Chapter : 02
“$%^!”
An explanation rattled off as fast as rap brushed past my ears.
‘Side effects? Additional fees? Money…?’
When I finally grasped the whirlwind of words, my eyes flew open.
“No, it’s not like I came here because I wanted to—doesn’t this seem a bit much?”
“I’m very sorry….”
“Side effects? What kind of side effects? And how much are these additional costs?”
“…We’ll explain the details after we confirm them.”
The staff member, hands trembling, guided me to a sofa.
People hurried back and forth across the front desk, and the phone kept ringing.
With the ominous atmosphere, all I could do was sit still and read the room.
I wasn’t the type to cause a scene demanding they hurry up, so as I sat there rolling my eyes, time just kept slipping by.
‘I want to lie down….’
Unable to endure the boredom any longer, I finally stood up and headed toward the front desk.
When I approached, the gathered staff hastily flipped through piles of documents and picked up phones that hadn’t even rung.
“Um….”
As I spoke, one staff member replied with an awkward smile.
“Yes, ma’am. The person in charge is on the way, so could you please wait just a little longer?”
I’ve already waited a little—and then quite a lot—longer than that.
“Would you like a drink?”
My throat’s already full up to here.
“…….”
The staff member just looked at me with that same awkward smile.
‘That’s it. I can’t take this anymore.’
I clenched my fist and mustered my courage.
My patience had reached its limit; I couldn’t keep sitting in the same position, staring at the carpet pattern.
‘I need to lie down.’
Just as I turned, planning to go back and relax my tense spine—
“Thank you for waiting!”
A person wearing stylish glasses appeared with a booming greeting.
In an instant, the staff’s expressions shifted to relief.
‘Tch.’
The back that had loosened slightly at the thought of lying down stiffened again.
“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, ma’am. You must have been very uncomfortable. I’m the manager here.”
Living up to his position, the manager deployed an impressive apology skill set and offered me a handshake.
“It must have been very distressing to experience something like this so suddenly. This is also our first time dealing with an issue like this, so it took us a while to find a way to help you.”
“Yes….”
“It appears there was a system error and the 담당자 made a mistake. We’ll ensure this doesn’t happen again by retraining those involved and inspecting the system.”
The manager continued his smooth explanation.
As I nodded along, it occurred to me that he hadn’t said anything about how I’d be sent back.
“So… how do I go back?”
When I got to the point, the manager—who had been smiling broadly—paused for a moment, then continued.
His tone was a bit stiffer than before.
“Returning directly to reality isn’t possible under our hotel’s rules. You’ll need to enter an original work.”
“You said there wasn’t an original work.”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
‘If there isn’t one, then how am I supposed to go?!’
My mouth fell open in disbelief. As my expression twisted, the manager hurriedly added,
“But! Fortunately, we’ve found exactly one original work you can enter.”
Before he even finished speaking, the staff standing behind him exchanged looks.
My working-adult radar spun up at full speed.
‘I’ve seen this before.’
This is like watching a coworker tell a lie in front of the department head that they won’t be able to clean up later.
And I’m worried the fallout might splash onto me too!
This needed to be clarified.
“Is it somewhere weird?”
“Pardon?”
“Is it one of those bleak stories where everyone dies…? Or do I have to seduce a black-hearted dragon male lead? Or am I a confined villainess…? A terminally ill extra…? Or—don’t tell me—the fate of the world depends on me?”
I listed every worst-case scenario I could imagine. The manager rolled his eyes and deliberately dragged out the pause.
So it is, isn’t it…? Then why are you making me so anxious?!
“Of course not. It’s just….”
Gulp.
With a friendly smile, the manager said,
“It’s a returned story.”
“…What?”
Returned…? Wait, possession can be returned?
People possess stories where they’re going to die the very next day just fine—how bad does a story have to be to get returned?
As if he’d read my thoughts from my expression, the manager quickly added,
“Ah, of course, there’s nothing wrong with the original work itself. It was simply a change of heart. It’s an ordinary story, and you’ll be in a supporting role, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.”
“…….”
A supporting role in an ordinary story? That sounded tempting.
My exhausted spine longed for a bed.
“We’d like to give you a more important role, but… if not here, we can’t guarantee how many years you’d have to wait.”
‘No, thanks. I’ll pass on important roles.’
I rested a finger on my chin and thought.
‘Well, if there’s no new stock, you buy the discounted return.’
I had no intention of staying here and risking side effects or extra charges.
And waiting here for years—who knew how long—was unthinkable.
Returned or not, entering an original work seemed far better.
When I didn’t say anything, the manager apparently thought I was dissatisfied and sped up his pitch.
“You must be anxious. I’m sorry. Would it help if we let you customize your hair and eye color?”
My eyes widened at that.
As a prisoner trapped in the corporate grind, I’d never even dreamed of flashy dye jobs—what an opportunity.
‘Can I really choose any color…? What should I pick?’
While I pondered, the manager—who had been anxiously darting his eyes—couldn’t stand the silence and spoke again.
“A guidebook! We’ll also provide a guidebook with the original story’s plot and character introductions.”
‘Oh?’
I blinked in surprise, my hand still rubbing my chin.
I wasn’t exactly a veteran reader of romance fantasy, and I didn’t even know the story I’d be entering—yet they’d give me a guidebook? Isn’t that a cheat?
With a guidebook, it felt like I could live a shut-in life without getting tangled up in the plot at all.
I sat quietly and glanced sideways at the manager.
‘If I keep my mouth shut, will more come out?’
Unfortunately, it seemed there was nothing more. The manager sagged his shoulders.
“…That’s all we can offer. What will you do?”
Afraid he might retract what he’d already promised, I hurriedly asked,
“Then when the story ends, do I return to how things were? What happens in reality?”
The manager replied with a gentle, relieved smile.
“Time in reality will be stopped, and you’ll return to the exact moment you left.”
I nodded immediately. Having made my decision, I just wanted to possess—or whatever—and finally lie down.
As I followed the manager’s guidance, all the front desk staff came out and bowed.
Among them, I spotted the staff member from earlier.
Their youthful face looked awful, eyes reddened—it made my heart ache.
Remembering myself as a fresh-faced newbie, I stuck my nose in and spoke to the manager.
“Thank you for your hard work. Um… anyway, it’s all been resolved now. Please don’t be too hard on that person. I’m asking you.”
I bowed deeply.
Meanwhile, after Jiyoon left, a precarious silence settled over the front desk.
When the manager let out a sigh, the staff member who had been bowing flinched.
“Ms. L.”
“I’m sorry.”
L’s voice trembled as she bowed her head deeply.
“This isn’t your first time, is it?”
“What? Last time, that wasn’t my fault—”
“It’s fortunate this customer let it slide, but what if it had turned into a major complaint like the previous one?”
“…….”
“Given the customer’s request, we’ll stop here—but be more careful from now on. Keep monitoring.”
“Yes.”
“What are you standing around for? Go write the guidebook.”
Biting her lip, L hurried away.
“We’ll be entering the powder room.”
“Thank you.”
Inside the powder room, someone wearing a beautiful dress straight out of a romance fantasy webtoon was waiting for me.
“Hello, ma’am. I’m Laila, your attendant. Would you come this way?”
As I shuffled over awkwardly, Laila gently guided me to sit in front of the vanity.
In the mirror, I saw myself bare-faced in pajamas, and Laila in her elegant dress.
It was like a honeybee standing next to a fairy.
‘…Does someone as shabby as me really deserve to possess anything?’
Unaware of my inner thoughts, Laila smiled brightly and played with my hair.
“You’re choosing your hair and eye color, right? How wonderful. Very few customers receive such privileges.”
As I nodded, Laila brought over a large powder case, puff in hand.
“Please close your eyes for a moment.”
When I closed them, a soft puff touched my face.
From my forehead to my chin, her careful dabbing was meticulous and gentle.
“Now, open your eyes.”
“Gasp.”
The moment I opened them and met my reflection in the mirror, I sucked in a sharp breath.
A night draped in deep darkness.
As the moon, once trapped behind clouds, revealed its face, light streamed through the glass windows of a vast mansion.
Inside a room of the mansion where there was no sign of human presence, a man sat alone.
His face shone, flawless and smooth, as though a master craftsman had shaped and polished it over countless nights.
Moonlight shattered across his sharp jawline and high nose bridge, lifting his dense eyelashes.
The red eyes set deep within absorbed the moonlight and gleamed.
“Krooo!”
The moment the man opened his eyes, the howl of a monster echoed from outside the mansion.
