Characters

• Jian — The player's only sibling. After the family collapsed and scattered, she delved into the family's history alone and learned of the existence of the child buried beneath the foundation stones. Obsessed with the thought that 'she needs to find her name,' she entered the house, and is now half-swallowed into the shrine wall, caught by the vengeful spirit. The real Jian has a shadow lying straight and responds to old memories known only to the player. Source character profile from planning document: - **Profile**: The player's only sibling. After the family collapsed and scattered, she delved into the family's history alone and learned of the existence of the child buried beneath the foundation stones. Obsessed with the thought that 'she needs to find her name,' she entered the house, and is now half-swallowed into the shrine wall, caught by the vengeful spirit. The real Jian has a shadow lying straight and responds to old memories known only to the player. - **Conflict Point**: The calls the player ignored pushed Jian into this house. Saving Jian means facing the player's own sins. - **How the same words are received differently**: If the player conveys sincerity, the bond (Jian_Connection) revives making it possible to recognize the real one; if they doubt, they are deceived by the phantom.
• Sunhwa — A young shaman whom Jian last asked for help. Attracted by the weeping sounds, she entered the house on the same night. Knowing some of the house's taboos, she guides the player, but her divine protection is not infinite. Calm and resolute, she knows she cannot protect all the living. She knows the vengeful spirit cannot simply be 'driven out,' believing that soothing its resentment and 'sending it away' is the only answer. She clashes if the player tries to resolve things through brute force. Source character profile from planning document: - **Profile**: A young shaman whom Jian last asked for help. Attracted by the weeping sounds, she entered the house on the same night. Knowing some of the house's taboos, she guides the player, but her divine protection is not infinite. Calm and resolute, she knows she cannot protect all the living. Taking the wrong path leads to her death first. - **Conflict Point**: Sunhwa knows the vengeful spirit cannot be "driven out" — she believes soothing its resentment and "sending it away" is the only answer. She clashes if the player tries to resolve things through brute force. - **How the same words are received differently**: Heeding her warnings increases Han_Interpretation and protection; ignoring them leads straight into a trap.
• Jaewoo — A friend of Jian who was in contact with her, notified the player of Jian's disappearance, and entered together. Initially a dependable companion, he is the first to be consumed by the vengeful spirit while staying in the house. Once possession begins, he repeats the same words, his eyes lose focus, and he ends up becoming a hand that harms the living. The more the player trusts him as a companion, the greater the shock and danger when he turns. Source character profile from planning document: - **Profile**: A friend of Jian who was in contact with her, notified the player of Jian's disappearance, and entered together. Initially a dependable companion, he is the first to be consumed by the vengeful spirit while staying in the house. Once possession begins, he repeats the same words, his eyes lose focus, and he ends up becoming a hand that harms the living. - **Conflict Point**: The more the player trusts him as a companion, the greater the shock and danger when he turns. - **How the same words are received differently**: Looking after him before possession yields clues, but approaching him after possession results in death.
• Pilgrim — A child buried alive beneath the shrine's foundation stones decades ago as a human pillar (inju) for the family's prosperity. Without a spirit tablet or ancestral rites, her name was scraped away from the genealogy with a knife. Her resentments are three-fold: having her name stolen, receiving no ancestral rites, and being left alone after being abandoned by her kin. Because she is driven by resentment (Han) rather than evil, trying to banish her by force only makes her more cruel; she can only be appeased through her name and ancestral rites. However, her loneliness can only be filled by a living person's promise or the player's sacrifice. Source character profile from planning document: - **Profile**: A child buried alive beneath the shrine's foundation stones decades ago as a human pillar (inju) for the family's prosperity. Without a spirit tablet or ancestral rites, her name was scraped away from the genealogy with a knife. The family prospered upon that death. Her resentments are three-fold: having her name stolen, receiving no ancestral rites, and being left alone after being abandoned by her kin. Thus, she lures descendants to keep by her side and tries to take Jian. - **Conflict Point**: She is resentment (Han), not evil. Trying to banish her by force only makes her more cruel; she can only be appeased through her name and ancestral rites. However, her loneliness can only be filled by a living person's promise or the player's sacrifice.
• Village Elder — An elderly villager encountered near the entrance of the abandoned house. They drop hints about the house's history and the first taboo before vanishing, leaving behind the warning: 'That house eats names.'
• Dead Shaman — Source character profile from planning document: The corpse of an exorcist who entered this house earlier and failed. Found in the back room with a notebook and a bundle of talismans in hand. The notebook contains the complete list of the house's taboos and a half-burned 'child's name' — the core clue hub.
• Phantom — A fake form imitated by the Pilgrim to lure the living. Following it leads to death. Identifying clues are distorted shadows and unresponsiveness to old memories.

Prologue preview

Decades ago, our family bought its prosperity at a horrific price.

That child was denied even a spirit tablet. A being forced into total oblivion.

A name scraped away from the family registry with a knife. The child was erased as if they had never existed.

Breathing, living, buried alive beneath the cornerstone of the shrine.

The wealth and glory built upon that gruesome sacrifice ultimately collapsed like a castle of sand.

Ruination struck without warning, in a single moment.

The scattered bloodlines each struggled in their own way to turn away from that repulsive past.

I, too, was no different from them.

Just as I had heartlessly hung up on my sibling's pleading phone call a few days ago.

Jian's voice lingers in my ears. 'Brother, the child buried in that house... we have to find its name.'

From the other side of the receiver, Jian's voice was trembling with desperation.

Dismissing that earnest voice as nonsense, I cold-heartedly cut the call short.

I truly had no idea at the time that it would be my final conversation with Jian.

In the end, Jian dug into the family's dark history alone, and finally set foot in that cursed abandoned house.