Korean creepypasta: the Grim Reaper ritual that actually worked

okay I wasn't going to post this but it's been living rent free in my head since a friend told me years ago. she swore up and down it was real. I can't verify that obviously, so take it however you want.

so there were these two sisters who decided to try this ritual. the instructions were weirdly simple:

1. at 2am, stand on either side of someone who's asleep

2. clap twice, lightly

3. whisper "사신님, 사신님, 정말 무서운 걸 보여주세요"¹ with your eyes closed

4. wait 3 minutes

5. open your eyes and look at the sleeping person's face

and supposedly. SUPPOSEDLY. you'd see the expression they'll make when they die.

the older sister thought it was dumb. like genuinely couldn't care less. but the younger one was SO into it, kept going "come on come on we can try it on someone else!!" so they agreed to do it on their dad that weekend. not because they had anything against him or whatever. their mom just happened to be staying over at her parents' place that night, so he was the only one home.

they crept into his room past midnight. confirmed he was asleep. stood on either side of him.

2am hits. they close their eyes.

*clap clap.*

"사신님, 사신님, 정말 무서운 걸 보여주세요."

the younger sister is literally trembling, equal parts terrified and excited. the older one is just standing there like a statue, waiting. phone vibrates at exactly 3 minutes.

they open their eyes.

dad's face. completely normal. just a dude sleeping.

"see? told you. rumors are always like this. let's just go to bed."

so they did. went back to their rooms, fell asleep, whatever.

and then the next day.

they slept in super late (it was the weekend) and woke up to the downstairs being absolutely chaotic. came down and their mom was there, way earlier than expected, looking pale and panicked, on the phone with someone.

"s-something happened. my husband, my husband..."

turns out their dad always woke up at the crack of dawn, no exceptions. so when morning came and he still hadn't gotten up, their mom thought it was weird and went to check on him.

he wasn't breathing. still in bed, under the covers.

cause of death: heart attack.

the sisters overheard their mom talking to the paramedics at the front door.

"when do you think the attack happened?"

"we can't say for certain yet but... based on his condition, probably around midnight."

the older sister stood there watching her mom collapse in tears.

and said, completely blank-faced:

"that's why his expression never changed."

...

coin flip between coincidence and something worse. nobody knows. nobody's ever going to know.