Episode 2: The Master Plan and the Lady in Red

**[Narrator Voice]:** *As the wheels of their metal chariot spun, leaving the safe, warm walls of the college behind, our travelers moved forward into the unknown. Ten long hours of open road stretched before them like a never-ending ribbon of doom. But do not fear! For sitting in the front passenger seat was my absolute favorite, the chaotic goddess herself—Soo-ah. She did not merely pack bags; she had mapped out their very survival.*

Soo-ah turned around in her seat, holding a piece of paper, and looked at everyone in the back. "Guys, listen up. Since we know this is a long, ten-hour drive, I have planned everything perfectly."

"Oh boy, here we go," Da-hyun muttered under his breath.

Soo-ah glared at him before continuing. "We will have two breaks. The first one will be after four hours. The second one will be right before we enter the mountains, in the nearest city. I have already selected the exact hotels for our stops so we can be comfortable. And, just in case our selected hotel is closed, I have a backup Plan B hotel ready."

Da-hyun raised an eyebrow. "And what if the Plan B hotel is also closed?"

Soo-ah smirked. "I have a Plan C, D, and E hotel ready too, Da-hyun. And if all of those fail, I have a mountain of snacks packed in my bag."

Da-hyun’s jaw dropped. He was completely speechless. In the back seat, A-in and Seo-yeon exchanged shocked looks. Even Si-woo glanced over from the steering wheel, his eyes wide.

"Wow," Si-woo said, shaking his head with a smile. "We are just going on a relaxing trip, Soo-ah. You really don't have to worry this much. Honestly, I always thought you were just super lazy."

Soo-ah pouted. "I am not lazy!"

"Yes, you are," Si-woo laughed. "Remember last time when I offered to treat you to food? I told you to choose where you wanted to eat. You just kept saying, 'let's go here, no let's go there.' We literally walked past five different food stalls before you finally picked something you felt like eating at that exact second."

Soo-ah crossed her arms and snapped, "Do you have an issue with that, Si-woo?"

"Of course not! Why would I have an issue?" Si-woo said quickly, keeping his eyes on the road. "It is just a fact. You love giving your brain a lot of rest, until it's time for something you actually care about."

Soo-ah thought about it for a second, then nodded proudly. "Okay, that is true." She then cleared her throat and looked at the group. "One more thing, guys. Since Si-woo cannot drive for ten hours straight, I will take over and drive for a few hours later."

Da-hyun leaned forward, looking terrified. "Wait... do you even know how to drive, Soo-ah?"

"Yes, I do!" Soo-ah said, offended.

"Then whenever we go out for drives as a group, why do you always keep quiet and never tell us you can drive?" Da-hyun asked.

Soo-ah rolled her eyes. "Because I am lazy and I didn't want to drive. But this time, a ten-hour drive is too much for one person. I am a kind, beautiful goddess, so I am simply helping my devotees."

Da-hyun snorted. "Yeah, yeah. More like an evil goddess."

**[Narrator Voice]:** *Hours melted away as the sun began to dip below the horizon, painting the sky in bloody shades of red and purple. The heavy blanket of night fell upon the world. By 8:30 PM, they were taking their very last break at the edge of the civilization. Beyond this point lay only the dark, twisting shadows of the mountain forest.*

Soo-ah stretched her arms and walked over to the driver's side. "Okay, Si-woo. Let me drive now. You rest."

Si-woo gladly stretched his tired legs and climbed into the front passenger seat. As Da-hyun got back into the rear seat, he looked at Soo-ah through his glasses with a nervous smile. "You won't kill us, right?"

Soo-ah gripped the steering wheel, turned her head slowly, and let out a creepy, evil, mocking laugh. "Of course I will! Mwahahaha!"

"Great," Da-hyun whispered, pulling his seatbelt tighter.

**[Narrator Voice]:** *The car drove deep into the stomach of the forest. The trees grew thick and tall, blocking out the stars. It was nearly 10:00 PM. The headlights cut through the heavy blackness, revealing a terrifying sight. There, on the lonely, empty side of the road... stood a woman. Alone. In the dead of night. She raised a pale hand, begging for a lift...*

Inside the car, all five friends saw her.

Instantly, a heavy silence filled the vehicle. Nobody said a word. Nobody screamed. Instead, because they were genuinely smart, they all looked completely away from the window and stopped breathing.

**[Narrator Voice]:** *Any ordinary, foolish humans would have stopped the car! They would have opened the door! They would have welcomed their own doom! The dark forces expected this car to stop... but the dark forces did not know who they were dealing with.*

Soo-ah did not even touch the brakes. She kept her foot pressed firmly on the gas pedal. The car sped right past the woman.

But the nightmare wasn't over.

Just a few minutes down the road, the headlights flickered. There, standing right in the dead center of the lane, was the exact same woman. She was wearing a bright red dress that looked like fresh blood. Her long, messy black hair flew wildly in the wind. And on her face was a wide, unnatural, deeply creepy smile that stretched from ear to ear. A true scene of absolute horror.

Any normal driver would have slammed on the brakes, crashed into a tree, or screamed in terror.

But Soo-ah was smart. And she was also very lazy to deal with ghosts.

Without blinking, Soo-ah smoothly turned the steering wheel just a little bit. She didn't stop. She didn't run the ghost over either—because who wants ghost blood on a rental car? She just drove the car perfectly beside her, completely ignoring the terrifying monster, and pressed the gas pedal down harder.

The car zoomed past the creepy lady in red, leaving her standing in the dust.

In the front seat, Si-woo calmly looked at the GPS. "Hey Soo-ah, turn left up ahead. We are almost at the cottage."

"Got it," Soo-ah said casually, as if she hadn't just dodged a demon.

**[Narrator Voice]:** *The ghost stood alone in the middle of the dark road, her creepy smile fading into utter confusion. She had the dress, she had the hair, she had the smile! But these humans... these humans just didn't care. Truly, a terrifying force of logic!*

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