"That entity possessed your father's body."
The old man's voice cracked like a dry branch in the cold mountain air.
Ji-hoon halted. The villager's words weighed heavier than the path ahead.
"What do you know about my father?"
The old man's face tightened. His gaze flickered toward the distant cliff house.
"Min-gyu... changed," he said. "Two voices. Two wills. Like a puppet."
Like me, Ji-hoon thought.
The 'other him' stirred. The watcher stayed silent. Observing.
"You should turn back," the old man urged. "When his eyes turn black... he isn't himself."
"I can't," Ji-hoon said. He's waiting.
The path steepened. The house loomed, fragile against the endless sky.
An ancient gate creaked open without touch. A whisper of invitation.
Smoke curled from the chimney. Windows glowed—but wrong, slightly off. As if two realities overlapped.
Ji-hoon stepped across the threshold. The air thickened. Time wavered.
Thin place.
He didn't need to knock. The door slid open.
Standing there—his father. And not.
→ [To be continued in Episode 44]
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