Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The Moon Jar looked at the clock with an uneasy heart.

Dong— dong—.

The bell rang, announcing exactly two in the afternoon.

At this hour, every villager in Wicheon fell asleep, and every business closed its doors.

“Just because we’re closed doesn’t mean we can’t advertise, right?”

The horrifying result of Sohee’s obsession with advertising slowly began to rise.

Wriggle, squirm, bulge, bulge.

WHOOOOOOOSH—!

The loud roar of a powerful blower filled the air, and Sohee immediately sprang to her feet.

“Rise!”

“Those damned things. They’ve started. Again.”

The two of them stared at the unholy things slowly standing upright in front of the motel.

A week ago, Sohee had asked the Moon Jar to obtain those eight-foot-tall ghost-like things.

After struggling to position them in front of the motel, she had crouched beside the deflated figures and looked at them with a proud expression.

“Do you know how good these things are for advertising? Now we just fill them with air like this and… ta-da!”

WHOOOOOOOSH!

Along with her ridiculous ta-da, the deafening roar of the blower had erupted.

“……”

The Moon Jar had been so dumbfounded that it couldn't even speak.

It could only stare blankly at the hideous things.

When it saw the pair of enormous cloth ghosts flailing their arms and legs like evil spirits…

Well.

That moment probably ranked among the top five times it had wanted to ascend to heaven and leave everything behind.

“Absolutely. Not.”

“Why? These things attract so much attention….”

“They are extremely unpleasant. And distracting. If your goal is to chase people away, then congratulations. You have succeeded.”

“Good or bad, we need everyone to remember us first! And once you keep looking at them, they’re actually cute, you know?”

WHOOOOOOOSH!

In the end, after an hour-long argument between So Sohee and the Moon Jar, they reached a compromise.

The eight-foot ghost couple would be turned on for only one hour each day.

Sohee had stubbornly refused the Moon Jar’s suggestion to run them only while everyone was taking their afternoon nap.

She finally gave in only after it half-threatened her by saying the villagers of Wicheon would be so traumatized that they would start filing complaints.

Besides, the characters who entered Wicheon together with a Reaper did not take afternoon naps anyway, so it wasn't as though the advertising had absolutely no effect.

‘The moment So Sohee returns to her own world, I will cut those two bastards’ heads off first.’

Unaware of their future fate, the two inflatable figures continued flapping enthusiastically as they advertised the motel.

The characters who had just entered Wicheon hesitantly backed away from the two strangely writhing figures.

The huge words written across their bodies—

SPECIALISTS IN REGRESSION, POSSESSION, AND REINCARNATION

and

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS & EXTRAS WELCOME

—were especially puffed up and impossible to miss.

“Mm. Working perfectly.”

Sohee nodded with satisfaction.

The Moon Jar almost asked whether something was wrong with her eyes, but swallowed the words.

What was the point?

She wouldn't listen anyway.

After confirming that the machines were working properly, Sohee returned to her seat.

Right now, every villager had fallen asleep as though someone had flipped a switch.

Since Sohee was human, the phenomenon did not affect her.

That meant she could use this hour however she wanted.

“All right! Time to come up with a new advertising strategy!”

The Moon Jar felt dizzy.

Exactly one hour later, the noisy roar of the blowers finally died down.

Sohee, who had been busily writing something on a sheet of paper, raised her head.

Outside the motel, everyone had awakened and was already moving around busily again.

Sohee also put down her pen and straightened her clothes, preparing to resume business.

That was when she heard it.

Tap, tap, tap.

One set of light, cheerful footsteps.

At the same time, another pair of heavier footsteps approached at a relaxed pace.

The corners of her lips rose before she even realized it.

“They must be back.”

Sohee hurried to the entrance and opened the glass door.

Standing outside was a young girl wearing the kind of maid uniform one might see in a romance-fantasy novel.

Beside her stood a young man with curly, reddish-orange hair.

“Sohee! We bought some new scents and colors today! There were so many pretty ones. But I held myself back and only bought what we absolutely needed.”

“They all looked the same to me. I honestly couldn't tell the difference between sky blue and baby blue.”

Riri, the maid, covered her mouth with one hand and widened her eyes in surprise.

“Really? Could there be something wrong with your eyesight?”

“……”

“I know a doctor. I can introduce you. Don't worry too much, though. I'm sure it isn't anything serious.”

“…Thank you.”

Knowing that Riri was genuinely concerned about him, the chef standing beside her, Kuku, completely lost the will to argue.

Sohee suppressed a laugh and opened the entrance wider for them.

“Those must be heavy. Hurry inside.”

Riri's basket was filled with various dyes and fragrances, while Kuku's basket contained fresh ingredients.

The two had gone to the market early that morning so they could claim the best products before anyone else.

They had only just returned.

“Oh, right! We have a guest!”

“Really? Then I should hurry and decorate the room!”

“I'll prepare the meal first, then.”

Riri scampered into the lobby like an excited little deer.

Kuku followed behind her with what counted as hurried steps for him.

Both of them had urgent work to do.

‘Cute.’

Sohee watched their backs with a pleased smile.

But they weren't merely cute.

They were extremely capable as well.

Back when she had only just begun figuring out how to operate the motel, hiring those two—who had originally been nothing more than ordinary villagers—as motel employees had been one of the best decisions she'd made since arriving here.

“Hoho. This certainly is a familiar room.”

Tang Je-ik let out a hearty laugh before he knew it.

Starting from his second day at the Regression-Possession-Reincarnation Motel, he had been able to stay in a room prepared exactly like the one he had lived in while alive.

Both Regression-Possession-Reincarnation Hotels and Motels had devices capable of recreating rooms in whatever shape their resident characters desired.

However, everything produced by those devices came out in achromatic colors.

Because of that, guests often preferred not to use the feature.

After all, no one wanted their precious memories turned dull and gray.

But Riri had perfectly restored the proper colors to the room.

It was only natural for Tang Je-ik to be impressed.

“Even the scent of ink is here. How in the world did you prepare all this?”

He looked around the room in wonder before asking Sohee.

“Our staff members are quite talented.”

Riri, who could reproduce virtually any color or fragrance, had received selected portions of Tang Je-ik's life story from Sohee.

They were mainly details concerning his hobbies, likes, dislikes, and personal preferences.

One passage in particular had caught Riri's attention.

Whenever his thoughts became complicated, he would grind an inkstick and paint landscapes in ink, calming both body and mind.

That had given her the answer.

Riri brought out a fragrance that smelled like ink and let the faint scent spread throughout the room.

She had even prepared a complete set of the Four Treasures of the Study in one corner.

“Ho… Even the color of the sleeves faded by poison is exactly the same….”

There was something even more difficult than reproducing the fragrance.

The colors.

Every bit of information about color had also been conveyed to Riri entirely through written descriptions.

And they weren't simple instructions like—

The robe is green.

or

The shoes are brown.

Instead, they were terribly abstract and demanding descriptions such as—

Sky blue with a single drop of water mixed into it.

Or—

Yellow like sunlight shining through a butterfly's wings.

Even so, Riri had stubbornly completed everything perfectly, although her face had become visibly pale from exhaustion.

Then she had smiled proudly.

Right now, she was in the staff lounge, sleeping as though she had collapsed unconscious.

“This level of hospitality is almost excessive.”

“To us, Elder, you are someone worthy of this much.”

“Hoho.”

Tang Je-ik sat down and gently ran one hand across the inkstone beside him.

Its texture felt almost exactly like the one he remembered.

He picked up the brush as well.

When he saw the half-used inkstick and the brush dampened with water, something suddenly surged in his chest.

His wife, who had lived with him in this room.

His son and daughter-in-law coming in to ask how he was doing.

And then his grandchild rushing inside, catching a foot on the threshold, falling over, and bursting into tears.

Those scenes flashed through his mind.

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

Then it disappeared.

‘They must all be dead by now.’

He didn't want to believe it.

But that was the conclusion Tang Je-ik had reached.

While he remained lost in thought, Sohee spoke.

“We've been reviewing the record of your life again, trying to find the parts we need. But there is one thing I'd like to hear clearly from you.”

She continued carefully.

“I want to know exactly what you hope to achieve through regression, possession, or reincarnation. Depending on your answer, the direction we take could change greatly.”

Sohee hesitated before asking the next question.

“Elder, you chose regression, possession, or reincarnation even though that meant giving up the possibility that you might become the main character in your next story. That's why I'm worried there may be something extremely important that I've overlooked….”

“The main character in my next life, you say…. Is it perhaps possible to revoke the agreement?”

“…Excuse me?”

“I'm joking.”

Tang Je-ik laughed lightly.

Only then did Sohee relax the shoulders that had tensed for an instant.

“My reason…”

He paused.

“What life exists without regrets? But if I could change just one thing among them….”

Sohee quickly opened her folder and prepared to write.

Now that Tang Je-ik was about to tell his own story, however, the words did not seem to come easily.

He turned toward the window, trying to calm the emotions stirring inside him.

A moment later, it almost felt as though he were being drawn back into the novel where he had once lived.

Then he spoke.

“If I could go back, I would take the Heavenly Demon under my wing.”