Edward pondered for a moment, then decided to move forward with The Grudge 3.
However, when it came to The Grudge, Edward realized there were some things he had overlooked.
So far, the versions he had filmed were The Grudge: The Curse and The Grudge: The Curse 2—the original videotape versions.
Technically speaking, if he were to shoot The Grudge 3, it still wouldn't count as the "final chapter."
Still, considering that Ju-On: The Grudge (the movie version) already included parts of the videotape storylines, Edward figured it wasn't necessary to remake The Grudge 1 again.
If there were any leftover, unused scenes from before, he could always recycle and incorporate them into the new film.
Sitting back in his chair, Edward began preparing to outline the plot for The Grudge 3.
Though he was calling it The Grudge 3, in reality, it would serve as the concluding chapter. After all, since Edward had no plans to remake The Grudge 1, it made sense for The Grudge 2 (the Japanese film version) to act as the finale.
He was aware there was also an American adaptation, but he had never thought very highly of it—especially The Grudge 1 and 2, which were basically patchworks of all the other versions.
The only thing remotely unique about them was that all the main actors were foreigners and the second movie even featured the once-famous teacher, Chen, in a cameo.
"Foreigners, huh…" Edward's expression turned slightly odd.
He didn't particularly hate foreigners; in fact, as a kid, he had loved watching foreign films.
Back then, Hollywood blockbusters were like mysterious wonders in China—wildly popular, larger than life, and endlessly fascinating.
Everyone was obsessed with them—movies like The Terminator and First Blood were all the rage.
People thought those actors were unbelievably cool.
But as Edward grew older, he started to see things differently.
He realized that foreigners weren't as perfect as he'd once imagined.
"The Grudge 3, huh…" Edward yawned, then focused on writing.
The plot of The Grudge 3 wasn't particularly complex, but it lacked a few crucial elements.
He decided to add some classic highlights—like the infamous "Under the Blanket" kill scene.
After all, he had noticed that many fans online claimed that Kayako, the ghost, never harms people hiding under blankets.
Some even swore it was a ghost world rule—a "ghostly non-aggression pact" protecting those wrapped in blankets.
Edward had nearly burst out laughing when he read that.
"'Blanket barrier,' huh? Heh…"
He grinned, typing rapidly.
He couldn't wait to see the looks on their faces when they realized that wasn't going to save them this time.
The story of The Grudge 3 opened with the so-called "Queen of Horror Films," actress Harase Kyoko.
Kyoko had once been a very popular actress—until a scandal ruined her reputation, leaving her with few opportunities afterward.
In the film, she was known as the "Queen of Ghosts," and she accepted an invitation from TV producer Keisuke Okuni to participate in a special program titled The Cursed House.
Naturally, things went downhill from there.
Kyoko and the unlucky crew entered the infamous haunted residence—the house that had once been the cradle of The Grudge curse.
Even as Edward wrote this, he couldn't help thinking how absurd it was.
So many people had already died there… and yet, if a place like that existed in real life—a notorious haunted house in Kanazu City where many deaths had occurred—he admitted he'd probably go check it out himself.
Alongside Kyoko were the program's makeup artist, Obayashi Megumi, and the host, Miura Tomoka, among others.
That ensemble cast was a hallmark of The Grudge: many characters, many victims.
These people cautiously began filming in the notorious "cursed house," unaware of what awaited them.
During shooting, the sound engineer picked up some strange noises, though no one paid much attention.
Only Kyoko felt uneasy, but the production wrapped up seemingly without incident.
At least, that's what they thought until Kayako began her killing spree.
The first to go was the makeup artist, Obayashi Megumi, who mysteriously vanished without a trace.
Meanwhile, Kyoko and her fiancé, Ishikura Masashi, were driving home late at night along the highway near the capital.
A stray cat darted across the road, and as they ran it over, Kyoko suddenly saw a pale young boy beneath her fiancé's feet—Saeki Toshio.
Because of him, the steering wheel spun out of control, and their car slammed into a wall at full force, completely wrecked.
Kyoko was gravely injured and lost her baby.
Masashi fell into a coma.
But when Kyoko went for a check-up days later, the doctor told her that the fetus in her womb was still there—alive and well.
That was impossible. She had miscarried.
The news deeply unsettled both her and her fiancé's family.
Elsewhere, Miura Tomoka, the TV host, was troubled by eerie noises in her apartment every night at the same hour—strange sounds from another world, like something repeatedly banging against the wall.
One night, she invited her boyfriend over to help investigate.
That was when Kayako appeared—showing off her terrifying ability to transcend space and time.
Her boyfriend, who arrived earlier than expected, became Kayako's next victim.
The screen would cut to black then shift to Tomoka's perspective.
Earlier, when she returned home and turned on the light, viewers could see a pair of feet standing behind her though Tomoka herself hadn't noticed.
Thinking it was her imagination, she brushed it off.
Now, seeing her boyfriend's shoes by the door, she happily assumed he was already inside.
But as soon as she stepped in, she heard those same strange noises.
Curious, she walked toward the sound only to flick on the light and find her boyfriend's body hanging by the hair from the ceiling.
Kayako's black hair covered the entire room, while little Toshio sat nearby, pushing the swaying corpse like a toy—its body thudding rhythmically against the wall.
Kayako's face was on the ceiling, her empty eyes staring straight at Tomoka.
That's when Tomoka realized—the noises she'd been hearing all along weren't from her neighbors.
They were the sounds of her boyfriend's body being slammed into the wall by Toshio.
Panicked, she tried to run—but Kayako's hair coiled around her neck and lifted her into the air.
Moments later, Tomoka joined her boyfriend as another lifeless, dangling body—two corpses swaying in unison.
The scene alone was enough to chill anyone to the bone.
Kyoko, meanwhile, gradually realized how terrifyingly powerful the curse had become.
Her family and in-laws all urged her not to give birth to the unnatural child inside her.
Yet, for reasons unknown, she hesitated to make a decision.
Around this time, a high school girl named Chiharu an extra in Kyoko's horror film began having nightmares of being trapped in a stranger's house.
During the earlier shoot, she had fainted after glimpsing a pale boy standing beside Kyoko.
Edward decided to give Chiharu a role in this film too—not a major one, but memorable enough.
He made her the victim of the infamous "Under the Blanket" scene, fully embracing the blanket "barrier" myth before brutally breaking it.
After that came a series of massacres as Kayako slaughtered the remaining cast members.
Finally, Kyoko gave birth—to Kayako herself.
The newborn immediately killed everyone in the operating room, leaving only Kyoko alive… for a while.
Eventually, Kyoko also died, and Kayako, now reborn as a little girl had completed her ultimate goal: reincarnation.
"Boss, this script of yours…" Zoroark said, looking uneasy.
It truly hadn't expected Edward to write such a vicious, twisted plot.
It was terrifying—and strangely brilliant.
"What's wrong? Not detailed enough?" Edward mused, tapping his chin.
"It is supposed to be the final chapter, but something still feels missing."
Indeed, there was a hole in the story—the explanation of why Kayako was so powerful.
That came from the American version of The Grudge 3.
Thinking it over, Edward decided he could weave that idea into his version to make the story more complete.
He started typing again.
In his rewrite, before giving birth, Kyoko decided to investigate the curse's origin—uncovering the truth of Kayako's past.
"My mother was a shaman," a calm voice whispered beside him.
"A powerful one. But she never cared much for me."
Edward jolted, nearly throwing his laptop across the room.
Beside him, Zoroark looked puzzled, but Edward quickly coughed and sent it away with a flimsy excuse.
Only after Zoroark left did he dare glance to the side—where Kayako herself had appeared.
She had literally crawled out.
Sadako, it seemed, had gone back home.
Toshio was sitting nearby, playing video games—since as a spirit caught between life and death, he didn't need to go to school.
From the way Kayako spoke, it seemed she was actually considering sending him to school but whether that would ever happen was anyone's guess.
"So, what do you think of my script?" Edward asked, showing her the draft.
Kayako silently read it, her expression growing complex.
She remembered her past—how she had once killed countless victims under the curse's influence.
One of them, a wealthy man, had tracked down her mother, seeking answers and learned the source of her immense power.
After all, how could a girl born as a vessel of resentment and hatred not become powerful?
Her mother, cold and distant even in life, had never shown her affection.
When she died, she hadn't even bothered to visit her daughter's spirit.
She had merely said, "Kayako was a fool. She was too stupid, that's why Takeo killed her."
Those words enraged Kayako.
She hadn't planned to kill her mother despite the fact that the woman had already absorbed some of the curse's taint.
But after hearing that, her fury exploded.
She slaughtered her mother in cold blood, absorbed her soul, and forced her to relive Kayako's own torment for eternity.
And now Edward had written that exact detail into his story.
"Not bad," Kayako murmured with a faint smile.
"I didn't do it exactly like that, but the result's about the same."
She actually felt a strange sense of kinship with Edward—as if he somehow knew all her secrets.
Edward's mouth twitched.
Of course he knew.
He continued writing, adding a subplot about Kayako's sister.
Kayako's expression softened; she did have a younger sister, someone she had genuinely loved.
That sister used to visit the house, offering prayers and talking to her through the walls, sharing little updates about her life.
But after their mother's death, she stopped coming.
Still, Kayako didn't regret what she had done.
Reading the part about her sister in Edward's story, Kayako found it surprisingly believable.
Yes… her sister would probably try to do something like that.
After all, with their mother gone, what else could she do?
A faint tremor of resentment rippled through Kayako's aura, but she quickly suppressed it, keeping her emotions in check.
She wasn't the kind of Kayako who'd let anger consume her anymore.
She wouldn't allow her sister to unseal her again but if her cursed side ever took over, she might indeed kill her and make her part of the curse "family."
But now… now she had other thoughts.
After all, this was her sister.
Their bond still meant something.
So, she decided, if her sister ever came looking for her again, she wouldn't kill her.
Maybe she'd just… break her legs a little.
And if the girl still refused to give up?
Well, then Kayako would simply stay here, with Edward.
After all, no matter how powerful her sister became, there was no way she'd ever find this place.
(End of Chapter)