A Creepypasta created by GhostAlleyCat.
Character Name: "Chueok" (추억)[]
Origin & Backstory:[]
Chueok's story begins in a small, isolated village in South Korea. The legend of Chueok originates from the Joseon Dynasty, passed down through generations as a haunting tale. It is said that she was once a young woman, a beautiful scholar named Lee Ji-Hyun, who lived in the late 1800s.
Ji-Hyun was a woman of immense intelligence, revered for her poetic works and knowledge of the ancient texts. However, she fell in love with a man from a different social class, an act that was forbidden by the strict Confucian society at the time. The man was killed for daring to court her, and Ji-Hyun was forced into a life of mourning, spending her days in isolation, unable to move on from the loss. One night, she wrote a final poem in which she poured her soul into the words, cursing the world that had torn her love away from her. As the poem came to a close, Ji-Hyun’s despair consumed her, and she committed suicide by hanging herself in the middle of the night.
However, her despair did not die with her. The bitterness of her final thoughts was so strong that it fused with her essence, turning her into a vengeful entity. The legend says that anyone who comes across her haunting poems or recites the cursed words from her poem will summon her spirit, and she will take their memories one by one until they are left a hollow shell, lost to the world forever.
Appearance:[]
Chueok appears as a pale, delicate woman draped in a traditional Hanbok (a traditional Korean dress) that is ragged and torn at the edges, giving her an eerie, unsettling look. Her hair is long, black, and unkempt, cascading over her face, obscuring her features, except for the faint glow of her wide, empty eyes. Her face is ghostly white with faint, dark circles around her eyes, indicating a life drained of joy. Her skin has an almost translucent quality, and her hands are bony, long, and sharp.
Her Hanbok, once a rich shade of red and gold, is now weathered and torn, stained with ink that drips from the edges as though her grief is endless. At times, the fabric seems to be alive, moving like an extension of her agony. She carries a small, ancient scroll tied with a red ribbon—a remnant of her final poem.
Personality:[]
Chueok’s personality is dominated by intense grief and anger, the emotions she carried to her death. She is melancholic and speaks in a hauntingly calm voice, often whispering her sorrowful poem to those who encounter her. However, beneath her sadness lies a deep thirst for vengeance. She never forgets those who harm her or disrespect her memory. Her emotions are often contradictory—tender and cruel at once. She mourns the loss of her lover, yet desires to make others experience the same anguish she did.
Chueok's rage stems from the societal constraints that she faced in life. Her tragic story reflects a desire for both revenge and recognition, as she now exists as a distorted echo of her former self, seeking to reclaim the love and respect that was denied her.
Relationships:[]
In life, Ji-Hyun had few relationships due to her intense devotion to her studies. The only true relationship she had was with her forbidden lover, whom she was ultimately unable to save. After her transformation into Chueok, she isolates herself from others, driven by her need to take away their memories. She doesn't form bonds with humans but is instead fixated on consuming their experiences. Those who seek to comfort or help her are often met with cruel consequences—her sorrow is too profound to offer solace.
Powers & Abilities:[]
- Memory Manipulation: Chueok has the ability to erase or steal memories. The longer someone stays near her or reads her cursed poem, the more memories they lose. Victims eventually forget who they are entirely, becoming soulless husks.
- Poisoned Words: Chueok can make anyone who reads her final poem fall into a trance, forcing them to relive their worst memories over and over, until they break mentally.
- Wailing Curse: When enraged, Chueok lets out a mournful wail that causes intense mental and emotional anguish to those who hear it. The sound echoes in their mind, replaying their greatest regrets and fears.
- Shadow Presence: Chueok can manifest as a shadow or appear through reflections, making it impossible for people to escape her once they have been marked by her presence. Her reflection, however, is always distorted, with her hollow eyes staring back.
Facts:[]
- Name Meaning: The name "Chueok" (추억) translates to “memory” in Korean, reflecting her connection to the memories she steals.
- Symbolism of the Hanbok: The torn and ink-stained Hanbok is symbolic of her broken life and the love she was never allowed to have.
- Scroll of the Cursed Poem: The scroll that she carries is said to be the key to her curse. Anyone who reads the poem aloud will summon her spirit, and the poem itself is an intricate blend of words that seem innocuous at first, but as they are recited, the reader begins to forget their own identity.
- Link to Korean Folklore: Chueok is influenced by the traditional Korean ghost stories, like "Cheonyeo Gwishin" (the ghost of a woman who died in sorrow) and "Gumiho" (a fox spirit that deceives and steals souls), blending these elements into a unique, tragic figure.
- Weakness: Chueok’s power is weakest during the spring season, when the winds are said to carry the spirits of the lost. During this time, some people claim to be able to break her curse by burying her poem in the earth.