The Melting Candles

As everyone knelt on the ground and looked around nervously.

The bells hanging from the red strings all around them began to sway rapidly, jingling as though countless hands were tugging at the strings.

The surroundings grew even colder, the chill nearly seeping into their bones. It felt as though the clothes on their bodies did not exist.

Whoosh!

Despite there being no draft indoors, a cold gust suddenly swept through the room. From the bathtub inside, there seemed to be the sound of bubbles rising.

"What was that sound?" Je-yoon asked Seung-wook in a low voice. "Did you hear it?"

Just as Seung-wook was about to answer, "I did," the candle before them suddenly went out.

Bang!

The red strings suspending the bells in the bathroom snapped one after another, like rubber bands stretched to their limit. Bells and broken red strings scattered across the floor.

"Ah! What happened?" Ji-hyun cried softly.

"This isn't right. I'm freezing. Hurry and take out the magnetic field detector," Seung-wook said to Seong-hun on the other side.

Seong-hun picked up the detector, only to find the needle on its gauge swinging wildly back and forth.

That was something that only happened when the magnetic field was in disarray.

All six people present felt a shiver crawl down their spines. It seemed that something had drawn close to them, yet they could not detect it.

"There's something wrong with this ritual. I'm so scared. Did we really summon something?"

Charlotte picked up the flashlight that was still lit on the floor and shone it around, her face filled with panic.

"No, Charlotte, don't worry," Seong-hun reassured her. Deep down, he knew perfectly well that this so-called spirit-summoning ritual was something he had copied off the internet at random, then made up part of himself.