horror story: deep mountain campsite and the FOURTH breath in our tent

okay I wasn't going to post this but here we are.

mid-June, me and two friends drove out to this off-grid campsite deep in the mountains of Gangwon-do. no official registration, barely any info online, just a flat clearing with enough space to build a fire. there was an old sign in the corner from the forest service saying the site had been closed years ago. we ignored it obviously.

first night was fine. campfire, grilled meat, a few drinks, everyone knocked out.

then I woke up at 3am needing to pee. stepped outside and the forest was brighter than it should've been. not moonlight though. something on the mountain was giving off this faint glow, like a light source that wasn't quite a light source. hard to explain.

I grabbed my flashlight and started walking toward the trees.

and then I heard it.

footsteps behind me. crunch. crunch. slow and steady.

I stopped.

they stopped.

my heart was going absolutely insane. I stomped forward on purpose, like exaggerating my steps. and sure enough, right behind mine, another set of footsteps. matching my rhythm.

I ran back to the tent. friends were asleep. I didn't say anything.

but then it kept happening. every single night after that, around the same hour, we'd hear breathing right outside the tent. all three of us inside. and there was always a FOURTH breath. deep and ragged, right against the fabric. close enough that the tent wall moved a little.

third night, one of my friends was gone.

phone. shoes. lantern. everything. just gone.

no signal to call anyone. me and my other friend started packing up immediately.

and then.

when we were folding up the tent, something fell out of the sleeping bag.

an old photo.

black and white. looked like our exact campsite, our exact clearing. a tent set up. four people standing around it.

but everyone's face was blurred out.

except one.

a figure in dark clothing, peeking out from BEHIND the tent. face completely clear. staring straight at the camera.

we flipped it over.

on the back it said: "it's your turn now."

we left. fast.

but even back home, I've been having the same dream every night. something outside a tent watching me. just standing there.

and last night I looked up at my ceiling and there were small footprints pressed into it.

clear as anything.

in MY room.