want to prolong your time?” I hear a cough behind me from Hoseok. “In this dump, no thanks, now start.” I wanted to get the story over with so I can spend time with Hoseok without interruption. I turn to flash him a reassuring smile.
“Uh sure, here goes? So you guys will be going to the morgue, where all patients at the hospital eventually went to once they passed away. Once you enter the building, you’ll go to the right and will eventually find a door – “ “The broken red door?” Namjoon pauses over the radio, “Yeah, damn you’re quick. Go through the door and make your way down what will appear to be a tunnel. Right now, you are going through the body chute, where at the end you will enter the morgue. Thousands of bodies have travelled through the same corridor to end up in the cold chambers at the morgue. Netizens say that voices can be heard throughout the space, temperatures drop drastically, and the sound of metal doors rattling resonate throughout the building at times. Once you get there-“ “Okay we’re here!” “…wait, shit seriously? You need to try and be suspenseful and, you know what nevermind, let’s just do this. The dare is for one of you two to enter one of the enclosed cadaver trays attached on the wall and stay there in radio silence for an undisclosed time. Have fun!”
Hoseok squeezes your hand, having held onto it the entire time it took to get to the morgue. “I can’t let you do that, its dangerous for you to stay down here for that long. I’ll stay.” His adorable pout grows deeper while you start to giggle. “Hobi, you look like you’re about to pass out. Don’t worry, I’m a big girl, I’ll do it.” His sunshine smile starts to make its appearance again, “Hobi, huh? You haven’t called me that in years.” I let go of his hand and make my way to the wall lined with cadaver trays. “Didn’t know you liked to be honest. Wish me luck?” I climb onto the tray and before I lie down, ready to start the challenge, he stops me. “Here, my scarf and gloves, its freezing in here, so you should try and stay as warm as possible.” He places the scarf around my neck, getting close enough for me to smell his scent and shampoo. I inhale deeply and try to get myself under control. He takes my hands in his and slowly puts his gloves on my hands. They are oversized on my hands. I give him another smile and lie down on the metal as he pushes the container closed.
Hoseok grabs his radio and proceeds to ask Taehyung and Namjoon what to do next. They simply instruct him to walk back to the van and get ready to walk them through the next challenge. Which would have been simple enough, except every rustle of movement, every echo of his footsteps sets him off into a panic, any semblance of silence quickly evading him. His loud fear making itself known throughout the halls, and by the time he manages to make it back to the van, he is drenched in his own sweat breathing heavily, nerves shot. Taehyung and Namjoon eye him with worry as they prep themselves for their dare.
“You actually have another dare to complete on your own hyung, at that point can you ask Yoongi to read it to you?” Taehyung asks the older boy. Any relief that has been attained evaporates instantly for Hoseok. “Jesus Christ dude, I don’t think I can do this anymore, I’ve hit my limit.” A sigh leaves in an exhale from behind Hoseok and he turns to see Yoongi leaning against the van, Jimin passed out within the vehicle. “Look man, I know you’re terrified, I am too. But you can’t leave your girl in there like that. You gotta be the hero and sweep her off her feet. And you can’t do that from out here.” Hoseok emits a whine in defeat and nods his head. As Taehyung and Namjoon make their way into the building, Hoseok gets comfortable and navigates them to their location. Dr. Parks room, where lobotomies were performed on the patients, even those that did not required it. With under the table deals and other scrupulous dealings, Dr. Park developed a reputation for brutality and evil dealings. Namjoon and Taehyung’s challenge was to explore the area and find a “souvenir” that proves that they made it to the infamous room. Undaunted and full of excitement, the third pair ventures on their dare with little trouble. At least, not yet.
Shaking in fear and apprehensive to the max, Hoseok finally makes his way to the roof of the building. Yoongi this time becomes his navigator, with both parties eager to get this over with. “Hey Hoseok, you with me?” Hoseok grunts in reply, petrified of his surroundings. “Ok, cool. You will make your way to the staircase after you get past the lobby area. Take it all the way up until you get to the rooftop. Let me know when you get there. With adrenaline pumping through his veins, Hoseok manages to rush the stairs, getting to the top within a few minutes. Fear is sweating out of his pores in copious amounts. Yoongi speaks to him again. “The story goes, a nurse and a doctor here had an affair, which resulted in the nurse becoming pregnant. Ashamed of her secret coming out and the doctor refusing to marry her, the nurse decides that the only option is to throw herself off the roof of the hospital. Her cries can be heard on the rooftop, with her figure seen falling off the side at times. Your challenge is to stay up there for an undisclosed amount of time in radio silence. You can do this Hoseok.” And with a click, the conversation is finished.
As Hoseok is completing his dare, Namjoon and Taehyung decide to explore the room, taking selfies and joking around with not a care in the world. That is, until a deep growl is heard in the corner of the room. The two stop and turn their flashlights to the corner of the room where the sound came from. “Hyung, do you think an animal got in here?” “Not sure Taehyung, but probably?” The temperature drops as the remnants of old tools rattle across the table onto the floor. “What the hell is-“ A knock interrupts question. A knock from the window. A window sitting on the fourth floor. Slowly, the two pairs of eyes in the room make their way to the window, where a man is standing outside of it. Knocking on the glass, slowly. Consistently. Without missing a beat. Taehyung screams and runs out of the room, leaving Namjoon behind, frozen in fear. Legs leaded down in terror. The man’s face morphs into one of fury as the rapping on the glass becomes faster. Harder. His mouth opens impossibly wide, as if ready to let out an unholy scream. But nothing comes out. And Namjoon, who is petrified beyond belief, hears the crackle of the radio which snaps him out of it. He runs as if his life depends on it and escapes the room.
As this occurs, the padded room finally releases Jin and Jungkook, both of whom run with unparalleled speed through the hall, down the stairs, and out of the building. As Yoongi finishes directing Hoseok, he peers up at the building as he notices movement. That’s when the screaming began. All four of the members are bolting out of the hospital, as if hell is on their heels. Screams and yells echo through the air, which startles Jimin awake and prompts Yoongi to get into the front seat and start the van. As the other throw themselves into the vehicle, panic thick in the air, Jimin is the only one coherent enough to ask the others the important question, “Where is Hoseok and Y/N?”
I lay on the cadaver tray, just about ready to pass out when I hear faint voices vibrate throughout the room. Confused, I assume its someone from the group. Maybe Namjoon? Or Jungkook, ready to tell me to leave? That is what I think until I hear a female voice giggle. What the fuck is that? I sense the shift in the air and hear the sounds of walking come closer to where I lay.
As my breaths stagnate the air and cool rusted metal imprints through my light jacket, my eyes sift through the darkness to map my enclosure. Sifting through the excessive obscurity, my mind tries to keep afloat on the fear slowly submerging me. He wouldn’t just leave me here, would he? He would come get me. He had to! I prayed to any god willing to listen to me that he would. It is with this cycle of thoughts that I slowly attain some degree of logic and level-headedness. It is with a shrill cackle and the opening of the cadaver tray I am laying in that the cycle is broken. I am met with the film covered pupils of a corpse-like woman, peering at me from above as threads of black hair dangle above my face. And I start to scream.
