Korean Urban Legends

The Elevator Killer

If you aren't a fan of elevators, then you'll definitely not be a fan of this one.

Also known as "The Man in the Elevator" and "The Elevator Murderer", this legend is a simple yet unnerving story. Here is the following tale that goes along with this:

There was a girl named Haruko who was nineteen years old and had high hopes for her future. She was attending a popular university in Korea and worked diligently each day to make sure she would pass. One night, she found herself stuck at the library with an unfinished project. Pressured by society's expectations and the fear of not passing, she became determined to complete the assessment before it was due.

After finally finishing it, she realized how late it became. The sky was much darker outside, and she found herself chilled by the gloomy atmosphere outside of the library. She hated how scary everything seemed, but knew that she had to get home. Soon enough, she arrived at the door of her home. Haruko lived in an old apartment building on the 14th floor.

She entered the building and went to the elevator. Her finger raised up and pressed the button to call for the elevator. After a few moments, the doors opened and she stepped inside, the dim lighting welcoming her. She pushed the button for her floor, but before the doors closed, she spotted something in the corner of her eye. It was an incredibly handsome man running towards the elevator. He quickly put his hand out to stop the elevator doors from closing. Then, he made his way inside and stood next to Haruko. He caught his breath and looked over at the elevator buttons.

"You live on the 14th floor?" The man asked, noticing that the 14th button's light was on.

"Yes," replied Haruko.

"Oh, I live on the 13th," The man said, smiling at her. As the elevator gradually ascended, he pressed the button for the 13th floor. They both stood in silence, although Haruko felt lost in wonder as her eyes shifted towards the man. He certainly is handsome and seems really nice, she thought. I wonder if we could maybe date someday, or at least see each other more.

Each time the man would glance at her, she would smile and her eyelids would flutter. Her cheeks were flushed with thoughts of them being together as the elevator climbed to the 13th floor.

The elevator stopped, letting out a silent jolt. Then, the doors opened up. She grinned sweetly as the man stepped out and looked over at her.

"See you..." The man said."

"Yes, see you-"

"...upstairs."

The man's voice suddenly turned menacing as he pulled out a knife from his jacket. To her horror, he laughed maniacally and began to run towards the staircase. The doors to the elevator shut before she could think, and the elevator began to ascend. As the seconds ticked by, she realized her fate.

Panicked, she began to hammer at the buttons with her fist, trying to make it reach any other floor, but nothing could stop the elevator once a button's floor was already pushed. There was no emergency stop button to halt the elevator, either. Her phone was with her, but she knew that there wasn't enough time left for help to arrive and save her.

"No! Stop! Stop! Help!" Haruko screamed, although she knew that it was useless. She desperately slammed against the buttons on the elevator, trying to get some sort of response. A malfunction, an overload in the system- anything to stop the elevator.

But that never came.

She arrived to the 14th floor. As the doors slid open, the man was standing there, waiting for her with a devilish grin on his face. 

The girl was found the next day, brutally stabbed to death in the elevator. The man was never found.

It is said that this incident is one of the reasons why there are stop buttons on elevators. Overall, the story is also used to scare people about elevators, especially if they're already paranoid. It can bring stress when one imagines the horror the girl experienced when she was ascending to her demise, and how she was ultimately helpless no matter how hard she tried.

So... do you like elevators?