I Returned, and Now I See Strange Things-Chapter 58: Rider

A vehicle rolled down the old road.

Through the windshield, the dark stretch ahead was visible.

To the left, trees grew thick and dense. To the right, rice fields stretched into the distance.

Bathed in soft moonlight, the scene looked peaceful—almost picturesque.

...But it wasn’t the kind of scenery Ayun wanted.

She’d already had her fill of quiet pastoral views back in Entera.

‘...It’s quiet.’

Watching the landscape drift by, Ayun anxiously tapped the door handle.

Nothing’s happening, right?

Do something, come on!!!

Honestly kinda refreshing lol

Can you dance or something?

There was no sign of the so-called headless rider said to appear on the road.

Well... earlier, a black motorcycle had passed by in the opposite lane.

It had a striking red pattern on a black body.

It moved too fast to get a good look.

But the rider was clearly wearing a helmet, so Ayun turned her head back with a disappointed look.

Because the camera was facing the front of the vehicle, Ayun’s face wasn’t visible on stream—but her tension was obvious enough for viewers to sense.

...As if they were exacting revenge for her usual habit of ending streams without warning.

Sing us a song then~

O

Let’s go get gukbap~

Mukbang gogogo

Seeing the chat, Ayun clenched her teeth with a grrk. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

It would’ve been fine if they just watched quietly, no matter what she did.

But for some reason, it annoyed her.

“...Why isn’t anything happening?”

Ayun’s anxious voice made Hyesung respond with a faint smile.

“Well, it might not. I mean, how could there be something every time we go somewhere?”

“...Why do you look so happy?”

“Come on, you’re imagining it.”

Hyesung forcibly held down the corners of his lips.

Ayun clearly looked irritated, after all.

‘...Not that I’d mind if nothing shows up.’

Though he wasn’t thrilled about the stream potentially flopping, Hyesung was still hoping nothing would appear.

But there wasn’t much he could do about it.

All he could do was hope nothing happened—

And keep a tight grip on the steering wheel to avoid an accident.

‘...This really isn’t good.’

In the back seat, Hyeyeon kept darting her eyes around, scanning the ordinary road for any trace of something unusual.

But in Hyeyeon’s view, not even the neck of a headless rider was in sight.

Not even a trace of a motorcycle.

As they drove along, lost in their separate thoughts—

A road sign appeared in the distance.

‘Dear God!’

Hyesung silently exclaimed and looked over at Ayun with an awkward smile.

“Noona, we’re almost at the end of the road.”

“...Let’s turn the car around and drive it again.”

“You think something will show up?”

“You never know.”

There was a seriousness in her tone.

“Mm... Okay. I’ll turn around up ahead. It’s a no-U-turn zone here.”

“Got it.”

And so the vehicle continued forward.

That was when Hyesung sensed something strange.

The sign up ahead—

It should’ve been a marker for the start of a new highway section.

‘...What the hell.’

A familiar number came into view.

( Provincial Road )

( 466 )

The sign was stained with some unidentifiable filth.

It looked nearly identical to the one they’d passed earlier.

‘...No way. I must be imagining it.’

Forcing himself to believe that, Hyesung kept driving.

But up ahead—

A place that looked eerily familiar came into view.

With his scalp going cold, Hyesung instantly regretted everything.

‘...I wasn’t just being paranoid.’

Like someone saying “We got him!” way too early, his face said it all.

He slowly stepped on the brake.

The car, which had been speeding ahead, began to slow.

Eventually, they came to a stop right where Hyeyeon had checked the area earlier.

Thunk!

Hyeyeon, expecting them to make a U-turn, asked in confusion,

“Why’d you stop? Weren’t we turning around?”

“No, it’s just...”

While Hyesung hesitated—

Ayun noticed the familiar surroundings and let out a faint smile.

“Looks like there really is something going on.”

“Huh?”

“Ah...”

What the hell?? Why are you two the only ones who know!?

Did you already turn around??

Nah nah;

Then why are you back there?

The chat blew up with confusion.

Some were thrilled something might happen. Others were distressed.

Some hadn’t realized yet. Others had.

The situation wasn’t exactly what the report described—but when did anything ever go according to plan?

Ayun picked up the smartphone from its mount and switched it to selfie mode.

“Some of you may have caught on, but we drove straight down this road. We never turned back, just kept going forward like you saw.”

She unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the passenger door.

“N-Noona.”

“It’s fine.”

Waving calmly at the trembling Hyesung and the gleaming-eyed Hyeyeon, Ayun hopped out of the car.

Then, holding the camera over her shoulder, she showed the surrounding area.

“But somehow... we’re back at the place we started?”

???

Idiots

What happened??

How did that happen??

As if she’d never been anxious, Ayun shrugged toward the screen.

So annoying...

No but seriously how did you do that;

Still, something didn’t quite add up.

Well—everything was off, but—

‘What was up with that motorcycle from earlier?’

With that thought—

Ayun reopened the passenger door and got back into the car.

Hyesung let out a breath of relief as he watched her.

“So what do you think, noona? Did we really come back?”

“Looks like it.”

“...Damn.”

“...Whoa.”

Their conflicting reactions made Ayun chuckle quietly.

“Let’s confirm whether we’re really looping.”

At that, Hyesung paled and mumbled,

“Can’t we just go home?”

“We have to drive ahead to U-turn anyway, don’t we?”

“Are we seriously worrying about that in a situation like this?”

...Fair point.

But now that they’d entered some kind of phenomenon’s domain, the odds of escaping were slim.

‘Then again... maybe not.’

Ayun patted Hyesung’s shoulder.

“Let’s just check it out.”

There was no need to say out loud that turning back probably wouldn’t help.

It’d only make him more anxious.

Hyesung stared at Ayun with nervous eyes, then sighed and gripped the wheel.

Satisfied, Ayun nodded and turned to the camera.

Unlike before, her expression was confident and bold.

With Ayun’s grin, the car began moving again.

“Let’s take it slow. Just in case.”

“Yeah.”

Unlike the smooth cruising from earlier, the car now crept forward at a cautious pace.

The scenery, too, began to pass by more slowly.

Then—

From far ahead—

A revving engine began to echo.

“...Anyone else hear that?”

“A sound?”

“Huh?”

Without answering, Ayun stared silently forward, smartphone in hand.

Through the windshield, a silhouette approached from the opposite lane.

Growing clearer in the faint moonlight, it seemed like a motorcycle.

‘...That must be it.’

The bike slowly approached, matching their crawling speed.

As if it wasn’t the least bit afraid of an accident.

It didn’t even have its headlights on.

It just—

Kept approaching.

Ayun aimed the camera toward it and checked the screen.

The empty road streamed live on the broadcast.

‘...It’s not showing up.’

Meanwhile, the bike drew closer.

The silhouette that had appeared in the distance now came into full view.

A sleek black motorcycle.

It looked more like a true “bike” than a standard motorbike.

Then she saw it—

A cracked windshield.

A swinging side mirror.

The gap between them closed even more.

What she had mistaken for red patterns—

Now looked like dried, caked blood.

As they got even closer, the rider came into view.

A man, from the looks of it, clad in a typical rider’s jacket.

Raising her gaze along his all-black figure—

A large helmet came into view.

It didn’t match the idea of a “headless rider.”

But Ayun quickly realized the source of that eerie dissonance.

‘...So that’s why it’s called the headless rider.’

The rider passed slowly alongside the car.

Hyesung, apparently unable to see him even though he was right there, still gripped the steering wheel with a tense expression.

Beyond Hyesung’s face, Ayun saw the helmet—

It was twisted around backward.

Cracked all over.

She then saw the rider’s back as he moved past.

Without any reaction.

As if nothing had happened—

He simply—

Slipped back into the darkness.

Even the moonlight failed to catch his form.

The headless rider vanished, leaving no trace behind.

As Ayun stared blankly after him, Hyeyeon asked in an excited voice,

“Unni, was that something?”

“...Yeah.”

“Huh!?”

Surprisingly, Hyesung reacted faster than the one who had asked.

Ayun turned his startled face back to the front.

Even if they were moving slow, he still shouldn’t take his eyes off the road.

Still...

Why did he react like that?

He’d already personally experienced paranormal phenomena, hadn’t he?

If they’d looped back to the start of the road... wasn’t it obvious?

Shaking her head to herself, Ayun said,

“Let’s at least drive to the end of the road.”

What was it what was it what was it

Why do you always get to see it alone!!!

At least you’re not ending the stream lol

Real lol if this was a week ago she’d have ended the stream the moment anything showed up

“...Noisy.”

The slightly chaotic car continued down the road.

A sign marking the end of the road slowly passed by the window.

‘...Are we going to loop again?’

Seeing Hyesung’s hands trembling on the wheel, Ayun placed a hand ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) on his shoulder.

Telling him—don’t worry. I’m here.

The warmth from her hand seemed to settle his shaking, if only a little.

Because everything she’d shown him so far was undeniably... real.

Soon, the car passed the road sign.

( Provincial Road )

( 466 )

They were back where they started.