Night had fallen, and the city's clamor gradually faded into the distance. Dan and his girlfriend decided to relax on this peaceful evening by watching a movie. Among the countless films available, Dan hesitated for a moment and, as if guided by some mischievous impulse, ended up choosing the horror movie The Grudge 3.
At first, Dan's girlfriend, Gina was absolutely unwilling. She had always been resistant to anything in the horror genre; the eerie atmosphere and terrifying visuals alone were enough to make her scalp tingle just by imagining them. But after Dan's persistent coaxing, plus a tiny spark of curiosity stirring in her heart, she finally surrendered and sat down with him.
Dan even claimed that choosing this movie was an act of charity, and it was because of that ridiculous excuse that Gina reluctantly agreed. But the moment she stepped into the theater, her hands were trembling slightly—she was genuinely terrified of horror films.
As soon as the movie began, the dark visuals and uncanny background music made Gina grip the armrest tightly. Dan initially still had the presence of mind to comfort her, but as the story progressed and the ever-present Kayako seemed to crawl right out of the screen, infiltrating every corner of the room, Dan's own body began to tremble. His eyes widened, and he gripped Gina's hand just as tightly.
Every time Kayako suddenly appeared, Gina couldn't help but let out a shriek, then immediately curl up in Dan's arms. While Dan held her protectively, he also felt a certain intimate sweetness—though that feeling didn't last long. Under the film's terrifying pressure, Dan even felt as if he were hugging Kayako herself. The sensation was downright suffocating.
What surprised Dan, however, was that despite being enveloped in pure terror, Gina didn't choose to leave. She gradually found herself drawn into the plot. Even while trembling like a leaf, she continued staring at the screen without looking away.
Dan, too, eventually stopped paying attention to his girlfriend. He was absorbed by the movie as well, as if being pulled into a strange, surreal world. The experience was new and bizarre, and the sensation of fear—every hair standing on end, the feeling he might drop dead at any moment—only made the shock more intense.
When Kayako dragged away an unfortunate victim hiding under a blanket, the entire theater erupted in screams. Before the movie started, many audience members had been discussing how Kayako should logically honor the "human–ghost treaty" and be unable to harm someone inside their blanket. Yet in the next instant, Kayako ruthlessly shattered the so-called barrier and attacked directly.
The highest peak on the theater's decibel recorder occurred during the death of Kayako's younger sister.
When she died and immediately transformed into a new curse, everyone held their breath. But when she crawled forward in an impossibly contorted posture, the entire theater erupted with wave after wave of screams. Gina screamed so loudly that Dan's ears were ringing.
By the time the movie ended and the lights came back on, Gina was still immersed in the lingering atmosphere of terror and took a long while to recover. The movie theater was filled mostly with the sound of hurried, suppressed breathing.
"Thank goodness Director Edward added that final normal scene to ease the tension," Dan muttered as he collapsed into his seat, staring blankly at the screen. If that final scene hadn't been included, his heartbeat probably wouldn't have calmed down so quickly.
"Darling, that was amazing!" Gina exclaimed excitedly.
Dan stared at his girlfriend in disbelief. He even wondered whether she had developed some kind of hallucination. This was the same Gina who used to hate horror movies more than anything, yet now she claimed it was amazing?
Still, Dan couldn't deny his own enjoyment. It wasn't surprising; horror films were often like this—the intense fear made the after-feeling strangely exhilarating, making the terrifying parts retroactively seem less frightening.
"Mhm! I think so too. How about… we watch it again tomorrow?" Dan said cheerfully. He really liked that feeling of Gina shrinking into his arms in fear. In that moment, he felt as though their heartbeats were beating at the exact same rhythm.
"Okay~" Gina replied, hugging him happily with a bright smile.
Meanwhile, online discussions and reviews of The Grudge 3 began flooding out. Because of copyright restrictions, no one mentioned any detailed plot content, but everyone still found plenty to say. After all, the desire to share their feelings was impossible to suppress, bubbling up as if ready to burst out of their chests.
At that moment, Smiley was typing furiously, writing his own review.
In no time, his loyal fans who'd been staying up late waiting for his post saw his review appear. As usual, Smiley also included a photo. Under the night sky, he smiled fearlessly at the camera, the poster of The Grudge 3 beside him. Many people instantly felt more awake.
His review read:
[To all my longtime fans—you all know that, as a content creator, I constantly explore the vast world of filmmaking. And just now, I finished watching The Grudge 3, and I'm deeply shaken. This film, with its unique charm and unmatched horror atmosphere, made me want to recommend it to everyone right away!
The Grudge 3 is another classic entry in the series, and also Director Edward's final film for this series. Since the franchise's debut, it has held a solid place in the horror genre thanks to its chilling plot and oppressive atmosphere. This film continues Edward's usual high standards and gave me an utterly thrilling horror journey.
Visually, The Grudge 3 is top-notch. Every scene is meticulously crafted—from the dark, damp old houses to modern apartments, and even hospitals that seem naturally made for horror movies. Every detail exudes dread. Through masterful use of lighting and color, the director creates a suffocating atmosphere.
Besides visuals, the sound design is one of the film's biggest highlights. From the deep, unsettling background music to piercing screams and sudden environmental noises, every sound feels like it drills straight through your ears and into your heart. In certain tense scenes, the sound effects reach their peak. I was terrified, yet I still couldn't look away.
Of course, a great horror film needs a strong story. The Grudge 3 excels here as well. The plot unfolds around a series of bizarre events, full of twists and suspense. I can't spoil anything, but I can say that the themes of humanity, fate, and karmic consequences are all worth reflecting upon. I truly felt like the director was trying to say something deeper.
The cast is also exceptionally strong. Every actor's performance brings the characters to life—they never break immersion, and everything feels real, as if these events truly happened. This is Director Edward's signature: he always chooses skilled actors over idol-type stars. Super highly recommended!
As a horror film, The Grudge 3 is outstanding. With its powerful visuals, gripping story, and excellent cast, it's a must-watch for any horror fan. I believe that once you watch it, you'll be drawn into its terrifying world and unable to escape. And trust me—the two-hour runtime is absolutely not too long, and there's not a single wasted moment!]
…
The Grudge 3 exploded—literally became a blockbuster in every sense.
Edward didn't attend the premiere. He already knew what his own work was like, and precisely because he knew, he didn't go. But when he woke up, he saw countless messages on his phone—including one from Zoroark.
"What's going on? It's not even a holiday," Edward muttered in confusion. He didn't understand why he suddenly received so many messages. Usually, he only encountered this during holidays when he needed to reply to a mountain of greetings. But he was certain—unless he'd slept for several days straight, today should not have been such an occasion.
Then he saw the message:
[Zoroark: Boss! The Grudge 3 hit forty million at the box office in just six hours!]
The moment Edward read it, he immediately understood why so many people were messaging him. Even he was shocked—The Grudge 3's box office was that high? After all, it was a horror movie, and an adults-only one at that. Under normal circumstances, breaking even a three hundred wasn't easy.
Children's animated films often performed well because kids rarely went to the cinema alone—parents would accompany them, buy popcorn and drinks, and boost theater profits. That's why theaters loved screening children-friendly movies.
"That fast…?" Edward felt equal parts stunned and delighted. He checked the news, and sure enough, everywhere was reporting how The Grudge 3 had surpassed forty million and was racing toward fifty million. He also checked his fear system—just during his sleep, it had jumped by 150,000 and was still rising rapidly. At this rate, the film could earn him hundreds of thousands of fear points—maybe even break a million.
"At this speed, it might even break the all-time horror box office record…" he murmured happily.
He remembered that in the history of the Pokémon League, the highest-grossing horror film was an old movie with a total of six hundred million. But due to old pricing standards, that was equivalent to one billion today—an insane number.
And it was a horror film.
That movie's success had been a once-in-a-lifetime miracle—not repeatable. It was the first horror film in Pokémon history, featured many major stars, and was made in an era when entertainment options were extremely limited.
Trying to recreate that now was nearly impossible. People had far too many entertainment choices, so breaking box-office records was extremely difficult. Of course, if you didn't adjust for inflation, then one billion wasn't that impressive anymore.
"Edward, congratulations—your movie is a hit."
Just as Edward walked downstairs, he saw his father, Joseph. The old man held a set of car keys, clearly intending to gift them to him. Edward couldn't help laughing bitterly. His father really was too good at tormenting people.
He now fully realized that he had been tricked earlier—but it was normal. His father was old, and Edward really should be preparing to take over his responsibilities.
"Dad, why are you back?" Edward asked, watching him with confused eyes. Ever since retirement, Joseph had been happily running around with Steven every day, digging here and exploring there.
"Came to check on you and pick up some equipment," Hibiscus replied with a grin.
Edward's mouth twitched. He now strongly suspected that his father had only returned for the equipment.
Still, Edward accompanied him to dinner. Looking at his father's slightly aged appearance paired with his vibrant energy, Edward felt relieved. The elderly, after all, feared having no purpose; once they lost their motivation, their bodies declined rapidly. Human willpower really was a strange, powerful thing.
There were cases where high-risk surgeries succeeded only because the patient had a strong will to live. And simple surgeries failed simply because the patient lacked the will to survive.
Human spirit was bizarre, inconsistent, and incredibly strong. Edward felt that his father's spirit was impressively strong—full of vitality.
"Dad… by the way, don't tell me brother is planning to step down from being Champion soon?" Edward asked, suddenly remembering something. After all, he had been filming for years. Steven had held that position for so long; he must be dying to resign and go back to digging rocks again.
(End of chapter.)
TN: Heys sorry for the long wait, just not really been reading here for while since life got pretty hectic lately with me losing internet for a week, our house getting rebuilt, then all Christmas celebrations, then my mother getting hospitalized, then looking after a house with a teenager who can't clean is pretty tiring, so haven't been reading for a while. I'll probably be posting in mass more rather than doing a daily update since I had to do it individually here and with how many I'm editing takes too long of my time. Hopefully things get better in January so I can go back to my groove of reading, editing and updating more of my novels here.