Drip— Drip—
‘Cold…’
Yi Kyung unwittingly furrowed her brow at the cold sensation dripping onto her forehead at regular intervals. She tried to open her closed eyes, but the sunlight was too strong, making it difficult to lift her eyelids.
As her consciousness gradually returned, the events of last night replayed in her mind as if a TV had been turned on. The fumbling hand in the pitch-dark entryway, the chilling touch of a stranger her hand had brushed against. And the sharp, piercing metal, the burning pain in her abdomen.
At that point, Yi Kyung gasped and sat up abruptly. Without a moment to look around, she frantically felt her stomach. But no matter how thoroughly she searched the spot where the cold metal had passed through, she couldn’t even feel any pain.
‘Was it a dream...?’
She sighed in relief and finally took in her surroundings. Blue roses swayed all around her in the breeze. The rustling leaves of the roses reminded her of the sea, giving her the sensation of lying in the middle of a blue ocean.
“But... why am I lying in a place like this?”
Was she still dreaming? Yi Kyung closed and opened her eyes several times, trying desperately to wake from this terrible nightmare. But no matter how long she waited, nothing changed.
Then only one situation remained. I didn’t survive, but rather…
“Am I dead?”
Something felt strange. The sky was unnaturally, excessively clear. Amidst the surreal scenery, she let out a hollow laugh.
“Ha… haha…”
Could she ever have imagined dying at the hands of a murderer in her blossoming twenties, before even graduating from university? Tears wouldn't even come in the face of such a cruel fate.
Unlike in movies or dramas, no grim reaper came to meet her.
Or perhaps, even in death, am I all alone?
Yi Kyung got up with a hollow expression and brushed the dirt off her clothes. She intended to confront the King of the Underworld about this unfair treatment. But before she could take more than a few steps, she suddenly turned around in shock at the presence nearby.
“Who’s there...?”
A man was scanning her with wary eyes. He wore a wide-brimmed hat tied securely under his chin and looked as if he had just been rolling around in the forest, dirt and leaves clinging to his clothes.
“Are you the grim reaper? Did you come to take me?”
Her face brightened noticeably at the man’s appearance. Though his attire was somewhat odd for a grim reaper, just knowing she wasn’t alone was a comfort.
However, the man’s gaze grew even more guarded at her words.
“I asked who you are.”
“Oh... should I introduce myself?”
Yi Kyung stammered, clearly embarrassed by his question.
Didn’t grim reapers carry a list? But his hands didn’t hold even a single common sheet of paper. Moreover, the man was looking her up and down as if he’d encountered a truly bizarre person. It was a look akin to how one might observe a 'wild flower child,' a pitiable, wandering woman sometimes said to appear on rainy days.
However, after tilting his head for a while and carefully examining her attire, the man suddenly clapped his hands together and said,
“Aha! You must be one of those who came to attend this year’s New Year Festival!”
“New Year… Festival?”
“Yes. You’re not from Bestia, are you, miss? I thought your clothes looked unfamiliar.”
“Ah, yes…”
"Actually, the blue rose garden of our Cruisen family mansion opens its gates to everyone only once a year, on the day of the New Year Festival. On that day, people flock from all over to see the blue roses. Come to think of it, you must have been one of them, miss!”
Does something like a festival exist even in the afterlife?
But before she could even ask what the New Year Festival was, the man, having completely dropped his guard, spoke to her amicably. All traces of his earlier sharp vigilance were gone, and not a hint of caution remained on his face.
He clucked his tongue, his eyes scanning Yi Kyung’s water-stained blouse.
"It looks like you came from afar for this special occasion, but what a shame it had to rain! Oh dear, your clothes are all wet! If you don’t mind, how about stopping by the mansion for a bit to dry your clothes?”
“At the mansion?”
“Yes. Even if the weather seems fine, you’ll catch a cold for sure wearing clothes like that. It’s just a short walk from here, so please follow me for a moment.”
Introducing himself as Hansen, the man started walking ahead, guiding her before she could reply. After a short while, as they moved through the trees, the estate hidden among them slowly came into view.
That’s when she began to feel something was off. An estate in the afterlife? It was nothing like the underworld she had imagined. In fact, it might not be the underworld at all.
A sudden wave of fear swept over her as she realized where she might have ended up. But before she could ask anything, Hansen kept talking without pause.
"But, miss, how did you end up not returning home? Even if you came to attend the New Year Festival event, the head of the family won’t be too pleased if he finds out an outsider is still wandering around the mansion. Still, don’t worry, the lord won’t be here until tomorrow. If the lord were here, you would have been kicked out for sure. Oh! That doesn’t mean the lord is a bad person. He just extremely dislikes having people in the mansion.”
“Excuse me, but…”
"You know, it doesn’t actually rain that often here in Bestia. If I remember correctly, this might be the first rain in nearly ten years. Of all times, it had to rain on the night of the New Year Festival, ruining everything we worked so hard to prepare! This much rain is a rare event even in the Empire’s history! At this rate, perhaps…”
“Wait, just a moment, please!”
Yi Kyung, finally succeeding in cutting him off, stopped abruptly in her tracks. Hansen, who also stopped walking, looked at her with a puzzled expression.
“What’s wrong?”
"This place is called… Bestia? Not the afterlife?”
“The afterlife? What’s that?”
“Wasn’t I dead just now?”
“Are you perhaps very ill? Well, it’s understandable you’d catch a cold after shivering in the cold all night like this. But where on earth is this place called the afterlife? Ah, perhaps you were on your way to the Jusman Kingdom? Travelers who get lost on their way there sometimes wander into Bestia…”
“Jusman… Kingdom?”
Empire, kingdom—what was all this? Before she could even feel relieved at not being dead, she faced a new problem.
The Bestia Empire and the Jusman Kingdom—these were places she’d never heard of on Earth. And the fact that she could talk normally with a man who looked so foreign was strange in itself.
‘Where on earth have I ended up?’
Her mind was a mess. If this strange place was the result of a grim reaper’s mistake, how could she get back?
But Hansen, unaware of her thoughts, kept lamenting about how the rain ruined the New Year’s ceremony. They exchanged many incomprehensible words as they walked toward the estate.
The entrance of the mansion, which had seemed close, was only now appearing in the distance.
“Please wait here for a moment. I’d like to let you rest for a bit, but the butler is quite strict.”
Only after they had almost reached the door did he leave, saying he’d be right back, and disappeared into the mansion with quick steps.
Left alone, Yi Kyung blankly stared up at the grand mansion before her, which looked like something out of medieval Europe. An inexplicably cold atmosphere emanated from its light gray granite exterior walls.
‘Can I really go inside that door?’
The mansion before her exuded an atmosphere distinctly different from its surroundings. But she had no other choice. The weather wasn't cold, but her body, chilled perhaps due to her wet clothes, trembled slightly.
Just then, Hansen peeked his head out from the slightly opened door and said,
“Miss! Please come in!”
Hansen smiled broadly and gestured for her to enter. After a moment’s hesitation, Yi Kyung soon followed him into the mansion.
***
Upon entering the mansion, a brightly lit lobby greeted her, contrary to the somewhat dark impression its exterior gave.
A magnificent chandelier hanging from an endlessly high ceiling illuminated the pure white marble floor, and a warm air, its source unknown, was already beginning to warm her body.
‘That must be the butler.’
Beside Hansen stood an old man in a black suit. His hair was snow-white, and he looked quite old, but thanks to his neatly styled hair and attire, he gave off an impression of being much younger than his age.
Soon, the old man’s gaze turned to Yi Kyung, and she felt his eyes scanning her attire from top to bottom. The old man turned his head towards Hansen.
“Why is this young lady’s clothes like this?”
“Have you forgotten already? Yesterday was the New Year Festival! Please, try to pay some attention to what’s happening in the world.”
“Oh, was that so?”
Contrary to Hansen’s strictness, the old man answered casually. Hansen shook his head in disbelief at the old man’s indifference.
“So what does that have to do with anything?”
“It seems she couldn’t return home because of the heavy rain. Given the situation, wouldn’t it be right to let her stay the night?”
The butler looked Yi Kyung over quietly.
“Fortunately, the lord isn’t here. Judging by how wet you are, it would be unwise to send you away and risk you catching a cold. Right?”
However, when there was no response from the old man, Hansen stomped his foot in frustration. The old man, who seemed to possess a personality completely opposite to the impetuous and talkative Hansen, merely stared intently at Yi Kyung despite Hansen’s urging.
Just as Yi Kyung was about to utter something during the old man’s prolonged silence, his lips slowly parted.
“Follow me.”
“Well thought out! You’re warmer than you seem. Now, let’s get her to a room before anyone sees her!”
“If you want to keep your mouth shut, I’d appreciate it.”
Though Hansen grumbled quietly at the butler’s reprimand, he was clearly delighted to have taken her in, smiling from ear to ear.
“Thank you.”
Yi Kyung bowed to them both. The butler looked at her silently, then turned away. She gave Hansen a small nod of thanks and followed the butler.
After climbing a spiral staircase and walking down a long corridor, the butler stopped in front of a room. Opening the door, he revealed a spacious, cozy chamber.
“It’s been unused for a long time, but it should be fine for one night.”
Though he said it hadn’t been used, the room was immaculately clean. As she looked around curiously, the butler gave her a few instructions.
“Try not to leave this room. If you must, pull this cord to call for someone.”
“Okay.”
“You can stay here only for one day. Leave at dawn without leaving any trace.”
“Does that mean… I can really stay overnight?”
“The bathroom is over there.”
“...Thank you.”
The butler pointed to a door on one side of the room. His tone was dry and businesslike, his expression unreadable.
With those final words, the butler turned and left the room. Finally alone in the spacious room, Yi Kyung forgot that her clothes were still wet and simply lay down on the bed. The feel of the pristine white sheets began to envelop her body comfortably.
Was it because of that?
Yi Kyung fell into a deep sleep without even thinking of getting up to wash.
***
She had a long dream.
Even in her dream, Yi Kyung was asleep. Alone, very lonely, in a hospital room no one visited. Only a doctor in a white gown would periodically come to check her condition.
And so, a day, a month, a year passed.
There, in that place, she was dreaming a dream from which she would never awaken.