Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 129 Birthday Invitation
Samcheok City, Gangwon Province, South Korea.

Liu Zhengyuan woke up very early today.

After all, today is a very important day.

After he got up, he drew back the curtains and breathed in the fresh air.

On the table was a beautifully framed invitation.

After he finished washing up, the phone on the bedside table rang.

Liu Zhengyuan picked up the phone and said, "Hello... Meizi, I just woke up a little while ago, I'll be there in a bit. Hmm, what did you say? Teacher Park?"

He then nodded and said, "I understand, I'll be there in a bit."

Liu Zhengyuan lit an incense stick for his mother's portrait, carefully groomed his hair and appearance in front of the mirror, then put on the clothes he had prepared the night before and picked up the gift boxes he had prepared in advance.

"Mom, I'm going out."

Then, Liu Zhengyuan hurriedly left.

In the blink of an eye, it's already the fourth year.

After Zhengyuan went out, the neighbors all greeted him.

"Jung-won," the owner of the seafood restaurant next door asked, "are you going to Teacher Park's birthday party?"

“Yes, boss,” Zheng Yuan greeted the boss politely and replied respectfully, “This year is also our annual reunion with our elementary school classmates.”

The shopkeeper looked at the gift box he was carrying and said with a smile, "Oh, I don't think you're going to see your teacher just for a short time."

"Haha, boss, I don't quite understand what you mean..."

As Zheng Yuan said this, he shyly scratched his head, hardly looking like he "didn't understand."

“Zhengyuan,” the owner of the grocery store next door saw him and came up to him, saying, “The kimchi you brought last time tasted really good. My mother-in-law said she couldn’t make it taste that good.”

"I'm glad you like it. It's all my duty, after all, you've always taken such good care of me."

"Hey, don't say that. Your mother took good care of me back in the day at the market." The shopkeeper lowered her voice and asked, "About that incident... is there still no clue about the murderer?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Yuan's expression immediately darkened.

"not yet."

"Oh my god! Who is this damned person?!" The landlady sighed and said, "Teacher Park has such a hard life."

"The police will definitely catch the murderer!" Zheng Yuan's expression was very firm: "I hope the teacher can live a long time so that I can see him brought to justice as soon as possible."

Afterwards, Jeongwon continued to walk through the streets where he had lived since childhood.

His mother used to run a stall at this market and was always well-liked; everyone looked out for each other. Although he came from a single-parent family, the elders at the market treated him like their own child, greatly making up for the lack of a father he experienced growing up.

After walking for a while, he arrived

They visited the former site of the primary school they used to attend.

The primary school has long been abandoned. It's very close to my home, less than fifteen minutes away.

It's only fifteen minutes...

Zhengyuan held the gift box and stared blankly at the road in front of the school.

My mother was hit by an oncoming car while crossing this road and died on the spot.

He stood on this road for a long time.

"Mother……"

Finally, the bus arrived, and he boarded with the gift box in his hand.

As the bus slowly moved forward, the number of houses around it decreased, while the number of trees increased.

After arriving at the final stop, he got off the bus and began walking in the suburbs.

People around him actually suggested that he get a driver's license so he would have a means of transportation, since they lived in the suburbs and public transportation wasn't very convenient. However, because his mother died in a traffic accident, Zhengyuan always had a resistance to getting a driver's license.

Suddenly, a red convertible drove up from the road behind and stopped behind Zheng Yuan.

"Zhengyuan! Get in the car!"

Zheng Yuan turned his head and saw two people sitting in the convertible. In the driver's seat was a woman with curly hair, wearing stylish white-rimmed sunglasses and a red sleeveless dress, exuding charm. In the passenger seat sat a simple-looking, overweight man, looking completely different from the fashionable woman in red.

Zhengyuan immediately smiled and said, "Shunxi! Dafeng!"

He immediately opened the back door of the red convertible and got in.

The car was filled with the scent of expensive perfume that Soon-hee was wearing, which was a bit overpowering and made him feel uncomfortable.

"Long time no see, Jung-won." Zhao Shunxi took off her sunglasses, revealing her beautiful face. "You haven't changed at all."

“You’ve changed a lot,” Zheng Yuan said with a smile, placing the gift box on his lap. “I heard you’ve entered the entertainment industry and are going to become a big star.”

Soon-hee waved her hand dramatically and said, "Sigh, what big star? Just trying to make a living. The Korean entertainment industry isn't easy to navigate. Without good acting skills, no matter how pretty you are, you can't play the leading lady."

She put her sunglasses back on, stepped on the gas, and the car lurched forward, forcing Zheng Yuan to grip the seat tightly.

Xu Dafeng turned around, a familiar smile on his honest face: "Zhengyuan, are you still running the shop your mother left behind?"

“Yeah, that’s right. Fortunately, business is not bad.” Zheng Yuan nodded. “You’re amazing. The newspapers say you’re the king of home runs.”

"It's just the newspapers hyping it up..." Dafeng patted his broad chest. "Our team is a favorite to win the championship this year. By the way, did you see the invitation? The rules are still the same seven this year. Has Coach Park's mental state not improved at all?"

Zheng Yuan's expression became somewhat complicated: "I'm afraid... we'll have to wait until the murderer is caught."

The car suddenly fell silent.

Soon-hee tapped her fingers lightly on the steering wheel, while Da-bong looked down and fiddled with his baseball cap. "It's the fourth year," Soon-hee finally broke the silence, "and we still can't catch the murderer, who just happened to die a month before the teacher's birthday."

Da Feng sighed: "No wonder the teacher went insane. His son was murdered, and the killer is still at large. Don't the police have any leads at all?"

"No. I'm just afraid it won't become another unsolved case like Hwaseong or Frog Boy." Jung-won was referring to famous unsolved cases in South Korea in the 1990s, cases where the culprits had never been caught.

"Speaking of which," Dafeng tried to change the subject, "Meizi contacted three new classmates this year? Are they Jiang Jin, Liu Yan, and Xu Yinqiu?"

“Yes,” Jung-won nodded. “Mi-ja has been taking care of Teacher Park. She said that if we bring in a few more students, the teacher’s mental state will be better.”

Soon-hee said, "If you ask me, those rules are enough to prove that Teacher Park is mentally unstable and needs treatment, not indulgence."

“Shunxi, how could you say that!” Dafeng frowned. “The teacher has been through so much, it’s no big deal for us to be considerate of her feelings and make some concessions. The rules aren’t hard to follow.”

“Look at rule number three, and rule number seven… that’s enough to prove that the teacher has serious mental health issues.”

The car fell silent again.

Da Feng subconsciously took out the birthday invitation he had received. Everyone's invitation contained the exact same seven rules that had to be followed to attend the birthday party:

First, no matter how busy you are, you must attend the birthday party once you receive an invitation. No excuses will be accepted for missing the event. The latest arrival time must be no later than 12 noon on the day of the event.

Second, no one is allowed to enter the teacher's basement on their birthday.

Third, if you see someone wearing a rabbit mask, please do not contact them and inform Teacher Park immediately.

Fourth, everyone must finish the cake they are allocated.

Fifth, everyone must participate in blowing out the candles and singing the birthday song.

Sixth, if Teacher Park closes her eyes to make a wish, you must immediately cover your ears to make sure you don't hear her wish.

Seventh, when cutting the cake, a piece must be left for Teacher Park's son and kept on the table without being moved.

“Speaking of which,” Dafeng said, “the teacher really couldn’t accept Yingmin’s death, right? Before, the teacher’s deceased husband locked Yingmin in the basement. Was he not letting us in to mourn, or did he think Yingmin would come back?”

"There's a sixth rule, why do we have to cover our ears?" Soon-hee asked. "Every time Teacher Park makes a wish, I feel something's really weird."

Jung-won recalled the scene from last year: Teacher Park stood in front of the cake, her eyes closed, her lips moving, while all the students covered their ears and their eyes darted around.

“Don’t talk nonsense,” Zhengyuan shook his head. “She’s just heartbroken because she lost her son.”

The car drove onto a narrow forest path, and the surrounding trees became increasingly dense, gradually blocking out the sunlight.

"Do you think..." Soon-hee suddenly asked, "Are those rules really just a mental problem for Teacher Park? Is there any other reason?"

Zhengyuan and Dafeng exchanged a glance.

"What's the reason?" Zhengyuan asked.

Soon-hee shook her head: "It's my intuition."

After driving for a while, a solitary villa finally appeared ahead, its gray-white exterior walls particularly glaring in the sunlight.

That's Teacher Park's house, the place where he holds his birthday party every year.

“We’re here,” Soon-hee stopped the car, but didn’t turn off the engine immediately. “Look, some people have already arrived.”

Looking through the windshield, Zheng Yuan saw that there were already cars parked in front of the house.

Several figures were standing in the courtyard. One of them, a woman in light blue clothes, turned around and waved to them.

That's Nam Mi-ja, one of Ms. Park's favorite students. Many years ago, Ms. Park became paralyzed in her lower limbs due to a neurological disease, and Mi-ja has been taking care of her here ever since. She also organizes her annual birthday parties.

Zhengyuan's heart raced. Nanmeizi was dressed simply, a stark contrast to the well-dressed classmates around her, but his gaze remained fixed on her.

Jung-won reminded them, "Alright, we're here. Remember, no matter what, we must follow the rules. For Teacher Park's sake."

"Jungwon!" Nammiko greeted him, shaking his hand. "You're finally here. Teacher Park has been asking if you're here."

Zhengyuan smiled and said, "I met Shunxi and Dafeng on the way."

Nanmeizi pulled a girl along and said, "Remember Xu Yinqiu? The class beauty back then."

Xu Yinqiu stepped forward, her eyes sharp and clear, and greeted them, "Hello."

Her gaze swept over the three of them, finally settling on Zheng Yuan's face, and she said, "Zheng Yuan, I heard from Mei Zi that you've been helping her take care of the teacher?"

Zheng Yuan nodded and said, "Yes. It's been a long time, Yin Qiu."

Xu Yinqiu's voice was calm but firm: "This is my first time here this year, and I have already read the rules on the invitation. Have you been strictly adhering to these seven rules?"

“Of course,” Soon-hee interjected, her tone somewhat sharp, “we abide by it every year.”

Xu Yinqiu's lips curled up slightly: "Don't you find these rules... strange?"

Jung-won replied, "Teacher Park has been through so much, we should be understanding of her."

“Understanding is not the same as blind obedience,” Xu Yinqiu retorted, “especially when these rules may reflect serious mental health issues.”

Nam Miko looked at both of them uneasily and said, "Alright, let's not argue at the door. Teacher Park will hear us."

“Let’s go in,” Jung-won said, trying to ease the tension. “Teacher Park must be waiting for us.”

The group walked towards the house, with Zheng Yuan at the back. Just as he was about to step across the threshold, he suddenly looked at... a window embedded in the ground floor not far away.

You could see the basement through that window. The inside of the window was now sealed off with newspapers.

Somehow, he felt that the window was like an empty eye staring at him.

"Zhengyuan?" Miko called from inside the door. "What's wrong?"

“It’s nothing,” he shook his head, forcing himself to look away. “I’m here.”

(End of this chapter)